For a locally compact group $G$ with left Haar measure and a Young function ${\rm\Phi}$, we define and study the weighted Orlicz algebra $L_{w}^{{\rm\Phi}}(G)$ with respect to convolution. We show that $L_{w}^{{\rm\Phi}}(G)$ admits no bounded approximate identity under certain conditions. We prove that a closed linear subspace $I$ of the algebra $L_{w}^{{\rm\Phi}}(G)$ is an ideal in $L_{w}^{{\rm\Phi}}(G)$ if and only if $I$ is left translation invariant. For an abelian $G$, we describe the spectrum (maximal ideal space) of the weighted Orlicz algebra and show that weighted Orlicz algebras are semisimple.

We prove that if a uniformly bounded (or equidistantly uniformly bounded) Nemytskij operator maps the space of functions of bounded ${\it\varphi}$-variation with weight function in the sense of Riesz into another space of that type (with the same weight function) and its generator is continuous with respect to the second variable, then this generator is affine in the function variable (traditionally, in the second variable).

The aim of this paper is to discuss the commutativity of a Banach algebra $A$ via its derivations. In particular, we prove that if $A$ is a unital prime Banach algebra and $A$ has a nonzero continuous linear derivation $d:A\rightarrow A$ such that either $d((xy)^{m})-x^{m}y^{m}$ or $d((xy)^{m})-y^{m}x^{m}$ is in the centre of $A$ for an integer $m=m(x,y)$ and sufficiently many $x,y$, then $A$ is commutative. We give examples to illustrate the scope of the main results and show that the hypotheses are not superfluous.

For a discrete abelian cancellative semigroup $\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}S$ with a weight function $\omega $ and associated multiplier semigroup $M_\omega (S)$ consisting of $\omega $-bounded multipliers, the multiplier algebra of the Beurling algebra of $(S,\omega )$ coincides with the Beurling algebra of $M_\omega (S)$ with the induced weight.

We show that for a normal locally-$\mathscr{P}$ space $X$ (where $\mathscr{P}$ is a topological property subject to some mild requirements) the subset ${C}_{\mathscr{P}} (X)$ of ${C}_{b} (X)$ consisting of those elements whose support has a neighborhood with $\mathscr{P}$, is a subalgebra of ${C}_{b} (X)$ isometrically isomorphic to ${C}_{c} (Y)$ for some unique (up to homeomorphism) locally compact Hausdorff space $Y$. The space $Y$ is explicitly constructed as a subspace of the Stone–Čech compactification $\beta X$ of $X$ and contains $X$ as a dense subspace. Under certain conditions, ${C}_{\mathscr{P}} (X)$ coincides with the set of those elements of ${C}_{b} (X)$ whose support has $\mathscr{P}$, it moreover becomes a Banach algebra, and simultaneously, $Y$ satisfies ${C}_{c} (Y)= {C}_{0} (Y)$. This includes the cases when $\mathscr{P}$ is the Lindelöf property and $X$ is either a locally compact paracompact space or a locally-$\mathscr{P}$ metrizable space. In either of the latter cases, if $X$ is non-$\mathscr{P}$, then $Y$ is nonnormal and ${C}_{\mathscr{P}} (X)$ fits properly between ${C}_{0} (X)$ and ${C}_{b} (X)$; even more, we can fit a chain of ideals of certain length between ${C}_{0} (X)$ and ${C}_{b} (X)$. The known construction of $Y$ enables us to derive a few further properties of either ${C}_{\mathscr{P}} (X)$ or $Y$. Specifically, when $\mathscr{P}$ is the Lindelöf property and $X$ is a locally-$\mathscr{P}$ metrizable space, we show that

$$\begin{eqnarray*}\dim C_{\mathscr{P}}(X)= \ell \mathop{(X)}\nolimits ^{{\aleph }_{0} } ,\end{eqnarray*}$$

