Статті в журналах з теми "Duo-ring"

In this paper, we focus on the duo ring property via quasinilpotent elements, which gives a new kind of generalizations of commutativity. We call this kind of rings qnil-duo. Firstly, some properties of quasinilpotents in a ring are provided. Then the set of quasinilpotents is applied to the duo property of rings, in this perspective, we introduce and study right (resp., left) qnil-duo rings. We show that this concept is not left-right symmetric. Among others, it is proved that if the Hurwitz series ring $H(R; \alpha)$ is right qnil-duo, then $R$ is right qnil-duo. Every right qnil-duo ring is abelian. A right qnil-duo exchange ring has stable range 1.

Throughout the paper, rings are associative rings with identity. A ring is called right duo if every right ideal is two-sided, and it is called right p.p. if every principal right ideal is projective. A left duo (p.p.) ring is denned similarly, and a duo (p.p.) ring will mean a ring which is both right and left duo (p.p.). There is a right p.p. ring that is not left p.p. (see Chase [2[). Small [9] proved that right p.p. implies left p.p. if there are no infinite sets of orthogonal idempotents, and Endo [5, Proposition 2] has shown the same implication in the case where each idempotent in the ring is central. Since Courter [3, Theorem 1.3] noted that every idempotent in a right duo ring is central, we can simply speak of right duo p.p. rings. A typical example of a right duo ring which is not left duo is the following. Let F be a field and F(x) the field of rational functions over F. Let R = F(x)× F(x) as an additive group and define the multiplication as follows:Then R is a local artinian ring with c(RR) = 2 and c(RR)= 3. Thus R is right duo but not left due.

The article deals with the following question: when does the classical ring of quotientsof a duo ring exist and idempotents in the classical ring of quotients $Q_{Cl} (R)$ are thereidempotents in $R$? In the article we introduce the concepts of a ring of (von Neumann) regularrange 1, a ring of semihereditary range 1, a ring of regular range 1. We find relationshipsbetween the introduced classes of rings and known ones for abelian and duo rings.We proved that semihereditary local duo ring is a ring of semihereditary range 1. Also it was proved that a regular local Bezout duo ring is a ring of stable range 2. In particular, the following Theorem 1 is proved: For an abelian ring $R$ the following conditions are equivalent:$1.$\ $R$ is a ring of stable range 1; $2.$\ $R$ is a ring of von Neumann regular range 1. The paper also introduces the concept of the Gelfand element and a ring of the Gelfand range 1 for the case of a duo ring. Weproved that the Hermite duo ring of the Gelfand range 1 is an elementary divisor ring (Theorem 3).

In this paper, we give a characterization of left (right) quasi-duo differential polynomial rings. In particular, we show that a differential polynomial ring is left quasi-duo if and only if it is right quasi-duo. This yields a partial answer to a question posed by Lam and Dugas in 2005. We provide nontrivial examples of such rings and give a complete description of the maximal ideals of an arbitrary quasi-duo differential polynomial ring. Moreover, we show that there is no left (right) quasi-duo differential polynomial ring in several indeterminates.

Many studies have been conducted to characterize commutative rings whose finitely generated modules are direct sums of cyclic modules (called FGC rings), however, the characterization of noncommutative FGC rings is still an open problem, even for duo rings. We study FGC rings in some special cases, it is shown that a local Noetherian ring R is FGC if and only if R is a principal ideal ring if and only if R is a uniserial ring, and if these assertions hold R is a duo ring. We characterize Noetherian duo FGC rings. In fact, it is shown that a duo ring R is a Noetherian left FGC ring if and only if R is a Noetherian right FGC ring, if and only if R is a principal ideal ring.

It is shown that if the group ring RQ8 of the quaternion group Q8 of order 8 over an integral domain R is duo, then R is a field for the following cases: (1) char R ≠ 0, and (2) char R = 0 and S ⊆ R ⊆ KS, where S is a ring of algebraic integers and KS is its quotient field. Hence, we confirm that the field ℚ of rational numbers is the smallest integral domain R of characteristic zero such that RQ8 is duo. A non-field integral domain R of characteristic zero for which RQ8 is duo is also identified. Moreover, we give a description of when the group ring RG of a torsion group G is duo.

