If $C=C(R)$ denotes the center of a ring $R$ and $g(x)$ is a polynomial in C[x]$, Camillo and Sim\'{o}n called a ring $g(x)$-clean if every element is the sum of a unit and a root of $g(x)$. If $V$ is a vector space of countable dimension over a division ring $D,$ they showed that $\end {}_{D}V$ is $g(x)$-clean provided that $g(x)$ has two roots in $C(D)$. If $g(x)=x-x^{2}$ this shows that $\end {}_{D}V$ is clean, a result of Nicholson and Varadarajan. In this paper we remove the countable condition, and in fact prove that $\Mend {}_{R}M$ is $g(x)$-clean for any semisimple module $M$ over an arbitrary ring $R$ provided that $g(x)\in (x-a)(x-b)C[x]$ where $a,b\in C$ and both $b$ and $b-a$ are units in $R$.

Let $U_{q}(\SL)^{+}$ be the positive part of the quantized enveloping algebra $U_{q}(\SL)$. Using results of Alev--Dumas and Caldero related to the center of $U_{q}(\SL)^{+}$, we show that this algebra is free over its center. This is reminiscent of Kostant's separation of variables for the enveloping algebra $U(\g)$ of a complex semisimple Lie algebra $\g$, and also of an analogous result of Joseph--Letzter for the quantum algebra $\Check{U}_{q}(\g)$. Of greater importance to its representation theory is the fact that $\U{+}$ is free over a larger polynomial subalgebra $N$ in $n$ variables. Induction from $N$ to $\U{+}$ provides infinite-dimensional modules with good properties, including a grading that is inherited by submodules.

The orthogonal projection of the free associative algebra onto the free Lie algebra is afforded by an idempotent in the rational group algebra of the symmetric group $S_n$, in each homogenous degree $n$. We give various characterizations of this Lie idempotent and show that it is uniquely determined by a certain unit in the group algebra of $S_{n-1}$. The inverse of this unit, or, equivalently, the Gram matrix of the orthogonal projection, is described explicitly. We also show that the Garsia Lie idempotent is not constant on descent classes (in fact, not even on coplactic classes) in $S_n$.

Maps preserving certain algebraic properties of elements are often studied in Functional Analysis and Linear Algebra. The goal of this paper is to discuss the relationships among these problems from the ring-theoretic point of view.

It is proved here that a ring $R$ is right pseudo-Frobenius if and only if $R $ is a right Kasch ring such that the second right singular ideal is injective.

Let $R$ be a commutative Noetherian integral domain with field of fractions $Q$. Generalizing a forty-year-old theorem of E. Matlis, we prove that the $R$-module $Q/R$ (or $Q$) has Krull dimension if and only if $R$ is semilocal and one-dimensional. Moreover, if $X$ is an injective module over a commutative Noetherian ring such that $X$ has Krull dimension, then the Krull dimension of $X$ is at most $1$.

For each finite group $G$ for which the integral group ring $\mathbb{Z}G$ has only trivial units, we give ring-theoretic conditions for a commutative ring $R$ under which the group ring $RG$ has nontrivial units. Several examples of rings satisfying the conditions and rings not satisfying the conditions are given. In addition, we extend a well-known result for fields by showing that if $R$ is a ring of finite characteristic and $RG$ has only trivial units, then $G$ has order at most 3.

For a locally compact group $G$, the convolution product on the space $\nN(L^p(G))$ of nuclear operators was defined by Neufang \cite{Neuf_PhD}. We study homological properties of the convolution algebra $\nN(L^p(G))$ and relate them to some properties of the group $G$, such as compactness, finiteness, discreteness, and amenability.

We construct new examples of non-nil algebras with any number of generators, which are direct sums of two locally nilpotent subalgebras. Like all previously known examples, our examples are contracted semigroup algebras and the underlying semigroups are unions of locally nilpotent subsemigroups. In our constructions we make more transparent than in the past the close relationship between the considered problem and combinatorics of words.

We study group algebras $FG$ which can be graded by a finite abelian group $\Gamma$ such that $FG$ is $\beta$-commutative for a skew-symmetric bicharacter $\beta$ on $\Gamma$ with values in $F^*$.

