Vertex pancyclicity in quasi-claw-free graphs

A graph G is called quasi-claw-free if for any two vertices x and y with distance two there exists a vertex u∈N(x)∩N(y) such that N[u]⊆N[x]∪N[y]. This concept is a natural extension of the classical claw-free graphs. In this paper, we present two sufficient conditions for vertex pancyclicity in quasi-claw-free graphs, namely, quasilocally connected and almost locally connected graphs. Our results include some well-known results on claw-free graphs as special cases. We also give an affirmative answer to a problem proposed by Ainouche.     

Hamiltonism and Partially Square Graphs

 Given a graph G, we define its partially square graph G ^* as the graph obtained by adding edges uv whenever the vertices u and v have a common neighbor x satisfying the condition N _G[x]⊆N _G[u]∪N _G [v], where N _G[x]=N _G(x)∪{x}. In particular, this condition is satisfied if x does not center a claw (an induced K _1,3). Obviously G⊆G ^*⊆G ², where G ² is the square of G. We prove that a k-connected graph (k≥2) G is hamiltonian if the independence number α(G ^*) of G ^* does not exceed k. If we replace G ^* by G we get a well known result of Chvátal and Erdo?s. If G is claw-free and G ^* is replaced by G ² then we obtain a result of Ainouche, Broersma and Veldman. Relationships between connectivity of G and independence number of G ^* for other hamiltonian properties are also given in this paper. Received: June 17, 1996 Revised: October 30, 1998     

Cycles in Partially Square Graphs

. In this work we consider finite undirected simple graphs. If G=(V,E) is a graph we denote by α(G) the stability number of G. For any vertex x let N[x] be the union of x and the neighborhood N(x). For each pair of vertices ab of G we associate the set J(a,b) as follows. J(a,b)={u∈N[a]∩N[b]∣N(u)⊆N[a]∪N[b]}. Given a graph G, its partially squareG ^* is the graph obtained by adding an edge uv for each pair u,v of vertices of G at distance 2 whenever J(u,v) is not empty. In the case G is a claw-free graph, G ^* is equal to G ². If G is k-connected, we cover the vertices of G by at most ⌈α(G ^*)/k⌉ cycles, where α(G ^*) is the stability number of the partially square graph of G. On the other hand we consider in G ^* conditions on the sum of the degrees. Let G be any 2-connected graph and t be any integer (t≥2). If ∑ _{x ∈ S} deg _G (x)≥|G|, for every t-stable set S⊆V(G) of G ^* then the vertex set of G can be covered with t−1 cycles. Different corollaries on covering by paths are given. Received: January 22, 1997 Final version received: February 15, 2000     

On spanning connected graphs

A k-containerC(u,v) of G between u and v is a set of k internally disjoint paths between u and v. A k-container C(u,v) of G is a k^*-container if the set of the vertices of all the paths in C(u,v) contains all the vertices of G. A graph G is k^*-connected if there exists a k^*-container between any two distinct vertices. Therefore, a graph is 1^*-connected (respectively, 2^*-connected) if and only if it is hamiltonian connected (respectively, hamiltonian). In this paper, a classical theorem of Ore, providing sufficient conditional for a graph to be hamiltonian (respectively, hamiltonian connected), is generalized to k^*-connected graphs.     

On the spanning connectivity of graphs

A k-containerC(u,v) of G between u and v is a set of k internally disjoint paths between u and v. A k-container C(u,v) of G is a k^*-container if it contains all vertices of G. A graph G is k^*-connected if there exists a k^*-container between any two distinct vertices. The spanning connectivity of G, κ^*(G), is defined to be the largest integer k such that G is w^*-connected for all 1?w?k if G is a 1^*-connected graph. In this paper, we prove that κ^*(G)?2δ(G)-n(G)+2 if (n(G)/2)+1?δ(G)?n(G)-2. Furthermore, we prove that κ^*(G-T)?2δ(G)-n(G)+2-|T| if T is a vertex subset with |T|?2δ(G)-n(G)-1.     

Hamiltonian Cycles in Almost Claw-Free Graphs

 Some known results on claw-free graphs are generalized to the larger class of almost claw-free graphs. In this paper, we prove the following two results and conjecture that every 5-connected almost claw-free graph is hamiltonian. (1). Every 2-connected almost claw-free graph G∉J on n≤ 4 δ vertices is hamiltonian, where J is the set of all graphs defined as follows: any graph G in J can be decomposed into three disjoint connected subgraphs G ₁, G ₂ and G ₃ such that E _G (G _i , G _j ) = {u _i , u _j , v _i v _j } for i≠j and i,j = 1, 2, 3 (where u _i ≠v _i ∈V(G _i ) for i = 1, 2, 3). Moreover the bound 4δ is best possible, thereby fully generalizing several previous results. (2). Every 3-connected almost claw-free graph on at most 5δ−5 vertices is hamiltonian, hereby fully generalizing the corresponding result on claw-free graphs. Received: September 21, 1998 Final version received: August 18, 1999     

A closure concept in factor-critical graphs

A graph G is called n-factor-critical if the removal of every set of n vertices results in a~graph with a~1-factor. We prove the following theorem: Let G be a~graph and let x be a~locally n-connected vertex. Let {u,v} be a~pair of vertices in V(G)−{x} such that uv∉E(G), x∈N_G(u)∩N_G(v), and N_G(x)⊂N_G(u)∪N_G(v)∪{u,v}. Then G is n-factor-critical if and only if G+uv is n-factor-critical.     

