# Colloquium Series | Department Name | SIU

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## Colloquium Series

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Finite Group Theory and Local Langlands Conjecture
Speaker: Kwangho Choiy, Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, SIUC
Date: 2-23-17
Time: 3:00-4:00pm
Place: Neckers 156
Abstract: The local Langlands conjecture for p-adic groups partitions the infinite set of equivalence classes of irreducible smooth complex representations of the p-adic groups into finite subsets whose internal structures are conjecturally interpreted in terms of irreducible representations of certain finite groups (Sgroups). As a part of the local Langlands conjecture, decompositions of tempered parabolic inductions into irreducible constituents are governed by certain finite groups (R-groups). In this context, we shall discuss various roles of finite group theory in the far-reaching local Langlands conjecture for p-adic groups.

Poster

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Some New Results on Lyapunov-Type Diagonal Stability
Speaker: Mehmet Gumus, Graduate Student, Department of Mathematics, SIUC
Date: 12-1-16
Time: 3:00-4:00pm
Place: Neckers 156
Abstract:  In this talk, we present several recent developments regarding Lyapunov diag-onal stability. This type of matrix stability plays an important role in various applied areas such as population dynamics, systems theory, complex networks, and mathematical economics. First, we establish a necessary and suﬃcient condition, based on the Schur complement, for determining Lyapunov diagonal stability of a matrix. This condition reduces the problem to common diagonal Lyapunov solutions on two matrices of order one less. We develop a number of extensions to this result, and formulate the range of feasible diagonal Lya-punov solutions. In particular, we derive explicit algebraic conditions for a set of 2 × 2 matrices to share a common diagonal Lyapunov solution. Second, the connection between Lyapunov diagonal stability and P -matrix property under Hadamard multiplication is extended. We present a new characterization involv-ing Hadamard multiplications for simultaneous Lyapunov diagonal stability on a set of matrices. This development is based upon a recent result concerning si-multaneous Lyapunov diagonal stability and a new concept called P-sets, which is a generalization of P -matrices. Third, we consider various types of matrix sta-bility involving a partition α of {1, . . . , n}. We introduce the notions of additive H(α)-stability and P0(α)-matrices, extending those of additive D-stability and nonsingular P0-matrices. Several new results are developed, connecting additive H(α)-stability and the P0(α)-matrix property to the existing results on matrix stability involving α. The extensions of results related to Lyapunov diagonal stability, D-stability, and additive D-stability are discussed.

Poster

Presentation Slides

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Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: A Semiparametric Method for Estimating Nonlinear and Partial Linear Vector Autoregressive Time Series Models with Independent and Dependent Errors
Speaker: Mahtab Hajebi, Visitor at Department of Mathematics, SIUC
Date: 11-17-16
Time: 3:00-4:00pm
Place: Neckers 156
Abstract: A semiparametric method is proposed to estimate vector autoregressive function in the nonlinear and partially linear vector time series model. We consider a combination of parametric and nonparametric estimation approach to estimate the nonlinear vector autoregressive function for both independent and dependent errors. The multivariate Taylor series expansion is utilized to approximate the vector regression function up to the second order. After the unknown parameters are estimated by the maximum likelihood estimation procedure, the obtained nonlinear vector autoregressive function is adjusted by a nonparametric diagonal matrix. The proposed adjusted matrix is estimated using nonparametric kernel method.
Asymptotic consistency properties of the proposed estimators are established. Simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed semiparametric method. Finally, we demonstrate the application of the proposed approach with an empirical example.

Poster

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: The Multivariate Percentile Power Method Transformation
Speaker: Jennifer Koran, Associate Professor, Department of Counseling, Quantitative Methods, and Special Education, SIUC
Date: 11-10-16
Time: 3:00-4:00pm
Place: Neckers 156
Abstract: The conventional power method transformation is a moment-matching technique that simulates non-normal distributions with controlled measures of skew and kurtosis. The percentile power method transformation is an alternative that uses the percentiles of a distribution in lieu of moments. This presentation covers the multivariate percentile power method transformation, which is used to simultaneously simulate several non-normal variates using percentiles and a specified correlation matrix. Empirical illustrations are provided, including demonstration of the percentile power method transformation using a publicly-available SAS macro. The macro and instructions for using it can be found at http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/jmasm/vol15/iss1/42