We study the right duo property on regular elements, and we say that rings with this property are right DR. It is first shown that the right duo property is preserved by right quotient rings when the given rings are right DR. We prove that the polynomial ring over a ring [Formula: see text] is right DR if and only if [Formula: see text] is commutative. It is also proved that for a prime number [Formula: see text], the group ring [Formula: see text] of a finite [Formula: see text]-group [Formula: see text] over a field [Formula: see text] of characteristic [Formula: see text] is right DR if and only if it is right duo, and that there exists a group ring [Formula: see text] that is neither DR nor duo when [Formula: see text] is not a [Formula: see text]-group.

It is proved that for a quasi-duo Bezout ring of stable range 1 the duo-ring condition is equivalent to being an elementary divisor ring. As an application of this result a couple of useful properties are obtained for finite homomorphic images of Bezout duo-domains: they are coherent morphic rings, all injective modules over them are flat, their weak global dimension is either 0 or infinity. Moreover, we introduce the notion of square-free element in noncommutative case and it is shown that they are adequate elements of Bezout duo-domains. In addition, we are going to prove that these elements are elements of almost stable range 1, as well as necessary and sufficient conditions for being square-free element are found in terms of regularity, Jacobson semisimplicity, and boundness of weak global dimension of finite homomorphic images of Bezout duo-domains.

Bass [1] proved that if R is a left perfect ring, then R contains no infinite sets of orthogonal idempotents and every nonzero left R-module has a maximal submodule, and asked if this property characterizes left perfect rings ([1], Remark (ii), p. 470). The fact that this is true for commutative rings was proved by Hamsher [12], and that this is not true in general was demonstrated by examples of Cozzens [7] and Koifman [14]. Hamsher's result for commutative rings has been extended to some noncommutative rings. Call a ring left duo if every left ideal is two-sided; Chandran [5] proved that Bass’ conjecture is true for left duo rings. Call a ring R weakly left duo if for every r ε R, there exists a natural number n(r) (depending on r) such that the principal left ideal Rrn(r) is two-sided. Recently, Xue [21] proved that Bass’ conjecture is still true for weakly left duo rings.

Let [Formula: see text] be an associative unital ring with an endomorphism [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]-derivation [Formula: see text]. Some types of ring elements such as the units and the idempotents play distinguished roles in noncommutative ring theory, and will play a central role in this work. In fact, we are interested to study the unit elements, the idempotent elements, the von Neumann regular elements, the [Formula: see text]-regular elements and also the von Neumann local elements of the Ore extension ring [Formula: see text], when the base ring [Formula: see text] is a right duo ring which is [Formula: see text]-compatible. As an application, we completely characterize the clean elements of the Ore extension ring [Formula: see text], when the base ring [Formula: see text] is a right duo ring which is [Formula: see text]-compatible.

We carry out a study of modules MR satisfying the property that every module in σ[M] is a Kasch module. Such modules are called fully Kasch. Several sufficient conditions for a module to be fully Kasch are given which are also necessary in case the module satisfies a property (∗). We prove that if R is right Artinian, or right FBN, or Morita equivalent to a right duo ring, then every R-module satisfies the condition (∗). When R is Morita equivalent to a right duo ring, an R-module M is fully Kasch if and only if R/ ann R(mR) is a left perfect ring for any non-zero m ∈ M. These considerations tackle a question raised by Albu and Wisbauer.

An associative ring R is called a BT-ring if R is strongly right bounded, but not right duo, and not strongly left bounded. We show that the order of the smallest BT-rings (without unity) is 16, while we prove earlier that the order of the smallest unitary BT-rings is 32.

