A conjecture of Fox about the coefficients of the Alexander polynomial of an alternating knot is proved for alternating algebraic (or arborescent) knots, which include two-bridge knots.

In this paper we study the pseudorandom properties of the signs of Kloosterman sums.

Let G be an n-generator group and let g = (g1, g2, …, gn) be an ordered set of n elements which generate G, then g is called a generating n-vector of G. Let denote the set of all generating n-vectors of G.

We construct an explicit set of algebraically independent generators for the center of the universal enveloping algebra of the centralizer of a nilpotent matrix in the general linear Lie algebra over a field of characteristic zero. In particular, this gives a new proof of the freeness of the center, a result first proved by Panyushev, Premet and Yakimova.

Let Δ be a thick building of type Ã2, and let be its set of vertices. We study a commutative algebra of ‘averaging’ operators acting on the space of complex valued functions on . This algebra may be identified with a space of ‘biradial functions’ on , or with a convolution algebra of bi-K-invariant functions on G, if G is a sufficiently large group of ‘type-rotating’ automorphisms of Δ, and K is the subgroup of G fixing a given vertex. We describe the multiplicative functionals on and the corresponding spherical functions. We consider the C*-algebra induced by on l2, find its spectrum Σ, prove positive definiteness of a kernel kz for each z ∈ Σ, find explicity the spherical Plancherel formula for any group G of type rotating automorphisms, and discuss the irreducibility of the unitary representations appearing therein. For the class of buildings ΔJ arising from the groups ΓJ introduced in [2], this involves proving that the weak closure of is maximal abelian in the von Neumann algebra generated by the left regular representation of ΓJ.

The problem of finding a george joinning given points x0, x1 in a connected complete Riemannian manifold requires much more effort than determining a geodesic from initial data. Boundary value problems of this type are sometimes solved using shooting methods, which work best when good initial guesses are available expectually when x0, x1 are nearby. Galerkin methods have their drawbacks too. The situation is much more difficult with general variational problems, which is why we focus on the Riemannian case.

Our global algorithm is very simple to implement, and works well in practice, with no need for an initial guess. The proof of convergence to elementary and very carefully stated. with a view to possible generalizations latter on we have in mind the much larger class of interesting problems arising in optimal control especially from mechanical engineering.

If ω ≡ 1 is a group law implying virtual nilpotence in every finitely generated metabelian group satisfying it, then it implies virtual nilpotence for the finitely generated groups of a large class of groups including all residually or locally soluble-or-finite groups. In fact the groups of satisfying such a law are all nilpotent-by-finite exponent where the nilpotency class and exponent in question are both bounded above in terms of the length of ω alone. This yields a dichotomy for words. Finally, if the law ω ≡ 1 satisfies a certain additional condition—obtaining in particular for any monoidal or Engel law—then the conclusion extends to the much larger class consisting of all ‘locally graded’ groups.

Existence results are presented for second order discrete boundary value problems in abstract spaces. Our analysis uses only Sadovskii's fixed point theorem.

We prove a new energy or Caccioppoli type estimate for minimisers of the model functional ∫Ω|Du|2 + (det Du)2, where Ω ⊂ 2 and u: Ω → 2. We apply this to establish C∞ regularity for minimisers except on a closed set of measure zero. We also prove a maximum principle and use this to establish everywhere continuity of minimisers.

Let K be a field of characteristic 0, G the direct sum of two copies of the additive group of integers. For a total order ≺ on G, which is compatible with the addition, and for any ċ1, ċ2 ∈ K, we define G-graded highest weight modules M(ċ1, ċ2, ≺) over the Virasoro-like algebra , indexed by G. It is natural to call them Verma modules. In the present paper, the irreducibility of M (ċ1, ċ2, ≺) is completely determined and the structure of reducible module M (ċ1, ċ2, ≺)is also described.

In this paper, we derive a number of explicit lower bounds for rational approximation to certain cubic irrationalities, proving, for example, that for any non-zero integers p and q. A number of these irrationality measures improve known results, including those for . Some Diophantine consequences are briefly discussed.

