3,940 research outputs found
Clustered Integer 3SUM via Additive Combinatorics
We present a collection of new results on problems related to 3SUM,
including:
1. The first truly subquadratic algorithm for
1a. computing the (min,+) convolution for monotone increasing
sequences with integer values bounded by ,
1b. solving 3SUM for monotone sets in 2D with integer coordinates
bounded by , and
1c. preprocessing a binary string for histogram indexing (also
called jumbled indexing).
The running time is:
with
randomization, or deterministically. This greatly improves the
previous time bound obtained from Williams'
recent result on all-pairs shortest paths [STOC'14], and answers an open
question raised by several researchers studying the histogram indexing problem.
2. The first algorithm for histogram indexing for any constant alphabet size
that achieves truly subquadratic preprocessing time and truly sublinear query
time.
3. A truly subquadratic algorithm for integer 3SUM in the case when the given
set can be partitioned into clusters each covered by an interval
of length , for any constant .
4. An algorithm to preprocess any set of integers so that subsequently
3SUM on any given subset can be solved in
time.
All these results are obtained by a surprising new technique, based on the
Balog--Szemer\'edi--Gowers Theorem from additive combinatorics
Ambulance Emergency Response Optimization in Developing Countries
The lack of emergency medical transportation is viewed as the main barrier to
the access of emergency medical care in low and middle-income countries
(LMICs). In this paper, we present a robust optimization approach to optimize
both the location and routing of emergency response vehicles, accounting for
uncertainty in travel times and spatial demand characteristic of LMICs. We
traveled to Dhaka, Bangladesh, the sixth largest and third most densely
populated city in the world, to conduct field research resulting in the
collection of two unique datasets that inform our approach. This data is
leveraged to develop machine learning methodologies to estimate demand for
emergency medical services in a LMIC setting and to predict the travel time
between any two locations in the road network for different times of day and
days of the week. We combine our robust optimization and machine learning
frameworks with real data to provide an in-depth investigation into three
policy-related questions. First, we demonstrate that outpost locations
optimized for weekday rush hour lead to good performance for all times of day
and days of the week. Second, we find that significant improvements in
emergency response times can be achieved by re-locating a small number of
outposts and that the performance of the current system could be replicated
using only 30% of the resources. Lastly, we show that a fleet of small
motorcycle-based ambulances has the potential to significantly outperform
traditional ambulance vans. In particular, they are able to capture three times
more demand while reducing the median response time by 42% due to increased
routing flexibility offered by nimble vehicles on a larger road network. Our
results provide practical insights for emergency response optimization that can
be leveraged by hospital-based and private ambulance providers in Dhaka and
other urban centers in LMICs
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