An analysis of some dual problems in multiobjective optimization (I)

In this work we study the duality for a general multiobjective optimization problem. Considering, first, a scalar problem, different duals using the conjugacy approach are presented. Starting from these scalar duals, we introduce six different multiobjective dual problems to the primal one, one depending on certain vector parameters. The existence of weak and, under certain conditions, strong duality between the primal and the dual problems is shown. Afterwards, some inclusion results for the image sets of the multiobjective dual problems (D ₁), (D _α) and (D_FL ) are derived. Moreover, we verify that the efficiency sets within the image sets of these problems coincide, but the image sets themselves do not.     

Wolfe duality and Mond-Weir duality via perturbations

Considering a general optimization problem, we attach to it by means of perturbation theory two dual problems having in the constraints a subdifferential inclusion relation. When the primal problem and the perturbation function are particularized different new dual problems are obtained. In the special case of a constrained optimization problem, the classical Wolfe and Mond-Weir duals, respectively, follow as particularizations of the general duals by using the Lagrange perturbation. Examples to show the differences between the new duals are given and a gate towards other generalized convexities is opened.     

On the relations between different duals assigned to composed optimization problems

For an optimization problem with a composed objective function and composed constraint functions we determine, by means of the conjugacy approach based on the perturbation theory, some dual problems to it. The relations between the optimal objective values of these duals are studied. Moreover, sufficient conditions are given in order to achieve equality between the optimal objective values of the duals and strong duality between the primal and the dual problems, respectively. Finally, some special cases of this problem are presented.      

Lower bounds for nonlinear assignment problems using many body interactions

This paper concerns lower bounding techniques for the general α-adic assignment problem. The nonlinear objective function is linearized by the introduction of additional variables and constraints, thus yielding a mixed integer linear programming formulation of the problem. The concept of many body interactions is introduced to strengthen this formulation and incorporated in a modified formulation obtained by lifting the original representation to a higher dimensional space. This process involves two steps — (i) addition of new variables and constraints and (ii) incorporation of the new variables in the objective function. If this lifting process is repeated β times on an α-adic assignment problem along with the incorporation of higher order interactions, it results in the mixed-integer formulation of an equivalent (α + β)-adic assignment problem. The incorporation of many body interactions in the higher dimensional formulation improves its degeneracy properties and is also critical to the derivation of decomposition methods for the solution of these large scale mathematical programs in the higher dimensional space. It is shown that a lower bound to the optimal solution of the corresponding linear programming relaxation can be obtained by dualizing a subset of constraints in this formulation and solving O(N^2(α+β−1)) linear assignment problems, whose coefficients depend on the dual values. Moreover, it is proved that the optimal solution to the LP relaxation is obtained if we use the optimal duals for the solution of the linear assignment problems. This concept of many body interactions could be applied in designing algorithms for the solution of formulations obtained by lifting general MILP's. We illustrate all these concepts on the quadratic assignment problems With these decomposition bounds, we have found the provably optimal solutions of two unsolved QAP's of size 32 and have also improved upon existing lower bounds for other QAP's.     

多目标变分问题的混合对偶性

本文给出了一类多目标变分问题的混合对偶 ,使得 Wolfe型对偶和 Mond-Weir型对偶是其特殊情况 ,并在函数 (F ,ρ) -凸性的条件下建立了多目标变分问题关于有效解的混合对偶理论 .     

Duality in mathematics and linear and integer programming

Linear programming (LP) duality is examined in the context of other dualities in mathematics. The mathematical and economic properties of LP duality are discussed and its uses are considered. These mathematical and economic properties are then examined in relation to possible integer programming (IP) dualities. A number of possible IP duals are considered in this light and shown to capture some but not all desirable properties. It is shown that inherent in IP models are inequality and congruence constraints, both of which give on their own well-defined duals. However, taken together, no totally satisfactory dual emerges. The superadditive dual based on the Gomory and Chvátal functions is then described, and its properties are contrasted with LP duals and other IP duals. Finally, possible practical uses of IP duals are considered.The author is indebted to Professor H. B. Griffiths for many stimulating conversations on this topic.     

Multiobjective programming problems with (G,C,ρ)-convexity

In this paper, we deal with multiobjective programming problems involving functions which are not necessarily differential. A new concept of generalized convexity, which is called (G,C,??)-convexity, is introduced. We establish not only sufficient but also necessary optimality conditions for multiobjective programming problems from a viewpoint of the new generalized convexity. When the sufficient conditions are utilized, the corresponding duality theorems are derived for general Mond-Weir type dual program.     

