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A model of combustion of premixed mixture of gases with one global chemical reaction is considered, the model includes equations of the second order for temperature of mixture and concentrations of fuel and oxidizer, and the right-hand sides of these equations contain the reaction rate function. This function depends on five unknown parameters of the global reaction and serves as approximation to multistep reaction mechanism. The model is reduced, after replacement of variables, to one equation of the second order for temperature of mixture that transforms to a first-order equation for temperature derivative depending on temperature that contains a parameter of flame propagation velocity. Thus, for computing the parameter of burning velocity, one has to solve Dirichlet problem for first-order equation, and after that a model dependence of burning velocity on mixture equivalence ratio at specified reaction rate parameters will be obtained. Given the experimental data of dependence of burning velocity on mixture equivalence ratio, the problem of optimal selection of reaction rate parameters is stated, based on minimization of the mean square deviation of model values of burning velocity on experimental ones. The aim of our study is analysis of uniqueness of this problem solution. To this end, we apply computational experiment during which the problem of global search of optima is solved using multistart of gradient descent. The computational experiment clarifies that the inverse problem in this statement is underdetermined, and every time, when running gradient descent from a selected starting point, it converges to a new limit point. The structure of the set of limit points in the five-dimensional space is analyzed, and it is shown that this set can be described with three linear equations. Therefore, it might be incorrect to tabulate all five parameters of reaction rate based on just one match criterion between model and experimental data of flame propagation velocity. The conclusion of our study is that in order to tabulate reaction rate parameters correctly, it is necessary to specify the values of two of them, based on additional optimality criteria.

We consider a mathematical model describing the competition for a heterogeneous resource of two populations on a one-dimensional area. Distribution of populations is governed by diffusion and directed migration, species growth obeys to the logistic law. We study the corresponding problem of nonlinear parabolic equations with variable coefficients (function of a resource, parameters of growth, diffusion and migration). Approach on the theory the cosymmetric dynamic systems of V. Yudovich is applied to the analysis of population patterns. Conditions on parameters for which the problem under investigation has nontrivial cosymmetry are analytically derived. Numerical experiment is used to find an emergence of continuous family of steady states when cosymmetry takes place. The numerical scheme is based on the finite-difference discretization in space using the balance method and integration on time by Runge-Kutta method. Impact of diffusive and migration parameters on scenarios of distribution of populations is studied. In the vicinity of the line, corresponding to cosymmetry, neutral curves for diffusive parameters are calculated. We present the mappings with areas of diffusive parameters which correspond to scenarios of coexistence and extinction of species. For a number of migration parameters and resource functions with one and two maxima the analysis of possible scenarios is carried out. Particularly, we found the areas of parameters for which the survival of each specie is determined by initial conditions. It should be noted that dynamics may be nontrivial: after starting decrease in densities of both species the growth of only one population takes place whenever another specie decreases. The analysis has shown that areas of the diffusive parameters corresponding to various scenarios of population patterns are grouped near the cosymmetry lines. The derived mappings allow to explain, in particular, effect of a survival of population due to increasing of diffusive mobility in case of starvation.

The work investigates the process of self-consistent relaxation of the region of disturbances created in a rarefied binary low-temperature plasma by a stationary charged ball or cylinder with an absorbing surface. A feature of such problems is their self-consistent kinetic nature, in which it is impossible to separate the processes of transfer in phase space and the formation of an electromagnetic field. A mathematical model is presented that makes it possible to describe and analyze the state of the gas, electric and thermal fields in the vicinity of the body. The multidimensionality of the kinetic formulation creates certain problems in the numerical solution, therefore a curvilinear system of nonholonomic coordinates was selected for the problem, which minimizes its phase space, which contributes to increasing the efficiency of numerical methods. For such coordinates, the form of the Vlasov kinetic equation has been justified and analyzed. To solve it, a variant of the large particle method with a constant form factor was used. The calculations used a moving grid that tracks the displacement of the distribution function carrier in the phase space, which further reduced the volume of the controlled region of the phase space. Key details of the model and numerical method are revealed. The model and the method are implemented as code in the Matlab language. Using the example of solving a problem for a ball, the presence of significant disequilibrium and anisotropy in the particle velocity distribution in the disturbed zone is shown. Based on the calculation results, pictures of the evolution of the structure of the particle distribution function, profiles of the main macroscopic characteristics of the gas — concentration, current, temperature and heat flow, and characteristics of the electric field in the disturbed region are presented. The mechanism of heating of attracted particles in the disturbed zone is established and some important features of the process of formation of heat flow are shown. The results obtained are well explainable from a physical point of view, which confirms the adequacy of the model and the correct operation of the software tool. The creation and testing of a basis for the development in the future of tools for solving more complex problems of modeling the behavior of ionized gases near charged bodies is noted.

