## 2007 Scientific Events

• 13-Dec-07

Disjoint Paths in Graphs

We consider the well-known edge-disjoint path problem (EDP) where we are given a graph G and pairs of nodes (“demands”) s1t1, s2t2, . . . sktk. A subset F of {1, 2, . . . , k} is routable if there exists |F| edge-disjoint paths in G that conne   more››

University of Victoria

• 1-Dec-07
• 3-Dec-07

Quantum Information and Many Body Physics Workshop

http://pitp.physics.ubc.ca/confs/qinfo-mbody/index.html   more››

University of British Columbia

• 30-Nov-07

Banach algebras of continuous functions and measures, and their second duals

For every Banach algebra A, there are two products on the second dual space A'' that make A'' into a Banach algebra; they may or may not coincide. A lot of information about the original algebra A comes easily by looking at these second duals. We   more››

University of Alberta

• 29-Nov-07

Multi-Banach spaces and Multi-Banach Algebras

The very extensive theories of Banach spaces and Banach algebras, including algebras of operators on Banach spaces, are the foundation stones of much modern analysis. For certain reasons M. Polyakov and I were led to introduce a more   more››

University of Alberta

• 26-Nov-07

What is Mathematical Biology and How Useful is It?

Biological processes are very complex, and mathematical models of such processes are at best just a crude approximation. Nevertheless, one can gain some useful knowledge from the models. In this talk, I shall give examples of biological and biomed   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 23-Nov-07

Efficent smooth GMM through dimension reduction

We propose a new GMM criterion for models defined by conditional moment restrictions that takes into account a number of moment conditions which increases with the sample size. Our criterion allows us to reduce the dimensionality of the conditioni   more››

University of Victoria

• 22-Nov-07

Level lowering and Shapiro's conjecture

Let E/Q be an elliptic curve over the rationals. One can associate two rational integers that measure the ramification of this elliptic curve over various primes, the conductor NE and the minimal discriminant ?E. The Szpiro's conjecture states that f   more››

University of British Columbia

• 22-Nov-07

Modular methods applied to Diophantine equations

Deep results about elliptic curves, modular forms and Galois representations have successfully been applied to solve FLT and other Diophantine equations. Most of such applications broadly proceed along the following lines. To a hypothetical solution   more››

University of British Columbia

• 22-Nov-07

A Paley-Wiener theorem and Arthur's trace formula

Modular forms may be recast and generalized as automorphic representations, which are objects of abstract harmonic analysis. The trace formula is a theorem in harmonic analysis which allows one to compare automorphic representations. The Paley-Wiener   more››

University of British Columbia

• 17-Nov-07
• 18-Nov-07

Bellingham Algebraic Geometry Seminar

http://www.math.washington.edu/~kovacs/bags/   more››

University of Washington

• 5-Nov-07

A Functional Integral Representation for Many Boson Systems

Functional integrals have long been used, formally, to provide intuition about the behaviour of quantum field theories. For the past several decades, they have also been used, rigorously, in the construction and analysis of those theories. I will   more››

University of British Columbia

• 2-Nov-07

Sums of congruent convex bodies

The Minkowski linear combination is a fundamental operation for convex bodies. Further basic structures on the space of convex bodies are the topology induced by the Hausdorff metric, and the operation of the group of rigid motions. Suppose we hav   more››

University of British Columbia

• 2-Nov-07

2007 PIMS-CSC Seminar - 04

Nonsmooth, Nonconvex Optimization   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 2-Nov-07
• 3-Nov-07

Fall 2007 Joint UBC/SFU Graduate Student Workshop

Speaker: Derek Bingham Title: Statistical Research in a Collaborative Environment Modern statistical research is often motivated by applied problems that arise in other areas of science. Finding solutions to these applied   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 1-Nov-07

On Securitization, Market Completion and Equilibrium Risk Transfer

We propose an equilibrium framework within two price financial securities written on non-tradable underlyings such as temperature indices. We analyze a financial market with a finite set of agents whose preferences are described by a convex dynami   more››

University of British Columbia

• 1-Nov-07

Asymptotic shapes of random polytopes

We consider random polytopes, generated as intersections of closed halfspaces (containing 0) bounded by the hyperplanes of a Poisson process of hyperplanes (satisfying only some homogeneity property under dilatations). The central question (a very   more››

University of British Columbia

• 31-Oct-07

Random projections of regular polytopes and neighborliness

If an N-dimensional regular crosspolytope is projected to a uniform random d-dimensional subspace and N is large, then the projection has strong neighborliness properties, with high probability. Strong results in this direction were recently obtai   more››

University of Calgary

• 26-Oct-07

Polytopes and arrangements: diameter and curvature

By analogy with the Hirsh conjecture, we conjecture that the order of the largest total curvature of the central path associated to a polytope is the number of inequalities defining the polytope. By analogy with a result of Dedieu, Malajovich and   more››

University of Calgary

• 26-Oct-07

Sums of congruent convex bodies

The Minkowski linear combination is a fundamental operation for convex bodies. Further basic structures on the space of convex bodies are the topology induced by the Hausdorff metric, and the operation of the group of rigid motions. Suppose we hav   more››

University of Alberta

• 26-Oct-07

WCOM Fall 07

http://people.ok.ubc.ca/bauschke/wcom07.html   more››

University of British Columbia

• 25-Oct-07

Klee-Minty cubes and the central path

We consider a family of LO problems over the n-dimensional Klee-Minty cube and show that the central path may visit all of its vertices in the same order as simplex methods do. This is achieved by carefully adding an exponential number of redundan   more››

University of Calgary

• 25-Oct-07

Asymptotic shapes of random polytopes

We consider random polytopes, generated as intersections of closed halfspaces (containing 0) bounded by the hyperplanes of a Poisson process of hyperplanes (satisfying only some homogeneity property under dilatations). The central question (a very   more››

University of Alberta

• 25-Oct-07

Risk Measures with Comonotonic Subadditivity or Convexity and Respecting Stochastic Orders

Taking subadditivity as a main axiom Artzner et.al.(1997, 1999) introduced the coherent risk measures. Song and Yan (2006) introduced risk measures which are comonotonically subadditive or convex. Recently we introduced risk measures which are not   more››

University of British Columbia

• 24-Oct-07

Pivot v/s interior point methods: pros and cons

Linear Optimization (Programming) is probably the most successful and most intensively studied model in applied mathematics. First we give a survey of the governing algorithmic principles that lead to design Pivot and Interior Point Methods (IPMs)   more››

University of Calgary

• 23-Oct-07

Random projections of regular polytopes and neighborliness

If an N-dimensional regular crosspolytope is projected to a uniform random d-dimensional subspace and N is large, then the projection has strong neighborliness properties, with high probability. Strong results in this direction were recently obtai   more››

University of Alberta

• 20-Oct-07
• 21-Oct-07

The 29th Annual Alberta Statisticians' Meeting

The 29th Annual Alberta Statisticians Meeting is sponsored by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary, and also by PIMS. This meeting serves many purpose   more››

University of Calgary

• 19-Oct-07

2007 PIMS-CSC Seminar - 03

Finite element analysis of CAD large assemblies   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 15-Oct-07

Nonsmooth, Nonconvex Optimization

There are many algorithms for minimization when the objective function is differentiable or convex, but few options when it is neither. We describe two simple algorithmic approaches for minimization of nonsmooth, nonconvex objectives: BFGS (a new   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 13-Oct-07

21st Annual Pacific Northwest Numerical Analysis Seminar

http://www.amath.washington.edu/~pnwnas/2007/   more››

University of Washington

• 12-Oct-07

Pushing things around

Unsolved for over twenty-five years, a surprisingly difficult conjecture stated that a non-crossing polygonal chain of fixed-length edges in the plane can be continuously opened without crossing. Gunter Rote, Erik Demaine and I proved this Carpent   more››

University of Calgary

• 11-Oct-07

Why things don't fall down - Art, geometry and engineering

Why do some geometric shapes hold together, while others are floppy and fall down? An eggshell and a convex dome are rigid, while polygons, with four or more sides of fixed length in the plane, flex. The geometric principles for convex shapes go b   more››

