Given a family of linear constraints and a linear objective function one can consider whether to apply a Linear Programming (LP) algorithm or use a Linear Superiorization (LinSup) algorithm on this data. In the LP methodology one aims at finding a point that fulfills the constraints and has the minimal value of the objective function … Read more
The feasibility-seeking approach offers a systematic framework for managing and resolving intricate constraints in continuous problems, making it a promising avenue to explore in the context of floorplanning problems with increasingly heterogeneous constraints. The classic legality constraints can be expressed as the union of convex sets. However, conventional projection-based algorithms for feasibility-seeking do not guarantee … Read more
The feasibility-seeking approach provides a systematic scheme to manage and solve complex constraints for continuous problems, and we explore it for the floorplanning problems with increasingly heterogeneous constraints. The classic legality constraints can be formulated as the union of convex sets. However, the convergence of conventional projection-based algorithms is not guaranteed when the constraints sets … Read more
The superiorization methodology can be thought of as lying conceptually between feasibility-seeking and constrained minimization. It is not trying to solve the full-fledged constrained minimization problem composed from the modeling constraints and the chosen objective function. Rather, the task is to find a feasible point which is “superior” (in a well-defined manner) with respect to … Read more
Superiorization reduces, not necessarily minimizes, the value of a target function while seeking constraints-compatibility. This is done by taking a solely feasibility-seeking algorithm, analyzing its perturbations resilience, and proactively perturbing its iterates accordingly to steer them toward a feasible point with reduced value of the target function. When the perturbation steps are computationally efficient, this … Read more
Linear superiorization considers linear programming problems but instead of attempting to solve them with linear optimization methods it employs perturbation resilient feasibility-seeking algorithms and steers them toward reduced (not necessarily minimal) target function values. The two questions that we set out to explore experimentally are (i) Does linear superiorization provide a feasible point whose linear … Read more
We apply the recently proposed superiorization methodology (SM) to the inverse planning problem in radiation therapy. The inverse planning problem is represented here as a constrained minimization problem of the total variation (TV) of the intensity vector over a large system of linear two-sided inequalities. The SM can be viewed conceptually as lying between feasibility-seeking … Read more
The projected subgradient method for constrained minimization repeatedly interlaces subgradient steps for the objective function with projections onto the feasible region, which is the intersection of closed and convex constraints sets, to regain feasibility. The latter poses a computational difficulty and, therefore, the projected subgradient method is applicable only when the feasible region is “simple … Read more