Domino tilings of rectangles with fixed width

Let t(k,n) denote the number of ways to tile a 1 × n rectangle with 1 × 2 rectangles (called dominoes). We show that for each fixed k the sequence t_k=(t(k,0), t(k,1),…) satisfies a difference equation (linear, homogeneous, and with constant coefficients). Furthermore, a computational method is given for finding this difference equation together with the initial terms of the sequence. This gives rise to a new way to compute t(k,n) which differs completely with the known Pfaffian method. The generating function of t_k is a rational function F_k, and F_k is given explicitly for k=1,…,8. We end with some conjectures concerning the form of F_k based on our computations.     

A new characterization of dual bases in finite fields and its applications

We propose a new characterization of dual bases in finite fields. Let A=(α₁,…,α_n) be a basis of F over F_q and its dual basis B=(β₁,…,β_n) with the transition matrix C∈GL_n(F_q) such that (β₁,…,β_n)=(α₁,…,α_n)C. We show that holds for all 1?k?n, where T_k∈M_n(F_q) satisfies α_k(α₁,…,α_n)=(α₁,…,α_n)T_k. Conversely, suppose F=F_q(α_k^′) and for some 1?k^′?n and G∈GL_n(F_q), then B is equivalent to (α₁,…,α_n)G. As applications, we can construct the dual basis of a given basis A or determine whether the dual basis of A satisfies the desired conditions from T_k. This generalizes the results obtained by Liao and Sun for normal bases. Furthermore, we give a simple proof of the theorem of Gollmann, Wang and Blake for polynomial bases.     

Non-uniform Turán-type problems

Given positive integers n,k,t, with 2?k?n, and t<2^k, let m(n,k,t) be the minimum size of a family F of (nonempty distinct) subsets of [n] such that every k-subset of [n] contains at least t members of F, and every (k-1)-subset of [n] contains at most t-1 members of F. For fixed k and t, we determine the order of magnitude of m(n,k,t). We also consider related Turán numbers T_?r(n,k,t) and T_r(n,k,t), where T_?r(n,k,t) (T_r(n,k,t)) denotes the minimum size of a family such that every k-subset of [n] contains at least t members of F. We prove that T_?r(n,k,t)=(1+o(1))T_r(n,k,t) for fixed r,k,t with and n→∞.     

More on the generalized Macaulay theorem

Let k₁ ? k₂ ? … ? k_n be given positive integers and let F denote the set of vectors (l₁, …, l_n) with integer components satisfying 0 ? l_i ? k_i, i = 1, 2, …, n. If H is a subset of F, let (l)H denote the subset of H consisting of those vectors with component sum l, and let C((l)H) denote the smallest [(l)H] elements of (l)F. The generalized Macaulay theorem due to the author and B. Lindström [3] shows that |Gamma;((C)(l)(H)|, ? |Γ(C((l)H))|, where Γ((l)H) is the setof vectors in F obtainable by subtracting l from a single component of a vector in (l)H. A method is given for computing [Γ(C((l)H)] in this paper. It is analogous to the method for computing |Γ(C(l)H))| in the k₁ = … = k_n = 1 case which has been given independently by Katona [4] and Kruskal [5].     

On Asymptotic Behavior for Singularities of the Powers of Mean Curvature Flow

Let M^n be a smooth, compact manifold without boundary, and F0 ： M^n→ R^n＋1 a smooth immersion which is convex. The one-parameter families F（·, t） ： M^n× [0, T） → R^n＋1 of hypersurfaces Mt^n= F（·,t）（M^n） satisfy an initial value problem dF/dt （·,t） = -H^k（· ,t）v（· ,t）, F（· ,0） = F0（· ）, where H is the mean curvature and u（·,t） is the outer unit normal at F（·, t）, such that -Hu = H is the mean curvature vector, and k 〉 0 is a constant. This problem is called H^k-fiow. Such flow will develop singularities after finite time. According to the blow-up rate of the square norm of the second fundamental forms, the authors analyze the structure of the rescaled limit by classifying the singularities as two types, i.e., Type Ⅰ and Type Ⅱ. It is proved that for Type Ⅰ singularity, the limiting hypersurface satisfies an elliptic equation; for Type Ⅱ singularity, the limiting hypersurface must be a translating soliton.     

A generalized Cayley-Hamilton theorem for polynomials with matrix coefficients

A family F of square matrices of the same order is called a quasi-commuting family if (AB-BA)C=C(AB-BA) for all A,B,C∈F where A,B,C need not be distinct. Let f_k(x₁,x₂,…,x_p),(k=1,2,…,r), be polynomials in the indeterminates x₁,x₂,…,x_p with coefficients in the complex field C, and let M₁,M₂,…,M_r be n×n matrices over C which are not necessarily distinct. Let and let δ_F(x₁,x₂,…,x_p)=detF(x₁,x₂,…,x_p). In this paper, we prove that, for n×n matrices A₁,A₂,…,A_p over C, if {A₁,A₂,…,A_p,M₁,M₂,…,M_r} is a quasi-commuting family, then F(A₁,A₂,…,A_p)=O implies that δ_F(A₁,A₂,…,A_p)=O.     

