Facility location problems in the plane based on reverse nearest neighbor queries

For a finite set of points S, the (monochromatic) reverse nearest neighbor (RNN) rule associates with any query point q the subset of points in S that have q as its nearest neighbor. In the bichromatic reverse nearest neighbor (BRNN) rule, sets of red and blue points are given and any blue query is associated with the subset of red points that have it as its nearest blue neighbor. In this paper we introduce and study new optimization problems in the plane based on the bichromatic reverse nearest neighbor (BRNN) rule. We provide efficient algorithms to compute a new blue point under criteria such as: (1) the number of associated red points is maximum (MAXCOV criterion); (2) the maximum distance to the associated red points is minimum (MINMAX criterion); (3) the minimum distance to the associated red points is maximum (MAXMIN criterion). These problems arise in the competitive location area where competing facilities are established. Our solutions use techniques from computational geometry, such as the concept of depth of an arrangement of disks or upper envelope of surface patches in three dimensions.     

Link distance and shortest path problems in the plane

This paper describes algorithms to compute Voronoi diagrams, shortest path maps, the Hausdorff distance, and the Fréchet distance in the plane with polygonal obstacles. The underlying distance measures for these algorithms are either shortest path distances or link distances. The link distance between a pair of points is the minimum number of edges needed to connect the two points with a polygonal path that avoids a set of obstacles. The motivation for minimizing the number of edges on a path comes from robotic motions and wireless communications because turns are more difficult in these settings than straight movements.Link-based Voronoi diagrams are different from traditional Voronoi diagrams because a query point in the interior of a Voronoi face can have multiple nearest sites. Our site-based Voronoi diagram ensures that all points in a face have the same set of nearest sites. Our distance-based Voronoi diagram ensures that all points in a face have the same distance to a nearest site.The shortest path maps in this paper support queries from any source point on a fixed line segment. This is a middle-ground approach because traditional shortest path maps typically support queries from either a fixed point or from all possible points in the plane.The Hausdorff distance and Fréchet distance are fundamental similarity metrics for shape matching. This paper shows how to compute new variations of these metrics using shortest paths or link-based paths that avoid polygonal obstacles in the plane.     

Dictionary descent in optimization

The problem of convex optimization is studied. Usually in convex optimization the minimization is over a d-dimensional domain. Very often the convergence rate of an optimization algorithm depends on the dimension d. The algorithms studied in this paper utilize dictionaries instead of a canonical basis used in the coordinate descent algorithms. We show how this approach allows us to reduce dimensionality of the problem. Also, we investigate which properties of a dictionary are beneficial for the convergence rate of typical greedy-type algorithms.     

Best proximity points: global optimal approximate solutions

Let A and B be non-empty subsets of a metric space. As a non-self mapping \({T:A\longrightarrow B}\) does not necessarily have a fixed point, it is of considerable interest to find an element x in A that is as close to Tx in B as possible. In other words, if the fixed point equation Tx = x has no exact solution, then it is contemplated to find an approximate solution x in A such that the error d(x, Tx) is minimum, where d is the distance function. Indeed, best proximity point theorems investigate the existence of such optimal approximate solutions, called best proximity points, to the fixed point equation Tx = x when there is no exact solution. As the distance between any element x in A and its image Tx in B is at least the distance between the sets A and B, a best proximity pair theorem achieves global minimum of d(x, Tx) by stipulating an approximate solution x of the fixed point equation Tx = x to satisfy the condition that d(x, Tx) = d(A, B). The purpose of this article is to establish best proximity point theorems for contractive non-self mappings, yielding global optimal approximate solutions of certain fixed point equations. Besides establishing the existence of best proximity points, iterative algorithms are also furnished to determine such optimal approximate solutions.     

Polygonal chain approximation: a query based approach

In this paper we present a new, query based approach for approximating polygonal chains in the plane. We give a few results based on this approach, some of more general interest, and propose a greedy heuristic to speed up the computation. Our algorithms are simple, based on standard geometric operations, and thus suitable for efficient implementation. We also show that the query based approach can be used to obtain a subquadratic time exact algorithm with infinite beam criterion and Euclidean distance metric if some condition on the input path holds. Although in a special case, this is the first subquadratic result for path approximation with Euclidean distance metric.     

