Column generation decomposition with the degenerate constraints in the subproblem

In this paper, we propose a new Dantzig–Wolfe decomposition for degenerate linear programs with the non degenerate constraints in the master problem and the degenerate ones in the subproblem. We propose three algorithms. The first one, where some set of variables of the original problem are added to the master problem, corresponds to the Improved Primal Simplex algorithm (IPS) presented recently by Elhallaoui et al. [7]. In the second one, some extreme points of the subproblem are added as columns in the master problem. The third algorithm is a mixed implementation that adds some original variables and some extreme points of a subproblem to the master problem. Experimental results on some degenerate instances show that the proposed algorithms yield computational times that are reduced by an average factor ranging from 3.32 to 13.16 compared to the primal simplex of CPLEX.     

Feasible Direction Interior-Point Technique for Nonlinear Optimization

We propose a feasible direction approach for the minimization by interior-point algorithms of a smooth function under smooth equality and inequality constraints. It consists of the iterative solution in the primal and dual variables of the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker first-order optimality conditions. At each iteration, a descent direction is defined by solving a linear system. In a second stage, the linear system is perturbed so as to deflect the descent direction and obtain a feasible descent direction. A line search is then performed to get a new interior point and ensure global convergence. Based on this approach, first-order, Newton, and quasi-Newton algorithms can be obtained. To introduce the method, we consider first the inequality constrained problem and present a globally convergent basic algorithm. Particular first-order and quasi-Newton versions of this algorithm are also stated. Then, equality constraints are included. This method, which is simple to code, does not require the solution of quadratic programs and it is neither a penalty method nor a barrier method. Several practical applications and numerical results show that our method is strong and efficient.     

Improvements in the Linear Programming Iterative Algorithm

This note presents a technique for improving the computational efficiency of both triangular crash and primal linear programming algorithms. Triangular crashing is a specialized iterative technique often used to produce a good starting basis for solving linear programming problems. It gains speed by omitting part of the Simplex process but requires that ensuing incoming vectors have zero valued updated elements on previous pivot positions—hence "triangular". If a non-trivial basis exists, there is a substantial wasted effort in updating candidates which subsequently fail the triangularity test. This note contains a computationally more efficient triangular crashing algorithm, included in the LP2900 code, which detects non-triangularity without updating, enabling it to be used with a non-trivial basis. It is indicated that incorporating this algorithm into the primal iterative cycle just prior to reinversion will reduce the average time per iteration for the primal phase.     

水平线性互补问题的广义中心路径跟踪算法

对水平线性互补问题提出了一种广义中心路径跟踪算法.任意的原始-对偶可行内点均可作为算法的初始点.每步迭代选择“仿射步”与“中心步”的凸组合为新的迭代方向,采用使对偶间隙尽可能减小的最大步长.算法的迭代复杂性为O(√nL).     

Convergence analysis of the projective scaling algorithm based on a long-step homogeneous affine scaling algorithm

In this paper we give a new convergence analysis of a projective scaling algorithm. We consider a long-step affine scaling algorithm applied to a homogeneous linear programming problem obtained from the original linear programming problem. This algorithm takes a fixed fraction λ≤2/3 of the way towards the boundary of the nonnegative orthant at each iteration. The iteration sequence for the original problem is obtained by pulling back the homogeneous iterates onto the original feasible region with a conical projection, which generates the same search direction as the original projective scaling algorithm at each iterate. The recent convergence results for the long-step affine scaling algorithm by the authors are applied to this algorithm to obtain some convergence results on the projective scaling algorithm. Specifically, we will show (i) polynomiality of the algorithm with complexities of O(nL) and O(n ² L) iterations for λ<2/3 and λ=2/3, respectively; (ii) global covnergence of the algorithm when the optimal face is unbounded; (iii) convergence of the primal iterates to a relative interior point of the optimal face; (iv) convergence of the dual estimates to the analytic center of the dual optimal face; and (v) convergence of the reduction rate of the objective function value to 1−λ.     

Computational aspects of simplex and MBU-simplex algorithms using different anti-cycling pivot rules

Abstract

Several variations of index selection rules for simplex-type algorithms for linear programming, like the Last-In-First-Out or the Most-Often-Selected-Variable are rules not only theoretically finite, but also provide significant flexibility in choosing a pivot element. Based on an implementation of the primal simplex and the monotonic build-up (MBU) simplex method, the practical benefit of the flexibility of these anti-cycling pivot rules is evaluated using public benchmark LP test sets. Our results also provide numerical evidence that the MBU-simplex algorithm is a viable alternative to the traditional simplex algorithm.     

