Tarjan’s Bridge-Finding

The Kolmogorov Axioms form the foundational framework for probability theory, established by the Russian mathematician Andrey Kolmogorov in the 1930s. These axioms define a probability space $(S, \mathcal{F}, P)$, where $S$ is the sample space, $\mathcal{F}$ is a σ-algebra of events, and $P$ is the probability measure. The three main axioms are:

1. Non-negativity: For any event $A \in \mathcal{F}$, the probability $P(A)$ is always non-negative:

$P(A) \geq 0$

2. Normalization: The probability of the entire sample space equals 1:

$P(S) = 1$

3. Countable Additivity: For any countable collection of mutually exclusive events $A_1, A_2, \ldots \in \mathcal{F}$, the probability of their union is equal to the sum of their probabilities:

$P\left(\bigcup_{i=1}^{\infty} A_i\right) = \sum_{i=1}^{\infty} P(A_i)$

These axioms provide the basis for further developments in probability theory and allow for rigorous manipulation of probabilities

The LZW (Lempel-Ziv-Welch) compression algorithm is a lossless data compression technique that builds a dictionary of input sequences during the encoding process. It starts with a predefined dictionary of single characters and replaces repeated occurrences of sequences with a reference to the dictionary entry. Each time a new sequence is found, it is added to the dictionary with a unique index, allowing for efficient encoding and reducing the overall size of the data. This method is particularly effective for compressing text files and is widely used in formats like GIF and TIFF. The algorithm operates in two main phases: compression, where the input data is transformed into a sequence of dictionary indices, and decompression, where the indices are converted back into the original data using the same dictionary.

In summary, LZW achieves compression by exploiting the redundancy in data, making it a powerful tool for efficient data storage and transmission.

Epigenetic markers are chemical modifications on DNA or histone proteins that regulate gene expression without altering the underlying genetic sequence. These markers can influence how genes are turned on or off, thereby affecting cellular function and development. Common types of epigenetic modifications include DNA methylation, where methyl groups are added to DNA molecules, and histone modification, which involves the addition or removal of chemical groups to histone proteins. These changes can be influenced by various factors such as environmental conditions, lifestyle choices, and developmental stages, making them crucial in understanding processes like aging, disease progression, and inheritance. Importantly, epigenetic markers can potentially be reversible, offering avenues for therapeutic interventions in various health conditions.

Perfect hashing is a technique used to create a hash table that guarantees constant time complexity $O(1)$ for search operations, with no collisions. This is achieved by constructing a hash function that uniquely maps each key in a set to a distinct index in the hash table. The process typically involves two phases:

1. Static Hashing: The first step involves selecting a hash function that minimizes collisions for a given set of keys. This can be done by using a family of hash functions and choosing one based on the specific keys at hand.

2. Dynamic Hashing: The second phase is to create a secondary hash table for handling collisions, which is necessary if the initial hash function yields any. However, in perfect hashing, this secondary table is designed such that it has no collisions for the keys it processes.

The major advantage of perfect hashing is that it provides a space-efficient structure for static sets, ensuring that every key is mapped to a unique slot without the need for linked lists or other collision resolution strategies.

The Viterbi algorithm is a dynamic programming algorithm used for finding the most likely sequence of hidden states, known as the Viterbi path, in a Hidden Markov Model (HMM). It operates by recursively calculating the probabilities of the most likely states at each time step, given the observed data. The algorithm maintains a matrix where each entry represents the highest probability of reaching a certain state at a specific time, along with backpointer information to reconstruct the optimal path.

The process can be broken down into three main steps:

1. Initialization: Set the initial probabilities based on the starting state and the observed data.
2. Recursion: For each subsequent observation, update the probabilities by considering all possible transitions from the previous states and selecting the maximum.
3. Termination: Identify the state with the highest probability at the final time step and backtrack using the pointers to construct the most likely sequence of states.

Mathematically, the probability of the Viterbi path can be expressed as follows:

where $V_t(j)$ is the maximum probability of reaching state $j$ at time $t$, $a_{ij}$ is the transition probability from state $i$ to state $ j

The Kaldor-Hicks efficiency criterion is an economic concept used to assess the efficiency of resource allocation in situations where policies or projects might create winners and losers. It asserts that a policy is deemed efficient if the total benefits to the winners exceed the total costs incurred by the losers, even if compensation does not occur. This can be expressed as:

In this sense, it allows for a broader evaluation of economic outcomes by focusing on aggregate welfare rather than individual fairness. The principle suggests that as long as the gains from a policy outweigh the losses, it can be justified, promoting economic growth and efficiency. However, critics argue that it overlooks the distribution of wealth and may lead to policies that harm vulnerable populations without adequate compensation mechanisms.