January 2009 - Categories - categories.org.au

Tripleableness via split equivalence relations
by Michael Barr 10 Jan '09

10 Jan '09

I have a memory that someone (Linton or Manes, maybe) proved a variation on the PTT involving split ERs. Can someone provide a reference? I thought it would be in LNM 80, but I couldn't find it there. Michael

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Category Theory Papers
by Georgios Nassopoulos 09 Jan '09

09 Jan '09

A new paper, A functorial approach to group C*-algebras, is at http://users.uoa.gr/~gnassop as well as past papers: -Spectral Decomposition and Duality in Commutative Locally C*- Algebras -Duality, uniqueness of topology and automatic continuity of *-homomorphisms in bornological locally C*-algebras -On a comparison of real with complex involutive complete algebras -A characterization of the base category V by its single object Pr. G. F .Nassopoulos

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10 PhD, PostDoc, and Engineering Positions offered!!
by CFP 09 Jan '09

09 Jan '09

10 PhD, PostDoc, and Engineering Positions offered!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | HATS: Highly Adaptable and Trustworthy Software using Formal Models | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- HATS is a new Integrated Project funded by the European Union, within the programme "Future and Emerging Technologies" (FET) of the 7th Framework Programme (subject to contract) starting March 2009. The project partners from Chalmers Technical University, Gothenborg, Sweden University of Oslo, Norway Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden Technical University of Madrid, Spain IMDEA Software, Spain Technical University of Kaiserslautern, Germany, University of Bologna, Italy, Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica (CWI), Amsterdam, Netherlands Norwegian Computer Center, Oslo, Norway Fredhopper B.V., Amsterdam, Netherlands Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental SE, Kaiserslautern, Germany, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium are jointly advertising several 3-5 year PhD, PostDoc, and Engineering positions. The goal of HATS is a tool-supported framework and formal methodology for the development of long-lived and trustworthy software systems. Specifically, HATS will turn software product family (SWPF) development into a rigorous approach. The technical core of the project is an Abstract Behavioral Specification language which will allow precise description of SWPF features and components and their instances. For further information see: http://www.hats-project.eu Topic areas: Applicants should have a background and/or interest in one of the topics software modeling, modeling and programming languages, formal methods, verification, language-based security, type systems, or concurrency theory. The following positions are offered: * 2 PhD positions with emphasis on formal modeling and verification at Chalmers University of Technology. One of the positions is in the EU project CHARTER which is closely related to HATS. Application deadline is 9th February 2009. Contact: Prof. Reiner Haehnle. Further details and information on how to apply at http://www.chalmers.se/cse/EN/news/vacancies/positions/two-ph-d-student * A Research Software Engineer at Fredhopper (Amsterdam). The position will comprise of industrial research on modeling and verification of key components of Fredhopper's flagship product within the EU-funded HATS research project. Fredhopper is the Nr. 1 provider of Search & Merchandising solutions for online business in Europe and industrial leader in the HATS project. Apply by 31 January 2009 for the most optimal procedure. Contact for project information: Dr. Nikolay Diakov. More information and how to apply at: http://www.fredhopper.com/public/company-opps.php?cat=0&subcat=0#research-s… * 2 PostDoc positions at the University of Bologna. The emphasis is on formal modeling and verification of the kind of concurrent systems studied in Hats using various techniques, including behavioural techniques and type systems. Application deadline is 31 January (later applications may also be taken into account). Contact: Prof. Davide Sangiorgi, see: http://www.cs.unibo.it/~sangio/Hats/vacancies.txt * 3 PhD positions with emphasis on static analysis and security at the Technical University of Madrid/IMDEA Software. One of the positions is in the DOVES Spanish project, which is closely related to HATS. The application deadline is 25 January. Later applications may also be taken into account if the positions are not covered. Contact: Prof. German Puebla. Further details and information on how to apply at http://clip.dia.fi.upm.es/Job_Openings/hats-doves-phd-grants.html * 1 PhD and 1 PostDoc position in the area of software modeling and verification at the University of Kaiserslautern. The emphasis in the area of software modeling is on semantically founded integration of behavioral software models, feature-based descriptions of variability and programs. The emphasis in verification is on modular techniques for object-oriented models and model refinement. Application deadline is January 31. Later applications may also be taken into account. Contact: Prof. A. Poetzsch-Heffter. Further details and information on how to apply at http://softech.informatik.uni-kl.de/Homepage/OffeneStellen * Further positions will be announced at this space! Applicants should have (or expect to have at the start of employment): * For a PhD position: a good Masters level or excellent Bachelor level degree (or equivalent) in computer science, mathematics, or a closely related discipline with knowledge in the areas above. Please see also individual requirements at each site which can differ. * For a Postdoc position: a PhD in computer science or mathematics, preferably with research experience in one of the listed topic areas. * For a software engineer position: a Masters or PhD level level degree (or equivalent) in computer science, mathematics, or a closely related discipline with good knowledge in the areas of program verification, automata theory or discrete math. Knowledge of Java and some programming experience count as a plus. Regardless of the specific application instructions, each application should contain: 1) a full CV including letters of recommendation 2) a research statement, indicating the research directions you are interesting in and what relevant experience you have 3) transcripts of degree results where available. To apply, please follow the links given above. Expressions of interest received by 15 January 2009 are guaranteed full consideration. Specific application deadlines may vary. Early contact would be appreciated.

