Control Settings for Deterministic Compartmental Models

Sets the controls for deterministic compartmental models simulated with dcm().

Usage

control.dcm(
  type,
  nsteps,
  dt = 1,
  odemethod = "lsoda",
  dede = FALSE,
  new.mod = NULL,
  sens.param = TRUE,
  print.mod = FALSE,
  verbose = FALSE,
  ...
)

Arguments

type: Disease type to be modeled, with the choice of "SI" for Susceptible-Infected diseases, "SIR" for Susceptible-Infected-Recovered diseases, and "SIS" for Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible diseases.
nsteps: Number of time steps to solve the model over or vector of times to solve the model over. If the number of time steps, then this must be a positive integer of length 1.
dt: Time unit for model solutions, with the default of 1. Model solutions for fractional time steps may be obtained by setting this to a number between 0 and 1.
odemethod: Ordinary differential equation (ODE) integration method, with the default of "lsoda" (see deSolve::ode for other options).
dede: If TRUE, use the delayed differential equation solver, which allows for time-lagged variables.
new.mod: If not running a base model type, a function with a new model to be simulated (see details).
sens.param: If TRUE, evaluate arguments in parameters or initial conditions with length greater than 1 as sensitivity analyses, with one model run per value. If FALSE, one model will be run with parameters and initial conditions of arbitrary length (the model may error unless the model function is designed to accommodate vectors).
print.mod: If TRUE, print the model form to the console.
verbose: If TRUE, print model progress to the console.
...: additional control settings passed to model.

Value

An EpiModel object of class control.dcm.

Details

control.dcm sets the required control settings for any deterministic compartmental models solved with the dcm() function. Controls are required for both base model types and original models. For all base models, the type argument is a necessary parameter and it has no default.

ODE Solver

As of EpiModel 2.5.5, the default ODE solver was changed from "rk4" (fixed-step Runge-Kutta 4) to "lsoda" (adaptive step-size). The "lsoda" method automatically adjusts its internal step size, providing numerical stability across a wide range of parameter values. The fixed-step "rk4" solver could produce numerical instability (negative compartment sizes, NaN values) for models with high transmission rates or stiff dynamics. Users who require the previous behavior can set odemethod = "rk4" explicitly.

New Model Functions

The form of the model function for base models may be displayed with the print.mod argument set to TRUE. In this case, the model will not be run. These model forms may be used as templates to write original model functions.

These new models may be input and solved with dcm() using the new.mod argument, which requires as input a model function.