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This paper is concerned with the growth-driven shape-programming problem, which involves determining a growth tensor that can produce a deformation on a hyperelastic body reaching a given target shape. We consider the two cases of globally compatible growth, where the growth tensor is a deformation gradient over the undeformed domain, and the incompatible one, which discards such hypothesis. We formulate the problem within the framework of optimal control theory in hyperelasticity. The Hausdorff distance is used to quantify dissimilarities between shapes; the complexity of the actuation is incorporated in the cost functional as well. Boundary conditions and external loads are allowed in the state law, thus extending previous works where the stress-free hypothesis turns out to be essential. A rigorous mathematical analysis is then carried out to prove the well-posedness of the problem. The numerical approximation is performed using gradient-based optimisation algorithms. Our main goal in this part is to show the possibility to apply inverse techniques for the numerical approximation of this problem, which allows us to address more generic situations than those covered by analytical approaches. Several numerical experiments for beam-like and shell-type geometries illustrate the performance of the proposed numerical scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To have a more realistic model, in this paper, This manuscript is devoted to investigating a fractional-order mathematical model of Kouidere et al. That describes the dynamics of spread of African swine fever virus (ASFV). The aim of this work is to protect susceptible pigs from the virus, In our model, by including three controls which represent: the iron fencing and spraying pesticides and get rid. The aims of this paper is to reduce the number of infected pigs and ticks by using optimal control strategy and fractinal order derivation. Pontryagin's maximal principle is used to describe optimal controls with Caputo time-fractional derivative and the optimal system is resolved in an iterative manner. Numerical simulations are presented based on the presented method. We finished tis article with a conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GM (1, N) model is an important prediction model among gray models, but the conventional GM (1, N) model shows big errors sometimes mainly due to the structural inconsistency between the gray differential equation for parameter estimation and the whitening equation for prediction. The paper derives the modified model of conventional gray differential equation based on the whitening equation, and the gray differential equation obtained in this way has the structure basically consistent with the structure of whitening equation. The paper estimates parameters with the gray differential equation of modified GM (1, N) model and gives three parameter estimation methods with different background values. The time response equation for conventional GM (1, N) model generally has no analytical solution, but the paper gives a specific solving method for the time response equation of modified model. The example proves that the modified GM (1, N) model given and the models built with the methods proposed improve the simulation and prediction accuracy significantly compared with the conventional model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A characteristic of ecosystems is the existence of manifold of independencies which are highly complex. Various mathematical models have made considerable contributions in gaining a better understanding of the predator–prey interactions. The main components of any predator–prey models are, firstly, how the different population classes grow and secondly, how the prey and predator interacts. In this paper, the two populations’ growth rates obey the logistic law and the carrying capacity of the predator depends on the available number of prey are considered. Our aim is to clarify the relationship between models and Holling types functional and numerical responses in order to gain insights into predator interferences and to answer an important question how competition is carried out. We consider a predator–prey model and a two-predator one-prey model to explain the idea. The novel approach is explained for the mechanism measurement of predator interference through depending on numerical response. Our approach gives good correspondence between an important real data and computer simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the gray prediction, the GM(1,1) model has been applied widely, but the conventional GM(1,1) model prediction shows big errors sometimes. Many researchers improve prediction accuracy by changing the basic structure of model. The paper tries to make improvements in the models parameter estimation on the basis of new background value optimization without changing the models structure, and gives the following four methods: (1) estimating the parameter of gray model GM(1,1) with the optimized value of exponential curve as the background value; (2) estimating the parameter of gray model GM(1,1) with the optimized value of power function curve as the background value; (3) estimating the parameter of gray model GM(1,1) with the optimized value of polynomial curve as the background value; (4) estimating the parameter of gray model GM(1,1) with the optimized value of interpolation function as the background value. The last part of the paper builds the GM(1,1) model of China's total clean energy consumption with the four improved methods. The simulation and prediction results show that these methods all improve the prediction accuracy of model significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until finding medicines or vaccines for newly outbreaking infectious diseases, the mostly applying control strategies are maintaining social distancing, quarantining suspected exposures, and isolating infectious people. This paper proposes a mathematical model for control strategies of COVID-19, considering