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At a positive equilibrium of the bounded Hill model, the mutual repression stability criterion becomesThus $mn>1$ is necessary. Because the same $\lambda$ is imposed in both synthesis functions, it is not sufficient for arbitrary unequal positive exponents. The additional equilibrium constraint isHere is an exact criterion for all the printed exponent choices, including nonintegers. If $m>1$ and $n>1$, multistability is possible: for large $\lambda$ the intermediate equilibrium satisfies $x\sim {\lambda }^{(m-1)/(mn-1)}$, $y\sim {\lambda }^{(n-1)/(mn-1)}$, so both increase without bound and $K\to mn>1$. These asymptotics follow by balancing $x{y}^m\sim \lambda$ and $y{x}^n\sim \lambda$; the limiting two algebraic equations have a nonsingular log-Jacobian when $mn\ne 1$, so a nearby exact equilibrium exists for large $\lambda$. If both exponents are at most one, $K<1$ everywhere and multistability is impossible.

For the remaining case, interchange $x,y$ if necessary so $0<m\le 1<n$. For each $x>0$, let $Y(x)>0$ be the unique solution ofwhich exists because the left side is strictly decreasing; for $m=1$ the right side always exceeds one. DefineThen the exact answer for this remaining range isThis is a one-variable test depending only on $m,n$, with no unknown $\lambda$. To prove it, parameterize all equilibria by $\lambda (x)=x(1+Y(x{)}^m)$. Implicit differentiation givesThe denominator is positive, and $\lambda (x)$ goes from zero to infinity as $x$ goes from zero to infinity. A negative-slope portion therefore forces two folds and an interval of three equilibria, with two attracting branches. If $K\le 1$ everywhere, $\lambda$ is strictly increasing apart from possible isolated stationary points, so there is only one equilibrium for each $\lambda$. This is the common-strength Hill repression criterion.

For illustration and a closed test on the boundary $m=1$, $Y=x/(1+x^n-x)$ andobtained at $x^n=(n+1)/(n-1)$. In particular $(m,n)=(1,2)$ has $mn>1$ but maximum $3\sqrt{3}/8<1$, so it cannot be multistable. For positive integer exponents the allowed choices simplify to both exponents at least two, or one equal to one and the other at least four. For arbitrary real exponents the preceding exact criterion is needed; replacing it by $mn>1$ would discard the common-strength constraint.

The unbounded power laws behave differently. Combining their equilibrium equations gives $x^{1-mn}={\lambda }^{1-m}$. If $mn\ne 1$, there is exactly one positive equilibrium,Its slope product is exactly $mn$, so it is attracting if $mn<1$ and a saddle if $mn>1$, but there are never two isolated attracting equilibria. If $mn=1$, equilibria exist only when ${\lambda }^{1-m}=1$; when this holds there is a whole curve of equilibria, with a zero tangent eigenvalue and transverse eigenvalue $-2$. This includes $m=n=1$, $xy=\lambda$, for every $\lambda$. A neutrally degenerate continuum is not bistability between isolated attractors. Thus these power laws do not generate ordinary multistability; boundedness was essential to the outer-root argument in part (a).