The following results of Whitehead and Wall are well-known applications of the algebraic K-theoretic functors K0 and K1 to basic homotopy questions in topology.

THEOREM 1 [20]. If f : X → Y is a homotopy equivalence between compact CW complexes, then there is a torsion τ(ƒ) in the algebraically-defined Whitehead group Wh π1(Y) which vanishes if and only if f is a simple homotopy equivalence.

THEOREM 2 [18]. If X is an arbitrary space which is finitely dominated (i.e., homotopically dominated by a compact polyhedron), then there is an obstruction σ(X) in the algebraically-defined reduced projective class group which vanishes if and only if X is homotopy equivalent to some compact polyhedron.

If we direct sum over components, then the above statements make good sense even if the spaces involved are not connected.

If X is a dense subspace of Y, much is known about the question of when every bounded continuous real-valued function on X extends to a continuous function on Y. Indeed, this is one of the central topics of [5]. In this paper we are interested in the opposite question: When are there continuous bounded real-valued functions on X which extend to no point of Y – X? (Of course, we cannot hope that every function on X fails to extend since the restrictions to X of continuous functions on Y extend to Y.) In this paper, we show that if Y is a compact metric space and if X is a dense subset of Y, then X admits a bounded continuous function which extends to no point of Y – X if and only if X is completely metrizable. We also show that for certain spaces Y and dense subsets X, the set of bounded functions on X which extend to a point of Y – X form a first category subset of C*(X).

A major goal of this paper is to give a proof of the following isotropy criterion: Let X = (X,G) be a space of orderings in the terminology of [9] or [10], and let f be a form defined over G.Then f is anisotropic over X if and only if f is anisotropic over some finite subspace of X.This is the content of Theorem 1.4, and generalizes [1, Corollary 3.4]. Moreover, in view of the known structure of finite spaces (see [9]), this has, essentially, the strength of [2, Satz 3.9] or [12, Theorem 8.12]. The technique used to prove this criterion is roughly patterned on that of [6], and yields some interesting by-products: An interesting invariant of a space of orderings called the chain length is introduced (Definition 1.1) and spaces of orderings with finite chain length are classified (Theorem 1.6).

The main purpose of this note is to give a characterization of p-pure unital subrings of the p-adic completion of the ring of integers R of an algebraic number field K localized at a maximal ideal p. This yields a characterization of the valued subfields of the p-adic field. In this context there turn up valuations of rational function fields in many indeterminates which seem to be new. The proof that the underlying function is indeed a valuation is quite easy here, however direct computations would involve a large amount of combinatorics. Our approach seems to fit well with Kronecker's, apparently forgotten, approach to ideal theory in rings of algebraic integers [3]. The concept of p-pure unital subrings arose from a study by the first author and A. Laroche of quasi-p-pure-injective (q.p.p.i.) abelian groups ([1], p. 582).

In this paper we study the question “which generalized metric spaces can be written as the union of k (closed) metrizable subspaces, where k is a cardinal number with k ≤ c?“ Questions of this type first arose in [16] where J. Nagata asked for examples of certain generalized metric spaces which could not be written as the union of countably many closed metrizable subspaces. Using Baire Category arguments, Fitzpatrick provided the required examples in [12]. We begin this paper by sharpening Fitzpatrick's examples, showing in Section 2 that there is a Moore space which is not the union of countably many metrizable subspaces of any kind. Then in Section 3 we present a positive result, proving that any cr-space, and a fortiori any Moore space, can be written as the union of c = 2ω0 closed metrizable subspaces.

An n2 × k orthogonal array is a pair (P, B) where P = {1, 2, …, n} and B is a collection of k-tuples of elements from P (called rows) such that if i < j ∈ {1, 2, …, k} and x and y are any two elements of P (not necessarily distinct) there is exactly one row in B whose ith coordinate is x and whose jth coordinate is y. We will refer to the ith coordinate of a row r as the ith column of r. The number n is called the order (or size) of the array and k is called the strength.

Let (X, F,) be a sigma-finite measure space. In what follows we assume p fixed, 1 < p < ∞ . Let T be a contraction of Lp(X, F, μ) (‖T‖,p ≦ 1). If ƒ ≧ 0 implies Tƒ ≧ 0 we will say that T is positive. In this paper we prove that if is a uniform sequence (see Section 2 for definition) and T is a positive contraction of Lp, then

exists and is finite almost everywhere for every ƒ ∊ Lp(X, F, μ).

Let G be a group, ZG the group ring of G over the ring Z of integers, and U(ZG) the group of units of ZG. One method of investigating U(ZG) is to choose some property of groups and try to determine the groups G such that U(ZG) enjoys that property. For example Sehgal and Zassenhaus [9] have given necessary and sufficient conditions for U(ZG) to be nilpotent (see also [7]), and the same authors have investigated when U(ZG) is an FC (finite-conjugate) group [10]. For a survey of related questions, see [3]. In this paper we consider when U(ZG) contains a free subgroup of rank 2. We conjecture that if this does not happen, then every finite subgroup of G is normal, from which various other conclusions then follow (see Lemma 4).

