Eigenvalue problems for second-order nonlinear dynamic equations on time scales

This paper is concerned with the existence and nonexistence of positive solutions of the second-order nonlinear dynamic equation uΔΔ(t)+λa(t)f(u(σ(t)))=0, t∈[0,1], satisfying either the conjugate boundary conditions u(0)=u(σ(1))=0 or the right focal boundary conditions u(0)=uΔ(σ(1))=0, where a and f are positive. We show that there exists a λ^∗>0 such that the above boundary value problem has at least two, one and no positive solutions for 0<λ<λ^∗, λ=λ^∗ and λ>λ^∗, respectively. Furthermore, by using the semiorder method on cones of the Banach space, we establish an existence and uniqueness criterion for positive solution of the problem. In particular, such a positive solution uλ(t) of the problem depends continuously on the parameter λ, i.e., uλ(t) is nondecreasing in λ, limλ→⁰⁺‖uλ‖=0 and limλ→+∞‖uλ‖=+∞.     

Maximizing throughput in queueing networks with limited flexibility

We study a queueing network where customers go through several stages of processing, with the class of a customer used to indicate the stage of processing. The customers are serviced by a set of flexible servers, i.e., a server is capable of serving more than one class of customers and the sets of classes that the servers are capable of serving may overlap. We would like to choose an assignment of servers that achieves the maximal capacity of the given queueing network, where the maximal capacity is λ^∗ if the network can be stabilized for all arrival rates λ < λ^∗ and cannot possibly be stabilized for all λ > λ^∗. We examine the situation where there is a restriction on the number of servers that are able to serve a class, and reduce the maximal capacity objective to a maximum throughput allocation problem of independent interest: the total discrete capacity constrained problem (TDCCP). We prove that solving TDCCP is in general NP-complete, but we also give exact or approximation algorithms for several important special cases and discuss the implications for building limited flexibility into a system.     

Positive definite solutions of the nonlinear matrix equation X + AXA = Q (q > 0)

In this paper, the nonlinear matrix equation X + A^∗X^qA = Q (q > 0) is investigated. Some necessary and sufficient conditions for existence of Hermitian positive definite solutions of the nonlinear matrix equations are derived. An effective iterative method to obtain the positive definite solution is presented. Some numerical results are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the iterative methods.     

Existence and regularity to an elliptic equation with logarithmic nonlinearity

We study the nonlinear elliptic problem −Δu=χ{u>0}(logu+λf(x,u)) in Ω⊂Rn with u=0 on ∂Ω. The function is nondecreasing, sublinear and fu is continuous. For every λ>0, we obtain a maximal solution uλ?0 and prove its global regularity . There is a constant λ^∗ such that uλ vanishes on a set of positive measure for 0<λ<λ^∗, and uλ>0 for λ>λ^∗. If f is concave, for λ>λ^∗ we characterize uλ by its stability.     

On the critical dimension of a fourth order elliptic problem with negative exponent

We study the regularity of the extremal solution of the semilinear biharmonic equation on a ball B⊂RN, under Navier boundary conditions u=Δu=0 on ∂B, where λ>0 is a parameter, while τ>0, β>0 are fixed constants. It is known that there exists λ^∗ such that for λ>λ^∗ there is no solution while for λ<λ^∗ there is a branch of minimal solutions. Our main result asserts that the extremal solution u^∗ is regular (supBu^∗<1) for N?8 and β,τ>0 and it is singular (supBu^∗=1) for N?9, β>0, and τ>0 with small. Our proof for the singularity of extremal solutions in dimensions N?9 is based on certain improved Hardy-Rellich inequalities.     

Eigenvalues and the One-Dimensional p-Laplacian

We consider the boundary value problem (?_p(u′))′ + λF(t, u) = 0, with p > 1, t ∈ (0, 1), u(0) = u(1) = 0, and with λ > 0. The value of λ is chosen so that the boundary value problem has a positive solution. In addition, we derive an explicit interval for λ such that, for any λ in this interval, the existence of a positive solution to the boundary value problem is guaranteed. In addition, the existence of two positive solutions for λ in an appropriate interval is also discussed.     

