Complete algebraic vector fields on affine surfaces

Let \AAutH (X) be the subgroup of the group \AutH (X) of holomorphic automorphisms of a normal affine algebraic surface $X$ generated by elements of flows associated with complete algebraic vector fields. Our main result is a classification of all normal affine algebraic surfaces $X$ quasi-homogeneous under \AAutH (X) in terms of the dual graphs of the boundaries \bX \setminus X of their SNC-completions \bX.Comment: 44 page

Fixed points of the EM algorithm and nonnegative rank boundaries

Mixtures of $r$ independent distributions for two discrete random variables can be represented by matrices of nonnegative rank $r$. Likelihood inference for the model of such joint distributions leads to problems in real algebraic geometry that are addressed here for the first time. We characterize the set of fixed points of the Expectation-Maximization algorithm, and we study the boundary of the space of matrices with nonnegative rank at most $3$. Both of these sets correspond to algebraic varieties with many irreducible components.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/14-AOS1282 the Annals of Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aos/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Can Computer Algebra be Liberated from its Algebraic Yoke ?

So far, the scope of computer algebra has been needlessly restricted to exact algebraic methods. Its possible extension to approximate analytical methods is discussed. The entangled roles of functional analysis and symbolic programming, especially the functional and transformational paradigms, are put forward. In the future, algebraic algorithms could constitute the core of extended symbolic manipulation systems including primitives for symbolic approximations.Comment: 8 pages, 2-column presentation, 2 figure