Control of Cauchy system for an elliptic operator

The control of a Cauchy system for an elliptic operator seems to be globally an open problem. In this paper, we analyze this problem using a regularization method which consists in viewing a singular problem as a limit of a family of well-posed problems. Following this analysis and assuming that the interior of considered convex is non-empty, we obtain a singular optimality system （S.O.S.） for the considered control problem.     

Usability aware secret protection with minimum cost

In this paper we study a cybersecurity problem of protecting system’s secrets with multiple protections and a required security level, while minimizing the associated cost due to implementation/maintenance of these protections as well as the affected system usability. The target system is modeled as a discrete-event system (DES) in which there are a subset of marker states denoting the services/functions provided to regular users, a subset of secret states, and multiple subsets of protectable events with different security levels. We first introduce usability-aware cost levels for the protectable events, and then formulate the security problem as to ensure that every system trajectory that reaches a secret state contains a specified number of protectable events with at least a certain security level, and the highest usability-aware cost level of these events is minimum. We first provide a necessary and sufficient condition under which this security problem is solvable, and when this condition holds we propose an algorithm to solve the problem based on the supervisory control theory of DES. Moreover, we extend the problem to the case of heterogeneous secrets with different levels of importance, and develop an algorithm to solve this extended problem. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our solutions with a network security example.     

Robust suboptimal control of nonlinear systems

In this paper, we consider a nonlinear dynamic system with uncertain parameters. Our goal is to choose a control function for this system that balances two competing objectives: (i) the system should operate efficiently; and (ii) the system’s performance should be robust with respect to changes in the uncertain parameters. With this in mind, we introduce an optimal control problem with a cost function penalizing both the system cost (a function of the final state reached by the system) and the system sensitivity (the derivative of the system cost with respect to the uncertain parameters). We then show that the system sensitivity can be computed by solving an auxiliary initial value problem. This result allows one to convert the optimal control problem into a standard Mayer problem, which can be solved directly using conventional techniques. We illustrate this approach by solving two example problems using the software MISER3.     

On a Generalized System for Relaxed Cocoercive Variational Inequalities and Projection Methods

Verma introduced a system of nonlinear variational inequalities and proposed projection methods to solve it. This system reduces to a variational inequality problem under certain conditions. So, at least in form, it can be regarded as a extension of a variational inequality problem. In this note, we show that solving this system coincides exactly with solving a variational inequality problem. Therefore, we conclude that it suffices to study the corresponding variational inequalities.This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant 10571134.Communicated by M. J. Balas     

Probabilistic interpretation of a coupled system of Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equations

In this paper, we give a probabilistic interpretation for a coupled system of Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equations using the value function of a stochastic control problem. First we introduce this stochastic control problem. Then we prove that the value function of this problem is deterministic and satisfies a (strong) dynamic programming principle. And finally, the value function is shown to be the unique viscosity solution of the coupled system of Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equations.     

Optimal patient and personnel scheduling policies for care-at-home service facilities

In this paper we study the problem of personnel planning in care-at-home facilities. We model the system as a Markov decision process, which leads to a high-dimensional control problem. We study monotonicity properties of the system and derive structural results for the optimal policy. Based on these insights, we propose a trunk reservation heuristic to control the system. We provide numerical evidence that the heuristic yields close to optimal performance, and scales well for large problem instances.     

Probabilistic gradient approximation for a viscous scalar conservation law in space dimension d≥2

In this paper, we are interested in the solution of a viscous scalar conservation law. We remark that its first order spatial derivatives solve a system of partial differential equations presenting a nonlocal nonlinearity. We associate a nonlinear martingale problem with this system. After proving existence and uniqueness for the martingale problem, we obtain a propagation of chaos result for a system of interacting diffusion processes. We deduce that it is possible to approximate the solution of the viscous scalar conservation law thanks to the interacting diffusions     

Homogenization of a Coupled System with Periodic Oscillating Coefficients

We study the homogenization of a coupled system with periodic oscillating coefficients in bounded non-homogeneous media. The system couples the Navier–Stokes and a classical parabolic diffusive equation. To do that, we introduce a generalized compensate compactness result and a suitable class of test function to this problem. By passing the limit, we obtain the homogenized model of this problem.     

Problem on small motions and normal oscillations of capillary viscous liquids in rotating vessels

The new recent results of the author are applied to study the problem. We begin from the problem posing. Then we consider the problem as a system of operator equations in a Hilbert space. Further, the initial-boundary value problem is reduced to the Cauchy problem for the abstract parabolic equation; this allows us to prove the unique solvability theorem. Then we study normal oscillations of the hydraulic system under the assumption of static stability with respect to the linear approximation. We prove results about the spectrum of the problem and prove that the system of root functions (eigenfunctions and associated functions) form a basis. Also, we prove that if the static stability assumption is not satisfied, then the inversion of Lagrange’s theorem on the stability is valid.     

Exact controllability of thermoelastic plate equation with memory

In this paper, we consider exact control problem for a coupled system of plate with Gurtin‐Pipkin equation. Using duality arguments, the problem is reduced to the obtention of suitable observability estimates for the dual system. Firstly, we obtain the observability inequality of the dual system by means of multiplier method. Then, we prove that the system is exactly controllable based on the Hilbert Unique Method.     

