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Data hiding in digital images is a promising direction of cybersecurity. Digital steganography methods provide imperceptible transmission of secret data over an open communication channel. The information embedding efficiency depends on the embedding imperceptibility, capacity, and robustness. These quality criteria are mutually inverse, and the improvement of one indicator usually leads to the deterioration of the others. A balance between them can be achieved using metaheuristic optimization. Metaheuristics are a class of optimization algorithms that find an optimal, or close to an optimal solution for a variety of problems, including those that are difficult to formalize, by simulating various natural processes, for example, the evolution of species or the behavior of animals. In this study, we propose an approach to data hiding in the hybrid spatial-frequency domain of digital images based on metaheuristic optimization. Changing a block of image pixels according to some change matrix is considered as an embedding operation. We select the change matrix adaptively for each block using metaheuristic optimization algorithms. In this study, we compare the performance of three metaheuristics such as genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization, and differential evolution to find the best change matrix. Experimental results showed that the proposed approach provides high imperceptibility of embedding, high capacity, and error-free extraction of embedded information. At the same time, storage of change matrices for each block is not required for further data extraction. This improves user experience and reduces the chance of an attacker discovering the steganographic attachment. Metaheuristics provided an increase in imperceptibility indicator, estimated by the PSNR metric, and the capacity of the previous algorithm for embedding information into the coefficients of the discrete cosine transform using the QIM method [Evsutin, Melman, Meshcheryakov, 2021] by 26.02% and 30.18%, respectively, for the genetic algorithm, 26.01% and 19.39% for particle swarm optimization, 27.30% and 28.73% for differential evolution.

A numerical simulation of fluid flow in a blood pump was performed using the FlowVision software package. This test problem, provided by the Center for Devices and Radiological Health of the US. Food and Drug Administration, involved considering fluid flow according to several design modes. At the same time for each case of calculation a certain value of liquid flow rate and rotor speed was set. Necessary data for calculations in the form of exact geometry, flow conditions and fluid characteristics were provided to all research participants, who used different software packages for modeling. Numerical simulations were performed in FlowVision for six calculation modes with the Newtonian fluid and standard $k-\varepsilon$ turbulence model, in addition, the fifth mode with the $k-\omega$ SST turbulence model and with the Caro rheological fluid model were performed. In the first stage of the numerical simulation, the convergence over the mesh was investigated, on the basis of which a final mesh with a number of cells of the order of 6 million was chosen. Due to the large number of cells, in order to accelerate the study, part of the calculations was performed on the Lomonosov-2 cluster. As a result of numerical simulation, we obtained and analyzed values of pressure difference between inlet and outlet of the pump, velocity between rotor blades and in the area of diffuser, and also, we carried out visualization of velocity distribution in certain cross-sections. For all design modes there was compared the pressure difference received numerically with the experimental data, and for the fifth calculation mode there was also compared with the experiment by speed distribution between rotor blades and in the area of diffuser. Data analysis has shown good correlation of calculation results in FlowVision with experimental results and numerical simulation in other software packages. The results obtained in FlowVision for solving the US FDA test suggest that FlowVision software package can be used for solving a wide range of hemodynamic problems.

The work solves the problem of establishing the dependence of the potential for spatial selection of useful and interfering signals according to the signal-to-interference ratio criterion on the positioning error of user equipment during beamforming by their location at a base station, equipped with an antenna array. Configurable simulation parameters include planar antenna array with a different number of antenna elements, movement trajectory, as well as the accuracy of user equipment location estimation using root mean square error of coordinate estimates. The model implements three algorithms for controlling the shape of the antenna radiation pattern: 1) controlling the beam direction for one maximum and one zero; 2) controlling the shape and width of the main beam; 3) adaptive beamforming. The simulation results showed, that the first algorithm is most effective, when the number of antenna array elements is no more than 5 and the positioning error is no more than 7 m, and the second algorithm is appropriate to employ, when the number of antenna array elements is more than 15 and the positioning error is more than 5 m. Adaptive beamforming is implemented using a training signal and provides optimal spatial selection of useful and interfering signals without device location data, but is characterized by high complexity of hardware implementation. Scripts of the developed models are available for verification. The results obtained can be used in the development of scientifically based recommendations for beam control in ultra-dense millimeter-wave radio access networks of the fifth and subsequent generations.

