Periodic solutions of a system of differential equations with pure delay arising in a biological problem

A class of differential equations with pure delay and a hyperbolic nonlinearity, analogous to the Michaelis-Menten term in chemical reaction kinetics, is examined. Conditions for the existence of periodic solutions are established. The amplitude and period dependences on the equation parameters are estimated analytically. A mixed analytico-numerical approach is used in the computations, because a straightforward integration of the equations is numerically ill conditioned. (11 refs).