This book is devoted to the following finiteness theorem: A polynomial vector field on the real plane has a finite number of limit cycles. To prove the theorem, it suffices to note that limit cycles cannot accumulate on a polycycle of an analytic vector field. This approach necessitates investigation of the monodromy transformation (also known as the Poincare return mapping or the first return mapping) corresponding to this cycle. To carry out this investigation, this book utilizes five sources: The theory of Dulac, use of the complex domain, resolution of singularities, the geometric theory of normal forms, and superexact asymptotic series. In the introduction, the author presents results about this problem that were known up to the writing of the present book, with full proofs (except in the case of the results in the local theory and theorems on resolution of singularities).

This book provides an introduction to the theory of dynamical systems with the aid of the Mathematica® computer algebra package. The book has a very hands-on approach and takes the reader from basic theory to recently published research material. Emphasized throughout are numerous applications to biology, chemical kinetics, economics, electronics, epidemiology, nonlinear optics, mechanics, population dynamics, and neural networks. Theorems and proofs are kept to a minimum. The first section deals with continuous systems using ordinary differential equations, while the second part is devoted to the study of discrete dynamical systems.

The 16th Problem of Hilbert is one of the most famous remaining unsolved problems of mathematics. It concerns whether a polynomial vector field on the plane has a finite number of limit cycles. There is a strong connection with divergent solutions of differential equations, where a central role is played by the Stokes Phenomenon, the change in asymptotic behaviour of the solutions in different sectors of the complex plane.The contributions to these proceedings survey both of these themes, including historical and modern theoretical points of view. Topics covered include the Riemann-Hilbert problem, Painleve equations, nonlinear Stokes phenomena, and the inverse Galois problem.

In 2008, November 23-28, the workshop of ”Classical Problems on Planar Polynomial Vector Fields ” was held in the Banff International Research Station, Canada. Called "classical problems", it was concerned with the following: (1) Problems on integrability of planar polynomial vector fields. (2) The problem of the center stated by Poincaré for real polynomial differential systems, which asks us to recognize when a planar vector field defined by polynomials of degree at most n possesses a singularity which is a center. (3) Global geometry of specific classes of planar polynomial vector fields. (4) Hilbert’s 16th problem. These problems had been posed more than 110 years ago. Therefore, they are called "classical problems" in the studies of the theory of dynamical systems. The qualitative theory and stability theory of differential equations, created by Poincaré and Lyapunov at the end of the 19th century, had major developments as two branches of the theory of dynamical systems during the 20th century. As a part of the basic theory of nonlinear science, it is one of the very active areas in the new millennium. This book presents in an elementary way the recent significant developments in the qualitative theory of planar dynamical systems. The subjects are covered as follows: the studies of center and isochronous center problems, multiple Hopf bifurcations and local and global bifurcations of the equivariant planar vector fields which concern with Hilbert’s 16th problem. The book is intended for graduate students, post-doctors and researchers in dynamical systems. For all engineers who are interested in the theory of dynamical systems, it is also a reasonable reference. It requires a minimum background of a one-year course on nonlinear differential equations.

Presents the 2007-2008 Jairo Charris Seminar in Algebra and Analysis on Differential Algebra, Complex Analysis and Orthogonal Polynomials, which was held at the Universidad Sergio Arboleda in Bogota, Colombia.

Topics covered range from computational complexity, algebraic geometry, dynamics, through to number theory and quantum groups.