In a previous paper (9), we introduced the spaces Fp, μ of testing-functions and the corresponding spaces of generalised functions. For 1≦p≦∞, Fp(=Fp, 0) is the linear space of all complex-valued measurable functions φ defined on (0, ∞) which are infinitely differentiable on (0, ∞) and for which

for each k = 0, 1, 2, …. In symbols,

When the Edinburgh Mathematical Society was founded, it was deemed impracticable, from the expense that would be involved, to print the papers read at its meetings. It was, however, resolved that copies of them should be deposited with the Secretary, and that these copies should as far as possible be made accessible to the members of the Society. Want of leisure during the first session prevented me from doing my part in carrying out this intention of the Society, and committing to writing the paper which was delivered at the second meeting. During its second session, the Society resolved to print its proceedings in whole or in abstract; and a beginning was made with the second volume, the first being left over for future consideration, as the cost of printing absorbed nearly the entire income of the Society.

If R is a ring with identity and E is the semigroup of identity preserving ring endomorphisms of R then the fixed ring of E is denned by for each φɛE}. R is said to be rigid if RE = R.Equivalently, R is rigid if and only if

Let $f$ be meromorphic of finite order in the plane, such that $f^{(k)}$ has finitely many zeros, for some $k\geq2$. The author has conjectured that $f$ then has finitely many poles. In this paper, we strengthen a previous estimate for the frequency of distinct poles of $f$. Further, we show that the conjecture is true if either

1. $f$ has order less than $1+\varepsilon$, for some positive absolute constant $\varepsilon$, or

2. $f^{(m)}$, for some $0\leq m lt k$, has few zeros away from the real axis.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 30D35

Let G be a finite group of order N and assume that G acts on a Cohen-Macaulay local ring A as automorphisms of rings. Let N be a unit in A. For a given G-stable ideal I in A we denote by R(I) = ⊕n≥0In and = G(I) = ⊕n≥0In/In+1 the Rees algebra and the associated graded ring of I, respectively. Then G naturally acts on R(I) and G(I) too. In this paper the conditions under which the invariant subrings R(I)G of R(I) are Cohen-Macaulay and/or Gorenstein rings are described in connection with the corresponding ring-theoretic properties of G(I)G and the a-invariants a(G(I)G of G(I)G. Consequences and some applications are discussed.

Internal Reflections in a Sphere. A ray of light PQ (Fig. 1) incident at any point Q on the surface of a transparent sphere is partly reflected and partly refracted along QR1. At R1 it is partly reflected along R1R2, and partly emerges along R1s1. The same thing occurs at R2, R3, etc. on which the successive reflected portions fall. AB is the diameter parallel to the incident light, and OQ the radius to the point of incidence. Let μ denote the index of refraction of the material of the sphere relative to the surrounding medium. Divide OA in C so that OC : OA = 1 :μ

A well-known fact is that every automorphism of the symmetric group on a set must be inner (whether the set is finite or infinite) unless the set has exactly six elements (4, § 13). A long-standing conjecture concerns the analogue of this fact for the group A(S) of all order-preserving permutations of a totally ordered set S. The group A(S) is lattice ordered (l-group) by defining, for f, g ∈ A (S), f ≦ g whenever xy ≦ xg for all x ∈ S. From the standpoint of l-groups, A(S) is of considerable interest because of the analogue of Cayley's theorem proved in (2), namely every l-group may be embedded in some A(S). Unlike the non-ordered symmetric groups, which must be highly transitive, A(S) is severely restricted if assumed transitive. Of special interest are those cases when A(S) is doubly transitive (relative to the order), since the building blocks (primitive) of all transitive A(S) are either doubly transitive or uniquely transitive. It is easily seen that each inner automorphism of A(S) must preserve the lattice ordering (that is, must be an l-automorphism). It is tempting to conjecture that every l-automorphism of A(S) must be inner. However, an easy counterexample is at hand. If S consists of two copies of the ordered set of integers, one entirely above the other, then A(S) is the direct product of two copies of the l-group of integers, which has an outer l-automorphism exchanging the two factors. The conjecture referred to above is that if A(S) is transitive on S, then every l-automorphism of A(S) is inner.

Suppose that as a result of observation or experience of some kind we have obtained a set of values of a variable u corresponding to equidistant values of its argument; let these be denoted by u 1, u 2, … un If they have been derived from observations of some natural phenomenon, they will be affected by errors of observation; if they are statistical data derived from the examination of a comparatively small field, they will be affected by irregularities arising from the accidental peculiarities of the field; that is to say, if we examine another field and derive a set of values of u from it, the sets of values of u derived from the two fields will not in general agree with each other In any case, if we form a table of the differences δu 1 = u 2 – u 1, δu 2 = u 3 – u 2, …, δ2 u 1 = δu 2 − δu 1, etc., it will generally be found that these differences are so irregular that the difference-table cannot be used for the purposes to which a difference-table is usually put, viz., finding interpolated values of u, or differential coefficients of u with respect to its argument, or definite integrals involving u; before we can use the difference-tables we must perform a process of “smoothing,” that is to say, we must find another sequence u 1′, u 2′, u 3′, …, un ′, whose terms differ as little as possible from the terms of the sequence u 1, u 2, … un , but which has regular differences. This smoothing process, leading to the formation of u 1′, u 2′ … un ′, is called the graduation or adjustment of the observations.

A useful test for uniform convergence is that first established by Buchanan and Hildebrandt [4] which is as follows.

(A) “If a sequence fn (x) of monotonic functions converges to a continuous function f(x) in [a, b] then this convergence is uniform.”

In §1 of this paper it is shown that this test is included in a sequence of theorems, each of which establishes a type of uniform convergence. The first is a well-known topological theorem on limit sets, the second is a result on the limits of rectifiable arcs, the third is a generalisation of (A) due to Behrend [3], the fourth is (A) itself, the fifth is a one-sided version of Bendixson's test and the sixth is Bendixson's test.

Unlike ring modules certain faithful N-groups are unique. The main theorem is that if N is a 2-tame ring-free near-ring where N/J(N) has DCCR, then all faithful 2-tame N-groups are finite and N-isomorphic. The finiteness of such an N-group follows easily from the fact it has a composition series. It is then shown that the length of a composition series depends only on N. This fact is used at key points in the proof. The situations where the N-group has or has not a minimal submodule require different analysis. The first case makes use of other interesting results and the second makes strong use of the inductive assumption.

The Stieltjes transformation of generalized functions was investigated by Benedetto[1], Zemanian [16], Misra [10] Pandey [11], Lavoine and Misra [7], and Erdélyi [5]. The inversion theorems for the Stieltjes transform of generalized functions, in their own approaches, were given in Benedetto [1], Zemanian [16], Pandey [11], Pathak [12] (he used Pande's approach) and Erdélyi [5].