Let R be a commutative ring with multiplicative identity. We say that R is an outer product ring (OP-ring) if each vector v in the exterior power ⋀nRn+1 is decomposable; i.e. v = v1 ⋀ v2 ⋀ … ⋀ vn with vi ∈ Rn+1 (alternatively, each n + 1 tuple of elements in R is the tuple of n × n minors of some n × (n + 1) matrix with entries in R).

Lissner initiated the study of which commutative rings are OP-rings, showing that any Dedekind domain is an OP-ring [13]. Towber classified the local Noetherian OP-rings as those with maximal ideal generated by two elements, and Hinohara's reformulation of Towber's result extended the context to semi-local rings [18, 11]. Assuming the stronger condition that all Pliicker vectors are decomposable and designating such rings as Towber rings, Lissner and Geramita gave necessary conditions for a Noetherian ring to be a Towber ring [14].

The following lemma, part a) due to S. N. Bernstein and part b) due to A. A. Markov, is fundamental to the proofs of many inverse theorems in polynomial approximation theory.

LEMMA 1. [2, p. 62 and p. 67] Let ∏n denote the real polynomials of degree at most n. Let p ∈ ∏n, then

a)

b)

From the lemma one can deduce, for example:

THEOREM 1. Iƒ there is a sequence of polynomials pn ∈ ∏n and a δ > 0 so that ‖f – pn‖[a, b] ≧ A/nk + δ then f is k times continuously differentiate on (a, b).

We shall refer to inequalities, such as those of Lemma 1 that bound the derivative r′ of a rational function of degree n in terms of its supremum norm ‖r‖[a, b] and n, as Bernstein-type inequalities.

Dans la théorie des groupes abéliens, les diverses notions de pureté de sous-groupes jouent un rôle très important. Récemment, un ouvrage entier de A. P. Mishina et L. A. Skorniakov a été consacré à ces notions et à leurs généralisations à la théorie des modules (voir [8]). Espérant faire jouer aux sous-groupes purs d'un groupe abélien un rôle analogue à celui des idéaux primaires dans la théorie des anneaux noetheriens, L. Fuchs pose le problème de caractériser les sous-groupes d'un groupe abélien qui sont des intersections de familles finies de sous-groupes purs ([4] problème 13, p. 134). Ce problème, sans l'exigence de finitude offre beaucoup moins de difficultés. Une solution en est donnée par C. Megibben dans [7] pour les familles de sous-groupes purs et par K. M. Rangaswamy dans [9] pour les familles de sous-groupes nets.

In his thesis and [24], J. B. Nation showed the existence of certain lattice identities, strictly weaker than the modular law, such that if all the congruence lattices of a variety of algebras satisfy one of these identities, then all the congruence lattices were even modular. Moreover Freese and Jónsson showed in [10] that from this “congruence modularity” of a variety of algebras one can even deduce the (stronger) Arguesian identity.

These and similar results [3; 5; 9; 12; 18; 21] induced Jónsson in [17; 18] to introduce the following notions. For a variety of algebras , is the (congruence) variety of lattices generated by the class () of all congruence lattices θ(A), . Secondly if is a lattice identity, and Σ is a set of such, holds if for any variety implies .

In what follows, a theorem on blocking sets is generalized to higher dimensions. The result is then used to study maximal partial spreads of odd-dimensional projective spaces.

Notation. The number of elements in a set X is denoted by |X|. Those elements in a set A which are not in the set Bare denoted by A — B. In a projective space Σ = PG(n, q) of dimension n over the field GF(q) of order q, ┌d(Ωd, Λd, etc.) will mean a subspace of dimension d. A hyperplane of Σ is a subspace of dimension n — 1, that is, of co-dimension one.

A blocking set in a projective plane π is a subset S of the points of π such that each line of π contains at least one point in S and at least one point not in S. The following result is shown in [1], [2].

Let be a probability space, J a directed set filtering to the right. (X t) t∈J is a family of random variables adapted to an increasing family of σ-algebras . Vitali conditions V and V' on the σ-algebras, abstracting classical assumptions in Lebesgue's derivation theory, were made to insure essential convergence of martingales and submartingales (under proper boundedness assumptions). In reality these conditions, guaranteeing the existence of certain disjoint and properly measurable sets Bi, are better suited for study of amarts, since the sets Bi are a natural habitat and breeding ground for stopping times, thriving, as well known, precisely on disjoint and properly measurable sets. Thus K. Astbury [1] showed that the condition V, proved by K. Krickeberg to be sufficient for convergence of martingales (see [20] or Neveu [26], p. 98) is both necessary and sufficient for convergence of amarts. (We follow Neveu denoting by V the condition Krickeberg denotes by V+∞.) The Vitali condition V’, proved by Krickeberg [21] to be sufficient for convergence of submartingales, is shown here to be both necessary and sufficient for convergence of ordered amarts, defined similarly to amarts, except that the stopping times are ordered. We also introduce the controlled Vitali condition Ve, properly weaker than V’, and show that Ve is sufficient for convergence of controlled amarts, including submartingales.