An η-approximation approach to duality in mathematical programming problems involving r-invex functions

An η-approximation approach introduced by Antczak [T. Antczak, A new method of solving nonlinear mathematical programming problems involving r-invex functions, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 311 (2005) 313-323] is used to obtain a solution Mond-Weir dual problems involving r-invex functions. η-Approximated Mond-Weir dual problems are introduced for the η-approximated optimization problem constructed in this method associated with the original nonlinear mathematical programming problem. By the help of η-approximated dual problems various duality results are established for the original mathematical programming problem and its original Mond-Weir duals.     

The uniquely embeddable planar graphs

Whitney [7] proved in 1932 that for any two embeddings of a planar 3-connected graph, their combinatorial duals are isomorphic. In this manner, the term “uniquely embeddable planar graph” was introduced. It is a well-known fact that combinatorial and geometrical duals are equivalent concepts. In this paper, the concept of unique embeddability is introduced in terms of special types of isomorphisms between any two embeddings of a planar graph. From this, the class U of all graphs which are uniquely embeddable in the plane according to this definition, is determined, and the planar 3-connected graphs are a proper subset of U. It turns out that the graphs in U have a unique geometrical dual (i.e., for any two embeddings of such a graph, their geometrical duals are isomorphic). Furthermore, the theorems and their proofs do not involve any type of duals.     

多目标分式变分问题的混合对偶性

在广义B-Ⅰ凸性条件下,建立了多目标分式变分问题的混合对偶模型,使得M ond-W e ir型对偶和W o lfe型成为其特殊情况,并建立了关于有效解的混合对偶理论.     

Robust nonlinear optimization with conic representable uncertainty set

The robust optimization methodology is known as a popular method dealing with optimization problems with uncertain data and hard constraints. This methodology has been applied so far to various convex conic optimization problems where only their inequality constraints are subject to uncertainty. In this paper, the robust optimization methodology is applied to the general nonlinear programming (NLP) problem involving both uncertain inequality and equality constraints. The uncertainty set is defined by conic representable sets, the proposed uncertainty set is general enough to include many uncertainty sets, which have been used in literature, as special cases. The robust counterpart (RC) of the general NLP problem is approximated under this uncertainty set. It is shown that the resulting approximate RC of the general NLP problem is valid in a small neighborhood of the nominal value. Furthermore a rather general class of programming problems is posed that the robust counterparts of its problems can be derived exactly under the proposed uncertainty set. Our results show the applicability of robust optimization to a wider area of real applications and theoretical problems with more general uncertainty sets than those considered so far. The resulting robust counterparts which are traditional optimization problems make it possible to use existing algorithms of mathematical optimization to solve more complicated and general robust optimization problems.     

Infra-Mackey spaces, weak barrelledness and barrelledness

A weaker Mackey topology, infra-Mackey topology, is introduced. For an infra-Mackey space, dual local quasi-completeness, c₀-quasi-barrelledness, Ruess' property (quasi-L) and C-quasi-barrelledness are equivalent to each other. Inspired by the definition of Mazur spaces, locally convex spaces are classified according to various conditions ensuring linear functionals continuous. In the classification, every class of special locally convex spaces is characterized by some completeness of the duals. From this, some new characterizations of quasi-barrelledness and barrelledness are given.     

Dijkstra’s algorithm and L-concave function maximization

Dijkstra’s algorithm is a well-known algorithm for the single-source shortest path problem in a directed graph with nonnegative edge length. We discuss Dijkstra’s algorithm from the viewpoint of discrete convex analysis, where the concept of discrete convexity called L-convexity plays a central role. We observe first that the dual of the linear programming (LP) formulation of the shortest path problem can be seen as a special case of L-concave function maximization. We then point out that the steepest ascent algorithm for L-concave function maximization, when applied to the LP dual of the shortest path problem and implemented with some auxiliary variables, coincides exactly with Dijkstra’s algorithm.     

Johri's general dual,the Lagrangian dual,and the surrogate dual

Duality formulations can be derived from a nonlinear primal optimization problem in several ways. One abstract theoretical concept presented by Johri is the framework of general dual problems. They provide the tightest of specific bounds on the primal optimum generated by dual subproblems which relax the primal problem with respect to the objective function or to the feasible set or even to both. The well-known Lagrangian dual and surrogate dual are shown to be special cases. Dominating functions and including sets which are the two relaxation devices of Johri's general dual turn out to be the most general formulations of augmented Lagrangian functions and augmented surrogate regions.     

