Sublinear upper bounds for stochastic programs with recourse

Separable sublinear functions are used to provide upper bounds on the recourse function of a stochastic program. The resulting problem's objective involves the inf-convolution of convex functions. A dual of this problem is formulated to obtain an implementable procedure to calculate the bound. Function evaluations for the resulting convex program only require a small number of single integrations in contrast with previous upper bounds that require a number of function evaluations that grows exponentially in the number of random variables. The sublinear bound can often be used when other suggested upper bounds are intractable. Computational results indicate that the sublinear approximation provides good, efficient bounds on the stochastic program objective value.This research has been partially supported by the National Science Foundation. The first author's work was also supported in part by Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-86-K-0628 and by the National Research Council under a Research Associateship at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California.     

Approximations to stochastic programs with complete fixed recourse

The probability distribution of the data entering a recourse problem is replaced by finite discrete distributions. It is proved that the convergence of the objective functions of the approximating problems to that one of the original problem can be achieved by choosing the discrete distributions in quite a natural way. For bounded feasible sets this implies the convergence of the optimal values. Finally some error bounds are derived.     

Strong convexity in risk-averse stochastic programs with complete recourse

We give sufficient conditions for the expected excess and the mean-upper-semideviation of recourse functions to be strongly convex. This is done in the setting of two-stage stochastic programs with complete linear recourse and random right-hand side. This work extends results on strong convexity of risk-neutral models.     

Distribution sensitivity analysis for stochastic programs with complete recourse

In this paper we study the stability of solutions to stochastic programming problems with complete recourse and show the Lipschitz continuity of optimal solutions as well as the associated Lagrange multipliers with respect to the parameters of the distribution function.     

L-shaped decomposition of two-stage stochastic programs with integer recourse

We consider two-stage stochastic programming problems with integer recourse. The L-shaped method of stochastic linear programming is generalized to these problems by using generalized Benders decomposition. Nonlinear feasibility and optimality cuts are determined via general duality theory and can be generated when the second stage problem is solved by standard techniques. Finite convergence of the method is established when Gomory’s fractional cutting plane algorithm or a branch-and-bound algorithm is applied.     

Applying the minimax criterion in stochastic recourse programs

We consider an optimization problem in which some uncertain parameters are replaced by random variables. The minimax approach to stochastic programming concerns the problem of minimizing the worst expected value of the objective function with respect to the set of probability measures that are consistent with the available information on the random data. Only very few practicable solution procedures have been proposed for this problem and the existing ones rely on simplifying assumptions. In this paper, we establish a number of stability results for the minimax stochastic program, justifying in particular the approach of restricting attention to probability measures with support in some known finite set. Following this approach, we elaborate solution procedures for the minimax problem in the setting of two-stage stochastic recourse models, considering the linear recourse case as well as the integer recourse case. Since the solution procedures are modifications of well-known algorithms, their efficacy is immediate from the computational testing of these procedures and we do not report results of any computational experiments.     

一类带有MaxEMin评判的补偿型随机规划算法

补偿型随机规划一般假定随机变量的概率分布具有完备信息, 但实际情况往往只能获得部分信息. 针对离散概率具有一类线性部分信息条件而建立了带有MaxEMin评判的两阶段随机规划模型, 借助二次规划和对偶分解方法得到了可行性切割和最优切割, 给出了基于L-型的求解算法, 并证明了算法的收敛性. 通过数值实验表明了算法的有效性.     

Statistical approximations for recourse constrained stochastic programs

The two stage stochastic program with recourse is known to have numerous applications in financial planning, energy modeling, telecommunications systems etc. Notwithstanding its applicability, the two stage stochastic program is limited in its ability to incorporate a decision maker's attitudes towards risk. In this paper we present an extension via the inclusion of a recourse constraint. This results in a convex integrated chance constraint (ICC), which inherits the convexity properties of two stage programs. However, it also inherits some of the difficulties associated with the evaluation of recourse functions. This motivates our study of conditions that may be applicable to algorithms using statistical approximations of such ICC. We present a set of sufficient conditions that these approximations may satisfy in order to assure convergence. Our conditions are satisfied by a wide range of statistical approximations, and we demonstrate that these approximations can be generated within standard algorithmic procedures.This work was supported in part by Grant No. NSF-DDM-9114352 from the National Science Foundation.     

The value of the stochastic solution in stochastic linear programs with fixed recourse

Stochastic linear programs have been rarely used in practical situations largely because of their complexity. In evaluating these problems without finding the exact solution, a common method has been to find bounds on the expected value of perfect information. In this paper, we consider a different method. We present bounds on the value of the stochastic solution, that is, the potential benefit from solving the stochastic program over solving a deterministic program in which expected values have replaced random parameters. These bounds are calculated by solving smaller programs related to the stochastic recourse problem.This paper is an extension of part of the author's dissertation in the Department of Operations Research, Stanford University, Stanford, California. The research was supported at Stanford by the Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC03-76SF00326, PA#DE-AT03-76ER72018, Office of Naval Research under Contract N00014-75-C-0267 and the National Science Foundation under Grants MCS76-81259, MCS-7926009 and ECS-8012974 (formerly ENG77-06761).     

Adaptive multicut aggregation for two-stage stochastic linear programs with recourse

Outer linearization methods for two-stage stochastic linear programs with recourse, such as the L-shaped algorithm, generally apply a single optimality cut on the nonlinear objective at each major iteration, while the multicut version of the algorithm allows for several cuts to be placed at once. In general, the L-shaped algorithm tends to have more major iterations than the multicut algorithm. However, the trade-offs in terms of computational time are problem dependent. This paper investigates the computational trade-offs of adjusting the level of optimality cut aggregation from single cut to pure multicut. Specifically, an adaptive multicut algorithm that dynamically adjusts the aggregation level of the optimality cuts in the master program, is presented and tested on standard large-scale instances from the literature. Computational results reveal that a cut aggregation level that is between the single cut and the multicut can result in substantial computational savings over the single cut method.     

