9,392 research outputs found
An O(1)-Approximation for Minimum Spanning Tree Interdiction
Network interdiction problems are a natural way to study the sensitivity of a
network optimization problem with respect to the removal of a limited set of
edges or vertices. One of the oldest and best-studied interdiction problems is
minimum spanning tree (MST) interdiction. Here, an undirected multigraph with
nonnegative edge weights and positive interdiction costs on its edges is given,
together with a positive budget B. The goal is to find a subset of edges R,
whose total interdiction cost does not exceed B, such that removing R leads to
a graph where the weight of an MST is as large as possible. Frederickson and
Solis-Oba (SODA 1996) presented an O(log m)-approximation for MST interdiction,
where m is the number of edges. Since then, no further progress has been made
regarding approximations, and the question whether MST interdiction admits an
O(1)-approximation remained open.
We answer this question in the affirmative, by presenting a 14-approximation
that overcomes two main hurdles that hindered further progress so far.
Moreover, based on a well-known 2-approximation for the metric traveling
salesman problem (TSP), we show that our O(1)-approximation for MST
interdiction implies an O(1)-approximation for a natural interdiction version
of metric TSP
Parameterized Complexity of Edge Interdiction Problems
We study the parameterized complexity of interdiction problems in graphs. For
an optimization problem on graphs, one can formulate an interdiction problem as
a game consisting of two players, namely, an interdictor and an evader, who
compete on an objective with opposing interests. In edge interdiction problems,
every edge of the input graph has an interdiction cost associated with it and
the interdictor interdicts the graph by modifying the edges in the graph, and
the number of such modifications is constrained by the interdictor's budget.
The evader then solves the given optimization problem on the modified graph.
The action of the interdictor must impede the evader as much as possible. We
focus on edge interdiction problems related to minimum spanning tree, maximum
matching and shortest paths. These problems arise in different real world
scenarios. We derive several fixed-parameter tractability and W[1]-hardness
results for these interdiction problems with respect to various parameters.
Next, we show close relation between interdiction problems and partial cover
problems on bipartite graphs where the goal is not to cover all elements but to
minimize/maximize the number of covered elements with specific number of sets.
Hereby, we investigate the parameterized complexity of several partial cover
problems on bipartite graphs
Robust optimization with incremental recourse
In this paper, we consider an adaptive approach to address optimization
problems with uncertain cost parameters. Here, the decision maker selects an
initial decision, observes the realization of the uncertain cost parameters,
and then is permitted to modify the initial decision. We treat the uncertainty
using the framework of robust optimization in which uncertain parameters lie
within a given set. The decision maker optimizes so as to develop the best cost
guarantee in terms of the worst-case analysis. The recourse decision is
``incremental"; that is, the decision maker is permitted to change the initial
solution by a small fixed amount. We refer to the resulting problem as the
robust incremental problem. We study robust incremental variants of several
optimization problems. We show that the robust incremental counterpart of a
linear program is itself a linear program if the uncertainty set is polyhedral.
Hence, it is solvable in polynomial time. We establish the NP-hardness for
robust incremental linear programming for the case of a discrete uncertainty
set. We show that the robust incremental shortest path problem is NP-complete
when costs are chosen from a polyhedral uncertainty set, even in the case that
only one new arc may be added to the initial path. We also address the
complexity of several special cases of the robust incremental shortest path
problem and the robust incremental minimum spanning tree problem
Clustering with shallow trees
We propose a new method for hierarchical clustering based on the optimisation
of a cost function over trees of limited depth, and we derive a
message--passing method that allows to solve it efficiently. The method and
algorithm can be interpreted as a natural interpolation between two well-known
approaches, namely single linkage and the recently presented Affinity
Propagation. We analyze with this general scheme three biological/medical
structured datasets (human population based on genetic information, proteins
based on sequences and verbal autopsies) and show that the interpolation
technique provides new insight.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure
Globally and Locally Minimal Weight Spanning Tree Networks
The competition between local and global driving forces is significant in a
wide variety of naturally occurring branched networks. We have investigated the
impact of a global minimization criterion versus a local one on the structure
of spanning trees. To do so, we consider two spanning tree structures - the
generalized minimal spanning tree (GMST) defined by Dror et al. [1] and an
analogous structure based on the invasion percolation network, which we term
the generalized invasive spanning tree or GIST. In general, these two
structures represent extremes of global and local optimality, respectively.
Structural characteristics are compared between the GMST and GIST for a fixed
lattice. In addition, we demonstrate a method for creating a series of
structures which enable one to span the range between these two extremes. Two
structural characterizations, the occupied edge density (i.e., the fraction of
edges in the graph that are included in the tree) and the tortuosity of the
arcs in the trees, are shown to correlate well with the degree to which an
intermediate structure resembles the GMST or GIST. Both characterizations are
straightforward to determine from an image and are potentially useful tools in
the analysis of the formation of network structures.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, typographical error correcte
Sensitivity Analysis for Shortest Path Problems and Maximum Capacity Path Problems in Undirected Graphs
This paper addresses sensitivity analysis questions concerning the shortest path problem and the maximum capacity path problem in an undirected network. For both problems, we determine the maximum and minimum weights that each edge can have so that a given path remains optimal. For both problems, we show how to determine these maximum and minimum values for all edges in O(m + K log K) time, where m is the number of edges in the network, and K is the number of edges on the given optimal path
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