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We present a pseudopolynomial-time algorithm for the Knapsack problem that has running time $\widetilde{O}(n + t\sqrt{p_{\max}})$, where $n$ is the number of items, $t$ is the knapsack capacity, and $p_{\max}$ is the maximum item profit. This improves over the $\widetilde{O}(n + t \, p_{\max})$-time algorithm based on the convolution and prediction technique by Bateni et al.~(STOC 2018). Moreover, we give some evidence, based on a strengthening of the Min-Plus Convolution Hypothesis, that our running time might be optimal. Our algorithm uses two new technical tools, which might be of independent interest. First, we generalize the $\widetilde{O}(n^{1.5})$-time algorithm for bounded monotone min-plus convolution by Chi et al.~(STOC 2022) to the \emph{rectangular} case where the range of entries can be different from the sequence length. Second, we give a reduction from general knapsack instances to \emph{balanced} instances, where all items have nearly the same profit-to-weight ratio, up to a constant factor. Using these techniques, we can also obtain algorithms that run in time $\widetilde{O}(n + OPT\sqrt{w_{\max}})$, $\widetilde{O}(n + (nw_{\max}p_{\max})^{1/3}t^{2/3})$, and $\widetilde{O}(n + (nw_{\max}p_{\max})^{1/3} OPT^{2/3})$, where $OPT$ is the optimal total profit and $w_{\max}$ is the maximum item weight.

In 1982 Papadimitriou and Yannakakis introduced the Exact Matching problem, in which given a red and blue edge-colored graph G and an integer k one has to decide whether there exists a perfect matching in G with exactly k red edges. Even though a randomized polynomial-time algorithm for this problem was quickly found a few years later, it is still unknown today whether a deterministic polynomial-time algorithm exists. This makes the Exact Matching problem an important candidate to test the RP=P hypothesis. In this paper we focus on approximating Exact Matching. While there exists a simple algorithm that computes in deterministic polynomial-time an almost perfect matching with exactly k red edges, not a lot of work focuses on computing perfect matchings with almost k red edges. In fact such an algorithm for bipartite graphs running in deterministic polynomial-time was published only recently (STACS'23). It outputs a perfect matching with k' red edges with the guarantee that 0.5k ≤ k' ≤ 1.5k. In the present paper we aim at approximating the number of red edges without exceeding the limit of k red edges. We construct a deterministic polynomial-time algorithm, which on bipartite graphs computes a perfect matching with k' red edges such that k/3 ≤ k' ≤ k.

In 1982 Papadimitriou and Yannakakis introduced the Exact Matching problem, in which given a red and blue edge-colored graph $G$ and an integer $k$ one has to decide whether there exists a perfect matching in $G$ with exactly $k$ red edges. Even though a randomized polynomial-time algorithm for this problem was quickly found a few years later, it is still unknown today whether a deterministic polynomial-time algorithm exists. This makes the Exact Matching problem an important candidate to test the RP=P hypothesis. In this paper we focus on approximating Exact Matching. While there exists a simple algorithm that computes in deterministic polynomial-time an almost perfect matching with exactly $k$ red edges, not a lot of work focuses on computing perfect matchings with almost $k$ red edges. In fact such an algorithm for bipartite graphs running in deterministic polynomial-time was published only recently (STACS'23). It outputs a perfect matching with $k'$ red edges with the guarantee that $0.5k \leq k' \leq 1.5k$. In the present paper we aim at approximating the number of red edges without exceeding the limit of $k$ red edges. We construct a deterministic polynomial-time algorithm, which on bipartite graphs computes a perfect matching with $k'$ red edges such that $k/3 \leq k' \leq k$.

In a recent breakthrough paper, Chi et al. (STOC'22) introduce an $\tilde{O}(n^{\frac{3 + \omega}{2}})$ time algorithm to compute Monotone Min-Plus Product between two square matrices of dimensions $n \times n$ and entries bounded by $O(n)$. This greatly improves upon the previous $\tilde O(n^{\frac{12 + \omega}{5}})$ time algorithm and as a consequence improves bounds for its applications. Several other applications involve Monotone Min-Plus Product between rectangular matrices, and even if Chi et al.'s algorithm seems applicable for the rectangular case, the generalization is not straightforward. In this paper we present a generalization of the algorithm of Chi et al. to solve Monotone Min-Plus Product for rectangular matrices with polynomial bounded values. We next use this faster algorithm to improve running times for the following applications of Rectangular Monotone Min-Plus Product: $M$-bounded Single Source Replacement Path, Batch Range Mode, $k$-Dyck Edit Distance and 2-approximation of All Pairs Shortest Path. We also improve the running time for Unweighted Tree Edit Distance using the algorithm by Chi et al.