Induced matching extendable graphs

We say that a simple graph G is induced matching extendable, shortly IM-extendable, if every induced matching of G is included in a perfect matching of G. The main results of this paper are as follows: (1) For every connected IM-extendable graph G with |V(G)| ≥ 4, the girth g(G) ≤ 4. (2) If G is a connected IM-extendable graph, then |E(G)| ≥ ${3\over 2}|V(G)| - 2$; the equality holds if and only if G ≅ T × K₂, where T is a tree. (3) The only 3-regular connected IM-extendable graphs are C_n × K₂, for n ≥ 3, and C_2n(1, n), for n ≥ 2, where C_2n(1, n) is the graph with 2n vertices x₀, x₁, …, x_2n−1, such that x_ix_j is an edge of C_2n(1, n) if either |i − j| ≡ 1 (mod 2n) or |i − j| ≡ n (mod 2n). © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Graph Theory 28: 203–213, 1998     

The average Steiner distance of a graph

The average distance μ(G) of a graph G is the average among the distances between all pairs of vertices in G. For n ≥ 2, the average Steiner n-distance μ_n(G) of a connected graph G is the average Steiner distance over all sets of n vertices in G. It is shown that for a connected weighted graph G, μ_n(G) ≤ μ_k(G) + μ_n+1−k(G) where 2 ≤ k ≤ n − 1. The range for the average Steiner n-distance of a connected graph G in terms of n and |V(G)| is established. Moreover, for a tree T and integer k, 2 ≤ k ≤ n − 1, it is shown that μ_n(T) ≤ (n/k)μ_k(T) and the range for μ_n(T) in terms of n and |V(T)| is established. Two efficient algorithms for finding the average Steiner n-distance of a tree are outlined. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Threshold characterization of graphs with dilworth number two

A graph with nodes 1, …, n is a threshold signed graph if one can find two positive real numbers S, T and real numbers a₁, …, a_n associated with the vertices in such a way that i, j are linked iff either |a_i + a_j| ≥ S or |a_i - a_j| ≥ T. Such graphs generalize threshold graphs. It is shown that these graphs are precisely the graphs with Dilworth number at most two (the Dilworth number is the maximum number of pairwise incomparable vertices in the vicinal preorder). Some other properties of this subclass of perfect graphs are also presented. The graphs considered in this paper are finite simple graphs G = (V, E), where V is the vertex set of G and E a subset of pairs of G. For x V, N(x) denotes the neighbor set of x: N(x) = {y | {x, y} E}.     

A New Construction for Cohen–Macaulay Graphs

Let G be a finite simple graph on a vertex set V(G) = {x ₁₁,…, x _n1}. Also let m ₁,…, m _n  ≥ 2 be integers and G ₁,…, G _n be connected simple graphs on the vertex sets V(G _i ) = {x _i1,…, x _{im i} }. In this article, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions on G ₁,…, G _n for which the graph obtained by attaching the G _i to G is unmixed or vertex decomposable. Then we characterize Cohen–Macaulay and sequentially Cohen–Macaulay graphs obtained by attaching the cycle graphs or connected chordal graphs to arbitrary graphs.     

Covering a graph with cycles passing through given edges

We propose a conjecture: for each integer k ≥ 2, there exists N(k) such that if G is a graph of order n ≥ N(k) and d(x) + d(y) ≥ n + 2k - 2 for each pair of non-adjacent vertices x and y of G, then for any k independent edges e₁, …, e_k of G, there exist k vertex-disjoint cycles C₁, …, C_k in G such that e_i ∈ E(C_i) for all i ∈ {1, …, k} and V(C₁ ∪ ···∪ C_k) = V(G). If this conjecture is true, the condition on the degrees of G is sharp. We prove this conjecture for the case k = 2 in the paper. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 26: 105–109, 1997     

Partitions of a graph into paths with prescribed endvertices and lengths

For a graph G, let σ₂(G) denote the minimum degree sum of a pair of nonadjacent vertices. We conjecture that if |V(G)| = n = Σ^k_{i = 1} a_i and σ₂(G) ≥ n + k − 1, then for any k vertices v₁, v₂,…, v_k in G, there exist vertex‐disjoint paths P₁, P₂,…, P_k such that |V(P_i)| = a_i and v_i is an endvertex of P_i for 1 ≤ i ≤ k. In this paper, we verify the conjecture for the cases where almost all a_i ≤ 5, and the cases where k ≤ 3. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 34: 163–169, 2000     

Optimal labelling of a product of two paths

If G is a graph with p vertices and at least one edge, we set φ (G) = m n max |f(u) ? f(v)|, where the maximum is taken over all edges uv and the minimum over all one-to-one mappings f : V(G) → {1, 2, …, p}: V(G) denotes the set of vertices of G.P_n will denote a path of length n whose vertices are integers 1, 2, …, n with i adjacent to j if and only if |i ? j| = 1. P_m × P_n will denote a graph whose vertices are elements of {1, 2, …, m} × {1, 2, …, n} and in which (i, j), (r, s) are adjacent whenever either i = r and |j ? s| = 1 or j = s and |i ? r| = 1.Theorem.If max(m, n) ? 2, thenφ(P_m × P_n) = min(m, n).     

