Plan of the seminar: we separate each talk into two. In the first 60 minutes the speaker gives an introductory talk for non-mathematicians. After a short break, the second 60 minutes is spent for a bit more detailed talk for mathematicians (working in other areas). We welcome you joining both parts of the seminar or only the first/second half.

Abstract: We will talk about the theory noncommutative resolution of singularities. Noncommutative resolution is a noncommutative analog of usual (geometric) resolution of singularities, and allows us to generalise the idea of McKay correspondence to a large class of singularities.
In the first part of the talk, we discuss the classical McKay correspondence, the definition of noncommutative crepant resolution, and some known results in lower dimensions. In the second half, we will discuss some concrete examples of noncommutative crepant resolutions in higher dimensions.

Lecturers:
Hiroshi Ito (Kyushu University)
Shigehiro Ohdo (Kyushu University)
Hiroyuki Kubota (Kyushu University)
Gen Kurosawa (RIKEN)
Shin G. Goto (Osaka City University)
Fustin Jean-Michel (Kyoto University)

Organizers:
Minako Isoda (Kyoto University)
Kyohei Uemoto (Kyoto University / Nara Institute of Science and Technology)
Shingo Gibo (RIKEN)
Motohide Seki (Kyushu University)
Yusuke Nakane (Nagoya University)
Arisa Hirano (University of Tsukuba)

This workshop is supported by RIKEN iTHEMS (RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program).

Plan of the seminar: we separate each talk into two. In the first 60 minutes the speaker gives an introductory talk for non-mathematicians. After a short break, the second 60 minutes is spent for a bit more detailed talk for mathematicians (working in other areas). We welcome you joining both parts of the seminar or only the first/second half.

Abstract: This is an introduction to multiple zeta values (MZVs). Although the study of MZVs is related to various areas of mathematics, we will concentrate on the algebraic structures of MZVs themselves. The key point is that MZVs have two kinds of representations: nested series and iterated integrals. We present how these two representations yield rich algebraic relations among MZVs.

This workshop is supported by RIKEN iTHEMS (RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program).

Organizers
Emiko Hiyama (Kyushu U./RIKEN)
Hiroshi Suzuki (Kyushu U.)
Tetsuo Hatsuda (RIKEN)

Animals adapt to the environment for survival. Synaptic plasticity is considered a major mechanism underlying this process. However, the best-known form of synaptic plasticity, i.e., Hebbian plasticity that depends on pre- and post-synaptic activity, can surge coincident activity in model neurons beyond a physiological range. Our lab has explored how neural circuits learn about the environment by synaptic plasticity. The instability of Hebbian plasticity could be mitigated by a global factor that modulates its outcome. For example, TNF-alpha that mediates homeostatic synaptic scaling is released by glia, reflecting the activity level of surrounding neurons. I show that a specific interaction of Hebbian plasticity with this global factor accounts for the time course of adaptation to the altered environment (Toyoizumi et al. 2015). At a more theoretical level, I ask what is the optimal synaptic plasticity rule for achieving an efficient representation of the environment. A solution is the error-gated Hebbian rule, whose update is proportional to the product of Hebbian change and a specific global factor. I show that this rule, suitable also in neuromorphic devices, robustly extracts hidden independent sources in the environment (Isomura and Toyoizumi 2016, 2018, 2019). Finally, I introduce that synapses change by intrinsic spine dynamics, even in the absence of synaptic plasticity. I show that physiological spine-volume distribution and stable cell assemblies are both achieved when intrinsic spine dynamics are augmented in a model (Humble et al.2019).