All issues

The practical application of nuclear medicine demonstrates the continued information deficiency of the algorithms and programs that provide visualization and analysis of medical images. The aim of the study was to determine the principles of optimizing the processing of planar osteostsintigraphy on the basis of сomputer aided diagnosis (CAD) for analysis of texture descriptions of images of metastatic zones on planar scintigrams of skeleton. A computer-aided diagnosis system for analysis of skeletal metastases based on planar scintigraphy data has been developed. This system includes skeleton image segmentation, calculation of textural, histogram and morphometrical parameters and the creation of a training set. For study of metastatic images’ textural characteristics on planar scintigrams of skeleton was developed the computer program of automatic analysis of skeletal metastases is used from data of planar scintigraphy. Also expert evaluation was used to distinguishing ‘pathological’ (metastatic) from ‘physiological’ (non-metastatic) radiopharmaceutical hyperfixation zones in which Haralick’s textural features were determined: autocorrelation, contrast, ‘forth moment’ and heterogeneity. This program was established on the principles of сomputer aided diagnosis researches planar scintigrams of skeletal patients with metastatic breast cancer hearths hyperfixation of radiopharmaceuticals were identified. Calculated parameters were made such as brightness, smoothness, the third moment of brightness, brightness uniformity, entropy brightness. It has been established that in most areas of the skeleton of histogram values of parameters in pathologic hyperfixation of radiopharmaceuticals predominate over the same values in the physiological. Most often pathological hyperfixation of radiopharmaceuticals as the front and rear fixed scintigramms prevalence of brightness and smoothness of the image brightness in comparison with those of the physiological hyperfixation of radiopharmaceuticals. Separate figures histogram analysis can be used in specifying the diagnosis of metastases in the mathematical modeling and interpretation bone scintigraphy. Separate figures histogram analysis can be used in specifying the diagnosis of metastases in the mathematical modeling and interpretation bone scintigraphy.

Atherosclerotic diseases such as carotid artery diseases (CAD) and chronic kidney diseases (CKD) are the major causes of death worldwide. The onset of these atherosclerotic diseases in the arteries are governed by complex blood flow dynamics and hemodynamic parameters. Atherosclerosis in renal arteries leads to reduction in arterial efficiency, which ultimately leads to Reno-vascular hypertension. This work attempts to identify the localization of atherosclerotic plaque in human abdominal aorta — renal artery junction using Computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

The atherosclerosis prone regions in an idealized human abdominal aorta-renal artery junction are identified by calculating relevant hemodynamic indicators from computational simulations using the rheologically accurate shear-thinning Yeleswarapu model for human blood. Blood flow is numerically simulated in a 3-D model of the artery junction using ANSYS FLUENT v18.2.

Hemodynamic indicators calculated are average wall shear stress (AWSS), oscillatory shear index (OSI), and relative residence time (RRT). Simulations of pulsatile flow (f=1.25 Hz, Re = 1000) show that low AWSS, and high OSI manifest in the regions of renal artery downstream of the junction and on the infrarenal section of the abdominal aorta lateral to the junction. High RRT, which is a relative index and dependent on AWSS and OSI, is found to overlap with the low AWSS and high OSI at the cranial surface of renal artery proximal to the junction and on the surface of the abdominal aorta lateral to the bifurcation: this indicates that these regions of the junction are prone to atherosclerosis. The results match qualitatively with the findings reported in literature and serve as initial step to illustrate utility of CFD for the location of atherosclerotic plaque.

Migration has a significant impact on the shaping of the demographic structure of the territories population, the state of regional and local labour markets. As a rule, rapid change in the working-age population of any territory due to migration processes results in an imbalance in supply and demand on labour markets and a change in the demographic structure of the population. Migration is also to a large extent a reflection of socio-economic processes taking place in the society. Hence, the issues related to the study of migration factors, the direction, intensity and structure of migration flows, and the prediction of their magnitude are becoming topical issues these days.

Mathematical tools are often used to analyze, predict migration processes and assess their consequences, allowing for essentially accurate modelling of migration processes for different territories on the basis of the available statistical data. In recent years, quite a number of scientific papers on modelling internal and external migration flows using mathematical methods have appeared both in Russia and in foreign countries in recent years. Consequently, there has been a need to systematize the currently most commonly used methods and tools applied in migration modelling to form a coherent picture of the main trends and research directions in this field.

The presented review considers the main approaches to migration modelling and the main components of migration modelling methodology, i. e. stages, methods, models and model classification. Their comparative analysis was also conducted and general recommendations on the choice of mathematical tools for modelling were developed. The review contains two sections: migration modelling methods and migration models. The first section describes the main methods used in the model development process — econometric, cellular automata, system-dynamic, probabilistic, balance, optimization and cluster analysis. Based on the analysis of modern domestic and foreign publications on migration, the most common classes of models — regression, agent-based, simulation, optimization, probabilistic, balance, dynamic and combined — were identified and described. The features, advantages and disadvantages of different types of migration process models were considered.

