Related papers: Improved Approximation Algorithms for the Expandin…
Consider the following generalization of the classic binary search problem: A searcher is required to find a hidden target vertex $x$ in a graph $G$. To do so, they iteratively perform queries to an oracle, each about a chosen vertex $v$.…
Suppose a target is hidden in one of the vertices of an edge-weighted graph according to a known probability distribution. The expanding search problem asks for a search sequence of the vertices so as to minimize the expected time for…
We study the problem of searching for a hidden target in an environment that is modeled by an edge-weighted graph. A sequence of edges is chosen starting from a given root vertex such that each edge is adjacent to a previously chosen edge.…
In the Travelling Salesman Problem, every vertex of an edge-weighted graph has to be visited by an agent who traverses the edges of the graph. In this problem, it is usually assumed that the costs of each edge are given in advance, making…
We consider two optimization problems in planar graphs. In Maximum Weight Independent Set of Objects we are given a graph $G$ and a family $\mathcal{D}$ of objects, each being a connected subgraph of $G$ with a prescribed weight, and the…
We give the first polynomial-time approximation schemes (PTASs) for the following problems: (1) uniform facility location in edge-weighted planar graphs; (2) $k$-median and $k$-means in edge-weighted planar graphs; (3) $k$-means in…
We study several questions related to diversifying search results. We give improved approximation algorithms in each of the following problems, together with some lower bounds. - We give a polynomial-time approximation scheme (PTAS) for a…
Proximity graph-based methods have emerged as a leading paradigm for approximate nearest neighbor (ANN) search in the system community. This paper presents fresh insights into the theoretical foundation of these methods. We describe an…
We consider the Stochastic Matching problem, which is motivated by applications in kidney exchange and online dating. In this problem, we are given an undirected graph. Each edge is assigned a known, independent probability of existence and…
Many combinatorial optimization problems can be formulated as the search for a subgraph that satisfies certain properties and minimizes the total weight. We assume here that the vertices correspond to points in a metric space and can take…
The theoretical models providing mathematical abstractions for several significant optimization problems in machine learning, combinatorial optimization, computer vision and statistical physics have intrinsic similarities. We propose a…
We study the problem of estimating the size of maximum matching and minimum vertex cover in sublinear time. Denoting the number of vertices by $n$ and the average degree in the graph by $\bar{d}$, we obtain the following results for both…
$\newcommand{\eps}{\varepsilon}$ We observe that a $(1-\eps)$-approximation algorithm to Independent Set, that works for any induced subgraph of the input graph, can be used, via a polynomial time reduction, to provide a…
Increasing the connectivity of a graph is a pivotal challenge in robust network design. The weighted connectivity augmentation problem is a common version of the problem that takes link costs into consideration. The problem is then to find…
In this paper, we propose a deterministic algorithm that approximates the optimal path cover on weighted undirected graphs. Based on the 1/2-Approximation Path Cover Algorithm by Moran et al., we add a procedure to remove the redundant…
We study approximability of subdense instances of various covering problems on graphs, defined as instances in which the minimum or average degree is Omega(n/psi(n)) for some function psi(n)=omega(1) of the instance size. We design new…
In the pairwise weighted spanner problem, the input consists of an $n$-vertex-directed graph, where each edge is assigned a cost and a length. Given $k$ vertex pairs and a distance constraint for each pair, the goal is to find a…
We consider the following generalization of the binary search problem. A search strategy is required to locate an unknown target node $t$ in a given tree $T$. Upon querying a node $v$ of the tree, the strategy receives as a reply an…
This paper deals with the problem of finding a collection of vertex-disjoint paths in a given graph G=(V,E) such that each path has at least four vertices and the total number of vertices in these paths is maximized. The problem is NP-hard…
Recently, there has been increasing interest and progress in improvising the approximation algorithm for well-known NP-Complete problems, particularly the approximation algorithm for the Vertex-Cover problem. Here we have proposed a…