PROGRAM

Date:    Friday, June 11
Time:    13.00 - 14.00
Room:    Euler  (Z009)

SPEAKERS

1. Arnoud den Boer (PNA2)
   "Dynamic pricing with unknown demand function"

2. Romulo Goncalves (INS1)
   "The Data Cyclotron"

3. Wouter Koolen-Wijkstra (PNA6)
   "Combining Predictions Efficiently"

4. Jose Proenca (SEN3)
   "Distributed framework for Reo"

5. Anna Mozartova (MAC3)
   "Non-oscillatory Time Stepping"

6. Sjors van der Stelt (MAC1)
   "Rise and fall of patterns in models for semi arid ecosystems"


ABSTRACTS

1.
Arnoud den Boer (PNA2), Dynamic pricing with unknown demand function.
Title: Dynamic pricing with unknown demand function
Abstract: What is the optimal selling price of a product? This question is important for many firms that sell products. The optimal price is generally unknown, but can be learned by experimenting with prices. Especially firms that sell on the Internet can easily conduct such price experiments. They can however be costly, since it means that sub-optimal prices are used for some time. We study how to optimally balance experimentation and instant revenue optimization, e.g. 'learning' and 'earning'.

2.
Romulo Goncalves (INS1)
Title: The Data Cyclotron.
Abstract: Distributed database systems exploit static workload characteristics to steer data fragmentation and data allocation schemes. However, the grand challenge of distributed query processing is to come up with a self-organizing architecture, which exploits all resources to manage the hot data set, minimize query response time, and maximize throughput without global co-ordination.  We propose the Data Cyclotron architecture which addresses the challenges using turbulent data movement through a storage ring built from distributed main memory capitalizing modern remote-DMA facilities.

3.
Wouter M. Koolen (PNA6)
Title: Combining Predictions Efficiently
Abstract: We discuss how predictions by several experts can be combined into a single prediction. We give an efficient algorithm, and prove that it has competitive performance even when data and experts are under control of a malevolent adversary.

4.
Jose Proenca (SEN3)
Title: Distributed framework for Reo
Abstract: Coordination languages describe the interaction between components or services. The Reo coordination language represents this interaction by global constraints on how and where data can flow in a network of components. Our work improves previous attempts to execute Reo, exploiting locality aspects.

5.
Anna Mozartova (MAC3)
Title:   Non-oscillatory Time Stepping
Abstract: We deal with time stepping methods for differential equations.  We study properties, such as preservation of nonnegativity and non-oscillatory solutions, which are primarily of importance for problems with non-smooth solutions.  The conditions guaranteeing these properties are given for a wide class of numerical methods.

6.
Sjors van der Stelt (MAC1)
Title: Rise and fall of patterns in models for semi arid ecosystems
Abstract: We will show numerical and analytical results for a general nonlinear-diffusion advection model that describes vegetation patterns that are seen in semi arid ecosystems near deserts in Africa, Asia and Australia.