The Fixed Point Problem for Systems of Coordinate-Wise Uniformly Monotone Operators and Applications

We study the fixed point problem for a system of multivariate operators that are coordinate-wise uniformly monotone, in the setting of quasi-ordered sets. We show that this problem is equivalent to the fixed point problem for a mixed monotone operator that can be explicitly constructed. As a consequence, we obtain a criterion for the existence and uniqueness of solution to the considered problem, together with an approximating iterative scheme, in the setting of partially ordered metric spaces. As an application, we investigate a new abstract multidimensional fixed point problem. To validate our results, we also provide an application to a first-order differential system with periodic boundary value conditions.     

Exact and heuristic methods for the selective maintenance problem

We present in this paper, new resolution methods for the selective maintenance problem. This problem consists in finding the best choice of maintenance actions to be performed on a multicomponent system, so as to maximize the system reliability, within a time window of a limited duration. When the number of components of the system is important, this combinatorial problem is not easy to solve, in particular because of the nonlinear objective function modeling the system reliability. This problem did not receive much attention yet. Consequently, rare are the effective resolution methods that are offered to the user. We thus developed heuristics and an exact method based on a branch and bound procedure, which we apply to various system configurations. We compare the obtained results, and we evaluate the best method to be used in various situations.     

Universiti Malaysia Pahang examination timetabling problem: scheduling invigilators

This paper presents a real-world examination timetabling problem from Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), Malaysia. The problem involves assigning invigilators to examination rooms. This problem has received less attention than the examination timetabling problem from the research community partly because no data sets are available in the literature. In modelling, and solving, this problem we assume that there is already an examination timetable in place (this was the subject of our previous work) and the task is to assign invigilators to that timetable. The contributions of this paper are to formally define the invigilator scheduling problem and to present a constructive algorithm that is able to produce good quality solutions that are superior to the solutions produced when using the university's current software. We also include additional constraints taking into account the comments made by the invigilators, which the current system fails to capture. The model we present, we believe, accurately reflects the real-world problem, capturing various aspects of the problem that have not been presented before in the scientific literature. Moreover, the proposed approach adheres to all hard constraints, which the university's current system fails to do.     

A primal–dual algorithm for minimizing a sum of Euclidean norms

We study the problem of minimizing a sum of Euclidean norms. This nonsmooth optimization problem arises in many different kinds of modern scientific applications. In this paper we first transform this problem and its dual problem into a system of strongly semismooth equations, and give some uniqueness theorems for this problem. We then present a primal–dual algorithm for this problem by solving this system of strongly semismooth equations. Preliminary numerical results are reported, which show that this primal–dual algorithm is very promising.     

Local existence of the solution to the initial‐boundary value problem in nonlinear thermomicroelasticity theory

We prove a theorem about local existence (in time) of the solution to the first initial‐boundary value problem for a nonlinear system of equation of the thermomicroelasticity theory. At first, we prove existence, uniqueness and regularity of the solution to this problem for the associated linearized system by using the method of semi‐group theory. Next, basing on this theorem, we prove an energy estimate for the solution to the linearized system by applying the method of Sobolev space. At the end, using the Banach fixed point theorem, we prove that the solution of our nonlinear problem exists and is unique. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Canonical systems

In this paper, we study canonical systems and pose the problem of constructing a quasihomogeneous canonical system, i.e., the canonical system whose spectral problem has the same solution as that of the spectral problem of some homogeneous canonical system. We present a rational algorithm for constructing a quasihomogeneous canonical systems.     

Global solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations in a uniformly rotating space

We consider the Cauchy problem for the Navier-Stokes system of equations in a three-dimensional space rotating uniformly about the vertical axis with the periodicity condition with respect to the spatial variables. Studying this problem is based on expanding given and sought vector functions in Fourier series in terms of the eigenfunctions of the curl and Stokes operators. Using the Galerkin method, we reduce the problem to the Cauchy problem for the system of ordinary differential equations, which has a simple explicit form in the basis under consideration. Its linear part is diagonal, which allows writing explicit solutions of the linear Stokes-Sobolev system, to which fluid flows with a nonzero vorticity correspond. Based on the study of the nonlinear interaction of vortical flows, we find an approach that we can use to obtain families of explicit global solutions of the nonlinear problem.     

Linearizability conditions of a time-reversible quartic-like system

In this paper we study the linearizability problem of polynomial-like complex differential systems. We give a reduction of linearizability problem of such non-polynomial systems to the problem of polynomial systems. Applying this reduction, we find some linearizability conditions for a time-reversible quartic-like complex system and derive from them conditions of isochronous center for the corresponding real system.     

Analysis and approximation of a reliable model

In this paper we consider the problem of approximating the dynamical system that models reliability of a system consisting of two machines separated by a finite storage buffer. The system is described as a distributed parameter system defined by a coupled partial and ordinary differential equations and formulated as an abstract Cauchy problem. To derive the dynamical solution and some instantaneous indexes of the model, we present a simple finite difference scheme and establish the convergence of this scheme by employing Trotter–Kato Theorem. Numerical results are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the scheme.     

Asymptotic solution method for a quasilinear minimum force control problem

For a transient process in a quasilinear system, we consider an optimization problem of finding a (multi-dimensional) control with minimum intensity. We suggest an algorithm for constructing asymptotic approximations to the solution of this problem. The main advantage of the algorithm is that an optimal control problem for a linear system is solved instead of the original essentially nonlinear problem.