Approximation of the Quadratic Knapsack Problem

We study the approximability of the classical quadratic knapsack problem (QKP) on special graph classes. In this case the quadratic terms of the objective function are not given for each pair of knapsack items. Instead an edge weighted graph G = (V,E) whose vertices represent the knapsack items induces a quadratic profit p_ij for the … Read more

Approximation Algorithms for the Incremental Knapsack Problem via Disjunctive Programming

In the \emph{incremental knapsack problem} ($\IK$), we are given a knapsack whose capacity grows weakly as a function of time. There is a time horizon of $T$ periods and the capacity of the knapsack is $B_t$ in period $t$ for $t = 1, \ldots, T$. We are also given a set $S$ of $N$ items … Read more

Fully Polynomial Time Approximation Schemes for Stochastic Dynamic Programs

We present a framework for obtaining Fully Polynomial Time Approximation Schemes (FPTASs) for stochastic univariate dynamic programs with either convex or monotone single-period cost functions. This framework is developed through the establishment of two sets of computational rules, namely the Calculus of K-approximation Functions and the Calculus of K-approximation Sets. Using our framework, we provide … Read more

Scheduling on uniform nonsimultaneous parallel machines

We consider the problem of scheduling on uniform processors with nonsimultaneous machine available times with the purpose of mini\-mi\-zing the maximum completion time. We give a variant of the Multifit algorithm which generates schedules which end within $1.382$ times the optimal maximum completion times. This results from properties of the Multifit algorithm when used for … Read more

Near-Optimal Algorithms for Capacity Constrained Assortment Optimization

Assortment optimization is an important problem that arises in many practical applications such as retailing and online advertising. In an assortment optimization problem, the goal is to select a subset of items that maximizes the expected revenue in the presence of the substitution behavior of consumers specified by a choice model. In this paper, we … Read more

Analysis of MILP Techniques for the Pooling Problem

The $pq$-relaxation for the pooling problem can be constructed by applying McCormick envelopes for each of the bilinear terms appearing in the so-called $pq$-formulation of the pooling problem. This relaxation can be strengthened by using piecewise-linear functions that over- and under-estimate each bilinear term. The resulting relaxation can be written as a mixed integer linear … Read more

Incremental Network Design with Shortest Paths

We introduce a class of incremental network design problems focused on investigating the optimal choice and timing of network expansions. We concentrate on an incremental network design problem with shortest paths. We investigate structural properties of optimal solutions, we show that the simplest variant is NP-hard, we analyze the worst-case performance of natural greedy heuristics, … Read more

A Semidefinite Approach to the $ Cover Problem

We apply theta body relaxations to the $K_i$ cover problem and use this to show polynomial time solvability for certain classes of graphs. In particular, we give an effective relaxation where all $K_i$-$p$-hole facets are valid, addressing an open question of Conforti et al \cite{conforti}. For the triangle free problem, we show for $K_n$ that … Read more

Maximizing expected utility over a knapsack constraint

The expected utility knapsack problem is to pick a set of items whose values are described by random variables so as to maximize the expected utility of the total value of the items picked while satisfying a constraint on the total weight of items picked. We consider the following solution approach for this problem: (i) … Read more