Optimal Control of an <Emphasis Type="Italic">M/E</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis></Subscript>/1 Queueing System with a Removable Service Station

This paper studies the optimal operation of an M/E _k /1 queueing system with a removable service station under steady-state conditions. Analytic closed-form solutions of the controllable M/E _k /1 queueing system are derived. This is a generalization of the controllable M/M/1, the ordinary M/E _k /1, and the ordinary M/M/1 queueing systems in the literature. We prove that the probability that the service station is busy in the steady-state is equal to the traffic intensity. Following the construction of the expected cost function per unit time, we determine the optimal operating policy at minimum cost.     

The Generalized <Emphasis Type="Italic">M/G/k</Emphasis> Blocking System with Heterogeneous Servers

This paper studies the equilibrium behaviour of the generalized M/G/k blocking system with heterogeneous servers. Such a service system has k servers, each with a (possibly) different service time distribution, whose customers arrive in accordance with a Poisson process. They are served, unless all the servers are occupied. In this case they leave and they do not return later (i.e. they are ‘blocked’). Whenever there are n (n = 0, 1, 2,..., k) servers occupied, each arriving customer balks with probability 1 - f _{n +1}(f _{k +1} = 0) and each server works at a rate g _n . Among other things, a generalization of the Erlang B-formula is given and also it is shown that the equilibrium departure process from the system is Poisson.     

Nonidentifiability of the Two-State <Emphasis Type="Italic">BMAP</Emphasis>

The capability of modeling non-exponentially distributed and dependent inter-arrival times as well as correlated batches makes the Batch Markovian Arrival Processes (BMAP) suitable in different real-life settings as teletraffic, queueing theory or actuarial contexts. An issue to be taken into account for estimation purposes is the identifiability of the process. This paper explores the identifiability of the stationary two-state BMAP noted as BMAP ₂ (k), where k is the maximum batch arrival size, under the assumptions that both the interarrival times and batches sizes are observed. It is proven that for k ≥ 2 the process cannot be identified. The proof is based on the construction of an equivalent BMAP ₂(k) to a given one, and on the decomposition of a BMAP ₂ (k) into k BMAP ₂ (2)s.     

Processes of <Emphasis Type="Italic">r</Emphasis><Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">t</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">h</Emphasis></Superscript> largest

For integers n ≥ r, we treat the rth largest of a sample of size n as an \(\mathbb {R}^{\infty }\)-valued stochastic process in r which we denote as M^(r). We show that the sequence regarded in this way satisfies the Markov property. We go on to study the asymptotic behavior of M^(r) as r → ∞, and, borrowing from classical extreme value theory, show that left-tail domain of attraction conditions on the underlying distribution of the sample guarantee weak limits for both the range of M^(r) and M^(r) itself, after norming and centering. In continuous time, an analogous process Y^(r) based on a two-dimensional Poisson process on \(\mathbb {R}_{+}\times \mathbb {R}\) is treated similarly, but we note that the continuous time problems have a distinctive additional feature: there are always infinitely many points below the rth highest point up to time t for any t >?0. This necessitates a different approach to the asymptotics in this case.     

Further Results for the Queueing System <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Superscript>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">c</Emphasis>

For the multi-channel bulk-arrival queue, M ^x /M/c, Abol'nikov and Kabak independently obtained steady state results. In this paper the results of these authors are extended, corrected and simplified. A number of measures of efficiency are calculated for three cases where the arrival group size has: (i) a constant value, (ii) a geometric distribution, or (iii) a positive Poisson distribution. The paper also shows how to calculate fractiles for both the queue length and the waiting time distribution. Examples of extensive numerical results for certain measures of efficiency are presented in tabular and chart form.     

