Pushdown–reduce an algorithm for connectivity augmentation and poset covering problems》.pdf

Discrete Applied Mathematics 129 (2003) 233–262 /locate/dam Pushdown–reduce: a nalgorithm for co ectivity augmentatio nand poset covering problems Andras A. Benczura;b ; ∗; 1 a Computer and Automation Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Eotvos University, Budapest, Hungary b Department of Operations Research, Eotvos University, Budapest, Hungary Received 17 January 2001; received i nrevised form 30 April 2002; accepted 1 July 2002 Abstract I ntheir seminal paper, Frank and Jorda nshow that a large class of optimizatio nproblems including certai ndirected edge augmentatio nones fall into the class of covering supermodular functions over pairs of sets . They also give a nalgorithm for such problems, however, that relies o nthe ellipsoid method. Our mai nresult is a combinatorial algorithm for the restricted covering problem whe nthe supermodular functio nis 0–1 valued; the problem includes directed vertex or S − T co ectivity augmentatio nby one. Our algorithm uses a napproach completely dierent from that of a independent recent result of Frank. It nds covers of partially ordered sets that satisfy natural abstract properties slightly extending those i nFrank and Jordan. The algorithm resembles primal– dual augmenting path algorithms: For a ninitial (possibly greedy) co