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A hierarchical overlapping community detection method based on closed trail distance and maximal cliques

Abstract

An important feature of real networks is their hierarchy and the existence of overlapping communities. Hierarchical agglomerative clustering is one way to determine the hierarchy of a network. To ensure the existence of overlapping communities, it is appropriate to choose the base elements for clustering - edges, cliques, etc. These base elements can then have common vertices and naturally provide the possibility of overlap. The proposed community detection method uses hierarchical agglomerative clustering on the 2-edge-connected component of the graph. Communities are constructed from maximal cliques as base elements. Novel dissimilarities for hierarchical agglomerative clustering were introduced for the merging of cliques. The dissimilarities use the size of the overlapped cliques and closed trail distance to express dissimilarity between communities in networks. The single linkage approach contains and extends the results of k-CPM. The proposed algorithm utilizing deterministic dissimilarity achieves comparable or superior outcomes compared to standard algorithms used for hierarchical or overlapping community detection.

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A hierarchical overlapping community detection method based on closed trail distance and maximal cliques

Author: Dráždilová, Pavla
Publisher: Elsevier
Year: 2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.ins.2024.120271
Source: https://dspace.vsb.cz/bitstreams/a9760094-902a-45db-a2bb-c7de878c6eaa/download
In o ma ion Sciences 662 (2024) 120271
A ailable online 5 Feb ua y 2024
0020-0255/© 2024 The Au ho (s). Published by Else ie Inc. This is an open access a icle unde he CC BY license (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/).
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A hie a chical o e lapping communi y de ec ion me hod based on
closed ail dis ance and maximal cliques
Pa la D áždilo á∗, Pe P okop, Jan Pla oš, Václa Snášel
Depa men o Compu e Science, VSB -Technical Uni e si y o Os a a, 708 00 Os a a-Po uba, Czech Republic
A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T
Da ase link: h p://
www -pe sonal .umich .edu /%7Emejn /ne da a/
Da ase link: h ps://anonymous .4open .
science / /g aph _hie a chical _agglome a i e _
clus e ing -C946 /README .md
Keywo ds:
O e lapping communi y de ec ion
Clique pe cola ion
Closed ail dis ance
And hie a chical agglome a i e clus e ing
An impo an ea u e o eal ne wo ks is hei hie a chy and he exis ence o o e lapping
communi ies. Hie a chical agglome a i e clus e ing is one way o de e mine he hie a chy o
a ne wo k. To ensu e he exis ence o o e lapping communi ies, i is app op ia e o choose
he base elemen s o clus e ing – edges, cliques, e c. These base elemen s can hen ha e
common e ices and na u ally p o ide he possibili y o o e lap. The p oposed communi y
de ec ion me hod uses hie a chical agglome a i e clus e ing on he 2-edge-connec ed componen
o he g aph. Communi ies a e cons uc ed om maximal cliques as base elemen s. No el
dissimila i ies o hie a chical agglome a i e clus e ing we e in oduced o he me ging o
cliques. The dissimila i ies use he size o he o e lapped cliques and closed ail dis ance o
exp ess dissimila i y be ween communi ies in ne wo ks. The single linkage app oach con ains
and ex ends he esul s o 𝑘-CPM. The p oposed algo i hm u ilizing de e minis ic dissimila i y
achie es compa able o supe io ou comes compa ed o s anda d algo i hms used o hie a chical
o o e lapping communi y de ec ion.
1. In oduc ion
Using g aph ep esen a ion and ne wo k analysis ools can be beneficial o s udying ela ionships be ween objec s. A gene al
desc ip ion o communi y is a se o diffe en objec s connec ed mo e equen ly among hemsel es in compa ison o he es o he
ne wo k. In case o he possible belonging o objec s o mul iple communi ies, we a e ocusing he e on o e lapping communi ies
[1]. Yang and Lesko ec [2,3] no iced ha he communi y o e laps a e dense. In some eal-wo ld da ase s, while mos clus e ing
algo i hms canno handle such dense o e lapping s uc u es, one e ex may belong o ens o communi ies simul aneously [4].
The ep esen a i e me hod o o e lapping clus e ing is he clique pe cola ion me hod (CPM o 𝑘-CPM) by Palla e al. [5,6]. The
de ec ion o communi ies is ealized ia finding maximal cliques, cons uc ion o a clique g aph wi h maximal cliques as e ices, and
weigh ed edges ep esen ing he size o cliques’ o e lap ha a e bigge han o equal o a specified 𝑘 −1. Communi ies a e connec ed
componen s in he clique g aph whe e de ec ed communi ies may no o m a ne wo k co e . Some algo i hms o o e lapping
communi y de ec ion a e based on clus e ing o mo e complex base elemen s han e ices – edges [7], cliques [8], weak-cliques [9],
e c.
The second poin o iew on algo i hms o communi y de ec ion can be ocused on he hie a chy o communi ies [1]: “Commu-
ni ies a e nes ed wi hin each o he as many imes as he e a e hie a chical le els.” Algo i hms o hie a chical communi y de ec ion
* Co esponding au ho .
E-mail add esses: [email p o ec ed] (P. D áždilo á), [email p o ec ed] (P. P okop), [email p o ec ed] (J. Pla oš), [email p o ec ed] (V. Snášel).
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.ins.2024.120271
Recei ed 31 July 2023; Recei ed in e ised o m 30 Janua y 2024; Accep ed 30 Janua y 2024
In o ma ion Sciences 662 (2024) 120271
2
P. D áždilo á, P. P okop, J. Pla oš e al.
Table 1
No a ion used in he pape .
