On the height of digital trees and related problems

This paper studies in a probabilistic framework some topics concerning the way words (strings) can overlap, and relationship of this to the height of digital trees associated with this set of words. A word is defined as a random sequence of (possibly infinite) symbols over a finite alphabet. A key notion of analignment matrix {C _ij } _i,j=1 ⁿ is introduced whereC _ij is the length of the longest string that is a prefix of theith and thejth word. It is proved that the height of an associated digital tree is simply related to the alignment matrix through some order statistics. In particular, using this observation and proving some inequalities for order statistics, we establish that the height of adigital trie under anindependent model (i.e., all words are statistically independent) is asymptotically equal to 2 log n wheren is the number of words stored in the trie and is a parameter of the probabilistic model. This result is generalized in three directions, namely we considerb-tries,Markovian model (i.e., dependency among letters in a word), and adependent model (i.e., dependency among words). In particular, when consecutive letters in a word are Markov dependent (Markovian model), then we demonstrate that the height converges in probability to 2 log n where is a parameter of the underlying Markov chain. On the other hand, for suffix trees which fall into the dependent model, we show that the height does not exceed 2 log n, where is a parameter of the probabilistic model. These results find plenty of applications in the analysis of data structures built over digital words.This research was supported by NSF Grants NCR-8702115 and CCR-8900305, in part by Grant R01 LM05118 from the National Library of Medicine, and by AFOSR Grant 90-0107.     

On the subword complexity of m-free D0L languages

A word is called m-free (m ? 2) if it does not contain a subword of the form x^m where x is a nonempty word. A language is called m-free if it consists of m-free words only. The subword complexity of a language K, denoted π_K, is a function of positive integers which to each positive integer n assigns the number of different subwords of length n occuring in words of K. It is known that if a D0L language K is m-free for some m ? 2, then, for all n, π_K(n) ? qn log₂n for some positive integer q. We demonstrate that there exists a 3-free D0L language K on three letters such that, for all n ? n₀, π_K(n) ? rn log₂n for some positive real r and a positive integer n₀. We also demonstrate that if m ? 3 and K is an m-free D0L language on two letters, then, for all n, π_K(n) ? pn for some positive integer p.     

Computing largest empty circles with location constraints

LetQ = {q₁, q₂,..., q_n} be a set ofn points on the plane. The largest empty circle (LEG) problem consists in finding the largest circleC with center in the convex hull ofQ such that no pointq _i εQ lies in the interior ofC. Shamos recently outlined anO(n logn) algorithm for solving this problem.⁽⁹⁾ In this paper it is shown that this algorithm does not always work correctly. A different approach is proposed here and shown to also result in anO(n logn) algorithm. The new approach has the advantage that it can also solve more general problems. In particular, it is shown that if the center ofC is constrained to lie in an arbitrary convexn-gon, an0(n logn) algorithm can still be obtained. Finally, an0(n logn +k logn) algorithm is given for solving this problem when the center ofC is constrained to lie in an arbitrary simplen-gonP. wherek denotes the number of intersections occurring between edges ofP and edges of the Voronoi diagram ofQ andk ?O(n ²).     

L 1 shortest paths among polygonal obstacles in the plane

We present an algorithm for computingL ₁ shortest paths among polygonal obstacles in the plane. Our algorithm employs the “continuous Dijkstra” technique of propagating a “wavefront” and runs in timeO(E logn) and spaceO(E), wheren is the number of vertices of the obstacles andE is the number of “events.” By using bounds on the density of certain sparse binary matrices, we show thatE =O(n logn), implying that our algorithm is nearly optimal. We conjecture thatE =O(n), which would imply our algorithm to be optimal. Previous bounds for our problem were quadratic in time and space. Our algorithm generalizes to the case of fixed orientation metrics, yielding anO(n?^?1/2 log² n) time andO(n?^?1/2) space approximation algorithm for finding Euclidean shortest paths among obstacles. The algorithm further generalizes to the case of many sources, allowing us to compute anL ₁ Voronoi diagram for source points that lie among a collection of polygonal obstacles.     

