The maximal-inversion statistic and pattern-avoiding permutations

We define a new combinatorial statistic, maximal-inversion, on a permutation. We remark that the number M(n,k) of permutations in S_n with k maximal-inversions is the signless Stirling number c(n,n−k) of the first kind. A permutation π in S_n is uniquely determined by its maximal-inversion set . We prove it by making an algorithm for retrieving the permutation from its maximal-inversion set. Also, we remark on how the algorithm can be used directly to determine whether a given set is the maximal-inversion set of a permutation. As an application of the algorithm, we characterize the maximal-inversion set for pattern-avoiding permutations. Then we give some enumerative results concerning permutations with forbidden patterns.     

On reconstruction of signed permutations distorted by reversal errors

The problem of reconstructing signed permutations on n elements from their erroneous patterns distorted by reversal errors is considered in this paper. A reversal is the operation of taking a segment of the signed permutation, reversing it, and flipping the signs of its elements. The reversal metric is defined as the least number of reversals transforming one signed permutation into another. It is proved that for any $n?2$ an arbitrary signed permutation is uniquely reconstructible from three distinct signed permutations at reversal distance at most one from the signed permutation. The proposed approach is based on the investigation of structural properties of a Cayley graph $G_{2n}$ whose vertices form a subgroup of the symmetric group ${\mathrm{Sym}}_{2n}$. It is also proved that an arbitrary signed permutation is reconstructible from two distinct signed permutations with probability $p_2～\frac{1}{3}$ as $n\to \infty$. In the case of at most two reversal errors it is shown that at least $n(n+1)$ distinct erroneous patterns are required in order to reconstruct an arbitrary signed permutation.     

Forwarding and optical indices of a graph

Motivated by wavelength-assignment problems for all-to-all traffic in optical networks, we study graph parameters related to sets of paths connecting all pairs of vertices. We consider sets of both undirected and directed paths, under minimisation criteria known as edge congestion and wavelength count; this gives rise to four parameters of a graph G: its edge forwarding index π(G), arc forwarding index , undirected optical index , and directed optical index .In the paper we address two long-standing open problems: whether the equality holds for all graphs, and whether indices π(G) and are hard to compute. For the first problem, we give an example of a family of planar graphs {G_k} such that . For the second problem, we show that determining either π(G) or is NP-hard.     

On a conjecture of Erd?s, Graham and Spencer, II

It is conjectured by Erd?s, Graham and Spencer that if 1≤a₁≤a₂≤?≤a_s are integers with , then this sum can be decomposed into n parts so that all partial sums are ≤1. This is not true for as shown by a₁=?=a_n−2=1, . In 1997 Sandor proved that Erd?s-Graham-Spencer conjecture is true for . Recently, Chen proved that the conjecture is true for . In this paper, we prove that Erd?s-Graham-Spencer conjecture is true for .     

Asymptotic bounds for permutations containing many different patterns

We say that a permutation σ∈Sn contains a permutation π∈Sk as a pattern if some subsequence of σ has the same order relations among its entries as π. We improve on results of Wilf, Coleman, and Eriksson et al. that bound the asymptotic behavior of pat(n), the maximum number of distinct patterns of any length contained in a single permutation of length n. We prove that by estimating the amount of redundancy due to patterns that are contained multiple times in a given permutation. We also consider the question of k-superpatterns, which are permutations that contain all patterns of a given length k. We give a simple construction that shows that Lk, the length of the shortest k-superpattern, is at most . This may lend evidence to a conjecture of Eriksson et al. that .     

Connectivity preserving transformations for higher dimensional binary images

An N-dimensional digital binary image (I) is a function I:Z^N→{0,1}. I is connected if and only if its black pixels and white pixels are each (3^N−1)-connected. I is only connected if and only if its black pixels are (3^N−1)-connected. For a 3-D binary image, the respective connectivity models are and . A pair of (3^N−1)-neighboring opposite-valued pixels is called interchangeable in a N-D binary image I, if reversing their values preserves the original connectedness. We call such an interchange to be a (3^N−1)-local interchange. Under the above connectivity models, we show that given two binary images of n pixels/voxels each, we can transform one to the other using a sequence of (3^N−1)-local interchanges. The specific results are as follows. Any two -connected 3-dimensional images I and J each having n black voxels are transformable using a sequence of O((c₁+c₂)n²) 26-local interchanges. Here, c₁ and c₂ are the total number of 8-connected components in all 2-dimensional layers of I and J respectively. We also show bounds on connectivity under a different interchange model as proposed in [A. Dumitrescu, J. Pach, Pushing squares around, Graphs and Combinatorics 22 (1) (2006) 37-50]. Next, we show that any two simply connected images under the , connectivity model and each having n black voxels are transformable using a sequence of O(n²) 26-local interchanges. We generalize this result to show that any two , -connected N-dimensional simply connected images each having n black pixels are transformable using a sequence of O(Nn²)(3^N−1)-local interchanges, where N>1.     