Symbol Desc ip ion
𝑉(𝐺)Se o e ices o g aph 𝐺
𝐸(𝐺)Se o edges o g aph 𝐺
𝑛,𝑚Numbe o e ices and edges o g aph
𝑑𝑒𝑔(𝑢)Deg ee o e ex 𝑢
⟨𝑑𝑒𝑔⟩A e age deg ee o e ices
𝐻𝐴𝐶 Hie a chical agglome a i e clus e ing
𝐺𝐻𝐴𝐶 G aph hie a chical agglome a i e clus e ing
𝑆𝐿,𝐶𝐿,𝐴𝐿 Single, comple e and a e age linkage app oach
𝐴,𝐴𝑖𝑗 Adjacency ma ix; one elemen om adjacency ma ix
𝑄,𝑄𝑘Clique and clique wi h 𝑘 e ices
𝑆𝑃(𝑥𝑖,𝑥
𝑗)The sho es pa h be ween e ices 𝑥𝑖, 𝑥𝑗
𝐶𝑇(𝑥𝑖,𝑥
𝑗),𝐶𝑇(𝑢, 𝑣, 𝑤, 𝑢)The sho es closed ail con aining e ices 𝑥𝑖, 𝑥𝑗; closed ail om 𝑢
ia 𝑣and 𝑤 o 𝑢
𝐶𝑖𝑖- h communi y
|𝐶𝑖|Size o 𝑖- h communi y
𝑑𝑆𝑃 ,𝑑𝐶𝑇 Sho es pa h and closed ail dis ance
𝑑𝑆𝐿
𝐺𝐻𝐴𝐶 ,𝑑𝐶𝐿
𝐺𝐻𝐴𝐶 ,𝑑𝐴𝐿
𝐺𝐻𝐴𝐶 G aph hie a chical agglome a i e clus e ing dissimila i y wi h single,
comple e, and a e age linkage app oach
𝑁(𝑢),𝑁+(𝑢)𝑁(𝑢) ={𝑣 ∈𝑉(𝐺); 𝑑𝑆𝑃 (𝑢, 𝑣) =1},
𝑁+(𝑢) ={𝑣 ∈𝑉(𝐺); 𝑑𝑆𝑃 (𝑢, 𝑣) ≤1}
𝜆Le el o cu in dend og am
a e o en based on hie a chical agglome a i e clus e ing (HAC). Ahn e al. [7]used a single linkage app oach wi h Jacca d simila i y,
Shen e al. [10] agglome a e communi ies wi h he maximum simila i y, and Blondel e al. [11]used he hie a chical app oach based
on modula i y op imiza ion. Ano he agglome a i e me hod uses node influence and he simila i y o nodes o de ec non-o e lapping
communi ies [12]. Al e na i ely, di isi e clus e ing is used in [13]in he o m o a ecu si e pa i ioning algo i hm, s a ing wi h a
single communi y and sepa a ing he nodes in o wo communi ies by spec al clus e ing epea edly.
The main mo i a ion o de eloping a new communi y de ec ion me hod was o combine he sea ch o o e lapped communi ies
and he c ea ion o hei hie a chical s uc u e. HAC is a commonly used p ocedu e o de ec ing o e lapping communi ies when
he cliques a e used as bases, e.g. EAGLE [10]. In his cu en wo k, we a e in oducing a no el dissimila i y o he HAC based on
he s uc u al closeness o cliques and hei neighbo hood in a g aph. We designed new dissimila i ies be ween communi ies ha
a e de e minis ic and we used he closed ail dis ance be ween g aph nodes and he size o communi ies ha o e lap. Closed ail
dis ance (𝐶𝑇-dis ance) be ween e ices 𝑢, 𝑣in he unweigh ed, undi ec ed, connec ed g aph wi hou b idges (2-edge-connec ed) is
defined in he a icle [14]as he leng h o he sho es closed ail ha con ains e ices 𝑢, 𝑣(Table 1). The ex ension o 𝐶𝑇-dis ance
o undi ec ed and weigh ed g aphs was also lis ed in a icle [14]. The p ocessing s eps in he p oposed communi y de ec ion me hod
a e indica ed in he g aphical abs ac . The 𝐶𝑇-dis ance ma ix among pai s o e ices is calcula ed o he use in dissimila i ies
in he p oposed algo i hm. All maximal cliques a e de ec ed in he sou ce ne wo k and a e used as bases in he HAC. The p oposed
dissimila i ies se e o he agglome a ion o bases and he c ea ion o a hie a chy (dend og am). The alue o modula i y o each
possible le el is moni o ed. The bes alue o modula i y indica es he le el o cu in he hie a chy. This esul ep esen s he ne wo k
co e .
We would like o highligh he main con ibu ion o his pape as ollows:
•A hie a chical o e lapping communi y de ec ion me hod was p oposed. The p oposed me hod uses he HAC and maximal cliques
as base elemen s o clus e ing.
•The ela ion be ween he well-known 𝑘-CPM and he p oposed me hod was discussed. Due o he ex ended hie a chy, he
p oposed me hod allows he de ec ion o be e communi ies han he 𝑘-CPM.
•The p oposed me hod is no ocused on efficien compu a ion o la ge g aphs. Ins ead, i uses maximal cliques as building blocks.
The dissimila i ies a e based on 𝐶𝑇-dis ance and he size o cliques in he o e lap which allows he s udy o he hie a chical
s uc u e o communi ies in he ne wo k.
•Resul ing o e lapping communi y s uc u e depends on he sequen ial (g eedy) me ging o all maximal cliques and he al eady-
ound communi ies.
This a icle is o ganized as ollows. Sec ion 2in oduces he ela ed wo k o communi y de ec ion om hie a chical and ag-
glome a i e pe spec i es. Sec ion 3is ocused on he ela ion be ween he CPM and HAC used o communi y de ec ion wi h a single
linkage app oach. The sec ion desc ibes ou mo i a ion behind he p oposed me hod. Sec ion 4p esen s he algo i hm o communi y
In o ma ion Sciences 662 (2024) 120271
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P. D áždilo á, P. P okop, J. Pla oš e al.
de ec ion and dissimila i ies be ween clus e s o e ices based on he 𝐶𝑇-dis ance be ween e ices ha a e no in he in e sec ion
o clus e s and akes in o accoun he size o his in e sec ion. The applied idea o clus e ing o mo e complex base elemen s han
e ices – maximal cliques – enables he o e lap be ween communi ies. Sec ion 5con ains he expe imen s demons a ing he se-
lec ion o cu s in he dend og am whe e he hie a chy o communi ies o he p oposed me hod is shown in a eal-wo ld ne wo k.
The empi ical e alua ion o he me hod is also included and he esul s a e compa ed wi h he selec ed well-known me hods. The
ad an ages o he p oposed me hods and u u e wo k a e discussed in he conclusion in sec ion 6.
2. Rela ed wo k
The e a e cu en ly many me hods ha pe o m hie a chical communi y de ec ion. Some me hods a e algo i hmically hie a chical
[10,11]and c ea e a hie a chy as a esul o he applied algo i hm. Ano he class o me hods in ol es fi ing a hie a chical model o
he analyzed ne wo k. Schaub e al. [15] in oduced a defini ion o hie a chy based on he concep o s ochas ic ex e nally equi able
pa i ions and hei ela ion o p obabilis ic models, such as he s ochas ic block model. They ocused on an agglome a i e p ocedu e
ha elies on accu a ely de ec ing he fines le el in he hie a chy.
