2,968 research outputs found
Approximating the Permanent with Fractional Belief Propagation
We discuss schemes for exact and approximate computations of permanents, and
compare them with each other. Specifically, we analyze the Belief Propagation
(BP) approach and its Fractional Belief Propagation (FBP) generalization for
computing the permanent of a non-negative matrix. Known bounds and conjectures
are verified in experiments, and some new theoretical relations, bounds and
conjectures are proposed. The Fractional Free Energy (FFE) functional is
parameterized by a scalar parameter , where
corresponds to the BP limit and corresponds to the exclusion
principle (but ignoring perfect matching constraints) Mean-Field (MF) limit.
FFE shows monotonicity and continuity with respect to . For every
non-negative matrix, we define its special value to be the
for which the minimum of the -parameterized FFE functional is
equal to the permanent of the matrix, where the lower and upper bounds of the
-interval corresponds to respective bounds for the permanent. Our
experimental analysis suggests that the distribution of varies for
different ensembles but always lies within the interval.
Moreover, for all ensembles considered the behavior of is highly
distinctive, offering an emprirical practical guidance for estimating
permanents of non-negative matrices via the FFE approach.Comment: 42 pages, 14 figure
Distributed local approximation algorithms for maximum matching in graphs and hypergraphs
We describe approximation algorithms in Linial's classic LOCAL model of
distributed computing to find maximum-weight matchings in a hypergraph of rank
. Our main result is a deterministic algorithm to generate a matching which
is an -approximation to the maximum weight matching, running in rounds. (Here, the
notations hides and factors).
This is based on a number of new derandomization techniques extending methods
of Ghaffari, Harris & Kuhn (2017).
As a main application, we obtain nearly-optimal algorithms for the
long-studied problem of maximum-weight graph matching. Specifically, we get a
approximation algorithm using randomized time and deterministic time.
The second application is a faster algorithm for hypergraph maximal matching,
a versatile subroutine introduced in Ghaffari et al. (2017) for a variety of
local graph algorithms. This gives an algorithm for -edge-list
coloring in rounds deterministically or
rounds randomly. Another consequence (with
additional optimizations) is an algorithm which generates an edge-orientation
with out-degree at most for a graph of
arboricity ; for fixed this runs in
rounds deterministically or rounds randomly
The matching relaxation for a class of generalized set partitioning problems
This paper introduces a discrete relaxation for the class of combinatorial
optimization problems which can be described by a set partitioning formulation
under packing constraints. We present two combinatorial relaxations based on
computing maximum weighted matchings in suitable graphs. Besides providing dual
bounds, the relaxations are also used on a variable reduction technique and a
matheuristic. We show how that general method can be tailored to sample
applications, and also perform a successful computational evaluation with
benchmark instances of a problem in maritime logistics.Comment: 33 pages. A preliminary (4-page) version of this paper was presented
at CTW 2016 (Cologne-Twente Workshop on Graphs and Combinatorial
Optimization), with proceedings on Electronic Notes in Discrete Mathematic
Welfare Maximization with Limited Interaction
We continue the study of welfare maximization in unit-demand (matching)
markets, in a distributed information model where agent's valuations are
unknown to the central planner, and therefore communication is required to
determine an efficient allocation. Dobzinski, Nisan and Oren (STOC'14) showed
that if the market size is , then rounds of interaction (with
logarithmic bandwidth) suffice to obtain an -approximation to the
optimal social welfare. In particular, this implies that such markets converge
to a stable state (constant approximation) in time logarithmic in the market
size.
We obtain the first multi-round lower bound for this setup. We show that even
if the allowable per-round bandwidth of each agent is , the
approximation ratio of any -round (randomized) protocol is no better than
, implying an lower bound on the
rate of convergence of the market to equilibrium.
Our construction and technique may be of interest to round-communication
tradeoffs in the more general setting of combinatorial auctions, for which the
only known lower bound is for simultaneous () protocols [DNO14]
The number of maximum matchings in a tree
We determine upper and lower bounds for the number of maximum matchings
(i.e., matchings of maximum cardinality) of a tree of given order.
While the trees that attain the lower bound are easily characterised, the trees
with largest number of maximum matchings show a very subtle structure. We give
a complete characterisation of these trees and derive that the number of
maximum matchings in a tree of order is at most (the
precise constant being an algebraic number of degree 14). As a corollary, we
improve on a recent result by G\'orska and Skupie\'n on the number of maximal
matchings (maximal with respect to set inclusion).Comment: 38 page
On Correcting Inputs: Inverse Optimization for Online Structured Prediction
Algorithm designers typically assume that the input data is correct, and then
proceed to find "optimal" or "sub-optimal" solutions using this input data.
However this assumption of correct data does not always hold in practice,
especially in the context of online learning systems where the objective is to
learn appropriate feature weights given some training samples. Such scenarios
necessitate the study of inverse optimization problems where one is given an
input instance as well as a desired output and the task is to adjust the input
data so that the given output is indeed optimal. Motivated by learning
structured prediction models, in this paper we consider inverse optimization
with a margin, i.e., we require the given output to be better than all other
feasible outputs by a desired margin. We consider such inverse optimization
problems for maximum weight matroid basis, matroid intersection, perfect
matchings, minimum cost maximum flows, and shortest paths and derive the first
known results for such problems with a non-zero margin. The effectiveness of
these algorithmic approaches to online learning for structured prediction is
also discussed.Comment: Conference version to appear in FSTTCS, 201
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