8,940 research outputs found
Distribution Testing Lower Bounds via Reductions from Communication Complexity
We present a new methodology for proving distribution testing lower bounds, establishing a connection between distribution testing and the simultaneous message passing (SMP) communication model. Extending the framework of Blais, Brody, and Matulef (Computational Complexity, 2012), we show a simple way to reduce (private-coin) SMP problems to distribution testing problems. This method allows us to prove new distribution testing lower bounds, as well as to provide simple proofs of known lower bounds.
Our main result is concerned with testing identity to a specific distribution p, given as a parameter. In a recent and influential work, Valiant and Valiant (FOCS, 2014) showed that the sample complexity of the aforementioned problem is closely related to the 2/3-quasinorm of p. We obtain alternative bounds on the complexity of this problem in terms of an arguably more intuitive measure and using simpler proofs. More specifically, we prove that the sample complexity is essentially determined by a fundamental operator in the theory of interpolation of Banach spaces, known as Peetre's K-functional. We show that this quantity is closely related to the size of the effective support of p (loosely speaking, the number of supported elements that constitute the vast majority of the mass of p). This result, in turn, stems from an unexpected connection to functional analysis and refined concentration of measure inequalities, which arise naturally in our reduction
Optimal Separation and Strong Direct Sum for Randomized Query Complexity
We establish two results regarding the query complexity of bounded-error randomized algorithms.
Bounded-error separation theorem. There exists a total function f : {0,1}^n -> {0,1} whose epsilon-error randomized query complexity satisfies overline{R}_epsilon(f) = Omega(R(f) * log 1/epsilon).
Strong direct sum theorem. For every function f and every k >= 2, the randomized query complexity of computing k instances of f simultaneously satisfies overline{R}_epsilon(f^k) = Theta(k * overline{R}_{epsilon/k}(f)).
As a consequence of our two main results, we obtain an optimal superlinear direct-sum-type theorem for randomized query complexity: there exists a function f for which R(f^k) = Theta(k log k * R(f)). This answers an open question of Drucker (2012). Combining this result with the query-to-communication complexity lifting theorem of Göös, Pitassi, and Watson (2017), this also shows that there is a total function whose public-coin randomized communication complexity satisfies R^{cc}(f^k) = Theta(k log k * R^{cc}(f)), answering a question of Feder, Kushilevitz, Naor, and Nisan (1995)
On Testing and Robust Characterizations of Convexity
A body K ⊂ ℝⁿ is convex if and only if the line segment between any two points in K is completely contained within K or, equivalently, if and only if the convex hull of a set of points in K is contained within K. We show that neither of those characterizations of convexity are robust: there are bodies in ℝⁿ that are far from convex - in the sense that the volume of the symmetric difference between the set K and any convex set C is a constant fraction of the volume of K - for which a line segment between two randomly chosen points x,y ∈ K or the convex hull of a random set X of points in K is completely contained within K except with exponentially small probability. These results show that any algorithms for testing convexity based on the natural line segment and convex hull tests have exponential query complexity
Testing Submodularity and Other Properties of Valuation Functions
We show that for any constant \epsilon > 0 and p \ge 1, it is possible to distinguish functions f : \{0,1\}^n \to [0,1] that are submodular from those that are \epsilon-far from every submodular function in \ell_p distance with a constant number of queries.
More generally, we extend the testing-by-implicit-learning framework of Diakonikolas et al.(2007) to show that every property of real-valued functions that is well-approximated in \ell_2 distance by a class of k-juntas for some k = O(1) can be tested in the \ell_p-testing model with a constant number of queries. This result, combined with a recent junta theorem of Feldman and \Vondrak (2016), yields the constant-query testability of submodularity. It also yields constant-query testing algorithms for a variety of other natural properties of valuation functions, including fractionally additive (XOS) functions, OXS functions, unit demand functions, coverage functions, and self-bounding functions
Increasing flow in the actor's work
This paper is an account of preparation I undertook to play the roles of Eric, Venturewell, and Barberosa, in Tim Askew's adaptation of Francis Beaumont's The Knight of the Burning Pestle. Primary to approaching this track I have addressed my artistic challenge of increasing flow in my work as an actor. Starting with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi concept :of flow I began to investigate blocks during class work, rehearsals, performance and show development. I have applied theory and techniques as described in the writings of Declan Donnellan, Robert Triplett, Stephen Nachmanovitch, Eugen Herrigel and Shunryu Suzuki. Practical studio work revolved around mask work and improvisation as a framework through which explore: block and flow. Other research included historical and critical surveys of Francis Beaumont and The Knight of The Burning Pestle. The paper also includes journal entries from the rehearsal process of the York production and a conclusion of my findings
ROSENTHAL, Eric Inventory of documents
COVERAGE 1904; 1 File; 011 metre.Private papers of Eric Rosenthal, author, journalist and broadcaster
The Information Complexity of Hamming Distance
The Hamming distance function Ham_{n,d} returns 1 on all pairs of inputs x and y that differ in at most d coordinates and returns 0 otherwise. We initiate the study of the information complexity of the Hamming distance function.
