A New Conjugate Gradient Projection Method for Solving Stochastic Generalized Linear Complementarity Problems

In this paper, a class of the stochastic generalized linear complementarity problems with finitely many elements is proposed for the first time. Based on the Fischer-Burmeister function, a new conjugate gradient projection method is given for solving the stochastic generalized linear complementarity problems. The global convergence of the conjugate gradient projection method is proved and the related numerical results are also reported.

Gaining-Sharing Knowledge Based Algorithm for Solving Stochastic Programming Problems

This paper presents a novel application of metaheuristic algorithmsfor solving stochastic programming problems using a recently developed gaining sharing knowledge based optimization (GSK) algorithm. The algorithmis based on human behavior in which people gain and share their knowledgewith others. Different types of stochastic fractional programming problemsare considered in this study. The augmented Lagrangian method (ALM)is used to handle these constrained optimization problems by convertingthem into unconstrained optimization problems. Three examples from theliterature are considered and transformed into their deterministic form usingthe chance-constrained technique. The transformed problems are solved usingGSK algorithm and the results are compared with eight other state-of-the-artmetaheuristic algorithms. The obtained results are also compared with theoptimal global solution and the results quoted in the literature. To investigatethe performance of the GSK algorithm on a real-world problem, a solidstochastic fixed charge transportation problem is examined, in which theparameters of the problem are considered as random variables. The obtainedresults show that the GSK algorithm outperforms other algorithms in termsof convergence, robustness, computational time, and quality of obtainedsolutions.

A Smoothing SAA Method for a Stochastic Linear Complementarity Problem

Utilizing the well-known aggregation technique, we propose a smoothing sample average approximation （SAA） method for a stochastic linear complementarity problem, where the underlying functions are represented by expectations of stochastic functions. The method is proved to be convergent and the preliminary numerical results are reported.

A Stochastic Flight Problem Simulation to Minimize Cost of Refuelling

Commercial airline companies are continuously seeking to implement strategies for minimizing costs of fuel for their flight routes as acquiring jet fuel represents a significant part of operating and managing expenses for airline activities.A nonlinear mixed binary mathematical programming model for the airline fuel task is presented to minimize the total cost of refueling in an entire flight route problem.The model is enhanced to include possible discounts in fuel prices,which are performed by adding dummy variables and some restrictive constraints,or by fitting a suitable distribution function that relates prices to purchased quantities.The obtained fuel plan explains exactly the amounts of fuel in gallons to be purchased from each airport considering tankering strategy while minimizing the pertinent cost of the whole flight route.The relation between the amount of extra burnt fuel taken through tinkering strategy and the total flight time is also considered.A case study is introduced for a certain flight rotation in domestic US air transport route.The mathematical model including stepped discounted fuel prices is formulated.The problem has a stochastic nature as the total flight time is a random variable,the stochastic nature of the problem is realistic and more appropriate than the deterministic case.The stochastic style of the problem is simulated by introducing a suitable probability distribution for the flight time duration and generating enough number of runs to mimic the probabilistic real situation.Many similar real application problems are modelled as nonlinear mixed binary ones that are difficult to handle by exact methods.Therefore,metaheuristic approaches are widely used in treating such different optimization tasks.In this paper,a gaining sharing knowledge-based procedure is used to handle the mathematical model.The algorithm basically based on the process of gaining and sharing knowledge throughout the human lifetime.The generated simulation runs of the example are solved using the proposed algorithm,and the resulting distribution outputs for the optimum purchased fuel amounts from each airport and for the total cost and are obtained.

Strict greedy design paradigm applied to the stochastic multi-armed bandit problem

The process of making decisions is something humans do inherently and routinely,to the extent that it appears commonplace. However,in order to achieve good overall performance,decisions must take into account both the outcomes of past decisions and opportunities of future ones. Reinforcement learning,which is fundamental to sequential decision-making,consists of the following components: 1 A set of decisions epochs; 2 A set of environment states; 3 A set of available actions to transition states; 4 State-action dependent immediate rewards for each action.At each decision,the environment state provides the decision maker with a set of available actions from which to choose. As a result of selecting a particular action in the state,the environment generates an immediate reward for the decision maker and shifts to a different state and decision. The ultimate goal for the decision maker is to maximize the total reward after a sequence of time steps.This paper will focus on an archetypal example of reinforcement learning,the stochastic multi-armed bandit problem. After introducing the dilemma,I will briefly cover the most common methods used to solve it,namely the UCB and εn- greedy algorithms. I will also introduce my own greedy implementation,the strict-greedy algorithm,which more tightly follows the greedy pattern in algorithm design,and show that it runs comparably to the two accepted algorithms.

