Given a quasi-symmetric self-homeomorphism h of the unit circle Sl, let Q(h) be the set of all quasiconformal mappings with the boundary correspondence h. In this paper, it is shown that there exists certain quasi-symmetric homeomorphism h, such that Q(h) satisfies either of the conditions,

(1) Q(h) admits a quasiconformal mapping that is both uniquely locally-extremal and uniquely extremal-non-decreasable instead of being uniquely extremal;

(2) Q(h) contains infinitely many quasiconformal mappings each of which has an extremal non-decreasable dilatation.

An infinitesimal version of this result is also obtained.

We study the closed range property of weighted composition operators on weighted Bergman spaces of infinite order (including the Hardy space of infinite order). We give some necessary and sufficient conditions and find a complete characterisation for weighted composition operators associated with conformal mappings. We also give the corresponding results for composition operators on the Bloch-type spaces. Therefore, the results obtained in this paper also improve and generalise the results of Ghatage, Yan, Zheng and Zorboska.

In a recent paper (which is to appear in J. Algebra Appl.) we proved that every element of a right self-injective ring R is a sum of two units if and only if R has no factor ring isomorphic to ℤ2 and hence the unit sum number of a nonzero right self-injective ring is 2, ω or ∞. In this paper we characterise right self-injective rings with unit sum numbers ω and ∞. We prove that the unit sum number of a right self-injective ring R is ω if and only if R has a factor ring isomorphic to ℤ2 but no factor ring isomorphic to ℤ2 × ℤ2, and also in this case every element of R is a sum of either two or three units. It follows that the unit sum number of a right self-injective ring R is ∞ precisely when R has a factor ring isomorphic to ℤ2 × ℤ2. We also answer a question of Henriksen (which appeared in J. Algebra, Question E, page 192), by giving a large class of regular right self-injective rings having the unit sum number ω in which not all non-invertible elements are the sum of two units.

The subgradient, under strict efficiency, of a set-valued mapping is developed, and the existence of the subgradient is proved. Optimality conditions in terms of Lagrange multipliers for a strictly efficient point are established in the general case and in the case with ic-cone-convexlike data.

It is proved that a subset E of a hereditarily normal topological space X is a discontinuity point set of some quasi-continuous function f: X → ℝ if and only if E is a countable union of sets En = Ān ⋂ Bdash aboven where Ān ⋂ Bn = An ⋂ Bdash aboven = φ

Using a dual variational method which we develop, we show the existence and stability of solutions for a family of Dirichlet problems k = 0, 1,… in a bounded domain in ℝN and with the nonlinearity satisfying some general growth conditions. The assumptions put on v are satisfied by p(x)-Laplacian operators.

We prove that the first order Riesz transforms associated to the Laguerre semigroup are weak-type (1, 1). We also present a counterexample showing that for the Riesz transforms of order three or higher the weak type (1, 1) estimate fails.

Some inequalities involving the binomial coefficients are obtained. They are used to determine the domain of convergence of the Bleimann, Butzer and Hahn approximation process for exponential type functions. An answer to Hermann's conjecture related to the Bleimann, Butzer and Hahn operators for monotone functions is given.

Suppose that R is a commutative ring with 1 ≠ 0. In this paper, we introduce the concept of 2-absorbing ideal which is a generalisation of prime ideal. A nonzero proper ideal I of R is called a 2-absorbing ideal of R if whenever a, b, c ∈ R and abc ∈ I, then ab ∈ I or ac ∈ I or bc ∈ I. It is shown that a nonzero proper ideal I of R is a 2-absorbing ideal if and only if whenever I1I2I3 ⊆ I for some ideals I1,I2,I3 of R, then I1I2 ⊆ I or I2I3 ⊆ I or I1I3 ⊆ I. It is shown that if I is a 2-absorbing ideal of R, then either Rad(I) is a prime ideal of R or Rad(I) = P1 ⋂ P2 where P1,P2 are the only distinct prime ideals of R that are minimal over I. Rings with the property that every nonzero proper ideal is a 2-absorbing ideal are characterised. All 2-absorbing ideals of valuation domains and Prüfer domains are completely described. It is shown that a Noetherian domain R is a Dedekind domain if and only if a 2-absorbing ideal of R is either a maximal ideal of R or M2 for some maximal ideal M of R or M1M2 where M1,M2 are some maximal ideals of R. If RM is Noetherian for each maximal ideal M of R, then it is shown that an integral domain R is an almost Dedekind domain if and only if a 2-absorbing ideal of R is either a maximal ideal of R or M2 for some maximal ideal M of R or M1M2 where M1,M2 are some maximal ideals of R.

Questions related to the operator Jg(f)(z):= ∫xof (ζ)g′(ζ) dζ, induced by an analytic function g in the unit disc, are studied. It is shown that a function G is the derivative of a function in the Hardy space Hp if and only if it is of the form G = Fψ′ where F ∈ Hq, ψ ∈ H3 and 1/s = 1/p − 1/q. Moreover, a complete characterisation of when Jg is bounded or compact from one weighted Bergman space into another is established, and an asymptotic formula for the essential norm of Jg, the distance from compact operators in the operator norm, is given. As an immediate consequence it is obtained that if p < 2 + α and α > −1, then any primitive of belongs to where q = ((2 + α) p)/(2 + α − p). For α = −1 this is a sharp result by Hardy and Littlewood on primitives of functions in Hardy space , 0 < p < 1.

Suppose that G is a graph with vertex set V (G) and edge set E (G), and let g and f be two non-negative integer-valued functions defined on V (G) such that g (x) ≤ f (x) for each x ∈ V (G). A (g, f)-factor of G is a spanning subgraph F of G such that g (x) ≤ dF (x) ≤ f (x) for each x ∈ V (F). In this paper, some sufficient conditions for a graph to have a (g, f)-factor are given.

A closed curve f: S1 → ℝ2 in general position gives rise to a word whose letters are the self-intersection points, each of them appearing exactly twice. Such a word is called a Gauss code. The problem of determining whether a given Gauss code is realisable or not was first proposed by Gauss and it has been settled a long time ago. The analogous question for immersions f: S2 → ℝ3 in general position is settled only in a special case when the immersion has no triple points. We give a necessary condition for a system of curves to be realisable by a general immersion f: S2 → ℝ3.

In this paper, we prove that for an algebroid function w (z) with finite lower order, satisfying , there exists a T direction dealing with multiple values.

Suppose that and . It is shown that any Lp(µ)-valued measure has finite L2(v)-semivariation with respect to the tensor norm for 1 ≤ p < ∞ and finite Lq(v)-semivariation with respect to the tensor norm whenever either q = 2 and 1 ≤ p ≤ 2 or q > max{p, 2}. However there exist measures with infinite Lq-semivariation with respect to the tensor norm for any 1 ≤ q < 2. It is also shown that the measure m (A) = χA has infinite Lq-semivariation with respect to the tensor norm if q < p.