A survey of stratified domination in graphs

A graph G is 2-stratified if its vertex set is partitioned into two nonempty classes (each of which is a stratum or a color class). We color the vertices in one color class red and the other color class blue. Let F be a 2-stratified graph with one fixed blue vertex v specified. We say that F is rooted at v. The F-domination number of a graph G is the minimum number of red vertices of G in a red-blue coloring of the vertices of G such that for every blue vertex v of G, there is a copy of F in G rooted at v. In this paper, we survey recent results on the F-domination number for various 2-stratified graphs F.     

On the Ratio Between 2-Domination and Total Outer-Independent Domination Numbers of Trees

A 2-dominating set of a graph G is a set D of vertices of G such that every vertex of V(G)\D has at least two neighbors in D.A total outer-independent dominating set of a graph G is a set D of vertices of G such that every vertex of G has a neighbor in D,and the set V(G)\D is independent.The 2-domination(total outer-independent domination,respectively)number of a graph G is the minimum cardinality of a 2-dominating(total outer-independent dominating,respectively)set of G.We investigate the ratio between2-domination and total outer-independent domination numbers of trees.     

Total [1,2]-domination in Graphs

A subset S ? V in a graph G = (V,E) is a total [1, 2]-set if, for every vertex \( \upsilon \in V, 1 \leq\mid N (\upsilon)\cap S\mid\leq \). The minimum cardinality of a total [1, 2]-set of G is called the total [1, 2]-domination number, denoted by γ_t[1,2](^G).We establish two sharp upper bounds on the total [1,2]-domination number of a graph G in terms of its order and minimum degree, and characterize the corresponding extremal graphs achieving these bounds. Moreover, we give some sufficient conditions for a graph without total [1, 2]-set and for a graph with the same total [1, 2]-domination number, [1, 2]-domination number and domination number.     

An Implicit Degree Condition for Pancyclicity of Graphs

Zhu, Li and Deng introduced in 1989 the definition of implicit degree of a vertex v in a graph G, denoted by id(v), by using the degrees of the vertices in its neighborhood and the second neighborhood. And they obtained sufficient conditions with implicit degrees for a graph to be hamiltonian. In this paper, we prove that if G is a 2–connected graph of order n ≥ 3 such that id(v) ≥ n/2 for each vertex v of G, then G is pancyclic unless G is bipartite, or else n = 4r, r ≥ 2 and G is in a class of graphs F _4r defined in the paper.     

Token Graphs

For a graph G and integer k ≥ 1, we define the token graph F _k (G) to be the graph with vertex set all k-subsets of V(G), where two vertices are adjacent in F _k (G) whenever their symmetric difference is a pair of adjacent vertices in G. Thus vertices of F _k (G) correspond to configurations of k indistinguishable tokens placed at distinct vertices of G, where two configurations are adjacent whenever one configuration can be reached from the other by moving one token along an edge from its current position to an unoccupied vertex. This paper introduces token graphs and studies some of their properties including: connectivity, diameter, cliques, chromatic number, Hamiltonian paths, and Cartesian products of token graphs.     

Rotation numbers for unions of circuits

Let G be a simple undirected graph which has p vertices and is rooted at x. Informally, the rotation number h(G, x) of this rooted graph is the minimum number of edges in a p-vertex graph F, such that for each vertex v of F, there exists a copy of G in F with the root x at v. In this paper, we calculate a lower bound for the rotation number of the graph which is the disjoint union of circuits C_k, C_e where 4 ? k < ?, give infinite classes where this bound is exact, and obtain classes of rotation numbers for the case k = 4.     

Domination Defect in Graphs: Guarding With Fewer Guards

In this paper, we introduce a new graph parameter called the domination defect of a graph. The domination number γ of a graph G is the minimum number of vertices required to dominate the vertices of G. Due to the minimality of γ, if a set of vertices of G has cardinality less than γ then there are vertices of G that are not dominated by that set. The k-domination defect of G is the minimum number of vertices which are left un-dominated by a subset of γ - k vertices of G. We study different bounds on the k-domination defect of a graph G with respect to the domination number, order, degree sequence, graph homomorphisms and the existence of efficient dominating sets. We also characterize the graphs whose domination defect is 1 and find exact values of the domination defect for some particular classes of graphs.     

Spanning forests and the golden ratio

For a graph G, let f_ij be the number of spanning rooted forests in which vertex j belongs to a tree rooted at i. In this paper, we show that for a path, the f_ij's can be expressed as the products of Fibonacci numbers; for a cycle, they are products of Fibonacci and Lucas numbers. The doubly stochastic graph matrix is the matrix F=(f_ij)_n×n/f, where f is the total number of spanning rooted forests of G and n is the number of vertices in G. F provides a proximity measure for graph vertices. By the matrix forest theorem, F^-1=I+L, where L is the Laplacian matrix of G. We show that for the paths and the so-called T-caterpillars, some diagonal entries of F (which provide a measure of the self-connectivity of vertices) converge to φ^-1 or to 1-φ^-1, where φ is the golden ratio, as the number of vertices goes to infinity. Thereby, in the asymptotic, the corresponding vertices can be metaphorically considered as “golden introverts” and “golden extroverts,” respectively. This metaphor is reinforced by a Markov chain interpretation of the doubly stochastic graph matrix, according to which F equals the overall transition matrix of a random walk with a random number of steps on G.     