Non-differentiable pseudo-convex functions and duality for minimax programming problems

Optimality results are derived for a general minimax programming problem under non-differentiable pseudo-convexity assumptions. A dual in terms of Dini derivatives is introduced and duality results are established. Finally, two duals again in terms of Dini derivatives are introduced for a generalized fractional minimax programming problem and corresponding results are studied.     

Convex Semi-Infinite Programming: Implicit Optimality Criterion Based on the Concept of Immobile Indices

We state a new implicit optimality criterion for convex semi-infinite programming (SIP) problems. This criterion does not require any constraint qualification and is based on concepts of immobile index and immobility order. Given a convex SIP problem with a continuum of constraints, we use an information about its immobile indices to construct a nonlinear programming (NLP) problem of a special form. We prove that a feasible point of the original infinite SIP problem is optimal if and only if it is optimal in the corresponding finite NLP problem. This fact allows us to obtain new efficient optimality conditions for convex SIP problems using known results of the optimality theory of NLP. To construct the NLP problem, we use the DIO algorithm. A comparison of the optimality conditions obtained in the paper with known results is provided.     

Improve-and-Branch Algorithm for the Global Optimization of Nonconvex NLP Problems

A new algorithm to solve nonconvex NLP problems is presented. It is based on the solution of two problems. The reformulated problem RP is a suitable reformulation of the original problem and involves convex terms and concave univariate terms. The main problem MP is a nonconvex NLP that outer-approximates the feasible region and underestimate the objective function. MP involves convex terms and terms which are the products of concave univariate functions and new variables. Fixing the variables in the concave terms, a convex NLP that overestimates the feasible region and underestimates the objective function is obtained from the MP. Like most of the deterministic global optimization algorithms, bounds on all the variables in the nonconvex terms must be provided. MP forces the objective value to improve and minimizes the difference of upper and lower bound of all the variables either to zero or to a positive value. In the first case, a feasible solution of the original problem is reached and the objective function is improved. In general terms, the second case corresponds to an infeasible solution of the original problem due to the existence of gaps in some variables. A branching procedure is performed in order to either prove that there is no better solution or reduce the domain, eliminating the local solution of MP that was found. The MP solution indicates a key point to do the branching. A bound reduction technique is implemented to accelerate the convergence speed. Computational results demonstrate that the algorithm compares very favorably to other approaches when applied to test problems and process design problems. It is typically faster and it produces very accurate results.     

Duals of Frame Sequences

Frames provide unconditional basis-like, but generally nonunique, representations of vectors in a Hilbert space H. The redundancy of frame expansions allows the flexibility of choosing different dual sequences to employ in frame representations. In particular, oblique duals, Type I duals, and Type II duals have been introduced in the literature because of the special properties that they possess. A Type I dual is a dual such that the range of its synthesis operator is contained in the range of the synthesis operator of the original frame sequence, and a Type II dual is a dual such that the range of its analysis operator is contained in the range of the analysis operator of the original frame sequence. This paper proves that all Type I and Type II duals are oblique duals, but not conversely, and characterizes the existence of oblique and Type II duals in terms of direct sum decompositions of H, as well as characterizing when the Type I, Type II, and oblique duals will be unique. These results are also applied to the case of shift-generated sequences that are frames for shift-invariant subspaces of L ²(? ^d ).     

Duality for Equilibrium Problems under Generalized Monotonicity

Duality is studied for an abstract equilibrium problem which includes, among others, optimization problems and variational inequality problems. Following different schemes, various duals are proposed and primal–dual relationships are established under certain generalized convexity and generalized monotonicity assumptions. In a primal–dual setting, existence results for a solution are derived for different generalized monotone equilibrium problems within each duality scheme.     

Surrogate duality in a branch-and-bound procedure for integer programming

The existence of efficient techniques such as subgradient search for solving Lagrangean duals has led to some very successful applications of Lagrangean duality in solving specially structured discrete problems. While surrogate duals have been theoretically shown to provide stronger bounds, the complexity of surrogate dual multiplier search has discouraged their employment in solving integer programs. We have recently suggested a new strategy for computing surrogate dual values that allows us to directly use established Lagrangean search methods for exploring surrogate dual multipliers. This paper considers the problem of incorporating surrogate duality within a branch-and-bound procedure for solving integer programming problems. Computational experience with randomly generated multiconstraint knapsack problems is also reported.