Integrating SQP and Branch-and-Bound for Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming

This paper considers the solution of Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP) problems. Classical methods for the solution of MINLP problems decompose the problem by separating the nonlinear part from the integer part. This approach is largely due to the existence of packaged software for solving Nonlinear Programming (NLP) and Mixed Integer Linear Programming problems.In contrast, an integrated approach to solving MINLP problems is considered here. This new algorithm is based on branch-and-bound, but does not require the NLP problem at each node to be solved to optimality. Instead, branching is allowed after each iteration of the NLP solver. In this way, the nonlinear part of the MINLP problem is solved whilst searching the tree. The nonlinear solver that is considered in this paper is a Sequential Quadratic Programming solver.A numerical comparison of the new method with nonlinear branch-and-bound is presented and a factor of up to 3 improvement over branch-and-bound is observed.     

切割定界与整数分枝结合求解整数线性规划

把一种改进的割平面方法和分枝定界的思想结合起来求解整数线性规划 ( ILP)问题 .它利用目标函数等值面的移动来切去相应 ( LP)的可行域中含其非整数最优解但不含 ( ILP)可行解的“无用部分”,并将对应的目标函数值作为 ( ILP)目标最优值的一个上界 ;最后 ,通过 ( LP)最优解中非整数基变量的整数分枝来获得整数线性规划的最优解 .     

On Compact Formulations for Integer Programs Solved by Column Generation

Column generation has become a powerful tool in solving large scale integer programs. It is well known that most of the often reported compatibility issues between pricing subproblem and branching rule disappear when branching decisions are based on imposing constraints on the subproblem's variables. This can be generalized to branching on variables of a so-called compact formulation. We constructively show that such a formulation always exists under mild assumptions. It has a block diagonal structure with identical subproblems, each of which contributes only one column in an integer solution. This construction has an interpretation as reversing a Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition. Our proposal opens the way for the development of branching rules adapted to the subproblem's structure and to the linking constraints.     

凹整数规划的分枝定界解法

凹整数规划是一类重要的非线性整数规划问题，也是在经济和管理中有着广泛应用的最优化问题．本文主要研究用分枝定界方法求解凹整数规划问题，这一方法的基本思想是对目标函数进行线性下逼近，然后用乘子搜索法求解连续松弛问题．数值结果表明，用这种分枝定界方法求解凹整数规划是有效的．     

An Integer Programming Heuristic for Component Allocation in Printed Circuit Card Assembly Systems

Component allocation is an important element of process planning for printed circuit card assembly systems. The component allocation problem directly impacts the productivity and cost of a circuit card assembly system. Many companies have recognized the importance of component allocation and have started to develop a better decision process. Also, a few commercial software packages have been developed that provide environments to support process planning. However, optimization methods are not yet widely used. We demonstrate that component allocation is amenable to improvement using optimization methods. We present an integer programming heuristic for the component allocation problem and report on several case studies that have been conducted and that demonstrate its effectiveness. The heuristic is based on a mixed integer programming formulation of the component allocation problem that incorporates estimates of downstream process planning decisions.     

A Mixed Integer Formulation for Multiple-Route Transit Network Design

We consider the design of multiple transit lines in a network and present a mixed integer formulation for this multiple-route transit network design problem (MRTNDP). With the introduction of node labels, the formulation can exploit the route structure and hence attains efficiency in obtaining a cost minimizing transit network design. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Mixed Integer Programming Approaches to Treatment Planning for Brachytherapy – Application to Permanent Prostate Implants

Mixed integer programming models and computational strategies developed for treatment planning optimization in brachytherapy are described. The problem involves the designation of optimal placement of radioactive sources (seeds) inside a tumor site. Two MIP models are described. The resulting MIP instances are difficult to solve, due in large part to dense constraint matrices with large disparities in the magnitudes of the nonzero entries. A matrix reduction and approximation scheme is presented as a computational strategy for dealing with the dense matrices. Penalty-based primal heuristic and branching strategies to assist in the solution process are also described. Numerical results are presented for 20 MIP instances associated with prostate cancer cases. Compared to currently used computer-aided planning methods, plans derived via the MIP approach use fewer seeds (20–30 fewer) and needles, and provide better coverage and conformity – measures commonly used to assess the quality of treatment plans. Good treatment plans are returned in 15 CPU minutes, suggesting that incorporation of this MIP-based optimization module into a real-time comprehensive treatment planning system is feasible.     

