We present a general existence proof for a wide class of non-linear elliptic equations which can be applied to problems with barrier conditions without specifying any assumptions guaranteeing the uniqueness or local uniqueness of particular solutions. As an application we prove the existence of closed hypersurfaces with curvature prescribed in the tangent bundle of an ambient Riemannian manifold $N$ without supposing any sign condition on the sectional curvatures $K_N$. A curvature flow wouldn't work in this situation, neither the method of successive approximation.

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In this paper, we prove that, a compact complex manifold $X$ admits a smooth Hermitian metric with positive (resp., negative) scalar curvature if and only if $K_X$ (resp., $K_X^{-1}$) is not pseudo-effective. On the contrary, we also show that on an arbitrary compact complex manifold $X$ with complex dimension $\geq 2$, there exist smooth Hermitian metrics with positive total scalar curvature, and one of the key ingredients in the proof relies on a recent solution to the Gauduchon conjecture by G. Székelyhidi, V. Tosatti, and B. Weinkove.

We investigate the Chern–Ricci flow, an evolution equation of Hermitian metrics generalizing the Kähler–Ricci flow, on elliptic bundles over a Riemann surface of genus greater than one. We show that, starting at any Gauduchon metric, the flow collapses the elliptic fibers and the metrics converge to the pullback of a Kähler–Einstein metric from the base. Some of our estimates are new even for the Kähler–Ricci flow. A consequence of our result is that, on every minimal non-Kähler surface of Kodaira dimension one, the Chern–Ricci flow converges in the sense of Gromov–Hausdorff to an orbifold Kähler–Einstein metric on a Riemann surface.

We use moduli spaces of instantons and Chern-Simons invariants of flat connections to prove that the Whitehead doubles of (2, 2n − 1) torus knots are independent in the smooth knot concordance group; that is, they freely generate a subgroup of infinite rank. 1.