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We investigate the almost everywhere convergence of sequences of convolution operators given by probability measures $\mu_n$ on $\mathbb R$. If this sequence of operators constitutes an approximate identity on a particular class of functions $\mathcal F$, under what additional conditions do we have $\mu_n \ast f \to f$ a.e. for all $f \in \mathcal F$? We focus on the particular case of a sequence of contractions $C_{t_n}\mu$ of a single probability measure $\mu$, with $t_n \to 0$, so that that the sequence of operators is an approximate identity.

We derive results on the distribution of directions of saddle connections on translation surfaces using only the Birkhoff ergodic theorem applied to the geodesic flow on the moduli space of translation surfaces. Our techniques, together with an approximation argument, also give an alternative proof of a weak version of a classical theorem in multi-dimensional Diophantine approximation due to W. Schmidt \cite{SchmidtMetrical, SchmidtMetrical2}. The approximation argument allows us to deduce the Birkhoff genericity of almost all lattices in a certain submanifold of the space of unimodular lattices from the Birkhoff genericity of almost all lattices in the whole space and similarly for the space of affine unimodular lattices., Comment: Minor changes to the presentation; results, proofs unchanged

We provide examples of a nested sequences of sets {S_n}, suitably sparse, residing in a group G, for which multidimensional averages fail converge pointwise for f in certain L^p spaces, but do converge in others, for any free group action T. Our construction involves the method of perturbation pioneered by A. Bellow and applied in the integer cases by K. Reinhold and M. Wierdl.

Nonstandard ergodic averages can be defined for a measure-preserving action of a group on a probability space, as a natural extension of classical (nonstandard) ergodic averages. We extend the one-dimensional theory, obtaining L^1 pointwise ergodic theorems for several kinds of nonstandard sparse group averages, with a special focus on the group Z^d. Namely, we extend results for sparse block averages and sparse random averages to their analogues on virtually nilpotent groups, and extend Christ's result for sparse deterministic sequences to its analogue on Z^d. The second and third results have two nontrivial variants on Z^d: a "native" d-dimensional average and a "product" average from the 1-dimensional averages.

We show that for each Orlicz space properly contained in L^1 there is a sequence along which the ergodic averages converge for functions in the Orlicz space, but diverge for all f in L^1. This extends the work of K. Reinhold, who, building on the work of A. Bellow,constructed a sequence for which the averages converge a.e. for every f in L^p, p>q, but diverge for some f in L^q. Our method, introduced by Bellow and extended by Reinhold and M. Wierdl, is perturbation.