In real-world applications, costs for products are not deterministic: neither static nor dynamic. They actually tend to be non-stationary and cross-correlated. To overcome this drawback, there have been some efforts by researchers to extend the Wagner–Whitin algorithm to consider stochastic costs. However, they assume that the information of probability density function of random costs exists. ...

—Sceptridium dissectum, the most variable North American grapefern species, demonstrates variation in degree of blade dissection, blade color, pinnule shape, and pinnule margins. Historically, various morphologies have been included within S. dissectum. For example, Clausen’s monograph recognized five infraspecific taxa in S. dissectum, of which only the morphologies of variety dissectum and ob...

I am indebted to my advisor Juergen Eichberger for his helpful guidance and to Alexander Zimper for his helpful suggestions and illuminating discussions. I would like to thank Hans Haller, Clemens Puppe, Itzhak Gilboa, Hans Gersbach, Klaus Ritzberger, as well as the participants of the RUD conference in Evanston, of the FUR XI conference in Paris and of the PhD seminar at the University of Heid...