Guest Editorial: Nonlinear Optimization of Communication Systems

Linear programming and other classical optimization techniques have found important applications in communication systems for many decades. Recently, there has been a surge in research activities that utilize the latest developments in nonlinear optimization to tackle a much wider scope of work in the analysis and design of communication systems. These activities involve every “layer” of the protocol stack and the principles of layered network architecture itself, and have made intellectual and practical impacts significantly beyond the established frameworks of optimization of communication systems in the early 1990s. These recent results are driven by new demands in the areas of communications and networking, as well as new tools emerging from optimization theory. Such tools include the powerful theories and highly efficient computational algorithms for nonlinear convex optimization, together with global solution methods and relaxation techniques for nonconvex optimization

Implementation of Distributed Time Exchange Based Cooperative Forwarding

In this paper, we design and implement time exchange (TE) based cooperative forwarding where nodes use transmission time slots as incentives for relaying. We focus on distributed joint time slot exchange and relay selection in the sum goodput maximization of the overall network. We formulate the design objective as a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem and provide a polynomial time distributed solution of the MINLP. We implement the designed algorithm in the software defined radio enabled USRP nodes of the ORBIT indoor wireless testbed. The ORBIT grid is used as a global control plane for exchange of control information between the USRP nodes. Experimental results suggest that TE can significantly increase the sum goodput of the network. We also demonstrate the performance of a goodput optimization algorithm that is proportionally fair.Comment: Accepted in 2012 Military Communications Conferenc

A multiobjective optimization framework for multicontaminant industrial water network design.

The optimal design of multicontaminant industrial water networks according to several objectives is carried out in this paper. The general formulation of the water allocation problem (WAP) is given as a set of nonlinear equations with binary variables representing the presence of interconnections in the network. For optimization purposes, three antagonist objectives are considered: F1, the freshwater flow-rate at the network entrance, F2, the water flow-rate at inlet of regeneration units, and F3, the number of interconnections in the network. The multiobjective problem is solved via a lexicographic strategy, where a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) procedure is used at each step. The approach is illustrated by a numerical example taken from the literature involving five processes, one regeneration unit and three contaminants. The set of potential network solutions is provided in the form of a Pareto front. Finally, the strategy for choosing the best network solution among those given by Pareto fronts is presented. This Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) problem is tackled by means of two approaches: a classical TOPSIS analysis is first implemented and then an innovative strategy based on the global equivalent cost (GEC) in freshwater that turns out to be more efficient for choosing a good network according to a practical point of view

Active Sensing of Robot Arms Based on Zeroing Neural Networks: A Biological-Heuristic Optimization Model

Conventional biological-heuristic solutions via zeroing neural network (ZNN) models have achieved preliminary efficiency on time-dependent nonlinear optimization problems handling. However, the investigation on finding a feasible ZNN model to solve the time-dependent nonlinear optimization problems with both inequality and equality constraints still remains stagnant because of the nonlinearity and complexity. To make new progresses on the ZNN for time-dependent nonlinear optimization problems solving, this paper proposes a biological-heuristic optimization model, i.e., inequality and equality constrained optimization ZNN (IECO-ZNN). Such a proposed IECO-ZNN breaks the conditionality that the solutions via ZNN for solving nonlinear optimization problems can not consider the inequality and equality constraints at the same time. The time-dependent nonlinear optimization problem subject to inequality and equality constraints is skillfully converted to a time-dependent equality system by exploiting the Lagrange multiplier rule. The design process for the IECO-ZNN model is presented together with its new architecture illustrated in details. In addition, the conversion equivalence, global stability as well as exponential convergence property are theoretically proven. Moreover, numerical studies, real-world applications to robot arm active sensing, and comparisons sufficiently verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed IECO-ZNN model for the time-dependent nonlinear optimization with inequality and equality constraints

Engine Data Classification with Simultaneous Recurrent Network using a Hybrid PSO-EA Algorithm

We applied an architecture which automates the design of simultaneous recurrent network (SRN) using a new evolutionary learning algorithm. This new evolutionary learning algorithm is based on a hybrid of particle swarm optimization (PSO) and evolutionary algorithm (EA). By combining the searching abilities of these two global optimization methods, the evolution of individuals is no longer restricted to be in the same generation, and better performed individuals may produce offspring to replace those with poor performance. The novel algorithm is then applied to the simultaneous recurrent network for the engine data classification. The experimental results show that our approach gives solid performance in categorizing the nonlinear car engine data

Optimization and Control of Communication Networks

Recently, there has been a surge in research activities that utilize the power of recent developments in nonlinear optimization to tackle a wide scope of work in the analysis and design of communication systems, touching every layer of the layered network architecture, and resulting in both intellectual and practical impacts significantly beyond the earlier frameworks. These research activities are driven by both new demands in the areas of communications and networking, and new tools emerging from optimization theory. Such tools include new developments of powerful theories and highly efficient computational algorithms for nonlinear convex optimization, as well as global solution methods and relaxation techniques for nonconvex optimization. Optimization theory can be used to analyze, interpret, or design a communication system, for both forward-engineering and reverse-engineering. Over the last few years, it has been successfully applied to a wide range of communication systems, from the high speed Internet core to wireless networks, from coding and equalization to broadband access, and from information theory to network topology models. Some of the theoretical advances have also been put into practice and started making visible impacts, including new versions of TCP congestion control, power control and scheduling algorithms in wireless networks, and spectrum management in DSL broadband access networks. Under the theme of optimization and control of communication networks, this Hot Topic Session consists of five invited talks covering a wide range of issues, including protocols, pricing, resource allocation, cross layer design, traffic engineering in the Internet, optical transport networks, and wireless networks

Neural Contraction Metrics for Robust Estimation and Control: A Convex Optimization Approach

This letter presents a new deep learning-based framework for robust nonlinear estimation and control using the concept of a Neural Contraction Metric (NCM). The NCM uses a deep long short-term memory recurrent neural network for a global approximation of an optimal contraction metric, the existence of which is a necessary and sufficient condition for exponential stability of nonlinear systems. The optimality stems from the fact that the contraction metrics sampled offline are the solutions of a convex optimization problem to minimize an upper bound of the steady-state Euclidean distance between perturbed and unperturbed system trajectories. We demonstrate how to exploit NCMs to design an online optimal estimator and controller for nonlinear systems with bounded disturbances utilizing their duality. The performance of our framework is illustrated through Lorenz oscillator state estimation and spacecraft optimal motion planning problems

Design Optimization Utilizing Dynamic Substructuring and Artificial Intelligence Techniques

In mechanical and structural systems, resonance may cause large strains and stresses which can lead to the failure of the system. Since it is often not possible to change the frequency content of the external load excitation, the phenomenon can only be avoided by updating the design of the structure. In this paper, a design optimization strategy based on the integration of the Component Mode Synthesis (CMS) method with numerical optimization techniques is presented. For reasons of numerical efficiency, a Finite Element (FE) model is represented by a surrogate model which is a function of the design parameters. The surrogate model is obtained in four steps: First, the reduced FE models of the components are derived using the CMS method. Then the components are aassembled to obtain the entire structural response. Afterwards the dynamic behavior is determined for a number of design parameter settings. Finally, the surrogate model representing the dynamic behavior is obtained. In this research, the surrogate model is determined using the Backpropagation Neural Networks which is then optimized using the Genetic Algorithms and Sequential Quadratic Programming method. The application of the introduced techniques is demonstrated on a simple test problem