THE SOLUTION OF RANDOM EIGENVALUE PROBLEM WITH SMALL STOCHASTIC PROCESSES

This paper considers an eigenvalue problem containing small stochastic processes. For every fixed is, we can use the Prufer substitution to prove the existence of the random solutions lambda(n) and u(n) in the meaning of large probability. These solutions can be expanded in epsilon regularly, and their correction terms can be obtained by solving some random linear differential equations.

An Adaptively Filtered Precise Integration Method Considering Perturbation for Stochastic Dynamics Problems

The difficulty in solving stochastic dynamics problems lies in the need for a large number of repeated computations of deterministic dynamic equations,which has been a challenge in stochastic dynamics analysis and was discussed in this study.To efficiently and accurately compute the exponential of the dynamics state matrix and the matrix functions due to external loads,an adaptively filtered precise integration method was proposed,which inherits the high precision of the precise integrationmethod,improves the computational efficiency and saves the memory required.Moreover,the perturbation method was introduced to avoid repeated computations of matrix exponential and terms due to external loads.Based on the filtering and perturbation techniques,an adaptively filtered precise integration method considering perturbation for stochastic dynamics problems was developed.Two numerical experiments,including a model of phononic crystal and a bridge model considering random parameters,were performed to test the performance of the proposed method in terms of accuracy and efficiency.Numerical results show that the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method are better than those of the existing precise integration method,the Newmark-βmethod and the Wilson-θmethod.

Error Analysis of the Feedback Controls Arising in the Stochastic Linear Quadratic Control Problems

In this work,the author proposes a discretization for stochastic linear quadratic control problems(SLQ problems)subject to stochastic differential equations.The author firstly makes temporal discretization and obtains SLQ problems governed by stochastic difference equations.Then the author derives the convergence rates for this discretization relying on stochastic differential/difference Riccati equations.Finally an algorithm is presented.Compared with the existing results relying on stochastic Pontryagin-type maximum principle,the proposed scheme avoids solving backward stochastic differential equations and/or conditional expectations.

STOCHASTIC LINEAR QUADRATIC OPTIMAL CONTROL PROBLEMS WITH RANDOM COEFFICIENTS

This paper studies a stochastic linear quadratic optimal control problem (LQ problem, for short), for which the coefficients are allowed to be random and the cost functional is allowed to have a negative weight on the square of the control variable. The authors introduce the stochastic Riccati equation for the LQ problem. This is a backward SDE with a complicated nonlinearity and a singularity. The local solvability of such a backward SDE is established, which by no means is obvious. For the case of deterministic coefficients, some further discussions on the Riccati equations have been carried out. Finally, an illustrative example is presented.

Optimal paths planning in dynamic transportation networks with random link travel times

A theoretical study was conducted on finding optimal paths in transportation networks where link travel times were stochastic and time-dependent(STD). The methodology of relative robust optimization was applied as measures for comparing time-varying, random path travel times for a priori optimization. In accordance with the situation in real world, a stochastic consistent condition was provided for the STD networks and under this condition, a mathematical proof was given that the STD robust optimal path problem can be simplified into a minimum problem in specific time-dependent networks. A label setting algorithm was designed and tested to find travelers' robust optimal path in a sampled STD network with computation complexity of O(n2+n·m). The validity of the robust approach and the designed algorithm were confirmed in the computational tests. Compared with conventional probability approach, the proposed approach is simple and efficient, and also has a good application prospect in navigation system.

Characterization of optimal feedback for stochastic linear quadratic control problems

One of the fundamental issues in Control Theory is to design feedback controls.It is well-known that,the purpose of introducing Riccati equations in the study of deterministic linear quadratic control problems is exactly to construct the desired feedbacks.To date,the same problem in the stochastic setting is only partially well-understood.In this paper,we establish the equivalence between the existence of optimal feedback controls for the stochastic linear quadratic control problems with random coefficients and the solvability of the corresponding backward stochastic Riccati equations in a suitable sense.We also give a counterexample showing the nonexistence of feedback controls to a solvable stochastic linear quadratic control problem.This is a new phenomenon in the stochastic setting,significantly different from its deterministic counterpart.

