Group actions and Helly's theorem

We describe a connection between the combinatorics of generators for certain groups and the combinatorics of Helly's 1913 theorem on convex sets. We use this connection to prove fixed point theorems for actions of these groups on nonpositively curved metric spaces. These results are encoded in a property that we introduce called “property FAr”, which reduces to Serre's property FA when r=1. The method applies to S-arithmetic groups in higher Q-rank, to simplex reflection groups (including some nonarithmetic ones), and to higher rank Chevalley groups over polynomial and other rings (for example SLn(Z[x₁,…,xd]), n>2).     

Decomposition rank and absorbing extensions of type I algebras

We prove the following: Let A and B be separable C^*-algebras. Suppose that B is a type I C^*-algebra such that

(i)

B has only infinite dimensional irreducible *-representations, and

(ii)

B has finite decomposition rank.

If

0→B→C→A→0     

Halphen pencils on quartic threefolds

For any smooth quartic threefold in P⁴ we classify pencils on it whose general element is an irreducible surface birational to a surface of Kodaira dimension zero.     

On the complexity of the multicut problem in bounded tree-width graphs and digraphs

Given an edge- or vertex-weighted graph or digraph and a list of source-sink pairs, the minimum multicut problem consists in selecting a minimum weight set of edges or vertices whose removal leaves no path from each source to the corresponding sink. This is a classical NP-hard problem, and we show that the edge version becomes tractable in bounded tree-width graphs if the number of source-sink pairs is fixed, but remains NP-hard in directed acyclic graphs and APX-hard in bounded tree-width and bounded degree unweighted digraphs. The vertex version, although tractable in trees, is proved to be NP-hard in unweighted cacti of bounded degree and bounded path-width.     

Further improved recursions for a class of compound Poisson distributions

In the present paper we develop more efficient recursive formulae for the evaluation of the t-order cumulative function Γ^th(x) and the t-order tail probability Λ^th(x) of the class of compound Poisson distributions in the case where the derivative of the probability generating function of the claim amounts can be written as a ratio of two polynomials. These efficient recursions can be applied for the exact evaluation of the probability function (given by De Pril [De Pril, N., 1986a. Improved recursions for some compound Poisson distributions. Insurance Math. Econom. 5, 129-132]), distribution function, tail probability, stop-loss premiums and t-order moments of stop-loss transforms of compound Poisson distributions. Also, efficient recursive algorithms are given for the evaluation of higher-order moments and r-order factorial moments about any point for this class of compound Poisson distributions. Finally, several examples of discrete claim size distributions belonging to this class are also given.     

Lifting inequalities for polytopes

We present a method of lifting linear inequalities for the flag f-vector of polytopes to higher dimensions. Known inequalities that can be lifted using this technique are the non-negativity of the toric g-vector and that the simplex minimizes the cd-index. We obtain new inequalities for six-dimensional polytopes. In the last section we present the currently best known inequalities for dimensions 5 through 8.     

The H-covariant strong Picard groupoid

The notion of H-covariant strong Morita equivalence is introduced for ^*-algebras over C=R(i) with an ordered ring R which are equipped with a ^*-action of a Hopf ^*-algebra H. This defines a corresponding H-covariant strong Picard groupoid which encodes the entire Morita theory. Dropping the positivity conditions one obtains H-covariant ^*-Morita equivalence with its H-covariant ^*-Picard groupoid. We discuss various groupoid morphisms between the corresponding notions of the Picard groupoids. Moreover, we realize several Morita invariants in this context as arising from actions of the H-covariant strong Picard groupoid. Crossed products and their Morita theory are investigated using a groupoid morphism from the H-covariant strong Picard groupoid into the strong Picard groupoid of the crossed products.     

Binary relations and reduced hypergroups

Different partial hypergroupoids are associated with binary relations defined on a set H. In this paper we find sufficient and necessary conditions for these hypergroupoids in order to be reduced hypergroups. Given two binary relations ρ and σ on H we investigate when the hypergroups associated with the relations ρ∩σ, ρ∪σ and ρσ are reduced. We also determine when the cartesian product of two hypergroupoids associated with a binary relation is a reduced hypergroup.     

Twisted first homology groups of the automorphism group of a free group

The automorphism group and outer automorphism group of a free group F_n of rank n act on the abelianized group H of F_n and the dual group H^* of H. The twisted first homology groups of and with coefficients in H and H^* are calculated.     