Poster

Presentation Slides

Colloquium: Math SIUC - Art, Math and Science: An Interdisciplinary Colloquium
Title: Art and Mathematical Instinct: The Relationship Between Art and Math
Speaker: Marie Bukowski, Professor, Director, School of Art and Design
Date: 10-20-16
Time: 3:30-4:30pm
Place: Neckers 240
Abstract:  I believe that art making is a pioneering, transformative act that moves, often changes, and sometimes revolutionizes culture.  To achieve this, I have become more aware, reflective, and adept, willing to expand skills and capacities and to place my own work within a creative inquiry that takes me more deeply into the nature and meaning of my work.  I incorporate diverse, interdisciplinary perspectives into my art practice, and use them to create art that is truly innovative, has deep impact, or powerfully challenges personal or cultural perceptions.  I cross disciplines by working with practicing scientists and researchers so that our journeys are enriched by multiple perspectives and disciplines.  Art & the Mathemaical Instinct will discuss the influence that mathematical and scientific events have had on my creative research.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: ﻿Integral Quadratic Forms and Lattices Satisfying Regularity Conditions
Speaker: Andrew Earnest, Professor, Emeritus, Department of Mathematics
Date: 10-06-16
Time: 3:00pm
Place: Neckers 156
Abstract:  In 1927, L.E. Dickson introduced the term ‘regular' to refer to a positive definite ternary integral quadratic form with the property that it represents all the positive integers not ruled out for representation by congruence conditions. In more modern terminology, the regular forms are those for which a local-global principle holds for the representation of integers. Since that time, quadratic forms and lattices with this property and various natural generalizations of it have been studied extensively. In this talk, we will give an overview of some of the main results that have been obtained, describe some recent advances, and indicate some remaining open problems on these interesting classes of lattices.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: A Variational Approach to Stochastic Problems
Speaker: H.R. Hughes
Date: 9-22-16
Time: 3:00pm
Place: Neckers 156
Abstract:  A relationship between optimal control and calculus of variations problems is exploited to investigate variational formulations of several stochastic problems, including Brownian bridge and the stochastic linear regulator problem. Computational approaches are presented.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Taylor Approximations and Sobolev Spaces
Speaker: Daniel Spector, Department of Applied Mathematics, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
Date: 9-8-16
Time: 3:00pm
Place: Neckers 156
Abstract:  In this talk we will introduce the sometimes difficult to understand Sobolev spaces as a simple extension of the Taylor approximation of classically differentiable functions (C1).

Colloquium: Physics SIUC
Title:
Quantum Entanglement and Nonlocal Games
Speaker:
Laura Mancinska
Date:
4-1-16
Time:
4:00pm
Place:
Neckers 440
Abstract:
Quantum entanglement is known to provide advantage in many nonlocal scenarios. However, in practice, fidning the best entangled strategy is challenging and one is often forced to resort to ad hoc methods. In general, the mathematical structure of the set of entangled strategies is poorly understood and many basic questions remain open.

One basic open question is whether a continuous payoff function should always achieve its maxiumum when optimized over the set of entangled strategies. A positive answer would alleviate the search of optimal entangled strategies while a negative one would give evidence of the hardness of this problem. In this work, we show that the answer can be negative even if the nonlocal task has classical inputs and outputs. In particular, we present a one-round two-party nonlocal game at which entangled quantum parties can perform increasingly better by sharing a quantum system of increasingly larger size. Although no error free strategy exists for this game, the players can succeed with probability arbitrarily close to one by using entangled states of increasingly larger dimension.
This is joint work with Thomas Vidick.

Poster

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title:
Multiplicities in restriction of representations of p-adic groups
Speaker:
Kwangho Choiy
Date:
3-3-16
Time:
3:00pm
Place:
Neckers 156
Abstract:
The multiplicity of an irreducible representation of a p-adic group, when restricted to its closed subgroup containing the derived group, yields arithmetic properties of the given representation. Starting to introduce basic notions and backgrounds, we discuss the case of discrete series representations of GL(m, D) when restricted to SL(m, D), where D is a central division algebra over a p-adic field of characteristic 0. The approach here is to use elementary facts in algebraic number theory and special properties in the local Langlands correspondence. We further extend this method to other p-adic groups with some assumptions and necessary modifications.

