# Study on a New Method of Link-Based Link Prediction in the Context of Big Data

Authors: Chen Jicheng; Chen Hongchang; Li Hanchao
Journal: Applied Bionics and Biomechanics
 (2021)

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## Abstract

Link prediction is a concept of network theory that intends to find a link between two separate network entities. In the present world of social media, this concept has taken root, and its application is seen through numerous social networks. A typical example is 2004, 4 February “TheFeacebook,” currently known as just Facebook. It uses this concept to recommend friends by checking their links using various algorithms. The same goes for shopping and e-commerce sites. Notwithstanding all the merits link prediction presents, they are only enjoyed by large networks. For sparse networks, there is a wide disparity between the links that are likely to form and the ones that include. A barrage of literature has been written to approach this problem; however, they mostly come from the angle of unsupervised learning (UL). While it may seem appropriate based on a dataset’s nature, it does not provide accurate information for sparse networks. Supervised learning could seem reasonable in such cases. This research is aimed at finding the most appropriate link-based link prediction methods in the context of big data based on supervised learning. There is a tone of books written on the same; nonetheless, they are core issues that are not always addressed in these studies, which are critical in understanding the concept of link prediction. This research explicitly looks at the new problems and uses the supervised approach in analyzing them to devise a full-fledge holistic link-based link prediction method. Specifically, the network issues that we will be delving into the lack of specificity in the existing techniques, observational periods, variance reduction, sampling approaches, and topological causes of imbalances. In the subsequent sections of the paper, we explain the theory prediction algorithms, precisely the flow-based process. We specifically address the problems on sparse networks that are never discussed with other prediction methods. The resolutions made by addressing the above techniques place our framework above the previous literature’s unsupervised approaches.