The study of rings with right Property ([Formula: see text]), has done an important role in noncommutative ring theory. Following literature, a ring [Formula: see text] has right Property ([Formula: see text]) if every finitely generated two-sided ideal consisting entirely of left zero-divisors has a nonzero right annihilator. Our results in this paper concerns the right Property ([Formula: see text]) of Ore extensions as well as skew power series rings. We will show that if [Formula: see text] is a right duo ring, then the skew power series ring [Formula: see text] has right Property ([Formula: see text]), when [Formula: see text] is right Noetherian and [Formula: see text]-compatible. Moreover, for a right duo ring [Formula: see text] which is [Formula: see text]-compatible, it is shown that (i) the Ore extension ring [Formula: see text] has right Property ([Formula: see text]) and (ii) [Formula: see text] is right zip if and only if [Formula: see text] is right zip. As a corollary of our results, we provide answers to some open questions related to Property [Formula: see text], raised in [C. Y. Hong, N. K. Kim, Y. Lee and S. J. Ryu, Rings with Property ([Formula: see text]) and their extensions, J. Algebra 315 (2007) 612–628].

As a consequence of Cohen's structure Theorem for complete local rings that every _nite commutative ring R of characteristic pn contains a unique special primary subring R0 satisfying R/J(R) = R0/pR0: Cohen called R0 the coe_cient subring of R. In this paper we will study the case when the ring is a transcendental extension local artinian duo ring R; we proved that even in this case R will has a commutative coe_cient subring.

A ring [Formula: see text] is an elementary divisor ring if every matrix over [Formula: see text] admits a diagonal reduction. If [Formula: see text] is an elementary divisor domain, we prove that [Formula: see text] is a Bézout duo-domain if and only if for any [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text]. We explore certain stable-like conditions on a Bézout domain under which it is an elementary divisor ring. Many known results are thereby generalized to much wider class of rings.

A ring R is called right distributive if its lattice of right ideals is distributive. In this paper, we investigate distributive rings. We prove that if a ring R is right hereditary, then R is right distributive if and only if R is weakly right duo. We also prove that right semiperfect right distributive rings are right quasi-continuous. Finally, it is proved that right perfect distributive rings are quasi-Frobenius. In addition, we add examples to the situations that occur naturally in the process of this paper.

Let K, S, D be a division ring, an endomorphism and a S-derivation of K, respectively. In this setting we introduce generalized noncommutative symmetric functions and obtain Viète formula and decompositions of differential operators. W-polynomials show up naturally, their connections with P-independency, Vandermonde and Wronskian matrices are briefly studied. The different linear factorizations of W-polynomials are analyzed. Connections between the existence of LLCM of monic linear polynomials with coefficients in a ring and the left duo property are established at the end of the paper.

AbstractA ring R has right property (A) whenever a finitely generated two-sided ideal of R consisting entirely of left zero-divisors has a non-zero right annihilator. As the main result of this paper we give answers to two questions related to property (A), raised by Hong et al. One of the questions has a positive answer and we obtain it as a simple conclusion of the fact that if R is a right duo ring and M is a u.p.-monoid (unique product monoid), then R is right M-McCoy and the monoid ring R[M] has right property (A). The second question has a negative answer and we demonstrate this by constructing a suitable example.

A ring R is called right zip provided that if the right annihilator rR(X) of a subset X of R is zero, then there exists a finite subset Y of X, such that rR(Y) = 0. Faith [6] raised the following questions: When does R being a right zip ring imply R[x] being right zip?; When does R being a right zip imply R[G] being right zip when G is a finite group?; Characterize a ring R such that Matn(R) is right zip. In this note we continue the study of the extensions of non-commutative zip rings based on Faith’s questions. It is shown that if R is a right McCoy ring, then R is right zip if and only if R[x] is a right zip ring. Also, if M is a strictly totally ordered monoid and R a right duo ring or a reversible ring, then R is right zip if and only if R[M] is right zip. As a consequence we obtain a generalization of [7].

In this paper, we continue to study the differential inverse power series ring [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a ring equipped with a derivation [Formula: see text]. We characterize when [Formula: see text] is a local, semilocal, semiperfect, semiregular, left quasi-duo, (uniquely) clean, exchange, right stable range one, abelian, projective-free, [Formula: see text]-ring, respectively. Furthermore, we prove that [Formula: see text] is a domain satisfying the [Formula: see text] on principal left ideals if and only if so does [Formula: see text]. Also, for a piecewise prime ring (PWP) [Formula: see text] we determine a large class of the differential inverse power series ring [Formula: see text] which have a generalized triangular matrix representation for which the diagonal rings are prime. In particular, it is proved that, under suitable conditions, if [Formula: see text] has a (flat) projective socle, then so does [Formula: see text]. Our results extend and unify many existing results.