Two new heuristics for the <Emphasis Type="Italic">GI</Emphasis>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">G</Emphasis>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>/0 queueing loss system with examples based on the two-phase Coxian distribution

In this paper, we introduce a new heuristic approach for the numerical analysis of queueing systems. In particular, we study the general, multi-server queueing loss system, the GI/G/n/0 queue, with an emphasis on the calculation of steady-state loss probabilities. Two new heuristics are developed, called the GM Heuristic and the MG Heuristic, both of which make use of an exact analysis of the corresponding single-server GI/G/1/0 queue. The GM Heuristic also uses an exact analysis of the GI/M/n/0 queue, while the MG Heuristic uses an exact analysis of the M/G/n/0 queue. Experimental results are based on the use of two-phase Coxian distributions for both the inter-arrival time and the service time; these include an error analysis for each heuristic and the derivation of experimental probability bounds for the loss probability. For the class of problems studied, it is concluded that there are likely to be many situations where the accuracy of the GM Heuristic is adequate for practical purposes. Methods are also developed for combining the GM and MG Heuristics. In some cases, this leads to approximations that are significantly more accurate than those obtained by the individual heuristics.     

The <Emphasis Type="Italic">M/G/k</Emphasis> Blocking System with Heterogeneous Servers

This paper considers the M/G/k blocking system under the assumption of servers whose service time distributions differ. Such a system has k servers each with a (possibly) different service time distribution, whose customers arrive in accordance with a Poisson process. They are served, unless all the servers are occupied. In this case they leave and do not return later (i.e. they are "blocked"). A generalization of the Erlang B-formula is given and it is shown that the latter is valid in the case of heterogeneous servers too, provided that all servers have equal mean service times. In the form of an appendix, the Engset formula also is generalized under the above assumption.     

Isometries with dense windings of the torus in <Emphasis Type="Italic">C</Emphasis>(<Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis>)

Let C(M) be the space of all continuous functions on M? ?. We consider the multiplication operator T: C(M) → C(M) defined by Tf(z) = zf(z) and the torus

$$O(M) = \left\{ {f:M \to \mathbb{C} \ntrianglelefteq \left\| f \right\| = \left\| {\frac{1}{f}} \right\| = 1} \right\}$$

. If M is a Kronecker set, then the T-orbits of the points of the torus ½O(M) are dense in ½O(M) and are ½-dense in the unit ball of C(M).

     

On the Relative Waiting Times in the GI/M/s and the GI/M/1 Queueing Systems

The expected steady-state waiting time, Wq(s), in a GI/M/s system with interarrival-time distribution H(·) is compared with the mean waiting time, Wq, in an "equivalent" system comprised of s separate GI/M/1 queues each fed by an interarrival-time distribution G(·) with mean arrival rate equal to 1/s times that of H(·). For H(·) assumed to be Exponential, Gamma or Deterministic three possible relationships between H(·) and G(·) are considered: G(·) can be of the "same type" as H(·); G(·) can be derived from H(·) by assigning new arrivals to the individual channels in a cyclic order; and G(·) may be obtained from H(·) by assigning customers probabilistically to the different queues. The limiting behaviour of the ratio R = Wq/Wq(s) is studied for the extreme values (1 and 0) of the common traffic intensity, ρ. Closed form results, which depend on the forms of H(·) and G(·) and on the relationships between them, are derived. It is shown that Wq is greater than Wq(s) by a factor of at least (s + 1)/2 when ρ approaches one, and that R is at least s(s!) when ρ tends to zero. In the latter case, however, R goes to infinity (!) in most cases treated. The results may be used to evaluate the effect on the waiting times when, for certain (non-queueing) reasons, it is needed to partition a group of s servers into several small groups.     

Finite Groups Whose <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-Maximal Subgroups Are Modular

Let G be a finite group. If M_n< M_n?1< · · · < M₁< M₀ = G with Mi a maximal subgroup of M_i?1 for all i = 1,..., n, then M_n (n > 0) is an n-maximal subgroup of G. A subgroup M of G is called modular provided that (i) 〈X,M ∩ Z〉 = 〈X,M〉 ∩ Z for all X ≤ G and Z ≤ G such that X ≤ Z, and (ii) 〈M,Y ∩ Z〉 = 〈M,Y 〉 ∩ Z for all Y ≤ G and Z ≤ G such that M ≤ Z. In this paper, we study finite groups whose n-maximal subgroups are modular.     

