A global bifurcation for nonlinear inclusions

For under certain conditions, we show a global bifurcation for multi-valued boundary value problems involving the Laplacian, by applying a bifurcation theorem for nonlinear inclusions.     

Bifurcation direction and exchange of stability for variational inequalities on nonconvex sets

This paper concerns Crandall–Rabinowitz type bifurcation for abstract variational inequalities on nonconvex sets and with multidimensional bifurcation parameter. We derive formulae which determine the bifurcation direction and, in the case of potential operators, the stability of all solutions close to the bifurcation point. In particular, it follows that in some cases an exchange of stability appears similar to the case of equations, but in some other cases stable nontrivial solutions bifurcate at points where there is no loss of stability of the trivial solution. As an application we consider a system of two second order ODEs with nonconvex unilateral boundary conditions.     

On certain classes of functional inclusions with causal operators in Banach spaces

We introduce the notion of a multivalued causal operator and consider an abstract Cauchy problem in a Banach space for various classes of functional inclusions with causal operators. The methods of the topological degree theory for condensing maps are applied to obtain local and global existence results for this problem and to study the continuous dependence of a solution set on initial data. As application we generalize some existence results for semilinear functional differential inclusions and Volterra integro-differential inclusions with delay.     

Extremal solutions of quasilinear parabolic inclusions with generalized Clarke's gradient

In this paper we consider an initial boundary value problem for a parabolic inclusion whose multivalued nonlinearity is characterized by Clarke's generalized gradient of some locally Lipschitz function, and whose elliptic operator may be a general quasilinear operator of Leray-Lions type. Recently, extremality results have been obtained in case that the governing multivalued term is of special structure such as, multifunctions given by the usual subdifferential of convex functions or subgradients of so-called dc-functions. The main goal of this paper is to prove the existence of extremal solutions within a sector of appropriately defined upper and lower solutions for quasilinear parabolic inclusions with general Clarke's gradient. The main tools used in the proof are abstract results on nonlinear evolution equations, regularization, comparison, truncation, and special test function techniques as well as tools from nonsmooth analysis.     

New beams of global bifurcation points for a reaction-diffusion system with inequalities or inclusions

We consider a reaction-diffusion system of activator-inhibitor or substrate-depletion type which is subject to diffusion-driven instability. We show that an obstacle (e.g. a unilateral membrane) modeled either in terms of inequalities or of inclusions, introduces whole beams of new global bifurcation points of spatially non-homogeneous stationary solutions which lie in parameter domains which are excluded as bifurcation points for the problem without the obstacle.     

Continuity, compactness, and degree theory for operators in systems involving p-Laplacians and inclusions

The study of weak solutions for systems of nonlinear partial differential equations of elliptic type with inclusions leads to a multivalued operator of superposition type in Sobolev spaces. We show that, under natural assumptions, this operator has the properties which allow to apply degree theory (fixed point index) for multivalued maps. More precisely, this operator is upper semicontinuous and compact with nonempty convex compact values. For the particular case of systems involving p-Laplacians, we show that there is a homeomorphism transforming the whole system to a situation for which a fixed point index is available.     

Existence and comparison results for noncoercive and nonmonotone multivalued elliptic problems

We consider noncoercive quasilinear elliptic inclusions under multivalued flux boundary conditions involving multifunctions of Clarke’s generalized gradient. Our main goal is to provide existence and comparison results which are based on an appropriate generalization of the notions of subsolutions and supersolutions. Furthermore, compactness and extremality results of the solution set enclosed by an ordered pair of sub–supersolutions will be proved.     

Characterization of Lyapunov pairs in the nonlinear case and applications

The paper presents a characterization of the Lyapunov pairs for a general initial value problem with a possibly multivalued m$m$-accretive operator on an arbitrary Banach space by means of the contingent derivative related to the operator. The proof is based on tangency and flow-invariance arguments combined with a priori estimates and approximation. The abstract results are applied to obtain precise a priori estimates for the mild solutions. They readily lead to the existence of global solutions and various controllability properties. Important Lyapunov pairs are pointed out in connection with specific problems.     

Existence and instability of spike layer solutions to singular perturbation problems

An abstract framework is given to establish the existence and compute the Morse index of spike layer solutions of singularly perturbed semilinear elliptic equations. A nonlinear Lyapunov-Schmidt scheme is used to reduce the problem to one on a normally hyperbolic manifold, and the related linearized problem is also analyzed using this reduction. As an application, we show the existence of a multi-peak spike layer solution with peaks on the boundary of the domain, and we also obtain precise estimates of the small eigenvalues of the operator obtained by linearizing at a spike layer solution.     

Fixed point theorems for multivalued operators and application to discontinuous quasilinear BVP's

In this article, we prove an abstract fixed point theorem for increasing multivalued operators in ordered topological spaces, which provides an efficient tool to obtain qualitative results on the solution set of discontinuous quasilinear elliptic boundary value problems. In particular, we are able to show the existence of extremal solutions of such problems.     

Bifurcation of positive solutions to scalar reaction–diffusion equations with nonlinear boundary condition

The bifurcation of non-trivial steady state solutions of a scalar reaction–diffusion equation with nonlinear boundary conditions is considered using several new abstract bifurcation theorems. The existence and stability of positive steady state solutions are proved using a unified approach. The general results are applied to a Laplace equation with nonlinear boundary condition and bistable nonlinearity, and an elliptic equation with superlinear nonlinearity and sublinear boundary conditions.     