Modules whose nonzero endomorphisms are epimorphisms and modules whose nonzero endomorphisms are monomorphisms are considered in this paper. We prove that these two classes of modules are dual to each other via Morita duality. We also prove that a left artinian ring R with Jacobson radical J has a Morita duality if either (1) J/J2 is a central bimodule; or (2) R is artinian right duo and R/J is commutative.

In the present note, we continue the study of skew inverse Laurent series ring [Formula: see text] and skew inverse power series ring [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a ring equipped with an automorphism [Formula: see text] and an [Formula: see text]-derivation [Formula: see text]. Necessary and sufficient conditions are obtained for [Formula: see text] to satisfy a certain ring property which is among being local, semilocal, semiperfect, semiregular, left quasi-duo, (uniquely) clean, exchange, projective-free and [Formula: see text]-ring, respectively. It is shown here that [Formula: see text] (respectively [Formula: see text]) is a domain satisfying the ascending chain condition (Acc) on principal left (respectively right) ideals if and only if so does [Formula: see text]. Also, we investigate the problem when a skew inverse Laurent series ring [Formula: see text] has the same Goldie rank as the ring [Formula: see text] and is proved that, if [Formula: see text] is a semiprime right Goldie ring, then [Formula: see text] is semiprimitive. Furthermore, we study on the relationship between the simplicity, semiprimeness, quasi-Baerness and Baerness property of a ring [Formula: see text] and these of the skew inverse Laurent series ring. Finally, we consider the problem of determining when [Formula: see text] is nilpotent.

A module which is invariant under automorphisms of its injective envelope is called an automorphism-invariant module. The class of automorphism-invariant modules was introduced and investigated by Lee and Zhou in 2013. In this paper, we study the class of modules which are invariant under all nilpotent endomorphisms of their injective envelopes of index two, such as modules are called 2-nilpotent-invariant. Many basic properties are obtained. For instance, it is proved that a nonsingular module [Formula: see text] is a weak duo 2-nilpotent-invariant module if and only if [Formula: see text] is a strongly regular ring. For the ring [Formula: see text] satisfying every cyclic right [Formula: see text]-module is 2-nilpotent-invariant, we prove that [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] are rings which satisfy [Formula: see text] is a semi-simple Artinian ring and [Formula: see text] is square-free as a right [Formula: see text]-module and all idempotents of [Formula: see text] is central.

Combustion in boiler blended with waste sludge can cause serious abrasion in the furnace. In this paper, Fluent6.3 was applied to establish three-dimensional numerical combustion model based on k-ε turbulence equations and Lagrangian stochastic particle trajectory to analyze a CFB (Circulating Fluidized Bed) boiler of a power plant in Guangdong province. The results show that anti-attritions will break the ring-core adherent regurgitation of the particles thus reducing erosion of particles made to the furnace wall. Furthermore, a setting of three anti-attrition ridges can prolongate the life of the wall by 2.49 times. Increasing numbers and the length of ridges are beneficial to wall, which should be limited shorter than 150mm duo to heat tube slagging, and implementing a shape of trapezoid instead of rectangle all are derived as enhancements to the feature of anti-attrition of CFB.

Gonadotropin-dependent precocious puberty (central) is a condition resulting from the early (up to 8 years in girls and 9 years in boys) reactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. An increase in the secretion of sex steroids by the gonads in this form is a consequence of the stimulation of the sex glands by gonadotropic hormones of the pituitary gland. In the absence of central nervous system abnormalities, CPP is classified as idiopathic and as familial in some cases, emphasizing the genetic origin of this disorder. Loss-of-function mutations in Makorin Ring Finger Protein 3 (MKRN3) are the most common identified genetic cause of central precocious puberty compared to sporadic cases. In the present study we performed the first descrition of 3 family cases of central precocious puberty duo to novel MKRN3 gene mutation detected by NGS in the Russian Federation.