Retraction algorithms for solving variational inequalities,pseudomonotone equilibrium problems,and fixed-point problems in Banach spaces

In this paper, using sunny generalized nonexpansive retractions which are different from the metric projection and generalized metric projection in Banach spaces, we present new extragradient and line search algorithms for finding the solution of a J-variational inequality whose constraint set is the common elements of the set of fixed points of a family of generalized nonexpansive mappings and the set of solutions of a pseudomonotone J-equilibrium problem for a J -α-inverse-strongly monotone operator in a Banach space. To prove strong convergence of generated iterates in the extragradient method, we introduce a ? _?-Lipschitz-type condition and assume that the equilibrium bifunction satisfies this condition. This condition is unnecessary when the line search method is used instead of the extragradient method. Using FMINCON optimization toolbox in MATLAB, we give some numerical examples and compare them with several existence results in literature to illustrate the usability of our results.     

Revisiting <Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis>-sum optimization

In this paper, we address continuous, integer and combinatorial k-sum optimization problems. We analyze different formulations of this problem that allow to solve it through the minimization of a relatively small number of minisum optimization problems. This approach provides a general tool for solving a variety of k-sum optimization problems and at the same time, improves the complexity bounds of many ad-hoc algorithms previously reported in the literature for particular versions of this problem. Moreover, the results developed for k-sum optimization have been extended to the more general case of the convex ordered median problem, improving upon existing solution approaches.     

Parsimonious representation of nonlinear dynamical systems through manifold learning: A chemotaxis case study

Nonlinear manifold learning algorithms, such as diffusion maps, have been fruitfully applied in recent years to the analysis of large and complex data sets. However, such algorithms still encounter challenges when faced with real data. One such challenge is the existence of “repeated eigendirections,” which obscures the detection of the true dimensionality of the underlying manifold and arises when several embedding coordinates parametrize the same direction in the intrinsic geometry of the data set. We propose an algorithm, based on local linear regression, to automatically detect coordinates corresponding to repeated eigendirections. We construct a more parsimonious embedding using only the eigenvectors corresponding to unique eigendirections, and we show that this reduced diffusion maps embedding induces a metric which is equivalent to the standard diffusion distance. We first demonstrate the utility and flexibility of our approach on synthetic data sets. We then apply our algorithm to data collected from a stochastic model of cellular chemotaxis, where our approach for factoring out repeated eigendirections allows us to detect changes in dynamical behavior and the underlying intrinsic system dimensionality directly from data.     

Computing Proximal Points of Convex Functions with Inexact Subgradients

Locating proximal points is a component of numerous minimization algorithms. This work focuses on developing a method to find the proximal point of a convex function at a point, given an inexact oracle. Our method assumes that exact function values are at hand, but exact subgradients are either not available or not useful. We use approximate subgradients to build a model of the objective function, and prove that the method converges to the true prox-point within acceptable tolerance. The subgradient g _k used at each step k is such that the distance from g _k to the true subdifferential of the objective function at the current iteration point is bounded by some fixed ε > 0. The algorithm includes a novel tilt-correct step applied to the approximate subgradient.     

The number of edge covers of bipartite graphs or of shortest paths with fixed endpoints in the space of compact sets in <Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis> <Superscript> <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis> </Superscript>

The possible number of shortest paths joining points in the metric space of compact sets in Euclidean space endowed with the Hausdorff metric is studied. For all n ≤ 1000, except eight values, it is checked whether n can equal the number of such shortest paths. In particular, new lacunas are found, namely 41, 59, and 67 (previously, only two such lacunas, 19 and 37, were known).     