The esul o HAC is ep esen ed by he p oximi y dend og am [16] which is a ee-like s uc u e whe e each node ep esen s a
clus e o a da a poin , and he b anches show he me ging o clus e s du ing he clus e ing p ocess.
The na u al o e lap can be cons uc ed by pa i ioning links [7]ins ead o nodes. A node in he o iginal g aph is called o e lapping
i he links connec ed o i a e pu in mo e han one clus e . The au ho s use HAC wi h he SL app oach and he simila i y be ween
links o build a dend og am whe e each lea is a link om he o iginal ne wo k and he b anches ep esen clus e s o he links.
A diffe en app oach o communi y de ec ion is applied in [17,5]. The au ho s de eloped he 𝑘-clique pe cola ion me hod (𝑘-
CPM) o communi y de ec ion. The communi y is c ea ed om 𝑘-cliques (𝑄𝑘) ha a e eached only om he 𝑘-cliques o he same
communi y h ough a se ies o adjacen 𝑘-cliques. Two 𝑘-cliques a e adjacen i hey sha e 𝑘 −1 e ices.
The ex ension o he CPM o he weigh ed ne wo k was p oposed in [8]as CPMw. The au ho s in oduced a module iden ifica ion
echnique o weigh ed ne wo ks based on 𝑘-cliques ha ing a subg aph in ensi y highe han a ce ain h eshold and allowing sha ed
nodes (o e laps) be ween modules.
A Sequen ial Clique Pe cola ion (SCP) algo i hm [18]was p oposed o as clique pe cola ion de ec ing 𝑘-clique communi ies in
a ne wo k by sequen ially inse ing i s edges and keeping ack o he eme ging communi y s uc u e. This algo i hm has specifically
been designed o (dense) weigh ed ne wo ks, whe e weigh -based h esholding o ei he he links o he cliques o med by hem
is necessa y o ob aining meaning ul in o ma ion on he s uc u e. Reid e al. [19] analyzed SCP and s a ed: “Howe e , hese
imp o ed me hods o en pe o m poo ly on ne wo ks wi h he kind o pe asi ely o e lapping communi y s uc u e we see in many
eal wo lds social ne wo ks – an a ea o inc easing in e es in he applied s udy o communi y s uc u e – and pa icula ly poo ly
when pe o ming pe cola ion wi h high alues o 𝑘.”
The au ho s in [20] p oposed he clique-based Lou ain algo i hm ha classifies he non-classified node ob ained a e finding
cliques in one o he communi ies by applying he Lou ain algo i hm.
One o he fi s algo i hms o he de ec ion o he o e lapping and hie a chical communi y s uc u e in complex ne wo ks is
desc ibed in [21]. The me hod is based on he local op imiza ion o a fi ness unc ion ( a io o he in e nal deg ee o he o al deg ee
o a module). The me hod co esponds o a so o g eedy op imiza ion o he fi ness unc ion. I c ea es na u al communi ies a ound
e ices and he esul is e ices’ co e , i.e., i depends on he esolu ion pa ame e o scale.
Algo i hm EAGLE [10] de ec s o e lapping and hie a chical communi y s uc u es in ne wo ks wi h a hie a chical agglome a i e
me hod. The simila i y be ween communi ies is based on modula i y and he maximal cliques a e i s base elemen s. This app oach
confi ms ha HAC is applicable o he hie a chy de ec ion among communi ies, and maximal cliques (as base elemen s) ensu e he
o e lap o communi ies.
Maximal cliques a e used in [22]. This pape p oposes a Maximal Clique-based Mul iobjec i e E olu iona y Algo i hm (MCMOEA)
o o e lapping communi y de ec ion. The ep esen a ion scheme is based on he maximal clique and he algo i hm can p o ide
hie a chical pa i ions o he gi en ne wo k.
A DOCNA [23]is an algo i hm o de ec ing o e lapping communi ies in ne wo ks based on maximal cliques whe e an imp o ed
e sion o he B on-Ke bosch Algo i hm is adop ed.
The eques o maximal cliques is qui e es ic i e. The e o e, in [9] hey used weak cliques as he base elemen s. The au ho s
p oposed a weak-CPM o o e lapping communi y de ec ion in a la ge-scale ne wo k.
The g eedy coupled-seeds expansion me hod [24] o he o e lapping communi y de ec ion used a fi ness unc ion ha is based
on he size o a common neighbo o wo e ices – simila o a weak clique pe cola ion.
The au ho s in [25] p opose an algo i hm MOKP ha uses 𝑘-plexes o gene a e communi y seeds om he whole ne wo k and
assigns he emaining nodes by modula i y op imiza ion. This algo i hm does no de ec o e lapping communi ies.
To iden i y he o e lapping communi y s uc u e, he au ho s in [26] cons uc ed a maximal clique ne wo k om he o iginal
ne wo k, and p o ed ha he op imiza ion o hei me ic on he o iginal ne wo k is equi alen o he op imiza ion o Newman’s
modula i y on he maximal clique ne wo k.
A use ul app oach o o e lapping communi y de ec ion is based on Nonnega i e Ma ix Fac o iza ion (NMF). Yang and Lesko ec
[27]used he NMF app oach o find he o e lapping communi ies in la ge-scale ne wo ks, Wang e al. [28] p oposed he Modula -
ized Nonnega i e Ma ix Fac o iza ion (MNMF) model o inco po a e he communi y s uc u e in o ne wo k embedding, and Ye e
al. [29] p oposed a model called Deep Au oencode -like NMF (DANMF) o communi y de ec ion, inspi ed by he unique ea u e
ep esen a ion lea ning capabili y o he deep au oencode .
In o ma ion Sciences 662 (2024) 120271
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P. D áždilo á, P. P okop, J. Pla oš e al.
The o e iew o communi y de ec ion me hods wi h hie a chical agglome a i e clus e ing o o e lapping communi y de ec ion
can be ound in [21,30,31,1,32]. The su ey o communi y de ec ion using nonnega i e ma ix ac o iza ion (NMF) is in [33]. The
comp ehensi e su ey o communi y de ec ion ocused on deep lea ning is men ioned in [34].
The e alua ion o he app op ia eness o he de ec ed communi y s uc u e is a e y impo an pa o communi y analysis.
Me ics ela ed o all he classes o communi y s uc u es (disjoin , o e lapping, local, hie a chical, e c.) a e p esen ed in a su ey
[35]o he s a e-o - he-a me ics used o he de ec ion and e alua ion o communi y s uc u e in ne wo ks. The a icle [36] ocuses
on he quali y o communi y s uc u e and con ains a b oad o e iew and classifica ion o me hods o he e alua ion o de ec ed
communi ies.
