On partitions of {1,…,2m + 1}\{k} into differences d,…,d + m − 1: Extended Langford sequences of large defect

It is shown that for m = 2d ? 1, 2d, 2d + 1, and d ≥ 1, the set {1, 2,…, 2m + 2}, ? {2,k} can be partitioned into differences d,d + 1,…,d + m ? 1 whenever (m,k) ≡ (0,0), (1,d + 1), (2, 1), (3,d) (mod (4,2)) and (d,m,k) ≠ (1,1,3), (2,3,7) (where (x,y) ≡ (u,ν) mod (m,n) iff x ≡ u (mod m) and y ≡ ν (mod n)). It is also shown that if m ≥ 2d ? 1 and m ? [2d + 2, 8d ? 5], then the set {1, 2, …, 2m + 1} ? {k} can be partitioned into differences d,d + 1,…,d + m ? 1 whenever (m,k) ≡ (0, 1), (1,d), (2,0), (3,d + 1) mod (4,2). Finally, for d = 4 we obtain a complete result for when {1,…,2m + 1} ? {k} can be partitioned into differences 4,5,…,m + 3. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Extended skolem sequences

A k-extended Skolem sequence of order n is an integer sequence (s₁, s₂,…, s_2n+1) in which s_k = 0 and for each j ? {1,…,n}, there exists a unique i ? {1,…, 2n} such that s_i = s_i+j = j. We show that such a sequence exists if and only if either 1) k is odd and n ≡ 0 or 1 (mod 4) or (2) k is even and n ≡ 2 or 3 (mod 4). The same conditions are also shown to be necessary and sufficient for the existence of excess Skolem sequences. Finally, we use extended Skolem sequences to construct maximal cyclic partial triple systems. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Existential closure of block intersection graphs of infinite designs having finite block size and index

In this article we study the n‐existential closure property of the block intersection graphs of infinite t‐(v, k, λ) designs for which the block size k and the index λ are both finite. We show that such block intersection graphs are 2‐e.c. when 2?t?k ? 1. When λ = 1 and 2?t?k, then a necessary and sufficient condition on n for the block intersection graph to be n‐e.c. is that n?min{t, ?(k ? 1)/(t ? 1)? + 1}. If λ?2 then we show that the block intersection graph is not n‐e.c. for any n?min{t + 1, ?k/t? + 1}, and that for 3?n?min{t, ?k/t?} the block intersection graph is potentially but not necessarily n‐e.c. The cases t = 1 and t = k are also discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 19: 85–94, 2011     

On cyclic caps in 4-dimensional projective spaces

For any divisor k of q ⁴−1, the elements of a group of k th-roots of unity can be viewed as a cyclic point set C _k in PG(4,q). An interesting problem, connected to the theory of BCH codes, is to determine the spectrum A(q) of maximal divisors k of q ⁴−1 for which C _k is a cap. Recently, Bierbrauer and Edel [Edel and Bierbrauer (2004) Finite Fields Appl 10:168–182] have proved that 3(q ² + 1)∈A(q) provided that q is an even non-square. In this paper, the odd order case is investigated. It is proved that the only integer m for which m(q ² + 1)∈A(q) is m = 2 for q ≡ 3 (mod 4), m = 1 for q ≡ 1 (mod 4). It is also shown that when q ≡ 3 (mod 4), the cap is complete.      

Existence of large sets of disjoint group‐divisible designs with block size three and type 2n41

Large sets of disjoint group‐divisible designs with block size three and type 2ⁿ4¹ (denoted by LS (2ⁿ4¹)) were first studied by Schellenberg and Stinson and motivated by their connection with perfect threshold schemes. It is known that such large sets can exist only for n ≡ 0 (mod 3) and do exist for any n ? {12, 36, 48, 144} ∪ {m > 6 : m ≡ 6,30 (mod 36)}. In this paper, we show that an LS (2^{12k + 6}4¹) exists for any k ≠ 2. So, the existence of LS (2ⁿ4¹) is almost solved with five possible exceptions n ∈ {12, 30, 36, 48, 144}. This solution is based on the known existence results of S (3, 4, v)s by Hanani and special S (3, {4, 6}, 6m)s by Mills. Partitionable H (q, 2, 3, 3) frames also play an important role together with a special known LS (2¹⁸4¹) with a subdesign LS (2⁶4¹). © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Existence of (q,k, 1) difference families with q a prime power and k = 4, 5

The existence of a (q, k, 1) difference family in GF(q) has been completely solved for k = 3. For k = 4, 5 partial results have been given by Bose, Wilson, and Buratti. In this article, we continue the investigation and show that the necessary condition for the existence of a (q, k, 1) difference family in GF(q), i.e., q ≡ 1 (mod k(k − 1)) is also sufficient for k = 4, 5. For general k, Wilson's bound shows that a (q, k, 1) difference family in GF(q) exists whenever q ≡ 1 (mod k(k − 1)) and q > [k(k − 1)/2]^k(k−1). An improved bound on q is also presented. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Combin Designs 7: 21–30, 1999     

