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In this paper, a new sequential penalty algorithm, based on the L[sub ∞] exact penalty function, is proposed for a general nonlinear constrained optimization problem. The algorithm has the following characteristics: it can start from an arbitrary initial point; the feasibility of the subproblem is guaranteed; the penalty parameter is adjusted automatically; global convergence without any regularity assumption is proved. The update formula of the penalty parameter is new. It is proved that the algorithm proposed in this paper behaves equivalently to the standard SQP method after sufficiently many iterations. Hence, the local convergence results of the standard SQP method can be applied to this algorithm. Preliminary numerical experiments show the efficiency and stability of the algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robust analysis is important for designing and analyzing algorithms for global optimization. In this paper, we introduce a new concept, robust constant, to quantitatively characterize the robustness of measurable sets and functions. The new concept is consistent to the theoretical robustness presented in literatures. This paper shows that, from the respects of convergence theory and numerical computational cost, robust constant is valuable significantly for analyzing random global search methods for unconstrained global optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on a class of discrete-time interconnected pendulumlike systems. Sufficient conditions for the global convergence of systems with both structured and unstructured uncertainties in its linear part are established in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). In the traditional decentralized control of large scale systems, the effects of interconnections were seldom studied. In this paper, a square matrix specifying the interconnecting structure is introduced in order to discuss the effects of nonlinear interconnections. It is shown that the global convergence of the whole interconnected system can be achieved by designing an appropriate interconnection matrix. In order to solve the nonlinear matrix inequalities (NMIs) arising in the synthesis problem, a global optimization algorithm is presented which can be used to handle a class of NMI problems. An illustrative example is given to demonstrate the applicability and validity of the main results and the presented algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes several globally convergent geometric optimization algorithms on Riemannian manifolds, which extend some existing geometric optimization techniques. Since any set of smooth constraints in the Euclidean space Rn (corresponding to constrained optimization) and the Rn space itself (corresponding to unconstrained optimization) are both special Riemannian manifolds, and since these algorithms are developed on general Riemannian manifolds, the techniques discussed in this paper provide a uniform framework for constrained and unconstrained optimization problems. Unlike some earlier works, the new algorithms have less restrictions in both convergence results and in practice. For example, global minimization in the one-dimensional search is not required. All the algorithms addressed in this paper are globally convergent. For some special Riemannian manifold other than Rn, the newalgorithms are very efficient. Convergence rates are obtained. Applications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a supply chain logistics system, the function of an intermediary firm is to purchase products and to sell those purchased products to the public or to other firms. This article investigates how an intermediary firm can optimally determine the purchasing cycle length of a deteriorating product. By incorporating the special structure of the intermediary firm’s environments and the deteriorating nature of the product, the inventory problem encountered by the intermediary firm is mathematically formulated. The optimal purchasing cycle length is derived such that the total profit is maximized. Several interesting properties of the optimal policy are investigated and an efficient iterative algorithm is provided to search for the optimal policy. Also, the convergence of the iterative algorithm developed in this paper is proved. Finally, a numerical example is provided to illustrate the features of the proposed problem and the iterative search algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The filled function method is an effective approach to find the global minimizer. Two of the recently proposed filled functions are H(X) and L2(X). Although their numerical behavior is acceptable, they are not defined everywhere. This paper proposes a class of augmented filled functions with improved analyticity. Issues covered in the presented work include: theoretical properties, convergence analysis, geometric interpretation, algorithms, and numerical experiments. The overall performance of the new approach is comparable to the recently proposed ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a theory for the global solution of nonconvex optimization problems with parameter-embedded linear dynamic systems. A quite general problem formulation is introduced and a solution is shown to exists. A convexity theory for integrals is then developed to construct convex relaxations for utilization in a branch-and-bound framework to calculate a global minimum. Interval analysis is employed to generate bounds on the state variables implied by the bounds on the embedded parameters. These bounds, along with basic integration theory, are used to prove convergence of the branch-and-bound algorithm to the global minimum of the optimization problem. The implementation of the algorithm is then considered and several numerical case studies are examined thoroughly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The DFP algorithm of unconstrained optimization possesses excellent properties of convergence for convex functions. However, a convergence theory of the DFP algorithm without the convexity assumption has not yet been established. This paper gives the following result: If the objective function is suitably smooth, and if the DFP algorithm produces a convergent point sequence, then the limit point of the sequence is a critical point of the objective function. Also, some open questions are mentioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyze several new methods for solving nonconvex optimization problems with the objective function consisting of a sum of two terms: one is nonconvex and smooth, and another is convex but simple and its structure is known. Further, we consider both cases: unconstrained and linearly constrained nonconvex problems. For optimization problems of the above structure, we propose random coordinate descent algorithms and analyze their convergence properties. For the general case, when the objective function is nonconvex and composite we prove asymptotic convergence for the sequences generated by our algorithms to stationary points and sublinear rate of convergence in expectation for some optimality measure. Additionally, if the objective function satisfies an error bound condition we derive a local linear rate of convergence for the expected values of the objective function. We also present extensive numerical experiments for evaluating the performance of our algorithms in comparison with state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise is present in many real-world continuous optimization problems. Stochastic search algorithms such as Evolution Strategies (ESs) have been proposed as effective search methods in such contexts. In this paper, we provide a mathematical analysis of the convergence of a (1+1)-ES on unimodal spherical objective functions in