Positive solutions for semipositone \(m\)-point boundary value problems (Q1887421)

The authors are concerned with the problem of existence and multiplicity of positive solutions of the boundary value problem \[ x''+\lambda f(t,x)=0,\quad t\in(0,1),\tag{\(*\)} \] \[ x(1)=\sum_{i=1}^{m-2}a_ix(t_i),\quad x'(0)=\sum_{i=1}^{m-2}b_ix'(t_i),\tag{\(**\)} \] where \(f:[0,1]\times[0,\infty)\to\mathbb R\) is continuous, \(0<t_1<t_2<\dots<t_{m-2}<1\) and \(a_i, b_i\in[0,\infty),\;1\leq i\leq m-2\). Following results are obtained by means of the application of fixed-point theorems in cones: Suppose that (A1) \(0<\sum_{i=1}^{m-2}a_i<1\) and \(0<\sum_{i=1}^{m-2}b_i<1\). (A2) There exists a constant \(M>0\) such that \(f(t,x)\geq-M\) for \((t,x)\in [0,1]\times[0,\infty)\). (A3) \(\lim_{x\to\infty}\frac{f(t,x)}{x}=\infty\) uniformly on \([0,1]\). Then problem (\(*\)), (\(**\)) has at least one positive solution if \(\lambda>0\) is sufficiently small. Suppose that (A1), (A2) and (A3) hold. If \(f(t,0)>0\) for \(t\in[0,1]\), then problem (\(*\)), (\(**\)) has at least two positive solutions, for sufficiently small \(\lambda>0\).