University of Calgary

• 11-Oct-07

MITACS Math Finance Seminar 2007

The Mutual Fund Theorem (MFT) is considered in a general semimartingale financial market $with a finite time horizon T. It is established that: 1) If for given utility functions (i.e. investors) the MFT holds true in all Brown more›› University of British Columbia • 10-Oct-07 The unfinished revolution: space, time and the quantum Between 1905 and 1926 Einstein, Bohr and others initiated a scientific revolution by the introduction of quantum mechanics and relativity theory. The revolution is unfortunately still incomplete, because there are major unresolved issues. Th more›› University of British Columbia • 10-Oct-07 The geometry of rigid and non-rigid structures Convex triangulated surfaces in three-space are rigid by Cauchy's Theorem. But what about non-convex surfaces? Some interesting recent examples of classes of non-convex surfaces have some convex-like properties, and yet are still rigid. On the oth more›› University of Calgary • 5-Oct-07 • 6-Oct-07 Plumes and Gravity Currents in Stratified Environments http://www.ualberta.ca/~bsuther/events/pimscrg1007/ more›› University of Alberta • 5-Oct-07 On the geometry of interest rate models The purpose of this talk is to give an overview of some recent work concerning the structural and geometric properties of the evolution of the forward rate curve in an arbitrage free bond market. The main problems to be discussed are as follows. more›› University of British Columbia • 4-Oct-07 Total Positivity and its Applications A matrix is called totally positive (resp. totally nonnegative)if all of its minors are positive (resp. nonnegative). This important class of matrices grew out of three separate applications: Vibrating systems, interpolation, and statistics. Since more›› University of Calgary • 4-Oct-07 • 5-Oct-07 Optimal investment under partial information We consider the problem of maximizing terminal utility in a model where asset prices are driven by Wiener processes, but where the various rates of returns are allowed to be arbitrary semi-martingales. The only information available to the investo more›› University of British Columbia • 2-Oct-07 2-Dimensional Lp-Minkowski problem et S^{n-1}subset R^n be the unit sphere. The L_p-Minkowski problem proposed by Lukwak is a natural generalization of the classical Minkowski problem. Analytically, it is equivalent to find positive solutions of the equation det( more›› University of British Columbia • 2-Oct-07 Finite Element Analysis of CAD Large Assemblies In today's product development and engineering process, usage of computer aided design (CAD) platform is obvious. It allows crating of quite realistic models, precisely describing not only the geometry of the developed prototype, but also its phys more›› University of British Columbia • 29-Sep-07 6th Pacific Northwest PDE Meeting The 6th Pacific Northwest PDE meeting will be held at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby on Saturday, September 29, 2007. more›› Simon Fraser University • 28-Sep-07 2007 PIMS-CSC Seminar - 02 Towards Robust Finite Element Formulations for Acoustics more›› Simon Fraser University • 28-Sep-07 • 30-Sep-07 International Graduate Training Centre in Mathematical Biology - First Graduate Research Summit The IGTC is a new PIMS initiative to develop and enhance graduate training opportunities in the Pacific Northwest. As part of this Math-Biology IGTC, the Graduate Research Summit will provide an opportunity for graduate students, post-docs and more›› University of British Columbia • 27-Sep-07 lambda(lambda(n)): A case study in analytic number theory A 2005 result of Carl Pomerance and myself identifies the normal order (that is, the asymptotic size for 100% of integers) of the twice-iterated Carmichael lambda-function ?(?(n)), a function that arises when considering an exponential pseudorandom n more›› University of British Columbia • 27-Sep-07 Powers in progression, Chebotarev, and Hilbert class polynomials I will sketch some rather odd connections between ternary Diophantine equations, the Chebotarev Density Theorem and heights of Hilbert class polynom more›› University of British Columbia • 27-Sep-07 Modeling the Spread of West Nile Virus West Nile virus was detected in New York State in 1999, and has spread rapidly across the continent causing bird, horse and human mortality. The aim of this lecture is to model this spread. Biological assumptions are summarized and lead to the dev more›› University of British Columbia • 26-Sep-07 Recent progress in the random conductance model TBA more›› University of British Columbia • 26-Sep-07 Bounds on the Crosscap Numbers of Torus Knots In joint work with Sizemore, we build on Teragaito's calculation of the crosscap number$c(K)$of a torus knot$K$to give bounds in terms of the genus$g(K)$and crossing number$n(K)$:$c(K) leq lfloor (g(K) + 9)/6 floor$and$c(K) leq l   more››

University of British Columbia

• 25-Sep-07

On renormalized solutions of parabolic equations

TBA   more››

University of British Columbia

• 24-Sep-07

Turbulent heat transport: upper bounds by a priori estimates

We are interested in the transport of heat through a layer of viscous fluid which is heated from below and cooled from above. Two mechanisms are at work: Heat is transported by simple diffusion and by advection through the flow. The transport by a   more››

University of British Columbia

• 24-Sep-07

Fast Iterative Solution of Models of Incompressible Flow

We discuss new efficient algorithms for computing the numerical solution of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. We show that preconditioning algorithms that take advantage of the structure of the linearized equations can be combined with K   more››

University of British Columbia

• 21-Sep-07

2007 PIMS-CSC Seminar - 01

Design of a high quality optical resonator   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 21-Sep-07

Design of a high quality optical resonator

We consider resonance phenomena for the scalar wave in an inhomogeneous medium. Resonance can be described as a solution to the wave equation that is spatially localized while its time dependence is (mostly) harmonic except for decay due to radiat   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 20-Sep-07

Gradient Flows and Energy Landscapes II

Micromagnetics deals with the spatial pattern formed by the magnetization of a ferromagnet. From the point view of mathematics, micromagnetics is an ideal testbed for a pattern-forming system in materials science: There are abundant experiments on   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 20-Sep-07

Stable segregation of PAR proteins in the early C elegans embryo

PAR proteins, collectively termed the anterior and posterior PAR proteins, establish distinct intracellular spatial domains in the one cell C elegans embryo, polarizing the cell. This polarization is persistent, lasting approximately 10-20 minutes   more››

University of British Columbia

• 19-Sep-07

Boundary Slope Diameter and Crossing Number of 2-Bridge Knots

In joint work with Maybrun and Robinson, we prove that for 2-bridge knots, the diameter of the set of boundary slopes is twice the crossing number. We also show that 2-bridge knots with four or fewer boundary slopes have a boundary slope of genus two   more››

University of British Columbia

• 19-Sep-07

Linear Stochastic Differential-Algebraic Equations

A Differential-Algeraic Equation is, essentially, an Ordinary Differential Equation F(x,dot x)=0 that cannot be solved for the derivative dot x . In a recent joint paper with A. Alabert of UAB, Barcelona, we studied the linear st   more››

University of British Columbia

• 18-Sep-07

Gradient Flows and Energy Landscapes I

Micromagnetics deals with the spatial pattern formed by the magnetization of a ferromagnet. From the point view of mathematics, micromagnetics is an ideal testbed for a pattern-forming system in materials science: There are abundant experiments on   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 18-Sep-07

Exact Bounds for Forbidden Configurations

We explore some exact bounds for Forbidden Configurations, which have a design theory flavour. Let q be given. Consider an m-rowed (0,1)-matrix A, which has no repeated columns. Assume there is no qx2 submatrix of A which is a r   more››

University of British Columbia

• 18-Sep-07

A Non-Equilibrium Steady-State Theory of Phosphorylation-Dephosphorylation Switch in Cellular Signalling

We present a mathematical theory for a biochemical switch system, which can be either the phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle (PdPC) reactions catalyzed by a kinase and a phosphatase, or GTPase cycles catalyzed by a guanine exchange factor (GE   more››

University of British Columbia

• 17-Sep-07

Donaldson-Thomas and Gromov-Witten theory of orbifolds and their resolutions

A general principle in physics asserts that string theory on a Calabi-Yau orbifold should be equivalent to string theory on any Calabi-Yau resolution of the orbifold. A mathematical realization of this principle is the idea that Donaldson-Th   more››

University of British Columbia

• 14-Sep-07

Early History of Singular Perturbations (1904-1940)

This equationless talk will describe how singular perturbations began in the ten-minute talk of Ludwig Prandtl at the 3rd International Congress of Mathematicians and how it developed slowly, culminating in the efflux out of Goettingen after 1933   more››

University of British Columbia

• 13-Sep-07

Cubic points on cubic curves and the Brauer-Manin obstruction on K3 surfaces

It is well-known that not all varieties over Q satisfy the Hasse principle. The famous Selmer curve given by 3x3 + 4y3 + 5z3 = 0 in P2, for instance, indeed has points over every completion of Q, but no points over Q itself. Though it is trivial to f   more››

