DROPS

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CPM.2026.11

Matching Regular-Typed Pattern Languages: Quadratic-Time Algorithms

Authors: Yuya Uezato

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 369, 37th Annual Symposium on Combinatorial Pattern Matching (CPM 2026)

Abstract

Pattern languages (PAT) are a class of languages generated by expressions called patterns that may contain variables. In a pattern, each variable can be instantiated with an arbitrary string. Typed pattern languages extend PAT by associating a type (constraint) with each variable that restricts the domain of allowed substitutions. In this paper, we study regular-typed PAT (PATwRT), where all types are represented either by a regular expression or by an ε-NFA. We consider the PATwRT matching problem for patterns with a single repeated variable of the form P = α₁ β α₂ β ⋯ β α_K. We present simple algorithms whose running time is linear in K and quadratic in the input length N, with polynomial dependence on the sizes of the type representations. Our results extend previous quadratic-time work in two directions: (1) the quadratic-time algorithm for untyped PAT of Fernau et al. (STACS 2015), and (2) the quadratic-time algorithm for the restricted PATwRT K = 3, i.e., α₁ β α₂ β α₃ of Nogami and Terauchi (MFCS 2025).

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Yuya Uezato. Matching Regular-Typed Pattern Languages: Quadratic-Time Algorithms. In 37th Annual Symposium on Combinatorial Pattern Matching (CPM 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 369, pp. 11:1-11:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{uezato:LIPIcs.CPM.2026.11,
  author =	{Uezato, Yuya},
  title =	{{Matching Regular-Typed Pattern Languages: Quadratic-Time Algorithms}},
  booktitle =	{37th Annual Symposium on Combinatorial Pattern Matching (CPM 2026)},
  pages =	{11:1--11:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-420-8},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{369},
  editor =	{Bille, Philip and Prezza, Nicola},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CPM.2026.11},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-259374},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CPM.2026.11},
  annote =	{Keywords: Pattern languages, Regular expressions, String algorithms}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.24

Cutwidth Versus BFS-Width with Applications to Graph Reconstruction from Distance Queries

Authors: Chirag Kaudan and Amir Nayyeri

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 370, 20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026)

Abstract

Eppstein, Goodrich, and Liu [ESA 2025] introduced a new graph parameter, called BFS-width, and gave polylogarithmic bounds on it for bounded bandwidth graphs. Their bounds naturally imply several applications, e.g. in graph reconstruction via shortest path distance queries, graph drawing, and matrix reordering. We study this parameter for a broader class of graphs, namely bounded cutwidth graphs. We prove a sublinear upper bound on the BFS-width of bounded cutwidth graphs and show that our bounds are asymptotically tight. Our upper bound implies the first deterministic algorithm for reconstructing a bounded cutwidth graph with a subquadratic number of shortest path distance queries.

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Chirag Kaudan and Amir Nayyeri. Cutwidth Versus BFS-Width with Applications to Graph Reconstruction from Distance Queries. In 20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 370, pp. 24:1-24:13, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{kaudan_et_al:LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.24,
  author =	{Kaudan, Chirag and Nayyeri, Amir},
  title =	{{Cutwidth Versus BFS-Width with Applications to Graph Reconstruction from Distance Queries}},
  booktitle =	{20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026)},
  pages =	{24:1--24:13},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-421-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{370},
  editor =	{Fraigniaud, Pierre},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.24},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-260600},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.24},
  annote =	{Keywords: Graph algorithms, graph theory, cutwidth, pathwidth, BFS-width}
}

Document

Invited Talk

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.1

Query Languages for Machine-Learning Models (Invited Talk)

Authors: Martin Grohe

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 364, 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)

Abstract

In my invited talk and this accompanying paper, I discuss two logics for weighted finite structures: first-order logic with summation (FO(SUM)) and its recursive extension IFP(SUM). These logics originate from foundational work by Grädel, Gurevich, and Meer in the 1990s. In recent joint work with Standke, Steegmans, and Van den Bussche, we have investigated these logics as query languages for machine learning models, specifically neural networks, which are naturally represented as weighted graphs. I present illustrative examples of queries to neural networks that can be expressed in these logics and discuss fundamental results on their expressiveness and computational complexity.

