We study the $d$-dimensional knapsack problem. We are given a set of items, each with a $d$-dimensional cost vector and a profit, along with a $d$-dimensional budget vector. The goal is to select a set of items that do not exceed the budget in all dimensions and maximize the total profit. A PTAS with running time $n^{Θ(d/\varepsilon)}$ has long been known for this problem, where $\varepsilon$ is the error parameter and $n$ is the encoding size. Despite decades of active research, the best running time of a PTAS has remained $O(n^{\lceil d/\varepsilon \rceil - d})$. Unfortunately, existing lower bounds only cover the special case with two dimensions $d = 2$, and do not answer whether there is a $n^{o(d/\varepsilon)}$-time PTAS for larger values of $d$. The status of exact algorithms is similar: there is a simple $O(n \cdot W^d)$-time (exact) dynamic programming algorithm, where $W$ is the maximum budget, but there is no lower bound which explains the strong exponential dependence on $d$. In this work, we show that the running times of the best-known PTAS and exact algorithm cannot be improved up to a polylogarithmic factor assuming Gap-ETH. Our techniques are based on a robust reduction from 2-CSP, which embeds 2-CSP constraints into a desired number of dimensions, exhibiting tight trade-off between $d$ and $\varepsilon$ for most regimes of the parameters. Informally, we obtain the following main results for $d$-dimensional knapsack. No $n^{o(d/\varepsilon \cdot 1/(\log(d/\varepsilon))^2)}$-time $(1-\varepsilon)$-approximation for every $\varepsilon = O(1/\log d)$. No $(n+W)^{o(d/\log d)}$-time exact algorithm (assuming ETH). No $n^{o(\sqrt{d})}$-time $(1-\varepsilon)$-approximation for constant $\varepsilon$. $(d \cdot \log W)^{O(d^2)} + n^{O(1)}$-time $Ω(1/\sqrt{d})$-approximation and a matching $n^{O(1)}$-time lower~bound.

The \(\ell\)-matroid intersection (\(\ell\)-MI) problem asks if \(\ell\) given matroids share a common basis. Already for \(\ell = 3\), notable canonical NP-complete special cases are 3-Dimensional Matching and Hamiltonian Path on directed graphs. However, while these problems admit exponential-time algorithms that improve the simple brute force significantly (e.g., Eiben-Koana-Wahlström (SODA’24)), the fastest known algorithm for 3-MI on general matroids is exactly brute force with runtime \(2^n/\mathrm{poly}(n)\), where \(n\) is the number of elements. Our main result shows that, in fact, brute force cannot be significantly improved, by ruling out an algorithm for \(\ell\)-MI with runtime \(o\left( 2^{\,n - 5 \cdot n^{\tfrac{1}{\ell-1}} \cdot \log(n)} \right)\), for any fixed \(\ell \ge 3\). For \(3\)-MI, this gives a lower bound of \(o\left( 2^{\,n - 5 \cdot \sqrt{n} \cdot \log(n)} \right)\). Our negative result raises the following natural questions: (i) Is there an algorithm for 3-MI with runtime strictly better than brute force? (ii) Can we separate the parameterized complexity of 3-MI from the important special case on linear matroids (parameterized by the rank of the matroids \(k\))? In particular, can a lower bound match the existing \(c^{k^2} \cdot \mathrm{poly}(n)\) algorithm of Huang-Ward (SIDMA’23) for general \(\ell\)-MI parameterized by the rank? We make progress towards obtaining affirmative answers to the above questions. In particular, we present (i) an algorithm which solves \(\ell\)-MI faster than brute force in time \(2^{\,n - \Omega((\log^2 n))}\) for any \(\ell \ge 3\), and (ii) a parameterized running time lower bound of \(2^{(\ell-2)\cdot k \cdot \log k} \cdot \mathrm{poly}(n)\) for \(\ell\)-MI, for any \(\ell \ge 3\). We obtain these results by generalizing the Monotone Local Search technique of Fomin-Gaspers-Lokshtanov-Saurabh (J. ACM’19). Broadly speaking, given a subset problem, our generalization transforms any algorithm parameterized by solution size, with runtime of the form \(f(k) \cdot \mathrm{poly}(n)\), into an exponential-time algorithm with runtime depending on \(f\). This implies that any \(f(k) \cdot \mathrm{poly}(n)\) time parameterized algorithm for a subset problem yields a \(2^{\,n - \omega(\log n)}\) time algorithm beating brute force, which may be of independent interest.

