rectification; Abhyankar-Sathaye embedding problem; variable Picard-Lefschetz theory; monodromy theory; isolated singularities; Dynkin diagrams; Gauss-Manin connexion; intersection homology theory; volume functions; Newton-Coulomb potentials; Green functions; hyperbolic equations; lacuna problem; non-integrability of ovals; twisted vanishing homology; ramification of potentials; homology of complements of plane arrangements; Grassmannians; multidimensional hypergeometric functions and integrals 