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Nadia Creignou

Publications and source records attributed to Nadia Creignou.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2025

From FPT Decision to FPT Enumeration

Fixed-parameter tractable (FPT) algorithms have been successfully applied to many intractable problems -- with a focus on decision and optimization problems. Their aim is to confine the exponential explosion to some parameter, while the time complexity only depends polynomially on the instance size. In contrast, intractable enumeration problems have received comparatively little attention so far. The goal of this work is to study how FPT decision algorithms could be turned into FPT enumeration algorithms. We thus inspect several fundamental approaches for designing FPT decision or optimization algorithms and we present ideas how they can be extended to FPT enumeration algorithms.

cs.CC↗
arXiv2024

On the enumeration of signatures of XOR-CNF's

Given a CNF formula $\varphi$ with clauses $C_1, \dots, C_m$ over a set of variables $V$, a truth assignment $\mathbf{a} : V \to \{0, 1\}$ generates a binary sequence $\sigma_\varphi(\mathbf{a})=(C_1(\mathbf{a}), \ldots, C_m(\mathbf{a}))$, called a signature of $\varphi$, where $C_i(\mathbf{a})=1$ if clause $C_i$ evaluates to 1 under assignment $\mathbf{a}$, and $C_i(\mathbf{a})=0$ otherwise. Signatures and their associated generation problems have given rise to new yet promising research questions in algorithmic enumeration. In a recent paper, B\'erczi et al. interestingly proved that generating signatures of a CNF is tractable despite the fact that verifying a solution is hard. They also showed the hardness of finding maximal signatures of an arbitrary CNF due to the intractability of satisfiability in general. Their contribution leaves open the problem of efficiently generating maximal signatures for tractable classes of CNFs, i.e., those for which satisfiability can be solved in polynomial time. Stepping into that direction, we completely characterize the complexity of generating all, minimal, and maximal signatures for XOR-CNFs.

cs.DS↗
arXiv2023

Complexity of Reasoning with Cardinality Minimality Conditions

Many AI-related reasoning problems are based on the problem of satisfiability of propositional formulas with some cardinality-minimality condition. While the complexity of the satisfiability problem (SAT) is well understood when considering systematically all fragments of propositional logic within Schaefer's framework (STOC 1978) this is not the case when such minimality condition is added. We consider the CardMinSat problem, which asks, given a formula F and an atom x, whether x is true in some cardinality-minimal model of F. We completely classify the computational complexity of the CardMinSat problem within Schaefer's framework, thus paving the way for a better understanding of the tractability frontier of many AI-related reasoning problems. To this end we use advanced algebraic tools developed by (Schnoor & Schnoor 2008) and (Lagerkvist 2014).

cs.CC↗
arXiv2022

Enumeration Classes Defined by Circuits

We refine the complexity landscape for enumeration problems by introducing very low classes defined by using Boolean circuits as enumerators. We locate well-known enumeration problems, e.g., from graph theory, Gray code enumeration, and propositional satisfiability in our classes. In this way we obtain a framework to distinguish between the complexity of different problems known to be in $\mathbf{DelayP}$, for which a formal way of comparison was not possible to this day.

cs.CC↗
arXiv2018

Do Hard SAT-Related Reasoning Tasks Become Easier in the Krom Fragment?

Many reasoning problems are based on the problem of satisfiability (SAT). While SAT itself becomes easy when restricting the structure of the formulas in a certain way, the situation is more opaque for more involved decision problems. We consider here the CardMinSat problem which asks, given a propositional formula $ϕ$ and an atom $x$, whether $x$ is true in some cardinality-minimal model of $ϕ$. This problem is easy for the Horn fragment, but, as we will show in this paper, remains $Θ_2$-complete (and thus $\mathrm{NP}$-hard) for the Krom fragment (which is given by formulas in CNF where clauses have at most two literals). We will make use of this fact to study the complexity of reasoning tasks in belief revision and logic-based abduction and show that, while in some cases the restriction to Krom formulas leads to a decrease of complexity, in others it does not. We thus also consider the CardMinSat problem with respect to additional restrictions to Krom formulas towards a better understanding of the tractability frontier of such problems.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2017

