Let

be an indefinite quadratic form with real coefficients. A well-known result, due to Birch, Davenport and Ridout [1], [5] and [6], states that if n ≥21 then for any ε > 0 there is an integer vector x ≠O such that

Recently [3] we have quantified this result, obtaining a function g(n) such that g(n)→ ½ as n n→ ∞ and such that for any η > 0 and all large enough X there is an integer vector x satisfying

where |x| = max |xi|and the implicit constant in Vinogradov's ≪-notation is independent of X.

A (v, k, λ)-configuration, also called a symmetric balanced incomplete block design, is an arrangement of v distinct objects called points or varieties into v subsets called lines or blocks such that each line contains exactly k points and each pair of distinct lines contains exactly λ points in common. To avoid certain trivial configurations, one assumes that 0<λ<k<v–1.

Various semigroups of partial transformations (and more generally, semigroups of binary relations) on a set have been studied by a number of Soviet mathematicians; to mention only a few: Gluskin [2], Ljapin [4], Shutov [6], Zaretski [7], [8]. In their study the densely embedded ideal of a semigroup introduced by Ljapin [4] plays a central role. In fact, a concrete semigrou Q is described in several instances by its abstract characteristic, namely either by a set of postulates on an abstract semigroup or by a set of postulates (which are usually much simpler) on an abstract semigroup S which is a densely embedded ideal of a semigroup T isomorphic to Q. In many cases, the densely embedded ideal S is a completely 0-simple semigroup. The following theorem [3, 1.7.1] reduces the study of a semigroup Q with a weakly reductive densely embedded ideal S to the study of the translational hull of S:

Theorem (Gluskin). If S is a weakly reductive densely embedded ideal of a semigroup Q, then Q is isomorphic to the translational hull ω(S) of S.

One of the concepts introduced in [2] is that of a hyperbornological space, an idea which effectively replaces that of a bornological space when semiconvex spaces are being considered. In Section 2 of the present paper, it is shown how the topology of such a space may be described in terms of bounded pseudometrices. This is used in Section 3 to tackle the problem of when a product of separated hyperbornological spaces has the same property. It is shown that, as in the classical case of bornological spaces, this problem is equivalent to one in measure theory.

Airy's integrals

can be expressed ([1], [2]) in terms of Bessel functions. In this paper integrals of the types

are discussed. Various subsidiary formulae are given in § 2, some integrals of the type

are evaluated in § 3, and from these the integrals of the Airy type are derived in § 4.

An element k of a unital Banach algebra A is said to be Hermitian if its numerical range

is contained in ℝ; equivalently, ∥eitk∥ = 1(t ∈ ℝ)—see Bonsall and Duncan [3] and [4]. Here we find the largest possible extent of V(kn), n ∈ ℕ, given V(k) ⊆ [−1, 1], and so ∥k∥ ≤ 1: previous knowledge is in Bollobás [2] and Crabb, Duncan and McGregor [7]. The largest possible sets all occur in a single example. Surprisingly, they all have straight line segments in their boundaries. The example is in [2] and [7], but here we give A. Browder's construction from [5], partly published in [6]. We are grateful to him for a copy of [5], and for discussions which led to the present work. We are also grateful to J. Duncan for useful discussions.

Let S be a semigroup and let be an S-graded ring. Rs = 0 for all but finitely many elements s ∈ S1, then R is said to have finite support. In this paper we concern ourselves with the question of whether a graded ring R with finite support inherits a given ring theoretic property from the homogeneous subrings Re corresponding to idempotent semigroup elements e.

§ 1. Introductory. In § 3 a generalisation of the formula [MacRobert, Phil. Mag., Ser. 7, XXXI, p. 258]

where αp+1 = ½m + ½n, αp+2 = ½m - ½n, R(m ± n) > 0, and x is real and positive, will be established. In the course of the proof Hardy's formula [Mess, of Maths., LVI, (1927), p. 190],

where R(b)>0, will be required. This was originally proved by an application of Mellin's Inversion Formula. An alternative proof is given in § 2, and some related formulae are deduced.

The cone length Cl(f) of a map f: X → Y is defined to be the least number of attaching maps possible in a conic (or iterated mapping cone) structure for f. Cone length is a homotopy invariant in the sense that if φ: X → X and ρ: Y → Y are homotopy equivalences then Cl (ρ°f°φ) = Cl(f). Furthermore Cl(f) depends only on the homotopy class of f. It was shown by Ganea [8] that the cone length of the map * → X coincides with the strong Lusternik-Schnirelmann category of X as a space (see Proposition 1.6 below). Recent work of Cornea ([3]–[6]) is much concerned with cone length and its role in critical point theory. For example, let f be a smooth real valued function on a manifold triad (M; V0, V1) with V0 ≠ θ. Under certain conditions, if f has only “reasonable” critical points then it must have at least Cl(V0↪M) of them (see [6]).