In the last decade, FPT approximation has witnessed tremendous growth, with the development of several powerful upper- and lower-bound techniques. Within this framework, a newly emerging direction focuses on problems that admit algorithms with running time of the form ck · nO(1) for some constant c. This line of inquiry naturally leads to the notion of time–approximation ratio trade-offs (or time-ratio trade-offs): by relaxing the approximation guarantee in a controlled manner, one can improve the exponential dependence on the parameter in the running time. The contribution of this paper is threefold: (i) a formal language for parameterized randomized branching algorithms (called Oracle Subset Problems); (ii) a meta-algorithm applicable to all problems expressible in this language; and (iii) new time–ratio trade-offs obtained by instantiating the framework on fundamental problems, including Above-Guarantee Vertex Cover (parameterized by excess over the LP lower bound), Odd Cycle Transversal, Node Multiway Cut, Subset/Group Feedback Vertex Set, Min-Weight d-SAT, and Matroid-Rank d-Hitting Set (where solution is measured by the rank in a matroid accessible via an independence oracle), among others. Our applications demonstrate substantially broader applicability. For the first time, they apply to cut problems, problems with parity constraints (Odd Cycle Transversal), “complex” cycle hitting problems (hitting all cycles whose length mod73 is non-zero), and even a generalization where the user specifies the subset of vertices such that only the cycles passing through that subset of vertices should be hit. These results are obtained by developing time–ratio trade-offs for two meta-algorithms, expressed in our language: (i) the biased-graph framework [Wahlström, SODA 2017; Lee and Wahlström, arXiv 2020], and (ii) the Vertex Cover above LP framework [Lokshtanov et al., TALG 2014].

We study the problem of maximizing a monotone submodular function subject to a matroid independence constraint. For more than a decade, a rich body of work has studied this problem. Initially, a tight approximation of (1−1e) was given using the continuous greedy algorithm [Calinescu-Chekuri-Pal-Vondrák STOC‘2008] and later non-oblivious local search techniques were able to match this tight approximation guarantee [Filmus-Ward FOCS‘2012] and [Buchbinder-Feldman FOCS‘2024].

We study a family of matroid optimization problems with a linear constraint (MOL). In these problems, we seek a subset of elements that optimizes (i.e., maximizes or minimizes) a linear objective function simultaneously subject to (i) a matroid independent set, or a matroid basis constraint and (ii) additional linear constraint. A notable member in this family is budgeted matroid independent set (BM) , which can be viewed as classic \(0/1\) -knapsack with a matroid constraint. While special cases of BM, such as knapsack with cardinality constraint and multiple-choice knapsack , admit a fully polynomial-time approximation scheme (Fully PTAS), the best-known result for BM on a general matroid is an Efficient PTAS. Prior to this work, the existence of a Fully PTAS for BM, and more generally, for any problem in the family of MOL problems, has been open. In this article, we answer this question negatively by showing that none of the (non-trivial) problems in this family admits a Fully PTAS. This resolves the complexity status of several well-studied problems. Our main result is obtained by showing first that exact weight matroid basis (EMB) does not admit a pseudo-polynomial time algorithm. We then obtain unconditional hardness results for the family of MOL problems in the oracle model (even if randomization is allowed) and show that the same results hold when the matroids are encoded as part of the input, assuming \(\text{P}\neq\text{NP}\) .

In this paper, we present Sampling with a Black Box, a unified framework for the design of parameterized approximation algorithms for vertex deletion problems (e.g., Vertex Cover, Feedback Vertex Set, etc.). The framework relies on two components: A Sampling Step. A polynomial-time randomized algorithm that, given a graph G, returns a random vertex v such that the optimum of G\{v} is smaller by 1 than the optimum of G, with some prescribed probability q. We show that such algorithms exist for multiple vertex deletion problems. A Black Box algorithm which is either an exact parameterized algorithm, a polynomial-time approximation algorithm, or a parameterized-approximation algorithm. The framework combines these two components together. The sampling step is applied iteratively T A to remove vertices from the input graph, and then the solution is extended using the black box algorithm. The process is repeated sufficiently many times so that the target approximation ratio is E attained with a constant probability. We use the technique to derive parameterized approximation algorithms for several vertex deletion problems, including Feedback Vertex Set, d-Hitting Set and ℓ-Path Vertex Cover. In particular, for every approximation ratio 1 < β < 2, we attain a parameterized β-approximation for Feedback Vertex Set, which is faster than the parameterized β-approximation of [Jana, Lokshtanov, Mandal, Rai and Saurabh, MFCS 23’]. Furthermore, our algorithms are always faster than the algorithms attained using Fidelity Preserving Transformations [Fellows, Kulik, Rosamond, and Shachnai, JCSS 18’].

