For a compact connected set$X$⊆$ℓ$^{∞}, we define a quantity$β$′($x$,$r$) that measures how close$X$may be approximated in a ball$B$($x$,$r$) by a geodesic curve. We then show that there is$c$>0 so that if$β$′($x$,$r$)>$β$>0 for all$x$∈$X$and$r$<$r$_{0}, then $\operatorname{dim}X>1+c\beta^{2}$ . This generalizes a theorem of Bishop and Jones and answers a question posed by Bishop and Tyson.

We give a solution to the inverse problem (given a prescribed function, find a corresponding group) for large classes of speed, entropy, isoperimetric profile, return probability and Lp-compression functions of finitely generated groups. For smaller classes, we give solutions among solvable groups of exponential volume growth. As corollaries, we prove a recent conjecture of Amir on joint evaluation of speed and entropy exponents and we obtain a new proof of the existence of uncountably many pairwise non-quasi-isometric solvable groups, originally due to Cornulier and Tessera. We also obtain a formula relating the Lp-compression exponent of a group and its wreath product with the cyclic group forp in [1,2].

We define enlargeable length-structures on closed topological manifolds and then show that the connected sum of a closed n-manifold with an enlargeable Riemannian length-structure with an arbitrary closed smooth manifold carries no Riemannian metrics with positive scalar curvature. We show that closed smooth manifolds with a locally CAT(0)-metric which is strongly equivalent to a Riemannian metric are examples of closed manifolds with an enlargeable Riemannian length-structure. Moreover, the result is correct in arbitrary dimensions based on the main result of a recent paper by Schoen and Yau. We define the positive MV-scalar curvature on closed orientable topological manifolds and show the compactly enlargeable length-structures are the obstructions of its existence.