Maximizing a Class of Submodular Utility Functions

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 Hybrid Relax-and-Cut/Branch-and-Cut Algorithm for the Degree-Constrained Minimum Spanning Tree Problem

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

An exact algorithm for solving the ring star problem

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

A Polyhedral Approach to the Single Row Facility Layout Problem

The Single Row Facility Layout Problem (SRFLP) is the problem of arranging facilities of given lengths on a line, while minimizing a weighted sum of the distances between all pairs of facilities. The SRFLP is strongly NP-hard and includes the well-known linear arrangement problem as a special case. We perform the first ever polyhedral study … Read more

The two-stage recombination operator and its application to the multiobjective 0/1 knapsack problem: a comparative study

In this paper, we propose a new recombination operator and test its performance in the context of the multiobjective 0/1 knapsack problem (MOKP). The proposed recombination operator generates only one offspring solution from a selected pair of parents according to the two following stages. In the first stage, called genetic shared-information stage or similarity-preserving stage, … Read more

An improved Benders decomposition applied to a multi-layer network design problem

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

GRASP and path relinking for the max-min diversity problem

The Max-Min Diversity Problem (MMDP) consists in selecting a subset of elements from a given set in such a way that the diversity among the selected elements is maximized. The problem is NP-hard and can be formulated as an integer linear program. Since the 1980s, several solution methods for this problem have been developed and … Read more

Simultaneous Solution of Lagrangean Dual Problems Interleaved with Preprocessing for the Weight Constrained Shortest Path Problem

Conventional Lagrangean preprocessing for the network Weight Constrained Shortest Path Problem (WCSPP calculates lower bounds on the cost of using each node and edge in a feasible path using a single optimal Lagrange multiplier for the relaxation of the WCSPP. These lower bounds are used in conjunction with an upper bound to eliminate nodes and … Read more