Roles of hubs in Boolean networks

Abstract

We examined the effects of inhomogeneity on the dynamics and structural properties using Boolean networks. Two different power-law rank outdegree distributions were embedded to determine the role of hubs. The degree of randomness and coherence of the binary sequence in the networks were measured by entropy and mutual information, depending on the number of outdegrees and types of Boolean functions for the hub. With a large number of outdegrees, the path length from the hub reduces as well as the effects of Boolean function on the hub are more prominent. These results indicate that the hubs play important roles in networks' dynamics and structural properties. By comparing the effect of the skewness of the two different power-law rank distributions, we found that networks with more uniform distribution exhibit shorter average path length and higher event probability of coherence but lower degree of coherence. Networks with more skewed rank distribution have complementary properties. These results indicate that highly connected hubs provide an effective route for propagating their signals to the entire network.