A Unifying Approach to Variational Relation Problems

The purpose of this paper is to present a unified approach to study the existence of solutions for two types of variational relation problems, which encompass several generalized equilibrium problems, variational inequalities and variational inclusions investigated in the recent literature. By using two well-known fixed point theorems, we establish several existence criteria for the solutions of these problems.     

A Variational Approach to Discontinuous Problems with Critical Sobolev Exponents

We employ variational techniques to study the existence and multiplicity of positive solutions of semilinear equations of the form − Δu = λh(x)H(u − a)u^q + u^2* − 1 in R^N, where λ, a > 0 are parameters, h(x) is both nonnegative and integrable on R^N, H is the Heaviside function, 2* is the critical Sobolev exponent, and 0 ≤ q < 2* − 1. We obtain existence, multiplicity and regularity of solutions by distinguishing the cases 0 ≤ q ≤ 1 and 1 < q < 2* − 1.     

A Variational Approach for One-Dimensional Scalar Field Problems

In this paper, we are interested in the existence of infinitely many weak solutions for a onedimensional scalar field problem. By using variational methods, in an appropriate functional space which involves the potential V, we determine intervals of parameters such that our problem admits either a sequence of weak solutions strongly converging to zero provided that the nonlinearity has a suitable behavior at zero or an unbounded sequence of weak solutions if a similar behavior occurs at infinity.     

A Variational Approach to Nonlinear Singularly Perturbed Boundary-Value Problems

Carrier and Pearson introduced a nonlinear singularly perturbed boundary value problem that has served as a paradigm for problems where the method of matched asymptotic expansions (MAE) apparently fails. The “failure” of MAE is its inability to select the location of possible internal layers, though their structure is determined. Thus, a straightforward application of MAE leaves the positions of any internal layers arbitrary, though the asymptotic expansion of the exact solution to the problem exhibits internal layers only at specific locations. For this reason the solutions produced by MAE have been referred to as spurious solutions. We resolve the question of finding the positions of the interior layers by employing the variational approach of Grasman and Matkowsky. In addition, we show that this method tells how solutions bifurcate as the boundary values are varied, and give an alternative motivation for the variational approach via Newton”s method.     

New Approach to Solving a System of Variational Inequalities and Hierarchical Problems

This paper deals with a viscosity iterative method, in real Hilbert spaces, for solving a system of variational inequalities over the fixed-point sets of possibly discontinuous mappings. Under classical conditions, we prove a strong convergence theorem for our method. The proposed algorithm can be applied for instance to solving variational inequalities in some situations when the projection methods fail. Moreover, the techniques of analysis are novel and provide new tools in designing approximation schemes for combined and bilevel optimization problems.     

Contact Symmetries and Variational PDE’s

Symmetries of the contact ideal on the r-jet bundle over a fibred manifold are studied, and transformation properties under contact symmetries of different objects in the variational sequence related with systems of partial differential equations are investigated. This paper is dedicated to Valentin Lychagin on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

A Dual Variational Approach to a Class of Nonlocal Semilinear Tricomi Problems

The existence of at least one nontrivial solution to a class of semilinear Tricomi problems is established via an application of the dual variational method which captures the solution as the preimage of a minimum of a suitable dual action functional. The boundary conditions are homogeneous Dirichlet conditions on a suitable part of the boundary, as dictated by uniqueness theorems for the linear problem. While there are good compactness properties for the inverse operator for the linear problem, there is a manifest asymmetry in the linear part due to the form of the boundary conditions. The linear part is symmetrized by introducing suitable re ection operators on symmetric domains, which then results in a nonlocal character of the nonlinearity. Received July 1997; Revised February 1998     

A Variational Approach Via Bipotentials for a Class of Frictional Contact Problems

In the reference (Cui and Yin, Pacific J. Math. 233:257–289, 2007), under the assumptions that the supersonic incoming flow is isothermal and symmetrically perturbed with respect to a uniform supersonic constant state, the authors have shown the global existence and stability of a symmetric supersonic conic shock for such a supersonic flow past a circular cone. In this paper, we will remove all the symmetric assumptions in the previous paper and study the global existence problem on a really multidimensional shock wave. More concretely, we establish the global existence and stability of a three-dimensional supersonic conic shock wave for a perturbed steady supersonic isothermal flow past an infinitely long conic body.     

