Distributed Optimization Methods for Large Scale Optimal Control

This thesis aims to develop and implement both nonlinear and linear distributed optimization methods that are applicable, but not restricted to the optimal control of distributed systems. Such systems are typically large scale, thus the well-established centralized solution strategies may be computationally overly expensive or impossible and the application of alternative control algorithms becomes necessary. … Read more

On QPCCs, QCQPs and Completely Positive Programs

This paper studies several classes of nonconvex optimization problems defined over convex cones, establishing connections between them and demonstrating that they can be equivalently formulated as convex completely positive programs. The problems being studied include: a quadratically constrained quadratic program (QCQP), a quadratic program with complementarity constraints (QPCC), and rank constrained semidefinite programs. Our results … Read more

Subset Selection by Mallows’ Cp: A Mixed Integer Programming Approach

This paper concerns a method of selecting the best subset of explanatory variables for a linear regression model. Employing Mallows’ C_p as a goodness-of-fit measure, we formulate the subset selection problem as a mixed integer quadratic programming problem. Computational results demonstrate that our method provides the best subset of variables in a few seconds when … Read more

Characterization of properly optimal elements with variable ordering structures

In vector optimization with a variable ordering structure the partial ordering defined by a convex cone is replaced by a whole family of convex cones, one associated with each element of the space. In recent publications it was started to develop a comprehensive theory for these vector optimization problems. Thereby also notions of proper efficiency … Read more

New active set identification for general constrained optimization and minimax problems

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the problem of identifying the active constraints for general constrained nonlinear programming and constrained minimax problems at an isolated local solution. Facchinei et al. [F. Facchinei, A. Fischer, and C. Kanzow, On the accurate identification of active constraints, SIAM J. Optim., 9(1998), 14-32] proposed an effective technique … Read more

An Interior-Point Trust-Funnel Algorithm for Nonlinear Optimization

We present an interior-point trust-funnel algorithm for solving large-scale nonlinear optimization problems. The method is based on an approach proposed by Gould and Toint (Math Prog 122(1):155–196, 2010) that focused on solving equality constrained problems. Our method is similar in that it achieves global convergence guarantees by combining a trust-region methodology with a funnel mechanism, … Read more

Iterative Reweighted Linear Least Squares for Exact Penalty Subproblems on Product Sets

We present two matrix-free methods for solving exact penalty subproblems on product sets that arise when solving large-scale optimization problems. The first approach is a novel iterative reweighting algorithm (IRWA), which iteratively minimizes quadratic models of relaxed subproblems while automatically updating a relaxation vector. The second approach is based on alternating direction augmented Lagrangian (ADAL) … Read more

Preconditioning issues in the numerical solution of nonlinear equations and nonlinear least squares

Second order methods for optimization call for the solution of sequences of linear systems. In this survey we will discuss several issues related to the preconditioning of such sequences. Covered topics include both techniques for building updates of factorized preconditioners and quasi-Newton approaches. Sequences of unsymmetric linear systems arising in Newton- Krylov methods will be … Read more

The inexact projected gradient method for quasiconvex vector optimization problems

Vector optimization problems are a generalization of multiobjective optimization in which the preference order is related to an arbitrary closed and convex cone, rather than the nonnegative octant. Due to its real life applications, it is important to have practical solution approaches for computing. In this work, we consider the inexact projected gradient-like method for … Read more