Best algorithm to pair items of two queues - algorithm

Question

I have to find the best algorithm to define pairing between the items from two lists as in the figure. The pair is valid only if the number of node in list A is lower than number of node in list B and there are no crosses between links. The quality of the matching algorithm is determined by the total number of links.
I firstly tried to use a very simple algorithm: take a node in the list A and then look for the first node in list B that is higher than the former. The second figure shows a test case where this algorithm is not the best one.

Answer 1

Simple back-tracking can work (it may not be optimal, but it will certainly work).
For each legal pairing A[i], B[j], there are two choices:
take it, and make it illegal to try to pair any A[x], B[y] with x>i and y<j
not take it, and look at other possible pairs
By incrementally adding legal pairs to a bunch of pairs, you will eventually exhaust all legal pairings down a path. The number of valid pairings in a path is what you seek to maximize, and this algorithm will look at all possible answers and is guaranteed to work.
Pseudocode:
function search(currentPairs):
bestPairing = currentPairs
for each currently legal pair:
nextPairing = search(copyOf(currentPairs) + this pair)
if length of nextPairing > length of bestPairing:
bestPairing = nextPairing
return bestPairing
Initially, you will pass an empty currentPairs. Searching for legal pairs is the tricky part. You can use 3 nested loops that look at all A[x], B[y], and finally, if A[x] < B[y], look against all currentPairs to see if the there is a crossing line (the cost of this is roughly O(n^3)); or you can use a boolean matrix of valid pairings, which you update at each level (less computation time, down to O(n^2) - but more expensive in terms of memory)

Answer 2

Here a Java implementation.
For convinience I first build a map with the valid choices for each entry of list(array) a to b.
Then I loop throuough the list, making no choice and the valid choices for a connection to b.
Since you cant go back without crossing the existing connections I keep track of the maximum assigned in b.
Works at least for the two examples...
public class ListMatcher {
private int[] a ;
private int[] b ;
private Map<Integer,List<Integer>> choicesMap;
public ListMatcher(int[] a, int[] b) {
this.a = a;
this.b = b;
choicesMap = makeMap(a,b);
}
public Map<Integer,Integer> solve() {
Map<Integer,Integer> solution = new HashMap<>();
return solve(solution, 0, -1);
}
private Map<Integer,Integer> solve(Map<Integer,Integer> soFar, int current, int max) {
// done
if (current >= a.length) {
return soFar;
}
// make no choice from this entry
Map<Integer, Integer> solution = solve(new HashMap<>(soFar),current+1, max);
for (Integer choice : choicesMap.get(current)) {
if (choice > max) // can't go back
{
Map<Integer,Integer> next = new HashMap<>(soFar);
next.put(current, choice);
next = solve(next, current+1, choice);
if (next.size() > solution.size()) {
solution = next;
}
}
}
return solution;
}
// init possible choices
private Map<Integer, List<Integer>> makeMap(int[] a, int[] b) {
Map<Integer,List<Integer>> possibleMap = new HashMap<>();
for(int i = 0; i < a.length; i++) {
List<Integer> possible = new ArrayList<>();
for(int j = 0; j < b.length; j++) {
if (a[i] < b[j]) {
possible.add(j);
}
}
possibleMap.put(i, possible);
}
return possibleMap;
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
ListMatcher matcher = new ListMatcher(new int[]{3,7,2,1,5,9,2,2},new int[]{4,5,10,1,12,3,6,7});
System.out.println(matcher.solve());
matcher = new ListMatcher(new int[]{10,1,1,1,1,1,1,1},new int[]{2,2,2,2,2,2,2,101});
System.out.println(matcher.solve());
}
}
Output
(format: zero-based index_in_a=index_in_b)
{2=0, 3=1, 4=2, 5=4, 6=5, 7=6}
{1=0, 2=1, 3=2, 4=3, 5=4, 6=5, 7=6}
Your solution isn't picked because the solutions making no choice are picked first.
You can change this by processing the loop first...

Answer 3

Thanks to David's suggestion, I finally found the algorithm. It is an LCS approach, replacing the '=' with an '>'.
Recursive approach
The recursive approach is very straightforward. G and V are the two vectors with size n and m (adding a 0 at the beginning of both). Starting from the end, if last from G is larger than last from V, then return 1 + the function evaluated without the last item, otherwise return max of the function removing last from G or last from V.
int evaluateMaxRecursive(vector<int> V, vector<int> G, int n, int m) {
if ((n == 0) || (m == 0)) {
return 0;
}
else {
if (V[n] < G[m]) {
return 1 + evaluateMaxRecursive(V, G, n - 1, m - 1);
} else {
return max(evaluateMaxRecursive(V, G, n - 1, m), evaluateMaxRecursive(V, G, n, m - 1));
}
}
};
The recursive approach is valid with small number of items, due to the re-evaluation of same lists that occur during the loop.
Non recursive approach
The non recursive approach goes in the opposite direction and works with a table that is filled in after having clared to 0 first row and first column. The max value is the value in the bottom left corner of the table
int evaluateMax(vector<int> V, vector<int> G, int n, int m) {
int** table = new int* [n + 1];
for (int i = 0; i < n + 1; ++i)
table[i] = new int[m + 1];
for (int i = 0; i < n + 1; i++)
for (int t = 0; t < m + 1; t++)
table[i][t] = 0;
for (int i = 1; i < m + 1; i++)
for (int t = 1; t < n + 1; t++) {
if (G[i - 1] > V[t - 1]) {
table[t] [i] = 1 + table[t - 1][i - 1];
}
else {
table[t][i] = max(table[t][i - 1], table[t - 1][i]);
}
}
return table[n][m];
}
You can find more details here LCS - Wikipedia