Let R be a ring and M a right R-module. M is called a cofinitely lifting module if for any cofinite submodule N of M, there exists a direct summand K of M such that K ≤ N and N/K ≪ M/K. It is proved that every cofinite direct summand of a cofinitely lifting module is cofinitely lifting. For a cofinitely lifting module M and a fully invariant submodule N of M, we show that M/N is also cofinitely lifting. We prove that a duo module M=M1⊕ M2 is cofinitely lifting if M1 and M2 are both cofinitely lifting. Let M=M1⊕ M2 be an amply supplemented module. It is shown that if M1 and M2 are both cofinitely lifting and relatively cofinitely small projective and M1 is cofinitely pseudo-M2-projective (or M2 is cofinitely pseudo-M1-projective), then M is cofinitely lifting.

Based on a theorem of McCoy on commutative rings, Nielsen called a ring [Formula: see text] right McCoy if for any nonzero polynomials [Formula: see text] over [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] implies [Formula: see text] for some [Formula: see text]. In this note, we introduce and investigate McCoy and [Formula: see text]-properties of Hurwitz series ring [Formula: see text] and its Hurwitz polynomial subring [Formula: see text]. We show that when [Formula: see text] is a reversible or duo ring and [Formula: see text] then the Hurwitz polynomial ring [Formula: see text] is McCoy.

Abstract This communication reports significant isolation improvement utilizing planar suspended line (PSL) technique in ultra wideband (UWB) antenna for Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) application. The antenna exhibits dual-band notched characteristic in Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) band covering 5.45–5.85 GHz range; and in 7.15–7.95 GHz range for X-band downlink operations in satellite communication. Band-notching characteristics have been obtained by employing a single Elliptical Split Ring Resonator (ESSR) placed adjacent to each microstrip feed line of the radiating element and duo of “Y”-shaped strips employed within the circular ring of individual radiating elements. Two elements antenna occupy a compact space of 20 × 36 × 1.6 mm3 exhibiting huge measured impedance bandwidth (S11/S22 < −10 dB) covering 3.1–11.5 GHz and significant isolation of >21 dB in the almost entire band of operation. The electrical performance of antennas has been analyzed in terms of various MIMO parameters. Measured results demonstrate good accord with simulated results proving the competency of proposed antenna in high-density package systems and massive MIMO applications.