Poster

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title:
Bounded global Hopf branches for the Nicholson’s blowflies equation with stage structure
Speaker:
Hongying Shu
Date:
2-4-16
Time:
3:00pm
Place:
Neckers 156
Abstract:
We investigate Nicholson’s blowflies model with natural death rate incorporated into the delay feedback. We consider the delay as a bifurcation parameter and examine the onset and termination of Hopf bifurcations of periodic solutions from a positive equiibrium. We show that the model has only a finite number of Hopf bifurcation values and we describe how branches of Hopf bifurcations are paired so the existence of periodic solutions with specific oscillation frequencies occurs only in bounded delay intervals. The bifurcation analysis guides some numerical simulations to identify ranges of parameters for coexisting multiple attractive periodic solutions.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title:
Designing, fabricating, and characterization of devices and materials for resource-limited areas
Speaker:
Punit Kohli
Date:
12-3-15
Time:
3:00pm
Place:
Neckers 156
Abstract:
In this talk, I will describe our recent experimental work on the design, fabrication, and characterization of devices for areas and countries with limited resources. The questions of empowering the local people through available materials, resources, and human power is discussed in this talk. I will attempt to demonstrate that through creative thinking, the use of common materials in house-hold can be used for the fabrication of high-tech devices (solar cells, lithography, oil-water separation).

Poster

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Realizations of simple Smale flows using n-band templates (n=3, 4)
Date: 11-19-15
Time: 3:00pm
Place: Neckers 156
Abstract: A simple Smale flow is a structurally stable flow which has one dimensional chain recurrent (invariant) set. When the flow has hyperbolic structure on its chain recurrent set, the chain recurrent set can be decomposed into finite number of basic sets which are disjoint, compact and have a dense orbit. Each basic set is either an attractor, a repeller or a saddle set. For the simple Smale flows on 3- manifolds, the attracting and repelling basic sets are single closed orbits and the saddle sets are single closed orbits or of chaotic nature. A chaotic saddle set can be modeled by a branched manifold called a template and the knot types of the periodic orbits can be studied within a template.

In the talk, we will mainly focus on the linking structure of attracting and repelling orbits using templates and discuss all possible realizations of the flow using 3-band and 4-band template models. This extends the work done by Prof. Michael Sullivan on the realization of Lorenz Smale flow and continues the work of Elizabeth Haynes on realizing simple Smale flow with a four band template on 3- sphere.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Pleasures, Challenges, and New Results on Polyhedra
Speaker: Wayne Deeter
Date: 11-5-15
Time: 3:00pm
Place: Neckers 156
Abstract: If we attempt to enclose a circle, or a sphere - or a hypersphere in any number of dimensions - with an intersection of planes or hyperplanes (in general terms, within a polyhedron), we will have only an approximation of a sphere. We ask instead, "How closely can any polyhedron-enclosure of the sphere fit?" How many of it's faces would be identical? How many different types of faces would this roundest polyhedron have? Today there are no known formulas to specify the roundest polyhedra.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Stability of host-parasitoid systems
Speaker: Dashun Xu
Date: 10-15-15
Time: 3:00pm
Place: Neckers 156
Abstract: Understanding the mechanisms driving predator-prey population dynamics and stability has been a central theme in the field of ecology. Although theoretical models developed over the past quarter century have demonstrated that predator-prey population dynamics can depend critically on age (stage) structure and duration and variability in development times of different life stages, unambiguous experimental support for this theory is nonexistent. We conducted an experiment with the cowpea weevil Callosobruchus maculatus, and its parasitoid Anisopteromalus calandrae, to test the prediction that increased variability in the development time of the host stage that is vulnerable to parasitism can promote interaction stability. In this talk, I am going to present first some stability results of host-parasitoid systems and then some model simulations by fitting to our lab data

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: A Tale of Three Groups: A Hitchhiker's Guide to Lorentz Boosts
Speaker: Jerzy Kocik
Date: 10-1-15
Time: 3:00pm
Place: Neckers 156
Abstract: A remarkably simple geometric diagrammatic method of relativistic composition of velocities is presented. It is drived from a homomorphism of three groups: the Moebius group of fractional linear transformations over complex numbers, quaternions and Clifford algebras, the group of reversions of sphere, and the Lorentz group restricted to isotropic vectors.

