Disjunctive Programming is a technique and a discipline initiated by the author in the early 1970's, which has become a central tool for solving nonconvex optimization problems like pure or mixed integer programs, through convexification (cutting plane) procedures combined with enumeration. It has played a major role in the revolution in the state of the art of Integer Programming that took place roughly during the period 1990-2010. The main benefit that the reader may acquire from reading this book is a deeper understanding of the theoretical underpinnings and of the applications potential of disjunctive programming, which range from more efficient problem formulation to enhanced modeling capability and improved solution methods for integer and combinatorial optimization. Egon Balas is University Professor and Lord Professor of Operations Research at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business.

This book provides a complete and comprehensive reference/guide to Pyomo (Python Optimization Modeling Objects) for both beginning and advanced modelers, including students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, academic researchers, and practitioners. The text illustrates the breadth of the modeling and analysis capabilities that are supported by the software and support of complex real-world applications. Pyomo is an open source software package for formulating and solving large-scale optimization and operations research problems. The text begins with a tutorial on simple linear and integer programming models. A detailed reference of Pyomo's modeling components is illustrated with extensive examples, including a discussion of how to load data from data sources like spreadsheets and databases. Chapters describing advanced modeling capabilities for nonlinear and stochastic optimization are also included. The Pyomo software provides familiar modeling features within Python, a powerful dynamic programming language that has a very clear, readable syntax and intuitive object orientation. Pyomo includes Python classes for defining sparse sets, parameters, and variables, which can be used to formulate algebraic expressions that define objectives and constraints. Moreover, Pyomo can be used from a command-line interface and within Python's interactive command environment, which makes it easy to create Pyomo models, apply a variety of optimizers, and examine solutions. The software supports a different modeling approach than commercial AML (Algebraic Modeling Languages) tools, and is designed for flexibility, extensibility, portability, and maintainability but also maintains the central ideas in modern AMLs.

The disjunctive cut principle of Balas and Jeroslow, and the related polyhedral annexation principle of Glover, provide new insights into cutting plane theory. This has resulted in its ability to not only subsume many known valid cuts but also improve upon them. Originally a set of notes were written for the purpose of putting together in a common terminology and framework significant results of Glover and others using a geometric approach, referred to in the literature as convexity cuts, and the algebraic approach of Balas and Jeroslow known as Disjunctive cuts. As it turned out subsequently the polyhedral annexation approach of Glover is also closely connected with the basic disjunctive principle of Balas and Jeroslow. In this monograph we have included these results and have also added several published results which seem to be of strong interest to researchers in the area of developing strong cuts for disjunctive programs. In particular, several results due to Balas [4,5,6,7], Glover [18,19] and Jeroslow [23,25,26] have been used in this monograph. The appropriate theorems are given without proof. The notes also include several results yet to be published [32,34,35] obtained under a research contract with the National Science Foundation to investigate solution methods for disjunctive programs. The monograph is self-contained and complete in the sense that it attempts to pool together existing results which the authors viewed as important to future research on optimization using the disjunctive cut approach.

This book presents the thoroughly refereed post-workshop proceedings of the Third International Workshop on Logic Programming and Knowledge Representation, LPKR'97, held in Port Jefferson, NY, USA, in October 1997. The eight revised full papers presented have undergone a two-round reviewing process; also included is a comprehensive introduction surveying the state of the art in the area. The volume is divided into topical sections on disjunctive semantics, abduction, priorities, and updates.

Computer Science and Operations Research continue to have a synergistic relationship and this book - as a part of the Operations Research and Computer Science Interface Series - sits squarely in the center of the confluence of these two technical research communities. The research presented in the volume is evidence of the expanding frontiers of these two intersecting disciplines and provides researchers and practitioners with new work in the areas of logic programming, stochastic optimization, heuristic search and post-solution analysis for integer programs. The chapter topics span the spectrum of application level. Some of the chapters are highly applied and others represent work in which the application potential is only beginning. In addition, each chapter contains expository material and reviews of the literature designed to enhance the participation of the reader in this expanding interface.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Logic Programming, ICLP 2004, held in Saint-Malo, France in September 2004. The 28 revised full papers and 16 poster papers presented together with 2 invited papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 70 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on program analysis, constraints, alternative programming paradigms, answer set programming, and implementation.