Distance-Dominating Cycles in Quasi Claw-Free Graphs

We say that a graph G is quasi claw-free if every pair (a ₁, a ₂) of vertices at distance 2 satisfies {u∈N (a ₁)∩N (a ₂) | N[u]⊆N[a ₁]∪N [a ₂]}≠∅. A cycle C is m-dominating if every vertex of G is of distance at most m from C. We prove that if G is a κ-connected (κ≥2) quasi claw-free graph then either G has an m-dominating cycle or G has a set of at least κ+1 vertices such that the distance between every pair of them is at least 2m+3. Received: June 12, 1996 Revised: November 9, 1998     

A characterization of block graphs

A block graph is a graph whose blocks are cliques. For each edge e=uv of a graph G, let N_e(u) denote the set of all vertices in G which are closer to u than v. In this paper we prove that a graph G is a block graph if and only if it satisfies two conditions: (a) The shortest path between any two vertices of G is unique; and (b) For each edge e=uv∈E(G), if x∈N_e(u) and y∈N_e(v), then, and only then, the shortest path between x and y contains the edge e. This confirms a conjecture of Dobrynin and Gutman [A.A. Dobrynin, I. Gutman, On a graph invariant related to the sum of all distances in a graph, Publ. Inst. Math., Beograd. 56 (1994) 18-22].     

The effects of distance and neighborhood union conditions on hamiltonian properties in graphs

We prove that a 2-connected graph G of order p is hamiltonian if for all distinct vertices u and v, dist(u,v) = 2 implies that |N(u) U N(v)| ? (2p - 1)/3. We also demonstrate hamiltonian-connected and traceability properties in graphs under similar conditions.     

A new sufficient condition for Hamiltonian graphs

The study of Hamiltonian graphs began with Dirac’s classic result in 1952. This was followed by that of Ore in 1960. In 1984 Fan generalized both these results with the following result: If G is a 2-connected graph of order n and max{d(u),d(v)}≥n/2 for each pair of vertices u and v with distance d(u,v)=2, then G is Hamiltonian. In 1991 Faudree–Gould–Jacobson–Lesnick proved that if G is a 2-connected graph and |N(u)∪N(v)|+δ(G)≥n for each pair of nonadjacent vertices u,v∈V(G), then G is Hamiltonian. This paper generalizes the above results when G is 3-connected. We show that if G is a 3-connected graph of order n and max{|N(x)∪N(y)|+d(u),|N(w)∪N(z)|+d(v)}≥n for every choice of vertices x,y,u,w,z,v such that d(x,y)=d(y,u)=d(w,z)=d(z,v)=d(u,v)=2 and where x,y and u are three distinct vertices and w,z and v are also three distinct vertices (and possibly |{x,y}∩{w,z}| is 1 or 2), then G is Hamiltonian.     

Sparse connectivity certificates via MA orderings in graphs

For an undirected multigraph G=(V,E), let α be a positive integer weight function on V. For a positive integer k, G is called (k,α)-connected if any two vertices u,v∈V remain connected after removal of any pair (Z,E^′) of a vertex subset Z⊆V-{u,v} and an edge subset E^′⊆E such that ∑_v∈Zα(v)+|E^′|<k. The (k,α)-connectivity is an extension of several common generalizations of edge-connectivity and vertex-connectivity. Given a (k,α)-connected graph G, we show that a (k,α)-connected spanning subgraph of G with O(k|V|) edges can be found in linear time by using MA orderings. We also show that properties on removal cycles and preservation of minimum cuts can be extended in the (k,α)-connectivity.     

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.     

On the computation of the hull number of a graph

Let G be a graph. If u,v∈V(G), a u-vshortest path of G is a path linking u and v with minimum number of edges. The closed interval I[u,v] consists of all vertices lying in some u-v shortest path of G. For S⊆V(G), the set I[S] is the union of all sets I[u,v] for u,v∈S. We say that S is a convex set if I[S]=S. The convex hull of S, denoted I_h[S], is the smallest convex set containing S. A set S is a hull set of G if I_h[S]=V(G). The cardinality of a minimum hull set of G is the hull number of G, denoted by hn(G). In this work we prove that deciding whether hn(G)≤k is NP-complete.We also present polynomial-time algorithms for computing hn(G) when G is a unit interval graph, a cograph or a split graph.     

