Global Hopf bifurcation for differential equations with multiple threshold‐type state‐dependent delays

Abstract

Using the ‐equivariant degree, we develop a global Hopf bifurcation theory for system of differential equations with multiple threshold‐type state‐dependent delays whose prototype is the human respiratory system with multiple blood transport time delays. To establish a theoretic framework for modeling practices of periodic breathing, we further investigate the periodic oscillations of carbon dioxide concentrations in the lung, brain, and tissue compartments and conduct a local and global Hopf bifurcation analysis for the model when varying the commensurate scale of the multiple delays in a transformed system. Such a global Hopf bifurcation will indicate the onset and persistence of the periodic oscillations.