Scalar Field Analysis over Point Cloud Data

Given a real-valued function f defined over some metric space \(\mathbb{X}\), is it possible to recover some structural information about f from the sole information of its values at a finite set \(L\subseteq\mathbb{X}\) of sample points, whose locations are only known through their pairwise distances in \(\mathbb{X}\)? We provide a positive answer to this question. More precisely, taking advantage of recent advances on the front of stability for persistence diagrams, we introduce a novel algebraic construction, based on a pair of nested families of simplicial complexes built on top of the point cloud L, from which the persistence diagram of f can be faithfully approximated. We derive from this construction a series of algorithms for the analysis of scalar fields from point cloud data. These algorithms are simple and easy to implement, they have reasonable complexities, and they come with theoretical guarantees. To illustrate the genericity and practicality of the approach, we also present some experimental results obtained in various applications, ranging from clustering to sensor networks.     

DICE: exploiting <Emphasis Type="Italic">all</Emphasis> bivariate dependencies in binary and multary search spaces

Although some of the earliest Estimation of Distribution Algorithms (EDAs) utilized bivariate marginal distribution models, up to now, all discrete bivariate EDAs had one serious limitation: they were constrained to exploiting only a limited O(d) subset out of all possible \(O(d^{2})\) bivariate dependencies. As a first we present a family of discrete bivariate EDAs that can learn and exploit all \(O(d^{2})\) dependencies between variables, and yet have the same run-time complexity as their more limited counterparts. This family of algorithms, which we label DICE (DIscrete Correlated Estimation of distribution algorithms), is rigorously based on sound statistical principles, and particularly on a modelling technique from statistical physics: dichotomised multivariate Gaussian distributions. Initially (Lane et al. in European Conference on the Applications of Evolutionary Computation, Springer, 1999), DICE was trialled on a suite of combinatorial optimization problems over binary search spaces. Our proposed dichotomised Gaussian (DG) model in DICE significantly outperformed existing discrete bivariate EDAs; crucially, the performance gap increasingly widened as dimensionality of the problems increased. In this comprehensive treatment, we generalise DICE by successfully extending it to multary search spaces that also allow for categorical variables. Because correlation is not wholly meaningful for categorical variables, interactions between such variables cannot be fully modelled by correlation-based approaches such as in the original formulation of DICE. Therefore, here we extend our original DG model to deal with such situations. We test DICE on a challenging test suite of combinatorial optimization problems, which are defined mostly on multary search spaces. While the two versions of DICE outperform each other on different problem instances, they both outperform all the state-of-the-art bivariate EDAs on almost all of the problem instances. This further illustrates that these innovative DICE methods constitute a significant step change in the domain of discrete bivariate EDAs.     

Solving the uncapacitated multi-facility Weber problem by vector quantization and self-organizing maps

The uncapacitated multi-facility Weber problem is concerned with locating m facilities in the Euclidean plane and allocating the demands of n customers to these facilities with the minimum total transportation cost. This is a non-convex optimization problem and difficult to solve exactly. As a consequence, efficient and accurate heuristic solution procedures are needed. The problem has different types based on the distance function used to model the distance between the facilities and customers. We concentrate on the rectilinear and Euclidean problems and propose new vector quantization and self-organizing map algorithms. They incorporate the properties of the distance function to their update rules, which makes them different from the existing two neural network methods that use rather ad hoc squared Euclidean metric in their updates even though the problem is originally stated in terms of the rectilinear and Euclidean distances. Computational results on benchmark instances indicate that the new methods are better than the existing ones, both in terms of the solution quality and computation time.     

Randers change of <Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis><Superscript>th</Superscript> root metric

The present paper deals with a Randers metric that has been derived after a particular β-change in the mth root metric. Various geometers such as [7], [9], [10] etc. have studied the mth root metric and its transformations. We have obtained some tensors and theorems holding the relation between the Finsler space equipped with the mth root metric and the one obtained after its Randers change.     

Isometric embeddings of finite metric spaces

It is proved that there exists a metric on a Cantor set such that any finite metric space whose diameter does not exceed 1 and the number of points does not exceed n can be isometrically embedded into it. It is also proved that for any m, n ∈ N there exists a Cantor set in R^m that isometrically contains all finite metric spaces which can be embedded into R^m, contain at most n points, and have the diameter at most 1. The latter result is proved for a wide class of metrics on R^m and, in particular, for the Euclidean metric.     

