A convex structure consists of a set X, together with a collection of subsets of X, which is closed under intersection and under updirected union. The members of are called convex sets, and is a convexity on X. Fox A a subset of X, h (A) denotes the (convex) hull of A. If A is finite, then h(A) is called a polytope, is called a binary convexity if each finite collection of pairwise intersecting convex sets has a nonempty intersection. See [8], [21] for general references.

If X is also equipped with a topology, then the corresponding weak topology is the one generated by the convex closed sets. It is usually assumed that at least all polytopes are closed. is called normal provided that for each two disjoint convex closed sets C, D there exist convex closed sets C′, D′, with

This paper arose out of an attempt to solve the following problem due to Suprunenko [5, Problem 2.77]. For which pairs of abelian groups A, B is every extension of A by B nilpotent? We obtain complete answers when A and B are p-groups and (a) A has finite exponent or (b) B is divisible or (c) A has infinite exponent, is countable and B is non-divisible. The structure of a basic subgroup of A plays a central role in cases (b) and (c).

At the outset we must say that the problem is too difficult to solve in complete generality. If G/A ≅ 2?, then the nilpotency of G depends solely on properties of the associated homomorphism θ.B → Aut A. Thus for instance if A is torsion-free and B finite, G is nilpotent if and only if the extension is a central one, and we would need detailed information on finite subgroups of the group Aut A.

This paper is concerned with topological spaces whose continuous maps into a given space R are constant, as well as with spaces having this property locally. We call these spaces R-monolithic and locally R-monolithic, respectively.

Spaces with such properties have been considered in [1], [5]-[7], [10], [11], [22], [28], [31], where with the exception of [10], the given space R is the set of real-numbers with the usual topology. Obviously, for a countable space, connectedness is equivalent to the property that every continuous real-valued map is constant. Countable connected (locally connected) spaces have been constructed in papers [2]-[4], [8], [9], [11]-[21], [23]-[26], [30].

Introduction. La théorie des automates finis fait partie de ce que l'on appelle aujourd'hui les mathématiques de l'informatique. Comme pour les autres spécialités de ce domaine, elle est née des travaux de logiciens et, pour les automates finis, c'est à Kleene que l'on doit le premier théorème. Cette théorie s'est considérablement développée depuis la période des fondations. La direction principale est l'étude des automates reconnaissant des suites finies ou mots. Elle présente des aspects mathématiques qui la rapprochent de domaines classiques comme par exemple la théorie combinatoire des groupes. Parallèlement, plusieurs auteurs ont étudié le comportement des automates finis sur des objets plus généraux que les mots. C'est le cas notamment pour la théorie des automates reconnaissant des arbres. C'est aussi le cas pour les automates reconnaissant des mots infinis qui sont le sujet de cet article.

When we speak of the semigroup of a topological space X, we mean S(X) the semigroup of all continuous self maps of X. Let h be a homeomorphism from a topological space X onto a topological space Y. It is immediate that the mapping which sends f ∊ S(X) into h º f º h−1 is an isomorphism from the semigroup of X onto the semigroup of Y. More generally, let h be a continuous function from X into Y and k a continuous function from Y into X such that k º h is the identity map on X. One easily verifies that the mapping which sends f into h º f º k is a monomorphism from S(X) into S(Y). Now for “most” spaces X and Y, every isomorphism from S(X) onto S(Y) is induced by a homeomorphism from X onto Y. Indeed, a number of the early papers dealing with S(X) were devoted to establishing this fact.

In [2] we studied Milgram's Complex, C(n – 1), which was first defined in [3], in the following manner. Let Sn, the permutation group of n symbols, act on Rn in the obvious manner; put α(x) = (y), where yi = xα–1(i). Let s = (1, 2, …, n), then C(n – 1) is the convex hull of the points α(s), α ∊ Sn. Here we shall generalise this construction as follows. Let G be a subgroup of Sn, and let v ∊ Rn. Then C(G, v) is the convex hull of α(v), α ∊ G. We prove invariance over v subject to certain restrictions, give counter-examples to shew lack of invariance if we alter G, discuss how we may describe C(G, v), shew that the only “nice” case is essentially when G is Sn, and lastly give some examples.

One of the distinguishing features of the topological category is the following periodicity in the set of homotopy TOP structures on X.

THEOREM (Siebenmann). Let Xm, m ≦ 5, be a connected compact topological manifold with non-empty boundary. Then

It was conjectured by Siebenmann (see [3], p. 283) that the analogous periodicity should also exist for noncompact manifolds.

