22 Search Results for "Weller, Mathias"


Document
K-Hole Separation in PEO‑Based ILP Treewidth Formulation

Authors: Andrea D'Ascenzo

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 371, 24th International Symposium on Experimental Algorithms (SEA 2026)


Abstract
In this paper, we introduce a family of valid inequalities for the strongest currently known integer programming formulation of treewidth based on perfect elimination orderings. These inequalities arise from the structure of induced chordless cycles (holes) and strengthen the canonical linear relaxation by enforcing constraints that every feasible chordal completion must satisfy. To handle the exponentially many such inequalities, we develop a dedicated separation routine capable of detecting violated k-hole constraints within a cutting-plane framework. Our computational results show that incorporating these inequalities substantially improves the quality of the lower bounds across a broad range of graph classes, in some cases nearly closing the integrality gap.

Cite as

Andrea D'Ascenzo. K-Hole Separation in PEO‑Based ILP Treewidth Formulation. In 24th International Symposium on Experimental Algorithms (SEA 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 371, pp. 14:1-14:14, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)


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@InProceedings{dascenzo:LIPIcs.SEA.2026.14,
  author =	{D'Ascenzo, Andrea},
  title =	{{K-Hole Separation in PEO‑Based ILP Treewidth Formulation}},
  booktitle =	{24th International Symposium on Experimental Algorithms (SEA 2026)},
  pages =	{14:1--14:14},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-422-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{371},
  editor =	{Aum\"{u}ller, Martin and Finocchi, Irene},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SEA.2026.14},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-260186},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SEA.2026.14},
  annote =	{Keywords: Treewidth, Integer Linear Programming, Polyhedral Combinatorics, Chordal Completion, Induced Cycles}
}
Document
Tilt Automata: Gathering Particles with Uniform External Control

Authors: Sándor P. Fekete, Jonas Friemel, Peter Kramer, Jan-Marc Reinhardt, Christian Rieck, and Christian Scheffer

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 367, 42nd International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2026)


Abstract
Motivated by targeted drug delivery, we investigate the gathering of particles in the full tilt model of externally controlled motion planning: A set of particles is located at the tiles of a polyomino with all particles reacting uniformly to an external force by moving as far as possible in one of the four axis-parallel directions until they hit the boundary. The goal is to choose a sequence of directions that moves all particles to a common position. Our results include a polynomial-time algorithm for gathering in a completely filled polyomino as well as hardness reductions for approximating shortest gathering sequences and for determining whether the particles in a partially filled polyomino can be gathered. We pay special attention to the impact of restricted geometry, particularly polyominoes without holes. As a corollary, we make progress on an open question from [Balanza-Martinez et al., SODA 2020] by showing that deciding whether a given position can be occupied remains NP-hard in polyominoes without holes. Our results build on a connection we establish between tilt models and the theory of synchronizing automata.

Cite as

Sándor P. Fekete, Jonas Friemel, Peter Kramer, Jan-Marc Reinhardt, Christian Rieck, and Christian Scheffer. Tilt Automata: Gathering Particles with Uniform External Control. In 42nd International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 367, pp. 44:1-44:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)


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@InProceedings{fekete_et_al:LIPIcs.SoCG.2026.44,
  author =	{Fekete, S\'{a}ndor P. and Friemel, Jonas and Kramer, Peter and Reinhardt, Jan-Marc and Rieck, Christian and Scheffer, Christian},
  title =	{{Tilt Automata: Gathering Particles with Uniform External Control}},
  booktitle =	{42nd International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2026)},
  pages =	{44:1--44:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-418-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{367},
  editor =	{Ahn, Hee-Kap and Hoffmann, Michael and Nayyeri, Amir},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2026.44},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-258508},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2026.44},
  annote =	{Keywords: Uniform control, gathering, full tilt, polyominoes, synchronizing automata}
}
Document
Foremost, Fastest, Shortest: Temporal Graph Realization Under Various Path Metrics