University of British Columbia

• 13-Sep-07

Deligne's functorial Riemann-Roch formula

We shall formulate a refinement, due to Deligne, of the Riemann-Roch theorem for fibrations of curves. This theorem provides canonical isomorphisms between certain determinant bundles. We shall show how this theorem leads to a new co   more››

University of British Columbia

• 12-Sep-07

Spaces of Homomorphisms and Group Cohomology

In this talk I will discuss the construction of a family of simplicial spaces built of spaces of homomorphisms. This family yields a filtration of the classifying space of a group and it is parametrized by group theoretical data.   more››

University of British Columbia

• 12-Sep-07

A balls and boxes Markov chain

Consider N boxes, each with R balls in. Each step, pick two boxes uniformly at random. If the first box is not empty, move a ball from the first box to the second. The empirical distribution tends to the geometric law with mean R. We look at the t   more››

University of British Columbia

• 11-Sep-07

Pattern formation in micromagnetics

Micromagnetics deals with the spatial pattern formed by the magnetization of a ferromagnet. From the point of view of mathematics, micromagnetics is an ideal testbed for a pattern-forming system in materials science: There are abundant experiments   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 11-Sep-07

On Some Inverse Problems, Regularization, Level Sets, Conjugate Gradients and Sparse Solutions

In this informal talk I will attempt to draw some connections among the various items appearing in the title. Emphasis will be placed on the role of regularization and on efficient solution techniques for tough reconstruction problems.   more››

University of British Columbia

• 7-Sep-07

The fixed formula and Nori's approach to the Riemann-Roch theorem

We shall explain the content of the Lefschetz fixed point formula in the coherent setting and we shall explain its connection, established by M. Nori, with the Riemann-Roch theorem. Detailed computations in the case of curves will be given.   more››

University of British Columbia

• 3-Sep-07

Intuitive Geometry Day

The Intuitive Geometry Day in Calgary is a one-day meeting immediately following and extending the Intuitive Geometry Workhsop (August 31-September 2, 2007) held at the Banff International Research Station. The Intuitive Geometry Day is entir   more››

University of Calgary

• 31-Aug-07

Structure Theorems in Graph Theory

Fix a graph H. What is the most general graph that does not contain H? In other words, how do we explicitly construct all the graphs that do not contain H? To begin to make this precise, we have to say what 'contain' means;; we have   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 22-Aug-07
• 31-Aug-07

Workshop on the Cycle Double Cover Conjecture

The Cycle Double Cover Conjecture (CDC) was proposed independently by P.D. Seymour (1979) and G. Szekeres (1973). The conjecture is easy to state: "For finite every 2-connected graph, there is a list of cycles (polygons) such that every   more››

University of British Columbia

• 20-Aug-07
• 22-Aug-07

The 19th Canadian Conference on Computational Geometry

The 19th Annual Canadian Conference on Computational Geometry (CCCG 2007) will be held in Ottawa, Canada on August 20-22, 2007 at Carleton University, with a welcome reception on the evening of August 19th   more››

University of British Columbia

• 20-Aug-07

Which way to go? Modeling eukaryotic chemotaxis

Chemotaxis is characterized by directed movement of cells up a chemical gradient. It is a key component in a multitude of biological processes, including neuronal patterning, wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. Even though many of   more››

University of British Columbia

• 20-Aug-07
• 23-Aug-07

Canadian Summer School on Communications and Information Theory, 2007

The summer school will consist of invited talks from leading experts in the areas of Communications and Information theory. The talks will be self-contained and aimed at introducing graduate students and researchers to new areas in Communications and   more››

University of Alberta

• 13-Aug-07
• 17-Aug-07

International Conference of Theoretical and Numerical Fluid Mechanics III

The International Conference of Theoretical and Numerical Fluid Mechanics III is being held in honor of Professors Giovanni Paolo Galdi and Rolf Rannacher, in celebration of their sixtieth birthdays. Reflecting their interests, it will be an   more››

University of British Columbia

• 8-Aug-07

CECM Summer Meeting 2007

CECM, Maplesoft, MITACS, IRMACS and PIMS are pleased to present "CECM 2007", a summer conference hosted by CECM under the title "Summer Workshop on Computational Mathematics" at Simon Fraser University. The Workshop   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 8-Aug-07

How cells make measurements

A fundamental problem of cell biology is to understand how cells make measurements and then make behavioral decisions in response to these measurements. The full answer to this question is not known but there are some underlying principles that ar   more››

University of British Columbia

• 7-Aug-07

T-cell dynamics within Lymph Nodes

TBA   more››

University of British Columbia

• 7-Aug-07

Morphogen Gradients Stable During Growth? an example in plant development

In plant development, the phytohormone auxin plays a key-role, controlling cell identity, cell division and cell expansion. Interestingly, in both distal regions of plant roots and shoots, characteristic auxin maxima have been found which correlat   more››

University of British Columbia

• 6-Aug-07
• 19-Aug-07

Summer School on Particle Physics, Cosmology and Strings

The Summer School on Particle Physics, Cosmology and Strings is the 5th in an ongoing series offered by Perimeter Institute and PIMS. The summer school is targeted at 40 advanced graduate students in high energy physics with interests in at least one   more››

University of British Columbia

• 30-Jul-07
• 3-Aug-07

Summer School Tropical multiscale convective systems: Theory, modeling, and observations

This event is a 3-day summer school (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) followed by a 2-day workshop (Thursday, Friday). The aim is to bring university researchers in applied math, physics, or meteorology departments working in the area of tropical meteorol   more››

University of Victoria

• 30-Jul-07
• 9-Aug-07

PIMS Algebra Summer School

The PIMS Algebra Summer School 2007 will have three minicourses: G. Benkart (University of Wisconsin): Lie algebras M. Brion: (University of Grenoble): Algebraic groups M. Karoubi (University of Paris VII): K-theory   more››

University of Alberta

• 25-Jul-07

Bounded topology

The talk will show how a lot of classical results about topological manifolds can be proved using a little bit of controlled topology.   more››

University of British Columbia

• 23-Jul-07
• 28-Jul-07
• 21-Jul-07
• 23-Jul-07

Mechanical Behaviour of Glassy Materials

http://pitp.physics.ubc.ca/confs/glass07/   more››

University of British Columbia

• 18-Jul-07

Understanding the stability of lipid bilayers

Lipid bilayers demonstrate an intriguing combination of properties: at a microscopic scale they consist of individual molecules without covalent bonding, but at larger scales they show behaviour reminiscent of elastic solids. Energy-based models,   more››

University of British Columbia

• 12-Jul-07

Mappings of finite distortion: analysis in the extreme

Degenerate structures arise naturally in many questions in PDE's and calculus of variations as well as in their applications. Mappings of finite distortion study how far the powerful tools of geometric analysis can here reach; the theory of these   more››

University of Washington

• 9-Jul-07
• 14-Jul-07

International Graduate Institute on Modeling Environmental Space – Time Processes

PIMS invites applications for the International Graduate Summer School on Modeling Environmental Space - Time Processes designed for graduate students or Postdoctoral fellows in the statistical sciences as well as others with a solid background   more››

University of Washington

• 25-Jun-07

Viscous Hamilton-Jacobi(VHJ) equations (Part 6)

This is the final lecture   more››

University of British Columbia

• 25-Jun-07
• 29-Jun-07

Conference on Applied Inverse Problems 2007

The enormous increase in computing power and the development of powerful algorithms has made it possible to apply the techniques of Inverse Problems to real-world problems of growing complexity. Applications include a number of medical as well a   more››

University of British Columbia

• 19-Jun-07
• 21-Jun-07

TIES North American Regional Meeting

University of Washington

• 18-Jun-07

Viscous Hamilton-Jacobi(VHJ) equations (Part 5)

TBA   more››

University of British Columbia

• 18-Jun-07
• 20-Jun-07

Synchronous Rhythms in the Brain

The brain is the main source of biological rhythms. These rhythms range from sleep-wake cycles and the life-supporting respiration rhythm to hormonal rhythms that control reproduction and from gaits in animal locomotion to the highly sophisti   more››

