Dynamic control for non-linear systems with delay

We consider some class of non-linear systems of the form

$\dot x = A( \cdot )x + \sum\limits_{i = 1}^l {A_i ( \cdot )x(t - \tau _i (t)) + b( \cdot )u} ,$

where A(·) ∈ ? ^{n × n} , A _i (·) ∈ ? ^{n × n} , b(·) ∈ ? ⁿ , whose coefficients are arbitrary uniformly bounded functionals.

A special type of the Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional is used to synthesize dynamic control described by the equation

$\dot u = \rho ( \cdot )u + (m( \cdot ),x),$

where ρ(·) ∈ ?¹, m(·) ∈ ? ⁿ , which makes the system globally asymptotically stable. Also, the situation is considered where the control u enters into the system not directly but through a pulse element performing an amplitude-frequency modulation.

     

Hopf bifurcation analysis of a general non-linear differential equation with delay

This work represents Hopf bifurcation analysis of a general non-linear differential equation involving time delay. A special form of this equation is the Hutchinson–Wright equation which is a mile stone in the mathematical modeling of population dynamics and mathematical biology. Taking the delay parameter as a bifurcation parameter, Hopf bifurcation analysis is studied by following the theory in the book by Hazzard et al. By analyzing the associated characteristic polynomial, we determine necessary conditions for the linear stability and Hopf bifurcation. In addition to this analysis, the direction of bifurcation, the stability and the period of a periodic solution to this equation are evaluated at a bifurcation value by using the Poincaré normal form and the center manifold theorem. Finally, the theoretical results are supported by numerical simulations.     

Positive almost automorphic solutions for a class of non-linear delay integral equations

This article is concerned with a class of non-linear delay integral equations, which unify some extensively studied delay integral equations. We establish a new existence and uniqueness theorem about positive almost automorphic solutions of the delay integral equations. Our theorem can deal with some cases to which many known results are not applicable. Two examples are given to illustrate our results.     

A detailed workforce planning model including non-linear dependence of capacity on the size of the staff and cash management

This paper introduces an original planning model which integrates production, human resources and cash management decisions, taking into account the consequences that decisions in one area may have on other areas and allowing all these areas to be coordinated. The most relevant characteristics of the planning problem are: (1) production capacity is a non-linear function of the size of the staff; (2) firing costs may depend on the worker who is fired; (3) working time is managed under a working time account (WTA) scheme, so positive balances must be paid to workers who leave the company; (4) there is a learning period for hired workers; and (5) cash management is included. A mixed integer linear program is designed to solve the problem. Despite the size and complexity of the model, it can be solved in a reasonable time. A numerical example, the main results of a computational experiment and a sensibility analysis illustrate the performance and benefits of the model.     

The toll effect on price of anarchy when costs are nonlinear and asymmetric

We examine the efficiency of the optimal tolls by establishing the bound for the price of anarchy when the levied tolls are also considered as a part of the cost functions. For linear and nonlinear asymmetric cost functions, we prove that the price of anarchy of the system with tolls is lower than that without tolls. Furthermore, we show that the total disutility caused to the users by the tolls is bounded by a multiple of the original optimal system cost.     

On scheduling a multiclass queue with abandonments under general delay costs

We consider a multiclass queueing system with abandonments and general delay costs. A system manager makes dynamic scheduling decisions to minimize long-run average delay and abandonment costs. We consider the three types of delay cost: (i) linear, (ii) convex, and (iii) convex–concave, where the last one corresponds to settings where customers may have a particular deadline in mind but once that deadline passes there is increasingly little difference in the added delay. The dynamic control problem for the queueing system is not tractable analytically. Therefore, we consider the system in the conventional heavy traffic regime and study the approximating Brownian control problem (BCP). We observe that the approximating BCP does not admit a pathwise solution due to abandonments. In particular, the celebrated cμ rule and its extension, the generalized cμ rule, which is asymptotically optimal under convex delay costs with no abandonments, are not optimal in this case. Consequently, we solve the associated Bellman equation, which yields a dynamic index policy (derived from the value function) as the optimal control for the approximating BCP. Interpreting that control in the context of the original queueing system, we propose practical policies for each of the three cases considered and demonstrate their effectiveness through a simulation study.     

The effect of vertical integration on consumer price in the presence of inventory costs

This paper investigates the effect on consumer price of a vertical merger between a monopolist manufacturer and his retailer, when inventory costs are taken into consideration. We find that the traditional result (lower prices) remains true only when inventory costs are sufficiently small. The direction of the price change also depends on the market size.     

Periodic solutions and oscillation of discrete non-linear delay population dynamics model with external force

^** Email: emelabbasy{at}mans.edu.eg^*** Email: shsaker{at}mans.edu.eg In this paper, we consider the discrete non-linear delay populationdynamics model [graphic: see PDF] where m is a positive integer, p(n), Q(n) and (n) are positiveperiodic sequences of period . By the method that involves theapplication of the Gaines and Mawhins coincidence degree theory,we prove that there exists a positive -periodic solution (n). We prove that every positive solutionof (*) which does not oscillate about (n)satisfies lim_t[y(n)–(n)]=0.We establish some necessary and sufficient conditions for theoscillation of every positive solution about (n), and finally, we establish the lower and upperbounds of the oscillatory solutions.     

The existence of generalized mix functions

To enrich the message space of a cipher and guarantee security, Ristenpart and Rogaway defined mix functions on two sets of equal size. To mix inputs from two sets of different sizes, Stinson generalized the definition of mix functions (called generalized mix functions), and established an existence result for generalized mix functions with 10 undetermined pairs of input sizes. In this paper, we complete the solution to the existence problem for generalized mix functions.      

Time delay and finite differences for the non-stationary non-linear Navier–Stokes equations

In the present paper we use a time delay ? > 0 for an energy conserving approximation of the non-linear term of the non-stationary Navier–Stokes equations. We prove that the corresponding initial-value problem (N_?) in smoothly bounded domains G ? ?³ is well-posed. We study a semidiscretized difference scheme for (N_?) and prove convergence to optimal order in the Sobolev space H²(G). Passing to the limit ?→0 we show that the sequence of stabilized solutions has an accumulation point such that it solves the Navier–Stokes problem (N_o) in a weak sense (Hopf).     

The effect of time delay on the dynamics of an SEIR model with nonlinear incidence

In this paper, a SEIR epidemic model with nonlinear incidence rate and time delay is investigated in three cases. The local stability of an endemic equilibrium and a disease-free equilibrium are discussed using stability theory of delay differential equations. The conditions that guarantee the asymptotic stability of corresponding steady-states are investigated. The results show that the introduction of a time delay in the transmission term can destabilize the system and periodic solutions can arise through Hopf bifurcation when using the time delay as a bifurcation parameter. Applying the normal form theory and center manifold argument, the explicit formulas determining the properties of the bifurcating periodic solution are derived. In addition, the effect of the inhibitory effect on the properties of the bifurcating periodic solutions is studied. Numerical simulations are provided in order to illustrate the theoretical results and to gain further insight into the behaviors of delayed systems.     

The non-linear crack theory

Results obtained in recent years in an attempt to construct a general (physically and geometrically) non-linear crack theory are described.     

The effect of oscillations in the dynamics of differential equations with delay

The purpose of this paper is to study the dynamic behavior of delay differential equations of the form