An asymptotic version of a conjecture by Enomoto and Ota

In 2000, Enomoto and Ota [J Graph Theory 34 (2000), 163–169] stated the following conjecture. Let G be a graph of order n, and let n₁, n₂, …, n_k be positive integers with \begin{eqnarray*}\sum\nolimits_{{{i}} = {{1}}}^{{{k}}} {{n}}_{{{i}}} = {{n}}\end{eqnarray*}. If σ₂(G)≥n+ k?1, then for any k distinct vertices x₁, x₂, …, x_k in G, there exist vertex disjoint paths P₁, P₂, …, P_k such that |P_i|=n_i and x_i is an endpoint of P_i for every i, 1≤i≤k. We prove an asymptotic version of this conjecture in the following sense. For every k positive real numbers γ₁, …, γ_k with \begin{eqnarray*}\sum\nolimits_{{{i}} = {{1}}}^{{{k}}} \gamma_{{{i}}} = {{1}}\end{eqnarray*}, and for every ε>0, there exists n₀ such that for every graph G of order n≥n₀ with σ₂(G)≥n+ k?1, and for every choice of k vertices x₁, …, x_k∈V(G), there exist vertex disjoint paths P₁, …, P_k in G such that \begin{eqnarray*}\sum\nolimits_{{{i}} = {{1}}}^{{{k}}} |{{P}}_{{{i}}}| = {{n}}\end{eqnarray*}, the vertex x_i is an endpoint of the path P_i, and (γ_i?ε)n<|P_i|<(γ_i + ε)n for every i, 1≤i≤k. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 64: 37–51, 2010     

Small cycles and 2-factor passing through any given vertices in graphs

The theory of vertex-disjoint cycles and 2-factor of graphs has important applications in computer science and network communication. For a graph G, let σ ₂(G):=min?{d(u)+d(v)|uv ? E(G),u≠v}. In the paper, the main results of this paper are as follows:

1. Let k≥2 be an integer and G be a graph of order n≥3k, if σ ₂(G)≥n+2k?2, then for any set of k distinct vertices v ₁,…,v _k , G has k vertex-disjoint cycles C ₁,C ₂,…,C _k of length at most four such that v _i ∈V(C _i ) for all 1≤i≤k.
2. Let k≥1 be an integer and G be a graph of order n≥3k, if σ ₂(G)≥n+2k?2, then for any set of k distinct vertices v ₁,…,v _k , G has k vertex-disjoint cycles C ₁,C ₂,…,C _k such that:
   1. v _i ∈V(C _i ) for all 1≤i≤k.
   2. V(C ₁)∪???∪V(C _k )=V(G), and
   3. |C _i |≤4, 1≤i≤k?1.

Moreover, the condition on σ ₂(G)≥n+2k?2 is sharp.     

Graph decompositions without isolated vertices III

Let G be a graph of order n, and n = Σ^k_i=1 a_i be a partition of n with a_i ≥ 2. In this article we show that if the minimum degree of G is at least 3k−2, then for any distinct k vertices v₁,…, v_k of G, the vertex set V(G) can be decomposed into k disjoint subsets A₁,…, A_k so that |A_i| = a_i,v_iisA_i is an element of A_i and “the subgraph induced by A_i contains no isolated vertices” for all i, 1 ≥ i ≥ k. Here, the bound on the minimum degree is sharp. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Cycles containing all vertices of maximum degree

For a graph G and an integer k, denote by V_k the set {v ∈ V(G) | d(v) ≥ k}. Veldman proved that if G is a 2-connected graph of order n with n ≤ 3k - 2 and |V_k| ≤ k, then G has a cycle containing all vertices of V_k. It is shown that the upper bound k on |V_k| is close to best possible in general. For the special case k = δ(G), it is conjectured that the condition |V_k| ≤ k can be omitted. Using a variation of Woodall's Hopping Lemma, the conjecture is proved under the additional condition that n ≤ 2δ(G) + δ(G) + 1. This result is an almost-generalization of Jackson's Theorem that every 2-connected k-regular graph of order n with n ≤ 3k is hamiltonian. An alternative proof of an extension of Jackson's Theorem is also presented. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Graph decompositions without isolates

