Concept of a vertex in a matroid and 3-connected graphs

The concept of a matroid vertex is introduced. The vertices of a matroid of a 3-connected graph are in one-to-one correspondence with vertices of the graph. Thence directly follows Whitney's theorem that cyclic isomorphism of 3-connected graphs implies isomorphism. The concept of a vertex of a matroid leads to an equally simple proof of Whitney's theorem on the unique embedding of a 3-connected planar graph in the sphere. It also leads to a number of new facts about 3-connected graphs. Thus, consideration of a vertex in a matroid that is the dual of the matroid of a graph leads to a natural concept of a nonseparating cycle of a graph. Whitney's theorem on cyclic isomorphism can be strengthened (even if the nonseparating cycles of a graph are considered, the theorem is found to work) and a new criterion for planarity of 3-connected graphs is obtained (in terms of nonseparating cycles).     

New constructions of hypohamiltonian and hypotraceable graphs

A graph G is hypohamiltonian/hypotraceable if it is not hamiltonian/traceable, but all vertex‐deleted subgraphs of G are hamiltonian/traceable. All known hypotraceable graphs are constructed using hypohamiltonian graphs; here we present a construction that uses so‐called almost hypohamiltonian graphs (nonhamiltonian graphs, whose vertex‐deleted subgraphs are hamiltonian with exactly one exception, see [15]). This construction is an extension of a method of Thomassen [11]. As an application, we construct a planar hypotraceable graph of order 138, improving the best‐known bound of 154 [8]. We also prove a structural type theorem showing that hypotraceable graphs possessing some connectivity properties are all built using either Thomassen's or our method. We also prove that if G is a Grinbergian graph without a triangular region, then G is not maximal nonhamiltonian and using the proof method we construct a hypohamiltonian graph of order 36 with crossing number 1, improving the best‐known bound of 46 [14].     

Randomness friendly graphs

We consider the two problems from extremal graph theory: 1. Given integer N, real p ϵ (0, 1) and a graph G, what is the minimum number of copies of G a graph H with N vertices and pN²/2 edges can contain? 2. Given an integer N and a graph G, what is the minimum number of copies of G an N-vertex graph H and its complement H¯ can contain altogether? In each of the problems, we say that G is “randomness friendly” if the number of its copies is nearly minimal when H is the random graph. We investigate how the two classes of graphs are related: the graphs which are “randomness friendly” in Problem 1 and those of Problem 2. In the latter problem, we discover new families of graphs which are “randomness friendly.” © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Vertex 2-isomorphism

Whitney's theorem on 2-isomorphism characterizes the set of graphs having the same cycles as a given graph, where a cycle is regarded as a set of edges. In this paper, vertex 2-isomorphism is defined and used to prove a vertex analogue of Whitney's theorem. The main theorem states that two connected graphs have the same set of cycles, where a cycle is now regarded as a set of vertices, if and only if one can be obtained from the other by a sequence of simple operations. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Two remarks on the Burr–Erdős conjecture

The Ramsey number r(H) of a graph H is the minimum positive integer N such that every two-coloring of the edges of the complete graph K_N on N vertices contains a monochromatic copy of H. A graph H is d-degenerate if every subgraph of H has minimum degree at most d. Burr and Erdős in 1975 conjectured that for each positive integer d there is a constant c_d such that r(H)≤c_dn for every d-degenerate graph H on n vertices. We show that for such graphs , improving on an earlier bound of Kostochka and Sudakov. We also study Ramsey numbers of random graphs, showing that for d fixed, almost surely the random graph G(n,d/n) has Ramsey number linear in n. For random bipartite graphs, our proof gives nearly tight bounds.     

