Hereditary Efficiently Dominatable Graphs

An efficient dominating set (or perfect code) in a graph is a set of vertices the closed neighborhoods of which partition the graph's vertex set. We introduce graphs that are hereditary efficiently dominatable in that sense that every induced subgraph of the graph contains an efficient dominating set. We prove a decomposition theorem for (bull, fork, C₄)‐free graphs, based on which we characterize, in terms of forbidden induced subgraphs, the class of hereditary efficiently dominatable graphs. We also give a decomposition theorem for hereditary efficiently dominatable graphs and examine some algorithmic aspects of such graphs. In particular, we give a polynomial time algorithm for finding an efficient dominating set (if one exists) in a class of graphs properly containing the class of hereditary efficiently dominatable graphs by reducing the problem to the maximum weight independent set problem in claw‐free graphs.     

Solving Partition Problems with Colour-Bipartitions

Polar, monopolar, and unipolar graphs are defined in terms of the existence of certain vertex partitions. Although it is polynomial to determine whether a graph is unipolar and to find whenever possible a unipolar partition, the problems of recognizing polar and monopolar graphs are both NP-complete in general. These problems have recently been studied for chordal, claw-free, and permutation graphs. Polynomial time algorithms have been found for solving the problems for these classes of graphs, with one exception: polarity recognition remains NP-complete in claw-free graphs. In this paper, we connect these problems to edge-coloured homomorphism problems. We show that finding unipolar partitions in general and finding monopolar partitions for certain classes of graphs can be efficiently reduced to a polynomial-time solvable 2-edge-coloured homomorphism problem, which we call the colour-bipartition problem. This approach unifies the currently known results on monopolarity and extends them to new classes of graphs.     

Consensus of partitions : a constructive approach

Given a profile (family) ?? of partitions of a set of objects or items X, we try to establish a consensus partition containing a maximum number of joined or separated pairs in X that are also joined or separated in the profile. To do so, we define a score function, S _?? associated to any partition on X. Consensus partitions for ?? are those maximizing this function. Therefore, these consensus partitions have the median property for the profile and the symmetric difference distance. This optimization problem can be solved, in certain cases, by integer linear programming. We define a polynomial heuristic which can be applied to partitions on a large set of items. In cases where an optimal solution can be computed, we show that the partitions built by this algorithm are very close to the optimum which is reached in practically all the cases, except for some sets of bipartitions.     

Convex decompositions of fuzzy partitions

In this paper we investigate some algebraic and geometric properties of fuzzy partition spaces (convex hulls of hard or conventional partition spaces). In particular, we obtain their dimensions, and describe a number of algorithms for effecting convex decompositions. Two of these are easily programmable, and each affords a different insight about data structures suggested by the fuzzy partition decomposed. We also show how the sequence of partitions in any convex decomposition leads to a matrix for which the norm of the corresponding coefficient vector equals a scalar measure of partition fuzziness used with certain fuzzy clustering algorithms.     

Some set partition statistics in non-crossing partitions and generating functions

In this paper we shall give the generating functions for the enumeration of non-crossing partitions according to some set partition statistics explicitly, which are based on whether a block is singleton or not and is inner or outer. Using weighted Motzkin paths, we find the continued fraction form of the generating functions. There are bijections between non-crossing partitions, Dyck paths and non-nesting partitions, hence we can find applications in the enumeration of Dyck paths and non-nesting partitions. We shall also study the integral representation of the enumerating polynomials for our statistics. As an application of integral representation, we shall give some remarks on the enumeration of inner singletons in non-crossing partitions, which is equivalent to one of udu's at high level in Dyck paths investigated in [Y. Sun, The statistic “number of udu's” in Dyck paths, Discrete Math. 284 (2004) 177-186].     

Comparing partitions of two sets of units based on the same variables

We propose a procedure based on a latent variable model for the comparison of two partitions of different units described by the same set of variables. The null hypothesis here is that the two partitions come from the same underlying mixture model. We define a method of “projecting” partitions using a supervised classification method: once one partition is taken as a reference; the individuals of the second data set are allocated to the clusters of the reference partition; it gives two partitions of the same units of the second data set: the original and the projected one and we evaluate their difference by usual measures of association. The empirical distributions of the association measures are derived by simulation.     