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Martin Grohe. Query Languages for Machine-Learning Models (Invited Talk). In 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 364, pp. 1:1-1:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{grohe:LIPIcs.STACS.2026.1,
  author =	{Grohe, Martin},
  title =	{{Query Languages for Machine-Learning Models}},
  booktitle =	{43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)},
  pages =	{1:1--1:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-412-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{364},
  editor =	{Mahajan, Meena and Manea, Florin and McIver, Annabelle and Thắng, Nguy\~{ê}n Kim},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.1},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-254904},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.1},
  annote =	{Keywords: Expressive power of query languages, fixed-point logics, weighted structures, neural networks, explainable AI}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.23

Simple Circuit Extensions for XOR in PTIME

Authors: Marco Carmosino, Ngu Dang, and Tim Jackman

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 364, 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)

Abstract

The Minimum Circuit Size Problem for Partial Functions (MCSP^*) is hard assuming the Exponential Time Hypothesis (ETH) (Ilango, 2020). This breakthrough result leveraged a characterization of the optimal {∧, ∨, ¬} circuits for n-bit OR (OR_n) and a reduction from the partial f-Simple Extension Problem where f = OR_n. It remains open to extend that reduction to show ETH-hardness of total MCSP. However, Ilango observed that the total f-Simple Extension Problem is easy whenever f is computed by read-once formulas (like OR_n). Therefore, extending Ilango’s proof to total MCSP would require replacing OR_n with a more complex but similarly well-understood Boolean function. This work shows that the f-Simple Extension problem remains easy when f is the next natural candidate: XOR_n. We first develop a fixed-parameter tractable algorithm for the f-Simple Extension Problem that is efficient whenever the optimal circuits for f are (1) linear in size, (2) polynomially "few" and efficiently enumerable in the truth-table size (up to isomorphism and permutation of inputs), and (3) all have constant bounded fan-out. XOR_n satisfies all three of these conditions. When ¬ gates count towards circuit size, optimal XOR_n circuits are binary trees of n-1 subcircuits computing (¬)XOR₂ (Kombarov, 2011). We extend this characterization when ¬ gates do not contribute the circuit size. Thus, the XOR-Simple Extension Problem is in polynomial time under both measures of circuit complexity. We conclude by discussing conjectures about the complexity of the f-Simple Extension problem for each explicit function f with known and unrestricted circuit lower bounds over the DeMorgan basis. Examining the conditions under which our Simple Extension Solver is efficient, we argue that multiplexer functions (MUX) are the most promising candidate for ETH-hardness of a Simple Extension Problem, towards proving ETH-hardness of total MCSP.

Cite as

Marco Carmosino, Ngu Dang, and Tim Jackman. Simple Circuit Extensions for XOR in PTIME. In 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 364, pp. 23:1-23:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{carmosino_et_al:LIPIcs.STACS.2026.23,
  author =	{Carmosino, Marco and Dang, Ngu and Jackman, Tim},
  title =	{{Simple Circuit Extensions for XOR in PTIME}},
  booktitle =	{43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)},
  pages =	{23:1--23:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-412-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{364},
  editor =	{Mahajan, Meena and Manea, Florin and McIver, Annabelle and Thắng, Nguy\~{ê}n Kim},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.23},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-255127},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.23},
  annote =	{Keywords: Minimum Circuit Size Problem, Circuit Lower Bounds, Exponential Time Hypothesis}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.36

Beyond 2-Edge-Connectivity: Algorithms and Impossibility for Content-Oblivious Leader Election

Authors: Yi-Jun Chang, Lyuting Chen, and Haoran Zhou

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 362, 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)

