Global Optimization of Marginal Functions with Applications to Economic Equilibrium

We discuss the applicability of the cutting angle method to global minimization of marginal functions. The search of equilibrium prices in the exchange model can be reduced to the global minimization of certain functions, which include marginal functions. This problem has been approximately solved by the cutting angle method. Results of numerical experiments are presented and discussed.     

Local Optimization Method with Global Multidimensional Search

This paper presents a new method for solving global optimization problems. We use a local technique based on the notion of discrete gradients for finding a cone of descent directions and then we use a global cutting angle algorithm for finding global minimum within the intersection of the cone and the feasible region. We present results of numerical experiments with well-known test problems and with the so-called cluster function. These results confirm that the proposed algorithms allows one to find a global minimizer or at least a deep local minimizer of a function with a huge amount of shallow local minima.     

Unsupervised and supervised data classification via nonsmooth and global optimization

We examine various methods for data clustering and data classification that are based on the minimization of the so-called cluster function and its modications. These functions are nonsmooth and nonconvex. We use Discrete Gradient methods for their local minimization. We consider also a combination of this method with the cutting angle method for global minimization. We present and discuss results of numerical experiments. This research was supported by the Australian Research Council.     

Comparative analysis of the cutting angle and simulated annealing methods in global optimization

This article presents a comparative analysis of two methods of global optimization: the simulated annealing method and a method based on a combination of the cutting angle method and a local search. This analysis is carried out using results of numerical experiments. These results demonstrate that the combined method is more effective than the simulated annealing method.     

Global Minimization of Increasing Positively Homogeneous Functions over the Unit Simplex

In this paper we study a method for global optimization of increasing positively homogeneous functions over the unit simplex, which is a version of the cutting angle method. Some properties of the auxiliary subproblem are studied and a special algorithm for its solution is proposed. A cutting angle method based on this algorithm allows one to find an approximate solution of some problems of global optimization with 50 variables. Results of numerical experiments are discussed.     

A parallel algorithm for two-staged two-dimensional fixed-orientation cutting problems

In this paper, we study the two-staged two-dimensional fixed-orientation cutting problem. We investigate the use of the parallel beam search algorithm for approximately solving the problem. The beam-search can be viewed as a truncated tree-search in which a subset of generated nodes are investigated. The proposed approach tries to explore some of these nodes in parallel by applying a master-slave paradigm. The master processor serves to guide the search-resolution by using a best-first search strategy for selecting the successive sets of nodes, called elite nodes. Whereas each slave processor develops the search tree and updates the global list of the master processor in an asynchronous manner. Each processor is based on combining a partial lower bound and a complementary upper bound, obtained by solving a series of bounded knapsack problems. The proposed method is analyzed computationally on a set of benchmark instances of the literature and their results are compared to those provided by existing algorithms. Encouraging and new results have been obtained.     

Global optimization of nonconvex problems with convex-transformable intermediates

This paper addresses the global optimization of problems which contain convex-transformable functions. We present algorithms for identification of convex-transformable functions in general nonconvex problems, and introduce a new class of cutting planes based on recently developed relaxations for convex-transformable functions. These cutting planes correspond to the supporting hyperplanes of these convex relaxations. We integrate our recognition and cutting plane generation algorithms into the global solver BARON, and test our implementation by conducting numerical experiments on a large collection of nonconvex problems. Results demonstrate that the proposed implementation accelerates the convergence speed of the branch-and-bound algorithm, by significantly reducing computational time, number of nodes in the search tree, and required memory.     

Global optimization by continuous grasp

We introduce a novel global optimization method called Continuous GRASP (C-GRASP) which extends Feo and Resende’s greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (GRASP) from the domain of discrete optimization to that of continuous global optimization. This stochastic local search method is simple to implement, is widely applicable, and does not make use of derivative information, thus making it a well-suited approach for solving global optimization problems. We illustrate the effectiveness of the procedure on a set of standard test problems as well as two hard global optimization problems.     

A short note on the global convergence of the unmodified PRP method

To guarantee global convergence of the standard (unmodified) PRP nonlinear conjugate gradient method for unconstrained optimization, the exact line search or some Armijo type line searches which force the PRP method to generate descent directions have been adopted. In this short note, we propose a non-descent PRP method in another way. We prove that the unmodified PRP method converges globally even for nonconvex minimization by the use of an approximate descent inexact line search.     

A simulated annealing driven multi-start algorithm for bound constrained global optimization

A derivative-free simulated annealing driven multi-start algorithm for continuous global optimization is presented. We first propose a trial point generation scheme in continuous simulated annealing which eliminates the need for the gradient-based trial point generation. We then suitably embed the multi-start procedure within the simulated annealing algorithm. We modify the derivative-free pattern search method and use it as the local search in the multi-start procedure. We study the convergence properties of the algorithm and test its performance on a set of 50 problems. Numerical results are presented which show the robustness of the algorithm. Numerical comparisons with a gradient-based simulated annealing algorithm and three population-based global optimization algorithms show that the new algorithm could offer a reasonable alternative to many currently available global optimization algorithms, specially for problems requiring ‘direct search’ type algorithm.     

