Parallel Processing of Large Graphs

More and more large data collections are gathered worldwide in various IT systems. Many of them possess the networked nature and need to be processed and analysed as graph structures. Due to their size they require very often usage of parallel paradigm for efficient computation. Three parallel techniques have been compared in the paper: MapReduce, its map-side join extension and Bulk Synchronous Parallel (BSP). They are implemented for two different graph problems: calculation of single source shortest paths (SSSP) and collective classification of graph nodes by means of relational influence propagation (RIP). The methods and algorithms are applied to several network datasets differing in size and structural profile, originating from three domains: telecommunication, multimedia and microblog. The results revealed that iterative graph processing with the BSP implementation always and significantly, even up to 10 times outperforms MapReduce, especially for algorithms with many iterations and sparse communication. Also MapReduce extension based on map-side join usually noticeably presents better efficiency, although not as much as BSP. Nevertheless, MapReduce still remains the good alternative for enormous networks, whose data structures do not fit in local memories.Comment: Preprint submitted to Future Generation Computer System

Analysis and operational challenges of dynamic ride sharing demand responsive transportation models

There is a wide body of evidence that suggests sustainable mobility is not only a technological question, but that automotive technology will be a part of the solution in becoming a necessary albeit insufficient condition. Sufficiency is emerging as a paradigm shift from car ownership to vehicle usage, which is a consequence of socio-economic changes. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) now make it possible for a user to access a mobility service to go anywhere at any time. Among the many emerging mobility services, Multiple Passenger Ridesharing and its variants look the most promising. However, challenges arise in implementing these systems while accounting specifically for time dependencies and time windows that reflect users’ needs, specifically in terms of real-time fleet dispatching and dynamic route calculation. On the other hand, we must consider the feasibility and impact analysis of the many factors influencing the behavior of the system – as, for example, service demand, the size of the service fleet, the capacity of the shared vehicles and whether the time window requirements are soft or tight. This paper analyzes - a Decision Support System that computes solutions with ad hoc heuristics applied to variants of Pick Up and Delivery Problems with Time Windows, as well as to Feasibility and Profitability criteria rooted in Dynamic Insertion Heuristics. To evaluate the applications, a Simulation Framework is proposed. It is based on a microscopic simulation model that emulates real-time traffic conditions and a real traffic information system. It also interacts with the Decision Support System by feeding it with the required data for making decisions in the simulation that emulate the behavior of the shared fleet. The proposed simulation framework has been implemented in a model of Barcelona’s Central Business District. The obtained results prove the potential feasibility of the mobility concept.Postprint (published version

A computational comparison of two simplicial decomposition approaches for the separable traffic assignment problems : RSDTA and RSDVI

Draft pel 4th Meeting del Euro Working Group on Transportation (Newcastle 9-11 setembre de 1.996)The class of simplicial decomposition methods has shown to constitute efficient tools for the solution of the variational inequality formulation of the general traffic assignment problem. The paper presents a particular implementation of such an algorithm, called RSDVI, and a restricted simplicial decomposition algorithm, developed adhoc for diagonal, separable, problems named RSDTA. Both computer codes are compared for large scale separable traffic assignment problems. Some meaningful figures are shown for general problems with several levels of asymmetry.Preprin

Supporting software maintenance with non-functional information

The paper highlights the role of non functional information (about efficiency, reliability and other software attributes) of software components in software maintenance, focusing in the component programming framework. Non functional information is encapsulated in modules bound to both definitions and implementations of software components and it is written as expressions in a classical programming language. It is shown with an example how this notation supports software maintenance, with the help of an algorithm which is able to select the best implementation of a software component in its context of use, meaning byPeer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Shortest path computing in directed graphs with weighted edges mapped on random networks of memristors

