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For any three n × n matrices A,B,X over a commutative ring S, we prove that det(A + B − AXB) = det(A + B − BXA) ∈ S. This apparently new formula may be regarded as a “ternary generalization” of Sylvester’s classical determinantal formula det(In − AB) = det(In − BA) for any pair of n × n matrices A,B over S. By suitably specializing our ternary formula above, we have also obtained several other binary determinantal and tracial identities that are hitherto unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The equation XA-BX = I has been well studied in ring theory, operator theory, linear algebra, and other branches of mathematics. In this paper, we show that, in the case where B2 = B, the study of XA - BX = I in a noncommutative ring R leads to several new ways to view and to work with the exchange (or "suitable") elements in R in the sense of Nicholson. For any exchange element A ∊ R, we show that the set of idempotents E ∊ R such that E ∊ RA and I - E ∊ R(I - A) is naturally parametrized by the roots of a certain left-right symmetric "exchange polynomial" associated with A. From the new viewpoints on exchange elements developed in this paper, the classes of clean and strongly clean elements in rings can also be better understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A ring R is said to be von Newmann local (VNL) if for any a ∈ R, either a or 1 -a is (von Neumann) regular. The class of VNL rings lies properly between exchange rings and (von Neumann) regular rings. We characterize abelian VNL rings. We also characterize and classify arbitrary VNL rings without an infinite set of orthogonal idempotents; and also the VNL rings having a primitive idempotent e such that eRe is not a division ring. We prove that a semiperfect ring R is VNL if and only if for any right uni-modular row (a1, a2) ∈ R2, one of the ai's is regular in R. Formal triangular matrix rings that are VNL are also characterized. As a corollary, it is shown that an upper triangular matrix ring Tn(R) is VNL if and only if n = 2 or 3 and R is a division ring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let R be a ring and M(R) the set consisting of zero and primitive idempotents of R. We study the rings R for which M(R) is multiplicative. It is proved that if R has a complete finite set of primitive orthogonal idempotents, then R is a finite direct product of connected rings precisely when M(R) is multiplicative. We prove that if R is a (von Neumann) regular ring with M(R) multiplicative, then every primitive idempotent in R is central. It is also shown that this does not happen even in semihereditary and semiregular rings. Let R be an arbitrary ring with M(R) multiplicative and e ∈ R be a primitive idempotent, then for every unit u ∈ R, it is proved that eue is a unit in eRe. We also prove that if M(R) is multiplicative, then two primitive idempotents e and f in R are conjugates, i.e., f = ueu-1 for some u ∈ U(R), if and only if ef ≠ 0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A classical result of Zelinsky states that every linear transformation on a vector space V, except when V is one-dimensional over ℤ2, is a sum of two invertible linear transformations. We extend this result to any right self-injective ring R by proving that every element of R is a sum of two units if no factor ring of R is isomorphic to ℤ2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Many authors have investigated the behavior of strong cleanness under certain ring extensions. In this note, we investigate the classical problem of lifting idempotents, in order to consolidate and extend these results. Our main result is that if is a ring which is complete with respect to an ideal and if is an element of whose image in is strongly -regular, then is strongly clean in . This generalizes Theorem 2.1 of Chen and Zhou (2007) [9]. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]