The work will be useful to specialists in the field of mathematical modeling, heat and mass transfer processes, lowtemperature plasma physics, postgraduate students and senior students specializing in the indicated areas.

A mathematical model for the evolution of microbial populations during prolonged cultivation in a chemostat has been constructed. This model generalizes the sequence of the well-known mathematical models of the evolution, in which such factors of the genetic variability were taken into account as chromosomal mutations, mutations in plasmid genes, the horizontal gene transfer, the plasmid loss due to cellular division and others. Liapunov’s function for the generic model of evolution is constructed. The existence proof of bounded, positive invariant and globally attracting set in the state space of the generic mathematical model for the evolution is presented because of the application of La-Salle’s theorem. The analytic description of this set is given. Numerical methods for estimate of the number of limit sets, its location and following investigation in the mathematical models for evolution are discussed.

Bistability is a fundamental property of nonlinear systems and is found in many applied and theoretical studies of biological systems (populations and communities). In the simplest case it is expressed in the coexistence of diametrically opposed alternative stable equilibrium states of the system, and which of them will be achieved depends on the initial conditions. Bistability in simple models can lead to quad-stability as models become more complex, for example, when adding genetic, age and spatial structure. This occurs in different models from completely different subject area and leads to very interesting, often counterintuitive conclusions. In this article, we review such situations. The paper deals with bifurcations leading to bi- and quad-stability in mathematical models of the following biological objects. The first one is the system of two populations coupled by migration and under the action of natural selection, in which all genetic diversity is associated with a single diallelic locus with a significant difference in fitness for homo- and heterozygotes. The second is the system of two limited populations described by the Bazykin model or the Ricker model and coupled by migration. The third is a population with two age stages and density-dependent regulation of birth rate which is determined either only by population density, or additionally depends on the genetic structure of adjacent generations. We found that all these models have similar scenarios for the birth of equilibrium states that correspond to the formation of spatiotemporal inhomogeneity or to the differentiation by phenotypes of individuals from different age stages. Such inhomogeneity is a consequence of local bistability and appears as a result of a combination of pitchfork bifurcation (period doubling) and saddle-node bifurcation.

The paper presents a physico-mathematical model of the perturbed region formed in the lower D-layer of the ionosphere under the action of directed radio emission flux from a terrestrial stand of the megahertz frequency range, obtained as a result of comprehensive theoretical studies. The model is based on the consideration of a wide range of kinetic processes taking into account their nonequilibrium and in the two-temperature approximation for describing the transformation of the radio beam energy absorbed by electrons. The initial data on radio emission achieved by the most powerful radio-heating stands are taken in the paper. Their basic characteristics and principles of functioning, and features of the altitude distribution of the absorbed electromagnetic energy of the radio beam are briefly described. The paper presents the decisive role of the D-layer of the ionosphere in the absorption of the energy of the radio beam. On the basis of theoretical analysis, analytical expressions are obtained for the contribution of various inelastic processes to the distribution of the absorbed energy, which makes it possible to correctly describe the contribution of each of the processes considered. The work considers more than 60 components. The change of the component concentration describe about 160 reactions. All the reactions are divided into five groups according to their physical content: ionization-chemical block, excitation block of metastable electronic states, cluster block, excitation block of vibrational states and block of impurities. Blocks are interrelated and can be calculated both jointly and separately. The paper presents the behavior of the parameters of the perturbed region in daytime and nighttime conditions is significantly different at the same radio flux density: under day conditions, the maximum electron concentration and temperature are at an altitude of ~45–55 km; in night ~80 km, with the temperature of heavy particles rapidly increasing, which leads to the occurrence of a gas-dynamic flow. Therefore, a special numerical algorithm are developed to solve two basic problems: kinetic and gas dynamic. Based on the altitude and temporal behavior of concentrations and temperatures, the algorithm makes it possible to determine the ionization and emission of the ionosphere in the visible and infrared spectral range, which makes it possible to evaluate the influence of the perturbed region on radio engineering and optoelectronic devices used in space technology.