University of British Columbia

• 15-Jun-07

The spread and evolution of highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in Africa

rtant consequences for surveillance in Africa and beyond. As they scavenge on many dead species, they may also function as conspicuous sentinels in the African continent, similar to raptors or swans in Europe or cats in Indonesia. Proper disposal   more››

University of British Columbia

• 15-Jun-07

Mathematical Pedagogy

Many learners of mathematics seem to take a passive stance towards their studies, at best assenting to a sequence of definitions and theorems. The notion of personal example spaces will be developed as a setting for pedagogical strategies which ca   more››

University of Alberta

• 11-Jun-07

Viscous Hamilton-Jacobi(VHJ) equations (Part 4)

TBA   more››

University of British Columbia

• 10-Jun-07
• 13-Jun-07

2007 Statistics Canada Annual Meeting in St John's

http://ssc.ca/archive/2007/index_e.html   more››

University of British Columbia

• 5-Jun-07
• 7-Jun-07

Workshop on Applications of Climate Statistics in Agriculture

The climate statistics workshop provided a venue for scientific researchers and end users to discuss how statistical information can benefit agriculture, water and other climate sensitive operations. Applied scientific presentations increased unde   more››

University of Regina

• 5-Jun-07
• 15-Jun-07

Summer School on Combinatorial models in geometry and topology of flag manifolds

Topics of Study Young tableaux, Schubert polynomials, the Goresky-Kottwitz-MacPherson graph for equivariant cohomology of flag manifolds (with emphasis on the results of Guillemin and Zara), cohomology of weight varieties (via th   more››

University of Regina

• 4-Jun-07

Viscous Hamilton-Jacobi(VHJ) equations (Part 3)

TBA   more››

University of British Columbia

• 28-May-07

Viscous Hamilton-Jacobi(VHJ) equations (Part 2)

TBA   more››

University of British Columbia

• 28-May-07
• 30-May-07

University of British Columbia

• 25-May-07

Mathematics: An experimental Science

We'll discuss some recent results that were conjectured via computer experiments and then proved. The examples will be drawn from number theory, Young tableaux, hypergeometric determinant evaluation, theory of matrices of 0s and 1s, etc. Several u   more››

University of British Columbia

• 23-May-07

Invasion percolation on regular trees

Invasion percolation is a dynamic process closely linked to critical percolation, but without an external parameter. In joint work with Omer Angel, Frank den Hollander and Gord Slade we showed that the cluster of inva   more››

University of British Columbia

• 23-May-07

Making a Splash, Breaking a Neck: The development of complexity in physical systems

The fundamental laws of physics are very simple. They can be written on the top half of an ordinary piece of paper. The world about us is very complex. Whole libraries hardly serve to describe it. Indeed, any living organism exhibits a degree of c   more››

University of Washington

• 22-May-07

The Good, the Bad, and the Awful: Scientific Simulation and Prediction

Worthwhile computer simulations are done to explore uncharted territory, resolve a well-posed scientific or technical question, or to make a design choice. Some excellent work is reviewed. Some less happy stories are recounted. I th   more››

University of Washington

• 22-May-07

Eigenvalue Problem and a New Product in Cohomology of Flag Varieties

This is a report on my joint work with P. Belkale. We define a new commutative and associative product in the cohomology of any flag variety G/P (which still satisfies the Poincaré duality) and use this product to generate certain inequalities wh   more››

University of Washington

• 21-May-07
• 18-May-07

Markov Chains and Web Ranking: a Multilevel Adaptive Aggregation Method

Google's PageRank method for ranking web pages models how a `random surfer' follows links between web pages in a random fashion. The stationary probability vector of the resulting Markov chain provides a ranking of all the pages in the network. Ca   more››

University of British Columbia

• 17-May-07

Monetary utilities and BDEs

TBA   more››

University of British Columbia

• 16-May-07

Oscillating random walk on Z driven by its occupation time at zero

I will consider a nearest-neighbor random walk X_n on integers with the drift at time n (conditional on the past expectation of $X_{n+1}-X_n$) equals to $-sign(X_n)f^{-1}(eta_n),$ where eta_n is the number of visits to zero by time n and f(n) is a   more››

University of British Columbia

• 11-May-07

Non-reductive group actions and symplectic implosion

Given a linear action of a complex reductive group on a projective variety X, geometric invariant theory provides us with an open subset of X (the set of stable points) which has a well-behaved quotient, and a compactification of this quotie   more››

University of Washington

• 9-May-07

Boundary Value Problems for Elliptic PDEs and the Morse Index

A symplectic view of linearized elliptic problems leads naturally to the formulation of an appropriate Maslov Index. This is well-known in one space dimension and is generalized here to domains in higher space dimensions. The result is a Morse Ind   more››

University of British Columbia

• 9-May-07

We prove a theorem asserting, roughly speaking, that if a sequence of functionals converges to a limiting functional (in the sense of Gamma-convergence, a natural and widely-used notion in the calculus of variations), and if the limiting functiona   more››

University of British Columbia

• 8-May-07
• 13-May-07
• 8-May-07

Going with Flow and Updating Ocean Models

Much data in the ocean come from Lagrangian instruments that float or drift. Mathematical issues arise from the need to assimilate these and other data into ocean models.   more››

University of Washington

• 7-May-07

Frailty Correlated Default

We analyze portfolio credit risk in light of dynamic "frailty," in the form of incompletely observed covariates. Common dependence by firms on unobservable time-varying default covariates is estimated to cause large changes in conditiona   more››

University of British Columbia

• 4-May-07

Orbifold String Topology II

In these two lectures I will survey my recent work with Lupercio and Xicotencatl on the properties of the homology of the free loop space of an orbifold. In the first lecture I will review the work of Chas and Sullivan on string topology and I wil   more››

University of British Columbia

• 4-May-07
• 6-May-07

Western Canadian Conference for Young Researchers in Mathematics

Dear Graduate Students, Welcome to our conference website! This conference provides graduate students with a forum to discuss their research. With funds from PIMS and the University of Calgary, we can provide you with accommodat   more››

University of Calgary

• 2-May-07

Spanning Trees, Random Graphs, and Random Walks

In the usual Erdõs-Rényi model of random graphs, each pair of n vertices is connected by an edge independently with probability c/n for some constant c. When c > 1, it has a unique 'giant' component. How quickly does the number of spannin   more››

University of British Columbia

• 2-May-07

Orbifold String Topology I

In these two lectures I will survey my recent work with Lupercio and Xicotencatl on the properties of the homology of the free loop space of an orbifold. In the first lecture I will review the work of Chas and Sullivan on string topology and I wil   more››

University of British Columbia

• 1-May-07

PIMS Mathematical Biology 2007 Summer Workshop

http://www.math.ualberta.ca/~mathbio/summerworkshop/2007/General.html   more››

University of Alberta

• 30-Apr-07

Modular tensor categories from semisimple algebras

Modular tensor categories are finitely semisimple Abelian categories with some additional structure that allows us to obtain combinatorial invariants of oriented framed tangles. Reshetikhin and Turaev invented them in order to construct their 3-ma   more››

University of British Columbia

• 30-Apr-07

Chow group of 0-cycles on a surface over a p-adic field with infinite torsion subgroup

In this talk I would like to demonstrate how Hodge theory can play a crucial role in an arithmetic question. The issue is to construct an example of a projective smooth surface X over a p-adic field K such that for any prime   more››

University of Alberta

• 30-Apr-07
• 1-May-07

On Profinite Groups

Infinite profinite groups encapture asymptotic properties of arrays of finite groups. We will discuss the important examples of (large) profinite groups and their relations to number theory, geometry and theoretical computer science.   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 28-Apr-07
• 29-Apr-07

WEST COAST OPTIMIZATION MEETING: SPRING 2007

The original website for this event has been removed.   more››

University of Washington

• 27-Apr-07

Symposium on Kinetic Equations and Methods

A conference in honour of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences. World leaders from diverse branches of kinetic theory will gather for an intense two-day worksh   more››

University of Victoria

• 26-Apr-07

Evolutionary and Population Dynamics of Bacteria and Phage

Bacterial viruses, aka bacteriophage or phage, are ubiquitous in nature, yet many central aspects of host-phage biology have not been integrated into mathematical models. In this talk I present a series of theoretical efforts to understand the div   more››

University of British Columbia

• 26-Apr-07

Adaptive evolution and concentrations in parabolic PDEs

Living systems are subject to constant evolution. Their environment can be considered as a nutrient shared by all the population. This allows certain individuals, characterized by a ‘physiological trait’, to expand faster because they are bett   more››

