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The vertex cover problem is one of the most important and intensively studied combinatorial optimization problems. Khot and Regevproved that the problem is NP-hard to approximate within a factor2 - ∈, assuming the Unique Games Conjecture (UGC). This is tig ...
Determining the size of a maximum independent set of a graph G, denoted by alpha(G), is an NP-hard problem. Therefore many attempts are made to find upper and lower bounds, or exact values of alpha(G) for special classes of graphs. This paper is aimed towa ...
We present a framework for approximating the metric TSP based on a novel use of matchings. Traditionally, matchings have been used to add edges to make a given graph Eulerian, whereas our approach also allows for the removal of certain edges leading to a d ...
We consider the problem of finding a K-sparse approximation of a signal, such that the support of the approximation is the union of sets from a given collection, a.k.a. group structure. This problem subsumes the one of finding K-sparse tree approximations. ...
The efficient design of networks has been an important engineering task that involves challenging combinatorial optimization problems. Typically, a network designer has to select among several alternatives which links to establish so that the resulting net ...
The standard LP relaxation of the asymmetric traveling salesman problem has been conjectured to have a constant integrality gap in the metric case. We prove this conjecture when restricted to shortest path metrics of node-weighted digraphs. Our arguments a ...
We consider the capacitated -center problem. In this problem we are given a finite set of locations in a metric space and each location has an associated non-negative integer capacity. The goal is to choose (open) locations (called centers) and assign each ...
We consider the Node-weighted Steiner Forest problem on planar graphs. Demaine et al. showed that a generic primal-dual algorithm gives a 6-approximation. We present two different proofs of an approximation factor of~3. Then, we draw a connection to Goem ...
The problem of finding "small" sets that meet every straight-line which intersects a given convex region was initiated by Mazurkiewicz in 1916. We call such a set an opaque set or a barrier for that region. We consider the problem of computing the shortest ...
We consider the capacitated k-center problem. In this problem we are given a finite set of locations in a metric space and each location has an associated non-negative integer capacity. The goal is to choose (open) k locations (called centers) and assign e ...
