arXiv subjects

Ryuhei Mizutani

Publications and source records attributed to Ryuhei Mizutani.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

An Approximation Algorithm for Monotone Submodular Cost Allocation

In this paper, we consider the minimum submodular cost allocation (MSCA) problem. The input of MSCA consists of $k$ nonnegative submodular functions $f_1,f_2,\ldots,f_k$ on the ground set $N$ given by evaluation oracles, and the goal is to partition $N$ into $k$ (possibly empty) sets $S_1,S_2,\ldots,S_k$ so that $\sum_{i=1}^k f_i(S_i)$ is minimized. In this paper, we focus on the case when $f_1,f_2,\ldots,f_k$ are monotone, which coincides with the facility location problem with submodular facility costs introduced by Svitkina and Tardos. We show that the integrality gap of a natural LP-relaxation for MSCA with monotone submodular functions is at most $k/2$, yielding a $k/2$-approximation algorithm. For fixed $k$, we also provide a matching lower bound on the integrality gap and prove a matching hardness result via an approximation preserving reduction from the minimum vertex cover problem in a $k$-partite hypergraph. We further provide applications of our results to the dual linear program of weighted $k$-polymatroid intersection and the minimum-weight $b$-vertex cover problem in a $k$-partite hypergraph.

cs.DS↗

arXiv2026

Minimizing Submodular Functions over Hierarchical Families

This paper considers submodular function minimization (SFM) restricted to a family of subsets. We show that SFM over complements of families with certain hierarchical structures can be solved in polynomial-time. This yields a polynomial-time algorithm for SFM over complements of various families, such as intersecting families, crossing families, and the unions of lattices. Moreover, this tractability result partially settles the open question posed by Nägele, Sudakov, and Zenklusen on polynomial-solvability of SFM over the intersection of parity families. Furthermore, our tractability result implies that for a constant positive integer $k$, the $k$-th smallest value of a submodular function can be obtained in polynomial-time.

math.CO↗

arXiv2026

A Note on Ordinal Submodularity

Notions of ordinal submodularity/supermodularity have been introduced and studied in the literature. We consider several classes of ordinally submodular functions defined on finite Boolean lattices and give characterizations of the set of minimizers of ordinally submodular functions.

math.CO↗

arXiv2025

Position Fair Mechanisms Allocating Indivisible Goods

Fair division mechanisms for indivisible goods require agent orderings to deterministically select one allocation when running the algorithm in practice. We introduce position envy-freeness up to one good (PEF1) as a fairness criterion for mechanisms: a mechanism is said to satisfy PEF1 if for any pair of agent orderings, no agent prefers their bundle determined under one ordering to that under another ordering by more than the utility of a single good. First, we propose a scale-invariant, polynomial-time mechanism that satisfies PEF1 and yields an envy-freeness up to one good (EF1) allocation. For the case of two agents, we establish that any mechanism producing a maximum Nash welfare allocation eliminates envy based on positions by removing one good, provided that utilities are positive. Additionally, we present a polynomial-time mechanism based on the adjusted winner procedure, which satisfies PEF1 and produces an EF1 and Pareto optimal allocation for two agents. In contrast, we demonstrate that well-known mechanisms such as round-robin and envy-cycle elimination do not generally satisfy PEF1.

cs.GT↗

arXiv2025

A Polynomial Algorithm for Minimizing $k$-Distant Submodular Functions

This paper considers the minimization problem of relaxed submodular functions. For a positive integer $k$, a set function is called $k$-distant submodular if the submodular inequality holds for every pair whose symmetric difference is at least $k$. This paper provides a polynomial time algorithm to minimize $k$-distant submodular functions for a fixed positive integer $k$. This result generalizes the tractable result of minimizing 2/3-submodular functions, which satisfy the submodular inequality for at least two pairs formed from every distinct three sets.

math.CO↗

arXiv2024

Towards the Proximity Conjecture on Group-Labeled Matroids

Consider a matroid $M$ whose ground set is equipped with a labeling to an abelian group. A basis of $M$ is called $F$-avoiding if the sum of the labels of its elements is not in a forbidden label set $F$. Hörsch, Imolay, Mizutani, Oki, and Schwarcz (2024) conjectured that if an $F$-avoiding basis exists, then any basis can be transformed into an $F$-avoiding basis by exchanging at most $|F|$ elements. This proximity conjecture is known to hold for certain specific groups; in the case where $|F| \le 2$; or when the matroid is subsequence-interchangeably base orderable (SIBO), which is a weakening of the so-called strongly base orderable (SBO) property. In this paper, we settle the proximity conjecture for sparse paving matroids or in the case where $|F| \le 4$. Related to the latter result, we present the first known example of a non-SIBO matroid. We further address the setting of multiple group-label constraints, showing proximity results for the cases of two labelings, SIBO matroids, matroids representable over a fixed, finite field, and sparse paving matroids.