A. Frank (Problem session of the Fifth British Combinatorial Conference, Aberdeen, Scotland, 1975) conjectured that if G = (V, E) is a connected graph with all valencies ≥k and a₁,…,a_k ≥ 2 are integers with Σ a_i = |V |, then V may be decomposed into subsets A₁,…,A_k so that |A_i | = a_i and the subgraph spanned by A_i in G has no isolated vertices (i = 1,…,k). The case k = 2 is proved in Maurer (J. Combin. Theory Ser. B27 (1979), 294–319) along with some extensions. The conjecture for k = 3 and a result stronger than Maurer's extension for k = 2 are proved. A related characterization of a k-connected graph is also included in the paper, and a proof of the conjecture for the case a₁ = a₂ = … = a_k?1 = 2.     

Two‐factors each component of which contains a specified vertex

It is shown that if G is a graph of order n with minimum degree δ(G), then for any set of k specified vertices {v₁,v₂,…,v_k} ? V(G), there is a 2‐factor of G with precisely k cycles {C₁,C₂,…,C_k} such that v_i ∈ V(C_i) for (1 ≤ i ≤ k) if or 3k + 1 ≤ n ≤ 4k, or 4k ≤ n ≤ 6k ? 3,δ(G) ≥ 3k ? 1 or n ≥ 6k ? 3, . Examples are described that indicate this result is sharp. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 43: 188–198, 2003     

Covering a graph with cycles passing through given edges

We propose a conjecture: for each integer k ≥ 2, there exists N(k) such that if G is a graph of order n ≥ N(k) and d(x) + d(y) ≥ n + 2k - 2 for each pair of non-adjacent vertices x and y of G, then for any k independent edges e₁, …, e_k of G, there exist k vertex-disjoint cycles C₁, …, C_k in G such that e_i ∈ E(C_i) for all i ∈ {1, …, k} and V(C₁ ∪ ···∪ C_k) = V(G). If this conjecture is true, the condition on the degrees of G is sharp. We prove this conjecture for the case k = 2 in the paper. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 26: 105–109, 1997     

Insertible vertices,neighborhood intersections,and hamiltonicity

Let G be a simple undirected graph of order n. For an independent set S ? V(G) of k vertices, we define the k neighborhood intersections S_i = {v ? V(G)&#92;S|N(v) ∩ S| = i}, 1 ≦ i ≦ k, with s_i = |S_i|. Using the concept of insertible vertices and the concept of neighborhood intersections, we prove the following theorem.     

Optimal labelling of a product of two paths

If G is a graph with p vertices and at least one edge, we set φ (G) = m n max |f(u) ? f(v)|, where the maximum is taken over all edges uv and the minimum over all one-to-one mappings f : V(G) → {1, 2, …, p}: V(G) denotes the set of vertices of G.P_n will denote a path of length n whose vertices are integers 1, 2, …, n with i adjacent to j if and only if |i ? j| = 1. P_m × P_n will denote a graph whose vertices are elements of {1, 2, …, m} × {1, 2, …, n} and in which (i, j), (r, s) are adjacent whenever either i = r and |j ? s| = 1 or j = s and |i ? r| = 1.Theorem.If max(m, n) ? 2, thenφ(P_m × P_n) = min(m, n).     

Competitively Tight Graphs

The competition graph of a digraph D is a (simple undirected) graph which has the same vertex set as D and has an edge between two distinct vertices x and y if and only if there exists a vertex v in D such that (x, v) and (y, v) are arcs of D. For any graph G, G together with sufficiently many isolated vertices is the competition graph of some acyclic digraph. The competition number k(G) of a graph G is the smallest number of such isolated vertices. Computing the competition number of a graph is an NP-hard problem in general and has been one of the important research problems in the study of competition graphs. Opsut [1982] showed that the competition number of a graph G is related to the edge clique cover number θ _E (G) of the graph G via θ _E (G) ? |V(G)| + 2 ≤ k(G) ≤ θ _E (G). We first show that for any positive integer m satisfying 2 ≤ m ≤ |V(G)|, there exists a graph G with k(G) = θ _E (G) ? |V(G)| + m and characterize a graph G satisfying k(G) = θ _E (G). We then focus on what we call competitively tight graphs G which satisfy the lower bound, i.e., k(G) = θ _E (G) ? |V(G)| + 2. We completely characterize the competitively tight graphs having at most two triangles. In addition, we provide a new upper bound for the competition number of a graph from which we derive a sufficient condition and a necessary condition for a graph to be competitively tight.     

