We define and study the so-called extreme version of the notion of a projective normed module. The relevant definition takes into account the exact value of the norm of the module in question, in contrast with the standard known definition that is formulated in terms of norm topology. After the discussion of the case where our normed algebra $A$ is just $\mathbb{C}$, we concentrate on the case of the next degree of complication, where $A$ is a sequence algebra, satisfying some natural conditions. The main results give a full characterization of extremely projective objects within the subcategory of the category of non-degenerate normed $A$--modules, consisting of the so-called homogeneous modules. We consider two cases, `non-complete' and `complete', and the respective answers turn out to be essentially different. In particular, all Banach non-degenerate homogeneous modules, consisting of sequences, are extremely projective within the category of Banach non-degenerate homogeneous modules. However, neither of them, provided it is infinite-dimensional, is extremely projective within the category of all normed non-degenerate homogeneous modules. On the other hand, submodules of these modules, consisting of finite sequences, are extremely projective within the latter category.

We show that for spaces with 1-unconditional bases lushness, the alternative Daugavet property and numerical index 1 are equivalent. In the class of rearrangement invariant (r.i.) sequence spaces the only examples of spaces with these properties are $c_0$, $\ell_1$ and $\ell_\infty$. The only lush r.i. separable function space on $[0,1]$ is $L_1[0,1]$; the same space is the only r.i. separable function space on $[0,1]$ with the Daugavet property over the reals.

In this paper we analyze states on C*-algebras and their relationship to filter-like structures of projections and positive elements in the unit ball. After developing the basic theory we use this to investigate the Kadison-Singer conjecture, proving its equivalence to an apparently quite weak paving conjecture and the existence of unique maximal centred extensions of projections coming from ultrafilters on the natural numbers. We then prove that Reid's positive answer to this for q-points in fact also holds for rapid p-points, and that maximal centred filters are obtained in this case. We then show that consistently such maximal centred filters do not exist at all meaning that, for every pure state on the Calkin algebra, there exists a pair of projections on which the state is 1, even though the state is bounded strictly below 1 for projections below this pair. Lastly we investigate towers, using cardinal invariant equalities to construct towers on the natural numbers that do and do not remain towers when canonically embedded into the Calkin algebra. Finally we show that consistently all towers on the natural numbers remain towers under this embedding.

In this paper we consider near inclusions $A\subseteq_\gamma B$ of C$^*$-algebras. We show that if $B$ is a separable type $\mathrm{I}$ C$^*$-algebra and $A$ satisfies Kadison's similarity problem, then $A$ is also type $\mathrm{I}$ and use this to obtain an embedding of $A$ into $B$.

We study projections in the corona algebra of $C(X)\otimes K$, where K is the $C^*$-algebra of compact operators on a separable infinite dimensional Hilbert space and $X=[0,1],[0,\infty),(-\infty,\infty)$, or $[0,1]/\{ 0,1 \}$. Using BDF's essential codimension, we determine conditions for a projection in the corona algebra to be liftable to a projection in the multiplier algebra. We also determine the conditions for two projections to be equal in $K_0$, Murray-von Neumann equivalent, unitarily equivalent, or homotopic. In light of these characterizations, we construct examples showing that the equivalence notions above are all distinct.

It is shown that simplicity of the crossed product of a unital AH-algebra with slow dimension growth by an endomorphism implies that the algebra is also purely infinite, provided only that the endomorphism leaves no trace state invariant and takes the unit to a full projection.

A K-theoretic classification is given of the simple inductive limits of finite direct sums of the type I $C^*$-algebras known as splitting interval algebras with dimension drops. (These are the subhomogeneous $C^*$-algebras, each having spectrum a finite union of points and an open interval, and torsion $\textrm{K}_1$-group.)

Considering quantum random walks, we construct discrete-time approximations of the eigenvalues processes of minors of Hermitian Brownian motion. It has been recently proved by Adler, Nordenstam, and van Moerbeke that the process of eigenvalues of two consecutive minors of a Hermitian Brownian motion is a Markov process; whereas, if one considers more than two consecutive minors, the Markov property fails. We show that there are analog results in the noncommutative counterpart and establish the Markov property of eigenvalues of some particular submatrices of Hermitian Brownian motion.

We introduce the fundamental group ${\mathcal F}(A)$ of a simple $\sigma$-unital $C^*$-algebra $A$ with unique (up to scalar multiple) densely defined lower semicontinuous trace. This is a generalization of ``Fundamental Group of Simple $C^*$-algebras with Unique Trace I and II'' by Nawata and Watatani. Our definition in this paper makes sense for stably projectionless $C^*$-algebras. We show that there exist separable stably projectionless $C^*$-algebras such that their fundamental groups are equal to $\mathbb{R}_+^\times$ by using the classification theorem of Razak and Tsang. This is a contrast to the unital case in Nawata and Watatani. This study is motivated by the work of Kishimoto and Kumjian.