Expected rank and randomness in rooted graphs

For a rooted graph G, let EV_b(G;p) be the expected number of vertices reachable from the root when each edge has an independent probability p of operating successfully. We determine the expected value of EV_b(G;p) for random trees, and include a connection to unrooted trees. We also consider rooted digraphs, computing the expected value of a random orientation of a rooted graph G in terms of EV_b(G;p). We consider optimal location of the root vertex for the class of grid graphs, and we also briefly discuss a polynomial that incorporates vertex failure.     

Two-factors in orientated graphs with forbidden transitions

The instance of the problem of finding 2-factors in an orientated graph with forbidden transitions consists of an orientated graph G and for each vertex v of G, a graph H_v of allowed transitions at v. Vertices of the graph H_v are the edges incident to v. An orientated 2-factor F of G is called legal if all the transitions are allowed, i.e. for every vertex v, the two edges of F adjacent to it form an edge in H_v. Deciding whether a legal 2-factor exists in G is NP-complete in general. We investigate the case when the graphs of allowed transitions are taken from some fixed class C. We provide an exact characterization of classes C so that the problem is NP-complete. In particular, we prove a dichotomy for this problem, i.e. that for any class C it is either polynomial or NP-complete.     

Local condition for planar graphs of maximum degree 7 to be 8-totally colorable

The total chromatic number of a graph G, denoted by χ^″(G), is the minimum number of colors needed to color the vertices and edges of G such that no two adjacent or incident elements get the same color. It is known that if a planar graph G has maximum degree Δ≥9, then χ^″(G)=Δ+1. In this paper, we prove that if G is a planar graph with maximum degree 7, and for every vertex v, there is an integer k_v∈{3,4,5,6} so that v is not incident with any k_v-cycle, then χ^″(G)=8.     

Coloring, location and domination of corona graphs

A vertex coloring of a graph G is an assignment of colors to the vertices of G so that every two adjacent vertices of G have different colors. A coloring related property of a graphs is also an assignment of colors or labels to the vertices of a graph, in which the process of labeling is done according to an extra condition. A set S of vertices of a graph G is a dominating set in G if every vertex outside of S is adjacent to at least one vertex belonging to S. A domination parameter of G is related to those structures of a graph that satisfy some domination property together with other conditions on the vertices of G. In this article we study several mathematical properties related to coloring, domination and location of corona graphs. We investigate the distance-k colorings of corona graphs. Particularly, we obtain tight bounds for the distance-2 chromatic number and distance-3 chromatic number of corona graphs, through some relationships between the distance-k chromatic number of corona graphs and the distance-k chromatic number of its factors. Moreover, we give the exact value of the distance-k chromatic number of the corona of a path and an arbitrary graph. On the other hand, we obtain bounds for the Roman dominating number and the locating–domination number of corona graphs. We give closed formulaes for the k-domination number, the distance-k domination number, the independence domination number, the domatic number and the idomatic number of corona graphs.     

More rotation numbers for complete bipartite graphs

Let G be a simple undirected graph which has p vertices and is rooted at x. Informally, the rotation number h(G, x) of this rooted graph is the minimum number of edges in a p vertex graph H such that for each vertex v of H, there exists a copy of G in H with the root x at v. In this article we calculate some rotation numbers for complete bipartite graphs, and thus greatly extend earlier results of Cockayne and Lorimer.     

Distance in stratified graphs

A graph G is stratified if its vertex set is partitioned into classes, called strata. If there are k strata, then G is k-stratified. These graphs were introduced to study problems in VLSI design. The strata in a stratified graph are also referred to as color classes. For a color X in a stratified graph G, the X-eccentricity e _X(v) of a vertex v of G is the distance between v and an X-colored vertex furthest from v. The minimum X-eccentricity among the vertices of G is the X-radius rad_X G of G and the maximum X-eccentricity is the X-diameter diam_X G. It is shown that for every three positive integers a, b and k with ab, there exist a k-stratified graph G with rad_X G = a and diam_X G = b. The number s _X denotes the minimum X-eccetricity among the X-colored vertices of G. It is shown that for every integer t with rad_X G t diam_X G, there exist at least one vertex v with e _X(v) = t; while if rad_X G t s _X, then there are at least two such vertices. The X-center C _X(G) is the subgraph induced by those vertices v with e _X(v) = rad_X G and the X-periphery P _X (G) is the subgraph induced by those vertices v with e _X(G) = diam_X G. It is shown that for k-stratified graphs H ₁, H ₂,..., H _k with colors X ₁, X ₂,..., X _k and a positive integer n, there exists a k-stratified graph G such that C X _i(G) H _i (1 ; i ; k1) and for i j. Those k-stratified graphs that are peripheries of k-stratified graphs are characterized. Other distance-related topics in stratified graphs are also discussed.     

