A simple polynomial time algorithm to approximate the permanent within a simply exponential factor

We present a simple randomized polynomial time algorithm to approximate the mixed discriminant of $n$ positive semidefinite $n \times n$ matrices within a factor $2^{O(n)}$. Consequently, the algorithm allows us to approximate in randomized polynomial time the permanent of a given $n \times n$ non-negative matrix within a factor $2^{O(n)}$. When applied to approximating the permanent, the algorithm turns out to be a simple modification of the well-known Godsil-Gutman estimator

Virtual Network Embedding Approximations: Leveraging Randomized Rounding

© 2019 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.The Virtual Network Embedding Problem (VNEP) captures the essence of many resource allocation problems. In the VNEP, customers request resources in the form of Virtual Networks. An embedding of a virtual network on a shared physical infrastructure is the joint mapping of (virtual) nodes to physical servers together with the mapping of (virtual) edges onto paths in the physical network connecting the respective servers. This work initiates the study of approximation algorithms for the VNEP for general request graphs. Concretely, we study the offline setting with admission control: given multiple requests, the task is to embed the most profitable subset while not exceeding resource capacities. Our approximation is based on the randomized rounding of Linear Programming (LP) solutions. Interestingly, we uncover that the standard LP formulation for the VNEP exhibits an inherent structural deficit when considering general virtual network topologies: its solutions cannot be decomposed into valid embeddings. In turn, focusing on the class of cactus request graphs, we devise a novel LP formulation, whose solutions can be decomposed. Proving performance guarantees of our rounding scheme, we obtain the first approximation algorithm for the VNEP in the resource augmentation model. We propose different types of rounding heuristics and evaluate their performance in an extensive computational study. Our results indicate that good solutions can be achieved even without resource augmentations. Specifically, heuristical rounding achieves 77.2% of the baseline’s profit on average while respecting capacities.BMBF, 01IS12056, Software Campus GrantEC/H2020/679158/EU/Resolving the Tussle in the Internet: Mapping, Architecture, and Policy Making/ResolutioNe

Exploiting bounded signal flow for graph orientation based on cause-effect pairs

Background: We consider the following problem: Given an undirected network and a set of sender–receiver pairs, direct all edges such that the maximum number of “signal flows ” defined by the pairs can be routed respecting edge directions. This problem has applications in understanding protein interaction based cell regulation mechanisms. Since this problem is NP-hard, research so far concentrated on polynomial-time approximation algorithms and tractable special cases. Results: We take the viewpoint of parameterized algorithmics and examine several parameters related to the maximum signal flow over vertices or edges. We provide several fixed-parameter tractability results, and in one case a sharp complexity dichotomy between a linear-time solvable case and a slightly more general NP-hard case. We examine the value of these parameters for several real-world network instances. Conclusions: Several biologically relevant special cases of the NP-hard problem can be solved to optimality. In this way, parameterized analysis yields both deeper insight into the computational complexity and practical solving strategies. Background Current technologies [1] like two-hybrid screening ca

Defining the Force between Separated Sources on a Light Front

The Newtonian character of gauge theories on a light front requires that the longitudinal momentum P^+, which plays the role of Newtonian mass, be conserved. This requirement conflicts with the standard definition of the force between two sources in terms of the minimal energy of quantum gauge fields in the presence of a quark and anti-quark pinned to points separated by a distance R. We propose that, on a light front, the force be defined by minimizing the energy of gauge fields in the presence of a quark and an anti-quark pinned to lines (1-branes) oriented in the longitudinal direction singled out by the light front and separated by a transverse distance R. Such sources will have a limited 1+1 dimensional dynamics. We study this proposal for weak coupling gauge theories by showing how it leads to the Coulomb force law. For QCD we also show how asymptotic freedom emerges by evaluating the S-matrix through one loop for the scattering of a particle in the N_c representation of color SU(N_c) on a 1-brane by a particle in the \bar N_c representation of color on a parallel 1-brane separated from the first by a distance R<<1/Lambda_{QCD}. Potential applications to the problem of confinement on a light front are discussed.Comment: LaTeX, 15 pages, 12 figures; minor typos corrected; numerical correction in equation 3.