$\ell (X)$

$X$

$\mathscr{P}$

$X$

$$\begin{eqnarray*}Y= {\mathrm{int} }_{\beta X} \upsilon X\end{eqnarray*}$$

$\upsilon X$

$X$

We investigate which weighted convolution algebras ${ \ell }_{\omega }^{1} (S)$, where $S$ is a semilattice, are AMNM in the sense of Johnson [‘Approximately multiplicative functionals’, J. Lond. Math. Soc. (2) 34(3) (1986), 489–510]. We give an explicit example where this is not the case. We show that the unweighted examples are all AMNM, as are all ${ \ell }_{\omega }^{1} (S)$ where $S$ has either finite width or finite height. Some of these finite-width examples are isomorphic to function algebras studied by Feinstein [‘Strong Ditkin algebras without bounded relative units’, Int. J. Math. Math. Sci. 22(2) (1999), 437–443]. We also investigate when $({ \ell }_{\omega }^{1} (S), { \mathbb{M} }_{2} )$ is an AMNM pair in the sense of Johnson [‘Approximately multiplicative maps between Banach algebras’, J. Lond. Math. Soc. (2) 37(2) (1988), 294–316], where ${ \mathbb{M} }_{2} $ denotes the algebra of $2\times 2$ complex matrices. In particular, we obtain the following two contrasting results: (i) for many nontrivial weights on the totally ordered semilattice ${ \mathbb{N} }_{\min } $, the pair $({ \ell }_{\omega }^{1} ({ \mathbb{N} }_{\min } ), { \mathbb{M} }_{2} )$ is not AMNM; (ii) for any semilattice $S$, the pair $({\ell }^{1} (S), { \mathbb{M} }_{2} )$ is AMNM. The latter result requires a detailed analysis of approximately commuting, approximately idempotent $2\times 2$ matrices.

Towards an involutive analogue of a result on the semisimplicity of ${\ell }^{1} (S)$ by Hewitt and Zuckerman, we show that, given an abelian $\ast $-semigroup $S$, the commutative convolution Banach $\ast $-algebra ${\ell }^{1} (S)$ is $\ast $-semisimple if and only if Hermitian bounded semicharacters on $S$ separate the points of $S$; and we search for an intrinsic separation property on $S$ equivalent to $\ast $-semisimplicity. Very many natural involutive analogues of Hewitt and Zuckerman’s separation property are shown not to work, thereby exhibiting intricacies involved in analysis on $S$.

The notion of BSE algebras was introduced and first studied by Takahasi and Hatori and later studied by Kaniuth and Ülger. This notion depends strongly on the multiplier algebra $M( \mathcal{A} )$ of a commutative Banach algebra $ \mathcal{A} $. In this paper we first present a characterisation of the multiplier algebra of the direct sum of two commutative semisimple Banach algebras. Then as an application we show that $ \mathcal{A} \oplus \mathcal{B} $ is a BSE algebra if and only if $ \mathcal{A} $ and $ \mathcal{B} $ are BSE. We also prove that if the algebra $ \mathcal{A} \hspace{0.167em} {\mathop{\times }\nolimits}_{\theta } \hspace{0.167em} \mathcal{B} $ with $\theta $-Lau product is a BSE algebra and $ \mathcal{B} $ is unital then $ \mathcal{B} $ is a BSE algebra. We present some examples which show that the BSE property of $ \mathcal{A} \hspace{0.167em} {\mathop{\times }\nolimits}_{\theta } \hspace{0.167em} \mathcal{B} $ does not imply the BSE property of $ \mathcal{A} $, even in the case where $ \mathcal{B} $ is unital.

We present a family of radical convolution Banach algebras on intervals (0,a] which are of Sobolev type; that is, they are defined in terms of derivatives. Among other properties, it is shown that all epimorphisms and derivations of such algebras are bounded. Also, we give examples of nontrivial concrete derivations.

For a compact subset K of the boundary of a compact Hausdorff space X, six properties that K may have in relation to the algebra A(X) are considered. It is shown that in relation to the algebra A(Dn), where Dn denotes the n-dimensional polydisc, the property of being totally null is weaker than the other five properties. A general condition is given on the algebra A(X) which implies the existence of a totally null set that is not null, and several conditions are stated for A(X) , each of which is sufficient for a totally null set to be a null set.

