Lattices with Defining Relations Close to Distributivity

We consider the 3-generated lattices whose generators enjoy the defining relations of the type a∨(b∧c) = (a∨b)∧(a∨c). Moreover, if the lattice is finite then we obtain its diagram; otherwise, we prove that the corresponding lattice is infinite.     

Non-Monotonic Behavior of One-Signed Solutions of Quasilinear Differential Equations

We consider a class of the second-order quasilinear differential equations. By deriving relations between certain types of monotonic solutions of the quasilinear equation and corresponding reciprocal half-linear equation on a finite interval (a, b), we obtain criteria for all solutions of the main equation, which do not change sign in (a, b), to be non-monotonic in (a, b). This work is also extended to a perturbed half-linear equation as well as to the half-line \((a,\infty )\).     

Optimal combinations bounds of root-square and arithmetic means for Toader mean

We find the greatest value α ₁ and α ₂, and the least values β ₁ and β ₂, such that the double inequalities α ₁ S(a,b)?+?(1???α ₁) A(a,b)?T(a,b)?β ₁ S(a,b)?+?(1???β ₁) A(a,b) and \(S^{\alpha_{2}}(a,b)A^{1-\alpha_{2}}(a,b)< T(a,b)< S^{\beta_{2}}(a,b)A^{1-\beta_{2}}(a,b)\) hold for all a,b?>?0 with a?≠?b. As applications, we get two new bounds for the complete elliptic integral of the second kind in terms of elementary functions. Here, S(a,b)?=?[(a ²?+?b ²)/2]^1/2, A(a,b)?=?(a?+?b)/2, and \(T(a,b)=\frac{2}{\pi}\int\limits_{0}^{{\pi}/{2}}\sqrt{a^2{\cos^2{\theta}}+b^2{\sin^2{\theta}}}{\rm d}\theta\) denote the root-square, arithmetic, and Toader means of two positive numbers a and b, respectively.     

Koszul property of a class of graded algebras with nonpure resolutions

Given any integers a, b, c, and d with a > 1, c ≥ 0, b ≥ a + c, and d ≥ b + c, the notion of (a, b, c, d)-Koszul algebra is introduced, which is another class of standard graded algebras with “nonpure” resolutions, and includes many Artin-Schelter regular algebras of low global dimension as specific examples. Some basic properties of (a, b, c, d)-Koszul algebras/modules are given, and several criteria for a standard graded algebra to be (a, b, c, d)-Koszul are provided.     

Free Choosability of Outerplanar Graphs

A graph G is free (a, b)-choosable if for any vertex v with b colors assigned and for any list of colors of size a associated with each vertex \(u\ne v\), the coloring can be completed by choosing for u a subset of b colors such that adjacent vertices are colored with disjoint color sets. In this note, a necessary and sufficient condition for a cycle to be free (a, b)-choosable is given. As a corollary, we obtain almost optimal results about the free (a, b)-choosability of outerplanar graphs.     

Optimum super-simple mixed covering arrays of type <Emphasis Type="Italic">a</Emphasis><Superscript>1</Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis><Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis>−1</Superscript>

A mixed covering array (MCA) of type (_v 1, v ₂,..., v _k ), denoted by MCA_λ (N; t, k, (v ₁, v ₂,..., v _k )), is an N × k array with entries in the i-th column from a set _{V i} of v _i symbols and has the property that each N × t sub-array covers all the t-tuples at least λ times, where 1 ≤ i ≤ k. An MCA _λ (N; t, k, (_v 1, v ₂,..., v _k )) is said to be super-simple, if each of its N × (t + 1) sub-arrays contains each (t + 1)-tuple at most once. Recently, it was proved by Tang, Yin and the author that an optimum super-simple MCA of type (a, b, b,..., b) is equivalent to a mixed detecting array (DTA) of type (a, b, b,..., b) with optimum size. Such DTAs can be used to generate test suites to identify and determine the interaction faults between the factors in a component-based system. In this paper, some combinatorial constructions of optimum super-simple MCAs of type (a, b, b,..., b) are provided. By employing these constructions, some optimum super-simple MCAs are then obtained. In particular, the spectrum across which optimum super-simple MCA₂(2b ²; 2, 4, (a, b, b, b))′s exist, is completely determined, where 2 ≤ a ≤ b.     

Small prime solutions to cubic equations

Let a_1,..., a_9 be nonzero integers not of the same sign, and let b be an integer. Suppose that a_1,..., a_9 are pairwise coprime and a_1 + + a_9 ≡ b(mod 2). We apply the p-adic method of Davenport to find an explicit P = P(a_1,..., a_9, n) such that the cubic equation a_1p_1~3+ + a9p_9~3= b is solvable with p_j 《 P for all 1 ≤ j ≤ 9. It is proved that one can take P = max{|a_1|,..., |a_9|}~c+ |b|~(1/3) with c = 2. This improves upon the earlier result with c = 14 due to Liu(2013).     

Chowla’s cosine problem

A continuous linear map T from a Banach algebra A into another B approximately preserves the zero products if ‖T(a)T(b)‖ ≤ α‖a‖‖b‖ (a,b ∈ A, ab = 0) for some small positive α. This paper is mainly concerned with the question of whether any continuous linear surjective map T: A → B that approximately preserves the zero products is close to a continuous homomorphism from A onto B with respect to the operator norm. We show that this is indeed the case for amenable group algebras.     

