. The satisfiability (SAT) problem is a core problem in mathematical logic and computing theory. In practice, SAT is fundamental in solving many problems in automated reasoning, computer-aided design, computeraided manufacturing, machine vision, database, robotics, integrated circuit design, computer architecture design, and computer network design. Traditional methods treat SAT as a discrete, constrained decision problem. In recent years, many optimization methods, parallel algorithms, and practical techniques have been developed for solving SAT. In this survey, we present a general framework (an algorithm space) that integrates existing SAT algorithms into a unified perspective. We describe sequential and parallel SAT algorithms including variable splitting, resolution, local search, global optimization, mathematical programming, and practical SAT algorithms. We give performance evaluation of some existing SAT algorithms. Finally, we provide a set of practical applications of the sat...

Abstract. Inspired by a method by Jones et al. (1993), we present a global optimization algorithm based on multilevel coordinate search. It is guaranteed to converge if the function is continuous in the neighborhood of a global minimizer. By starting a local search from certain good points, an improved convergence result is obtained. We discuss implementation details and give some numerical results.

In Part I (Floudas and Visweswaran, 1990), a deterministic global optimization approach was proposed for solving certain classes of nonconvex optimization problems. An algorithm, GOP, was presented for the rigorous solution of the problem through a series of primal and relaxed dual problems until the upper and lower bounds from these problems converged to an ffl-global optimum. In this paper, theoretical results are presented for several classes of mathematical programming problems that include : (i) the general quadratic programming problem, (ii) quadratic programming problems with quadratic constraints, (iii) pooling and blending problems, and (iv) unconstrained and constrained optimization problems with polynomial terms in the objective function and/or constraints. For each class, a few examples are presented illustrating the approach. Keywords : Global Optimization, Quadratic Programming, Quadratic Constraints, Polynomial functions, Pooling and Blending Problems. Author to whom...

A deterministic global optimization approach is proposed for nonconvex constrained nonlinear programming problems. Partitioning of the variables, along with the introduction of transformation variables, if necessary, convert the original problem into primal and relaxed dual subproblems that provide valid upper and lower bounds respectively on the global optimum. Theoretical properties are presented which allow for a rigorous solution of the relaxed dual problem. Proofs of ffl-finite convergence and ffl-global optimality are provided. The approach is shown to be particularly suited to (a) quadratic programming problems, (b) quadratically constrained problems, and (c) unconstrained and constrained optimization of polynomial and rational polynomial functions. The theoretical approach is illustrated through a few example problems. Finally, some further developments in the approach are briefly discussed.

This paper has as a major objective to present a unified overview and derivation of mixedinteger nonlinear programming (MINLP) techniques, Branch and Bound, Outer-Approximation, Generalized Benders and Extended Cutting Plane methods, as applied to nonlinear discrete optimization problems that are expressed in algebraic form. The solution of MINLP problems with convex functions is presented first, followed by a brief discussion on extensions for the nonconvex case. The solution of logic based representations, known as generalized disjunctive programs, is also described. Theoretical properties are presented, and numerical comparisons on a small process network problem.

. Quadratic optimization comprises one of the most important areas of nonlinear programming. Numerous problems in real world applications, including problems in planning and scheduling, economies of scale, and engineering design, and control are naturally expressed as quadratic problems. Moreover, the quadratic problem is known to be NP-hard, which makes this one of the most interesting and challenging class of optimization problems. In this chapter, we review various properties of the quadratic problem, and discuss different techniques for solving various classes of quadratic problems. Some of the more successful algorithms for solving the special cases of bound constrained and large scale quadratic problems are considered. Examples of various applications of quadratic programming are presented. A summary of the available computational results for the algorithms to solve the various classes of problems is presented. Key words: Quadratic optimization, bilinear programming, concave pro...

INTRODUCTION In this paper we consider Simulated Annealing algorithms (SA in what follows) applied to continuous global optimization problems, i.e. problems with the following form f = min x2X f(x); (1.1) where X ` ! n is a continuous domain, often assumed to be compact, which, combined with the continuity or lower semicontinuity of f , guarantees the existence of the minimum value f . SA algorithms are based on an analogy with a physical phenomenon: while at high temperatures the molecules in a liquid move freely, if the temperature is slowly decreased the thermal mobility of the molecules is lost and they form a pure crystal which also corresponds to a state of minimum energy. If the temperature is decreased too quickly (the so called quenching) a liquid metal rather ends up in a polycrystalline or amorphous state with

In Floudas and Visweswaran (1990, 1992), a deterministic global optimization approach was proposed for solving certain classes of nonconvex optimization problems. An algorithm, GOP, was presented for the solution of the problem through a series of primal and relaxed dual problems that provide valid upper and lower bounds respectively on the global solution. The algorithm was proved to have finite convergence to an ffl-global optimum. In this paper, new theoretical properties are presented that help to enhance the computational performance of the GOP algorithm applied to problems of special structure. The effect of the new properties is illustrated through application of the GOP algorithm to a difficult indefinite quadratic problem, a multiperiod tankage quality problem that occurs frequently in the modeling of refinery processes, and a set of pooling/blending problems from the literature. In addition, extensive computational experience is reported for randomly generated concave and in...

Following a polynomial approach to control design, the co-stabilization by a fixed controller of a family of SISO linear systems is interpreted as an LMI feasibility problem with a rank-one constraint. An LMI relaxation algorithm and a potential reduction heuristic are then proposed for addressing this key optimization problem. This work was supported by the Barrande Project No. 97/005-97/026, by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic under contract No. 102/97/0861, by the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic under contract No. VS97/034 and by the French Ministry of Education and Research under contract No. 10-INSA-96. y Corresponding author. E-mail henrion@laas.fr. FAX 33 5 61 33 69 69. 1 Introduction We consider the problem of simultaneously stabilizing, or co-stabilizing, a family of singleinput single-output (SISO) linear systems by one fixed controller of given order. This fundamental problem, recognized as one of the difficult open issues in linear system theory, ar...

. In this paper we present a method called NOVEL (Nonlinear Optimization via External Lead) for solving continuous and discrete global optimization problems. NOVEL addresses the balance between global search and local search, using a trace to aid in identifying promising regions before committing to local searches. We discuss NOVEL for solving continuous constrained optimization problems and show how it can be extended to solve constrained satisfaction and discrete satisfiability problems. We first transform the problem using Lagrange multipliers into an unconstrained version. Since a stable solution in a Lagrangian formulation only guarantees a local optimum satisfying the constraints, we propose a global search phase in which an aperiodic and bounded trace function is added to the search to first identify promising regions for local search. The trace generates an information-bearing trajectory from which good starting points are identified for further local searches. Taking only a sm...