Let N be a nilpotent simply connected Lie group, and A a commutative connected d-dimensional Lie group of automorphisms of N which correspond to semisimple endomorphisms of the Lie algebra of N with positive eigenvalues. Form the split extension S = N × A ≅ N × a, a being the Lie algebra of A. We consider a family of “rectangles” Br in S, parameterized by r > 0, such that the measure of Br behaves asymptotically as a fixed power of r. One can construct the Hardy-Littlewood maximal function operator f → Mf relative to left translates of the family {Br}. We prove that M is of weak type (1, 1). This complements a result of J.-O. Strömberg concerning maximal functions defined relative to hyperbolic balls in a symmetric space.

This paper is concerned with the distribution of N points placed consecutively around the circle by an angle of α. We offer a new proof of the Steinhaus Conjecture which states that, for all irrational α and all N, the points partition the circle into arcs or gaps of at least two, and at most three, different lengths. We then investigate the partitioning of a gap as more points are included on the circle. The analysis leads to an interesting geometrical interpretation of the simple continued fraction expansion of α.

A. D. Sands showed that there is a 1–1 correspondence between the prime ideals of an arbitraty associative ring R and the complete matrix ring Mn(R) via P→ Mn(P). A structural matrix ring M(B, R) is the ring of all n × n matrices over R with 0 in the positions where the n × n boolean matrix B, B a quasi-order, has 0. The author characterized the special ideals of M(B, R′), in case R′ has unity, for certain special lasses of rings. In this note results of sands and the author are generalized to structural matrix rings over rings without unity. I t turns out that, although the class of prime simple rings is not a special class, Nagata's M-radical has the same form in structural matrix rings as the special radicals studied by the author.

The Lebesgue measure, λ (E + F), of the algebraic sum of two Borel sets, E, F of the classical “middle-thirds’ Cantor set on the circle can be estimated by evaluating the Cantor meaure, μ of the summands. For example log λ (E + F) exceeds a fixed scalar multiple of log μ (E)+ log μ (F). Several numerical inequalities which are required to prove this and related results look tantalizingly simple and basic. Here we isolate them from the measure theory and present a common format and proof.

It was kindly pointed out to the authors by Z. Lipecki and A. Spakowski that the proofs of Theorem 2.3 and Proposition 3.8 of [1] are incomplete; the gaps are on lines 15–14 from the bottom of page 457 and line 2 from the bottom of page 463 respectively. The openness of a non atomic measure in finite dimensions has also been treated in [2], [3], and [4]. A complete proof may be found in [2].

It is shown that if an interval graph possesses a maximal-clique partition then its clique covering and clique partition numbers are equal, and equal to the maximal-clique partition number. Moreover an interval graph has such a partition if and only if all its maximal cliques are edge-disjoint.

There are some well-known laws that the commutator satisfies in groups, and that go by some or all of the names Jacobi, Witt, Hall; and there are also some lesser-known laws. This is an attempt at an axiomatic study of the interdependence and independence of these laws.

The following questions are studied: When is a semigroup graded ring left Noetherian, respectively semiprime left Goldie? Necessary sufficient conditions are proved for cancellative semigroup-graded subrings of rings weakly or strongly graded by a polycyclic-by-finite (unique product) group. For semigroup rings R[S] we also give a solution to the problem in case S is an inverse semigroup.

We study negative definite functions on a Hilbert space and use their properties to give a proof of the Lévy-Khinchin formula for an infinitely divisible probability distribution on .

We employ the Dyson's Lemma of Esnault and Viehweg to obtain a new and sharp formulation of Roth's Theorem on the approximation of algebraic numbers by algebraic numbers and apply our arguments to yield a refinement of the Davenport-Roth result on the number of exceptions to Roth's inequality and a sharpening of the Cugiani-Mahler theorem. We improve on the order of magnitude of the results rather than just on the constants involved.

Motivated by work of Garsia and Lamperti we consider null-recurrent renewal sequences with a regularly varying tail and seek information about their rate of convergence to zero. The main result shows that such sequences subject to a monotonicity condition obey a limit law whatever the value of the exponent α is, 0 < α < 1. This monotonicity property is seen to hold for a large class of renewal sequences, the so-called Kaluza sequences. This class includes moment sequences, and therefore includes the sequences generated by reversible Markov chains. Several subsidiary results are proved.

We analyse the structure of a regular extension ℳ ⋊ γ, υQ of a von Neumann algebra ℳ by an action (modulo inner automorphisms) γ of a discrete group Q, and a nonabelian 2-cycle υ for γ, under the assumption that the “action” γ of Q is cocycle conjugate to an “action”, α which leaves globally invariant a cartan subalgebra of ℳ. we show that ℳ ⋊ γ, υQ is isomorphic with the algebra of the left regular projective representation of a certain discrete, non-principal groupoid ℜ V Q determined by the action of Q on the given cartan subalgebrs, where ℜ is the Takesaki relation associated to the pair (ℳ, ) we apply this description to give a decomposition of the regular representation of a group G into irreducibles, where G is a split extension of a type I group K by an abelian group Q, and work out the details of the author's earlier abstract plancherel theorem in the case when K is abelian.

Let X be either the d-dimensional sphere or a compact, simply connected, simple, connected Lie group. We define a mean-value operator analogous to the spherical mean-value operator acting on integrable functions on Euclidean space. The value of this operator will be written as ℳ f (x, a), where x ∈ X and a varies over a torus A in the group of isometries of X. For each of these cases there is an interval pO < p ≦ 2, where the p0 depends on the geometry of X, such that if f is in Lp (X) then there is a set full measure in X and if x lies in this set, the function a ↦ℳ f(x, a) has some Hölder continuity on compact subsets of the regular elements of A.

Recently M. Benedicks showed that if a function f ∈ L2(Rd) and its Fourier transform both have supports of finite measure, then f = 0 almot everywhere. In this paper we give a version of this result for all noncompact semisimple connected Lie groups with finite centres.

In this paper we show that a group A is embedded in any finite group G as a subnormal subgroup with low degree of complication, provided that the automorphism group of A satisfies a condition depending on some Fitting class (which coincides with completeness for the Fitting class of all groups). A criterion is given for these groups as to whether they can be embedded subnormally in the commutator subgroup of some finite group or not.

In a finite Desarguesian plane of odd order, it was shown by Segre thirty years ago that a set of maximum size with at most two points on a line is a conic. Here, in a plane of odd or even order, sufficient conditions are given for a set with at most three points on a line to be a cubic curve. The case of an elliptic curve is of particular interest.

The notion of a scalar operator on a Banach space, in the sense of N. Dunford, is widened so as to cover those operators which can be approximated in the operator norm by linear combinations of disjoint values of an additive and multiplicative operator valued set function, P, on an algebra of sets in a space Ω such that P(Ω) = I, subject to some conditions guaranteeing that this definition is unambiguous. An operator T turns out to be scalar in this sense, if and only if, there exists a (not necessarily bounded) Boolean algebra of bounded projections such that the Banach algebra of operators it generates is semisimple and contains T.

Riesz products are employed to give a construction of quasi-invariant ergodic measures under the irrational rotation of T. By suitable choice of the parameters such measures may be required to have Fourier-Stieltjes coefficients vanishing at infinity. We show further that these are the unique quasi-invariant measures on T with their associated Radon-Nikodym derivative.