Food is not a trifling matter on Japanese television. More visible than such cultural staples as sumo and enka, food-related talk abounds. Aired year-round and positioned on every channel in every time period throughout the broadcast day, the lenses of food shows are calibrated at a wider angle than heavily-trafficked samurai dramas, beisboru or music shows. Simply, more aspects of everyday life, social history and cultural values pass through food programming. The array of shows work to reproduce traditional Japanese cuisine and cultural mores, educating viewers about regional customs and history. They also teach viewers about the "peculiar" practices of far-away countries. Thus, food shows engage globalisation and assist the integration of outside influences and lifestyles in Japan. However, food-talk is also about nihonjinron -- the uniqueness of Japanese culture1. As such, it tends toward cultural nationalism2. Food-talk is often framed in the context of competition and teaches viewers about planning and aesthetics, imparting class values and a consumption ethic. Food discourse is also inevitably about the reproduction of popular culture. Whether it is Jackie Chan plugging a new movie on a "guess the price" food show or a group of celebs are taking a day-trip to a resort town, food-mediated discourse enables the cultural industry and the national economy to persist -- even expand. To offer a taste of the array of cultural discourse that flows through food, this article serves up an ideal week of Japanese TV programming. Competition for Kisses: Over-Cooked Idols and Half-Baked Sexuality Monday, 10:00 p.m.: SMAP x SMAP SMAP is one of the longest-running, most successful male idol groups in Japan. At least one of their members can be found on TV every day. On this variety show, all five appear. One segment is called "Bistro SMAP" where the leader of the group, Nakai-kun, ushers a (almost always) female guest into his establishment and inquires what she would like to eat. She states her preference and the other four SMAP members (in teams of two) begin preparing the meal. Nakai entertains the guest on a dais overlooking the cooking crews. While the food is being prepared he asks standard questions about the talento's career; "how did you get in this business", "what are your favorite memories", "tell us about your recent work" -- the sort of banal banter that fills many cooking shows. Next, Nakai leads the guest into the kitchen and introduces her to the cooks. Finally, she samples both culinary efforts with the camera catching the reactions of anguish or glee from the opposing team. Each team then tastes the other group's dish. Unlike many food shows, the boys eat without savoring the food. The impression conveyed is that these are everyday boys -- not mega CD-selling pop idols with multiple product endorsements, commercials and television commitments. Finally, the moment of truth arrives: which meal is best. The winners jump for joy, the losers stagger in disappointment. The reason: the winners receive a kiss from the judge (on an agreed-upon innocuous body part). Food as entrée into discourse on sexuality. But, there is more than mere sex in the works, here. For, with each collected kiss, a set of red lips is affixed to the side of the chef's white cap. Conquests. After some months the kisses are tallied and the SMAPster with the most lips wins a prize. Food begets sexuality which begets measures of skill which begets material success. Food is but a prop in managing each idol's image. Putting a Price-tag on Taste (Or: Food as Leveller) Tuesday 8:00 p.m.: Ninki mono de ikou (Let's Go with the Popular People) An idol's image is an essential aspect of this show. The ostensible purpose is to observe five famous people appraising a series of paired items -- each seemingly identical. Which is authentic and which is a bargain-basement copy? One suspects, though, that the deeper aim is to reveal just how unsophisticated, bumbling and downright stupid "talento" can be. Items include guitars, calligraphy, baseball gloves and photographs. During evaluation, the audience is exposed to the history, use and finer points of each object, as well as the guest's decision-making process (via hidden camera). Every week at least one food item is presented: pasta, cat food, seaweed, steak. During wine week contestants smelled, tasted, swirled and regarded the brew's hue. One compared the sound each glass made, while another poured the wines on a napkin to inspect patterns of dispersion! Guests' reasoning and behaviors are monitored from a control booth by two very opinionated hosts. One effect of the recurrent criticism is a levelling -- stars are no more (and often much less) competent (and sacrosanct) than the audience. Technique, Preparation and Procedure? Old Values Give Way to New Wednesday 9:00: Tonerus no nama de daradara ikasette (Tunnels' Allow Us to Go Aimlessly, as We Are) This is one of two prime time shows featuring the comedy team "Tunnels"3. In this show both members of the duo engage in challenging themselves, one another and select members of their regular "team" to master a craft. Last year it was ballet and flamenco dance. This month: karate, soccer and cooking. Ishibashi Takaaki (or "Taka-san") and his new foil (a ne'er-do-well former Yomiuri Giants baseball player) Sadaoka Hiyoshi, are being taught by a master chef. The emphasis is on technique and process: learning theki (the aura, the essence) of cooking. After taking copious notes both men are left on their own to prepare a meal, then present