TY - JOUR ID - iiasa4252 UR - https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/eprint/4252/ IS - 1 A1 - Ermoliev, Y.M. A1 - Norkin, V.I. A1 - Wets, R.J.-B. N2 - To minimize discontinuous functions that arise in the context of systems with jumps, for example, we propose a new approach based on approximation via averaged functions (obtained by convolution with mollifiers). The properties of averaged functions are studied, after it is shown that they can be used in an approximation scheme consistent with minimization. A new notion of subgradient is introduced based on approximations generated by mollifiers and is exploited in the design of minimization procedures. VL - 33 TI - The minimization of semicontinuous functions: Mollifier subgradients AV - none EP - 167 Y1 - 1995/// PB - Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) JF - SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization KW - impulse control; discrete events systems; averaged functions; subgradients; subdifferentiability; stochastic quasi-gradients; epi-convergence SN - 1095-7138 SP - 149 ER -