University of Alberta

• 26-Apr-07
• 25-Apr-07

Prandtl Conjecture and von Neumann Paradox for Shock Reflections

We plan to discuss the two fundamental problems, the Prandtl Conjecture and von Neumann Paradox, in the theory of supersonic flows with shock waves. These problems were raised in the first half of the 20th century and clearly formulated in the cla   more››

University of British Columbia

• 24-Apr-07

The sharp isoperimetric inequality on minimal submanifolds

We will describe the history of the conjecture that the isoperimetric inequality with the Rn constant should hold for a domain on a minimal submanifold of dimension n in Euclidean space. We will then describe a new method which pr   more››

University of Washington

• 24-Apr-07

Probability and Recursion

Mihalis Yannakakis is the Percy K. and Vida L. W. Hudson Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University. Prior to joining Columbia, he was Director of the Computing Principles Research Department at Bell Labs (1991-2001) and at Avaya Labs (2   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 21-Apr-07
• 22-Apr-07

The 40th Cascade Topology Seminar is a bi-annual gathering of topologists from the US Pacific Northwest and Southwestern Canada. All talks will be at the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences in Room 110 West Mall A   more››

University of British Columbia

• 20-Apr-07
• 19-Apr-07
• 20-Apr-07

Statistical Distributions and Models:

http://www.stat.sfu.ca/   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 19-Apr-07

Scheduling, Percolation, and the Worm Order

When can you schedule a multi-step process without having to take backward steps? Critical are an old concept called "submodularity", a new structure called the "worm order", and a variation of what physicists call "percol   more››

University of Washington

• 19-Apr-07

Gauss Sums: Finding the Root of Unity

A Gauss sum over a finite field GF(q) is a sum of q algebraic numbers. It is often useful to evaluate Gauss sums explicitly, for instance, in coding theoretic or cryptographic applications. For small q, the evaluation of Gauss sums can be done nai   more››

University of Calgary

• 19-Apr-07

A unified approach to modelling trajectories

The talk will concern the employment of stochastic gradient systems in the modeling and statistical analysis of biological and ecological processes of moving particles. The work is stimulated by scientific questions and data sets of the movements   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 18-Apr-07
• 18-Apr-07

Random walk on the incipient infinite cluster for oriented percolation

We consider simple random walk on the incipient infinite cluster for the spread-out model of oriented percolation in d spatial dimensions and one time dimension. For d>6, we obtain bounds on exit times, transition probabilities, and the range o   more››

University of British Columbia

• 18-Apr-07

Values and Ideals in Combinatorial Problems

The absolute value of complex numbers is surprisingly useful in the investigation of certain combinatorial problems. The connection often arises from imbedding finite cyclic groups into the complex numbers by sending the group elements to roots of   more››

University of Calgary

• 17-Apr-07

Homogenization results for dislocation dynamics

TBA   more››

University of British Columbia

• 17-Apr-07

Recent developments on the well-posedness of dispersive equations

We will review the progress in the last 20 years on the well-posedness theory of dispersive equations, concentrating in the case of the Korteweg- de Vries equation to illustrate it. We will then describe some of the current challenges in the area,   more››

University of Washington

• 16-Apr-07

Algebraic Topology and Geometric Pattern Recognition

With the "blizzard" of data being generated by scientists in all disciplines, the development of tools for analyzing it has become a very high priority task. In particular, methods for quick qualitative analysis are of particular value.   more››

University of British Columbia

• 14-Apr-07
• 15-Apr-07

ABC Algebra Workshop

The second ABC algebra workshop will be held on Saturday, April 14, and Sunday, April 15, 2007 at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. The workshop is sponsored by the PIMS   more››

University of Alberta

• 12-Apr-07

Gerbes in orbifold cohomology and mirror symmetry

I will explain why twisting by a gerbe is a natural operation in both orbifold cohomology and mirror symmetry, and show how many examples of Calabi-Yau orbifolds whose twisted orbifold Hodge numbers are mirror to each other may be easily constructed.   more››

University of British Columbia

• 10-Apr-07

Quantum Mechanics, the Stability of Matter, and Quantum

Ordinary matter is held together with electromagnetic forces, and the dynamical laws governing the constituents (electrons and nuclei) are those of quantum mechanics. These laws, found in the beginning of last century, were able to account for the   more››

University of Washington

• 9-Apr-07

10th Anniversary Speaker Series 2007

The peculiar quantum-mechanical properties of the ground states of Bose gases that were predicted in the early days of quantum-mechanics have been verified experimentally relatively recently. The mathematical derivation of these properties from Sc   more››

University of Washington

• 5-Apr-07

Evolutionary Branching

Evolutionary branching is sympatric speciation driven by competition between dominant species and their mutants. The traditional approach to study evolutionary branching is to use pairwise-invasibility plot (PIP). However, PIP is only suitable for   more››

University of British Columbia

• 4-Apr-07

Two Dimensional Lotka-Volterra Models and Superprocesses

Neuhauser and Pacala (99) introduced a particle system to model the dynamics of two competing types on an integer lattice. We study the model near the parameter values for which there is a cross-over from preference of one's own type to preference   more››

University of British Columbia

• 4-Apr-07
• 16-Aug-07

Summer School on Particles, Fields and Strings

University of British Columbia

• 3-Apr-07

Conservation of the combinatorial structure in genome

We investigate the problem of computing an evolution scenario based on genome rearrangements between two genomes modelized by synteny blocks, or in mathematical terms, sorting signed permutations by reversals. We consider the case of scenarios tha   more››

University of British Columbia

• 3-Apr-07

Minimum Cuts and Maximum Area

The oldest competition for an optimal shape (area-maximizing) was won by the circle. We want to give the thousandth proof ! Then we measure the perimeter in different ways, which changes the problem (and has applications in medical i   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 2-Apr-07
• 1-May-07

Grad Student Working Groups on Stochastic Modeling in Infectious Disease

Grad students from across North America will meet for one month in order to work on stochastic modeling in a number of aspects of infectious disease modeling. Following some introductory lectures, students will divide into teams and work on projects.   more››

University of British Columbia

• 2-Apr-07

Asymptotic behavior at infinity of solutions of elliptic equations

The prototype problem is the behavior at infinity of all solutions of a linear elliptic equation that have finite L1 norm in a half cylinder 0<y, x in D,D a smoothly bounded domain. We assume that the coefficients of the elliptic operator,as we   more››

University of British Columbia

• 2-Apr-07

Statistical Models for Global Processes

This talk explores some of the issues that arise in statistical modeling of atmospheric phenomena on a global scale, using total column ozone as measured by the satellite-based Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) as a case study. A basic issue   more››

University of British Columbia

• 30-Mar-07

A Phragmen-Lindelof and Saint Venant principle in harmonic analysis

Let S be a linear space of vector valued functions u(y) on the half-line whose values belong to some Banach space. We suppose that S is translation invariant; that is, if u(y) belongs to S, so does u(y+t) for all t>0. S is called 'interior comp   more››

University of Washington

• 30-Mar-07
• 1-Apr-07

Third Northwest Functional Analysis Symposium

Already two such Symposia took place at BIRS in March 2003 and March 2005. These 2-day meetings bring together researchers in functional analysis from universities in Western Canada and provide a platform for fruitful interaction between them. The se   more››

Banff, Alberta

• 29-Mar-07

Fake 2-descent on the Jacobian of a genus-3 curve

For many questions in explicit arithmetic geometry of curves, one needs detailed information on the rational points of the Jacobian of the curve. A first step is to bound the free rank of the finitely generated group that they form. For hyperellip   more››

University of British Columbia

• 29-Mar-07

Data Stream Processing with Resource Adaptive Computation

The problem of streaming data has gained importance in recent years because of advances in hardware technology. The ubiquitous presence of data streams in a number of practical domains has generated a lot of research in this area. Example applicat   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 29-Mar-07

Portfolio optimization in a hidden Markov model for stock returns with jumps

In a market consisting of a money market and one stock with price process dS(t)=S(t)[a(t) dt + b dW(t) + g dM(t)] where W is a Wiener process and M is a compensated Poisson process, an agent invests his initial wealth in a portfolio to maxim   more››

