An Approximate Lagrange Multiplier Rule

In this paper, we show that for a large class of optimization problems, the Lagrange multiplier rule can be derived from the so-called approximate multiplier rule. In establishing the link between the approximate and the exact multiplier rule we first derive an approximate multiplier rule for a very general class of optimization problems using the … Read more

Stochastic Nash Equilibrium Problems: Sample Average Approximation and Applications

This paper presents a Nash equilibrium model where the underlying objective functions involve uncertainty and nonsmoothness. The well known sample average approximation method is applied to solve the problem and the first order equilibrium conditions are characterized in terms of Clarke generalized gradients. Under some moderate conditions, it is shown that with probability one, a … Read more

Continuity of set-valued maps revisited in the light of tame geometry

Continuity of set-valued maps is hereby revisited: after recalling some basic concepts of variational analysis and a short description of the State-of-the-Art, we obtain as by-product two Sard type results concerning local minima of scalar and vector valued functions. Our main result though, is inscribed in the framework of tame geometry, stating that a closed-valued … Read more

NESTA: A Fast and Accurate First-order Method for Sparse Recovery

Accurate signal recovery or image reconstruction from indirect and possibly under- sampled data is a topic of considerable interest; for example, the literature in the recent field of compressed sensing is already quite immense. Inspired by recent breakthroughs in the development of novel fi rst-order methods in convex optimization, most notably Nesterov’s smoothing technique, this paper … Read more

A Redistributed Proximal Bundle Method for Nonconvex Optimization

Proximal bundle methods have been shown to be highly successful optimization methods for unconstrained convex problems with discontinuous first derivatives. This naturally leads to the question of whether proximal variants of bundle methods can be extended to a nonconvex setting. This work proposes an approach based on generating cutting-planes models, not of the objective function … Read more

Bundle Methods for Convex Minimization with Partially Inexact Oracles

Recently the proximal bundle method for minimizing a convex function has been extended to an inexact oracle that delivers function and subgradient values of unknown accuracy. We adapt this method to a partially inexact oracle that becomes exact only when an objective target level for a descent step is met. In Lagrangian relaxation, such oracles … Read more

A Fast Algorithm for Sparse Reconstruction based on Shrinkage, Subspace Optimization and Continuation

We propose a fast algorithm for solving the l1-regularized least squares problem for recovering sparse solutions to an undetermined system of linear equations Ax = b. The algorithm is divided into two stages that are performed repeatedly. In the first stage a first-order iterative method called “shrinkage” yields an estimate of the subset of components … Read more

A quasisecant method for minimizing nonsmooth functions

In this paper a new algorithm to locally minimize nonsmooth, nonconvex functions is developed. We introduce the notion of secants and quasisecants for nonsmooth functions. The quasisecants are applied to find descent directions of locally Lipschitz functions. We design a minimization algorithm which uses quasisecants to find descent directions. We prove that this algorithm converges … Read more

Error bounds: necessary and sufficient conditions

The paper presents a general classiffication scheme of necessary and sufficient criteria for the error bound property incorporating the existing conditions. Several derivative-like objects both from the primal as well as from the dual space are used to characterize the error bound property of extended-real-valued functions on a Banach space. CitationPublished in Set-Valued and Variational … Read more

A GSS method for oblique l_1 Procrustes problems

We propose a Generating Search Set method for solving the oblique l_1 Procrustes problem. Implementative details, algorithmic choices and theoretical properties of the method are discussed. The results of some numerical experiments are reported. Citationin Applied and Industrial Mathematics in Italy III – Proceedings of the 9th Conference SIMAI, De Bernardis et. Al. (eds), Series … Read more