The esul o HAC is a dend og am ha ep esen s he hie a chical s uc u e o communi ies. The de e mina ion o he dend o-
g am’s cu le el is a c ucial aspec ha plays a pi o al ole in unco e ing an op imal communi y s uc u e. To assess he efficacy o
he communi y s uc u e de i ed h ough HAC, he modula i y me ic se es as a aluable ool o e alua ion. One o he modula -
i ies o o e lapped communi ies can be ound in [10]. This wo k in oduces a belonging coefficien . The belonging coefficien o a
node 𝑖 o a gi en communi y is edefined as he numbe o communi ies 𝑂𝑖 o which i belongs.
3. Rela ion be ween HAC and clique pe cola ion
We would like o discuss a gene aliza ion o CPM o HAC. This gene aliza ion leads us o he heo e ical g ounding o he
p oposed dissimila i ies. The idea abou he clique’s hie a chy de ec ed by hie a chical clus e ing was s a ed in [37]. The au ho s
used a co-clique ma ix as an inpu o hie a chical clus e ing. This co-clique ma ix co esponds o he adjacency ma ix o he
weigh ed g aph o o e lapped maximal cliques.
As a as complexi y is conce ned, he CPM was designed o selec ed 𝑘, e y o en 𝑘 =3[17]. De enyi e al. in [17]and Yuan e
al. in [38]use o 𝑘-clique g aph a diffe en e minology and hey named i as, “𝑘-clique adjacency g aph.”
The s anda d 𝑘-CPM [17] can be desc ibed ia a 𝑘-clique g aph as ollows:
1. De ec 𝑘-cliques in he sou ce ne wo k and c ea e a 𝑘-clique g aph, whe e e ices a e 𝑘-cliques and he edges exis be ween
𝑘-cliques which ha e (𝑘 −1) e ices in he o e lap in he sou ce ne wo k.
2. Find he connec ed componen s in he clique g aph. These connec ed componen s in he clique g aph co espond o communi ies
in he sou ce ne wo k.
An effec i e algo i hm based on maximal cliques in 𝑘-CPM [19]builds a minimal spanning o es o e he maximal cliques,
using a simple da a s uc u e o educe unnecessa y clique in e sec ion es s. The Yuan e al. aim in [38] o find he denses clique
pe cola ion communi y which con ains a gi en se o que y nodes. They use a maximal clique adjacency g aph and a maximal clique
adjacency spanning ee wi h he maximum o al weigh o edges whe e he weigh o he edge in he maximal clique adjacency
g aph is equal o he size o o e lap be ween maximal cliques in he sou ce g aph.
Gene alized CPM inspi ed by he a icle [38] in oduces a connec ion be ween CPM and g aph hie a chical clus e ing wi h a
single linkage app oach:
1. De ec maximal cliques in he sou ce ne wo k and c ea e a weigh ed maximal clique g aph. The weigh s o edges in he maximal
clique g aph co espond o he size o he o e lap be ween maximal cliques in he sou ce ne wo k.
2. Use he HAC wi h he SL app oach on he maximal cliques o he c ea ion o a dend og am. The weigh o an edge is he
simila i y be ween e ices in he maximal clique g aph.
3. Fo a specified 𝑘, ob ain a le el o cu in he dend og am ha ep esen s he same esul as in he s anda d 𝑘-CPM. Clus e s om
he dend og am a e he connec ed componen s in he maximal clique g aph wi h he edge’s weigh bigge o equal o 𝑘 −1.
These ep esen o e lapped communi ies in he sou ce ne wo k. The minimal weigh in he maximal clique g aph equals 1 o
𝑘 =2and in his si ua ion, all e ices o he connec ed sou ce g aph a e in one communi y.
3.1. F om 𝑘-CPM o a no el dissimila i y o GHAC
The o ma ion o communi ies in he CPM can be na u ally desc ibed wi h he SL app oach (minimal dis ance o maximal
simila i y be ween wo elemen s which a e in diffe en clus e s) in a hie a chical agglome a i e clus e ing on he g aph (GHAC). The
size o he o e lap o he maximal cliques de e mines he deg ee o simila i y and hus allows he hie a chiza ion o he ob ained
communi ies wi h an o e lap g ea e o equal o wo. The o he condi ion is me ging he adjacen cliques, he e o e he 𝐶𝑇-dis ance
be ween a pai o nodes ( he leng h o he sho es closed ail con aining a pai o nodes) is he smalles . Fu he ex ension o his
hie a chy can be achie ed by in oducing a new dissimila i y based on a 𝐶𝑇-dis ance.
A fi s , we define he dissimila i y be ween he subg aphs 𝐶𝑖and 𝐶𝑗based on he 𝐶𝑇-dis ance and he SL app oach in he GHAC:
𝑑𝑆𝐿
𝐶𝑇 (𝐶𝑖,𝐶
𝑗)=𝑚𝑖𝑛(𝑣𝑖∈𝐶𝑖⧵𝐶𝑗),(𝑣𝑗∈𝐶𝑗⧵𝐶𝑖)𝑑𝐶𝑇 (𝑣𝑖,𝑣
𝑗).
The nex heo em shows he connec ion be ween he p oposed dissimila i y and he pe cola ion o he wo adjacen cliques in he
CPM.
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Fig. 1. Dissimila i y SL GHAC be ween communi ies depends di ec ly p opo ional o 𝐶𝑇-dis ance o e ices ou o o e lap (in diffe en communi ies) and is in e sely
p opo ional o he size o o e lap.
Theo em 1. The dissimila i y 𝑑𝑆𝐿
𝐶𝑇 (𝑄, 𝑄′)be ween he wo adjacen 𝑘-cliques in g aph 𝐺wi h 𝑘 ≥3based on he CT-dis ance and he SL
app oach equal o 3o 4.