A New Complementarity Function and Applications in Stochastic Second-Order Cone Complementarity Problems

This paper considers the so-called expected residual minimization(ERM)formulation for stochastic second-order cone complementarity problems,which is based on a new complementarity function called termwise residual complementarity function associated with second-order cone.We show that the ERM model has bounded level sets under the stochastic weak R0-property.We further derive some error bound results under either the strong monotonicity or some kind of constraint qualifications.Then,we apply the Monte Carlo approximation techniques to solve the ERM model and establish a comprehensive convergence analysis.Furthermore,we report some numerical results on a stochastic second-order cone model for optimal power flow in radial networks.

Indefinite stochastic linear-quadratic optimal control problems with random jumps and related stochastic Riccati equations

We discuss the stochastic linear-quadratic(LQ) optimal control problem with Poisson processes under the indefinite case. Based on the wellposedness of the LQ problem, the main idea is expressed by the definition of relax compensator that extends the stochastic Hamiltonian system and stochastic Riccati equation with Poisson processes(SREP) from the positive definite case to the indefinite case. We mainly study the existence and uniqueness of the solution for the stochastic Hamiltonian system and obtain the optimal control with open-loop form. Then, we further investigate the existence and uniqueness of the solution for SREP in some special case and obtain the optimal control in close-loop form.

Multi-Modes Multiscale Approach of Heat Transfer Problems in Heterogeneous Solids with Uncertain Thermal Conductivity

Stochastic temperature distribution should be carefully inspected in the thermal-failure design of heterogeneous solids with unexpected random energy excitations.Stochastic multiscale modeling for these problems involve multiscale and highdimensional uncertain thermal parameters,which remains limitation of prohibitive computation.In this paper,we propose a multi-modes based constrained energy minimization generalized multiscale finite element method(MCEM-GMsFEM),which can transform the original stochastic multiscale model into a series of recursive multiscale models sharing the same deterministic material parameters by multiscale analysis.Thus,MCEM-GMsFEM reveals an inherent low-dimensional representation in random space,and is designed to effectively reduce the complexity of repeated computation of discretized multiscale systems.In addition,the convergence analysis is established,and the optimal error estimates are derived.Finally,several typical random fluctuations on multiscale thermal conductivity are considered to validate the theoretical results in the numerical examples.The numerical results indicate that the multi-modes multiscale approach is a robust integrated method with the excellent performance.

REGULAR SOLUTIONS FOR SCHRODINGER EQUATION ON UNBOUNDED DOMAINS

The authors study a class of solutions,namely, regular solutions of the Schrodinger equation (1/2 Delta + q)u = 0 on unbounded domains. They definite the regular solutions in terms of sample path properties of Brownian motion and then characterize them by analytic method. In Section 4, they discuss the regular solution to the stochastic Dirichlet problem for the equation (1/2 Delta + q)u = 0 having limit alpha at infinity.

Parametric Problems in Power System Analysis:Recent Applications of Polynomial Approximation Based on Galerkin Method

In power systems, there are many uncertainty factors such as power outputs of distributed generations and fluctuations of loads. It is very beneficial to power system analysis to acquire an explicit function describing the relationship between these factors(namely parameters) and power system states(or performances). This problem, termed as parametric problem(PP) in this paper, can be solved by Galerkin method,which is a powerful and mathematically rigorous method aiming to seek an accurate explicit approximate function by projection techniques. This paper provides a review of the applications of polynomial approximation based on Galerkin method in power system PPs as well as stochastic problems. First, the fundamentals of polynomial approximation and Galerkin method are introduced. Then, the process of solving three types of typical PPs by polynomial approximation based on Galerkin method is elaborated. Finally, some application examples as well as several potential applications of power system PPs solved by Galerkin method are presented, namely the probabilistic power flow, approximation of static voltage stability region boundary, and parametric time-domain dynamic simulation.

