Optimal control of a birth and death epidemic process

We employ a birth and death process to describe the spread of an infectious disease through a closed population. Control of the epidemic can be effected at any instant by varying the birth and death rates to represent quarantine and medical care programs. An optimal strategy is one which minimizes the expected discounted losses and costs resulting from the epidemic process and the control programs over an infinite horizon. We formulate the problem as a continuous-time Markov decision model. Then we present conditions ensuring that optimal quarantine and medical care program levels are nonincreasing functions of the number of infectives in the population. We also analyze the dependence of the optimal strategy on the model parameters. Finally, we present an application of the model to the control of a rumor.     

Offense Control Taking into Account Heterogeneity of Age

This paper studies the optimal tradeoff between the benefits and costs of preventing offenses and treating offenders. Based on a flexible age-structured epidemiological framework, a two-state compartment model is analyzed to reduce the prevalence of offending such as illicit drug consumption or violence. It turns out that, even in this highly simplified model, multiple stationary states exist. In particular, three different kinds of equilibria are identified, i.e., law and order, conservative, and liberal. The optimal mix of the control instruments is calculated providing interesting insight into the structure of the paths minimizing the discounted stream of social costs and expenditures for prevention and treatment.It can happen that a Skiba point exists. This implies that, for an initially small number of offenders, saddle-point convergence to a law-and-order equilibrium (boundary solution with no offenders) or to a conservative equilibrium (with few offenders) occurs, while if the number of offenders is large, the effects of prevention and treatment are too low or too expensive so that a liberal equilibrium (with many offenders) occurs.     

Dynamics of stochastic heroin epidemic model with L\""evy jumps

People have paid the surge of attention to the prevention and the control of the heroin epidemic for the number of drug addicts is increasing dramatically. In the study of the heroin epidemic, modeling is an important tool. So far many heroin epidemic models are often characterized by ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and many results about them have been obtained. But unfortunately, there is little literature of stochastic heroin epidemic model with jumps. Based on this point, this paper establishes a class of heroin epidemic models---stochastic heroin epidemic model with L\"evy jumps. Under some given conditions, the existence of the global positive solution of such model is first obtained. We then study the asymptotic behavior of this model by applying the Lyapunov technique.     

An EOQ Model with Substitutions Between Products

In this paper, we present an economic order quantity (EOQ) model when two products are required, and one can be substituted for the other, if necessary, at a given unit cost. We consider three cases: (i) when there is no substitution between the products, (ii) when there is full substitution between the products, and (iii) when there is partial substitution between the products. In a deterministic setting with proportional substitution costs, we would expect to find full substitution or no substitution being optimal, depending on the cost parameters. However, we observe that full substitution is never optimal; only partial substitution or no substitution may be optimal. This result can best be explained due to the non-linearity of the decision variables in the total cost expression. Finally, we present an algorithm to compute the optimal order quantities.     

When in a drug epidemic should the policy objective switch from use reduction to harm reduction?

A heated debate in drug policy concerns the relative merits of “harm reduction” (e.g., reducing drug-related HIV/AIDS transmission) vs. “use reduction” (controlling drug use per se). This paper models whether shifting emphasis between these goals over the course of a drug epidemic might reduce social costs relative to pursuing one or the other exclusively. Results suggest different answers for different drugs and/or countries. In particular, harm reduction may have always been effective for Australia’s injection drug use problem, but for US cocaine it may not have been in the past even if it could be so today. In certain circumstances harm reduction may “tip” an epidemic toward a high- rather than low-use equilibrium. The location in state space of regions where this occurs can be sensitive to parameter changes, suggesting caution may be in order when advocating harm reduction, unless there is confidence the epidemic has been modeled and parameterized accurately.     

