We consider the classical nonlinear fourth-order two-point boundary value problem $$\left\{\begin{array}{c}{u}^{\left(4\right)}\left(t\right)=\lambda h\left(t\right)f(t,u\left(t\right),u^{\text{'}}\left(t\right),u^{\text{'}\text{'}}\left(t\right)),0<t<1,\hfill \\ u\left(0\right)=u^{\text{'}}\left(1\right)=u^{\text{'}\text{'}}\left(0\right)=u^{\text{'}\text{'}\text{'}}\left(1\right)=0.\hfill \end{array}\right.$$ In this problem, the nonlinear term $h\left(t\right)f(t,u\left(t\right),u^{\text{'}}\left(t\right),u^{\text{'}\text{'}}\left(t\right))$ contains the first and second derivatives of the unknown function, and the function $h\left(t\right)f(t,x,y,z)$ may be singular at $t=0$, $t=1$ and at $x=0$, $y=0$, $z=0$. By introducing suitable height functions and applying the fixed point theorem on the cone, we establish several local existence theorems on positive solutions and obtain the corresponding eigenvalue intervals.

We consider boundary value problems for second order differential equations of the form ${(x^{\text{'}}+g(t,x,x^{\text{'}}))}^{\text{'}}=f(t,x,x^{\text{'}})$ with the boundary conditions $r(x\left(0\right),x^{\text{'}}\left(0\right),x\left(T\right))+\varphi \left(x\right)=0$, $w(x\left(0\right),x\left(T\right),x^{\text{'}}\left(T\right))+\psi \left(x\right)=0$, where $g,r,w$ are continuous functions, $f$ satisfies the local Carathéodory conditions and $\varphi ,\psi$ are continuous and nondecreasing functionals. Existence results are proved by the method of lower and upper functions and applying the degree theory for $\alpha$-condensing operators.

The problem on the existence of a positive in the interval $]a,b[$ solution of the boundary value problem $$u^{\text{'}\text{'}}=f(t,u)+g(t,u)u^{\text{'}};u(a+)=0,u(b-)=0$$ is considered, where the functions $f$ and $g]a,b[\times ]0,+\infty [\to ℝ$ satisfy the local Carathéodory conditions. The possibility for the functions $f$ and $g$ to have singularities in the first argument (for $t=a$ and $t=b$) and in the phase variable (for $u=0$) is not excluded. Sufficient and, in some cases, necessary and sufficient conditions for the solvability of that problem are established.