Fair reception and Vizing's conjecture

In this paper we introduce the concept of fair reception of a graph which is related to its domination number. We prove that all graphs G with a fair reception of size γ(G) satisfy Vizing's conjecture on the domination number of Cartesian product graphs, by which we extend the well‐known result of Barcalkin and German concerning decomposable graphs. Combining our concept with a result of Aharoni, Berger and Ziv, we obtain an alternative proof of the theorem of Aharoni and Szabó that chordal graphs satisfy Vizing's conjecture. A new infinite family of graphs that satisfy Vizing's conjecture is also presented. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 61: 45‐54, 2009     

Nowhere‐zero 3‐flows in products of graphs

A graph G is an odd‐circuit tree if every block of G is an odd length circuit. It is proved in this paper that the product of every pair of graphs G and H admits a nowhere‐zero 3‐flow unless G is an odd‐circuit tree and H has a bridge. This theorem is a partial result to the Tutte's 3‐flow conjecture and generalizes a result by Imrich and Skrekovski [7] that the product of two bipartite graphs admits a nowhere‐zero 3‐flow. A byproduct of this theorem is that every bridgeless Cayley graph G = Cay(Γ,S) on an abelian group Γ with a minimal generating set S admits a nowhere‐zero 3‐flow except for odd prisms. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory     

Closures,cycles, and paths

In 1960 Ore proved the following theorem: Let G be a graph of order n. If d(u) + d(v)≥n for every pair of nonadjacent vertices u and v, then G is hamiltonian. Since then for several other graph properties similar sufficient degree conditions have been obtained, so‐called “Ore‐type degree conditions”. In [R. J. Faudree, R. H. Schelp, A. Saito, and I. Schiermeyer, Discrete Math 307 (2007), 873–877], Faudree et al. strengthened Ore's theorem as follows: They determined the maximum number of pairs of nonadjacent vertices that can have degree sum less than n (i.e. violate Ore's condition) but still imply that the graph is hamiltonian. In this article we prove that for some other graph properties the corresponding Ore‐type degree conditions can be strengthened as well. These graph properties include traceable graphs, hamiltonian‐connected graphs, k‐leaf‐connected graphs, pancyclic graphs, and graphs having a 2‐factor with two components. Graph closures are computed to show these results. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 69: 314–323, 2012     

Total domination in 2‐connected graphs and in graphs with no induced 6‐cycles

A set S of vertices in a graph G is a total dominating set of G if every vertex of G is adjacent to some vertex in S. The minimum cardinality of a total dominating set of G is the total domination number γ_t(G) of G. It is known [J Graph Theory 35 (2000), 21–45] that if G is a connected graph of order n > 10 with minimum degree at least 2, then γ_t(G) ≤ 4n/7 and the (infinite family of) graphs of large order that achieve equality in this bound are characterized. In this article, we improve this upper bound of 4n/7 for 2‐connected graphs, as well as for connected graphs with no induced 6‐cycle. We prove that if G is a 2‐connected graph of order n > 18, then γ_t(G) ≤ 6n/11. Our proof is an interplay between graph theory and transversals in hypergraphs. We also prove that if G is a connected graph of order n > 18 with minimum degree at least 2 and no induced 6‐cycle, then γ_t(G) ≤ 6n/11. Both bounds are shown to be sharp. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 60: 55–79, 2009     

Recognizing connectedness from vertex‐deleted subgraphs

Let G be a graph of order n. The vertex‐deleted subgraph G ? v, obtained from G by deleting the vertex v and all edges incident to v, is called a card of G. Let H be another graph of order n, disjoint from G. Then the number of common cards of G and H is the maximum number of disjoint pairs (v, w), where v and w are vertices of G and H, respectively, such that G ? v?H ? w. We prove that if G is connected and H is disconnected, then the number of common cards of G and H is at most ?n/2? + 1. Thus, we can recognize the connectedness of a graph from any ?n/2? + 2 of its cards. Moreover, we completely characterize those pairs of graphs that attain the upper bound and show that, with the exception of six pairs of graphs of order at most 7, any pair of graphs that attains the maximum is in one of four infinite families. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 67:285‐299, 2011     

Coloring quasi‐line graphs

A graph G is a quasi‐line graph if for every vertex v, the set of neighbors of v can be expressed as the union of two cliques. The class of quasi‐line graphs is a proper superset of the class of line graphs. A theorem of Shannon's implies that if G is a line graph, then it can be properly colored using no more than 3/2 ω(G) colors, where ω(G) is the size of the largest clique in G. In this article, we extend this result to all quasi‐line graphs. We also show that this bound is tight. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory     

Bounding the Size of Equimatchable Graphs of Fixed Genus

A graph G is said to be equimatchable if every matching in G extends to (i.e., is a subset of) a maximum matching in G. In an earlier paper with Saito, the authors showed that there are only a finite number of 3-connected equimatchable planar graphs. In the present paper, this result is extended by showing that in a surface of any fixed genus (orientable or non-orientable), there are only a finite number of 3-connected equimatchable graphs having a minimal embedding of representativity at least three. (In fact, if the graphs considered are non-bipartite, the representativity three hypothesis may be dropped.) The proof makes use of the Gallai-Edmonds decomposition theorem for matchings.      