Experimental Testing of Advanced Scatter Search Designs for Global Optimization of Multimodal Functions

Scatter search is an evolutionary method that, unlike genetic algorithms, operates on a small set of solutions and makes only limited use of randomization as a proxy for diversification when searching for a globally optimal solution. The scatter search framework is flexible, allowing the development of alternative implementations with varying degrees of sophistication. In this paper, we test the merit of several scatter search designs in the context of global optimization of multimodal functions. We compare these designs among themselves and choose one to compare against a well-known genetic algorithm that has been specifically developed for this class of problems. The testing is performed on a set of benchmark multimodal functions with known global minima.     

Inscribed ball and enclosing box methods for the convex maximization problem

Many important classes of decision models give rise to the problem of finding a global maximum of a convex function over a convex set. This problem is known also as concave minimization, concave programming or convex maximization. Such problems can have many local maxima, therefore finding the global maximum is a computationally difficult problem, since standard nonlinear programming procedures fail. In this article, we provide a very simple and practical approach to find the global solution of quadratic convex maximization problems over a polytope. A convex function achieves its global maximum at extreme points of the feasible domain. Since an inscribed ball does not contain any extreme points of the domain, we use the largest inscribed ball for an inner approximation while a minimal enclosing box is exploited for an outer approximation of the domain. The approach is based on the use of these approximations along with the standard local search algorithm and cutting plane techniques.     

Limit vector variational inequality problems via scalarization

This paper presents a global optimization approach for solving signomial geometric programming (SGP) problems. We employ an accelerated extended cutting plane (ECP) approach integrated with piecewise linear (PWL) approximations to solve the global optimization of SGP problems. In this approach, we separate the feasible regions determined by the constraints into convex and nonconvex ones in the logarithmic domain. In the nonconvex feasible regions, the corresponding constraint functions are converted into mixed integer linear constraints using PWL approximations, while the other constraints with convex feasible regions are handled by the ECP method. We also use pre-processed initial cuts and batched cuts to accelerate the proposed algorithm. Numerical results show that the proposed approach can solve the global optimization of SGP problems efficiently and effectively.     

Goldstein线搜索下Levenberg-Marquardt方法的全局收敛性

给出在Goldstein线搜索条件下求解非线性方程的Levenberg-Marquardt方法, 在较为温和的条件下证明了该方法的全局收敛性, 并且利用该方法对广义互补问题进行了求解分析.     

Armijo搜索下的记忆梯度法及其收敛性

本文提出一种新的无约束优化记忆梯度算法,在Armijo搜索下,该算法在每步迭代时利用了前面迭代点的信息,增加了参数选择的自由度,适于求解大规模无约束优化问题。分析了算法的全局收敛性。     

Development of some cutting stock algorithms

A multivariant scheme of the south-eastern angle method for a two dimensional mass cutting stock problem is discussed in the paper. The use of a flexible linear programming package LP-LGIT for the solution of such problems with various column generators is described. The paralleling of a computational scheme of the method of the generating structures is suggested.     

The radar method: an effective line search for piecewise linear concave functions

The maximization of one-dimensional piecewise linear concave (OPLC) functions arises in the line search associated with the maximization of piecewise linear concave functions (e.g. Kelley cutting plane method). The OPLC line search is usually done by the next-break-point method, where one goes from break point to break point up to the optimum. If the number of break points is large this method will be computationally expensive. One can also use some classical derivative-free line search method as for example the golden section method. Such methods do not take advantage of the OPLC geometry. As an alternative, we propose an improved version of the so-called radar method, which maximizes an OPLC function by maximizing successive outer approximations. We prove superlinear and finite convergence of the radar method. Furthermore, our computational test shows that the radar method is highly effective independently from the number of break points.     

Variable neighborhood search: Principles and applications

Systematic change of neighborhood within a possibly randomized local search algorithm yields a simple and effective metaheuristic for combinatorial and global optimization, called variable neighborhood search (VNS). We present a basic scheme for this purpose, which can easily be implemented using any local search algorithm as a subroutine. Its effectiveness is illustrated by solving several classical combinatorial or global optimization problems. Moreover, several extensions are proposed for solving large problem instances: using VNS within the successive approximation method yields a two-level VNS, called variable neighborhood decomposition search (VNDS); modifying the basic scheme to explore easily valleys far from the incumbent solution yields an efficient skewed VNS (SVNS) heuristic. Finally, we show how to stabilize column generation algorithms with help of VNS and discuss various ways to use VNS in graph theory, i.e., to suggest, disprove or give hints on how to prove conjectures, an area where metaheuristics do not appear to have been applied before.     

不等式约束优化的非单调可行信赖域-SQP算法

本文讨论不等式约束优化问题,给出一个信赖域方法与SQP方法相结合的新的可行算法,算法中采用了压缩技术,使得QP子问题产生的搜索方向尽可能为可行方向,并且采用了高阶校正的方法来克服算法产生的Maratos效应现象.在适当的条件下,证明了算法的全局收敛性和超线性收敛性.数值结果表明算法是有效的.