For $R(z, w)\in \mathbb {C}(z, w)$ of degree at least 2 in w, we show that the number of rational functions $f(z)\in \mathbb {C}(z)$ solving the difference equation $f(z+1)=R(z, f(z))$ is finite and bounded just in terms of the degrees of R in the two variables. This complements a result of Yanagihara, who showed that any finite-order meromorphic solution to this sort of difference equation must be a rational function. We prove a similar result for the differential equation $f'(z)=R(z, f(z))$ , building on a result of Eremenko.

We consider nonlocal equations of the general form

\begin{equation} \left(a*u''\right)(\cdot)+\lambda f\big(\cdot,u(\cdot)\big)=0.\nonumber \end{equation}

Using variational methods and depending on a parameter $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}$ we prove the existence of solutions for the following class of nonlocal boundary value problems of Kirchhoff type defined on an exterior domain $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FA}\subset \mathbb{R}^{3}$:

$$\begin{eqnarray}\left\{\begin{array}{@{}ll@{}}M(\Vert u\Vert ^{2})[-\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}u+u]=\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}a(x)g(u)+\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}|u|^{4}u\quad & \text{in }\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FA},\\ u=0\quad & \text{on }\unicode[STIX]{x2202}\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FA},\end{array}\right.\end{eqnarray}$$

$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}=0$

$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}=1$

Pointing out the difference between the Discrete Nonlinear Schrödinger equation with the classical power law nonlinearity – for which solutions exist globally, independently of the sign and the degree of the nonlinearity, the size of the initial data and the dimension of the lattice – we prove either global existence or nonexistence, in time, for the Discrete Klein-Gordon equation with the same type of nonlinearity (but of “blow-up” sign), under suitable conditions on the initial data, and sometimes on the dimension of the lattice. The results consider both the conservative and the linearly damped lattice. Similarities and differences with the continuous counterparts are remarked. We also make a short comment on the existence of excitation thresholds, for forced solutions of damped and parametrically driven Klein-Gordon lattices.

We prove that, for every bounded and measurable forcing $p(t)$, the differential equation $\ddot{u}+u^{1/3} =p(t)$ has bounded solutions with arbitrarily large amplitude. In general it is not possible to say that all solutions are bounded, as shown by an example due to Littlewood.

The proof is based on a variational method which can be seen as a dual version of Nehari's method for boundary value problems on compact intervals.

In this paper sufficient conditions have been obtained for non-oscillation of non-homogeneous canonical linear differential equations of third order. Some of these results have been extended to non-linear equations.

The authors consider the nonlinear neutral delay differential equation

and obtain results on the asymptotic behavior of solutions. Some of the results require that P(t) has arbitrarily large zeros or that P(t) oscillates about — 1

We study the asymptotic properties of positive solutions to the semilinear equation — Δu = f(x, u). Existence and asymptotic estimates are obtained for solutions in exterior domains, as well as entire solutions, for n ≧ 2. The study uses integral operator equations in Rn, and convergence theorems for solutions of Poisson's equation in bounded domains. A consequence of the method is that more precise estimates can be obtained for the growth of solutions at infinity, than have been obtained by other methods. As a special case the results are applied to the generalized Emden-Fowler equation — Δu = p(x)uγ, for γ > 0

Necessary and sufficient conditions are found for the existence of two positive solutions of the semilinear elliptic equation Δu + q(|x|)u = f(x, u) in an exterior domain Ω⊂ℝn, n ≥ 1, where q, f are real-valued and locally Hölder continuous, and f(x, u) is nonincreasing in u for each fixed x∈Ω. An example is the singular stationary Klein-Gordon equation Δu — k2u = p(x)u-λ where k and λ are positive constants. In this case NASC are given for the existence of two positive solutions ui(x) in some exterior subdomain of Ω such that both |x|m exp[(-l)i-1k|x|]ui(x) are bounded and bounded away from zero in this subdomain, m = (n —1)/2, i = 1, 2.

Comparison theorems are developed for the pair of first order Riccati equations (1) and (2) . The comparisons are of an integral type and involve an auxiliary function μ. Applications are given to disconjugacy theory for self-adjoint equations of the second and fourth order.