The talk will be friendly and graduate students are encouraged to attend.

Colliquium: Math SIUC
Title: Mathematics of Theoretical Machine Learning
Speaker: ﻿Wesley Calvert
﻿Date: ﻿9-17-15
﻿Time:﻿ 3:00pm
﻿Place:﻿ Neckers 156
﻿Abstract: ﻿What can a computer learn?  Since the 1960s, there have been mathematical models of this problem.  The usual modern formulation allows for the computer to be given a sample of data, with each point labeled correct or incorrect.  The computer is then asked to identify a rule which will, with high probability, be correct enough to decide whether a new point is correct or incorrect, with perhaps some small region of error.  Some cases where this is possible are well-known.  Other cases where this is impossible are also well-known.  Other (even more well-known) cases are things that people try, and then let the market sort out whether it works well enough (think of Netflix, trying to learn what movies you'd enjoy).

The central problem of this talk is the difficulty of deciding whether something is learnable or not.  Logicians have many tools for thinking about the "difficulty" of various problems, and I'll introduce some of them.  Much of the real show, though, is in finding the right representations of the problem.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: There and Back Again
Speaker: Daniel Spector
Date: 9-3-15
Time: 3:00pm
Place: Neckers 156
Abstract: In this talk I will report on the mathematical journey I have been on in the past several years away from SIUC. This journey begins in the calculus of variation, taking us to fracitonal PDE, to harmonic analysis, and not surprisingly returning to the calculus of variations. Results will be mentioned, but my hope is to give a motivation for why I began new projects as well as possible future directions.