Degree bounds for the circumference of 3‐connected graphs

Let C be a longest cycle in the 3‐connected graph G and let H be a component of G ? V(C) such that |V(H)| ≥ 3. We supply estimates of the form |C| ≥ 2d(u) + 2d(v) ? α(4 ≤ α ≤ 8), where u,v are suitably chosen non‐adjacent vertices in G. Also the exceptional classes for α = 6,7,8 are characterized. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory     

Some results on generalized exponents

A digraph G = (V, E) is primitive if, for some positive integer k, there is a u → v walk of length k for every pair u, v of vertices of V. The minimum such k is called the exponent of G, denoted exp(G). The exponent of a vertex u ∈ V, denoted exp(u), is the least integer k such that there is a u → v walk of length k for each v ∈ V. For a set X ⊆ V, exp(X) is the least integer k such that for each v ∈ V there is a X → v walk of length k, i.e., a u → v walk of length k for some u ∈ X. Let F(G, k) : = max{exp(X) : |X| = k} and F(n, k) : = max{F(G, k) : |V| = n}, where |X| and |V| denote the number of vertices in X and V, respectively. Recently, B. Liu and Q. Li proved F(n, k) = (n − k)(n − 1) + 1 for all 1 ≤ k ≤ n − 1. In this article, for each k, 1 ≤ k ≤ n − 1, we characterize the digraphs G such that F(G, k) = F(n, k), thereby answering a question of R. Brualdi and B. Liu. We also find some new upper bounds on the (ordinary) exponent of G in terms of the maximum outdegree of G, Δ⁺(G) = max{d⁺(u) : u ∈ V}, and thus obtain a new refinement of the Wielandt bound (n − 1)² + 1. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Graph Theory 28: 215–225, 1998     

Spanning Connectivity of the Power of a Graph and Hamilton-Connected Index of a Graph

Let G = (V, E) be a connected graph. The hamiltonian index h(G) (Hamilton-connected index hc(G)) of G is the least nonnegative integer k for which the iterated line graph L ^k (G) is hamiltonian (Hamilton-connected). In this paper we show the following. (a) If |V(G)| ≥ k + 1 ≥ 4, then in G ^k , for any pair of distinct vertices {u, v}, there exists k internally disjoint (u, v)-paths that contains all vertices of G; (b) for a tree T,  h(T) ≤ hc(T) ≤ h(T) + 1, and for a unicyclic graph G,  h(G) ≤ hc(G) ≤ max{h(G) + 1, k′ + 1}, where k′ is the length of a longest path with all vertices on the cycle such that the two ends of it are of degree at least 3 and all internal vertices are of degree 2; (c) we also characterize the trees and unicyclic graphs G for which hc(G) = h(G) + 1.     

List Colorings of K5‐Minor‐Free Graphs With Special List Assignments

The following question was raised by Bruce Richter. Let G be a planar, 3‐connected graph that is not a complete graph. Denoting by d(v) the degree of vertex v, is G L‐list colorable for every list assignment L with |L(v)| = min{d(v), 6} for all v∈V(G)? More generally, we ask for which pairs (r, k) the following question has an affirmative answer. Let r and k be the integers and let G be a K₅‐minor‐free r‐connected graph that is not a Gallai tree (i.e. at least one block of G is neither a complete graph nor an odd cycle). Is G L‐list colorable for every list assignment L with |L(v)| = min{d(v), k} for all v∈V(G)? We investigate this question by considering the components of G[S_k], where S_k: = {v∈V(G)|d(v)8k} is the set of vertices with small degree in G. We are especially interested in the minimum distance d(S_k) in G between the components of G[S_k]. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 71:18–30, 2012     

On hamiltonian-connected graphs

One of the most fundamental results concerning paths in graphs is due to Ore: In a graph G, if deg x + deg y ≧ |V(G)| + 1 for all pairs of nonadjacent vertices x, y ? V(G), then G is hamiltonian-connected. We generalize this result using set degrees. That is, for S ? V(G), let deg S = |_x?S N(x)|, where N(x) = {v|xv ? E(G)} is the neighborhood of x. In particular we show: In a 3-connected graph G, if deg S₁ + deg S₂ ≧ |V(G)| + 1 for each pair of distinct 2-sets of vertices S₁, S₂ ? V(G), then G is hamiltonian-connected. Several corollaries and related results are also discussed.     