The purpose of this paper is to prove that this is indeed the case, namely:

THEOREM 1. Let Let Xm, m ≦ 6, be a connected noncompact topological manifold with non-empty boundary. Then

1. Introduction. In this paper, the expression topological space will always mean generated space, that is any T1 space X for which

forms a subbasis for the closed subsets of X. This is not at all a severe restriction since generated spaces include all completely regular Hausdorff spaces which contain an arc as well as all 0-dimensional Hausdorff spaces [3, pp. 198-201], [4].

The symbol S(X) denotes the semigroup, under composition, of all continuous selfmaps of the topological space X. This paper really grew out of our efforts to determine all those congruences σ on S(X) such that S(X)/σ is isomorphic to S(Y) for some space Y.

The purpose of this article is to develop aspects of a classification theory for reflexive graphs. A first important step was already taken in [2]; throughout we follow, at least the spirit, of the classification theory for ordered sets initiated in [1].

For a graph G let V(G) denote its vertex set and E(G) ⊆ V(G) × V(G) its edge set. A graph K is a subgraph of G if V(K) ⊆ V(G) and for a, b ∊ V(K), (a, b) ∊ E(K) just if (a, b) ∊ E(G). The subgraph K of G is a retract of G, and we write K ◅ G, if there is an edge-preserving map g of V(G) to V(K) satisfying g(v) = v for each v ∊ V(K); g is called a retraction. A reflexive graph is an undirected graph with a loop at every vertex. The reason for a loop at a vertex is that an edge-preserving map can send the two vertices of an adjacent pair to it. The concept is illustrated in Figure 1. From here on, though, we shall for convenience suppress the illustration of the loops in the figures of reflexive graphs.

In this paper we study the existence problem for topological actions of finite groups on euclidean spaces Rn+k which are free outside a fixed point set Rk (embedded as a vector subspace). We refer to such an action as a semi-free action on (Rn+k, Rn) and note that all our actions will be assumed orientation-preserving.

Suppose the finite group π acts semi-freely on (Rn+k, Rn), then it acts freely on (Rn+k – Rn) = Sn–l × Rk+1. Since this space is homotopy equivalent to Sn–l, π will have periodic integral cohomology and n will be a multiple of the period. In fact the orbit space

is a finitely-dominated Poincaré complex of formal dimension n – 1 with π1W = π and as considered by Swan [41].

This paper is concerned with the description of principal congruence relations. Given elements a and b of a universal algebra , let θ(a, b) denote the smallest congruence relation on containing the pair 〈a, b〉. One of the earliest characterizations of θ(a, b) is Mal'cev's well-known result [5, Theorem 1.10.3], which says that c ≡ d(θ(a, b)) if and only if there exists a sequence z0, z1, …, zn of elements of and a sequence f1, f2, …, fn of unary algebraic functions such that c = z0, d = zn, and for each i = 1, …, n,

Although this describes θ(a, b) in terms of a set of unary algebraic functions, it is not possible to predict the number or complexity of the unary functions used independently of the choice of a, b, c and d. Several recent papers ([1], [2], [3], [4], [6]) investigate classes of algebras in which principal congruences are simpler.

The most complete work on the structure of the lattice of varieties of commutative semigroups available to this date is [12]. Nevertheless, it fails to give the structure of this lattice. In the positive direction, it shows in particular that the order structure of is determined by the order structure of well-known lattices of integers together with the sublattice of varieties of commutative nil semigroups.

In the present work, we study from the point of view of order. Perkins [13] has shown that has no infinite descending chains and is countable. The underlying questions we consider here arose from the results of Almeida and Reilly [1] in connection with generalized varieties. There, it is observed that the best-known part of consisting of the varieties all of whose elements are abelian groups is in a sense very wide: it contains infinite subsets of mutually incomparable elements and allows the construction of uncountably many generalized varieties and infinite descending chains of generalized varieties.

The concept of an operational logic has been developed by Randall and Foulis ([l]-[4], [10], [11]) as a part of a larger effort to obtain a formalism suitable for expressing, comparing, and evaluating various approaches to empirical science, statistics, and in particular, quantum mechanics. The structure of these logics is similar to that of an orthomodular partially ordered set which is often used as a model for quantum logics. However, the operational logic is a more general structure which, among other features, allows for the creation of a tensor product of logics to represent the coupling of physical systems. Randall and Foulis have shown that, given certain reasonable physical constraints, such a product is not possible within the category of orthomodular posets [12].

