Approximate Positively Correlated Distributions and Approximation Algorithms for D-optimal Design

Experimental design is a classical problem in statistics and has also found new applications in machine learning. In the experimental design problem, the aim is to estimate an unknown vector x in m-dimensions from linear measurements where a Gaussian noise is introduced in each measurement. The goal is to pick k out of the given … Read more

Distributionally robust simple integer recourse

The simple integer recourse (SIR) function of a decision variable is the expectation of the integer round-up of the shortage/surplus between a random variable with a known distribution and the decision variable. It is the integer analogue of the simple (continuous) recourse function in two stage stochastic linear programming. Structural properties and approximations of SIR … Read more

Optimized Bonferroni Approximations of Distributionally Robust Joint Chance Constraints

A distributionally robust joint chance constraint involves a set of uncertain linear inequalities which can be violated up to a given probability threshold $\epsilon$, over a given family of probability distributions of the uncertain parameters. A conservative approximation of a joint chance constraint, often referred to as a Bonferroni approximation, uses the union bound to … Read more

Distributionally robust chance constrained optimal power flow with renewables: A conic reformulation

The uncertainty associated with renewable energy sources introduces significant challenges in optimal power flow (OPF) analysis. A variety of new approaches have been proposed that use chance constraints to limit line or bus overload risk in OPF models. Most existing formulations assume that the probability distributions associated with the uncertainty are known a priori or … Read more

On deterministic reformulations of distributionally robust joint chance constrained optimization problems

A joint chance constrained optimization problem involves multiple uncertain constraints, i.e., constraints with stochastic parameters, that are jointly required to be satisfied with probability exceeding a prespecified threshold. In a distributionally robust joint chance constrained optimization problem (DRCCP), the joint chance constraint is required to hold for all probability distributions of the stochastic parameters from … Read more

On quantile cuts and their closure for chance constrained optimization problems

A chance constrained optimization problem over a finite distribution involves a set of scenario constraints from which a small subset can be violated. We consider the setting where all scenario constraints are mixed-integer convex. Existing works typically consider a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) formulation of this problem by introducing binary variables to indicate which … Read more

Nonanticipative duality, relaxations, and formulations for chance-constrained stochastic programs

We propose two new Lagrangian dual problems for chance-constrained stochastic programs based on relaxing nonanticipativity constraints. We compare the strength of the proposed dual bounds and demonstrate that they are superior to the bound obtained from the continuous relaxation of a standard mixed-integer programming (MIP) formulation. For a given dual solution, the associated Lagrangian relaxation … Read more