Given an integer $n \geq 3$, a metrizable compact topological $n$-manifold $X$ with boundary, and a finite positive Borel measure $\mu$ on $X$, we prove that for the typical homeomorphism $f : X \to X$, it is true that for $\mu$-almost every point $x$ in $X$ the restriction of $f$ (respectively of $f^{-1}$) to the omega limit set $\omega(f,x)$ (respectively to the alpha limit set $\alpha(f,x)$) is topologically conjugate to the universal odometer.

It is a well-known fact, that the greatest ambit for a topological group $G$ is the Samuel compactification of $G$ with respect to the right uniformity on $G.$ We apply the original description by Samuel from 1948 to give a simple computation of the universal minimal flow for groups of automorphisms of uncountable structures using Fraïssé theory and Ramsey theory. This work generalizes some of the known results about countable structures.

Let $G$ be an infinite discrete group and let $\beta G$ be the Stone--Čech compactification of $G$. We take the points of $ėta G$ to be the ultrafilters on $G$, identifying the principal ultrafilters with the points of $G$. The set $U(G)$ of uniform ultrafilters on $G$ is a closed two-sided ideal of $\beta G$. For every $p\in U(G)$, define $I_p\subseteq\beta G$ by $I_p=\bigcap_{A\in p}\operatorname{cl} (GU(A))$, where $U(A)=\{p\in U(G):A\in p\}$. We show that if $|G|$ is a regular cardinal, then $\{I_p:p\in U(G)\}$ is the finest decomposition of $U(G)$ into closed left ideals of $\beta G$ such that the corresponding quotient space of $U(G)$ is Hausdorff.

Following a similar result of Uspenskij on the unitary group of a separable Hilbert space, we show that, with respect to the lower (or Roelcke) uniform structure, the Polish group $G= \operatorname{Aut}(\mu)$ of automorphisms of an atomless standard Borel probability space $(X,\mu)$ is precompact. We identify the corresponding compactification as the space of Markov operators on $L_2(\mu)$ and deduce that the algebra of right and left uniformly continuous functions, the algebra of weakly almost periodic functions, and the algebra of Hilbert functions on $G$, i.e., functions on $G$ arising from unitary representations, all coincide. Again following Uspenskij, we also conclude that $G$ is totally minimal.

Given an integer $n \geq 3$, a metrizable compact topological $n$-manifold $X$ with boundary, and a finite positive Borel measure $\mu$ on $X$, we prove that for the typical homeomorphism $f \colon X \to X$, it is true that for $\mu$-almost every point $x$ in $X$ the limit set $\omega(f,x)$ is a Cantor set of Hausdorff dimension zero, each point of $\omega(f,x)$ has a dense orbit in $\omega(f,x)$, $f$ is non-sensitive at each point of $\omega(f,x)$, and the function $a \to \omega(f,a)$ is continuous at $x$.

Given a TQFT in dimension $d+1,$ and an infinite cyclic covering of a closed $(d+1)$-dimensional manifold $M$, we define an invariant taking values in a strong shift equivalence class of matrices. The notion of strong shift equivalence originated in R.~Williams' work in symbolic dynamics. The Turaev-Viro module associated to a TQFT and an infinite cyclic covering is then given by the Jordan form of this matrix away from zero. This invariant is also defined if the boundary of $M$ has an $S^1$ factor and the infinite cyclic cover of the boundary is standard. We define a variant of a TQFT associated to a finite group $G$ which has been studied by Quinn. In this way, we recover a link invariant due to D.~Silver and S.~Williams. We also obtain a variation on the Silver-Williams invariant, by using the TQFT associated to $G$ in its unmodified form.

A new shorter proof of the existence of index pairs for discrete dynamical systems is given. Moreover, the index pairs defined in that proof are stable with respect to small perturbations of the generating map. The existence of stable index pairs was previously known in the case of diffeomorphisms and flows generated by smooth vector fields but it was an open question in the general discrete case.