  In this letter, we perform a sensitivity analysis on the master stability
function approach for the synchronization of networks of coupled dynamical
systems. More specifically, we analyze the linear stability of a nearly
synchronized solution for a network of coupled dynamical systems, for which the
individual dynamics and output functions of each unit are approximately
identical and the sums of the entries in the rows of the coupling matrix
slightly deviate from zero. The motivation for this parametric study comes from
experimental instances of synchronization in human-made or natural settings,
where ideal conditions are difficult to observe.