General System of A-Monotone Nonlinear Variational Inclusion Problems with Applications

Based on the notion of A–monotonicity, the solvability of a system of nonlinear variational inclusions using the resolvent operator technique is presented. The results obtained are new and general in nature.     

A Scalarization Approach for Vector Variational Inequalities with Applications

We consider an approach to convert vector variational inequalities into an equivalent scalar variational inequality problem with a set-valued cost mapping. Being based on this property, we give an equivalence result between weak and strong solutions of set-valued vector variational inequalities and suggest a new gap function for vector variational inequalities. Additional examples of applications in vector optimization, vector network equilibrium and vector migration equilibrium problems are also given Mathematics Subject Classification(2000). 49J40, 65K10, 90C29     

Multiscale Modeling of Nanocrystalline Materials: A Variational Approach

This paper presents a variational multi-scale constitutive model in the finite deformation regime capable of capturing the mechanical behavior of nanocrystalline (nc) fcc metals. The nc-material is modeled as a two-phase material consisting of a grain interior (GI) phase and a grain boundary (GB) phase. A rate-independent isotropic porous plasticity model is employed to describe the GB phase, whereas a crystal-plasticity model which accounts for the transition from partial dislocation to full dislocation mediated plasticity is employed for the GI phase. Assuming the rule of mixtures, the overall behavior of a given grain is obtained via volume averaging. The scale transition from a single grain to a polycrystal is achieved by Taylor-type homogenization. It is shown that the proposed model is able to capture the inverse Hall-Petch effect. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Systems with Time Delay in the Calculus of Variations: A Variational Approach

In this paper, we deal with the fixed-endpoint problem in thecalculus of variations involving a delay in the phase coordinates.Necessary conditions in the form of a maximum principle arewell known and, hence, conditions equivalent to those of Euler,Legendre, and Weierstrass. However, no results seem to existfor sufficiency, or for a corresponding Jacobi condition. Wederive necessary and sufficient conditions in terms of the firstand second variations, extending the clssical results for thedelay-free case. This is obtained directly, that is, withoutreferring to concepts such as conjugate points, fields of extremals,Riccati equations, or the Hamilton-Jacobi partial differentialequation. The first-order condtion is then characterized interms of the Euler equation, together with smoothness propertiesof solutions. Several examples illustrate the usefulness ofthe conditions obtained.     

A Variational Approach to Perturbation Feedback Control for Optimal Control Problems with Terminal Constraints and Free Terminal Time

Set-Valued and Variational Analysis - Using the method of characteristics, for an optimal control problem with terminal constraints and free terminal time, we construct a family of extremals along...     

Variational Inequalities: an Elementary Approach

We will deal with the following problem: Let M be an n×n matrix with real entries. Under which conditions the family of inequalities: x∈? ⁿ ;x?0;M·x?0has non–trivial solutions? We will prove that a sufficient condition is given by m_i,j+m_j,i?0 (1?i,j?n); from this result we will derive an elementary proof of the existence theorem for Variational Inequalities in the framework of Monotone Operators.     

Variational Problems with a p-Homogeneous Energy

We investigate existence, uniqueness and positivity of minimizers or critical points for an energy functional which contains only p-homogeneous and linear terms, 1p-homogeneous part of the energy functional is that it be given by the p-th power of an equivalent, uniformly convex norm on the underlying Sobolev space. Finally, continuous dependence of minimizers on the energy functional is established.     

Duality for Variational Problems with Pseudo-Invexity

In this paper the duality results of Mond, Chandra and Husain for variational problems are extended to generalized invex (pseudo-invex) functions