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Comparative analysis of two numerical methods for simulation of unsteady natural convection and thermal surface radiation within a differentially heated cubical cavity has been carried out. The considered domain of interest had two isothermal opposite vertical faces, while other walls are adiabatic. The walls surfaces were diffuse and gray, namely, their directional spectral emissivity and absorptance do not depend on direction or wavelength but can depend on surface temperature. For the reflected radiation we had two approaches such as: 1) the reflected radiation is diffuse, namely, an intensity of the reflected radiation in any point of the surface is uniform for all directions; 2) the reflected radiation is uniform for each surface of the considered enclosure. Mathematical models formulated both in primitive variables “velocity–pressure” and in transformed variables “vector potential functions – vorticity vector” have been performed numerically using finite volume method and finite difference methods, respectively. It should be noted that radiative heat transfer has been analyzed using the net-radiation method in Poljak approach.

Using primitive variables and finite volume method for the considered boundary-value problem we applied power-law for an approximation of convective terms and central differences for an approximation of diffusive terms. The difference motion and energy equations have been solved using iterative method of alternating directions. Definition of the pressure field associated with velocity field has been performed using SIMPLE procedure.

Using transformed variables and finite difference method for the considered boundary-value problem we applied monotonic Samarsky scheme for convective terms and central differences for diffusive terms. Parabolic equations have been solved using locally one-dimensional Samarsky scheme. Discretization of elliptic equations for vector potential functions has been conducted using symmetric approximation of the second-order derivatives. Obtained difference equation has been solved by successive over-relaxation method. Optimal value of the relaxation parameter has been found on the basis of computational experiments.

As a result we have found the similar distributions of velocity and temperature in the case of these two approaches for different values of Rayleigh number, that illustrates an operability of the used techniques. The efficiency of transformed variables with finite difference method for unsteady problems has been shown.

А discrete element model is applied to the problem of a spherical projectile penetration into a massive obstacle. According to the model both indenter and obstacle are described by a set of densely packed particles. To model the interaction between the particles the two-parameter Lennard–Jones potential is used. Computer implementation of the model has been carried out using parallelism on GPUs, which resulted in high spatial — temporal resolution. Based on the comparison of the results of numerical simulation with experimental data the binding energy has been identified as a function of the dynamic hardness of materials. It is shown that the use of this approach allows to accurately describe the penetration process in the range of projectile velocities 500–2500 m/c.

The paper presents the results of numerical simulation and experimental data on the high-speed penetration of the impactor into the obstacle. In the calculations, a discrete-element model has been used, based on the representation of the impactor and the target by a set of close packed interconnected particles. This class of models finds an increasingly wide application in the problems of high-speed interaction of bodies. In the previous works of the authors, the questions of application of the discrete-element model to the problem of the penetration of spherical impactors into massive targets were considered. On the basis of a comparative analysis of the data of computational and physical experiments, it was found out that for a wide class of high-speed penetration problems, a high accuracy of discrete-element modeling can be achieved using the two-parameter Lennard–Jones potential. The binding energy was identified as a function of the dynamic hardness of materials. It was shown that the use of this approach makes it possible to describe accurately the penetration process in the range of impactor velocities 500–2500 m/c.

In this paper, we compare the results of discrete-element modeling with experimental data on penetration of high-strength targets of different thickness by steel impactors. The use of computational parallelization technologies on graphic processors in combination with 3D visualization and animation of the results makes it possible to obtain detailed spatio-temporal patterns of the penetration process and compare them with experimental data.

A comparative analysis of the experimental and calculated data has shown a sufficiently high accuracy of discrete-element modeling for a wide range of target thicknesses: for thin targets pierced with preservation of the integrity of the deformed impactor, for targets of medium thickness, pierced with practically complete fragmentation of the impactor at the exit from the target, and for thick impenetrable targets.

Cognitive and regulatory processes in organism are ensured by the functioning of several different network systems — neural, endocrine, immune, and gene ones. These systems are, however, closely related and form a single integrated neurogenohumoral cognitive-regulatory dynamic system of organism. A review of publications is given which shows that it is possible to associate with this dynamic system a corresponding Lyapunov function (energy function, potential function) and that analyzing this function allows, due to its geometrical insight, to easily discover a set of general properties of cognitive and regulatory functioning of organism.

The problem has been considered, to what extent the kinetic models of cellular metabolism fit the matter which they describe. Foundations of stoichiometry of the whole metabolism and its large regions have been stated. A bioenergetic representation of stoichiometry based on a universal unit of chemical compound reductivity, viz., redoxon, has been described. Equations of mass-energy balance (bioenergetic variant of stoichiometry) have been derived for metabolic flows including those of protons possessing high electrochemical potential μ_H⁺, and high-energy compounds. Interrelations have been obtained which determine the biomass yield, rate of uptake of energy source for cell growth and other important physiological quantities as functions of biochemical characteristics of cellular energetics. The maximum biomass energy yield values have been calculated for different energy sources utilized by cells. These values coincide with those measured experimentally.

The numerical methods developed by the author recently for calculating the molecular system based on the direct solution of the Schrodinger equation by the Monte Carlo method have shown a huge uncertainty in the choice of solutions. On the one hand, it turned out to be possible to build many new solutions; on the other hand, the problem of their connection with reality has become sharply aggravated. In ab initio quantum mechanical calculations, the problem of choosing solutions is not so acute after the transition to the classical format of describing a molecular system in terms of potential energy, the method of molecular dynamics, etc. In this paper, we investigate the problem of choosing solutions in the classical format of describing a molecular system without taking into account quantum mechanical prerequisites. As it turned out, the problem of choosing solutions in the classical format of describing a molecular system is reduced to a specific marking of the configuration space in the form of a set of stationary points and reconstruction of the corresponding potential energy function. In this formulation, the solution of the choice problem is reduced to two possible physical and mathematical problems: to find all its stationary points for a given potential energy function (the direct problem of the choice problem), to reconstruct the potential energy function for a given set of stationary points (the inverse problem of the choice problem). In this paper, using a computational experiment, the direct problem of the choice problem is discussed using the example of a description of a monoatomic cluster. The number and shape of the locally equilibrium (saddle) configurations of the binary potential are numerically estimated. An appropriate measure is introduced to distinguish configurations in space. The format of constructing the entire chain of multiparticle contributions to the potential energy function is proposed: binary, threeparticle, etc., multiparticle potential of maximum partiality. An infinite number of locally equilibrium (saddle) configurations for the maximum multiparticle potential is discussed and illustrated. A method of variation of the number of stationary points by combining multiparticle contributions to the potential energy function is proposed. The results of the work listed above are aimed at reducing the huge arbitrariness of the choice of the form of potential that is currently taking place. Reducing the arbitrariness of choice is expressed in the fact that the available knowledge about the set of a very specific set of stationary points is consistent with the corresponding form of the potential energy function.