In [Math. Oper. Res., 2011], Fleischer et al. introduced a powerful technique for solving the generic class of separable assignment problems (SAP), in which a set of items of given values and weights needs to be packed into a set of bins subject to separable assignment constraints, so as to maximize the total value. The approach of Fleischer at al. relies on solving a configuration LP and sampling a configuration for each bin independently based on the LP solution. While there is a SAP variant for which this approach yields the best possible approximation ratio, for various special cases, there are discrepancies between the approximation ratios obtained using the above approach and the state-of-the-art approximations. This raises the following natural question: Can we do better by iteratively solving the configuration LP and sampling a few bins at a time? To assess the potential of the iterative approach we consider a specific SAP variant as a case-study, Uniform Cardinality Constrained Multiple Knapsack, for which we answer this question affirmatively. The input is a set of items, each has a value and a weight, and a set of uniform capacity bins. The goal is to assign a subset of the items of maximum total value to the bins such that (i) the capacity of any bin is not exceeded, and (ii) the number of items assigned to each bin satisfies a given cardinality constraint. While the technique of Fleischer et al. yields a (1-1/e)-approximation for the problem, we show that iterative randomized rounding leads to efficient polynomial time approximation scheme (EPTAS), thus essentially resolving the complexity status of the problem. Our analysis of iterative randomized rounding may be useful for solving other SAP variants.

We study a family of matroid optimization problems with a linear constraint (MOL). In these problems, we seek a subset of elements which optimizes (i.e., maximizes or minimizes) a linear objective function subject to (i) a matroid independent set, or a matroid basis constraint, (ii) additional linear constraint. A notable member in this family is budgeted matroid independent set (BM), which can be viewed as classic $0/1$-knapsack with a matroid constraint. While special cases of BM, such as knapsack with cardinality constraint and multiple-choice knapsack, admit a fully polynomial-time approximation scheme (Fully PTAS), the best known result for BM on a general matroid is an Efficient PTAS. Prior to this work, the existence of a Fully PTAS for BM, and more generally, for any problem in the family of MOL problems, has been open. In this paper, we answer this question negatively by showing that none of the (non-trivial) problems in this family admits a Fully PTAS. This resolves the complexity status of several well studied problems. Our main result is obtained by showing first that exact weight matroid basis (EMB) does not admit a pseudo-polynomial time algorithm. This distinguishes EMB from the special cases of $k$-subset sum and EMB on a linear matroid, which are solvable in pseudo-polynomial time. We then obtain unconditional hardness results for the family of MOL problems in the oracle model (even if randomization is allowed), and show that the same results hold when the matroids are encoded as part of the input, assuming $P \neq NP$. For the hardness proof of EMB, we introduce the $Π$-matroid family. This intricate subclass of matroids, which exploits the interaction between a weight function and the matroid constraint, may find use in tackling other matroid optimization problems.

In the Unsplittable Flow on a Path problem UFP, we are given a path graph with edge capacities and a collection of tasks. Each task is characterized by a demand, a profit, and a subpath. Our goal is to select a maximum profit subset of tasks such that the total demand of the selected tasks that use each edge $e$ is at most the capacity of $e$. Bag-UFP is the generalization of UFP where tasks are partitioned into bags, and we are allowed to select at most one task per bag. UFP admits a PTAS [Grandoni,M{ö}mke,Wiese'22] but not an EPTAS [Wiese'17]. Bag-UFP is APX-hard [Spieksma'99] and the current best approximation is $O(\log n/\log\log n)$ [Grandoni,Ingala,Uniyal'15], where $n$ is the number of tasks. In this paper, we study the mentioned two problems when parameterized by the number $m$ of edges in the graph, with the goal of designing faster parameterized approximation algorithms. We present a parameterized EPTAS for Bag-UFP, and a substantially faster parameterized EPTAS for UFP (which is an FPTAS for $m=O(1)$). We also show that a parameterized FPTAS for UFP (hence for BagUFP) does not exist, therefore our results are qualitatively tight.

