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The paper presents the results of numerical simulation of the effect of a long spark discharge on the mixing dynamics of an injected gas jet with supersonic air flow. The calculations were performed using the CFD software package FlowVision. The fuel was supplied using an injector located on the channel wall, and the discharge was organized near the wall downstream of the injector. Simulation of electrical spark discharge was performed using a volumetric heat source. In order to describe the principal specifications of a plasma actuator to accelerate mixing in a supersonic flow (Mach number M = 2), the research involved varying the energy impact to the discharge in the range of 100–500 mJ per pulse, determining the influence of the shape and location of the discharge. A study of the fuel injection modes in a supersonic air flow has been carried out and an optimal gas jet outflow regime has been found to study the effect of a spark discharge. A method has been developed for analyzing the disturbance pattern of the fuel-oxidant interface caused by the operation of a pulsed spark discharge. A program was prepared in the LabView software environment for obtaining quantitative characteristics for further comparison with the results obtained in the experiment.

The simulation results allow us to conclude that the long spark discharge located along the flow downstream of the injector provides the maximum increase in the interface between the jet of fuel and the main flow. A typical repetition frequency of discharge pulses in a pulse-periodic mode should be more than 6 kHz with a discharge length of ~10 mm to ensure a continuous effect on the mixing at a flow velocity of 500 m/s.

As part of the paper, a physical and theoretical analysis of the impact processes of various factors of a highaltitude and high-energy nuclear explosion on the asteroid in extra-atmospheric conditions of open space is done. It is shown that, in accordance with the energy and permeability of the plasma of explosion products, X-ray and gamma-neutron radiation, a layered structure with a different energy density depending on angular coordinates is formed on the surface of the asteroid. The temporal patterns of the energy transformation for each layer is clarified and the roles of various photo- and collision processes are determined. The effect of a high-speed plasma flow is erosive in nature, and the plasma pulse is transmitted to the asteroid. The paper presents that in a thin layer of x-ray absorption, the asteroid substance is heated to high temperatures and as a result of its expansion, a recoil impulse is formed, which is not decisive due to the small mass of the expanding high-temperature plasma. Calculations shows that the main impulse received by an asteroid is associated with the entrainment of a heated layer of a substance formed by a neutron flux (7.5 E 10¹⁴ g E cm/s). It is shown that an asteroid with a radius of ~100 m acquires a velocity of . 100 cm/s. The calculations were performed taking into account the explosion energy spent on the destruction of the amorphous structure of the asteroid material (~1 eV/atom = 3.8 E 10¹⁰ erg/g) and ionization in the region of the high-temperature layer. Based on a similar analysis, an approximation is obtained for estimating the average size of fragments in the event of the possible destruction of the asteroid by shock waves generated inside it under the influence of pressure impulses. A physical experiment was conducted in laboratory conditions, simulating the fragmentation of a stone asteroid and confirming the validity of the obtained dependence on the selected values of certain parameters. As a result of numerical studies of the effects of the explosion, carried out at different distances from the surface of the asteroid, it is shown that taking into account the real geometry of the spallation layer gives the optimal height for the formation of the maximum asteroid momentum by a factor of 1.5 greater than similar estimates according to the simplified model. A two-stage concept of the impact of nuclear explosions on an asteroid using radar guidance tools is proposed. The paper analyzes the possible impact of the emerging ionization interference on the radar tracking of the movement of large fragments of the asteroid in the space-time evolution of all elements of the studied dynamic system.

In this paper, a time-dependent natural convective heat transfer in a closed square cavity filled with non- Newtonian fluid was considered in the presence of an isothermal energy source located on the lower wall of the region under consideration. The vertical boundaries were kept at constant low temperature, while the horizontal walls were completely insulated. The behavior of a non-Newtonian fluid was described by the Ostwald de Ville power law. The process under study was described by transient partial differential equations using dimensionless non-primitive variables “stream function – vorticity – temperature”. This method allows excluding the pressure field from the number of unknown parameters, while the non-dimensionalization allows generalizing the obtained results to a variety of physical formulations. The considered mathematical model with the corresponding boundary conditions was solved on the basis of the finite difference method. The algebraic equation for the stream function was solved by the method of successive lower relaxation. Discrete analogs of the vorticity equation and energy equation were solved by the Thomas algorithm. The developed numerical algorithm was tested in detail on a class of model problems and good agreement with other authors was achieved. Also during the study, the mesh sensitivity analysis was performed that allows choosing the optimal mesh.

