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Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

On the role of commutator arguments in the development of parameter-robust preconditioners for Stokes control problems

The development of preconditioners for PDE-constrained optimization problems is a field of numerical analysis which has recently generated much interest. One class of problems which has been investigated in particular is that of Stokes control problems, that is the problem of minimizing a functional with the Stokes (or Navier-Stokes) equations as constraints. In this manuscript, we present an approach for preconditioning Stokes control problems using preconditioners for the Poisson control problem and, crucially, the application of a commutator argument. This methodology leads to two block diagonal preconditioners for the problem, one of which was previously derived by W. Zulehner in 2011 (SIAM. J. Matrix Anal. & Appl., v.32) using a nonstandard norm argument for this saddle point problem, and the other of which we believe to be new. We also derive two related block triangular preconditioners using the same methodology, and present numerical results to demonstrate the performance of the four preconditioners in practice

A Radial Basis Function Method for Solving PDE Constrained Optimization Problems

In this article, we apply the theory of meshfree methods to the problem of PDE constrained optimization. We derive new collocation-type methods to solve the distributed control problem with Dirichlet boundary conditions and the Neumann boundary control problem, both involving Poisson's equation. We prove results concerning invertibility of the matrix systems we generate, and discuss a modication to guarantee invertibility. We implement these methods using MATLAB, and produce numerical results to demonstrate the methods' capability. We also comment on the methods' effectiveness in comparison to the widely-used finite element formulation of the problem, and make some recommendations as to how this work may be extended

Preconditioned iterative methods for Navier-Stokes control problems

PDE-constrained optimization problems are a class of problems which have attracted much recent attention in scientific computing and applied science. In this paper, we discuss preconditioned iterative methods for a class of Navier-Stokes control problems, one of the main problems of this type in the field of fluid dynamics. Having detailed the Oseen-type iteration we use to solve the problems and derived the structure of the matrix system to be solved at each step, we utilize the theory of saddle point systems to develop efficient preconditioned iterative solution techniques for these problems. We also require theory of solving convection-diffusion control problems, as well as a commutator argument to justify one of the components of the preconditioner

A rational deferred correction approach to parabolic optimal control problems

The accurate and efficient solution of time-dependent PDE-constrained optimization problems is a challenging task, in large part due to the very high dimension of the matrix systems that need to be solved. We devise a new deferred correction method for coupled systems of time-dependent PDEs, allowing one to iteratively improve the accuracy of low-order time stepping schemes. We consider two variants of our method, a splitting and a coupling version, and analyze their convergence properties. We then test our approach on a number of PDE-constrained optimization problems. We obtain solution accuracies far superior to that achieved when solving a single discretized problem, in particular in cases where the accuracy is limited by the time discretization. Our approach allows for the direct reuse of existing solvers for the resulting matrix systems, as well as state-of-the-art preconditioning strategies

Origins of concentration dependence of waiting times for single-molecule fluorescence binding

Binary fluorescence time series obtained from single-molecule imaging experiments can be used to infer protein binding kinetics, in particular, association and dissociation rate constants from waiting time statistics of fluorescence intensity changes. In many cases, rate constants inferred from fluorescence time series exhibit nonintuitive dependence on ligand concentration. Here we examine several possible mechanistic and technical origins that may induce ligand dependence of rate constants. Using aggregated Markov models, we show under the condition of detailed balance that non-fluorescent bindings and missed events due to transient interactions, instead of conformation fluctuations, may underly the dependence of waiting times and thus apparent rate constants on ligand concentrations. In general, waiting times are rational functions of ligand concentration. The shape of concentration dependence is qualitatively affected by the number of binding sites in the single molecule and is quantitatively tuned by model parameters. We also show that ligand dependence can be caused by non-equilibrium conditions which result in violations of detailed balance and require an energy source. As to a different but significant mechanism, we examine the effect of ambient buffers that can substantially reduce the effective concentration of ligands that interact with the single molecules. To demonstrate the effects by these mechanisms, we applied our results to analyze the concentration dependence in a single-molecule experiment EGFR binding to fluorophore-labeled adaptor protein Grb2 by Morimatsu et al. (PNAS,104:18013,2007).Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures; J. Chem. Phys., 137, 201

A New Approximation of the Schur Complement in Preconditioners for PDE Constrained Optimization

Saddle point systems arise widely in optimization problems with constraints. The utility of Schur complement approximation is now broadly appreciated in the context of solving such saddle point systems by iteration. In this short manuscript, we present a new Schur complement approximation for PDE constrained optimization, an important class of these problems. Block diagonal and block triangular preconditioners have previously been designed to be used to solve such problems along with MINRES and non-standard Conjugate Gradients respectively; with appropriate approximation blocks these can be optimal in the sense that the time required for solution scales linearly with the problem size, however small the mesh size we use. In this paper, we extend this work to designing such preconditioners for which this optimality property holds independently of both the mesh size and of the Tikhonov regularization parameter \beta that is used. This also leads to an effective symmetric indefinite preconditioner that exhibits mesh and \beta-independence. We motivate the choice of these preconditioners based on observations about approximating the Schur complement obtained from the matrix system, derive eigenvalue bounds which verify the effectiveness of the approximation, and present numerical results which show that these new preconditioners work well in practice

Alignment of professional, academic and industrial development needs for quantity surveyors

The academic, professional and training needs of Quantity Surveyors are pulled by different stakeholders in different directions. Academics are interested in producing a rounded graduate with the basic foundation in knowledge for further development whereas professional bodies are interested in graduates capable of progression to full professional status through the achievement of the required core competencies (RICS, 2009). The industry is looking for a graduate who can straight away contribute to the growth and daily functions of business activity. Hence, there is a three directional pull on the development needs of the Quantity Surveyor (QS). The present education system of the QS does not recognise these multi-directional needs and hence often produces a graduate whom the industry sees as not fulfilling their requirements. This leads to many problems with greater levels of employer and graduate dissatisfaction and obstacles to early career development of the QS graduate. This research aims at investigating the changing development needs of Quantity Surveyors within a post recession industrial environment that satisfies the aspirations of industrial, professional and academic stakeholders. The paper will present the initial findings of the research based on a series of stakeholder interviews examining RICS competencies and academic curricular