The goal of this paper is to understand how exponential-time approximation algorithms can be obtained from existing polynomial-time approximation algorithms, existing parameterized exact algorithms, and existing parameterized approximation algorithms. More formally, we consider a monotone subset minimization problem over a universe of size n (e.g., VERTEX COVER or FEEDBACK VERTEX Set). We have access to an algorithm that finds an α-approximate solution in time ck · nO(1) if a solution of size k exists (and more generally, an extension algorithm that can approximate in a similar way if a set can be extended to a solution with k further elements). Our goal is to obtain a dn · nO(1) time β-approximation algorithm for the problem with d as small as possible. That is, for every fixed α,c,β ≥ 1, we would like to determine the smallest possible d that can be achieved in a model where our problem-specific knowledge is limited to checking the feasibility of a solution and invoking the α-approximate extension algorithm. Our results completely resolve this question:

Abstract In this paper, we consider a general notion of convolution. Let $$D$$ D be a finite domain and let $$D^n$$ D n be the set of n-length vectors (tuples) of $$D$$ D . Let $$f :D\times D\rightarrow D$$ f : D × D → D be a function and let $$\oplus _f$$ ⊕ f be a coordinate-wise application of f. The $$f$$ f -Convolution of two functions $$g,h :D^n \rightarrow \{-M,\ldots ,M\}$$ g , h : D n → { - M , … , M } is $$\begin{aligned} (g \mathbin {\circledast _{f}}h)(\textbf{v}) {:}{=}\sum _{\begin{array}{c} \textbf{v}_g,\textbf{v}_h \in D^n\\ \text {s.t. } \textbf{v}= \textbf{v}_g \oplus _f \textbf{v}_h \end{array}} g(\textbf{v}_g) \cdot h(\textbf{v}_h) \end{aligned}$$ ( g ⊛ f h ) ( v ) : = ∑ v g , v h ∈ D n s.t. v = v g ⊕ f v h g ( v g ) · h ( v h ) for every $$\textbf{v}\in D^n$$ v ∈ D n . This problem generalizes many fundamental convolutions such as Subset Convolution, XOR Product, Covering Product or Packing Product, etc. For arbitrary function f and domain $$D$$ D we can compute $$f$$ f -Convolution via brute-force enumeration in $$\widetilde{{\mathcal {O}}}(|D|^{2n} \cdot \textrm{polylog}(M))$$ O

We consider the Bin Packing problem with a partition matroid constraint. The input is a set of items of sizes in [0,1], and a partition matroid over the items. The goal is to pack the items in a minimum number of unit-size bins, such that each bin forms an independent set in the matroid. This variant of classic Bin Packing has natural applications in secure storage on the Cloud, as well as in equitable scheduling and clustering with fairness constraints. Our main result is an asymptotic fully polynomial-time approximation scheme (AFPTAS) for Bin Packing with a partition matroid constraint. This scheme generalizes the known AFPTAS for Bin Packing with Cardinality Constraints and improves the existing asymptotic polynomial-time approximation scheme (APTAS) for Group Bin Packing, which are both special cases of Bin Packing with partition matroid. We derive the scheme via a new method for rounding a (fractional) solution for a configuration-LP. Our method uses this solution to obtain prototypes, in which items are interpreted as placeholders for other items, and applies fractional grouping to modify a fractional solution (prototype) into one having desired integrality properties.