Authors: Justine Cauvi, Nils Morawietz, and Laurent Viennot

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


Abstract
In this work, we follow the current trend on temporal graph realization, where one is given a property P and the goal is to determine whether there is a temporal graph, that is, a graph where the edge set changes over time, with property P. We consider the problems where the given property P is a prescribed matrix for the duration, length, or earliest arrival time of pairwise temporal paths. This means that we are given a matrix D and ask whether there is a temporal graph such that for any ordered pair of vertices (s,t), D_{s,t} equals the duration (length, or earliest arrival time, respectively) of any temporal path from s to t minimizing that specific temporal path metric. For shortest and earliest arrival temporal paths, we are the first to consider these problems as far as we know. We analyze these problems for many settings such as: strict and non-strict paths, periodic and non-periodic temporal graphs, and limited number of labels per edge (limited number of occurrences per edge over time). In contrast to all other path metrics, we show that for the earliest arrival times, we can achieve polynomial-time algorithms in periodic and non-periodic temporal graphs and for strict and and non-strict paths. However, the problem becomes NP-hard when the matrix does not contain a single integer but a set or range of possible allowed values. As we show, the problem can still be solved efficiently in this scenario, when the number of entries with more than one value is small, that is, we develop an FPT-algorithm for the number of such entries. For the setting of fastest paths, we achieve new hardness results that answers an open question by Klobas, Mertzios, Molter, and Spirakis [Theor. Comput. Sci. '25] about the parameterized complexity of the problem with respect to the vertex cover number and significantly improves over a previous hardness result for the feedback vertex set number. When considering shortest paths, we show that the periodic versions are polynomial-time solvable whereas the non-periodic versions become NP-hard.

Cite as

Justine Cauvi, Nils Morawietz, and Laurent Viennot. Foremost, Fastest, Shortest: Temporal Graph Realization Under Various Path Metrics. In 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 364, pp. 24:1-24:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)


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@InProceedings{cauvi_et_al:LIPIcs.STACS.2026.24,
  author =	{Cauvi, Justine and Morawietz, Nils and Viennot, Laurent},
  title =	{{Foremost, Fastest, Shortest: Temporal Graph Realization Under Various Path Metrics}},
  booktitle =	{43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)},
  pages =	{24:1--24:19},
  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.2026.24},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-255139},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.24},
  annote =	{Keywords: network design, temporal paths, foremost paths, fastest paths, shortest paths, non-strict paths, periodic temporal graphs}
}
Document
A Parameterized-Complexity Framework for Finding Local Optima

Authors: Robert Ganian, Hung P. Hoang, Christian Komusiewicz, and Nils Morawietz

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


Abstract
Local search is a fundamental optimization technique that is both widely used in practice and deeply studied in theory, yet its computational complexity remains poorly understood. The traditional frameworks, PLS and the standard algorithm problem, introduced by Johnson, Papadimitriou, and Yannakakis (1988) fail to capture the methodology of local search algorithms: PLS is concerned with finding a local optimum and not with using local search, while the standard algorithm problem restricts each improvement step to follow a fixed pivoting rule. In this work, we introduce a novel formulation of local search which provides a middle ground between these models. In particular, the task is to output not only a local optimum but also a chain of local improvements leading to it. With this framework, we aim to capture the challenge in designing a good pivoting rule. Especially, when combined with the parameterized complexity paradigm, it enables both strong lower bounds and meaningful tractability results. Unlike previous works that combined parameterized complexity with local search, our framework targets the whole task of finding a local optimum and not only a single improvement step. Focusing on two representative meta-problems - Subset Weight Optimization Problem with the c-swap neighborhood and Weighted Circuit with the flip neighborhood - we establish fixed-parameter tractability results related to the number of distinct weights, while ruling out an analogous result when parameterizing by the distance to the nearest optimum via a new type of reduction.

Cite as

Robert Ganian, Hung P. Hoang, Christian Komusiewicz, and Nils Morawietz. A Parameterized-Complexity Framework for Finding Local Optima. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 66:1-66:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)


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@InProceedings{ganian_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.66,
  author =	{Ganian, Robert and Hoang, Hung P. and Komusiewicz, Christian and Morawietz, Nils},
  title =	{{A Parameterized-Complexity Framework for Finding Local Optima}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{66:1--66:20},
  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.2026.66},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253532},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.66},
  annote =	{Keywords: Local Search, Parameterized Complexity, PLS}
}
Document
Hitting Geodesic Intervals in Structurally Restricted Graphs

Authors: Tatsuya Gima, Yasuaki Kobayashi, Yuto Okada, Yota Otachi, and Hayato Takaike