P oo . Le 𝑄, 𝑄′be wo adjacen 𝑘-cliques and 𝑁(𝑢) ={𝑣 ∈𝑉(𝐺); 𝑑𝑆𝑃 (𝑢, 𝑣) =1}is a neighbo hood o a e ex 𝑢. Two 𝑘-cliques a e
adjacen i hey sha e 𝑘 −1 e ices [5]. The amalgama ion (gluing) o he wo cliques ha sha e 𝑘 −1 e ices o 𝑘 ≥3c ea e a
4 −𝐶𝑇 componen [39] because o all 𝑢 ∈𝑄and o all 𝑢′∈𝑄′, he ollowing si ua ions may occu :
•𝑢, 𝑢′∈𝑄 ∩𝑄′and (𝑢 =𝑢′) ⇒𝑑𝐶𝑇 (𝑢, 𝑢′) =0,
•𝑢, 𝑢′∈𝑄 ∩𝑄′and 𝑢 ≠𝑢′⇒∃𝑣 ∈𝑄 ∩𝑄′such ha 𝑣 ∈𝑁(𝑢)and 𝑣 ∈𝑁(𝑢′)⇒|𝐶𝑇(𝑢, 𝑣, 𝑢′, 𝑢)| =3 =𝑑𝐶𝑇 (𝑢, 𝑢′),
•𝑢, 𝑢′∉𝑄 ∩𝑄′and 𝑢′∉𝑁(𝑢)⇒∃𝑣, 𝑤 ∈𝑄 ∩𝑄′such ha 𝑣, 𝑤 ∈𝑁(𝑢)and 𝑣, 𝑤 ∈𝑁(𝑢′)⇒|𝐶𝑇(𝑢, 𝑣, 𝑢′, 𝑤, 𝑢)| =4 =𝑑𝐶𝑇 (𝑢, 𝑢′),
•𝑢, 𝑢′∉𝑄 ∩𝑄′and 𝑢′∈𝑁(𝑢)⇒∃𝑣 ∈𝑄 ∩𝑄′such ha 𝑣 ∈𝑁(𝑢)and 𝑣 ∈𝑁(𝑢′)⇒|𝐶𝑇(𝑢, 𝑣, 𝑢′, 𝑢)| =3 =𝑑𝐶𝑇 (𝑢, 𝑢′).□
The abo e desc ip ion o dissimila i y (𝑑𝑆𝐿
𝐶𝑇 ) does no dis inguish be ween he smalle and he bigge o e lap o cliques. The
modifica ion o he dissimila i y ha inco po a es he size o o e lap be e desc ibes he ela ion be ween he o e lapping cliques
and he o ma ion o hie a chical s uc u e de ec ed communi ies.
The size o o e lap be ween communi ies 𝐶𝑖and 𝐶𝑗is defined as he numbe o e ices in he maximal sha ed clique o
communi ies 𝐶𝑖, 𝐶𝑗. I is a diffe en defini ion han ha in [6], whe e he size o o e lap is defined as he numbe o sha ed nodes
in 𝐶𝑖and 𝐶𝑗.
The newly p oposed dissimila i y 𝑑𝑆𝐿
𝐺𝐻𝐴𝐶 (𝐶𝑖, 𝐶𝑗)be ween communi ies 𝐶𝑖and 𝐶𝑗is di ec ly p opo ional o he node dis ance
(𝐶𝑇-dis ance) ou side o he o e lap o 𝐶𝑖and 𝐶𝑗, in e sely p opo ional o o e lap size, uses he SL app oach, and hen cap u es
he hie a chy o he de ec ed communi ies as well as he hie a chy o he pe cola ed cliques:
𝑑𝑆𝐿
𝐺𝐻𝐴𝐶 (𝐶𝑖,𝐶
𝑗)=
𝑚𝑖𝑛(𝑣𝑖∈𝐶𝑖⧵𝐶𝑗),(𝑣𝑗∈𝐶𝑗⧵𝐶𝑖)𝑑𝐶𝑇 (𝑣𝑖,𝑣
𝑗)
1+𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑄∈𝐶𝑖∩𝐶𝑗|𝑄|.
The SL app oach o GHAC and he inco po a ion o he size o he o e lap on base elemen s (cliques) ensu es ha he cliques
wi h he bigges o e lap a e amalgama ed a fi s – hey ha e he smalles dissimila i y.
Fig. 1shows he diffe en si ua ions o wo communi ies (cliques 𝐶𝑖, 𝐶𝑗) ha diffe in he size o he o e lap.
The maximal o e lapping cliques in Fig. 1a a e edges (𝑣𝑖, 𝑤), (𝑣𝑗, 𝑤)wi h a common e ex 𝑤. Fig. 1b ep esen s he si ua ion ou
o he clique pe cola ion bu wi h wo 4-cliques wi h an o e lap. Figs. 1c and 1d co espond o he 3-clique pe cola ion ( he size o
o e lap equal o 2) and he 4-clique pe cola ion ( he size o o e lap equal o 3). Fig. 1e co esponds o he 6-cliques amalgama ion
wi h a size o he o e lap equal o 3and he dense neighbo hood (𝑑𝐶𝑇 (𝑣𝑖, 𝑣𝑗) =3).
The 𝑘-CPM uses only he in o ma ion abou he size o he o e lap o he wo adjacen 𝑘-cliques. This size is equal o (𝑘 −1).
The 𝐶𝑇-dis ance be ween e ices in he adjacen clique ( ha a e no in o e lap) is mos ly equal o 4. These wo aspec s o he
sugges ed dissimila i y, yield iden ical ou comes o he clique pe cola ion. Howe e , in dense ne wo k egions ( e e o Fig. 1e),
he 𝐶𝑇-dis ance can be educed o 3(Theo em 1). In such cases, he p oposed dissimila i y employing he SL app oach cap u es
addi ional in o ma ion ega ding he ne wo k’s densi y a he in e sec ion o he wo cliques. This dissimila i y shows o be mo e
accu a e in ex emely dense pa s o he ne wo k han he CPM does. The HAC wi h he p oposed dissimila i y finds a hie a chical
s uc u e o e he communi ies de ec ed by CPM wi h an a bi a y 𝑘. The usage o 𝐶𝑇-dis ance in he p oposed dissimila i y eflec s
he ela ion, no only among cliques, bu also o he no -so-dense communi ies.
4. Hie a chical clus e ing based on 𝑪𝑻-dis ance
In his a icle, we p opose new 𝐶𝑇-dis ance based dissimila i ies o hie a chical agglome a i e clus e ing on g aphs. We ha e
o malized he basic idea o ou me hod as an ex ension o gene alized CPM om he p e ious sec ion. The idea o he use o no el
dissimila i y 𝑑𝑆𝐿
𝐺𝐻𝐴𝐶 wi h GHAC ( he e o e SL GHAC) and he specifica ion o he le el o cu in he dend og am can be summa ized
as a sequence o p ocessing s eps:
1. De ec he maximal cliques as base elemen s in he sou ce ne wo k.
2. Calcula e he 𝐶𝑇-dis ance among e ices in he sou ce ne wo k.
3. Use he SL GHAC o clus e cons uc ion.

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4. The lowe pa o a esul ing dend og am mos ly co esponds o he dend og am in gene alized CPM. Then, he hie a chy
con inues and connec s he communi ies wi h he size o he o e lap ( he size o he bigges common clique) equal o one.