We study the d-DIMENSIONAL VECTOR BIN PACKING ($d \mathbf{V B P})$ problem, a generalization of BIN PACKING with central applications in resource allocation and scheduling. In $d \mathrm{VBP}$, we are given a set of items, each of which is characterized by a d-dimensional volume vector; the objective is to partition the items into a minimum number of subsets (bins), such that the total volume of items in each subset is at most 1 in each dimension. Our main result is an asymptotic approximation algorithm for d VBP that yields a ratio of $(1+\ln d-\chi(d)+\varepsilon)$ for all $d \in \mathbb{N}$ and any $\varepsilon\gt0$; here, $\chi(d)$ is some strictly positive function. This improves upon the best known asymptotic ratio of $(1+\ln d+\varepsilon)$ due to Bansal, Caprara and Sviridenko (SICOMP 2010) for any $d\gt3$. By slightly modifying our algorithm to include an initial matching phase and applying a tighter analysis, we obtain an asymptotic approximation ratio of $\left(\frac{4}{3}+\varepsilon\right)$ for the special case of $d=2$, thus substantially improving the previous best ratio of $\left(\frac{3}{2}+\varepsilon\right)$ due to Bansal, Eliáš and Khan (SODA 2016). Our algorithm iteratively solves a configuration LP relaxation for the residual instance (from previous iterations) and samples a small number of configurations based on the solution for the configuration LP. While iterative rounding was already used by Karmarkar and Karp (FOCS 1982) to establish their celebrated result for classic (one-dimensional) BIN PACKING, iterative randomized rounding is used here for the first time in the context of (VECTOR) BIN PACKING. Our results show that iterative randomized rounding is a powerful tool for approximating d VBP, leading to simple algorithms with improved approximation guarantees.

We consider the budgeted matroid independent set problem. The input is a ground set, where each element has a cost and a non-negative profit, along with a matroid over the elements and a budget. The goal is to select a subset of elements which maximizes the total profit subject to the matroid and budget constraints. Several well known special cases, where we have, e.g., a uniform matroid and a budget, or no matroid constraint (i.e., the classic knapsack problem), admit a fully polynomial-time approximation scheme (FPTAS). In contrast, already a slight generalization to the multi-budgeted matroid independent set problem has a PTAS but does not admit an efficient polynomial-time approximation scheme (EPTAS). This implies a PTAS for our problem, which is the best known result prior to this work. Our main contribution is an EPTAS for the budgeted matroid independent set problem. A key idea of the scheme is to find a representative set for the instance, whose cardinality depends solely on $1/\varepsilon$, where $\varepsilon > 0$ is the accuracy parameter of the scheme. The representative set is identified via matroid basis minimization, which can be solved by a simple greedy algorithm. Our scheme enumerates over subsets of the representative set and extends each subset using a linear program. The notion of representative sets may be useful in solving other variants of the budgeted matroid independent set problem.

We study the uniform $2$-dimensional vector multiple knapsack (2VMK) problem, a natural variant of multiple knapsack arising in real-world applications such as virtual machine placement. The input for 2VMK is a set of items, each associated with a $2$-dimensional weight vector and a positive profit, along with $m$ $2$-dimensional bins of uniform (unit) capacity in each dimension. The goal is to find an assignment of a subset of the items to the bins, such that the total weight of items assigned to a single bin is at most one in each dimension, and the total profit is maximized. Our main result is a $(1- \frac{\ln 2}{2} - \varepsilon)$-approximation algorithm for 2VMK, for every fixed $\varepsilon > 0$, thus improving the best known ratio of $(1 - \frac{1}{e}-\varepsilon)$ which follows as a special case from a result of [Fleischer at al., MOR 2011]. Our algorithm relies on an adaptation of the Round$\&$Approx framework of [Bansal et al., SICOMP 2010], originally designed for set covering problems, to maximization problems. The algorithm uses randomized rounding of a configuration-LP solution to assign items to $\approx m\cdot \ln 2 \approx 0.693\cdot m$ of the bins, followed by a reduction to the ($1$-dimensional) Multiple Knapsack problem for assigning items to the remaining bins.

