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1. A Faster Algorithm for Maximum Flow in Directed Planar Graphs with Vertex Capacities

   https://doi.org/10.4230/LIPIcs.ISAAC.2021.72  

   Enoch, Julian; Fox, Kyle; Mesica, Dor; Mozes, Shay (November 2021, 32nd International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation)

   Ahn, Hee-Kap; Sadakane, Kunihiko (Ed.)

   We give an O(k³ Δ n log n min(k, log² n) log²(nC))-time algorithm for computing maximum integer flows in planar graphs with integer arc and vertex capacities bounded by C, and k sources and sinks. This improves by a factor of max(k²,k log² n) over the fastest algorithm previously known for this problem [Wang, SODA 2019]. The speedup is obtained by two independent ideas. First we replace an iterative procedure of Wang that uses O(k) invocations of an O(k³ n log³ n)-time algorithm for maximum flow algorithm in a planar graph with k apices [Borradaile et al., FOCS 2012, SICOMP 2017], by an alternative procedure that only makes one invocation of the algorithm of Borradaile et al. Second, we show two alternatives for computing flows in the k-apex graphs that arise in our modification of Wang’s procedure faster than the algorithm of Borradaile et al. In doing so, we introduce and analyze a sequential implementation of the parallel highest-distance push-relabel algorithm of Goldberg and Tarjan [JACM 1988]. 

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2. Improved Massively Parallel Computation Algorithms for MIS, Matching, and Vertex Cover

   Ghaffari, Mohsen; Gouleakis, Themis; Konrad, Christian; Mitrovic, Slobodan; Rubinfeld, Ronitt (July 2018, Proceedings of the 37th ACM Principles of Distributed Computing (PODC 2018))

   We present O(log logn)-round algorithms in the Massively Parallel Computation (MPC) model, with ˜O(n) memory per machine, that compute a maximal independent set, a 1 + ε approximation of maximum matching, and a 2 + ε approximation of minimum vertex cover, for any n-vertex graph and any constant ε > 0. These improve the state of the art as follows: • Our MIS algorithm leads to a simple O(log log Δ)-round MIS algorithm in the CONGESTED-CLIQUE model of distributed computing, which improves on the ˜O (plog Δ)-round algorithm of Ghaffari [PODC’17]. • OurO(log logn)-round (1+ε)-approximate maximum matching algorithm simplifies or improves on the following prior work: O(log2 logn)-round (1 + ε)-approximation algorithm of Czumaj et al. [STOC’18] and O(log logn)-round (1 + ε)- approximation algorithm of Assadi et al. [arXiv’17]. • Our O(log logn)-round (2+ε)-approximate minimum vertex cover algorithm improves on an O(log logn)-round O(1)- approximation of Assadi et al. [arXiv’17]. 

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3. Symmetry Breaking in the CONGEST Model: Time- and Message-Efficient Algorithms for Ruling Sets

   Pai, S; Pandurangan, G; Pemmaraju, S.; Riaz, T; Robinson, P. (October 2017, 31st International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC), 2017)

   We study local symmetry breaking problems in the Congest model, focusing on ruling set problems, which generalize the fundamental Maximal Independent Set (MIS) problem. The time (round) complexity of MIS (and ruling sets) have attracted much attention in the Local model. Indeed, recent results (Barenboim et al., FOCS 2012, Ghaffari SODA 2016) for the MIS problem have tried to break the long-standing O(log n)-round “barrier” achieved by Luby’s algorithm, but these yield o(log n)-round complexity only when the maximum degree
   is somewhat small relative to n. More importantly, these results apply only in the Local model. In fact, the best known time bound in the Congest model is still O(log n) (via Luby’s algorithm) even for moderately small
   (i.e., for
   = (log n) and
   = o(n)). Furthermore, message complexity has been largely ignored in the context of local symmetry breaking. Luby’s algorithm takes O(m) messages on m-edge graphs and this is the best known bound with respect to messages. Our work is motivated by the following central question: can we break the (log n) time complexity barrier and the (m) message complexity barrier in the Congest model for MIS or closelyrelated symmetry breaking problems? This paper presents progress towards this question for the distributed ruling set problem in the Congest model. A -ruling set is an independent set such that every node in the graph is at most hops from a node in the independent set. We present the following results: Time Complexity: We show that we can break the O(log n) “barrier” for 2- and 3-ruling sets. We compute 3-ruling sets in O  log n log log n  rounds with high probability (whp). More generally we show that 2-ruling sets can be computed in O  log
   · (log n)1/2+" + log n log log n  rounds for any " > 0, which is o(log n) for a wide range of
   values (e.g.,
   = 2(log n)1/2−" ). These are the first 2- and 3-ruling set algorithms to improve over the O(log n)-round complexity of Luby’s algorithm in the Congest model. Message Complexity: We show an (n2) lower bound on the message complexity of computing an MIS (i.e., 1-ruling set) which holds also for randomized algorithms and present a contrast to this by showing a randomized algorithm for 2-ruling sets that, whp, uses only O(n log2 n) messages and runs in O(
   log n) rounds. This is the first message-efficient algorithm known for ruling sets, which has message complexity nearly linear in n (which is optimal up to a polylogarithmic factor). 

