A presentation of mapping class groups in terms of Artin groups and geometric monodromy of singularities

From Wajnryb's presentation, we extract a simple presentation of the mapping class group of the genus g surface as a quotient of an Artin group by simple relations among the centers of sub-Artin groups. Topological meanings are given by using deformation of simple singularities. Received: 22 January 1998 / in final form: 16 February 1999     

The G-homotopy type of proper locally linear G-manifolds. II

In this paper we study proper locally linear actions of Lie groups on topological manifolds and prove that such G-spaces have the G-homotopy type of a G-CW complex. Results on G-invariant metrics and equivariant embeddings into Banach G-spaces are also obtained. Received: 19 June 2000     

The class of groups which have a subgroup of index 2 is not elementary

F. Oger proved that if A is a finite group, then the class of groups which are abelian-by-A can be axiomatized by a single first order sentence. It is established here that, in Oger's result, the word abelian cannot be replaced by group. Received: 15 March 1996 / Published online: 18 July 2001     

Actions and irreducible representations of the mapping class group

Let G be a countable discrete group. Call two subgroups and of G commensurable if has finite index in both and . We say that an action of G on a discrete set X has noncommensurable stabilizers if the stabilizers of any two distinct points of X are not commensurable. We prove in this paper that the action of the map ping class group on the complex of curves has noncommensurable stabilizers. Following a method due to Burger and de la Harpe, this action leads to constructions of irreducible unitary representations of the mapping class group. Received: 26 July 1999 / Revised version: 14 May 2001 / Published online: 19 October 2001     

Loops on spheres having a compact-free inner mapping group

We prove that any topological loop homeomorphic to a sphere or to a real projective space and having a compact-free Lie group as the inner mapping group is homeomorphic to the circle. Moreover, we classify the differentiable 1-dimensional compact loops explicitly using the theory of Fourier series. Authors’ addresses: ágota Figula, Mathematisches Institut der Universit?t Erlangen-Nürnberg, Bismarckstr. 1 1/2, 91054 Erlangen, Germany and Institute of Mathematics, University of Debrecen, P.O.B. 12, H-4010 Debrecen, Hungary; Karl Strambach, Mathematisches Institut der Universit?t Erlangen-Nürnberg, Bismarckstr. 1 1/2, 91054 Erlangen, Germany     

The <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Cockcroft Property of Central Extensions of Groups II

In [6], ?evik defined necessary and sufficient conditions for the presentation of a central extension of a cyclic group by an ordinary group to be p-Cockcroft, where p is a prime or 0. In this paper, as a next step of this above result, we will define the p-Cockcroft property for the presentation of a central extension of an abelian group by any group. Finally, as an application of the main result, we will present an example.     

Axiomatization of abelian-by-G groups for a finite group G

We show that, for each finite group G, there exists an axiomatization of the class of abelian-by-G groups with a single sentence. In the proof, we use the definability of the subgroups M ⁿ in an abelian-by-finite group M, and the Auslander-Reiten sequences for modules over an Artin algebra. Received: 15 March 1996 / Published online: 18 July 2001     

Partial Actions of Groups on Cell Complexes

 In this paper, we study partial group actions on 2-complexes. Our results include a characterization, in terms of generating sets, of when a partial group action on a connected 2-complex has a connected globalization. Using this result, we give a short combinatorial proof that a group acting without fixed points on a connected 2-complex, with finite quotient, is finitely generated. This result is then generalized to characterize finitely generated groups as precisely those groups having a partial action, without fixed points, on a finite tree, with a connected globalization. Finally, using Bass-Serre theory, we determine when a partial group action on a graph has a globalization which is a tree. The author was supported in part by NSF-NATO postdoctoral fellowship DGE-9972697, by Praxis XXI scholarship BPD 16306 98 and by FCT through Centro de Matemática da Universidade do Porto. Received September 20, 2001; in revised form June 25, 2002     

Geometry of the Normal Bundle of a Submanifold*

 We study the geometric behavior of the normal bundle T ^⊥ M of a submanifold M of a Riemannian manifold . We compute explicitely the second fundamental form of T ^⊥ M and look at the relation between the minimality of T ^⊥ M and M. Finally we show that the Maslov forms with respect to a suitable connection of the pair (T ^⊥ M, are null. Received March 14, 2001; in revised form February 11, 2002     

The central limit theorem for Markov chains with normal transition operators, started at a point

The central limit theorem and the invariance principle, proved by Kipnis and Varadhan for reversible stationary ergodic Markov chains with respect to the stationary law, are established with respect to the law of the chain started at a fixed point, almost surely, under a slight reinforcing of their spectral assumption. The result is valid also for stationary ergodic chains whose transition operator is normal. Received: 28 March 2000 / Revised version: 25 July 2000 /?Published online: 15 February 2001     

Natural deduction with general elimination rules

The structure of derivations in natural deduction is analyzed through isomorphism with a suitable sequent calculus, with twelve hidden convertibilities revealed in usual natural deduction. A general formulation of conjunction and implication elimination rules is given, analogous to disjunction elimination. Normalization through permutative conversions now applies in all cases. Derivations in normal form have all major premisses of elimination rules as assumptions. Conversion in any order terminates. Through the condition that in a cut-free derivation of the sequent Γ⇒C, no inactive weakening or contraction formulas remain in Γ, a correspondence with the formal derivability relation of natural deduction is obtained: All formulas of Γ become open assumptions in natural deduction, through an inductively defined translation. Weakenings are interpreted as vacuous discharges, and contractions as multiple discharges. In the other direction, non-normal derivations translate into derivations with cuts having the cut formula principal either in both premisses or in the right premiss only. Received: 1 December 1998 / Revised version: 30 June 2000 / Published online: 18 July 2001     

On the first Hochschild cohomology group of an algebra

Let A≡KΔ /I be a factor of a path algebra. We develop a strategy to compute dim H ¹(A), the dimension of the first Hochschild cohomology group of A, using combinatorial data from (Δ,I). That allows us to connect dim H ¹(A) with the rank and p-rank of the fundamental group π₁(Δ,I) of (Δ,I). We get explicit formulae for dim H ¹(A), when every path in Δ parallel to an arrow belongs to I or when I is homogeneous. Received: 12 April 1999 / Revised version: 9 October 2000     

A note on log etale Čech cohomolog

In this paper, we prove the comparison theorem between log etale cohomology and log etale Čech cohomology for certain log schemes, which is a generalization of a result of Artin on the comparison theorem between etale cohomology and etale Čech cohomology. It turns out that the naive generalization is not true, and we also give a counter-example for it. Received: 2 July 2000 / Revised version: 4 September 2000