Let Γ be a free noncommutative group with free generating set A+. Let μ ∈ ℓ1(Γ) be real, symmetric, nonnegative and suppose that supp. Let λ be an endpoint of the spectrum of μ considered as a convolver on ℓ2(Γ). Then λ − μ is in the left kernel of exactly one pure state of the reduced in particular, Paschke's conjecture holds for λ − μ.

Certain permutation representations of free groups are constructed by finite approximation. The first is a construction of a cofinitary group with special properties, answering a question of Tim Wall published by Cameron. The second yields, via a method of Kepert and Willis, a totally disconnected locally compact group which is compactly generated and uniscalar but has no compact open normal subgroup. Finally, an oligomorphic group of automorphisms of the random graph is built, all of whose non-trivial subgroups have just finitely many orbits.

In 1986, Higgins proved that T(X), the semigroup (under composition) of all total transformations of a set X, has a proper dense subsemigroup if and only if X is infinite, and he obtained similar results for partial and partial one-to-one transformations. We consider the generalised transformation semigroup T(X, Y) consisting of all total transformations from X into Y under the operation α * β = αθβ, where θ is any fixed element of T(Y, X). We show that this semigroup has a proper dense subsemigroup if and only if X and Y are infinite and | Yθ| = min{|X|,|Y|}, and we obtain similar results for partial and partial one-to-one transformations. The results of Higgins then become special cases.

Davey and Quackenbush proved a strong duality for each dihedral group Dm with m odd. In this paper we extend this to a strong duality for each finite group with cyclic Sylow subgroups (such groups are known to be metacyclic).

The spherical functions of triangle buildings can be described in terms of certain two-dimensional orthogonal polynomials on Steiner's hypocycloid which are closely related to Hall-Littlewood polynomials. They lead to a one-parameter family of two-dimensional polynimial hypergroups. In this paper we investigate isotropic random walks on the vertex sets of triangle buildings in terms of their projections to these hypergroups. We present strong laws of large numbers, a central limit theorem, and a local limit theorem; all these results are well-known for homogeneous trees. Proofs are based on moment functions on hypergroups and on explicit expansions of the hypergroup characters in terms of certain two-dimensional Tchebychev polynimials.

Let and denote respectively the variety of groups of exponent dividing e, the variety of nilpotent groups of class at most c, the class of nilpotent groups and the class of finite groups. It follows from a result due to Kargapolov and Čurkin and independently to Groves that in a variety not containing all metabelian groups, each polycyclic group G belongs to . We show that G is in fact in , where c is an integer depending only on the variety. On the other hand, it is not always possible to find an integer e (depending only on the variety) such that G belongs to but we characterize the varieties in which that is possible. In this case, there exists a function f such that, if G is d-generated, then G ∈ So, when e = 1, we obtain an extension of Zel'manov's result about the restricted Burnside problem (as one might expect, this result is used in our proof). Finally, we show that the class of locally nilpotent groups of a variety forms a variety if and only if for some integers c′, e′.

Finite graphs of valency 4 and girth 4 admitting ½-transitive group actions, that is, vertex- and edge- but not arc-transitive group actions, are investigated. A graph is said to be ½-transitive if its automorphism group acts ½-transitively. There is a natural orientation of the edge set of a ½-transitive graph induced and preserved by its automorphism group. It is proved that in a finite ½-transitive graph of valency 4 and girth 4 the set of 4-cycles decomposes the edge set in such a way that either every 4-cycle is alternating or every 4-cycle is directed relative to this orientation. In the latter case vertex stabilizers are isomorphic to Z2.

For each positive integer n let N2, n denote the variety of all groups which are nilpotent of class at most 2 and which have exponent dividing n. For positive integers m and n, let N2, mN2, n denote the variety of all groups which have a normal subgroup in N2, m with factor group in N2, n. It is shown that if G ∈N2, mN2, n, where m and n are coprime, then G has a finite basis for its identities.

A locally compact semilattice with open principal filters is a zero-dimensional scattered space. Cardinal invariants of locally compact and compact semilattices with open principal filters are investigated. Structure of topological semilattices on the one-point Alexandroff compactification of an uncountable discrete space and linearly ordered compact semilattices with open principal filters are researched.

