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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.

Photosynthetic apparatus of a plant cell consists of multiple photosynthetic electron transport chains (ETC). Each ETC is capable of capturing and utilizing light quanta, that drive electron transport along the chain. Light assimilation efficiency depends on the plant’s current physiological state. The energy of the part of quanta that cannot be utilized, dissipates into heat, or is emitted as fluorescence. Under high light conditions fluorescence levels gradually rise to the maximum level. The curve describing that rise is called fluorescence rise (FR). It has a complex shape and that shape changes depending on the photosynthetic apparatus state. This gives one the opportunity to investigate that state only using the non invasive measuring of the FR.

When measuring fluorescence in experimental conditions, we get a response from millions of photosynthetic units at a time. In order to reproduce the probabilistic nature of the processes in a photosynthetic ETC, we created a Monte Carlo model of this chain. This model describes an ETC as a sequence of electron carriers in a thylakoid membrane, connected with each other. Those carriers have certain probabilities of capturing light photons, transferring excited states, or reducing each other, depending on the current ETC state. The events that take place in each of the model photosynthetic ETCs are registered, accumulated and used to create fluorescence rise and electron carrier redox states accumulation kinetics. This paper describes the model structure, the principles of its operation and the relations between certain model parameters and the resulting kinetic curves shape. Model curves include photosystem II reaction center fluorescence rise and photosystem I reaction center redox state change kinetics under different conditions.

Many properties of ordinary differential equations systems solutions are determined by the properties of the equations in variations. An ODE system, which includes both the original nonlinear system and the equations in variations, will be called an extended system further. When studying the properties of the Cauchy problem for the systems of ordinary differential equations, the transition to extended systems allows one to study many subtle properties of solutions. For example, the transition to the extended system allows one to increase the order of approximation for numerical methods, gives the approaches to constructing a sensitivity function without using numerical differentiation procedures, allows to use methods of increased convergence order for the inverse problem solution. Authors used the Broyden method belonging to the class of quasi-Newtonian methods. The Rosenbroke method with complex coefficients was used to solve the stiff systems of the ordinary differential equations. In our case, it is equivalent to the second order approximation method for the extended system.

As an example of the proposed approach, several related mathematical models of the blood coagulation process were considered. Based on the analysis of the numerical calculations results, the conclusion was drawn that it is necessary to include a description of the factor XI positive feedback loop in the model equations system. Estimates of some reaction constants based on the numerical inverse problem solution were given.

Effect of factor V release on platelet activation was considered. The modification of the mathematical model allowed to achieve quantitative correspondence in the dynamics of the thrombin production with experimental data for an artificial system. Based on the sensitivity analysis, the hypothesis tested that there is no influence of the lipid membrane composition (the number of sites for various factors of the clotting system, except for thrombin sites) on the dynamics of the process.

The approach for the analysis of some large-scale biological systems, on the base of quasiequilibrium stages is proposed. The approach allows us to reduce the detailed large-scaled models and obtain the simplified model with an analytical solution. This makes it possible to reproduce the experimental curves with a good accuracy. This approach has been applied to a detailed model of the primary processes of photosynthesis in the reaction center of photosystem II. The resulting simplified model of photosystem II describes the experimental fluorescence induction curves for higher and lower plants, obtained under different light intensities. Derived relationships between variables and parameters of detailed and simplified models, allow us to use parameters of simplified model to describe the dynamics of various states of photosystem II detailed model.

This work is devoted to molecular dynamic modeling of the thermal impact processes on the metal sample consisting of nickel atoms. For the solution of this problem, a continuous mathematical model on the basis of the classical Newton mechanics equations has been used; a numerical method based on the Verlet scheme has been chosen; a parallel algorithm has been offered, and its realization within the MPI and OpenMP technologies has been executed. By means of the developed parallel program, the investigation of thermodynamic equilibrium of nickel atoms’ system under the conditions of heating a sample to desired temperature has been executed. In numerical experiments both optimum parameters of calculation procedure and physical parameters of analyzed process have been defined. The obtained numerical results are well corresponding to known theoretical and experimental data.