Vertex partitions and maximum degenerate subgraphs

Let G be a graph with maximum degree d≥ 3 and ω(G)≤ d, where ω(G) is the clique number of the graph G. Let p₁ and p₂ be two positive integers such that d = p₁ + p₂. In this work, we prove that G has a vertex partition S₁, S₂ such that G[S₁] is a maximum order (p₁‐1)‐degenerate subgraph of G and G[S₂] is a (p₂‐1)‐degenerate subgraph, where G[S_i] denotes the graph induced by the set S_i in G, for i = 1,2. On one hand, by using a degree‐equilibrating process our result implies a result of Bollobas and Marvel [ 1 ]: for every graph G of maximum degree d≥ 3 and ω(G)≤ d, and for every p₁ and p₂ positive integers such that d = p₁ + p₂, the graph G has a partition S₁,S₂ such that for i = 1,2, Δ(G[S_i])≤ p_i and G[S_i] is (p_i‐1)‐degenerate. On the other hand, our result refines the following result of Catlin in [ 2 ]: every graph G of maximum degree d≥ 3 has a partition S₁,S₂ such that S₁ is a maximum independent set and ω(G[S₂])≤ d‐1; it also refines a result of Catlin and Lai [ 3 ]: every graph G of maximum degree d≥ 3 has a partition S₁,S₂ such that S₁ is a maximum size set with G[S₁] acyclic and ω(G[S₂])≤ d‐2. The cases d = 3, (d,p₁) = (4,1) and (d,p₁) = (4,2) were proved by Catlin and Lai [ 3 ]. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 55: 227–232, 2007     

Degree-Continuous Graphs

A graph G is degree-continuous if the degrees of every two adjacent vertices of G differ by at most 1. A finite nonempty set S of integers is convex if k S for every integer k with min(S)kmax(S). It is shown that for all integers r > 0 and s 0 and a convex set S with min(S) = r and max(S) = r+s, there exists a connected degree-continuous graph G with the degree set S and diameter 2s+2. The minimum order of a degree-continuous graph with a prescribed degree set is studied. Furthermore, it is shown that for every graph G and convex set S of positive integers containing the integer 2, there exists a connected degree-continuous graph H with the degree set S and containing G as an induced subgraph if and only if max(S)(G) and G contains no r-regular component where r = max(S).     

On supercompact graphs

A graph G is called a supercompact graph if G is the intersection graph of some family ?? of subsets of a set X such that ?? satisfies the Helly property and for any x≠y in X, there exists S ∈ ?? with x ∈ S, y ? S. Various characterizations of supercompact graphs are given. It is shown that every clique-critical graph is supercompact. Furthermore, for any finite graph, H, there is at most a finite number of different supercompact graphs G such that H is the clique-graph of G.     

The density of the strong symmetric genus values of p-groups

Let G be a finite group. The strong symmetric genus σ⁰(G) is the minimum genus of any Riemann surface on which G acts faithfully and preserving orientation. Let p a prime, and let J_p be the set of integers g for which there is a p-group of strong symmetric genus g. We show that the set J_p has density zero in the set of positive integers.     

Signed degree sets in signed graphs

The set D of distinct signed degrees of the vertices in a signed graph G is called its signed degree set. In this paper, we prove that every non-empty set of positive (negative) integers is the signed degree set of some connected signed graph and determine the smallest possible order for such a signed graph. We also prove that every non-empty set of integers is the signed degree set of some connected signed graph.     

Paths extendable to cycles

Let k be a positive integer, and S a nonempty set of positive integers. Suppose that G is a connected graph containing a path of length k, and that each path P of length k in G is contained in some cycle C(P) of length s ∈ S. We prove that every path of length less than k can be extended to a path of length k in G. This result answers conjectures of Entringer and Reid regarding when certain paths may be extended to cycles.     

Some results on exclusive sum graphs

Let N(Z) denote the set of all positive integers (integers). The sum graph G ⁺(S) of a finite subset S?N(Z) is the graph (S,E) with uv∈E if and only if u+v∈S. A graph G is said to be an (integral) sum graph if it is isomorphic to the sum graph of some S?N(Z). A sum labelling S is called an exclusive sum labelling if u+v∈S?V(G) for any edge uv∈E(G). We say that G is labeled exclusively. The least number r of isolated vertices such that G∪rK ₁ is an exclusive sum graph is called the exclusive sum number ε(G) of graph G. In this paper, we discuss the exclusive sum number of disjoint union of two graphs and the exclusive sum number of some graph classes.     

The rectifiability threshold in abelian groups

For any abelian group G and integer t ≥ 2 we determine precisely the smallest possible size of a non-t-rectifiable subset of G. Specifically, assuming that G is not torsion-free, denote by p the smallest order of a non-zero element of G. We show that if a subset S ⊆ G satisfies |S| ≤ ⌌log _t p⌍, then S is t-isomorphic (in the sense of Freiman) to a set of integers; on the other hand, we present an example of a subset S ⊆ G with |S| = ⌌log _t p⌍ + 1 which is not t-isomorphic to a set of integers.     