We study budgeted variants of well known maximization problems with multiple matroid constraints. Given an 𝓁-matchoid ℳ on a ground set E, a profit function p:E → ℝ_{≥ 0}, a cost function c:E → ℝ_{≥ 0}, and a budget B ∈ ℝ_{≥ 0}, the goal is to find in the 𝓁-matchoid a feasible set S of maximum profit p(S) subject to the budget constraint, i.e., c(S) ≤ B. The budgeted 𝓁-matchoid (BM) problem includes as special cases budgeted 𝓁-dimensional matching and budgeted 𝓁-matroid intersection. A strong motivation for studying BM from parameterized viewpoint comes from the APX-hardness of unbudgeted 𝓁-dimensional matching (i.e., B = ∞) already for 𝓁 = 3. Nevertheless, while there are known FPT algorithms for the unbudgeted variants of the above problems, the budgeted variants are studied here for the first time through the lens of parameterized complexity. We show that BM parametrized by solution size is W[1]-hard, already with a degenerate single matroid constraint. Thus, an exact parameterized algorithm is unlikely to exist, motivating the study of FPT-approximation schemes (FPAS). Our main result is an FPAS for BM (implying an FPAS for 𝓁-dimensional matching and budgeted 𝓁-matroid intersection), relying on the notion of representative set - a small cardinality subset of elements which preserves the optimum up to a small factor. We also give a lower bound on the minimum possible size of a representative set which can be computed in polynomial time.

In a recent work, Esmer et al. describe a simple method - Approximate Monotone Local Search - to obtain exponential approximation algorithms from existing parameterized exact algorithms, polynomial-time approximation algorithms and, more generally, parameterized approximation algorithms. In this work, we generalize those results to the weighted setting. More formally, we consider monotone subset minimization problems over a weighted universe of size $n$ (e.g., Vertex Cover, $d$-Hitting Set and Feedback Vertex Set). We consider a model where the algorithm is only given access to a subroutine that finds a solution of weight at most $α\cdot W$ (and of arbitrary cardinality) in time $c^k \cdot n^{O(1)}$ where $W$ is the minimum weight of a solution of cardinality at most $k$. In the unweighted setting, Esmer et al. determine the smallest value $d$ for which a $β$-approximation algorithm running in time $d^n \cdot n^{O(1)}$ can be obtained in this model. We show that the same dependencies also hold in a weighted setting in this model: for every fixed $\varepsilon>0$ we obtain a $β$-approximation algorithm running in time $O\left((d+\varepsilon)^{n}\right)$, for the same $d$ as in the unweighted setting. Similarly, we also extend a $β$-approximate brute-force search (in a model which only provides access to a membership oracle) to the weighted setting. Using existing approximation algorithms and exact parameterized algorithms for weighted problems, we obtain the first exponential-time $β$-approximation algorithms that are better than brute force for a variety of problems including Weighted Vertex Cover, Weighted $d$-Hitting Set, Weighted Feedback Vertex Set and Weighted Multicut.

We generalize the monotone local search approach of Fomin, Gaspers, Lokshtanov and Saurabh [J.ACM 2019], by establishing a connection between parameterized approximation and exponential-time approximation algorithms for monotone subset minimization problems. In a monotone subset minimization problem the input implicitly describes a non-empty set family over a universe of size n which is closed under taking supersets. The task is to find a minimum cardinality set in this family. Broadly speaking, we use approximate monotone local search to show that a parameterized α-approximation algorithm that runs in c^k⋅n^𝒪(1) time, where k is the solution size, can be used to derive an α-approximation randomized algorithm that runs in dⁿ⋅n^𝒪(1) time, where d is the unique value in (1, 1+{c-1}/α) such that 𝒟(1/α‖{d-1}/{c-1}) = {ln c}/α and 𝒟(a‖b) is the Kullback-Leibler divergence. This running time matches that of Fomin et al. for α = 1, and is strictly better when α > 1, for any c > 1. Furthermore, we also show that this result can be derandomized at the expense of a sub-exponential multiplicative factor in the running time. We use an approximate variant of the exhaustive search as a benchmark for our algorithm. We show that the classic 2ⁿ⋅n^𝒪(1) exhaustive search can be adapted to an α-approximate exhaustive search that runs in time (1+exp(-α⋅ℋ(1/(α))))ⁿ⋅n^𝒪(1), where ℋ is the entropy function. Furthermore, we provide a lower bound stating that the running time of this α-approximate exhaustive search is the best achievable running time in an oracle model. When compared to approximate exhaustive search, and to other techniques, the running times obtained by approximate monotone local search are strictly better for any α ≥ 1, c > 1. We demonstrate the potential of approximate monotone local search by deriving new and faster exponential approximation algorithms for Vertex Cover, 3-Hitting Set, Directed Feedback Vertex Set, Directed Subset Feedback Vertex Set, Directed Odd Cycle Transversal and Undirected Multicut. For instance, we get a 1.1-approximation algorithm for Vertex Cover with running time 1.114ⁿ⋅n^𝒪(1), improving upon the previously best known 1.1-approximation running in time 1.127ⁿ⋅n^𝒪(1) by Bourgeois et al. [DAM 2011].