population sub-classes susceptible (S), Exposed (E), Quarantined (Q), Infected (I), Isolated (J), and Recovered (R). Mathematical models consisting of these sub-classes are called SEQIJR type models. The basic reproduction number of the proposed mathematical model is derived based on the next-generation matrix. Based on the basic reproduction number of the model, the disease dies out and the disease persists parameter spaces are determined. The effects of the rates and applying stages of the control strategies on the spread of the disease are explained. Outcomes of the proposed model are helpful to identify suitable stages and strengths of the control strategies to control the disease, considering available health care capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mathematical study of the growth and treatment of cancer has been of great interest to researchers in the recent past as that can help clinical practitioners in adopting new treatment strategies to fight effectively against cancer. Although chemotherapy is the most common method of cancer treatment, the drug-resistant nature of tumor cells and the toxic effect of chemotherapeutic drugs on normal cells are major threats to the success of chemotherapy. In this paper, we propose a multi-drug chemotherapy model combined with an optimal control approach in which the amount of drugs is taken as control functions. The underlying mathematical model discusses the evolution of a heterogeneous tumor population and the dynamics of normal cells under chemotherapy. The model incorporates the pharmacokinetics of the anticancer agents as well. The proposed optimal control approach ensures maximum decay of the tumor cells while preserving a sufficient level of normal cells that would help faster recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematical models have shed light on the dynamics of HIV- 1 infection in vivo. In this paper, we generalize continuous mathematical models of drug therapy for HIV-1 by Perelson et al. (Science 271:1582–1586, 1996) and Perelson and Nelson (SIAM Rev 41:3–44, 1999) on time scales, i.e., a nonempty closed subset of real numbers in order to derive new discrete models that predict the total concentration of plasma virus as a function of time. One of our main goals is to compare discrete mathematical models with the continuous model in Perelson et al. (1996) where HIV infected patients were given protease inhibitors and sampled frequently thereafter. For the comparison, we use experimental data collected in Perelson et al. (1996) and estimate the parameters such as the virion clearance rate and the rate of loss of infected cells by fitting the total concentration of plasma virus to this data set. Our results show that discrete systems describe the best fit. In the previous models of this study, the efficacy of protease inhibitor is assumed to be perfect. Motivated by Perelson and Nelson (1999), we end the paper with a mathematical model of imperfect protease inhibitor and reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitor combination therapy of HIV-1 infection on time scales with its stability analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work reported in this paper deals with the study of a coupled system for fractional terminal value problems involving ψ-Hilfer fractional derivative. The existence and uniqueness theorems to the problem at hand are investigated. Besides, the stability analysis in the Ulam–Hyers sense of a given system is studied. Our discussion is based upon known fixed point theorems of Banach and Krasnoselskii. Examples are also provided to demonstrate the applicability of our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the world is moving into the 4th Industrial revolution, commonly referred to as Industry 4.0, mass production is giving way to mass customization. This shift necessitates a change in the design of the assembly line with flexibility and multi variant manufacturing taking precedence. These kind of assembly lines that can manufacture multiple models without a predetermined manufacturing time are referred to as mixed model stochastic assembly lines. This paper looks at how such a mixed model stochastic assembly line can be modelled. This is done by taking the case study of a water bottling plant that is being developed at the university where this research is conducted. The water bottling plant needs to produce 500 ml and 750 ml bottles of clean drinking water which can be used within the university or be sold externally. The primary aim of this paper is to develop a MATLAB model for the water bottling plant and study the results from the simulations. These results will shed light on how the model can be optimized thereby contribute to the niche area of Mixed Model Stochastic Assembly Line Balancing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to establish the existence and uniqueness of solutions to impulsive stochastic Volterra integral equations driven by Lévy process (ISVIEs, in short). By employing the averaging method, we propose a simplified form for ISVIEs. Moreover, we prove that the solutions of ISVIEs can be approximated by the solutions of the simplified one without impulses in the sense of mean square and in probability. Finally, two examples are presented to illustrate the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we deal with Caputo-type fractional differential inequality where there is a low-order fractional derivative with the term polynomial source. We investigate the nonexistence of nontrivial global solutions in a suitable space via the test function technique and some properties of fractional integrals. Finally, we demonstrate three examples to illustrate our results. The presented results are more general than those in the literature, which can be obtained as particular cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), a highly destructive and fast spreading agricultural pest native to North and South America, poses a real threat to global food security. In this paper, to explore the dynamics and implications of