On the packing chromatic number of some lattices

For a positive integer k, a k-packing in a graph G is a subset A of vertices such that the distance between any two distinct vertices from A is more than k. The packing chromatic number of G is the smallest integer m such that the vertex set of G can be partitioned as V₁,V₂,…,V_m where V_i is an i-packing for each i. It is proved that the planar triangular lattice T and the three-dimensional integer lattice Z³ do not have finite packing chromatic numbers.     

Least and most colored bases

Consider a matroid M=(E,B), where B denotes the family of bases of M, and assign a color c(e) to every element e∈E (the same color can go to more than one element). The palette of a subset F of E, denoted by c(F), is the image of F under c. Assume also that colors have prices (in the form of a function π(?), where ? is the label of a color), and define the chromatic price as: π(F)=∑_?∈c(F)π(?). We consider the following problem: find a base B∈B such that π(B) is minimum. We show that the greedy algorithm delivers a lnr(M)-approximation of the unknown optimal value, where r(M) is the rank of matroid M. By means of a reduction from SETCOVER, we prove that the lnr(M) ratio cannot be further improved, even in the special case of partition matroids, unless . The results apply to the special case where M is a graphic matroid and where the prices π(?) are restricted to be all equal. This special case was previously known as the minimum label spanning tree (MLST) problem. For the MLST, our results improve over the ln(n-1)+1 ratio achieved by Wan, Chen and Xu in 2002. Inspired by the generality of our results, we study the approximability of coloring problems with different objective function π(F), where F is a common independent set on matroids M₁,…,M_k and, more generally, to independent systems characterized by the k-for-1 property.     

Generalization of matching extensions in graphs (III)

Proposing them as a general framework, Liu and Yu (2001) [6] introduced (n,k,d)-graphs to unify the concepts of deficiency of matchings, n-factor-criticality and k-extendability. Let G be a graph and let n,k and d be non-negative integers such that n+2k+d+2?|V(G)| and |V(G)|−n−d is even. If on deleting any n vertices from G the remaining subgraph H of G contains a k-matching and each k-matching can be extended to a defect-d matching in H, then G is called an (n,k,d)-graph. In this paper, we obtain more properties of (n,k,d)-graphs, in particular the recursive relations of (n,k,d)-graphs for distinct parameters n,k and d. Moreover, we provide a characterization for maximal non-(n,k,d)-graphs.     

On the complexity of the multicut problem in bounded tree-width graphs and digraphs

Given an edge- or vertex-weighted graph or digraph and a list of source-sink pairs, the minimum multicut problem consists in selecting a minimum weight set of edges or vertices whose removal leaves no path from each source to the corresponding sink. This is a classical NP-hard problem, and we show that the edge version becomes tractable in bounded tree-width graphs if the number of source-sink pairs is fixed, but remains NP-hard in directed acyclic graphs and APX-hard in bounded tree-width and bounded degree unweighted digraphs. The vertex version, although tractable in trees, is proved to be NP-hard in unweighted cacti of bounded degree and bounded path-width.     

Maximum transversal in partial Latin squares and rainbow matchings

In a partial Latin square P a set of distinct entries, such that no two of which are in the same row or column is called a transversal. By the size of a transversal T, we mean the number of its entries. We define a duplex to be a partial Latin square of order n containing 2n entries such that exactly two entries lie in each row and column and each of n symbols occurs exactly twice. We show that determining the maximum size of a transversal in a given duplex is an NP-complete problem. This problem relates to independent sets in certain subfamilies of cubic graphs. Generalizing the concept of transversals in edge coloring of graphs we are led to introduce the concept of rainbow matching. We show that if each color appears at most twice then it is a polynomial time problem to know whether there exists a rainbow matching of size at least ⌊n/2⌋-t for each fixed t, where n is the order of the graph. As an application we show that for any fixed t, there is a polynomial time algorithm which decides whether α(G)?n-t, for any graph G on 2n vertices containing a perfect matching. At the end we mention some other applications of rainbow matching.     

