On the skew energy of orientations of hypercubes

Let D be a digraph of order n and λ₁,λ₂,…,λ_n denote all the eigenvalues of the skew-adjacency matrix of D. The skew energy E_S(D) of D is defined as . In this paper, it is proved that for any positive integer k≥3, there exists a k-regular graph of order n having an orientation D with . This work positively answers a problem proposed by Adiga et al. [C. Adiga, R. Balakrishnan, Wasin So, The skew energy of a digraph, Linear Algebra Appl. 432 (2010) 1825-1835]. In addition, a digraph is also constructed such that its skew energy is the same as the energy of its underlying graph.     

Weakly Birkhoff recurrent switching signals, almost sure and partial stability of linear switched dynamical systems

Let {A₁,…,AK}⊂Cd×d be arbitrary K matrices, where K and d both ?2. For any 0<Δ<∞, we denote by the set of all switching sequences u=(λ.,t.):N→{1,…,K}×R₊ satisfying tj−tj−1?Δ and

     

Degree conditions for restricted-edge-connectivity and isoperimetric-edge-connectivity to be optimal

For a connected graph G=(V,E), an edge set S⊂E is a k-restricted-edge-cut, if G-S is disconnected and every component of G-S has at least k vertices. The k-restricted-edge-connectivity of G, denoted by λ_k(G), is defined as the cardinality of a minimum k-restricted-edge-cut. The k-isoperimetric-edge-connectivity is defined as , where is the set of edges with one end in U and the other end in . In this note, we give some degree conditions for a graph to have optimal λ_k and/or γ_k.     

Trace formulas and Borg-type theorems for matrix-valued Jacobi and Dirac finite difference operators

Borg-type uniqueness theorems for matrix-valued Jacobi operators H and supersymmetric Dirac difference operators D are proved. More precisely, assuming reflectionless matrix coefficients A,B in the self-adjoint Jacobi operator H=AS⁺+A^-S^-+B (with S^± the right/left shift operators on the lattice Z) and the spectrum of H to be a compact interval [E_-,E₊], E_-<E₊, we prove that A and B are certain multiples of the identity matrix. An analogous result which, however, displays a certain novel nonuniqueness feature, is proved for supersymmetric self-adjoint Dirac difference operators D with spectrum given by , 0?E_-<E₊.Our approach is based on trace formulas and matrix-valued (exponential) Herglotz representation theorems. As a by-product of our techniques we obtain the extension of Flaschka's Borg-type result for periodic scalar Jacobi operators to the class of reflectionless matrix-valued Jacobi operators.     

Proof of conjecture involving the second largest signless Laplacian eigenvalue and the index of graphs

Let G = (V, E) be a simple graph. Denote by D(G) the diagonal matrix of its vertex degrees and by A(G) its adjacency matrix. Then the signless Laplacian matrix of G is Q(G) = D(G) + A(G). In [5], Cvetkovi? et al. have given the following conjecture involving the second largest signless Laplacian eigenvalue (q₂) and the index (λ₁) of graph G (see also Aouchiche and Hansen [1]):

     

Erd?s-Ko-Rado for three sets

Fix integers k?3 and n?3k/2. Let F be a family of k-sets of an n-element set so that whenever A,B,C∈F satisfy |A∪B∪C|?2k, we have A∩B∩C≠∅. We prove that with equality only when ?_F∈FF≠∅. This settles a conjecture of Frankl and Füredi [2], who proved the result for n?k²+3k.     

Note on the energy of regular graphs

For a simple graph G, the energy E(G) is defined as the sum of the absolute values of all the eigenvalues of its adjacency matrix A(G). Let n,m, respectively, be the number of vertices and edges of G. One well-known inequality is that , where λ₁ is the spectral radius. If G is k-regular, we have . Denote . Balakrishnan [R. Balakrishnan, The energy of a graph, Linear Algebra Appl. 387 (2004) 287-295] proved that for each ?>0, there exist infinitely many n for each of which there exists a k-regular graph G of order n with k<n-1 and , and proposed an open problem that, given a positive integer n?3, and ?>0, does there exist a k-regular graph G of order n such that . In this paper, we show that for each ?>0, there exist infinitely many such n that . Moreover, we construct another class of simpler graphs which also supports the first assertion that .     

Further results on iterative methods for computing generalized inverses

In this paper, we reconsider the iterative method X_k=X_k−1+βY(I−AX_k−1), k=1,2,…,β∈C?{0} for computing the generalized inverse over Banach spaces or the generalized Drazin inverse a^d of a Banach algebra element a, reveal the intrinsic relationship between the convergence of such iterations and the existence of or a^d, and present the error bounds of the iterative methods for approximating or a^d. Moreover, we deduce some necessary and sufficient conditions for iterative convergence to or a^d.     