As a result of numerical simulation of unsteady natural convection of a non-Newtonian power-law fluid in a closed square cavity with a local isothermal energy source, the influence of governing parameters was analyzed including the impact of the Rayleigh number in the range 104–106, power-law index $n = 0.6–1.4$, and also the position of the heating element on the flow structure and heat transfer performance inside the cavity. The analysis was carried out on the basis of the obtained distributions of streamlines and isotherms in the cavity, as well as on the basis of the dependences of the average Nusselt number. As a result, it was established that pseudoplastic fluids $(n < 1)$ intensify heat removal from the heater surface. The increase in the Rayleigh number and the central location of the heating element also correspond to the effective cooling of the heat source.

This article studies a method of constructing a predictive neural network model of a time series based on determining the composition of input variables, constructing a training sample and training itself using the back propagation method. Traditional methods of constructing predictive models of the time series are: the autoregressive model, the moving average model or the autoregressive model — the moving average allows us to approximate the time series by a linear dependence of the current value of the output variable on a number of its previous values. Such a limitation as linearity of dependence leads to significant errors in forecasting.

Mining Technologies using neural network modeling make it possible to approximate the time series by a nonlinear dependence. Moreover, the process of constructing of a neural network model (determining the composition of input variables, the number of layers and the number of neurons in the layers, choosing the activation functions of neurons, determining the optimal values of the neuron link weights) allows us to obtain a predictive model in the form of an analytical nonlinear dependence.

The determination of the composition of input variables of neural network models is one of the key points in the construction of neural network models in various application areas that affect its adequacy. The composition of the input variables is traditionally selected from some physical considerations or by the selection method. In this work it is proposed to use the behavior of the autocorrelation and private autocorrelation functions for the task of determining the composition of the input variables of the predictive neural network model of the time series.

In this work is proposed a method for determining the composition of input variables of neural network models for stationary and non-stationary time series, based on the construction and analysis of autocorrelation functions. Based on the proposed method in the Python programming environment are developed an algorithm and a program, determining the composition of the input variables of the predictive neural network model — the perceptron, as well as building the model itself. The proposed method was experimentally tested using the example of constructing a predictive neural network model of a time series that reflects energy consumption in different regions of the United States, openly published by PJM Interconnection LLC (PJM) — a regional network organization in the United States. This time series is non-stationary and is characterized by the presence of both a trend and seasonality. Prediction of the next values of the time series based on previous values and the constructed neural network model showed high approximation accuracy, which proves the effectiveness of the proposed method.

In this paper, we introduce a new version of Gauss–Newton method for solving a system of nonlinear equations based on ideas of the residual upper bound for a system of nonlinear equations and a quadratic regularization term. The introduced Gauss–Newton method in practice virtually forms the whole parameterized family of the methods solving systems of nonlinear equations and regression problems. The developed family of Gauss–Newton methods completely consists of iterative methods with generalization for cases of non-euclidean normed spaces, including special forms of Levenberg–Marquardt algorithms. The developed methods use the local model based on a parameterized proximal mapping allowing us to use an inexact oracle of «black–box» form with restrictions for the computational precision and computational complexity. We perform an efficiency analysis including global and local convergence for the developed family of methods with an arbitrary oracle in terms of iteration complexity, precision and complexity of both local model and oracle, problem dimensionality. We present global sublinear convergence rates for methods of the proposed family for solving a system of nonlinear equations, consisting of Lipschitz smooth functions. We prove local superlinear convergence under extra natural non-degeneracy assumptions for system of nonlinear functions. We prove both local and global linear convergence for a system of nonlinear equations under Polyak–Lojasiewicz condition for proposed Gauss– Newton methods. Besides theoretical justifications of methods we also consider practical implementation issues. In particular, for conducted experiments we present effective computational schemes for the exact oracle regarding to the dimensionality of a problem. The proposed family of methods unites several existing and frequent in practice Gauss–Newton method modifications, allowing us to construct a flexible and convenient method implementable using standard convex optimization and computational linear algebra techniques.

