Further results on the boundedness and periodicity of some differential equations of the fourth order (Q1101867)

The author proves two theorems which concern the solutions of the nonlinear differential equations of the fourth order written as follows: \[ (*)\quad x^{(4)}+f_ 1(\dot x,\ddot x)\dddot x+f_ 2(\ddot x)+f_ 3(\dot x)+\alpha_ 4x = p(t,x,\dot x,\ddot x,\dddot x). \] Here \(\alpha_ 4\) is a given positive constant; \(f_ 1\), \(f_ 2\), \(f_ 3\) and p are given real-valued continuous functions and the dots denote the differentiation with respect to t. In the first theorem he gives a set of sufficient conditions under which every solution to (*) is ultimately bounded while in the second one he derives the conditions which guarantee the existence of a periodic solution with given period \(\omega\). To this end he follows the Yoshizawa technique and uses some estimates obtained in his earlier papers. It is not easy to grasp the exact importance of the theorems because they involve both some ``fundamental assumptions'' which are not explicitly stated and many relations which are established elsewhere. Notice also that the unique constant parameter involved in (*) is \(\alpha_ 4\) while in the statement as well as in the proof of the first theorem appears an extra constant \(\alpha_ 2\) (not defined in anyway).