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 358, 20th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2025)


Abstract
Given a graph G = (V,E), a set T of vertex pairs, and an integer k, Hitting Geodesic Intervals asks whether there is a set S ⊆ V of size at most k such that for each terminal pair {u,v} ∈ T, the set S intersects at least one shortest u-v path. Aravind and Saxena [WALCOM 2024] introduced this problem and showed several parameterized complexity results. In this paper, we extend the known results in both negative and positive directions and present sharp complexity contrasts with respect to structural graph parameters. We first show that the problem is NP-complete even on graphs with highly restricted shortest-path structures. More precisely, we show the NP-completeness on graphs obtained by adding a single vertex to a disjoint union of 5-vertex paths. By modifying the proof of this result, we also show the NP-completeness on graphs obtained from a path by adding one vertex and on graphs obtained from a disjoint union of triangles by adding one universal vertex. Furthermore, we show the NP-completeness on graphs of bandwidth 4 and maximum degree 5 by replacing the universal vertex in the last case with a long path. Under standard complexity assumptions, these negative results rule out fixed-parameter algorithms for most of the structural parameters studied in the literature (if the solution size k is not part of the parameter). We next present fixed-parameter algorithms parameterized by k plus modular-width and by k plus vertex integrity. The algorithm for the latter case does indeed solve a more general setting that includes the parameterization by the minimum vertex multiway-cut size of the terminal vertices. We show that this is tight in the sense that the problem parameterized by the minimum vertex multicut size of the terminal pairs is W[2]-complete. We then modify the proof of this intractability result and show that the problem is W[2]-complete parameterized by k even in the setting where T = binom(Q,2) for some Q ⊆ V.

Cite as

Tatsuya Gima, Yasuaki Kobayashi, Yuto Okada, Yota Otachi, and Hayato Takaike. Hitting Geodesic Intervals in Structurally Restricted Graphs. In 20th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 358, pp. 29:1-29:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{gima_et_al:LIPIcs.IPEC.2025.29,
  author =	{Gima, Tatsuya and Kobayashi, Yasuaki and Okada, Yuto and Otachi, Yota and Takaike, Hayato},
  title =	{{Hitting Geodesic Intervals in Structurally Restricted Graphs}},
  booktitle =	{20th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2025)},
  pages =	{29:1--29:16},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-407-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{358},
  editor =	{Agrawal, Akanksha and van Leeuwen, Erik Jan},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.IPEC.2025.29},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-251618},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.IPEC.2025.29},
  annote =	{Keywords: Terminal monitoring set, Structural graph parameter, Geodesic interval}
}
Document
The PACE 2025 Parameterized Algorithms and Computational Experiments Challenge: Dominating Set and Hitting Set

Authors: Mario Grobler and Sebastian Siebertz

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 358, 20th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2025)


Abstract
The 10th iteration of the of the Parameterized Algorithms and Computational Experiments challenge (PACE) 2025 was devoted to engineer algorithms solving the Dominating Set problem as well as the Hitting Set problem. In contrast to the last iterations, these problems are (under standard assumptions) not fixed-parameter tractable (fpt) in general. However, restricting the structure of the input (e.g. to planar graphs or degenerate graphs for Dominating Set, or to set systems with sets of bounded size for Hitting Set) renders these problems fpt. Following the spirit of the last iterations of the PACE challenge, there is an exact track and a heuristic track for each problem; each track coming with a benchmark set of 100 public instances and 100 private instances. Overall, the PACE 2025 had 71 participants from 25 teams, 13 countries, and 3 continents. In this report, we briefly describe the setup of the challenge, the selection of benchmark instances, as well as the ranking of the participating teams. We also briefly outline the approaches used in the submitted solvers.

