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The development of a viral infection in the organism is a complex process which depends on the competition race between virus replication in the host cells and the immune response. To study different regimes of infection progression, we analyze the general mathematical model of immune response to viral infection. The model consists of two ODEs for virus and immune cells non-dimensionalized concentrations. The proliferation rate of immune cells in the model is represented by a bell-shaped function of the virus concentration. This function increases for small virus concentrations describing the antigen-stimulated clonal expansion of immune cells, and decreases for sufficiently high virus concentrations describing down-regulation of immune cells proliferation by the infection. Depending on the virus virulence, strength of the immune response, and the initial viral load, the model predicts several scenarios: (a) infection can be completely eliminated, (b) it can remain at a low level while the concentration of immune cells is high; (c) immune cells can be essentially exhausted, or (d) completely exhausted, which is accompanied (c, d) by high virus concentration. The analysis of the model shows that virus concentration can oscillate as it gradually converges to its equilibrium value. We show that the considered model can be obtained by the reduction of a more general model with an additional equation for the total viral load provided that this equation is fast. In the case of slow kinetics of the total viral load, this more general model should be used.

This article reviews both historical achievements and modern results in the field of Markov Decision Process (MDP) and convex optimization. This review is the first attempt to cover the field of reinforcement learning in Russian in the context of convex optimization. The fundamental Bellman equation and the criteria of optimality of policy — strategies based on it, which make decisions based on the known state of the environment at the moment, are considered. The main iterative algorithms of policy optimization based on the solution of the Bellman equations are also considered. An important section of this article was the consideration of an alternative to the $Q$-learning approach — the method of direct maximization of the agent’s average reward for the chosen strategy from interaction with the environment. Thus, the solution of this convex optimization problem can be represented as a linear programming problem. The paper demonstrates how the convex optimization apparatus is used to solve the problem of Reinforcement Learning (RL). In particular, it is shown how the concept of strong duality allows us to naturally modify the formulation of the RL problem, showing the equivalence between maximizing the agent’s reward and finding his optimal strategy. The paper also discusses the complexity of MDP optimization with respect to the number of state–action–reward triples obtained as a result of interaction with the environment. The optimal limits of the MDP solution complexity are presented in the case of an ergodic process with an infinite horizon, as well as in the case of a non-stationary process with a finite horizon, which can be restarted several times in a row or immediately run in parallel in several threads. The review also reviews the latest results on reducing the gap between the lower and upper estimates of the complexity of MDP optimization with average remuneration (Averaged MDP, AMDP). In conclusion, the real-valued parametrization of agent policy and a class of gradient optimization methods through maximizing the $Q$-function of value are considered. In particular, a special class of MDPs with restrictions on the value of policy (Constrained Markov Decision Process, CMDP) is presented, for which a general direct-dual approach to optimization with strong duality is proposed.

This paper provides an overview of studies on nonlinear supratransmission and related phenomena. This effect consists in the transfer of energy at frequencies not supported by the systems under consideration. The supratransmission does not depend on the integrability of the system, it is resistant to damping and various classes of boundary conditions. In addition, a nonlinear discrete medium, under certain general conditions imposed on the structure, can create instability due to external periodic influence. This instability is the generative process underlying the nonlinear supratransmission. This is possible when the system supports nonlinear modes of various nature, in particular, discrete breathers. Then the energy penetrates into the system as soon as the amplitude of the external harmonic excitation exceeds the maximum amplitude of the static breather of the same frequency.

The effect of nonlinear supratransmission is an important property of many discrete structures. A necessary condition for its existence is the discreteness and nonlinearity of the medium. Its manifestation in systems of various nature speaks of its fundamentality and significance. This review considers the main works that touch upon the issue of nonlinear supratransmission in various systems, mainly model ones.