Digraph matrix partitions and trigraph homomorphisms

Matrix partitions generalize graph colourings and homomorphisms. Their study has so far been confined to symmetric matrices and undirected graphs. In this paper we make an initial study of list matrix partitions for digraphs; in other words our matrices are not necessarily symmetric. We motivate future conjectures by classifying the complexity of all list matrix partition problems for matrices of size up to three. We find it convenient to model the problem in the language of trigraph homomorphisms.     

On the number of equivalence classes arising from partition involutions II

In this paper, we consider the pseudo-conjugation and its variations on the sets of partitions with restricted cranks and involutions on Frobenius symbols. We give several partition identities revealing relations between the number of equivalence classes in the set of partitions arising from an involution and the number of partitions satisfying a certain parity condition.     

The external constraint 4 nonempty part sandwich problem

List partitions generalize list colourings. Sandwich problems generalize recognition problems. The polynomial dichotomy (NP-complete versus polynomial) of list partition problems is solved for 4-dimensional partitions with the exception of one problem (the list stubborn problem) for which the complexity is known to be quasipolynomial. Every partition problem for 4 nonempty parts and only external constraints is known to be polynomial with the exception of one problem (the 2K₂-partition problem) for which the complexity of the corresponding list problem is known to be NP-complete. The present paper considers external constraint 4 nonempty part sandwich problems. We extend the tools developed for polynomial solutions of recognition problems obtaining polynomial solutions for most corresponding sandwich versions. We extend the tools developed for NP-complete reductions of sandwich partition problems obtaining the classification into NP-complete for some external constraint 4 nonempty part sandwich problems. On the other hand and additionally, we propose a general strategy for defining polynomial reductions from the 2K₂-partition problem to several external constraint 4 nonempty part sandwich problems, defining a class of 2K₂-hard problems. Finally, we discuss the complexity of the Skew Partition Sandwich Problem.     

The lattice of integer partitions and its infinite extension

In this paper, we use a simple discrete dynamical model to study integer partitions and their lattice. The set of reachable configurations of the model, with the order induced by the transition rule defined on it, is the lattice of all partitions of a positive integer, equipped with a dominance ordering. We first explain how this lattice can be constructed by an algorithm in linear time with respect to its size by showing that it has a self-similar structure. Then, we define a natural extension of the model to infinity, which we compare with the Young lattice. Using a self-similar tree, we obtain an encoding of the obtained lattice which makes it possible to enumerate easily and efficiently all the partitions of a given integer. This approach also gives a recursive formula for the number of partitions of an integer, and some informations on special sets of partitions, such as length bounded partitions.     

Non-adaptability measures in the pseudo-questionnaires context

Measuring the degree of non-adaptability of a partition to a criterion, represented by a reference partition, is an essential step in pseudo-questionnaires theory. In this work we characterize axiomatically the measure of non-adaptability in a general context. We base it on pre-orders on the set of all the possible experiences (complete or incomplete partitions). The construction of this measure is crucial for practical applications. It can be done in a natural way starting from the atoms of the partitions and constructing the non-adaptability measure by a process of successive aggregations made by suitable aggregation operators.     

Closures on partial partitions from closures on sets

Jordens and Sturm investigated the link between closure systems on sets and closure systems on partitions. We extend that study to the wider framework of partial partitions, and highlight better the relation between these two families of closure systems. Then we consider the construction of a closure operator on partial partitions by the iterated application a set operator to the blocks of a partial partition; the resulting closure system fits into our framework.     

Self-conjugate partitions with the same disparity

We give a bijection between the set of ordinary partitions and that of self-conjugate partitions with some restrictions. Also, we show the relationship between hook lengths of a self-conjugate partition and its corresponding partition via the bijection. As a corollary, we give new combinatorial interpretations for the Catalan number and the Motzkin number in terms of self-conjugate simultaneous core partitions.     

