Derivative Free Direct Type Global Optimization

After providing an in-depth introduction to derivative-free global optimization with various constraints, this book presents new original results from well-known experts on the subject. A primary focus of this book is the well-known class of deterministic DIRECT (DIviding RECTangle)-type algorithms. This book describes a new set of algorithms derived from newly developed partitioning, sampling, and selection approaches in the box- and generally-constrained global optimization, including extensions to multi-objective optimization. DIRECT-type optimization algorithms are discussed in terms of fundamental principles, potential, and boundaries of their applicability. The algorithms are analyzed from various perspectives to offer insight into their main features. This explains how and why they are effective at solving optimization problems. As part of this book, the authors also present several techniques for accelerating the DIRECT-type algorithms through parallelization and implementing efficient data structures by revealing the pros and cons of the design challenges involved. A collection of DIRECT-type algorithms described and analyzed in this book is available in DIRECTGO, a MATLAB toolbox on GitHub. Lastly, the authors demonstrate the performance of the algorithms for solving a wide range of global optimization problems with various constraints ranging from a few to hundreds of variables. Additionally, well-known practical problems from the literature are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed algorithms. It is evident from these numerical results that the newly developed approaches are capable of solving problems with a wide variety of structures and complexity levels. Since implementations of the algorithms are publicly available, this monograph is full of examples showing how to use them and how to choose the most efficient ones, depending on the nature of the problem being solved. Therefore, many specialists, students, researchers, engineers, economists, computer scientists, operations researchers, and others will find this book interesting and helpful.

The first contemporary comprehensive treatment of optimization without derivatives. This text explains how sampling and model techniques are used in derivative-free methods and how they are designed to solve optimization problems. It is designed to be readily accessible to both researchers and those with a modest background in computational mathematics.

This book is designed as a textbook, suitable for self-learning or for teaching an upper-year university course on derivative-free and blackbox optimization. The book is split into 5 parts and is designed to be modular; any individual part depends only on the material in Part I. Part I of the book discusses what is meant by Derivative-Free and Blackbox Optimization, provides background material, and early basics while Part II focuses on heuristic methods (Genetic Algorithms and Nelder-Mead). Part III presents direct search methods (Generalized Pattern Search and Mesh Adaptive Direct Search) and Part IV focuses on model-based methods (Simplex Gradient and Trust Region). Part V discusses dealing with constraints, using surrogates, and bi-objective optimization. End of chapter exercises are included throughout as well as 15 end of chapter projects and over 40 figures. Benchmarking techniques are also presented in the appendix.

The two-volume set LNCS 11973 and 11974 constitute revised selected papers from the Third International Conference on Numerical Computations: Theory and Algorithms, NUMTA 2019, held in Crotone, Italy, in June 2019. This volume, LNCS 11974, consists of 19 full and 32 short papers chosen among regular papers presented at the the Conference including also the paper of the winner (Lorenzo Fiaschi, Pisa, Italy) of The Springer Young Researcher Prize for the best NUMTA 2019 presentation made by a young scientist. The papers in part II explore the advanced research developments in such interconnected fields as local and global optimization, machine learning, approximation, and differential equations. A special focus is given to advanced ideas related to methods and applications using emerging computational paradigms.

This edited volume illustrates the connections between machine learning techniques, black box optimization, and no-free lunch theorems. Each of the thirteen contributions focuses on the commonality and interdisciplinary concepts as well as the fundamentals needed to fully comprehend the impact of individual applications and problems. Current theoretical, algorithmic, and practical methods used are provided to stimulate a new effort towards innovative and efficient solutions. The book is intended for beginners who wish to achieve a broad overview of optimization methods and also for more experienced researchers as well as researchers in mathematics, optimization, operations research, quantitative logistics, data analysis, and statistics, who will benefit from access to a quick reference to key topics and methods. The coverage ranges from mathematically rigorous methods to heuristic and evolutionary approaches in an attempt to equip the reader with different viewpoints of the same problem.

This book presents expert descriptions of the successful application of operations research in both the private and the public sector, including in logistics, transportation, product design, production planning and scheduling, and areas of social interest. Each chapter is based on fruitful collaboration between researchers and companies, and company representatives are among the co-authors. The book derives from a 2017 call by the Italian Operations Research Society (AIRO) for information from members on their activities in promoting the use of quantitative techniques, and in particular operations research techniques, in society and industry. A booklet based on this call was issued for the annual AIRO conference, but it was felt that some of the content was of such interest that it deserved wider dissemination in more detailed form. This book is the outcome. It equips practitioners with solutions to real-life decision problems, offers researchers examples of the practical application of operations research methods, and provides Master’s and PhD students with suggestions for research development in various fields.

The seven volumes LNCS 12249-12255 constitute the refereed proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Computational Science and Its Applications, ICCSA 2020, held in Cagliari, Italy, in July 2020. Due to COVID-19 pandemic the conference was organized in an online event. Computational Science is the main pillar of most of the present research, industrial and commercial applications, and plays a unique role in exploiting ICT innovative technologies. The 466 full papers and 32 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 1450 submissions. Apart from the general track, ICCSA 2020 also include 52 workshops, in various areas of computational sciences, ranging from computational science technologies, to specific areas of computational sciences, such as software engineering, security, machine learning and artificial intelligence, blockchain technologies, and of applications in many fields.

This book begins with a concentrated introduction into deterministic global optimization and moves forward to present new original results from the authors who are well known experts in the field. Multiextremal continuous problems that have an unknown structure with Lipschitz objective functions and functions having the first Lipschitz derivatives defined over hyperintervals are examined. A class of algorithms using several Lipschitz constants is introduced which has its origins in the DIRECT (DIviding RECTangles) method. This new class is based on an efficient strategy that is applied for the search domain partitioning. In addition a survey on derivative free methods and methods using the first derivatives is given for both one-dimensional and multi-dimensional cases. Non-smooth and smooth minorants and acceleration techniques that can speed up several classes of global optimization methods with examples of applications and problems arising in numerical testing of global optimization algorithms are discussed. Theoretical considerations are illustrated through engineering applications. Extensive numerical testing of algorithms described in this book stretches the likelihood of establishing a link between mathematicians and practitioners. The authors conclude by describing applications and a generator of random classes of test functions with known local and global minima that is used in more than 40 countries of the world. This title serves as a starting point for students, researchers, engineers, and other professionals in operations research, management science, computer science, engineering, economics, environmental sciences, industrial and applied mathematics to obtain an overview of deterministic global optimization.