5. Use e alua ion o quali y o communi y de ec ion o de e mine he bes le el o cu in he dend og am o speci y he numbe
o communi ies om he dend og am.
The SL GHAC a he cu le el wi h a alue equal o 4∕𝑘co esponds o he esul o he 𝑘-CPM. I is a consequen o he Theo em 1
whe e 𝑑𝑆𝐿
𝐶𝑇 (𝑄, 𝑄′) o adjacen cliques is mos ly equal o ou and, in an ex emely dense pa o he ne wo k, can be equal o h ee.
The si ua ion wi h 𝑑𝑆𝐿
𝐶𝑇 (𝑄, 𝑄′) =3is inco po a ed in o he le el o he cu wi h he alue 𝑑𝑆𝐿
𝐺𝐻𝐴𝐶 (𝑄, 𝑄′) =4∕(1 +(𝑘 −1)), whe e
(𝑘 −1)is he size o he o e lap be ween he wo cliques.
The SL GHAC amewo k will be u he ex ended in he ollowing subsec ion. The in oduc ion o o he dissimila i ies will modi y
he idea o he pe cola ion o adjacen cliques when he single linkage app oach is used.
4.1. Addi ional dissimila i ies o he GHAC based on he 𝐶𝑇-dis ance
The s anda d linkage me hods o he HAC [40]ha e diffe en p ope ies. The SL HAC ends o p oduce unbalanced and s aggly
clus e s (chaining), especially in la ge da a se s. I does no ake in o accoun he clus e s uc u e. The CL HAC ends o find compac
clus e s wi h equal diame e s (maximum dis ance be ween objec s). I does no ake in o accoun he clus e s uc u e. The AL HAC
ends o join clus e s wi h small a iances and akes in o accoun he clus e s uc u e.
The e alua ion o he o he HAC me hods [41]shows ha mo e success ul me hods han he SL a e CL, AL, o Wa d’s me hods.
Ou expe imen s empowe he GHAC wi h mul iple dissimila i ies based on he 𝐶𝑇-dis ance, and he size o o e lap. Apa om
he SL, we ha e defined he app oaches based on he CL and he AL as:
𝑑𝐶𝐿
𝐺𝐻𝐴𝐶 (𝐶𝑖,𝐶
𝑗)=
𝑚𝑎𝑥(𝑣𝑖∈𝐶𝑖⧵𝐶𝑗),(𝑣𝑗∈𝐶𝑗⧵𝐶𝑖)𝑑𝐶𝑇 (𝑣𝑖,𝑣
𝑗)
1+𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑄∈𝐶𝑖∩𝐶𝑗|𝑄|,
and
𝑑𝐴𝐿
𝐺𝐻𝐴𝐶 (𝐶𝑖,𝐶
𝑗)= ∑(𝑣𝑖∈𝐶𝑖⧵𝐶𝑗),(𝑣𝑗∈𝐶𝑗⧵𝐶𝑖)𝑑𝐶𝑇 (𝑣𝑖,𝑣
𝑗)
|(𝐶𝑖∪𝐶𝑗)⧵(𝐶𝑗∩𝐶𝑖)|(1 + 𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑄∈𝐶𝑖∩𝐶𝑗|𝑄|).
Fo he cu en wo k, we ha e deno ed he use o he GHAC me hod wi h dissimila i y 𝑑𝑆𝐿
𝐺𝐻𝐴𝐶 as SL GHAC. The o he ma kings
o AL GHAC and CL GHAC a e applied as well.
4.2. Communi y de ec ion compu a ion p ocedu e
The p oposed communi y de ec ion me hods as GHAC amewo k a e summa ized in compu a ion s eps in Algo i hm 1. The
p oposed me hods diffe in he used dissimila i ies.
Algo i hm 1: P oposed communi y de ec ion me hod based on he GHAC and dissimila i y le e aging 𝐶𝑇-dis ance.
Inpu :The bigges connec ed componen o a ne wo k wi hou b idges
Ou pu :Ne wo k co e
S ep 1: Calcula e 𝐶𝑇-dis ance ma ix among e ices in a inpu g aph.
S ep 2: Find maximal cliques (B on-Ke bosch alg.).
S ep 3: G aph hie a chical agglome a i e clus e ing:
S ep 3.1: Agglome a e communi ies acco ding o p oposed dissimila i y wi h maximal cliques as base elemen s.
S ep 3.2: Map me ged clus e s o base elemen s o sou ce g aph e ices.
S ep 3.3: E alua e he s uc u al quali y o ne wo k co e by modula i y.
S ep 3.4: Repea he algo i hm om S ep 3.1 un il all he clus e s a e me ged.
S ep 4: Choose he bes le el o a cu o a dend og am.
Suu balle’s algo i hm [42]is used o calcula e he 𝐶𝑇-dis ances among e ices. The 𝐶𝑇-dis ances a e one pa o used dissimi-
la i ies in he GHAC. Ano he pa o dissimila i ies akes he size o he o e lap in o accoun .
The Maximal cliques a e used as bases in he GHAC and he me ged clus e s o maximal cliques a e mapped o e ices wi h a
ew pos -p ocessing s eps. Fi s ly, he non-agglome a ed bases o size 2 (edges) a e no conside ed in he final communi ies and hey
a e fil e ed ou . The e ices, ha a e no pa o any communi y, a e added as sepa a e communi ies. These pos -p ocessing s eps
allow us o compa e he ne wo k co e o he diffe en communi y de ec ion me hods wi h espec o he need o some modula i y
measu e o con ain all e ices.
The modula i ies o he o e lapping ne wo k co e s a e used as quali y e alua ion c i e ia o he selec ion o he le el o he cu
in a dend og am.
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Table 2
Cha ac e is ics o he gian connec ed componen o ne wo k used in expe imen s. Numbe o nodes (𝑛), numbe o edges (𝑚), densi y
(𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠), clus e ing coefficien (𝐶𝐶), a e age deg ee (⟨𝑑𝑒𝑔⟩), maximal deg ee (𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑚𝑎𝑥), sho es pa h dis ance diame e (𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑚𝑆𝑃 ), closed
ail dis ance diame e (𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑚𝐶𝑇 ), and numbe o maximal cliques (#𝑐𝑙𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠).
