This paper presents a simple and computationally tractable method which recursively computes the stationary probabilities of the queue size in an M/G/1 queueing system with variable service rate. For each service two possible service types are available and the service rule is characterized by two switch-over levels. The computational approach discussed in this paper can be applied to a variety of queueing problems.

For the distribution function of the busy period in the M/G/l queueing system with traffic intensity less than one it is shown that the tail varies regularly at infinity iff the tail of the service time varies regularly at infinity.

The general part of the Borel-Cantelli lemma says that for any sequence of events (An) defined on a probability space (Ω, Σ, P), the divergence of ΣnP(An) is necessary for P(An i.o.) to be one (see e.g. [1]). The sufficient direction is confined to the case where the An are independent. This paper provides a simple counterpart of this lemma in the sense that the independence condition is replaced by for some . We will see that this property of (An) may frequently be assumed without loss of generality. We also disclose a useful duality which allows straightforward conclusions without selecting independent sequences. A simple random walk example and a new result in the theory of ϕ -branching processes will show the tractability of the method.

In this paper we consider the GI/M/1 queueing model with infinite waiting-room capacity. The customer arriving at t = 0 will find k — 1 customers waiting. The latter customers belong to a second priority class, whereas the ones arriving in [0,∞) belong to a first priority class and have the higher priority. Within each class we have a first-in-first-out queueing discipline. A customer, once at the service-point, remains there until his service is completed. Then the next customer for service is the one of highest priority among those queueing.

For this model we derive the transient waiting times for customers belonging to both priority classes. The results are of special interest in appointment systems where customers may not turn up.

Some properties of the number of up- and downcrossings over level u, in a special case of regenerative processes are discussed. Two basic relations between the density functions and the expected number of upcrossings of this process are derived. Using these reults, two examples of controlled M/G/1 queueing systems are solved. Simple relations are derived for the waiting time distribution conditioned on the phase of control encountered by an arriving customer. The Laplace-Stieltjes transform of the distribution function of the waiting time of an arbitrary customer is also derived for each of these two examples.

Consider N sources, each of which transmits signals according to a renewal process with a common, known, underlying distribution. Sequential point estimators for N, which are asymptotically efficient in comparison to the best fixed stopping strategy, are derived. Confidence statements for N, and applications to the problem of estimating finite populations are discussed.

The exact limiting distribution, and moments, of the stopping time we use, which was suggested by Starr, are derived.

It is proved that under certain conditions the probability of explosion of a first point process is not larger than the probability of explosion of a second point process if the intensities of both processes fulfil the same inequality.

A number of stochastic properties for a model of traffic flowing in a single lane are derived. The arrival process used is one which models (a) the bunching phenomenon of traffic and (b) the fact that vehicles have a spatial dimension and travel at minimum temporal spacing. Weak assumptions about the desired speeds of vehicles are made.

It is well known that the number of renewals in the time interval [0, t] for an ordinary renewal process is approximately normally distributed under general conditions. We give a remainder term estimate for this normal distribution approximation.

Two types of representations for relation between queue-size and waiting-time distributions are studied. By using these, an incomplete but conceptually nice generalization of Pollaczek–Khinchine formula for mean waiting time for M/G/c is obtained.

A target is assumed to move according to a Wiener process in ℝ1. The probability of detecting the target is computed in terms of the search effort which accumulates along the target's path. Under certain independence assumptions this probability is given by the expectation of an exponential functional of the process. It is shown in this note that the failure probability in a search for a Wiener target is asymptotically proportional to , where T is the accumulated time spent searching. The asymptotic failure probability is also shown to be independent of the position of the search in ℝ1. In a similar fashion, it is shown that the failure probability in a search for a Wiener target in ℝ2 is independent of the position of the search and asymptotically proportional to (c log T + l)–1, c >0

In the general epidemic model we study the first two moments of the final size. Beginning with the backwards equation, algebraic methods are used to find their asymptotic series expansions as the population size increases.

We offer a short proof that the bridging condition introduced by Whittle is sufficient for regularity in negative dynamic programming. We exploit concavity of the optimal value operator and do not need a special treatment of the case when optimal policies do not exist.

Let Yn be the maximum of n independent positive random variables with common distribution function F and let Sn be their sum. Then converges to zero in probability if and only if is slowly varying. This result implies that in a supercritical Galton-Watson process which does not become extinct, there cannot be a sequence {τ n} of particles, each descended from the preceding one, such that the fraction of all particles which are descendants of τ n does not converge to zero as n →∞. Weakly m-adic trees, which behave to some extent like sample Galton-Watson trees, can have such sequences of particles.

A well-known result in the theory of random walks states that E{X2} is finite if and only if E{Z+} and E{Z_} are both finite (Z+ and Z_ being the ladder heights and X a typical step-length) in which case E{X2} = 2E{Z+}E{Z_}. This paper contains results relating the existence of moments of X of order ß to the existence of the moments of Z+ and Z_ of order ß – 1. The main result is that if β > 2 E{|X|β} < ∞ if and only if and are both finite.

Tandem queues are analyzed. An upper bound for the stationary expected delay in front of the second server is found for a sequence of two queues in tandem where the first server has deterministic service times, the second server has general service distribution, and the arrival process is an arbitrary renewal process. The result is extended to the case of n queues in tandem where all the servers except the last one have constant service times.

For correlated random walks a method of transition probability matrices as an alternative to the much-used methods of probability generating functions and difference equations has been investigated in this paper. To illustrate the use of transition probability matrices for computing the various probabilities for correlated random walks, the transition probability matrices for restricted/unrestricted one-dimensional correlated random walk have been defined and used to obtain some of the probabilities.

A new markovian process {Xi : i = 0, 1, 2, ·· ·} following a negative exponential distribution and with the same autocorrelation function as the lag-1 autoregressive process is proposed and studied in this paper. The exact distribution of the maxima and of the minima of n consecutive Xi values are obtained and the exact expected upcrossing interval is given for any crossing level.

This paper gives the distribution of the independent variable in a first-order autoregressive equation which is necessary for the modelled variable to have a mixed exponential marginal distribution. Restricting attention first to a mixture of two exponentials which is probabilistic, a solution is shown to exist over a restricted range of the first serial correlation; tabulations of the boundary values are given. The independent variable has a distribution which includes a discrete component at zero and a not necessarily probabilistic mixture of three exponentials. The marginal distribution is then considered with a negative mixture weight; this weight is shown to be lower bounded in value, but not to depend on the first serial correlation.

The simple (non-spatial) stochastic epidemic is generalised to allow infected individuals to move forward through a system of spatially connected colonies C1, C2, C3, ·· ·each containing susceptible individuals. Upper and lower bounding processes are considered, to establish bounds on the asymptotic velocity of forward spread of the infection through these spatially connected colonies. These bounds are shown to be asymptotically equivalent under certain conditions, and some simulations reveal other features of the process.