In this paper we study the nonlinear initial boundary value problem

(1.1) ωtt— αΔ ωt— Δω= f(ω), t> 0

ω(x, 0) = ϕ(x), x∈ Ω

ωt(x, 0) = ψ (x), x∈ Ω

ω(x, t ) = 0, x ∈ ∂Ω, t ≥ 0.

In (1.1) Ω is a smooth bounded domain in Rn, n = 1, 2, 3, α > 0, and f ∈ C1(R;R) with f‘(x) ≦ co for all x ∈ R (where c0 is a nonnegative constant), lim sup|x|→+∞f(x)/x ≦0, and f(0) = 0. Our objective will be to establish the existence of unique strong global solutions to (1.1) and investigate their behavior as t→ +∞.

Our approach takes advantage of the semilinear character of (1.1) and reformulates the problem as an abstract ordinary differential equation in a Banach space.

An arithmetic function ƒ(n) is said to be additive if it satisfies ƒ(ab) = ƒ(a) + ƒ(b) whenever a and b are coprime integers. For such a function we define

A standard form of the Turán-Kubilius inequality states that

(1)

holds for some absolute constant c1, uniformly for all complex-valued additive arithmetic functions ƒ (n), and real x ≧ 2. An inequality of this type was first established by Turán [11], [12] subject to some side conditions upon the size of │ƒ(pm)│. For the general inequality we refer to [10].

This inequality, and more recently its dual, have been applied many times to the study of arithmetic functions. For an overview of some applications we refer to [2]; a complete catalogue of the applications of the inequality (1) would already be very large. For some applications of the dual of (1) see [3], [4], and [1].

In recent years there has been considerable interest in the conjecture that |G| divides |Aut G| for all finite non-cyclic p-groups G of order greater than p2. In particular, the conjecture has been established for a considerable number of (not necessarily distinct) classes of finite p-groups ([6], [7], [8], [9], [15], [16]); additionally, results have been obtained, often using homological methods, which permit reductions in any attempt to establish the overall conjecture ([5], [10], [13], [15]). In the former case, the p-groups G have generally been regular p-groups (see, for example, [6]) and the prime p = 2 has either been excluded (see, for example, [8]) or treated as a special case (as in [9]).It is the purpose of this paper to establish the conjecture for the class of all p-groups G where |G: Z(G)| ≦ p4 with no restrictions on the prime p.

A classical result in the theory of convex polyhedra is that every bounded polyhedral convex set can be expressed either as the intersection of half-spaces or as a convex combination of extreme points. It is becoming increasingly apparent that a full understanding of a class of convex polyhedra requires the knowledge of both of these characterizations. Perhaps the earliest and neatest example of this is the class of doubly stochastic matrices. This polyhedron can be defined by the system of equations

Birkhoff [2] and Von Neuman have shown that the extreme points of this bounded polyhedron are just the n × n permutation matrices. The importance of this result for mathematical programming is that it tells us that the maximum of any linear form over P will occur for a permutation matrix X.

Throughout this paper the ring R and the semigroup S are commutative with identity; moreover, it is assumed that S is cancellative, i.e., that S can be embedded in a group. The aim of this note is to determine necessary and sufficient conditions on R and S that the semigroup ring R[S] should be one of the following types of rings: principal ideal ring (PIR), ZPI-ring, Bezout, semihereditary or arithmetical. These results shed some light on the structure of semigroup rings and provide a source of examples of the rings listed above. They also play a key role in the determination of all commutative reduced arithmetical semigroup rings (without the cancellative hypothesis on S) which will appear in a forthcoming paper by Leo Chouinard and the authors [4].

There are numerous instances in which the partners in an extension of commutative rings R ⊂ T have the same prime ideals, i.e., in which Spec(R) = Spec(T). Although this equality is intended to be taken set-theoretically, the identification easily extends to the corresponding spaces endowed with their Zariski topologies (see Proposition 3.5(a)), but of course need not extend to an identification of Spec(R) and Spec(T) as affine schemes. Perhaps the most striking recent illustration of this phenomenon arises from the work of Hedstrom and Houston [14] in which R is a pseudo-valuation domain and T is a suitable valuation overring. Other examples may be found by means of the D + M construction, either in its traditional form [12, p. 560] or in the generalized situation introduced by Brewer and Rutter [5].