Projective Splitting with Forward Steps: Asynchronous and Block-Iterative Operator Splitting

This work is concerned with the classical problem of finding a zero of a sum of maximal monotone operators. For the projective splitting framework recently proposed by Combettes and Eckstein, we show how to replace the fundamental subproblem calculation using a backward step with one based on two forward steps. The resulting algorithms have the … Read more

Solving Quadratic Programs to High Precision using Scaled Iterative Refinement

Quadratic optimization problems (QPs) are ubiquitous, and solution algorithms have matured to a reliable technology. However, the precision of solutions is usually limited due to the underlying floating-point operations. This may cause inconveniences when solutions are used for rigorous reasoning. We contribute on three levels to overcome this issue. First, we present a novel refinement … Read more

Two-stage Linear Decision Rules for Multi-stage Stochastic Programming

Multi-stage stochastic linear programs (MSLPs) are notoriously hard to solve in general. Linear decision rules (LDRs) yield an approximation of an MSLP by restricting the decisions at each stage to be an affine function of the observed uncertain parameters. Finding an optimal LDR is a static optimization problem that provides an upper bound on the … Read more

An Integrated Car-and-ride Sharing System for Mobilizing Heterogeneous Travelers with Application in Underserved Communities

The fast-growing carsharing and ride-hailing businesses are generating economic benefits and societal impacts in the modern society. However, both have limitation to cover demand from diverse populations, e.g., travelers in low-income, underserved communities. In this paper, we consider two types of travelers: Type~1 who rent shared cars and Type~2 who need shared rides. We propose … Read more

Data-DrivenWater Allocation under Climate Uncertainty: A Distributionally Robust Approach

This paper investigates the application of techniques from distributionally robust optimization (DRO) to water allocation under future uncertainty. Specifically, we look at a rapidly-developing area of Tucson, Arizona. Tucson, like many arid and semi-arid regions around the world, faces considerable uncertainty in its ability to provide water for its citizens in the future. The main … Read more

A Globally Asymptotically Stable Polynomial Vector Field with Rational Coefficients and no Local Polynomial Lyapunov Function

We give an explicit example of a two-dimensional polynomial vector field of degree seven that has rational coefficients, is globally asymptotically stable, but does not admit an analytic Lyapunov function even locally. CitationSubmitted for publicationArticleDownload View PDF

The Mesh Adaptive Direct Search Algorithm for Granular and Discrete Variables

The mesh adaptive direct search (Mads) algorithm is designed for blackbox optimization problems for which the functions defining the objective and the constraints are typically the outputs of a simulation seen as a blackbox. It is a derivative-free optimization method designed for continuous variables and is supported by a convergence analysis based on the Clarke … Read more

Multistage stochastic programs with a random number of stages: dynamic programming equations, solution methods, and application to portfolio selection

We introduce the class of multistage stochastic optimization problems with a random number of stages. For such problems, we show how to write dynamic programming equations and detail the Stochastic Dual Dynamic Programming algorithm to solve these equations. Finally, we consider a portfolio selection problem over an optimization period of random duration. For several instances … Read more

Computing the Spark: Mixed-Integer Programming for the (Vector) Matroid Girth Problem

We investigate the NP-hard problem of computing the spark of a matrix (i.e., the smallest number of linearly dependent columns), a key parameter in compressed sensing and sparse signal recovery. To that end, we identify polynomially solvable special cases, gather upper and lower bounding procedures, and propose several exact (mixed-)integer programming models and linear programming … Read more

Axial symmetry indices for convex cones: axiomatic formalism and applications

We address the issue of measuring the degree of axial symmetry of a convex cone. By following an axiomatic approach, we introduce and explore the concept of axial symmetry index. This concept is illustrated with the help of several interesting examples. By way of application, we establish a conic version of the Blekherman inequality concerning … Read more