An Efficient Global Optimization Algorithm for Nonlinear Sum-of-Ratios Problems

This paper presents a practical method for finding the globally optimal solution to nonlinear sum-of-ratios problem arising in image processing, engineering and management. Unlike traditional methods which may get trapped in local minima due to the non-convex nature of this problem, our approach provides a theoretical guarantee of global optimality. Our algorithm is based on … Read more

Convex computation of the region of attraction of polynomial control systems

We address the long-standing problem of computing the region of attraction (ROA) of a target set (typically a neighborhood of an equilibrium point) of a controlled nonlinear system with polynomial dynamics and semialgebraic state and input constraints. We show that the ROA can be computed by solving a convex linear programming (LP) problem over the … Read more

Bounds on Eigenvalues of Matrices Arising from Interior-Point Methods

Interior-point methods feature prominently among numerical methods for inequality-constrained optimization problems, and involve the need to solve a sequence of linear systems that typically become increasingly ill-conditioned with the iterations. To solve these systems, whose original form has a nonsymmetric 3×3 block structure, it is common practice to perform block Gaussian elimination and either solve … Read more

Fast and Robust Recursive Algorithms for Separable Nonnegative Matrix Factorization

In this paper, we study the nonnegative matrix factorization problem under the separability assumption (that is, there exists a cone spanned by a small subset of the columns of the input nonnegative data matrix containing all columns), which is equivalent to the hyperspectral unmixing problem under the linear mixing model and the pure-pixel assumption. We … Read more

Importance Sampling in Stochastic Programming: A Markov Chain Monte Carlo Approach

Stochastic programming models are large-scale optimization problems that are used to facilitate decision-making under uncertainty. Optimization algorithms for such problems need to evaluate the expected future costs of current decisions, often referred to as the recourse function. In practice, this calculation is computationally difficult as it requires the evaluation of a multidimensional integral whose integrand … Read more

A method for weighted projections to the positive definite cone

We study the numerical solution of the problem $\min_{X \ge 0} \|BX-c\|2$, where $X$ is a symmetric square matrix, and $B$ a linear operator, such that $B^*B$ is invertible. With $\rho$ the desired fractional duality gap, we prove $O(\sqrt{m}\log\rho^{-1})$ iteration complexity for a simple primal-dual interior point method directly based on those for linear programs … Read more

A unified mixed-integer programming model for simultaneous fluence weight and aperture optimization in VMAT, Tomotherapy, and Cyberknife

In this paper, we propose and study a unified mixed-integer programming model that simultaneously optimizes fluence weights and multi-leaf collimator (MLC) apertures in the treatment planning optimization of VMAT, Tomotherapy, and CyberKnife. The contribution of our model is threefold: i. Our model optimizes the fluence and MLC apertures simultaneously for a given set of control … Read more

THE MULTI–FACILITY LOCATION PROBLEM: A PROBABILISTIC DECOMPOSITION METHOD

A generalized Weiszfeld method is proposed for the multi–facility location problem. The problem is relaxed using probabilistic assignments, and is decomposed into single facility location problems, that are coupled by these assignments, and can be solved in parallel. The probabilistic assignments are updated at each iteration, using the distances to the current centers. The method … Read more

An adaptive accelerated first-order method for convex optimization

This paper presents a new accelerated variant of Nesterov’s method for solving composite convex optimization problems in which certain acceleration parameters are adaptively (and aggressively) chosen so as to substantially improve its practical performance compared to existing accelerated variants while at the same time preserve the optimal iteration-complexity shared by these methods. Computational results are … Read more

Bounds for nested law invariant coherent risk measures

With every law invariant coherent risk measure is associated its conditional analogue. In this paper we discuss lower and upper bounds for the corresponding nested (composite) formulations of law invariant coherent risk measures. In particular, we consider the Average Value-at-Risk and comonotonic risk measures. ArticleDownload View PDF