The joint movement of pebbles in solving the ($$N^2-1$$)-puzzle suboptimally and its applications in rule-based cooperative path-finding

The present paper deals with the problem of solving the (\(n^2 - 1\))-puzzle and cooperative path-finding (CPF) problems sub-optimally by rule-based algorithms. To solve the puzzle, we need to rearrange \(n^2 - 1\) pebbles in the \(n \times n\)-sized square grid using one vacant position to achieve the goal configuration. An improvement to the existing polynomial-time algorithm is proposed and experimentally analyzed. The improved algorithm represents an attempt to move pebbles in a more efficient way compared to the original algorithm by grouping them into so-called snakes and moving them together as part of a snake formation. An experimental evaluation has shown that the snakeenhanced algorithm produces solutions which are 8–9 % shorter than the solutions generated by the original algorithm. Snake-like movement has also been integrated into the rule-based algorithms used in solving CPF problems sub-optimally, which is a closely related task. The task in CPF consists in moving a group of abstract robots on an undirected graph to specific vertices. The robots can move to unoccupied neighboring vertices; no more than one robot can be placed in each vertex. The (\(n^2 - 1\))-puzzle is a special case of CPF where the underlying graph is a 4-connected grid and only one vertex is vacant. Two major rule-based algorithms for solving CPF problems were included in our study—BIBOX and PUSH-and-SWAP (PUSH-and-ROTATE). The use of snakes in the BIBOX algorithm led to consistent efficiency gains of around 30 % for the (\(n^2 - 1\))-puzzle and up to 50 % in for CPF problems on biconnected graphs with various ear decompositions and multiple vacant vertices. For the PUSH-and-SWAP algorithm, the efficiency gain achieved from the use of snakes was around 5–8 %. However, the efficiency gain was unstable and hardly predictable for PUSH-and-SWAP.     

Using meta‐modeling in design and implementation of component‐based systems: the SOFA case study

To allow efficient and user‐friendly development of a component‐based application, component systems have to provide a rather complex development infrastructure, including a tool for component composition, component repository, and a run‐time infrastructure. In this paper, we present and evaluate benefits of using meta‐modeling during the process of defining a component system and also during creation of the development and run‐time infrastructures. Most of the presented arguments are based on a broad practical experience with designing the component systems SOFA and SOFA 2; the former designed in a classical ad hoc ‘manual’ way, whereas the latter with the help of meta‐modeling. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Context-sensitive refinements for stochastic optimisation algorithms in inductive logic programming

We describe a new approach to the application of stochastic search in Inductive Logic Programming (ILP). Unlike traditional approaches we do not focus directly on evolving logical concepts but our refinement-based approach uses the stochastic optimization process to iteratively adapt the initial working concept. Utilization of context-sensitive concept refinements (adaptations) helps the search operations to produce mostly syntactically correct concepts. It also enables using available background knowledge both for efficiently restricting the search space and for directing the search. Thereby, the search is more flexible, less problem-specific and the framework can be easily used with any stochastic search algorithm within ILP domain. Experimental results on several data sets verify the usefulness of this approach.     

Parameterized complexity of coloring problems: Treewidth versus vertex cover

We compare the fixed parameter complexity of various variants of coloring problems (including List Coloring, Precoloring Extension, Equitable Coloring, L(p,1)-Labeling and Channel Assignment) when parameterized by treewidth and by vertex cover number. In most (but not all) cases we conclude that parametrization by the vertex cover number provides a significant drop in the complexity of the problems.     

Bandwidth on AT-free graphs

We study the classical Bandwidth problem from the viewpoint of parametrised algorithms. Given a graph G=(V,E) and a positive integer k, the Bandwidth problem asks whether there exists a bijective function β:{1,…,∣V∣}→V such that for every edge uv∈E, ∣β⁻¹(u)−β⁻¹(v)∣≤k. It is known that under standard complexity assumptions, no algorithm for Bandwidth with running time of the form f(k)n^O(1) exists, even when the input is restricted to trees. We initiate the search for classes of graphs where such algorithms do exist. We present an algorithm with running time n⋅2^O(klogk) for Bandwidth on AT-free graphs, a well-studied graph class that contains interval, permutation, and cocomparability graphs. Our result is the first non-trivial algorithm that shows fixed-parameter tractability of Bandwidth on a graph class on which the problem remains NP-complete.     

Designing fast LTL model checking algorithms for many-core GPUs

Recent technological developments made various many-core hardware platforms widely accessible. These massively parallel architectures have been used to significantly accelerate many computation demanding tasks. In this paper, we show how the algorithms for LTL model checking can be redesigned in order to accelerate LTL model checking on many-core GPU platforms. Our detailed experimental evaluation demonstrates that using the NVIDIA CUDA technology results in a significant speedup of the verification process. Together with state space generation based on shared hash-table and DFS exploration, our CUDA accelerated model checker is the fastest among state-of-the-art shared memory model checking tools.     

Renaming and the weakest family of failure detectors

We address the question of the weakest failure detector to circumvent the impossibility of $(2n-2)$ -renaming in a system of up to $n$ participating processes. We derive that in a restricted class of eventual failure detectors there does not exist a single weakest oracle, but a weakest family of oracles $\zeta _n$ : every two oracles in $\zeta _n$ are incomparable, and every oracle that allows for solving renaming provides at least as much information about failures as one of the oracles in $\zeta _n$ . As a by product, we obtain one more evidence that renaming is strictly easier to solve than set agreement.     

Automated synthesis of action selection policies for unmanned vehicles operating in adverse environments

We address the problem of automated action selection policy synthesis for unmanned vehicles operating in adverse environments. We introduce a new evolutionary computation-based approach using which an initial version of the policy is automatically generated and then gradually refined by detecting and fixing its shortcomings. The synthesis technique consists of the automated extraction of the vehicle’s exception states and Genetic Programming (GP) for automated composition and optimization of corrective sequences of commands in the form of macro-actions to be applied locally.     

Nonterminal complexity of one-sided random context grammars

In the present paper, we study the nonterminal complexity of one-sided random context grammars. More specifically, we prove that every recursively enumerable language can be generated by a one-sided random context grammar with no more than ten nonterminals. An analogical result holds for thirteen nonterminals in terms of these grammars with the set of left random context rules coinciding with the set of right random context rules. Furthermore, we introduce the notion of a right random context nonterminal, defined as a nonterminal that appears on the left-hand side of a right random context rule. We demonstrate how to convert any one-sided random context grammar G to an equivalent one-sided random context grammar H with two right random context nonterminals. An analogical conversion is given in terms of (1) propagating one-sided random context grammars and (2) left random context nonterminals. In the conclusion, two open problems are stated.