Relation between frobenius and 2-frobenius groups with order components of finite groups

IfG is a finite group, we define its prime graph Г(G), as follows: its vertices are the primes dividing the order ofG and two verticesp, q are joined by an edge, if there is an element inG of orderpq. We denote the set of all the connected components of the graph Г(G) by T(G)= {π_i(G), fori = 1,2, …,t(G)}, where t(G) is the number of connected components of Г(G). We also denote by π(n) the set of all primes dividingn, wheren is a natural number. Then ¦G¦ can be expressed as a product of m₁, m₂, …, m_t(G), where m_i’s are positive integers with π(m_i) = π_i. Thesem _i ’s are called the order components ofG. LetOC(G) := {m ₁,m ₂, …,m _t (G)} be the set of order components ofG. In this paper we prove that, if G is a finite group andOC(G) =OC(M), where M is a finite simple group witht(M) ≥ 2, thenG is neither Frobenius nor 2-Frobenius.     

The ratio of the distance irredundance and domination numbers of a graph

Let n ≥ 1 be an integer and let G be a graph. A set D of vertices in G is defined to be an n-dominating set of G if every vertex of G is within distance n from some vertex of D. The minimum cardinality among all n-dominating sets of G is called the n-domination number of G and is denoted by γ_n(G). A set / of vertices in G is n-irredundant if for every vertex x ∈ / there exists a vertex y that is within distance n from x but at distance greater than n from every vertex of / - {x}. The n-irredundance number of G, denoted by ir_n(G), is the minimum cardinality taken over all maximal n-irredundant sets of vertices of G. We show that inf{ir_n(G)/γ_n(G) | G is an arbitrary finite undirected graph with neither loops nor multiple edges} = 1/2 with the infimum not being attained. Subsequently, we show that 2/3 is a lower bound on all quotients ir_n(T)/γ_n(T) in which T is a tree. Furthermore, we show that, for n ≥ 2, this bound is sharp. These results extend those of R. B. Allan and R.C. Laskar [“On Domination and Some Related Concepts in Graph Theory,” Utilitas Mathematica, Vol. 21 (1978), pp. 43–56], B. Bollobás and E. J. Cockayne [“Graph-Theoretic Parameters Concerning Domination, Independence and Irredundance,” Journal of Graph Theory, Vol. 3 (1979), pp. 241–249], and P. Damaschke [Irredundance Number versus Domination Number, Discrete Mathematics, Vol. 89 (1991), pp. 101–104].     

Average distance,minimum degree,and spanning trees

The average distance μ(G) of a connected graph G of order n is the average of the distances between all pairs of vertices of G, i.e., μ(G) = ()⁻¹ Σ_{x,y}⊂V(G) d_G(x, y), where V(G) denotes the vertex set of G and d_G(x, y) is the distance between x and y. We prove that every connected graph of order n and minimum degree δ has a spanning tree T with average distance at most . We give improved bounds for K₃‐free graphs, C₄‐free graphs, and for graphs of given girth. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 33: 1–13, 2000     

Two‐factors each component of which contains a specified vertex

It is shown that if G is a graph of order n with minimum degree δ(G), then for any set of k specified vertices {v₁,v₂,…,v_k} ? V(G), there is a 2‐factor of G with precisely k cycles {C₁,C₂,…,C_k} such that v_i ∈ V(C_i) for (1 ≤ i ≤ k) if or 3k + 1 ≤ n ≤ 4k, or 4k ≤ n ≤ 6k ? 3,δ(G) ≥ 3k ? 1 or n ≥ 6k ? 3, . Examples are described that indicate this result is sharp. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 43: 188–198, 2003     

Quasi‐randomness of graph balanced cut properties

Quasi‐random graphs can be informally described as graphs whose edge distribution closely resembles that of a truly random graph of the same edge density. Recently, Shapira and Yuster proved the following result on quasi‐randomness of graphs. Let k ≥ 2 be a fixed integer, α₁,…,α_k be positive reals satisfying \begin{align*}\sum_{i} \alpha_i = 1\end{align*} and (α₁,…,α_k)≠(1/k,…,1/k), and G be a graph on n vertices. If for every partition of the vertices of G into sets V ₁,…,V _k of size α₁n,…,α_kn, the number of complete graphs on k vertices which have exactly one vertex in each of these sets is similar to what we would expect in a random graph, then the graph is quasi‐random. However, the method of quasi‐random hypergraphs they used did not provide enough information to resolve the case (1/k,…,1/k) for graphs. In their work, Shapira and Yuster asked whether this case also forces the graph to be quasi‐random. Janson also posed the same question in his study of quasi‐randomness under the framework of graph limits. In this paper, we positively answer their question. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2011     

Maximum hitting time for random walks on graphs

For x and y vertices of a connected graph G, let T_G(x, y) denote the expected time before a random walk starting from x reaches y. We determine, for each n > 0, the n-vertex graph G and vertices x and y for which T_G(x, y) is maximized. the extremal graph consists of a clique on ?(2n + 1)/3?) (or ?)(2_n ? 2)/3?) vertices, including x, to which a path on the remaining vertices, ending in y, has been attached; the expected time T_G(x, y) to reach y from x in this graph is approximately 4_n³/27.     

