Let X be a smooth projective variety defined over an algebraically closed field k. Nori constructed a category of vector bundles on X, called essentially finite vector bundles, which is reminiscent of the category of representations of the fundamental group (in characteristic zero). In fact, this category is equivalent to the category of representations of a pro-finite group scheme which controls all finite torsors. We show that essentially finite vector bundles coincide with those which become trivial after being pulled back by some proper and surjective morphism to X.

We prove an explicit formula for periods of certain automorphic forms on SO5 × SO4 along the diagonal subgroup SO4 in terms of L-values. Our formula also involves a quantity from the theory of endoscopy, as predicted by the refined Gross–Prasad conjecture.

Given a separable Banach space E, we construct an extremely non-complex Banach space (i.e. a space satisfying that ‖ Id + T2 ‖ = 1 + ‖ T2 ‖ for every bounded linear operator T on it) whose dual contains E* as an L-summand. We also study surjective isometries on extremely non-complex Banach spaces and construct an example of a real Banach space whose group of surjective isometries reduces to ±Id, but the group of surjective isometries of its dual contains the group of isometries of a separable infinite-dimensional Hilbert space as a subgroup.

We prove that if K is an (infinite) stable field whose generic type has weight 1, then K is separably closed. We also obtain some partial results about stable groups and fields whose generic type has finite weight, as well as about strongly stable fields (where by definition all types have finite weight).

We compare three different ways of defining group cohomology with coefficients in a crossed module: (1) explicit approach via cocycles; (2) geometric approach via gerbes; (3) group theoretic approach via butterflies. We discuss the case where the crossed module is braided and the case where the braiding is symmetric. We prove the functoriality of the cohomologies with respect to weak morphisms of crossed modules and also prove the ‘long’ exact cohomology sequence associated to a short exact sequence of crossed modules and weak morphisms.

We investigate Tukey functions from the ideal of all closed nowhere-dense subsets of 2ℕ. In particular, we answer an old question of Isbell and Fremlin by showing that this ideal is not Tukey reducible to the ideal of density zero subsets of ℕ. We also prove non-existence of various special types of Tukey reductions from the nowhere-dense ideal to analytic P-ideals. In connection with these results, we study families of clopen subsets of 2ℕ with the property that for each nowhere-dense subset of 2ℕ there is a set in not intersecting it. We call such families avoiding.

We prove that the Calabi–Yau equation can be solved on the Kodaira–Thurston manifold for all given T2-invariant volume forms. This provides support for Donaldson's conjecture that Yau's theorem has an extension to symplectic 4-manifolds with compatible but non-integrable almost complex structures.