Abstract

The content-oblivious model, introduced by Censor-Hillel, Cohen, Gelles, and Sela (PODC 2022; Distributed Computing 2023), captures an extremely weak form of communication where nodes can only send asynchronous, content-less pulses. They showed that in 2-edge-connected networks, any distributed algorithm can be simulated in the content-oblivious model, provided that a unique leader is designated a priori. Subsequent works of Frei, Gelles, Ghazy, and Nolin (DISC 2024) and Chalopin et al. (DISC 2025) developed content-oblivious leader election algorithms, first for unoriented rings and then for general 2-edge-connected graphs. These results establish that all graph problems are solvable in content-oblivious, 2-edge-connected networks. Much less is known about networks that are not 2-edge-connected. Censor-Hillel, Cohen, Gelles, and Sela showed that no non-constant function f(x,y) can be computed correctly by two parties using content-oblivious communication over a single edge, where one party holds x and the other holds y. This seemingly ruled out many natural graph problems on non-2-edge-connected graphs. In this work, we show that, with the knowledge of network topology G, leader election is possible in a wide range of graphs. Our main contributions are as follows: Impossibility: Graphs symmetric about an edge admit no randomized terminating leader election algorithm, even when nodes have unique identifiers and full knowledge of G. Leader election algorithms: Trees that are not symmetric about any edge admit a quiescently terminating leader election algorithm with topology knowledge, even in anonymous networks, using O(n²) messages, where n is the number of nodes. Moreover, even-diameter trees admit a terminating leader election given only the knowledge of the network diameter D = 2r, with message complexity O(nr). Necessity of topology knowledge: In the family of graphs 𝒢 = {P₃, P₅}, both the 3-path P₃ and the 5-path P₅ admit a quiescently terminating leader election if nodes know the topology exactly. However, if nodes only know that the underlying topology belongs to 𝒢, then terminating leader election is impossible.

Cite as

Yi-Jun Chang, Lyuting Chen, and Haoran Zhou. Beyond 2-Edge-Connectivity: Algorithms and Impossibility for Content-Oblivious Leader Election. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 36:1-36:23, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{chang_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.36,
  author =	{Chang, Yi-Jun and Chen, Lyuting and Zhou, Haoran},
  title =	{{Beyond 2-Edge-Connectivity: Algorithms and Impossibility for Content-Oblivious Leader Election}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{36:1--36:23},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-410-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{362},
  editor =	{Saraf, Shubhangi},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.36},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253239},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.36},
  annote =	{Keywords: Asynchronous model, fault tolerance, quiescent termination}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2025.30

Byzantine-Tolerant Phase Clock

Authors: Costas Busch, Paweł Garncarek, and Dariusz R. Kowalski

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 361, 29th International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2025)

Abstract

A phase clock is a basic synchronization mechanism that keeps distributed nodes closely synchronized to execute the same phase of a distributed algorithm. A phase clock is typically implemented with a local logical counter that keeps track of the current phase count. Phase clocks are particularly useful in population protocols for implementing leader election and majority selection. We study phase clocks that tolerate Byzantine faults. We show that there is a phase clock that tolerates up to f < n/3 faulty nodes, where n is the number of nodes, such that the gap of the local counter values is O(n²log n). The gap can be further lowered to O(log n) when f ≤ n/8. We also show that if f > n/3, then the gap grows to infinity as time increases. While analyzing phase clock we introduce novel techniques and bounds for balls into bins processes, which might be of independent interest. Using the phase clock, we obtain a majority selection population protocol that tolerates up to f faults and decides on the majority value in O(log² n) parallel time using poly-log states per node.

Cite as

Costas Busch, Paweł Garncarek, and Dariusz R. Kowalski. Byzantine-Tolerant Phase Clock. In 29th International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 361, pp. 30:1-30:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{busch_et_al:LIPIcs.OPODIS.2025.30,
  author =	{Busch, Costas and Garncarek, Pawe{\l} and Kowalski, Dariusz R.},
  title =	{{Byzantine-Tolerant Phase Clock}},
  booktitle =	{29th International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2025)},
  pages =	{30:1--30:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-409-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{361},
  editor =	{Arusoaie, Andrei and Onica, Emanuel and Spear, Michael and Tucci-Piergiovanni, Sara},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2025.30},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-252036},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2025.30},
  annote =	{Keywords: phase clock, Byzantine nodes, population protocols, balls into bins}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.35

