Steiner tree packing number and tree connectivity

Let $S$ be a set of at least two vertices in a graph $G$. A subtree $T$ of $G$ is a $S$-Steiner tree if $S?V\left(T\right)$. Two $S$-Steiner trees $T_1$ and $T_2$ are edge-disjoint (resp. internally vertex-disjoint) if $E\left(T_1\right)\cap E\left(T_2\right)=?$ (resp. $E\left(T_1\right)\cap E\left(T_2\right)=?$ and $V\left(T_1\right)\cap V\left(T_2\right)=S$). Let ${\lambda }_G\left(S\right)$ (resp. ${\kappa }_G\left(S\right)$) be the maximum number of edge-disjoint (resp. internally vertex-disjoint) $S$-Steiner trees in $G$, and let ${\lambda }_k\left(G\right)$ (resp. ${\kappa }_k\left(G\right)$) be the minimum ${\lambda }_G\left(S\right)$ (resp. ${\kappa }_G\left(S\right)$) for $S$ ranges over all $k$-subset of $V\left(G\right)$. Kriesell conjectured that if ${\lambda }_G\left(\{x,y\}\right)\ge 2k$ for any $x,y\in S$, then ${\lambda }_G\left(S\right)\ge k$. He proved that the conjecture holds for $\left|S\right|=3,4$. In this paper, we give a short proof of Kriesell’s Conjecture for $\left|S\right|=3,4$, and also show that ${\lambda }_k\left(G\right)\ge ?\frac{1}{k?1}?\frac{k?}{2}??$ (resp. ${\kappa }_k\left(G\right)\ge ?\frac{1}{k?1}?\frac{k?}{2}??$ ) if $\lambda \left(G\right)\ge ?$ (resp. $\kappa \left(G\right)\ge ?$) in $G$, where $k=3,4$. Moreover, we also study the relation between ${\kappa }_k\left(L\left(G\right)\right)$ and ${\lambda }_k\left(G\right)$, where $L\left(G\right)$ is the line graph of $G$.     

An improved upper bound on the adjacent vertex distinguishing total chromatic number of graphs

An adjacent vertex distinguishing total $k$-coloring of a graph $G$ is a proper total $k$-coloring of $G$ such that any pair of adjacent vertices have different sets of colors. The minimum number $k$ needed for such a total coloring of $G$ is denoted by ${\chi }_a^{\prime \prime }\left(G\right)$. In this paper we prove that ${\chi }_a^{\prime \prime }\left(G\right)\le 2\Delta \left(G\right)?1$ if $\Delta \left(G\right)\ge 4$, and ${\chi }_a^{\prime \prime }\left(G\right)\le ?\frac{5\Delta \left(G\right)+8}{3}?$ in general. This improves a result in Huang et al. (2012) which states that ${\chi }_a^{\prime \prime }\left(G\right)\le 2\Delta \left(G\right)$ for any graph with $\Delta \left(G\right)\ge 3$.     

Maximum matchings in regular graphs

It was conjectured by Mkrtchyan, Petrosyan and Vardanyan that every graph $G$ with $\Delta \left(G\right)?\delta \left(G\right)\le 1$ has a maximum matching $M$ such that any two $M$-unsaturated vertices do not share a neighbor. The results obtained in Mkrtchyan et al. (2010), Petrosyan (2014) and Picouleau (2010) leave the conjecture unknown only for $k$-regular graphs with $4\le k\le 6$. All counterexamples for $k$-regular graphs $(k\ge 7)$ given in Petrosyan (2014) have multiple edges. In this paper, we confirm the conjecture for all $k$-regular simple graphs and also $k$-regular multigraphs with $k\le 4$.     

On 3-stable number conditions in n-connected claw-free graphs

For a subgraph $X$ of $G$, let ${\alpha }_G^3\left(X\right)$ be the maximum number of vertices of $X$ that are pairwise distance at least three in $G$. In this paper, we prove three theorems. Let $n$ be a positive integer, and let $H$ be a subgraph of an $n$-connected claw-free graph $G$. We prove that if $n\ge 2$, then either $H$ can be covered by a cycle in $G$, or there exists a cycle $C$ in $G$ such that ${\alpha }_G^3(H?V\left(C\right))\le {\alpha }_G^3\left(H\right)?n$. This result generalizes the result of Broersma and Lu that $G$ has a cycle covering all the vertices of $H$ if ${\alpha }_G^3\left(H\right)\le n$. We also prove that if $n\ge 1$, then either $H$ can be covered by a path in $G$, or there exists a path $P$ in $G$ such that ${\alpha }_G^3(H?V\left(P\right))\le {\alpha }_G^3\left(H\right)?n?1$. By using the second result, we prove the third result. For a tree $T$, a vertex of $T$ with degree one is called a leaf of $T$. For an integer $k\ge 2$, a tree which has at most $k$ leaves is called a $k$-ended tree. We prove that if ${\alpha }_G^3\left(H\right)\le n+k?1$, then $G$ has a $k$-ended tree covering all the vertices of $H$. This result gives a positive answer to the conjecture proposed by Kano et al. (2012).     