The subconstituent algebra of a bipartite distance-regular graph; thin modules with endpoint two

We consider a bipartite distance-regular graph Γ with diameter D?4, valency k?3, intersection numbers b_i,c_i, distance matrices A_i, and eigenvalues θ₀>θ₁>?>θ_D. Let X denote the vertex set of Γ and fix x∈X. Let T=T(x) denote the subalgebra of Mat_X(C) generated by , where A=A₁ and denotes the projection onto the ith subconstituent of Γ with respect to x. T is called the subconstituent algebra (or Terwilliger algebra) of Γ with respect to x. An irreducible T-module W is said to be thin whenever for 0?i?D. By the endpoint of W we mean . Assume W is thin with endpoint 2. Observe is a one-dimensional eigenspace for ; let η denote the corresponding eigenvalue. It is known where , and d=⌊D/2⌋. To describe the structure of W we distinguish four cases: (i) ; (ii) D is odd and ; (iii) D is even and ; (iv) . We investigated cases (i), (ii) in MacLean and Terwilliger [Taut distance-regular graphs and the subconstituent algebra, Discrete Math. 306 (2006) 1694-1721]. Here we investigate cases (iii), (iv) and obtain the following results. We show the dimension of W is D-1-e where e=1 in case (iii) and e=0 in case (iv). Let v denote a nonzero vector in . We show W has a basis , where E_i denotes the primitive idempotent of A associated with θ_i and where the set S is {1,2,…,d-1}∪{d+1,d+2,…,D-1} in case (iii) and {1,2,…,D-1} in case (iv). We show this basis is orthogonal (with respect to the Hermitian dot product) and we compute the square-norm of each basis vector. We show W has a basis , and we find the matrix representing A with respect to this basis. We show this basis is orthogonal and we compute the square-norm of each basis vector. We find the transition matrix relating our two bases for W.     

Drazin inverse of partitioned matrices in terms of Banachiewicz-Schur forms

Let be a partitioned matrix, where A and D are square matrices. Denote the Drazin inverse of A by A^D. The purpose of this paper is twofold. Firstly, we develop conditions under which the Drazin inverse of M having generalized Schur complement, S=D-CA^DB, group invertible, can be expressed in terms of a matrix in the Banachiewicz-Schur form and its powers. Secondly, we deal with partitioned matrices satisfying rank(M)=rank(A^D)+rank(S^D), and give conditions under which the group inverse of M exists and a formula for its computation.     

The convexity spectra of graphs

Let D be a connected oriented graph. A set S⊆V(D) is convex in D if, for every pair of vertices x,y∈S, the vertex set of every x-y geodesic (x-y shortest dipath) and y-x geodesic in D is contained in S. The convexity numbercon(D) of a nontrivial oriented graph D is the maximum cardinality of a proper convex set of D. Let G be a graph. We define that S_C(G)={con(D):D is an orientation of G} and S_SC(G)={con(D):D is a strongly connected orientation of G}. In the paper, we show that, for any n?4, 1?a?n-2, and a≠2, there exists a 2-connected graph G with n vertices such that S_C(G)=S_SC(G)={a,n-1} and there is no connected graph G of order n?3 with S_SC(G)={n-1}. Then, we determine that S_C(K₃)={1,2}, S_C(K₄)={1,3}, S_SC(K₃)=S_SC(K₄)={1}, S_C(K₅)={1,3,4}, S_C(K₆)={1,3,4,5}, S_SC(K₅)=S_SC(K₆)={1,3}, S_C(K_n)={1,3,5,6,…,n-1}, S_SC(K_n)={1,3,5,6,…,n-2} for n?7. Finally, we prove that, for any integers n, m, and k with , 1?k?n-1, and k≠2,4, there exists a strongly connected oriented graph D with n vertices, m edges, and convexity number k.     

Generalized competition index of a primitive digraph

For positive integers k and m, and a digraph D, the k-step m-competition graph of D has the same set of vertices as D and an edge between vertices x and y if and only if there are distinct m vertices v₁,v₂,…,v_m in D such that there are directed walks of length k from x to v_i and from y to v_i for 1?i?m. In this paper, we present the definition of m-competition index for a primitive digraph. The m-competition index of a primitive digraph D is the smallest positive integer k such that is a complete graph. We study m-competition indices of primitive digraphs and provide an upper bound for the m-competition index of a primitive digraph.     

On the independence of Heegner points in the function field case

Let ∞ be a fixed place of a global function field k. Let E be an elliptic curve defined over k which has split multiplicative reduction at ∞ and fix a modular parametrization ΦE:X₀(N)→E. Let be Heegner points associated to the rings of integers of distinct quadratic “imaginary” fields K₁,…,Kr over (k,∞). We prove that if the “prime-to-2p” part of the ideal class numbers of ring of integers of K₁,…,Kr are larger than a constant C=C(E,ΦE) depending only on E and ΦE, then the points P₁,…,Pr are independent in . Moreover, when k is rational, we show that there are infinitely many imaginary quadratic fields for which the prime-to-2p part of the class numbers are larger than C.     