Scalable Learning of One-Counter Automata via State-Merging Algorithms

Authors: Shibashis Guha, Anirban Majumdar, Prince Mathew, and A.V. Sreejith

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 360, 45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025)

Abstract

We propose One-counter Positive Negative Inference (OPNI), a passive learning algorithm for deterministic real-time one-counter automata (DROCA). Inspired by the RPNI algorithm for regular languages, OPNI constructs a DROCA consistent with any given valid sample set. We further present a semi-algorithm for active learning of DROCA using OPNI, and provide an implementation of the approach. Our experimental results demonstrate that this approach scales more effectively than existing state-of-the-art algorithms. We also evaluate the performance of the proposed approach for learning visibly one-counter automata.

Cite as

Shibashis Guha, Anirban Majumdar, Prince Mathew, and A.V. Sreejith. Scalable Learning of One-Counter Automata via State-Merging Algorithms. In 45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 360, pp. 35:1-35:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{guha_et_al:LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.35,
  author =	{Guha, Shibashis and Majumdar, Anirban and Mathew, Prince and Sreejith, A.V.},
  title =	{{Scalable Learning of One-Counter Automata via State-Merging Algorithms}},
  booktitle =	{45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025)},
  pages =	{35:1--35:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-406-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{360},
  editor =	{Aiswarya, C. and Mehta, Ruta and Roy, Subhajit},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.35},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-251168},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.35},
  annote =	{Keywords: active learning, passive learning, one-counter automata, RPNI}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.21

Overlay Network Construction: Improved Overall and Node-Wise Message Complexity

Authors: Yi-Jun Chang, Yanyu Chen, and Gopinath Mishra

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 360, 45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025)

Abstract

We consider the problem of constructing distributed overlay networks, where nodes in a reconfigurable system can create or sever connections with nodes whose identifiers they know. Initially, each node knows only its own and its neighbors' identifiers, forming a local channel, while the evolving structure is termed the global channel. The goal is to reconfigure any connected graph into a desired topology, such as a bounded-degree expander graph or a well-formed tree (WFT) with a constant maximum degree and logarithmic diameter, minimizing the total number of rounds and message complexity. This problem mirrors real-world peer-to-peer network construction, where creating robust and efficient systems is desired. We study the overlay reconstruction problem in a network of n nodes in two models: GOSSIP-reply and HYBRID. In the GOSSIP-reply model, each node can send a message and receive a corresponding reply message in one round. In the HYBRID model, a node can send O(1) messages to each neighbor in the local channel and a total of O(log n) messages in the global channel. In both models, we propose protocols for WFT construction with O (n log n) message complexities using messages of O(log n) bits. In the GOSSIP-reply model, our protocol takes O(log n) rounds while in the HYBRID model, our protocol takes O(log² n) rounds. Both protocols use O (n log² n) bits of communication. We obtain improved bounds over prior work: GOSSIP-reply: A recent result by Dufoulon et al. (ITCS 2024) achieved O(log⁵ n) round complexity and O (n log⁵ n) message complexity using messages of at least Ω(log² n) bits in GOSSIP-reply. With messages of size O(log n), our protocol achieves an optimal round complexity of O(log n) and an improved message complexity of O(n log n). HYBRID: Götte et al. (Distributed Computing 2023) showed an optimal O(log n)-round algorithm with O(log² n) global messages per round which incurs a message complexity of Ω(m), where m is the number of edges in the initial topology. At the cost of increasing the round complexity to O(log² n) while using only O(log n) messages globally, our protocol achieves a message complexity that is independent of m. Our approach ensures that the total number of messages for node v, with degree deg(v) in the initial topology, is bounded by O(deg(v) + log n), while the algorithm of Götte et al. requires O(deg(v) + (log⁴ n)/(log log n)) messages per node.

