Optimal binary covering codes of length 2j

The minimum size of a binary covering code of length n and covering radius r is denoted by K(n,r), and codes of this length are called optimal. For j > 0 and n = 2^j, it is known that K(n,1) = 2 · K(n?1,1) = 2^{n ? j}. Say that two binary words of length n form a duo if the Hamming distance between them is 1 or 2. In this paper, it is shown that each optimal binary covering code of length n = 2^j, j > 0, and covering radius 1 is the union of duos in just one way, and that the closed neighborhoods of the duos form a tiling of the set of binary words of length n. Methods of constructing such optimal codes from optimal covering codes of length n ? 1 (that is, perfect single‐error‐correcting codes) are discussed. The paper ends with the construction of an optimal covering code of length 16 that does not contain an extension of any optimal covering code of length 15. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs     

Adaptive Itô-Taylor algorithm can optimally approximate the Itô integrals of singular functions

We deal with numerical approximation of stochastic Itô integrals of singular functions. We first consider the regular case of integrands belonging to the Hölder class with parameters r and ?. We show that in this case the classical Itô-Taylor algorithm has the optimal error Θ(n^−(r+?)). In the singular case, we consider a class of piecewise regular functions that have continuous derivatives, except for a finite number of unknown singular points. We show that any nonadaptive algorithm cannot efficiently handle such a problem, even in the case of a single singularity. The error of such algorithm is no less than n^{−min{1/2,r+?}}. Therefore, we must turn to adaptive algorithms. We construct the adaptive Itô-Taylor algorithm that, in the case of at most one singularity, has the optimal error O(n^−(r+?)). The best speed of convergence, known for regular functions, is thus preserved. For multiple singularities, we show that any adaptive algorithm has the error Ω(n^{−min{1/2,r+?}}), and this bound is sharp.     

Stability for large forbidden subgraphs

In this note we strengthen the stability theorem of Erd?s and Simonovits. Write K_r(s₁, …, s_r) for the complete r‐partite graph with classes of sizes s₁, …, s_r and T_r(n) for the r‐partite Turán graph of order n. Our main result is: For all r≥2 and all sufficiently small c>0, ε>0, every graph G of sufficiently large order n with e(G)>(1?1/r?ε)n²/2 satisfies one of the conditions:

• (a) G contains a $K_{r+1} (\lfloor c\,\mbox{ln}\,n \rfloor,\ldots,\lfloor c\,\mbox{ln}\,n \rfloor,\lceil n^{{1}-\sqrt{c}}\rceil)In this note we strengthen the stability theorem of Erd?s and Simonovits. Write K_r(s₁, …, s_r) for the complete r‐partite graph with classes of sizes s₁, …, s_r and T_r(n) for the r‐partite Turán graph of order n. Our main result is: For all r≥2 and all sufficiently small c>0, ε>0, every graph G of sufficiently large order n with e(G)>(1?1/r?ε)n²/2 satisfies one of the conditions:
  • (a) G contains a $K_{r+1} (\lfloor c\,\mbox{ln}\,n \rfloor,\ldots,\lfloor c\,\mbox{ln}\,n \rfloor,\lceil n^{{1}-\sqrt{c}}\rceil)$;
  • (b) G differs from T_r(n) in fewer than (ε^1/3+c^1/(3r+3))n² edges.
  Letting µ(G) be the spectral radius of G, we prove also a spectral stability theorem: For all r≥2 and all sufficiently small c>0, ε>0, every graph G of sufficiently large order n with µ(G)>(1?1/r?ε)n satisfies one of the conditions:
  • (a) G contains a $K_{r+1}(\lfloor c\,\mbox{ln}\,n\rfloor,\ldots,\lfloor c\,\mbox{ln}\,n\rfloor,\lceil n^{1-\sqrt{c}}\rceil)$;
  • (b) G differs from T_r(n) in fewer than (ε^1/4+c^1/(8r+8))n² edges.
  © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 62: 362–368, 2009     

On binary linear <Emphasis Type="Italic">r</Emphasis>-identifying codes

A subspace C of the binary Hamming space F ⁿ of length n is called a linear r-identifying code if for all vectors of F ⁿ the intersections of C and closed r-radius neighbourhoods are nonempty and different. In this paper, we give lower bounds for such linear codes. For radius r =  2, we give some general constructions. We give many (optimal) constructions which were found by a computer search. New constructions improve some previously known upper bounds for r-identifying codes in the case where linearity is not assumed.     

