A group G is called locally finite if every finitely generated subgroup of G is finite. In this thesis we study the centralizers of subgroups in simple locally finite groups. Hartley proved that in a linear simple locally finite group, the fixed point of every semisimple automorphism contains infinitely many elements of distinct prime orders. In the first part of this thesis, centralizers of finite abelian subgroups of linear simple locally finite groups are studied and the following result is proved: If G is a linear simple locally finite group and A is a finite d-abelian subgroup consisting of semisimple elements of G, then C_G(A) has an infinite abelian subgroup isomorphic to the direct product of cyclic groups of order p_i for infinitely many distinct primes pi. Hartley asked the following question: Let G be a non-linear simple locally finite group and F be any subgroup of G. Is CG(F) necessarily infinite? In the second part of this thesis, the following problem is studied: Determine the nonlinear simple locally finite groups G and their finite subgroups F such that C_G(F) contains an infinite abelian subgroup which is isomorphic to the direct product of cyclic groups of order pi for infinitely many distinct primes p_i. We prove the following: Let G be a non-linear simple locally finite group with a split Kegel cover K and F be any finite subgroup consisting of K-semisimple elements of G. Then the centralizer C_G(F) contains an infinite abelian subgroup isomorphic to the direct product of cyclic groups of order p_i for infinitely many distinct primes p_i.

The character theory of the symmetric group is a powerful method of studying enu- merative questions about factorizations of permutations, which arise in areas including topology, geometry, and mathematical physics. This method relies on having an encoding of the enumerative problem in the centre Z(n) of the algebra C[S_n] spanned by the symmetric group S_n. This thesis develops methods to deal with permutation factorization problems which cannot be encoded in Z(n). The (p,q,n)-dipole problem, which arises in the study of connections between string theory and Yang-Mills theory, is the chief problem motivating this research. This thesis introduces a refinement of the (p,q,n)-dipole problem, namely, the (a,b,c,d)- dipole problem. A Join-Cut analysis of the (a,b,c,d)-dipole problem leads to two partial differential equations which determine the generating series for the problem. The first equation determines the series for (a,b,0,0)-dipoles, which is the initial condition for the second equation, which gives the series for (a,b,c,d)-dipoles. An analysis of these equa- tions leads to a process, recursive in genus, for solving the (a,b,c,d)-dipole problem for a surface of genus g. These solutions are expressed in terms of a natural family of functions which are well-understood as sums indexed by compositions of a binary string. The combinatorial analysis of the (a,b,0,0)-dipole problem reveals an unexpected fact about a special case of the (p,q,n)-dipole problem. When q=n−1, the problem may be encoded in the centralizer Z_1(n) of C[S_n] with respect to the subgroup S_{n−1}. The algebra Z_1(n) has many combinatorially important similarities to Z(n) which may be used to find an explicit expression for the genus polynomials for the (p,n−1,n)-dipole problem for all values of p and n, giving a solution to this case for all orientable surfaces. Moreover, the algebraic techniques developed to solve this problem provide an alge- braic approach to solving a class of non-central problems which includes problems such as the non-transitive star factorization problem and the problem of enumerating Z_1- decompositions of a full cycle, and raise intriguing questions about the combinatorial significance of centralizers with respect to subgroups other than S_{n−1}.

The character theory of the symmetric group is a powerful method of studying enu- merative questions about factorizations of permutations, which arise in areas including topology, geometry, and mathematical physics. This method relies on having an encoding of the enumerative problem in the centre Z(n) of the algebra C[S_n] spanned by the symmetric group S_n. This thesis develops methods to deal with permutation factorization problems which cannot be encoded in Z(n). The (p,q,n)-dipole problem, which arises in the study of connections between string theory and Yang-Mills theory, is the chief problem motivating this research. This thesis introduces a refinement of the (p,q,n)-dipole problem, namely, the (a,b,c,d)- dipole problem. A Join-Cut analysis of the (a,b,c,d)-dipole problem leads to two partial differential equations which determine the generating series for the problem. The first equation determines the series for (a,b,0,0)-dipoles, which is the initial condition for the second equation, which gives the series for (a,b,c,d)-dipoles. An analysis of these equa- tions leads to a process, recursive in genus, for solving the (a,b,c,d)-dipole problem for a surface of genus g. These solutions are expressed in terms of a natural family of functions which are well-understood as sums indexed by compositions of a binary string. The combinatorial analysis of the (a,b,0,0)-dipole problem reveals an unexpected fact about a special case of the (p,q,n)-dipole problem. When q=n−1, the problem may be encoded in the centralizer Z_1(n) of C[S_n] with respect to the subgroup S_{n−1}. The algebra Z_1(n) has many combinatorially important similarities to Z(n) which may be used to find an explicit expression for the genus polynomials for the (p,n−1,n)-dipole problem for all values of p and n, giving a solution to this case for all orientable surfaces. Moreover, the algebraic techniques developed to solve this problem provide an alge- braic approach to solving a class of non-central problems which includes problems such as the non-transitive star factorization problem and the problem of enumerating Z_1- decompositions of a full cycle, and raise intriguing questions about the combinatorial significance of centralizers with respect to subgroups other than S_{n−1}.

Neste trabalho apresentamos alguns resultados da teoria de extrapolação desenvolvida pelo Nigel Kalton usando os conceitos de somas torcidas e espaço interpolado. / In this paper we present some results of extrapolation theory developed by Nigel Kalton using the concepts of twisted sums and interpolated space.

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Neste trabalho apresentamos alguns resultados da teoria de extrapolação desenvolvida pelo Nigel Kalton usando os conceitos de somas torcidas e espaço interpolado. / In this paper we present some results of extrapolation theory developed by Nigel Kalton using the concepts of twisted sums and interpolated space.