An efficient gradient method using the Yuan steplength

We propose a new gradient method for quadratic programming, named SDC, which alternates some SD iterates with some gradient iterates that use a constant steplength computed through the Yuan formula. The SDC method exploits the asymptotic spectral behaviour of the Yuan steplength to foster a selective elimination of the components of the gradient along the … Read more

On the Convergence of Decentralized Gradient Descent

Consider the consensus problem of minimizing $f(x)=\sum_{i=1}^n f_i(x)$ where each $f_i$ is only known to one individual agent $i$ out of a connected network of $n$ agents. All the agents shall collaboratively solve this problem and obtain the solution subject to data exchanges restricted to between neighboring agents. Such algorithms avoid the need of a … Read more

Fast implementation for semidefinite programs with positive matrix completion

Solving semidefinite programs (SDP) in a short time is the key to managing various mathematical optimization problems in practical time. The matrix-completion primal-dual interior-point method (MC-PDIPM) extracts a structural sparsity of input SDP by factorizing the variable matrices, and it shrinks the computation time. In this paper, we propose a new factorization based on the … Read more

Iteration-Complexity of a Generalized Forward Backward Splitting Algorithm

In this paper, we analyze the iteration-complexity of a generalized forward-backward (GFB) splitting algorithm, recently proposed in~\cite{gfb2011}, for minimizing the large class of composite objectives $f + \sum_{i=1}^n h_i$ on a Hilbert space, where $f$ has a Lipschitz-continuous gradient and the $h_i$’s are simple (i.e. whose proximity operator is easily computable ). We derive iteration-complexity … Read more

On the generation of cutting planes which maximize the bound improvement

We propose the bound-optimal cutting plane method. It is a new paradigm for cutting plane generation in Mixed Integer Programming allowing for the simultaneous generation of k cuts which, when added to the current Linear Programming elaxation, yield the largest bound improvement. By Linear Programming duality arguments and standard linearization techniques we show that, for … Read more

A feasible active set method for strictly convex problems with simple bounds

A primal-dual active set method for quadratic problems with bound constraints is presented which extends the infeasible active set approach of [K. Kunisch and F. Rendl. An infeasible active set method for convex problems with simple bounds. SIAM Journal on Optimization, 14(1):35-52, 2003]. Based on a guess of the active set, a primal-dual pair (x,α) … Read more

Bin Packing and Related Problems: General Arc-flow Formulation with Graph Compression

We present an exact method, based on an arc-flow formulation with side constraints, for solving bin packing and cutting stock problems — including multi-constraint variants — by simply representing all the patterns in a very compact graph. Our method includes a graph compression algorithm that usually reduces the size of the underlying graph substantially without … Read more

GLODS: Global and Local Optimization using Direct Search

Locating and identifying points as global minimizers is, in general, a hard and time-consuming task. Difficulties increase when the derivatives of the functions defining the problem are not available for use. In this work, we propose a new class of methods suited for global derivative-free constrained optimization. Using direct search of directional type, the algorithm … Read more

Bundle methods in the XXIst century: A bird’s-eye view

Bundle methods are often the algorithms of choice for nonsmooth convex optimization, especially if accuracy in the solution and reliability are a concern. We review several algorithms based on the bundle methodology that have been developed recently and that, unlike their forerunner variants, have the ability to provide exact solutions even if most of the … Read more

Least-squares approach to risk parity in portfolio selection

The risk parity optimization problem aims to find such portfolios for which the contributions of risk from all assets are equally weighted. Portfolios constructed using risk parity approach are a compromise between two well-known diversification techniques: minimum variance optimization approach and the equal weighting approach. In this paper, we discuss the problem of finding portfolios … Read more