In Russian medicine two radiopharmaceuticals are currently used for radionuclide therapy of bone metastases: ⁸⁹Sr-chloride and ¹⁵³Sm-oxabifor. The first one has many side effects, so its use is limited. The second one is available only in clinics, its transportation to which does not take much time. Currently, the third radiopharmaceutical ¹⁸⁸Re-solerene is undergoing clinical trials. Due to the generator method of obtaining ¹⁸⁸Re, this radiopharmaceutical should become available for use in many regions of our country. Therefore, there is a need for a comparative analysis of the characteristics of these radiopharmaceuticals, including on the basis of mathematical modeling.

The article discusses the features of mathematical modeling the kinetics of osteotropic radiopharmaceutical drugs in the human body with bone metastases. Based on the four-compartment model, a complex of modeling and calculation of pharmacokinetic and dosimetric characteristics of radiopharmaceuticals for radionuclide therapy of bone metastases was developed and tested. Using clinical data, the transport constants of the model were identified and the individual characteristics of Russian radiopharmaceuticals labeled ⁸⁹Sr, 153Sm and ¹⁸⁸Re were calculated (effective half-lives, maximum activity in the compartments and the times of their achievement, absorbed doses to bone tissue and metastases, endosteal bone layer, red bone marrow, blood, kidneys and bladder). The time activity dependencies for all compartments of the model are obtained and analyzed. A comparative analysis of the pharmacokinetics and dosimetry of three radiopharmaceuticals (⁸⁹Sr-chloride, ¹⁵³Sm-oxabiphore, ¹⁸⁸Re-solerene) was carried out.

From a comparative analysis of the pharmacokinetic and dosimetric characteristics of these radiopharmaceutical drugs, it follows that the best of them for widespread use in many regions of our country should be ¹⁸⁸Re-solerene, taking into account the generator method of obtaining ¹⁸⁸Re in a hospital.

This work is devoted to the study of the problem of modeling and analyzing complex oscillatory modes, both regular and chaotic, in systems of interacting populations in the presence of random perturbations. As an initial conceptual deterministic model, a Volterra system of three differential equations is considered, which describes the dynamics of prey populations of two competing species and a predator. This model takes into account the following key biological factors: the natural increase in prey, their intraspecific and interspecific competition, the extinction of predators in the absence of prey, the rate of predation by predators, the growth of the predator population due to predation, and the intensity of intraspecific competition in the predator population. The growth rate of the second prey population is used as a bifurcation parameter. At a certain interval of variation of this parameter, the system demonstrates a wide variety of dynamic modes: equilibrium, oscillatory, and chaotic. An important feature of this model is multistability. In this paper, we focus on the study of the parametric zone of tristability, when a stable equilibrium and two limit cycles coexist in the system. Such birhythmicity in the presence of random perturbations generates new dynamic modes that have no analogues in the deterministic case. The aim of the paper is a detailed study of stochastic phenomena caused by random fluctuations in the growth rate of the second population of prey. As a mathematical model of such fluctuations, we consider white Gaussian noise. Using methods of direct numerical modeling of solutions of the corresponding system of stochastic differential equations, the following phenomena have been identified and described: unidirectional stochastic transitions from one cycle to another, trigger mode caused by transitions between cycles, noise-induced transitions from cycles to the equilibrium, corresponding to the extinction of the predator and the second prey population. The paper presents the results of the analysis of these phenomena using the Lyapunov exponents, and identifies the parametric conditions for transitions from order to chaos and from chaos to order. For the analytical study of such noise-induced multi-stage transitions, the technique of stochastic sensitivity functions and the method of confidence regions were applied. The paper shows how this mathematical apparatus allows predicting the intensity of noise, leading to qualitative transformations of the modes of stochastic population dynamics.

The article deals with the nonlinear boundary-value problem of hydrogen permeability corresponding to the following experiment. A membrane made of the target structural material heated to a sufficiently high temperature serves as the partition in the vacuum chamber. Degassing is performed in advance. A constant pressure of gaseous (molecular) hydrogen is built up at the inlet side. The penetrating flux is determined by mass-spectrometry in the vacuum maintained at the outlet side.

A linear model of dependence on concentration is adopted for the coefficient of dissolved atomic hydrogen diffusion in the bulk. The temperature dependence conforms to the Arrhenius law. The surface processes of dissolution and sorptiondesorption are taken into account in the form of nonlinear dynamic boundary conditions (differential equations for the dynamics of surface concentrations of atomic hydrogen). The characteristic mathematical feature of the boundary-value problem is that concentration time derivatives are included both in the diffusion equation and in the boundary conditions with quadratic nonlinearity. In terms of the general theory of functional differential equations, this leads to the so-called neutral type equations and requires a more complex mathematical apparatus. An iterative computational algorithm of second-(higher- )order accuracy is suggested for solving the corresponding nonlinear boundary-value problem based on explicit-implicit difference schemes. To avoid solving the nonlinear system of equations at every time step, we apply the explicit component of difference scheme to slower sub-processes.