math.CO↗

arXiv2024

Problems on Group-labeled Matroid Bases

Consider a matroid equipped with a labeling of its ground set to an abelian group. We define the label of a subset of the ground set as the sum of the labels of its elements. We study a collection of problems on finding bases and common bases of matroids with restrictions on their labels. For zero bases and zero common bases, the results are mostly negative. While finding a non-zero basis of a matroid is not difficult, it turns out that the complexity of finding a non-zero common basis depends on the group. Namely, we show that the problem is hard for a fixed group if it contains an element of order two, otherwise it is polynomially solvable. As a generalization of both zero and non-zero constraints, we further study $F$-avoiding constraints where we seek a basis or common basis whose label is not in a given set $F$ of forbidden labels. Using algebraic techniques, we give a randomized algorithm for finding an $F$-avoiding common basis of two matroids represented over the same field for finite groups given as operation tables. The study of $F$-avoiding bases with groups given as oracles leads to a conjecture stating that whenever an $F$-avoiding basis exists, an $F$-avoiding basis can be obtained from an arbitrary basis by exchanging at most $|F|$ elements. We prove the conjecture for the special cases when $|F|\le 2$ or the group is ordered. By relying on structural observations on matroids representable over fixed, finite fields, we verify a relaxed version of the conjecture for these matroids. As a consequence, we obtain a polynomial-time algorithm in these special cases for finding an $F$-avoiding basis when $|F|$ is fixed.

cs.DM↗

arXiv2024

Supermodular Extension of Vizing's Edge-Coloring Theorem

Kőnig's edge-coloring theorem for bipartite graphs and Vizing's edge-coloring theorem for general graphs are celebrated results in graph theory and combinatorial optimization. Schrijver generalized Kőnig's theorem to a framework defined with a pair of intersecting supermodular functions. The result is called the supermodular coloring theorem. This paper presents a common generalization of Vizing's theorem and a weaker version of the supermodular coloring theorem. To describe this theorem, we introduce intersecting 2/3-supermodular functions, which are extensions of intersecting supermodular functions. The paper also provides an alternative proof of Gupta's edge-coloring theorem using a special case of this supermodular version of Vizing's theorem.

math.CO↗

arXiv2024

Minimum 0-Extension Problems on Directed Metrics

For a metric $μ$ on a finite set $T$, the minimum 0-extension problem 0-Ext$[μ]$ is defined as follows: Given $V\supseteq T$ and $\ c:{V \choose 2}\rightarrow \mathbf{Q_+}$, minimize $\sum c(xy)μ(γ(x),γ(y))$ subject to $γ:V\rightarrow T,\ γ(t)=t\ (\forall t\in T)$, where the sum is taken over all unordered pairs in $V$. This problem generalizes several classical combinatorial optimization problems such as the minimum cut problem or the multiterminal cut problem. Karzanov and Hirai established a complete classification of metrics $μ$ for which 0-Ext$[μ]$ is polynomial time solvable or NP-hard. This result can also be viewed as a sharpening of the general dichotomy theorem for finite-valued CSPs (Thapper and Živný 2016) specialized to 0-Ext$[μ]$. In this paper, we consider a directed version $\overrightarrow{0}$-Ext$[μ]$ of the minimum 0-extension problem, where $μ$ and $c$ are not assumed to be symmetric. We extend the NP-hardness condition of 0-Ext$[μ]$ to $\overrightarrow{0}$-Ext$[μ]$: If $μ$ cannot be represented as the shortest path metric of an orientable modular graph with an orbit-invariant ``directed'' edge-length, then $\overrightarrow{0}$-Ext$[μ]$ is NP-hard. We also show a partial converse: If $μ$ is a directed metric of a modular lattice with an orbit-invariant directed edge-length, then $\overrightarrow{0}$-Ext$[μ]$ is tractable. We further provide a new NP-hardness condition characteristic of $\overrightarrow{0}$-Ext$[μ]$, and establish a dichotomy for the case where $μ$ is a directed metric of a star.

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