Global-stability problem for coupled systems of differential equations on networks

The global-stability problem of equilibria is investigated for coupled systems of differential equations on networks. Using results from graph theory, we develop a systematic approach that allows one to construct global Lyapunov functions for large-scale coupled systems from building blocks of individual vertex systems. The approach is applied to several classes of coupled systems in engineering, ecology and epidemiology, and is shown to improve existing results. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.