Completely positive maps defined by an irreducible correspondence between two von Neumann algebras M and N are introduced. We give results about their structure and characterize, among them, those which are extreme points in the convex set of all unital completely positive maps from M to N. As particular cases we obtain known results of M. D. Choi [4] on completely positive maps between complex matrices and of J. A. Mingo [8] on inner completely positive maps.

It is proved that a pseudoumbilical 2-type surface in a sphere has constant mean curvature. Moreover, the dimension of the sphere is greater than four.

We obtain the following generalization of a well known result of Huppert. If p is the largest primer divisor of the order of a finite group G and q is any prime distinct from p, then G is supersolvable if and only if every maximal subgroup whose index is relatively prime to either p or q, has prime index.

We show that, if [s,t][u, v] = x2 in a free group, x need not be a commutator. We arrive at our example by use of a result of D. Piollet which characterizes solutions of such equations using an algebraic interpretation of the mapping class group of the corresponding surface.

In this paper we show that a ring derivation on a function algebra is trivial provided that the Choquet boundary of the algebra contains a dense sequentially non-isolated set.

We obtain sufficient conditions for the oscillation of all solutions of the linear delay differential equation with positive and negative coefficients

where

Extensions to neutral differential equations and some applications to the global asymptotic stability of the trivial solution are also given.

Each polynomial P(x) has a "Lorentz representation", of the form This representation becomes unique if we insist that n equals the degree of P. Motivated partly by questions involving polynomials with integer coefficients, we investigate the relationship between

R. Ji asked whether or not a Furstenberg transformation of the 2-torus of the form (x,y) → (e2πiθx, f(x)y), where θ is irrational and f : T —> T is continuous with non-zero degree k, is topologically conjugate to the Anzai transformation (x, y) → (e2πiθx, xk y) or its inverse. In this paper this question is settled in the negative. Further, some sufficient conditions are given under which the crossed product C*-algebra associated with a Furstenberg transformation of the 2-torus has a unique tracial state.

Some equationally defined classes of loops are identified and characterized among a class of loops which are isomorphic to all of their loop isotopes.

Sufficient conditions for the oscillation of all solutions of the delay differention equation (1) below are obtained.

This paper studies for a number field K and a finite group Γ the cokernel of the residue homomorphism .

Under the assumption of the prime /c-tuplets conjecture we show that it is possible to construct an infinite sequence of integers, such that the average of any two is prime.

Let A be a C*-algebra and let I be a C*-subalgebra of A. Denote by an extension of a state φ of B to a state of A. It is shown that I is an ideal of A if and only if there exists a homomorphism Q from A** onto I** such that Q is the identity map on I** and for every state φ on I. Furthermore it is also shown that I is an essential ideal of A if and only if there exists an injective homomorphism from A into the multiplier algebra of I which is the identity map on I.

Let L be a finitely generated extension of a field k. L is a k-rational factor if there is a field extension K of k such that the total quotient ring of L ꕕk K is a rational (pure transcendental) extension of K. We present examples of non-rational rational factors and explicitly determine both factors.

A famous theorem of Krull's is that the integral closure of an integral domain D is the intersection of the valuation domains that contain D. An example is given to show that the same result need not hold for the integral closure of a ring with zero divisors.

A homotopy theoretic version is given of the following result of Conner and Raymond: If the circle acts on a space so that the orbit map induces an injection in homology, then the space fibres over the circle with finite structure group. This homotopical analogue is related to recent results pertaining to the effect of the fundamental group's structure on the Euler characteristic. It is also used in the construction of a compact, simple 7-manifold with trivial Gottlieb group which, together with an infinite dimensional example of Ganea, answers a question of Gottlieb.

Fuglede's commutativity theorem for normal operators is an easy consequence of the result that: For T normal, denoting the range of T - λ by R(T - λ), ∩ {R(T - λ) : all λ} = {0}:

We give an estimate for the error of Lp approximation by reciprocals of polynomials. These estimates are the analogues of the Jackson and Ditzian - Totik estimates for polynomial approximation.

We show that the Bogdanov-Takens system has at most one limit cycle. Similarly we show that the maximum number of limit cycles in the universal unfolding of the symmetric cusp of order 2 (resp. 3) is one (resp. 2). The proof uses the elementary technique of Liénard's equation, yielding a global result for all values of the parameters.

The following conjecture of Chowla and Zassenhaus ( 1968) is proved. If f(x) is an integral polynomial of degree ≧ 2 and p is a sufficiently large prime for which f (considered modulo p) is a permutation polynomial of the finite prime field Fp, then for no integer c with 1 ≦ c < p is f(x) + cx a permutation polynomial of Fp.