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Publications of Brian Day
by Ross Street 08 Jan '09

08 Jan '09

I would like to draw your attention to the following page of Brian's publications. I try to keep it within a month or so of being up to date. <http://www.math.mq.edu.au/~street/Day.pub.html> The first two items on the list are scanned copies of his Masters and PhD theses: [Thesis1] Relationship of Spanier's Quasi-topological Spaces to k- Spaces (Master of Science Thesis, University of Sydney, 1968) <http:// www.math.mq.edu.au/~street/DayMasters.pdf>. [Thesis2] Construction of Biclosed Categories (PhD Thesis, University of New South Wales, 1970) <http://www.math.mq.edu.au/~street/ DayPhD.pdf>. Best wishes to all for 2009, Ross

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Web-based category theory demonstrations
by Jocelyn Paine 08 Jan '09

08 Jan '09

This is to reannounce a selection of Web-based category theory demonstrations that I've put up at http://www.j-paine.org/cgi-bin/webcats/webcats.php . The page contains a number of buttons such as "generate and demonstrate an equaliser" and "generate and demonstrate a limit". Clicking on one will generate an example of the construct in the category of finite sets, and display it as a listing of its objects and arrows, and as a diagram. My latest demo generates examples of exponential objects, using the same notation as the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exponential_object . Bug reports, and suggestions for improvement, would be very welcome. Jocelyn Paine http://www.j-paine.org http://www.spreadsheet-factory.com

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Seminar MaMuX
by Andree Ehresmann 07 Jan '09