Many teams of authors are studying this effect. First of all, these are models described by discrete equations, including sin-Gordon and the discrete Schr¨odinger equation. At the same time, the effect is not exclusively model and manifests itself in full-scale experiments in electrical circuits, in nonlinear chains of oscillators, as well as in metastable modular metastructures. There is a gradual complication of models, which leads to a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of supratransmission, and the transition to disordered structures and those with elements of chaos structures allows us to talk about a more subtle manifestation of this effect. Numerical asymptotic approaches make it possible to study nonlinear supratransmission in complex nonintegrable systems. The complication of all kinds of oscillators, both physical and electrical, is relevant for various real devices based on such systems, in particular, in the field of nano-objects and energy transport in them through the considered effect. Such systems include molecular and crystalline clusters and nanodevices. In the conclusion of the paper, the main trends in the research of nonlinear supratransmission are given.

The study of the properties of seismic noise in Kamchatka is based on the idea that noise is an important source of information about the processes preceding strong earthquakes. The hypothesis is considered that an increase in seismic hazard is accompanied by a simplification of the statistical structure of seismic noise and an increase in spatial correlations of its properties. The entropy of the distribution of squared wavelet coefficients, the width of the carrier of the multifractal singularity spectrum, and the Donoho – Johnstone index were used as statistics characterizing noise. The values of these parameters reflect the complexity: if a random signal is close in its properties to white noise, then the entropy is maximum, and the other two parameters are minimum. The statistics used are calculated for 6 station clusters. For each station cluster, daily median noise properties are calculated in successive 1-day time windows, resulting in an 18-dimensional (3 properties and 6 station clusters) time series of properties. To highlight the general properties of changes in noise parameters, a principal component method is used, which is applied for each cluster of stations, as a result of which the information is compressed into a 6-dimensional daily time series of principal components. Spatial noise coherences are estimated as a set of maximum pairwise quadratic coherence spectra between the principal components of station clusters in a sliding time window of 365 days. By calculating histograms of the distribution of cluster numbers in which the minimum and maximum values of noise statistics are achieved in a sliding time window of 365 days in length, the migration of seismic hazard areas was assessed in comparison with strong earthquakes with a magnitude of at least 7.

The paper presents an optimization approach to microstructure simulation. Porosity function was optimized by numerical method, grain-size model was optimized by complex method based on criteria of model quality. Methods have been validated on examples. Presented new regression model of model quality. Actual application of proposed method is 3D reconstruction of core sample microstructure. Presented results suggest to prolongation of investigations. 

The article deals with the nonlinear model of population dynamics of different ages workers in the regional economy. The model is built on the principles underlying modeling in econophysics. The authors demonstrate the complex dynamics of the model regimes that impose fundamental limits on medium- and long-term forecast of employment in a region. By analogy with the biophysical approach the authors propose a classification of social interactions of the different age-group workers. The model analysis is given for the level of employment among age groups. The verification of the model performs on the statistical data of the Jewish Autonomous Region.

A molecular model of phicobilisome complex with a quenching protein OCP which regulates the energy transfer from phicobilisome to photosystem in photosynthetic apparatus of cyanobacteria has been developed. In the model obtained a well known spatial structure of interacting proteins remains intact and also the energy transfer from phycobilisome to OCP with reasonable rates is possible. Free energy of complex formation was calculated using MM–PBSA approach. By the order of magnitude this energy is about tens of kJ/mole. This value correlates well with experimental observed low stability of this complex. The specific surface energy of interaction between hydrophylic phicobilisome and OCP is twice larger than specific surface energy of their interaction with water. This reflects a high molecular complementary of interacting protein surfaces and is a strong pro argument for proposed model.

Investigation of logical deterministic cellular automata models of population dynamics allows to reveal detailed individual-based mechanisms. The search for such mechanisms is important in connection with ecological problems caused by overexploitation of natural resources, environmental pollution and climate change. Classical models of population dynamics have the phenomenological nature, as they are “black boxes”. Phenomenological models fundamentally complicate research of detailed mechanisms of ecosystem functioning. We have investigated the role of fecundity and duration of resources regeneration in mechanisms of population growth using four models of ecosystem with one species. These models are logical deterministic cellular automata and are based on physical axiomatics of excitable medium with regeneration. We have modeled catastrophic death of population arising from increasing of resources regeneration duration. It has been shown that greater fecundity accelerates population extinction. The investigated mechanisms are important for understanding mechanisms of sustainability of ecosystems and biodiversity conservation. Prospects of the presented modeling approach as a method of transparent multilevel modeling of complex systems are discussed.