Optimal bed net use for a dengue disease model with mosquito seasonal pattern

Controversial results concerning the effectiveness of bed net in reducing dengue fever transmission make further research necessary in this direction. At this aim, we consider a mathematical model of dengue transmission where the use by individuals of insecticide‐treated bed nets is taken into account, combined or not with insecticide spraying. Furthermore, as climatic factors play a key role in mosquito‐borne diseases, we model the effect of seasonality through a periodic mosquito birth rate. We numerically investigate some specific scenarios according to different rainfall and mean temperature values. We set an optimal control problem to minimize the number of human infections and the cost of efforts placed into bed net adoption and maintenance and insecticide spraying. To assess the most appropriate strategy to eliminate dengue with minimum costs, we perform a comparative cost‐effectiveness analysis, which also shows how the cost‐benefit of intervention efforts is affected by changes in the amplitude of seasonal variation. One general result is that in any case the combination of bed net use and insecticide spraying produces the highest ratio of infections averted, whereas in terms of cost‐benefit only spraying campaigns should be implemented in control programs for regions with no large seasonality.     

Problem-based optimal scenario generation and reduction in stochastic programming

Scenarios are indispensable ingredients for the numerical solution of stochastic programs. Earlier approaches to optimal scenario generation and reduction are based on stability arguments involving distances of probability measures. In this paper we review those ideas and suggest to make use of stability estimates based only on problem specific data. For linear two-stage stochastic programs we show that the problem-based approach to optimal scenario generation can be reformulated as best approximation problem for the expected recourse function which in turn can be rewritten as a generalized semi-infinite program. We show that the latter is convex if either right-hand sides or costs are random and can be transformed into a semi-infinite program in a number of cases. We also consider problem-based optimal scenario reduction for two-stage models and optimal scenario generation for chance constrained programs. Finally, we discuss problem-based scenario generation for the classical newsvendor problem.

     

Study on a HIV/AIDS model with application to Yunnan province,China

This paper presents an epidemic model aiming at the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Yunnan, China. The total population in the model is restricted within high risk population. By the epidemic characteristics of HIV/AIDS in Yunnan province, the population is divided into two groups: injecting drug users (IDUs) and people engaged in commercial sex (PECS) which includes female sex workers (FSWs), and clients of female sex workers (C). For a better understanding of HIV/AIDS transmission dynamics, we do some necessary mathematical analysis. The conditions and thresholds for the existence of four equilibria are established. We compute the reproduction number for each group independently, and show that when both the reproduction numbers are less than unity, the disease-free equilibrium is globally stable. The local stabilities for other equilibria including two boundary equilibria and one positive equilibrium are figured out. When we omit the infectivity of AIDS patients, global stability of these equilibria are obtained. For the simulation, parameters are chosen to fit as much as possible prevalence data publicly available for Yunnan. Increasing strength of the control measure on high risk population is necessary to reduce the HIV/AIDS in Yunnan.     

IMPACT OF OPERATING COSTS ON INVESTMENT STRATEGIES IN NEW TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION WITH A FURTHER NEW TECHNOLOGY ANTICIPATED

The adoption of new technologies often represents a crucial component of firms＇ investment decisions. This paper studies a dynamic duopoly model in which two firms compete in adoption of current technology with a further new technology anticipated. Here it is assumed that the operating costs are not zero which has more explanatory power of the real world. There exist three kinds of equilibria that may occur in adoption of current technology, which mainly depends on the level of operating costs and the first-move advantage. It shows that the faster technological substitution or innovation encourages the leader to invest earlier while induces the follower to invest later. Furthermore,like the investment costs,with the increase of operating costs the follower tends to invest later while the leader tends to invest earlier ,the investment thresholds are more sensitive to the change of operating costs than that of investment costs.     

预期更新技术出现时新技术采用中经营成本对投资策略的影响

The adoption of new technologies often represents acrucial component of firms' investment decisions.This paper studies a dynamic duopoly model in which two firms compete in adoption of current technology with afurther new technology anticipated.Here it is assumed that the operating costs are not zero which has more explanatory power of the real world.There exist three kinds of equilibria that may occur in adoption of current technology,which mainly depends on the level of operating costs and the first-move advantage.It shows that the faster technological substitution or innovation encourages the leader to invest earlier while induces the follower to invest later.Furthermore,like the investment costs,with the increase of operating costs the follower tends to invest later while the leader tends to invest earlier,the investment thresholds are more sensitive to the change of operating costs than that of investment costs.     

