In this thesis we study ideals in the Fourier algebra, A(G), of a locally compact group G. For a locally compact abelian group G, necessary conditions for a closed ideal in A(G) to be weakly complemented are given, and a complete characterization of the complemented ideals in A(G) is given when G is a discrete abelian group. The closed ideals in A(G) with bounded approximate identities are also characterized for any locally compact abelian group G. When G is an arbitrary locally compact group, we exploit the natural operator space structure that A(G) inherits as the predual of the group von Neumann algebra, VN(G), to study ideals in A(G). Using operator space techniques, necessary conditions for an ideal in A(G) to be weakly complemented by a completely bounded projection are given for amenable G, and the ideals in A(G) possessing bounded approximate identities are completely characterized for amenable G. Ideas from homological algebra are then used to study the biprojectivity of A(G) in the category of operator spaces. It is shown that A(G) is operator biprojective if and only if G is a discrete group. This result is then used to show that every completely complemented ideal in A(G) is invariantly completely complemented when G is discrete. We conclude by proving that for certain discrete groups G, there are complemented ideals in A(G) which fail to be complemented or weakly complemented by completely bounded projections.

If we fix an integer a not equal to -1 and which is not a perfect square, we are interested in estimating the quantity N_{a}(x) representing the number of prime integers p up to x such that a is a generator of the cyclic group (Z/pZ)*. We will first show how to obtain an aymptotic formula for N_{a}(x) under the assumption of the generalized Riemann hypothesis. We then investigate the average behaviour of N_{a}(x) and we provide an unconditional result. Finally, we discuss how to generalize the problem over (Z/mZ)*, where m > 0 is not necessarily a prime integer. We present an average result in this setting and prove the existence of oscillation.

We apply branched covering techniques to construct minimal simply-connected symplectic 4-manifolds with small χ_h values. We also use these constructions to provide an alternate proof that for each s ≥ 0, there exists a positive integer λ(s) such that each pair (j,8j+s) with j ≥ λ(s) is realized as (χ_h(M),c_1^2(M)) for some minimal simply-connected symplectic M. The smallest values of λ(s) currently known to the author are also explicitly computed for 0 ≤ s ≤ 99. Our computations in these cases populate 19 952 points in the (χ,c)-plane not previously realized in the existing literature.

This thesis will survey a group of problems related to certain number-theoretic functions. In particular, for said functions, these problems take the form of when and how often they are equal over consecutive integers, n and n+1. The first chapter will introduce the functions and the histories of the related problems. The second chapter will take on a variant of the Ruth-Aaron pairs problem, which asks how often sums of primes of two consecutive integers are equal. The third chapter will examine, in depth, a proof by D.R. Heath-Brown of the infinitude of consecutive integer pairs with the same number of divisors---i.e. such that d(n)=d(n+1). After that we examine a similar proof of the infinitude of pairs with the same number of prime factors---ω(n)=ω(n+1).

The O'Nan-Scott Theorem classifies finite primitive permutation groups into one of five isomorphism classes. This theorem is very useful for answering questions about finite permutation groups since four out of the five isomorphism classes are well understood. The proof of this theorem currently relies upon the classification of the finite simple groups, as it requires a consequence of this classification, the Schreier Conjecture. After reviewing some needed group theoretic concepts, I give a detailed proof of the O'Nan-Scott Theorem. I then examine how the techniques of this proof have been applied to an open problem which asks whether every finite lattice can be embedded as an interval into the subgroup lattice of a finite group.

The instanton solutions to the Yang-Mills equations have a vast range of practical applications in field theories including gravitation and electro-magnetism. Solutions to Maxwell's equations, for example, are abelian gauge instantons on Minkowski space. Since these discoveries, a generalised theory of instantons has been emerging for manifolds with special holonomy. Beginning with connections and curvature on complex vector bundles, this thesis provides some of the essential background for studying moduli spaces of instantons. Manifolds with exceptional holonomy are special types of seven and eight dimensional manifolds whose holonomy group is contained in G2 and Spin(7), respectively. Focusing on the G2 case, instantons on G2 manifolds are defined to be solutions to an analogue of the four dimensional anti-self-dual equations. These connections are known as Donaldson-Thomas connections and a couple of examples are noted.

Let X be a unary relation on the domain of (ω,<). The degree spectrum of X on (ω,<) is the set of Turing degrees of the image of X in all computable presentations of (ω,<). Many results are known about the types of degree spectra that are possible for relations forming infinite and coinfinite c.e. sets, high c.e. sets and non-high c.e. sets on the standard copy. We show that if the degree spectrum of X contains the computable degree then its degree spectrum is precisely the set of Δ_2 degrees. The structure ζ can be viewed as a copy of ω* followed by a copy of ω and, for this reason, the degree spectrum of X on ζ can be largely understood from the work on ω. A helpful correspondence between the degree spectra on ω and ζ is presented and the known results for degree spectra on the former structure are extended to analogous results for the latter.

It is known that orderings can be formed with settling time domination and strong settling time domination as relations on c.e. sets. However, it has been shown that no such ordering can be formed when considering computation time domination as a relation on $n$-c.e. sets where $n \geq 3$. This will be extended to the case of $2$-c.e. sets, showing that no ordering can be derived from computation time domination on $n$-c.e. sets when $n\geq 2$. Additionally, we will observe properties of the orderings given by settling time domination and strong settling time domination on c.e. sets, respectively denoted as $\mathcal{E}_{st}$ and $\mathcal{E}_{sst}$. More specifically, it is already known that any countable partial ordering can be embedded into $\mathcal{E}_{st}$ and any linear ordering with no infinite ascending chains can be embedded into $\mathcal{E}_{sst}$. Continuing along this line, we will show that any finite partial ordering can be embedded into $\mathcal{E}_{sst}$.

The pure theory of law is a positivist legal theory put forward by Hans Kelsen. Recently there have been two attempts to understand democracy as a source for the normativity that the pure theory assigns to law. Lars Vinx seeks to understand the pure theory as a theory of political legitimacy, in which the normativity that the pure theory assigns to the laws of a state depends on the state’s adoption of certain legitimacy enhancing features, including being democratic. Uta Bindreiter argues that, in the case of European Community law, an additional criterion of democracy must be added to the criteria that the pure theory normally requires of legal systems before the pure theory can presuppose the normativity of European Community law. This thesis will argue that neither of these two accounts succeeds in demonstrating that the normativity of the pure theory can be understood to depend on democracy.

We have used the narrow 2 S 1/2 [arrow right] 3 P 3/2 transition in the ultraviolet (UV) to laser cool and magneto-optically trap (MOT) 6 Li atoms. Laser cooling of lithium atoms is usually performed on the 2 S 1/2 [arrow right] 2 P 3/2 (D2) transition, where temperatures of twice the Doppler limit, or ∼300 μ K for lithium, are achieved. The linewidth of the UV transition is seven times narrower than the D2 line, resulting in a lower Doppler limit. We show that a MOT operating on the UV transition reaches temperatures as low as 59 μ K. We load 6 million atoms from this UV MOT into a 1070 nm optical dipole trap (ODT). We show that the light shift of the UV transition in the ODT is small and blue-shifted, facilitating efficient loading. Evaporative cooling of a two spin-state mixture of 6 Li in the ODT produces a quantum degenerate Fermi gas with 3 million atoms in only 11 seconds.