University of British Columbia

• 29-Mar-07

Variations on a theme of Stark

Zeta functions and L-functions contain arithmetic information when evaluated at special values, such as s = 0. In the 1970s, Stark conjectured that the derivatives of L-functions at s = 0 can be evaluated by certain algebraic units. Under certain cir   more››

University of British Columbia

• 28-Mar-07

Matchings of exponential tail on coin flips in Z^d

We construct a translation-invariant matching between vertices of different labels of Bernoulli(1/2) percolation on Z^d, in such a way that the probability that a vertex is at distance > r from its pair decays as an exponential function of the   more››

University of British Columbia

• 27-Mar-07

Reconstruction and subgaussian operator

Candes, Romberg and Tao recently studied problems of approximate and exact reconstruction of sparse signals from incomplete random measurements and related them to the eigenvalue behavior of submatrices of matrices of random measurements. In parti   more››

University of British Columbia

• 26-Mar-07

The interface between Bayesian and frequentist statistics

Statistical theory is often categorized as either "Bayesian" or "frequentist", and statisticians often self-identify in the same categories. During the development of theoretical statistics as a separate field in the twentieth   more››

University of British Columbia

• 23-Mar-07

Minimal determinants for the centres and topological centres of some

The algebraic centre of the uniformly continuous compactification GUC of an abelian locally compact group G is G itself. There is a stronger result: if u commutes with just two (carefully chosen) elements of   more››

University of Alberta

• 22-Mar-07

The A-polynomial detects the trivial knot and other applications of character variety methods in 3-dimensional topology

William Thurston conjectured over twenty years ago that every compact hyperbolic 3-manifold whose boundary is a possibly empty union of tori is virtually fibred, that is, has a finite cover which fibres over the circle. If true, it provides a sign   more››

University of British Columbia

• 22-Mar-07

The Role of Mathematics in Physical Ecology

The natural link between mathematics and ecology is evident in the field of physical ecology, which uses physical models to explore some fundamental issues. These include how aquatic organisms use the constraints imposed by physical environment to   more››

University of British Columbia

• 22-Mar-07

Local Interaction Games with Random Matching

We state conditions for existence and uniqueness of equilibria in evolutionary models with an infinity of locally and globally interacting agents. Agents face repeated discrete choice problems. Their utility depends on the actions of some designat   more››

University of British Columbia

• 21-Mar-07

We consider Backward Stochastic Differential Equations (BSDE) with generators that grow quadratically in the control variable. In a more abstract setting, we first allow both the terminal condition and the generator to depend on a vector parameter   more››

University of British Columbia

• 21-Mar-07

On families of virtually fibred Montesinos link exteriors

William Thurston conjectured over twenty years ago that every compact hyperbolic 3-manifold whose boundary is a possibly empty union of tori is virtually fibred, that is, has a finite cover which fibres over the circle. If true, it provides a sign   more››

University of British Columbia

• 20-Mar-07

Amenable groups that are left orderable

Let G be an abstract group. It is known that if every finitely generated subgroup of G has an infinite cyclic quotient, then G is left orderable. Using an idea of E.Ghys, we prove that the converse is true for all amenable groups. (This generalize   more››

University of British Columbia

• 19-Mar-07

Mathematical Models of Protein Receptor Trafficking and Its Role in Synaptic Plasticity

AMPA receptors mediate the majority of fast excitatory synaptic transmission in the central nervous system, and recent experimental evidence suggests that AMPA receptor trafficking regulates synaptic strength, a phenomenon implicated in learning a   more››

University of British Columbia

• 19-Mar-07

Some arithmetic groups that are not left orderable

It is known that finite-index subgroups of the arithmetic group SL(3,Z) are not left orderable. (In other words, they have no interesting actions on the real line.) This naturally led to the conjecture that most other arithmetic groups (of higher   more››

University of British Columbia

• 19-Mar-07

Issues with Bayesian Analysis of Inverse Problems

A computer/math model of a process often contains numerous unknown parameters. To utilize the model, these parameters either must be determined from expert knowledge or estimated from data. In the mathematical community, the most common methods of   more››

University of British Columbia

• 16-Mar-07

Black Hole Physics and Mathematics Through Scientific Computing

I will give an overview of ongoing calculations in numerical relativity at UBC and elsewhere. The talk will include a gentle introduction to Einstein's theory of gravity (general relativity) and the role of black holes in the theory. The nature of   more››

University of British Columbia

• 15-Mar-07

Intermittent behaviour in hydrodynamical systems with spherical symmetry: theory and an experiment

Auxiliary variable methods for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations approximate the evolution of the velocity through a dynamic variable which does not satisfy a divergence constraint but from which the correct incompressible velocity can be   more››

University of British Columbia

• 15-Mar-07

Pricing and Hedging in Illiquid Financial Markets

Ever since the seminal work of Black, Scholes, and Merton, typical models studied in Mathematical Finance specify price dynamics exogenously via some more or less explicit semimartingale dynamics. This is in contrast to the basic economic paradigm   more››

University of British Columbia

• 15-Mar-07

Characters and Primitive Ideal Spaces of Nilpotent Discrete Groups

If G is a discrete abelian group, then the space of maximal ideals of the L1- and the C*-algebra of G is homeomorphic to the compact dual group of G. This generalizes to some extent to discrete nilpotent groups G, where the the dual gro   more››

University of British Columbia

• 15-Mar-07

Equivariant twisted K-theory

tba   more››

University of British Columbia

• 14-Mar-07

Hardy's Uncertainty Principle for Lie Groups

A classical theorem due to Hardy says that a non-zero measurable function on the real line and irs Fourier transform cannot both have very strong exponential decay. Hardy's theorem also holds for Rn, and during the past ten years there   more››

University of Alberta

• 13-Mar-07

Mean Curvature Flows For Isoparametric Submanifolds

Isoparametric submanifolds in Euclidean spaces and spheres are submanifolds with constant pincipal curvatures. We will show that the mean curvature flows of such submanifolds behaves very well. They always converge in finite time to smooth submani   more››

University of British Columbia

• 12-Mar-07

Poisson Matching

Red points and blue points occur as independent Poisson processes in R^d, and we consider schemes to perfectly match red points to blue points in a translation-invariant way. For any matching scheme in dimensions 1 and 2, the distance X from a typ   more››

University of British Columbia

• 12-Mar-07

Compressive Sampling

One of the central tenets of signal processing is the Shannon/Nyquist sampling theory: the number of samples needed to reconstruct a signal without error is dictated by its bandwidth-the length of the shortest interval which contains the support o   more››

University of British Columbia

• 12-Mar-07

TBA

TBA   more››

University of British Columbia

• 12-Mar-07

Characters of unipotent groups over finite fields

Let G be a connected unipotent group over a finite field F_q. For each natural number n, we have the unique extension F_{q^n} of F_q of degree n, and we can form the finite group G(F_{q^n}) of points of G defined over F_{q^n}. An interesting   more››

University of British Columbia

• 9-Mar-07

Amoebas, Coamoebas, and Tropical Geometry

Given a triangle with side lengths 1, log x, log y and opposite interior angles π-u-v, u, v, the functional determinant ∂(x,y)/∂(u,v) is identically equal to 1. This amusing fact is a special ins   more››

University of Calgary

• 8-Mar-07

Risk management for a hydro-based generator

This talk will cover some of the practical applications of risk analysis and hedging programs for a hydro-based energy generator such as BC Hydro. Risk management for BCH provides a unique challenge due to the significant variability in available   more››

University of British Columbia

• 7-Mar-07

Symmetric Markov chains on Z^d with unbounded range

We consider symmetric Markov chains on ^d where we allow arbitrarily large jumps. Under a uniform second moment condition on the conductances, we look at estimates on the transition probabilities, Harnack inequalities, and CLTs. This is joint wor   more››

University of British Columbia

• 7-Mar-07

Identifications in Modular Group Algebras

Let G be a finite p-group and F a field of characteristic p>0. In this talk I shall explain how Lie theoretic methods can be used to identify certain subgroups of G inside the augmentation ideal of the group algebra FG.   more››

University of British Columbia

• 5-Mar-07

Imaging in random media

I will present an overview of some recently developed methods for imaging with array and distributed sensors when the environment between the objects to be imaged and the sensors is complex and only partially known to the imager. This brings in mo   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 3-Mar-07
• 4-Mar-07

http://www.math.ualberta.ca/~vtroitsky/pims-workshop.pdf   more››

University of Alberta

• 2-Mar-07

Stable seismic data recovery

In this paper, directional frames, known as curvelets, are used to recover seismic data and images from noisy and incomplete data. Sparsity and invariance properties of curvelets are exploited to formulate the recovery by a $\ell_1$-norm promoting   more››

