Link Prediction in Social Networks Using the HTOA
Social networks are complex and dynamic data structures whose analysis holds significant importance. Among various tasks, link prediction stands out as a fundamental aspect of social network analysis, focusing on identifying potential future relationships between nodes. Despite considerable advancem...
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IEEE
2025-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Access |
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| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11072679/ |
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| author | Foad Asef Vahid Majidnezhad Mohammad-Reza Feizi-Derakhshi |
| author_facet | Foad Asef Vahid Majidnezhad Mohammad-Reza Feizi-Derakhshi |
| author_sort | Foad Asef |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Social networks are complex and dynamic data structures whose analysis holds significant importance. Among various tasks, link prediction stands out as a fundamental aspect of social network analysis, focusing on identifying potential future relationships between nodes. Despite considerable advancements in this field, existing methods often face challenges related to computational efficiency and prediction accuracy. This study introduces a novel approach to link prediction in social networks by employing the Heat Transfer Optimization Algorithm (HTOA) for topological feature selection. HTOA, inspired by the physical phenomenon of heat transfer, identifies an optimal subset of topological features to feed XGBoost machine learning model. The primary advantage of the proposed method lies in its ability to substantially reduce feature dimensionality without compromising prediction accuracy. Experiments conducted on two real-world datasets, F<sc>acebook</sc> and CollegeMsg, demonstrate that the proposed method, can reduce the number of utilized features by up to 75% while maintaining a prediction accuracy (AUC) of 0.99. Furthermore, this dimensionality reduction results in a significant improvement in prediction time (up to 73.8%) compared to traditional methods. Comparisons with other optimization techniques, such as the Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), reveal that the proposed method outperforms them in selecting key features and achieving faster convergence. These characteristics make the proposed method a suitable choice for real-world applications, including recommender systems, large-scale social network analysis, and interaction pattern detection. Additionally, the analysis of selected features provides valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms of link formation in social networks. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bc63a19257ec4d2aaee2161349156441 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2169-3536 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IEEE Access |
| spelling | doaj-art-bc63a19257ec4d2aaee21613491564412025-08-20T02:47:29ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-011313275013276610.1109/ACCESS.2025.358689811072679Link Prediction in Social Networks Using the HTOAFoad Asef0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6361-3671Vahid Majidnezhad1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2433-115XMohammad-Reza Feizi-Derakhshi2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8548-976XDepartment of Computer Engineering, Shab. C., Islamic Azad University, Shabestar, IranDepartment of Computer Engineering, Shab. C., Islamic Azad University, Shabestar, IranDepartment of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computerized Intelligence Systems Laboratory, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, IranSocial networks are complex and dynamic data structures whose analysis holds significant importance. Among various tasks, link prediction stands out as a fundamental aspect of social network analysis, focusing on identifying potential future relationships between nodes. Despite considerable advancements in this field, existing methods often face challenges related to computational efficiency and prediction accuracy. This study introduces a novel approach to link prediction in social networks by employing the Heat Transfer Optimization Algorithm (HTOA) for topological feature selection. HTOA, inspired by the physical phenomenon of heat transfer, identifies an optimal subset of topological features to feed XGBoost machine learning model. The primary advantage of the proposed method lies in its ability to substantially reduce feature dimensionality without compromising prediction accuracy. Experiments conducted on two real-world datasets, F<sc>acebook</sc> and CollegeMsg, demonstrate that the proposed method, can reduce the number of utilized features by up to 75% while maintaining a prediction accuracy (AUC) of 0.99. Furthermore, this dimensionality reduction results in a significant improvement in prediction time (up to 73.8%) compared to traditional methods. Comparisons with other optimization techniques, such as the Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), reveal that the proposed method outperforms them in selecting key features and achieving faster convergence. These characteristics make the proposed method a suitable choice for real-world applications, including recommender systems, large-scale social network analysis, and interaction pattern detection. Additionally, the analysis of selected features provides valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms of link formation in social networks.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11072679/Feature selectionheat transfer optimization algorithm (HTOA)link predictionmachine learningsocial networksXGBoost |
| spellingShingle | Foad Asef Vahid Majidnezhad Mohammad-Reza Feizi-Derakhshi Link Prediction in Social Networks Using the HTOA IEEE Access Feature selection heat transfer optimization algorithm (HTOA) link prediction machine learning social networks XGBoost |
| title | Link Prediction in Social Networks Using the HTOA |
| title_full | Link Prediction in Social Networks Using the HTOA |
| title_fullStr | Link Prediction in Social Networks Using the HTOA |
| title_full_unstemmed | Link Prediction in Social Networks Using the HTOA |
| title_short | Link Prediction in Social Networks Using the HTOA |
| title_sort | link prediction in social networks using the htoa |
| topic | Feature selection heat transfer optimization algorithm (HTOA) link prediction machine learning social networks XGBoost |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11072679/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT foadasef linkpredictioninsocialnetworksusingthehtoa AT vahidmajidnezhad linkpredictioninsocialnetworksusingthehtoa AT mohammadrezafeiziderakhshi linkpredictioninsocialnetworksusingthehtoa |