Existence of r-self-orthogonal Latin squares

Two Latin squares of order v are r-orthogonal if their superposition produces exactly r distinct ordered pairs. If the second square is the transpose of the first one, we say that the first square is r-self-orthogonal, denoted by r-SOLS(v). It has been proved that for any integer v?28, there exists an r-SOLS(v) if and only if v?r?v² and r∉{v+1,v²-1}. In this paper, we give an almost complete solution for the existence of r-self-orthogonal Latin squares.     

Partial Ovoids in Classical Finite Polar Spaces

Ovoids in finite polar spaces are related to many other objects in finite geometries. In this article, we prove some new upper bounds for the size of partial ovoids in Q ^–(2n+1,q) and W(2n+ 1,q). Further, we give a combinatorial proof for the non-existence of ovoids of H(2n +1,q ²) for n>q ³.     

Near‐automorphisms of Latin squares

We define a near‐automorphism α of a Latin square L to be an isomorphism such that L and α L differ only within a 2 × 2 subsquare. We prove that for all n≥2 except n∈{3, 4}, there exists a Latin square which exhibits a near‐automorphism. We also show that if α has the cycle structure (2, n ? 2), then L exists if and only if n≡2 (mod 4), and can be constructed from a special type of partial orthomorphism. Along the way, we generalize a theorem by Marshall Hall, which states that any Latin rectangle can be extended to a Latin square. We also show that if α has at least 2 fixed points, then L must contain two disjoint non‐trivial subsquares. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 19:365‐377, 2011     

A survey of orthogonal arrays of strength two

ＡＳＵＲＶＥＹＯＦＯＲＴＨＯＧＯＮＡＬＡＲＲＡＹＳＯＦＳＴＲＥＮＧＴＨＴＷＯＬＩＵＺＨＡＮＧＷＥＮ（刘璋温）（ＩｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｅｏｆＡｐｐｌｉｅｄＭａｔｈｅｍａｔｉｃｓ．ｔｈｅＣｈｉｎｅｓｅＡｃａｄｅｍｙｏｆＳｃｉｅｔｉｃｅｓ．Ｂｅｉｊｉｎｇ１０００...     

New negative Latin square type partial difference sets in nonelementary abelian 2-groups and 3-groups

A partial difference set having parameters (n ², r(n − 1), n + r ² − 3r, r ² − r) is called a Latin square type partial difference set, while a partial difference set having parameters (n ², r(n + 1), − n + r ² + 3r, r ² + r) is called a negative Latin square type partial difference set. Nearly all known constructions of negative Latin square partial difference sets are in elementary abelian groups. In this paper, we develop three product theorems that construct negative Latin square type partial difference sets and Latin square type partial difference sets in direct products of abelian groups G and G′ when these groups have certain Latin square or negative Latin square type partial difference sets. Using these product theorems, we can construct negative Latin square type partial difference sets in groups of the form where the s _i are nonnegative integers and s ₀ + s ₁ ≥ 1. Another significant corollary to these theorems are constructions of two infinite families of negative Latin square type partial difference sets in 3-groups of the form for nonnegative integers s _i . Several constructions of Latin square type PDSs are also given in p-groups for all primes p. We will then briefly indicate how some of these results relate to amorphic association schemes. In particular, we construct amorphic association schemes with 4 classes using negative Latin square type graphs in many nonelementary abelian 2-groups; we also use negative Latin square type graphs whose underlying sets can be elementary abelian 3-groups or nonelementary abelian 3-groups to form 3-class amorphic association schemes.      

