The following question is discussed and evidence for and against it is advanced: is it true that if F is an arbitrary finite subgroup of an arbitrary non-linear simple locally finite group G, then CG(F) is infinite? The following points to an affirmative answer.

Theorem A. Let F be an arbitrary finite subgroup of a non-linear simple locally finite group G. Then there exist subgroups D ◃ C ≤ G such that F centralizes C/D, F∩C ≤ D, and C/D is a direct product of finite alternating groups of unbounded orders. In particular, F centralizes an infinite section of G.

Theorem A is deduced from a “local” version, namely

Theorem B. There exists an integer valued function f(n, r) with the following properties. Let H be a finite group of order at most n, and suppose that H ≤ S, where S is either an alternating group of degree at least f = f(n, r) or a finite simple classical group whose natural projective representation has degree at least f. Then there exist subgroups D ◃ C ≤ S such that (i) [H, C] ≤ D, (ii) H ∩ C ≤ D, (iii) C/D ≅ Alt(r), (iv) D = 1 if S is alternating, and D is a p-group of class at most 2 and exponent dividing p2 if S is a classical group over a field of characteristic p.

The natural “local version” of our main question is however definitely false.

Proposition C. Let p be a given prime. Then there exists a finite group H that can be embedded in infinitely many groups PSL(n, p) as a subgroup with trivial centralizer.

Let G be a connected reductive linear algebraic group over the complex numbers. For any element A of the Lie algebra of G, there is an action of the Weyl group W on the cohomology Hi(BA) of the subvariety BA (see below for the definition) of the flag variety of G. We study this action and prove an inequality for the multiplicity of the Weyl group representations which occur ((4.8) below). This involves geometric data. This inequality is applied to determine the multiplicity of the reflection representation of W when A is a nilpotent element of “parabolic type”. In particular this multiplicity is related to the geometry of the corresponding hyperplane complement.

The known characterization of the Mathieu group M12 by the structure of the centralizer of a 2-central involution is based on the application of the theory of exceptional characters and uses in addition a block theoretic result which asserts that a simple group of order |M12| is isomorphic to M12. The details of the proof of the latter result had never been published. We show here that M12 can be handled in a completely elementary and group theoretical way.

We discuss some general properties and limitations of the concept of outer Fitting pairs introduced earlier by the author. We describe an outer Fitting pair as a co-cone in the category of what we call outer groups (roughly speaking the category of groups modulo inner automorphisms). It is shown that generally no universal outer Fitting pair exists, whence this category is not co-complete. Additionally it is shown that if the target group of an outer Fitting pair is finite, then the much more amenable concept of normal Fitting pairs (that is, co-cones in the category of groups) applies.

A completely regular semigroup is a semigroup which is a union of groups. The class CR of completely regular semigroups forms a variety. On the lattice L (CR) of completely regular semigroup varieties we define two closure operations which induce complete congruences. The consideration of a third complete congruence on L (CR) yields a subdirect decomposition of L (CR). Using these results we show that L (CR) is arguesian. This confirms the (tacit) conjecture that L (CR) is modular.

The structure of semigroups with atomistic congruence lattices (that is, each congruence is the supremum of the atoms it contains) is studied. For the weakly reductive case the problem of describing the structure of such semigroups is solved up to simple and congruence free semigroups, respectively. As applications, all commutative, finite, completely semisimple semigroups, respectively, with atomistic congruence lattices are described.

The class CR of completely regular semigroups (unions of groups or algebras with the associative binary operation of multiplication and the unary operation of inversion subject to the laws x = xx-1, (x−1)-1 = x and xx-1 = x-1x) is a variety. Among the important subclasses of CR are the classes M of monoids and I of idempotent generated members. For each C ∈ {I, M}, there are associated mappings ν → ν ∩ C and ν → (Ν ∩ C), the variety generated by ν ∩ C. The lattice theoretic properties of these mappings and the interactions between these mappings are studied.

Let G be a finite group of even order coprime to 3. If G admits a fixed-point-free automorphism group isomorphic to the symmetric group on three letters, then we prove that G is soluble.

We consider the influence on a group G of the condition that every infinite set of cyclic subgroups of G contains a pair that permute and prove (Theorem 1) that finitely generated soluble groups with this condition are centre-by-finite, and (Theorem 2) that torsion free groups satisfying the condition are abelian.