University of British Columbia

• 2-Mar-07
• 4-Mar-07

Complex Geophysical Gravity Currents

University of British Columbia

• 1-Mar-07

Dirichlet's theorem on primes in arithmetic progressions characterizes those linear polynomials which take on prime values infinitely often. However, this is where the current state of knowledge ends. For the case of polynomials with higher degree   more››

University of British Columbia

• 1-Mar-07

Goldton-Yildirim-Pintz and small gaps between primes

I'll give an expository talk, following the recent article of Soundararajan, on the theorem of Goldston, Yildirim, and Pintz that there are infinitely many primes p such that the next prime q satisfies q – p = o(log p).   more››

University of British Columbia

• 28-Feb-07

On Card Shuffling

I will talk about some famous results of Bayer and Diaconis (1992) which permit a rigorous answer to the following question: given a deck of n cards, how many times should it be shuffled so that the deck is in approximately random order? The goal   more››

University of British Columbia

• 28-Feb-07

On braided and ordinary Hopf algebras

Braided Hopf algebras occur naturally in the structure theory of ordinary Hopf algebras. I will show how they arise in this context and how they can be used to construct (and possibly to classify) ordinary finite dimensional Hopf algebras.   more››

University of Alberta

• 27-Feb-07

Littlewood-Richardson coefficients: Reduction formulae and a conjecture by King, Tollu and Toumazet

Littlewood-Richardson coefficients are structural constants of the cohomology ring of Grassmannians and the ring of Schur functions, and they are counted by the number of skew tableaux with certain properties. In this talk, we introduce well   more››

University of British Columbia

• 27-Feb-07

Detecting Spillover: A dynamical systems modeling approach to glutamatergic synaptic signaling

The connectivity of neurons in the hippocampus depends in part on whether neurotransmitter from one release site can leak out and activate receptors in another synapse or extrasynaptic patch. The existence of such 'spillover' is under debate in th   more››

University of British Columbia

• 26-Feb-07
• 2-Mar-07

Workshop on Rock Mechanics and Logistics in Mining

As a result of the meeting organized by the CMM and PIMS   more››

Banff, Alberta

• 26-Feb-07

Mathematical Modelling of Host-Parasitoid Systems: Spatio-Temporal Dynamics

Parasitoids are a specialised class of predators that use a single prey or host for their juvenile development but unlike parasites kill the host as a result of this development. Within this lifestyle there are many variations in life history that   more››

University of Alberta

• 24-Feb-07
• 25-Feb-07

Eighth Coast Combinatorics Conference

The meeting consists of a sequence of contributed talks of 30-45 minutes in length. Some speaking slots may still be available.    more››

University of Victoria

• 23-Feb-07

Twisted K-theory (old and new), Part II

Twisted K-theory in terms of Banach algebras and Fredholm operators in an Hilbert space. Some computations.   more››

University of British Columbia

• 23-Feb-07

Modelling biofilm growth in a porous medium with application in bioremediation

Studies on bioremediation in a porous medium have mainly focused on wastewater treatment. The interest in these investigations has focused on optimising degradation rates and substrate loading. Pore clogging has not been studied thoroughly. When p   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 22-Feb-07

Complexity of Dependencies at the Syntactic Level and at the Discourse Level

Aravind K. Joshi is, at present, the Henry Salvatori Professor of Computer and Cognitive Science at the University of Pennsylvania. He served as the Director of the Institute for Research in Cognitive Science (IRCS) at the University of Pennsylvan   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 21-Feb-07

Twisted K-theory (old and new), Part I

The Brauer group of a space and of a finite group. How are they related to K-theory?   more››

University of British Columbia

• 19-Feb-07

The Reality of Computer Models: Statistics and Virtual Science

Computer models are imperfect representations of real phenomena. An austere view is that validating a model cannot be done, the "primary value of models is heuristic: models are representations, useful for guiding further study but not suscep   more››

University of Alberta

• 16-Feb-07
• 16-Feb-07

Homological Stability, Part II

Homological stability theorems have been proved for many families of groups like symmetric groups, linear groups, mapping class groups of surfaces and of 3-manifolds. I will review some examples and explain how such theorems are proved. As a more   more››

University of British Columbia

• 16-Feb-07

Smooth Surfaces and Sharp Junctions

Because of their ability to form blends, respond to contact and produce both organic shapes as well as man made objects, implicit surfaces have the potential for uses other than the traditional clouds and water droplets. Models can be built with e   more››

University of British Columbia

• 15-Feb-07

On Robust Utility Maximization

We study the problem of optimal investment in incomplete markets, robust with respect to stopping times. We work on a Brownian motion framework and the stopping times are adapted to the Brownian filtration. Robustness can only be achieved for loga   more››

University of British Columbia

• 14-Feb-07

The lace expansion and the enumeration of self-avoiding walks

The lace expansion is an elegant combinatorial construction that provides a recursion relation for the number of self-avoiding walks. We first give an introduction to the lace expansion, and then explain how it has been used recently (in joint wor   more››

University of British Columbia

• 14-Feb-07

Homological Stability, Part I

Homological stability theorems have been proved for many families of groups like symmetric groups, linear groups, mapping class groups of surfaces and of 3-manifolds. I will review some examples and explain how such theorems are proved. As a more   more››

University of British Columbia

• 13-Feb-07

Leray-type regularizations of the Burgers and the isentropic Euler equations

We start from the Burgers equation vt + vvx = 0 and investigate a smoothing mechanism that replaces the convective velocity v in the nonlinear term by a smoother velocity field u. This type of regularization was first proposed in 1934 by Leray, wh   more››

University of British Columbia

• 12-Feb-07

Essential dimension and algebraic stacks

The talk will be preceded by an organizational meeting. I will discuss recent work with Z. Reichstein and A. Vistoli on the subject of essential dimension.   more››

University of British Columbia

• 12-Feb-07

Episodic Slow Slipping of Seafloor under Cascadia: What Physical Processes cause Aseismic Deformation Transients?

In several shallow-dipping subduction zones, including Cascadia, the seafloor undergoes episodes of more rapid than usual creep-slippage under the overlying margin, but at rates vastly slower than usual earthquake slip. In some locations, also inc   more››

University of British Columbia

• 8-Feb-07

Culler-Shalen (semi-)norms

Let M be a 3-manifold with boundary consisting of one torus. I will show how Culler and Shalen defined a norm on the (real) Dehn-surgery space R2=H_1(partial M; R) associated to the canonical component of the character variety of M. I will then sh   more››

University of British Columbia

• 8-Feb-07

Descriptive Complexity

Neil Immerman is one of the key developers of 'descriptive complexity', which he is currently applying to research in model checking, database theory, and computational complexity theory. Immerman is the winner, jointly with Róbert Szelepcsényi,   more››

University of British Columbia

• 7-Feb-07

The term structure of interest rates

The interest rate r(t,t+x) between time t and time t+x is a smooth function of x, say ho_t(x). We consider ho_t as a stochastic process on (0,infty) into a suitable Hilbert space of curves, and we seek to define it as the solution of   more››

University of British Columbia

• 7-Feb-07

Proof of Yuzvinsky's conjecture in the case of square matrices

Yuzvinsky's conjecture, posed in 1981, is concerned with a certain matrix coloring problem which arose from the classical studies of sums of squares. In this talk I will present a proof of the conjecture in the case of square matrices. The ideas o   more››

University of British Columbia

• 3-Feb-07

Welcome to the 2007 Applied Mathematics Graduate Student Conference (AMGSC) webpage. The conference was held Saturday, February 3rd at Simon Fraser University. Some students gave a short 15 minute presentation based on either a past course project, o   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 1-Feb-07

Strong normality and modular normality

The notion of normality was intended to capture random behaviour in the digits of numbers, but some clearly patterned numbers pass the normality test; we propose a stronger test of normality that is passed by almost all numbers but failed by Champ   more››

University of British Columbia

• 1-Feb-07

Quartic K3 surfaces without nontrivial automorphisms

We will deal with a gap in a result of Bjorn Poonen. He found explicit examples of hypersurfaces of degree d³3 and dimension n³1 over any field, such that the group of automorphisms over the algebraic closure is trivial, except for the pairs (n,   more››