fall armyworm outbreak in a field of maize biomass, we propose a new dynamical system for maize biomass and fall armyworm interaction via Caputo fractional-order operator, which is not only a nonlocal operator but also contains all characteristics concerned with memory of the dynamical system. We define the basic reproduction number, which represents the average number of newborns produced by one individual female moth during its life span. We establish that the basic reproduction number is a threshold quantity, which determines persistence and extinction of the pest. Finally, we simulate the Caputo system using the Adam–Bashforth–Moulton method to illustrate the main results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a state-of-art survey of the research on fractional-order (FO) modeling with parameter identification, and FO estimation methods for state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), and remaining usage life (RUL) of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) mainly in recent five years. FO electrochemical models and six different types of FO equivalent circuit models (ECMs) are introduced in detail. Then, the corresponding tuning algorithm for parameters of these FO models are also provided in brief. Moreover, FO estimation methods for SOC are listed and analyzed, mainly including FO observers, and FO Kalman filters (FO-KFs). SOH and RUL estimation is another vital aspect for LIBs ageing and degradation monitoring, thus FO estimation methods proposed in recent research within five years are all listed. Finally, some suggestions that may be helpful for further research are proposed in conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every year, millions of people worldwide (including a major portion in China) are suffering from lung cancer disease (Chinese report of Smoking and Health 2017). The aim of this paper is to develop a new fuzzy soft expert system which can be used to predict lung cancer disease. A prediction process using this fuzzy soft expert system is composed of four main steps: (1) Transform real-valued inputs into fuzzy numbers. (2) Transform fuzzy numbers of data into fuzzy soft sets. (3) Reduce, using normal parameter reduction method, the obtained family of fuzzy soft sets into a new family of fuzzy soft sets. (4) Use the proposed algorithm to get the output data. An experiment is conducted on forty five patients (thirty males, fifteen females, all are cigarette smokers) who endure treatment in the Respiratory Department of Nanjing Chest Hospital, China. The number of training data taken was 55 records, and the remaining 45 records were used for the testing process in our system by using weight loss, shortness of breath, chest pain, persistence a cough, blood in sputum, and age of patients. The quantized accuracies of the proposed system were found to be 100 % . In this work, we developed a fuzzy soft expert system based on fuzzy soft sets; we used a fuzzy membership functions and an algorithm to predict those patients who may suffer lung cancer. In this way, it is possible to conclude that the use of fuzzy soft expert system can produce valuable results for lung cancer detection. It is found that the fuzzy soft expert system developed is useful to the expert doctor to decide if a patient has lung cancer or not. Finally, we introduce comparison diagnosed between our proposed system and the fuzzy inference system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces an impulsive differential equation model useful in exploring the efficacy of activated charcoal in detoxifying a body suffering from methanol poisoning. Every year many individuals die due to methanol poisoning, mainly in the low income classes of the society. Among them, a large number of people die even before initial treatment. This work can provide a better knowledge on simple and inexpensive first aid to those affected individuals by administration of activated charcoal. Activated charcoal can be used as a universal antidote for many poisons because of its adsorbing ability. By using impulsive differential equations, we have studied the adsorption capacity of activated charcoal. Analytically we have shown the non-negativity, boundedness of the enzyme-methanol reaction model and emphasized on the formulation of absorption function for activated charcoal. The results obtained from analytical as well as numerical study give a basic idea of first aid within the general public and primary health centers, which can reduce the deaths caused by methanol poisoning in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How will bounded rationality influence telecommunication network fluctuations? Recently, there has been an increased research interest in telecommunication network pricing, which leads to many proposals for new pricing schemes motivated by different objectives namely: to maximize service provider's revenue, to guarantee fairness among users and to satisfy quality of service (QoS) requirements for differentiated network services. In the present paper, we consider a system with N rational service providers (SPs) that offer homogeneous telecommunication services to bounded rational costumers. All SPs offer the same services and seek to persuade more customers in the same system, we model this conflict as a noncooperative game. On the one hand, each SP decide his policies of price and QoS in order to maximize his profit. One the other hand, we assume that the customers are boundedly rational and make their subscription decisions probabilistically, according to Luce choice probabilities. Furthermore, the customers decide to which SP to subscribe, each one may migrate to another SP or alternatively switch to "no subscription state" depending on the observed price/QoS. In this work, we have proved through a detailed analysis the existence and uniqueness of Nash equilibrium. We evaluate the impact of user's bounded rationality on the equilibrium of game. Using the price of anarchy, we examine the performance and efficiency of equilibrium. We have shown that the SPs have an