Lie Triple Derivations on von Neumann Algebras

Let A be a von Neumann algebra with no central abelian projections. It is proved that if an additive map δ :A → A satisfies δ([[a, b], c]) = [[δ(a), b], c] + [[a, δ(b)], c] +[[a, b], δ(c)] for any a, b, c∈ A with ab = 0(resp. ab = P, where P is a fixed nontrivial projection in A), then there exist an additive derivation d from A into itself and an additive map f :A → ZA vanishing at every second commutator [[a, b], c] with ab = 0(resp.ab = P) such that δ(a) = d(a) + f(a) for any a∈ A.     

Decomposing Hitting Times of Walks on Graphs into Simpler Ones

Using the electric approach, we derive a formula that expresses an expected hitting time of a random walk between two vertices a and b of a graph G as a convex linear combination of expected hitting times of walks between a and b on subgraphs of G, provided certain condition on a and b is satisfied. Then we use this formula in several applications.     

Solution of the Cameron-Erdös problem for groups of prime order

A subset A of a group G is sum-free if a + b does not belong to A for any a, b ∈ A. Asymptotics of the number of sum-free sets in groups of prime order are proved.     

On a transformation of integral equations

Let E = E(a, b) be some Banach space of measurable functions on (a, b), I be the identity operator, and let \(\hat K\) be a Fredholm-type regular integral operator acting on E and \({\hat K_ \pm }\) be its triangular parts. We consider the representation \(I - \hat K = \left( {I - {{\hat K}_ - }} \right)\left( {I - \hat U} \right)\left( {I - {{\hat K}_ + }} \right)\), for some known classes of integral operators. In particular,we show that under certain conditions the operator \(\hat U\) is positive and its spectral radius satisfies the condition \(r\left( {\hat U} \right) < 1\). Also, we give some possible applications of the representation.     

Approximation of almost Sahoo–Riedel’s points by Sahoo–Riedel’s points

In this paper, we present an extention of Hyers–Ulam stability of Sahoo–Riedel’s points for real-valued differentiable functions on [a, b] and then we obtain stability results of Flett’s points for functions in the class of continuously differentiable functions on [a, b] with f′(a) = f′(b).     

A remark on the ring of algebraic integers in $$\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt { - d} )$$

It is well-known that the rings O_d of algebraic integers in \(\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt { - d} )\) for d = 19, 43, 67, and 163 are principal ideal domains but not Euclidean. In this article we shall provide a method, based on a result of P. M. Cohn, to construct explicitly pairs (b, a) of integers in O_d for d = 19, 43, 67, and 163 such that, in O_d, there exists no terminating division chain of finite length starting from the pairs (b, a). That is, a greatest common divisor of the pairs (b, a) exists in O_d but it can not be obtained by applying a terminating division chain of finite length starting from (b, a). Furthermore, for squarefree positive integer d ? {1, 2, 3, 7, 11, 19, 43, 67, 163}, we shall also construct pairs (b, a) of integers in O_d which generate O_d but have no terminating division chain of finite length. It is of interest to note that our construction provides a short alternative proof of a theorem of Cohn which is related to the concept of GE₂-rings.     

A sufficient condition for nilpotency of the commutator subgroup

Let G be a finite group with the property that if a and b are commutators of coprime orders, then |ab| = |a||b|. We show that G′ is nilpotent.     

When does the zero-one <Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis>-law fail?

The limit probabilities of the first-order properties of a random graph in the Erd?s–Rényi model G(n, n^?α), α ∈ (0, 1), are studied. A random graph G(n, n^?α) is said to obey the zero-one k-law if, given any property expressed by a formula of quantifier depth at most k, the probability of this property tends to either 0 or 1. As is known, for α = 1? 1/(2^k?1 + a/b), where a > 2^k?1, the zero-one k-law holds. Moreover, this law does not hold for b = 1 and a ≤ 2^k?1 ? 2. It is proved that the k-law also fails for b > 1 and a ≤ 2^k?1 ? (b + 1)².     

On a question of Sárközy on gaps of product sequences

Motivated by a question of Sárközy, we study the gaps in the product sequence B = A · A = {b ₁ < b ₂ < …} of all products a _i a _j with a _i , a _j ∈ A when A has upper Banach density α > 0. We prove that there are infinitely many gaps b _n+1 ? b _n ? α ^?3 and that for t ≥ 2 there are infinitely many t-gaps b _n+t ? b _n ? t ² α ^?4. Furthermore, we prove that these estimates are best possible.We also discuss a related question about the cardinality of the quotient set A/A = {a _i /a _j , a _i , a _j ∈ A} when A ? {1, …, N} and |A| = αN.     

Block partitions of sequences

Given a sequence A = (a ₁, …, a _n ) of real numbers, a block B of A is either a set B = {a _i , a _i+1, …, a _j } where i ≤ j or the empty set. The size b of a block B is the sum of its elements. We show that when each a _i ∈ [0, 1] and k is a positive integer, there is a partition of A into k blocks B ₁, …, B _k with |b _i ?b _j | ≤ 1 for every i, j. We extend this result in several directions.     

On sharply 2-transitive groups with generalized finite elements

We prove Jordan’s Theorem for infinite sharply 2-transitive groups satisfying the finiteness (a, b)-condition, with |a| · |b| even.     

A note on amicable numbers and their variations

For any positive integer n, let \(\sigma (\mathrm{n})\) and p(n) denote the sum of divisors and the least prime divisor of n respectively. Let a, b be positive integers. In this paper we prove the following two results: (i) If 4 | a and \(\gcd (a, b)=1\), then a and b do not satisfy \(\sigma (a)= \sigma (b)=a+b\). (ii) If \(a>10^{8}\) and \(p(a)>2\log _{2}a+1\), where \(\log _{2}{a}\) is the logarithm of a with base 2, then a and b do not satisfy \(\sigma (a)=\sigma (b)=a+b+\lambda \), where \(\lambda \in \{0,\pm 1\}\).