A new product construction for partial difference sets

Relatively few constructions are known of negative Latin square type Partial Difference Sets (PDSs), and most of the known constructions are in elementary abelian groups. We present a product construction that produces negative Latin square type PDSs, and we apply this product construction to generate examples in p-groups of exponent bigger than p.     

New partial difference sets in p‐groups

Latin square type partial difference sets (PDS) are known to exist in R × R for various abelian p‐groups R and in ?^t. We construct a family of Latin square type PDS in ?^t × ?^2nt_p using finite commutative chain rings. When t is odd, the ambient group of the PDS is not covered by any previous construction. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 10: 394–402, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/jcd.10029     

Negative Latin square type partial difference sets in nonabelian groups of order 64

There exist few examples of negative Latin square type partial difference sets (NLST PDSs) in nonabelian groups. We present a list of 176 inequivalent NLST PDSs in 48 nonisomorphic, nonabelian groups of order 64. These NLST PDSs form 8 nonisomorphic strongly regular graphs. These PDSs were constructed using a combination of theoretical techniques and computer search, both of which are described. The search was run exhaustively on 212/267 nonisomorphic groups of order 64.     

Paley type partial difference sets in non <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-groups

By modifying a construction for Hadamard (Menon) difference sets we construct two infinite families of negative Latin square type partial difference sets in groups of the form where p is any odd prime. One of these families has the well-known Paley parameters, which had previously only been constructed in p-groups. This provides new constructions of Hadamard matrices and implies the existence of many new strongly regular graphs including some that are conference graphs. As a corollary, we are able to construct Paley–Hadamard difference sets of the Stanton-Sprott family in groups of the form when is a prime power. These are new parameters for such difference sets.      

Further results on large sets of disjoint group‐divisible designs with block size three and type 2n41

Large sets of disjoint group‐divisible designs with block size three and type 2ⁿ4¹ were first studied by Schellenberg and Stinson because of their connection with perfect threshold schemes. It is known that such large sets can exist only for n ≡0 (mod 3) and do exist for all odd n ≡ (mod 3) and for even n=24m, where m odd ≥ 1. In this paper, we show that such large sets exist also for n=2^k(3m), where m odd≥ 1 and k≥ 5. To accomplish this, we present two quadrupling constructions and two tripling constructions for a special large set called ^*LS(2ⁿ). © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 11: 24–35, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/jcd.10032     

Paley type partial difference sets in abelian groups

Partial difference sets with parameters $\left(v,k,\lambda ,\mu \right)=\left(v,\left(v?1\right)/2,\left(v?5\right)/4,\left(v?1\right)/4\right)$ are called Paley type partial difference sets. In this note, we prove that if there exists a Paley type partial difference set in an abelian group of order v, where v is not a prime power, then $v=n^4$ or $9n^4$, $n>1$ an odd integer. In 2010, Polhill constructed Paley type partial difference sets in abelian groups with those orders. Thus, combining with the constructions of Polhill and the classical Paley construction using nonzero squares of a finite field, we completely answer the following question: “For which odd positive integers $v>1$, can we find a Paley type partial difference set in an abelian group of order $v$?”     

