Applied Mathematics Colloquium
Dr. John H. Maddocks, EPFL, Lausanne Switzerland
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.