In this note we consider the question as to which central division algebras occur as the Clifford algebra of a quadratic form over a field. Non-commutative ones other than quaternion division algebras can occur and it is also the case that there are certain central division algebras D which, while not themselves occurring as a Clifford algebra, are such that some matrix ring over D does occur as a Clifford algebra. We also consider the further question as to which involutions on the division algebra can occur as one of two natural involutions on the Clifford algebra.

Let

be an indefinite quadratic form with real coefficients. A well-known result, due to Birch, Davenport and Ridout [1], [5] and [6], states that if n ≥21 then for any ε > 0 there is an integer vector x ≠O such that

Recently [3] we have quantified this result, obtaining a function g(n) such that g(n)→ ½ as n n→ ∞ and such that for any η > 0 and all large enough X there is an integer vector x satisfying

where |x| = max |xi|and the implicit constant in Vinogradov's ≪-notation is independent of X.

There are well-known identities involving the Ext bifunctor, coproducts, and products in AB4 abelian categories with enough projectives. Namely, for every such category \[\mathcal{A}\], given an object X and a set of objects \[{\{ {{\text{A}}_{\text{i}}}\} _{{\text{i}} \in {\text{I}}}}\], an isomorphism \[Ext_\mathcal{A}^{\text{n}}({ \oplus _{{\text{i}} \in {\text{I}}}}{{\text{A}}_{\text{i}}},{\text{X}}) \cong \prod\nolimits_{{\text{i}} \in {\text{I}}} {Ext_\mathcal{A}^{\text{n}}({{\text{A}}_{\text{i}}},{\text{X}})} \] can be built, where \[Ex{t^{\text{n}}}\] is the nth derived functor of the Hom functor. The goal of this paper is to show a similar isomorphism for the nth Yoneda Ext, which is a functor equivalent to \[Ex{t^{\text{n}}}\] that can be defined in more general contexts. The desired isomorphism is constructed explicitly by using colimits in AB4 abelian categories with not necessarily enough projectives nor injectives, extending a result by Colpi and Fuller in [8]. Furthermore, the isomorphisms constructed are used to characterize AB4 categories. A dual result is also stated.

For any odd prime p, we construct an infinite family of imaginary quadratic fields whose class numbers are divisible by p. We give a corollary that settles Iizuka’s conjecture for the case n=1 and p>2.

In a recent paper [1], Brown, Hajarnavis and MacEacharn have considered non-commutative Noetherian local rings of finite global dimension which are integral over their centres. For such a ring Rthey have shown:

(i) R is a prime ring whose Krull and global dimensions coincide;

(ii) R = ∩ RP where p runs through the set of rank one primes of the centre of R, and each Rp is hereditary;

(iii) the centre of R is a Krull domain.

In the analysis of mixed boundary value problems by Hankel transforms, one often encounters dual integral equations of the form

where I1 = (0, 1), I2 = (1, ∞); w1(x), w2(x) are weight functions, ψ(x) is the unknown function, and f(y), g(y) are functions continuously differentiate on I1 and I2 respectively. Many successful attempts have been made to solve (1.1) and (1.2). These are all discussed in a recent book by Sneddon [7]. As pointed out in a recent paper by Erdogan and Bahar [4], in mixed boundary value problems of semi-infinite domains involving more than one unknown function such as those arising in elastostatics, viscoelasticity, and electrostatics, the formulation will lead to a system of simultaneous dual integral equations which is a generalization of (1.1) and (1.2). These equations may be expressed as follows:

with i = 1, 2, …, n, where we use the notation

Let T be a bounded operator on a complex Banach space X. Let V be an open subset of the complex plane. We give a condition sufficient for the mapping f(z)↦ (T−z)f(z) to have closed range in the Fréchet space H(V, X) of analytic X-valued functions on V. Moreover, we show that there is a largest open set U for which the map f(z)↦ (T−z)f(z) has closed range in H(V, X) for all V⊆U. Finally, we establish analogous results in the setting of the weak–* topology on H(V, X*).

We present new examples of finite-dimensional Nichols algebras over fields of characteristic 2 from braided vector spaces that are not of diagonal type, admit realizations as Yetter–Drinfeld modules over finite abelian groups, and are analogous to Nichols algebras of finite Gelfand–Kirillov dimension in characteristic 0. New finite-dimensional pointed Hopf algebras over fields of characteristic 2 are obtained by bosonization with group algebras of suitable finite abelian groups.

The aim of this paper is to give certain conditions characterizing ruled affine surfaces in terms of the Blaschke structure (∇, h, S) induced on a surface (M, f) in ℝ3. The investigation of affine ruled surfaces was started by W. Blaschke in the beginning of our century (see [1]). The description of affine ruled surfaces can be also found in the book [11], [3] and [7]. Ruled extremal surfaces are described in [9]. We show in the present paper that a shape operator S is a Codazzi tensor with respect to the Levi-Civita connection ∇ of affine metric h if and only if (M, f) is an affine sphere or a ruled surface. Affine surfaces with ∇S = 0 are described in [2] (see also [4]). We also show that a surface which is not an affine sphere is ruled iff im(S - HI) =ker(S - HI) and ket(S - HI) ⊂ ker dH. Finally we prove that an affine surface with indefinite affine metric is a ruled affine sphere if and only if the difference tensor K is a Codazzi tensor with respect to ∇.

