On Approximating the Sum-Rate for Multiple-Unicasts

We study upper bounds on the sum-rate of multiple-unicasts. We approximate the Generalized Network Sharing Bound (GNS cut) of the multiple-unicasts network coding problem with $k$ independent sources. Our approximation algorithm runs in polynomial time and yields an upper bound on the joint source entropy rate, which is within an $O(\log^2 k)$ factor from the GNS cut. It further yields a vector-linear network code that achieves joint source entropy rate within an $O(\log^2 k)$ factor from the GNS cut, but \emph{not} with independent sources: the code induces a correlation pattern among the sources. Our second contribution is establishing a separation result for vector-linear network codes: for any given field $\mathbb{F}$ there exist networks for which the optimum sum-rate supported by vector-linear codes over $\mathbb{F}$ for independent sources can be multiplicatively separated by a factor of $k^{1-\delta}$, for any constant ${\delta>0}$, from the optimum joint entropy rate supported by a code that allows correlation between sources. Finally, we establish a similar separation result for the asymmetric optimum vector-linear sum-rates achieved over two distinct fields $\mathbb{F}_{p}$ and $\mathbb{F}_{q}$ for independent sources, revealing that the choice of field can heavily impact the performance of a linear network code.Comment: 10 pages; Shorter version appeared at ISIT (International Symposium on Information Theory) 2015; some typos correcte

Optimal Staged Self-Assembly of General Shapes

We analyze the number of tile types $t$, bins $b$, and stages necessary to assemble $n \times n$ squares and scaled shapes in the staged tile assembly model. For $n \times n$ squares, we prove $\mathcal{O}(\frac{\log{n} - tb - t\log t}{b^2} + \frac{\log \log b}{\log t})$ stages suffice and $\Omega(\frac{\log{n} - tb - t\log t}{b^2})$ are necessary for almost all $n$. For shapes $S$ with Kolmogorov complexity $K(S)$, we prove $\mathcal{O}(\frac{K(S) - tb - t\log t}{b^2} + \frac{\log \log b}{\log t})$ stages suffice and $\Omega(\frac{K(S) - tb - t\log t}{b^2})$ are necessary to assemble a scaled version of $S$, for almost all $S$. We obtain similarly tight bounds when the more powerful flexible glues are permitted.Comment: Abstract version appeared in ESA 201

Note on the upper bound of the rainbow index of a graph

A path in an edge-colored graph $G$, where adjacent edges may be colored the same, is a rainbow path if every two edges of it receive distinct colors. The rainbow connection number of a connected graph $G$, denoted by $rc(G)$, is the minimum number of colors that are needed to color the edges of $G$ such that there exists a rainbow path connecting every two vertices of $G$. Similarly, a tree in $G$ is a rainbow~tree if no two edges of it receive the same color. The minimum number of colors that are needed in an edge-coloring of $G$ such that there is a rainbow tree connecting $S$ for each $k$-subset $S$ of $V(G)$ is called the $k$-rainbow index of $G$, denoted by $rx_k(G)$, where $k$ is an integer such that $2\leq k\leq n$. Chakraborty et al. got the following result: For every $\epsilon> 0$, a connected graph with minimum degree at least $\epsilon n$ has bounded rainbow connection, where the bound depends only on $\epsilon$. Krivelevich and Yuster proved that if $G$ has $n$ vertices and the minimum degree $\delta(G)$ then $rc(G)<20n/\delta(G)$. This bound was later improved to $3n/(\delta(G)+1)+3$ by Chandran et al. Since $rc(G)=rx_2(G)$, a natural problem arises: for a general $k$ determining the true behavior of $rx_k(G)$ as a function of the minimum degree $\delta(G)$. In this paper, we give upper bounds of $rx_k(G)$ in terms of the minimum degree $\delta(G)$ in different ways, namely, via Szemer\'{e}di's Regularity Lemma, connected $2$-step dominating sets, connected $(k-1)$-dominating sets and $k$-dominating sets of $G$.Comment: 12 pages. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:0902.1255 by other author