The book contains invited papers by well-known experts on a wide range of topics (economics, variational analysis, probability etc.) closely related to convexity and generalized convexity, and refereed contributions of specialists from the world on current research on generalized convexity and applications, in particular, to optimization, economics and operations research.

Studies in generalized convexity and generalized monotonicity have significantly increased during the last two decades. Researchers with very diverse backgrounds such as mathematical programming, optimization theory, convex analysis, nonlinear analysis, nonsmooth analysis, linear algebra, probability theory, variational inequalities, game theory, economic theory, engineering, management science, equilibrium analysis, for example are attracted to this fast growing field of study. Such enormous research activity is partially due to the discovery of a rich, elegant and deep theory which provides a basis for interesting existing and potential applications in different disciplines. The handbook offers an advanced and broad overview of the current state of the field. It contains fourteen chapters written by the leading experts on the respective subject; eight on generalized convexity and the remaining six on generalized monotonicity.

The authors have written a rigorous yet elementary and self-contained book to present, in a unified framework, generalized convex functions. The book also includes numerous exercises and two appendices which list the findings consulted.

Generalizations of the classical concept of a convex function have been proposed in various fields such as economics, management science, engineering, statistics and applied sciences during the second half of this century. In addition to new results in more established areas of generalized convexity, this book presents several important developments in recently emerging areas. Also, a number of interesting applications are reported.

Until now, no book addressed convexity, monotonicity, and variational inequalities together. Generalized Convexity, Nonsmooth Variational Inequalities, and Nonsmooth Optimization covers all three topics, including new variational inequality problems defined by a bifunction.The first part of the book focuses on generalized convexity and generalized

A function is convex if its epigraph is convex. This geometrical structure has very strong implications in terms of continuity and differentiability. Separation theorems lead to optimality conditions and duality for convex problems. A function is quasiconvex if its lower level sets are convex. Here again, the geo metrical structure of the level sets implies some continuity and differentiability properties for quasiconvex functions. Optimality conditions and duality can be derived for optimization problems involving such functions as well. Over a period of about fifty years, quasiconvex and other generalized convex functions have been considered in a variety of fields including economies, man agement science, engineering, probability and applied sciences in accordance with the need of particular applications. During the last twenty-five years, an increase of research activities in this field has been witnessed. More recently generalized monotonicity of maps has been studied. It relates to generalized convexity off unctions as monotonicity relates to convexity. Generalized monotonicity plays a role in variational inequality problems, complementarity problems and more generally, in equilibrium prob lems.

Generalizations of convex functions have been used in a variety of fields such as economics. business administration. engineering. statistics and applied sciences.· In 1949 de Finetti introduced one of the fundamental of generalized convex functions characterized by convex level sets which are now known as quasiconvex functions. Since then numerous types of generalized convex functions have been defined in accordance with the need of particular applications.· In each case such functions preserve soine of the valuable properties of a convex function. In addition to generalized convex functions this volume deals with fractional programs. These are constrained optimization problems which in the objective function involve one or several ratios. Such functions are often generalized convex. Fractional programs arise in management science. economics and numerical mathematics for example. In order to promote the circulation and development of research in this field. an international workshop on "Generalized Concavity. Fractional Programming and Economic Applications" was held at the University of Pisa. Italy. May 30 - June 1. 1988. Following conferences on similar topics in Vancouver. Canada in 1980 and in Canton. USA in 1986. it was the first such conference organized in Europe. It brought together 70 scientists from 11 countries. Organizers were Professor A. Cambini. University of Pisa. Professor E. Castagnoli. Bocconi University. Milano. Professor L. Martein. University of Pisa. Professor P. Mazzoleni. University of Verona and Professor S. Schaible. University of California. Riverside.

In recent years there is a growing interest in generalized convex fu- tions and generalized monotone mappings among the researchers of - plied mathematics and other sciences. This is due to the fact that mathematical models with these functions are more suitable to describe problems of the real world than models using conventional convex and monotone functions. Generalized convexity and monotonicity are now considered as an independent branch of applied mathematics with a wide range of applications in mechanics, economics, engineering, finance and many others. The present volume contains 20 full length papers which reflect c- rent theoretical studies of generalized convexity and monotonicity, and numerous applications in optimization, variational inequalities, equil- rium problems etc. All these papers were refereed and carefully selected from invited talks and contributed talks that were presented at the 7th International Symposium on Generalized Convexity/Monotonicity held in Hanoi, Vietnam, August 27-31, 2002. This series of Symposia is or- nized by the Working Group on Generalized Convexity (WGGC) every 3 years and aims to promote and disseminate research on the field. The WGGC (http://www.genconv.org) consists of more than 300 researchers coming from 36 countries.

Various generalizations of convex functions have been introduced in areas such as mathematical programming, economics, management science, engineering, stochastics and applied sciences, for example. Such functions preserve one or more properties of convex functions and give rise to models which are more adaptable to real-world situations than convex models. Similarly, generalizations of monotone maps have been studied recently. A growing literature of this interdisciplinary field has appeared, and a large number of international meetings are entirely devoted or include clusters on generalized convexity and generalized monotonicity. The present book contains a selection of refereed papers presented at the 6th International Symposium on Generalized Convexity/Monotonicity, and aims to review the latest developments in the field.

The book covers several new research findings in the area of generalized convexity and integral inequalities. Integral inequalities using various type of generalized convex functions are applicable in many branches of mathematics such as mathematical analysis, fractional calculus, and discrete fractional calculus. The book contains integral inequalities of Hermite-Hadamard type, Hermite- Hadamard-Fejer type and majorization type for the generalized strongly convex functions. It presents Hermite-Hadamard type inequalities for functions defined on Time scales. Further, it provides the generalization and extensions of the concept of preinvexity for interval-valued functions and stochastic processes, and give Hermite-Hadamard type and Ostrowski type inequalities for these functions. These integral inequalities are utilized in numerous areas for the boundedness of generalized convex functions. Features: Covers Interval-valued calculus, Time scale calculus, Stochastic processes – all in one single book Numerous examples to validate results Provides an overview of the current state of integral inequalities and convexity for a much wider audience, including practitioners Applications of some special means of real numbers are also discussed The book is ideal for anyone teaching or attending courses in integral inequalities along with researchers in this area.