List 3-dynamic coloring of graphs with small maximum average degree

An $r$-dynamic $k$-coloring of a graph $G$ is a proper $k$-coloring such that for any vertex $v$, there are at least $min\{r,{deg}_G\left(v\right)\}$ distinct colors in $N_G\left(v\right)$. The $r$-dynamic chromatic number${\chi }_r^d\left(G\right)$ of a graph $G$ is the least $k$ such that there exists an $r$-dynamic $k$-coloring of $G$. The list$r$-dynamic chromatic number of a graph $G$ is denoted by $c{h}_r^d\left(G\right)$.Recently, Loeb et al. (0000) showed that the list $3$-dynamic chromatic number of a planar graph is at most 10. And Cheng et al. (0000) studied the maximum average condition to have ${\chi }_3^d\left(G\right)\le 4,5$, or $6$. On the other hand, Song et al. (2016) showed that if $G$ is planar with girth at least 6, then ${\chi }_r^d\left(G\right)\le r+5$ for any $r\ge 3$.In this paper, we study list 3-dynamic coloring in terms of maximum average degree. We show that $c{h}_3^d\left(G\right)\le 6$ if $mad\left(G\right)<\frac{18}{7}$, $c{h}_3^d\left(G\right)\le 7$ if $mad\left(G\right)<\frac{14}{5}$, and $c{h}_3^d\left(G\right)\le 8$ if $mad\left(G\right)<3$. All of the bounds are tight.     

On the vertex-arboricity of planar graphs without 7-cycles

The vertex arboricity $va\left(G\right)$ of a graph $G$ is the minimum number of colors the vertices can be labeled so that each color class induces a forest. It was well-known that $va\left(G\right)\le 3$ for every planar graph $G$. In this paper, we prove that $va\left(G\right)\le 2$ if $G$ is a planar graph without 7-cycles. This extends a result in [A. Raspaud, W. Wang, On the vertex-arboricity of planar graphs, European J. Combin. 29 (2008) 1064–1075] that for each $k\in \{3,4,5,6\}$, planar graphs $G$ without $k$-cycles have $va\left(G\right)\le 2$.     

b-coloring of Kneser graphs

A $b$-coloring of a graph $G$ with $k$ colors is a proper coloring of $G$ using $k$ colors in which each color class contains a color dominating vertex, that is, a vertex which has a neighbor in each of the other color classes. The largest positive integer $k$ for which $G$ has a $b$-coloring using $k$ colors is the $b$-chromatic number $b\left(G\right)$ of $G$. The $b$-spectrum $S_b\left(G\right)$ of a graph $G$ is the set of positive integers $k,\chi \left(G\right)\le k\le b\left(G\right)$, for which $G$ has a $b$-coloring using $k$ colors. A graph $G$ is $b$-continuous if $S_b\left(G\right)$ = the closed interval $[\chi \left(G\right),b\left(G\right)]$. In this paper, we obtain an upper bound for the $b$-chromatic number of some families of Kneser graphs. In addition we establish that $[\chi \left(G\right),n+k+1]?S_b\left(G\right)$ for the Kneser graph $G=K(2n+k,n)$ whenever $3\le n\le k+1$. We also establish the $b$-continuity of some families of regular graphs which include the family of odd graphs.     

List star chromatic index of sparse graphs

A star edge-coloring of a graph $G$ is a proper edge coloring such that every 2-colored connected subgraph of $G$ is a path of length at most 3. For a graph $G$, let the list star chromatic index of $G$, $c{h}_s^{\prime }\left(G\right)$, be the minimum $k$ such that for any $k$-uniform list assignment $L$ for the set of edges, $G$ has a star edge-coloring from $L$. Dvo?ák et al. (2013) asked whether the list star chromatic index of every subcubic graph is at most 7. In Kerdjoudj et al. (2017) we proved that it is at most 8. In this paper we consider graphs with any maximum degree, we proved that if the maximum average degree of a graph $G$ is less than $\frac{14}{5}$ (resp. 3), then $c{h}_s^{\prime }\left(G\right)\le 2\Delta \left(G\right)+2$ (resp. $c{h}_s^{\prime }\left(G\right)\le 2\Delta \left(G\right)+3$).     