On partitioning rectilinear polygons into star-shaped polygons

We present an algorithm for finding optimum partitions of simple monotone rectilinear polygons into star-shaped polygons. The algorithm may introduce Steiner points and its time complexity isO(n), wheren is the number of vertices in the polygon. We then use this algorithm to obtain anO(n logn) approximation algorithm for partitioning simple rectilinear polygons into star-shaped polygons with the size of the partition being at most six times the optimum.     

Improved approximations for the minimum-cut ratio and the flux

LetC be any concurrent flow problem with integer demands and capacities on an undirected graphG. Kleinet al. [5] recently showed that the maximum throughputz ^* is Ω (S/(logC logD)), whereS is the minimum cut ratio,C is the sum of the capacities on the edges, andD is the sum of the demands of the commodities. They also presented a polynomial time algorithm which finds a cut whose ratio isS · O(logC logD). Leighton and Rao [8] have shown that for the concurrent flow problem with a unit demand between every pair of nodes,z ^* is Ω (S/logn), wheren is the number of nodes ofG. This leads to anO(logn) approximation of the flux of a graphG with uniform weights on the nodes. We show that for the problem in [5] the maximum throughputz ^* is Ω(S/(logn logD)), and we find a cut whose ratio isS · O (logn logD). For the special case in which the demands have the form $$demand between u and v = l(u) \cdot \frac{{l(v)}}{2},$$ wherel(u) is an assignment of a positive integer weight to nodeu, we show that the lower bound onz* can be improved to be Ω(S/logn). This generalizes the result of Leighton and Rao.     

Mapping two complete binary trees into the star graph with quick fault recovery

This paper proposes an approach for embedding two complete binary trees (CBT) into ann-dimensional star graph (S _n), and provides a fault-tolerant scheme for the trees. First, aCBT with height Σ _m=2 ⁿ ?logm? is embedded into theS _n with dilation 3. The height of theCBT is very close to ?Σ _m=2 ⁿ logm?, the height of the largest possibleCBT which can be embedded into theS _n. Shifting the firstCBT by generating function productg ₂ g ₃ g ₄ g ₃, anotherCBT with height Σ _m=2 ⁿ ?logm? can also be embedded into theS _n without conflicting with the first one. Moreover, if three-eights of nodes in the firstCBT and all nodes in the secondCBT are faulty, all of them can be recovered. Under the condition that the firstCBT with smaller height (?Σ _m=2 ⁿ logm? ? 1) is embedded, all the replacement nodes will be free. As a consequence, even in the case that all nodes in the two trees are faulty, they can be recovered in the smallest number of recovery steps and only with dilation 5.     

The longest common subsequence problem revisited

This paper re-examines, in a unified framework, two classic approaches to the problem of finding a longest common subsequence (LCS) of two strings, and proposes faster implementations for both. Letl be the length of an LCS between two strings of lengthm andn ≥m, respectively, and let s be the alphabet size. The first revised strategy follows the paradigm of a previousO(ln) time algorithm by Hirschberg. The new version can be implemented in timeO(lm · min logs, logm, log(2n/m)), which is profitable when the input strings differ considerably in size (a looser bound for both versions isO(mn)). The second strategy improves on the Hunt-Szymanski algorithm. This latter takes timeO((r +n) logn), wherer≤mn is the total number of matches between the two input strings. Such a performance is quite good (O(n logn)) whenr～n, but it degrades to Θ(mn logn) in the worst case. On the other hand the variation presented here is never worse than linear-time in the productmn. The exact time bound derived for this second algorithm isO(m logn +d log(2mn/d)), whered ≤r is the number ofdominant matches (elsewhere referred to asminimal candidates) between the two strings. Both algorithms require anO(n logs) preprocessing that is nearly standard for the LCS problem, and they make use of simple and handy auxiliary data structures.     

A better performance guarantee for approximate graph coloring

Approximate graph coloring takes as input a graph and returns a legal coloring which is not necessarily optimal. We improve the performance guarantee, or worst-case ratio between the number of colors used and the minimum number of colors possible, toO(n(log logn)³/(logn)³), anO(logn/log logn) factor better than the previous best-known result.     