07 Jan '09

Transmitted from Moreno Andreatta Journée commune des séminaires mamuphi et MaMuX Samedi 17 janvier 2009 ENS (matinée) et IRCAM (après midi) Programme de la journée (entrée libre dans la mesure des places disponibles) : 11h ? 13h (ENS, Salle S. Weil) - Christian Houzel : Théorie des faisceaux et linguistique 15h ? 18h (Ircam, Salle I. Stravinsky) - Andrée C. Ehresmann et Jean-Paul Vanbremeersch : MENS, un modèle mathématique pour des systèmes cognitifs Résumés et repères bibliographiques : Théorie des faisceaux et linguistique (Christian Houzel) Les productions des langues naturelles se présentent comme des concaténations d'éléments. On peut traduire mathématiquement la concaténation par la loi de composition d'un monoïde. Mais toute suite de mots ne constitue pas une phrase ; il faut une structure syntaxique. De telles structures constituent les morphismes d'une catégorie monoïdale. Les théories interprétatives, comme la phonologie ou la sémantique introduisent des filtres additionnels, qu'il paraît convenable de prendre en compte au moyen d'une topologie convenable. Une théorie interprétative est alors représentée par un faisceau sur un site convenable. MENS, un modèle mathématique pour des systèmes cognitifs (Andrée C. Ehresmann et Jean-Paul Vanbremeersch) Comment des processus mentaux d'ordre supérieur émergent-ils du fonctionnement du cerveau? Telle est la question que nous abordons dans le modèle MENS (Memory Evolutive Neural Systems), développé dans notre livre (Ehresmann & Vanbremeersch, 2007); les objets mentaux y sont modélisés par des cat-neurones (neurones de catégorie), ou 'neurones d'ordre supérieur', liant une multiplicité d'hyper-assemblées de neurones Ce modèle mathématique est une application aux systèmes cognitifs de notre modèle général "Systèmes Evolutifs à Mémoire" pour des systèmes complexes autonomes, tels que les systèmes biologiques ou sociaux. Il est basé sur la théorie des catégories (Eilenberg & Mac Lane, 1945) qui permet de décrire un processus de "complexification" par liage et classification (via colimites et limites projectives). Nous montrons comment des objets de complexité croissante peuvent émerger par une suite de complexifications, dès lors qu'un certain "principe de multiplicité" ("degeneracy" pour Edelman, 1989; Edelman & Gally, 2001) est vérifié. Le modèle MENS permet de décrire le développement d'une "algèbre des objets mentaux" (au sens de Changeux, 1983) et d'une mémoire sémantique à partir du système neuronal (en accord avec les données neurologiques). Ceci mène à la formation d'un invariant global, le noyau archétypal, confirmé par la découverte récente, dans le cerveau, du "neural connection core" (Hagmann & al., 2008). Ce noyau archétypal intègre les expériences saillantes et/ou régulièrement ré-enforcées (sensitives, motrices, émotionnelles, procédurales, sémantiques). Il est à la base de la notion de Soi et du développement de la conscience, caractérisée en particulier par les processus d'extension temporelle (rétrospection et prospection). MENS soulève les problèmes de l'émergence, de la conscience, du Soi et du rapport corps/esprit. Quelques repères bibliographiques : - Changeux, J.-P., 1983, L'homme neuronal, Fayard, Paris. - Edelman, G.M., 1989, The remembered Present, Basic Books, New York. - Edelman, G.M. and Gally, J.A., 2001, Degeneracy and complexity in biological systems, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98, 13763-13768. - Ehresmann, A.C. and Vanbremeersch J.-P., 2007, Memory Evolutive Systems: Hierarchy, Emergence, Cognition, Elsevier, Amsterdam. - Eilenberg, S. and Mac Lane, S., 1945, General theory of natural equivalences, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 58, 231-294. - Hagmann, P., Cammoun, L., Gigandet, X., Meuli, R., Honey, C.J., Van J. Wedeen & Sporns, O., 2008, Mapping the Structural Core of Human Cerebral Cortex, PLoS Biology 6, Issue 7, 1479-1493. Online: www.plosbiology.org Autres séances du séminaire mamuphi : - Samedi 7 février 2009 (salle S. Weil) - René Guitart - Samedi 7 mars 2009 (salle des Actes) - Pierre Lochak - Samedi 4 avril 2009 (salle Beckett) - Jean Bénabou : Magie des topos, ou topos et magie? - Samedi 9 mai 2009 (salle S. Weil) - séance à définir Contacts Pour tout renseignement, contacts et propositions : François Nicolas (fnicolas[at]ens.fr) Charles Alunni (charles.alunni[at]ens.fr) Moreno Andreatta (andreatta[at]ircam.fr) Autres séances du séminaire MaMuX : - Vendredi 23 janvier : Musique et Cognition. Autour de l?apport de John Sloboda (séance exceptionnelle du séminaire organisée en collaboration avec Irène Deliège et sous l?égide de l?ESCOM, Association européenne pour les sciences cognitives de la musique) - Vendredi 6 février 2009 : Combinatorial Block-Designs. Avec la participation de Reinhard Laue (Universität Bayreuth, Allemagne), Franck Jedrzejewski (CEA Saclay, INST/UESMS) et Tom Johnson (compositeur) - Vendredi 6 mars 2009 : Mathématiques/Musique et Sémiotique. Les unités sémiotiques temporelles (séance organisée en collaboration avec le MIM, Laboratoire Musique et Informatique de Marseille) - Vendredi 3 avril 2009 : Séance à définir - Vendredi 8 mai 2009 : Séance à définir Contacts Pour tout renseignement, contacts et propositions : Moreno Andreatta (andreatta[at]ircam.fr) Carlos Agon Amado (agonc[at]ircam.fr) Adresses : Séminaire mamuphi (mathématiques/musique/philosophie) http://www.entretemps.asso.fr/maths/ ENS, Salle S. Weil 45, rue d?Ulm 75005 Paris Séminaire MaMuX (Mathématiques/Musique et relations avec d'autres disciplines) http://recherche.ircam.fr/equipes/repmus/mamux/ Ircam, Salle I. Stravinsky 1, place I. Stravinsky 75004 Paris Le programme complet de la journée est disponible en pdf à l'adresse : http://recherche.ircam.fr/equipes/repmus/mamux/MamuPhiXJanvier2009.pdf

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Elsevier quality control... (fwd)
by Michael Barr 01 Jan '09

01 Jan '09

My daughter (who works for the Nature Publishing Group) sent me the following, which is worth reading for knowing the kind of journals Elsevier publishes. Follow the link to John Baez' blog (from which the comments are taken): http://golem.ph.utexas.edu/category/2008/11/the_case_of_m_s_el_naschie.html or just go directly there and save the middle man. I assume that this journal is indexed by ISI. Good grief, imagine that granting agencies are taking that crock of dung seriously. Michael ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:34:16 -0500 (EST) From: Rebecca Barr <rmbarr(a)pipeline.com> To: Michael Barr <barr(a)math.mcgill.ca> Subject: Elsevier quality control... http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2008/12/22/publish_your_work_the_easy_…

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