Endogenous Fluctuations in Two-Sector Models: Role of Preferences

We consider a discrete-time two-sector CES (constant elasticity of substitution) economy with sector specific external effects and nonlinear preferences. Our goal is to examine carefully the influence of the utility curvature on the occurrence of multiple equilibria. We show that local indeterminacy depends on an interplay between factor substitutability and the elasticity of intertemporal substitution in consumption. Moreover, considering that, when the external effects are set equal to zero, we get a two-sector optimal growth model, we study also the role of the utility curvature on the occurrence of competitive equilibrium cycles. We show that persistent endogenous fluctuations and macroeconomic volatility require a strong enough elasticity of intertemporal substitution in consumption. We thank two anonymous referees for helpful comments and suggestions. External effects are feedbacks from the other agents in the economy who face also identical maximizing problems. See Benhabib and Farmer (Ref. 1) for a survey. Global indeterminacy based on a finite number of equilibria is associated with the existence of thresholds and multiple steady states. See Deissenberg, Feichtinger, Semmler, and Wirl (Ref. 2).     

Dynamics of SIR epidemic models with horizontal and vertical transmissions and constant treatment rates

We investigate the dynamics and bifurcations of SIR epidemic model with horizontal and vertical transmissions and constant treatment rates. It is proved that such SIR epidemic model have up to two positive epidemic equilibria and has no positive disease-free equilibria. We find all the ranges of the parameters involved in the model under which the equilibria of the model are positive. By using the qualitative theory of planar systems and the normal form theory, the phase portraits of each equilibria are obtained. We show that the equilibria of the epidemic system can be saddles, stable nodes, stable or unstable focuses, weak centers or cusps. We prove that the system has the Bogdanov-Takens bifurcations, which exhibit saddle-node bifurcations, Hopf bifurcations and homoclinic bifurcations.     

Local stability of an SIR epidemic model and effect of time delay

We describe an SIR epidemic model with a discrete time lag, analyse the local stability of its equilibria as well as the effects of delay on the reproduction number and on the dynamical behaviour of the system. The model has two equilibria—a necessary condition for local asymptotic stability is given. The proofs are based on linearization and the application of Lyapunov functional approach. An upper bound of the critical time delay for which the model remains valid is derived. Numerical simulations are carried out to illustrate the effect of time delay which tends to reduce the epidemic threshold. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

一类带有非线性传染率的SEIR传染病模型的全局分析

通过假设被传染的易感者一部分经过一段潜伏期后才具有传染性,而另一部分被感染的易感者直接成为传染者,建立了一类带有非线性传染率的SEIR传染病模型,得到了确定疾病是否成为地方病的基本再生数以及无病平衡点和地方病平衡点的全局稳定性.     

An Infectious Disease Model With Media Coverage and Limited Medical Resources北大核心CSCD

该文建立和分析了一类具有媒体报道效应和有限医疗资源的传染病动力学模型,定义了疾病的基本再生数,分析了平衡点的存在性和稳定性,给出了系统发生前向分支、后向分支和Hopf分支的条件.通过数值模拟发现：提高媒体报道的信息覆盖率或医院对病人的最大容纳量,可以显著降低疾病流行的峰值或稳态时的感染人数;随着参数变化,系统不仅可能会产生后向分支或前向分支,还可能会出现鞍结点分支、Hopf分支以及地方病平衡点稳定性随参数变化而变化等动力学行为.     

Mathematical model on pulmonary and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients with vaccination

Tuberculosis is a global epidemic disease and almost two billion people across the globe are infected with the tuberculosis bacilli. Many countries like China, Europe and United States has achieved dramatic decrease in TB mortality rate but country like India is still struggling hard to control this epidemic. Jharkhand one of the states of India is highly epidemic toward this disease. We propose a mathematical model to understand the spread of tuberculosis disease in human population for both pulmonary and drug-resistant subjects. A number of new vaccines are currently in development. Keeping in mind, vaccination as one of the treatment for TB patients may be infant or adult in future; an assumption for the transfer of proportion of susceptible population to the vaccination class is considered. Quarantine class is also considered in our epidemic model for multidrug-resistant patients, and it is observed that it may play a vital role for controlling the disease. Threshold and equilibria are obtained and the condition for epidemic under different conditions of threshold is established. Real parametric values of the Jharkhand state are taken into account to simulate the system developed, and the results so obtained validate our analytical results.     

