viii, 107 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This dissertation consists of two related parts. In the first portion we use the tracial Rokhlin property for actions of a finite group G on stably finite simple unital C *-algebras containing enough projections. The main results of this part of the dissertation are as follows. Let A be a stably finite simple unital C *-algebra and suppose a is an action of a finite group G with the tracial Rokhlin property. Suppose A has real rank zero, stable rank one, and suppose the order on projections over A is determined by traces. Then the crossed product algebra C * ( G, A, à à ±) also has these three properties. In the second portion of the dissertation we introduce an analogue of the tracial Rokhlin property for C *-algebras which may not have any nontrivial projections called the projection free tracial Rokhlin property . Using this we show that under certain conditions if A is an infinite dimensional simple unital C *-algebra with stable rank one and à à ± is an action of a finite group G with the projection free tracial Rokhlin property, then C * ( G, A, à à ±) also has stable rank one. / Adviser: Phillips, N. Christopher

<p>Existence of closed geodesics on compact manifolds was first proved by Lyusternik and Fet in the 1950s using Morse theory, and the corresponding problem for orbifolds was studied by Guruprasad and Haefliger, who proved existence of a closed geodesic of positive length in numerous cases. In this thesis, we develop an alternative approach to the problem of existence of closed geodesics on compact orbifolds by studying the geometry of group actions. We give an independent and elementary proof that recovers and extends the results of Guruprasad and Haefliger for developable orbifolds. We show that every compact orbifold of dimension 2, 3, 5 or 7 admits a closed geodesic of positive length, and we give an inductive argument that reduces the existence problem to the case of a compact developable orbifold of even dimension whose singular locus is zero-dimensional and whose orbifold fundamental group is infinite torsion and of odd exponent. Stronger results are obtained under curvature assumptions. For instance, one can show that infinite torsion groups do not act geometrically on simply connected manifolds of nonpositive or nonnegative curvature, and we apply this to prove existence of closed geodesics for compact orbifolds of nonpositive or nonnegative curvature. In the general case, the problem of existence of closed geodesics on compact orbifolds is seen to be intimately related to the group-theoretic question of finite presentability of infinite torsion groups, and we explore these and other properties of the orbifold fundamental group in the last chapter.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)