We prove that for every uncountable cardinal κ such that κ<κ = κ, the quasi-order of embeddability on the κ-space of κ-sized graphs Borel reduces to the embeddability on the κ-space of κ-sized torsion-free abelian groups. Then we use the same techniques to prove that the former Borel reduces to the embeddability relation on the κ-space of κ-sized R-modules, for every $\mathbb{S}$-cotorsion-free ring R of cardinality less than the continuum. As a consequence we get that all the previous are complete $\Sigma _1^1$ quasi-orders.

A module M over a commutative ring R has an almost trivial dual if there is no homomorphism from M onto a free R-module of countable infinite rank. Using a new combinatorial principle (the ℵn-Black Box), which is provable in ordinary set theory, we show that for every natural number n, there exist arbitrarily large ℵn-free R-modules with almost trivial duals, when R is a complete discrete valuation domain. A corresponding result for torsion modules is also obtained.

An $E$-ring is a unital ring $R$ such that every endomorphism of the underlying abelian group ${{R}^{+}}$ is multiplication by some ring element. The existence of almost-free $E$-rings of cardinality greater than ${{2}^{{{\aleph }_{0}}}}$ is undecidable in ZFC. While they exist in Gödel's universe, they do not exist in other models of set theory. For a regular cardinal ${{\aleph }_{1}}\le \text{ }\!\!\lambda\!\!\text{ }\le {{2}^{{{\aleph }_{0}}}}$ we construct $E$-rings of cardinality $\lambda $ in ZFC which have ${{\aleph }_{1}}$-free additive structure. For $\text{ }\!\!\lambda\!\!\text{ }={{\aleph }_{1}}$ we therefore obtain the existence of almost-free $E$-rings of cardinality ${{\aleph }_{1}}$ in ZFC.

Let $T$ be an abelian group and $\lambda$ an uncountable regular cardinal. The question of whether there is a $\lambda$-universal group $U$ among all torsion-free abelian groups $G$ of cardinality less than or equal to $\lambda$ satisfying $\Ext\left(G,T\right)=0$ is considered. $U$ is said to be $\lambda$-universal for $T$ if, whenever a torsion-free abelian group $G$ of cardinality at most $\lambda$ satisfies $\Ext\left(G,T\right)=0$, there is an embedding of $G$ into $U$. For large classes of abelian groups $T$ and cardinals $\lambda$, it is shown that the answer is consistently no, that is to say, there is a model of ZFC in which, for pairs T and $\lambda$, there is no universal group. In particular, for $T$ torsion, this solves a problem by Kulikov.

A proof is given of the following theorem, which characterizes full automorphism groups of ordered abelian groups: a group$H$is the automorphism group of some ordered abelian group if and only if$H$is right-orderable.

Let $R$ be a countable, principal ideal domain which is not a field and $A$ be a countable $R$-algebra which is free as an $R$-module. Then we will construct an ${{\aleph }_{1}}$-free $R$-module $G$ of rank ${{\aleph }_{1}}$ with endomorphism algebra $\text{En}{{\text{d}}_{R}}\,G=A$. Clearly the result does not hold for fields. Recall that an $R$-module is ${{\aleph }_{1}}$-free if all its countable submodules are free, a condition closely related to Pontryagin’s theorem. This result has many consequences, depending on the algebra $A$ in use. For instance, if we choose $A\,=\,R$, then clearly $G$ is an indecomposable ‘almost free’module. The existence of such modules was unknown for rings with only finitelymany primes like $R={{\mathbb{Z}}_{\left( p \right)}}$, the integers localized at some prime $p$. The result complements a classical realization theorem of Corner’s showing that any such algebra is an endomorphism algebra of some torsionfree, reduced $R$-module $G$ of countable rank. Its proof is based on new combinatorialalgebraic techniques related with what we call rigid tree-elements coming from a module generated over a forest of trees.

Anderson and Ohm have introduced valuations of monoid rings k[Γ] where k is a field and Γ a cancellative torsion-free commutative monoid. We study the residue class fields in question and solve a problem concerning the pure transcendence of the residue fields.