On packing 3‐vertex paths in a graph

Let G be a connected graph and let eb(G) and λ(G) denote the number of end‐blocks and the maximum number of disjoint 3‐vertex paths Λ in G. We prove the following theorems on claw‐free graphs: (t1) if G is claw‐free and eb(G) ≤ 2 (and in particular, G is 2‐connected) then λ(G) = ⌊| V(G)|/3⌋; (t2) if G is claw‐free and eb(G) ≥ 2 then λ(G) ≥ ⌊(| V(G) | − eb(G) + 2)/3 ⌋; and (t3) if G is claw‐free and Δ^*‐free then λ(G) = ⌊| V(G) |/3⌋ (here Δ^* is a graph obtained from a triangle Δ by attaching to each vertex a new dangling edge). We also give the following sufficient condition for a graph to have a Λ‐factor: Let n and p be integers, 1 ≤ p ≤ n − 2, G a 2‐connected graph, and |V(G)| = 3n. Suppose that G − S has a Λ‐factor for every S ⊆ V(G) such that |S| = 3p and both V(G) − S and S induce connected subgraphs in G. Then G has a Λ‐factor. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 36: 175–197, 2001     

The Symmetric Genus of p-Groups

Let G be a finite group. The symmetric genus σ(G) is the minimum genus of any Riemann surface on which G acts. We show that a non-cyclic p-group G has symmetric genus not congruent to 1(mod p ³) if and only if G is in one of 10 families of groups. The genus formula for each of these 10 families of groups is determined. A consequence of this classification is that almost all positive integers that are the genus of a p-group are congruent to 1(mod p ³). Finally, the integers that occur as the symmetric genus of a p-group with Frattini-class 2 have density zero in the positive integers.     

Maximal sets of hamilton cycles in complete multipartite graphs

A set S of edge‐disjoint hamilton cycles in a graph G is said to be maximal if the edges in the hamilton cycles in S induce a subgraph H of G such that G ? E(H) contains no hamilton cycles. In this context, the spectrum S(G) of a graph G is the set of integers m such that G contains a maximal set of m edge‐disjoint hamilton cycles. This spectrum has previously been determined for all complete graphs and for all complete bipartite graphs. In this paper, we extend these results to the complete multipartite graphs. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 43: 49–66, 2003     

Eccentric sequences and eccentric sets in graphs

By a graph we mean a finite undirected connected graph of order p, p ? 2, with no loops or multiple edges. A finite non-decreasing sequence S: s₁, s₂, …, s_p, p ? 2, of positive integers is an eccentric sequence if there exists a graph G with vertex set V(G) = {v₁, v₂, …, v_p} such that for each i, 1 ? i ? p, s, is the eccentricity of v₁. A set S is an eccentric set if there exists a graph G such that the eccentricity ρ(v₁) is in S for every v₁ ? V(G), and every element of S is the eccentricity of some vertex in G. In this note we characterize eccentric sets, and we find the minimum order among all graphs whose eccentric set is a given set, to obtain a new necessary condition for a sequence to be eccentric. We also present some properties of graphs having preassigned eccentric sequences.     

Cubic vertex‐transitive graphs of order 2pq

A graph is vertex?transitive or symmetric if its automorphism group acts transitively on vertices or ordered adjacent pairs of vertices of the graph, respectively. Let G be a finite group and S a subset of G such that 1?S and S={s^?1 | s∈S}. The Cayleygraph Cay(G, S) on G with respect to S is defined as the graph with vertex set G and edge set {{g, sg} | g∈G, s∈S}. Feng and Kwak [J Combin Theory B 97 (2007), 627–646; J Austral Math Soc 81 (2006), 153–164] classified all cubic symmetric graphs of order 4p or 2p² and in this article we classify all cubic symmetric graphs of order 2pq, where p and q are distinct odd primes. Furthermore, a classification of all cubic vertex‐transitive non‐Cayley graphs of order 2pq, which were investigated extensively in the literature, is given. As a result, among others, a classification of cubic vertex‐transitive graphs of order 2pq can be deduced. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 65: 285–302, 2010     

Induced embeddings in Steinhaus graphs

Fix any positive integer n. Let S be the set of all Steinhaus graphs of order n(n − 1)/2 + 1. The vertices for each graph in S are the first n(n − 1)/2 + 1 positive integers. Let I be the set of all labeled graphs of order n with vertices of the form i(i − 1)/2 + 1 for the first n positive integers i. This article shows that the function ϕ : S → I that maps a Steinhaus graph to its induced subgraph is a bijection. Therefore, any graph of order n is isomorphic to an induced subgraph of a Steinhaus graph of order n(n − 1)/2 + 1. This considerably tightens a result of Brigham, Carrington, and Dutton in [Brigham, Carrington, & Dutton, Combin. Inform. System Sci. 17 (1992)], which showed that this could be done with a Steinhaus graph of order 2ⁿ⁻¹. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Graph Theory 29: 1–9, 1998     

Double cycle covers and the petersen graph

Let O(G) denote the set of odd-degree vertices of a graph G. Let t ? N and let ??_t denote the family of graphs G whose edge set has a partition. E(g) = E₁ U E₂ U … U E_tsuch that O(G) = O(G[E_i]) (1 ? i ? t). This partition is associated with a double cycle cover of G. We show that if a graph G is at most 5 edges short of being 4-edge-connected, then exactly one of these holds: G ? ??₃, G has at least one cut-edge, or G is contractible to the Petersen graph. We also improve a sufficient condition of Jaeger for G ? ??_2p+1(p ? N).     