The profile of the Cartesian product of graphs

Given a graph G, a proper labelingf of G is a one-to-one function from V(G) onto {1,2,…,|V(G)|}. For a proper labeling f of G, the profile widthw_f(v) of a vertex v is the minimum value of f(v)−f(x), where x belongs to the closed neighborhood of v. The profile of a proper labelingfofG, denoted by P_f(G), is the sum of all the w_f(v), where v∈V(G). The profile ofG is the minimum value of P_f(G), where f runs over all proper labeling of G. In this paper, we show that if the vertices of a graph G can be ordered to satisfy a special neighborhood property, then so can the graph G×Q_n. This can be used to determine the profile of Q_n and K_m×Q_n.     

Covering the vertices of a graph by cycles of prescribed length

The main theorem of that paper is the following: let G be a graph of order n, of size at least (n² - 3n + 6)/2. For any integers k, n₁, n₂,…,n_k such that n = n₁ + n₂ +. + n_k and n_i ? 3, there exists a covering of the vertices of G by disjoint cycles (C_i) =l…k with |C_i| = ni, except when n = 6, n₁ = 3, n₂ = 3, and G is isomorphic to G₁, the complement of G₁ consisting of a C₃ and a stable set of three vertices, or when n = 9, n₁ = n₂ = n₃ = 3, and G is isomorphic to G₂, the complement of G₂ consisting of a complete graph on four vertices and a stable set of five vertices. We prove an analogous theorem for bipartite graphs: let G be a bipartite balanced graph of order 2n, of size at least n² - n + 2. For any integers s, n₁, n₂,…,n_s with n_i ? 2 and n = n₁ + n₂ + ? + n_s, there exists a covering of the vertices of G by s disjoint cycles C_i, with |C_i| = 2n_i.     

Graph decompositions without isolated vertices III

Let G be a graph of order n, and n = Σ^k_i=1 a_i be a partition of n with a_i ≥ 2. In this article we show that if the minimum degree of G is at least 3k−2, then for any distinct k vertices v₁,…, v_k of G, the vertex set V(G) can be decomposed into k disjoint subsets A₁,…, A_k so that |A_i| = a_i,v_iisA_i is an element of A_i and “the subgraph induced by A_i contains no isolated vertices” for all i, 1 ≥ i ≥ k. Here, the bound on the minimum degree is sharp. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

An asymptotic version of a conjecture by Enomoto and Ota

In 2000, Enomoto and Ota [J Graph Theory 34 (2000), 163–169] stated the following conjecture. Let G be a graph of order n, and let n₁, n₂, …, n_k be positive integers with \begin{eqnarray*}\sum\nolimits_{{{i}} = {{1}}}^{{{k}}} {{n}}_{{{i}}} = {{n}}\end{eqnarray*}. If σ₂(G)≥n+ k?1, then for any k distinct vertices x₁, x₂, …, x_k in G, there exist vertex disjoint paths P₁, P₂, …, P_k such that |P_i|=n_i and x_i is an endpoint of P_i for every i, 1≤i≤k. We prove an asymptotic version of this conjecture in the following sense. For every k positive real numbers γ₁, …, γ_k with \begin{eqnarray*}\sum\nolimits_{{{i}} = {{1}}}^{{{k}}} \gamma_{{{i}}} = {{1}}\end{eqnarray*}, and for every ε>0, there exists n₀ such that for every graph G of order n≥n₀ with σ₂(G)≥n+ k?1, and for every choice of k vertices x₁, …, x_k∈V(G), there exist vertex disjoint paths P₁, …, P_k in G such that \begin{eqnarray*}\sum\nolimits_{{{i}} = {{1}}}^{{{k}}} |{{P}}_{{{i}}}| = {{n}}\end{eqnarray*}, the vertex x_i is an endpoint of the path P_i, and (γ_i?ε)n<|P_i|<(γ_i + ε)n for every i, 1≤i≤k. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 64: 37–51, 2010     

A degree condition for the circumference of a graph

We present a new condition on the degree sums of a graph that implies the existence of a long cycle. Let c(G) denote the length of a longest cycle in the graph G and let m be any positive integer. Suppose G is a 2-connected graph with vertices x₁,…,x_n and edge set E that satisfies the property that, for any two integers j and k with j < k, x_jx_k ? E, d(x_i) ? j and d(x_k) ? K - 1, we have (1) d(x_i) + d(x_k ? m if j + k ? n and (2) if j + k < n, either m ? n or d(x_j) + d(x_k) ? min(K + 1,m). Then c(G) ? min(m, n). This result unifies previous results of J.C. Bermond and M. Las Vergnas, respectively.