In this paper, we consider a general notion of convolution. Let $D$ be a finite domain and let $D^n$ be the set of $n$-length vectors (tuples) of $D$. Let $f : D \times D \to D$ be a function and let $\oplus_f$ be a coordinate-wise application of $f$. The $f$-Convolution of two functions $g,h : D^n \to \{-M,\ldots,M\}$ is $$(g \otimes_f h)(\textbf{v}) := \sum_{\substack{\textbf{v}_g,\textbf{v}_h \in D^n\\ \text{s.t. } \textbf{v}_g \oplus_f \textbf{v}_h}} g(\textbf{v}_g) \cdot h(\textbf{v}_h)$$ for every $\textbf{v} \in D^n$. This problem generalizes many fundamental convolutions such as Subset Convolution, XOR Product, Covering Product or Packing Product, etc. For arbitrary function $f$ and domain $D$ we can compute $f$-Convolution via brute-force enumeration in $\widetilde{O}(|D|^{2n}\mathrm{polylog}(M))$ time. Our main result is an improvement over this naive algorithm. We show that $f$-Convolution can be computed exactly in $\widetilde{O}((c \cdot |D|^2)^{n}\mathrm{polylog}(M))$ for constant $c := 3/4$ when $D$ has even cardinality. Our main observation is that a \emph{cyclic partition} of a function $f : D \times D \to D$ can be used to speed up the computation of $f$-Convolution, and we show that an appropriate cyclic partition exists for every $f$. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a single entry of the $f$-Convolution can be computed more efficiently. In this variant, we are given two functions $g,h : D^n \to \{-M,\ldots,M\}$ alongside with a vector $\textbf{v} \in D^n$ and the task of the $f$-Query problem is to compute integer $(g \otimes_f h)(\textbf{v})$. This is a generalization of the well-known Orthogonal Vectors problem. We show that $f$-Query can be computed in $\widetilde{O}(|D|^{\fracω{2} n}\mathrm{polylog}(M))$ time, where $ω\in [2,2.372)$ is the exponent of currently fastest matrix multiplication algorithm.

Caching is at the core of most modern communication systems, where caches are used to store content and traffic classification rules. While network components can leverage caching in a cooperative manner, one important aspect of such systems concerns possible dependencies among stored items. A major use case of such dependencies appears in rule placement across software-defined networks (SDNs). Despite the tremendous success of SDNs in datacenters, their wide adoption still poses a key challenge: the packet-forwarding rules in switches require fast and power-hungry memories. Rule tables, which serve as caches, are of limited size in cheap and energy-constrained devices, motivating novel solutions to achieve high hit rates. We leverage device connectivity in the fast data plane, where delays are in the order of few milliseconds, and propose multiple switches to work together to avoid accessing the control plane, where delays are orders of magnitude greater. As a low priority rule in a cache entails caching higher priority rules, we pose the problem of cooperative caching with dependencies. We provide models and algorithms accounting for dependencies among rules implied by existing switch memory types, andlay the foundations of cooperative caching with dependencies.

The world is dynamic and changes over time, thus any optimization problem used to model real life problems must address this dynamic nature, taking into account the cost of changes to a solution over time. The multistage model was introduced with this goal in mind. In this model we are given a series of instances of an optimization problem, corresponding to different times, and a solution is provided for each instance. The strive for obtaining near-optimal solutions for each instance on one hand, while maintaining similar solutions for consecutive time units on the other hand, is quantified and integrated into the objective function. In this paper we consider the Generalized Multistage $d$-Knapsack problem, a generalization of the multistage variants of the Multiple Knapsack problem, as well as the $d$-Dimensional Knapsack problem. We present a PTAS for Generalized Multistage $d$-Knapsack.