The impact of dynamic pricing on the economic order decision

This paper analyzes the impact of dynamic pricing on the single product economic order decision of a monopolist retailer. Items are procured from an external supplier according to the economic order quantity (EOQ) model and are sold to customers on a single market without competition following the simple monopolist pricing problem. Coordinated decision making of optimal pricing and ordering is influenced by operating costs – including ordering and inventory holding costs – and the demand rate obtained from a price response function. The retailer is allowed to vary the selling price, either in a fixed number of discrete points in time or continuously. While constant and continuous pricing have received much attention in the literature, problems with a limited number of price changes are rather rare. This paper illustrates the benefit of dynamically changing prices to achieve operational efficiency in the EOQ model, that is to trigger high demand rates when inventories are high. We provide structural properties of the optimal time instants when the price should be changed. Taking into account costs for changes in price, it provides numerical guidance on number, timing, and size of price changes during an order cycle. Numerical examples show that the benefits of dynamic pricing in an EOQ framework can be achieved with only a few price changes and that products being unprofitable under static pricing may become profitable under dynamic pricing.     

Complicated endemics of an SIRS model with a generalized incidence under preventive vaccination and treatment controls

In this paper, we propose and study an SIRS epidemic model that incorporates: a generalized incidence rate function describing mechanisms of the disease transmission; a preventive vaccination in the susceptible individuals; and different treatment control strategies depending on the infective population. We provide rigorous mathematical results combined with numerical simulations of the proposed model including: treatment control strategies can determine whether there is an endemic outbreak or not and the number of endemic equilibrium during endemic outbreaks, in addition to the effects of the basic reproduction number; the large value of the preventive vaccination rate can reduce or control the spread of disease; and the large value of the psychological or inhibitory effects in the incidence rate function can decrease the infective population. Some of our interesting findings are that the treatment strategies incorporated in our SIRS model are responsible for backward or forward bifurcations and multiple endemic equilibria; and the infective population decreases with respect to the maximal capacity of treatment. Our results may provide us useful biological insights on population managements for disease that can be modeled through SIRS compartments.     

On the Lyapunov stability for SIRS epidemic models with general nonlinear incidence rate

We study an epidemic model for infections with non permanent acquired immunity (SIRS). The incidence rate is assumed to be a general nonlinear function of the susceptibles and the infectious classes. By using a peculiar Lyapunov function, we obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for the local nonlinear stability of equilibria. Conditions ensuring the global stability are also obtained. Unlike the recent literature on this subject, here no restrictions are required about the monotonicity and concavity of the incidence rate with respect to the infectious class. Among the applications, the noteworthy case of a convex incidence rate is provided.     

Assessing the effects of homosexuals and bisexuals on the intrinsic dynamics of HIV/AIDS in heterosexual settings

A deterministic compartmental sex-structured HIV/AIDS model for assessing the effects of homosexuals and bisexuals on the intrinsic dynamics of the disease in heterosexual settings in which homosexuality and bisexuality issues have remained taboo is presented. The epidemic threshold and equilibria for the model are determined and stabilities are investigated. Comprehensive qualitative analysis of the model including invariance of solutions and permanence are carried out. The epidemic threshold known as the basic reproductive number suggests that heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality influence the growth of the epidemic in HIV/AIDS affected populations and the partial reproductive number (homosexuality induced or heterosexuality and bisexuality induced) with the larger value influences the overall dynamics of the epidemic in a setting. Numerical simulations of the model show that as long as one of the partial reproductive numbers is greater than unity, the disease will exist in the population. We conclude from the study that homosexuality and bisexuality enlarge the epidemic in a heterosexual setting. The theoretical study highlights the need to carry out substantial research to map homosexuals and bisexuals as it has remained unclear as to what extent this group has contributed to the epidemic in heterosexual settings especially in southern Africa, which has remained the epidemiological locus of the epidemic.