Partially finite convex programming,Part II: Explicit lattice models

In Part I of this work we derived a duality theorem for partially finite convex programs, problems for which the standard Slater condition fails almost invariably. Our result depended on a constraint qualification involving the notion ofquasi relative interior. The derivation of the primal solution from a dual solution depended on the differentiability of the dual objective function: the differentiability of various convex functions in lattices was considered at the end of Part I. In Part II we shall apply our results to a number of more concrete problems, including variants of semi-infinite linear programming,L ¹ approximation, constrained approximation and interpolation, spectral estimation, semi-infinite transportation problems and the generalized market area problem of Lowe and Hurter (1976). As in Part I, we shall use lattice notation extensively, but, as we illustrated there, in concrete examples lattice-theoretic ideas can be avoided, if preferred, by direct calculation.     

Numerical method for a class of optimal control problems subject to nonsmooth functional constraints

In this paper, we consider a class of optimal control problems which is governed by nonsmooth functional inequality constraints involving convolution. First, we transform it into an equivalent optimal control problem with smooth functional inequality constraints at the expense of doubling the dimension of the control variables. Then, using the Chebyshev polynomial approximation of the control variables, we obtain an semi-infinite quadratic programming problem. At last, we use the dual parametrization technique to solve the problem.     

A semi-infinite programming algorithm for solving optimal power flow with transient stability constraints

This paper proposes a new algorithm for solving a type of complicated optimal power flow (OPF) problems in power systems, i.e., OPF problems with transient stability constraints (OTS). The OTS is converted into a semi-infinite programming (SIP) via some suitable function analysis. Then based on the KKT system of the reformulated SIP, a smoothing quasi-Newton algorithm is presented in which the numerical integration is used. The convergence of the algorithm is established. An OTS problem in power system is tested, which shows that the proposed algorithm is promising.     

Stability and augmented Lagrangian duality in nonconvex semi-infinite programming

In this paper the pseudo-Lipschitz property of the constraint set mapping and the Lipschitz property of the optimal value function of parametric nonconvex semi-infinite optimization problems are obtained under suitable conditions on the limiting subdifferential and the limiting normal cone. Then we derive sufficient conditions for the strong duality of nonconvex semi-infinite optimality problems and a criterion for exact penalty representations via an augmented Lagrangian approach. Examples are given to illustrate the obtained results.     

A filled function method for global optimization

A novel filled function with one parameter is suggested in this paper for finding a global minimizer for a general class of nonlinear programming problems with a closed bounded box. A new algorithm is presented according to the theoretical analysis. The implementation of the algorithm on several test problems is reported with satisfactory numerical results.     

Solvability of Newton equations in smoothing-type algorithms for the SOCCP

In this paper, we first investigate the invertibility of a class of matrices. Based on the obtained results, we then discuss the solvability of Newton equations appearing in the smoothing-type algorithm for solving the second-order cone complementarity problem (SOCCP). A condition ensuring the solvability of such a system of Newton equations is given. In addition, our results also show that the assumption that the Jacobian matrix of the function involved in the SOCCP is a P₀-matrix is not enough for ensuring the solvability of such a system of Newton equations, which is different from the one of smoothing-type algorithms for solving many traditional optimization problems in ℜⁿ.     

An exact penalty function algorithm for semi-infinite programmes

An algorithm for semi-inifinite programming using sequential quadratic programming techniques together with anL exact penalty function is presented, and global convergence is shown. An important feature of the convergence proof is that it does not require an implicit function theorem to be applicable to the semi-infinite constraints; a much weaker assumption concerning the finiteness of the number of global maximizers of each semi-infinite constraint is sufficient. In contrast to proofs based on an implicit function theorem, this result is also valid for a large class ofC ¹ problems.     

Complete characterizations of local weak sharp minima with applications to semi-infinite optimization and complementarity

In this paper, we identify a favorable class of nonsmooth functions for which local weak sharp minima can be completely characterized in terms of normal cones and subdifferentials, or tangent cones and subderivatives, or their mixture in finite-dimensional spaces. The results obtained not only extend previous ones in the literature, but also allow us to provide new types of criteria for local weak sharpness. Applications of the developed theory are given to semi-infinite programming and to a new class of semi-infinite complementarity problems.     

A modified SLP algorithm and its global convergence

This paper concerns a filter technique and its application to the trust region method for nonlinear programming (NLP) problems. We used our filter trust region algorithm to solve NLP problems with equality and inequality constraints, instead of solving NLP problems with just inequality constraints, as was introduced by Fletcher et al. [R. Fletcher, S. Leyffer, Ph.L. Toint, On the global converge of an SLP-filter algorithm, Report NA/183, Department of Mathematics, Dundee University, Dundee, Scotland, 1999]. We incorporate this filter technique into the traditional trust region method such that the new algorithm possesses nonmonotonicity. Unlike the tradition trust region method, our algorithm performs a nonmonotone filter technique to find a new iteration point if a trial step is not accepted. Under mild conditions, we prove that the algorithm is globally convergent.     

A CLASS OF TRUST REGION METHODS FOR LINEAR INEQUALITY CONSTRAINED OPTIMIZATION AND ITS THEORY ANALYSIS：Ⅰ. ALGORITHM AND GLOBAL CONVERGENCE

A class of trust region methods tor solving linear inequality constrained problems is propo6ed in this paper. It is shown that the algorithm is of global convergence. The algorithm uses a version of the two-slded projection and the strategy of the unconstrained trust region methods. It keeps the good convergence properties of the unconstrained case and has the merits of the projection method. In some sense, our algorithm can be regarded as an extension and improvement of the projected type algorithm.     