Learning concurrently partition granularities and rule bases of Mamdani fuzzy systems in a multi-objective evolutionary framework

In this paper we propose a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm to generate Mamdani fuzzy rule-based systems with different good trade-offs between complexity and accuracy. The main novelty of the algorithm is that both rule base and granularity of the uniform partitions defined on the input and output variables are learned concurrently. To this aim, we introduce the concepts of virtual and concrete rule bases: the former is defined on linguistic variables, all partitioned with a fixed maximum number of fuzzy sets, while the latter takes into account, for each variable, a number of fuzzy sets as determined by the specific partition granularity of that variable. We exploit a chromosome composed of two parts, which codify the variables partition granularities, and the virtual rule base, respectively. Genetic operators manage virtual rule bases, whereas fitness evaluation relies on an appropriate mapping strategy between virtual and concrete rule bases. The algorithm has been tested on two real-world regression problems showing very promising results.     

Star partitions on graphs

Given an undirected graph, a star partition is a partition of the nodes into subsets with at least two nodes so that the subgraph induced by each subset has a spanning star. Star partitions are related to well-known problems concerning domination in graphs and edge covering. We focus on the Constrained Star Partition Problem (CSP) that asks for finding a star partition of given cardinality. The problem is new and presents interesting peculiarities. We explore the relation between the cardinalities of star partitions and domatic bipartitions, showing that there are star partitions of any cardinality between minimum and maximum values, and that a similar but weaker result holds for domatic bipartitions. We study the computational complexity of different versions of star partition and domatic bipartition problems, proving that most of them, in particular CSP, constrained domatic bipartition and balanced domatic bipartition, are NP-complete. We also show that star partition problems are polynomial on trees and, more generally, on bounded treewidth graphs. We introduce an integer linear programming formulation that defines a polytope containing all the star partitions of a graph, showing that its vertices have only integral components for trees, which implies that linear programming can be used to solve weighted star partition problems on trees.     

An Exact Algorithm for Blockmodeling of Two-Mode Network Data

We consider problems where relationships between two sets (or modes) of objects are available in the form of a binary matrix with elements of 1 (0) indicating a bond (lack of a bond) between corresponding row and column objects. The goal is to establish a partition of the row objects and, simultaneously, a partition of the column objects to form blocks that consist of either exclusively 1s or exclusively 0s to the greatest extent possible. This two-mode blockmodeling problem arises in several scientific domains. In the social sciences, two-mode blockmodeling is particularly relevant for social network analysis, where the goal is to simultaneously partition a set of individuals and another set of objects (e.g., events they attended, organizations they are affiliated with, etc.). The inherent computational challenge of simultaneously constructing partitions for two distinct sets of objects has fostered a reliance on heuristics for two-mode blockmodeling. We offer an exact algorithm and demonstrate its efficacy in a simulation study. Two applications to real-world networks are also provided.     

On flushed partitions and concave compositions

In this work, we give combinatorial proofs for generating functions of two problems, i.e., flushed partitions and concave compositions of even length. We also give combinatorial interpretation of one problem posed by Sylvester involving flushed partitions and then prove it. For these purposes, we first describe an involution and use it to prove core identities. Using this involution with modifications, we prove several problems of different nature, including Andrews’ partition identities involving initial repetitions and partition theoretical interpretations of three mock theta functions of third order f(q), ?(q) and ψ(q). An identity of Ramanujan is proved combinatorially. Several new identities are also established.     

Euler-Mahonian statistics on ordered set partitions (II)

[E. Steingrímsson, Statistics on ordered partitions of sets, arXiv: math.CO/0605670] introduced several hard statistics on ordered set partitions and conjectured that their generating functions are related to the q-Stirling numbers of the second kind. In a previous paper, half of these conjectures have been proved by Ishikawa, Kasraoui and Zeng using the transfer-matrix method. In this paper, we shall give bijective proofs of all the conjectures of Steingrímsson. Our basic idea is to encode ordered set partitions by a kind of path diagrams and explore the rich combinatorial properties of the latter structure. As a bonus of our approach, we derive two new σ-partition interpretations of the p,q-Stirling numbers of the second kind introduced by Wachs and White. We also discuss the connections with MacMahon's theorem on the equidistribution of the inversion number and major index on words and give a partition version of his result.     

Generalized spanning trees

In this paper, we propose a definition for the Generalized Minimal Spanning Tree (GMST) of a graph. The GMST requires spanning at least one node out of every set of disjoint nodes (node partition) in a graph. The analysis of the GMST problem is motivated by real life agricultural settings related to construction of irrigation networks in desert environments. We prove that the GMST problem is NP-hard, and examine a number of heuristic solutions for this problem. Computational experiments comparing these heuristics are presented.