interest in confusing customers, which means more than the customers are irrational, the SPs earn more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is to develop a new partial differential equation model for the pattern formation of the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, starting from a newly developed model of selected gene regulation mechanisms. In our model, we do not only account for the bacteria densities and nutrient concentrations, but also for the quorum sensing and biofilm components, since they enable bacteria to coordinate their behavior and provide the environment in which the colony grows. To this end, we model the relevant gene regulation systems using ordinary differential equations and therefrom derive our evolution equations for quorum sensing and biofilm environment by time-scale arguments. Furthermore, we compare and validate our model and the corresponding simulation results with biological real data observations of Staphylococcus aureus mutant colony growth in the laboratory. We show that we are able to adequately display the qualitative biological features of pattern formation in selected mutants, using the parameter changes indicated by the gene regulation mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the optimization problem of maximizing biogas production at steady state in a two-stage anaerobic digestion model, which was initially proposed in Bernard et al. (Biotechnol Bioeng 75(4):424-438, 2001). Nominal operating points, consisting of steady states where the involved microorganisms coexist, are usually referred to as desired operational conditions, in particular for maximizing biogas production. Nevertheless, we prove that under some conditions related to input substrate concentrations and microorganism biology, characterized by their growth functions, the optimal steady state can be the extinction of one of the two species. We provide some numerical examples of this situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with terrestrial locomotion systems. Worms and snakes are living paragons for the development of biological inspired crawling robots. We set up certain models of worm- and snake-like locomotion systems and present purely analytical investigations in this paper. We try to follow an analytical framework, i.e., analyzing kinematics at first. Later on, we switch to dynamics and control of these models, to get hints for a technical development. The systems are modeled as chains of mass points. The mass points are interconnected via massless links with time-varying link-length. In contrast to the literature, the snake systems exhibit passive joints, but active links and rotatable skids. The combination of shape variation (via active links) together with the ground contact (via ideal spikes guaranteeing a one-sided velocity restriction) results in a global movement of the systems — undulatory locomotion. In dynamics, these link functions should be adjusted via, e.g., a force actuator between each mass point. Because it is impossible to determine a-priori these force outputs generating a desired gait, we apply an adaptive controller which adjusts these force outputs on-line on its own and λ -tracks a certain gait to achieve a movement of the whole system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim in this work is to synthesize optimal feeding strategies that maximize, over a time period, the biogas production in a continuously filled bioreactor controlled by its dilution rate. Such an anaerobic process is described by a four-dimensional dynamical system. Instead of modeling the optimization of the biogas production as a Lagrange-type optimal control problem, we propose a slightly different optimal control approach in this paper: We study the minimal time control problem to reach a target point, which is chosen in such a way that it maximizes the biogas production at steady state. Thanks to the Pontryagin maximum principle and the geometric control theory, we provide an optimal feedback control for the minimal time control problem, when the initial conditions are taken within the invariant and attractive manifold of the system. The optimal synthesis exhibits turnpike and anti-turnpike singular arcs and a cut locus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have seen the introduction of non-local interactions in various fields. A typical example of a non-local interaction is where the convolution kernel incorporates short-range activation and long-range inhibition. This paper presents the relationship between non-local interactions and reaction-diffusion systems in the following sense: (a) the relationship between the instability induced by non-local interaction and diffusion-driven instability; (b) the realization of non-local interactions by reaction-diffusion systems. More precisely, it is shown that the non-local interaction of a Mexican-hat kernel destabilizes the stable homogeneous state and that this instability is related to diffusion-driven instability. Furthermore, a reaction-diffusion system that approximates the non-local interaction system with any even convolution kernel is shown to exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interconnected systems are an important class of mathematical models, as they allow for the construction of complex, hierarchical, multiphysics, and multiscale models by the interconnection of simpler subsystems. Lagrange-Dirac mechanical systems provide a broad category of mathematical models that are closed under interconnection, and in this paper, we develop a framework for the interconnection of discrete Lagrange-Dirac mechanical systems, with a view toward constructing geometric structure-preserving discretizations of interconnected systems. This work builds on previous work on the interconnection of continuous Lagrange-Dirac systems (Jacobs and Yoshimura in J Geom Mech 6(1):67-98, 2014) and discrete Dirac variational integrators (Leok and Ohsawa in Found Comput Math 11(5), 529-562, 2011). We test our results by simulating some of the continuous examples given in Jacobs and Yoshimura (2014). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the relation between large-scale and small-scale functionality is an acute problem in large systems. This paper presents possible structures that capture those relations. Here “structure” means a functor on a category, in this case the category of “combinatorial systems” that model manufacturing systems and supply networks. The details of the dynamics of these systems are frequently the domain of specialists and are ill understood outside such areas. Clustering activities in subsystems introduces covers as scales of analysis. This allows the development of sheaves of schedules and their properties which are analyzed by an adaptation of Čech cohomology. These are applied in supply networks to characterize the fragmentation of these networks and to characterize the conditions for local changes in schedules to extend to the whole system. The intent of this paper is to see sheaves and their cohomology as analytical probes that can enhance our understanding of large-scale systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In living organisms, cascades of covalent modification cycles are one of the major intracellular signaling mechanisms, allowing to transduce physical or chemical stimuli of the external world into variations of activated biochemical species within the cell. In this paper, we develop a novel method to study the stimulus-response of signaling cascades and overall the concept of pathway activation profile which is, for a given stimulus, the sequence of activated proteins at each tier of the cascade. Our approach is based on a correspondence that we establish between the stationary states of a cascade and pieces of orbits of a 2D discrete dynamical system. The study of its possible phase portraits in function of the biochemical parameters, and in particular of the contraction/expansion properties around the fixed points of this discrete map, as well as their bifurcations, yields a classification of the cascade tiers into three main types, whose biological impact within a signaling network is examined. In particular, our approach enables to discuss quantitatively the notion of cascade amplification/attenuation from this new perspective. The method allows also to study the interplay between forward and 'retroactive' signaling, i.e., the upstream influence of an inhibiting drug bound to the last tier of the cascade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider global stability for an anthrax model with distributed delay. The model incorporates vaccination and carcass disposal. The basic reproduction number of the anthrax model is derived, which completely determine the stability of equilibria. By using the direct Lyapunov method and constructing appropriate Lyapunov functional, the global stability for the anthrax epidemic model with distributed delay is investigated. It is shown that the disease-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable if the basic reproduction number is less than one, and the unique endemic equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable if the basic reproduction number is greater than one. In addition, numerical simulation results are presented to demonstrate the analytical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building industry is becoming very important in sustainable development. The recently developed policies in European Union directives on energy and their transposition to Spanish regulations make the Energy Performance Certification process for buildings mandatory. Two software tools have been developed in Spain to carry out this process: Lider and Calener. These software tools have been used in this paper to simulate energy performance in new semidetached houses after taking into account the thermal envelope of the building and facilities. This has been done in different climatic zones in Spain and for all the possible energy ratings. Based on the energy rating and construction cost variables, it has been possible to obtain mathematical models that explain the behaviour of global costs of buildings based on energy ratings and climatic zones. Depreciation costs, maintenance costs, energy consumption and CO2emissions during the service life of a house have also been modelled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies some problems related to the stability and the spectral radius of a finite set of matrices. A seasonal epidemic model is given to illustrate the use of the obtained results. In this example, the relationship between the obtained results and the stability of a discrete time periodic linear system is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the paper we propose a model describing interaction characteristics of hydrated ions in the mixtures of uni-univalent electrolytes with a common ion. The main factor taken into consideration is a variation of the hydrate shell size in the mixture from its value in the binary solution. Account of this factor gives a possibility to calculate the corresponding variation of the potential describing the mutual ions interaction. The potential is the sum of the electrostatic potential of ions and potential resulted from deformation of approaching hydrated shells. On this basis it is possible to explain the behavior of curves describing the activity coefficients in the mixtures of electrolytes in the range of concentrations from zero to several moles per liter. The results obtained by a numerical modelling are verified by comparing with the available experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bregman iterative algorithms have been extensively used forand total variation regularization problems, allowing to obtain simple, fast and effective algorithms. In this paper, three already-available algorithms for geosounding inversion are modified by including them in a Bregman iterative procedure. The resulting algorithms are easy to implement and do not require any optimization package. Modelling results are presented for synthetic and field data, observing better convergence properties than the original versions, avoiding the need of any continuation descent procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers hyperbolic heat conduction model for biological tissue freezing during cryosurgery with non ideal property of tissue, metabolism and blood perfusion. Mathematical model is solved numerically using finite difference method to obtain temperature distribution and phase change interfaces in tissue during freezing. The effects of phase lag of heat flux in hyperbolic bio-heat model on freezing process are studied. Comparative study of parabolic and hyperbolic bio-heat models is also made here. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Human habitat connectivity, movement rates, and spatial heterogeneity have tremendous impact on malaria transmission. In this paper, a deterministic system of differential equations for malaria transmission incorporating human movements and the development of drug resistance malaria in an $$n$$ patch system is presented. The disease-free equilibrium of the model is globally asymptotically stable when the associated reproduction number is less than unity. For a two patch case, the boundary equilibria (drug sensitive-only and drug resistance-only boundary equilibria) when there is no movement between the patches are shown to be locally asymptotically stable when they exist; the co-existence equilibrium is locally asymptotically stable whenever the reproduction number for the drug sensitive malaria is greater than the reproduction number for the resistance malaria. Furthermore, numerical simulations of the connected two patch model (when there is movement between the patches) suggest that co-existence or competitive exclusion of the two strains can occur when the respective reproduction numbers of the two strains exceed unity. With slow movement (or low migration) between the patches, the drug sensitive strain dominates the drug resistance strain. However, with fast movement (or high migration) between the patches, the drug resistance strain dominates the drug sensitive strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vendor–retailer collaboration has an important role in supply chain management. Although vendor–retailer collaboration results in better supply chain profit, collaboration is difficult to realize. This is because most vendors and retailers try to optimize their own profit. This paper applies the Stackelberg game with stochastic demand for the vendor–retailer system. The vendor as a leader determines the product price, and the retailer decides order quantity and frequency of price markdown. This study develops example and sensitivity analyses to illustrate the theory. Results show that the price markdown option has a better total supply chain profit than without a price markdown policy, and the vendor receives more benefit. For different demand variances, the retailer profit is more sensitive than the vendor profit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new reliable algorithm called the multistage homotopy analysis method (MHAM) based on an adaptation of the standard homotopy analysis method (HAM) is presented to solve a time-fractional enzyme kinetics. This enzyme–substrate reaction is formed by a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations of fractional order. The new algorithm is only a simple modification of the HAM, in which it is treated as an algorithm in a sequence of small intervals (i.e. time step) for finding accurate approximate solutions to the corresponding systems. Numerical comparisons between the MHAM and the classical fourth-order Runge–Kutta method in the case of integer-order derivatives reveal that the new technique is a promising tool for nonlinear systems of integer and fractional order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student academic underachievement is a concern of paramount importance in Europe, where around 15% of the students in the last high school courses do not achieve the minimum knowledge academic requirement. In this paper, we propose a model based on a system of differential equations to study the dynamics of the students’ academic performance in the German region of the North Rhine-Westphalia. This approach is supported by the idea that both good and bad study habits, are a mixture of personal decisions and influence of classmates. This model allows us to forecast the student academic performance by means of confidence intervals over the next few years. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The consistency of identification algorithms for systems with colored noises is a main topic in system identification. This paper focuses on the extended stochastic gradient (ESG) identification algorithm for the multivariable linear systems with moving average noises. By integrating the noise regression terms and the noise model parameters into the information matrix and the parameter vector, and based on the gradient search principle, the ESG algorithm is presented. The unknown noise terms in the information matrix are replaced with their estimates. The convergence analysis shows that the parameter estimation error converges to zero under a persistent excitation condition. Two simulation examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective tuberculosis (TB) control depends on case findings to discover infectious cases, investigation of contacts of those with TB, as well as appropriate treatment. Adherence and successful completion of the treatment are equally important. Unfortunately, due to a number of personal, psychosocial, economic, medical, and health service factors, a significant number of TB patients become irregular and default from treatment. In this paper, a mathematical model is developed to assess the impact of early therapy for latent TB and non-adherence on controlling TB transmission dynamics. Equilibrium states of the model are determined and their local stability is examined. With the aid of the center manifold theory, it is established that the model undergoes a backward bifurcation. Qualitative mathematical