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## Body

## 1. Introduction

Link-based link prediction is a significant aspect of the science of networking that provides different network analysis methods to researchers of various study fields [1]. For instance, in the field of cybersecurity or security in general, malicious activities can be monitored. Take, for example, terrorism; a terrorist’s network can be observed from his/her movements to the people he/she associates with [2]. The same goes for social media, as discussed in the preceding section of this research. Bioinformatics can also apply this concept in finding convergence or divergence of various organisms as far as their origin and relationships are concerned. Link prediction is a field worth exploring because its application can bring numerous merits to every study area that maps to a network. Following all these, it is imminent that a robust framework should be in place to oversee that this concept’s benefits are evident in all these fields of study. Link prediction in the network refers to how to predict the possibility of a link between two nodes in the network that have not yet generated a connection through the known network nodes and network structure. This prediction includes not only the prediction of unknown links but also the prediction of future links. The research on this problem is of great significance and value in both theory and application.In contrast with unsupervised learning, which has the most literature on link prediction, supervised learning seems useful for mapping both sparse and dense networks. It can be able to grapple with interdependence, dynamics, and other properties in networks. Notwithstanding the previous research of link prediction based on supervised learning, there are endemic pitfalls that this research has not captured [3]. Besides, the background and significance of unsupervised learning are lack of sufficient prior knowledge, so it is difficult to label categories manually; the cost of labor category labeling is too high. Naturally, we hope that the computer can complete these tasks for us (part) or at least provide some help. Common application backgrounds include as follows: first, select some representative samples from a large sample set and label them for classifier training. First, all samples are automatically divided into different categories, and then, human beings label these categories. Look for good features without category information. For instance, they use very imbalanced class distributions, which this research intends to rectify. A research study conducted on Facebook data presented the data shown in Figure 1.Figure 1
The relationship existent in a social network using the concept of link prediction. To be specific, Facebook data. F1 score is used as a function of the prediction numbers [4].Graph can associate all kinds of data: integrate different sources and types of data into the same graph for analysis, and get the results that are difficult to find by independent analysis. Graph representation can make many problems more efficient: for example, the shortest path, connected component, and so on. Only by using graph calculation can it be solved most efficiently. Graph computing has some challenges and characteristics different from other types of computing tasks: for irregular computing, the actual graph data has the characteristics of power-law distribution; that is, the degree of most vertices is very small, but the degree of a few vertices is very large. For random access multigraph, the calculation of the graph is expanded around the topology of the graph. The calculation process will access the edges and the associated two vertices.Basic processes following link prediction in unsupervised learning entail a sequence of steps, each of which is integrated and synchronized to ensure the methods’ overall functionality. Commonly used methodP, proposed by Kleinberg and Liben-Nowell, which was later modified to accommodate weighted graphs, is a series of activities:
(i)
Graph Partition. Given a graph GV,E, with E representing edges while V, the vertices, and the graph, G, are divided into subgraphs of training and test sets represented by GTrnGtest. The training and test subgraphs are contrasted with the timestamp of edge creation. The training set encompasses all the edges created within a specific timestamp T. On the other hand, the test subgraph contains all the edges created after the defined timestamp. Eold denotes the edges for the training subgraph Gtrn while those of test sets are represented by Enew. The latter indicates the new interactions to be predicted as it contains all the edges in the test which are not in the training subgraph [5](ii)
Core Set Identification. It explicitly identifies the core set of nodes in the graph, enclosing the nodes that are always considered active (nodes frequently interacting with the other nodes after and before the T timestamp. Social networks still have exponential growth in their nodes and edges; it is unnecessary and unreasonable to seek edges that are not present in Eold, i.e., the GTst edges. Thus, the core set is defined as all the nodes that are incident at least KTst in GTst and KTrn in GTrn. The variables KTst and KTrn are generally provided by the user, dependent on the network’s average interaction frequency(iii)
Graph Weighting. It is commonly used to predict the strength of a particular network edge. This is done by creating artificial edges for the training subgraph. The link strength is afterward calculated using the artificial edges. Some of the standard functions used in accomplishing this activity are age of most recent interactions, frequency interactions, Salton index, and age of the oldest interaction(iv)