Determining tension parameters in rational gamma-spline interpolation

Inspired by the classic γ-spline, we propose a method for constructing a G² rational γ-spline curve that interpolates a given set of distinct ordered data-points (planar or spatial). The only input of our method is just these data-points. We also present a procedure to solve the key problem of determining the tension parameters γ_i which are computed in terms of exponential functions that determine the eccentricities of the common conic osculants at the junction points while keeping in geometrical agreement with data-points. This allows the resulting curve to be modified in the close vicinity of each data-point.     

The profile of the Cartesian product of graphs

Given a graph G, a proper labelingf of G is a one-to-one function from V(G) onto {1,2,…,|V(G)|}. For a proper labeling f of G, the profile widthw_f(v) of a vertex v is the minimum value of f(v)−f(x), where x belongs to the closed neighborhood of v. The profile of a proper labelingfofG, denoted by P_f(G), is the sum of all the w_f(v), where v∈V(G). The profile ofG is the minimum value of P_f(G), where f runs over all proper labeling of G. In this paper, we show that if the vertices of a graph G can be ordered to satisfy a special neighborhood property, then so can the graph G×Q_n. This can be used to determine the profile of Q_n and K_m×Q_n.     

2-resonance of plane bipartite graphs and its applications to boron-nitrogen fullerenes

A set H of disjoint faces of a plane bipartite graph G is a resonant pattern if G has a perfect matching M such that the boundary of each face in H is an M-alternating cycle. An elementary result was obtained [Discrete Appl. Math. 105 (2000) 291-311]: a plane bipartite graph is 1-extendable if and only if every face forms a resonant pattern. In this paper we show that for a 2-extendable plane bipartite graph, any pair of disjoint faces form a resonant pattern, and the converse does not necessarily hold. As an application, we show that all boron-nitrogen (B-N) fullerene graphs are 2-resonant, and construct all the 3-resonant B-N fullerene graphs, which are all k-resonant for any positive integer k. Here a B-N fullerene graph is a plane cubic graph with only square and hexagonal faces, and a B-N fullerene graph is k-resonant if any disjoint faces form a resonant pattern. Finally, the cell polynomials of 3-resonant B-N fullerene graphs are computed.     

More on “Connected (n, m)-graphs with minimum and maximum zeroth-order general Randi? index”

Let G be a graph and d(u) denote the degree of a vertex u in G. The zeroth-order general Randi? index ⁰R_α(G) of the graph G is defined as ∑_u∈V(G)d(u)^α, where the summation goes over all vertices of G and α is an arbitrary real number. In this paper we correct the proof of the main Theorem 3.5 of the paper by Hu et al. [Y. Hu, X. Li, Y. Shi, T. Xu, Connected (n,m)-graphs with minimum and maximum zeroth-order general Randi? index, Discrete Appl. Math. 155 (8) (2007) 1044-1054] and give a more general Theorem. We finally characterize ¹ for α<0 the connected G(n,m)-graphs with maximum value ⁰R_α(G(n,m)), where G(n,m) is a simple connected graph with n vertices and m edges.     

Identifying codes and locating-dominating sets on paths and cycles

Let G=(V,E) be a graph and let r≥1 be an integer. For a set D⊆V, define N_r[x]={y∈V:d(x,y)≤r} and D_r(x)=N_r[x]∩D, where d(x,y) denotes the number of edges in any shortest path between x and y. D is known as an r-identifying code (r-locating-dominating set, respectively), if for all vertices x∈V (x∈V?D, respectively), D_r(x) are all nonempty and different. Roberts and Roberts [D.L. Roberts, F.S. Roberts, Locating sensors in paths and cycles: the case of 2-identifying codes, European Journal of Combinatorics 29 (2008) 72-82] provided complete results for the paths and cycles when r=2. In this paper, we provide results for a remaining open case in cycles and complete results in paths for r-identifying codes; we also give complete results for 2-locating-dominating sets in cycles, which completes the results of Bertrand et al. [N. Bertrand, I. Charon, O. Hudry, A. Lobstein, Identifying and locating-dominating codes on chains and cycles, European Journal of Combinatorics 25 (2004) 969-987].     