Algorithms of wireless sensor networks operation based on modified ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4 protocol stack and problems of energy saving with simultaneous decrease of network latency are studied. Theoretical computations are given. Roles distribution and routers schedule assignment algorithms are described. Both results of experiments carried out with real devices and results of simulations with ns-2 (open-source network simulator) are given and analyzed.

Images of surface topography of ultrathin magnetic films have been used for Monte Carlo simulations in the framework of the ferromagnetic Ising model to study the hysteresis and thermal properties of nanomaterials. For high performance calculations was used super-scalable parallel algorithm for the finding of the equilibrium configuration. The changing of a distribution of spins on the surface during the reversal of the magnetization and the dynamics of nanodomain structure of thin magnetic films under the influence of changing external magnetic field was investigated.

The paper considers a method for studying panel data based on the use of agglomerative hierarchical clustering — grouping objects based on the similarities and differences in their features into a hierarchy of clusters nested into each other. We used 2 alternative methods for calculating Euclidean distances between objects — the distance between the values averaged over observation interval, and the distance using data for all considered years. Three alternative methods for calculating the distances between clusters were compared. In the first case, the distance between the nearest elements from two clusters is considered to be distance between these clusters, in the second — the average over pairs of elements, in the third — the distance between the most distant elements. The efficiency of using two clustering quality indices, the Dunn and Silhouette index, was studied to select the optimal number of clusters and evaluate the statistical significance of the obtained solutions. The method of assessing statistical reliability of cluster structure consisted in comparing the quality of clustering on a real sample with the quality of clustering on artificially generated samples of panel data with the same number of objects, features and lengths of time series. Generation was made from a fixed probability distribution. At the same time, simulation methods imitating Gaussian white noise and random walk were used. Calculations with the Silhouette index showed that a random walk is characterized not only by spurious regression, but also by “spurious clustering”. Clustering was considered reliable for a given number of selected clusters if the index value on the real sample turned out to be greater than the value of the 95% quantile for artificial data. A set of time series of indicators characterizing production in the regions of the Russian Federation was used as a sample of real data. For these data only Silhouette shows reliable clustering at the level p < 0.05. Calculations also showed that index values for real data are generally closer to values for random walks than for white noise, but it have significant differences from both. Since three-dimensional feature space is used, the quality of clustering was also evaluated visually. Visually, one can distinguish clusters of points located close to each other, also distinguished as clusters by the applied hierarchical clustering algorithm.

The possibility of numerical 3D simulation of thrombi formation is considered.

The developed up to now detailed mathematical models describing formation of thrombi and clots include a great number of equations. Being implemented in a CFD code, the detailed mathematical models require essential computer resources for simulation of the thrombi growth in a blood flow. A reasonable alternative way is using reduced mathematical models. Two models based on the reduced mathematical model for the thrombin generation are described in the given paper.

The first model describes growth of a thrombus in a great vessel (artery). The artery flows are essentially unsteady. They are characterized by pulse waves. The blood velocity here is high compared to that in the vein tree. The reduced model for the thrombin generation and the thrombus growth in an artery is relatively simple. The processes accompanying the thrombin generation in arteries are well described by the zero-order approximation.

A vein flow is characterized lower velocity value, lower gradients, and lower shear stresses. In order to simulate the thrombin generation in veins, a more complex system of equations has to be solved. The model must allow for all the non-linear terms in the right-hand sides of the equations.

The simulation is carried out in the industrial software FlowVision.

The performed numerical investigations have shown the suitability of the reduced models for simulation of thrombin generation and thrombus growth. The calculations demonstrate formation of the recirculation zone behind a thrombus. The concentration of thrombin and the mass fraction of activated platelets are maximum here. Formation of such a zone causes slow growth of the thrombus downstream. At the upwind part of the thrombus, the concentration of activated platelets is low, and the upstream thrombus growth is negligible.

When the blood flow variation during a hart cycle is taken into account, the thrombus growth proceeds substantially slower compared to the results obtained under the assumption of constant (averaged over a hard cycle) conditions. Thrombin and activated platelets produced during diastole are quickly carried away by the blood flow during systole. Account of non-Newtonian rheology of blood noticeably affects the results.

This paper considers the problem of water consumption in the regions of Russia with low water availability. We provide a review of the existing methods to control quality and quantity of water resources at different scales — from households to worldwide. The paper itself considers regions with low “water availability” parameter which is amount of water per person per year. Special attention is paid to the regions, where this parameter is low because of natural features of the region, not because of high population. In such regions many resources are spend on water processing infrastructure to store water and transport water from other regions. In such regions the main water consumers are industry and agriculture.

