Abstract

Identifying modular properties of multiplex networks presents additional subtleties to the already corresponding difficult problem in single layer networks. One most evident issue is the presence of conflicting module partitions, when two or more layers have very clear community structure that differ from one another. Based on the well known Newman-Girvan method, a framework (MultiNG) to reach this goal is developed and tested. Taking into account that the community structure of any multiplex layer can be evaluated in advance, and that multiplex nodes have an intrinsic identity, MultiNG is targeted at finding one sole global structure, meaning that to any node a single module is assigned in all layers. As a consequence, inter-layer connections are preserved throughout the process, and only intra-layer edges are eligible to be eliminated. The reliability of the procedure is tested by investigating different cases, as synthetic multiplex networks and multiplex networks obtained from real data. Results are compared with those obtained by other methods.

Graphical abstract

中文翻译：

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通过顺序层内边缘消除在多路复用网络中寻找模块化结构

摘要

识别多路复用网络的模块化特性会给单层网络中已经存在的难题带来更多的细微差别。一个最明显的问题是存在冲突的模块分区，这是因为两层或更多层的社区结构非常清晰，彼此之间存在差异。基于众所周知的Newman-Girvan方法，开发并测试了实现此目标的框架（MultiNG）。考虑到可以预先评估任何多路复用层的社区结构，并且多路复用节点具有固有的标识，因此MultiNG的目标是找到一个唯一的全局结构，这意味着在所有层中将单个模块分配给任何节点。结果，在整个过程中都保留了层间连接，并且只有层内边缘才有资格消除。该程序的可靠性通过调查不同情况进行测试，例如合成多路复用网络和从真实数据获得的多路复用网络。将结果与通过其他方法获得的结果进行比较。

图形概要