Let $A$ be a Banach algebra and $\pi \colon A \longrightarrow \mathscr L(H)$ be a continuous representation of $A$ on a separable Hilbert space $H$ with $\dim H =\frak m$. Let $\pi_{ij}$ be the coordinate functions of $\pi$ with respect to an orthonormal basis and suppose that for each $1\le j \le \frak m$, $C_j=\sum_{i=1}^{\frak m} \|\pi_{ij}\|_{A^*}\lt \infty$ and $\sup_j C_j\lt \infty$. Under these conditions, we call an element $\overline\Phi \in l^\infty (\frak m , A^{**})$ left $\pi$-invariant if $a\cdot \overline\Phi ={}^t\pi (a) \overline\Phi$ for all $a\in A$. In this paper we prove a link between the existence of left $\pi$-invariant elements and the vanishing of certain Hochschild cohomology groups of $A$. Our results extend an earlier result by Lau on $F$-algebras and recent results of Kaniuth-Lau-Pym and the second named author in the special case that $\pi \colon A \longrightarrow \mathbf C$ is a non-zero character on $A$.

Inspired by Aldous' conjecture for the spectral gap of the interchange process and its recent resolution by Caputo, Liggett, and Richthammer, we define an associated order $\prec$ on the irreducible representations of $S_n$. Aldous' conjecture is equivalent to certain representations being comparable in this order, and hence determining the ``Aldous order'' completely is a generalized question. We show a few additional entries for this order.

We present another example of a $3$-variable polynomial defining a $K3$-hypersurface and having a logarithmic Mahler measure expressed in terms of a Dirichlet $L$-series.

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.

Given a finite group $G$, we examine the classification of all frame representations of $G$ and the classification of all $G$-frames, \emph{i.e.,} frames induced by group representations of $G$. We show that the exact number of equivalence classes of $G$-frames and the exact number of frame representations can be explicitly calculated. We also discuss how to calculate the largest number $L$ such that there exists an $L$-tuple of strongly disjoint $G$-frames.

For a modular elliptic curve $E/\mathbb{Q}$, we show a number of links between the primes $\ell$ for which the mod $\ell$ representation of $E/\mathbb{Q}$ has projective dihedral image and congruence primes for the newform associated to $E/\mathbb{Q}$.