The results of numerical modeling are presented to confirm the fitness of the model to experimental data. The degrees of impact of variations in hydrogen permeability parameters (“derivatives”) on the penetrating flux and the concentration distribution of H atoms through the sample thickness are determined. This knowledge is important, in particular, when designing protective structures against hydrogen embrittlement or membrane technologies for producing high-purity hydrogen. The computational algorithm enables using the model in the analysis of extreme regimes for structural materials (pressure drops, high temperatures, unsteady heating), identifying the limiting factors under specific operating conditions, and saving on costly experiments (especially in deuterium-tritium investigations).

The article describes the examples of the analysis of the experimental data spectra for identifying typical structures of processes forming plasma turbulence. The method is based on the original algorithm which is close to the one-sample bootstrap. The base model for description of the fine structure of stochastic processes is finite local-scale normal mixtures. For finding the statistical estimates (maximum likelihood estimates) well known EM algorithm is used. The efficiency of the proposed research technique is demonstrated for a number of spectra’s set obtained in different modes of low-frequency plasma turbulence.

The work discusses the methodological basis and problems of modeling of world dynamics. Outlines approaches to the construction of a new simulation model of global development and the results of the simulation. The basis of the model building is laid empirical approach which based on the statistical analysis of the main socio-economic indicators. On the basis of this analysis identified the main variables. Dynamic equations (in continuous differential form) were written for these variables. Dependencies between variables were selected based on the dynamics of indicators in the past and on the basis of expert assessments, while econometric techniques were used, based on regression analysis. Calculations have been performed for the resulting dynamic equations system, the results are presented in the form of a trajectories beam for those indicators that are directly observable, and for which statistics are available. Thus, it is possible to assess the scatter of the trajectories and understand the predictive capability of this model.

The article shows the relevance of research work in the field of creating control systems for unmanned vehicles based on computer vision technologies. Computer vision tools are used to solve a large number of different tasks, including to determine the location of the car, detect obstacles, determine a suitable parking space. These tasks are resource intensive and have to be performed in real time. Therefore, it is important to develop effective models, methods and tools that ensure the achievement of the required time and accuracy for use in unmanned vehicle control systems. In this case, the choice of the image representation model is important. In this paper, we consider a model based on the wavelet transform, which makes it possible to form features characterizing the energy estimates of the image points and reflecting their significance from the point of view of the contribution to the overall image energy. To form a model of energy characteristics, a procedure is performed based on taking into account the dependencies between the wavelet coefficients of various levels and the application of heuristic adjustment factors for strengthening or weakening the influence of boundary and interior points. On the basis of the proposed model, it is possible to construct descriptions of images their characteristic features for isolating and analyzing, including for isolating contours, regions, and singular points. The effectiveness of the proposed approach to image analysis is due to the fact that the objects in question, such as road signs, road markings or car numbers that need to be detected and identified, are characterized by the relevant features. In addition, the use of wavelet transforms allows to perform the same basic operations to solve a set of tasks in onboard unmanned vehicle systems, including for tasks of primary processing, segmentation, description, recognition and compression of images. The such unified approach application will allow to reduce the time for performing all procedures and to reduce the requirements for computing resources of the on-board system of an unmanned vehicle.

Magnetic systems, in which due to competition between the direct Heisenberg exchange and the Dzyaloshinskii –Moriya interaction, magnetic vortex structures — skyrmions appear, were studied using the Metropolis algorithm.

The conditions for the nucleation and stable existence of magnetic skyrmions in two-dimensional magnetic films in the frame of the classical Heisenberg model were considered in the article. A thermal stability of skyrmions in a magnetic film was studied. The processes of the formation of various states in the system at different values of external magnetic fields were considered, various phases into which the Heisenberg spin system passes were recognized. The authors identified seven phases: paramagnetic, spiral, labyrinth, spiralskyrmion, skyrmion, skyrmion-ferromagnetic and ferromagnetic phases, a detailed analysis of the configurations is given in the article.

Two phase diagrams were plotted: the first diagram shows the behavior of the system at a constant $D$ depending on the values of the external magnetic field and temperature $(T, B)$, the second one shows the change of the system configurations at a constant temperature $T$ depending on the magnitude of the Dzyaloshinskii – Moriya interaction and external magnetic field: $(D, B)$.

The data from these numerical experiments will be used in further studies to determine the model parameters of the system for the formation of a stable skyrmion state and to develop methods for controlling skyrmions in a magnetic film.