Let us recall the notions of full embedding and universality of categories we will be using throughout.

A full embedding is a functor F taking the objects of a source category A injectively to objects of a target category B and the hom-sets HomA(a, b) bijectively to the hom-sets HomR(F(a), F(b)). If A is a subcategory of B and the corresponding inclusion functor is a full embedding then A is said to be a full subcategory of B. In this case we have HomA(a, b) = HomB(a, b) for any a, b in A; that is to say, a full subcategory is completely determined, within a given category, by specifying the class of its objects. A category U is termed universal if an arbitrary category of algebras can be fully embedded in U.

The similarities between martingale convergence theory and pointwise ergodic theory are now well known [5, 7, 9, 10]. In [5] the similarity between the proofs of the Hopf– Dunford–Schwartz individual ergodic theorem and the martingale convergence theorem is systematically exploited to produce very general ” maximal ergodic ” inequalities for certain sequences of contractions on L1-spaces. A different approach by Rota [10] and Rao [9] leads to a unified convergence theory for martingales and Abel limits. Bishop [1] has produced ” upcrossing” inequalities which yield both theChacon-Ornstein theorem [4] and the martingale convergence theorem.

A preliminary attempt is made to place the theory of completions of boolean algebras and of partially ordered sets in a wider context. The theory and construction of injective hulls in abelian categories is generalised and it is demonstrated that any variety with enough injectives admits injective hulls. Then the methods developed are applied to a non-algebraic bicategory, that of ordered sets.

Consider the elliptic integral of the first kind

or, alternatively,

where x = sin ϕ. It is customary in the theory of elliptic integrals to let k = sin α, k' = cos α, sot that k'2 + k2 = 1. For convenience we shall also introduce the parameter

The formula to be proved is

In proving (1) the following formulae are required:

where p≥q + 1, (1).

In a sequence of two papers which appeared in 1968 and 1969 Herbert Abels [1, 2] has developed, from a method originated by Gerstenhaber [6], a means for extending the study of properly discontinuous groups of transformations to that of proper transformation groups in general. We recall that, if G is a Hausdorff locally compact group of transformations of a locally compact space X, then the action of Gis proper when, for any two compact subsets K and L, the subset G(K, L) = {g ɛ G: gL∩K # 0} of G is compact (see [3], p. 55). In what follows all groups and spaces will be Hausdorff and locally compact. If H is a closed subgroup of G, then it is clear that the property just defined is possessed by the action of H as a group of left translations of G.

Let Δ = {z ∈ ℂ ⃒ ⃓z⃓ <1) and H(Δ) the set of analytic functions on Δ. We recall the definition of subordination between two functions, say ƒ and g, analytic on Δ: this means that f(0)= g(0) and there is a function ρ ∈ H (Δ) such that ρ(0) = 0, ⃒ ρ(z)⃒<1 if z ∈ Δ, and f(z) ≡ g(ρ(z)). Subordination between f and g will be denoted by

f<g. The Hadamard product (or convolution) of two functions and in H(Δ)is the function f * g ∈ H(Δ)definedas f * g (z)= .

By a theorem of Hurwitz [3], an algebraic curve of genus g ≧ 2 cannot have more than 84(g − l) birational self-transformations, or, as we shall call them, automorphisms. The bound is attained for Klein's quartic

of genus 3 [4]. In studying the problem whether there are any other curves for which the bound is attained, I was led to consider the universal covering space of the Riemann surface, which, as Siegel observed, relates Hurwitz's theorem to Siegel's own result [7] on the measure of the fundamental region of Fuchsian groups. Any curve with 84(g − 1) automorphisms must be uniformized by a normal subgroup of the triangle group (2, 3, 7), and, by a closer analysis of possible finite factor groups of (2, 3, 7), purely algebraic methods yield an infinite family of curves with the maximum number of automorphisms. This will be shown in a later paper.

Throughout this note we deal with a series Σan of positive terms. The following tests for the convergence of this series are well-known.

Test 1. (Ratio test). LetThen, if K < 1, Σanconverges, while if K > 1, Σandiverges.

Test 2. (Root test). LetThen, if K < 1, Σanconverges, while if K > 1, Σandiverges.

Let A be an associative ring. Given a ∊ A, an element b ∊ A is called a left identity for a if

Given a subset S of A, an element b ∊ A is, called a left identity for S if (1) is satisfied for all a ∊ S. An element of A need not have a left identity; for example, if A is nilpotent then no non-zero element of A has a left identity. If a does have a left identity, the latter need not be unique; if every element of a subset S of A has a left identity, then it is not necessarily true that S has a left identity.