Existence and regularity of extremal solutions for a mean-curvature equation

We study a class of mean curvature equations −Mu=H+λup where M denotes the mean curvature operator and for p?1. We show that there exists an extremal parameter λ^∗ such that this equation admits a minimal weak solutions for all λ∈[0,λ^∗], while no weak solutions exists for λ>λ^∗ (weak solutions will be defined as critical points of a suitable functional). In the radially symmetric case, we then show that minimal weak solutions are classical solutions for all λ∈[0,λ^∗] and that another branch of classical solutions exists in a neighborhood (λ_∗−η,λ^∗) of λ^∗.     

On the Hermitian positive definite solutions of nonlinear matrix equation X + A∗XA = Q

Nonlinear matrix equation X^s + A∗X^−tA = Q, where A, Q are n × n complex matrices with Q Hermitian positive definite, has widely applied background. In this paper, we consider the Hermitian positive definite solutions of this matrix equation with two cases: s ? 1, 0 < t ? 1 and 0 < s ? 1, t ? 1. We derive necessary conditions and sufficient conditions for the existence of Hermitian positive definite solutions for the matrix equation and obtain some properties of the solutions. We also propose iterative methods for obtaining the extremal Hermitian positive definite solution of the matrix equation. Finally, we give some numerical examples to show the efficiency of the proposed iterative methods.     

Contractive maps on normed linear spaces and their applications to nonlinear matrix equations

In this paper we will give necessary and sufficient conditions under which a map is a contraction on a certain subset of a normed linear space. These conditions are already well known for maps on intervals in R. Using the conditions and Banach’s fixed point theorem we can prove a fixed point theorem for operators on a normed linear space. The fixed point theorem will be applied to the matrix equation X = I_n + A^∗f(X)A, where f is a map on the set of positive definite matrices induced by a real valued map on (0, ∞). This will give conditions on A and f under which the equation has a unique solution in a certain set. We will consider two examples of f in detail. In one example the application of the fixed point theorem is the first step in proving that the equation has a unique positive definite solution under the conditions on A.     

On p-quasi-hyponormal operators

A Hilbert space operator A ∈ B(H) is said to be p-quasi-hyponormal for some 0 < p ? 1, A ∈ p − QH, if A^∗(∣A∣^2p − ∣A^∗∣^2p)A ? 0. If H is infinite dimensional, then operators A ∈ p − QH are not supercyclic. Restricting ourselves to those A ∈ p − QH for which A⁻¹(0) ⊆ A^∗-1(0), A ∈ p_∗ − QH, a necessary and sufficient condition for the adjoint of a pure p_∗ − QH operator to be supercyclic is proved. Operators in p_∗ − QH satisfy Bishop’s property (β). Each A ∈ p_∗ − QH has the finite ascent property and the quasi-nilpotent part H₀(A − λI) of A equals (A − λI)^-1(0) for all complex numbers λ; hence f(A) satisfies Weyl’s theorem, and f(A^∗) satisfies a-Weyl’s theorem, for all non-constant functions f which are analytic on a neighborhood of σ(A). It is proved that a Putnam-Fuglede type commutativity theorem holds for operators in p_∗ − QH.     