it to a young femaletalento, who selects her favorite. In one segment, the men learned how to prepare croquette -- striving to master the proper procedure for flouring, egg-beating, breading, heating oil, frying and draining. In the most recent episode, Taka prepared his shortcake to perfection, impressing even the sensei. Sadaoka, who is slow on the uptake and tends to be lax, took poor notes and clearly botched his effort. Nonetheless, the talento chose Sadaoka's version because it was different. Certain he was going to win, Taka fell into profound shock. For years a popular host of youth-oriented shows, he concluded: "I guess I just don't understand today's young people". In Japanese television, just as in life, it seems there is no accounting for taste. More, whatever taste once was, it certainly has changed. "We Japanese": Messages of Distinctiveness (Or: Old Values NEVER Die) Thursday, 9:00 p.m.: Douchi no ryori shiou: (Which One? Cooking Show) By contrast, on this night viewers are served procedure, craft and the eternal order of things. Above all, validation of Japanese culinary instincts and traditions. Like many Japanese cooking showsDouchi involves competition between rival foods to win the hearts of a panel of seven singers, actors, writers and athletes.Douchi's difference is that two hosts front for rival dishes, seeking to sway the panel during the in-studio preparation. The dishes are prepared by chefs fromTsuji ryori kyoshitsu, a major cooking academy in Osaka, and are generally comparable (for instance, beef curry versus beef stew). On the surface Douchi is a standard infotainment show. Video tours of places and ingredients associated with the dish entertain the audience and assist in making the guests' decisions more agonising. Two seating areas are situated in front of each chef and panellists are given a number of opportunities to switch sides. Much playful bantering, impassioned appeals and mock intimidation transpire throughout the show. It is not uncommon for the show to pit a foreign against a domestic dish; and most often the indigenous food prevails. For, despite the recent "internationalisation" of Japanese society, many Japanese have little changed from the "we-stick-with-what-we-know-best" attitude that is a Japanese hallmark. Ironically, this message came across most clearly in a recent show pitting spaghetti and meat balls against tarako supagetei (spicy fish eggs and flaked seaweed over Italian noodles) -- a Japanese favorite. One guest, former American, now current Japanese Grand Sumo Champion, Akebono, insisted from the outset that he preferred the Italian version because "it's what my momma always cooked for me". Similarly the three Japanese who settled on tarako did so without so much as a sample or qualm. "Nothing could taste better than tarako" one pronounced even before beginning. A clear message in Douchi is that Japanese food is distinct, special, irreplaceable and (if you're not opposed by a 200 kilogram giant) unbeatable. Society as War: Reifying the Strong and Powerful Friday, 11:00 p.m.: Ryori no tetsujin. (The Ironmen of Cooking) Like sumo this show throws the weak into the ring with the strong for the amusement of the audience. The weak in this case being an outsider who runs his own restaurant. Usually the challengers are Japanese or else operate in Japan, though occasionally they come from overseas (Canada, America, France, Italy). Almost without exception they are men. The "ironmen" are four famous Japanese chefs who specialise in a particular cuisine (Japanese, Chinese, French and Italian). The contest has very strict rules. The challenger can choose which chef he will battle. Both are provided with fully-equipped kitchens positioned on a sprawling sound stage. They must prepare a full-course meal for four celebrity judges within a set time frame. Only prior to the start are they informed of which one key ingredient must be used in every course. It could be crab, onion, radish, pears -- just about any food imaginable. The contestants must finish within the time limit and satisfy the judges in terms of planning, creativity, composition, aesthetics and taste. In the event of a tie, a one course playoff results. The show is played like a sports contest, with a reporter and cameras wading into the trenches, conducting interviews and play-by-play commentary. Jump-cut editing quickens the pace of the show and the running clock adds a dimension of suspense and excitement. Consistent with one message encoded in Japanese history, it is very hard to defeat the big power. Although the ironmen are not weekly winners, their consistency in defeating challengers works to perpetuate the deep-seated cultural myth4. Food Makes the Man Saturday 12:00: Merenge no kimochi (Feelings like Meringue) Relative to the full-scale carnage of Friday night, Saturdays are positively quiescent. Two shows -- one at noon, the other at 11:30 p.m. -- employ food as medium through which intimate glimpses of an idol's life are gleaned.Merenge's title makes no bones about its purpose: it unabashedly promises fluff. In likening mood to food -- and particularly in the day-trip depicted here -- we are reminded of the Puffy's famous ditty about eating crab: "taking the car out for a spin with a caramel spirit ... let's go eat crab!"Merengue treats food as a state of mind, a many-pronged road to inner peace. To keep it fluffy,Merenge is hosted by three attractive women whose job it is to act frivolous and idly chat with idols. The show's centrepiece is a segment where the male guest introduces