On bipartite graphs with minimal energy

The energy of a graph is the sum of the absolute values of the eigenvalues of the graph. In a paper [G. Caporossi, D. Cvetkovi, I. Gutman, P. Hansen, Variable neighborhood search for extremal graphs. 2. Finding graphs with external energy, J. Chem. Inf. Comput. Sci. 39 (1999) 984-996] Caporossi et al. conjectured that among all connected graphs G with n≥6 vertices and n−1≤m≤2(n−2) edges, the graphs with minimum energy are the star S_n with m−n+1 additional edges all connected to the same vertices for m≤n+⌊(n−7)/2⌋, and the bipartite graph with two vertices on one side, one of which is connected to all vertices on the other side, otherwise. The conjecture is proved to be true for m=n−1,2(n−2) in the same paper by Caporossi et al. themselves, and for m=n by Hou in [Y. Hou, Unicyclic graphs with minimal energy, J. Math. Chem. 29 (2001) 163-168]. In this paper, we give a complete solution for the second part of the conjecture on bipartite graphs. Moreover, we determine the graph with the second-minimal energy in all connected bipartite graphs with n vertices and edges.     

Matchings and independent sets of a fixed size in regular graphs

We use an entropy based method to study two graph maximization problems. We upper bound the number of matchings of fixed size ℓ in a d-regular graph on N vertices. For bounded away from 0 and 1, the logarithm of the bound we obtain agrees in its leading term with the logarithm of the number of matchings of size ℓ in the graph consisting of disjoint copies of K_d,d. This provides asymptotic evidence for a conjecture of S. Friedland et al. We also obtain an analogous result for independent sets of a fixed size in regular graphs, giving asymptotic evidence for a conjecture of J. Kahn. Our bounds on the number of matchings and independent sets of a fixed size are derived from bounds on the partition function (or generating polynomial) for matchings and independent sets.     

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.     

A note on flow polynomials of graphs

Using the decomposition theory of modular and integral flow polynomials, we answer a problem of Beck and Zaslavsky, by providing a general situation in which the integral flow polynomial is a multiple of the modular flow polynomial.     

Increasing the polynomial reproduction of a quasi-interpolation operator

Quasi-interpolation is an important tool, used both in theory and in practice, for the approximation of smooth functions from univariate or multivariate spaces which contain , the d-variate polynomials of degree ≤m. In particular, the reproduction of Π_m leads to an approximation order of m+1. Prominent examples include Lagrange and Bernstein type approximations by polynomials, the orthogonal projection onto Π_m for some inner product, finite element methods of precision m, and multivariate spline approximations based on macroelements or the translates of a single spline.For such a quasi-interpolation operator L which reproduces and any r≥0, we give an explicit construction of a quasi-interpolant which reproduces Π_m+r, together with an integral error formula which involves only the (m+r+1)th derivative of the function approximated. The operator is defined on functions with r additional orders of smoothness than those on which L is defined. This very general construction holds in all dimensions d. A number of representative examples are considered.     

Two normality criteria and the converse of the Bloch principle

We prove two normality criteria for a family of meromorphic functions satisfying a certain differential condition and provide a counterexample to the converse of the Bloch principle.     

Transient Nearest Neighbor Random Walk on the Line

We prove strong theorems for the local time at infinity of a nearest neighbor transient random walk. First, laws of the iterated logarithm are given for the large values of the local time. Then we investigate the length of intervals over which the walk runs through (always from left to right) without ever returning.     

Skew codes of prescribed distance or rank

In this paper we generalize the notion of cyclic code and construct codes as ideals in finite quotients of non-commutative polynomial rings, so called skew polynomial rings of automorphism type. We propose a method to construct block codes of prescribed rank and a method to construct block codes of prescribed distance. Since there is no unique factorization in skew polynomial rings, there are much more ideals and therefore much more codes than in the commutative case. In particular we obtain a [40, 23, 10]₄ code by imposing a distance and a [42,14,21]₈ code by imposing a rank, which both improve by one the minimum distance of the previously best known linear codes of equal length and dimension over those fields. There is a strong connection with linear difference operators and with linearized polynomials (or q-polynomials) reviewed in the first section.      

Moments and Distribution of the Local Times of a Transient Random Walk on ℤ d

Consider an arbitrary transient random walk on ℤ ^d with d∈ℕ. Pick α∈[0,∞), and let L _n (α) be the spatial sum of the αth power of the n-step local times of the walk. Hence, L _n (0) is the range, L _n (1)=n+1, and for integers α, L _n (α) is the number of the α-fold self-intersections of the walk. We prove a strong law of large numbers for L _n (α) as n→∞. Furthermore, we identify the asymptotic law of the local time in a random site uniformly distributed over the range. These results complement and contrast analogous results for recurrent walks in two dimensions recently derived by Černy (Stoch. Proc. Appl. 117:262–270, 2007). Although these assertions are certainly known to experts, we could find no proof in the literature in this generality.      

Notes on local o‐minimality

We introduce and study some local versions of o‐minimality, requiring that every definable set decomposes as the union of finitely many isolated points and intervals in a suitable neighbourhood of every point. Motivating examples are the expansions of the ordered reals by sine, cosine and other periodic functions (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)