Search Results (7)

Robust epidemiological models are essential for managing COVID-19, especially in diverse urban settings. In this study, we present a fractional advection–diffusion–reaction model to analyze COVID-19 spread in three major Turkish cities: Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir. The model employs a Caputo-type time-fractional derivative, with its order dynamically determined by the Hurst exponent, capturing the memory effects of disease transmission. A nonlinear reaction term models self-reinforcing viral spread, while a Gaussian forcing term simulates public health interventions with adjustable spatial and temporal parameters. We solve the resulting fractional PDE using an implicit finite difference scheme that ensures numerical stability. Calibration with weekly case data from February 2021 to March 2022 reveals that Ankara has a Hurst exponent of 0.4222, Istanbul 0.1932, and Izmir 0.6085, indicating varied persistence characteristics. Distribution fitting shows that a Weibull model best represents the data for Ankara and Istanbul, whereas a two-component normal mixture suits Izmir. Sensitivity analysis confirms that key parameters, including the fractional order and forcing duration, critically influence outcomes. These findings provide valuable insights for public health policy and urban planning, offering a tailored forecasting tool for epidemic management. Full article

This paper presents a novel hybrid approach for the computational modeling of cardiac perfusion, combining a discrete model of the coronary arterial tree with a continuous porous-media flow model of the myocardium. The constructive constrained optimization (CCO) algorithm captures the detailed topology and geometry of the coronary arterial tree network, while Poiseuille’s law governs blood flow within this network. Contrast agent dynamics, crucial for cardiac MRI perfusion assessment, are modeled using reaction–advection–diffusion equations within the porous-media framework. The model incorporates fibrosis–contrast agent interactions and considers contrast agent recirculation to simulate myocardial infarction and Gadolinium-based late-enhancement MRI findings. Numerical experiments simulate various scenarios, including normal perfusion, endocardial ischemia resulting from stenosis, and myocardial infarction. The results demonstrate the model’s efficacy in establishing the relationship between blood flow and stenosis in the coronary arterial tree and contrast agent dynamics and perfusion in the myocardial tissue. The hybrid model enables the integration of information from two different exams: computational fractional flow reserve (cFFR) measurements of the heart coronaries obtained from CT scans and heart perfusion and anatomy derived from MRI scans. The cFFR data can be integrated with the discrete arterial tree, while cardiac perfusion MRI data can be incorporated into the continuum part of the model. This integration enhances clinical understanding and treatment strategies for managing cardiovascular disease. Full article

This work aims at providing a concise review of various agri-food models that employ fractional differential operators. In this context, various mathematical models based on fractional differential equations have been used to describe a wide range of problems in agri-food. As a result of this review, we found out that this new area of research is finding increased acceptance in recent years and that some reports have employed fractional operators successfully in order to model real-world data. Our results also show that the most commonly used differential operators in these problems are the Caputo, the Caputo–Fabrizio, the Atangana–Baleanu, and the Riemann–Liouville derivatives. Most of the authors in this field are predominantly from China and India. Full article

Background: solute transport in highly heterogeneous media and even neutron diffusion in nuclear environments are among the numerous applications of fractional differential equations (FDEs), being demonstrated by field experiments that solute concentration profiles exhibit anomalous non-Fickian growth rates and so-called “heavy tails”. Methods: a nonlinear-coupled 3D fractional hydro-mechanical model accounting for anomalous diffusion (FD) and advection–dispersion (FAD) for solute flux is described, accounting for a Riesz derivative treated through the Grünwald–Letnikow definition. Results: a long-tailed solute contaminant distribution is displayed due to the variation of flow velocity in both time and distance. Conclusions: a finite difference approximation is proposed to solve the problem in 1D domains, and subsequently, two scenarios are considered for numerical computations. Full article

In this paper spectral Galerkin approximation of optimal control problem governed by fractional advection diffusion reaction equation with integral state constraint is investigated. First order optimal condition of the control problem is discussed. Weighted Jacobi polynomials are used to approximate the state and adjoint state. A priori error estimates for control, state, adjoint state and Lagrangian multiplier are derived. Numerical experiment is carried out to illustrate the theoretical findings. Full article

This paper deals with the numerical solutions of a class of fractional mathematical models arising in engineering sciences governed by time-fractional advection-diffusion-reaction (TF–ADR) equations, involving the Caputo derivative. In particular, we are interested in the models that link chemical and hydrodynamic processes. The aim of this paper is to propose a simple and robust implicit unconditionally stable finite difference method for solving the TF–ADR equations. The numerical results show that the proposed method is efficient, reliable and easy to implement from a computational viewpoint and can be employed for engineering sciences problems. Full article

The present paper deals with the numerical solution of time-fractional advection–diffusion equations involving the Caputo derivative with a source term by means of an unconditionally-stable, implicit, finite difference method on non-uniform grids. We use a special non-uniform mesh in order to improve the numerical accuracy of the classical discrete fractional formula for the Caputo derivative. The stability and the convergence of the method are discussed. The error estimates established for a non-uniform grid and a uniform one are reported, to support the theoretical results. Numerical experiments are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. Full article