We consider the problem to minimize the sum of piecewise-linear convex functions under both linear and nonnegative constraints. We convert the piecewise-linear convex problem into a standard form linear programming problem (LP) and apply a primal-dual interior-point method for the LP. From the solution of the converted problem, we can obtain the solution of the … Read more
We describe the theoretical solution of an approximation problem that uses a finite weighted sum of complex exponential functions. The problem arises in an optimization model for the design of a telescopes array occurring within optical interferometry for direct imaging in astronomy. The problem is to find the optimal weights and the optimal positions of … Read more
Cybersecurity is a growing concern, especially in open grids, where attack propagation is easy because of prevalent collaborations among thousands of users and hundreds of institutions. The collaboration rules that typically govern large science experiments as well as social networks of scientists span across the institutional security boundaries. A common concern is that the increased … Read more
A new heuristic optimization algorithm is presented based on an analogy with the physical phenomenon of a projectile launched in a conformational space under the influence of a gravitational force. Its implementation simplicity and the option to enhance it with local search methods make it ideal for the optimization of non-linear systems of equations. The … Read more
We describe Pyomo, an open-source tool for modeling optimization applications in Python. Pyomo can be used to define abstract problems, create concrete problem instances, and solve these instances with standard solvers. Pyomo provides a capability that is commonly associated with algebraic modeling languages like AMPL and GAMS. Pyomo leverages the capabilities of the Coopr software, … Read more
Good scaling is an essential requirement for the good behavior of many numerical algorithms. In particular, for problems involving multivariate polynomials, a change of scale in one or more variable may have drastic effects on the robustness of subsequent calculations. This paper surveys scaling algorithms for systems of polynomials from the literature, and discusses some … Read more
Finding sparse approximate solutions to large underdetermined linear systems of equations is a common problem in signal/image processing and statistics. Basis pursuit, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), wavelet-based deconvolution and reconstruction, and compressed sensing (CS) are a few well-known areas in which problems of this type appear. One standard approach is to … Read more
A method for generating a sequence of intensity-modulated radiation therapy step-and-shoot plans with increasing number of segments is presented. The objectives are to generate high-quality plans with few, large and regular segments, and to make the planning process more intuitive. The proposed method combines segment generation with direct step-and-shoot optimization, where leaf positions and segment … Read more
Abstract: After developing necessary background theory, the original primal and dual are specified, and the invariant primal and dual LP’s are defined. Pairs of linear mappings are defined which establish an effectively one-to-one correspondences between solutions to the original and invariant problems. The invariant problems are recast as a fixed-point problem and precise solution conditions … Read more
We present a general metaheuristic for joint chance-constrained stochastic programs with discretely distributed parameters. We give a reformulation of the problem that allows us to define a finite solution space. We then formulate a novel neighborhood for the problem and give methods for efficiently searching this neighborhood for solutions that are likely to be improving. … Read more