Multi-wave algorithms for metaheuristic optimization

We propose new iterated improvement neighborhood search algorithms for metaheuristic optimization by exploiting notions of conditional influence within a strategic oscillation framework. These approaches, which are unified within a class of methods called multi-wave algorithms, offer further refinements by memory based strategies that draw on the concept of persistent attractiveness. Our algorithms provide new forms of both neighborhood search methods and multi-start methods, and are readily embodied within evolutionary algorithms and memetic algorithms by solution combination mechanisms derived from path relinking. These methods can also be used to enhance branching strategies for mixed integer programming.     

Chromatic nearest neighbor searching: A query sensitive approach

The nearest neighbor problem is that of preprocessing a set P of n data points in so that, given any query point q, the closest point in P to q can be determined efficiently. In the chromatic nearest neighbor problem, each point of P is assigned a color, and the problem is to determine the color of the nearest point to the query point. More generally, given k1, the problem is to determine the color occurring most frequently among the k nearest neighbors. The chromatic version of the nearest neighbor problem is used in many applications in pattern recognition and learning. In this paper we present a simple algorithm for solving the chromatic k nearest neighbor problem. We provide a query sensitive analysis, which shows that if the color classes form spatially well separated clusters (as often happens in practice), then queries can be answered quite efficiently. We also allow the user to specify an error bound 0, and consider the same problem in the context of approximate nearest neighbor searching. We present empirical evidence that for well clustered data sets, this approach leads to significant improvements in efficiency.     

General variable neighborhood search for the uncapacitated single allocation <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-hub center problem

In this paper we propose a general variable neighborhood search heuristic for solving the uncapacitated single allocation p-hub center problem (USApHCP). For the local search step we develop a nested variable neighborhood descent strategy. The proposed approach is tested on benchmark instances from the literature and found to outperform the state-of-the-art heuristic based on ant colony optimization. We also test our heuristic on large scale instances that were not previously considered as test instances for the USApHCP. Moreover, exact solutions were reached by our GVNS for all instances where optimal solutions are known.     

Strict <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-negative type of a metric space

Doust and Weston (J Funct Anal 254:2336–2364, 2008) have introduced a new method called enhanced negative type for calculating a non-trivial lower bound \({\wp_{T}}\) on the supremal strict p-negative type of any given finite metric tree (T, d). In the context of finite metric trees any such lower bound \({\wp_{T} >1 }\) is deemed to be non-trivial. In this paper we refine the technique of enhanced negative type and show how it may be applied more generally to any finite metric space (X, d) that is known to have strict p-negative type for some p ≥ 0. This allows us to significantly improve the lower bounds on the supremal strict p-negative type of finite metric trees that were given in Doust and Weston (J Funct Anal 254:2336–2364, 2008, Corollary 5.5) and, moreover, leads in to one of our main results: the supremal p-negative type of a finite metric space cannot be strict. By way of application we are then able to exhibit large classes of finite metric spaces (such as finite isometric subspaces of Hadamard manifolds) that must have strict p-negative type for some p > 1. We also show that if a metric space (finite or otherwise) has p-negative type for some p > 0, then it must have strict q-negative type for all \({q \in [0, p)}\) . This generalizes Schoenberg (Ann Math 38:787–793, 1937, Theorem 2) and leads to a complete classification of the intervals on which a metric space may have strict p-negative type.     

A comparison of several nearest neighbor classifier metrics using Tabu Search algorithm for the feature selection problem

The feature selection problem is an interesting and important topic which is relevant for a variety of database applications. This paper utilizes the Tabu Search metaheuristic algorithm to implement a feature subset selection procedure while the nearest neighbor classification method is used for the classification task. Tabu Search is a general metaheuristic procedure that is used in order to guide the search to obtain good solutions in complex solution spaces. Several metrics are used in the nearest neighbor classification method, such as the euclidean distance, the Standardized Euclidean distance, the Mahalanobis distance, the City block metric, the Cosine distance and the Correlation distance, in order to identify the most significant metric for the nearest neighbor classifier. The performance of the proposed algorithms is tested using various benchmark datasets from UCI Machine Learning Repository.