Cite as

Mario Grobler and Sebastian Siebertz. The PACE 2025 Parameterized Algorithms and Computational Experiments Challenge: Dominating Set and Hitting Set. In 20th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 358, pp. 32:1-32:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{grobler_et_al:LIPIcs.IPEC.2025.32,
  author =	{Grobler, Mario and Siebertz, Sebastian},
  title =	{{The PACE 2025 Parameterized Algorithms and Computational Experiments Challenge: Dominating Set and Hitting Set}},
  booktitle =	{20th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2025)},
  pages =	{32:1--32:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-407-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{358},
  editor =	{Agrawal, Akanksha and van Leeuwen, Erik Jan},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.IPEC.2025.32},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-251644},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.IPEC.2025.32},
  annote =	{Keywords: PACE 2025 Report, Dominating Set, Hitting Set, Algorithm Engineering, FPT, Heuristics}
}
Document
Parameterized Algorithms for Diversity of Networks with Ecological Dependencies

Authors: Mark Jones and Jannik Schestag

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 358, 20th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2025)


Abstract
For a phylogenetic tree, the phylogenetic diversity of a set A of taxa is the total weight of edges on paths to A. Finding small sets of maximal diversity is crucial for conservation planning, as it indicates where limited resources can be invested most efficiently. In recent years, efficient algorithms have been developed to find sets of taxa that maximize phylogenetic diversity either in a phylogenetic network or in a phylogenetic tree subject to ecological constraints, such as a food web. However, these aspects have mostly been studied independently. Since both factors are biologically important, it seems natural to consider them together. In this paper, we introduce decision problems where, given a phylogenetic network, a food web, and integers k, and D, the task is to find a set of k taxa with phylogenetic diversity of at least D under the maximize all paths measure, while also satisfying viability conditions within the food web. Here, we consider different definitions of viability, which all demand that a "sufficient" number of prey species survive to support surviving predators. We investigate the parameterized complexity of these problems and present several fixed-parameter tractable (FPT) algorithms. Specifically, we provide a complete complexity dichotomy characterizing which combinations of parameters - out of the size constraint k, the acceptable diversity loss D̄, the scanwidth of the food web sw_ℱ, the maximum in-degree δ in the network, and the network height h - lead to W[1]-hardness and which admit FPT algorithms. Our primary methodological contribution is a novel algorithmic framework for solving phylogenetic diversity problems in networks where dependencies (such as those from a food web) impose an order, using a color coding approach.

Cite as

Mark Jones and Jannik Schestag. Parameterized Algorithms for Diversity of Networks with Ecological Dependencies. In 20th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 358, pp. 11:1-11:21, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{jones_et_al:LIPIcs.IPEC.2025.11,
  author =	{Jones, Mark and Schestag, Jannik},
  title =	{{Parameterized Algorithms for Diversity of Networks with Ecological Dependencies}},
  booktitle =	{20th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2025)},
  pages =	{11:1--11:21},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-407-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{358},
  editor =	{Agrawal, Akanksha and van Leeuwen, Erik Jan},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.IPEC.2025.11},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-251439},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.IPEC.2025.11},
  annote =	{Keywords: Phylogenetic Diversity, Fixed-Parameter Tractability, Phylogenetic Networks, Food Webs, Color Coding}
}
Document
Quadratic Kernel for Cliques or Trees Vertex Deletion

Authors: Soh Kumabe

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 359, 36th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2025)


Abstract
We consider Cliques or Trees Vertex Deletion, which is a hybrid of two fundamental parameterized problems: Cluster Vertex Deletion and Feedback Vertex Set. In this problem, we are given an undirected graph G and an integer k, and asked to find a vertex subset X of size at most k such that each connected component of G-X is either a clique or a tree. Jacob et al. (ISAAC, 2024) provided a kernel of O(k⁵) vertices for this problem, which was recently improved to O(k⁴) by Tsur (IPL, 2025). Our main result is a kernel of O(k²) vertices. This result closes the gap between the kernelization result for Feedback Vertex Set, which corresponds to the case where each connected component of G-X must be a tree. Although both cluster vertex deletion number and feedback vertex set number are well-studied structural parameters, little attention has been given to parameters that generalize both of them. In fact, the lowest common well-known generalization of them is clique-width, which is a highly general parameter. To fill the gap here, we initiate the study of the cliques or trees vertex deletion number as a structural parameter. We prove that Longest Cycle, which is a fundamental problem that does not admit o(n^k)-time algorithm unless ETH fails when k is the clique-width, becomes fixed-parameter tractable when parameterized by the cliques or trees vertex deletion number.

