In this paper, we bring the celebrated max-weight features (myopic and discrete actions) to mainstream convex optimization. Myopic actions are important in control because decisions need to be made in an online manner and without knowledge of future events, and discrete actions because many systems have a finite (so non-convex) number of control decisions. For example, whether to transmit a packet or not in communication networks. Our results show that these two features can be encompassed in the subgradient method for the Lagrange dual problem by the use of stochastic and $ε$-subgradients. One of the appealing features of our approach is that it decouples the choice of a control action from a specific choice of subgradient, which allows us to design control policies without changing the underlying convex updates. Two classes of discrete control policies are presented: one that can make discrete actions by looking only at the system's current state, and another that selects actions using blocks. The latter class is useful for handling systems that have constraints on the order in which actions are selected.
For continuous functions, midpoint convexity characterizes convex functions. By considering discrete versions of midpoint convexity, several types of discrete convexities of functions, including integral convexity, L$^\natural$-convexity and global/local discrete midpoint convexity, have been studied. We propose a new type of discrete midpoint convexity that lies between L$^\natural$-convexity and integral convexity and is independent of global/local discrete midpoint convexity. The new convexity, named DDM-convexity, has nice properties satisfied by L$^\natural$-convexity and global/local dis…
We give a characterization of the controllability for discrete-time linear systems with convex output constraints. It extends all previously known characterizations in the literature, as well as our previous results on controllability of discrete-time linear systems with conic output constraints.
The present article is an exposition of a theory of discrete convex functions on certain graph structures, developed by the author in recent years. This theory is a spin-off of discrete convex analysis by Murota, and is motivated by combinatorial dualities in multiflow problems and the complexity classification of facility location problems on graphs. We outline the theory and algorithmic applications in combinatorial optimization problems.
We study a specific convex maximization problem in n-dimensional space. The conjectured solution is proved to be a vertex of the polyhedral feasible region, but only a partial proof of local maximality is known. Integer sequences with interesting patterns arise in the analysis, owing to the number theoretic origin of the problem.
Differential stability of convex discrete optimal control problems in Banach spaces is studied in this paper. By using some recent results of An and Yen [Appl. Anal. 94, 108--128 (2015)] on differential stability of parametric convex optimization problems under inclusion constraints, we obtain an upper estimate for the subdifferential of the optimal value function of a parametric convex discrete optimal control problem, where the objective function may be nondifferentiable. If the objective function is differentiable, the obtained upper estimate becomes an equality. It is shown that the singul…
In this paper we introduce the Ameso optimization problem, a special class of discrete optimization problems. We establish its basic properties and investigate the relation between Ameso optimization and the convex optimization. Further, we design an algorithm to solve a multi-dimensional Ameso problem by solving a sequence of one-dimensional Ameso problems. Finally, we demonstrate how the knapsack problem can be solved using the Ameso optimization framework.
In this paper, we study the problem of finding the Euclidean distance to a convex cone generated by a set of discrete points in $\mathbb{R}^n_+$. In particular, we are interested in problems where the discrete points are the set of feasible solutions of some binary linear programming constraints. This problem has applications in manufacturing, machine learning, clustering, pattern recognition, and statistics. Our problem is a high-dimensional constrained optimization problem. We propose a Frank-Wolfe based algorithm to solve this non-convex optimization problem with a convex-noncompact feasibl…
Discrete convex functions are used in many areas, including operations research, discrete-event systems, game theory, and economics. The objective of this paper is to investigate basic operations such as direct sum, splitting, and aggregation that are related to network induction of discrete convex functions as well as discrete convex sets. Various kinds of discrete convex functions in discrete convex analysis are considered such as integrally convex functions, L-convex functions, M-convex functions, multimodular functions, and discrete midpoint convex functions.
Discrete convex functions are used in many areas, including operations research, discrete-event systems, game theory, and economics. The objective of this paper is to offer a survey on fundamental operations for various kinds of discrete convex functions in discrete convex analysis such as integrally convex functions, L-convex functions, M-convex functions, and multimodular functions.
We provide proof that the optimal value function of a convex parametrized optimization problem in Euclidean spaces is itself a convex function onto the extended real line.