Quadratic problems defined on a convex hull of points

In this paper we consider an algorithm for a class of quadratic problems defined on a polytope which is described as the convex hull of a set of points. The algorithm is based on simplex partitions using convex underestimating functions.     

Efficient sample sizes in stochastic nonlinear programming

We consider a class of stochastic nonlinear programs for which an approximation to a locally optimal solution is specified in terms of a fractional reduction of the initial cost error. We show that such an approximate solution can be found by approximately solving a sequence of sample average approximations. The key issue in this approach is the determination of the required sequence of sample average approximations as well as the number of iterations to be carried out on each sample average approximation in this sequence. We show that one can express this requirement as an idealized optimization problem whose cost function is the computing work required to obtain the required error reduction. The specification of this idealized optimization problem requires the exact knowledge of a few problems and algorithm parameters. Since the exact values of these parameters are not known, we use estimates, which can be updated as the computation progresses. We illustrate our approach using two numerical examples from structural engineering design.     

Solution of projection problems over polytopes

Summary In this paper, we present variants of a convergent projection and contraction algorithm [25] for solving projection problems over polytope. By using the special struture of the projection problems, an iterative algorithm with constant step-size is given, which is globally linearly convergent. These algorithms are simple to implement and each step of the method requires only a few matrix-vector multiplications. Especially, for minimums norm problems over transportation or general network polytopes onlyO(n) additions andO(n) multiplications are needed at each iteration. Numerical results for randomly generated test problems over network polytopes, up to 10000 variables, indicate that the presented algorithms are simple and efficient even for large problems.     

Characterization of total ill-posedness in linear semi-infinite optimization

This paper deals with the stability of linear semi-infinite programming (LSIP, for short) problems. We characterize those LSIP problems from which we can obtain, under small perturbations in the data, different types of problems, namely, inconsistent, consistent unsolvable, and solvable problems. The problems of this class are highly unstable and, for this reason, we say that they are totally ill-posed. The characterization that we provide here is of geometrical nature, and it depends exclusively on the original data (i.e., on the coefficients of the nominal LSIP problem). Our results cover the case of linear programming problems, and they are mainly obtained via a new formula for the subdifferential mapping of the support function.     

A predictor-corrector smoothing Newton method for symmetric cone complementarity problems

In this paper, we present a predictor-corrector smoothing Newton method for solving nonlinear symmetric cone complementarity problems (SCCP) based on the symmetrically perturbed smoothing function. Under a mild assumption, the solution set of the problem concerned is just nonempty, we show that the proposed algorithm is globally and locally quadratic convergent. Also, the algorithm finds a maximally complementary solution to the SCCP. Numerical results for second order cone complementarity problems (SOCCP), a special case of SCCP, show that the proposed algorithm is effective.     

Bilevel multiplicative problems: A penalty approach to optimality and a cutting plane based algorithm

Bilevel programming has been proposed for dealing with decision processes involving two decision makers with a hierarchical structure. They are characterised by the existence of two optimisation problems in which the constraint region of the upper level problem is implicitly determined by the lower level optimisation problem. In this paper we focus on the class of bilevel problems in which the upper level objective function is linear multiplicative, the lower level one is linear and the common constraint region is a bounded polyhedron. After replacing the lower level problem by its Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions, the existence of an extreme point which solves the problem is proved by using a penalty function approach. Besides, an algorithm based on the successive introduction of valid cutting planes is developed obtaining a global optimal solution. Finally, we generalise the problem by including upper level constraints which involve both level variables.     

A quasi-linear algorithm for calculating the infimal convolution of convex quadratic functions

In this paper we present an algorithm of quasi-linear complexity to exactly calculate the infimal convolution of convex quadratic functions. The algorithm exactly and simultaneously solves a separable uniparametric family of quadratic programming problems resulting from varying the equality constraint.     

Combining nonmonotone conic trust region and line search techniques for unconstrained optimization

In this paper, we propose a trust region method for unconstrained optimization that can be regarded as a combination of conic model, nonmonotone and line search techniques. Unlike in traditional trust region methods, the subproblem of our algorithm is the conic minimization subproblem; moreover, our algorithm performs a nonmonotone line search to find the next iteration point when a trial step is not accepted, instead of resolving the subproblem. The global and superlinear convergence results for the algorithm are established under reasonable assumptions. Numerical results show that the new method is efficient for unconstrained optimization problems.     

A full-Newton step non-interior continuation algorithm for a class of complementarity problems

In this paper, we investigate a class of nonlinear complementarity problems arising from the discretization of the free boundary problem, which was recently studied by Sun and Zeng [Z. Sun, J. Zeng, A monotone semismooth Newton type method for a class of complementarity problems, J. Comput. Appl. Math. 235 (5) (2011) 1261–1274]. We propose a new non-interior continuation algorithm for solving this class of problems, where the full-Newton step is used in each iteration. We show that the algorithm is globally convergent, where the iteration sequence of the variable converges monotonically. We also prove that the algorithm is globally linearly and locally superlinearly convergent without any additional assumption, and locally quadratically convergent under suitable assumptions. The preliminary numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.