Sufficient optimality criteria and duality for multiobjective variational control problems with G-type I objective and constraint functions

In the paper, we introduce the concepts of G-type I and generalized G-type I functions for a new class of nonconvex multiobjective variational control problems. For such nonconvex vector optimization problems, we prove sufficient optimality conditions for weakly efficiency, efficiency and properly efficiency under assumptions that the functions constituting them are G-type I and/or generalized G-type I objective and constraint functions. Further, for the considered multiobjective variational control problem, its dual multiobjective variational control problem is given and several duality results are established under (generalized) G-type I objective and constraint functions

International Conference on Continuous Optimization (ICCOPT) 2019 Conference Book

The Sixth International Conference on Continuous Optimization took place on the campus of the Technical University of Berlin, August 3-8, 2019. The ICCOPT is a flagship conference of the Mathematical Optimization Society (MOS), organized every three years. ICCOPT 2019 was hosted by the Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS) Berlin. It included a Summer School and a Conference with a series of plenary and semi-plenary talks, organized and contributed sessions, and poster sessions. This book comprises the full conference program. It contains, in particular, the scientific program in survey style as well as with all details, and information on the social program, the venue, special meetings, and more

Bundle methods in nonsmooth DC optimization

Due to the complexity of many practical applications, we encounter optimization problems with nonsmooth functions, that is, functions which are not continuously differentiable everywhere. Classical gradient-based methods are not applicable to solve such problems, since they may fail in the nonsmooth setting. Therefore, it is imperative to develop numerical methods specifically designed for nonsmooth optimization. To date, bundle methods are considered to be the most efficient and reliable general purpose solvers for this type of problems. The idea in bundle methods is to approximate the subdifferential of the objective function by a bundle of subgradients. This information is then used to build a model for the objective. However, this model is typically convex and, due to this, it may be inaccurate and unable to adequately reflect the behaviour of the objective function in the nonconvex case. These circumstances motivate to design new bundle methods based on nonconvex models of the objective function. In this dissertation, the main focus is on nonsmooth DC optimization that constitutes an important and broad subclass of nonconvex optimization problems. A DC function can be presented as a difference of two convex functions. Thus, we can obtain a model that utilizes explicitly both the convexity and concavity of the objective by approximating separately the convex and concave parts. This way we end up with a nonconvex DC model describing the problem more accurately than the convex one. Based on the new DC model we introduce three different bundle methods. Two of them are designed for unconstrained DC optimization and the third one is capable of solving also multiobjective and constrained DC problems. The finite convergence is proved for each method. The numerical results demonstrate the efficiency of the methods and show the benefits obtained from the utilization of the DC decomposition. Even though the usage of the DC decomposition can improve the performance of the bundle methods, it is not always available or possible to construct. Thus, we present another bundle method for a general objective function implicitly collecting information about the DC structure. This method is developed for large-scale nonsmooth optimization and its convergence is proved for semismooth functions. The efficiency of the method is shown with numerical results. As an application of the developed methods, we consider the clusterwise linear regression (CLR) problems. By applying the support vector machines (SVM) approach a new model for these problems is proposed. The objective in the new formulation of the CLR problem is expressed as a DC function and a method based on one of the presented bundle methods is designed to solve it. Numerical results demonstrate robustness of the new approach to outliers.Monissa käytännön sovelluksissa tarkastelun kohteena oleva ongelma on monimutkainen ja joudutaan näin ollen mallintamaan epäsileillä funktioilla, jotka eivät välttämättä ole jatkuvasti differentioituvia kaikkialla. Klassisia gradienttiin perustuvia optimointimenetelmiä ei voida käyttää epäsileisiin tehtäviin, sillä epäsileillä funktioilla ei ole olemassa klassista gradienttia kaikkialla. Näin ollen epäsileään optimointiin on välttämätöntä kehittää omia numeerisia ratkaisumenetelmiä. Näistä kimppumenetelmiä pidetään tällä hetkellä kaikista tehokkaimpina ja luotettavimpina yleismenetelminä kyseisten tehtävien ratkaisemiseksi. Ideana kimppumenetelmissä on approksimoida kohdefunktion alidifferentiaalia kimpulla, joka on muodostettu keräämällä kohdefunktion aligradientteja edellisiltä iteraatiokierroksilta. Tätä tietoa hyödyntämällä voidaan muodostaa kohdefunktiolle malli, joka on alkuperäistä tehtävää helpompi ratkaista. Käytetty malli on tyypillisesti konveksi ja näin ollen se voi olla epätarkka ja kykenemätön esittämään alkuperäisen tehtävän rakennetta epäkonveksissa tapauksessa. Tästä syystä väitöskirjassa keskitytään kehittämään uusia kimppumenetelmiä, jotka mallinnusvaiheessa muodostavat kohdefunktiolle epäkonveksin mallin. Pääpaino väitöskirjassa on epäsileissä optimointitehtävissä, joissa funktiot voidaan esittää kahden konveksin funktion erotuksena (difference of two convex functions). Kyseisiä funktioita kutsutaan DC-funktioiksi ja ne muodostavat tärkeän ja laajan epäkonveksien funktioiden osajoukon. Tämä valinta mahdollistaa kohdefunktion konveksisuuden ja konkaavisuuden eksplisiittisen hyödyntämisen, sillä uusi malli kohdefunktiolle muodostetaan yhdistämällä erilliset konveksille ja konkaaville osalle rakennetut mallit. Tällä tavalla päädytään epäkonveksiin DC-malliin, joka pystyy kuvaamaan ratkaistavaa tehtävää tarkemmin kuin konveksi arvio. Väitöskirjassa esitetään kolme erilaista uuden DC-mallin pohjalta kehitettyä kimppumenetelmää sekä todistetaan menetelmien konvergenssit. Kaksi näistä menetelmistä on suunniteltu rajoitteettomaan DC-optimointiin ja kolmannella voidaan ratkaista myös monitavoitteisia ja rajoitteellisia DC-optimointitehtäviä. Numeeriset tulokset havainnollistavat menetelmien tehokkuutta sekä DC-hajotelman käytöstä saatuja etuja. Vaikka DC-hajotelman käyttö voi parantaa kimppumenetelmien suoritusta, sitä ei aina ole saatavilla tai mahdollista muodostaa. Tästä syystä väitöskirjassa esitetään myös neljäs kimppumenetelmä konvergenssitodistuksineen yleiselle kohdefunktiolle, jossa kerätään implisiittisesti tietoa kohdefunktion DC-rakenteesta. Menetelmä on kehitetty erityisesti suurille epäsileille optimointitehtäville ja sen tehokkuus osoitetaan numeerisella testauksella Sovelluksena väitöskirjassa tarkastellaan datalle klustereittain tehtävää lineaarista regressiota (clusterwise linear regression). Kyseiselle sovellukselle muodostetaan uusi malli hyödyntäen koneoppimisessa käytettyä SVM-lähestymistapaa (support vector machines approach) ja saatu kohdefunktio esitetään DC-funktiona. Näin ollen yhtä kehitetyistä kimppumenetelmistä sovelletaan tehtävän ratkaisemiseen. Numeeriset tulokset havainnollistavat uuden lähestymistavan robustisuutta ja tehokkuutta