A Complexity Theory for Hard Enumeration Problems

Complexity theory provides a wealth of complexity classes for analyzing the complexity of decision and counting problems. Despite the practical relevance of enumeration problems, the tools provided by complexity theory for this important class of problems are very limited. In particular, complexity classes analogous to the polynomial hierarchy and an appropriate notion of problem reduction are missing. In this work, we lay the foundations for a complexity theory of hard enumeration problems by proposing a hierarchy of complexity classes and by investigating notions of reductions for enumeration problems.

cs.CC↗
arXiv2014

Belief merging within fragments of propositional logic

Recently, belief change within the framework of fragments of propositional logic has gained increasing attention. Previous works focused on belief contraction and belief revision on the Horn fragment. However, the problem of belief merging within fragments of propositional logic has been neglected so far. This paper presents a general approach to define new merging operators derived from existing ones such that the result of merging remains in the fragment under consideration. Our approach is not limited to the case of Horn fragment but applicable to any fragment of propositional logic characterized by a closure property on the sets of models of its formulae. We study the logical properties of the proposed operators in terms of satisfaction of merging postulates, considering in particular distance-based merging operators for Horn and Krom fragments.

cs.AI↗
arXiv2014

Complexity Classifications for logic-based Argumentation

We consider logic-based argumentation in which an argument is a pair (Fi,al), where the support Fi is a minimal consistent set of formulae taken from a given knowledge base (usually denoted by De) that entails the claim al (a formula). We study the complexity of three central problems in argumentation: the existence of a support Fi ss De, the validity of a support and the relevance problem (given psi is there a support Fi such that psi ss Fi?). When arguments are given in the full language of propositional logic these problems are computationally costly tasks, the validity problem is DP-complete, the others are SigP2-complete. We study these problems in Schaefer's famous framework where the considered propositional formulae are in generalized conjunctive normal form. This means that formulae are conjunctions of constraints build upon a fixed finite set of Boolean relations Ga (the constraint language). We show that according to the properties of this language Ga, deciding whether there exists a support for a claim in a given knowledge base is either polynomial, NP-complete, coNP-complete or SigP2-complete. We present a dichotomous classification, P or DP-complete, for the verification problem and a trichotomous classification for the relevance problem into either polynomial, NP-complete, or SigP2-complete. These last two classifications are obtained by means of algebraic tools.

cs.CC↗
arXiv2013

Parameterized Enumeration with Ordering

The classes Delay-FPT and Total-FPT recently have been introduced into parameterized complexity in order to capture the notion of efficiently solvable parameterized enumeration problems. In this paper we focus on ordered enumeration and will show how to obtain Delay-FPT and Total-FPT enumeration algorithms for several important problems. We propose a generic algorithmic strategy, combining well-known principles stemming from both parameterized algorithmics and enumeration, which shows that, under certain preconditions, the existence of a so-called neighbourhood function among the solutions implies the existence of a Delay-FPT algorithm which outputs all ordered solutions. In many cases, the cornerstone to obtain such a neighbourhood function is a Total-FPT algorithm that outputs all minimal solutions. This strategy is formalized in the context of graph modification problems, and shown to be applicable to numerous other kinds of problems.

cs.CC↗
arXiv2013

Paradigms for Parameterized Enumeration

The aim of the paper is to examine the computational complexity and algorithmics of enumeration, the task to output all solutions of a given problem, from the point of view of parameterized complexity. First we define formally different notions of efficient enumeration in the context of parameterized complexity. Second we show how different algorithmic paradigms can be used in order to get parameter-efficient enumeration algorithms in a number of examples. These paradigms use well-known principles from the design of parameterized decision as well as enumeration techniques, like for instance kernelization and self-reducibility. The concept of kernelization, in particular, leads to a characterization of fixed-parameter tractable enumeration problems.