We give a new optimal lower bound for the information complexity of the Ham_{n,d} function in the small-error regime where the protocol is required to err with probability at most epsilon < d/n. We also give a new conditional lower bound for the information complexity of Ham_{n,d} that is optimal in all regimes. These results imply the first new lower bounds on the communication complexity of the Hamming distance function for the shared randomness two-way communication model since Pang and El-Gamal (1986). These results also imply new lower bounds in the areas of property testing and parity decision tree complexity
Box Covers and Domain Orderings for Beyond Worst-Case Join Processing
Recent beyond worst-case optimal join algorithms Minesweeper and its generalization Tetris have brought the theory of indexing and join processing together by developing a geometric framework for joins. These algorithms take as input an index ℬ, referred to as a box cover, that stores output gaps that can be inferred from traditional indexes, such as B+ trees or tries, on the input relations. The performances of these algorithms highly depend on the certificate of ℬ, which is the smallest subset of gaps in ℬ whose union covers all of the gaps in the output space of a query Q. Different box covers can have different size certificates and the sizes of both the box covers and certificates highly depend on the ordering of the domain values of the attributes in Q. We study how to generate box covers that contain small size certificates to guarantee efficient runtimes for these algorithms. First, given a query Q over a set of relations of size N and a fixed set of domain orderings for the attributes, we give a Õ(N)-time algorithm called GAMB which generates a box cover for Q that is guaranteed to contain the smallest size certificate across any box cover for Q. Second, we show that finding a domain ordering to minimize the box cover size and certificate is NP-hard through a reduction from the 2 consecutive block minimization problem on boolean matrices. Our third contribution is a Õ(N)-time approximation algorithm called ADORA to compute domain orderings, under which one can compute a box cover of size Õ(K^r), where K is the minimum box cover for Q under any domain ordering and r is the maximum arity of any relation. This guarantees certificates of size Õ(K^r). We combine ADORA and GAMB with Tetris to form a new algorithm we call TetrisReordered, which provides several new beyond worst-case bounds. On infinite families of queries, TetrisReordered’s runtimes are unboundedly better than the bounds stated in prior work
Testing and Learning Convex Sets in the Ternary Hypercube
We study the problems of testing and learning high-dimensional discrete convex sets. The simplest high-dimensional discrete domain where convexity is a non-trivial property is the ternary hypercube, {-1,0,1}ⁿ. The goal of this work is to understand structural combinatorial properties of convex sets in this domain and to determine the complexity of the testing and learning problems. We obtain the following results.
Structural: We prove nearly tight bounds on the edge boundary of convex sets in {0,±1}ⁿ, showing that the maximum edge boundary of a convex set is Õ(n^{3/4})⋅3ⁿ, or equivalently that every convex set has influence Õ(n^{3/4}) and a convex set exists with influence Ω(n^{3/4}).
Learning and sample-based testing: We prove upper and lower bounds of 3^{Õ(n^{3/4})} and 3^{Ω(√n)} for the task of learning convex sets under the uniform distribution from random examples. The analysis of the learning algorithm relies on our upper bound on the influence. Both the upper and lower bound also hold for the problem of sample-based testing with two-sided error. For sample-based testing with one-sided error we show that the sample-complexity is 3^{Θ(n)}.
Testing with queries: We prove nearly matching upper and lower bounds of 3^{Θ̃(√n)} for one-sided error testing of convex sets with non-adaptive queries
tritrophic-dispersal-model: Code used for creating figures for "Non-hierarchical dispersal promotes stability and resilience in a tri-trophic metacommunity"
<p>This is the commented code used for creating figures for the paper. Any questions regarding the code should be directed to the corresponding author and repository owner (Eric Pedersen). </p>
- …