Relative Pareto Minimizers to Multiobjective Problems: Existence and Optimality Conditions

In this paper we introduce and study enhanced notions of relative Pareto minimizers to constrained multiobjective problems that are defined via several kinds of relative interiors of ordering cones and occupy intermediate positions between the classical notions of Pareto and weak Pareto efficiency/minimality. Using advanced tools of variational analysis and generalized differentiation, we establish the existence of relative Pareto minimizers to general multiobjective problems under a refined version of the subdifferential Palais-Smale condition for set-valued mappings with values in partially ordered spaces and then derive necessary optimality conditions for these minimizers (as well as for conventional efficient and weak efficient counterparts) that are new in both finite-dimensional and infinite-dimensional settings. Our proofs are based on variational and extremal principles of variational analysis; in particular, on new versions of the Ekeland variational principle and the subdifferential variational principle for set-valued and single-valued mappings in infinite-dimensional spaces

Some contributions to optimality criteria and duality in Multiobjective mathematical programming.

This thesis entitled, “some contributions to optimality criteria and duality in multiobjective mathematical programming”, offers an extensive study on optimality, duality and mixed duality in a variety of multiobjective mathematical programming that includes nondifferentiable nonlinear programming, variational problems containing square roots of a certain quadratic forms and support functions which are prominent nondifferentiable convex functions. This thesis also deals with optimality, duality and mixed duality for differentiable and nondifferentiable variational problems involving higher order derivatives, and presents a close relationship between the results of continuous programming problems through the problems with natural boundary conditions between results of their counter parts in nonlinear programming. Finally it formulates a pair of mixed symmetric and self dual differentiable variational problems and gives the validation of various duality results under appropriate invexity and generalized invexity hypotheses. These results are further extended to a nondifferentiable case that involves support functions.Digital copy of Thesis.University of Kashmir