An application of the combinatorial Nullstellensatz to a graph labelling problem

An antimagic labelling of a graph G with m edges and n vertices is a bijection from the set of edges of G to the set of integers {1,…,m}, such that all n vertex sums are pairwise distinct, where a vertex sum is the sum of labels of all edges incident with that vertex. A graph is called antimagic if it admits an antimagic labelling. In N. Hartsfield and G. Ringle, Pearls in Graph Theory, Academic Press, Inc., Boston, 1990, Ringel has conjectured that every simple connected graph, other than K₂, is antimagic. In this article, we prove a special case of this conjecture. Namely, we prove that if G is a graph on n=p^k vertices, where p is an odd prime and k is a positive integer that admits a C_p‐factor, then it is antimagic. The case p=3 was proved in D. Hefetz, J Graph Theory 50 (2005), 263–272. Our main tool is the combinatorial Nullstellensatz [N. Alon, Combin Probab Comput 8(1–2) (1999), 7–29]. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 65: 70–82, 2010.     

Partitioning a graph into convex sets

Let G be a finite simple graph. Let S⊆V(G), its closed interval I[S] is the set of all vertices lying on shortest paths between any pair of vertices of S. The set S is convex if I[S]=S. In this work we define the concept of a convex partition of graphs. If there exists a partition of V(G) into p convex sets we say that G is p-convex. We prove that it is NP-complete to decide whether a graph G is p-convex for a fixed integer p≥2. We show that every connected chordal graph is p-convex, for 1≤p≤n. We also establish conditions on n and k to decide if the k-th power of a cycle C_n is p-convex. Finally, we develop a linear-time algorithm to decide if a cograph is p-convex.     

Lower bounds for lower Ramsey numbers

For any graph G, let i(G) and μ;(G) denote the smallest number of vertices in a maximal independent set and maximal clique, respectively. For positive integers m and n, the lower Ramsey number s(m, n) is the largest integer p so that every graph of order p has i(G) ≤ m or μ;(G) ≤ n. In this paper we give several new lower bounds for s (m, n) as well as determine precisely the values s(1, n).     

Sharp bounds for the number of 3‐independent partitions and the chromaticity of bipartite graphs

Given a graph G and an integer k ≥ 1, let α(G, k) denote the number of k‐independent partitions of G. Let ??^?s(p,q) (resp., ??₂^?s(p,q)) denote the family of connected (resp., 2‐connected) graphs which are obtained from the complete bipartite graph K_p,q by deleting a set of s edges, where p ≥ q ≥ 2. This paper first gives a sharp upper bound for α(G,3), where G ∈ ?? ^?s(p,q) and 0 ≤ s ≤ (p ? 1)(q ? 1) (resp., G ∈ ?? ₂^?s(p,q) and 0 ≤ s ≤ p + q ? 4). These bounds are then used to show that if G ∈ ?? ^?s(p,q) (resp., G ∈ ?? ₂^?s (p,q)), then the chromatic equivalence class of G is a subset of the union of the sets ??^?s_i(p+i,q?i) where max and s_i = s ? i(p?q+i) (resp., a subset of ??₂^?s(p,q), where either 0 ≤ s ≤ q ? 1, or s ≤ 2q ? 3 and p ≥ q + 4). By applying these results, we show finally that any 2‐connected graph obtained from K_p,q by deleting a set of edges that forms a matching of size at most q ? 1 or that induces a star is chromatically unique. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 37: 48–77, 2001     

Undirected power graphs of semigroups

The undirected power graph G(S) of a semigroup S is an undirected graph whose vertex set is S and two vertices a,b∈S are adjacent if and only if a≠b and a ^m =b or b ^m =a for some positive integer m. In this paper we characterize the class of semigroups S for which G(S) is connected or complete. As a consequence we prove that G(G) is connected for any finite group G and G(G) is complete if and only if G is a cyclic group of order 1 or p ^m . Particular attention is given to the multiplicative semigroup ℤ _n and its subgroup U _n , where G(U _n ) is a major component of G(ℤ _n ). It is proved that G(U _n ) is complete if and only if n=1,2,4,p or 2p, where p is a Fermat prime. In general, we compute the number of edges of G(G) for a finite group G and apply this result to determine the values of n for which G(U _n ) is planar. Finally we show that for any cyclic group of order greater than or equal to 3, G(G) is Hamiltonian and list some values of n for which G(U _n ) has no Hamiltonian cycle.