Claw‐free circular‐perfect graphs

The circular chromatic number of a graph is a well‐studied refinement of the chromatic number. Circular‐perfect graphs form a superclass of perfect graphs defined by means of this more general coloring concept. This article studies claw‐free circular‐perfect graphs. First, we prove that if G is a connected claw‐free circular‐perfect graph with χ(G)>ω(G), then min{α(G), ω(G)}=2. We use this result to design a polynomial time algorithm that computes the circular chromatic number of claw‐free circular‐perfect graphs. A consequence of the strong perfect graph theorem is that minimal imperfect graphs G have min{α(G), ω(G)}=2. In contrast to this result, it is shown in Z. Pan and X. Zhu [European J Combin 29(4) (2008), 1055–1063] that minimal circular‐imperfect graphs G can have arbitrarily large independence number and arbitrarily large clique number. In this article, we prove that claw‐free minimal circular‐imperfect graphs G have min{α(G), ω(G)}≤3. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 65: 163–172, 2010     

A fast algorithm for coloring Meyniel graphs

We color the nodes of a graph by first applying successive contractions to non-adjacent nodes until we get a clique; then we color the clique and decontract the graph. We show that this algorithm provides a minimum coloring and a maximum clique for any Meyniel graph by using a simple rule for choosing which nodes are to be contracted. This O(n³) algorithm is much simpler than those already existing for Meyniel graphs. Moreover, the optimality of this algorithm for Meyniel graphs provides an alternate nice proof of the following result of Hoàng: a graph G is Meyniel if and only if, for any induced subgraph of G, each node belongs to a stable set that meets all maximal cliques. Finally we give a new characterization for Meyniel graphs.     

On Hamilton cycles in certain planar graphs

Let G be a 2-connected plane graph with outer cycle X_G such that for every minimal vertex cut S of G with |S| ≤ 3, every component of G\S contains a vertex of X_G. A sufficient condition for G to be Hamiltonian is presented. This theorem generalizes both Tutte's theorem that every 4-connected planar graph is Hamiltonian, as well as a recent theorem of Dillencourt about NST-triangulations. A linear algorithm to find a Hamilton cycle can be extracted from the proof. One corollary is that a 4-connected planar graph with the vertices of a triangle deleted is Hamiltonian. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Large Kr‐free subgraphs in Ks‐free graphs and some other Ramsey‐type problems

In this paper we present three Ramsey‐type results, which we derive from a simple and yet powerful lemma, proved using probabilistic arguments. Let 3 ≤ r < s be fixed integers and let G be a graph on n vertices not containing a complete graph K_s on s vertices. More than 40 years ago Erd?s and Rogers posed the problem of estimating the maximum size of a subset of G without a copy of the complete graph K_r. Our first result provides a new lower bound for this problem, which improves previous results of various researchers. It also allows us to solve some special cases of a closely related question posed by Erd?s. For two graphs G and H, the Ramsey number R(G, H) is the minimum integer N such that any red‐blue coloring of the edges of the complete graph K_N, contains either a red copy of G or a blue copy of H. The book with n pages is the graph B_n consisting of n triangles sharing one edge. Here we study the book‐complete graph Ramsey numbers and show that R(B_n, K_n) ≤ O(n³/log^3/2n), improving the bound of Li and Rousseau. Finally, motivated by a question of Erd?s, Hajnal, Simonovits, Sós, and Szemerédi, we obtain for all 0 < δ < 2/3 an estimate on the number of edges in a K₄‐free graph of order n which has no independent set of size n^1‐δ. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2005     

