Existence of positive solutions to \(n\)-point nonhomogeneous boundary value problem (Q874969)

The authors consider the existence and nonexistence of positive solutions to the \(n\)-point nonlinear boundary value problem \[ u'' + a(t) f(u) = 0, \, 0 < t < 1, \] \[ u'(0) = 0, u(1) - \sum_{i=1}^{n-2} k_i u(\eta_i) = b, \] where \(k_i > 0, i = 1, 2, \dots, n-2\), \(0 < \eta_1 < \eta_2 < \cdots < \eta_{n-2} < 1\), \(\sum_{i=1}^{n-2} k_i < 1\), and \(\sum_{i=1}^{n-2} k_i \eta_i < 1\). Their main results state that if \(f\) is sublinear at one extreme (\(u = 0\) or \(\infty\)) and superlinear at the other (\(u = \infty\) or \(0\)), then there exists a constant \(\beta > 0\) such that the boundary value problem has at least one positive solution for all \(b \in [0, \beta)\) and no positive solution for all \(b > \beta\). The main tool is the classic cone expansion and compression fixed point theorem due to Krasnosel'skiĭ.