On vertex-disjoint cycles and degree sum conditions

This paper considers a degree sum condition sufficient to imply the existence of $k$ vertex-disjoint cycles in a graph $G$. For an integer $t\ge 1$, let ${\sigma }_t\left(G\right)$ be the smallest sum of degrees of $t$ independent vertices of $G$. We prove that if $G$ has order at least $7k+1$ and ${\sigma }_4\left(G\right)\ge 8k?3$, with $k\ge 2$, then $G$ contains $k$ vertex-disjoint cycles. We also show that the degree sum condition on ${\sigma }_4\left(G\right)$ is sharp and conjecture a degree sum condition on ${\sigma }_t\left(G\right)$ sufficient to imply $G$ contains $k$ vertex-disjoint cycles for $k\ge 2$.     

A degree sum condition for graphs to be covered by two cycles

Let $G$ be a $k$-connected graph of order $n$. In [1], Bondy (1980) considered a degree sum condition for a graph to have a Hamiltonian cycle, say, to be covered by one cycle. He proved that if ${\sigma }_{k+1}\left(G\right)>(k+1)(n?1)/2$, then $G$ has a Hamiltonian cycle. On the other hand, concerning a degree sum condition for a graph to be covered by two cycles, Enomoto et al. (1995) [4] proved that if $k=1$ and ${\sigma }_3\left(G\right)\ge n$, then $G$ can be covered by two cycles. By these results, we conjecture that if ${\sigma }_{2k+1}\left(G\right)>(2k+1)(n?1)/3$, then $G$ can be covered by two cycles. In this paper, we prove the case $k=2$ of this conjecture. In fact, we prove a stronger result; if $G$ is 2-connected with ${\sigma }_5\left(G\right)\ge 5(n?1)/3$, then $G$ can be covered by two cycles, or $G$ belongs to an exceptional class.     

Edge-partitions of graphs and their neighbor-distinguishing index

A proper edge coloring is neighbor-distinguishing if any two adjacent vertices have distinct sets consisting of colors of their incident edges. The minimum number of colors needed for a neighbor-distinguishing edge coloring is the neighbor-distinguishing index, denoted by ${\chi }_a^{\prime }\left(G\right)$. A graph is normal if it contains no isolated edges. Let $G$ be a normal graph, and let $\Delta \left(G\right)$ and ${\chi }^{\prime }\left(G\right)$ denote the maximum degree and the chromatic index of $G$, respectively. We modify the previously known techniques of edge-partitioning to prove that ${\chi }_a^{\prime }\left(G\right)\le 2{\chi }^{\prime }\left(G\right)$, which implies that ${\chi }_a^{\prime }\left(G\right)\le 2\Delta \left(G\right)+2$. This improves the result in Wang et al. (2015), which states that ${\chi }_a^{\prime }\left(G\right)\le \frac{5}{2}\Delta \left(G\right)$ for any normal graph. We also prove that ${\chi }_a^{\prime }\left(G\right)\le 2\Delta \left(G\right)$ when $\Delta \left(G\right)=2^k$, $k$ is an integer with $k\ge 2$.     

Stability in the Erdős–Gallai Theorem on cycles and paths,II

The Erd?s–Gallai Theorem states that for $k\ge 3$, any $n$-vertex graph with no cycle of length at least $k$ has at most $\frac{1}{2}(k?1)(n?1)$ edges. A stronger version of the Erd?s–Gallai Theorem was given by Kopylov: If $G$ is a 2-connected $n$-vertex graph with no cycle of length at least $k$, then $e\left(G\right)\le max\{h(n,k,2),h(n,k,?\frac{k?1}{2}?)\}$, where $h(n,k,a)?\left(\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{k?a}{2}\right)+a(n?k+a)$. Furthermore, Kopylov presented the two possible extremal graphs, one with $h(n,k,2)$ edges and one with $h(n,k,?\frac{k?1}{2}?)$ edges.In this paper, we complete a stability theorem which strengthens Kopylov’s result. In particular, we show that for $k\ge 3$ odd and all $n\ge k$, every $n$-vertex 2-connected graph $G$ with no cycle of length at least $k$ is a subgraph of one of the two extremal graphs or $e\left(G\right)\le max\{h(n,k,3),h(n,k,\frac{k?3}{2})\}$. The upper bound for $e\left(G\right)$ here is tight.     

Proper connection and size of graphs

An edge-coloured graph $G$ is called properly connected if any two vertices are connected by a path whose edges are properly coloured. The proper connection number of a connected graph $G,$ denoted by $\mathrm{pc}\left(G\right)$, is the smallest number of colours that are needed in order to make $G$ properly connected. Our main result is the following: Let $G$ be a connected graph of order $n$ and $k\ge 2$. If $\left|E\left(G\right)\right|\ge \left(\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{n?k?1}{2}\right)+k+2$, then $\mathrm{pc}\left(G\right)\le k$ except when $k=2$ and $G\in \{G_1,G_2\},$ where $G_1=K_1\vee (2K_1+K_2)$ and $G_2=K_1\vee (K_1+2K_2).$