6,103 research outputs found
Reinforcement learning based local search for grouping problems: A case study on graph coloring
Grouping problems aim to partition a set of items into multiple mutually
disjoint subsets according to some specific criterion and constraints. Grouping
problems cover a large class of important combinatorial optimization problems
that are generally computationally difficult. In this paper, we propose a
general solution approach for grouping problems, i.e., reinforcement learning
based local search (RLS), which combines reinforcement learning techniques with
descent-based local search. The viability of the proposed approach is verified
on a well-known representative grouping problem (graph coloring) where a very
simple descent-based coloring algorithm is applied. Experimental studies on
popular DIMACS and COLOR02 benchmark graphs indicate that RLS achieves
competitive performances compared to a number of well-known coloring
algorithms
Parallel Maximum Clique Algorithms with Applications to Network Analysis and Storage
We propose a fast, parallel maximum clique algorithm for large sparse graphs
that is designed to exploit characteristics of social and information networks.
The method exhibits a roughly linear runtime scaling over real-world networks
ranging from 1000 to 100 million nodes. In a test on a social network with 1.8
billion edges, the algorithm finds the largest clique in about 20 minutes. Our
method employs a branch and bound strategy with novel and aggressive pruning
techniques. For instance, we use the core number of a vertex in combination
with a good heuristic clique finder to efficiently remove the vast majority of
the search space. In addition, we parallelize the exploration of the search
tree. During the search, processes immediately communicate changes to upper and
lower bounds on the size of maximum clique, which occasionally results in a
super-linear speedup because vertices with large search spaces can be pruned by
other processes. We apply the algorithm to two problems: to compute temporal
strong components and to compress graphs.Comment: 11 page
Squeaky Wheel Optimization
We describe a general approach to optimization which we term `Squeaky Wheel'
Optimization (SWO). In SWO, a greedy algorithm is used to construct a solution
which is then analyzed to find the trouble spots, i.e., those elements, that,
if improved, are likely to improve the objective function score. The results of
the analysis are used to generate new priorities that determine the order in
which the greedy algorithm constructs the next solution. This
Construct/Analyze/Prioritize cycle continues until some limit is reached, or an
acceptable solution is found. SWO can be viewed as operating on two search
spaces: solutions and prioritizations. Successive solutions are only indirectly
related, via the re-prioritization that results from analyzing the prior
solution. Similarly, successive prioritizations are generated by constructing
and analyzing solutions. This `coupled search' has some interesting properties,
which we discuss. We report encouraging experimental results on two domains,
scheduling problems that arise in fiber-optic cable manufacturing, and graph
coloring problems. The fact that these domains are very different supports our
claim that SWO is a general technique for optimization
A Fast and Scalable Graph Coloring Algorithm for Multi-core and Many-core Architectures
Irregular computations on unstructured data are an important class of
problems for parallel programming. Graph coloring is often an important
preprocessing step, e.g. as a way to perform dependency analysis for safe
parallel execution. The total run time of a coloring algorithm adds to the
overall parallel overhead of the application whereas the number of colors used
determines the amount of exposed parallelism. A fast and scalable coloring
algorithm using as few colors as possible is vital for the overall parallel
performance and scalability of many irregular applications that depend upon
runtime dependency analysis.
Catalyurek et al. have proposed a graph coloring algorithm which relies on
speculative, local assignment of colors. In this paper we present an improved
version which runs even more optimistically with less thread synchronization
and reduced number of conflicts compared to Catalyurek et al.'s algorithm. We
show that the new technique scales better on multi-core and many-core systems
and performs up to 1.5x faster than its predecessor on graphs with high-degree
vertices, while keeping the number of colors at the same near-optimal levels.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of Euro Par 201
An event-based architecture for solving constraint satisfaction problems
Constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) are typically solved using
conventional von Neumann computing architectures. However, these architectures
do not reflect the distributed nature of many of these problems and are thus
ill-suited to solving them. In this paper we present a hybrid analog/digital
hardware architecture specifically designed to solve such problems. We cast
CSPs as networks of stereotyped multi-stable oscillatory elements that
communicate using digital pulses, or events. The oscillatory elements are
implemented using analog non-stochastic circuits. The non-repeating phase
relations among the oscillatory elements drive the exploration of the solution
space. We show that this hardware architecture can yield state-of-the-art
performance on a number of CSPs under reasonable assumptions on the
implementation. We present measurements from a prototype electronic chip to
demonstrate that a physical implementation of the proposed architecture is
robust to practical non-idealities and to validate the theory proposed.Comment: First two authors contributed equally to this wor
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