Industrial, financial, commercial or any kinds of project have at least one common feature: the better organized they are, the higher the profit or the lower the cost.  Meer

Global optimization is concerned with the computation and characterization of global optima of nonlinear functions. During the past three decades the field of global optimization has been growing at a rapid pace, and the number of publications on all aspects of global optimization has been increasing steadily.  Meer

axiomatic results should be at the heart of such a science. Through them, we should be able to enlighten and scientifically assist decision-making processes especially by: - making that wh ich is objective stand out more c1early from that which is less objective; - separating robust from fragile conc1usions; - dissipating certain forms of misunderstanding in communication; - avoiding the pitfall of illusory reasoning; - emphasizing, once they are understood, incontrovertible results.  Meer

This work grew out of several years of research, graduate seminars and talks on the subject. It was motivated by a desire to make the technology accessible to those who most needed it or could most use it.  Meer

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. (Albert Einstein, Readers Digest, 1977) The modern practice of creating technical systems and technological processes of high effi.  Meer

There has been much recent progress in global optimization algo­ rithms for nonconvex continuous and discrete problems from both a theoretical and a practical perspective.  Meer

Techniques and principles of minimax theory play a key role in many areas of research, including game theory, optimization, and computational complexity.  Meer

Optimization problems abound in most fields of science, engineering, and tech­ nology. In many of these problems it is necessary to compute the global optimum (or a good approximation) of a multivariable function.  Meer

Nonconvexity and nonsmoothness arise in a large class of engineering applica­ tions. In many cases of practical importance the possibilities offered by opti­ mization with its algorithms and heuristics can substantially improve the per­ formance and the range of applicability of classical computational mechanics algorithms.  Meer

Optimization in Computational Chemistry and Molecular Biology: Local and Global Approaches covers recent developments in optimization techniques for addressing several computational chemistry and biology problems.  Meer

In the fifties and sixties, several real problems, old and new, especially in Physics, Mechanics, Fluidodynamics, Structural Engi­ neering, have shown the need of new mathematical models for study­ ing the equilibrium of a system.  Meer

Motivated by practical problems in engineering and physics, drawing on a wide range of applied mathematical disciplines, this book is the first to provide, within a unified framework, a self-contained comprehensive mathematical theory of duality for general non-convex, non-smooth systems, with emphasis on methods and applications in engineering mechanics.  Meer

2 Radiant sets 236 3 Co-radiant sets 239 4 Radiative and co-radiative sets 241 5 Radiant sets with Lipschitz continuous Minkowski gauges 245 6 Star-shaped sets and their kernels 249 7 Separation 251 8 Abstract convex star-shaped sets 255 References 260 11 DIFFERENCES OF CONVEX COMPACTA AND METRIC SPACES OF CON- 263 VEX COMPACTA WITH APPLICATIONS: A SURVEY A.  Meer

At the heart of the topology of global optimization lies Morse Theory: The study of the behaviour of lower level sets of functions as the level varies.  Meer

Nonsmoothness and nonconvexity arise in numerous applications of mechan­ ics and modeling due to the need for studying more and more complicated phe­ nomena and real life applications.  Meer

Optimum Design 2000  Meer

Special tools are required for examining and solving optimization problems. The main tools in the study of local optimization are classical calculus and its modern generalizions which form nonsmooth analysis.  Meer

An understanding of emergent computation requires a profound revision of the most fundamental ideas. A noticeable attempt of such a rethinking is a world view in which natural systems are seen not as separate entities but as integrated parts of a unified whole.  Meer

The vast majority of important applications in science, engineering and applied science are characterized by the existence of multiple minima and maxima, as well as first, second and higher order saddle points.  Meer

There has been much recent progress in approximation algorithms for nonconvex continuous and discrete problems from both a theoretical and a practical perspective.  Meer