the presence of noise. We prove for a multiplicative noise model that for a positive expected value of the noisy objective function, convergence or divergence happens depending on the infimum of the support of the noise. Moreover, we investigate convergence rates and show that log-linear convergence is preserved in presence of noise. This result is a strong theoretical foundation of the robustness of ESs with respect to noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a new hybrid conjugate gradient algorithm is proposed and analyzed. The parameter β k is computed as a convex combination of the Polak-Ribière-Polyak and the Dai-Yuan conjugate gradient algorithms, i.e. β=(1− θ k) β+ θ k β. The parameter θ k in the convex combination is computed in such a way that the conjugacy condition is satisfied, independently of the line search. The line search uses the standard Wolfe conditions. The algorithm generates descent directions and when the iterates jam the directions satisfy the sufficient descent condition. Numerical comparisons with conjugate gradient algorithms using a set of 750 unconstrained optimization problems, some of them from the CUTE library, show that this hybrid computational scheme outperforms the known hybrid conjugate gradient algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  In this paper, we present several new implementable methods for solving a generalized fractional program with convex data. They are Dinkelbach-type methods where a prox-regularization term is added to avoid the numerical difficulties arising when the solution of the problem is not unique. In these methods, at each iteration a regularized parametric problem is solved inexactly to obtain an approximation of the optimal value of the problem. Since the parametric problem is nonsmooth and convex, we propose to solve it by using a classical bundle method where the parameter is updated after each ‘serious step’. We mainly study two kinds of such steps, and we prove the convergence and the rate of convergence of each of the corresponding methods. Finally, we present some numerical experience to illustrate the behavior of the proposed algorithms, and we discuss the practical efficiency of each one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We modify the first order algorithm for convex programming described by Nesterov in his book (in Introductory lectures on convex optimization. A basic course. Kluwer, Boston, ). In his algorithms, Nesterov makes explicit use of a Lipschitz constant L for the function gradient, which is either assumed known (Nesterov in Introductory lectures on convex optimization. A basic course. Kluwer, Boston, ), or is estimated by an adaptive procedure (Nesterov ). We eliminate the use of L at the cost of an extra imprecise line search, and obtain an algorithm which keeps the optimal complexity properties and also inherit the global convergence properties of the steepest descent method for general continuously differentiable optimization. Besides this, we develop an adaptive procedure for estimating a strong convexity constant for the function. Numerical tests for a limited set of toy problems show an improvement in performance when compared with the original Nesterov's algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose an algorithm for the global optimization of continuous minimax problems involving polynomials. The method can be described as a discretization approach to the well known semi-infinite formulation of the problem. We proceed by approximating the infinite number of constraints using tools and techniques from semidefinite programming. We then show that, under appropriate conditions, the SDP approximation converges to the globally optimal solution of the problem. We also discuss the numerical performance of the method on some test problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss possible scenarios of behaviour of the dual part of sequences generated by primal-dual Newton-type methods when applied to optimization problems with nonunique multipliers associated to a solution. Those scenarios are: (a) failure of convergence of the dual sequence; (b) convergence to a so-called critical multiplier (which, in particular, violates some second-order sufficient conditions for optimality), the latter appearing to be a typical scenario when critical multipliers exist; (c) convergence to a noncritical multiplier. The case of mathematical programs with complementarity constraints is also discussed. We illustrate those scenarios with examples, and discuss consequences for the speed of convergence. We also put together a collection of examples of optimization problems with constraints violating some standard constraint qualifications, intended for preliminary testing of existing algorithms on degenerate problems, or for developing special new algorithms designed to deal with constraints degeneracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We give a general model of partially asynchronous, distributed load-balancing algorithms for the discrete load model in parallel computers, where the processor loads are treated as non-negative integers. We prove that all load-balancing algorithms in this model are finite. This means that all load-balancing algorithms based on this model are guaranteed to reach a stable situation at a certain time (which depends on the particular algorithm) at which no load will be sent from one processor to another. With an additional assumption, we prove that the largest load difference between any two processors, in the final stable situation of the load-balancing algorithms in this model, is upper-bounded by the diameter of the topology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider two variable target value frameworks for solving large-scale nondifferentiable optimization problems. We provide convergence analyses for various combinations of these variable target value frameworks with several direction-finding and step-length strategies including the pure subgradient method, the volume algorithm, the average direction strategy, and a generalized Polyak-Kelley cutting plane method. In addition, we suggest a further enhancement via a projected quadratic-fit line-search whenever any of these algorithmic procedures experiences an improvement in the objective value. Extensive computational results on different classes of problems reveal that these modifications and enhancements significantly improve the effectiveness of the algorithms to solve Lagrangian duals of linear programs, even yielding a favorable comparison against the commercial software CPLEX 8.1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new inexact line search rule and analyze the global convergence and convergence rate of related descent methods. The new line search rule is similar to the Armijo line-search rule and contains it as a special case. We can choose a larger stepsize in each line-search procedure and maintain the global convergence of related line-search methods. This idea can make us design new line-search methods in some wider sense. In some special cases, the new descent method can reduce to the Barzilai and Borewein method. Numerical results show that the new line-search methods are efficient for solving unconstrained optimization problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A penalty function method approach for solving a constrained bilevel optimization problem is proposed. In the algorithm, both the upper level and the lower level problems are approximated by minimization problems of augmented objective functions. A convergence theorem is presented. The method is applicable to the non-singleton lower-level reaction set case. Constraint qualifications which imply the assumptions of the general convergence theorem are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]