Ne wo k 𝑛𝑚 𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝐶𝐶⟨𝑑𝑒𝑔⟩𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑚𝑆𝑃 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑚𝐶𝑇 #𝑐𝑙𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠
Zacha y’s ka a e club 33 77 0.15 0.26 4.7 17 5 11 35
Ame ican college oo ball 115 613 0.09 0.41 10.7 12 4 8 281
Coau ho ships in ne wo k science 340 865 0.015 0.45 5.1 32 16 39 169
High-ene gy heo y collabo a ions 4557 12399 0.001 0.30 5.4 50 16 41 3976
The implemen a ion o he GHAC me hod is w i en in Py hon 3.11. The agglome a ion me hod is e-implemen ed o he p oposed
dissimila i ies calcula ion. The commonly used lib a ies a e used o he g aph- ela ed ope a ions.1
5. Expe imen s
The sugges ed communi y de ec ion me hods a e compa ed o o he known me hods o e he selec ion o eal-wo ld ne wo ks.
Acco ding o he 𝐶𝑇-dis ance defini ion equi emen , only he gian connec ed componen o each ne wo k a e b idge emo al was
used in he expe imen s. A summa y o he p e-p ocessed ne wo ks is gi en in Table 2.
The p oposed communi y de ec ion me hods based on he SL (CL, AL) GHAC offe se e al diffe en le els o dend og am cu o
p o ide communi y de ec ion esul s. The e is a need o e alua e he quali y o he de ec ed communi ies in agglome a i e s uc u es
o selec he bes cu in he dend og am. Modula i y can be used o ha , which explains he eason o he EAGLE algo i hm o
employ i [10]. To ensu e he co esponding modula i y e alua ion o he de ec ed componen s o a ious communi y de ec ion
me hods and he modula i y measu es used in his pape , e e y node has o be assigned o a leas one communi y; hence, a node
no assigned o any communi y is ea ed as a communi y o a single node.
5.1. Quali y e alua ion o o e lapping communi ies
Th ee diffe en defini ions o modula i y [10,43,44] o o e lapping communi ies a e applied in he agglome a i e p ocess o
he GHAC me hod o de e mine he bes ne wo k co e when using he p oposed communi y de ec ion me hod. The ex ensions o
modula i y o o e lapping communi ies a e based on he adi ional Newman app oach in [45].
Shen’s modula i y ex ension [10] o o e lapping communi ies conside s e ex membe ship in mul iple communi ies. I is di ec ly
equi alen o Newman’s modula i y when e ices belong o jus one communi y. This is defined as ollows:
𝑀𝑒=1
2𝑚
𝑐
∑
𝑘=1 ∑
𝑖,𝑗∈𝐶𝑘
1
𝑂𝑖𝑂𝑗[𝐴𝑖𝑗 −𝑑𝑒𝑔(𝑖)𝑑𝑒𝑔(𝑗)
2𝑚],
whe e 𝑂𝑣is he numbe o communi ies o which e ex 𝑣belongs, 𝑐is he numbe o communi ies.
The o he measu e o quan i ying clus e s uc u es in g aphs was in oduced by Laza in [43]. I is based on wo assump ions:
one, he edges o a node should be p ima ily inside he communi y, and wo, he clus e s (communi ies) should be dense. The
measu e is defined as:
𝑀𝑜𝑣 =1
𝑐
𝑐
∑
𝑘=1 ⎛⎜⎜⎝∑
𝑖∈𝐶𝑘
∑𝑗∈𝐶𝑘,𝑖≠𝑗𝑎𝑖𝑗 −∑𝑗∉𝐶𝑘𝑎𝑖𝑗
𝑑𝑒𝑔(𝑖)𝑂𝑖
𝑛𝑒
𝐶𝑘
|𝐶𝑘|(|𝐶𝑘|
2)⎞⎟⎟⎠
,
whe e 𝑐is he numbe o clus e s, 𝑂𝑖is numbe o clus e s he 𝑖belongs o, whe e |𝐶𝑘|is he numbe o nodes and 𝑛𝑒
𝐶𝑘is he numbe
o edges ha he 𝑘 h clus e 𝐶𝑘con ains.
The hi d modula i y o he o e lapping communi ies is defined by Cao in [44]and le e ages he weigh ed edges by cosine
simila i y o he node’s neighbo hood o ackle he p oblem o esolu ion limi . Resolu ion limi means a o ing la ge communi ies
by a modula i y measu e. This disad an age can be limi ed by p ope ly weigh ed edges [44]. The modula i y is defined as ollows:
𝑀𝑤=1
2𝑊
𝑐
∑
𝑘=1 ∑
𝑖,𝑗∈𝑉
(𝑤𝑖𝑗 −𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑗
2𝑊)𝑢𝑘𝑖𝑢𝑘𝑗 ,
whe e 𝑈=[𝑢𝑘𝑖]and he alue ep esen s he deg ee o which node 𝑣𝑖is in he 𝑘 h communi y, he edge weigh is 𝑤𝑖𝑗 =|𝑁(𝑖)∩𝑁(𝑗)|
√|𝑁(𝑖)||𝑁(𝑗)|,
he s eng h o node 𝑣𝑖is 𝑠𝑖=∑𝑗∈𝑁(𝑖)𝑤𝑖𝑗 and 𝑊is he o al weigh o he edges.
1The code o he me hod is a ailable online h ps://anonymous .4open .science / /g aph _hie a chical _agglome a i e _clus e ing -C946 /README .md.
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Fig. 2. Dend og ams o GHAC me hod wi h he p oposed dissimila i ies 𝑑𝑆𝐿
𝐺𝐻𝐴𝐶 and 𝑑𝐶𝐿
𝐺𝐻𝐴𝐶 o Zacha y’s ka a e club ne wo k, whe e all maximal cliques a e he inpu
bases o he GHAC. The ne wo k co e in each agglome a i e s ep is e alua ed and he alues a e gi en in line plo s. The bo om axis illus a es he agglome a i e
s eps in he GHAC me hod, and he op axis po ays he espec i e dissimila i ies.
5.2. Indica ion o he cu le el in dend og am by modula i y
Zacha y’s ka a e club ne wo k is used in his sec ion o demons a e he p ocess o choosing he bes le el o a cu in a dend og am.
Fig. 2p esen s a dend og am ha isually ep esen s he agglome a i e p ocess o he p oposed me hod, e ealing he agglom-
e a ion o maximal cliques and clus e s, and p o iding insigh s in o he unde lying s uc u e. The bo om axis o he dend og am
demons a es he agglome a i e s eps o he algo i hm, while he op axis co esponds o he le el o cu s based on dissimila i y
alue.
Th oughou he agglome a ion p ocess, he quali y o ne wo k co e is assessed using modula i ies as a s uc u al quali y measu e.
