arXiv subjects

Calum MacRury

Publications and source records attributed to Calum MacRury.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Greedy Approaches to Online Stochastic Matching

Within the context of stochastic probing with commitment, we consider the online stochastic matching problem; that is, the one-sided online bipartite matching problem where edges adjacent to an online node must be probed to determine if they exist based on edge probabilities that become known when an online vertex arrives. If a probed edge exists, it must be used in the matching (if possible). We consider the competitiveness of online algorithms in both the adversarial order model (AOM) and the random order model (ROM). More specifically, we consider a bipartite stochastic graph $G = (U,V,E)$ where $U$ is the set of offline vertices, $V$ is the set of online vertices and $G$ has edge probabilities $(p_{e})_{e \in E}$ and edge weights $(w_{e})_{e \in E}$. Additionally, $G$ has probing constraints $(\scr{C}_{v})_{v \in V}$, where $\scr{C}_v$ indicates which sequences of edges adjacent to an online vertex $v$ can be probed. We assume that $U$ is known in advance, and that $\scr{C}_v$, together with the edge probabilities and weights adjacent to an online vertex are only revealed when the online vertex arrives. This model generalizes the various settings of the classical bipartite matching problem, and so our main contribution is in making progress towards understanding which classical results extend to the stochastic probing model.

cs.DS↗

arXiv2021

Bipartite Stochastic Matching: Online, Random Order, and I.I.D. Models

Within the context of stochastic probing with commitment, we consider the online stochastic matching problem; that is, the one sided online bipartite matching problem where edges adjacent to an online node must be probed to determine if they exist, based on known edge probabilities. If a probed edge exists, it must be used in the matching (if possible). We study this problem in the generality of a patience (or budget) constraint which limits the number of probes that can be made to edges adjacent to an online node. The patience constraint results in modelling and computational efficiency issues that are not encountered in the special cases of unit patience and full (i.e., unlimited) patience. The stochastic matching problem leads to a variety of settings. Our main contribution is to provide a new LP relaxation and a unified approach for establishing new and improved competitive bounds in three different input model settings (namely, adversarial, random order, and known i.i.d.). In all these settings, the algorithm does not have any control on the ordering of the online nodes. We establish competitive bounds in these settings, all of which generalize the standard non-stochastic setting when edges do not need to be probed (i.e., exist with certainty). All of our competitive ratios hold for arbitrary edge probabilities and patience constraints: (1) A $1-1/e$ ratio when the stochastic graph is known, offline vertices are weighted and online arrivals are adversarial. (2) A $1-1/e$ ratio when the stochastic graph is known, edges are weighted, and online arrivals are given in random order (i.e., in ROM, the random order model). (3) A $1-1/e$ ratio when online arrivals are drawn i.i.d. from a known stochastic type graph and edges are weighted. (4) A (tight) $1/e$ ratio when the stochastic graph is unknown, edges are weighted and online arrivals are given in random order.

cs.DS↗

arXiv2020

Localization Game for Random Graphs

We consider the localization game played on graphs in which a cop tries to determine the exact location of an invisible robber by exploiting distance probes. The corresponding graph parameter $ζ(G)$ for a given graph $G$ is called the localization number. In this paper, we improve the bounds for dense random graphs determining an asymptotic behaviour of $ζ(G)$. Moreover, we extend the argument to sparse graphs.

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

Hamilton Cycles in the Semi-random Graph Process

The semi-random graph process is a single player game in which the player is initially presented an empty graph on $n$ vertices. In each round, a vertex $u$ is presented to the player independently and uniformly at random. The player then adaptively selects a vertex $v$, and adds the edge $uv$ to the graph. For a fixed monotone graph property, the objective of the player is to force the graph to satisfy this property with high probability in as few rounds as possible. We focus on the problem of constructing a Hamilton cycle in as few rounds as possible. In particular, we present a novel strategy for the player which achieves a Hamiltonian cycle in $(2+4e^{-2}+0.07+o(1)) \, n < 2.61135 \, n$ rounds, assuming that a specific non-convex optimization problem has a negative solution (a premise we numerically support). Assuming that this technical condition holds, this improves upon the previously best known upper bound of $3 \, n$ rounds. We also show that the previously best lower bound of $(\ln 2 + \ln (1+\ln 2) + o(1)) \, n$ is not tight.

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

Probabilistically Faulty Searching on a Half-Line

We study $p$-Faulty Search, a variant of the classic cow-path optimization problem, where a unit speed robot searches the half-line (or $1$-ray) for a hidden item. The searcher is probabilistically faulty, and detection of the item with each visitation is an independent Bernoulli trial whose probability of success $p$ is known. The objective is to minimize the worst case expected detection time, relative to the distance of the hidden item to the origin. A variation of the same problem was first proposed by Gal in 1980. Then in 2003, Alpern and Gal [The Theory of Search Games and Rendezvous] proposed a so-called monotone solution for searching the line ($2$-rays); that is, a trajectory in which the newly searched space increases monotonically in each ray and in each iteration. Moreover, they conjectured that an optimal trajectory for the $2$-rays problem must be monotone. We disprove this conjecture when the search domain is the half-line ($1$-ray). We provide a lower bound for all monotone algorithms, which we also match with an upper bound. Our main contribution is the design and analysis of a sequence of refined search strategies, outside the family of monotone algorithms, which we call $t$-sub-monotone algorithms. Such algorithms induce performance that is strictly decreasing with $t$, and for all $p \in (0,1)$. The value of $t$ quantifies, in a certain sense, how much our algorithms deviate from being monotone, demonstrating that monotone algorithms are sub-optimal when searching the half-line.

cs.DS↗

arXiv2019

Probabilistic Zero Forcing on Random Graphs

Zero forcing is a deterministic iterative graph coloring process in which vertices are colored either blue or white, and in every round, any blue vertices that have a single white neighbor force these white vertices to become blue. Here we study probabilistic zero forcing, where blue vertices have a non-zero probability of forcing each white neighbor to become blue. We explore the propagation time for probabilistic zero forcing on the Erdős-Réyni random graph $\Gnp$ when we start with a single vertex colored blue. We show that when $p=\log^{-o(1)}n$, then with high probability it takes $(1+o(1))\log_2\log_2n$ rounds for all the vertices in $\Gnp$ to become blue, and when $\log n/n\ll p\leq \log^{-O(1)}n$, then with high probability it takes $Θ(\log(1/p))$ rounds.

math.CO↗

arXiv2018

Zero Forcing Number of Random Regular Graphs

The zero forcing process is an iterative graph colouring process in which at each time step a coloured vertex with a single uncoloured neighbour can force this neighbour to become coloured. A zero forcing set of a graph is an initial set of coloured vertices that can eventually force the entire graph to be coloured. The zero forcing number is the size of the smallest zero forcing set. We explore the zero forcing number for random regular graphs, improving on bounds given by Kalinowski, Kamucev and Sudakov. We also propose and analyze a degree-greedy algorithm for finding small zero forcing sets using the differential equations method.

math.CO↗