arXiv subjects

Charles Viss

Publications and source records attributed to Charles Viss.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

Constructing Clustering Transformations

Clustering is one of the fundamental tasks in data analytics and machine learning. In many situations, different clusterings of the same data set become relevant. For example, different algorithms for the same clustering task may return dramatically different solutions. We are interested in applications in which one clustering has to be transformed into another; e.g., when a gradual transition from an old solution to a new one is required. In this paper, we devise methods for constructing such a transition based on linear programming and network theory. We use a so-called clustering-difference graph to model the desired transformation and provide methods for decomposing the graph into a sequence of elementary moves that accomplishes the transformation. These moves are equivalent to the edge directions, or circuits, of the underlying partition polytopes. Therefore, in addition to a conceptually new metric for measuring the distance between clusterings, we provide new bounds on the circuit diameter of these partition polytopes.

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arXiv2019

An implementation of steepest-descent augmentation for linear programs

Generalizing the simplex method, circuit augmentation schemes for linear programs follow circuit directions through the interior of the underlying polyhedron. Steepest-descent augmentation is especially promising, but an implementation of the iterative scheme is a significant challenge. We work towards a viable implementation through a model in which a single linear program is updated dynamically to remain in memory throughout. Computational experiments exhibit dramatic improvements over a naive approach and reveal insight into the next steps required for large-scale computations.

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arXiv2019

Circuit Walks in Integral Polyhedra

Circuits play a fundamental role in the theory of linear programming due to their intimate connection to algorithms of combinatorial optimization and the efficiency of the simplex method. We are interested in better understanding the properties of circuit walks in integral polyhedra. In this paper, we introduce a hierarchy for integral polyhedra based on different types of behavior exhibited by their circuit walks. Many problems in combinatorial optimization fall into the most interesting categories of this hierarchy - steps of circuit walks only stop at integer points, at vertices, or follow actual edges. We classify several classical families of polyhedra within the hierarchy, including 0/1-polytopes, polyhedra defined by totally unimodular matrices, and more specifically matroid polytopes, transportation polytopes, and partition polytopes. Finally, we prove three characterizations of the simple polytopes that appear in the bottom level of the hierarchy where all circuit walks are edge walks, showing that such polytopes constitute a generalization of simplices and parallelotopes.

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arXiv2019

A Polyhedral Model for Enumeration and Optimization over the Set of Circuits

Circuits play a fundamental role in polyhedral theory and linear programming. For instance, circuits are used as step directions in various augmentation schemes for solving linear programs or to leave degenerate vertices while running the simplex method. However, there are significant challenges when implementing these approaches: The set of circuits of a polyhedron may be of exponential size and is highly sensitive to the representation of the polyhedron. In this paper, we provide a universal framework for enumerating the set of circuits and optimizing over sets of circuits of a polyhedron in any representation - we propose a polyhedral model in which the circuits of the original polyhedron are encoded as extreme rays or vertices. Many methods in the literature and software assume that a polyhedron is in standard form; our framework is a direct generalization. We demonstrate its value by showing that the conversion of a general representation to standard form may introduce exponentially many new circuits. We then discuss the main advantages of the generalized polyhedral model. It enables the direct enumeration of useful subsets of circuits such as strictly feasible circuits or sign-compatible circuits, as well as optimization over these sets. In particular, this leads to the efficient computation of a steepest-descent circuit, which can be used in an augmentation scheme for solving linear programs or the construction of sign-compatible circuit walks with additional

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arXiv2017

Uniquely $K^{(k)}_r$-saturated Hypergraphs

In this paper we generalize the concept of uniquely $K_r$-saturated graphs to hypergraphs. Let $K_r^{(k)}$ denote the complete $k$-uniform hypergraph on $r$ vertices. For integers $k,r,n$ such that $2\le k r$. This is in contrast to the case $k=2$ and $r=3$ where only the Moore graphs of diameter two have this property. Our other construction keeps $n-r$ fixed; in this case we show that for any fixed $k\ge 2$ there can only be finitely many examples. We give a range for $n$ where these hypergraphs exist. For $n-r=1$ the range is completely determined: $k+1\le n \le {(k+2)^2\over 4}$. For larger values of $n-r$ the upper end of our range reaches approximately half of its upper bound. The lower end depends on the chromatic number of certain Johnson graphs.

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