Score Ranking and Calculation. It is aimed at the creation of a ranked list in descending order. The weighted common neighbor is the best-known function for this activity, computing the average link strength of a pair of nodes(v)
Evaluation. It is the last activity in the unsupervised link prediction method P. It entails exploring the ranked list from activity four and select the node (n) with a high likelihood to connect after the provided timestamp [6]. The value n can be calculated using the equation:(1)n=∣Enew∩corexcore∣The above five activities can be represented as per Figure2, indicating all the processes from graph G to the evaluation (activity 5) and results.Figure 2
Unsupervised link-based link prediction indicating the five core activities of methodP.The training data consists of a set of training examples. In supervised learning, each example is a pair consisting of an input object and a desired output value. Supervised learning algorithm analyzes training data and generates an inference function, which can be used to map new examples. An optimal scheme will allow the algorithm to correctly determine the class label when the label is not visible. A mathematical model is established by using the samples with known characteristics as the training set, and then, the established model is used to predict the unknown samples.Table1 below shows the main differences between supervised and unsupervised learning.Table 1
Supervised vs. unsupervised learning.
DiscreteContinuousUnsupervisedClustering algorithmsDimensionality reductionSupervisedClassification/categorization algorithmsRegression algorithmsTable1 shows the difference between supervised and unsupervised learning approaches on discrete and continuous datasets. For the discrete dataset, supervised learning employs classification algorithms while the unsupervised method uses the clustering method. With consistent data, managed uses regression algorithms while unsupervised learning employs dimensionality reduction algorithms. Figure 2 indicates examples of algorithms belonging to each category.As discussed, the unsupervised link prediction is not very practical for sparse networks, thus the need to move to supervised link prediction.While most studies have focused on unsupervised approaches for link prediction, some have been able to perform their research with supervised learning, thus capturing accurate information that was unable to be charged with unsupervised link prediction. If only one can welcome the core presumption in the link problem that, in the case, there is link formation or not, it is dependent on the previous incarnations of the network, so that common ground and conclusion are made that there is no demerit for using supervised link predictions. In any event, preparing classifiers dependent on a solitary solo strategy can outflank rankings created by arranging the technique scores if there are numerous separating limits in the area of scores. Supervised algorithms can also capture the critical interdependencies of topological property relationships [7]. This supersedes the performance in the unsupervised link-based link prediction problems. Notwithstanding acknowledgment of this fact and subsequently training classifiers by previous literature, this research intends to root into more relevant issues to fully grasp how to frame the prediction problem effectively and why supervised link prediction outperforms the unsupervised one. In addition, the measurability of topological space means that a space can be given a metric to give the topology of the space. There are many versions of degree quantization theorems, the most famous of which is the urezon degree quantization theorem: a second countable regular Hausdorff space can be degree quantized. It can be derived that any second countable manifold can be quantized.Figures3 and 4 indicate supervised and unsupervised link prediction, respectively:Figure 3
“Unsupervised-link-prediction-using-GAE-The-learned-latent-embeddings-are-used-to-predict.”Figure 4
“Self-supervised learning of contextual embedding of link-based link prediction.”In Figure4, in cognitive science, due to the bottleneck of information processing, human beings will selectively focus on part of all information and ignore other visible information. These mechanisms are often referred to as attention mechanisms. Attention is generally divided into two types: one is top-down conscious attention, which is called focused attention. Focused attention refers to the attention that has a predetermined purpose, depends on tasks, and focuses on an object actively and consciously. The other is bottom-up unconscious attention, which is called saliency-based attention. Saliency-based attention is attention driven by external stimuli, does not need active intervention, and has nothing to do with the task.In order to achieve good pattern recognition effect, neural network must have deep depth. However, for specific problems, too deep depth will also bring problems such as increased risk of overfitting and more difficult training. Moreover, too deep network can only help to improve the performance of pattern recognition in specific scenes. Therefore, the network will be cut at different levels sometimes. Network tailoring is to eliminate the redundant parts in the network by changing the structure of the network. The redundancy of neural network is the basis of network compression. Only the redundant neural network has compressible space. For neural network tailoring, what we care about is whether the functions of neurons in the network are repeated.


