There are two main aims of the paper. The first is to extend the criterion for the precompactness of sets in Banach function spaces to the setting of quasi-Banach function spaces. The second is to extend the criterion for the precompactness of sets in the Lebesgue spaces Lp (ℝn ), 1 ⩽ p < ∞, to the so-called power quasi-Banach function spaces. These criteria are applied to establish compact embeddings of abstract Besov spaces into quasi-Banach function spaces. The results are illustrated on embeddings of Besov spaces , into Lorentz-type spaces.

Let M be an n-dimensional space-like hypersurface in a locally symmetric Lorentz space, with n(n−1)R=κH(κ>0) and satisfying certain additional conditions on the sectional curvature. Denote by S and H the squared norm of the second fundamental form and the mean curvature of M, respectively. We show that if the mean curvature is nonnegative and attains its maximum on M, then:

1. (1) if H2<4(n−1)c/n2, M is totally umbilical;

2. (2) if H2=4(n−1)c/n2, M is totally umbilical or is an isoparametric hypersurface;

3. (3) if H2>4(n−1)c/n2 and S satisfies some pinching conditions, M is totally umbilical or is an isoparametric hypersurface.

In this paper we show that the Lorentz space Lw, 1(0, ∞) has the weak-star uniform Kadec-Klee property if and only if inft>0 (w(αt)/w(t)) > 1 and supt>0(φ(αt) / φ(t))< 1 for all α ∈ (0, 1), where φ(t) = ∫t0 w(s) ds.