Cover and Pack Inequalities for (Mixed) Integer Programming

We review strong inequalities for fundamental knapsack relaxations of (mixed) integer programs. These relaxations are the 0-1 knapsack set, the mixed 0-1 knapsack set, the integer knapsack set, and the mixed integer knapsack set. Our aim is to give a unified presentation of the inequalities based on covers and packs and highlight the connections among them. The focus of the paper is on recent research on the use of superadditive functions for the analysis of knapsack polyhedra. We also present some new results on integer knapsacks. In particular, we give an integer version of the cover inequalities and describe a necessary and sufficient facet condition for them. This condition generalizes the well-known facet condition of minimality of covers for 0-1 knapsacks. The author is supported, in part, by NSF Grants 0070127 and 0218265.     

交通网络建设序列的动态规划方法

交通网络建设序列优化是交通规划中一个重要问题。文章对交通网络设计及其建设序列问题的研究现状进行了分析。按照网络建设中规划者和用户间的关系,以交通网络建设序列下的各阶段系统总费用作为上层规划,以各阶段的交通流用户平衡模型作为下层规划,建立了双层规划模型。并依照问题的特点,采用动态规划的求解方法进行探讨,而下层模型则采用了基于路径搜索的GP算法进行求解。并针对网络规划算例进行了计算,针对固定和变动客流OD两种情况下的结果进行了分析。计算的结果表明,问题的双层规划模型和动态规划求解算法能够为路网规划决策提供支持。     

Distributed versus Centralized Storage and Control for Parallel Branch and Bound: Mixed Integer Programming on the CM-5

This paper describes parallel, non-shared-memoryimplementation of the classical general mixed integer branch and boundalgorithm, with experiments on the CM-5 family of parallel processors. Themain issue in such an implementation is whether task scheduling and certaindata-storage functions should be handled by a single processor, orspread among multiple processors. The centralized approach riskscreating processing bottlenecks, while the more decentralizedimplementations differ more from the fundamental serial algorithm.Extensive computational tests on standard MIPLIB problems comparecentralized, clustered, and fully decentralized task scheduling methods, using a novel combination of random work scattering and rendezvous-basedglobal load balancing, along with a distributed control by tokentechnique. Further experiments compare centralized and distributedschemes for storing heuristic pseudo-cost branching data. The distributed storage method is based on continual asynchronous reductionalong a tree of redundant storage sites. On average, decentralized taskscheduling appears at least as effective as central control, butpseudo-cost storage should be kept as centralized as possible.     

Elastic Constraint Branching, the Wedelin/Carmen Lagrangian Heuristic and Integer Programming for Personnel Scheduling

The Wedelin algorithm is a Lagrangian based heuristic that is being successfully used by Carmen Systems to solve large crew pairing problems within the airline industry. We extend the Wedelin approach by developing an implementation for personnel scheduling problems (also termed staff rostering problems) that exploits the special structure of these problems. We also introduce elastic constraint branching with the twin aims of improving the performance of our new approach and making it more column generation friendly. Numerical results show that our approach can outperform the commercial solver CPLEX on difficult commercial rostering problems.     

离散线性投资组合模型的分枝定界算法

本文提出了一类新的带整数交易手数和凹型交易费用的均值绝对偏差模型(MAD)和极大极小投资组合模型(Minmax),并给出了离散模型的分枝定界算法.我们分别用随机产生的数据和Nasdaq股票市场的真实数据进行了数值实验,数值分析表明在一定的收益水平下均值绝对偏差离散模型风险控制上优于极大极小投资组合离散模型,而计算效率上极大极小投资组合离散模型优于期望绝对偏差离散模型.     

干线公路网等级结构优化的目标规划模型及算法

依据制定中长期公路网规划的需要，建立了一个干线公路网等级结构优化的目标规划模型，并给出了算法及算例。     

A note on “A new local and global optimization method for mixed integer quadratic programming problems” by G.Q. Li et al.

In this comment, we preset a minor mistake in typing which is made in “A new local and global optimization method for mixed integer quadratic programming problems” by G.Q. Li et al.