Boundedness properties and perturbing Lyapunov functions (Q1191839)

The paper investigates the boundedness properties of a differential system written in the form (1) \(x'=f_ 1(t,x,y)\), \(x(t_ 0)=x_ 0\), \(y'=f_ 2(t,x,y)\), \(y(t_ 0)=y_ 0\), where \(x\) is an \(n\)-vector and \(y\) an \(m\)-vector. Suppose that there exist continuous functions \(V_ 1(t,x,y)\), \(V_ 2(t,x,y)\), and \(V_ 3(t,x,y)\), locally Lipschitzian in \((x,y)\), with the following properties: (i) \(V_ 1(t,x,y)\) is bounded and \(D^ +V_ 1(t,x,y)\leq g_ 1(t,V(t,x,y))\); (ii) \(b_ 2(\| y\|)\leq V_ 2(t,x,y)\leq a_ 2(\| x\|+\| y\|)\), and \(D^ +V_ 1(t,x,y)+D^ +V_ 2(t,x,y)\leq g_ 2(t,V_ 1(t,x,y)+V_ 2(t,x,y))\); (iii) \(b_ 3(\| x\|)\leq V_ 3(t,x,y)\leq a_ 3(\| x\|+\| y\|)\), and \(D^ +V_ 1(t,x,y)+D^ +V_ 3(t,x,y)\leq g_ 3(t,V_ 1(t,x,y)+V_ 3(t,x,y))\); (iv) the scalar differential equations (2) \(u'=g_ 1(t,u)\), \(u(t_ 0)=u_ 0\geq 0\), (3) \(v'=g_ 2(t,v)\), \(v(t_ 0)=v_ 0\geq 0\), (4) \(w'=g_ 3(t,w)\), \(w(t_ 0)=w_ 0\geq 0\), are such that (2) is equibounded, and (3) and (4) are uniformly bounded, the functions \(a_ i(u)\) and \(b_ i(u)\), \(i=2,3\), are increasing functions of \(u\) which tend to \(\infty\) as \(u\) tends to \(\infty\). Under these assumptions, it is shown that system (1) is equibounded. Suppose that the above assumptions hold except that assumption (i) is strengthened to (i') \(V_ 1(t,x,y)\leq a(\| x\|+| y\|)\), and \(D^ +V_ 1(t,x,y)+c(\| x\|+\| y\|)\leq g_ 1(t,V_ 1(t,x,y))\) where \(a(u)\) and \(c(u)\) are increasing functions of \(u\) tending to \(\infty\) as \(u\) tends to \(\infty\), \(g_ 1(t,u)\) is nondecreasing in \(u\), and the differential equation (2) is uniformly bounded. Then the system (1) is equivalent-ultimately bounded.