Augmented truncation approximations of discrete-time Markov chains

Let P be a positive recurrent infinite transition matrix with invariant distribution π and be a truncated and arbitrarily augmented stochastic matrix with invariant distribution _(n)π. We investigate the convergence ‖_(n)π−π‖→0, as n→∞, and derive a widely applicable sufficient criterion. Moreover, computable bounds on the error ‖_(n)π−π‖ are obtained for polynomially and geometrically ergodic chains. The bounds become rather explicit when the chains are stochastically monotone.     

Complexity results in graph reconstruction

We investigate the relative complexity of the graph isomorphism problem (GI) and problems related to the reconstruction of a graph from its vertex-deleted or edge-deleted subgraphs (in particular, deck checking (DC) and legitimate deck (LD) problems). We show that these problems are closely related for all amounts c?1 of deletion:

(1)

, , , and .

(2)

For all k?2, and .

(3)

For all k?2, .

(4)

.

(5)

For all k?2, .

For many of these results, even the c=1 case was not previously known.Similar to the definition of reconstruction numbers vrn_∃(G) [F. Harary, M. Plantholt, The graph reconstruction number, J. Graph Theory 9 (1985) 451-454] and ern_∃(G) (see [J. Lauri, R. Scapellato Topics in Graph Automorphism and Reconstruction, London Mathematical Society, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2003, p. 120]), we introduce two new graph parameters, vrn_∀(G) and ern_∀(G), and give an example of a family {G_n}_n?4 of graphs on n vertices for which vrn_∃(G_n)<vrn_∀(G_n). For every k?2 and n?1, we show that there exists a collection of k graphs on (2^k-1+1)n+k vertices with 2ⁿ 1-vertex-preimages, i.e., one has families of graph collections whose number of 1-vertex-preimages is huge relative to the size of the graphs involved.     

On the weight and nonlinearity of homogeneous rotation symmetric Boolean functions of degree 2

We improve parts of the results of [T. W. Cusick, P. Stanica, Fast evaluation, weights and nonlinearity of rotation-symmetric functions, Discrete Mathematics 258 (2002) 289-301; J. Pieprzyk, C. X. Qu, Fast hashing and rotation-symmetric functions, Journal of Universal Computer Science 5 (1) (1999) 20-31]. It is observed that the n-variable quadratic Boolean functions, for , which are homogeneous rotation symmetric, may not be affinely equivalent for fixed n and different choices of s. We show that their weights and nonlinearity are exactly characterized by the cyclic subgroup 〈s−1〉 of Z_n. If , the order of s−1, is even, the weight and nonlinearity are the same and given by . If the order is odd, it is balanced and nonlinearity is given by .     

Domination of generalized Cartesian products

The generalized prism πG of G is the graph consisting of two copies of G, with edges between the copies determined by a permutation π acting on the vertices of G. We define a generalized Cartesian product that corresponds to the Cartesian product when π is the identity, and the generalized prism when H is the graph K₂. Burger, Mynhardt and Weakley [A.P. Burger, C.M. Mynhardt, W.D. Weakley, On the domination number of prisms of graphs, Discuss. Math. Graph Theory 24 (2) (2004) 303-318.] characterized universal doublers, i.e. graphs for which γ(πG)=2γ(G) for any π. In general for any n≥2 and permutation π, and a graph attaining equality in this upper bound for all π is called a universal multiplier. We characterize such graphs.     

Approximations of Lovász extensions and their induced interaction index

The Lovász extension of a pseudo-Boolean function f:{0,1}ⁿ→R is defined on each simplex of the standard triangulation of [0,1]ⁿ as the unique affine function that interpolates f at the n+1 vertices of the simplex. Its degree is that of the unique multilinear polynomial that expresses f. In this paper we investigate the least squares approximation problem of an arbitrary Lovász extension by Lovász extensions of (at most) a specified degree. We derive explicit expressions of these approximations. The corresponding approximation problem for pseudo-Boolean functions was investigated by Hammer and Holzman [Approximations of pseudo-Boolean functions; applications to game theory, Z. Oper. Res. 36(1) (1992) 3-21] and then solved explicitly by Grabisch et al. [Equivalent representations of set functions, Math. Oper. Res. 25(2) (2000) 157-178], giving rise to an alternative definition of Banzhaf interaction index. Similarly we introduce a new interaction index from approximations of and we present some of its properties. It turns out that its corresponding power index identifies with the power index introduced by Grabisch and Labreuche [How to improve acts: an alternative representation of the importance of criteria in MCDM, Internat. J. Uncertain. Fuzziness Knowledge-Based Syst. 9(2) (2001) 145-157].     

Rearrangement of conditionally convergent series on a small set

We consider ideals I of subsets of the set of natural numbers such that for every conditionally convergent series _∑n∈ωan and every there is a permutation such that _∑n∈ωaπr(n)=r and