Cite as

Soh Kumabe. Quadratic Kernel for Cliques or Trees Vertex Deletion. In 36th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 359, pp. 48:1-48:15, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{kumabe:LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.48,
  author =	{Kumabe, Soh},
  title =	{{Quadratic Kernel for Cliques or Trees Vertex Deletion}},
  booktitle =	{36th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2025)},
  pages =	{48:1--48:15},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-408-6},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{359},
  editor =	{Chen, Ho-Lin and Hon, Wing-Kai and Tsai, Meng-Tsung},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.48},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-249568},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.48},
  annote =	{Keywords: Fixed-Parameter Tractability, Kernelization, Deletion to Scattered Graph Classes, Cluster Vertex Deletion, Feedback Vertex Set}
}
Document
Safe Sequences via Dominators in DAGs for Path-Covering Problems

Authors: Francisco Sena, Romeo Rizzi, and Alexandru I. Tomescu

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 351, 33rd Annual European Symposium on Algorithms (ESA 2025)


Abstract
A path-covering problem on a directed acyclic graph (DAG) requires finding a set of source-to-sink paths that cover all the nodes, all the arcs, or subsets thereof, and additionally they are optimal with respect to some function. In this paper we study safe sequences of nodes or arcs, namely sequences that appear in some path of every path cover of a DAG. We show that safe sequences admit a simple characterization via cutnodes. Moreover, we establish a connection between maximal safe sequences and leaf-to-root paths in the source- and sink-dominator trees of the DAG, which may be of independent interest in the extensive literature on dominators. With dominator trees, safe sequences admit an O(n)-size representation and a linear-time output-sensitive enumeration algorithm running in time O(m + o), where n and m are the number of nodes and arcs, respectively, and o is the total length of the maximal safe sequences. We then apply maximal safe sequences to simplify Integer Linear Programs (ILPs) for two path-covering problems, LeastSquares and MinPathError, which are at the core of RNA transcript assembly problems from bioinformatics. On various datasets, maximal safe sequences can be computed in under 0.1 seconds per graph, on average, and ILP solvers whose search space is reduced in this manner exhibit significant speed-ups. For example on graphs with a large width, average speed-ups are in the range 50-250× for MinPathError and in the range 80-350× for LeastSquares. Optimizing ILPs using safe sequences can thus become a fast building block of practical RNA transcript assembly tools, and more generally, of path-covering problems.

Cite as

Francisco Sena, Romeo Rizzi, and Alexandru I. Tomescu. Safe Sequences via Dominators in DAGs for Path-Covering Problems. In 33rd Annual European Symposium on Algorithms (ESA 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 351, pp. 55:1-55:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{sena_et_al:LIPIcs.ESA.2025.55,
  author =	{Sena, Francisco and Rizzi, Romeo and Tomescu, Alexandru I.},
  title =	{{Safe Sequences via Dominators in DAGs for Path-Covering Problems}},
  booktitle =	{33rd Annual European Symposium on Algorithms (ESA 2025)},
  pages =	{55:1--55:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-395-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{351},
  editor =	{Benoit, Anne and Kaplan, Haim and Wild, Sebastian and Herman, Grzegorz},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ESA.2025.55},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-245230},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ESA.2025.55},
  annote =	{Keywords: directed acyclic graph, path cover, dominator tree, integer linear programming, least squares, minimum path error}
}
Document
Fantastic Flips and Where to Find Them: A General Framework for Parameterized Local Search on Partitioning Problems

Authors: Niels Grüttemeier, Nils Morawietz, and Frank Sommer

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 349, 19th International Symposium on Algorithms and Data Structures (WADS 2025)