Poster

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title:
Fourier coefficients at Finite Cusps
Speaker:
Joseph Hundley, Department of Mathematics, University at Buffalo (SUNY)
Date:
4-16-15
Time:
3:00pm
Place:
Neckers 156
Abstract:
Modular forms are venerable objects in Analytic Number Theory which attained particular notoriety in the 1990s, through their connection with Wiles’s proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem. They are functions on the complex upper half plane which satisfy a sort of generalized periodicity property in addition to having nice analytic properties. Generalized periodicity includes ordinary periodicity in the real coordinate, giving rise to a Fourier expansion. The number theory shows up in the sequence of Fourier coefficients. But generalized periodicity is more than ordinary periodicity, so in general one must also consider alternate Fourier expansions. We shall discuss cusps and Fourier expansions at them. From this point of view, expansion in the real direction will correspond to expansion around the “point at infinity” in the projective line. We will then discuss what nice properties of the expansion at infinity do and do not extend to the finite cusps. This talk reports on joint work with Dorian Goldfeld, Min Lee, and Qiao Zhang.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title:
Mathematical and numerical analysis of the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau superconductivity equations
Speaker:
Buyang Li, Department of Mathematics, Nanjing University
Date:
4-9-15
Time:
3:00pm
Place:
Neckers 156
Abstract:
We prove well-posedness of time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau superconductivity equations in a nonconvex polygonal domain, and decompose the solution as a regular part plus a singular part. We see that the magnetic potential is not in $H^1$ in general, and the standard finite element method may give incorrect solutions. To remedy this situation, we reformulate the equations into an equivalent system based on the Hodge decomposition, which avoids direct calculation of the singular magnetic potential. The essential unknowns of the reformulated system admit $H^1$ solutions and can be solved correctly by the standard finite element methods. We then propose a decoupled and linearized FEM to solve the reformulated equations and prove the convergence of the numerical solution based on proved regularity of the solution.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title:
Non-normal asymptotics of the mean-field Heisenberg model
Speaker:
Kay Kirkpatrick, Department of Mathematics, UIUC
Date:
4-2-15
Time:
3:00pm
Place:
Neckers 156
Abstract:
I will discuss spin models of magnets and superconductors, with spins in the circle (XY model) and in the sphere (Heisenberg model) - with interesting phase transitions. I will discuss work with Elizabeth Meckes on the mean-field Heisenberg model and its non-normal behavior at the phase transition. There is much that is still unclear about these models; I'll mention work in progress with Tayyab Nawaz and Leslie Ross.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title:
Zeros of L-functions
Speaker:
Peter Cho
Date:
2-26-15
Time:
3:00pm
Place:
Neckers 156
Abstract:
In the 20th century, one of the most striking discoveries in number theory is Montgomery's pair-correlation. It says that pair-correlation of zeros of the Riemann zeta function is the same with that of eigenvalues of unitary matrices. In the 1990s, Rudnick, Katz and Sarnak studied the zeroes of L-functions more systematically. Moreover, Katz and Sarnak proposed the n-level density conjecture which claims that distributions of low-lying zeros of L-functions in a camily is predicted by one of the compact matrix groups, which are U(N), SO(even), SO(odd), O(N), and Sp(2N). At the end of the talk, I will state an n-level density theorem for some families of Artin L-functions and talk about counting number fields with local conditions. I will start with a friendly definition of L-functions and give some examples. No background or knowledge for L-functions are required for this talk.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Shahidi local coefficients and irreducibility results on coverings of p-adic SL(2).
Speaker: Daniel Szpruch
Date: 2-19-15
Time: 3:00pm
Place: Neckers 156
Abstract: The Langlands-Shahidi method has proven to be one of the most powerful tools to study automorphic L-functions. In this talk we shall survey the definition of Shahidi local coefficients for p-adic SL(2) and an application to a local irreducibility question. We will then present some new results and techniques regarding their metaplectic counterpart. No background on p-adic numbers and no knowledge on representation theory beyond basics are required for this talk. This is a joint work with David Goldberg.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Invariants of L-parameters between p-adic inner forms
Speaker: Kwangho Choiy, Department of Mathematics, Oklahoma State University
Date: 2-17-15
Time: 3:00pm
Place: Neckers 156
Abstract: The local Langlands correspondence predicts a relationship between irreducible complex representations and certain continuous homomorphisms, so-called L-parameters. The discovery of such a relationship provides new approaches to study the representations. After a tour of basic related theories, I will introduce the local Langlands correspondence for p-adic groups. Bringing in the notion of a p-adic inner form, I will then discuss some invariant properties governed by L-parameters between p-adic inner forms. At the end of the talk, I will describe my recent work with D. Goldberg on the invariance of R-groups for classical groups.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title:
Time series analysis for symbolic interval-valued data
Speaker: Yaser Samadi, Department of Mathematics, SIUC
Date: 2-5-15
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: Symbolic values can be lists, intervals, frequency distributions, and so on. Therefore, in comparison with standard classical data, they are more complex and can have structures (especially internal structures) that impose complications that are not evident in classical data. In general, using classical analysis approaches directly lead to inaccurate results.

As a result of dependencies in time series observations, it is more difficult to deal with symbolic interval-valued time series data and take into account their complex structure and internal variability than for standard classical time series. In the literature, the proposed procedures for analyzing interval time series data used either midpoint or radius values that are inappropriate surrogates for symbolic interval variables. We develop a theory and methodology to analyze symbolic time series data (interval data) directly. Autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation functions are formulated, maximum likelihood estimators of the parameters of symbolic autoregressive processes are provided.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Variational method for the regular generalized fractional Sturm-Liouville problem
Speaker: Nimisha Pathak, Department of Mathematics, SIUC
Date: 1-22-15
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: This talk will present a formulation and a solution of a regular generalized Sturm-Liouville problem using the variational method.  The problem is formulated in terms of generalized operators introduced recently.  Although, many different kernels can be considered, the kernels considered include fractional power kernel which lead to fractional integral and derivative operators; fractional power multiplied with exponential kernel which leads to generalized fractional integral and derivative operators with weights and scales, and some arbitrary kernels. In special cases, these operators reduce to Riemann-Liouville fractional integral and Riemann-Liouville and Caputo differential operators.  The fractional power and the fractional power with exponential function kernels are singular kernels, and they lead to operators which satisfy semi-group properties.  However, in general the generalized operators which are analogous to the fractional integral operators do not satisfy the semi-group property.  Some properties of these operators are discussed.