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4. Parallel algorithms and concentration bounds for the Lovász Local Lemma via witness-DAGs

   https://doi.org/10.1137/1.9781611974782.76  

   Haeupler, Bernhard; Harris, David G. (October 2017, ACM-SIAM Symposium on Discrete Algorithms)

   The Lovász Local Lemma (LLL) is a cornerstone principle in the probabilistic method of combinatorics, and a seminal algorithm of Moser & Tardos (2010) provides an efficient randomized algorithm to implement it. This algorithm can be parallelized to give an algorithm that uses polynomially many processors and runs in O(log3 n) time, stemming from O(log n) adaptive computations of a maximal independent set (MIS). Chung et al. (2014) developed faster local and parallel algorithms, potentially running in time O (log^2 n), but these algorithms work under significantly more stringent conditions than the LLL. We give a new parallel algorithm that works under essentially the same conditions as the original algorithm of Moser & Tardos but uses only a single MIS computation, thus running in O(log^2 n) time. This conceptually new algorithm also gives a clean combinatorial description of a satisfying assignment which might be of independent interest. Our techniques extend to the deterministic LLL algorithm given by Chandrasekaran et al. (2013) leading to an NC-algorithm running in time O(log^2 n) as well. We also provide improved bounds on the runtimes of the sequential and parallel resampling-based algorithms originally developed by Moser & Tardos. Our bounds extend to any problem instance in which the tighter Shearer LLL criterion is satisfied. We also improve on the analysis of Kolipaka & Szegedy (2011) to give tighter concentration results. 

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5. Symmetry Breaking in the Congest Model: Time- and Message-Efficient Algorithms for Ruling Sets

   https://doi.org/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2017.38  

   Pai, Shreyas; Pandurangan, Gopal; Pemmaraju, Sriram V.; Riaz, Talal; Robinson, Peter (October 2017, 31st International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC))

   We study local symmetry breaking problems in the Congest model, focusing on ruling set problems, which generalize the fundamental Maximal Independent Set (MIS) problem. The time (round) complexity of MIS (and ruling sets) have attracted much attention in the Local model. Indeed, recent results (Barenboim et al., FOCS 2012, Ghaffari SODA 2016) for the MIS problem have tried to break the long-standing O(log n)-round "barrier" achieved by Luby's algorithm, but these yield o(log n)-round complexity only when the maximum degree Delta is somewhat small relative to n. More importantly, these results apply only in the Local model. In fact, the best known time bound in the Congest model is still O(log n) (via Luby's algorithm) even for moderately small Delta (i.e., for Delta = Omega(log n) and Delta = o(n)). Furthermore, message complexity has been largely ignored in the context of local symmetry breaking. Luby's algorithm takes O(m) messages on m-edge graphs and this is the best known bound with respect to messages. Our work is motivated by the following central question: can we break the Theta(log n) time complexity barrier and the Theta(m) message complexity barrier in the Congest model for MIS or closely-related symmetry breaking problems? This paper presents progress towards this question for the distributed ruling set problem in the Congest model. A beta-ruling set is an independent set such that every node in the graph is at most beta hops from a node in the independent set. We present the following results: - Time Complexity: We show that we can break the O(log n) "barrier" for 2- and 3-ruling sets. We compute 3-ruling sets in O(log n/log log n) rounds with high probability (whp). More generally we show that 2-ruling sets can be computed in O(log Delta (log n)^(1/2 + epsilon) + log n/log log n) rounds for any epsilon > 0, which is o(log n) for a wide range of Delta values (e.g., Delta = 2^(log n)^(1/2-epsilon)). These are the first 2- and 3-ruling set algorithms to improve over the O(log n)-round complexity of Luby's algorithm in the Congest model. - Message Complexity: We show an Omega(n^2) lower bound on the message complexity of computing an MIS (i.e., 1-ruling set) which holds also for randomized algorithms and present a contrast to this by showing a randomized algorithm for 2-ruling sets that, whp, uses only O(n log^2 n) messages and runs in O(Delta log n) rounds. This is the first message-efficient algorithm known for ruling sets, which has message complexity nearly linear in n (which is optimal up to a polylogarithmic factor). 

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