Group‐divisible designs with block size k having k + 1 groups,for k = 4, 5

We investigate the spectrum for k‐GDDs having k + 1 groups, where k = 4 or 5. We take advantage of new constructions introduced by R. S. Rees (Two new direct product‐type constructions for resolvable group‐divisible designs, J Combin Designs, 1 (1993), 15–26) to construct many new designs. For example, we show that a resolvable 4‐GDD of type g⁵ exists if and only if g ≡ 0 mod 12 and that a resolvable 5‐GDD of type g⁶ exists if and only if g ≡ 0 mod 20. We also show that a 4‐GDD of type g⁴m¹ exists (with m > 0) if and only if g ≡ m ≡ 0 mod 3 and 0 < m ≤ 3g/2, except possibly when (g,m) = (9,3) or (18,6), and that a 5‐GDD of type g⁵m¹ exists (with m > 0) if and only if g ≡ m ≡ 0 mod 4 and 0 < m ≤ 4g/3, with 32 possible exceptions. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Combin Designs 8: 363–386, 2000     

Orthogonal group divisible designs of type hn for h ≤ 6

For the existence problem of OGDDs of type g^u, Colbourn and Gibbons settled it with few possible exceptions for each group size g. In this article, we will completely settle it for g ≤ 6. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs     

2‐ and 3‐factors of graphs on surfaces

It has been conjectured that any 5‐connected graph embedded in a surface Σ with sufficiently large face‐width is hamiltonian. This conjecture was verified by Yu for the triangulation case, but it is still open in general. The conjecture is not true for 4‐connected graphs. In this article, we shall study the existence of 2‐ and 3‐factors in a graph embedded in a surface Σ. A hamiltonian cycle is a special case of a 2‐factor. Thus, it is quite natural to consider the existence of these factors. We give an evidence to the conjecture in a sense of the existence of a 2‐factor. In fact, we only need the 4‐connectivity with minimum degree at least 5. In addition, our face‐width condition is not huge. Specifically, we prove the following two results. Let G be a graph embedded in a surface Σ of Euler genus g.

• (1) If G is 4‐connected and minimum degree of G is at least 5, and furthermore, face‐width of G is at least 4g?12, then G has a 2‐factor.
• (2) If G is 5‐connected and face‐width of G is at least max{44g?117, 5}, then G has a 3‐factor.

The connectivity condition for both results are best possible. In addition, the face‐width conditions are necessary too. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 67:306‐315, 2011     

Some results on λ‐designs with two block sizes

A λ‐design is a family ?? = {B₁, B₂, …, B_v} of subsets of X = {1, 2, …, v} such that |B_i∩B_j| = λ for all i≠jand not all B_i are of the same size. The only known example of λ‐designs (called type‐1 designs) are those obtained from symmetric designs by a certain complementation procedure. Ryser [J Algebra 10 (1968), 246–261] and Woodall [Proc London Math Soc 20 (1970), 669–687] independently conjectured that all λ‐designs are type‐1. Let g = gcd(r ? 1, r^* ? 1), where rand r^* are the two replication numbers. Ionin and Shrikhande [J Combin Comput 22 (1996), 135–142; J Combin Theory Ser A 74 (1996), 100–114] showed that λ‐designs with g = 1, 2, 3, 4 are type‐1 and that the Ryser–Woodall conjecture is true for λ‐designs on p + 1, 2p + 1, 3p + 1, 4p + 1 points, where pis a prime. Hein and Ionin [Codes and Designs—Proceedings of Conference honoring Prof. D. K. Ray‐Chaudhuri on the occasion of his 65th birthday, Ohio State University Mathematical Research Institute Publications, 10, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, 2002, pp. 145–156] proved corresponding results for g = 5 and Fiala [Codes and Designs—Proceedings of Conference honoring Prof. D. K. Ray‐Chaudhuri on the occasion of his 65th birthday, Ohio State University Mathematical Research Institute Publications, 10, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, 2002, pp. 109–124; Ars Combin 68 (2003), 17–32; Ars Combin, to appear] for g = 6, 7, and 8. In this article, we consider λ designs with exactly two block sizes. We show that in this case, the conjecture is true for g = 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, and for g = 10, 14, 18, 22 with v≠4λ ? 1. We also give two results on such λ‐designs on v = 9p + 1 and 12p + 1 points, where pis a prime. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 19:95‐110, 2011     

Well‐posedness for the 2‐D damped wave equations with exponential source terms

In this paper we study well‐posedness of the damped nonlinear wave equation in Ω × (0, ∞) with initial and Dirichlet boundary condition, where Ω is a bounded domain in ?²; ω?0, ωλ₁+µ>0 with λ₁ being the first eigenvalue of ?Δ under zero boundary condition. Under the assumptions that g(·) is a function with exponential growth at the infinity and the initial data lie in some suitable sets we establish several results concerning local existence, global existence, uniqueness and finite time blow‐up property and uniform decay estimates of the energy. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Principal Eigenvalues and Anti – Maximum Principle for Some Quasilinear Elliptic Equations on ℝN

We improve some previous existence and nonexistence results for positive principal eigenvalues of the problem —Δ_pu = λg(x)ψ^p(u), x ∈ ℝ^N, lim_{‖x‖⇒+∞}u(x) = 0. Also we discuss existence, nonexistence and antimaximum principle questions concerning the perturbed problem —Δ_pu = λg(x)ψ^p(u) + f(x), x∈ ℝ^N.     