We inspect the relationship between relative Fourier multipliers on noncommutative Lebesgue-Orlicz spaces of a discrete group $\varGamma$ and relative Toeplitz-Schur multipliers on Schatten-von-Neumann-Orlicz classes. Four applications are given: lacunary sets, unconditional Schauder bases for the subspace of a Lebesgue space determined by a given spectrum $\varLambda\subseteq\varGamma$, the norm of the Hilbert transform and the Riesz projection on Schatten-von-Neumann classes with exponent a power of 2, and the norm of Toeplitz Schur multipliers on Schatten-von-Neumann classes with exponent less than 1.

We demonstrate how most common cardinal invariants associated with a von Neumann algebra $\mathcal M$ can be computed from the decomposability number, $\operatorname{dens}(\mathcal M)$, and the minimal cardinality of a generating set, $\operatorname{gen}(\mathcal M)$. Applications include the equivalence of the well-known generator problem, ``Is every separably-acting von Neumann algebra singly-generated?", with the formally stronger questions, ``Is every countably-generated von Neumann algebra singly-generated?" and ``Is the $\operatorname{gen}$ invariant monotone?" Modulo the generator problem, we determine the range of the invariant $\bigl( \operatorname{gen}(\mathcal M), \operatorname{dens}(\mathcal M) \bigr)$, which is mostly governed by the inequality $\operatorname{dens}(\mathcal M) \leq \mathfrak C^{\operatorname{gen}(\mathcal M)}$.

We show that the multiplier algebra of the Fourier algebra on a locally compact group $G$ can be isometrically represented on a direct sum on non-commutative $L^p$ spaces associated with the right von Neumann algebra of $G$. The resulting image is the idealiser of the image of the Fourier algebra. If these spaces are given their canonical operator space structure, then we get a completely isometric representation of the completely bounded multiplier algebra. We make a careful study of the non-commutative $L^p$ spaces we construct and show that they are completely isometric to those considered recently by Forrest, Lee, and Samei. We improve a result of theirs about module homomorphisms. We suggest a definition of a Figa-Talamanca-Herz algebra built out of these non-commutative $L^p$ spaces, say $A_p(\widehat G)$. It is shown that $A_2(\widehat G)$ is isometric to $L^1(G)$, generalising the abelian situation.

The non-archimedean power series spaces, $A_1(a)$ and $A_\infty(b)$, are the best known and most important examples of non-archimedean nuclear Fréchet spaces. We prove that the range of every continuous linear map from $A_p(a)$ to $A_q(b)$ has a Schauder basis if either $p=1$ or $p=\infty$ and the set $M_{b,a}$ of all bounded limit points of the double sequence $(b_i/a_j)_{i,j\in\mathbb{N}}$ is bounded. It follows that every complemented subspace of a power series space $A_p(a)$ has a Schauder basis if either $p=1$ or $p=\infty$ and the set $M_{a,a}$ is bounded.

In the paper, we introduce a new concept, topological orbit dimension of an $n$-tuple of elements in a unital C$^{\ast}$-algebra. Using this concept, we conclude that Voiculescu's topological free entropy dimension of every finite family of self-adjoint generators of a nuclear C$^{\ast}$-algebra is less than or equal to $1$. We also show that the Voiculescu's topological free entropy dimension is additive in the full free product of some unital C$^{\ast}$-algebras. We show that the unital full free product of Blackadar and Kirchberg's unital MF algebras is also an MF algebra. As an application, we obtain that $\mathop{\textrm{Ext}}(C_{r}^{\ast}(F_{2})\ast_{\mathbb{C}}C_{r}^{\ast}(F_{2}))$ is not a group.

We study classes of mappings between finite and infinite dimensional Banach spaces that are monotone and mappings which are differences of monotone mappings (DM). We prove a Radó-Reichelderfer estimate for monotone mappings in finite dimensional spaces that remains valid for DM mappings. This provides an alternative proof of the Fréchet differentiability a.e. of DM mappings. We establish a Morrey-type estimate for the distributional derivative of monotone mappings. We prove that a locally DM mapping between finite dimensional spaces is also globally DM. We introduce and study a new class of the so-called UDM mappings between Banach spaces, which generalizes the concept of curves of finite variation.

Let $A$ be an AI algebra; that is, $A$ is the $\mbox{C}^{*}$-algebra inductive limit of a sequence $$ A_{1}\stackrel{\phi_{1,2}}{\longrightarrow}A_{2}\stackrel{\phi_{2,3}}{\longrightarrow}A_{3} \longrightarrow\cdots\longrightarrow A_{n}\longrightarrow\cdots, $$ where $A_{n}=\bigoplus_{i=1}^{k_n}M_{[n,i]}(C(X^{i}_n))$, $X^{i}_n$ are $[0,1]$, $k_n$, and $[n,i]$ are positive integers. Suppose that $A$ has the ideal property: each closed two-sided ideal of $A$ is generated by the projections inside the ideal, as a closed two-sided ideal. In this article, we give a complete classification of AI algebras with the ideal property.