Effective computation of singularities of parametric affine curves

Let k be a field of characteristic zero and f(t),g(t) be polynomials in k[t]. For a plane curve parameterized by x=f(t),y=g(t), Abhyankar developed the notion of Taylor resultant (Mathematical Surveys and Monographs, Vol. 35, American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 1990) which enables one to find its singularities without knowing its defining polynomial. This concept was generalized as D-resultant by Yu and Van den Essen (Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 125(3) (1997) 689), which works over an arbitrary field. In this paper, we extend this to a curve in affine n-space parameterized by x₁=f₁(t),…,x_n=f_n(t) over an arbitrary ground field k, where f₁,…,f_n∈k[t]. This approach compares to the usual approach of computing the ideal of the curve first. It provides an efficient algorithm of computing the singularities of such parametric curves using Gröbner bases. Computational examples worked out by symbolic computation packages are included.     

Graphic sequences with a realization containing a generalized friendship graph

Gould, Jacobson and Lehel [R.J. Gould, M.S. Jacobson, J. Lehel, Potentially G-graphical degree sequences, in: Y. Alavi, et al. (Eds.), Combinatorics, Graph Theory and Algorithms, vol. I, New Issues Press, Kalamazoo, MI, 1999, pp. 451-460] considered a variation of the classical Turán-type extremal problems as follows: for any simple graph H, determine the smallest even integer σ(H,n) such that every n-term graphic sequence π=(d₁,d₂,…,d_n) with term sum σ(π)=d₁+d₂+?+d_n≥σ(H,n) has a realization G containing H as a subgraph. Let F_t,r,k denote the generalized friendship graph on kt−kr+r vertices, that is, the graph of k copies of K_t meeting in a common r set, where K_t is the complete graph on t vertices and 0≤r≤t. In this paper, we determine σ(F_t,r,k,n) for k≥2, t≥3, 1≤r≤t−2 and n sufficiently large.     

On set systems with a threshold property

For n,k and t such that 1<t<k<n, a set F of subsets of [n] has the (k,t)-threshold property if every k-subset of [n] contains at least t sets from F and every (k-1)-subset of [n] contains less than t sets from F. The minimal number of sets in a set system with this property is denoted by m(n,k,t). In this paper we determine m(n,4,3)exactly for n sufficiently large, and we show that m(n,k,2) is asymptotically equal to the generalized Turán number T_k-1(n,k,2).     

Regularity of patterns in the factorization of n!

Consider the multiplicities ep₁(n),ep₂(n),…,epk(n) in which the primes p₁,p₂,…,pk appear in the factorization of n!. We show that these multiplicities are jointly uniformly distributed modulo (m₁,m₂,…,mk) for any fixed integers m₁,m₂,…,mk, thus improving a result of Luca and St?nic? [F. Luca, P. St?nic?, On the prime power factorization of n!, J. Number Theory 102 (2003) 298-305]. To prove the theorem, we obtain a result regarding the joint distribution of several completely q-additive functions, which seems to be of independent interest.     

The uniform convergence and precise asymptotics of generalized stochastic order statistics

Let X(i,n,m,k), i=1,…,n, be generalized order statistics based on F. For fixed r∈N, and a suitable counting process N(t), t>0, we mainly discuss the precise asymptotic of the generalized stochastic order statistics X(N(n)−r+1,N(n),m,k). It not only makes the results of Yan, Wang and Cheng [J.G. Yan, Y.B. Wang, F.Y. Cheng, Precise asymptotics for order statistics of a non-random sample and a random sample, J. Systems Sci. Math. Sci. 26 (2) (2006) 237-244] as the special case of our result, and presents many groups of weighted functions and boundary functions, but also permits a unified approach to several models of ordered random variables.     

An algorithm for unimodular completion over Laurent polynomial rings

We present a new and simple algorithm for completion of unimodular vectors with entries in a multivariate Laurent polynomial ring over an infinite field K. More precisely, given n?3 and a unimodular vector V=^t(v₁,…,v_n)∈Rⁿ (that is, such that 〈v₁,…,v_n〉=R), the algorithm computes a matrix M in M_n(R) whose determinant is a monomial such that MV=^t(1,0,…,0), and thus M^-1 is a completion of V to an invertible matrix.     