We propose new sequential simulation-optimization algorithms for general convex optimization via simulation problems with high-dimensional discrete decision space. The performance of each choice of discrete decision variables is evaluated via stochastic simulation replications. If an upper bound on the overall level of uncertainties is known, our proposed simulation-optimization algorithms utilize the discrete convex structure and are guaranteed with high probability to find a solution that is close to the best within any given user-specified precision level. The proposed algorithms work for a…
We consider stochastic convex optimization with a strongly convex (but not necessarily smooth) objective. We give an algorithm which performs only gradient updates with optimal rate of convergence.
We establish that the min-sum message-passing algorithm and its asynchronous variants converge for a large class of unconstrained convex optimization problems.
We suggest a new greedy strategy for convex optimization in Banach spaces and prove its convergent rates under a suitable behavior of the modulus of uniform smoothness of the objective function.
This paper presents a convex sufficient condition for solving a system of nonlinear equations under parametric changes and proposes a sequential convex optimization method for solving robust optimization problems with nonlinear equality constraints. By bounding the nonlinearity with concave envelopes and using Brouwer's fixed point theorem, the sufficient condition is expressed in terms of closed-form convex inequality constraints. We extend the result to provide a convex sufficient condition for feasibility under bounded uncertainty. Using these conditions, a non-convex optimization problem c…
Motivated by the fact that not all nonconvex optimization problems are difficult to solve, we survey in this paper three widely-used ways to reveal the hidden convex structure for different classes of nonconvex optimization problems. Finally, ten open problems are raised.
This short communication develops a convex dual variational formulation for a large class of models in variational optimization. The results are established through basic tools of functional analysis, convex analysis and duality theory. The main duality principle is developed as an application to a Ginzburg-Landau type system in superconductivity in the absence of a magnetic field.
Random projection techniques based on Johnson-Lindenstrauss lemma are used for randomly aggregating the constraints or variables of optimization problems while approximately preserving their optimal values, that leads to smaller-scale optimization problems. D'Ambrosio et al. have applied random projection to a quadratic optimization problem so as to decrease the number of decision variables. Although the problem size becomes smaller, the projected problem will also almost surely be non-convex if the original problem is non-convex, and hence will be hard to solve. In this paper, by focusing on …
In Hilbert space, we propose a family of primal-dual dynamical system for affine constrained convex optimization problem. Several damping coefficients, time scaling coefficients, and perturbation terms are thus considered. By constructing the energy functions, we investigate the convergence rates with different choices of the damping coefficients and time scaling coefficients. Our results extend the inertial dynamical approaches for unconstrained convex optimization problems to affine constrained convex optimization problems.
A new and simple method for quasi-convex optimization is introduced from which its various applications can be derived. Especially, a global optimum under constrains can be approximated for all continuous functions.
This paper presents a piecewise convexification method for solving non-convex multi-objective optimization problems with box constraints. Based on the ideas of the $α$-based Branch and Bound (${\rm αBB}$) method of global optimization and the interval subdivision, a series of convex relaxation sub-multiobjective problems for this non-convex multi-objective optimization problem are firstly obtained, and these sub-problems constitute a piecewise convexification problem of the original problem on the whole box. We then construct the (approximate, weakly) efficient solution set of this piecewise c…
CVXPY is a domain-specific language for convex optimization embedded in Python. It allows the user to express convex optimization problems in a natural syntax that follows the math, rather than in the restrictive standard form required by solvers. CVXPY makes it easy to combine convex optimization with high-level features of Python such as parallelism and object-oriented design. CVXPY is available at http://www.cvxpy.org/ under the GPL license, along with documentation and examples.
Our aim in this article is two-fold. We use the Charnes-Cooper scalarization technique to develop KKT type conditions to completely characterize Pareto minimizers of convex vector optimization problems and further, we use that scalarization technique to develop a simple and efficient algorithm for convex vector optimization problems. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the use of our algorithm.
