A well-known theorem of Sarason [11] asserts that if $\left[ {{T}_{f}},\,{{T}_{h}} \right]$ is compact for every $h\,\in \,{{H}^{\infty }}$, then $f\,\in \,{{H}^{\infty }}\,+\,C\left( T \right)$. Using local analysis in the full Toeplitz algebra $T\,=\,T\left( {{L}^{\infty }} \right)$, we show that the membership $f\,\in \,{{H}^{\infty }}\,+\,C\left( T \right)$ can be inferred from the compactness of a much smaller collection of commutators $\left[ {{T}_{f}},\,{{T}_{h}} \right]$. Using this strengthened result and a theorem of Davidson [2], we construct a proper ${{C}^{*}}$-subalgebra $T\left( \mathcal{L} \right)$ of $T$ which has the same essential commutant as that of $T$. Thus the image of $T\left( \mathcal{L} \right)$ in the Calkin algebra does not satisfy the double commutant relation [12], [1]. We will also show that no separable subalgebra $\mathcal{S}$ of $T$ is capable of conferring the membership $f\,\in \,{{H}^{\infty }}\,+\,C\left( T \right)$ through the compactness of the commutators $\left\{ \left[ {{T}_{f,}}\,S \right]\,:\,S\,\in \,\mathcal{S} \right\}$.

Let ${{X}^{5}}\,+\,aX\,+\,b\,\in \,Z\left[ X \right]$ have Galois group ${{D}_{5}}$. Let $\theta $ be a root of ${{X}^{5}}\,+\,aX\,+\,b$. An explicit formula is given for the discriminant of $Q\left( \theta \right)$.

Applications of minimal surface methods are made to obtain information about univalent harmonic mappings. In the case where the mapping arises as the Poisson integral of a step function, lower bounds for the number of zeros of the dilatation are obtained in terms of the geometry of the image.