Generalized <Emphasis Type="Italic">SV</Emphasis>-modules

Given an arbitrary quasiprojective right R-module P, we prove that every module in the category σ(P) is weakly regular if and only if every module in σ(M/I(M)) is lifting, where M is a generating object in σ(P). In particular, we describe the rings over which every right module is weakly regular.     

Log-Convexity of Counting Processes Evaluated at a Random end of Observation Time with Applications to Queueing Models

We consider a counting processes with independent inter-arrival times evaluated at a random end of observation time T, independent of the process. For instance, this situation can arise in a queueing model when we evaluate the number of arrivals after a random period which can depend on the process of service times. Provided that T has log-convex density, we give conditions for the inter-arrival times in the counting process so that the observed number of arrivals inherits this property. For exponential inter-arrival times (pure-birth processes) we provide necessary and sufficient conditions. As an application, we give conditions such that the stationary number of customers waiting in a queue is a log-convex random variable. We also study bounds in the approximation of log-convex discrete random variables by a geometric distribution.     

Some <Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis><Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis></Superscript> Rigidity Results for Complete Manifolds with Harmonic Curvature

Let (M ⁿ , g)(n ≥ 3) be an n-dimensional complete Riemannian manifold with harmonic curvature and positive Yamabe constant. Denote by R and R m? the scalar curvature and the trace-free Riemannian curvature tensor of M, respectively. The main result of this paper states that R m? goes to zero uniformly at infinity if for \(p\geq \frac n2\), the L ^p -norm of R m? is finite. Moreover, If R is positive, then (M ⁿ , g) is compact. As applications, we prove that (M ⁿ , g) is isometric to a spherical space form if for \(p\geq \frac n2\), R is positive and the L ^p -norm of R m? is pinched in [0, C ₁), where C ₁ is an explicit positive constant depending only on n, p, R and the Yamabe constant. We give an isolation theorem of the trace-free Ricci curvature tensor of compact locally conformally flat Riemannian n-manifolds with constant positive scalar curvature, which extends Theorem 1 of Hebey and M. Vaugon (J. Geom. Anal. 6, 531–553, 1996). This result is sharp, and we can precisely characterize the case of equality. In particular, when n = 4, we recover results by Gursky (Indiana Univ. Math. J. 43, 747–774, 1994; Ann. Math. 148, 315–337, 1998).     

A Functional Central Limit Theorem for a Markov-Modulated Infinite-Server Queue

We consider a model in which the production of new molecules in a chemical reaction network occurs in a seemingly stochastic fashion, and can be modeled as a Poisson process with a varying arrival rate: the rate is λ _i when an external Markov process J(?) is in state i. It is assumed that molecules decay after an exponential time with mean μ ^?1. The goal of this work is to analyze the distributional properties of the number of molecules in the system, under a specific time-scaling. In this scaling, the background process is sped up by a factor N ^α , for some α>0, whereas the arrival rates become N λ _i , for N large. The main result of this paper is a functional central limit theorem (F-CLT) for the number of molecules, in that, after centering and scaling, it converges to an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. An interesting dichotomy is observed: (i) if α > 1 the background process jumps faster than the arrival process, and consequently the arrival process behaves essentially as a (homogeneous) Poisson process, so that the scaling in the F-CLT is the usual \(\sqrt {N}\), whereas (ii) for α≤1 the background process is relatively slow, and the scaling in the F-CLT is N ^1?α/2. In the latter regime, the parameters of the limiting Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process contain the deviation matrix associated with the background process J(?).     

