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As the population of cities grows, the need to plan for the development of transport infrastructure becomes more acute. For this purpose, transport modeling packages are created. These packages usually contain a set of convex optimization problems, the iterative solution of which leads to the desired equilibrium distribution of flows along the paths. One of the directions for the development of transport modeling is the construction of more accurate generalized models that take into account different types of passengers, their travel purposes, as well as the specifics of personal and public modes of transport that agents can use. Another important direction of transport models development is to improve the efficiency of the calculations performed. Since, due to the large dimension of modern transport networks, the search for a numerical solution to the problem of equilibrium distribution of flows along the paths is quite expensive. The iterative nature of the entire solution process only makes this worse. One of the approaches leading to a reduction in the number of calculations performed is the construction of consistent models that allow to combine the blocks of a 4-stage model into a single optimization problem. This makes it possible to eliminate the iterative running of blocks, moving from solving a separate optimization problem at each stage to some general problem. Early work has proven that such approaches provide equivalent solutions. However, it is worth considering the validity and interpretability of these methods. The purpose of this article is to substantiate a single problem, that combines both the calculation of the trip matrix and the modal choice, for the generalized case when there are different layers of demand, types of agents and classes of vehicles in the transport network. The article provides possible interpretations for the gauge parameters used in the problem, as well as for the dual factors associated with the balance constraints. The authors of the article also show the possibility of combining the considered problem with a block for determining network load into a single optimization problem.

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.

This paper studies electromagnetic fields, frequencies of lasing, and emission thresholds of a drop-shaped microcavity laser. From the mathematical point of view, the original problem is a nonstandard two-parametric eigenvalue problem for the Helmholtz equation on the whole plane. The desired positive parameters are the lasing frequency and the threshold gain, the corresponding eigenfunctions are the amplitudes of the lasing modes. This problem is usually referred to as the lasing eigenvalue problem. In this study, spectral characteristics are calculated numerically, by solving the lasing eigenvalue problem on the basis of the set of Muller boundary integral equations, which is approximated by the Nystr¨om method. The Muller equations have weakly singular kernels, hence the corresponding operator is Fredholm with zero index. The Nyström method is a special modification of the polynomial quadrature method for boundary integral equations with weakly singular kernels. This algorithm is accurate for functions that are well approximated by trigonometric polynomials, for example, for eigenmodes of resonators with smooth boundaries. This approach leads to a characteristic equation for mode frequencies and lasing thresholds. It is a nonlinear algebraic eigenvalue problem, which is solved numerically by the residual inverse iteration method. In this paper, this technique is extended to the numerical modeling of microcavity lasers having a more complicated form. In contrast to the microcavity lasers with smooth contours, which were previously investigated by the Nyström method, the drop has a corner. We propose a special modification of the Nyström method for contours with corners, which takes also the symmetry of the resonator into account. The results of numerical experiments presented in the paper demonstrate the practical effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Rugose spiraling whitefly (RSW) is one of the major pests which affects the coconut trees. It feeds on the tree by sucking up the water content as well as the essential nutrients from leaves. It also forms sooty mold in leaves due to which the process of photosynthesis is inhibited. Biocontrol of pest is harmless for trees and crops. The experimental results in literature reveal that Pseudomallada astur is a potential predator for this pest. We investigate the dynamics of predator, Pseudomallada astur’s interaction with rugose spiralling whitefly, Aleurodicus rugioperculatus in coconut trees using a mathematical model. In this system of ordinary differential equation, the pest-predator interaction is modeled using Holling type III functional response. The parametric values are calculated from the experimental results and are tabulated. An approximate analytical solution for the system has been derived. The homotopy analysis method proves to be a suitable method for creating solutions that are valid even for moderate to large parameter values, hence we employ the same to solve this nonlinear model. The $\hbar$-curves, which give the admissible region of $\hbar$, are provided to validate the region of convergence. We have derived the approximate solution at fifth order and stopped at this order since we obtain a more approximate solution in this iteration. Numerical simulation is obtained through MATLAB. The analytical results are compared with numerical simulation and are found to be in good agreement. The biological interpretation of figures implies that the use of a predator reduces the whitefly’s growth to a greater extent.