Abstract
Parameterized local search combines classic local search heuristics with the paradigm of parameterized algorithmics. While most local search algorithms aim to improve given solutions by performing one single operation on a given solution, the parameterized approach aims to improve a solution by performing k simultaneous operations. Herein, k is a parameter called search radius for which the value can be chosen by a user. One major goal in the field of parameterized local search is to outline the trade-off between the size of k and the running time of the local search step. In this work, we introduce an abstract framework that generalizes natural parameterized local search approaches for a large class of partitioning problems: Given n items that are partitioned into b bins and a target function that evaluates the quality of the current partition, one asks whether it is possible to improve the solution by removing up to k items from their current bins and reassigning them to other bins. Among others, our framework applies for the local search versions of problems like Cluster Editing, Vector Bin Packing, and Nash Social Welfare. Motivated by a real-world application of the problem Vector Bin Packing, we introduce a parameter called number of types τ ≤ n and show that all problems fitting in our framework can be solved in τ^k ⋅ 2^𝒪(k) ⋅ |I|^𝒪(1) time, where |I| denotes the total input size. In case of Cluster Editing, the parameter τ generalizes the well-known parameter neighborhood diversity of the input graph. We complement these algorithms by showing that for all considered problems, an algorithm significantly improving over our algorithm with running time τ^k ⋅ 2^𝒪(k) ⋅ |I|^𝒪(1) would contradict the Exponential Time Hypothesis. Additionally, we show that even on very restricted instances, all considered problems are W[1]-hard when parameterized by the search radius k alone. In case of the local search version of Vector Bin Packing, we provide an even stronger W[1]-hardness result.

Cite as

Niels Grüttemeier, Nils Morawietz, and Frank Sommer. Fantastic Flips and Where to Find Them: A General Framework for Parameterized Local Search on Partitioning Problems. In 19th International Symposium on Algorithms and Data Structures (WADS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 349, pp. 32:1-32:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{gruttemeier_et_al:LIPIcs.WADS.2025.32,
  author =	{Gr\"{u}ttemeier, Niels and Morawietz, Nils and Sommer, Frank},
  title =	{{Fantastic Flips and Where to Find Them: A General Framework for Parameterized Local Search on Partitioning Problems}},
  booktitle =	{19th International Symposium on Algorithms and Data Structures (WADS 2025)},
  pages =	{32:1--32:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-398-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{349},
  editor =	{Morin, Pat and Oh, Eunjin},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.WADS.2025.32},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-242631},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.WADS.2025.32},
  annote =	{Keywords: Flip-Neighborhood, Cluster Editing, Vector Bin Packing, Vertex Cover, NP-hard problem, Max c-Cut}
}
Document
Temporal Graph Realization with Bounded Stretch

Authors: George B. Mertzios, Hendrik Molter, Nils Morawietz, and Paul G. Spirakis

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


Abstract
A periodic temporal graph, in its simplest form, is a graph in which every edge appears exactly once in the first Δ time steps, and then it reappears recurrently every Δ time steps, where Δ is a given period length. This model offers a natural abstraction of transportation networks where each transportation link connects two destinations periodically. From a network design perspective, a crucial task is to assign the time-labels on the edges in a way that optimizes some criterion. In this paper we introduce a very natural optimality criterion that captures how the temporal distances of all vertex pairs are "stretched", compared to their physical distances, i.e. their distances in the underlying static (non-temporal) graph. Given a static graph G, the task is to assign to each edge one time-label between 1 and Δ such that, in the resulting periodic temporal graph with period Δ, the duration of the fastest temporal path from any vertex u to any other vertex v is at most α times the distance between u and v in G. Here, the value of α measures how much the shortest paths are allowed to be stretched once we assign the periodic time-labels. Our results span three different directions: First, we provide a series of approximation and NP-hardness results. Second, we provide approximation and fixed-parameter algorithms. Among them, we provide a simple polynomial-time algorithm (the radius-algorithm) which always guarantees an approximation strictly smaller than Δ, and which also computes the optimum stretch in some cases. Third, we consider a parameterized local search extension of the problem where we are given the temporal labeling of the graph, but we are allowed to change the time-labels of at most k edges; for this problem we prove that it is W[2]-hard but admits an XP algorithm with respect to k.

Cite as

George B. Mertzios, Hendrik Molter, Nils Morawietz, and Paul G. Spirakis. Temporal Graph Realization with Bounded Stretch. In 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 345, pp. 75:1-75:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{mertzios_et_al:LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.75,
  author =	{Mertzios, George B. and Molter, Hendrik and Morawietz, Nils and Spirakis, Paul G.},
  title =	{{Temporal Graph Realization with Bounded Stretch}},
  booktitle =	{50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)},
  pages =	{75:1--75:19},
  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.2025.75},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-241829},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.75},
  annote =	{Keywords: Temporal graph, periodic temporal labeling, fastest temporal path, graph realization, temporal connectivity, stretch}
}
Document
Average-Tree Phylogenetic Diversity of Networks