analysis of the model suggests that a high level of latent tuberculosis case findings, coupled with a decrease of defaulting rate, may be effective in controlling TB transmission dynamics in the community. Population-level effects of organized campaigns to improve early therapy and to guarantee successful completion of each treatment are evaluated through numerical simulations and presented in support of the analytical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper we describe the moments of a stochastic model of the Additive Increase Multiplicative Decrease (AIMD) algorithm. AIMD is the algorithm that underpins the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which is used extensively in the internet. We prove that the Markov chain describing TCP has the remarkable property that all moments converge to their asymptotes at exactly the same rate. Further, we illustrate how a closed form solution can be obtained from the network properties, and this formula is explicitly calculated for the case of the third moment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper focuses on identification problems for Hammerstein systems with non-uniform sampling. By using the over-parameterization technique, we derive a linear regressive identification model with different input updating rates. To solve the identification problem of Hammerstein output error systems with the unmeasurable variables in the information vector, the least-squares-based iterative algorithm is presented by replacing the unmeasurable variables with their corresponding iterative estimates. The performances of the proposed algorithm are analysed and compared by using a numerical example. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The mass of leaf is a key factor to estimate the magnitude of biogenic hydrocarbon emission. In this paper, following the minimum material consumption assumption and the conservation law of energy, we build a mathematical model to calculate the mass of leaf, crown and the whole tree, respectively. Also, we translate the shape of crown to match the solution of a second order differential equations with boundary value conditions. Meanwhile, we try to explore what does the climatic zone affect the shape and thickness of leaf. In the simulation section, by using the measured data for 14 trees in 3 different species, we present various simulation results through our models and formulas. Finally, following our models and formulas, we find out some hidden relationships: 1. There is an intrinsic link between the single leaf area and the hardness of the stem; 2. There is an interconnected relationship between the shape of leaf and the shape of tree; 3. There are lots of trees with large and thick leaves living in the torrid zone and few in the cold zone. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we introduce ordinary and delay differential equations to describe the interactions between a malignant tumour and the immune systemin vivoin the presence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection of CD4+T-cells. In the delay model, we take into account the time lags required by the healthy effector cell components to recognize the pathogens and tumour cells. The models consist of four populations: tumour cells, healthy effector cells (CD4+T-cells), effector cells infected by HIVs and free viral particles. The presence of delay term in the model leads to a notable increase in the complexity of the observed behaviour. We investigate the qualitative behaviour of the models and find the conditions that guarantee the asymptotic stability of the steady states. Numerical simulations are provided to illustrate and extend the theoretical results. The obtained results are consistent with the real phenomena and give a better understanding of cancer immunity and viral oncogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although diseases such as influenza, tuberculosis and SARS are transmitted through an environmentally mediated mechanism, most modeling work on these topics is based on the concepts of infectious contact and direct transmission. In this paper we use a paradigm model to show that environmental transmission appears like direct transmission in the case where the pathogen persists little time in the environment. Furthermore, we formulate conditions for the validity of this modeling approximation and we illustrate them numerically for the cases of cholera and influenza. According to our results based on recently published parameter estimates, the direct transmission approximation fails for both cholera and influenza. While environmental transmission is typically chosen over direct transmission in modeling cholera, this is not the case for influenza. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyze the recruitment effects of susceptible and infected individuals in order to assess the productivity of an organizational labor force in the presence of HIV/AIDS with preventive and HAART treatment measures in enhancing the workforce output. We consider constant controls as well as time-dependent controls. In the constant control case, we calculate the basic reproduction number and investigate the existence and stability of equilibria. The model is found to exhibit backward and Hopf bifurcations, implying that for the disease to be eradicated, the basic reproductive number must be below a critical value of less than one. We also investigate, by calculating sensitivity indices, the sensitivity of the basic reproductive number to the model's parameters. In the time-dependent control case, we use Pontryagin's maximum principle to derive necessary conditions for the optimal control of the disease. Finally, numerical simulations are performed to illustrate the analytical results. The cost-effectiveness analysis results show that optimal efforts on recruitment (HIV screening of applicants, etc.) is not the most cost-effective strategy to enhance productivity in the organizational labor force. Hence, to enhance employees' productivity, effective education programs and strict adherence to