Cite as

Yi-Jun Chang, Yanyu Chen, and Gopinath Mishra. Overlay Network Construction: Improved Overall and Node-Wise Message Complexity. In 45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 360, pp. 21:1-21:21, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{chang_et_al:LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.21,
  author =	{Chang, Yi-Jun and Chen, Yanyu and Mishra, Gopinath},
  title =	{{Overlay Network Construction: Improved Overall and Node-Wise Message Complexity}},
  booktitle =	{45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025)},
  pages =	{21:1--21:21},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-406-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{360},
  editor =	{Aiswarya, C. and Mehta, Ruta and Roy, Subhajit},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.21},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-251025},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.21},
  annote =	{Keywords: Distributed algorithms, Overlay networks, Expander graphs}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2025.30

Team Formation and Applications

Authors: Yuval Emek, Shay Kutten, Ido Rafael, and Gadi Taubenfeld

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 356, 39th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2025)

Abstract

A novel long-lived distributed problem, called Team Formation (TF), is introduced together with a message- and time-efficient randomized algorithm. The problem is defined over the asynchronous model with a complete communication graph, using bounded size messages, where a certain fraction of the nodes may experience a generalized, strictly stronger, version of initial failures. The goal of a TF algorithm is to assemble tokens injected by the environment, in a distributed manner, into teams of size σ, where σ is a parameter of the problem. The usefulness of TF is demonstrated by using it to derive efficient algorithms for many distributed problems. Specifically, we show that various (one-shot as well as long-lived) distributed problems reduce to TF. This includes well-known (and extensively studied) distributed problems such as several versions of leader election and threshold detection. For example, we are the first to break the linear message complexity bound for asynchronous implicit leader election. We also improve the time complexity of message-optimal algorithms for asynchronous explicit leader election. Other distributed problems that reduce to TF are new ones, including matching players in online gaming platforms, a generalization of gathering, constructing a perfect matching in an induced subgraph of the complete graph, and more. To complement our positive contribution, we establish a tight lower bound on the message complexity of TF algorithms.

Cite as

Yuval Emek, Shay Kutten, Ido Rafael, and Gadi Taubenfeld. Team Formation and Applications. In 39th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 356, pp. 30:1-30:25, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{emek_et_al:LIPIcs.DISC.2025.30,
  author =	{Emek, Yuval and Kutten, Shay and Rafael, Ido and Taubenfeld, Gadi},
  title =	{{Team Formation and Applications}},
  booktitle =	{39th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2025)},
  pages =	{30:1--30:25},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-402-4},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{356},
  editor =	{Kowalski, Dariusz R.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2025.30},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-248474},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2025.30},
  annote =	{Keywords: asynchronous message-passing, complete communication graph, initial failures, leader election, matching}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2025.27

On the h-Majority Dynamics with Many Opinions

Authors: Francesco d'Amore, Niccolò D'Archivio, George Giakkoupis, and Emanuele Natale

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 356, 39th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2025)

Abstract

We present the first upper bound on the convergence time to consensus of the well-known h-majority dynamics with k opinions, in the synchronous setting, for h and k that are both non-constant values. We suppose that, at the beginning of the process, there is some initial additive bias towards some plurality opinion, that is, there is an opinion that is supported by x nodes while any other opinion is supported by strictly fewer nodes. We prove that, with high probability, if the bias is ω(√x) and the initial plurality opinion is supported by at least x = ω(log n) nodes, then the process converges to plurality consensus in O(log n) rounds whenever h = ω(n log n / x). A main corollary is the following: if k = o(n / log n) and the process starts from an almost-balanced configuration with an initial bias of magnitude ω(√{n/k}) towards the initial plurality opinion, then any function h = ω(k log n) suffices to guarantee convergence to consensus in O(log n) rounds, with high probability. Our upper bound shows that the lower bound of Ω(k / h²) rounds to reach consensus given by Becchetti et al. (2017) cannot be pushed further than Ω̃(k / h). Moreover, the bias we require is asymptotically smaller than the Ω(√{nlog n}) bias that guarantees plurality consensus in the 3-majority dynamics: in our case, the required bias is at most any (arbitrarily small) function in ω(√x) for any value of k ≥ 2.