Modern methods of complex planning the execution of task packages in multistage systems are characterized by the presence of restrictions on the dimension of the problem being solved, the impossibility of guaranteed obtaining effective solutions for various values of its input parameters, as well as the impossibility of registration the conditions for the formation of sets from the result and the restriction on the interval duration of time of the system operating. The decomposition of the generalized function of the system into a set of hierarchically interconnected subfunctions is implemented to solve the problem of scheduling the execution of task packages with generating sets of results and the restriction on the interval duration of time for the functioning of the system. The use of decomposition made it possible to employ the hierarchical approach for planning the execution of task packages in multistage systems, which provides the determination of decisions by the composition of task groups at the first level of the hierarchy decisions by the composition of task packages groups executed during time intervals of limited duration at the second level and schedules for executing packages at the third level the hierarchy. In order to evaluate decisions on the composition of packages, the results of their execution, obtained during the specified time intervals, are distributed among the packages. The apparatus of the theory of hierarchical games is used to determine complex solutions. A model of a hierarchical game for making decisions by the compositions of packages, groups of packages and schedules of executing packages is built, which is a system of hierarchically interconnected criteria for optimizing decisions. The model registers the condition for the formation of sets from the results of the execution of task packages and restriction on duration of time intervals of its operating. The problem of determining the compositions of task packages and groups of task packages is NP-hard; therefore, its solution requires the use of approximate optimization methods. In order to optimize groups of task packages, the construction of a method for formulating initial solutions by their compositions has been implemented, which are further optimized. Moreover, a algorithm for distributing the results of executing task packages obtained during time intervals of limited duration by sets is formulated. The method of local solutions optimization by composition of packages groups, in accordance with which packages are excluded from groups, the results of which are not included in sets, and packages, that aren’t included in any group, is proposed. The software implementation of the considered method of complex optimization of the compositions of task packages, groups of task packages, and schedules for executing task packages from groups (including the implementation of the method for optimizing the compositions of groups of task packages) has been performed. With its use, studies of the features of the considered planning task are carried out. Conclusion are formulated concerning the dependence of the efficiency of scheduling the execution of task packages in multistage system under the introduced conditions from the input parameters of the problem. The use of the method of local optimization of the compositions of groups of task packages allows to increase the number of formed sets from the results of task execution in packages from groups by 60% in comparison with fixed groups (which do not imply optimization).

Under increasing loading and at a constant temperature shape memory solids become deformed in an ideal elastic plastic way as other metals, and the maximum elastic strains are much less than the ultimate plastic ones. The shape is restored at the elevated temperature and low stress level. Phenomenologically, the «reverse» deformation is equivalent to the change in shape under active loading up to sign. Plastic deformation plays a leading role in a non-elastic process; thus, the mechanical behavior should be analyzed within the ideal rigid-plastic model with two loading surfaces. In this model two physical states of the material correspond to the loading surfaces: plastic flow under high stresses and melting at a relatively low temperature. The second section poses a problem of deformation of rigid-plastic bodies at the constant temperature in two forms: as a principle of virtual velocities with the von Mises yield condition and as a requirement of the minimum dissipative functionаl. The equivalence of the accepted definitions and the existence of the generalized solutions is proved for both principles. The third section studies the rigid-plastic model of the solid at the variable temperature with two loading surfaces. For the assumed model two optimal principles are defined that link the external loads and the displacement velocities of the solid points both under active loading and in the process of shape restoration under heating. The existence of generalized velocities is proved for the wide variety of 3D domains. The connection between the variational principles and the variable temperature is ensured by inclusion of the first and second principles of thermodynamics in the calculation model. It is essential that only the phenomenological description of the phenomenon is used in the proving process. The austenite-tomartensite transformations of alloys, which are often the key elements in explanations of the mechanical behavior of shape memory materials, are not used here. The fourth section includes the definition of the shape memory materials as solids with two loading surfaces and proves the existence of solutions within the accepted restrictions. The adequacy of the model and the experiments on deformation of shape memory materials is demonstrated. In the conclusion mathematical problems that could be interesting for future research are defined.