An approach to hedetniemi's conjecture

For a fixed integer n ? ω, a graph G of chromatic number greater than n is called persistent if for all n + 1-chromatic graphs H, the products G × H are n + 1-chromatic graphs. Wheter all graphs of chromatic number greater than n are persistent is a long-standing open problem due to Hedetniemi. We call a graph G strongly persistent if G is persistent and the Hajos sum of G with any other persistent graph H is still persistent. This paper extends the class of known persistent graphs by proving the following results: If G is constructed from copies of K_n+1 by Hajos sums, adding vertices and edges and at most one contraction of nonadjacent vertices, then G is strongly persistent. © 1929 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Pan-H-Linked Graphs

Let H be a multigraph, possibly containing loops. An H-subdivision is any simple graph obtained by replacing the edges of H with paths of arbitrary length. Let H be an arbitrary multigraph of order k, size m, n ₀(H) isolated vertices and n ₁(H) vertices of degree one. In Gould and Whalen (Graphs Comb. 23:165–182, 2007) it was shown that if G is a simple graph of order n containing an H-subdivision H{\mathcal{H}} and d(G) 3 \fracn+m-k+n₁(H)+2n₀(H)2{\delta(G) \ge \frac{n+m-k+n_1(H)+2n_0(H)}{2}}, then G contains a spanning H-subdivision with the same ground set as H{\mathcal{H}} . As a corollary to this result, the authors were able to obtain Dirac’s famed theorem on hamiltonian graphs; namely that if G is a graph of order n ≥ 3 with d(G) 3 \fracn2{\delta(G)\ge\frac{n}{2}} , then G is hamiltonian. Bondy (J. Comb. Theory Ser. B 11:80–84, 1971) extended Dirac’s theorem by showing that if G satisfied the condition d(G) 3 \fracn2{\delta(G) \ge \frac{n}{2}} then G was either pancyclic or a complete bipartite graph. In this paper, we extend the result from Gould and Whalen (Graphs Comb. 23:165–182, 2007) in a similar manner. An H-subdivision H{\mathcal{H}} in G is 1-extendible if there exists an H-subdivision H^*{\mathcal{H}^{*}} with the same ground set as H{\mathcal{H}} and |H^*| = |H| + 1{|\mathcal{H}^{*}| = |\mathcal{H}| + 1} . If every H-subdivision in G is 1-extendible, then G is pan-H-linked. We demonstrate that if H is sufficiently dense and G is a graph of large enough order n such that d(G) 3 \fracn+m-k+n₁(H)+2n₀(H)2{\delta(G) \ge \frac{n+m-k+n_1(H)+2n_0(H)}{2}} , then G is pan-H-linked. This result is sharp.     

Sharp thresholds for Ramsey properties of strictly balanced nearly bipartite graphs

For a given graph F we consider the family of (finite) graphs G with the Ramsey property for F, that is the set of such graphs G with the property that every two‐coloring of the edges of G yields a monochromatic copy of F. For F being a triangle Friedgut, Rödl, Ruciński, and Tetali (2004) established the sharp threshold for the Ramsey property in random graphs. We present a simpler proof of this result which extends to a more general class of graphs F including all cycles. The proof is based on Friedgut's criteria (1999) for sharp thresholds and on the recently developed container method for independent sets in hypergraphs by Saxton and Thomason and by Balogh, Morris and Samotij. The proof builds on some recent work of Friedgut et al. who established a similar result for van der Waerden's theorem.     

Partial characterizations of clique-perfect and coordinated graphs: Superclasses of triangle-free graphs

A graph G is clique-perfect if the cardinality of a maximum clique-independent set of H equals the cardinality of a minimum clique-transversal of H, for every induced subgraph H of G. A graph G is coordinated if the minimum number of colors that can be assigned to the cliques of H in such a way that no two cliques with non-empty intersection receive the same color equals the maximum number of cliques of H with a common vertex, for every induced subgraph H of G. Coordinated graphs are a subclass of perfect graphs. The complete lists of minimal forbidden induced subgraphs for the classes of clique-perfect and coordinated graphs are not known, but some partial characterizations have been obtained. In this paper, we characterize clique-perfect and coordinated graphs by minimal forbidden induced subgraphs when the graph is either paw-free or {gem, W₄, bull}-free, both superclasses of triangle-free graphs.