Incorporating model uncertainty into optimal insurance contract design

In stochastic optimization models, the optimal solution heavily depends on the selected probability model for the scenarios. However, the scenario models are typically chosen on the basis of statistical estimates and are therefore subject to model error. We demonstrate here how the model uncertainty can be incorporated into the decision making process. We use a nonparametric approach for quantifying the model uncertainty and a minimax setup to find model-robust solutions. The method is illustrated by a risk management problem involving the optimal design of an insurance contract.     

A Note on normalizations of orbit closures

We give a negative answer to a question by J. M. Landsberg on the nature of normalizations of orbit closures. A counterexample originates from the study of complex, ternary, cubic forms.     

Fundamental solution of the time‐fractional telegraph Dirac operator

In this work, we obtain the fundamental solution (FS) of the multidimensional time‐fractional telegraph Dirac operator where the 2 time‐fractional derivatives of orders α∈]0,1] and β∈]1,2] are in the Caputo sense. Explicit integral and series representation of the FS are obtained for any dimension. We present and discuss some plots of the FS for some particular values of the dimension and of the fractional parameters α and β. Finally, using the FS, we study some Poisson and Cauchy problems.     

A note on Arzela–Ascoli's lemma in almost periodic problems

This paper is concerned with a generalized Arzela–Ascoli's lemma, which has been extensively applied in almost periodic problems by the continuation theorem of degree theory. We give a counter example to show that this lemma is incorrect, and there is a gap in the proof of some existing literature, where the addressed generalized Arzela–Ascoli's lemma was used. Moreover, we make some final comments and introduce an open problem. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Blow‐up of the smooth solutions to the compressible Navier–Stokes equations

In this paper, we will firstly extend the results about Jiu, Wang, and Xin (JDE, 2015, 259, 2981–3003). We prove that any smooth solution of compressible fluid will blow up without any restriction about the specific heat ratio γ. Then we prove the blow‐up of smooth solution of compressible Navier–Stokes equations in half space with Navier‐slip boundary. The main ideal is constructing the differential inequality. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mild solution of semilinear impulsive integro‐differential evolution equation in Banach spaces

Through solving the problem step by step and by applying the method of a C₀ semigroup of operators combined with the Banach contraction theorem, we investigate the existence and uniqueness of a mild solution of semilinear impulsive integro‐differential evolution equation in Banach spaces. In addition, an explicit iterative approximation sequence of the mild solution is derived. The assumed conditions in the present theorems are weaker and more general, and the results obtained are the generalizations and improvements of some known results. Examples are also given to illustrate our main results. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lot‐sizing policies for deterioration items under two‐level trade credit with partial trade credit to credit‐risk retailer and limited storage capacity

The main purpose of this article is to investigate the optimal wholesaler's replenishment decisions for deterioration items under two levels of the trade credit policy and two storage facilities in order to reflect the supply chain management situation within the economic order quantity framework. In this study, each of the following assumptions have been made: (1) The own warehouse with limited capacity always is not sufficient to store the order quantity, so that a rented warehouse is needed to store the excess units over the capacity of the own warehouse; (2) The wholesaler always obtains the partial trade credit, which is independent of the order quantity offered by the supplier, but the wholesaler offers the full trade credit to the retailer; (3) The wholesaler must take a loan to pay his or her supplier the partial payment immediately when the order is received and then pay off the loan with the entire revenue. Under these three conditions, the wholesaler can obtain the least costs. Furthermore, this study models the wholesaler's optimal replenishment decisions under the aforementioned conditions in the supply chain management. Two theorems are developed to efficiently determine the optimal replenishment decisions for the wholesaler. Finally, numerical examples are given to illustrate the theorems that are proven in this study, and the sensitivity analysis with respect to the major parameters in this study is performed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A modified pseudospectral method for solving trajectory optimization problems with singular arc

This paper presents a direct method based on Legendre–Radau pseudospectral method for efficient and accurate solution of a class of singular optimal control problems. In this scheme, based on a priori knowledge of control, the problem is transformed to a multidomain formulation, in which the switching points appear as unknown parameters. Then, by utilizing Legendre‐Radau pseudospectral method, a nonlinear programming problem is derived which can be solved by the well‐developed parameter optimization algorithms. The main advantages of the present method are its superior accuracy and ability to capture the switching times. Accuracy and performance of the proposed method are examined by means of some numerical experiments. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The existence of a positive solution for nonlinear fractional differential equations with integral boundary value conditions

In this paper, first, we consider the existence of a positive solution for the nonlinear fractional differential equation boundary value problem where 0≤λ < 1,^CD^α is the Caputo's differential operator of order α, and f:[0,1] × [0,∞)→[0,∞) is a continuous function. Using some cone theoretic techniques, we deduce a general existence theorem for this problem. Then, we consider two following more general problems for arbitrary α, 1≤n < α≤n + 1: Problem 1: where , 0≤λ < k + 1; Problem 2: where 0≤λ≤α and D^α is the Riemann–Liouville fractional derivative of order α. For these problems, we give existence results, which improve recent results in the literature. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The periodic solution bifurcated from homoclinic orbit for coupled ordinary differential equations

We consider the problem of the periodic solutions bifurcated from a homoclinic orbit for a pair of coupled ordinary differential equations in . Assume that the autonomous system has a degenerate homoclinic solution γ in . A functional analytic approach is used to consider the existence of periodic solution for the autonomous system with periodic perturbations. By exponential dichotomies and the method of Lyapunov–Schmidt, the bifurcation function defined between two finite dimensional subspaces is obtained, where the zeros correspond to the existence of periodic solutions for the coupled ordinary differential equations near . Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.