Hamiltonian paths and cycles in hypertournaments

Given two integers n and k, n ≥ k > 1, a k-hypertournament T on n vertices is a pair (V, A), where V is a set of vertices, |V| = n and A is a set of k-tuples of vertices, called arcs, so that for any k-subset S of V, A$ contains exactly one of the k! k-tuples whose entries belong to S. A 2-hypertournament is merely an (ordinary) tournament. A path is a sequence v₁a₁v₂v₃···v_t−1v_t of distinct vertices v₁, v₂,⋖, v_t and distinct arcs a₁, ⋖, a_t−1 such that v_i precedes v_t−1 in a, 1 ≤ i ≤ t − 1. A cycle can be defined analogously. A path or cycle containing all vertices of T (as v_i's) is Hamiltonian. T is strong if T has a path from x to y for every choice of distinct x, y ≡ V. We prove that every k-hypertournament on n (k) vertices has a Hamiltonian path (an extension of Redeis theorem on tournaments) and every strong k-hypertournament with n (k + 1) vertices has a Hamiltonian cycle (an extension of Camions theorem on tournaments). Despite the last result, it is shown that the Hamiltonian cycle problem remains polynomial time solvable only for k ≤ 3 and becomes NP-complete for every fixed integer k ≥ 4. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 25: 277–286, 1997     

A 2-factor with Short Cycles Passing Through Specified Independent Vertices in Graph

For a graph G, we define σ₂(G) := min{d(u) + d(v)|u, v ≠ ∈ E(G), u ≠ v}. Let k ≥ 1 be an integer and G be a graph of order n ≥ 3k. We prove if σ₂(G) ≥ n + k − 1, then for any set of k independent vertices v ₁,...,v _k , G has k vertex-disjoint cycles C ₁,..., C _k of length at most four such that v _i ∈ V(C _i ) for all 1 ≤ i ≤ k. And show if σ₂(G) ≥ n + k − 1, then for any set of k independent vertices v ₁,...,v _k , G has k vertex-disjoint cycles C ₁,..., C _k such that v _i ∈ V(C _i ) for all 1 ≤ i ≤ k, V(C ₁) ∪...∪ V(C _k ) = V(G), and |C _i | ≤ 4 for all 1 ≤ i ≤ k − 1. The condition of degree sum σ₂(G) ≥ n + k − 1 is sharp. Received: December 20, 2006. Final version received: December 12, 2007.     

Brooks-type theorems for choosability with separation

We consider the following type of problems. Given a graph G = (V, E) and lists L(v) of allowed colors for its vertices v ∈ V such that |L(v)| = p for all v ∈ V and |L(u) ∩ L(v)| ≤ c for all uv ∈ E, is it possible to find a “list coloring,” i.e., a color f(v) ∈ L(v) for each v ∈ V, so that f(u) ≠ f(v) for all uv ∈ E? We prove that every of maximum degree Δ admits a list coloring for every such list assignment, provided p ≥ . Apart from a multiplicative constant, the result is tight, as lists of length may be necessary. Moreover, for G = K_n (the complete graph on n vertices) and c = 1 (i.e., almost disjoint lists), the smallest value of p is shown to have asymptotics (1 + o(1)) . For planar graphs and c = 1, lists of length 4 suffice. ˜© 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 27: 43–49, 1998     

Centers to centroids in graphs

For S ? V(G) the S-center and S-centroid of G are defined as the collection of vertices u ∈ V(G) that minimize e_s(u) = max {d(u, v): v ∈ S} and d_s(u) = ∑_u∈S d(u, v), respectively. This generalizes the standard definition of center and centroid from the special case of S = V(G). For 1 ? k ?|V(G)| and u ∈ V(G) let r_k(u) = max {∑_s∈S d(u, s): S ? V(G), |S| = k}. The k-centrum of G, denoted C(G; k), is defined to be the subset of vertices u in G for which r_k(u) is a minimum. This also generalizes the standard definitions of center and centroid since C(G; 1) is the center and C(G; |V(G)|) is the centroid. In this paper the structure of these sets for trees is examined. Generalizations of theorems of Jordan and Zelinka are included.