Two subgroups ME(G) and MI(G) of the Schur multiplier M(G) of a finite group G are introduced: ME(G) contains those cohomology classes [α] of M(G) for which every element of G is α-regular, and MI(G) consists of those cohomology classes of M(G) which contain a G-invariant cocycle. It is then shown that under suitable circumstances, such as when G has odd order, that each element of MI(G) can be expressed as the product of an element of ME(G) and an element of the image of the inflation homomorphism from M(G/G′) into M(G).

Every invertible n-by-n matrix over a ring R satisfying the first Bass stable range condition is the product of n simple automorphisms, and there are invertible matrices which cannot be written as the products of a smaller number of simple automorphisms. This generalizes results of Ellers on division rings and local rings.

Finite ρ-groups with all of their maximal subgroups isomorphic are studied by means of the coclass. All such groups of coclass I and 2 are determined, while those of coclass 3 are shown to have order at most ρ13. A general bound for the order is given as a function of ρ and the coclass only.

A subgroup H of an abelian p–group G is pure in G if the inclusion map of H into G is an isometry with respect to the (pseudo-) metrics on H and G associated with their p–adic topologies. In this paper, those subgroups (called here imbedded subgroups) of abelian groups for which the inclusion is a homeomorphism with respect to the p–adic topologies are studied, the aim being to compare the concepts of imbeddedness and purity. Perhaps the main results indicate that imbedded subgroups are considerably more abundant than pure subgroups. Groups for which this is not the case are characterized.

We give presentations for the groups PSL(2, pn), p prime, which show that the deficiency of these groups is bounded below. In particular, for p = 2 where SL(2, 2n) = PSL(2, 2n), we show that these groups have deficiency greater than or equal to – 2. We give deficiency – 1 presentations for direct products of SL(2, 2n) for coprime ni. Certain new efficient presentations are given for certain cases of the groups considered.

We study the characteristic p analogue of M-groups, the so-called Mp-group Generalizing this notion, we also consider the condition that the modular irreducible representations are induced from representations of dimension < p, or even weaker, of dimension not divisible by p.

The n–th member of the growth sequence of a globally idempotent finite semigroup without identity element is at least 2n. (This had been conjectured by J. Wiegold.)

In this paper we investigate the structure of a collineation group G of a finite projective plane Π of odd order, assuming that G leaves invariant an oval Ω of Π. We show that if G is nonabelian simple, then G ≅ PSL(2, q) for q odd. Several results about the structre and the action of G are also obtained under the assumptions that n ≡ 1 (4) and G is transitive on the points of Ω.

A semigroup S is called E-inversive if for every a ∈ S ther is an x ∈ S such that (ax)2 = ax. A construction of all E-inversive subdirect products of two E-inversive semigroups is given using the concept of subhomomorphism introduced by McAlister and Reilly for inverse semigroups. As an application, E-unitary covers for an E-inversive semigroup are found, in particular for those whose maximum group homomorphic image is a given group. For this purpose, the explicit form of the least group congruence on an arbitrary E-inversive semigroup is given. The special case of full subdirect products of a semilattice and a group (that is, containing all indempotents of the direct product) is investigated and, following an idea of Petrich, a construction of all these semigroups is provided. Finally, all periodic semigroups which are subdirect products of a semilattice or a band with a group are characterized.

It is shown that a so-called shortly connected combinatorial inverse semigroup is strongly lattice-determined “modulo semilattices”. One of the consequences of this theorem is the known fact that a simple inverse semigroup with modular lattice of full inverse subsemigroups is strongly lattice-determined [7]. The partial automorphism semigroup of an inverse semigroup S consists of all isomorphisms between inverse subsemigroups of S. It is proved that if S is a shortly connected combinatorial inverse semigroup, T an inverse semigroup and the partial automorphism semigroups of S and T are isomorphic, then either S and T are isomorphic or they are dually isomorphic chains (with respect to the natural partial order); moreover, any isomorphism between the partial automorphism semigroups of S and T is induced either by an isomorphism or, if S and T are dually isomorphic chains, by a dual isomorphism between S and T. Counter-examples are constructed to demonstrate that the assumptions about S being shortly connected and combinatorial are essential.

A presentation is given for the cohomology ring of a finitely presented combinatorially aspherical group with trivial coefficients in an integral domain. Cohomological periodicity is characterized in terms of the cup product.