The second part presents numerical studies of the parameters of the lower ionosphere at altitudes of 40–90 km when heated by powerful high-frequency radio waves of various frequencies and powers. The problem statement is considered in the first part of the article. The main attention is paid to the interrelation between the energy and kinetic parameters of the disturbed $D$-region of the ionosphere in the processes that determine the absorption and transformation of the radio beam energy flux in space and time. The possibility of a significant difference in the behavior of the parameters of the disturbed region in the daytime and at nighttime, both in magnitude and in space-time distribution, is shown. In the absence of sufficiently reliable values of the rate constants for a number of important kinetic processes, numerical studies were carried out in stages with the gradual addition of individual processes and kinetic blocks corresponding at the same time to a certain physical content. It is shown that the energy thresholds for inelastic collisions of electrons with air molecules are the main ones. This approach made it possible to detect the effect of the emergence of a self-oscillating mode of changing parameters if the main channel for energy losses in inelastic processes is the most energy-intensive process — ionization. This effect may play a role in plasma studies using high-frequency inductive and capacitive discharges. The results of calculations of the ionization and optical parameters of the disturbed $D$-region for daytime conditions are presented. The electron temperature, density, emission coefficients in the visible and infrared ranges of the spectrum are obtained for various values of the power of the radio beam and its frequency in the lower ionosphere. The height-time distribution of the absorbed radiation power is calculated, which is necessary in studies of higher layers of the ionosphere. The influence on the electron temperature and on the general behavior of the parameters of energy losses by electrons on the excitation of vibrational and metastable states of molecules has been studied in detail. It is shown that under nighttime conditions, when the electron concentration begins at altitudes of about 80 km, and the concentration of heavy particles decreases by two orders of magnitude compared to the average $D$-region, large-scale gas-dynamic motion can develop with sufficient radio emission power The algorithm was developed based on the McCormack method and two-dimensional gas-dynamic calculations of the behavior of the parameters of the perturbed region were performed with some simplifications of the kinetics.

Investigation of logical deterministic cellular automata models of population dynamics allows to reveal detailed individual-based mechanisms. The search for such mechanisms is important in connection with ecological problems caused by overexploitation of natural resources, environmental pollution and climate change. Classical models of population dynamics have the phenomenological nature, as they are “black boxes”. Phenomenological models fundamentally complicate research of detailed mechanisms of ecosystem functioning. We have investigated the role of fecundity and duration of resources regeneration in mechanisms of population growth using four models of ecosystem with one species. These models are logical deterministic cellular automata and are based on physical axiomatics of excitable medium with regeneration. We have modeled catastrophic death of population arising from increasing of resources regeneration duration. It has been shown that greater fecundity accelerates population extinction. The investigated mechanisms are important for understanding mechanisms of sustainability of ecosystems and biodiversity conservation. Prospects of the presented modeling approach as a method of transparent multilevel modeling of complex systems are discussed.

The paper proposes a mathematical model for the therapy of glioma, taking into account the blood-brain barrier, radiotherapy and antibody therapy. The parameters were estimated from experimental data and the evaluation of the effect of parameter values on the effectiveness of treatment and the prognosis of the disease were obtained. The possible variants of sequential use of radiotherapy and the effect of antibodies have been explored. The combined use of radiotherapy with intravenous administration of $mab$ $Cx43$ leads to a potentiation of the therapeutic effect in glioma.