Iwasawa theory of quadratic twists of <Emphasis Type="Italic">X</Emphasis><Subscript>0</Subscript>(49)

The field \(K = \mathbb{Q}\left( {\sqrt { - 7} } \right)\) is the only imaginary quadratic field with class number 1, in which the prime 2 splits, and we fix one of the primes p of K lying above 2. The modular elliptic curve X ₀(49) has complex multiplication by the maximal order O of K, and we let E be the twist of X ₀(49) by the quadratic extension \(KK(\sqrt M )/K\), where M is any square free element of O with M ≡ 1 mod 4 and (M,7) = 1. In the present note, we use surprisingly simple algebraic arguments to prove a sharp estimate for the rank of the Mordell-Weil group modulo torsion of E over the field F _∞ = K(E _p∞), where E _p∞ denotes the group of p^∞-division points on E. Moreover, writing B for the twist of X ₀(49) by \(K(\sqrt[4]{{ - 7}})/K\), our Iwasawa-theoretic arguments also show that the weak form of the conjecture of Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer implies the non-vanishing at s = 1 of the complex L-series of B over every finite layer of the unique Z₂-extension of K unramified outside p. We hope to give a proof of this last non-vanishing assertion in a subsequent paper.     

Riemannian <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis>-spaces with homogeneous geodesics

We investigate homogeneous geodesics in a class of homogeneous spaces called M-spaces, which are defined as follows. Let G / K be a generalized flag manifold with \(K=C(S)=S\times K_1\), where S is a torus in a compact simple Lie group G and \(K_1\) is the semisimple part of K. Then, the associated M-space is the homogeneous space \(G/K_1\). These spaces were introduced and studied by H. C. Wang in 1954. We prove that for various classes of M-spaces the only g.o. metric is the standard metric. For other classes of M-spaces we give either necessary, or necessary and sufficient conditions, so that a G-invariant metric on \(G/K_1\) is a g.o. metric. The analysis is based on properties of the isotropy representation \(\mathfrak {m}=\mathfrak {m}_1\oplus \cdots \oplus \mathfrak {m}_s\) of the flag manifold G / K [as \({{\mathrm{Ad}}}(K)\)-modules].     

Profit Analysis of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">M/M/R</Emphasis> Machine Repair Problem with Spares and Server Breakdowns

This paper studies the machine-repair problem consisting of M operating machines with S spares, and R servers which themselves are subject to breakdown under steady-state conditions. Spares are considered to be either cold-standby, or warm-standby or hot-standby. Failure and service times of the machines, and breakdown and repair times of the servers, are assumed to follow a negative exponential distribution. Each server is subject to breakdown even if no failed machines are in the system. A profit model is developed in order to determine the optimal values of the number of servers and spares. Numerical results are provided in which several system characteristics are evaluated for all cases under the optimal operating conditions.     

Joint functional convergence of partial sums and maxima for linear processes<Superscript>*</Superscript>

For linear processes with independent identically distributed innovations that are regularly varying with tail index α ∈ (0, 2), we study the functional convergence of the joint partial-sum and partial-maxima processes. We derive a functional limit theorem under certain assumptions on the coefficients of the linear processes, which enable the functional convergence in the space of ?²-valued càdlàg functions on [0, 1] with the Skorokhod weak M₂ topology.We also obtain a joint convergence in the M₂ topology on the first coordinate and in theM₁ topology on the second coordinate.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis>-slenderness

Analogues of Nunke’s theorem are proved which characterize variants of slenderness. For a bounded monotone subgroup M of ? ^ω , a torsion-free reduced abelian group G is M-slender if, and only if, there is no monomorphism from M into G. It is consistent relative to ordinary set theory (ZFC) that if M ≠ ? ^ω is an unbounded monotone subgroup of ? ^ω , then a torsion-free reduced abelian group G is M-slender if, and only if, there is no monomorphism from M into G.     

On Linear Preservers of Two-Sided Gut-Majorization On <Emphasis Type="Bold">M</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis></Subscript>

For X, Y ∈ M_n,m it is said that X is gut-majorized by Y, and we write X ?_gutY, if there exists an n-by-n upper triangular g-row stochastic matrix R such that X = RY. Define the relation ~_gut as follows. X ~_gutY if X is gut-majorized by Y and Y is gut-majorized by X. The (strong) linear preservers of ?_gut on ?ⁿ and strong linear preservers of this relation on M_n,m have been characterized before. This paper characterizes all (strong) linear preservers and strong linear preservers of ~_gut on ?ⁿ and M_n,m.