Approximate nonlinear programming algorithms for solving stochastic programs with recourse

This paper summarizes the main results on approximate nonlinear programming algorithms investigated by the author. These algorithms are obtained by combining approximation and nonlinear programming algorithms. They are designed for programs in which the evaluation of the objective functions is very difficult so that only their approximate values can be obtained. Therefore, these algorithms are particularly suitable for stochastic programming problems with recourse.Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

带补偿的随机二次规划的近似Lagrange-Newton方法

In this paper, two-stage stochastic quadratic programming problems with equality constraints are considered. By Monte Carlo simulation-based approximations of the objective function and its first (second)derivative,an inexact Lagrange-Newton type method is proposed.It is showed that this method is globally convergent with probability one. In particular, the convergence is local superlinear under an integral approximation error bound condition.Moreover, this method can be easily extended to solve stochastic quadratic programming problems with inequality constraints.     

Quantitative stability of full random two-stage stochastic programs with recourse

In this paper, we consider quantitative stability analysis for two-stage stochastic linear programs when recourse costs, the technology matrix, the recourse matrix and the right-hand side vector are all random. For this purpose, we first investigate continuity properties of parametric linear programs. After deriving an explicit expression for the upper bound of its feasible solutions, we establish locally Lipschitz continuity of the feasible solution sets of parametric linear programs. These results are then applied to prove continuity of the generalized objective function derived from the full random second-stage recourse problem, from which we derive new forms of quantitative stability results of the optimal value function and the optimal solution set with respect to the Fortet–Mourier probability metric. The obtained results are finally applied to establish asymptotic behavior of an empirical approximation algorithm for full random two-stage stochastic programs.     

A parallel inexact newton method for stochastic programs with recourse

A parallel inexact Newton method with a line search is proposed for two-stage quadratic stochastic programs with recourse. A lattice rule is used for the numerical evaluation of multi-dimensional integrals, and a parallel iterative method is used to solve the quadratic programming subproblems. Although the objective only has a locally Lipschitz gradient, global convergence and local superlinear convergence of the method are established. Furthermore, the method provides an error estimate which does not require much extra computation. The performance of the method is illustrated on a CM5 parallel computer.This work was supported by the Australian Research Council and the numerical experiments were done on the Sydney Regional Centre for Parallel Computing CM5.     

Distribution functions in stochastic programs with recourse: A parametric analysis

This paper studies the behavior of the optimum value of a two-stage stochastic program with recourse (random right-hand sides) as the mean and covariance matrices defining the random variables in the program are perturbed. Several results for convex programs are developed and are used to study the effect such perturbations have on the regularity properties of the stochastic programs. Cost associated with incorrectly specifying the mean and covariance matrices are discussed and estimated. A stochastic programming model in which the random variable is dependent on the first-stage decision is presented.     

A heuristic procedure for stochastic integer programs with complete recourse

In this paper, we propose a successive approximation heuristic which solves large stochastic mixed-integer programming problem with complete fixed recourse. We refer to this method as the Scenario Updating Method, since it solves the problem by considering only a subset of scenarios which is updated at each iteration. Only those scenarios which imply a significant change in the objective function are added. The algorithm is terminated when no such scenarios are available to enter in the current scenario subtree. Several rules to select scenarios are discussed. Bounds on heuristic solutions are computed by relaxing some of the non-anticipativity constraints. The proposed procedure is tested on a multistage stochastic batch-sizing problem.     

Statistical verification of optimality conditions for stochastic programs with recourse

Statistically motivated algorithms for the solution of stochastic programming problems typically suffer from their inability to recognize optimality of a given solution algorithmically. Thus, the quality of solutions provided by such methods is difficult to ascertain. In this paper, we develop methods for verification of optimality conditions within the framework of Stochastic Decomposition (SD) algorithms for two stage linear programs with recourse. Consistent with the stochastic nature of an SD algorithm, we provide termination criteria that are based on statistical verification of traditional (deterministic) optimality conditions. We propose the use of bootstrap methods to confirm the satisfaction of generalized Kuhn-Tucker conditions and conditions based on Lagrange duality. These methods are illustrated in the context of a power generation planning model, and the results are encouraging.This work was supported in part by Grant No. AFOSR-88-0076 from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and Grant No. DDM-89-10046 from the National Science Foundation.     

Quantitative stability of fully random two-stage stochastic programs with mixed-integer recourse

Optimization Letters - The quantitative stability and empirical approximation of two-stage stochastic programs with mixed-integer recourse are investigated. We first study the boundedness of...     

Continuity and stability of fully random two-stage stochastic programs with mixed-integer recourse

In order to derive continuity and stability of two-stage stochastic programs with mixed-integer recourse when all coefficients in the second-stage problem are random, we first investigate the quantitative continuity of the objective function of the corresponding continuous recourse problem with random recourse matrices. Then by extending derived results to the mixed-integer recourse case, the perturbation estimate and the piece-wise lower semi-continuity of the objective function are proved. Under the framework of weak convergence for probability measure, the epi-continuity and joint continuity of the objective function are established. All these results help us to prove a qualitative stability result. The obtained results extend current results to the mixed-integer recourse with random recourse matrices which have finitely many atoms.     

An algorithm for stochastic programs with first-order dominance constraints induced by linear recourse

We derive a cutting plane decomposition method for stochastic programs with first-order dominance constraints induced by linear recourse models with continuous variables in the second stage.