A numerical method is proposed for a class of one-dimensional stochastic control problems with unbounded state space. This method solves an infinite-dimensional linear program, equivalent to the original formulation based on a stochastic differential equation, using a finite element approximation. The discretization scheme itself and the necessary assumptions are discussed, and a convergence argument for the method is presented. Its performance is illustrated by examples featuring long-term average and infinite horizon discounted costs, and additional optimization constraints.

The Bruss–Robertson–Steele (BRS) inequality bounds the expected number of items of random size which can be packed into a given suitcase. Remarkably, no independence assumptions are needed on the random sizes, which points to a simple explanation; the inequality is the integrated form of an $\omega$-by-$\omega$ inequality, as this note proves.

We propose a variation of the pointwise residual method for solving primal and dual ill-posed linear programming with approximate data, sensitive to small perturbations. The method leads to an auxiliary problem, which is also a linear programming problem. Theorems of existence and convergence of approximate solutions are established and optimal estimates of approximation of initial problem solutions are achieved.

This paper gives a sharper explicit representation of the set of optimal solutions for a class of linear programs than those obtained by A. Ben-Israel, A. Charnes and S. Zlobec since 1968. The representation is used to determine bounds on the coefficients of the objective function that produce the same set of optimal solutions (sensitivity analysis).