Next, it will be demonstrated that the regular generalized Sturm-Liouville problem has infinite countable set of positive eigenvalues, and the eigenfunctions associated with distinct eigenvalues form a set of orthonormal bases for square integral functions.  Thus, the regular generalized Sturm-Liouville problem considered here exhibit properties similar to Sturm-Liouville problems defined using integer order derivatives.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title:
Complexity of the isomorphism problem for subshifts
Speaker:
John Clemens, Department of Mathematics, SIUC
Date:
12-4-14
Time:
3:00pm
Abstract:
Given a finite set A of symbols, we can form the Bernoulli shift on A. This is defined by equipping the set of all bi-infinite sequences from A with an appropriate topology, and considering the left-shift map S on these sequences. By a subshift we mean a subset of this space which is both topologically closed and invariant under the shift map. Subshifts form a rich class of dynamical systems which have been widely studied in symbolic dynamics. We say two subshifts are isomorphic if there is a homeomorphism between the underlying subsets which commutes with the shift map.

In this talk, I will give an introduction to these systems, and then consider the problem of classifying subshifts up to isomorphism. We can use tools from descriptive set theory to give a precise gauge of the complexity of this problem, namely, we can show that the classification problem is of maximum complexity among equivalence relations with countable equivalence classes. I will also discuss free subshifts (those without any periodic orbits) and generalizations to subflows of other countable groups.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title:
A New Technique for Fidning Small Kirkman Covering and Packing Designs; a KCD(11), a canonical KCD(13), and more examples
Speaker:
John P. McSorley, Department of Mathematics, SIUC
Date:
11-20-14
Place:
Neckers A 156
Time:
3:00pm
Abstract:
We present a new technique which we call the 'type/unlabelled/labelled' technique for finding, or determining the non-existence of, small Kirkman covering and packing designs. Using this technique and different computational methods, we construct a new KCD(11), and a new canonical KCD(13), and make some progress on the existence  question of a KPD(19,8).

Poster

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: A 2-Ball Billiard Dynamical System Counts All Digits of $\pi$
Speaker: Gregory Galperin, Eastern Illinois University (formerly of Moscow State University)
Date: 11-6-14
Place: Neckers A 156
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: In my talk I will tell how two massive colliding billiard particles (point-like balls) count all the decimal digits of the number $\pi$. While the formulation of the main theorem does not require any mathematics at all, its proof is subtle and tricky: it uses some knowledge form mechanics, geometry and calculus. If time allows, I will tell in the end of my talk two problems on billiards posed by the prominent mathematician Ya G. Sinai that were solved just recently. (Ya G. Sinai won the most prestigious award in mathematics, The Abel Prize, in May 2014).

The preliminary knowledge is nore required. All interested in physics and mathematics are invited to the lecture, especially students of mathematics and physics majors.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Lyapunov Functional Technique and Global Asymptotic Stability of Delayed Epidemic Models
Speaker: Xiang-Sheng Wang, Southeast Missouri State University
Date: 10-16-14
Place: Neckers A 156
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: In this talk, we start with a simple and fundamental epidemic model to illustrate the technique of Lyapunov functional in global stability analysis of equilibria for differential systems. Next, we introduce time delays to the model and state a notorious open problem related to the resulting delay differential system. We will discuss on the main difficulties and present some partial answers to this open problem.​

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Some Aspects of Data Analysis Under Confidentiality Protection
Speaker: Professor Bimal Sinha, Presidential Research Professor, UMBC & Board of Regents Professor of the University System of Maryland
Date: 10-9-14
Place: Neckers A 156
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: Statisticians working in most federal agencies are often faced with two conflicting objectives: (1) collect and publish useful data sets for designing public policies and building scientific theories, and (2) protect confidentiality of data respondents which is essential to uphold public trust, leading to better response rates and data accuracy. In this talk I will provide a survey of two statistical methods currently used at the U.S. Census Bureau: synthetic data and noise perturbed data.​ Poster

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Flows on Three-Manifolds and Knotted Orbits
Speaker: Michael Sullivan, SIU Carbondale
Date: 9-4-14
Place: Neckers A 156
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: We examine a class of structurally stable chaotic flows with one attracting and one repelling close orbit. We look at how the dynamics of the flow relate to the knotting and linking of these two orbits. Poster