On a conjecture by B. Grünbaum

Denote by p_k(M) or υ_k(M) the number of k-gonal faces or k-valent of the convex 3-polytope M, respectively. Completely solving a problem by B. Grünbaum, the following theorem is proved: Given sequences of nonnegative integers p = (p₃, p₄,…p_m), υ = (υ₃, υ₄,…,υ_n) satisfying ∑_k?3(6−k)p_k + 2∑_k?3(3−k)υ_k = 12, there exists a convex 3-polytope M with p_k(M) = p_k for all k ≠ 6 and υ_k for all k ≠ 3 if and only if for the sequences p, υ the following does not hold: ∑p_i = 0 for i odd and ∑υ_i = 1 for i ? 0 (mod 3).     

A multiply intersecting Erd?s-Ko-Rado theorem — The principal case

Let m(n,k,r,t) be the maximum size of satisfying |F₁∩?∩F_r|≥t for all F₁,…,F_r∈F. We prove that for every p∈(0,1) there is some r₀ such that, for all r>r₀ and all t with 1≤t≤⌊(p^1−r−p)/(1−p)⌋−r, there exists n₀ so that if n>n₀ and p=k/n, then . The upper bound for t is tight for fixed p and r.     

Bounds on some van der Waerden numbers

For positive integers s and k₁,k₂,…,ks, the van der Waerden number w(k₁,k₂,…,ks;s) is the minimum integer n such that for every s-coloring of set {1,2,…,n}, with colors 1,2,…,s, there is a ki-term arithmetic progression of color i for some i. We give an asymptotic lower bound for w(k,m;2) for fixed m. We include a table of values of w(k,3;2) that are very close to this lower bound for m=3. We also give a lower bound for w(k,k,…,k;s) that slightly improves previously-known bounds. Upper bounds for w(k,4;2) and w(4,4,…,4;s) are also provided.     

Linear transformations which preserve fixed rank

Let M_{m, n}(F) denote the set of all m×n matrices over the algebraically closed field F. Let T denote a linear transformation, T:M_{m, n}(F)→M_{m, n}(F). Theorem: If max(m, n)?2k?2, k?1, and T preserves rank k matrices [i.e.?(A)=k implies ?(T(A))=k], then there exist nonsingular m×m and n×n matrices U and V respectively such that either (i) T:A→UAV for all A?M_{m, n}(F), or (ii) m=n and T:A→UA^tV for all A?M_n(F), where A^t denotes the transpose of A.     

Conjectured statistics for the q,t-Catalan numbers

We introduce the distribution function F_n(q,t) of a pair of statistics on Catalan words and conjecture F_n(q,t) equals Garsia and Haiman's q,t-Catalan sequence C_n(q,t), which they defined as a sum of rational functions. We show that F_n,s(q,t), defined as the sum of these statistics restricted to Catalan words ending in s ones, satisfies a recurrence relation. As a corollary we are able to verify that F_n(q,t)=C_n(q,t) when t=1/q. We also show the partial symmetry relation F_n(q,1)=F_n(1,q). By modifying a proof of Haiman of a q-Lagrange inversion formula based on results of Garsia and Gessel, we obtain a q-analogue of the general Lagrange inversion formula which involves Catalan words grouped according to the number of ones at the end of the word.     

Non-cover generalized Mycielski, Kneser, and Schrijver graphs

A graph is said to be a cover graph if it is the underlying graph of the Hasse diagram of a finite partially ordered set. We prove that the generalized Mycielski graphs M_m(C_2t+1) of an odd cycle, Kneser graphs KG(n,k), and Schrijver graphs SG(n,k) are not cover graphs when m?0,t?1, k?1, and n?2k+2. These results have consequences in circular chromatic number.     

Asymptotic enumeration of dense 0-1 matrices with specified line sums

Let s=(s₁,s₂,…,sm) and t=(t₁,t₂,…,tn) be vectors of non-negative integers with . Let B(s,t) be the number of m×n matrices over {0,1} with jth row sum equal to sj for 1?j?m and kth column sum equal to tk for 1?k?n. Equivalently, B(s,t) is the number of bipartite graphs with m vertices in one part with degrees given by s, and n vertices in the other part with degrees given by t. Most research on the asymptotics of B(s,t) has focused on the sparse case, where the best result is that of Greenhill, McKay and Wang (2006). In the case of dense matrices, the only precise result is for the case of equal row sums and equal column sums (Canfield and McKay, 2005). This paper extends the analytic methods used by the latter paper to the case where the row and column sums can vary within certain limits. Interestingly, the result can be expressed by the same formula which holds in the sparse case.     

The zeros of a quadratic form at square-free points

Let F(x₁,…,xn) be a nonsingular indefinite quadratic form, n=3 or 4. For n=4, suppose the determinant of F is a square. Results are obtained on the number of solutions of

F(x₁,…,xn)=0