Lower bounds for the cardinality of minimal blocking sets in projective spaces

In this paper new lower bounds for the cardinality of minimal m-blocking sets are determined. Let r₂(q) be the number such that q+r₂(q)+1 is the cardinality of the smallest non-trivial line-blocking set in a plane of order q. If B is a minimal m-blocking set in PG(n,q) that contains at most q^m+q^m−1+…+q+1+r₂(q)·(∑_i=2m−n′^m−1qⁱ) points for an integer n′ satisfying mn′2m, then the dimension of B is at most n′. If the dimension of B is n′, then the following holds. The cardinality of B equals q^m+q^m−1+…+q+1+r₂(q)(∑_i=2m−n′^m−1qⁱ). For n′=m the set B is an m-dimensional subspace and for n′=m+1 the set B is a cone with an (m−2)-dimensional vertex over a non-trivial line-blocking set of cardinality q+r₂(q)+1 in a plane skew to the vertex. This result is due to Heim (Mitt. Math. Semin. Giessen 226 (1996), 4–82). For n′>m+1 and q not a prime the number q is a square and for q16 the set B is a Baer cone. If q is odd and |B|<q^m+q^m−1+…+q+1+r₂(q)(q^m−1+q^m−2), it follows from this result that the subspace generated by B has dimension at most m+1. Furthermore we prove that in this case, if , then B is an m-dimensional subspace or a cone with an (m−2)-dimensional vertex over a non-trivial line-blocking set of cardinality q+r₂(q)+1 in a plane skew to the vertex. For q=p^3h, p7 and q not a square we show this assertion for |B|q^m+q^m−1+…+q+1+q^2/3·(q^m−1+…+1).     

Constructions of Nested Partial Difference Sets with Galois Rings

There have been several recent constructions of partial difference sets (PDSs) using the Galois rings for p a prime and t any positive integer. This paper presents constructions of partial difference sets in where p is any prime, and r and t are any positive integers. For the case where 2$$ " align="middle" border="0"> many of the partial difference sets are constructed in groups with parameters distinct from other known constructions, and the PDSs are nested. Another construction of Paley partial difference sets is given for the case when p is odd. The constructions make use of character theory and of the structure of the Galois ring , and in particular, the ring × . The paper concludes with some open related problems.     

Difference Sets Corresponding to a Class of Symmetric Designs

We study difference sets with parameters(v, k, ) = (p ^s(r ^2m - 1)/(r - 1), p ^s-1 r ^2m-2 r - 1)r ^{2m -2}, where r = r ^s - 1)/(p - 1) and p is a prime. Examples for such difference sets are known from a construction of McFarland which works for m = 1 and all p,s. We will prove a structural theorem on difference sets with the above parameters; it will include the result, that under the self-conjugacy assumption McFarland's construction yields all difference sets in the underlying groups. We also show that no abelian .160; 54; 18/-difference set exists. Finally, we give a new nonexistence prove of (189, 48, 12)-difference sets in Z ₃ × Z ₉ × Z ₇.     

Strongly Regular Semi-Cayley Graphs

We consider strongly regular graphs = (V, E) on an even number, say 2n, of vertices which admit an automorphism group G of order n which has two orbits on V. Such graphs will be called strongly regular semi-Cayley graphs. For instance, the Petersen graph, the Hoffman–Singleton graph, and the triangular graphs T(q) with q 5 mod 8 provide examples which cannot be obtained as Cayley graphs. We give a representation of strongly regular semi-Cayley graphs in terms of suitable triples of elements in the group ring Z G. By applying characters of G, this approach allows us to obtain interesting nonexistence results if G is Abelian, in particular, if G is cyclic. For instance, if G is cyclic and n is odd, then all examples must have parameters of the form 2n = 4s ² + 4s + 2, k = 2s ² + s, = s ² – 1, and = s ²; examples are known only for s = 1, 2, and 4 (together with a noncyclic example for s = 3). We also apply our results to obtain new conditions for the existence of strongly regular Cayley graphs on an even number of vertices when the underlying group H has an Abelian normal subgroup of index 2. In particular, we show the nonexistence of nontrivial strongly regular Cayley graphs over dihedral and generalized quaternion groups, as well as over two series of non-Abelian 2-groups. Up to now these have been the only general nonexistence results for strongly regular Cayley graphs over non-Abelian groups; only the first of these cases was previously known.     

Using equality in the Krein conditions to prove nonexistence of certain distance-regular graphs

We prove the nonexistence of a distance-regular graph with intersection array {74,54,15;1,9,60} and of distance-regular graphs with intersection arrays

{4r³+8r²+6r+1,2r(r+1)(2r+1),2r²+2r+1;1,2r(r+1),(2r+1)(2r²+2r+1)}