Cite as

Francesco d'Amore, Niccolò D'Archivio, George Giakkoupis, and Emanuele Natale. On the h-Majority Dynamics with Many Opinions. In 39th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 356, pp. 27:1-27:24, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{damore_et_al:LIPIcs.DISC.2025.27,
  author =	{d'Amore, Francesco and D'Archivio, Niccol\`{o} and Giakkoupis, George and Natale, Emanuele},
  title =	{{On the h-Majority Dynamics with Many Opinions}},
  booktitle =	{39th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2025)},
  pages =	{27:1--27:24},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-402-4},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{356},
  editor =	{Kowalski, Dariusz R.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2025.27},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-248448},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2025.27},
  annote =	{Keywords: Distributed Algorithms, Randomized Algorithms, Markov Chains, Consensus Problem, Opinion dynamics, Plurality Consensus}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2025.21

Content-Oblivious Leader Election in 2-Edge-Connected Networks

Authors: Jérémie Chalopin, Yi-Jun Chang, Lyuting Chen, Giuseppe A. Di Luna, and Haoran Zhou

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 356, 39th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2025)

Abstract

Censor-Hillel, Cohen, Gelles, and Sela (PODC 2022 & Distributed Computing 2023) studied fully-defective asynchronous networks, where communication channels may arbitrarily corrupt messages. The model is equivalent to content-oblivious computation, where nodes communicate solely via pulses. They showed that if the network is 2-edge-connected, then any algorithm for a noiseless setting can be simulated in the fully-defective setting; otherwise, no non-trivial computation is possible in the fully-defective setting. However, their simulation requires a predesignated leader, which they conjectured to be necessary for any non-trivial content-oblivious task. Recently, Frei, Gelles, Ghazy, and Nolin (DISC 2024) refuted this conjecture for the special case of oriented ring topology. They designed two asynchronous content-oblivious leader election algorithms with message complexity O(n ⋅ ID_{max}), where n is the number of nodes and ID_{max} is the maximum ID. The first algorithm stabilizes in unoriented rings without termination detection. The second algorithm quiescently terminates in oriented rings, thus enabling the execution of the simulation algorithm after leader election. In this work, we present two results: General 2-edge-connected topologies: First, we show an asynchronous content-oblivious leader election algorithm that quiescently terminates in any 2-edge-connected network with message complexity O(m ⋅ N ⋅ ID_{min}), where m is the number of edges, N is a known upper bound on the number of nodes, and ID_{min} is the smallest ID. Combined with the above simulation, this result shows that whenever a size bound N is known, any noiseless algorithm can be simulated in the fully-defective model without a preselected leader, fully refuting the conjecture. Unoriented rings: We then show that the knowledge of N can be dropped in unoriented ring topologies by presenting a quiescently terminating election algorithm with message complexity O(n ⋅ ID_{max}) that matches the previous bound. Consequently, this result constitutes a strict improvement over the previous state of the art and shows that, on rings, fully-defective and noiseless communication are computationally equivalent, with no additional assumptions.

Cite as

Jérémie Chalopin, Yi-Jun Chang, Lyuting Chen, Giuseppe A. Di Luna, and Haoran Zhou. Content-Oblivious Leader Election in 2-Edge-Connected Networks. In 39th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 356, pp. 21:1-21:22, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{chalopin_et_al:LIPIcs.DISC.2025.21,
  author =	{Chalopin, J\'{e}r\'{e}mie and Chang, Yi-Jun and Chen, Lyuting and Di Luna, Giuseppe A. and Zhou, Haoran},
  title =	{{Content-Oblivious Leader Election in 2-Edge-Connected Networks}},
  booktitle =	{39th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2025)},
  pages =	{21:1--21:22},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-402-4},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{356},
  editor =	{Kowalski, Dariusz R.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2025.21},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-248385},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2025.21},
  annote =	{Keywords: Asynchronous model, fault tolerance, quiescent termination}
}

Document

RANDOM

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.41

What Is the Minimum Number of Random Bits Required for Computability and Efficiency in Anonymous Networks?

