Asymptotic behavior of solutions to a first-order differential equation with variable delays (Q814130)

The authors study the linear nonhomogeneous differential equation with variable delays \[ x'(t)= b_0(t)+ b_1(t) x(t)+ \sum^m_{j=2} b_j(t) x(t-\tau_j(t)),\quad t\geq t_0,\tag{\(*\)} \] where the coefficients \(b_j\) and the delays \(\tau_j\) are given continuous functions, and \(\tau_j\geq 0\) for \(t\geq t_0\). Using Lyapunov functionals, estimates are found that consist of an exponential function that bounds the solutions of \((*)\) from above. Conditions for solutions to be uniformly stable and uniformly asymptotically stable are obtained. These results are also applied to systems of equations and to nonlinear equations.