In this paper we consider the solvability of a non-convex regular polynomial vector optimization problem on a nonempty closed set. We introduce regularity conditions for the polynomial vector optimization problem and study properties and characterizations of the regularity conditions. Under the regularity conditions, we study nonemptiness and boundedness of the solution sets of the problem. As a consequence, we establish two Frank-Wolfe type theorems for the non-convex polynomial vector optimization problem. Finally, we investigate the solution stability of the non-convex regular polynomial ve…
Hidden convex optimization is such a class of nonconvex optimization problems that can be globally solved in polynomial time via equivalent convex programming reformulations. In this paper, we focus on checking local optimality in hidden convex optimization. We first introduce a class of hidden convex optimization problems by jointing the classical nonconvex trust-region subproblem (TRS) with convex optimization (CO), and then present a comprehensive study on local optimality conditions. In order to guarantee the existence of a necessary and sufficient condition for local optimality, we need m…
In this paper, we introduce a new class of nonsmooth convex functions called SOS-convex semialgebraic functions extending the recently proposed notion of SOS-convex polynomials. This class of nonsmooth convex functions covers many common nonsmooth functions arising in the applications such as the Euclidean norm, the maximum eigenvalue function and the least squares functions with $\ell_1$-regularization or elastic net regularization used in statistics and compressed sensing. We show that, under commonly used strict feasibility conditions, the optimal value and an optimal solution of SOS-convex…
This work is concerned with linear inverse problems where a distributed parameter is known a priori to only take on values from a given discrete set. This property can be promoted in Tikhonov regularization with the aid of a suitable convex but nondifferentiable regularization term. This allows applying standard approaches to show well-posedness and convergence rates in Bregman distance. Using the specific properties of the regularization term, it can be shown that convergence (albeit without rates) actually holds pointwise. Furthermore, the resulting Tikhonov functional can be minimized effic…
We study conjugate and Lagrange dualities for composite optimization problems within the framework of abstract convexity. We provide conditions for zero duality gap in conjugate duality. For Lagrange duality, intersection property is applied to obtain zero duality gap. Connection between Lagrange dual and conjugate dual is also established. Examples related to convex and weakly convex functions are given.
We investigate Lagrangian duality for nonconvex optimization problems. To this aim we use the $Φ$-convexity theory and minimax theorem for $Φ$-convex functions. We provide conditions for zero duality gap and strong duality. Among the classes of functions, to which our duality results can be applied, are prox-bounded functions, DC functions, weakly convex functions and paraconvex functions.
Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University（京都大学情报学研究科）；Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo（东京大学大学院信息理工学系研究科）；Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (ICReDD), Hokkaido University（北海道大学化学反应设计与发现研究所）
In this paper, we study the convex quadratic optimization problem with indicator variables. For the bivariate case, we describe the convex hull of the epigraph in the original space of variables, and also give a conic quadratic extended formulation. Then, using the convex hull description for the bivariate case as a building block, we derive an extended SDP relaxation for the general case. This new formulation is stronger than other SDP relaxations proposed in the literature for the problem, including Shor's SDP relaxation, the optimal perspective relaxation as well as the optimal rank-one rel…
This note establishes a limiting formula for the conic Lagrangian dual of a convex infinite optimization problem, correcting the classical version of Karney [Math. Programming 27 (1983) 75-82] for convex semi-infinite programs. A reformulation of the convex infinite optimization problem with a single constraint leads to a limiting formula for the corresponding Lagrangian dual, called sup-dual, and also for the primal problem in the case when strong Slater condition holds, which also entails strong sup-duality.
In this paper we propose several adaptive gradient methods for stochastic optimization. Unlike AdaGrad-type of methods, our algorithms are based on Armijo-type line search and they simultaneously adapt to the unknown Lipschitz constant of the gradient and variance of the stochastic approximation for the gradient. We consider an accelerated and non-accelerated gradient descent for convex problems and gradient descent for non-convex problems. In the experiments we demonstrate superiority of our methods to existing adaptive methods, e.g. AdaGrad and Adam.
We provide an explicit construction and direct proof for the lower bound on the number of first order oracle accesses required for a randomized algorithm to minimize a convex Lipschitz function.
Geometric duality theory for multiple objective linear programming problems turned out to be very useful for the development of efficient algorithms to generate or approximate the whole set of nondominated points in the outcome space. This article extends the geometric duality theory to convex vector optimization problems.
The paper considers the minimization of a separable convex function subject to linear ascending constraints. The problem arises as the core optimization in several resource allocation scenarios, and is a special case of an optimization of a separable convex function over the bases of a polymatroid with a certain structure. The paper presents a survey of state-of-the-art algorithms that solve this optimization problem. The algorithms are applicable to the class of separable convex objective functions that need not be smooth or strictly convex. When the objective function is a so-called $d$-sepa…
We show that minimizers of convex functions subject to almost all linear perturbations are nondegenerate. An analogous result holds more generally, for lower-C^2 functions.