Lower bounds on the signed total k-domination number of graphs

Let G be a graph with vertex set V(G). For any integer k ≥ 1, a signed total k-dominating function is a function f: V(G) → {?1, 1} satisfying ∑_x∈N(v)f(x) ≥ k for every v ∈ V(G), where N(v) is the neighborhood of v. The minimum of the values ∑_v∈V(G)f(v), taken over all signed total k-dominating functions f, is called the signed total k-domination number. In this note we present some new sharp lower bounds on the signed total k-domination number of a graph. Some of our results improve known bounds.     

Geodetic and Steiner geodetic sets in 3-Steiner distance hereditary graphs

Let G be a connected graph and S⊆V(G). Then the Steiner distance of S, denoted by d_G(S), is the smallest number of edges in a connected subgraph of G containing S. Such a subgraph is necessarily a tree called a Steiner tree for S. The Steiner interval for a set S of vertices in a graph, denoted by I(S) is the union of all vertices that belong to some Steiner tree for S. If S={u,v}, then I(S) is the interval I[u,v] between u and v. A connected graph G is 3-Steiner distance hereditary (3-SDH) if, for every connected induced subgraph H of order at least 3 and every set S of three vertices of H, d_H(S)=d_G(S). The eccentricity of a vertex v in a connected graph G is defined as e(v)=max{d(v,x)|x∈V(G)}. A vertex v in a graph G is a contour vertex if for every vertex u adjacent with v, e(u)?e(v). The closure of a set S of vertices, denoted by I[S], is defined to be the union of intervals between pairs of vertices of S taken over all pairs of vertices in S. A set of vertices of a graph G is a geodetic set if its closure is the vertex set of G. The smallest cardinality of a geodetic set of G is called the geodetic number of G and is denoted by g(G). A set S of vertices of a connected graph G is a Steiner geodetic set for G if I(S)=V(G). The smallest cardinality of a Steiner geodetic set of G is called the Steiner geodetic number of G and is denoted by sg(G). We show that the contour vertices of 3-SDH and HHD-free graphs are geodetic sets. For 3-SDH graphs we also show that g(G)?sg(G). An efficient algorithm for finding Steiner intervals in 3-SDH graphs is developed.     

A solitaire game played on 2-colored graphs

We introduce a solitaire game played on a graph. Initially one disk is placed at each vertex, one face green and the other red, oriented with either color facing up. Each move of the game consists of selecting a vertex whose disk shows green, flipping over the disks at neighboring vertices, and deleting the selected vertex. The game is won if all vertices are eliminated. We derive a simple parity-based necessary condition for winnability of a given game instance. By studying graph operations that construct new graphs from old ones, we obtain broad classes of graphs where this condition also suffices, thus characterizing the winnable games on such graphs. Concerning two familiar (but narrow) classes of graphs, we show that for trees a game is winnable if and only if the number of green vertices is odd, and for n-cubes a game is winnable if and only if the number of green vertices is even and not all vertices have the same color. We provide a linear-time algorithm for deciding winnability for games on maximal outerplanar graphs. We reduce the decision problem for winnability of a game on an arbitrary graph G to winnability of games on its blocks, and to winnability on homeomorphic images of G obtained by contracting edges at 2-valent vertices.     

An implicit degree ore-condition for pancyclicity of graphs

In 1989, Zhu, Li and Deng introduced the definition of implicit degree of a vertex v in a graph G, denoted by id(v). In this paper, we prove that if G is a 2-connected graph of order n such that id(u) + id(v) ≥ n for each pair of nonadjacent vertices u and v in G, then G is pancyclic unless G is bipartite, or else n = 4r, r ≥ 2 and G is isomorphic to F4r .     

Results on <Emphasis Type="Italic">F</Emphasis>-continuous graphs

For any nontrivial connected graph F and any graph G, the F-degree of a vertex v in G is the number of copies of F in G containing v. G is called F-continuous if and only if the F-degrees of any two adjacent vertices in G differ by at most 1; G is F-regular if the F-degrees of all vertices in G are the same. This paper classifies all P ₄-continuous graphs with girth greater than 3. We show that for any nontrivial connected graph F other than the star K _1,k , k ⩾ 1, there exists a regular graph that is not F-continuous. If F is 2-connected, then there exists a regular F-continuous graph that is not F-regular.      

A Generalization of Opsut’s Lower Bounds for the Competition Number of a Graph

The notion of a competition graph was introduced by Cohen in 1968. The competition graph C(D) of a digraph D is a (simple undirected) graph which has the same vertex set as D and has an edge between two distinct vertices x and y if and only if there exists a vertex v in D such that (x, v) and (y, v) are arcs of D. For any graph G, G together with sufficiently many isolated vertices is the competition graph of some acyclic digraph. In 1978, Roberts defined the competition number k(G) of a graph G as the minimum number of such isolated vertices. In general, it is hard to compute the competition number k(G) for a graph G and it has been one of the important research problems in the study of competition graphs to characterize a graph by its competition number. In 1982, Opsut gave two lower bounds for the competition number of a graph. In this paper, we give a generalization of these two lower bounds for the competition number of a graph.