Finding monotone paths in edge-ordered graphs

An edge-ordering of a graph G=(V,E) is a one-to-one function f from E to a subset of the set of positive integers. A path P in G is called an f-ascent if f increases along the edge sequence of P. The heighth(f) of f is the maximum length of an f-ascent in G.In this paper we deal with computational problems concerning finding ascents in graphs. We prove that for a given edge-ordering f of a graph G the problem of determining the value of h(f) is NP-hard. In particular, the problem of deciding whether there is an f-ascent containing all the vertices of G is NP-complete. We also study several variants of this problem, discuss randomized and deterministic approaches and provide an algorithm for the finding of ascents of order at least k in graphs of order n in running time O(4^kn^O(1)).     

Solution techniques for the Large Set Covering Problem

Given a finite set E and a family F={E₁,…,E_m} of subsets of E such that F covers E, the famous unicost set covering problem (USCP) is to determine the smallest possible subset of F that also covers E. We study in this paper a variant, called the Large Set Covering Problem (LSCP), which differs from the USCP in that E and the subsets E_i are not given in extension because they are very large sets that are possibly infinite. We propose three exact algorithms for solving the LSCP. Two of them determine minimal covers, while the third one produces minimum covers. Heuristic versions of these algorithms are also proposed and analysed. We then give several procedures for the computation of a lower bound on the minimum size of a cover. We finally present algorithms for finding the largest possible subset of F that does not cover E. We also show that a particular case of the LSCP is to determine irreducible infeasible sets in inconsistent constraint satisfaction problems. All concepts presented in the paper are illustrated on the k-colouring problem which is formulated as a constraint satisfaction problem.     

The induced path function, monotonicity and betweenness

The geodesic interval function I of a connected graph allows an axiomatic characterization involving axioms on the function only, without any reference to distance, as was shown by Nebeský [20]. Surprisingly, Nebeský [23] showed that, if no further restrictions are imposed, the induced path function J of a connected graph G does not allow such an axiomatic characterization. Here J(u,v) consists of the set of vertices lying on the induced paths between u and v. This function is a special instance of a transit function. In this paper we address the question what kind of restrictions could be imposed to obtain axiomatic characterizations of J. The function J satisfies betweenness if w∈J(u,v), with w≠u, implies u∉J(w,v) and x∈J(u,v) implies J(u,x)⊆J(u,v). It is monotone if x,y∈J(u,v) implies J(x,y)⊆J(u,v). In the case where we restrict ourselves to functions J that satisfy betweenness, or monotonicity, we are able to provide such axiomatic characterizations of J by transit axioms only. The graphs involved can all be characterized by forbidden subgraphs.     

Functional spectrum of contractions

In this paper, we introduce a new kind of spectrum for the C⋅0-class contractions. Since elements in this spectrum are functions, rather than numbers, we shall call it functional spectrum. Functional spectrum is a “large” closed subset of the Hardy space over the unit disk, and in many cases there is a canonical embedding of classical spectrum into functional spectrum. The study is carried out in the setting of the Hardy space over the bidisk H²(D²), on which every C⋅0-class contraction has a representation. A key tool is reduction operator. The reduction operator also gives rise to an equivalent statement of the Invariant Subspace Problem.     

