We introduce partial actions of weakly left E-ample semigroups, thus extending both the notion of partial actions of inverse semigroups and that of partial actions of monoids. Weakly left E-ample semigroups arise very naturally as subsemigroups of partial transformation semigroups which are closed under the unary operation α↦α+, where α+ is the identity map on the domain of α. We investigate the construction of ‘actions’ from such partial actions, making a connection with the FA-morphisms of Gomes. We observe that if the methods introduced in the monoid case by Megrelishvili and Schröder, and by the second author, are to be extended appropriately to the case of weakly left E-ample semigroups, then we must construct not global actions, but so-called incomplete actions. In particular, we show that a partial action of a weakly left E-ample semigroup is the restriction of an incomplete action. We specialize our approach to obtain corresponding results for inverse semigroups.

Semiclassical limits of generic multi-parameter quantized coordinate rings A=q(kn) of affine spaces are constructed and related to A, for k an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero and q a multiplicatively antisymmetric matrix whose entries generate a torsion-free subgroup of k×. A semiclassical limit of A is a Poisson algebra structure on the corresponding classical coordinate ring R=(kn), and results of Oh, Park, Shin and the authors are used to construct homeomorphisms from the Poisson-prime and Poisson-primitive spectra of R onto the prime and primitive spectra of~A. The Poisson-primitive spectrum of R is then identified with the space of symplectic cores in kn in the sense of Brown and Gordon, and an example is presented (over ℂ) for which the Poisson-primitive spectrum of R is not homeomorphic to the space of symplectic leaves in kn. Finally, these results are extended from quantum affine spaces to quantum affine toric varieties.

We extend the group theoretic notions of transfer and stable elements to graded centres of triangulated categories. When applied to the centre Z*(Db(B) of the derived bounded category of a block algebra B we show that the block cohomology H*(B) is isomorphic to a quotient of a certain subalgebra of stable elements of Z*(Db(B)) by some nilpotent ideal, and that a quotient of Z*(Db(B)) by some nilpotent ideal is Noetherian over H*(B).

A subgroup A of a group G has the strong cover-avoidance property in G, or A is a strong CAP-subgroup of G, if A either covers or avoids every chief factor of every subgroup of G containing A. The main aim of the present paper is to analyse the impact of the strong cover and avoidance property of the members of some relevant families of subgroups on the structure of a group.

Let G be a finite group. We prove that if the set of p-regular conjugacy class sizes of G has exactly two elements, then G has Abelian p-complement or G=PQ×A, with P∈Sylp(G), Q∈Sylq(G) and A Abelian.

In this paper we prove two main results. The first is a necessary and sufficient condition for a semidirect product of a semilattice by a group to be finitely generated. The second result is a necessary and sufficient condition for such a semidirect product to be finitely presented.

In any regular semigroup with an orthodox transversal, we define two sets R and L using Green’s relations and give necessary and sufficient conditions for them to be subsemigroups. By using R and L, some equivalent conditions for an orthodox transversal to be a quasi-ideal are obtained. Finally, we give a structure theorem for regular semigroups with quasi-ideal orthodox transversals by two orthodox semigroups R and L.

We show that if G is any p-group of class at most two and exponent p, then there exist groups G1 and G2 of class two and exponent p that contain G, neither of which can be expressed as a central product, and with G1 capable and G2 not capable. We provide upper bounds for rank(Giab) in terms of rank(Gab) in each case.

A group G satisfies the second Engel condition [X,Y,Y ]=1 if and only if x commutes with xy, for all x,y∈G. This paper considers the generalization of this condition to groups G such that, for fixed positive integers r and s, xr commutes with (xs)y for all x,y∈G. Various general bounds are proved for the structure of groups in the corresponding variety, defined by the law [Xr,(Xs)Y]=1.