Authors: Leo van Iersel, Mark Jones, Jannik Schestag, Celine Scornavacca, and Mathias Weller

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 344, 25th International Conference on Algorithms for Bioinformatics (WABI 2025)


Abstract
Phylogenetic diversity is a measure used to quantify the biodiversity of a set of species. Here, we introduce the "average-tree" phylogenetic diversity score in rooted binary phylogenetic networks and consider algorithms for computing and maximizing the score on a given network. Basically, the score is the weighted average of the phylogenetic diversity scores in all trees displayed by the network, with the weights determined by the inheritance probabilities on the reticulation edges used in the embeddings. We show that computing the score of a given set of taxa in a given network is #P-hard, directly implying #P-hardness of finding a subset of k taxa achieving maximum diversity score and, thereby, ruling out polynomial-time algorithms for these problems unless the polynomial hierarchy collapses. However, we show that both problems can be solved efficiently if the input network is close to being a tree in the sense that its reticulation number is small. More precisely, we prove that we can solve the optimization problem in networks with n leaves and r reticulations in 2^{𝒪(r)}⋅ n⋅ k time. Using experiments on data produced by simulating a reticulate-evolution process, we show that our algorithm runs efficiently on networks with hundreds of taxa and tens of reticulations.

Cite as

Leo van Iersel, Mark Jones, Jannik Schestag, Celine Scornavacca, and Mathias Weller. Average-Tree Phylogenetic Diversity of Networks. In 25th International Conference on Algorithms for Bioinformatics (WABI 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 344, pp. 15:1-15:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{vaniersel_et_al:LIPIcs.WABI.2025.15,
  author =	{van Iersel, Leo and Jones, Mark and Schestag, Jannik and Scornavacca, Celine and Weller, Mathias},
  title =	{{Average-Tree Phylogenetic Diversity of Networks}},
  booktitle =	{25th International Conference on Algorithms for Bioinformatics (WABI 2025)},
  pages =	{15:1--15:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-386-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{344},
  editor =	{Brejov\'{a}, Bro\v{n}a and Patro, Rob},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.WABI.2025.15},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-239405},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.WABI.2025.15},
  annote =	{Keywords: phylogenetic diversity, phylogenetic networks, network phylogenetic diversity, algorithms, computational complexity}
}
Document
Hardness of Traversing Gadget Systems with Small Bandwidth

Authors: MIT Gadgets Group, Erik D. Demaine, Jenny Diomidova, Timothy Gomez, Markus Hecher, and Jayson Lynch

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 330, 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)


Abstract
The motion-planning-through-gadgets framework has enabled proofs of PSPACE-completeness for many motion-planning problems, ranging from swarm and modular robotics to DNA computing to video games. In this paper, we strengthen this framework to show that, for several useful gadgets and gadget families, motion planning remains PSPACE-complete even when gadgets are connected together into a graph of constant bandwidth (which implies constant pathwidth, treewidth, and cliquewidth). We then show how this result applies to several geometric/grid-based motion-planning problems, establishing PSPACE-completeness even when restricted to a rectangle/box where only one dimension is large (superconstant). On the positive side, we find one family of gadgets (DAG gadgets) for which motion planning is fixed-parameter tractable with respect to bandwidth.

Cite as

MIT Gadgets Group, Erik D. Demaine, Jenny Diomidova, Timothy Gomez, Markus Hecher, and Jayson Lynch. Hardness of Traversing Gadget Systems with Small Bandwidth. In 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 330, pp. 11:1-11:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{mitgadgetsgroup_et_al:LIPIcs.SAND.2025.11,
  author =	{MIT Gadgets Group and Demaine, Erik D. and Diomidova, Jenny and Gomez, Timothy and Hecher, Markus and Lynch, Jayson},
  title =	{{Hardness of Traversing Gadget Systems with Small Bandwidth}},
  booktitle =	{4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)},
  pages =	{11:1--11:16},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-368-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{330},
  editor =	{Meeks, Kitty and Scheideler, Christian},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.11},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-230648},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.11},
  annote =	{Keywords: Gadgets, Motion Planning, Parameterized Complexity, Hardness}
}
Document
PACE Solver Description
PACE Solver Description: Arcee

Authors: Kimon Boehmer, Lukas Lee George, Fanny Hauser, and Jesse Palarus

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 321, 19th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2024)


Abstract
The 2024 PACE Challenge focused on the One-Sided Crossing Minimization (OCM) problem, which aims to minimize edge crossings in a bipartite graph with a fixed order in one partition and a free order in the other. We describe our OCM solver submission that utilizes various reduction rules for OCM and, for the heuristic track, employs local search approaches as well as techniques to escape local minima. The exact solver uses an ILP formulation and branch & bound to solve an equivalent Feedback Arc Set instance.