## 2. Method

In the construction of datasets, some networks might always be observable: for instance, the commonly known worldwide web (www) structure, electricity grids, and the Internet. Others possess only event-driven indications, where the link can only be indicated when a particular event is triggered [7]. The former one requires that one select a moment to observe the structure directly. This contrasts with the latter, which requires that one collects events for constructing an approximation of the underlying system. Regardless of the one selected, the network expands and advances over time, presenting a longitudinal data source. Based on this short explanation, we can see why most literature is wrong in approaching the link problem using unsupervised link prediction problems and can now confidently declare that supervised link prediction is the best approach to studying network properties as far as link-based link predictions are concerned. However, the procurement of these findings for the construction of models does not alleviate the importance of the problem; millennial forms of the static network will raise the same concerns that exist in this present time [8, 9]. A classical supervised learning problem presents a given unified set of data with each instance in the form x,y. Converting CondMat and phone networks into this format requires select two values τx and τy. The values correspond to the lengths of two adjacent periods over which we want to record events to construct networks. From the first network:
(2)Gx=Vx,Ex.The above graph had its construction from time 0 totime0+τx. We then extract potential node attributes and topological measures we extract topological measures, to serve as features for every pair of nodesvi,vj. The same occurs for the second network represented by the equation:
(3)Gy=Vy,Ey.The graphGy above is constructed with the edges not present in graph Gx from tτx+1 to tτx+τy. Examination of vi,vj will inform us whether Eij exists and help determine the class label. This yields a data set in the standard format x,y with the equation:
(4)∣Vx∣2−∣Ex.The timestamp parameters of both the partitioned graphs are critical in the determination of the models. That isTx and Ty. Increasing Tx will correspondingly lead to the increase of topological measure quality as the network becomes denser. At this point, Tx is large enough to cause even driven effects that, when observed, can be used to determine the topological properties of the underlying static network [9]. As Tx’s value moves towards this point, there is the convergence of topological measures to their specific unobservable static network values, thereby allowing improved individual predictive capacity. Increasing Ty, on the other hand, will cause an increase in the number of positives.With the rapid development of network science, its theoretical achievements have built a research platform for link prediction, which makes the research of link prediction closely related to the structure and evolution of the network. Therefore, the predicted results can be explained from a theoretical point of view. This is also our advantage over computer professionals in studying link prediction. At the same time, the research of link prediction can also help us understand the mechanism of complex network evolution in theory. For the same or the same kind of network, many models provide possible network evolution mechanisms. Because there are many statistics describing the characteristics of network structure, it is difficult to compare the advantages and disadvantages of different mechanisms. Link prediction mechanism is expected to provide a simple, unified, and fair comparison platform for evolutionary networks, which will greatly promote the theoretical research of complex network evolution models.The performance of unsupervised link-based link prediction approaches is unstable in terms of the network to network and graph to graph relationships. One more value of regulated connection expectation is that order calculation. All the more so shaky estimates like choice trees can genuinely utilize decreased change by putting them in a group structure. It is not easy to meet similar objectives with unaided techniques regular in connecting expectation because the score is invariant for a given possible connection. We needed to investigate the potential for one strategy for troupe development utilizing solo techniques by and by. A fundamental curiosity of connection-based forecast as an administered learning issue is the outrageous awkwardness, which comes to past the most slanted conveyances concentrated by the lopsidedness local area [10].Figure5 indicates the procedural steps (ML workflow) starting from data collection to model selection. A supervised or unsupervised approach can afterward be selected. In the unsupervised approach, data is interpreted based only on the input data. On the other hand, the supervised method involves developing a predictive model based on both the input and output data [1].Figure 5
ML workflow.Sparse coding algorithm is an unsupervised learning method, which is used to find a set of “super complete” basis vectors to represent the sample data more efficiently. The purpose of sparse coding algorithm is to find a set of basis vectors, so that we can express the input vectors as a linear combination of these basis vectors. In addition, a single neuron only responds to the stimulation in its receptive field; that is, a single neuron only presents a strong response to the information of a certain frequency band, such as edge, line segment, stripe, and other image features in a specific direction, and its spatial receptive field is described as local directional and band-pass signal coding filters, and each neuron uses sparse coding for the expression of these stimuli.We construct a formal proof of lower bound for link prediction on the class imbalance ratio for sparse networks. These proofs work on from two ambiguous assumptions:(1)
The network always maintains the property of sparseness throughout its period of interest(2)
The network growth is limited to the number of nodes and might only double during the period of interestAlthough the theorem holds for any factor of growth g such that:(5)g"∣V.Following this theorem and the two proofs, we can be able to formulate other theorems and definitions, definition one:A network graph, represented by:(6)G=V,E.The network can be described as sparse provided it maintains the definition property:(7)∣E∣=k∣V∣,for some constant k"∣V∣.


### 2.1. Theorem Formulation

The class unevenness proportion for connecting expectation in a meager organizationG is Ω∣V∣1 when probably ∣V∣ hubs may join the organization. Evidence [11]. The quantity of potential connections in G is ∣V∣2. At that point, the number of missing links:
(8)EC,is∣V∣2–k∣V∣∈Θ∣V∣2.Let∣V∣hubs and∣E∣join the organization. Since
(9)∣V∣+∣V∣≤2∣V∣∈ΘV,E+E∈ΘV,which necessitates that∣E∣∈O∣V∣. The quantity of positives is ∣E∣, and there are E∪EC″∈Θ∣V∣2 negatives.This gives us(10)Θ∣V∣2O∣V∣,,identical to Ω∣V∣1, as the class proportion. Hence, the awkwardness issue in the overall connection lopsidedness issue turns out to be clear. Regardless of the number of connections we desire to expect, TP, we should acknowledge a gauge irregular model that produces FP to such an extent that FP ∝ TP×∣V∣. Indeed, even a model, a huge number of times, better compared to irregular, perform ineffectively [11, 12]. The seriousness of the issue is exacerbated by how positives regularly address events of more prominent interest. Some common algorithms used in supervised and unsupervised learning are presented in Table 2.Table 2
Machine learning algorithms.
UnsupervisedSupervisedContinuous(i) Clustering and dimensionality reductionSVDPCAK-means(i) RegressionLinearPolynomial(ii) Decision trees(iii) Random forestsCategorical(i) Association analysisAprioriFP-growthHidden Markov model(i) ClassificationKNNTreesLogistic regressionNaive-BayesSVMTable2 shows some of the most common ML algorithms used in both supervised and unsupervised learning approaches. For the unsupervised clustering method, singular value decomposition (SVD), principal component analysis, and K-means algorithms are always employed. The supervised uses regression (linear or polynomial), decision trees, and random forests algorithms for their continuous data. For discrete data, unsupervised learning employs association and Hidden Markov model algorithms while supervised uses classification algorithms (K-nearest neighbor, trees, logistic regression, Naive-Bayes, and support vector machines) [12].K-means clustering algorithm is an iterative clustering analysis algorithm. Its step is to divide the data intok groups, randomly select k objects as the initial clustering center, then calculate the distance between each object and each seed clustering center, and assign each object to the nearest clustering center. Cluster centers and the objects assigned to them represent a cluster. Clustering is a process of classifying and organizing data members who are similar in some aspects. Clustering is a technology to discover this internal structure. Clustering technology is often called unsupervised learning.


