The Hop-Constrained Minimum Spanning Tree Problem (HMSTP) is a NP-hard problem arising in the design of centralized telecommunication networks with quality of service constraints. We show that the HMSTP is equivalent to a Steiner Tree Problem (STP) in an adequate layered graph. We prove that the directed cut formulation for the STP defined in the … Read more
We describe a rudimentary branch-and-cut algorithm for solving integer bilevel linear programs that extends existing techniques for standard integer linear programs to this very challenging computational setting. The algorithm improves on the branch-and-bound algorithm of Moore and Bard in that it uses cutting plane techniques to produce improved bounds, does not require specialized branching strategies, … Read more
Given a finite ground set N and a value vector a in R^N, we consider optimization problems involving maximization of a submodular set utility function of the form h(S)= f (sum_{i in S} a_i), S subseteq N, where f is a strictly concave, increasing, differentiable function. This function appears frequently in combinatorial optimization problems when … Read more
A new exact solution algorithm is proposed for the Degree-Constrained Minimum Spanning Tree Problem. The algorithm involves two combined phases. The first one contains a Lagrangian Relax-and-Cut procedure while the second implements a Branch-and-Cut algorithm. Both phases rely on a standard formulation for the problem, reinforced with Blossom Inequalities. An important feature of the proposed … Read more
This paper deals with the ring star problem that consists in designing a ring that pass through a central depot, and then assigning each non visited customer to a node of the ring. The objective is to minimize the total routing and assignment costs. A new chain based formulation is proposed. Valid inequalities are proposed … Read more
Benders decomposition has been widely used for solving network design problems. In this paper, we use a branch-and-cut algorithm to improve the separation procedure of Gabrel et al. and Knippel et al. for capacitated network design. We detail experiments on bilayer networks, comparing with Knippel’s previous results. Citation Technical Reports of the ULB Computer Science … Read more
We study a planning problem arising in SDH/WDM multi-layer telecommunication network design. The goal is to find a minimum cost installation of link and node hardware of both network layers such that traffic demands can be realized via grooming and a survivable routing. We present a mixed-integer programming formulation that takes many practical side constraints … Read more
The minimum k-partition (MkP) problem is the problem of partitioning the set of vertices of a graph into k disjoint subsets so as to minimize the total weight of the edges joining vertices in the same partition. The main contribution of this paper is the design and implementation of a branch-and-cut algorithm based on semidefinite … Read more
Chvatal-Gomory cuts are among the most well-known classes of cutting planes for general integer linear programs (ILPs). In case the constraint multipliers are either 0 or 1/2, such cuts are known as {0, 1/2}-cuts. It has been proven by Caprara and Fischetti (1996) that separation of {0, 1/2}-cuts is NP-hard. In this paper, we study … Read more
We construct an integrated multi-period inventory-production-distribution replenishment plan for three-stage supply chains. The supply chain maintains close-relationships with a small group of suppliers, and the nature of the products (bulk, chemical, etc.) makes it more economical to rely upon a direct shipment, full-truck load distribution policy between supply chain nodes. In this paper, we formulate … Read more