Parameterized Edge Hamiltonicity

We study the parameterized complexity of the classical Edge Hamiltonian Path problem and give several fixed-parameter tractability results. First, we settle an open question of Demaine et al. by showing that Edge Hamiltonian Path is FPT parameterized by vertex cover, and that it also admits a cubic kernel. We then show fixed-parameter tractability even for a generalization of the problem to arbitrary hypergraphs, parameterized by the size of a (supplied) hitting set. We also consider the problem parameterized by treewidth or clique-width. Surprisingly, we show that the problem is FPT for both of these standard parameters, in contrast to its vertex version, which is W-hard for clique-width. Our technique, which may be of independent interest, relies on a structural characterization of clique-width in terms of treewidth and complete bipartite subgraphs due to Gurski and Wanke

Dynamic Programming on Nominal Graphs

Many optimization problems can be naturally represented as (hyper) graphs, where vertices correspond to variables and edges to tasks, whose cost depends on the values of the adjacent variables. Capitalizing on the structure of the graph, suitable dynamic programming strategies can select certain orders of evaluation of the variables which guarantee to reach both an optimal solution and a minimal size of the tables computed in the optimization process. In this paper we introduce a simple algebraic specification with parallel composition and restriction whose terms up to structural axioms are the graphs mentioned above. In addition, free (unrestricted) vertices are labelled with variables, and the specification includes operations of name permutation with finite support. We show a correspondence between the well-known tree decompositions of graphs and our terms. If an axiom of scope extension is dropped, several (hierarchical) terms actually correspond to the same graph. A suitable graphical structure can be found, corresponding to every hierarchical term. Evaluating such a graphical structure in some target algebra yields a dynamic programming strategy. If the target algebra satisfies the scope extension axiom, then the result does not depend on the particular structure, but only on the original graph. We apply our approach to the parking optimization problem developed in the ASCENS e-mobility case study, in collaboration with Volkswagen. Dynamic programming evaluations are particularly interesting for autonomic systems, where actual behavior often consists of propagating local knowledge to obtain global knowledge and getting it back for local decisions.Comment: In Proceedings GaM 2015, arXiv:1504.0244

Approximation Algorithms for the Capacitated Domination Problem

We consider the {\em Capacitated Domination} problem, which models a service-requirement assignment scenario and is also a generalization of the well-known {\em Dominating Set} problem. In this problem, given a graph with three parameters defined on each vertex, namely cost, capacity, and demand, we want to find an assignment of demands to vertices of least cost such that the demand of each vertex is satisfied subject to the capacity constraint of each vertex providing the service. In terms of polynomial time approximations, we present logarithmic approximation algorithms with respect to different demand assignment models for this problem on general graphs, which also establishes the corresponding approximation results to the well-known approximations of the traditional {\em Dominating Set} problem. Together with our previous work, this closes the problem of generally approximating the optimal solution. On the other hand, from the perspective of parameterization, we prove that this problem is {\it W[1]}-hard when parameterized by a structure of the graph called treewidth. Based on this hardness result, we present exact fixed-parameter tractable algorithms when parameterized by treewidth and maximum capacity of the vertices. This algorithm is further extended to obtain pseudo-polynomial time approximation schemes for planar graphs

Discovering Motifs in Real-World Social Networks

We built a framework for analyzing the contents of large social networks, based on the approximate counting technique developed by Gonen and Shavitt. Our toolbox was used on data from a large forum---\texttt{boards.ie}---the most prominent community website in Ireland. For the purpose of this experiment, we were granted access to 10 years of forum data. This is the first time the approximate counting technique is tested on real-world, social network data

Exact counting of Euler Tours for Graphs of Bounded Treewidth

In this paper we give a simple polynomial-time algorithm to exactly count the number of Euler Tours (ETs) of any Eulerian graph of bounded treewidth. The problems of counting ETs are known to be #P-complete for general graphs (Brightwell and Winkler, (Brightwell and Winkler, 2005). To date, no polynomial-time algorithm for counting Euler tours of any class of graphs is known except for the very special case of series-parallel graphs (which have treewidth 2).Comment: 16 pages, draf

Parameterized Algorithms for Modular-Width

It is known that a number of natural graph problems which are FPT parameterized by treewidth become W-hard when parameterized by clique-width. It is therefore desirable to find a different structural graph parameter which is as general as possible, covers dense graphs but does not incur such a heavy algorithmic penalty. The main contribution of this paper is to consider a parameter called modular-width, defined using the well-known notion of modular decompositions. Using a combination of ILPs and dynamic programming we manage to design FPT algorithms for Coloring and Partitioning into paths (and hence Hamiltonian path and Hamiltonian cycle), which are W-hard for both clique-width and its recently introduced restriction, shrub-depth. We thus argue that modular-width occupies a sweet spot as a graph parameter, generalizing several simpler notions on dense graphs but still evading the "price of generality" paid by clique-width.Comment: to appear in IPEC 2013. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1304.5479 by other author