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: A view of the Langlands Program
Speaker: David Goldberg, Purdue University
Date: 3-27-14
Place: Neckers 156
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: A few years ago, I gave a colloquium motivating the Langlands program through examples, mostly taken in chronological order, and used this glossary of examples to formulate the framework of this wide reaching project.  Here I will, instead, attempt to start the story closer to the end, with Wiles's proof of Fermat's Last Theorem, and use this as a case study for the power of the Langlands philosophy. We will certainly re-introduce some of the examples from the previous treatment, so there will be some overlap with the previous.  I hope, however, those who saw that one will consider this a sequel, while those who did not can find it a suitable introduction.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Admissibility Analysis and Synthesis of Singular Systems via Delta Operator Method
Speaker: Xin-zhuang Dong
Date: 3-20-14
Place: Neckers 156
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: In this report, we present some of our research results about studying singular systems via delta operator method. The delta operator model is set up for a singular continuous system. It is obtained from the discrete model of the singular continuous system and will tend to the singular continuous system when the sampling period tends to zero. Thus, the delta operator model provides a unified description of a singular continuous system and its discrete model. Various necessary and sufficient admissibility conditions are given for singular delta operator systems and the relations among these conditions are also presented. Several sufficient conditions are derived to solve the problem of admissible control for singular delta operator systems and the design methods of an admissible controller are also given. Some examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the above theoretical results.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: On the structure of the degrees of relative provability: Why some functions are more complicated than others
Speaker: Steffen Lempp, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Date: 3-6-14
Place: Neckers 156
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: Gödel's famous Incompleteness Theorem states that for any axiomatization of number theory, there is a true statement about the natural numbers which cannot be proved from these axioms.
We investigate how this theorem can be extended to proving the totality of computable functions: Not all total computable functions can be proved by a set of axioms to be total; and for some, totality is harder to prove than for others. We define the so-called "degrees of provability", which measure this is a precise way, and relate this to properties of functions, such as how fast a function is growing.
This is joint work with U. Andrews,  M. Cai (who originally defined these degrees in his thesis), D. Diamondstone and J. Miller. Poster.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Formal Construction and Generation of Algorithms
Speaker:Haihe Shi (Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China)
Date: 2-20-14
Place: Neckers 156
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: Recently trustworthy software has been proposed and advocated by many countries and many academic communities. As the core of computer software, algorithm, especially its reliability and productivity, plays a critical role in both trustworthiness and application of software. Formal method and automation of algorithms have been shown to be important ways to improve the reliability and productivity of various algorithms. Yet, due to the creativity involved, algorithm formal method still remains to be one of the field’s most challenging problems. Its use so far within the software development community has not been commensurate with its potential. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the laws during algorithm design and to propose new techniques. Here series of our work will be presented, including a unified and practical formal approach and its supporting platform, algorithm development rules/strategies and prototype system, sorting algorithms via formal component product line assembly, and algorithm design through the optimization of reuse-based generation via category theoretical semantic. Also, some recent ongoing works will be introduced. Poster

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Representations of covering groups
Speaker: Dubravka Ban
Date: 12-5-13
Place: Neckers 156
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: Let F be a p-adic field, and let G be the group of F-points of an algebraic group defined over F. We will talk about n-fold topological coverings of G. In general, these groups are not algebraic. Still, we can use the structure of G to obtain important information about the structure of covering groups. This is a basis for developing representation theory for covering groups. Important examples of covering groups are metaplectic groups, which are n-fold covers of GL(k,F). Poster

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: On Simulation Methods for Random Vectors under Specified Dependence Structure
Speaker: Chul G. Park (Carleton University)
Date: 11-14-13
Place: Neckers 156
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: Generation of dependent random variables is an important subject in studies involving repeated measurements, cluster data, clinical trials, system reliability, time series data, and so on.  In non-normal case, statistical methods to analyze such data rely on asymptotic theories and their finite sample performances can be evaluated only by a simulation study. However, there is no nice way to specify the joint distribution of such dependent observations even under well specified marginal distributions and dependence measures.  In this talk, first I will review basic simulation methods when distributions are completely specified.  And then, some important multivariate simulation methods will be discussed for the case where only marginal distributions and correlations are specified. Poster