A local structure theorem on 5‐connected graphs

An edge of a 5‐connected graph is said to be contractible if the contraction of the edge results in a 5‐connected graph. Let x be a vertex of a 5‐connected graph. We prove that if there are no contractible edges whose distance from x is two or less, then either there are two triangles with x in common each of which has a distinct degree five vertex other than x, or there is a specified structure called a K₄^?‐configuration with center x. As a corollary, we show that if a 5‐connected graph on n vertices has no contractible edges, then it has 2n/5 vertices of degree 5. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 60: 99–129, 2009     

4‐*GDDs(3n) and generalized Steiner systems GS(2, 4, v, 3)

Generalized Steiner systems GS(2, k, v, g) were first introduced by Etzion and used to construct optimal constant weight codes over an alphabet of size g + 1 with minimum Hamming distance 2k ? 3, in which each codeword has length v and weight k. As to the existence of a GS(2, k, v, g), a lot of work has been done for k = 3, while not so much is known for k = 4. The notion k‐*GDD was first introduced and used to construct GS(2, 3, v, 6). In this paper, singular indirect product (SIP) construction for GDDs is modified to construct GS(2, 4, v, g) via 4‐*GDDs. Furthermore, it is proved that the necessary conditions for the existence of a 4‐*GDD(3ⁿ), namely, n ≡ 0, 1 (mod 4) and n ≥ 8 are also sufficient. The known results on the existence of a GS(2, 4, v, 3) are then extended. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 11: 381–393, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/jcd.10047     

Characterization of g∞,σ‐integral operators

The application of the general tensor norms theory of Defant and Floret to the ideal of (p, σ)‐absolutely continuous operators of Matter, 0 < σ < 1, 1 ≤ p < ∞ leads to the study of g_p′,σ‐nuclear and g_p′,σ‐integral operators. Characterizations of such operators has been obtained previously in the case p > 1. In this paper we characterize the g_∞,σ‐nuclear and g_∞,σ‐integral operators by the existence of factorizations of some special kinds. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

All (k;g)‐cages are k‐edge‐connected

A (k;g)‐cage is a k‐regular graph with girth g and with the least possible number of vertices. In this paper, we prove that (k;g)‐cages are k‐edge‐connected if g is even. Earlier, Wang, Xu, and Wang proved that (k;g)‐cages are k‐edge‐connected if g is odd. Combining our results, we conclude that the (k;g)‐cages are k‐edge‐connected. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 48: 219–227, 2005     

Self‐Intersection Local Time for 𝒮′(ℝd)‐Ornstein‐Uhlenbeck Processes Arising from Immigration Systems

Fluctuation limits of an immigration branching particle system and an immigration branching measure‐valued process yield different types of 𝒮′(ℝ^d)‐valued Ornstein‐Uhlenbeck processes whose covariances are given in terms of an excessive measure for the underlying motion in Rd, which is taken to be a symmetric α‐stable process. In this paper we prove existence and path continuity results for the self‐intersection local time of these Ornstein‐Uhlenbeck processes. The results depend on relationships between the dimension d and the parameter α.     

On the existence of (3,λ)‐semiframes of type 3u

A (k,λ)‐semiframe of type g^u is a (k,λ)‐group‐divisible design of type g^u (??, ??, ??), in which the collection of blocks ?? can be written as a disjoint union ??=??∪?? where ?? is partitioned into parallel classes of ?? and ?? is partitioned into holey parallel classes, each holey parallel class being a partition of ??\G_j for some G_j∈??. In this paper, we shall prove that the necessary conditions for (3,λ)‐semiframes of type 3^u are also sufficient with one exception. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 17: 253–265, 2009     

A class of group divisible 3‐designs and their applications

In this article, we first show that a group divisible 3‐design with block sizes from {4, 6}, index unity and group‐type 2^m exists for every integer m≥ 4 with the exception of m = 5. Such group divisible 3‐designs play an important role in our subsequent complete solution to the existence problem for directed H‐designs DH_λ(m, r, 4, 3)s. We also consider a way to construct optimal codes capable of correcting one deletion or insertion using the directed H‐designs. In this way, the optimal single‐deletion/insertion‐correcting codes of length 4 can be constructed for all even alphabet sizes. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 17: 136–146, 2009     