Parallel to the first two authors' earlier classification of separable, unita one-parameter, continuous fields of Kirchberg algebras with torsion free $\mathrm{K}$-groups supported in one dimension, one-parameter, separable, uni continuous fields of AF-algebras are classified by their ordered $\mathrm{K}_0$-sheaves. Effros-Handelman-Shen type theorems are pr separable unital one-parameter continuous fields of AF-algebras and Kirchberg algebras.

Let $F$ be a non-separable LF-space homeomorphic to the direct sum $\sum_{n\in\mathbb{N}} \ell_2(\tau_n)$, where $\aleph_0 < \tau_1 < \tau_2 < \cdots$. It is proved that every open subset $U$ of $F$ is homeomorphic to the product $|K| \times F$ for some locally finite-dimensional simplicial complex $K$ such that every vertex $v \in K^{(0)}$ has the star $\operatorname{St}(v,K)$ with $\operatorname{card} \operatorname{St}(v,K)^{(0)} < \tau = \sup\tau_n$ (and $\operatorname{card} K^{(0)} \le \tau$), and, conversely, if $K$ is such a simplicial complex, then the product $|K| \times F$ can be embedded in $F$ as an open set, where $|K|$ is the polyhedron of $K$ with the metric topology.

Let $A_p(G)$ be the Figa-Talamanca, Herz Banach Algebra on $G$; thus $A_2(G)$ is the Fourier algebra. Strong Ditkin (SD) and Extremely Strong Ditkin (ESD) sets for the Banach algebras $A_p^r(G)$ are investigated for abelian and nonabelian locally compact groups $G$. It is shown that SD and ESD sets for $A_p(G)$ remain SD and ESD sets for $A_p^r(G)$, with strict inclusion for ESD sets. The case for the strict inclusion of SD sets is left open. A result on the weak sequential completeness of $A_2(F)$ for ESD sets $F$ is proved and used to show that Varopoulos, Helson, and Sidon sets are not ESD sets for $A_2(G)$, yet they are such for $A_2^r(G)$ for discrete groups $G$, for any $1\le r\le 2$. A result is given on the equivalence of the sequential and the net definitions of SD or ESD sets for $\sigma$-compact groups. The above results are new even if $G$ is abelian.

In this paper we determine the limiting distributional behavior for sums of infinitesimal conditionally free random variables. We show that the weak convergence of classical convolution and that of conditionally free convolution are equivalent for measures in an infinitesimal triangular array, where the measures may have unbounded support. Moreover, we use these limit theorems to study the conditionally free infinite divisibility. These results are obtained by complex analytic methods without reference to the combinatorics of c-free convolution.

We introduce and study a remarkable family of real probability measures $\pi_{st}$ that we call free Bessel laws. These are related to the free Poisson law $\pi$ via the formulae $\pi_{s1}=\pi^{\boxtimes s}$ and ${\pi_{1t}=\pi^{\boxplus t}}$. Our study includes definition and basic properties, analytic aspects (supports, atoms, densities), combinatorial aspects (functional transforms, moments, partitions), and a discussion of the relation with random matrices and quantum groups.

For some Banach spaces of analytic functions in the unit disk (weighted Bergman spaces, Bloch space, Dirichlet-type spaces), the isometric pointwise multipliers are found to be unimodular constants. As a consequence, it is shown that none of those spaces have isometric zero-divisors. Isometric coefficient multipliers are also investigated.

This paper studies the relationship between vector-valued BMO functions and the Carleson measures defined by their gradients. Let $dA$ and $dm$ denote Lebesgue measures on the unit disc $D$ and the unit circle $\mathbf{T}$, respectively. For $1< q<\infty$ and a Banach space $B$, we prove that there exists a positive constant $c$ such that $$\sup_{z_0\in D}\int_{D}(1-|z|)^{q-1}\|\nabla f(z)\|^q P_{z_0}(z) dA(z) \le c^q\sup_{z_0\in D}\int_{\mathbf{T}}\|f(z)-f(z_0)\|^qP_{z_0}(z) dm(z)$$ holds for all trigonometric polynomials $f$ with coefficients in $B$ if and only if $B$ admits an equivalent norm which is $q$-uniformly convex, where $$P_{z_0}(z)=\frac{1-|z_0|^2}{|1-\bar{z_0}z|^2} .$$ The validity of the converse inequality is equivalent to the existence of an equivalent $q$-uniformly smooth norm.

We investigate generalized amenability and biflatness properties of various (operator) Segal algebras in both the group algebra, $L^1(G)$, and the Fourier algebra, $A(G)$, of a locally compact group~$G$.

Let ${\mathcal T}$ be the $C^\ast $-algebra generated by the Toeplitz operators $\{T_\varphi : \varphi \in L^\infty (S,d\sigma )\}$ on the Hardy space $H^2(S)$ of the unit sphere in $\mathbf{C}^n$. It is well known that ${\mathcal T}$ is contained in the essential commutant of $\{T_\varphi : \varphi \in \operatorname{VMO}\cap L^\infty (S,d\sigma )\}$. We show that the essential commutant of $\{T_\varphi : \varphi \in \operatorname{VMO}\cap L^\infty (S,d\sigma )\}$ is strictly larger than ${\mathcal T}$.