cs.CC↗
arXiv2010

Complexity of Propositional Abduction for Restricted Sets of Boolean Functions

Abduction is a fundamental and important form of non-monotonic reasoning. Given a knowledge base explaining how the world behaves it aims at finding an explanation for some observed manifestation. In this paper we focus on propositional abduction, where the knowledge base and the manifestation are represented by propositional formulae. The problem of deciding whether there exists an explanation has been shown to be SigmaP2-complete in general. We consider variants obtained by restricting the allowed connectives in the formulae to certain sets of Boolean functions. We give a complete classification of the complexity for all considerable sets of Boolean functions. In this way, we identify easier cases, namely NP-complete and polynomial cases; and we highlight sources of intractability. Further, we address the problem of counting the explanations and draw a complete picture for the counting complexity.

cs.CC↗
arXiv2010

Complexity Classifications for Propositional Abduction in Post's Framework

In this paper we investigate the complexity of abduction, a fundamental and important form of non-monotonic reasoning. Given a knowledge base explaining the world's behavior it aims at finding an explanation for some observed manifestation. In this paper we consider propositional abduction, where the knowledge base and the manifestation are represented by propositional formulae. The problem of deciding whether there exists an explanation has been shown to be \SigPtwo-complete in general. We focus on formulae in which the allowed connectives are taken from certain sets of Boolean functions. We consider different variants of the abduction problem in restricting both the manifestations and the hypotheses. For all these variants we obtain a complexity classification for all possible sets of Boolean functions. In this way, we identify easier cases, namely \NP-complete, \coNP-complete and polynomial cases. Thus, we get a detailed picture of the complexity of the propositional abduction problem, hence highlighting sources of intractability. Further, we address the problem of counting the explanations and draw a complete picture for the counting complexity.

cs.CC↗
arXiv2010

The Complexity of Reasoning for Fragments of Autoepistemic Logic

Autoepistemic logic extends propositional logic by the modal operator L. A formula that is preceded by an L is said to be "believed". The logic was introduced by Moore 1985 for modeling an ideally rational agent's behavior and reasoning about his own beliefs. In this paper we analyze all Boolean fragments of autoepistemic logic with respect to the computational complexity of the three most common decision problems expansion existence, brave reasoning and cautious reasoning. As a second contribution we classify the computational complexity of counting the number of stable expansions of a given knowledge base. To the best of our knowledge this is the first paper analyzing the counting problem for autoepistemic logic.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2009

The threshold for random (1,2)-QSAT

The QSAT problem is the quantified version of the SAT problem. We show the existence of a threshold effect for the phase transition associated with the satisfiability of random quantified extended 2-CNF formulas. We consider boolean CNF formulas of the form $\forall X \exists Y φ(X,Y)$, where $X$ has $m$ variables, $Y$ has $n$ variables and each clause in $φ$ has one literal from $X$ and two from $Y$. For such formulas, we show that the threshold phenomenon is controlled by the ratio between the number of clauses and the number $n$ of existential variables. Then we give the exact location of the associated critical ratio $c^{*}$. Indeed, we prove that $c^{*}$ is a decreasing function of $ α$, where $α$ is the limiting value of $m / \log (n)$ when $n$ tends to infinity.

cs.DM↗
arXiv2001

Approximating the satisfiability threshold for random k-XOR-formulas

In this paper we study random linear systems with $k$ variables per equation over the finite field GF(2), or equivalently $k$-XOR-CNF formulas. In a previous paper Creignou and Daudé proved that the phase transition for the consistency (satisfiability) of such systems (formulas) exhibits a sharp threshold. Here we prove that the phase transition occurs as the number of equations (clauses) is proportional to the number of variables. For any $k\ge 3$ we establish first estimates for the critical ratio. For $k=3$ we get 0.93 as an upper bound, 0.89 as a lower bound, whereas experiments suggest that the critical ratio is approximately 0.92.

cs.DM↗