Parseval frames for ICC groups

We analyze Parseval frames generated by the action of an ICC group on a Hilbert space. We parametrize the set of all such Parseval frames by operators in the commutant of the corresponding representation. We characterize when two such frames are strongly disjoint. We prove an undersampling result showing that if the representation has a Parseval frame of equal norm vectors of norm , the Hilbert space is spanned by an orthonormal basis generated by a subgroup. As applications we obtain some sufficient conditions under which a unitary representation admits a Parseval frame which is spanned by a Riesz sequences generated by a subgroup. In particular, every subrepresentation of the left-regular representation of a free group has this property.     

Ordinal subdivision and special pasting in quasicategories

Quasicategories are simplicial sets with properties generalising those of the nerve of a category. They model weak (ω,1)-categories. Using a combinatorially defined ordinal subdivision, we examine composition rules for certain special pasting diagrams in quasicategories. The subdivision is of combinatorial interest in its own right and is linked with various combinatorial constructions.     

Special metrics and triality

We investigate a new 8-dimensional Riemannian geometry defined by a generic closed and coclosed 3-form with stabiliser PSU(3), and which arises as a critical point of Hitchin's variational principle. We give a Riemannian characterisation of this structure in terms of invariant spinor-valued 1-forms, which are harmonic with respect to the twisted Dirac operator ? on Δ⊗Λ¹. We establish various obstructions to the existence of topological reductions to PSU(3). For compact manifolds, we also give sufficient conditions for topological PSU(3)-structures that can be lifted to topological SU(3)-structures. We also construct the first known compact example of an integrable non-symmetric PSU(3)-structure. In the same vein, we give a new Riemannian characterisation for topological quaternionic Kähler structures which are defined by an Sp(1)⋅Sp(2)-invariant self-dual 4-form. Again, we show that this form is closed if and only if the corresponding spinor-valued 1-form is harmonic for ? and that these equivalent conditions produce constraints on the Ricci tensor.     

Gale duality and Koszul duality

Given a hyperplane arrangement in an affine space equipped with a linear functional, we define two finite-dimensional, noncommutative algebras, both of which are motivated by the geometry of hypertoric varieties. We show that these algebras are Koszul dual to each other, and that the roles of the two algebras are reversed by Gale duality. We also study the centers and representation categories of our algebras, which are in many ways analogous to integral blocks of category O.     

On certain spaces of vector measures of bounded variation

If (Σ,X) is a measurable space and X a Banach space we investigate the X-inheritance of copies of ?_∞ in certain subspaces Δ(Σ,X) of bvca(Σ,X), the Banach space of all X-valued countable additive measures of bounded variation equipped with the variation norm. Among the consequences of our main theorem we get a theorem of J. Mendoza on the X-inheritance of copies of ?_∞ in the Bochner space L₁(μ,X) and other of the author on the X-inheritance of copies of ?_∞ in bvca(Σ,X).     

Identities for the Widder transform and transforms with Bessel function kernels

In the present paper, we consider the classical Widder transform, the H_ν-transform, the K_ν-transform, and the Y_ν-transform. Some identities involving these transforms and many others are given. By making use of these identities, a number of new Parseval-Goldstein type identities are obtained for these and other well-known integral transforms.     

Colorings of k-balanced matrices and integer decomposition property of related polyhedra

We show that a class of polyhedra, arising from certain 0,1 matrices introduced by Truemper and Chandrasekaran, has the integer decomposition property. This is accomplished by proving certain coloring properties of these matrices.     

On constants in the Füredi-Hajnal and the Stanley-Wilf conjecture

For a given permutation matrix P, let fP(n) be the maximum number of 1-entries in an n×n(0,1)-matrix avoiding P and let SP(n) be the set of all n×n permutation matrices avoiding P. The Füredi-Hajnal conjecture asserts that cP:=limn→∞fP(n)/n is finite, while the Stanley-Wilf conjecture asserts that is finite.In 2004, Marcus and Tardos proved the Füredi-Hajnal conjecture, which together with the reduction introduced by Klazar in 2000 proves the Stanley-Wilf conjecture.We focus on the values of the Stanley-Wilf limit (sP) and the Füredi-Hajnal limit (cP). We improve the reduction and obtain which decreases the general upper bound on sP from sP?constconstO(klog(k)) to sP?constO(klog(k)) for any k×k permutation matrix P. In the opposite direction, we show .For a lower bound, we present for each k a k×k permutation matrix satisfying cP=Ω(k²).