We study the nonnegative part \overline {G_ {> 0}} of the De Concini-Procesi compactification of a semisimple algebraic group \overline {G_ {> 0}} , as defined by Lusztig. Using positivity properties of the canonical basis and parametrization of flag varieties, we will give an explicit description of \overline {G_ {> 0}} . This answers the question of Lusztig in Total positivity and canonical bases, Algebraic groups and Lie groups (ed. GI Lehrer), Cambridge Univ. Press, 1997, pp. 281-295. We will also prove that \overline {G_ {> 0}} has a cell decomposition which was conjectured by Lusztig.

We determine a basis of the (twisted) cocenter of graded affine Hecke algebras with arbitrary parameters. In this setting, we prove that the kernel of the (twisted) trace map is the commutator subspace (the Density theorem) and that the image is the space of good forms (the trace PaleyWiener theorem).

We study the minimal length elements in some double cosets of Coxeter groups and use them to study Lusztig's <i>G</i>-stable pieces and the generalization of <i>G</i>-stable pieces introduced by Lu and Yakimov. We also use them to study the minimal length elements in a conjugacy class of a finite Coxeter group and prove a conjecture in [M. Geck, S. Kim, G. Pfeiffer, Minimal length elements in twisted conjugacy classes of finite Coxeter groups, J. Algebra 229 (2) (2000) 570600].

We determine a basis of the (twisted) cocenter of graded affine Hecke algebras with arbitrary parameters. In this setting, we prove that the kernel of the (twisted) trace map is the commutator subspace (Density theorem) and that the image is the space of good forms (trace Paley-Wiener theorem).

We describe an inductive machinery to prove various properties of representations of a category equipped with a generic shift functor. Specifically, we show that if a property (P) of representations of the category behaves well under the generic shift functor, then all finitely generated representations of the category have the property (P). In this way, we obtain simple criteria for properties such as Noetherianity, finiteness of Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity, and polynomial growth of dimension to hold. This gives a systemetic and uniform proof of such properties for representations of the categories $\FI_G$ and $\OI_G$ which appear in representation stability theory.