1,694 research outputs found
Second-order subdifferential calculus with applications to tilt stability in optimization
The paper concerns the second-order generalized differentiation theory of
variational analysis and new applications of this theory to some problems of
constrained optimization in finitedimensional spaces. The main attention is
paid to the so-called (full and partial) second-order subdifferentials of
extended-real-valued functions, which are dual-type constructions generated by
coderivatives of frst-order subdifferential mappings. We develop an extended
second-order subdifferential calculus and analyze the basic second-order
qualification condition ensuring the fulfillment of the principal secondorder
chain rule for strongly and fully amenable compositions. The calculus results
obtained in this way and computing the second-order subdifferentials for
piecewise linear-quadratic functions and their major specifications are applied
then to the study of tilt stability of local minimizers for important classes
of problems in constrained optimization that include, in particular, problems
of nonlinear programming and certain classes of extended nonlinear programs
described in composite terms
A Path Algorithm for Constrained Estimation
Many least squares problems involve affine equality and inequality
constraints. Although there are variety of methods for solving such problems,
most statisticians find constrained estimation challenging. The current paper
proposes a new path following algorithm for quadratic programming based on
exact penalization. Similar penalties arise in regularization in model
selection. Classical penalty methods solve a sequence of unconstrained problems
that put greater and greater stress on meeting the constraints. In the limit as
the penalty constant tends to , one recovers the constrained solution.
In the exact penalty method, squared penalties are replaced by absolute value
penalties, and the solution is recovered for a finite value of the penalty
constant. The exact path following method starts at the unconstrained solution
and follows the solution path as the penalty constant increases. In the
process, the solution path hits, slides along, and exits from the various
constraints. Path following in lasso penalized regression, in contrast, starts
with a large value of the penalty constant and works its way downward. In both
settings, inspection of the entire solution path is revealing. Just as with the
lasso and generalized lasso, it is possible to plot the effective degrees of
freedom along the solution path. For a strictly convex quadratic program, the
exact penalty algorithm can be framed entirely in terms of the sweep operator
of regression analysis. A few well chosen examples illustrate the mechanics and
potential of path following.Comment: 26 pages, 5 figure
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