Primal and dual multi-objective linear programming algorithms for linear multiplicative programmes

Multiplicative programming problems (MPPs) are global optimization problems known to be NP-hard. In this paper, we employ algorithms developed to compute the entire set of nondominated points of multi-objective linear programmes (MOLPs) to solve linear MPPs. First, we improve our own objective space cut and bound algorithm for convex MPPs in the special case of linear MPPs by only solving one linear programme in each iteration, instead of two as the previous version indicates. We call this algorithm, which is based on Benson’s outer approximation algorithm for MOLPs, the primal objective space algorithm. Then, based on the dual variant of Benson’s algorithm, we propose a dual objective space algorithm for solving linear MPPs. The dual algorithm also requires solving only one linear programme in each iteration. We prove the correctness of the dual algorithm and use computational experiments comparing our algorithms to a recent global optimization algorithm for linear MPPs from the literature as well as two general global optimization solvers to demonstrate the superiority of the new algorithms in terms of computation time. Thus, we demonstrate that the use of multi-objective optimization techniques can be beneficial to solve difficult single objective global optimization problems.     

Some Variants of the Controlled Random Search Algorithm for Global Optimization

We suggested some modifications to the controlled random search (CRS) algorithm for global optimization. We introduce new trial point generation schemes in CRS, in particular, point generation schemes using linear interpolation and mutation. Central to our modifications is the probabilistic adaptation of point generation schemes within the CRS algorithm.A numerical study is carried out using a set of 50 test problems many of which are inspired by practical applications. Numerical experiments indicate that the resulting algorithms are considerably better than the previous versions. Thus, they offer a reasonable alternative to many currently available stochastic algorithms, especially for problems requiring direct search type methods.     

Exterior point algorithms for nearest points and convex quadratic programs

We consider the problem of finding the nearest point (by Euclidean distance) in a simplicial cone to a given point, and develop an exterior penalty algorithm for it. Each iteration in the algorithm consists of a single Newton step following a reduction in the value of the penalty parameter. Proofs of convergence of the algorithm are given. Various other versions of exterior penalty algorithms for nearest point problems in nonsimplicial polyhedral cones and for convex quadratic programs, all based on a single descent step following a reduction in the value of the penalty parameter per iteration, are discussed. The performance of these algorithms in large scale computational experiments is very encouraging. It shows that the number of iterations grows very slowly, if at all, with the dimension of the problem.Partially supported by NSF Grant No. ECS-8521183, and by the two universities.     

A dual approach to primal degeneracy

The Revised Primal Simplex algorithm, in its simplest form, has no defence against degeneracy. Various forms of the perturbation method are usually effective, but most offer no guarantee of avoiding all degeneracy, and can lead to numerical difficulties. This paper presents a method that avoids cycling and circling by taking a dual approach.The degenerate subproblem consists of all the original variables, but only the degenerate transformed constraints. The current primal objective, which may be mixed, is used. This subproblem may be solved using the dual simplex algorithm, starting from the current dual infeasible solution, and with a zero dual objective. If the dual algorithm terminates optimally then the whole problem is optimal (subject to primal feasibility). Otherwise the final solution provides a non-basic direction which improves the value of the mixed primal objective and moves away from the degenerate vertex. A purification algorithm then renders the solution basic and further improves the mixed objective.     

Best Approximation from the Kuhn-Tucker Set of Composite Monotone Inclusions

Kuhn-Tucker points play a fundamental role in the analysis and the numerical solution of monotone inclusion problems, providing in particular both primal and dual solutions. We propose a class of strongly convergent algorithms for constructing the best approximation to a reference point from the set of Kuhn-Tucker points of a general Hilbertian composite monotone inclusion problem. Applications to systems of coupled monotone inclusions are presented. Our framework does not impose additional assumptions on the operators present in the formulation, and it does not require knowledge of the norm of the linear operators involved in the compositions or the inversion of linear operators.     

Using Efficient Anchoring Points for Generating Search Directions in Interior Multiobjective Linear Programming

This paper modifies the affine-scaling primal algorithm to multiobjective linear programming (MOLP) problems. The modification is based on generating search directions in the form of projected gradients augmented by search directions pointing toward what we refer to as anchoring points. These anchoring points are located on the boundary of the feasible region and, together with the current, interior, iterate, define a cone in which we make the next step towards a solution of the MOLP problem. These anchoring points can be generated in more than one way. In this paper we present an approach that generates efficient anchoring points where the choice of termination solution available to the decision maker at each iteration consists of a set of efficient solutions. This set of efficient solutions is being updated during the iterative process so that only the most preferred solutions are retained for future considerations. Current MOLP algorithms are simplex-based and make their progress toward the optimal solution by following an exterior trajectory along the vertices of the constraints polytope. Since the proposed algorithm makes its progress through the interior of the constraints polytope, there is no need for vertex information and, therefore, the search for an acceptable solution may prove less sensitive to problem size. We refer to the resulting class of MOLP algorithms that are based on the affine-scaling primal algorithm as affine-scaling interior multiobjective linear programming (ASIMOLP) algorithms.     