Cite as

Kimon Boehmer, Lukas Lee George, Fanny Hauser, and Jesse Palarus. PACE Solver Description: Arcee. In 19th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 321, pp. 33:1-33:4, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)


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@InProceedings{boehmer_et_al:LIPIcs.IPEC.2024.33,
  author =	{Boehmer, Kimon and George, Lukas Lee and Hauser, Fanny and Palarus, Jesse},
  title =	{{PACE Solver Description: Arcee}},
  booktitle =	{19th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2024)},
  pages =	{33:1--33:4},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-353-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{321},
  editor =	{Bonnet, \'{E}douard and Rz\k{a}\.{z}ewski, Pawe{\l}},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.IPEC.2024.33},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-222595},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.IPEC.2024.33},
  annote =	{Keywords: PACE 2024, One-Sided Crossing Minimization, OCM}
}
Document
Survey
Knowledge Graph Embeddings: Open Challenges and Opportunities

Authors: Russa Biswas, Lucie-Aimée Kaffee, Michael Cochez, Stefania Dumbrava, Theis E. Jendal, Matteo Lissandrini, Vanessa Lopez, Eneldo Loza Mencía, Heiko Paulheim, Harald Sack, Edlira Kalemi Vakaj, and Gerard de Melo

Published in: TGDK, Volume 1, Issue 1 (2023): Special Issue on Trends in Graph Data and Knowledge. Transactions on Graph Data and Knowledge, Volume 1, Issue 1


Abstract
While Knowledge Graphs (KGs) have long been used as valuable sources of structured knowledge, in recent years, KG embeddings have become a popular way of deriving numeric vector representations from them, for instance, to support knowledge graph completion and similarity search. This study surveys advances as well as open challenges and opportunities in this area. For instance, the most prominent embedding models focus primarily on structural information. However, there has been notable progress in incorporating further aspects, such as semantics, multi-modal, temporal, and multilingual features. Most embedding techniques are assessed using human-curated benchmark datasets for the task of link prediction, neglecting other important real-world KG applications. Many approaches assume a static knowledge graph and are unable to account for dynamic changes. Additionally, KG embeddings may encode data biases and lack interpretability. Overall, this study provides an overview of promising research avenues to learn improved KG embeddings that can address a more diverse range of use cases.

Cite as

Russa Biswas, Lucie-Aimée Kaffee, Michael Cochez, Stefania Dumbrava, Theis E. Jendal, Matteo Lissandrini, Vanessa Lopez, Eneldo Loza Mencía, Heiko Paulheim, Harald Sack, Edlira Kalemi Vakaj, and Gerard de Melo. Knowledge Graph Embeddings: Open Challenges and Opportunities. In Special Issue on Trends in Graph Data and Knowledge. Transactions on Graph Data and Knowledge (TGDK), Volume 1, Issue 1, pp. 4:1-4:32, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)


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@Article{biswas_et_al:TGDK.1.1.4,
  author =	{Biswas, Russa and Kaffee, Lucie-Aim\'{e}e and Cochez, Michael and Dumbrava, Stefania and Jendal, Theis E. and Lissandrini, Matteo and Lopez, Vanessa and Menc{\'\i}a, Eneldo Loza and Paulheim, Heiko and Sack, Harald and Vakaj, Edlira Kalemi and de Melo, Gerard},
  title =	{{Knowledge Graph Embeddings: Open Challenges and Opportunities}},
  journal =	{Transactions on Graph Data and Knowledge},
  pages =	{4:1--4:32},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{1},
  number =	{1},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/TGDK.1.1.4},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-194783},
  doi =		{10.4230/TGDK.1.1.4},
  annote =	{Keywords: Knowledge Graphs, KG embeddings, Link prediction, KG applications}
}
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