Stochastic approaches for solving Rapid Transit Network Design models with random demand

We address rapid transit network design problems characterized by uncertainty in the input data. Network design has a determinant impact on the future e ective- ness of the system. Design decisions are made with a great degree of uncertainty about the conditions under which the system will be required to operate. The de- mand is one … Read more

A copula-based heuristic for scenario generation

This paper presents a new heuristic for generating scenarios for two-stage stochastic programs. The method uses copulas to describe the dependence between the marginal distributions, instead of the more common correlations. The heuristic is then tested on a simple portfolio-selection model, and compared to two other scenario-generation methods. CitationPublished in Computational Management Science, 11 (4), … Read more

Probabilistic Set Covering with Correlations

We consider a probabilistic set covering problem where there is uncertainty regarding whether a selected set can cover an item, and the objective is to determine a minimum-cost combination of sets so that each item is covered with a pre-specified probability. To date, literature on this problem has focused on the special case in which … Read more

Implementing the simplex method as a cutting-plane method

We show that the simplex method can be interpreted as a cutting-plane method, assumed that a special pricing rule is used. This approach is motivated by the recent success of the cutting-plane method in the solution of special stochastic programming problems. We compare the classic Dantzig pricing rule and the rule that derives from the … Read more

A Branch-and-Cut Decomposition Algorithm for Solving Chance-Constrained Mathematical Programs with Finite Support

We present a new approach for exactly solving chance-constrained mathematical programs having discrete distributions with nite support and random polyhedral constraints. Such problems have been notoriously difficult to solve due to nonconvexity of the feasible region, and most available methods are only able to nd provably good solutions in certain very special cases. Our approach … Read more

Stochastic programs without duality gaps

This paper studies dynamic stochastic optimization problems parametrized by a random variable. Such problems arise in many applications in operations research and mathematical finance. We give sufficient conditions for the existence of solutions and the absence of a duality gap. Our proof uses extended dynamic programming equations, whose validity is established under new relaxed conditions … Read more

Level methods uniformly optimal for composite and structured nonsmooth convex optimization

The main goal of this paper is to develop uniformly optimal first-order methods for large-scale convex programming (CP). By uniform optimality we mean that the first-order methods themselves do not require the input of any problem parameters, but can still achieve the best possible iteration complexity bounds. To this end, we provide a substantial generalization … Read more

Level methods uniformly optimal for composite and structured nonsmooth convex optimization

The main goal of this paper is to develop uniformly optimal first-order methods for large-scale convex programming (CP). By uniform optimality we mean that the first-order methods themselves do not require the input of any problem parameters, but can still achieve the best possible iteration complexity bounds. To this end, we provide a substantial generalization … Read more

Scalable Stochastic Optimization of Complex Energy Systems

We present a scalable approach and implementation for solving stochastic programming problems, with application to the optimization of complex energy systems under uncertainty. Stochastic programming is used to make decisions in the present while incorporating a model of uncertainty about future events (scenarios). These problems present serious computational difficulties as the number of scenarios becomes … Read more

Concepts and Applications of Stochastically Weighted Stochastic Dominance

Stochastic dominance theory provides tools to compare random entities. When comparing random vectors (say X and Y ), the problem can be viewed as one of multi-criterion decision making under uncertainty. One approach is to compare weighted sums of the components of these random vectors using univariate dominance. In this paper we propose new concepts … Read more