University of British Columbia

• 1-Feb-07

MITACS Math Biology Seminar 2007

As the systems approaches are actively adopted in biology, studies for revealing the link between physical dynamics and corresponding molecular mechanism will be crucial to better understanding of the inherent complexity and dynamics of biological   more››

University of British Columbia

• 31-Jan-07

Nilpotent commutators and reducibility of semigroups

Let f be a noncommutative polynomial in two variables. Let mathcal{S} be a multiplicative semigroup of linear operators on a finite-dimensional vector space and T a fixed linear operator such that f(T,S)=0 for all S in mathcal{S}. What can w   more››

University of British Columbia

• 29-Jan-07
• 29-Jan-07

Computation of plurigenera of a canonical threefold

For a canonical threefold, there are few known results about plurigenera. We know that a sufficient multiple of canonical divisor generates a nontrivial linear system and that there is a universal multiple. In this talk, we are going to introduce   more››

University of British Columbia

• 29-Jan-07

Statistical modeling in setting air quality standards

The earth's atmosphere is a stochastic complex system which includes amongst other things pollution fields some of which derive from anthropogenic sources. Because of their negative health impacts, these fields are now the subject to regulation. H   more››

University of Washington

• 26-Jan-07

Sequential Experiment Design for Contour Estimation from Computer Simulators

In many engineering applications, one is interested in identifying the inputs to a computer simulator that lead to a pre-specified output. In this talk we introduce statistical methodology that identifies the desired contour in the input space. Th   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 25-Jan-07

Robust Stochastic Discount Factors

When market is incomplete a new non-redundant derivative security cannot be priced by no arbitrage arguments alone. Moreover there will be a multiplicity of stochastic discount factors and each of them may give a different price for the new deriva   more››

University of British Columbia

• 25-Jan-07

UBC Mathematics Department Colloquium Hosted by PIMS-UBC 2007

A discrete group has 'Property (T)' if every isometric (affine) action of the group on Hilbert space has a global fixed point. This is a spectral-gap property and was originally defined by Kazhdan to study lattices in Lie groups. Recently Gromov f   more››

University of British Columbia

• 24-Jan-07

Long-term evolution of polygenic traits under frequency-dependent intraspecific competition

We analytically investigate the long-term evolution of a continuously varying quantitative character in a diploid population that is determined additively by a finite number of loci. The trait is under a mixture of frequency-dependent disruptive s   more››

University of British Columbia

• 23-Jan-07
• 24-Jan-07

Inaugural PIMS Environmetrics Collaborative Research Group Meeting

Semiahmoo, Washington

• 23-Jan-07

New singular solutions of the Nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLS)c

The study of singular solutions of the NLS goes back to the 1960s, with applications in nonlinear optics and, more recently, in BEC. Until recently, the only known singular solutions had a self-similar 'peak-type' profile that approaches a delta f   more››

University of British Columbia

• 23-Jan-07

Mirkovic-Vilonen cycles on the affine Grassmannian

The geometric Satake correspondence relates representation theory to the geometry of the affine Grassmannian. In particular, certain subvarieties of the affine Grassmanian, called Mirkovic-Vilonen cycles, give bases for representations of complex   more››

University of British Columbia

• 22-Jan-07

Habitat use and movements of plains zebra in response to predation

Prey species must adapt their behavior to avoid predation while meeting resource needs. In East Africa savannah, plains zebra are a key prey for lions. We study a population of 600 plains zebra in Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya. We test how zebra mo   more››

University of Alberta

• 21-Jan-07
• 23-Jan-07

2nd International Conference on Algorithmic Operations Research (AlgOR 2007)

The website for this event has been removed.   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 19-Jan-07

A Simple Technique for Solving Partial Differential Equations on Surfaces

Many applications require the solution of time dependent partial differential equations (PDEs) on surfaces or more general manifolds. Methods for treating such problems include surface parameterization, methods on triangulated surfaces and embeddi   more››

Simon Fraser University

• 19-Jan-07

The language of forms (A journey from the Mobius strip to affine Kac-Moody and superconformal algebras)

One of the most recurrent themes in Geometry, is the study of objects that locally look the same. I will explain, mainly via examples and in non-technical terms, how the concept of 'locally look the same' has evolved through time (mostly through s   more››

University of British Columbia

• 18-Jan-07

Work in progress: The evolution of phenotype determination and an attempt to classify simple life-history models

In this talk I will present two pieces of work in progress. In the first half of the talk I will speak about the evolution of phenotype determining mechanisms. Many heterogeneous environments favour different phenotypes in different places or at d   more››

University of British Columbia

• 17-Jan-07

MITACS Math Finance Seminar 2007

We study the existence of a numeraire portfolio for a discrete time financial market with proportional transaction costs. In an incomplete market without frictions, consistent prices for derivative securities can be obtained by taking the expectat   more››

University of British Columbia

• 17-Jan-07

Normal subgroups of the braid groups and the Dehornoy ordering

The braid groups admit a left-ordering, known as the Dehornoy ordering, which has come up under many guises in recent years. I will show that normal subgroups interact with the Dehornoy ordering in such a way that 'nearly all' normal subgroups of   more››

University of British Columbia

• 16-Jan-07

Cooperation in Social Dilemmas: The Role of Punishment and Volunteering

The emergence and maintenance of cooperative behavior that is beneficial to others but costly to the individual represents a major conundrum in evolutionary biology. Punishment represents an efficient mechanism to stabilize and maintain cooperatio   more››

University of British Columbia

• 11-Jan-07

Inflation Indexed Swaps and Swaptions

This article considers the pricing of inflation indexed swaps, inflation indexed swaptions, and options on inflation indexed bonds. To price the inflation indexed swaps, we suggest an extended HJM model. The model allows both the forward rates and   more››

University of British Columbia

• 11-Jan-07

Bergman metrics and geodesics in the space of Kahler metrics

The space of positively curved hermitian metrics on a positive holomorphic line bundle over a compact complex manifold is an infinite-dimensional symmetric space. It is shown by Phong and Sturm that geodesics in this space can be uniformly approxi   more››

University of British Columbia

• 11-Jan-07

A multiphase flow model of calcium induced morphology changes in true slime mold

The true slime mold Physarum polycephalum is a single cell organism reaching up to meters in size. The cytoplasm shows periodic shuttle streaming through a network of tubular structures attaining velocities up to 1 mm/s. The motion is driven by th   more››

University of British Columbia

• 11-Jan-07

On Some of the Differences Between Z and Z^2 in Dynamics

Around 1970 it was discovered that measure preserving actions of Z^2 on probability spaces can have remarkably different properties from Z-actions, i.e. from actions of single transformations. Many of these differences can be described as 'rigidit   more››

University of Washington

• 10-Jan-07

New numerical techniques for some non-Newtonian fluid models and thin film heteroepitaxial growths

In this talk, we shall discuss the construction of discrete analogues of continuous theories and their vital roles in two research areas, fluid dynamics and material sciences. For the simulation of rate-type non-Newtonian fluid flows   more››

University of British Columbia

• 10-Jan-07

Heatball localizations of monotone functionals on evolving manifolds

Monotone functionals give important information for the analysis of geometric evolution equations. I will describe a quite general mechanism for localizing such functionals. This construction results in what may be regarded as local mean-value, mo   more››

University of British Columbia

• 10-Jan-07

Emergence and Flocking

We give a mathematical model with ordinary differential equations and the graph laplacian towards the problem: what decentralized mechanisms give rise to common features as language? A critical exponent plays a role in this deterministic setting.   more››

University of Washington

• 9-Jan-07

Topology, data and vision

Large data sets usually have some geometric core. We give some results toward understanding that core.   more››

University of Washington

• 8-Jan-07
• 13-Jan-07

Geometry, Topology, and their Interactions.

http://www.math.ohio-state.edu/~jlafont/MoreliaConf.html   more››

University of British Columbia

• 5-Jan-07

Mechanistic Images in Geometric Form: Heinrich Hertz's Principles of Mechanic

During the last three years of his life Heinrich Hertz wrote a treatise on mechanics which was to be the last attempt to supply a satisfactory foundation to classical mechanics. It was published posthumously in 1894, the year of his death.   more››

Simon Fraser University