In this paper, we consider two variants of the concept of sharp minimum for mathematical programming problems with quasiconvex objective function and inequality constraints. It investigated the problem of describing a variant of a simple subgradient method with switching along productive and non-productive steps, for which, on a class of problems with Lipschitz functions, it would be possible to guarantee convergence with the rate of geometric progression to the set of exact solutions or its vicinity. It is important that to implement the proposed method there is no need to know the sharp minimum parameter, which is usually difficult to estimate in practice. To overcome this problem, the authors propose to use a step adjustment procedure similar to that previously proposed by B. T. Polyak. However, in this case, in comparison with the class of problems without constraints, it arises the problem of knowing the exact minimal value of the objective function. The paper describes the conditions for the inexactness of this information, which make it possible to preserve convergence with the rate of geometric progression in the vicinity of the set of minimum points of the problem. Two analogs of the concept of a sharp minimum for problems with inequality constraints are considered. In the first one, the problem of approximation to the exact solution arises only to a pre-selected level of accuracy, for this, it is considered the case when the minimal value of the objective function is unknown; instead, it is given some approximation of this value. We describe conditions on the inexact minimal value of the objective function, under which convergence to the vicinity of the desired set of points with a rate of geometric progression is still preserved. The second considered variant of the sharp minimum does not depend on the desired accuracy of the problem. For this, we propose a slightly different way of checking whether the step is productive, which allows us to guarantee the convergence of the method to the exact solution with the rate of geometric progression in the case of exact information. Convergence estimates are proved under conditions of weak convexity of the constraints and some restrictions on the choice of the initial point, and a corollary is formulated for the convex case when the need for an additional assumption on the choice of the initial point disappears. For both approaches, it has been proven that the distance from the current point to the set of solutions decreases with increasing number of iterations. This, in particular, makes it possible to limit the requirements for the properties of the used functions (Lipschitz-continuous, sharp minimum) only for a bounded set. Some computational experiments are performed, including for the truss topology design problem.

The article covered results of three-dimensional modeling of ecologic situation of shallow water on the example of the Azov Sea with using schemes of increased order of accuracy on multiprocessor computer system of Southern Federal University. Discrete analogs of convective and diffusive transfer operators of the fourth order of accuracy in the case of partial occupancy of cells were constructed and studied. The developed scheme of the high (fourth) order of accuracy were used for solving problems of aquatic ecology and modeling spatial distribution of polluting nutrients, which caused growth of phytoplankton, many species of which are toxic and harmful. The use of schemes of the high order of accuracy are improved the quality of input data and decreased the error in solutions of model tasks of aquatic ecology. Numerical experiments were conducted for the problem of transportation of substances on the basis of the schemes of the second and fourth orders of accuracy. They’re showed that the accuracy was increased in 48.7 times for diffusion-convection problem. The mathematical algorithm was proposed and numerically implemented, which designed to restore the bottom topography of shallow water on the basis of hydrographic data (water depth at individual points or contour level). The map of bottom relief of the Azov Sea was generated with using this algorithm. It’s used to build fields of currents calculated on the basis of hydrodynamic model. The fields of water flow currents were used as input data of the aquatic ecology models. The library of double-layered iterative methods was developed for solving of nine-diagonal difference equations. It occurs in discretization of model tasks of challenges of pollutants concentration, plankton and fish on multiprocessor computer system. It improved the precision of the calculated data and gave the possibility to obtain operational forecasts of changes in ecologic situation of shallow water in short time intervals.

The paper considers the problem of estimating the parameters of time series described by regression models with Markov switching of two regimes at random instants of time with independent Gaussian noise. For the solution, we propose a variant of the EM algorithm based on the iterative procedure, during which an estimation of the regression parameters is performed for a given sequence of regime switching and an evaluation of the switching sequence for the given parameters of the regression models. In contrast to the well-known methods of estimating regression parameters in the models with Markov switching, which are based on the calculation of a posteriori probabilities of discrete states of the switching sequence, in the paper the estimates are calculated of the switching sequence, which are optimal by the criterion of the maximum of a posteriori probability. As a result, the proposed algorithm turns out to be simpler and requires less calculations. Computer modeling allows to reveal the factors influencing accuracy of estimation. Such factors include the number of observations, the number of unknown regression parameters, the degree of their difference in different modes of operation, and the signal-to-noise ratio which is associated with the coefficient of determination in regression models. The proposed algorithm is applied to the problem of estimating parameters in regression models for the rate of daily return of the RTS index, depending on the returns of the S&P 500 index and Gazprom shares for the period from 2013 to 2018. Comparison of the estimates of the parameters found using the proposed algorithm is carried out with the estimates that are formed using the EViews econometric package and with estimates of the ordinary least squares method without taking into account regimes switching. The account of regimes switching allows to receive more exact representation about structure of a statistical dependence of investigated variables. In switching models, the increase in the signal-to-noise ratio leads to the fact that the differences in the estimates produced by the proposed algorithm and using the EViews program are reduced.

