A Survey of Reachability and Controllability for Positive Linear Systems

This paper is a survey of reachability and controllability results for discrete-time positive linear systems. It presents a variety of criteria in both algebraic and digraph forms for recognising these fundamental system properties with direct implications not only in dynamic optimization problems (such as those arising in inventory and production control, manpower planning, scheduling and other areas of operations research) but also in studying properties of reachable sets, in feedback control problems, and others. The paper highlights the intrinsic combinatorial structure of reachable/controllable positive linear systems and reveals the monomial components of such systems. The system matrix decomposition into monomial components is demonstrated by solving some illustrative examples.     

A role for M -matrices in modelling population growth

Adopting a discrete-time cohort-type model to represent the dynamics of a population, the problem of achieving a desired total size of the population under a balanced growth (contraction) and the problem of maintaining the desired size, once achieved, are studied. Properties of positive-time systems and M-matrices are used to develop the results, which are illustrated using simple examples. The material is presented in a format that makes it appropriate as background material for interesting applications based modelling assignments on undergraduate programmes in the mathematical sciences, applied sciences, economics and technology. All relevant properties of both positive-time systems and M-matrices are presented and clarified at the outset.