A class of primal affine scaling algorithms

We obtain a class of primal affine scaling algorithms which generalize some known algorithms. This class, depending on a r-parameter, is constructed through a family of metrics generated by −r power, r ? 1, of the diagonal iterate vector matrix. We prove the so-called weak convergence of the primal class for nondegenerate linearly constrained convex programming. We observe the computational performance of the class of primal affine scaling algorithms, accomplishing tests with linear programs from the NETLIB library and with some quadratic programming problems described in the Maros and Mészáros repository.     

A new algorithm for generalized fractional programs

A new dual problem for convex generalized fractional programs with no duality gap is presented and it is shown how this dual problem can be efficiently solved using a parametric approach. The resulting algorithm can be seen as “dual” to the Dinkelbach-type algorithm for generalized fractional programs since it approximates the optimal objective value of the dual (primal) problem from below. Convergence results for this algorithm are derived and an easy condition to achieve superlinear convergence is also established. Moreover, under some additional assumptions the algorithm also recovers at the same time an optimal solution of the primal problem. We also consider a variant of this new algorithm, based on scaling the “dual” parametric function. The numerical results, in case of quadratic-linear ratios and linear constraints, show that the performance of the new algorithm and its scaled version is superior to that of the Dinkelbach-type algorithms. From the computational results it also appears that contrary to the primal approach, the “dual” approach is less influenced by scaling. This research was carried out at the Econometric Institute, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands and was supported by J.N.I.C.T. (Portugal) under contract BD/707/90-RM.     

An infeasible-start algorithm for linear programming whose complexity depends on the distance from the starting point to the optimal solution

This paper presents an algorithm for solving a linear program LP (to a given tolerance) from a given prespecified starting point. As such, the algorithm does not depend on any bigM initialization assumption. The complexity of the algorithm is sensitive to and is dependent on the quality of the starting point, as assessed by suitable measures of the extent of infeasibility and the extent of nonoptimality of the starting point. Two new measures of the extent of infeasibility and of nonoptimality of a starting point are developed. We then present an algorithm for solving LP whose complexity depends explicitly and only on how close the starting point is to the set of LP feasible and optimal solutions (using these and other standard measures), and also onn (the number of inequalities). The complexity results using these measures of infeasibility and nonoptimality appear to be consistent with the observed practical sensitivity of interior-point algorithms to certain types of starting points. The starting point can be any pair of primal and dual vectors that may or may not be primal and/or dual feasible, and that satisfies a simple condition that typically arises in practice or is easy to coerce.Research supported in part by the MIT-NTU Collaboration Agreement.     

第一阶段原有单纯形和对偶单纯形算法的计算比较

线性最优化广泛应用于经济与管理的各个领域.在线性规划问题的求解中,如果一个初始基本可行解没有直接给出,则常采用经典的两阶段法求解.对含有"≥"不等式约束的线性规划问题,讨论了第一阶段原有单纯形法和对偶单纯形法两种算法形式,并根据第一阶段问题的特点提出了改进的对偶单纯形枢轴准则.最后,通过大规模数值试验对两种算法进行计算比较,结果表明,改进后的对偶单纯形算法在计算效率上明显优于原有单纯形算法.     

Analysis of some interior point continuous trajectories for convex programming

In this paper, we analyse three interior point continuous trajectories for convex programming with general linear constraints. The three continuous trajectories are derived from the primal–dual path-following method, the primal–dual affine scaling method and the central path, respectively. Theoretical properties of the three interior point continuous trajectories are fully studied. The optimality and convergence of all three interior point continuous trajectories are obtained for any interior feasible point under some mild conditions. In particular, with proper choice of some parameters, the convergence for all three interior point continuous trajectories does not require the strict complementarity or the analyticity of the objective function. These results are new in the literature.     

Limiting behavior of the affine scaling continuous trajectories for linear programming problems

We consider the continuous trajectories of the vector field induced by the primal affine scaling algorithm as applied to linear programming problems in standard form. By characterizing these trajectories as solutions of certain parametrized logarithmic barrier families of problems, we show that these trajectories tend to an optimal solution which in general depends on the starting point. By considering the trajectories that arise from the Lagrangian multipliers of the above mentioned logarithmic barrier families of problems, we show that the trajectories of the dual estimates associated with the affine scaling trajectories converge to the so called centered optimal solution of the dual problem. We also present results related to asymptotic direction of the affine scaling trajectories. We briefly discuss how to apply our results to linear programs formulated in formats different from the standard form. Finally, we extend the results to the primal-dual affine scaling algorithm.