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Methodology to quantify robustness in networks: case study—Higher Education System in Mexico

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Abstract

In this work, we propose a methodology to quantify robustness in networks. Specifically, the methodology is based on the resolution of the Vertex Separator Problem in order to find the set of nodes that the elimination of their links causes the rupture of the giant component. The methodology presented in this work was tested on a set of benchmark networks and on set of social networks modeled with the information about the main characteristics of the universities belonging to the Higher Education System in Mexico (HESM) for the period 2013–2017. The results show that the proposed methodology is able to quantify the robustness in several types of networks without using centrality measures or some other structural metric. On the other hand, regarding the HESM networks, we can assure that they are robust and that they are prone to generate communities or modules.

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Notes

  1. Hamming distance is defined as the number of elements that have to be changed to transform a solution into another valid solution.

  2. In Annex A, we present the numerical identifiers for each University.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this work was provided by the National Council for Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACyT).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, San Rafael Atlixco 186, Colonia Vicentina, 09340, Iztapalapa, CDMX, Mexico

    Edwin Montes-Orozco, Sergio Gerardo de-los-Cobos-Silva, Eric Alfredo Rincón-García, Pedro Lara-Velázquez & Miguel Ángel Gutiérrez-Andrade

  2. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco, San Pablo Xalpa 180, Reynosa Tamaulipas, 02200, Azcapotzalco, CDMX, Mexico

    Roman Anselmo Mora-Gutiérrez

  3. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000, Circuito exterior s/n, C.U., 04510, Cyoacán, CDMX, Mexico

    Bibiana Obregón-Quintana

Authors
  1. Edwin Montes-Orozco
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  2. Roman Anselmo Mora-Gutiérrez
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  3. Bibiana Obregón-Quintana
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  4. Sergio Gerardo de-los-Cobos-Silva
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  5. Eric Alfredo Rincón-García
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  6. Pedro Lara-Velázquez
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  7. Miguel Ángel Gutiérrez-Andrade
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Correspondence to Edwin Montes-Orozco.

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A Table of university identifiers

A Table of university identifiers

Next, the numerical identifiers of the universities that are part of the networks modeled from the information of the EXECUM repository are shown. Here, the first and third column show the numerical identifier, while the second and fourth column the full names and respective acronyms in Spanish.

Table 11 Numerical identifiers for universities
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Montes-Orozco, E., Mora-Gutiérrez, R.A., Obregón-Quintana, B. et al. Methodology to quantify robustness in networks: case study—Higher Education System in Mexico. Computing 103, 869–893 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00607-021-00909-x

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