On the exact separation of rank inequalities for the maximum stable set problem

When addressing the maximum stable set problem on a graph G = (V,E), rank inequalities prescribe that, for any subgraph G[U] induced by U ⊆ V , at most as many vertices as the stability number of G[U] can be part of a stable set of G. These inequalities are very general, as many of … Read more

Discretization vertex orders in distance geometry

When a weighted graph is an instance of the Distance Geometry Problem (DGP), certain types of vertex orders (called discretization orders) allow the use of a very efficient, precise and robust discrete search algorithm (called Branch-and-Prune). Accordingly, finding such orders is critically important in order to solve DGPs in practice. We discuss three types of … Read more

Binary Decision Rules for Multistage Adaptive Mixed-Integer Optimization

Decision rules provide a flexible toolbox for solving the computationally demanding, multistage adaptive optimization problems. There is a plethora of real-valued decision rules that are highly scalable and achieve good quality solutions. On the other hand, existing binary decision rule structures tend to produce good quality solutions at the expense of limited scalability, and are … Read more

Minimizing Cubic and Homogeneous Polynomials over Integers in the Plane

We complete the complexity classification by degree of minimizing a polynomial in two variables over the integer points in a polyhedron. Previous work shows that in two variables, optimizing a quadratic polynomial over the integer points in a polyhedral region can be done in polynomial time, while optimizing a quartic polynomial in the same type … Read more

On Augmentation Algorithms for Linear and Integer-Linear Programming: From Edmonds-Karp to Bland and Beyond

Motivated by Bland’s linear-programming generalization of the renowned Edmonds-Karp efficient refinement of the Ford-Fulkerson maximum-flow algorithm, we discuss three closely-related natural augmentation rules for linear and integer-linear optimization. In several nice situations, we show that polynomially-many augmentation steps suffice to reach an optimum. In particular, when using “discrete steepest-descent augmentations” (i.e., directions with the best … Read more

Fast Algorithms for the Minimum Volume Estimator

The MVE estimator is an important tool in robust regression and outlier detection in statistics. We develop fast and efficient algorithms for the MVE estimator problem and discuss how they can be implemented efficiently. The novelty of our approach stems from the recent developments in the first-order algorithms for solving the related Minimum Volume Enclosing … Read more

A branch-cut-and-price algorithm for the energy minimization vehicle routing problem

We study a variant of the capacitated vehicle routing problem where the cost over each arc is defined as the product of the arc length and the weight of the vehicle when it traverses that arc. We propose two new mixed integer linear programming formulations for the problem: an arc-load formulation and a set partitioning … Read more

Mathematical programming approach to tighten a Big-$ formulation

In this paper we present a mathematical programming approach to tighten a Big-$M$ formulation ($P_M$) of a Mixed Integer Problem with Logical Implications ($P$). If $M_0$ is a valid vector (the optimal solutions of $P$ belong to the feasible solutions set of $P_{M_0}$) our procedures find a valid vector $M$ such that $M \leq M_0$. … Read more

A Generalization of Benders’ Algorithm for Two-Stage Stochastic Optimization Problems With Mixed Integer Recourse

We describe a generalization of Benders’ method for solving two-stage stochastic linear optimization problems in which there are both continuous and integer variables in the first and second stages. Benders’ method relies on finding effective lower approximations for the value function of the second-stage problem. In this setting, the value function is a discontinuous, non-convex, … Read more

On the Value Function of a Mixed Integer Linear Optimization Problem and an Algorithm for its Construction

This paper addresses the value function of a general mixed integer linear optimization problem (MILP). The value function describes the change in optimal objective value as the right-hand side is varied and understanding its structure is central to solving a variety of important classes of optimization problems. We propose a discrete representation of the MILP … Read more