A combinatorial non-positive curvature I: weak systolicity

We introduce the notion of weakly systolic complexes and groups, and initiate regular studies of them. Those are simplicial complexes with nonpositive-curvature-like properties and groups acting on them geometrically. We characterize weakly systolic complexes as simply connected simplicial complexes satisfying some local combinatorial conditions. We provide several classes of examples --- in particular systolic groups and CAT(-1) cubical groups are weakly systolic. We present applications of the theory, concerning Gromov hyperbolic groups, Coxeter groups and systolic groups.Comment: 35 pages, 1 figur

Cycling Through History: Making an American Sport 1880-present, Blog 2

Student blog posts from the Great VCU Bike Race Book

Persistence time of SIS infections in heterogeneous populations and networks

For a susceptible-infectious-susceptible (SIS) infection model in a heterogeneous population, we present simple formulae giving the leading-order asymptotic (large population) behaviour of the mean persistence time, from an endemic state to extinction of infection. Our model may be interpreted as describing an infection spreading through either (i) a population with heterogeneity in individuals' susceptibility and/or infectiousness; or (ii) a heterogeneous directed network. Using our asymptotic formulae, we show that such heterogeneity can only reduce (to leading order) the mean persistence time compared to a corresponding homogeneous population, and that the greater the degree of heterogeneity, the more quickly infection will die out

Analysis of Testing-Based Forward Model Selection

This paper introduces and analyzes a procedure called Testing-based forward model selection (TBFMS) in linear regression problems. This procedure inductively selects covariates that add predictive power into a working statistical model before estimating a final regression. The criterion for deciding which covariate to include next and when to stop including covariates is derived from a profile of traditional statistical hypothesis tests. This paper proves probabilistic bounds, which depend on the quality of the tests, for prediction error and the number of selected covariates. As an example, the bounds are then specialized to a case with heteroskedastic data, with tests constructed with the help of Huber-Eicker-White standard errors. Under the assumed regularity conditions, these tests lead to estimation convergence rates matching other common high-dimensional estimators including Lasso

Track-Down Operations on Bilattices

This paper discusses a dualization of Fitting's notion of a "cut-down" operation on a bilattice, rendering a "track-down" operation, later used to represent the idea that a consistent opinion cannot arise from a set including an inconsistent opinion. The logic of track-down operations on bilattices is proved equivalent to the logic d_Sfde, dual to Deutsch's system S_fde. Furthermore, track-down operations are employed to provide an epistemic interpretation for paraconsistent weak Kleene logic. Finally, two logics of sequential combinations of cut-and track-down operations allow settling positively the question of whether bilattice-based semantics are available for subsystems of S_fde

A note on the Manin-Mumford conjecture

In the article [PR1] {\it On Hrushovski's proof of the Manin-Mumford conjecture} (Proceedings of the ICM 2002), R. Pink and the author gave a short proof of the Manin-Mumford conjecture, which was inspired by an earlier model-theoretic proof by Hrushovski. The proof given in [PR1] uses a difficult unpublished ramification-theoretic result of Serre. It is the purpose of this note to show how the proof given in [PR1] can be modified so as to circumvent the reference to Serre's result. J. Oesterl\'e and R. Pink contributed several simplifications and shortcuts to this note.Comment: 11 page