The paper is devoted to convex-concave saddle point problems where the objective is a sum of a large number of functions. Such problems attract considerable attention of the mathematical community due to the variety of applications in machine learning, including adversarial learning, adversarial attacks and robust reinforcement learning, to name a few. The individual functions in the sum usually represent losses related to examples from a data set. Additionally, the formulation admits a possibly nonsmooth composite term. Such terms often reflect regularization in machine learning problems. We assume that the dimension of one of the variable groups is relatively small (about a hundred or less), and the other one is large. This case arises, for example, when one considers the dual formulation for a minimization problem with a moderate number of constraints. The proposed approach is based on using Vaidya’s cutting plane method to minimize with respect to the outer block of variables. This optimization algorithm is especially effective when the dimension of the problem is not very large. An inexact oracle for Vaidya’s method is calculated via an approximate solution of the inner maximization problem, which is solved by the accelerated variance reduced algorithm Katyusha. Thus, we leverage the structure of the problem to achieve fast convergence. Separate complexity bounds for gradients of different components with respect to different variables are obtained in the study. The proposed approach is imposing very mild assumptions about the objective. In particular, neither strong convexity nor smoothness is required with respect to the low-dimensional variable group. The number of steps of the proposed algorithm as well as the arithmetic complexity of each step explicitly depend on the dimensionality of the outer variable, hence the assumption that it is relatively small.

The article focuses on the problem of mechanisms’ co-design for robotic systems to perform adaptive physical interaction with an unstructured environment, including physical human robot interaction. The co-design means simultaneous optimization of mechanics and control system, ensuring optimal behavior and performance of the system. Mechanics optimization refers to the search for optimal structure, geometric parameters, mass distribution among the links and their compliance; control refers to the search for motion trajectories for mechanism’s joints. The paper presents a generalized method of structural-parametric synthesis of underactuated mechanisms with closed kinematics for robotic systems for various purposes, e. g., it was previously used for the co-design of fingers’ mechanisms for anthropomorphic gripper and legs’ mechanisms for galloping robots. The method implements the concept of morphological computation of control laws due to the features of mechanical design, minimizing the control effort from the algorithmic component of the control system, which reduces the requirements for the level of technical equipment and reduces energy consumption. In this paper, the proposed method is used to optimize the structure and geometric parameters of the passive mechanism of the back support module of an industrial exosuit. Human movements are diverse and non-deterministic when compared with the movements of autonomous robots, which complicates the design of wearable robotic devices. To reduce injuries, fatigue and increase the productivity of workers, the synthesized industrial exosuit should not only compensate for loads, but also not interfere with the natural human motions. To test the developed exosuit, kinematic datasets from motion capture of an entire human body during industrial operations were used. The proposed method of structural-parametric synthesis was used to improve the ergonomics of a wearable robotic device. Verification of the synthesized mechanism was carried out using simulation: the passive module of the back is attached to two geometric primitives that move the chest and pelvis of the exosuit operator in accordance with the motion capture data. The ergonomics of the back module is quantified by the distance between the joints connecting the upper and bottom parts of the exosuit; minimizing deviation from the average value corresponds to a lesser limitation of the operator’s movement, i. e. greater ergonomics. The article provides a detailed description of the method of structural-parametric synthesis, an example of synthesis of an exosuit module and the results of simulation.

This paper presents the results of experimental validation of some structural issues concerning the practical use of methods to overcome catastrophic forgetting of neural networks. A comparison of current effective methods like EWC (Elastic Weight Consolidation) and WVA (Weight Velocity Attenuation) is made and their advantages and disadvantages are considered. It is shown that EWC is better for tasks where full retention of learned skills is required on all the tasks in the training queue, while WVA is more suitable for sequential tasks with very limited computational resources, or when reuse of representations and acceleration of learning from task to task is required rather than exact retention of the skills. The attenuation of the WVA method must be applied to the optimization step, i. e. to the increments of neural network weights, rather than to the loss function gradient itself, and this is true for any gradient optimization method except the simplest stochastic gradient descent (SGD). The choice of the optimal weights attenuation function between the hyperbolic function and the exponent is considered. It is shown that hyperbolic attenuation is preferable because, despite comparable quality at optimal values of the hyperparameter of the WVA method, it is more robust to hyperparameter deviations from the optimal value (this hyperparameter in the WVA method provides a balance between preservation of old skills and learning a new skill). Empirical observations are presented that support the hypothesis that the optimal value of this hyperparameter does not depend on the number of tasks in the sequential learning queue. And, consequently, this hyperparameter can be picked up on a small number of tasks and used on longer sequences.