Abstract We describe simple greedy algorithms to construct the shortest set of loops that generates either the fundamental group (with a given basepoint) or the first homology group (over any fixed coefficient field) of any oriented 2-manifold. In particular, we show that the shortest set of loops that generate the fundamental group of any oriented combinatorial 2-manifold, with any given basepoint, can be constructed in O(n log n) time using a straightforward application of Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm. This solves an open problem of Colin de Verdi`ere and Lazarus.

Abstract. In an increasing number of domains such as bioinformatics, combinatorial graph problems arise. We propose a novel way to solve these problems, mainly those that can be translated to constrained subgraph finding. Our approach extends constraint programming by introducing CP(Graph), a new computation domain focused on graphs including a new type of variable: graph domain variables as well as constraints over these variables and their propagators. These constraints are subdivided into kernel constraints and additional constraints formulated as networks of kernel constraints. For some of these constraints a dedicated global constraint and its associated propagator are sketched. CP(Graph) is integrated with finite domain and finite sets computation domains, allowing the combining of constraints of these domains with graph constraints. A prototype of CP(Graph) built over finite domains and finite sets in Oz is presented. And we show that a problem of biochemical network analysis can be very simply described and solved within CP(Graph). 1

This paper presents an efficient fully dynamic graph algorithm for maintaining the transitive closure of a directed graph. The algorithm updates the adjacency matrix of the transitive closure with each update to the graph. Hence, each reachability query of the form "Is there a directed path from i to j?" can be answered in O(1) time. The algorithm is randomized; it is correct when answering yes, but has O(1/n^c) probability of error when answering no, for any constant c. In acyclic graphs, worst case update time is O(n^2). In general graphs, update time is O(n^(2+alpha)), where alpha = min {.26, maximum size of a strongly connected component}. The space complexity of the algorithm is O(n^2).

We provide a data structure for maintaining an embedding of a graph on a surface (represented combinatorially by a permutation of edges around each vertex) and computing generators of the fundamental group of the surface, in amortized time O(logn + logg(loglogg) 3) per update on a surface of genus g; we can also test orientability of the surface in the same time, and maintain the minimum and maximum spanning tree of the graph in time O(log n + log 4 g) per update. Our data structure allows edge insertion and deletion as well as the dual operations; these operations may implicitly change the genus of the embedding surface. We apply similar ideas to improve the constant factor in a separator theorem for low-genus graphs, and to find in linear time a tree-decomposition of low-genus low-diameter graphs.

The cell probe model is a general, combinatorial model of data structures. We give a survey of known results about the cell probe complexity of static and dynamic data structure problems, with an emphasis on techniques for proving lower bounds. 1 Introduction 1.1 The 'Were-you-last?' game A Dream Team, consisting of m players, is held captive in the dungeon of their adversary, Hannibal. He now makes them play his favourite game, Were-you-last?. Before the game starts the players of the Team are allowed to meet to discuss a strategy (obviously, Hannibal has the room bugged and is listening in). After the discussion they are led to separate waiting rooms. Then Hannibal leads each of the players of the team, one by one, to the playing field. The players do not know the order in which they are led to the field and they spend their time there alone. The playing field is a room, containing an infinite number of boxes, labelled 0, 1, 2, 3, . . . . Inside each box is a switch that can be ...

We obtain several new dynamic algorithms for maintaining the transitive closure of a directed graph, and several other algorithms for answering reachability queries without explicitly maintaining a transitive closure matrix. Among our algorithms are: (i) A decremental algorithm for maintaining the transitive closure of a directed graph, through an arbitrary sequence of edge deletions, in O(mn) total expected time, essentially the time needed for computing the transitive closure of the initial graph. Such a result was previously known only for acyclic graphs.

Abstract. We develop a new technique for proving cell-probe lower bounds on dynamic data structures. This technique enables us to prove an amortized randomized Ω(lg n) lower bound per operation for several data structural problems on n elements, including partial sums, dynamic connectivity among disjoint paths (or a forest or a graph), and several other dynamic graph problems (by simple reductions). Such a lower bound breaks a long-standing barrier of Ω(lg n/lg lg n) for any dynamic language membership problem. It also establishes the optimality of several existing data structures, such as Sleator and Tarjan’s dynamic trees. We also prove the first Ω(log B n) lower bound in the external-memory model without assumptions on the data structure (such as the comparison model). Our lower bounds also give a query-update trade-off curve matched, e.g., by several data structures for dynamic connectivity in graphs. We also prove matching upper and lower bounds for partial sums when parameterized by the word size and the maximum additive change in an update. Key words. Cell-probe complexity, lower bounds, data structures, dynamic graph problems, partial-sums problem AMS subject classification. 68Q17 1. Introduction. The

We describe a kinetic data structure (KDS) that maintains the connected components of the union of a set of unit-radius disks moving in the plane. We assume that the motion of each disk can be specified by a low-degree algebraic trajectory; this trajectory, however, can be modified in an on-line fashion. While the disks move continuously, their connectivity changes at discrete times. Our main result is an O(n) space data structure that takes O(log n/ log log n) time per connectivity query of the form "are disks A and B in the same connected component?" A straightforward approach based on dynamically maintaining the overlap graph requires## n 2 ) space. Our data structure requires only linear space and must deal with O(n 2+# ) updates in the worst case, each requiring O(log 2 n) amortized time. This number of updates is close to optimal, since a set of n moving unit disks can undergo## n 2 ) connectivity changes. 1 Introduction Motivated by applications in mobile ...

Petersen's theorem is a classic result in matching theory from 1891, stating that every 3-regular bridgeless graph has a perfect matching. Our work explores efficient algorithms for finding perfect matchings in such graphs. Previously, the only relevant matching algorithms were for general graphs, and the fastest algorithm ran in O(n^3/2) time for 3-regular graphs. We have developed an O(n log^4 n)-time algorithm for perfect matching in a 3-regular bridgeless graph. When the graph is also planar, we have as the main result of our paper an optimal O(n)-time algorithm. We present three applications of this result: terrain guarding, adaptive mesh refinement, and quadrangulation.

We present a fully dynamic randomized data structure that can answer queries about the convex hull of a set of n points in three dimensions, where insertions take O(log 3 n) expected amortized time, deletions take O(log 6 n) expected amortized time, and extreme-point queries take O(log 2 n) worst-case time. This is the first method that guarantees polylogarithmic update and query cost for arbitrary sequences of insertions and deletions, and improves the previous O(n ε)-time method by Agarwal and Matouˇsek a decade ago. As a consequence, we obtain similar results for nearest neighbor queries in two dimensions and improved results for numerous fundamental geometric problems (such as levels in three dimensions and dynamic Euclidean minimum spanning trees in the plane). 1