Matrix inverse problem and its optimal approximation problem for R-skew symmetric matrices

Let R ∈ C^n×n be a nontrivial involution, i.e., R² = I and R ≠ ±I. A matrix A ∈ C^n×n is called R-skew symmetric if RAR = −A. The least-squares solutions of the matrix inverse problem for R-skew symmetric matrices with R∗ = R are firstly derived, then the solvability conditions and the solutions of the matrix inverse problem for R-skew symmetric matrices with R∗ = R are given. The solutions of the corresponding optimal approximation problem with R∗ = R for R-skew symmetric matrices are also derived. At last an algorithm for the optimal approximation problem is given. It can be seen that we extend our previous results [G.X. Huang, F. Yin, Matrix inverse problem and its optimal approximation problem for R-symmetric matrices, Appl. Math. Comput. 189 (2007) 482-489] and the results proposed by Zhou et al. [F.Z. Zhou, L. Zhang, X.Y. Hu, Least-square solutions for inverse problem of centrosymmetric matrices, Comput. Math. Appl. 45 (2003) 1581-1589].     

Controlling arrivals for a queueing system with an unreliable server: Newton-Quasi method

This paper deals with the control policy of a removable and unreliable server for an M/M/1/K queueing system, where the removable server operates an F-policy. The so-called F-policy means that when the number of customers in the system reaches its capacity K (i.e. the system becomes full), the system will not accept any incoming customers until the queue length decreases to a certain threshold value F. At that time, the server initiates an exponential startup time with parameter γ and starts allowing customers entering the system. It is assumed that the server breaks down according to a Poisson process and the repair time has an exponential distribution. A matrix analytical method is applied to derive the steady-state probabilities through which various system performance measures can be obtained. A cost model is constructed to determine the optimal values, say (F^∗, μ^∗, γ^∗), that yield the minimum cost. Finally, we use the two methods, namely, the direct search method and the Newton-Quasi method to find the global minimum (F^∗, μ^∗, γ^∗). Numerical results are also provided under optimal operating conditions.     

Precise Spectral Asymptotics for the Dirichlet Problem − u″(t) + g(u(t)) = λsinu(t)

We consider the nonlinear eigenvalue problem on an interval−u″(t)+g(u(t))=λsinu(t),u(t)>0,t∈I:=(−T,T),u(±T)=0,where λ > 0 is a parameter and T > 0 is a constant. It is known that if λ ? 1, then the corresponding solution has boundary layers. In this paper, we characterize λ by the boundary layers of the solution when λ ? 1 from a variational point of view. To this end, we parameterize a solution pair (λ, u) by a new parameter 0 < ?< T, which characterizes the boundary layers of the solution, and establish precise asymptotic formulas for λ(?) with exact second term as ? → 0. It turns out that the second term is a constant which is explicitly determined by the nonlinearity g.     

Spreading speed and traveling waves for a nonmonotone reaction–diffusion model with distributed delay and nonlocal effect

In this paper, spreading speed and traveling waves for reaction–diffusion model with distributed delay and nonlocal effect without monotonicity are investigated. It is shown that there exists the spreading speed c^∗ which coincides with the minimal wave speed, and its limiting integral equation has an unique traveling wave with speed c > c^∗, and no traveling wave with c < c^∗. Moreover, the dependence of the spreading speed on the delay and the nonlocal effect is considered.     

Thompson metric method for solving a class of nonlinear matrix equation

Based on the elegant properties of the Thompson metric, we prove that the general nonlinear matrix equation X^q-A^∗F(X)A=Q(q>1) always has a unique positive definite solution. An iterative method is proposed to compute the unique positive definite solution. We show that the iterative method is more effective as q increases. A perturbation bound for the unique positive definite solution is derived in the end.     

On single and double Soules matrices

Until now the concept of a Soules basis matrix of sign patternN consisted of an orthogonal matrix R∈R^n,n, generated in a certain way from a positive n-vector, which has the property that for any diagonal matrix Λ = diag(λ₁, … , λ_n), with λ₁ ? ? ? λ_n ? 0, the symmetric matrix A = RΛR^T has nonnegative entries only. In the present paper we introduce the notion of a pair of double Soules basis matrices of sign patternN which is a pair of matrices (P, Q), each in R^n,n, which are not necessarily orthogonal and which are generated in a certain way from two positive vectors, but such that PQ^T = I and such that for any of the aforementioned diagonal matrices Λ, the matrix A = PΛQ^T (also) has nonnegative entries only. We investigate the interesting properties which such matrices A have.As a preamble to the above investigation we show that the iterates, , generated in the course of the QR-algorithm when it is applied to A = RΛR^T, where R is a Soules basis matrix of sign pattern N, are again symmetric matrices generated by the Soules basis matrices R_k of sign pattern N which are themselves modified as the algorithm progresses.Our work here extends earlier works by Soules and Elsner et al.     