Approximate minimum weight matching on points ink-dimensional space

We study the problem of finding a minimum weight complete matching in the complete graph on a set V ofn points ink-dimensional space. The points are the vertices of the graph and the weight of an edge between any two points is the distance between the points under someL _q,-metric. We give anO((2c _q )^1.5k ?^?1.5k (α(n, n))^0.5 n ^1.5(logn)^2.5) algorithm for finding an almost minimum weight complete matching in such a graph, wherec _q =6k ^1/q for theL _q -metric, α is the inverse Ackermann function, and ? ≤ 1. The weight of the complete matching obtained by our algorithm is guaranteed to be at most (1 + ?) times the weight of a minimum weight complete matching.     

Output-sensitive generation of the perspective view of isothetic parallelepipeds

We present a new hidden-line elemination technique for displaying the perspective view of a scene of three-dimensional isothetic parallelepipeds (3D-rectangles). We assume that the 3D-rectangles are totally ordered based upon the dominance relation of occlusion. The perspective view is generated incrementally, starting with the closest 3D-rectangle and proceeding away from the view point. Our algorithm is scene-sensitive and uses0((n +d) logn log logn) time, wheren is the number of 3D-rectangles andd is the number of edges of the display. This improves over the heretofore best known technique. The primary data structure is an efficient alternative to dynamic fractional cascading for use with augmented segment and range trees when the universe is fixed beforehand. It supports queries inO((logn +k) log logn) time, wherek is the size of the response, and insertions and deletions inO(logn log logn) time, all in the worst case.     

Computing shortest transversals

We present anO(nlog² n) time andO(n) space algorithm for computing the shortest line segment that intersects a set ofn given line segments or lines in the plane. If the line segments do not intersect the algorithm may be trimmed to run inO(nlogn) time. Furthermore, in combination with linear programming the algorithm will also find the shortest line segment that intersects a set ofn isothetic rectangles in the plane inO(nlogk) time, wherek is the combinatorial complexity of the space of transversals andk≤4n. These results find application in: (1) line-fitting between a set ofn data ranges where it is desired to obtain the shortestline-of-fit, (2) finding the shortest line segment from which a convexn-vertex polygon is weakly externally visible, and (3) determing the shortestline-of-sight between two edges of a simplen-vertex polygon, for whichO(n) time algorithms are also given. All the algorithms are based on the solution to a new fundamental geometric optimization problem that is of independent interest and should find application in different contexts as well.     

On some generalizations of the Thue–Morse morphism

In 1912, the Norwegian mathematician Axel Thue was the first to describe an overlap-free binary infinite word. This word was generated by a morphism which is called, since the works of Morse, the Thue–Morse morphism. Here, we present two generalizations of the Thue–Morse morphism in the case of alphabets with more than two letters. The extension of the characteristic properties of the word of Thue to the words generated by these morphisms is considered. One of these generalizations corresponds to the construction of Prouhet and a link with the Arshon words is given. In particular, we prove that if n is an even number then the n-letter Arshon word is generated by morphism.     

Medial axis transform on mesh-connected computers with hyperbus broadcasting

To represent a region of a digital image as the union of maximal upright squares contained in the region is called the medial axis transform. In this paper, we present anO(logn) time parallel algorithm for the medial axis transform of ann×n binary image on an SIMD mesh-connected computers with hyperbus broadcasting usingn ³ processors.     

Visibility problems for orthogonal objects in two-or three-dimensions

LetP be a set ofl points in 3-space, and letF be a set ofm opaque rectangular faces in 3-space with sides parallel tox- ory-axis. We present anO(n logn) time andO(n) space algorithm for determining all points inP which are visible from a viewpoint at (0,0,), wheren=l+m. We also present anO(n logn+k) time andO(n) space algorithm for the hidden-line elimination problem for the orthogonal polyhedra together with a viewpoint at (0,0,), wheren is the number of vertices of the polyhedra andk is the number of edge intersections in the projection plane.     