In the spectrum of the algebra of symmetric analytic functions of bounded type on ℓp, 1 ≤ p < +∞, and along the same lines as the general non-symmetric case, we define and study a convolution operation and give a formula for the ‘radius’ function. It is also proved that the algebra of analytic functions of bounded type on ℓ1 is isometrically isomorphic to an algebra of symmetric analytic functions on a polydisc of ℓ1. We also consider the existence of algebraic projections between algebras of symmetric polynomials and the corresponding subspace of subsymmetric polynomials.

Let L1(ω) be the weighted convolution algebra L1ω(ℝ+) on ℝ+ with weight ω. Grabiner recently proved that, for a nonzero, continuous homomorphism Φ:L1(ω1)→L1(ω2), the unique continuous extension to a homomorphism between the corresponding weighted measure algebras on ℝ+ is also continuous with respect to the weak-star topologies on these algebras. In this paper we investigate whether similar results hold for homomorphisms from L1(ω) into other commutative Banach algebras. In particular, we prove that for the disc algebra every nonzero homomorphism extends uniquely to a continuous homomorphism which is also continuous with respect to the weak-star topologies. Similarly, for a large class of Beurling algebras A+v on (including the algebra of absolutely convergent Taylor series on ) we prove that every nonzero homomorphism Φ:L1(ω)→A+v extends uniquely to a continuous homomorphism which is also continuous with respect to the weak-star topologies.

A commutative complex unital Banach algebra can be represented as a space of continuous complex-valued functions on a compact Hausdorff space via the Gelfand transform. However, in general it is not possible to represent a commutative real unital Banach algebra as a space of continuous real-valued functions on some compact Hausdorff space, and for this to happen some additional conditions are needed. In this note we represent a commutative real Banach algebra on a part of its state space and show connections with representations on the maximal ideal space of the algebra (whose existence one has to prove first).

Let Bn denote the unit ball in ℂn, n≥1. Given an α>0, let ℱα(n) denote the class of functions defined for z∈Bn by integrating the kernel (1−〈z,w〉)−α against a complex Borel measure dμ(w), w∈Bn. The family ℱ0(n) corresponds to the logarithmic kernel log (1/(1−〈z,w〉)). Various properties of the spaces ℱα(n), α≥0, are obtained. In particular, pointwise multiplies for ℱα(n) are investigated.

In this paper, we present a constructive proof of the amenability of C(X), where X is a compact space.

In this article we study the Fourier space of a general hypergroup and its multipliers. The main result of this paper characterizes commutative hypergroups whose Fourier space forms a Banach algebra under pointwise product with an equivalent norm. Among those hypergroups whose Fourier space forms a Banach algebra, we identify a subclass for which the Gelfand spectrum of the Fourier algebra is equal to the underlying hypergroup. This subclass includes for instance, Jacobi hypergroups, Bessel-Kingman hypergroups.

Let Un be the unit polydisc in Cn and let Tn be its distinguished boundary. It is shown that a function f ∈ H∞(Un) is inner if and only if ∣f(Φ)∣ = 1 for all Φ in the maximal ideal space of L∞(Tn). This generalizes a result of Csordas.

In this paper we give a complete description of diameter-preserving linear bijections on the space of affine continuous functions on a compact convex set whose extreme points are split faces. We also give a description of such maps on function algebras considered on their maximal ideal space. We formulate and prove similar results for spaces of vector-valued functions.

The main results of this article are (I) Let B be a homogeneous Banach algebra, A a closed subalgebra of B, and I the largest closed ideal of B contained in A. We assert that for some closed subalgebra J of B. Furthermore, under suitable conditions, we show that A is an R-subalgebra if and only if J is an R-subalgebra. A number of concrete closed subalgebras of a homogeneous Banach algebra therefore are R-subalgebras. For the definition of P(A) and that of an R-subalgebra, see the introduction in Section 1. (II) We give sufficient and necessary conditions for a closed subalgebra of Lp(G), 1 ≦ p ≦ ∞, to be an R-subalgebra.

In this paper, we prove that two homogeneous quasi-invariant subspaces are similar only if they are equal. Moreover, we exhibit an example to show how to determine the similarity orbits of quasi-invariant subspaces.