An approach to numerical analysis of thermo-hydraulic processes proceeding in a fast-neutron reactor is described in the given article. The description covers physical models, numerical schemes and geometry simplifications accepted in the computational model. Steady-state and dynamic regimes of reactor operation are considered. The steady-state regimes simulate the reactor operation at nominal power. The dynamic regimes simulate the shutdown reactor cooling by means of the heat-removal system.

Simulation of thermo-hydraulic processes is carried out in the FlowVision CFD software. A mathematical model describing the coolant flow in the first loop of the fast-neutron reactor was developed on the basis of the available geometrical model. The flow of the working fluid in the reactor simulator is calculated under the assumption that the fluid density does not depend on pressure, with use a $k–\varepsilon$ turbulence model, with use of a model of dispersed medium, and with account of conjugate heat exchange. The model of dispersed medium implemented in the FlowVision software allowed taking into account heat exchange between the heat-exchanger lops. Due to geometric complexity of the core region, the zones occupied by the two heat exchangers were modeled by hydraulic resistances and heat sources.

Numerical simulation of the coolant flow in the FlowVision software enabled obtaining the distributions of temperature, velocity and pressure in the entire computational domain. Using the model of dispersed medium allowed calculation of the temperature distributions in the second loops of the heat exchangers. Besides that, the variation of the coolant temperature along the two thermal probes is determined. The probes were located in the cool and hot chambers of the fast-neutron reactor simulator. Comparative analysis of the numerical and experimental data has shown that the developed mathematical model is correct and, therefore, it can be used for simulation of thermo-hydraulic processes proceeding in fast-neutron reactors with sodium coolant.

By numerical simulation methods the interaction processes of oscillating soliton (breather) with a 180-degree Neel domain wall in the framework of a (2 + 1)-dimensional supersymmetric O(3) nonlinear sigma model is studied. The purpose of this paper is to investigate nonlinear evolution and stability of a system of interacting localized dynamic and topological solutions. To construct the interaction models, were used a stationary breather and domain wall solutions, where obtained in the framework of the two-dimensional sine-Gordon equation by adding specially selected perturbations to the A3-field vector in the isotopic space of the Bloch sphere. In the absence of an external magnetic field, nonlinear sigma models have formal Lorentz invariance, which allows constructing, in particular, moving solutions and analyses the experimental data of the nonlinear dynamics of an interacting solitons system. In this paper, based on the obtained moving localized solutions, models for incident and head-on collisions of breathers with a domain wall are constructed, where, depending on the dynamic parameters of the system, are observed the collisions and reflections of solitons from each other, a long-range interactions and also the decay of an oscillating soliton into linear perturbation waves. In contrast to the breather solution that has the dynamics of the internal degree of freedom, the energy integral of a topologically stable soliton in the all experiments the preserved with high accuracy. For each type of interaction, the range of values of the velocity of the colliding dynamic and topological solitons is determined as a function of the rotation frequency of the A3-field vector in the isotopic space. Numerical models are constructed on the basis of methods of the theory of finite difference schemes, using the properties of stereographic projection, taking into account the group-theoretical features of constructions of the O(N) class of nonlinear sigma models of field theory. On the perimeter of the two-dimensional modeling area, specially developed boundary conditions are established that absorb linear perturbation waves radiated by interacting soliton fields. Thus, the simulation of the interaction processes of localized solutions in an infinite two-dimensional phase space is carried out. A software module has been developed that allows to carry out a complex analysis of the evolution of interacting solutions of nonlinear sigma models of field theory, taking into account it’s group properties in a two-dimensional pseudo-Euclidean space. The analysis of isospin dynamics, as well the energy density and energy integral of a system of interacting dynamic and topological solitons is carried out.