Distance irredundance and connected domination numbers of a graph

Let k be a positive integer and G be a connected graph. This paper considers the relations among four graph theoretical parameters: the k-domination number γ_k(G), the connected k-domination number ; the k-independent domination number and the k-irredundance number ir_k(G). The authors prove that if an ir_k-set X is a k-independent set of G, then , and that for k?2, if ir_k(G)=1, if ir_k(G) is odd, and if ir_k(G) is even, which generalize some known results.     

On conjugate adjacency matrices of a graph

Let G be a simple graph of order n. Let and , where a and b are two nonzero integers and m is a positive integer such that m is not a perfect square. We say that A^c=[c_ij] is the conjugate adjacency matrix of the graph G if c_ij=c for any two adjacent vertices i and j, for any two nonadjacent vertices i and j, and c_ij=0 if i=j. Let P_G(λ)=|λI-A| and denote the characteristic polynomial and the conjugate characteristic polynomial of G, respectively. In this work we show that if then , where denotes the complement of G. In particular, we prove that if and only if P_G(λ)=P_H(λ) and . Further, let P^c(G) be the collection of conjugate characteristic polynomials of vertex-deleted subgraphs G_i=G?i(i=1,2,…,n). If P^c(G)=P^c(H) we prove that , provided that the order of G is greater than 2.     

Distance paired domination numbers of graphs

In this paper, we study a generalization of the paired domination number. Let G=(V,E) be a graph without an isolated vertex. A set D⊆V(G) is a k-distance paired dominating set of G if D is a k-distance dominating set of G and the induced subgraph 〈D〉 has a perfect matching. The k-distance paired domination number is the cardinality of a smallest k-distance paired dominating set of G. We investigate properties of the k-distance paired domination number of a graph. We also give an upper bound and a lower bound on the k-distance paired domination number of a non-trivial tree T in terms of the size of T and the number of leaves in T and we also characterize the extremal trees.     

Schur-class multipliers on the Arveson space: De Branges-Rovnyak reproducing kernel spaces and commutative transfer-function realizations

An interesting and recently much studied generalization of the classical Schur class is the class of contractive operator-valued multipliers S(λ) for the reproducing kernel Hilbert space H(kd) on the unit ball Bd⊂Cd, where kd is the positive kernel kd(λ,ζ)=1/(1−〈λ,ζ〉) on Bd. The reproducing kernel space H(KS) associated with the positive kernel KS(λ,ζ)=(I−S(λ)S^∗(ζ))⋅kd(λ,ζ) is a natural multivariable generalization of the classical de Branges-Rovnyak canonical model space. A special feature appearing in the multivariable case is that the space H(KS) in general may not be invariant under the adjoints of the multiplication operators on H(kd). We show that invariance of H(KS) under for each j=1,…,d is equivalent to the existence of a realization for S(λ) of the form S(λ)=D+C⁻¹(I−λ₁A₁−?−λdAd)(λ₁B₁+?+λdBd) such that connecting operator has adjoint U^∗ which is isometric on a certain natural subspace (U is “weakly coisometric”) and has the additional property that the state operators A₁,…,Ad pairwise commute; in this case one can take the state space to be the functional-model space H(KS) and the state operators A₁,…,Ad to be given by (a de Branges-Rovnyak functional-model realization). We show that this special situation always occurs for the case of inner functions S (where the associated multiplication operator MS is a partial isometry), and that inner multipliers are characterized by the existence of such a realization such that the state operators A₁,…,Ad satisfy an additional stability property.     

An intersection theorem for four sets

Fix integers n,r?4 and let F denote a family of r-sets of an n-element set. Suppose that for every four distinct A,B,C,D∈F with |A∪B∪C∪D|?2r, we have A∩B∩C∩D≠∅. We prove that for n sufficiently large, , with equality only if _?F∈FF≠∅. This is closely related to a problem of Katona and a result of Frankl and Füredi [P. Frankl, Z. Füredi, A new generalization of the Erd?s-Ko-Rado theorem, Combinatorica 3 (3-4) (1983) 341-349], who proved a similar statement for three sets. It has been conjectured by the author [D. Mubayi, Erd?s-Ko-Rado for three sets, J. Combin. Theory Ser. A, 113 (3) (2006) 547-550] that the same result holds for d sets (instead of just four), where d?r, and for all n?dr/(d−1). This exact result is obtained by first proving a stability result, namely that if |F| is close to then F is close to satisfying _?F∈FF≠∅. The stability theorem is analogous to, and motivated by the fundamental result of Erd?s and Simonovits for graphs.     

Local-edge-connectivity in digraphs and oriented graphs

A digraph without any cycle of length two is called an oriented graph. The local-edge-connectivityλ(u,v) of two vertices u and v in a digraph or graph D is the maximum number of edge-disjoint u-v paths in D, and the edge-connectivity of D is defined as . Clearly, λ(u,v)?min{d⁺(u),d^-(v)} for all pairs u and v of vertices in D. Let δ(D) be the minimum degree of D. We call a graph or digraph D maximally edge-connected when λ(D)=δ(D) and maximally local-edge-connected when

λ(u,v)=min{d⁺(u),d^-(v)}