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Digital Tomosynthesis: Current Biomedical Imaging Research and Future Promising Directions
Speaker: Ying (Ada) Chen, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, SIUC
Date: 10-31-13
Place: Neckers 156
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: Digital tomosynthesis refers to a three-dimensional low-dose X-ray imaging technique that allows reconstruction of an arbitrary set of planes in the object from limited-angle series of projection images. In breast imaging fields, compared with standard mammography, digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) improves conspicuity of structures by removing the visual clutter associated with overlying anatomy. In chest imaging fields, the technique has been commercially available. This talk focuses on image reconstruction algorithms and optimization for the digital breast tomosynthesis imaging technique to improve early breast cancer detection. Applications with pulmonary nodule detection and other potential clinical and industrial applications will also be discussed. Poster

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: p-adic inner forms and invariants of Langlands parameters
Speaker: Kwangho Choiy | Website
Date: 10-17-13
Place: Neckers 156
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: The local Langlands conjecture for a p-adic group predicts a relationship between irreducible complex representations of the group and certain homomorphisms from the local Langlands group into the Langlands dual group. The latter homomorphisms are called Langlands parameters, and the representations of the p-adic group are partitioned into finite sets, called L-packets, indexed by Langlands parameters.

It is natural to expect some properties that all members in an L-packet have in common. Also, it can be questioned what kinds of data can be preserved by inner twistings which define inner forms. This talk will focus on such invariants. We begin with background and basic concepts in the representation theory of p-adic groups, and survey some known cases on the local Langlands conjecture. We finally discuss the invariants of Langlands parameters. Poster

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Generalized Fractional Calculus and the Application to Oscillator Equations
Speaker: Yufeng Xu (Central South University, Changsha, China)
Date: 9-19-13
Place: Neckers 156
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: Fractional Calculus has gained considerable development in the recent forty years, while in fact it is a subject of several hundred years as Calculus.  Fractional integral and differential equations have been applied in many physical and engineering real-world problems, and have been verified as powerful tools in modeling particular phenomena with memory effect.  In this talk, we will introduce the mathematical preliminaries of fractional calculus, including different definitions of fractional integrals and fractional derivatives, and some properties of fractional operators.  Furthermore, we would like to introduce two types of generalized fractional operators, which contain all existing classical and fractional integrals and derivatives as special cases. Those generalized fractional operators are firstly proposed in 2010 and 2012, respectively. Nowadays it is opening some possible interests on fractional calculus. As an application, we finally discuss the dynamical behaviors of Harmonic oscillator and van der Pol oscillator with generalized fractional derivatives, which depends on different kernel functions. Many interesting dynamics may not appear in classical Harmonic and van der pol oscillators will be presented.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title: Lie Groups and Unitarity
Speaker: Joseph Hundley, SIUC
Date: 9-5-13
Place: Neckers 156
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: This talk will begin with a survey-level discussion of Lie groups, their unitary representations, and why one might be interested in them.  We will then delve a bit into the details of how Lie groups were classified, and how the five exceptional groups were seen to exist.  We'll describe a conjectural structure to the class of unitary representations, and explain an approach to proving parts of these conjectures.  Time permitting we'll report on some recent results with Stephen Miller of Rutgers on this problem.

Colloquium: Math SIUC
Title:Introduction to Topological Quantum Computing
Speaker: Louis H. Kauffman, UIC
Date: 3-27-13
Place: AG 102
Time: 3:00pm
Abstract: This talk will begin with an introduction to the general idea of quantum computing and quantum algorithms. Then we will discuss how there is the possibility of using topology to both investigate topology problems through quantum formulations and to use physical situations that involve topology to create quantum computers. The latter is an active area of research, due to surprising and sometimes simple relationships between topology and physics. For example, the algebra of fermion creation and annihilation operators is generated by a Clifford algebra of Majorana fermion operators. These operators (call them a, b and c)) satisfy a^2 = b^2 = c^2 = 1 and ab = -ba, ac = -ca, bc = - cb. Then the quaternions arise via I = ba, J = cb, K = ac with I^2 = J^2 = K^2 = IJK = -1 and if we define R = (1 + I)/sqrt(2), S = (1 + J)/sart(2) and T = (1 + K)/sqrt(2), then RSR = SRS, STS = TST,
RTR = TRT  giving unitary braid group representations associated with fermions. Topology occurs naturally in basic quantum physics.