488 research outputs found
High degree graphs contain large-star factors
We show that any finite simple graph with minimum degree contains a
spanning star forest in which every connected component is of size at least
. This settles a problem of J. Kratochvil
Systems of Linear Equations over and Problems Parameterized Above Average
In the problem Max Lin, we are given a system of linear equations
with variables over in which each equation is assigned a
positive weight and we wish to find an assignment of values to the variables
that maximizes the excess, which is the total weight of satisfied equations
minus the total weight of falsified equations. Using an algebraic approach, we
obtain a lower bound for the maximum excess.
Max Lin Above Average (Max Lin AA) is a parameterized version of Max Lin
introduced by Mahajan et al. (Proc. IWPEC'06 and J. Comput. Syst. Sci. 75,
2009). In Max Lin AA all weights are integral and we are to decide whether the
maximum excess is at least , where is the parameter.
It is not hard to see that we may assume that no two equations in have
the same left-hand side and . Using our maximum excess results,
we prove that, under these assumptions, Max Lin AA is fixed-parameter tractable
for a wide special case: for an arbitrary fixed function
.
Max -Lin AA is a special case of Max Lin AA, where each equation has at
most variables. In Max Exact -SAT AA we are given a multiset of
clauses on variables such that each clause has variables and asked
whether there is a truth assignment to the variables that satisfies at
least clauses. Using our maximum excess results, we
prove that for each fixed , Max -Lin AA and Max Exact -SAT AA can
be solved in time This improves
-time algorithms for the two problems obtained by Gutin et
al. (IWPEC 2009) and Alon et al. (SODA 2010), respectively
Partial Covering Arrays: Algorithms and Asymptotics
A covering array is an array with entries
in , for which every subarray contains each
-tuple of among its rows. Covering arrays find
application in interaction testing, including software and hardware testing,
advanced materials development, and biological systems. A central question is
to determine or bound , the minimum number of rows of
a . The well known bound
is not too far from being
asymptotically optimal. Sensible relaxations of the covering requirement arise
when (1) the set need only be contained among the rows
of at least of the subarrays and (2) the
rows of every subarray need only contain a (large) subset of . In this paper, using probabilistic methods, significant
improvements on the covering array upper bound are established for both
relaxations, and for the conjunction of the two. In each case, a randomized
algorithm constructs such arrays in expected polynomial time
Maximum union-free subfamilies
An old problem of Moser asks: how large of a union-free subfamily does every
family of m sets have? A family of sets is called union-free if there are no
three distinct sets in the family such that the union of two of the sets is
equal to the third set. We show that every family of m sets contains a
union-free subfamily of size at least \lfloor \sqrt{4m+1}\rfloor - 1 and that
this bound is tight. This solves Moser's problem and proves a conjecture of
Erd\H{o}s and Shelah from 1972. More generally, a family of sets is
a-union-free if there are no a+1 distinct sets in the family such that one of
them is equal to the union of a others. We determine up to an absolute
multiplicative constant factor the size of the largest guaranteed a-union-free
subfamily of a family of m sets. Our result verifies in a strong form a
conjecture of Barat, F\"{u}redi, Kantor, Kim and Patkos.Comment: 10 page
A verified algorithm enumerating event structures
An event structure is a mathematical abstraction modeling concepts as causality, conflict and concurrency between events. While many other mathematical structures, including groups, topological spaces, rings, abound with algorithms and formulas to generate, enumerate and count particular sets of their members, no algorithm or formulas are known to generate or count all the possible event structures over af inite set of events. We present an algorithm to generate such a family, along with a functional implementation verified using Isabelle/HOL. As byproducts, we obtain a verified enumeration of all possible preorders and partial orders. While the integer sequences counting preorders and partial orders are already listed on OEIS (On-line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences), the one counting event structures is not. We therefore used our algorithm to submit a formally verified addition, which has been successfully reviewed and is now part of the OEIS.Postprin
Translating promising strategies for bowel and bladder management in spinal cord injury
Loss of control over voiding following spinal cord injury (SCI) impacts autonomy, participation and dignity, and can cause life-threatening complications. The importance of SCI bowel and bladder dysfunction warrants significantly more attention from researchers in the field. To address this gap, key SCI clinicians, researchers, government and private funding organizations met to share knowledge and examine emerging approaches. This report reviews recommendations from this effort to identify and prioritize near-term treatment, investigational and translational approaches to addressing the pressing needs of people with SCI
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