On the complement graph and defensive k-alliances

AbstractIn this paper, we obtain several tight bounds of the defensive k-alliance number in the complement graph from other parameters of the graph. In particular, we investigate the relationship between the alliance numbers of the complement graph and the minimum and maximum degree, the domination number and the isoperimetric number of the graph. Moreover, we prove the NP-completeness of the decision problem underlying the defensive k-alliance number

A Survey on Alliances and Related Parameters in Graphs

In this paper, we show that several graph parameters are known in different areas under completely different names.More specifically, our observations connect signed domination, monopolies, $\alpha$-domination, $\alpha$-independence,positive influence domination,and a parameter associated to fast information propagationin networks to parameters related to various notions of global $r$-alliances in graphs.We also propose a new framework, called (global) $(D,O)$-alliances, not only in order to characterizevarious known variants of alliance and domination parameters, but also to suggest a unifying framework for the study of alliances and domination.Finally, we also give a survey on the mentioned graph parameters, indicating how results transfer due to our observations

Computational Complexity of Synchronization under Regular Commutative Constraints

Here we study the computational complexity of the constrained synchronization problem for the class of regular commutative constraint languages. Utilizing a vector representation of regular commutative constraint languages, we give a full classification of the computational complexity of the constraint synchronization problem. Depending on the constraint language, our problem becomes PSPACE-complete, NP-complete or polynomial time solvable. In addition, we derive a polynomial time decision procedure for the complexity of the constraint synchronization problem, given some constraint automaton accepting a commutative language as input.Comment: Published in COCOON 2020 (The 26th International Computing and Combinatorics Conference); 2nd version is update of the published version and 1st version; both contain a minor error, the assumption of maximality in the NP-c and PSPACE-c results (propositions 5 & 6) is missing, and of incomparability of the vectors in main theorem; fixed in this version. See (new) discussion after main theore

Alliance free and alliance cover sets

A \emph{defensive} (\emph{offensive}) $k$-\emph{alliance} in $\Gamma=(V,E)$ is a set $S\subseteq V$ such that every $v$ in $S$ (in the boundary of $S$) has at least $k$ more neighbors in $S$ than it has in $V\setminus S$. A set $X\subseteq V$ is \emph{defensive} (\emph{offensive}) $k$-\emph{alliance free,} if for all defensive (offensive) $k$-alliance $S$, $S\setminus X\neq\emptyset$, i.e., $X$ does not contain any defensive (offensive) $k$-alliance as a subset. A set $Y \subseteq V$ is a \emph{defensive} (\emph{offensive}) $k$-\emph{alliance cover}, if for all defensive (offensive) $k$-alliance $S$, $S\cap Y\neq\emptyset$, i.e., $Y$ contains at least one vertex from each defensive (offensive) $k$-alliance of $\Gamma$. In this paper we show several mathematical properties of defensive (offensive) $k$-alliance free sets and defensive (offensive) $k$-alliance cover sets, including tight bounds on the cardinality of defensive (offensive) $k$-alliance free (cover) sets

Nova Geminorum 1912 and the Origin of the Idea of Gravitational Lensing

Einstein's early calculations of gravitational lensing, contained in a scratch notebook and dated to the spring of 1912, are reexamined. A hitherto unknown letter by Einstein suggests that he entertained the idea of explaining the phenomenon of new stars by gravitational lensing in the fall of 1915 much more seriously than was previously assumed. A reexamination of the relevant calculations by Einstein shows that, indeed, at least some of them most likely date from early October 1915. But in support of earlier historical interpretation of Einstein's notes, it is argued that the appearance of Nova Geminorum 1912 (DN Gem) in March 1912 may, in fact, provide a relevant context and motivation for Einstein's lensing calculations on the occasion of his first meeting with Erwin Freundlich during a visit in Berlin in April 1912. We also comment on the significance of Einstein's consideration of gravitational lensing in the fall of 1915 for the reconstruction of Einstein's final steps in his path towards general relativity.Comment: 31 p

Ordering a sparse graph to minimize the sum of right ends of edges

Motivated by a warehouse logistics problem we study mappings of the vertices of a graph onto prescribed points on the real line that minimize the sum (or equivalently, the average) of the coordinates of the right ends of all edges. We focus on graphs whose edge numbers do not exceed the vertex numbers too much, that is, graphs with few cycles. Intuitively, dense subgraphs should be placed early in the ordering, in order to finish many edges soon. However, our main “calculation trick” is to compare the objective function with the case when (almost) every vertex is the right end of exactly one edge. The deviations from this case are described by “charges” that can form “dipoles”. This reformulation enables us to derive polynomial algorithms and NP-completeness results for relevant special cases, and FPT results

Fast branching algorithm for Cluster Vertex Deletion

In the family of clustering problems, we are given a set of objects (vertices of the graph), together with some observed pairwise similarities (edges). The goal is to identify clusters of similar objects by slightly modifying the graph to obtain a cluster graph (disjoint union of cliques). Hueffner et al. [Theory Comput. Syst. 2010] initiated the parameterized study of Cluster Vertex Deletion, where the allowed modification is vertex deletion, and presented an elegant O(2^k * k^9 + n * m)-time fixed-parameter algorithm, parameterized by the solution size. In our work, we pick up this line of research and present an O(1.9102^k * (n + m))-time branching algorithm

Towards Optimal and Expressive Kernelization for d-Hitting Set

d-Hitting Set is the NP-hard problem of selecting at most k vertices of a hypergraph so that each hyperedge, all of which have cardinality at most d, contains at least one selected vertex. The applications of d-Hitting Set are, for example, fault diagnosis, automatic program verification, and the noise-minimizing assignment of frequencies to radio transmitters. We show a linear-time algorithm that transforms an instance of d-Hitting Set into an equivalent instance comprising at most O(k^d) hyperedges and vertices. In terms of parameterized complexity, this is a problem kernel. Our kernelization algorithm is based on speeding up the well-known approach of finding and shrinking sunflowers in hypergraphs, which yields problem kernels with structural properties that we condense into the concept of expressive kernelization. We conduct experiments to show that our kernelization algorithm can kernelize instances with more than 10^7 hyperedges in less than five minutes. Finally, we show that the number of vertices in the problem kernel can be further reduced to O(k^{d-1}) with additional O(k^{1.5 d}) processing time by nontrivially combining the sunflower technique with d-Hitting Set problem kernels due to Abu-Khzam and Moser.Comment: This version gives corrected experimental results, adds additional figures, and more formally defines "expressive kernelization

Linear-time Algorithms for Eliminating Claws in Graphs

Since many NP-complete graph problems have been shown polynomial-time solvable when restricted to claw-free graphs, we study the problem of determining the distance of a given graph to a claw-free graph, considering vertex elimination as measure. CLAW-FREE VERTEX DELETION (CFVD) consists of determining the minimum number of vertices to be removed from a graph such that the resulting graph is claw-free. Although CFVD is NP-complete in general and recognizing claw-free graphs is still a challenge, where the current best algorithm for a graph $G$ has the same running time of the best algorithm for matrix multiplication, we present linear-time algorithms for CFVD on weighted block graphs and weighted graphs with bounded treewidth. Furthermore, we show that this problem can be solved in linear time by a simpler algorithm on forests, and we determine the exact values for full $k$-ary trees. On the other hand, we show that CLAW-FREE VERTEX DELETION is NP-complete even when the input graph is a split graph. We also show that the problem is hard to approximate within any constant factor better than $2$, assuming the Unique Games Conjecture.Comment: 20 page