Multiple solutions of quasilinear periodic-parabolic inclusions

The existence of multiple solutions for a class of quasilinear periodic-parabolic boundary value problems is proved. Our proof is based on the one hand on the sub-supersolution method for general quasilinear periodic-parabolic inclusions. On the other hand it relies on the construction of non-overlapping ordered intervals of sub-supersolutions by the use of appropriately designed quasilinear elliptic problems and the maximum and anti-maximum principles. Our approach also allows us to provide an elementary existence proof for semilinear periodic-parabolic problems which have been studied otherwise by rather involved and elaborated abstract topological tools.     

An alternative approach to well-posedness of a class of differential inclusions in Hilbert spaces

We show the well-posedness of initial value problems for differential inclusions of a certain type using abstract perturbation results for maximal monotone operators in Hilbert spaces. For this purpose the time derivative is established in an exponentially weighted _L2$L_2$ space. The problem of well-posedness then reduces to show that the sum of two maximal monotone operators in time and space is again maximal monotone. The theory is exemplified by three inclusions describing phenomena in mathematical physics involving hysteresis.     

Global attractor for a non-autonomous integro-differential equation in materials with memory

The long-time behavior of an integro-differential parabolic equation of diffusion type with memory terms, expressed by convolution integrals involving infinite delays and by a forcing term with bounded delay, is investigated in this paper. The assumptions imposed on the coefficients are weak in the sense that uniqueness of solutions of the corresponding initial value problems cannot be guaranteed. Then, it is proved that the model generates a multivalued non-autonomous dynamical system which possesses a pullback attractor. First, the analysis is carried out with an abstract parabolic equation. Then, the theory is applied to the particular integro-differential equation which is the objective of this paper. The general results obtained in the paper are also valid for other types of parabolic equations with memory.     

Mixed boundary value problems and parametrices in the edge calculus

Mixed elliptic boundary value problems are characterised by conditions which have a jump along an interface of codimension 1 on the boundary. We study such problems in weighted edge spaces and show the Fredholm property and the existence of parametrices under additional conditions of trace and potential type on the interface. We develop a new method for computing the interface conditions in terms of the index of boundary value problems in weighted spaces on infinite cones, combined with structures from the calculus of boundary value problems on a manifold with edges. This will be illustrated by the Zaremba problem and other mixed problems for the Laplace operator. The approach itself is completely general.     

Bifurcation of stable equilibria and nonlinear flux boundary condition with indefinite weight

We study bifurcation and stability of positive equilibria of a parabolic problem under a nonlinear Neumann boundary condition having a parameter and an indefinite weight. The main motivation is the selection migration problem involving two alleles and no gene flux acrossing the boundary, introduced by Fisher and Fleming, and Henry?s approach to the problem.Local and global structures of the set of equilibria are given. While the stability of constant equilibria is analyzed, the exponential stability of the unique bifurcating nonconstant equilibrium solution is established. Diagrams exhibiting the bifurcation and stability structures are also furnished. Moreover the asymptotic behavior of such solutions on the boundary of the domain, as the positive parameter goes to infinity, is also provided.The results are obtained via classical tools like the Implicit Function Theorem, bifurcation from a simple eigenvalue theorem and the exchange of stability principle, in a combination with variational and dynamical arguments.     

Bifurcation for a free boundary problem modeling the growth of multi-layer tumors

In this paper we study bifurcations for a free boundary problem modeling the growth of multi-layer tumors under the action of inhibitors. An important feature of this problem is that the surface tension effect of the free boundary is taken into account. By reducing this problem into an abstract bifurcation equation in a Banach space, overcoming some technical difficulties and finally using the Crandall–Rabinowitz bifurcation theorem, we prove that this problem has infinitely many branches of bifurcation solutions bifurcating from the flat solution.     

Eigenvalue asymptotics for an elliptic boundary problem involving an indefinite weight

We are concerned here with the eigenvalue asymptotics for a non-selfadjoint elliptic boundary problem involving an indefinite weight function which vanishes on a set of positive measure. The asymptotic behaviour of the eigenvalues is well known for the case of second order operators. However for higher order operators, results have only been established under the restriction that the order of the operator exceeds the dimension of the underlying Euclidean space in which the problem is set. In this paper we establish the eigenvalue asymptotics for the case of higher order operators without any such restriction.Supported in part by the John Knopfmacher Centre for Applicable Analysis and Number Theory, University of the Witwatersrand.     

On impulsive functional differential inclusions with Hille-Yosida operators in Banach spaces

We consider a semilinear functional differential inclusion with infinite delay and impulse characteristics in a Banach space assuming that its linear part is a non-densely defined Hille-Yosida operator. We assume that the multivalued nonlinearity of upper Carathèodory or almost lower semicontinuous type satisfies a regularity condition expressed in terms of the measures of noncompactness. We apply the theory of integrated semigroups and the theory of condensing multivalued maps to obtain local and global existence results. The application to an optimization problem for an impulsive feedback control system is given.     

Linear and nonlinear abstract equations with parameters

This paper focuses on nonlocal boundary value problems for linear and nonlinear abstract elliptic equations in Banach spaces. Here equations and boundary conditions contain certain parameters. The uniform separability of the linear problem and the existence and uniqueness of maximal regular solution of nonlinear problem are obtained in L_p spaces. For linear case the discreteness of spectrum of corresponding parameter dependent differential operator is obtained. The behavior of solution when the parameter approaches zero and its smoothness with respect to the parameter is established. Moreover, we show the estimate for analytic semigroups in terms of interpolation spaces. This fact can be used to obtain maximal regularity properties for abstract boundary value problems.