Electronic version of an article published as [Fernandez, Carlos, Ioannis Vourkas, and Antonio Rubio. "Shortest Path Computing in Directed Graphs with Weighted Edges Mapped on Random Networks of Memristors." Parallel Processing Letters 30.01 (2020): 2050002] [https://doi.org/10.1142/S0129626420500024] © [copyright World Scientific Publishing Company] [https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscinet/ppl]To accelerate the execution of advanced computing tasks, in-memory computing with resistive memory provides a promising solution. In this context, networks of memristors could be used as parallel computing medium for the solution of complex optimization problems. Lately, the solution of the shortest-path problem (SPP) in a two-dimensional memristive grid has been given wide consideration. Some still open problems in such computing approach concern the time required for the grid to reach to a steady state, and the time required to read the result, stored in the state of a subset of memristors that represent the solution. This paper presents a circuit simulation-based performance assessment of memristor networks as SPP solvers. A previous methodology was extended to support weighted directed graphs. We tried memristor device models with fundamentally different switching behavior to check their suitability for such applications and the impact on the timely detection of the solution. Furthermore, the requirement of binary vs. analog operation of memristors was evaluated. Finally, the memristor network-based computing approach was compared to known algorithmic solutions to the SPP over a large set of random graphs of different sizes and topologies. Our results contribute to the proper development of bio-inspired memristor network-based SPP solvers.This work was supported by the Chilean research grants CONICYT REDES ETAPA INICIAL Convocatoria 2017 No. REDI170604, CONICYT BASAL FB0008, and by the Spanish MINECO and ERDF (TEC2016-75151-C3-2-R).Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Modeling of Neuronal Growth In Vitro: Comparison of Simulation Tools NETMORPH and CX3D

We simulate the growth of neuronal networks using the two recently published tools, NETMORPH and CX3D. The goals of the work are (1) to examine and compare the simulation tools, (2) to construct a model of growth of neocortical cultures, and (3) to characterize the changes in network connectivity during growth, using standard graph theoretic methods. Parameters for the neocortical culture are chosen after consulting both the experimental and the computational work presented in the literature. The first (three) weeks in culture are known to be a time of development of extensive dendritic and axonal arbors and establishment of synaptic connections between the neurons. We simulate the growth of networks from day 1 to day 21. It is shown that for the properly selected parameters, the simulators can reproduce the experimentally obtained connectivity. The selected graph theoretic methods can capture the structural changes during growth.Peer reviewe

A Novel SAT-Based Approach to the Task Graph Cost-Optimal Scheduling Problem

The Task Graph Cost-Optimal Scheduling Problem consists in scheduling a certain number of interdependent tasks onto a set of heterogeneous processors (characterized by idle and running rates per time unit), minimizing the cost of the entire process. This paper provides a novel formulation for this scheduling puzzle, in which an optimal solution is computed through a sequence of Binate Covering Problems, hinged within a Bounded Model Checking paradigm. In this approach, each covering instance, providing a min-cost trace for a given schedule depth, can be solved with several strategies, resorting to Minimum-Cost Satisfiability solvers or Pseudo-Boolean Optimization tools. Unfortunately, all direct resolution methods show very low efficiency and scalability. As a consequence, we introduce a specialized method to solve the same sequence of problems, based on a traditional all-solution SAT solver. This approach follows the "circuit cofactoring" strategy, as it exploits a powerful technique to capture a large set of solutions for any new SAT counter-example. The overall method is completed with a branch-and-bound heuristic which evaluates lower and upper bounds of the schedule length, to reduce the state space that has to be visited. Our results show that the proposed strategy significantly improves the blind binate covering schema, and it outperforms general purpose state-of-the-art tool

Analysis and solution of different algorithmic problems

The goal of competitive programming is being able to find abstract solutions for some given algorithmic problems, and and also being able to code those ideas into an efficient and correct computer program. Performing this activity at a high level requires a bit of natural ability, (at least) hundreds of training hours, and a wide range of knowledge, obviously including many algorithms and data structures, some of them not trivial at all. This project constitutes a compilation of problems from several different relevant topics in competitive programming, with an explanation and analysis of their solution. Most of these problems were solved while training with the UPC programming teams, which have dominated their regional competition for more than one decade. The author hopes that this collection may eventually increase the interest of some readers towards competitive programming