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Modelling the significance of feeding and mating related contact, optimal control and fractional order change on the long term dynamics of Devil Facial Tumour Disease

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dc.contributor.supervisor Njagarah, Hatson John Boscoh
dc.contributor.author Sigauke, Morelyn
dc.date.accessioned 2022-04-21T14:37:03Z
dc.date.available 2022-04-21T14:37:03Z
dc.date.issued 2020-12
dc.identifier.citation Sigauke, M. (2020) Modelling the significance of feeding and mating related contact, optimal control and fractional order change on the long term dynamics of Devil Facial Tumour Disease, Master's Thesis, Botswana International University of Science and Technology: Palapye. en_US
dc.identifier.uri http://repository.biust.ac.bw/handle/123456789/429
dc.description Thesis (Msc Pure and Applied Mathematics) --Botswana International University of Science and Technology, 2020. en_US
dc.description.abstract Tasmanian devils are the largest living carnivorous marsupial found in the wild of Tasmania. These species are being threatened by a cancerous tumour disease, the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). The disease affects the facial areas and has led to a considerable popula tion decline. In this thesis, mathematical models for transmission of DFTD are developed and analysed to investigate the significance of feeding and mating related contact, optimal control and fractional-order change on the long-term dynamics of the disease. The two-sex models consider two transmission pathways namely, feeding and mating related contact. The relative transmission rates through mating related contact from male devils to female devils and vice versa are assumed to be different. Model properties such as positivity and boundedness were proved to ensure that the models are analysed in a feasible regions of bi ological significance. The model disease thresholds were evaluated and used to analyse the model properties including existence and stability of steady states. Sensitivity analysis of the model parameters as input values and the reproduction number as the output values was carried out using the Latin Hypercube Sampling Scheme. Through sensitivity analysis of model parameters on the disease threshold, it was observed that feeding related contact rate has the greatest potential of making the disease epidemic worse when increased. In addition, the tumour induced death rate and the recovery rate for both male and female devils were observed to have a high potential of reducing the disease burden increased. Our numerical results indicated that, higher feeding and mating related contact for both male and female devils are associated with higher peak values of the infected devils. From optimal control numerical results, we observed that, the infection is considerably reduced in the presence of controls. However, the infection is predicted to remain in the population with a smaller num ber of devils affected. More still, in the absence of controls we observed that, the number of infected devils reaches very high and devastating proportions. It is therefore recommended that, controls be applied early in the epidemic so as to avert high peaks of the infection. The modelling work also considered a fractional-order model for the disease transmission dy namics with the presumption that future values of the infection depend on both the current and previous states, an aspect that constitutes memory of the system. Our results indicated that increased dependence on previous states predicted lower peaks of infected devils but higher long-term values in the population. From our results, we recommend that control measures such as isolation/quarantining be put in place to reduce contact between infected and healthy devils to reduce the disease burden. In addition culling infected devils and vac cination of the uninfected were predicted to be important in reducing the infection as well as avoid extinction of the devils population and therefore should be implemented to contain the disease. en_US
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher Botswana International University of Science and Technology en_US
dc.subject Tasmanian en_US
dc.subject Devil Facial Tumour en_US
dc.subject Cancer en_US
dc.subject Mating en_US
dc.subject Disease en_US
dc.title Modelling the significance of feeding and mating related contact, optimal control and fractional order change on the long term dynamics of Devil Facial Tumour Disease en_US
dc.description.level msc en_US
dc.description.accessibility unrestricted en_US
dc.description.department mss en_US


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