This paper studies the Laplacian operator on a metrized graph, and its spectral theory.

We characterize the pairs of weights $(v,w)$ for which the operator $Tf(x)=g(x)\int_{s(x)}^{h(x)}f$ with $s$ and $h$ increasing and continuous functions is of strong type $(p,q)$ or weak type $(p,q)$ with respect to the pair $(v,w)$ in the case $0<q<p$ and $1<p<\infty$. The result for the weak type is new while the characterizations for the strong type improve the ones given by H.~P. Heinig and G. Sinnamon. In particular, we do not assume differentiability properties on $s$ and $h$ and we obtain that the strong type inequality $(p,q)$, $q<p$, is characterized by the fact that the function $$\Phi(x)=\sup \Bigl(\int_c^dg^qw\Bigr)^{1/p} \Bigl(\int_{s(d)}^{h(c)}v^{1-p'}\Bigr)^{1/p'}$$ belongs to $L^{r}(g^qw)$, where $1/r=1/q-1/p$ and the supremum is taken over all $c$ and $d$ such that $c\le x\le d$ and $s(d)\leq h(c)$.

Call a non-Moufang Bol loop minimally non-Moufang if every proper subloop is Moufang and minimally nonassociative if every proper subloop is associative. We prove that these concepts are the same for Bol loops which are nilpotent of class two and in which certain associators square to $1$. In the process, we derive many commutator and associator identities which hold in such loops.

This paper describes new results on the growth and zeros of the Ruelle zeta function for the Julia set of a hyperbolic rational map. It is shown that the zeta function is bounded by $\exp(C_K |s|^{\delta})$ in strips $|\Real s| \leq K$, where $\delta$ is the dimension of the Julia set. This leads to bounds on the number of zeros in strips (interpreted as the Pollicott--Ruelle resonances of this dynamical system). An upper bound on the number of zeros in polynomial regions $\{|\Real s | \leq |\Imag s|^\alpha\}$ is given, followed by weaker lower bound estimates in strips $\{\Real s > -C, |\Imag s|\leq r\}$, and logarithmic neighbourhoods $\{ |\Real s | \leq \rho \log |\Imag s| \}$. Recent numerical work of Strain--Zworski suggests the upper bounds in strips are optimal.

For a commutative local ring $R$, consider (noncommutative) $R$-algebras $\Lambda$ of the form $\Lambda = \operatorname{End}_R(M)$ where $M$ is a reflexive $R$-module with nonzero free direct summand. Such algebras $\Lambda$ of finite global dimension can be viewed as potential substitutes for, or analogues of, a resolution of singularities of $\operatorname{Spec} R$. For example, Van den Bergh has shown that a three-dimensional Gorenstein normal $\mathbb{C}$-algebra with isolated terminal singularities has a crepant resolution of singularities if and only if it has such an algebra $\Lambda$ with finite global dimension and which is maximal Cohen--Macaulay over $R$ (a ``noncommutative crepant resolution of singularities''). We produce algebras $\Lambda=\operatorname{End}_R(M)$ having finite global dimension in two contexts: when $R$ is a reduced one-dimensional complete local ring, or when $R$ is a Cohen--Macaulay local ring of finite Cohen--Macaulay type. If in the latter case $R$ is Gorenstein, then the construction gives a noncommutative crepant resolution of singularities in the sense of Van den Bergh.

Let $A$ be a separable amenable purely infinite simple \CA which satisfies the Universal Coefficient Theorem. We prove that $A$ is weakly semiprojective if and only if $K_i(A)$ is a countable direct sum of finitely generated groups ($i=0,1$). Therefore, if $A$ is such a \CA, for any $\ep>0$ and any finite subset ${\mathcal F}\subset A$ there exist $\dt>0$ and a finite subset ${\mathcal G}\subset A$ satisfying the following: for any contractive positive linear map $L: A\to B$ (for any \CA $B$) with $ \|L(ab)-L(a)L(b)\|<\dt$ for $a, b\in {\mathcal G}$ there exists a homomorphism $h\from A\to B$ such that $ \|h(a)-L(a)\|<\ep$ for $a\in {\mathcal F}$.

We determine which isogeny classes of supersingular abelian surfaces over a finite field $k$ of characteristic $2$ contain jacobians. We deal with this problem in a direct way by computing explicitly the zeta function of all supersingular curves of genus $2$. Our procedure is constructive, so that we are able to exhibit curves with prescribed zeta function and find formulas for the number of curves, up to $k$-isomorphism, leading to the same zeta function.

Dans cet article on \'etudie la diff\'erence entre les deux premi\`eres valeurs propres, le splitting, d'un op\'erateur de Klein--Gordon semi-classique unidimensionnel, dans le cas d'un potentiel sym\'etrique pr\'esentant un double puits. Dans le cas d'une petite barri\`ere de potentiel, B. Helffer et B. Parisse ont obtenu des r\'esultats analogues \`a ceux existant pour l'op\'erateur de Schr\"odinger. Dans le cas d'une grande barri\`ere de potentiel, on obtient ici des estimations des tranform\'ees de Fourier des fonctions propres qui conduisent \`a une conjecture du splitting. Des calculs num\'eriques viennent appuyer cette conjecture.

It is known that the Brandt--Lickorish--Millett--Ho polynomial $Q$ contains Casson's knot invariant. Whether there are (essentially) other Vassiliev knot invariants obtainable from $Q$ is an open problem. We show that this is not so up to degree $9$. We also give the (apparently) first examples of knots not distinguished by 2-cable HOMFLY polynomials which are not mutants. Our calculations provide evidence of a negative answer to the question whether Vassiliev knot invariants of degree $d \le 10$ are determined by the HOMFLY and Kauffman polynomials and their 2-cables, and for the existence of algebras of such Vassiliev invariants not isomorphic to the algebras of their weight systems.