The inventory routing problem (IRP) is an integrated inventory and transportation planning problem that jointly determines the replenishment schedules for a given set of retailers, and the routing decisions for a supplier that distributes a product to the retailers over a finite planning horizon typically consisting of multiple periods. In the classical IRP, retailers are … Read more
The Distance Geometry Problem (DGP) seeks to find positions for a set of points in geometric space when some distances between pairs of these points are known. The so-called discretization assumptions allow to discretize the search space of DGP instances. In this paper, we focus on a key subclass of DGP, namely the Discretizable Molecular … Read more
Two-stage stochastic programming is a mathematical framework widely used in real- life applications such as power system operation planning, supply chains, logistics, inventory management, and financial planning. Since most of these problems cannot be solved analytically, decision makers make use of numerical methods to obtain a near-optimal solution. Some applica- tions rely on the implementation … Read more
This paper continues the study of ‘good arrangements’ of collections of sets near a point in their intersection. Our aim is to develop a general scheme for quantitative analysis of several transversality properties within the same framework. We consider a general nonlinear setting and establish dual space (subdifferential and normal cone) sufficient characterizations of transversality … Read more
In prior literature regarding facility location problems, there has been little explicit acknowledgement of problems arising from concave (non-convex) regions. By extension, there is a distinct deficiency in existing methods to deal with them outside of problem relaxation. In this work, we present a novel algorithm for finding representative regional center-points, referred to as “Concave … Read more
Given an integer dimension K and a simple, undirected graph G with positive edge weights, the Distance Geometry Problem (DGP) aims to find a realization function mapping each vertex to a coordinate in K-dimensional space such that the distance between pairs of vertex coordinates is equal to the corresponding edge weights in G. The so-called … Read more
Bilevel optimization studies problems where the optimal response to a second mathematical optimization problem is integrated in the constraints. Such structure arises in a variety of decision-making problems in areas such as market equilibria, policy design or product pricing. We introduce near-optimal robustness for bilevel problems, protecting the upper-level decision-maker from bounded rationality at the … Read more
Superlinear convergence has been an elusive goal for black-box nonsmooth optimization. Even in the convex case, the subgradient method is very slow, and while some cutting plane algorithms, including traditional bundle methods, are popular in practice, local convergence is still sluggish. Faster variants depend either on problem structure or on analyses that elide sequences of … Read more
In linear optimization, matrix structure can often be exploited algorithmically. However, beneficial presolving reductions sometimes destroy the special structure of a given problem. In this article, we discuss structure-aware implementations of presolving as part of a parallel interior-point method to solve linear programs with block-diagonal structure, including both linking variables and linking constraints. While presolving … Read more
It is a crucial problem how to heat oil and save running cost for crude oil transport. This paper strictly formulates such a heated oil pipeline problem as a mixed integer nonlinear programming model. Nonconvex and convex continuous relaxations of the model are proposed, which are proved to be equivalent under some suitable conditions. Meanwhile, … Read more