Radiotherapy must precede chemotherapy, as radio exposure reduces the barrier function of endothelial cells. Endothelial cells of the brain vessels fit tightly to each other. Between their walls are formed so-called tight contacts, whose role in the provision of BBB is that they prevent the penetration into the brain tissue of various undesirable substances from the bloodstream. Dense contacts between endothelial cells block the intercellular passive transport.

The mathematical model consists of a continuous part and a discrete one. Experimental data on the volume of glioma show the following interesting dynamics: after cessation of radio exposure, tumor growth does not resume immediately, but there is some time interval during which glioma does not grow. Glioma cells are divided into two groups. The first group is living cells that divide as fast as possible. The second group is cells affected by radiation. As a measure of the health of the blood-brain barrier system, the ratios of the number of BBB cells at the current moment to the number of cells at rest, that is, on average healthy state, are chosen.

The continuous part of the model includes a description of the division of both types of glioma cells, the recovery of BBB cells, and the dynamics of the drug. Reducing the number of well-functioning BBB cells facilitates the penetration of the drug to brain cells, that is, enhances the action of the drug. At the same time, the rate of division of glioma cells does not increase, since it is limited not by the deficiency of nutrients available to cells, but by the internal mechanisms of the cell. The discrete part of the mathematical model includes the operator of radio interaction, which is applied to the indicator of BBB and to glial cells.

Within the framework of the mathematical model of treatment of a cancer tumor (glioma), the problem of optimal control with phase constraints is solved. The patient’s condition is described by two variables: the volume of the tumor and the condition of the BBB. The phase constraints delineate a certain area in the space of these indicators, which we call the survival area. Our task is to find such treatment strategies that minimize the time of treatment, maximize the patient’s rest time, and at the same time allow state indicators not to exceed the permitted limits. Since the task of survival is to maximize the patient’s lifespan, it is precisely such treatment strategies that return the indicators to their original position (and we see periodic trajectories on the graphs). Periodic trajectories indicate that the deadly disease is translated into a chronic one.

The paper analyzes the methods of studying the process of interaction of soil environments with the tillage tools of soil processing machines. The mathematical methods of numerical modeling are considered in detail, which make it possible to overcome the disadvantages of analytical and empirical approaches. A classification and overview of the possibilities the continuous (FEM — finite element method, CFD — computational fluid dynamics) and discrete (DEM — discrete element method, SPH — hydrodynamics of smoothed particles) numerical methods is presented. Based on the discrete element method, a mathematical model has been developed that represents the soil in the form of a set of interacting small spherical elements. The working surfaces of the tillage tool are presented in the framework of the finite element approximation in the form of a combination of many elementary triangles. The model calculates the movement of soil elements under the action of contact forces of soil elements with each other and with the working surfaces of the tillage tool (elastic forces, dry and viscous friction forces). This makes it possible to assess the influence of the geometric parameters of the tillage tools, technological parameters of the process and soil parameters on the geometric indicators of soil displacement, indicators of the self-installation of tools, power loads, quality indicators of loosening and spatial distribution of indicators. A total of 22 indicators were investigated (or the distribution of the indicator in space). This makes it possible to reproduce changes in the state of the system of elements of the soil (soil cultivation process) and determine the total mechanical effect of the elements on the moving tillage tools of the implement. A demonstration of the capabilities of the mathematical model is given by the example of a study of soil cultivation with a disk cultivator battery. In the computer experiment, a virtual soil channel of 5×1.4 m in size and a 3D model of a disk cultivator battery were used. The radius of the soil particles was taken to be 18 mm, the speed of the tillage tool was 1 m/s, the total simulation time was 5 s. The processing depth was 10 cm at angles of attack of 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°. The verification of the reliability of the simulation results was carried out on a laboratory stand for volumetric dynamometry by examining a full-scale sample, made in full accordance with the investigated 3D-model. The control was carried out according to three components of the traction resistance vector: $F_x$, $F_y$ and $F_z$. Comparison of the data obtained experimentally with the simulation data showed that the discrepancy is not more than 22.2%, while in all cases the maximum discrepancy was observed at angles of attack of the disk battery of 30°. Good consistency of data on three key power parameters confirms the reliability of the whole complex of studied indicators.