Given a universal algebra A, one can define for each positive integer n the set of functions on A which can be “interpolated” at any n elements of A by a polynomial function on A. These sets form a chain with respect to inclusion. It is known for several varieties that many of these sets coincide for all algebras A in the variety. We show here that, in contrast with these results, the coincident sets in the chain can to a large extent be specified arbitrarily by suitably choosing A from the variety of commutative semigroups.

In 1953 P. P. Korovkin proved that if (Tn) is a sequence of positive linear operators defined on the space C of continuous real 2 π-periodic functions and lim Tnf = f uniformly for f = 1, cos and sin, then lim Tnf = f uniformly for all f ∈ C. Quantitative versions of this result have been given, where the rate of convergence is given in terms of that of the test functions 1, cos and sin, and the modulus of continuity of f. We extend this result by giving a quantitative version of Korovkin's theorem for compact connected abelian groups.

This note shows how the rate of decay of the singular values can be easily estimated for a wide class of integral operators on L2(Rn).

Let (S. U) be a uniform space. This space can be embedded in a complete, uniform lattice called the scale of (S. U). We prove that the scale is compact if and only if S is finite or U = {S × S}. We prove that this statement remains true if compact is replaced by countably compact, totally bounded. Lindelof, second countable, or separable. In the last section of this paper, we investigate the cardinality of the scale and the retracted scale.

An infinite subset of ω is monotone (1–1) if every recursive function is eventually monotone on it (eventually constant on it or eventually 1–1 on it). A recursively enumerable set is co-monotone (co-1–1) just if its complement is monotone (1–1). It is shown that no implications hold among the properties of being cohesive, monotone, or 1–1, though each implies r-cohesiveness and dense immunity. However it is also shown that co-monotone and co-1–1 are equivalent, that they are properly stronger than the conjunction of r-maximality and dense simplicity, and that they do not imply maximality.

We discuss complete mapping polynomials of finite fields, which are a special class of permutation polynomials. Complete mapping polynomials of small degree are classified. Results are obtained on a class of complete mapping binomials and on permutation binomials.

It is shown that hte algebra of regular sets for a finitely additive Borel measure μ on a compact Hausdroff space is a σ-algebra only if it includes the Baire algebra and μ is countably additive onthe σ-algebra of regular sets. Any infinite compact Hausdroff space admits a finitely additive Borel measure whose algebra of regular sets is not a σ-algebra. Although a finitely additive measure with a σ-algebra of regular sets is countably additive on the Baire σ-algebra there are examples of finitely additive extensions of countably additive Baire measures whose regular algebra is not a σ-algebra. We examine the particular case of extensions of Dirac measures. In this context it is shown that all extensions of a {0, 1}-valued countably additive measure from a σ-algebra to a larger σ-algebra are countably additive if and only if the convex set of these extensions is a finite dimensional simplex.

Let u be a solution of the heat equation which can be written as the difference of two non-negative solutions, and let v be a non-negative solution. A study is made of the behaviour of u(x, t)/v(x, t) as t → 0+. The methods are based on the Gauss-Weierstrass integral representation of solutions on Rn × ]0, a[ and results on the relative differentiation of measures, which are employed in a novel way to obtain several domination, non-negativity, uniqueness and representation theorems.

A transcendence theorem is proved for functions satisfying functional equations of the shape P(z, f(z), f(zp)) = 0, where P is a polynomial and p ≥ 2 is an integer.

A permutation group G on a finite set Ω is always exposable if whenever G stabilises a switching class of graphs on Ω, G fixes a graph in the switching class. Here we consider the problem: given a finite group G, which permutation representations of G are always exposable? We present solutions to the problem for (i) 2-generator abelian groups, (ii) all abelian groups in semiregular representations. (iii) generalised quaternion groups and (iv) some representations of the symmetric group Sn.

Let X be a weakly complete proper cone, contained in an Hausdorff locally convex space E, with continuous dual E′. A positive linear form on the Risz space of functions on X generated by E′ is called a conical measure on X. Let M+ (X) be the set of all conical measures on X. G. Choquet asked the question: when is every conical measure on X given by a Radon measure on (X\0)? Let L be the class of such X. In this paper we show that the fact that X ∈ L only depends, in some sense, on the cofinal subsets of the space E′|x ordered by the order of functions on X. We derive that X ∈ L is equivalent to M+ (M) ∈ L. We show that is closed under denumerable products.

Let a compact orientable manifold be immersed as a hypersurface of constant mean curvature in an Einstein space. It is shown that the immersion is totally umbilical if and only if there exists a conformal variation of the immersion whose variation vector is nowhere tangential to the hypersurface.

In a recent paper van Leeuwen and Heyman constructed a supernilpotent radical class using the class of almost nilpotent rings. Using a similar construction, for any class C satisfying the following four properties we obtain a superrnlpotent radical class containing C.

(N1) C contains the class Z of all zero rings.

(N2) C is hereditary.

(N3) C is homomorphically closed.

(N4) If A and A/I are elements of C for some ideal I of a ring A, then A ∈ C.

Every supernilpotent radical class P clearly satisfies these conditions. For any such radical class we define the class of almost radical rings and use these to construct a new radical class P2 which contains the given one. Also, we give a characterization for dual supernilpotent radicals.

Recently, we have introduced the notion of stable permutations in a Latin rectangle L(r×c) of r rows and c columns. In this note, we prove that the set of all stable permutations in L (r×c) forms a distributive lattice which is Boolean if and only if c ≤ 2.

Non-completely simple bisimple semigroups S which are generated by a finite number of idempotents are studied by means of Rees matrix semigroups over local submonoids eSe, e = e2 ∈ S. If under the natural partial order on the set Es of idempotents of such a semigroup S the sets ω(e) = {ƒ ∈ Es: ƒ ≤ e} for each e ∈ Es are well-ordered, then S is shown to contain a subsemigroup isomorphic to Sp4, the fundamental four-spiral semigroup. A non-completely simple hisimple semigroup is constructed which is generated by 5 idempotents but which does not contain a subsemigroup isomorphic to Sp4.

The empirical measure Pn for independent sampling on a distribution P is formed by placing mass n−1 at each of the first n sample points. In this paper, n½(Pn − P) is regarded as a stochastic process indexed by a family of square integrable functions. A functional central limit theorem is proved for this process. The statement of this theorem involves a new form of combinatorial entropy, definable for classes of square integrable functions.

A classical theorem states that any open set on the real line is a countable union of disjoint open invervals. Here the numerical content of this theorem is investigated with the methods of constructive topology.

The quotient bounded and the universally bounded elements in a calibrated locally convex algebra are defined and studied. In the case of a generalized B*-algebra A, they are shown to form respectively b* and B*-algebras, both dense in A. An internal spatial characterization of generalized B*-algebras is obtained. The concepts are illustrated with the help of examples of algebras of measurable functions and of continuous linear operators on a locally convex space.

A simple technique for obtaining bounds in terms of means and variances for the expectations of certain functions of random variables in a given class is examined. The bounds given are sharp in the sense that they are attainable by at least one random variable in the class. This technique is applied to obtain bounds for moment generating functions, the coefficient of skewness and parameters associated with branching processes. In particular an improved lower bound for the Malthusian parameter in an age-dependent branching process is derived.