Authors: Dariusz R. Kowalski, Piotr Krysta, and Shay Kutten

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 353, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025)

Abstract

Angluin (STOC'80) and Yamashita and Kameda (PODC'88) show that some useful distributed tasks are impossible (for deterministic algorithms) in a general network if nodes do not possess unique identifiers. However, any task decidable in the non-distributed context, can be solved deterministically if the network has a unique leader. Alternatively, much research has been devoted to randomized distributed algorithms in anonymous networks. We present tight upper and lower bounds for the fundamental question: How much randomness is necessary and sufficient to solve Leader Election (LE) in anonymous networks, i.e., to transform an anonymous network into a non-anonymous one? We prove that at least one random bit per node is required in some cases. Surprisingly, a single random bit is also enough, for a total of n bits, where n is the number of nodes. However, the time complexity of our (total of) n random bits algorithm for general networks turned out to be impractically high. Hence, we also developed time-efficient algorithms for the very symmetric graphs of cliques and cycles, paying only an additional cost of o(n) random bits. The primary steps of our algorithms are of independent interest. At first glance, it seems that using one random bit per node, any algorithm can distinguish only two sets of nodes: those with 0 and those with 1. Our algorithms manage to partition the nodes into more than two sets with high probability. In some sense, they perform the task of a "distributed pseudorandom generator", for example, one of our algorithms turns n bits, one per node, into n unique (with high probability) numbers. Even though a complete graph looks very symmetric, the algorithms explore interesting asymmetries inherent in any n permutations (of n values each), if each describes the assignment (by the adversary) of ports in a node to edges leading to neighbors. Finally, we show how to transform any randomized algorithm that generates xn+o(n) random bits in total to one where each node generates at most x+1 bits. Our results apply to both synchronous and asynchronous networks.

Cite as

Dariusz R. Kowalski, Piotr Krysta, and Shay Kutten. What Is the Minimum Number of Random Bits Required for Computability and Efficiency in Anonymous Networks?. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 353, pp. 41:1-41:24, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{kowalski_et_al:LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.41,
  author =	{Kowalski, Dariusz R. and Krysta, Piotr and Kutten, Shay},
  title =	{{What Is the Minimum Number of Random Bits Required for Computability and Efficiency in Anonymous Networks?}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025)},
  pages =	{41:1--41:24},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-397-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{353},
  editor =	{Ene, Alina and Chattopadhyay, Eshan},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.41},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-244071},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.41},
  annote =	{Keywords: Distributed computability, Anonymous Networks, Randomness, Leader Election}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.14

Register Automata with Permutations

Authors: Mrudula Balachander, Emmanuel Filiot, Raffaella Gentilini, and Nikos Tzevelekos

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 345, 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)

Abstract

We propose Permutation Deterministic Register Automata (pDRAs), a deterministic register automaton model where we allow permutations of registers in transitions. The model enables minimal canonical representations and pDRAs can be tested for equivalence in polynomial time. The complexity of minimization is between GI (the complexity of graph isomorphism) and NP. We then introduce a subclass of pDRAs, called register automata with fixed permutation policy, where the register permutation discipline is stipulated globally. This class generalizes the model proposed by Benedikt, Ley and Puppis in 2010, and we show that it also admits minimal and canonical representations, based on a finite-index word equivalence relation. As an application, we show that for any regular data language L, the minimal register automaton with fixed permutation policy recognizing L can be actively learned in polynomial time using oracles for membership, equivalence and data-memorability queries. We show that all the oracles can be implemented in polynomial time, and so this yields a polynomial time minimization algorithm.

Cite as

Mrudula Balachander, Emmanuel Filiot, Raffaella Gentilini, and Nikos Tzevelekos. Register Automata with Permutations. In 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 345, pp. 14:1-14:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{balachander_et_al:LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.14,
  author =	{Balachander, Mrudula and Filiot, Emmanuel and Gentilini, Raffaella and Tzevelekos, Nikos},
  title =	{{Register Automata with Permutations}},
  booktitle =	{50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)},
  pages =	{14:1--14:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-388-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{345},
  editor =	{Gawrychowski, Pawe{\l} and Mazowiecki, Filip and Skrzypczak, Micha{\l}},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.14},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-241219},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.14},
  annote =	{Keywords: Register automata, data words, equivalence, minimization, active learning}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.45