A multiple knapsack constraint over a set of items is defined by a set of bins of arbitrary capacities, and a weight for each of the items. An assignment for the constraint is an allocation of subsets of items to the bins which adheres to bin capacities. In this paper we present a unified algorithm that yields efficient approximations for a wide class of submodular and modular optimization problems involving multiple knapsack constraints. One notable example is a polynomial time approximation scheme for Multiple-Choice Multiple Knapsack, improving upon the best known ratio of $2$. Another example is Non-monotone Submodular Multiple Knapsack, for which we obtain a $(0.385-\varepsilon)$-approximation, matching the best known ratio for a single knapsack constraint. The robustness of our algorithm is achieved by applying a novel fractional variant of the classical linear grouping technique, which is of independent interest.

We study the problem of maximizing a monotone submodular function subject to a Multiple Knapsack constraint (SMKP). The input is a set I of items, each associated with a non-negative weight, and a set of bins having arbitrary capacities. Also, we are given a submodular, monotone and non-negative function f over subsets of the items. The objective is to find a subset of items A ⊆ I and a packing of these items in the bins, such that f(A) is maximized. SMKP is a natural extension of both Multiple Knapsack and the problem of monotone submodular maximization subject to a knapsack constraint. Our main result is a nearly optimal polynomial time (1-e^{-1}-ε)-approximation algorithm for the problem, for any ε > 0. Our algorithm relies on a refined analysis of techniques for constrained submodular optimization combined with sophisticated application of tools used in the development of approximation schemes for packing problems.

In this paper we introduce randomized branching as a tool for parameterized approximation and develop the mathematical machinery for its analysis. Our algorithms substantially improve the best known running times of parameterized approximation algorithms for Vertex Cover and 3-Hitting Set for a wide range of approximation ratios. The running times of our algorithms are derived from an asymptotic analysis of a broad class of two-variable recurrence relations. Our main theorem gives a simple formula for this asymptotics. The formula can be efficiently calculated by solving a simple numerical optimization problem, and provides the mathematical insight required for the algorithm design. To this end, we show an equivalence between the recurrence and a stochastic process. We analyze this process using the method of types, by introducing an adaptation of Sanov's theorem to our setting. We believe our novel analysis of recurrence relations which is of independent interest is a main contribution of this paper.

We study a variant of the generalized assignment problem (GAP) with group constraints. An instance of (Group GAP) is a set I of items, partitioned into L groups, and a set of m uniform (unit-sized) bins. Each item i in I has a size s_i >0, and a profit p_{i,j} >= 0 if packed in bin j. A group of items is satisfied if all of its items are packed. The goal is to find a feasible packing of a subset of the items in the bins such that the total profit from satisfied groups is maximized. We point to central applications of Group GAP in Video-on-Demand services, mobile Device-to-Device network caching and base station cooperation in 5G networks. Our main result is a 1/6-approximation algorithm for Group GAP instances where the total size of each group is at most m/2. At the heart of our algorithm lies an interesting derivation of a submodular function from the classic LP formulation of GAP, which facilitates the construction of a high profit solution utilizing at most half the total bin capacity, while the other half is reserved for later use. In particular, we give an algorithm for submodular maximization subject to a knapsack constraint, which finds a solution of profit at least 1/3 of the optimum, using at most half the knapsack capacity, under mild restrictions on element sizes. Our novel approach of submodular optimization subject to a knapsack with reserved capacity constraint may find applications in solving other group assignment problems.

The concept of submodularity plays a vital role in combinatorial optimization. In particular, many important optimization problems can be cast as submodular maximization problems, including maximum coverage, maximum facility location and max cut in directed/undirected graphs. In this paper we present the first known approximation algorithms for the problem of maximizing a non-decreasing submodular set function subject to multiple linear constraints. Given a d-dimensional budget vector , for some d ≥ 1, and an oracle for a non-decreasing submodular set function f over a universe U, where each element e ∊ U is associated with a d-dimensional cost vector, we seek a subset of elements S ⊆ U whose total cost is at most , such that f(S) is maximized. We develop a framework for maximizing submodular functions subject to d linear constraints that yields a (1 – ∊)(1 – e−-1)-approximation to the optimum for any ∊ > 0, where d > 1 is some constant. Our study is motivated by a variant of the classical maximum coverage problem that we call maximum coverage with multiple packing constraints. We use our framework to obtain the same approximation ratio for this problem. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the theoretical bound of 1 – e−-1 is (almost) matched for both of these problems.