In this paper we study simple associative algebras with finite $\mathbb{Z}$-gradings. This is done using a simple algebra $F_g$ that has been constructed in Morita theory from a bilinear form $g\colon U\times V\to A$ over a simple algebra $A$. We show that finite $\mathbb{Z}$-gradings on $F_g$ are in one to one correspondence with certain decompositions of the pair $(U,V)$. We also show that any simple algebra $R$ with finite $\mathbb{Z}$-grading is graded isomorphic to $F_g$ for some bilinear from $g\colon U\times V \to A$, where the grading on $F_g$ is determined by a decomposition of $(U,V)$ and the coordinate algebra $A$ is chosen as a simple ideal of the zero component $R_0$ of $R$. In order to prove these results we first prove similar results for simple algebras with Peirce gradings.

Quantum tori with graded involution appear as coordinate algebras of extended affine Lie algebras of type $\rmA_1$, $\rmC$ and $\BC$. We classify them in the category of algebras with involution. From this, we obtain precise information on the root systems of extended affine Lie algebras of type $\rmC$.

Let $\Phi$ be an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero, $G$ a finite, not necessarily abelian, group. Given a $G$-grading on the full matrix algebra $A = M_n(\Phi)$, we decompose $A$ as the tensor product of graded subalgebras $A = B\otimes C$, $B\cong M_p (\Phi)$ being a graded division algebra, while the grading of $C\cong M_q (\Phi)$ is determined by that of the vector space $\Phi^n$. Now the grading of $A$ is recovered from those of $A$ and $B$ using a canonical ``induction'' procedure.

As a consequence of a theorem of Rost-Springer, we establish that the cyclicity problem for central simple algebra of degree~5 on fields containg a fifth root of unity is equivalent to the study of anisotropic elements of order 5 in the split group of type~$E_8$.

An error in {\it A characterization of left perfect rings}, Canad. Math. Bull. (3) {\bf 38}(1995), 382--384, is indicated and the consequences identified.

In this paper we extend a well-known theorem of M.~Scheunert on skew-symmetric bicharacters of groups to the case of skew-symmetric bicharacters on arbitrary cocommutative Hopf algebras over a field of characteristic not 2. We also classify polycharacters on (restricted) enveloping algebras and bicharacters on divided power algebras.

We show that an $\RA$ loop has a torsion-free normal complement in the loop of normalized units of its integral loop ring. We also investigate whether an $\RA$ loop can be normal in its unit loop. Over fields, this can never happen.

We construct a countably infinite family of pairwise non-isomorphic maximal ${\mathbb Q}[X]$-orders such that the full $2$ by $2$ matrix rings over these orders are all isomorphic.

Let $G$ be an arbitrary group and let $U$ be a subgroup of the normalized units in $\mathbb{Z}G$. We show that if $U$ contains $G$ as a subgroup of finite index, then $U = G$. This result can be used to give an alternative proof of a recent result of Marciniak and Sehgal on units in the integral group ring of a crystallographic group.

A counterexample is given to a conjecture of Ikeda by finding a class of Gorenstein rings of embedding dimension $3$ with larger Dilworth number than Sperner number. The Dilworth number of $A[Z/pZ\oplus Z/pZ]$ is computed when $A$ is an unramified principal Artin local ring.

An explicit classification is given of blocks of cyclic defect of cyclotomic Schur algebras and of cyclotomic Hecke algebras, over discrete valuation rings.

Certain canonical resolutions are described for free associative and free Lie algebras in the category of non-associative algebras. These resolutions derive in both cases from geometric objects, which in turn reflect the combinatorics of suitable collections of leaf-labeled trees.

We describe contracted semigroup algebras of Malcev nilpotent semigroups that are prime Noetherian maximal orders.

Let $R$ be a non-GPI prime ring with involution and characteristic $\neq 2,3$. Let $K$ denote the skew elements of $R$, and $C$ denote the extended centroid of $R$. Let $\delta$ be a Lie derivation of $K$ into itself. Then $\delta=\rho+\epsilon$ where $\epsilon$ is an additive map into the skew elements of the extended centroid of $R$ which is zero on $[K,K]$, and $\rho$ can be extended to an ordinary derivation of $\langle K\rangle$ into $RC$, the central closure.

Let $Q$ be a simple Artinian ring with finite dimension over its center. An order $R$ in $Q$ is said to be {\it Pr\"ufer\/} if any one-sided $R$-ideal is a progenerator. We study prime and primary ideals of a Pr\"ufer order under the condition that the center is Pr\"ufer. Also we characterize branched and unbranched prime ideals of a Pr\"ufer order.