Some Aspects Of Duality In Variational Problems And Optimal Control

This thesis is divided into six chapters. In the Ist chapter we present a brief survey of related work done in the area of multiobjective mathematical programming, optimal control and game theory. Chapter Two: In this chapter sufficient optimality criteria are derived for a control problem under generalized invexity. A Mond-Weir type dual to the control problem is proposed and various duality theorems are validated under generalized invexity assumptions on functionals appearing in the problems. It is pointed out that these results can be applied to the control problem with free boundary conditions and have linkage with results for nonlinear programming problems in the presence of inequality and equality constraints already established in the literature. Chapter Three: In this chapter a mixed type dual to the control problem in order to unify Wolfe and Mond-Weir type dual control problem is presented in various duality results are validated and the generalized invexity assumptions. It is pointed out that our results can be extended to the control problems with free boundary conditions. The duality results for nonlinear programming problems already existing in the literature are deduced as special cases of our results. Chapter Four: In this chapter two types of duals are considered for a class of variational problems involving higher order derivative. The duality results are derived without any use of optimality conditions. One set of results is based on Mond-Weir type dual that has the same objective functional as the primal problem but different constraints. The second set of results is based on a dual of an auxiliary primal with single objective function. Under various convexity and generalized convexity assumptions, duality relationships between primal and its various duals are established. Problems with natural boundary values are considered and the analogues of our results in nonlinear programming are also indicated. Chapter Five: In this chapter a certain constrained dynamic game is shown to be equivalent to a pair of symmetric dual variational problems which have more general formulation than those already existing in the literature. Various duality results are proved under convexity and generalized convexity assumptions on the appropriate functional. The dynamic game is also viewed as equivalent to a pair of dual variational problems without the condition of fixed points. It is also indicated that our equivalent formulation of a pair of symmetric dual variational problems as dynamic generalization of those already studied in the literature. Chapter Six: In this chapter a mixed type second-order dual to a variational problem is formulated as a unification of Wolfe and Mond-Weir type dual problems already treated in the literature and various duality results are validated under generalized second order invexity. Problems with natural boundary values are formulated and it also is pointed out that our duality results can be regarded as dynamic generalizations of those of (static) nonlinear programming. The subject matter of the present research thesis is fully published in the form of the following research papers written by the author: (1) Sufficiency and Duality In Control Problems with Generalized Invexity, Journal of Applied Analysis,Vol, 14 No. 1 (2008),pp.27-42. (2) Mixed Type Duality for Control Problems with Generalized Invexity, Journal of Applied Mathematics and Informatics,Vol. 26(2008), No.5-6 , pp. 819-837. (3) On Multiobjective Duality for Variational Problems, The Open Operational Research Journal,2012, 6, 1-8. (4) Constrained Dynamic Game and Symmetric Duality For Variational Problems, Journal of Mathematics and System Science 2(2012), 171-178. (5) Mixed Type Second – Order Dulaity For Variational Problems, Journal of Informatics and Mathematical Sciences , Vol5,No.1, pp.1-13,(2013)

Classification of the Existing Knowledge Base of OR/MS Research and Practice (1990-2019) using a Proposed Classification Scheme

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordOperations Research/Management Science (OR/MS) has traditionally been defined as the discipline that applies advanced analytical methods to help make better and more informed decisions. The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the existing knowledge base of OR/MS research and practice using a proposed keywords-based approach. A conceptual structure is necessary in order to place in context the findings of our keyword analysis. Towards this we first present a classification scheme that relies on keywords that appeared in articles published in important OR/MS journals from 1990-2019 (over 82,000 articles). Our classification scheme applies a methodological approach towards keyword selection and its systematic classification, wherein approximately 1300 most frequently used keywords (in terms of cumulative percentage, these keywords and their derivations account for more than 45% of the approx. 290,000 keyword occurrences used by the authors to represent the content of their articles) were selected and organised in a classification scheme with seven top-level categories and multiple levels of sub-categories. The scheme identified the most commonly used keywords relating to OR/MS problems, modeling techniques and applications. Next, we use this proposed scheme to present an analysis of the last 30 years, in three distinct time periods, to show the changes in OR/MS literature. The contribution of the paper is thus twofold, (a) the development of a proposed discipline-based classification of keywords (like the ACM Computer Classification System and the AMS Mathematics Subject Classification), and (b) an analysis of OR/MS research and practice using the proposed classification