## 2.1. Theorem Formulation

The class unevenness proportion for connecting expectation in a meager organizationG is Ω∣V∣1 when probably ∣V∣ hubs may join the organization. Evidence [11]. The quantity of potential connections in G is ∣V∣2. At that point, the number of missing links:
(8)EC,is∣V∣2–k∣V∣∈Θ∣V∣2.Let∣V∣hubs and∣E∣join the organization. Since
(9)∣V∣+∣V∣≤2∣V∣∈ΘV,E+E∈ΘV,which necessitates that∣E∣∈O∣V∣. The quantity of positives is ∣E∣, and there are E∪EC″∈Θ∣V∣2 negatives.This gives us(10)Θ∣V∣2O∣V∣,,identical to Ω∣V∣1, as the class proportion. Hence, the awkwardness issue in the overall connection lopsidedness issue turns out to be clear. Regardless of the number of connections we desire to expect, TP, we should acknowledge a gauge irregular model that produces FP to such an extent that FP ∝ TP×∣V∣. Indeed, even a model, a huge number of times, better compared to irregular, perform ineffectively [11, 12]. The seriousness of the issue is exacerbated by how positives regularly address events of more prominent interest. Some common algorithms used in supervised and unsupervised learning are presented in Table 2.Table 2
Machine learning algorithms.
UnsupervisedSupervisedContinuous(i) Clustering and dimensionality reductionSVDPCAK-means(i) RegressionLinearPolynomial(ii) Decision trees(iii) Random forestsCategorical(i) Association analysisAprioriFP-growthHidden Markov model(i) ClassificationKNNTreesLogistic regressionNaive-BayesSVMTable2 shows some of the most common ML algorithms used in both supervised and unsupervised learning approaches. For the unsupervised clustering method, singular value decomposition (SVD), principal component analysis, and K-means algorithms are always employed. The supervised uses regression (linear or polynomial), decision trees, and random forests algorithms for their continuous data. For discrete data, unsupervised learning employs association and Hidden Markov model algorithms while supervised uses classification algorithms (K-nearest neighbor, trees, logistic regression, Naive-Bayes, and support vector machines) [12].K-means clustering algorithm is an iterative clustering analysis algorithm. Its step is to divide the data intok groups, randomly select k objects as the initial clustering center, then calculate the distance between each object and each seed clustering center, and assign each object to the nearest clustering center. Cluster centers and the objects assigned to them represent a cluster. Clustering is a process of classifying and organizing data members who are similar in some aspects. Clustering is a technology to discover this internal structure. Clustering technology is often called unsupervised learning.


## 3. Conclusion

Aiming at the problems existing in unsupervised learning, including time-consuming and low accuracy, the traditional methods are difficult to solve effectively. In order to solve the above problems, this research is aimed to find the most appropriate link-based link prediction methods in the context of big data based on supervised learning. At the same time, the algorithm proposed in this paper can provide some reference ideas for subsequent research.



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