If R is a ring and S is a semigroup, the corresponding semigroup ring is denoted by R[S]. A ring is semiprime if it has no nonzero nilpotent ideals. A semigroup S is a semilattice P of semigroups Sα if there exists a homomorphism φ of S onto the semilattice P such that Sα = αφ−1 for each α ∈ P.

Let C= CmXCmX…XCm be the finite abelian group of order mn generated by n elements w1…,wn of order m. Let C be the field of complex numbers and P a projective representation of G with factor set α over C (see Morris [2]). Further let

and

Throughout this note, rings will mean associative rings with identity and all modules are unital. A ring R is called right artinian if R satisfies the descending chain condition for right ideals. It is known that not every ideal of a right artinian ring is right artinian as a ring, in general. However, if every ideal of a right artinian ring R is right artinian then R is called hereditarily artinian. The structure of hereditarily artinian rings was described completely by Kertész and Widiger [5] from which, in the case of rings with identity, we get:

A ring R is hereditarily artinian if and only if R is a direct sum S ⊕ F of a semiprime right artinian ring S and a finite ring F.

We define and study generalizations of simplicial volume over arbitrary seminormed rings with a focus on p-adic simplicial volumes. We investigate the dependence on the prime and establish homology bounds in terms of p-adic simplicial volumes. As the main examples, we compute the weightless and p-adic simplicial volumes of surfaces. This is based on an alternative way to calculate classical simplicial volume of surfaces without hyperbolic straightening and shows that surfaces satisfy mod p and p-adic approximation of simplicial volume.

It is proved that every abelian VNL-ring is an SVNL-ring, which gives a positive answer to a question of Osba et al. [7]. Some characterizations of duo VNL-rings are given and some main results of Osba et al. [7] on commutative VNL-rings are extended to right duo VNL-rings and even abelian GVNL-rings.

We consider the standard action of the dihedral group $\bf{D}_n$ of order $2n$ on $\bf{C}$. This representation is absolutely irreducible and so the corresponding Hopf bifurcation occurs on $\bf{C} \oplus \bf{C}$. Golubitsky and Stewart (Hopf bifurcation with dihedral group symmetry: Coupled nonlinear oscillators. In: Multiparameter Bifurcation Series, M. Golubitsky and J. Guckenheimer, eds., Contemporary Mathematics 46, Am. Math. Soc., Providence, R.I. 1986, 131–173) and van Gils and Valkering (Hopf bifurcation and symmetry: standing and travelling waves in a circular chain. Japan J. Appl. Math.3, 207–222, 1986) prove the generic existence of three branches of periodic solutions, up to conjugacy, in systems of ordinary differential equations with $\bf{D}_n$-symmetry, depending on one real parameter, that present Hopf bifurcation. These solutions are found by using the Equivariant Hopf Theorem. We prove that generically, when $n\neq 4$ and assuming Birkhoff normal form, these are the only branches of periodic solutions that bifurcate from the trivial solution.

The aim of this note is to examine the basic ideas underlying Minkowski's theorem on lattice points in a symmetrical convex body and related results of Blichfeldt, and to indicate how these can be generalized. Theorems analogous to Minkowski's, on the automorphisms of quadratic forms and other linear groups and on Fuchsian groups of transformations in the complex plane, have been obtained by Siegel [6] and Tsuji [7], Generalizations which include these are due to Chabauty [2] and Santalo [5].

The object of this paper is to consider two easy propositions concerning bounded approximate identities and show that they do not extend to unbounded approximate identities. The propositions are as follows.

Proposition 1.1. Every bounded left approximate identity in a normed algebra is a left approximate identity for the completion.

Proposition 1.2. Every bounded left approximate identity in a separable normed algebra has a subsequence which is a left approximate identity.

In this paper we describe a special class of self-adjoint operators associated with the singular self-adjoint second-order differential expression ℓ. This class is defined by the requirement that the sesquilinear form q(u, v) obtained from ℓ by integration by parts once agrees with the inner product 〈ℓu, v〉. We call this class Type I operators. The Friedrichs Extension is a special case of these operators. A complete characterization of these operators is given, for the various values of the deficiency index, in terms of their domains and the boundary conditions they satisfy (separated or coupled).

Recall that a Noetherian ring R is a Hilbert ring if the Jacobson radical of every factor ring of R is nilpotent. As one of the main results of [13], J. E. Roseblade proved that if J is a commutative Hilbert ring and G is a polycyclic-by-finite group then JG is a Hilbert ring. The main theorem of this paper is a generalisation of this result in the case where all the field images of J are absolute fields—we shall say that J is absolutely Hilbert. The result is stated in terms of the (Gabriel–Rentschler–) Krull dimension; the definition and basic properties of this may be found in [5]. Let M be a finitely generated right module over the ring R. We write AnnR(M) (or just Ann(M)) for the ideal {r ∈ R: Mr = 0}, the annihilator of M in R. If M is also a left module, its left annihilator will be denoted l-AnnR(M). If R is a group ring JG, put

We investigate the spectral properties of matrices associated with comb graphs. We show that the adjacency matrices and adjacency matrix Laplacians of the sequences of graphs show a spectral similarity relationship in the sense of work by L. Malozemov and A. Teplyaev (Self-similarity, operators and dynamics, Math. Phys. Anal. Geometry6 (2003), 201–218), and hence these sequences of graphs show a spectral decimation property similar to that of the Laplacians of the Sierpiński gasket graph and other fractal graphs.