We present three alternative simple constructions of small probability spaces on n bits for which any k bits are almost independent. The number of bits used to specify a point in the sample space is (2 + o(1))(log log n + k/2 + log k + log 1 ɛ), where ɛ is the statistical difference between the distribution induced on any k bit locations and the uniform distribution. This is asymptotically comparable to the construction recently presented by Naor and Naor (our size bound is better as long as ɛ < 1/(k log n)). An additional advantage of our constructions is their simplicity.

We show how to efficiently construct a small probability space on n binary random variables such that for every subset, its parity is either zero or one with "almost" equal probability. They are called ffl-biased random variables. The number of random bits needed to generate the random variables is O(log n + log 1 ffl ). Thus, if ffl is polynomially small, then the size of the sample space is also polynomial. Random variables that are ffl-biased can be used to construct "almost" k-wise independent random variables where ffl is a function of k. These probability spaces have various applications: 1. Derandomization of algorithms: many randomized algorithms that require only k- wise independence of their random bits (where k is bounded by O(log n)), can be derandomized by using ffl-biased random variables. 2. Reducing the number of random bits required by certain randomized algorithms, e.g., verification of matrix multiplication. 3. Exhaustive testing of combinatorial circui...

We propose a new approach for constructing P2P networks based on a dynamic decomposition of a continuous space into cells corresponding to processors. We demonstrate the power of these design rules by suggesting two new architectures, one for DHT (Distributed Hash Table) and the other for dynamic expander networks. The DHT network, which we call Distance Halving, allows logarithmic routing and load, while preserving constant degrees. Our second construction builds a network that is guaranteed to be an expander. The resulting topologies are simple to maintain and implement. Their simplicity makes it easy to modify and add protocols. We show it is possible to reduce the dilation and the load of the DHT with a small increase of the degree. We present a provably good protocol for relieving hot spots and a construction with high fault tolerance. Finally we show that, using our approach, it is possible to construct any family of constant degree graphs in a dynamic environment, though with worst parameters. Therefore we expect that more distributed data structures could be designed and implemented in a dynamic environment.

This paper introduces a new divide-and-conquer framework for VLSI graph layout. Universally close upper and lower bounds are obtained for important cost functions such as layout area and propagation delay. The framework is also effectively used to design regular and configurable layouts, to assemble large networks of processors using restructurable chips, and to configure networks around faulty processors. It is also shown how good graph partitioning heuristics may be used to develop a provably good layout strategy.

The main contribution of this work is a new type of graph product, which we call the zig-zag product. Taking a product of a large graph with a small graph, the resulting graph inherits (roughly) its size from the large one, its degree from the small one, and its expansion properties from both! Iteration yields simple explicit constructions of constant-degree expanders of every size, starting from one constant-size expander. Crucial to our intuition (and simple analysis) of the properties of this graph product is the view of expanders as functions which act as “entropy wave ” propagators — they transform probability distributions in which entropy is concentrated in one area to distributions where that concentration is dissipated. In these terms, the graph product affords the constructive interference of two such waves. A variant of this product can be applied to extractors, giving the first explicit extractors whose seed length depends (poly)logarithmically on only the entropy deficiency of the source (rather than its length) and that extract almost all the entropy of high min-entropy sources. These high min-entropy extractors have several interesting applications, including the first constant-degree explicit expanders which beat the “eigenvalue bound.” Keywords: expander graphs, extractors, dispersers, samplers, graph products

This paper of Tseitin is a landmark as the first to give non-trivial lower bounds for propositional proofs; although it pre-dates the first papers on

This chapter is a self-contained survey of recent results about the hardness of approximating NP-hard optimization problems.

We use a certain type of expanding bipartite graphs, called disperser graphs, to design procedures for picking highly correlated samples from a finite set, with the property that the probability of hitting any sufficiently large subset is high. These procedures require a relatively small number of random bits and are robust with respect to the quality of the random bits. Using these sampling procedures to sample random inputs of polynomial time probabilistic algorithms, we can simulate the performance of some probabilistic algorithms with less random bits or with low quality random bits. We obtain the following results: 1. The error probability of an RP or BPP algorithm that operates with a constant error bound and requires n random bits, can be made exponentially small (i.e. 2 \Gamman ), with only (3 + ffl)n random bits, as opposed to standard amplification techniques that require \Omega\Gamma n 2 ) random bits for the same task. This result is nearly optimal, since the informati...

For every n and 0 ! ffi ! 1, we construct graphs on n nodes such that every two sets of size n ffi share an edge, having essentially optimal maximum degree n 1\Gammaffi+o(1) . Using known and new reductions from these graphs, we explicitly construct: 1. A k round sorting algorithm using n 1+1=k+o(1) comparisons. 2. A k round selection algorithm using n 1+1=(2 k \Gamma1)+o(1) comparisons. 3. A depth 2 superconcentrator of size n 1+o(1) . 4. A depth k wide-sense nonblocking generalized connector of size n 1+1=k+o(1) . All of these results improve on previous constructions by factors of n\Omega\Gamma37 , and are optimal to within factors of n o(1) . These results are based on an improvement to the extractor construction of Nisan & Zuckerman: our algorithm extracts an asymptotically optimal number of random bits from a defective random source using a small additional number of truly random bits. 1

Abstract Trevisan showed that many pseudorandom generator constructions give rise to constructionsof explicit extractors. We show how to use such constructions to obtain explicit lossless condensers. A lossless condenser is a probabilistic map using only O(log n) additional random bitsthat maps n bits strings to poly(log K) bit strings, such that any source with support size Kis mapped almost injectively to the smaller domain. Our construction remains the best lossless condenser to date.By composing our condenser with previous extractors, we obtain new, improved extractors. For small enough min-entropies our extractors can output all of the randomness with only O(log n) bits. We also obtain a new disperser that works for every entropy loss, uses an O(log n)bit seed, and has only O(log n) entropy loss. This is the best disperser construction to date,and yields other applications. Finally, our lossless condenser can be viewed as an unbalanced