A commutative ring R is said to be fragmented if each nonunit of R is divisible by all positive integral powers of some corresponding nonunit of R. It is shown that each fragmented ring which contains a nonunit non-zero-divisor has (Krull) dimension ∞. We consider the interplay between fragmented rings and both the atomic and the antimatter rings. After developing some results concerning idempotents and nilpotents in fragmented rings, along with some relevant examples, we use the “fragmented” and “locally fragmented” concepts to obtain new characterisations of zero-dimensional rings, von Neumann regular rings, finite products of fields, and fields.

It is not known if a commutative, topologically simple, radical Banach algebra exists. If, however, every derivation on such an algebra is continuous, this yields the automatic continuity of all derivations on commutative, semiprime Banach algebras. Utilising techniques used by Thomas in his proof of the Singer-Wermer conjecture, we show that, if A is a commutative, topologically simple Banach algebra with a non-zero derivation on it, then a quotient of a certain localisation of A has a power series structure. A pivotal role is played by what we call ample sets of denominators.

Let M be an n-dimensional compact Riemannian manifold. We study the fundamental group of M when the universal covering space of M, M is close to some Euclidean space ℝs asymptotically.

The subdifferential mapping associated with a proper, convex lower semicontinuous function on a real Banach space is always a special kind of maximal monotone operator. Specifically, it is always “strongly maximal monotone” and of “type (ANA)”. In an attempt to find maximal monotone operators that do not satisfy these properties, we investigate (possibly discontinuous) maximal monotone linear operators from a subspace of a (possibly nonreflexive) real Banach space into its dual. Such a linear mapping is always “strongly maximal monotone”, but we are only able to prove that is of “type (ANA)” when it is continuous or surjective — the situation in general is unclear. In fact, every surjective linear maximal monotone operator is of “type (NA)”, a more restrictive condition than “type (ANA)”, while the zero operator, which is both continuous and linear and also a subdifferential, is never of “type (NA)” if the underlying space is not reflexive. We examine some examples based on the properties of derivatives.