A support tool for planning classrooms considering social distancing between students

In this paper, we present the online tool salaplanejada.unifesp.br developed to assist the layout planning of classrooms considering the social distance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We address both the allocation problem in rooms where seats are fixed as well as the problem in rooms where seats can be moved freely. For the … Read more

FrankWolfe.jl: a high-performance and flexible toolbox for Frank-Wolfe algorithms and Conditional Gradients

We present FrankWolfe.jl, an open-source implementation of several popular Frank-Wolfe and Conditional Gradients variants for first-order constrained optimization. The package is designed with flexibility and high-performance in mind, allowing for easy extension and relying on few assumptions regarding the user-provided functions. It supports Julia’s unique multiple dispatch feature, and interfaces smoothly with generic linear optimization … Read more

A Computational Study of Perspective Cuts

The benefits of cutting planes based on the perspective function are well known for many specific classes of mixed-integer nonlinear programs with on/off structures. However, we are not aware of any empirical studies that evaluate their applicability and computational impact over large, heterogeneous test sets in general-purpose solvers. This paper provides a detailed computational study … Read more

Use of static surrogates in hyperparameter optimization

Optimizing the hyperparameters and architecture of a neural network is a long yet necessary phase in the development of any new application. This consuming process can benefit from the elaboration of strategies designed to quickly discard low quality configurations and focus on more promising candidates. This work aims at enhancing HyperNOMAD, a library that adapts … Read more

String-Averaging Methods for Best Approximation to Common Fixed Point Sets of Operators: The Finite and Infinite Cases

Abstract String-averaging is an algorithmic structure used when handling a family of operators in situations where the algorithm at hand requires to employ the operators in a specific order. Sequential orderings are well-known and a simultaneous order means that all operators are used simultaneously (in parallel). String-averaging allows to use strings of indices, constructed by … Read more

Improving Column-Generation for Vehicle Routing Problems via Random Coloring and Parallelization

We consider a variant of the Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) where each customer has a unit demand and the goal is to minimize the total cost of routing a fleet of capacitated vehicles from one or multiple depots to visit all customers. We propose two parallel algorithms to efficiently solve the column-generation based linear-programming relaxation … Read more

Controllable Transmission Networks UnderDemand Uncertainty with Modular FACTS

The transmission system operators (TSOs) are responsible to provide secure and efficient access to the transmission system for all stakeholders. This task is gradually getting challenging due to the demand growth, demand uncertainty, rapid changes in generation mix, and market policies. Traditionally, the TSOs try to maximize the technical performance of the transmission network via … Read more

A Novel Cooperative Multi-search Benders Decomposition for Solving the Hydrothermal Unit-Commitment Problem

Renewable energy and modernization of power operation demand Independent System Operators (ISOs) to solve ever more complex and larger programming problems to securely and economically schedule power resources. A key step in the scheduling process is the unit commitment (UC). In a hydro-dominated system, this process also involves managing reservoirs and is called hydrothermal UC … Read more

GALINI: An extensible mixed-integer quadratically-constrained optimization solver

We present GALINI, an open source solver for nonconvex mixed-integer quadratically-constrained quadratic programs formulated with the Python algebraic modeling library Pyomo. GALINI uses Pyomo to represent optimization problems and leverages the existing library ecosystem to implement different parts of the solver. GALINI includes a generic branch \& bound algorithm that can be use develop new … Read more

Projection onto the exponential cone: a univariate root-finding problem

The exponential function and its logarithmic counterpart are essential corner stones of nonlinear mathematical modeling. In this paper we treat their conic extensions, the exponential cone and the relative entropy cone, in primal, dual and polar form, and show that finding the nearest mapping of a point onto these convex sets all reduce to a … Read more