4,140 research outputs found
New Classes of Distributed Time Complexity
A number of recent papers -- e.g. Brandt et al. (STOC 2016), Chang et al.
(FOCS 2016), Ghaffari & Su (SODA 2017), Brandt et al. (PODC 2017), and Chang &
Pettie (FOCS 2017) -- have advanced our understanding of one of the most
fundamental questions in theory of distributed computing: what are the possible
time complexity classes of LCL problems in the LOCAL model? In essence, we have
a graph problem in which a solution can be verified by checking all
radius- neighbourhoods, and the question is what is the smallest such
that a solution can be computed so that each node chooses its own output based
on its radius- neighbourhood. Here is the distributed time complexity of
.
The time complexity classes for deterministic algorithms in bounded-degree
graphs that are known to exist by prior work are , , , , and . It is also known
that there are two gaps: one between and , and
another between and . It has been conjectured
that many more gaps exist, and that the overall time hierarchy is relatively
simple -- indeed, this is known to be the case in restricted graph families
such as cycles and grids.
We show that the picture is much more diverse than previously expected. We
present a general technique for engineering LCL problems with numerous
different deterministic time complexities, including
for any , for any , and
for any in the high end of the complexity
spectrum, and for any ,
for any , and
for any in the low end; here
is a positive rational number
Route Planning in Transportation Networks
We survey recent advances in algorithms for route planning in transportation
networks. For road networks, we show that one can compute driving directions in
milliseconds or less even at continental scale. A variety of techniques provide
different trade-offs between preprocessing effort, space requirements, and
query time. Some algorithms can answer queries in a fraction of a microsecond,
while others can deal efficiently with real-time traffic. Journey planning on
public transportation systems, although conceptually similar, is a
significantly harder problem due to its inherent time-dependent and
multicriteria nature. Although exact algorithms are fast enough for interactive
queries on metropolitan transit systems, dealing with continent-sized instances
requires simplifications or heavy preprocessing. The multimodal route planning
problem, which seeks journeys combining schedule-based transportation (buses,
trains) with unrestricted modes (walking, driving), is even harder, relying on
approximate solutions even for metropolitan inputs.Comment: This is an updated version of the technical report MSR-TR-2014-4,
previously published by Microsoft Research. This work was mostly done while
the authors Daniel Delling, Andrew Goldberg, and Renato F. Werneck were at
Microsoft Research Silicon Valle
Synchronization in Random Geometric Graphs
In this paper we study the synchronization properties of random geometric
graphs. We show that the onset of synchronization takes place roughly at the
same value of the order parameter that a random graph with the same size and
average connectivity. However, the dependence of the order parameter with the
coupling strength indicates that the fully synchronized state is more easily
attained in random graphs. We next focus on the complete synchronized state and
show that this state is less stable for random geometric graphs than for other
kinds of complex networks. Finally, a rewiring mechanism is proposed as a way
to improve the stability of the fully synchronized state as well as to lower
the value of the coupling strength at which it is achieved. Our work has
important implications for the synchronization of wireless networks, and should
provide valuable insights for the development and deployment of more efficient
and robust distributed synchronization protocols for these systems.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Perspective: network-guided pattern formation of neural dynamics
The understanding of neural activity patterns is fundamentally linked to an
understanding of how the brain's network architecture shapes dynamical
processes. Established approaches rely mostly on deviations of a given network
from certain classes of random graphs. Hypotheses about the supposed role of
prominent topological features (for instance, the roles of modularity, network
motifs, or hierarchical network organization) are derived from these
deviations. An alternative strategy could be to study deviations of network
architectures from regular graphs (rings, lattices) and consider the
implications of such deviations for self-organized dynamic patterns on the
network. Following this strategy, we draw on the theory of spatiotemporal
pattern formation and propose a novel perspective for analyzing dynamics on
networks, by evaluating how the self-organized dynamics are confined by network
architecture to a small set of permissible collective states. In particular, we
discuss the role of prominent topological features of brain connectivity, such
as hubs, modules and hierarchy, in shaping activity patterns. We illustrate the
notion of network-guided pattern formation with numerical simulations and
outline how it can facilitate the understanding of neural dynamics
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