Scientists of NSU Received RSF Grants for Individual Research Groups

The Russian Scientific Foundation summed up the results of the competition for fundamental scientific research projects and exploratory scientific research by individual scientific groups. According to the results of the expert review, 454 projects were supported. Two of them were awarded to scientists of the Novosibirsk State University. The size of one grant ranges from 4 to 7 million rubles annually.

Among the scientists, the grant recipients were:

Evgeny Viktorovich Deev– “Seismicity, glaciation, and large hydrological events of the Quaternary period in the mountains of northern Central Asia: analysis of interrelations based on paleoseismological, geolectric, geochronological, and lithogeochemical data” (# 26-17-00123).

Alexander Pavlovich Chupalin— “Simulator of aortic aneurysm growth and rupture based on accurate strength models, hemodynamics models, machine learning methods, clinical and experimental data” (№ 26-19-00016).

The project, led by a doctor of geological and mineralogical sciences, professor of the Department of General and Regional Geology of the Geological and Geophysical Faculty of NSUEvgeny Deev, aimed at solving two currently relevant scientific problems: the analysis of ancient seismicity of the mountains of Central Asia and the identification of relationships between seismicity and large-scale exogenous processes that formed the Quaternary relief of mountain structures. Such exogenous (surface) processes include glaciation, large flood events, and the activity of large lakes.

—The results of the research on the project are expected to establish faults associated with paleoearthquakes, determine magnitudes, intensities, and ages of seismic events. Types of dams (glacial, landslide, etc.) and the ages of large dammed lakes will be identified; a correlation of lake ages with the ages of earthquakes, global glaciation epochs, and interglacial periods will be conducted.It is planned to study and postpone large Quaternary floods associated with the breakouts of these dammed lakes, to conduct a correlation of the ages of floods arising from the breakage of lake dams, with the ages of paleoseismic events and with global climatic epochs. Ultimately, this will allow identifying the causes and differences in the scale and timing of significant relief-forming events between the two large mountain systems of the Pamirs and Altai.— saidEvgeny Deev.

The scientist clarified that the proposed results have important practical significance for accurate assessments of the long-term seismic regime and reliable seismic hazard of territories falling within the zone of human economic activity, as well as for adjustments to the regional stratigraphy of the studied areas’ Quaternary system (the Quaternary geological period — the Anthropogene), which serve as the basis for the main geological mapping.The most important role in correlating stratigraphic units with the chronological scale is played by the radiometric age of deposits obtained by modern dating methods. A significant massif of such ages is planned to be obtained during the implementation of this project.

The second project, carried out under the guidance of a Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, a professor, head of the Department of Higher Mathematics of the Mechanics and Mathematics Faculty of NSU, head of the laboratory of biomechanics and large-scale mechanics of complex media of the Institute of Hydrodynamics named after Acad. M.A. Lavrentiev of the SB RAS, Alexander Chupin, is aimed at developing a new approach to solving non-trivial medical problems.

—Abdominal aortic aneurysm — bulging of the wall of this largest blood vessel in the body — is a dangerous disease that can lead to its rupture with subsequent fatal outcome. One of the most important tasks of the project is the search for personalized predictors of the risk of aneurysm development and rupture. Blood flow in the aorta is powerful and characterized by a complex structure, the presence of vortices in the flow, intensive interaction of the flow with the wall, and a heterogeneous environment of the aorta with its diverse properties.Hemodynamics of the aorta clearly confirms the thesis about the necessity of modeling a single complex “blood flow — deformable vessel walls — vessel environment.” This is a kind of “dragon with three heads.” Successful modeling of this complex phenomenon must include modern models of nonlinear mechanics of strength, hydrodynamics of complex, non-Newtonian fluids. The basis of such modeling is clinical data on hemodynamics and laboratory experiments using modern equipment. They determine the rheological and strength properties of vessel walls, aneurysm material, and the associated thrombus.For the successful processing of clinical and laboratory data, the application and development of modern visualization methods are necessary, such as neural network segmentation, non-invasive reconstruction of deformations based on multimodal images using machine learning methods, — toldAlexander Chupalin.

The project leader explained that the scientific team, using the groundwork of the previous RAS project, managed to present in their application a new, original, and comprehensive approach to solving the problem of growth and risk of aneurysm rupture based on precise patient-specific calculations and modeling of the complex nonlinear system “aorta-aneurysm-thrombus-surrounding tissues.” The main novelty of the new project is its medical component, which is ensured by the participation of one of Russia’s leading vascular surgeons, the head of the department of the FNC of the Center for Physical and Chemical Medicine named after Academician R. M.Lopukhina FMBA (Moscow), Doctor of Medical Sciences, ProfessorAndrey Anatolyevich Karpenko.

—Successful completion of the planned tasks is impossible without the active participation of the scientific youth, graduate students, and master’s students of NGU. All these factors are ultimately aimed at creating a unified digital system, a model complex (simulator), designed to improve the tactics of patient preparation for surgery and optimize the protocols of complex vascular operations.— summed upAlexander Chupalin.