The forcing hull and forcing geodetic numbers of graphs

For every pair of vertices u,v in a graph, a u-v geodesic is a shortest path from u to v. For a graph G, let I_G[u,v] denote the set of all vertices lying on a u-v geodesic. Let S⊆V(G) and I_G[S] denote the union of all I_G[u,v] for all u,v∈S. A subset S⊆V(G) is a convex set of G if I_G[S]=S. A convex hull [S]_G of S is a minimum convex set containing S. A subset S of V(G) is a hull set of G if [S]_G=V(G). The hull number h(G) of a graph G is the minimum cardinality of a hull set in G. A subset S of V(G) is a geodetic set if I_G[S]=V(G). The geodetic number g(G) of a graph G is the minimum cardinality of a geodetic set in G. A subset F⊆V(G) is called a forcing hull (or geodetic) subset of G if there exists a unique minimum hull (or geodetic) set containing F. The cardinality of a minimum forcing hull subset in G is called the forcing hull number f_h(G) of G and the cardinality of a minimum forcing geodetic subset in G is called the forcing geodetic number f_g(G) of G. In the paper, we construct some 2-connected graph G with (f_h(G),f_g(G))=(0,0),(1,0), or (0,1), and prove that, for any nonnegative integers a, b, and c with a+b≥2, there exists a 2-connected graph G with (f_h(G),f_g(G),h(G),g(G))=(a,b,a+b+c,a+2b+c) or (a,2a+b,a+b+c,2a+2b+c). These results confirm a conjecture of Chartrand and Zhang proposed in [G. Chartrand, P. Zhang, The forcing hull number of a graph, J. Combin. Math. Combin. Comput. 36 (2001) 81-94].     

Constructing and classifying neighborhood anti-Sperner graphs

For a simple graph G let N_G(u) be the (open) neighborhood of vertex u∈V(G). Then G is neighborhood anti-Sperner (NAS) if for every u there is a v∈V(G)?{u} with N_G(u)⊆N_G(v). And a graph H is neighborhood distinct (ND) if every neighborhood is distinct, i.e., if N_H(u)≠N_H(v) when u≠v, for all u and v∈V(H).In Porter and Yucas [T.D. Porter, J.L. Yucas. Graphs whose vertex-neighborhoods are anti-sperner, Bulletin of the Institute of Combinatorics and its Applications 44 (2005) 69-77] a characterization of regular NAS graphs was given: ‘each regular NAS graph can be obtained from a host graph by replacing vertices by null graphs of appropriate sizes, and then joining these null graphs in a prescribed manner’. We extend this characterization to all NAS graphs, and give algorithms to construct all NAS graphs from host ND graphs. Then we find and classify all connected r-regular NAS graphs for r=0,1,…,6.     

Every 4-connected line graph of a quasi claw-free graph is hamiltonian connected

Let G be a graph. For u,vV(G) with dist_G(u,v)=2, denote J_G(u,v)={wN_G(u)∩N_G(v)|N_G(w)N_G(u)N_G(v){u,v}}. A graph G is called quasi claw-free if J_G(u,v)≠ for any u,vV(G) with dist_G(u,v)=2. In 1986, Thomassen conjectured that every 4-connected line graph is hamiltonian. In this paper we show that every 4-connected line graph of a quasi claw-free graph is hamiltonian connected.     

On geodetic sets formed by boundary vertices

Let G be a finite simple connected graph. A vertex v is a boundary vertex of G if there exists a vertex u such that no neighbor of v is further away from u than v. We obtain a number of properties involving different types of boundary vertices: peripheral, contour and eccentric vertices. Before showing that one of the main results in [G. Chartrand, D. Erwin, G.L. Johns, P. Zhang, Boundary vertices in graphs, Discrete Math. 263 (2003) 25-34] does not hold for one of the cases, we establish a realization theorem that not only corrects the mentioned wrong statement but also improves it.Given S⊆V(G), its geodetic closure I[S] is the set of all vertices lying on some shortest path joining two vertices of S. We prove that the boundary vertex set ∂(G) of any graph G is geodetic, that is, I[∂(G)]=V(G). A vertex v belongs to the contour Ct(G) of G if no neighbor of v has an eccentricity greater than v. We present some sufficient conditions to guarantee the geodeticity of either the contour Ct(G) or its geodetic closure I[Ct(G)].     

Hamiltonicity of 6-connected line graphs

Let G be a graph and let D₆(G)={v∈V(G)|d_G(v)=6}. In this paper we prove that: (i) If G is a 6-connected claw-free graph and if |D₆(G)|≤74 or G[D₆(G)] contains at most 8 vertex disjoint K₄’s, then G is Hamiltonian; (ii) If G is a 6-connected line graph and if |D₆(G)|≤54 or G[D₆(G)] contains at most 5 vertex disjoint K₄’s, then G is Hamilton-connected.     

A note on the weakly convex and convex domination numbers of a torus

The distanced_G(u,v) between two vertices u and v in a connected graph G is the length of the shortest (u,v) path in G. A (u,v) path of length d_G(u,v) is called a (u,v)-geodesic. A set X⊆V is called weakly convex in G if for every two vertices a,b∈X, exists an (a,b)-geodesic, all of whose vertices belong to X. A set X is convex in G if for all a,b∈X all vertices from every (a,b)-geodesic belong to X. The weakly convex domination number of a graph G is the minimum cardinality of a weakly convex dominating set of G, while the convex domination number of a graph G is the minimum cardinality of a convex dominating set of G. In this paper we consider weakly convex and convex domination numbers of tori.