This article proposes a new discrete framework for approximating solutions to shape optimization problems under convexity constraints. The numerical method, based on the support function or the gauge function, is guaranteed to generate discrete convex shapes and is easily implementable using standard optimization software. The framework can handle various objective functions ranging from geometric quantities to functionals depending on partial differential equations. Width or diameter constraints are handled using the support function. Functionals depending on a convex body and its polar body …
Generalized polyhedral convex optimization problems in locally convex Hausdorff topological vector spaces are studied systematically in this paper. We establish solution existence theorems, necessary and sufficient optimality conditions, weak and strong duality theorems. In particular, we show that the dual problem has the same structure as the primal problem, and the strong duality relation holds under three different sets of conditions.
Extrapolation is a well-known technique for solving convex optimization and variational inequalities and recently attracts some attention for non-convex optimization. Several recent works have empirically shown its success in some machine learning tasks. However, it has not been analyzed for non-convex minimization and there still remains a gap between the theory and the practice. In this paper, we analyze gradient descent and stochastic gradient descent with extrapolation for finding an approximate first-order stationary point in smooth non-convex optimization problems. Our convergence upper …
This paper is devoted to distributed continuous-time and discrete-time optimization problems with nonuniform convex constraint sets and nonuniform stepsizes for general differentiable convex objective functions. The communication graphs are not required to be strongly connected at any time, the gradients of the local objective functions are not required to be bounded when their independent variables tend to infinity, and the constraint sets are not required to be bounded. For continuous-time multi-agent systems, a distributed continuous algorithm is first introduced where the stepsizes and the…
We consider the convex optimization problem $\min \{f(x) : g_j(x)\leq 0, j=1,...,m\}$ where $f$ is convex, the feasible set K is convex and Slater's condition holds, but the functions $g_j$ are not necessarily convex. We show that for any representation of K that satisfies a mild nondegeneracy assumption, every minimizer is a Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) point and conversely every KKT point is a minimizer. That is, the KKT optimality conditions are necessary and sufficient as in convex programming where one assumes that the $g_j$ are convex. So in convex optimization, and as far as one is concerne…
As a complement to two recent papers by An and Yen [An, D.T.V., Yen, N.D.: Differential stability of convex optimization problems under inclusion constraints. Appl. Anal., 94, 108--128 (2015)], and by An and Yao [An, D.T.V., Yao, J.-C.: Further results on differential stability of convex optimization problems. J. Optim. Theory Appl., 170, 28--42 (2016)] on subdifferentials of the optimal value function of infinite-dimensional convex optimization problems, this paper studies the differential stability of convex optimization problems, where the solution set may be empty. By using a suitable sum …
The paper deals with the optimal control problem described by second order evolution differential inclusions; to this end first we use an auxiliary problem with second order discrete and discrete-approximate inclusions. Then applying infimal convolution concept of convex functions, step by step we construct the dual problems for discrete, discrete-approximate and differential inclusions and prove duality results. It seems that the Euler-Lagrange type inclusions are "duality relations" for both primary and dual problems and that the dual problem for discrete-approximate problem make a bridge be…
We associate with each convex optimization problem posed on some locally convex space with an infinite index set T, and a given non-empty family H formed by finite subsets of T, a suitable Lagrangian-Haar dual problem. We provide reverse H-strong duality theorems, H-Farkas type lemmas and optimality theorems. Special attention is addressed to infinite and semi-infinite linear optimization problems.
We study convergence of the trajectories of the Heavy Ball dynamical system, with constant damping coefficient, in the framework of convex and non-convex smooth optimization. By using the Polyak-Łojasiewicz condition, we derive new linear convergence rates for the associated trajectory, in terms of objective function values, without assuming uniqueness of the minimizer.
The standard assumption for proving linear convergence of first order methods for smooth convex optimization is the strong convexity of the objective function, an assumption which does not hold for many practical applications. In this paper, we derive linear convergence rates of several first order methods for solving smooth non-strongly convex constrained optimization problems, i.e. involving an objective function with a Lipschitz continuous gradient that satisfies some relaxed strong convexity condition. In particular, in the case of smooth constrained convex optimization, we provide several…
This paper considers a general convex constrained problem setting where functions are not assumed to be differentiable nor Lipschitz continuous. Our motivation is in finding a simple first-order method for solving a wide range of convex optimization problems with minimal requirements. We study the method of weighted dual averages (Nesterov, 2009) in this setting and prove that it is an optimal method.
