Usefulness of resale price maintenance under different levels of sales-effort cost and system-parameter uncertainties

This paper on “resale price maintenance” (RPM) has three main parts:

(i)

Using a simple and parsimonious model, we show that even with only one retailer, a “supplier” or “manufacturer” (hereafter “Manu”) should impose minimum-RPM under some circumstances but maximum-RPM in others. These two sets of circumstances are defined by a very simple formula.     

Comparison results for nonlinear degenerate Dirichlet and Neumann problems with general growth in the gradient

This paper deals with both Dirichlet and Neumann problems for a class of nonlinear degenerate elliptic equations with general growth in the gradient. First, we give an existence result of a spherically symmetric solution to the “symmetrized” problems with data depending only on the radials. Second, we prove that the solutions of the original problems can be compared, under a rearrangement, with the solutions of the “symmetrized” problems.     

Arithmetic partial differential equations, II

We continue the study of arithmetic partial differential equations initiated in [7] by classifying “arithmetic convection equations” on modular curves, and by describing their space of solutions. Certain of these solutions involve the Fourier expansions of the Eisenstein modular forms of weight 4 and 6, while others involve the Serre-Tate expansions (Mori, 1995 [13], Buium, 2003 [4]) of the same modular forms; in this sense, our arithmetic convection equations can be seen as “unifying” the two types of expansions. The theory can be generalized to one of “arithmetic heat equations” on modular curves, but we prove that they do not carry “arithmetic wave equations.” Finally, we prove an instability result for families of arithmetic heat equations converging to an arithmetic convection equation.     

Heteroclinic and Periodic Cycles in a Perturbed Convection Model

Vivancos and Minzoni (New Choatic behaviour in a singularly perturbed model, preprint) proposed a singularly perturbed rotating convection system to model the Earth's dynamo process. Numerical simulation shows that the perturbed system is rich in chaotic and periodic solutions. In this paper, we show that if the perturbation is sufficiently small, the system can only have simple heteroclinic solutions and two types of periodic solutions near the simple heteroclinic solutions. One looks like a figure “Delta” and the other looks like a figure “Eight”. Due to the fast - slow characteristic of the system, the reduced slow system has a relay nonlinearity (“Asymptotic Method in Singularly Perturbed Systems,” Consultants Bureau, New York and London, 1994) - solutions to the slow system are continuous but their derivative changes abruptly at certain junction surfaces. We develop new types of Melnikov integral and Lyapunov-Schmidt reduction methods which are suitable to study heteroclinic and periodic solutions for systems with relay nonlinearity.     

Semicontinuity of the solution set of parametric multivalued vector quasiequilibrium problems

In this paper we establish sufficient conditions for the solution set of parametric multivalued vector quasiequilibrium problems to be semicontinuous. All kinds of semicontinuity are considered: lower semicontinuity, upper semicontinuity, Hausdorff upper semicontinuity and closedness. Moreover, we investigate both the “weak” and “strong” solutions of quasiequilibrium problems.     

A comparison of different quantity discount pricing policies in a two-echelon channel with stochastic and asymmetric demand information

In this paper, we study quantity discount pricing policies in a channel of one manufacturer and one retailer. The paper assumes that the channel faces a stochastic price-sensitive demand but the retailer can privately observe the realization of an uncertain demand parameter. The problem is analyzed as a Stackelberg game in which the manufacturer declares quantity discount pricing schemes to the retailer and then the retailer follows by selecting the retail price and associated quantity. Proposed in the paper are four quantity-discount pricing policies: “regular quantity discount”; “fixed percentage discount”; “incremental volume discount” and “fixed marginal-profit-rate discount”. Optimal solutions are derived, and numerical examples are presented to illustrate the efficiency of each discount policy.     

Nonlinear boundary value problems for second order differential inclusions

In this paper, we study a class of nonlinear value boundary problems for second order differential inclusions with nonlinear perturbations, which satisfy the generalized Hartman condition weaker than that considered in some papers. Using techniques from multivalued analysis, theory of monotone operators and fixed points, we prove the existence of solutions in both “convex” and “nonconvex” cases. Our framework can be incorporated with Dirichlet, Neumann, and mixed boundary problems.     

Nonmonotone systems decomposable into monotone systems with negative feedback

Motivated by the work of Angeli and Sontag [Monotone control systems, IEEE Trans. Automat. Control 48 (2003) 1684-1698] and Enciso and Sontag [On the global attractivity of abstract dynamical systems satisfying a small gain hypothesis, with applications to biological delay systems, Discrete Continuous Dynamical Systems, to appear] in control theory, we show that certain finite and infinite dimensional semi-dynamical systems with “negative feedback” can be decomposed into a monotone “open-loop” system with “inputs” and a decreasing “output” function. The original system is reconstituted by “plugging the output into the input”. Employing a technique of Gouzé [A criterion of global convergence to equilibrium for differential systems with an application to Lotka-Volterra systems, Rapport de Recherche 894, INRIA] and Cosner [Comparison principles for systems that embed in cooperative systems, with applications to diffusive Lotka-Volterra models, Dynam. Cont., Discrete Impulsive Systems 3 (1997) 283-303] of imbedding the system into a larger symmetric monotone system, we are able to obtain information on the asymptotic behavior of solutions, including existence of positively invariant sets and global convergence.     

