Existence results for semipositone boundary value problems (Q5946670)

The authors consider the boundary value problems \[ (p(t) u')'+\lambda f(t,u)+ e(t, u)= 0,\quad r< t< R, \] \[ au(r)- bp(r) u'(r)= 0,\quad cu(R)+ dp(R) u'(R)= 0, \] where \(f\) and \(e: [r,R]\times [0,\infty)\to \mathbb{R}\) are two continuous functions satisfying \(f\geq 0\) and \(|e|\leq M\) for some \(M> 0\). Using fixed-point theorems in cones, they show the existence of at least one positive solution if either \(f\) is superlinear at infinity and \(\lambda> 0\) be small enough or \(f\) is sublinear at infinity and \(\lambda> 0\) is large enough. Their results extend some known results in the particular case where \(e\equiv 0\), cf. [\textit{V. Anuradha}, \textit{D. D. Hai} and \textit{R. Shivaji}, Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 124, No. 3, 757-763 (1996; Zbl 0857.34032)].