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Applied Mathematics Colloquium

Dr. John H. Maddocks, EPFL, Lausanne Switzerland

Location

Mathematics/Psychology : 106

Date & Time

March 11, 2016, 11:30 am12:30 pm

Description

Title: Some Mathematics arising in Modelling the Sequence-Dependent Mechanics of DNA


Abstract: 
I will describe some computations with the discrete cgDNA (http://lcvmwww.epfl.ch/research/cgDNA/) coarse-grain model of B-form DNA and its associated continuum elastic birod theory, but with emphasis on two mathematical techniques of wider interest that arise in this specific context. Specifically a) maximum entropy parameter estimation and some remarkable linear algebra of banded matrices, and b) parameter continuation and symmetry breaking techniques in two point boundary value problems for Hamiltonian systems.