Regular Model Checking for Systems with Effectively Regular Reachability Relation

Authors: Javier Esparza and Valentin Krasotin

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 345, 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)

Abstract

Regular model checking is a well-established technique for the verification of regular transition systems (RTS): transition systems whose initial configurations and transition relation can be effectively encoded as regular languages. In 2008, To and Libkin studied RTSs in which the reachability relation (the reflexive and transitive closure of the transition relation) is also effectively regular, and showed that the recurrent reachability problem (whether a regular set L of configurations is reached infinitely often) is polynomial in the size of RTS and the transducer for the reachability relation. We extend the work of To and Libkin by studying the decidability and complexity of verifying almost-sure reachability and recurrent reachability - that is, whether L is reachable or recurrently reachable with probability 1. We then apply our results to the more common case in which only a regular overapproximation of the reachability relation is available. In particular, we extend recent complexity results on verifying safety using regular abstraction frameworks - a technique recently introduced by Czerner, the authors, and Welzel-Mohr - to liveness and almost-sure properties.

Cite as

Javier Esparza and Valentin Krasotin. Regular Model Checking for Systems with Effectively Regular Reachability Relation. In 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 345, pp. 45:1-45:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{esparza_et_al:LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.45,
  author =	{Esparza, Javier and Krasotin, Valentin},
  title =	{{Regular Model Checking for Systems with Effectively Regular Reachability Relation}},
  booktitle =	{50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)},
  pages =	{45:1--45:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-388-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{345},
  editor =	{Gawrychowski, Pawe{\l} and Mazowiecki, Filip and Skrzypczak, Micha{\l}},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.45},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-241525},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.45},
  annote =	{Keywords: Regular model checking, abstraction, inductive invariants}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.81

Efficient Matching of Some Fundamental Regular Expressions with Backreferences

Authors: Taisei Nogami and Tachio Terauchi

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 345, 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)

Abstract

Regular expression matching is of practical importance due to its widespread use in real-world applications. In practical use, regular expressions are often used with real-world extensions. Accordingly, the matching problem of regular expressions with real-world extensions has been actively studied in recent years, yielding steady progress. However, backreference, a popular extension supported by most modern programming languages such as Java, Python, JavaScript and others in their standard libraries for string processing, is an exception to this positive trend. In fact, it is known that the matching problem of regular expressions with backreferences (rewbs) is theoretically hard and the existence of an asymptotically fast matching algorithm for arbitrary rewbs seems unlikely. Even among currently known partial solutions, the balance between efficiency and generality remains unsatisfactory. To bridge this gap, we present an efficient matching algorithm for rewbs of the form e_0 (e)_1 e_1 \1 e_2 where e_0, e, e_1, e_2 are pure regular expressions, which are fundamental and frequently used in practical applications. It runs in quadratic time with respect to the input string length, substantially improving the best-known cubic time complexity for these rewbs. Our algorithm combines ideas from both stringology and automata theory in a novel way. We leverage two techniques from automata theory, injection and summarization, to simultaneously examine matches whose backreferenced substrings are either a fixed right-maximal repeat or its extendable prefixes, which are concepts from stringology. By further utilizing a subtle property of extendable prefixes, our algorithm correctly decides the matching problem while achieving the quadratic-time complexity.

Cite as

Taisei Nogami and Tachio Terauchi. Efficient Matching of Some Fundamental Regular Expressions with Backreferences. In 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 345, pp. 81:1-81:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{nogami_et_al:LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.81,
  author =	{Nogami, Taisei and Terauchi, Tachio},
  title =	{{Efficient Matching of Some Fundamental Regular Expressions with Backreferences}},
  booktitle =	{50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)},
  pages =	{81:1--81:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-388-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{345},
  editor =	{Gawrychowski, Pawe{\l} and Mazowiecki, Filip and Skrzypczak, Micha{\l}},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.81},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-241886},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.81},
  annote =	{Keywords: Regular expressions, Backreferences, Regex matching, NFA simulation, Suffix arrays, Right-maximal repeats}
}

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