A direct-variance-analysis method for generalized stochastic eigenvalue problem based on matrix perturbation theory

It has been extensively recognized that the engineering structures are becoming increasingly precise and complex,which makes the requirements of design and analysis more and more rigorous.Therefore the uncertainty effects are indispensable during the process of product development.Besides,iterative calculations,which are usually unaffordable in calculative efforts,are unavoidable if we want to achieve the best design.Taking uncertainty effects into consideration,matrix perturbation methodpermits quick sensitivity analysis and structural dynamic re-analysis,it can also overcome the difficulties in computational costs.Owing to the situations above,matrix perturbation method has been investigated by researchers worldwide recently.However,in the existing matrix perturbation methods,correlation coefficient matrix of random structural parameters,which is barely achievable in engineering practice,has to be given or to be assumed during the computational process.This has become the bottleneck of application for matrix perturbation method.In this paper,we aim to develop an executable approach,which contributes to the application of matrix perturbation method.In the present research,the first-order perturbation of structural vibration eigenvalues and eigenvectors is derived on the basis of the matrix perturbation theory when structural parameters such as stiffness and mass have changed.Combining the first-order perturbation of structural vibration eigenvalues and eigenvectors with the probability theory,the variance of structural random eigenvalue is derived from the perturbation of stiffness matrix,the perturbation of mass matrix and the eigenvector of baseline-structure directly.Hence the Direct-VarianceAnalysis(DVA)method is developed to assess the variation range of the structural random eigenvalues without correlation coefficient matrix being involved.The feasibility of the DVA method is verified with two numerical examples(one is trusssystem and the other is wing structure of MA700 commercial aircraft),in which the DVA method also shows superiority in computational efficiency when compared to the Monte-Carlo method.

Stochastic Nash Games for Markov Jump Linear Systems with State-and Control-Dependent Noise

This paper investigates Nash games for a class of linear stochastic systems governed by Itô’s differential equation with Markovian jump parameters both in finite-time horizon and infinite-time horizon.First,stochastic Nash games are formulated by applying the results of indefinite stochastic linear quadratic(LQ)control problems.Second,in order to obtain Nash equilibrium strategies,crosscoupled stochastic Riccati differential(algebraic)equations(CSRDEs and CSRAEs)are derived.Moreover,in order to demonstrate the validity of the obtained results,stochastic H2/H∞control with state-and control-dependent noise is discussed as an immediate application.Finally,a numerical example is provided.

Time-Inconsistent Stochastic LQ Problem with Regime Switching

This paper investigates a time-inconsistent stochastic linear-quadratic problem with regime switching that is characterized via a finite-state Markov chain.Open-loop equilibrium control is studied in this paper whose existence is characterized via Markov-chain-modulated forward-backward stochastic difference equations and generalized Riccati-like equations with jumps.

Adaptive Bayesian Inference for Discontinuous Inverse Problems,Application to Hyperbolic Conservation Laws

Various works from the literature aimed at accelerating Bayesian inference in inverse problems.Stochastic spectral methods have been recently proposed as surrogate approximations of the forward uncertainty propagation model over the support of the prior distribution.These representations are efficient because they allow affordable simulation of a large number of samples from the posterior distribution.Unfortunately,they do not perform well when the forward model exhibits strong nonlinear behavior with respect to its input.In this work,we first relate the fast(exponential)L2-convergence of the forward approximation to the fast(exponential)convergence(in terms of Kullback-Leibler divergence)of the approximate posterior.In particular,we prove that in case the prior distribution is uniform,the posterior is at least twice as fast as the convergence rate of the forward model in those norms.The Bayesian inference strategy is developed in the framework of a stochastic spectral projection method.The predicted convergence rates are then demonstrated for simple nonlinear inverse problems of varying smoothness.We then propose an efficient numerical approach for the Bayesian solution of inverse problems presenting strongly nonlinear or discontinuous system responses.This comes with the improvement of the forward model that is adaptively approximated by an iterative generalized Polynomial Chaos-based representation.The numerical approximations and predicted convergence rates of the former approach are compared to the new iterative numerical method for nonlinear time-dependent test cases of varying dimension and complexity,which are relevant regarding our hydrodynamics motivations and therefore regarding hyperbolic conservation laws and the apparition of discontinuities in finite time.