his favorite (or most cookable) recipe. In-between cutting, beating, grating, simmering, ladling, baking and serving, the audience is entertained and their idol's true inner character is revealed. Continuity Editing Running throughout the day, every day, on all (but the two public) stations, is advertising. Ads are often used as a device to heighten tension or underscore the food show's major themes, for it is always just before the denouement (a judge's decision, the delivery of a story's punch-line or a final tally) that an ad interrupts. Ads, however, are not necessarily departures from the world of food, as a large proportion of them are devoted to edibles. In this way, they underscore food's intimate relationship to economy -- a point that certain cooking shows make with their tie-in goods for sale or maps to, menus of and prices for the featured restaurants. While a considerable amount of primary ad discourse is centred on food (alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, coffees, sodas, instant or packaged items), it is ersatz food (vitamin-enriched waters, energy drinks, sugarless gums and food supplements) which has recently come to dominate ad space. Embedded in this commercial discourse are deeper social themes such as health, diet, body, sexuality and even death5. Underscoring the larger point: in Japan, if it is television you are tuned into, food-mediated discourse is inescapable. Food for Conclusion The question remains: "why food?" What is it that qualifies food as a suitable source and medium for filtering the raw material of popular culture? For one, food is something that all Japanese share in common. It is an essential part of daily life. Beyond that, though, the legacy of the not-so-distant past -- embedded in the consciousness of nearly a third of the population -- is food shortages giving rise to overwhelming abundance. Within less than a generation's time Japanese have been transported from famine (when roasted potatoes were considered a meal and chocolate was an unimaginable luxury) to excess (where McDonald's is a common daily meal, scores of canned drink options can be found on every street corner, and yesterday's leftover 7-Eleven bentos are tossed). Because of food's history, its place in Japanese folklore, its ubiquity, its easy availability, and its penetration into many aspects of everyday life, TV's food-talk is of interest to almost all viewers. Moreover, because it is a part of the structure of every viewer's life, it serves as a fathomable conduit for all manner of other talk. To invoke information theory, there is very little noise on the channel when food is involved6. For this reason food is a convenient vehicle for information transmission on Japanese television. Food serves as a comfortable podium from which to educate, entertain, assist social reproduction and further cultural production. Footnotes 1. For an excellent treatment of this ethic, see P.N. Dale, The Myth of Japanese Uniqueness. London: Routledge, 1986. 2. A predilection I have discerned in other Japanese media, such as commercials. See my "The Color of Difference: Critiquing Cultural Convergence via Television Advertising", Interdisciplinary Information Sciences 5.1 (March 1999): 15-36. 3. The other, also a cooking show which we won't cover here, appears on Thursdays and is called Tunnerusu no minasan no okage deshita. ("Tunnels' Because of Everyone"). It involves two guests -- a male and female -- whose job it is to guess which of 4 prepared dishes includes one item that the other guest absolutely detests. There is more than a bit of sadism in this show as, in-between casual conversation, the guest is forced to continually eat something that turns his or her stomach -- all the while smiling and pretending s/he loves it. In many ways this suits the Japanese cultural value of gaman, of bearing up under intolerable conditions. 4. After 300-plus airings, the tetsujin show is just now being put to bed for good. It closes with the four iron men pairing off and doing battle against one another. Although Chinese food won out over Japanese in the semi-final, the larger message -- that four Japanese cooks will do battle to determine the true iron chef -- goes a certain way toward reifying the notion of "we Japanese" supported in so many other cooking shows. 5. An analysis of such secondary discourse can be found in my "The Commercialized Body: A Comparative Study of Culture and Values". Interdisciplinary Information Sciences 2.2 (September 1996): 199-215. 6. The concept is derived from C. Shannon and W. Weaver, The Mathematical Theory of Communication. Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, 1949. Citation reference for this article MLA style: Todd Holden. "'And Now for the Main (Dis)course...': Or, Food as Entrée in Contemporary Japanese Television." M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 2.7 (1999). [your date of access] <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/9910/entree.php>. Chicago style: Todd Holden, "'And Now for the Main (Dis)course...': Or, Food as Entrée in Contemporary Japanese Television," M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 2, no. 7 (1999), <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/9910/entree.php> ([your date of access]). APA style: Todd Holden. (1999) "And now for the main (dis)course...": or, food as entrée in contemporary Japanese television. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 2(7). <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/9910/entree.php> ([your date of access]).