Monotone versions of countable paracompactness (Q861958)

Since its introduction in 1973 by \textit{R. W. Heath, D. J. Lutzer} and \textit{P. L. Zenor} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 178, 481--493 (1973; Zbl 0269.54009)], the monotone version of normality, called monotone normality, has been studied extensively. Several authors have been motivated to consider monotone versions of other topological properties, especially open covering properties. While these properties have not been shown to be as interesting as monotone normality, there are nevertheless some interesting results concerning them. One of the most interesting of these monotone properties is the notion of monotone countable paracompactness (MPC) which was introduced independently in the following three papers: \textit{H. Teng, S. Xia}, and \textit{S. Lin} [Chin. Ann. Math., Ser. A 10, No. 5, 554--558 (1989; Zbl 0705.54015)], \textit{C. Pan} [Quest. Answers Gen. Topology 15, No. 1, 25--32 (1997; Zbl 0876.54017)] and \textit{C. Good, R. Knight}, and \textit{I. Stares} [Topology Appl. 101, No. 3, 281--298 (2000; Zbl 0938.54026)]. In the third paper mentioned, the authors proved that a space is MCP if and only if it is a \(\beta\)-space in the sense of \textit{R. E. Hodel} [Duke Math. J. 39, 253--263 (1972; Zbl 0242.54027)]. The definition of MPC is a modification of the closed set characterization of countable paracompactness rather than the open cover definition, and in the present paper the authors use the following, simpler (equivalent) version given by \textit{C. Good} and \textit{G. Ying} [Comment. Math. Univ. Carol. 42, No. 4, 771--778 (2001; Zbl 1090.54504)]: A space X is said to be monotonically countably paracompact if there is an operator \(U\) assigning to each \(n\in\omega\) and closed set \(D\) an open set \(U(n,D)\) such that (1) \(D \subset U(n, D)\) for each \(n \in\omega\), (2) if \(E\subset D\) then \(U(n,E)\subset U(n,D)\) for each \(n \in\omega\), (3) if \((D_n)_{n\in\omega}\) is a decreasing sequence of closed sets with empty intersection then \(\cap_{n\in\omega}\overline{U(n,D_n)}=\emptyset.\) In the paper under review, the authors study MCP and a number of related properties such as nMCP (nowhere dense MCP), monotonically countably metacompact, and monotonically \(\delta\)-normal. The definition of nMCP is obtained by using only nowhere dense closed sets in the definition of MCP. The authors give a number of properties that are equivalent to MCP, most of which are analogues of equivalent properties of countable paracompactness. Another characterization of MCP derives from their theorem that nMCM is equivalent to the notion of \(\beta\)-space, hence MPC and nMPC are equivalent.