3,156 research outputs found
Solving XCSP problems by using Gecode
Gecode is one of the most efficient libraries that can be used for constraint
solving. However, using it requires dealing with C++ programming details. On
the other hand several formats for representing constraint networks have been
proposed. Among them, XCSP has been proposed as a format based on XML which
allows us to represent constraints defined either extensionally or
intensionally, permits global constraints and has been the standard format of
the international competition of constraint satisfaction problems solvers. In
this paper we present a plug-in for solving problems specified in XCSP by
exploiting the Gecode solver. This is done by dynamically translating
constraints into Gecode library calls, thus avoiding the need to interact with
C++.Comment: 5 pages, http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-810 CILC 201
SUNNY-CP and the MiniZinc Challenge
In Constraint Programming (CP) a portfolio solver combines a variety of
different constraint solvers for solving a given problem. This fairly recent
approach enables to significantly boost the performance of single solvers,
especially when multicore architectures are exploited. In this work we give a
brief overview of the portfolio solver sunny-cp, and we discuss its performance
in the MiniZinc Challenge---the annual international competition for CP
solvers---where it won two gold medals in 2015 and 2016. Under consideration in
Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP)Comment: Under consideration in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming
(TPLP
A Multicore Tool for Constraint Solving
*** To appear in IJCAI 2015 proceedings *** In Constraint Programming (CP), a
portfolio solver uses a variety of different solvers for solving a given
Constraint Satisfaction / Optimization Problem. In this paper we introduce
sunny-cp2: the first parallel CP portfolio solver that enables a dynamic,
cooperative, and simultaneous execution of its solvers in a multicore setting.
It incorporates state-of-the-art solvers, providing also a usable and
configurable framework. Empirical results are very promising. sunny-cp2 can
even outperform the performance of the oracle solver which always selects the
best solver of the portfolio for a given problem
Dynamic Choreographies: Theory And Implementation
Programming distributed applications free from communication deadlocks and
race conditions is complex. Preserving these properties when applications are
updated at runtime is even harder. We present a choreographic approach for
programming updatable, distributed applications. We define a choreography
language, called Dynamic Interaction-Oriented Choreography (AIOC), that allows
the programmer to specify, from a global viewpoint, which parts of the
application can be updated. At runtime, these parts may be replaced by new AIOC
fragments from outside the application. AIOC programs are compiled, generating
code for each participant in a process-level language called Dynamic
Process-Oriented Choreographies (APOC). We prove that APOC distributed
applications generated from AIOC specifications are deadlock free and race free
and that these properties hold also after any runtime update. We instantiate
the theoretical model above into a programming framework called Adaptable
Interaction-Oriented Choreographies in Jolie (AIOCJ) that comprises an
integrated development environment, a compiler from an extension of AIOCs to
distributed Jolie programs, and a runtime environment to support their
execution.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1407.097
Dynamic Choreographies - Safe Runtime Updates of Distributed Applications
Programming distributed applications free from communication deadlocks and
races is complex. Preserving these properties when applications are updated at
runtime is even harder. We present DIOC, a language for programming distributed
applications that are free from deadlocks and races by construction. A DIOC
program describes a whole distributed application as a unique entity
(choreography). DIOC allows the programmer to specify which parts of the
application can be updated. At runtime, these parts may be replaced by new DIOC
fragments from outside the application. DIOC programs are compiled, generating
code for each site, in a lower-level language called DPOC. We formalise both
DIOC and DPOC semantics as labelled transition systems and prove the
correctness of the compilation as a trace equivalence result. As corollaries,
DPOC applications are free from communication deadlocks and races, even in
presence of runtime updates.Comment: Technical Repor
Wormlike reverse micelles in lecithin/bile salt/water mixtures in oil
Knowing the ability of water and bile salts to promote the reverse wormlike micelle growth in lecithin/water or lecithin/bile salt mixtures in oil, this work was aimed at elucidating the association properties of the three solutes lecithin, water and the bile salt (BS) sodium deoxycholate in cyclohexane. By systematically changing the fraction of the two additives (i.e.: water and BS) we could identify a region at low additive/lecithin molar ratios where stable wormlike micelle dispersions were formed. Small angle X-ray scattering and oscillatory rheology measurements demonstrated that the ability of bile salt and water to transform the originally spherical lecithin reverse micelles into wormlike micelles and thereby impart to the sample viscoelastic properties is preserved in the three-solute mixture. The results suggest that reverse micelle including both bile salt and water are formed in this system. Reasonably the two primers interact with the same region of the lecithin headgroups and are complementary in altering the packing parameter of the amphiphile to values suitable for the formation of cylindrical aggregates
An Extensive Evaluation of Portfolio Approaches for Constraint Satisfaction Problems
In the context of Constraint Programming, a portfolio
approach exploits the complementary strengths of a portfolio of
different constraint solvers. The goal is to predict and run the best
solver(s) of the portfolio for solving a new, unseen problem. In
this work we reproduce, simulate, and evaluate the performance
of different portfolio approaches on extensive benchmarks of
Constraint Satisfaction Problems. Empirical results clearly show
the benefits of portfolio solvers in terms of both solved instances
and solving time
SUNNY: a Lazy Portfolio Approach for Constraint Solving
*** To appear in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP) ***
Within the context of constraint solving, a portfolio approach allows one to
exploit the synergy between different solvers in order to create a globally
better solver. In this paper we present SUNNY: a simple and flexible algorithm
that takes advantage of a portfolio of constraint solvers in order to compute
--- without learning an explicit model --- a schedule of them for solving a
given Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CSP). Motivated by the performance
reached by SUNNY vs. different simulations of other state of the art
approaches, we developed sunny-csp, an effective portfolio solver that exploits
the underlying SUNNY algorithm in order to solve a given CSP. Empirical tests
conducted on exhaustive benchmarks of MiniZinc models show that the actual
performance of SUNNY conforms to the predictions. This is encouraging both for
improving the power of CSP portfolio solvers and for trying to export them to
fields such as Answer Set Programming and Constraint Logic Programming
Chiral discrimination in helicity-preserving Fabry-PĂ©rot cavities
We theoretically study circular dichroism of chiral molecules embedded inside a helicity-preserving Fabry-PĂ©rot cavity. We find an increase of the intrinsic chiroptical response of the molecules by 2 orders of magnitude and report the first clear signature of chiral cavity polaritons upon entering the regime of strong light-matter coupling. We study a cavity design based on two dielectric photonic crystal mirrors acting, in a narrow frequency range, as efficient polarization cross-converters in transmission for one polarization and almost perfect reflectors for the other polarization. We show that a Pasteur medium hosted inside such a cavity can couple efficiently to both the outside of the cavity and to the helicity-preserving mode, inheriting an enhanced chiral character. We expect such a device to be useful in the future to design ultrasensitive chiral sensors for optics and stereochemistr
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