preventive measures should be promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, we develop a simple two species prey–predator model in which the predator is partially coupled with alternative prey. The aim is to study the consequences of providing additional food to the predator as well as the effects of harvesting efforts applied to both the species. It is observed that the provision of alternative food to predator is not always beneficial to the system. A complete picture of the long run dynamics of the system is discussed based on the effort pair as control parameters. Optimal augmentations of prey and predator biomass at final time have been investigated by optimal control theory. Also the short and large time effects of the application of optimal control have been discussed. Finally, some numerical illustrations are given to verify our analytical results with the help of different sets of parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a deterministic malaria transmission model in the presence of a drug-resistant strain is investigated. The model is studied using stability theory of differential equations, optimal control, and computer simulation. The threshold condition for disease-free equilibrium is found to be locally asymptotically stable and can only be achieved in the absence of a drug-resistant strain in the population. The existence of multiple endemic equilibria is also established. Both the Sensitivity Index (SI) of the model parameters and the Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (ICER) for all possible combinations of the disease-control measures are determined. Our results revealed among others that the most cost-effective strategy for drug-resistant malaria control is the combination of the provision of basic amenities (such as access to clean water, electricity, good roads, health care, and education) and treatment of infective individuals. Therefore, more efforts from policy-makers on the provisions of basic amenities and treatment of infectives would go a long way to combat the malaria epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probabilistic finite state automata (PFSA) have found their applications in diverse systems. This paper presents the construction of an inner-product space structure on a class of PFSA over the real field via an algebraic approach. The vector space is constructed in a stationary setting, which eliminates the need for an initial state in the specification of PFSA. This algebraic model formulation avoids any reference to the related notion of probability measures induced by a PFSA. A formal language-theoretic and symbolic modeling approach is adopted. Specifically, semantic models are constructed in the symbolic domain in an algebraic setting. Applicability of the theoretical formulation has been demonstrated on experimental data for robot motion recognition in a laboratory environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient and reliable control of an electric arc furnace (EAF) is a challenging problem, due to the strong intercorrelation among process variables, the large dimension of the input and output space, the strong interaction among process variables, a large time delay, and a highly nonlinear behaviour. This paper presents a model that allows us to optimize the control and, therefore, the electric power consumption in an EAF. The data used for this study were collected from Bizkaia Steel Mill (Arcelor Company). Neural network and fuzzy logic techniques have been applied on these data in order to get an improved model of the casting temperature inside the furnace's hearth. First, we developed some neural network models with different topologies and input variables. Then we used the best model obtained in the previous step to combine it with a fuzzy logic technique to get the final model. Comparison with experimental data and other models is carried out to validate the proposed model. Finally, the conclusions and future studies are exposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systems Biology is the science that aims to understand how biological function absent from macromolecules in isolation, arises when they are components of their system. Dedicated to the memory of Reinhart Heinrich, this paper discusses the origin and evolution of the new part of systems biology that relates to metabolic and signal-transduction pathways and extends mathematical biology so as to address postgenomic experimental reality. Various approaches to modeling the dynamics generated by metabolic and signal-transduction pathways are compared. The silicon cell approach aims to describe the intracellular network of interest precisely, by numerically integrating the precise rate equations that characterize the ways macromolecules’ interact with each other. The non-equilibrium thermodynamic or ‘lin–log’ approach approximates the enzyme rate equations in terms of linear functions of the logarithms of the concentrations. Biochemical Systems Analysis approximates in terms of power laws. Importantly all these approaches link system behavior to molecular interaction properties. The latter two do this less precisely but enable analytical solutions. By limiting the questions asked, to optimal flux patterns, or to control of fluxes and concentrations around the (patho)physiological state, Flux Balance Analysis and Metabolic/Hierarchical Control Analysis again enable analytical solutions. Both the silicon cell approach and Metabolic/Hierarchical Control Analysis are able to highlight where and how system function derives from molecular interactions. The latter approach has also discovered a set of fundamental principles underlying the control of biological systems. The new law that relates concentration control to control by time is illustrated for an important signal transduction pathway, i.e. nuclear hormone receptor signaling such as relevant to bone formation. It is envisaged that there is much more Mathematical Biology to be discovered in the area between molecules and Life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]