A guide to inexact contiguity constraints

For decades, researchers have complained that contiguity constraints make problems like districting much harder than other combinatorial optimization problems. This has prompted the use of integer programming models with inexact contiguity constraints that may be fast in practice but are invalid in the sense that they cut off or “overlook” some contiguous solutions. Examples include … Read more

On the B-differential of the componentwise minimum of two affine vector functions

This paper focuses on the description and computation of the B-differential of the componentwise minimum of two affine vector functions. This issue arises in the reformulation of the linear complementarity problem with the Min C-function. The question has many equivalent formulations and we identify some of them in linear algebra, convex analysis and discrete geometry. … Read more

Solving the n_1 × n_2 × n_3 Points Problem for n_3 < 6

In this paper, we show enhanced upper bounds of the nontrivial \(n_1 \times n_2 \times n_3\) points problem for every \(n_1 \leq n_2 \leq n_3 < 6\). We present new patterns that significantly improve the previously known algorithms for finding minimum-link covering paths and trails. CitationAn old version of the present paper has been published … Read more

Mixed-Integer Programming Techniques for the Connected Max-k-Cut Problem

We consider an extended version of the classical Max-k-Cut problem in which we additionally require that the parts of the graph partition are connected. For this problem we study two alternative mixed-integer linear formulations and review existing as well as develop new branch-and-cut techniques like cuts, branching rules, propagation, primal heuristics, and symmetry breaking. The … Read more