On partitioning rectilinear polygons into star-shaped polygons

We present an algorithm for finding optimum partitions of simple monotone rectilinear polygons into star-shaped polygons. The algorithm may introduce Steiner points and its time complexity isO(n), wheren is the number of vertices in the polygon. We then use this algorithm to obtain anO(n logn) approximation algorithm for partitioning simple rectilinear polygons into star-shaped polygons with the size of the partition being at most six times the optimum.     

On the structure of bispecial Sturmian words

A balanced word is one in which any two factors of the same length contain the same number of each letter of the alphabet up to one. Finite binary balanced words are called Sturmian words. A Sturmian word is bispecial if it can be extended to the left and to the right with both letters remaining a Sturmian word. There is a deep relation between bispecial Sturmian words and Christoffel words, that are the digital approximations of Euclidean segments in the plane. In 1997, J. Berstel and A. de Luca proved that palindromic bispecial Sturmian words are precisely the maximal internal factors of primitive Christoffel words. We extend this result by showing that bispecial Sturmian words are precisely the maximal internal factors of all Christoffel words. Our characterization allows us to give an enumerative formula for bispecial Sturmian words. We also investigate the minimal forbidden words for the language of Sturmian words.     

Parallel integer sorting and simulation amongst CRCW models

In this paper a general technique for reducing processors in simulation without any increase in time is described. This results in an O(√logn) time algorithm for simulating one step of PRIORITY on TOLERANT with processor-time product of O(n log logn); the same as that for simulating PRIORITY on ARBITRARY. This is used to obtain anO(logn/log logn + √logn (log logm ? log logn)) time algorithm for sortingn integers from the set {0,...,m ? 1},m ≧n, with a processor-time product ofO(n log logm log logn) on a TOLERANT CRCW PRAM. New upper and lower bounds for ordered chaining problem on an allocated COMMON CRCW model are also obtained. The algorithm for ordered chaining takesO(logn/log logn) time on an allocated PRAM of sizen. It is shown that this result is best possible (upto a constant multiplicative factor) by obtaining a lower bound of Ω(r logn/(logr + log logn)) for finding the first (leftmost one) live processor on an allocated-COMMON PRAM of sizen ofr-slow virtual processors (one processor simulatesr processors of allocated PRAM). As a result, for ordered chaining problem, “processor-time product” has to be at least Ω(n logn/log logn) for any poly-logarithmic time algorithm. Algorithm for ordered-chaining problem results in anO(logN/log logN) time algorithm for (stable) sorting ofn integers from the set {0,...,m ? 1} withn-processors on a COMMON CRCW PRAM; hereN = max(n, m). In particular if,m =n ^O(1), then sorting takes Θ(logn/log logn) time on both TOLERANT and COMMON CRCW PRAMs. Processor-time product for TOLERANT isO(n(log logn)²). Algorithm for COMMON usesn processors.     

Approximate motion planning and the complexity of the boundary of the union of simple geometric figures

We study rigid motions of a rectangle amidst polygonal obstacles. The best known algorithms for this problem have a running time of Ω(n ²), wheren is the number of obstacle corners. We introduce thetightness of a motion-planning problem as a measure of the difficulty of a planning problem in an intuitive sense and describe an algorithm with a running time ofO((a/b · 1/?_crit + 1)n(logn)²), wherea ≥b are the lengths of the sides of a rectangle and ?_crit is the tightness of the problem. We show further that the complexity (= number of vertices) of the boundary ofn bow ties (see Figure 1) isO(n). Similar results for the union of other simple geometric figures such as triangles and wedges are also presented.     

On the numerical solution of the eigenvalue problem of the laplace operator by a capacitance matrix method

The problem of finding several eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of the interior Dirichlet problem for Laplace's equation on arbitrary bounded plane regions is considered. Two fast algorithms are combined: an iterative Block Lanczos method and a capacitance matrix method. The capacitance matrix is generated and factored only once for a given problem. In each iteration of the Block Lanczos method, a discrete Helmholtz equation is solved twice on a rectangle at a cost of the order ofn ² log₂ n operations wheren is the number of mesh points across the rectangle in which the region is imbedded.