Let S be the surface of the unit sphere in three-dimensional euclidean space, and let WN=(x1x2, xN)be an N-tuple of points on S. We consider the product of mutual distances and, for the variable point x on S, the product of distance from x to the points of ωN. We obtain essentially best possible bounds for maxωN p(ΩN) and for minωN maxx∈sp(x, ωN).

Let K(y) be a known distribution function on (−∞, ∞) and let {Fn(y), n = 0, 1,…} be a sequence of unknown distribution functions related by subject to the initial condition If the sequence {Fn(y)} converges to a distribution function F(y) then F(y) satisfies the Wiener-Hopf equation

A class of functional differential equations in some Hilbert space are studied. The results are applicable to many quasi-linear parabolic paratial differential equations with (possibly) countably many discrete delays and finitely many distributed delays in the highest order spatial derivatives. For the linear case, an evolution operator on the underline space H is introduced, via which a variation of constant formula for the solution of the equation in the underline space H is derived. Some spectral properties of the generator of the solution semigroup defined on some appropriate space are discussed as well.

If S1, S2,… are the times of successive births in a pure birth-process with linear birthrate and i > 0 individuals initially, then given that there are k > 0 births in (0, t), the random variables eλS1—1, eλS2−1,λS1−1 are distributed (conditionally) like the order statistics of k independent random variables, all uniformly distributed on the interval (0, eλt–1), regardless of the initial population size. A similar property holds for the pure death process.

In general, information concerning the distribution of the time to absorption, T, of a simple branching (Galton-Watson) process for which extinction in finite mean time is certain, is difficult to obtain. The process of greatest biological interest is that for which the offspring distribution is Poisson, having p.g.f. F(s) = em(s-1), m < 1.

In this paper, we give multihomogeneous estimates for the group of relations linking multiplicatively dependent algebraic numbers. In the process, we raise a question in the style of Lehmer's problem, concerning multidimensional covolumes in the lattice of units. The proofs are based on the Brill-Gordan duality theorem on orthogonal lattices, and the paper closes with an algebraic version of the theorem, concerning orthogonal abelian subvarieties of an arbitrarily polarized abelian variety.

Let S be a poset with a greatest element 1. We denote order in S by ‘≦’ and, whenever they exist in S, l.u.b and g.l.b by ‘∨’ and ‘∧’ respectively. An orthocomplementation of S is a bijection w: S → S such that x ∨ xω exists for each x in S and (i) xωω = x, (ii) x ≦ y implies yω ≦ xω and (iii) x ∨xω = 1. If a poset S admits an orthocomplementation ω we call the pair (S, ω) an orthoposet.

A unital C*-algebra A is called extremally rich if the set of quasi-invertible elements A-1 ex (A)A-1 (= A-1q) is dense in A, where ex(A) is the set of extreme points in the closed unit ball A1 of A. In [7, 8] Brown and Pedersen introduced this notion and showed that A is extremally rich if and only if conv(ex(A)) = A1. Any unital simple C*-algebra with extremal richness is either purely infinite or has stable rank one (sr(A) = 1). In this note we investigate the extremal richness of C*-crossed products of extremally rich C*-algebras by finite groups. It is shown that if A is purely infinite simple and unital then A xα, G is extremally rich for any finite group G. But this is not true in general when G is an infinite discrete group. If A is simple with sr(A) =, and has the SP-property, then it is shown that any crossed product A xαG by a finite abelian group G has cancellation. Moreover if this crossed product has real rank zero, it has stable rank one and hence is extremally rich.

Shrinkande and Bhagwan Das (1970) showed how to extend a (4t – 1, 4t) row-orthogonal matrix with entries ± 1 to a Hadamard matrix of order 4t. Using a slightly different approach we consider extensions of (4t – k, 4t) row-orthogonal matrix to a Hadamard matrix of order 4t.