We propose dynamic two-level hierarchical model which matches water consumption of a region with its gross regional product. On the top level there is a regional administration (supervisor) and on the lower level there are region enterprises (agents). The supervisor sets fees for water consumption. We study the model with Pontryagin’s maximum principle and provide agents’s optimal control in analytical form. For the supervisor’s control we provide numerical algorithm. The model has six free coefficients, which can be chosen so the model represents a particular region. We use data from Russia Federal State Statistics Service for identification process of a model. For numerical analysis we use trust region reflective algorithms. We provide calculations for a few regions with low water availability. It is shown that it is possible to reduce water consumption of a region more than by 20% while gross regional product drop is less than 10%.

Mechanical properties of eukaryotic cells play an important role in life cycle conditions and in the development of pathological processes. In this paper we discuss the problem of parameters identification and verification of viscoelastic constitutive models based on force spectroscopy data of living cells. It is proposed to use one-dimensional continuous wavelet transform to calculate the relaxation function. Analytical calculations and the results of numerical simulation are given, which allow to obtain relaxation functions similar to each other on the basis of experimentally determined force curves and theoretical stress-strain relationships using wavelet differentiation algorithms. Test examples demonstrating correctness of software implementation of the proposed algorithms are analyzed. The cell models are considered, on the example of which the application of the proposed procedure of identification and verification of their parameters is demonstrated. Among them are a structural-mechanical model with parallel connected fractional elements, which is currently the most adequate in terms of compliance with atomic force microscopy data of a wide class of cells, and a new statistical-thermodynamic model, which is not inferior in descriptive capabilities to models with fractional derivatives, but has a clearer physical meaning. For the statistical-thermodynamic model, the procedure of its construction is described in detail, which includes the following. Introduction of a structural variable, the order parameter, to describe the orientation properties of the cell cytoskeleton. Setting and solving the statistical problem for the ensemble of actin filaments of a representative cell volume with respect to this variable. Establishment of the type of free energy depending on the order parameter, temperature and external load. It is also proposed to use an oriented-viscous-elastic body as a model of a representative element of the cell. Following the theory of linear thermodynamics, evolutionary equations describing the mechanical behavior of the representative volume of the cell are obtained, which satisfy the basic thermodynamic laws. The problem of optimizing the parameters of the statisticalthermodynamic model of the cell, which can be compared both with experimental data and with the results of simulations based on other mathematical models, is also posed and solved. The viscoelastic characteristics of cells are determined on the basis of comparison with literature data.

Muscle contraction is controlled by Ca2+ ions via regulatory proteins, troponin and tropomyosin, associated with thin actin filaments in sarcomeres. Depending on the Ca2+ concentration, the thin filament rearranges so that tropomyosin moves along its surface, opening or closing access to actin for the motor domains of myosin molecules, and causing contraction or relaxation, respectively. Numerous point amino acid substitutions in tropomyosin are known, leading to genetic pathologies — myo- and cardiomyopathies caused by changes in the structural and functional properties of the thin filament. The results of molecular dynamics modeling of a fragment of a thin filament of cardiac muscle sarcomeres formed by fibrillar actin and wildtype tropomyosin or with amino acid substitutions: the double stabilizing substitution D137L/G126R and the cardiomyopathic substitution S215L are presented. For numerical calculations, we used a new model of a thin filament fragment containing 26 actin monomers and 4 tropomyosin dimers, with a refined structure of the region of overlap of neighboring tropomyosin molecules in each of the two tropomyosin strands. The simulation results showed that tropomyosin significantly increases the bending stiffness of the thin filament, as previously found experimentally. The double stabilizing replacement D137L/G126R leads to a further increase in this rigidity, and the replacement S215L, on the contrary, leads to its decrease, which also corresponds to experimental data. At the same time, these substitutions have different effects on the angular mobility of the actin helix and only slightly modulate the angular mobility of tropomyosin cables relative to the actin helix and the population of hydrogen bonds between negatively charged tropomyosin residues and positively charged actin residues. The results of the verification of the new model demonstrate that its quality is sufficient for the numerical study of the effect of single amino acid substitutions on the structure and dynamics of thin filaments and study the effects leading to dysregulation of muscle contraction. This model can be used as a useful tool for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of some genetic diseases and assessing the pathogenicity of newly discovered genetic variants.