No label defined (Q4501276)

It is shown that if \(0\leq p_n\leq 1\), \(Q_n\geq 0\) for \(n\geq 0\), and if \[ \sum^\infty_{n=0} Q_n(1-p_{n-k}) =\infty, \] then the difference equation \[ \Delta^2(x_n+ p_nx_{n-m}) +Q_nx_{n-k}=0,\;n=0,1,2, \dots \tag{1} \] where \(m,k\) are nonnegative integers, cannot have an eventually positive solution. It is also shown that if \(p_n=p\geq 0\) for \(n\geq 0\) and \[ \sum^\infty_{n=0} Q_n=\infty, \] then for any eventually positive solution \(\{x_n\}\) of (1), \(\{\Delta x_n\}\) cannot be eventually positive nor eventually negative.