Suppose that X is an infinite set and I(X) is the symmetric inverse semigroup defined on X. If α∈I(X), we let dom α and ran α denote the domain and range of α, respectively, and we say that g(α)=|X/dom α| and d(α)=|X/ran α| is the ‘gap’ and the ‘defect’ of α, respectively. In this paper, we study algebraic properties of the semigroup . For example, we describe Green’s relations and ideals in A(X), and determine all maximal subsemigroups of A(X) when X is uncountable.

An integer may be represented by a quadratic form over each ring of p-adic integers and over the reals without being represented by this quadratic form over the integers. More generally, such failure of a local-global principle may occur for the representation of one integral quadratic form by another integral quadratic form. We show that many such examples may be accounted for by a Brauer–Manin obstruction for the existence of integral points on schemes defined over the integers. For several types of homogeneous spaces of linear algebraic groups, this obstruction is shown to be the only obstruction to the existence of integral points.

We study commutation properties of subsets of right-angled Artin groups and trace monoids. We show that if Γ is any graph not containing a four-cycle without chords, then the group G(Γ) does not contain four elements whose commutation graph is a four-cycle; a consequence is that G(Γ) does not have a subgroup isomorphic to a direct product of non-abelian groups. We also obtain corresponding and more general results in the monoid case.

In this paper we determine the group of endotrivial modules for certain symmetric and alternating groups in characteristic p. If p = 2, then the group is generated by the class of Ωn(k) except in a few low degrees. If p > 2, then the group is only determined for degrees less than p2. In these cases we show that there are several Young modules which are endotrivial.

We analyse Hecke pairs (G,H) and the associated Hecke algebra when G is a semi-direct product N ⋊ Q and H = M ⋊ R for subgroups M ⊂ N and R ⊂ Q with M normal in N. Our main result shows that, when (G,H) coincides with its Schlichting completion and R is normal in Q, the closure of in C*(G) is Morita–Rieffel equivalent to a crossed product I⋊βQ/R, where I is a certain ideal in the fixed-point algebra C*(N)R. Several concrete examples are given illustrating and applying our techniques, including some involving subgroups of GL(2,K) acting on K2, where K = ℚ or K = ℤ[p−1]. In particular we look at the ax + b group of a quadratic extension of K.

We describe the group of all reflection-preserving automorphisms of an imprimitive complex reflection group. We also study some properties of this automorphism group.

In this article we show that finite loops with nilpotent inner mapping groups are centrally nilpotent.

The minimal faithful permutation degree μ(G) of a finite group G is the least non-negative integer n such that G embeds in the symmetric group Sym(n). Work of Johnson and Wright in the 1970s established conditions for when μ(H×K)=μ(H)+μ(K), for finite groups H and K. Wright asked whether this is true for all finite groups. A counter-example of degree 15 was provided by the referee and was added as an addendum in Wright’s paper. Here we provide two counter-examples; one of degree 12 and the other of degree 10.

We establish a link between regular subgroups of the affine group and radical circle algebras on the underlying vector space.

The arithmetic is interpreted in all the groups of Richard Thompson and Graham Higman, as well as in other groups of piecewise affine permutations of an interval which generalize the groups of Thompson and Higman. In particular, the elementary theories of all these groups are undecidable. Moreover, Thompson's group F and some of its generalizations interpret the arithmetic without parameters.

A complete Sylow sequence, 𝒫=P1,…,Pm, of a finite group G is a sequence of m Sylow pi-subgroups of G, one for each pi, where p1,…,pm are all of the distinct prime divisors of |G|. A product of the form P1⋯Pm is called a complete Sylow product of G. We prove that the solvable radical of G equals the intersection of all complete Sylow products of G if, for every composition factor S of G, and for every ordering of the prime divisors of |S|, there exist a complete Sylow sequence 𝒫 of S, and g∈S such that g is uniquely factorizable in 𝒫 . This generalizes our results in Kaplan and Levy [‘The solvable radical of Sylow factorizable groups’, Arch. Math.85(6) (2005), 490–496].