Positive periodic solutions of nonlinear functional difference equations depending on a parameter (Q1779578)

The authors investigate the following periodic scalar difference equation with variable delay: \[ (\ast)\qquad x(n+1) = a(n)x(n)+\lambda h(n)f(x(n-\tau(n))), \] where \(a,h\) and the time lag \(\tau\) are \(T\)-periodic sequences with \(0<a(n)<1\), \(0<h(n)\) and a continuous \(f:{\mathbb R}\to(0,\infty)\). Using the upper and lower solutions method, existence and nonexistence of positive periodic solutions is studied under variation of the parameter \(\lambda>0\). Under the assumptions that \(f\) is nondecreasing on \([0,\infty)\), \(f(0)=0\) and \(\lim_{x\to\infty} \frac{f(x)}{x}=\infty\), it is shown that there exists a value \(\lambda^\ast>0\) such that \((\ast)\) has at least one positive \(T\)-periodic solution for \(\lambda\in(0,\lambda^\ast]\) and does not have any positive \(T\)-periodic solution for \(\lambda>\lambda^\ast\).