2‐connected 7‐coverings of 3‐connected graphs on surfaces

An m‐covering of a graph G is a spanning subgraph of G with maximum degree at most m. In this paper, we shall show that every 3‐connected graph on a surface with Euler genus k ≥ 2 with sufficiently large representativity has a 2‐connected 7‐covering with at most 6k ? 12 vertices of degree 7. We also construct, for every surface F² with Euler genus k ≥ 2, a 3‐connected graph G on F² with arbitrarily large representativity each of whose 2‐connected 7‐coverings contains at least 6k ? 12 vertices of degree 7. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 43: 26–36, 2003     

Some rigid Steiner 5‐designs

Hitherto, all known non‐trivial Steiner systems S(5, k, v) have, as a group of automorphisms, either PSL(2, v−1) or PGL(2, (v−2)/2) × C₂. In this article, systems S(5, 6, 72), S(5, 6, 84) and S(5, 6, 108) are constructed that have only the trivial automorphism group. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 18:392–400, 2010     

Travelling Wavefronts in Reaction‐Diffusion Equations with Convection Effects and Non‐Regular Terms

This paper deals with the appearance of monotone bounded travelling wave solutions for a parabolic reaction‐diffusion equation which frequently meets both in chemical and biological systems. In particular, we prove the existence of monotone front type solutions for any wave speed c ≥ c* and give an estimate for the threshold value c*. Our model takes into account both of a density dependent diffusion term and of a non‐linear convection effect. Moreover, we do not require the main non‐linearity g to be a regular C¹ function; in particular we are able to treat both the case when g′(0) = 0, giving rise to a degenerate equilibrium point in the phase plane, and the singular case when g′(0) = +∞. Our results generalize previous ones due to Aronson and Weinberger [Adv. Math. 30 (1978), pp. 33–76 ], Gibbs and Murray (see Murray [Mathematical Biology, Springer‐Verlag, Berlin, 1993 ]) and McCabe , Leach and Needham [SIAM J. Appl. Math. 59 (1998), pp. 870–899 ]. Finally, we obtain our conclusions by means of a comparison‐type technique which was introduced and developed in this framework in a recent paper by the same authors.     

Sufficient conditions for λ′‐optimality in graphs with girth g

For a connected graph the restricted edge‐connectivity λ′(G) is defined as the minimum cardinality of an edge‐cut over all edge‐cuts S such that there are no isolated vertices in G–S. A graph G is said to be λ′‐optimal if λ′(G) = ξ(G), where ξ(G) is the minimum edge‐degree in G defined as ξ(G) = min{d(u) + d(v) ? 2:uv ∈ E(G)}, d(u) denoting the degree of a vertex u. A. Hellwig and L. Volkmann [Sufficient conditions for λ′‐optimality in graphs of diameter 2, Discrete Math 283 (2004), 113–120] gave a sufficient condition for λ′‐optimality in graphs of diameter 2. In this paper, we generalize this condition in graphs of diameter g ? 1, g being the girth of the graph, and show that a graph G with diameter at most g ? 2 is λ′‐optimal. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 52: 73–86, 2006     

Transverse quadruple systems with five holes

Transverse Steiner quadruple systems with five holes are either of type g⁵ or g⁴u¹. We concentrate on the systems of type g⁴u¹ and settle existence except when g ≡ u ≡ 2 (mod 4) and all except 40 parameter situations when g ≡ u + 2 ≡ 0 (mod 4). The question of existence for transverse quadruple systems of type g⁴u¹ with index λ > 1 is completely solved for all λ ≥ 13 and λ ∈ {4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12}. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 15: 315–340, 2007     

Minimum C5‐saturated graphs

A graph is C₅‐saturated if it has no five‐cycle as a subgraph, but does contain a C₅ after the addition of any new edge. We prove that the minimum number of edges in a C₅ ‐saturated graph on n≥11 vertices is sat(n, C₅)=?10(n?1)/7??1 if n∈N₀={11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20} and is ?10(n?1)/7? if n≥11 and n?N₀. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory     

All minimum C5‐saturated graphs

A graph is C₅‐ saturated if it has no five‐cycle as a subgraph, but does contain a C₅ after the addition of any new edge. Extending our previous result, we prove that the minimum number of edges in a C₅‐saturated graph on n vertices is sat(n, C₅) = ?10(n ? 1)/7? ? 1 for 11≤n≤14, or n = 16, 18, 20, and is ?10(n ? 1)/7? for all other n≥5, and we also prove that the only C₅‐saturated graphs with sat(n, C₅) edges are the graphs described in Section 2 . © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 67: 9‐26, 2011