The monotone iterative technique and periodic boundary value problem for first-order impulsive functional-differential equations (Q1862876)

The method of upper and lower solutions, coupled with the monotone iterative technique, is employed to prove the existence of minimal and maximal solutions to a boundary value problem for the scalar functional-differential equation \[ x'(t)=f(t,x(t),x_t),\quad t\in [0,T],\;t\neq t_k, \] with impulse effects at fixed moments \(x(t_k^+)-x(t_k^-)=I_k(x(t_k)), k=1,2, \dots p\), and a periodic-type condition \(x(0)=x(T)=x(t), t\in [-\tau, 0]\), where \(f\) and \(I_k\) are continuous functions, and \(x_t(s)=x(t+s), s\in [-\tau, 0]\). For it, a new maximum principle is demonstrated. It should be emphasized that hypothesis (ii) in the main theorem (Theorem 3.1), concerning the nonlinearity \(f\), is very restrictive; indeed, it implies that \(f(t,x,\phi)\) is increasing with respect to the third variable, a condition usually not necessary to obtain this kind of results. See, for example, \textit{H.-K. Xu} and \textit{E. Liz} [Nonlinear Anal., Theory Methods Appl. 41A, 971-988 (2000; Zbl 0972.34054)], where a similar problem without impulses is addressed.