The p og ess o he modula i ies alues du ing he agglome a i e s age o he GHAC me hod can be obse ed in Fig. 2 h ough he
h ee line plo s displayed on he op.
The highes modula i y alue o each line plo is selec ed and depic ed as a do ed line, indica ing a cu in he dend og am. In
ou p oposed communi y de ec ion algo i hm, his do ed line ep esen s he cu in he dend og am, whe e he bases a e me ged and
mapped o nodes o he ne wo k. I is no ewo hy ha he 𝑀𝑒and 𝑀𝑤exhibi he same cu le el in he dend og am, while 𝑀𝑜𝑣
indica es a diffe en cu le el.
By compa ing he co esponding dend og ams (illus a ed in Fig. 2) ob ained o me hods SL GHAC and CL GHAC, we obse e
significan diffe ences in he hie a chical s uc u e. The highe o e all modula i y alues 𝑀𝑒and 𝑀𝑤a e achie ed as seen in Fig. 2b,
while Fig. 2a shows a highe modula i y alue o 𝑀𝑜𝑣.
Each highligh ed cu wi hin he dend og am co esponds o a ne wo k co e ha is u he isualized in Fig. 3in he o iginal
ne wo k.
Du ing he analysis o he SL GHAC me hod, we can obse e he equi alen esul o he 𝑘-CPM me hod (wi h 𝑘 =3) as he
cu in he dend og am occu ed a s ep 27, ep esen ed by a g ey do ed line wi h a dissimila i y alue o a cu 𝑑𝑆𝐿
𝐻𝐴𝐶 =4∕3 on
he op axis. SL GHAC con inues wi h he de ec ion o la ge clus e s -o e and abo e he clus e s de ec ed ia clique pe cola ion.
The modula i y measu es 𝑀𝑒and 𝑀𝑤indica ed he bes cu o he agglome a i e s ep 11. Diffe en op imal cu a le el 32 was
iden ified by modula i y 𝑀𝑜𝑣. The ne wo k co e s ob ained om he SL GHAC me hod can be obse ed in Fig. 3b and Fig. 3e. I
is wo h men ioning ha none o hese ne wo k co e s exhibi in ui i ely meaning ul communi ies o he main ac o s o he social
ne wo k.
The au ho in [46] discussed he difficul ies wi h he 𝑘-CPM in Zacha y’s ka a e ne wo k, whe e he communi y de ec ion me hod
is no able o dis inguish be ween communi ies associa ed wi h wo key indi iduals (node 0and 33) who played pi o al oles in he
di ision o he ka a e club. The ob ained communi ies o he 𝑘-CPM me hod can be obse ed in Fig. 3a and Fig. 3d.
In o ma ion Sciences 662 (2024) 120271
9
P. D áždilo á, P. P okop, J. Pla oš e al.
Fig. 3. Illus a ion o he ne wo k co e s de ec ed by diffe en me hods o Zacha y’s ka a e club ne wo k. The g ey colo is used o communi ies wi h single nodes.
The dend og am in Fig. 2b shows a diffe en hie a chical s uc u e o he CL GHAC me hod. The co esponding ne wo k co e ,
as displayed in Fig. 3c, e eals he p esence o sepa a e communi ies specifically o med o nodes 0and 33 wi hin he ka a e club.
These communi ies a e isually ep esen ed by he colo s blue and o ange, espec i ely. Addi ionally, he e is a pu ple communi y
ha exhibi s o e laps and sha ed e ices be ween bo h main ac o s in he ka a e club.
5.3. Hie a chical aspec s o he p oposed me hods
The hie a chical aspec s o he p oposed me hods a e s udied o Coau ho ships in ne wo k science. The diffe en hie a chical
s uc u es o he p oposed me hods a e isualized by dend og ams. The ela ion be ween he hie a chy and he de ec ed o e lapping
communi ies is discussed o SL GHAC and CL GHAC.
One o he p ima y ad an ages o he p oposed me hod is i s abili y o e eal he hie a chical s uc u e o maximal cliques
wi hin a ne wo k. A single cu in a dend og am yields communi ies bu offe s a limi ed pe spec i e o he communi y s uc u e.
Ne e heless, he sequence o he ne wo k co e s displayed in Figs. 5b, 5d, and 5 demons a e he agglome a i e p ocess o he
CL GHAC ac oss a ious s eps and e eal a hie a chy o some communi ies. Fo ins ance, ocusing on he node ep esen ing M.
Newman in he ne wo k (deno ed in he op igh co ne ), we obse e he node’s assignmen o fi e communi ies in Fig. 5b. His wo
communi ies in s ep 141 o Fig. 4b a e colo ed in ligh khaki and ligh pu ple in Fig. 5d, which a e subsequen ly me ged in o a single
pu ple communi y as po ayed in Fig. 5 .
The cu le el indica ed by modula i ies 𝑀𝑒and 𝑀𝑤 o he SL GHAC equa es o 𝑘-CPM, due o he dissimila i y alue 𝑑𝑆𝐿
𝐺𝐻𝐴𝐶 =
4∕3. The comple e hie a chical s uc u e c ea ed by SL GHAC is isualized as a dend og am in Fig. 4a. This dend og am allows us
o examine he ou comes o he me hod beyond he pe cola ion o he 𝑘-CPM me hod o 𝑘 =3. This dend og am also p o ides a
isual ep esen a ion o he hie a chical s uc u e, enabling manual inspec ion. The o ma ion o long and connec ed s uc u es is
e iden in he SL GHAC dend og am in Fig. 4a. A le el 136, app oxima ely 50% o he bases a e inco po a ed in o a single clus e
du ing agglome a ion which is he effec o chaining cha ac e is ic o he SL app oach. This cu ’s ou come is isualized in Fig. 5c,
whe e he communi y highligh ed by blue colo co esponds o he agglome a ion in he bo om hal o he dend og am. In con as ,
he hie a chical communi y s uc u e o CL GHAC is mo e balanced, me ging simila numbe s o bases o o m clus e s a diffe en
hie a chical le els. The ne wo k co e s o CL GHAC con ain mo e locally-cen e ed communi ies compa ed o SL GHAC. Figs. 5c and
5d illus a e simila numbe s o de ec ed communi ies, bu wi h ma kedly dis inc communi y s uc u es.
5.4. Empi ical e alua ion o he p oposed communi y de ec ion me hods o selec ed eal-wo ld ne wo ks
We ha e examined he ou comes o ou p oposed me hods by applying hem o a selec ion o eal-wo ld ne wo ks. The subsequen
sec ions will p o ide a de ailed analysis o he esul s ob ained o selec ed ne wo ks.