Let Λ be an ordered abelian group. It is shown that groups in a certain class can have no non-trivial action of end type on a Λ-tree. A similar result is obtained for irreducible actions.

A close connection is uncovered between the lower central series of the free associative algebra of countable rank and the descending Loewy series of the direct sum of all Solomon descent algebras Δn, n ∈ ℕ0. Each irreducible Δn-module is shown to occur in at most one Loewy section of any principal indecomposable Δn-module.A precise condition for his occurence and formulae for the Cartan numbers are obtained.

It is shown that no finite group containing a non-abelian nilpotent subgroup is dualizable. This is in contrast to the known result that every finite abelian group is dualizable (as part of the Pontryagin duality for all abelian groups) and to the result of the authors in a companion article that every finite group with cyclic Sylow subgroups is dualizable.

The graph product of a family of groups lies somewhere between their direct and free products, with the graph determining which pairs of groups commute. We show that the graph product of quasi-lattice ordered groups is quasi-lattice ordered, and, when the underlying groups are amenable, that it satisfies Nica's amenability condition for quasi-lattice orders. The associated Toeplitz algebras have a universal property, and their representations are faithful if the generating isometries satisfy a joint properness condition. When applied to right-angled Artin groups this yields a uniqueness theorem for the C*-algebra generated by a collection of isometries such that any two of them either *-commute or else have orthogonal ranges. The analogous result fails to hold for the nonabelian Artin groups of finite type considered by Brieskorn and Saito, and Deligne.

We provide an upper bound for the order of a nilpotent injector of a finite solvable group with Fitting subgroup of order n. We also show that the same bound is an upper bound for the number of conjugacy classes, provided that the k(G V)-conjecture holds for solvable G all primes dividing n.

Let G be a finite group that acts on a finite group V, and let p be a prime that does not divide the order of V. Then the p-parts of the orbit sizes are the same in the actions of G on the sets of conjugacy classes and irreducible characters of V. This result is derived as a consequence of some general theory relating orbits and chains of p-subgroups of a group.

A major result of D. B. McAlister is that every inverse semigroup is an idempotent separating morphic image of an E-unitary inverse semigroup. The result has been generalized by various authors (including Szendrei, Takizawa, Trotter, Fountain, Almeida, Pin, Weil) to any semigroup of the following types: orthodox, regular, ii-dense with commuting idempotents, E-dense with idempotents forming a subsemigroup, and is-dense. In each case, a semigroup is a morphic image of a semigroup in which the weakly self conjugate core is unitary and separated by the homomorphism. In the present paper, for any variety H of groups and any E-dense semigroup S, the concept of an “H-verbal subsemigroup” of S is introduced which is intimately connected with the least H-congruence on S. What is more, this construction provides a short and easy access to covering results of the aforementioned kind. Moreover, the results are generalized, in that covers over arbitrary group varieties are constructed for any E-dense semigroup. If the given semigroup enjoys a “regularity condition” such as being eventually regular, group bound, or regular, then so does the cover.

The main result is that every torsion-free locally nilpotent group that is isomorphic to each of its nonnilpotent subgroups is nilpotent, that is, a torsion-free locally nilpotent group G that is not nilpotent has a non-nilpotent subgroup H that is not isomorphic to G.

A subsemigroup S of a semigroup Q is an order in Q if, for every q ∈ Q, there exist a, b, c, d ∈ S such that q = a−1b = cd−1 where a and d are contained in (maximal) subgroups of Q and a−1 and d−1 are their inverses in these subgroups. A semigroup which is a union of its subgroups is completely regular.

The paper discusses modules over free nilpotent groups and demonstrates that faithful modules are more restricted than might appear at first glance. Some discussion is also made of applying the techniques more generally.

Let V be an infinite-dimensional vector space ovre a field of characteristic 0. It is well known that the tensor algebra T on V is a completely reducible module for the general linear group G on V. This paper is concerned with those quotient algebras A of T that are at the same time modules for G. A partial solution is given to the problem of determinig those A in which no irreducible constitutent has multiplicity greater thatn 1.