We show that any exceptional non-trivial Dehn surgery on a twist knot, except the trefoil, yields a $3$-manifold whose fundamental group is left-orderable. This is a generalization of a result of Clay, Lidman and Watson, and also gives a new supporting evidence for a conjecture of Boyer, Gordon and Watson.

In 1961, J. Barrett showed that if the first conjugate point $\eta_1(a)$ exists for the differential equation $(r(x)y'')''= p(x)y,$ where $r(x)\gt 0$ and $p(x)\gt 0$, then so does the first systems-conjugate point $\widehat\eta_1(a)$. The aim of this note is to extend this result to the general equation with middle term $(q(x)y')'$ without further restriction on $q(x)$, other than continuity.

We study an even order system boundary value problem with periodic boundary conditions. By establishing the existence of a positive eigenvalue of an associated linear system Sturm-Liouville problem, we obtain new conditions for the boundary value problem to have a positive solution. Our major tools are the Krein-Rutman theorem for linear spectra and the fixed point index theory for compact operators.

We generalize Löwner's method for proving that matrix monotone functions are operator monotone. The relation $x\leq y$ on bounded operators is our model for a definition of $C^{*}$-relations being residually finite dimensional. Our main result is a meta-theorem about theorems involving relations on bounded operators. If we can show there are residually finite dimensional relations involved and verify a technical condition, then such a theorem will follow from its restriction to matrices. Applications are shown regarding norms of exponentials, the norms of commutators, and "positive" noncommutative $*$-polynomials.

We consider approximation of multivariate functions in Sobolev spaces by high order Parzen windows in a non-uniform sampling setting. Sampling points are neither i.i.d. nor regular, but are noised from regular grids by non-uniform shifts of a probability density function. Sample function values at sampling points are drawn according to probability measures with expected values being values of the approximated function. The approximation orders are estimated by means of regularity of the approximated function, the density function, and the order of the Parzen windows, under suitable choices of the scaling parameter.

Let $L$ be a finite distributive lattice. Let $\operatorname{Sub}_0(L)$ be the lattice $$ \{S\mid S\text{ is a sublattice of }L\}\cup\{\emptyset\} $$ and let $\ell_*[\operatorname{Sub}_0(L)]$ be the length of the shortest maximal chain in $\operatorname{Sub}_0(L)$. It is proved that if $K$ and $L$ are non-trivial finite distributive lattices, then $$ \ell_*[\operatorname{Sub}_0(K\times L)]=\ell_*[\operatorname{Sub}_0(K)]+\ell_*[\operatorname{Sub}_0(L)]. $$ A conjecture from the 1984 Banff Conference on Graphs and Order is thus proved.

It is shown that it follows from PFA that there is no compact scattered space of height greater than $\omega$ in which the sequential order and the scattering heights coincide.

Klep and Velu\v{s}\v{c}ek generalized the Krull--Baer theorem for higher level preorderings to the non-commutative setting. A $n$-real valuation $v$ on a skew field $D$ induces a group homomorphism $\overline{v}$. A section of $\overline{v}$ is a crucial ingredient of the construction of a complete preordering on the base field $D$ such that its projection on the residue skew field $k_v$ equals the given level $1$ ordering on $k_v$. In the article we give a proof of the existence of the section of $\overline{v}$, which was left as an open problem by Klep and Velu\v{s}\v{c}ek, and thus complete the generalization of the Krull--Baer theorem for preorderings.

In this paper we shall discuss nonlinear multipoint boundary value problems for second order differential equations when deviating arguments depend on the unknown solution. Sufficient conditions under which such problems have extremal and quasi-solutions are given. The problem of when a unique solution exists is also investigated. To obtain existence results, a monotone iterative technique is used. Two examples are added to verify theoretical results.

By employing the limit set dichotomy for essentially strongly order-preserving semiflows and the assumption that limit sets have infima and suprema in the state space, we prove a generic quasi-convergence principle implying the existence of an open and dense set of stable quasi-convergent points. We also apply this generic quasi-convergence principle to a model for biochemical feedback in protein synthesis and obtain some results about the model which are of theoretical and realistic significance.

We present a new approach to noncommutative real algebraic geometry based on the representation theory of $C^\ast$-algebras. An important result in commutative real algebraic geometry is Jacobi's representation theorem for archimedean quadratic modules on commutative rings. We show that this theorem is a consequence of the Gelfand--Naimark representation theorem for commutative $C^\ast$-algebras. A noncommutative version of Gelfand--Naimark theory was studied by I. Fujimoto. We use his results to generalize Jacobi's theorem to associative rings with involution.

We prove the converse of a theorem of Zaanen about the duality problem of positive AM-compact operators.

We study natural $*$-valuations, $*$-places and graded $*$-rings associated with $*$-ordered rings. We prove that the natural $*$-valuation is always quasi-Ore and is even quasi-commutative (\emph{i.e.,} the corresponding graded $*$-ring is commutative), provided the ring contains an imaginary unit. Furthermore, it is proved that the graded $*$-ring is isomorphic to a twisted semigroup algebra. Our results are applied to answer a question of Cimpri\v c regarding $*$-orderability of quantum groups.

In this paper we study Hankel transforms and Hankel convolution operators on spaces of entire functions of finite order and their duals.

Order components of a finite simple group were introduced in [4]. It was proved that some non-abelian simple groups are uniquely determined by their order components. As the main result of this paper, we show that groups $PSU_{11}(q)$ are also uniquely determined by their order components. As corollaries of this result, the validity of a conjecture of J. G. Thompson and a conjecture of W. Shi and J. Bi both on $PSU_{11}(q)$ are obtained.

Let $G$ be a finitely generated, infinite group, let $p>1$, and let $L^p(G)$ denote the Banach space $\{ \sum_{x\in G} a_xx \mid \sum_{x\in G} |a_x |^p < \infty \}$. In this paper we will study the first cohomology group of $G$ with coefficients in $L^p(G)$, and the first reduced $L^p$-cohomology space of $G$. Most of our results will be for a class of groups that contains all finitely generated, infinite nilpotent groups.

Upper bounds of second order Dehn functions of asynchronously automatic groups are obtained.

A binary structure $S$ has the pigeonhole property ($\mathcal{P}$) if every finite partition of $S$ induces a block isomorphic to $S$. We classify all countable tournaments with ($\mathcal{P}$); the class of orders with ($\mathcal{P}$) is completely classified.

Let $\scr S_r$ be the collection of all axially symmetric functions $f$ in the Sobolev space $H^1(\Sph^2)$ such that $\int_{\Sph^2} x_ie^{2f(\mathbf{x})} \, d\omega(\mathbf{x})$ vanishes for $i=1,2,3$. We prove that $$ \inf_{f\in \scr S_r} \frac12 \int_{\Sph^2} |\nabla f|^2 \, d\omega + 2\int_{\Sph^2} f \, d\omega- \log \int_{\Sph^2} e^{2f} \, d\omega > -\oo, $$ and that this infimum is attained. This complements recent work of Feldman, Froese, Ghoussoub and Gui on a conjecture of Chang and Yang concerning the Moser-Aubin inequality.