In this article we consider min-min type of problems or minimization by two groups of variables. In some way it is similar to classic min-max saddle point problem. Although, saddle point problems are usually more difficult in some way. Min-min problems may occur in case if some groups of variables in convex optimization have different dimensions or if these groups have different domains. Such problem structure gives us an ability to split the main task to subproblems, and allows to tackle it with mixed oracles. However existing articles on this topic cover only zeroth and first order oracles, in our work we consider high-order tensor methods to solve inner problem and fast gradient method to solve outer problem.

We assume, that outer problem is constrained to some convex compact set, and for the inner problem we consider both unconstrained case and being constrained to some convex compact set. By definition, tensor methods use high-order derivatives, so the time per single iteration of the method depends a lot on the dimensionality of the problem it solves. Therefore, we suggest, that the dimension of the inner problem variable is not greater than 1000. Additionally, we need some specific assumptions to be able to use mixed oracles. Firstly, we assume, that the objective is convex in both groups of variables and its gradient by both variables is Lipschitz continuous. Secondly, we assume the inner problem is strongly convex and its gradient is Lipschitz continuous. Also, since we are going to use tensor methods for inner problem, we need it to be p-th order Lipschitz continuous ($p > 1$). Finally, we assume strong convexity of the outer problem to be able to use fast gradient method for strongly convex functions.

We need to emphasize, that we use superfast tensor method to tackle inner subproblem in unconstrained case. And when we solve inner problem on compact set, we use accelerated high-order composite proximal method.

Additionally, in the end of the article we compare the theoretical complexity of obtained methods with regular gradient method, which solves the mentioned problem as regular convex optimization problem and doesn’t take into account its structure (Remarks 1 and 2).

The work is devoted to the study of subgradient methods with different variations of the Polyak stepsize for minimization functions from the class of weakly convex and relatively weakly convex functions that have the corresponding analogue of a sharp minimum. It turns out that, under certain assumptions about the starting point, such an approach can make it possible to justify the convergence of the subgradient method with the speed of a geometric progression. For the subgradient method with the Polyak stepsize, a refined estimate for the rate of convergence is proved for minimization problems for weakly convex functions with a sharp minimum. The feature of this estimate is an additional consideration of the decrease of the distance from the current point of the method to the set of solutions with the increase in the number of iterations. The results of numerical experiments for the phase reconstruction problem (which is weakly convex and has a sharp minimum) are presented, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed approach to estimating the rate of convergence compared to the known one. Next, we propose a variation of the subgradient method with switching over productive and non-productive steps for weakly convex problems with inequality constraints and obtain the corresponding analog of the result on convergence with the rate of geometric progression. For the subgradient method with the corresponding variation of the Polyak stepsize on the class of relatively Lipschitz and relatively weakly convex functions with a relative analogue of a sharp minimum, it was obtained conditions that guarantee the convergence of such a subgradient method at the rate of a geometric progression. Finally, a theoretical result is obtained that describes the influence of the error of the information about the (sub)gradient available by the subgradient method and the objective function on the estimation of the quality of the obtained approximate solution. It is proved that for a sufficiently small error $\delta > 0$, one can guarantee that the accuracy of the solution is comparable to $\delta$.

This paper is devoted to some variants of improving the convergence rate guarantees of the gradient-type algorithms for relatively smooth and relatively Lipschitz-continuous problems in the case of additional information about some analogues of the strong convexity of the objective function. We consider two classes of problems, namely, convex problems with a relative functional growth condition, and problems (generally, non-convex) with an analogue of the Polyak – Lojasiewicz gradient dominance condition with respect to Bregman divergence. For the first type of problems, we propose two restart schemes for the gradient type methods and justify theoretical estimates of the convergence of two algorithms with adaptively chosen parameters corresponding to the relative smoothness or Lipschitz property of the objective function. The first of these algorithms is simpler in terms of the stopping criterion from the iteration, but for this algorithm, the near-optimal computational guarantees are justified only on the class of relatively Lipschitz-continuous problems. The restart procedure of another algorithm, in its turn, allowed us to obtain more universal theoretical results. We proved a near-optimal estimate of the complexity on the class of convex relatively Lipschitz continuous problems with a functional growth condition. We also obtained linear convergence rate guarantees on the class of relatively smooth problems with a functional growth condition. For a class of problems with an analogue of the gradient dominance condition with respect to the Bregman divergence, estimates of the quality of the output solution were obtained using adaptively selected parameters. We also present the results of some computational experiments illustrating the performance of the methods for the second approach at the conclusion of the paper. As examples, we considered a linear inverse Poisson problem (minimizing the Kullback – Leibler divergence), its regularized version which allows guaranteeing a relative strong convexity of the objective function, as well as an example of a relatively smooth and relatively strongly convex problem. In particular, calculations show that a relatively strongly convex function may not satisfy the relative variant of the gradient dominance condition.