Bifurcation phenomena for nonlinear superdiffusive Neumann equations of logistic type

We consider a nonlinear Neumann logistic equation driven by the p-Laplacian with a general Carathéodory superdiffusive reaction. We are looking for positive solutions of such problems. Using minimax methods from critical point theory together with suitable truncation techniques, we show that the equation exhibits a bifurcation phenomenon with respect to the parameter λ > 0. Namely, we show that there is a λ_* > 0 such that for λ < λ_*, the problem has no positive solution; for λ = λ_*, it has at least one positive solution; and for λ > λ_*, it has at least two positive solutions.     

A new method for solving linear multi-objective transportation problems with fuzzy parameters

There are several methods in the literature for solving transportation problems by representing the parameters as normal fuzzy numbers. Chiang [J. Chiang, The optimal solution of the transportation problem with fuzzy demand and fuzzy product, J. Inform. Sci. Eng. 21 (2005) 439-451] pointed out that it is better to represent the parameters as (λ, ρ) interval-valued fuzzy numbers instead of normal fuzzy numbers and proposed a method to find the optimal solution of single objective transportation problems by representing the availability and demand as (λ, ρ) interval-valued fuzzy numbers. In this paper, the shortcomings of the existing method are pointed out and to overcome these shortcomings, a new method is proposed to find solution of a linear multi-objective transportation problem by representing all the parameters as (λ, ρ) interval-valued fuzzy numbers. To illustrate the proposed method a numerical example is solved. The advantages of the proposed method over existing method are also discussed.     

An adaptive Huber method for non-linear systems of weakly singular second kind Volterra integral equations

Numerical methods for systems of weakly singular Volterra integral equations are rarely considered in the literature, especially if the equations involve non-linear dependencies between unknowns and their integrals. In the present work an adaptive Huber method for such systems is proposed, by extending the method previously formulated for single weakly singular second kind Volterra equations. The method is tested on example systems of integral equations involving integrals with kernels K(t, τ) = (t − τ)^−1/2, K(t, τ) = exp[−λ(t − τ)](t − τ)^−1/2 (where λ > 0), and K(t, τ) = 1. The magnitude of the errors, and practical accuracy orders, observed for IE systems, are comparable to those for single IEs. In cases when the solution vector is not differentiable at t = 0, the estimation of errors at t = 0 is found somewhat less reliable for IE systems, than it was for single IEs. The stability of the IE systems solved appears to be sufficient, in practice, for the numerical stability of the method.     

Multiple positive solutions to a singular boundary value problem for a superlinear Emden-Fowler equation

A multiplicity result for the singular ordinary differential equation y^″+λx⁻²yσ=0, posed in the interval (0,1), with the boundary conditions y(0)=0 and y(1)=γ, where σ>1, λ>0 and γ?0 are real parameters, is presented. Using a logarithmic transformation and an integral equation method, we show that there exists Σ^?∈(0,σ/2] such that a solution to the above problem is possible if and only if λγσ−1?Σ^?. For 0<λγσ−1<Σ^?, there are multiple positive solutions, while if γ=(λ⁻¹Σ^?)^1/(σ−1) the problem has a unique positive solution which is monotonic increasing. The asymptotic behavior of y(x) as x→⁰⁺ is also given, which allows us to establish the absence of positive solution to the singular Dirichlet elliptic problem −Δu=d⁻²(x)uσ in Ω, where Ω⊂RN, N?2, is a smooth bounded domain and d(x)=dist(x,∂Ω).