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We introduce a class of stochastic algorithms for minimizing weakly convex functions over proximally smooth sets. As their main building blocks, the algorithms use simplified models of the objective function and the constraint set, along…
This paper optimizes the step coefficients of first-order methods for smooth convex minimization in terms of the worst-case convergence bound (i.e., efficiency) of the decrease in the gradient norm. This work is based on the performance…
Nonsmoothness is often a curse for optimization; but it is sometimes a blessing, in particular for applications in machine learning. In this paper, we present the specific structure of nonsmooth optimization problems appearing in machine…
We consider the problem of minimizing a sum of several convex non-smooth functions. We introduce a new algorithm called the selective linearization method, which iteratively linearizes all but one of the functions and employs simple…
We propose an algorithm which appears to be the first bridge between the fields of conditional gradient methods and abs-smooth optimization. Our problem setting is motivated by various applications that lead to nonsmoothness, such as…
We propose a first order algorithm, a modified version of FISTA, to solve an optimization problem with an objective function that is a sum of a possibly nonconvex function, with Lipschitz continuous gradient, and a convex function which can…
We use a rank one Gaussian perturbation to derive a smooth stochastic approximation of the maximum eigenvalue function. We then combine this smoothing result with an optimal smooth stochastic optimization algorithm to produce an efficient…
Submodular optimization finds applications in machine learning and data mining. In this paper, we study the problem of maximizing functions of the form $h = f-c$, where $f$ is a monotone, non-negative, weakly submodular set function and $c$…
We study a class of nonconvex nonsmooth optimization problems in which the objective is a sum of two functions: One function is the average of a large number of differentiable functions, while the other function is proper, lower…
In this paper, we study the classic submodular maximization problem subject to a group equality constraint under both non-adaptive and adaptive settings. It has been shown that the utility function of many machine learning applications,…
A soft-max function has two main efficiency measures: (1) approximation - which corresponds to how well it approximates the maximum function, (2) smoothness - which shows how sensitive it is to changes of its input. Our goal is to identify…
We study a Newton-like method for the minimization of an objective function that is the sum of a smooth convex function and an l-1 regularization term. This method, which is sometimes referred to in the literature as a proximal Newton…
We consider the problem of minimizing a continuous function that may be nonsmooth and nonconvex, subject to bound constraints. We propose an algorithm that uses the L-BFGS quasi-Newton approximation of the problem's curvature together with…
Submodularity is one of the most well-studied properties of problem classes in combinatorial optimization and many applications of machine learning and data mining, with strong implications for guaranteed optimization. In this thesis, we…
Proximal gradient methods have been found to be highly effective for solving minimization problems with non-negative constraints or L1-regularization. Under suitable nondegeneracy conditions, it is known that these algorithms identify the…
We describe an active-set method for the minimization of an objective function $\phi$ that is the sum of a smooth convex function and an $\ell_1$-regularization term. A distinctive feature of the method is the way in which active-set…
This paper develops a smooth model identification and self-learning strategy for dynamic systems taking into account possible parameter variations and uncertainties. We have tried to solve the problem such that the model follows the changes…
We formulate an affine invariant implementation of the accelerated first-order algorithm in Nesterov (1983). Its complexity bound is proportional to an affine invariant regularity constant defined with respect to the Minkowski gauge of the…
We consider the problem of minimising functions represented as a difference of lattice submodular functions. We propose analogues to the SupSub, SubSup and ModMod routines for lattice submodular functions. We show that our…
Constrained submodular function maximization has been used in subset selection problems such as selection of most informative sensor locations. While these models have been quite popular, the solutions Constrained submodular function…