1. Introduction. In this paper we introduce and study a class of multiplicative lattices called q-lattices. A q-lattice is a principally generated multiplicative lattice in which each principal element is compact. One of our main objectives is to characterize principal elements in these lattices (We note that Noether lattices and r-lattices are q-lattices [1, Theorem 2.1] and so our results apply to these two types of lattices). Among other things we determine necessary and sufficient conditions for globalizing local results in q-lattices. We then apply localization to establish some properties of principal elements in general q-lattices. Conditions equivalent to an element being principal are known for several different classes of multiplicative lattices. For example, Bogart [2] showed that if the lattice is modular, weak principal is equivalent to principal; Johnson and Lediaev pointed out that for Noether lattices, meet principal is equivalent to principal [5]; and, in an r-lattice, an element is principal if and only if it is compact and weak meet principal [6].

It is the purpose of this paper to discuss a construction of right arithmetical (or right D-domains in [5]) domains, i.e., integral domains R for which the lattice of right ideals is distributive (see also [3]). Whereas the commutative rings in this class are precisely the Prüfer domains, not even right and left principal ideal domains are necessarily arithmetical. Among other things we show that a Bezout domain is right arithmetical if and only if all maximal right ideals are two-sided.

Any right ideal of a right noetherian, right arithmetical domain is two-sided. This fact makes it possible to describe the semigroup of right ideals in such a ring in a satisfactory way; [3], [5].

Let n be a positive integer. An f-ring A is said to satisfy the left nth-convexity property if for any u, v ∊ A such that v ≧ 0 and 0 ≧ u ≧ vn, there exists a w ∊ A such that u = wv. The right nth-convexity property is defined similarly and an f-ring is said to satisfy the nth-convexity property if it satisfies both the left and the right nth-convexity property. In this paper, we study arbitrary f-rings which satisfy one of the convexity properties.

Those f-rings which satisfy one or more of these properties have been studied by several authors. In [3, 1D], L. Gillman and M. Jerison note that any C(X) satisfies the nth-convexity property for all n ≧ 2, and in [3, 14.25], they give several properties that in C(X) are equivalent to the 1st-convexity property. M. Henriksen proves some results about the ideal theory of an f-ring satisfying the 2nd-convexity property in [5] and S. Steinberg studies left quotient rings of f-rings satisfying the left 1st-convexity property in [13].

If f(z) is univalent (regular and one-to-one) in the open unit disk Δ, Δ = {z ∊ C:│z│ < 1}, and has a Maclaurin series expansion of the form

(1.1)

then, as de Branges has shown, │ak│ = k, for k = 2, 3, … and the Koebe function.

(1.1)

serves to show that these bounds are the best ones possible (see [3]). The functions defined above are generally said to constitute the class .

Let S-L denote a singular Sturm-Liouville system on the half line with homogeneous boundary conditions, possessing a discrete negative and continuous positive spectrum. Let A be the S-L operator and Sα(f; x) the S-L eigenfunction expansion associated with the resolvent operator (z – A)–1, z complex. That is, Sα(f; x) denotes the resolvent summability means with weight function z(z – λ)–1 (or (1 + tλ)–1 where t = – 1/z).

We first study the problem of determining when

(1)

where is the Green's function associated with a certain perturbation of our system.

In [7] Schoenberg introduced the following variation-diminishing spline approximation methods.

Let m > 1 be an integer and let Δ = {xi} be a biinfinite sequence of real numbers with xi ≧ xi + l < xi+m. To a function f associate the spline function Vf of order m with knots Δ defined by

(1.1)

where

and the Nj(x) are B-splines with support xj < x < xj+m normalized so that ΣjNj(x) = 1. See, e.g., [2] for a precise definition of the Nj(x) and a discussion of the properties of Vf.

Let U denote the open unit disc of the complex plane, and φ a holomorphic function taking U into itself. In this paper we study the linear composition operator Cφ defined by Cφf = f º φ for f holomorphic on U. Our goal is to determine, in terms of geometric properties of φ, when Cφ is a compact operator on the Hardy and Bergman spaces of φ. For Bergman spaces we solve the problem completely in terms of the angular derivative of φ, and for a slightly restricted class of φ (which includes the univalent ones) we obtain the same solution for the Hardy spaces Hp (0 < p < ∞). We are able to use these results to provide interesting new examples and to give unified explanations of some previously discovered phenomena.