Gevrey regularity for the supercritical quasi-geostrophic equation

In this paper, following the techniques of Foias and Temam, we establish suitable Gevrey class regularity of solutions to the supercritical quasi-geostrophic equations in the whole space, with initial data in “critical” Sobolev spaces. Moreover, the Gevrey class that we obtain is “near optimal” and as a corollary, we obtain temporal decay rates of higher order Sobolev norms of the solutions. Unlike the Navier–Stokes or the subcritical quasi-geostrophic equations, the low dissipation poses a difficulty in establishing Gevrey regularity. A new commutator estimate in Gevrey classes, involving the dyadic Littlewood–Paley operators, is established that allow us to exploit the cancellation properties of the equation and circumvent this difficulty.     

Time-adaptive and history-adaptive multicriterion routing in stochastic, time-dependent networks

We compare two different models for multicriterion routing in stochastic time-dependent networks: the classic “time-adaptive” model and the more flexible “history-adaptive” one. We point out several properties of the sets of efficient solutions found under the two models. We also devise a method for finding supported history-adaptive solutions.     

Existence of solutions to a new model of biological pattern formation

In this paper we study the existence of classical solutions to a new model of skeletal development in the vertebrate limb. The model incorporates a general term describing adhesion interaction between cells and fibronectin, an extracellular matrix molecule secreted by the cells, as well as two secreted, diffusible regulators of fibronectin production, the positively-acting differentiation factor (“activator”) TGF-β, and a negatively-acting factor (“inhibitor”). Together, these terms constitute a pattern forming system of equations. We analyze the conditions guaranteeing that smooth solutions exist globally in time. We prove that these conditions can be significantly relaxed if we add a diffusion term to the equation describing the evolution of fibronectin.     

Exchange lemmas 1: Deng's lemma

Deng's lemma gives estimates on the behavior of solutions of ordinary differential equations in the neighborhood of a partially hyperbolic equilibrium. We prove a generalization in which “partially hyperbolic equilibrium” is replaced by “normally hyperbolic invariant manifold.”     

Asymptotic results of Leray-type solutions of MHD systems

In this paper, we study the weak convergence of “Leray-type” solutions of a magneto-hydro-dynamic systems. The proofs are based on weak compactness arguments and linear algebra methods.     

Linear equations and heights over division algebras

We make a start on the investigation of “small” solutions to systems of homogeneous linear equations over non-commutative division algebras. In this paper we prove some upper and lower bounds for the sizes of solutions to such systems. To measure solutions and coefficient matrices we define heights which satisfy natural invariance and finiteness properties.     

A class of degenerate diffusion equations with mixed boundary conditions

This paper is concerned with a class of degenerate diffusion equations subject to mixed boundary conditions. Under some structure conditions, we discuss the blow-up property of local solutions and estimate the bounds of “blow-up time.”     

On certain families of Drinfeld quasi-modular forms

This paper deals with two problems arising in the study of Drinfeld quasi-modular forms. The first problem is to find the maximal order of vanishing at infinity of a non-zero Drinfeld quasi-modular form and leads to the notion of “extremal” quasi-modular form (highest possible order of vanishing for fixed weight and depth). The second problem is determining differential properties of extremal forms, leading to the notion of “differentially extremal” form. From our investigations, we will obtain an upper bound for the order of vanishing at infinity of non-zero Drinfeld quasi-modular forms of small depths. The paper ends with a collection of tools used in the previous parts. The notion of “extremal” form is similar to one introduced by Kaneko and Koike in [M. Kaneko, M. Koike, On extremal quasimodular forms, Kyushu J. Math. 60 (2006) 457-470].     

Asymptotic stability of viscous contact wave for the one-dimensional compressible viscous gas with radiation

In this paper, we study the large-time behavior of solutions of the Cauchy problem to a one-dimensional Navier-Stokes-Poisson coupled system, modeling the dynamics of a viscous gas in the presence of radiation. When the far field states are suitably given, and the corresponding Riemann problem for the Euler system admits only a contact discontinuity wave solution with the far field states as Riemann initial data. Then, we can define a “viscous contact wave” for such a Navier-Stokes-Poisson coupled system. Based on elementary energy methods and ellipticity of the equation of the radiation flux, we can prove the “viscous contact wave” is stable provided the strength of the contact discontinuity wave and the perturbation of the initial data are suitably small.     

Cantor families of periodic solutions for wave equations via a variational principle

We prove existence of small amplitude periodic solutions of completely resonant wave equations with frequencies in a Cantor set of asymptotically full measure, via a variational principle. A Lyapunov-Schmidt decomposition reduces the problem to a finite dimensional bifurcation equation—variational in nature—defined on a Cantor set of non-resonant parameters. The Cantor gaps are due to “small divisors” phenomena. To solve the bifurcation equation we develop a suitable variational method. In particular, we do not require the typical “Arnold non-degeneracy condition” of the known theory on the nonlinear terms. As a consequence our existence results hold for new generic sets of nonlinearities.     

Periodic solutions of the Lyness max equation

We investigate the periodic nature of solutions of a “max-type” difference equation sometimes referred to as the “Lyness max” equation. The equation we consider is x_n+1=max{x_n,A}/x_n−1, n=0,1,…, where A is a positive real parameter and the initial conditions are arbitrary positive numbers. We also present related results for a similar equation sometimes referred to as the “period 7 max” equation.     

On the blow-up of solutions of the Benjamin-Bona-Mahony-Burgers and Rosenau-Burgers equations

In this paper, we study sufficient conditions of the blow-up of solutions of initial-boundary-value problems for the well-known Benjamin-Bona-Mahony-Burgers and Rosenau-Burgers equations on a segment. Note that this is the first result for these equations in the “blow-up” area.