On time-relaxed broadcasting networks

Given a communication network (modelled as a graph), a message is transmitted to at one vertex transmits to all other vertices in such a way that each message transmission takes one time unit and each vertex participates in at most one transmission to its neighbor per time step. We call this process broadcasting. For t≥0, let B_t(n) be the number of edges in the sparsest possible graph on n vertices in which broadcasting can be accomplished in ⌈log₂n⌉+t steps regardless of the originator. Shastri [A. Shastri, Time-relaxed broadcasting in communication networks, Discrete Applied mathematics 83 (1998) 263-278] conjectured that B₁(22)=24 and B₂(n)=n+1 for 25≤n≤29. In this paper, we show that B₁(22)=24, B₂(n)=n for 25≤n≤28 and 37≤n≤44, B₂(n)≤n+1 for 45≤n≤49, B₂(n)≤n+4 for 50≤n≤56, and B₃(n)=n for 55≤n≤64.     

Binary relations and reduced hypergroups

Different partial hypergroupoids are associated with binary relations defined on a set H. In this paper we find sufficient and necessary conditions for these hypergroupoids in order to be reduced hypergroups. Given two binary relations ρ and σ on H we investigate when the hypergroups associated with the relations ρ∩σ, ρ∪σ and ρσ are reduced. We also determine when the cartesian product of two hypergroupoids associated with a binary relation is a reduced hypergroup.     

Divergence points of self-similar measures satisfying the OSC

Recently, Barreira and Schmeling (2000) [1] and Chen and Xiong (1999) [2] have shown, that for self-similar measures satisfying the SSC the set of divergence points typically has the same Hausdorff dimension as the support K. It is natural to ask whether we obtain a similar result for self-similar measures satisfying the OSC. However, with only the OSC satisfied, we cannot do most of the work on a symbolic space and then transfer the results to the subsets of Rd, which makes things more difficult. In this paper, by the box-counting principle we show that the set of divergence points has still the same Hausdorff dimension as the support K for self-similar measures satisfying the OSC.     

On the weak-star extensibility

The paper encompasses a complete study of the weak-star extensibility of subspaces of Banach spaces introduced by B.S. Mordukhovich and B. Wang when studying the restrictive metric regularity in variational analysis. Many useful properties are presented; in particular, a new point of view and formulation of the property in the framework of Banach space theory is established. We also propose the concept of weak-star extensible Banach spaces that has interesting applications, and is fairly broad in that it contains many important classes of Banach spaces. Some further applications of this extensibility to the theory of linear operators between Banach spaces are also explored.     

Constructions for cyclic Moebius ladder systems

J.A. Gallian has proved [J.A. Gallian, Labeling prisms and prism related graphs, Congr. Numer. 59 (1987) 89-100] that every cubic graph M_2k obtainable from a 2k-cycle by adding its k diameters (the so-called Moebius Ladder of order 2k) is graceful. Here, in the case of k even, we propose a new graceful labeling that besides being simpler than Gallian’s one is able to give, at the same time, a graceful labeling of the prism of order 2k. Most importantly in the case of k odd, namely in the bipartite case, we prove that M_2k also admits an α-labeling. This implies that there exists a cyclic decomposition of the complete graph K_6kt+1 into copies of M_2k for every pair of positive integers k and t with k odd.In some cases we are able to give such decompositions also when k is even. Apart from the case of t=1 that is an obvious consequence of the gracefulness of M_2k, this happens, for instance, when k≡2 (mod 4) and 6kt+1 is a prime.     

Covering graphs with matchings of fixed size

Let m be a positive integer and let G be a graph. We consider the question: can the edge set E(G) of G be expressed as the union of a set M of matchings of G each of which has size exactly m? If this happens, we say that G is [m]-coverable and we call M an [m]-covering of G. It is interesting to consider minimum[m]-coverings, i.e. [m]-coverings containing as few matchings as possible. Such [m]-coverings will be called excessive[m]-factorizations. The number of matchings in an excessive [m]-factorization is a graph parameter which will be called the excessive[m]-index and denoted by . In this paper we begin the study of this new parameter as well as of a number of other related graph parameters.