Covering pairs by quintuples with index λ  0 (mod 4)

A (v, k. λ) covering design of order v, block size k, and index λ is a collection of k-element subsets, called blocks, of a set V such that every 2-subset of V occurs in at least λ blocks. The covering problem is to determine the minimum number of blocks, α(v, k, λ), in a covering design. It is well known that $ \alpha \left({\nu,\kappa,\lambda } \right) \ge \left\lceil {\frac{\nu}{\kappa}\left\lceil {\frac{{\nu - 1}}{{\kappa - 1}}\lambda} \right\rceil} \right\rceil = \phi \left({\nu,\kappa,\lambda} \right) $, where [χ] is the smallest integer satisfying χ ≤ χ. It is shown here that α (v, 5, λ) = ?(v, 5, λ) + ? where λ ≡ 0 (mod 4) and e= 1 if λ (v?1)≡ 0(mod 4) and λv (v?1)/4 ≡ ?1 (mod 5) and e= 0 otherwise With the possible exception of (v,λ) = (28, 4). © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Block designs with large holes and α -resolvable BIBDs

In a (v, k, λ: w) incomplete block design (IBD) (or PBD [v, {k, w^*}. λ]), the relation v ≥ (k ? 1)w + 1 must hold. In the case of equality, the IBD is referred to as a block design with a large hole, and the existence of such a configuration is equivalent to the existence of a λ-resolvable BIBD(v ? w, k ? 1, λ). The existence of such configurations is investigated for the case of k = 5. Necessary and sufficient conditions are given for all v and λ ? 2 (mod 4), and for λ ≡ 2 mod 4 with 11 possible exceptions for v. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On some t−(2k, k, λ) designs

t?(2k, k, λ) designs having a property similar to that of Hadamard 3-designs are studied. We consider conditions (i), (ii), or (iii) for t?(2k, k, λ) designs: (i) The complement of each block is a block. (ii) If A and B are a complementary pair of blocks, then ∥ A ∩ C ∥ = ∥ B ∩ C ∥ ± u holds for any block C distinct from A and B, where u is a positive integer. (iii) if A and B are a complementary pair of blocks, then ∥ A ∩ C ∥ = ∥ B ∩ C ∥ or ∥ A ∩ C ∥ = ∥ B ∩ C ∥ ± u holds for any block C distinct from A and B, where u is a positive integer. We show that a t?(2k, k, λ) design with t ? 2 and with properties (i) and (ii) is a 3?(2u(2u + 1), u(2u + 1), u(2u² + u ? 2)) design, and that a t?(2k, k, λ) design with t ? 4 and with properties (i) and (iii) is the 5-(12, 6, 1) design, the 4-(8, 4, 1) design, a $\text{5?(2u}{}^2\text{, u}{}^2\text{,}\text{1}\text{4}\text{(u}{}^2\text{? 3) (u}{}^2\text{? 4))}$ design, or a $\text{5?(}\text{2}\text{3}\text{u(2u + 1),}\text{1}\text{3}\text{u(2u = 1),}\text{1}\text{5 4}\text{u(2u}{}^2\text{+ u ? 9) (2u}{}^2\text{+ u ? 12))}$ design.     

Regular subgraphs of almost regular graphs

Suppose every vertex of a graph G has degree k or k + 1 and at least one vertex has degree k + 1. It is shown that if k ≥ 2q ? 2 and q is a prime power then G contains a q-regular subgraph (and hence an r-regular subgraph for all r < q, r ≡ q (mod 2)). It is also proved that every simple graph with maximal degree Δ ≥ 2q ? 2 and average degree $\text{d > (}\text{(2q ? 2)}\text{(2q ? 1)}\text{)(Δ + 1)}$, where q is a prime power, contains a q-regular subgraph (and hence an r-regular subgraph for all r < q, r ≡ q (mod 2)). These results follow from Chevalley's and Olson's theorems on congruences.     

Hooked extended Langford sequences of small and large defects

It is shown that for m = 2d +5, 2d+6, 2d+7 and d ≥ 1, the set {1, …, 2m + 1} ? {k} can be partitioned into differences d, d + 1, …, d + m ? 1 whenever (m, k) ≡ (0, 1), (1, d), (2, 0), (3, d+1) (mod (4, 2)) and 1 ≤ k ≤ 2m+1. It is also shown that for m = 2d + 5, 2d + 6, 2d + 7, and d ≥ 1, the set {1, …, 2m + 2} ? {k, 2m + 1} can be partitioned into differences d, d + 1, … …, d + m ? 1 whenever (m, k) ≡ (0, 0), (1, d + 1), (2, 1), (3, d) (mod (4, 2)) and k ≥ m + 2. These partitions are used to show that if m ≥ 8d + 3, then the set {1, … …, 2m+2}?{k, 2m+1} can be partitioned into differences d, d+1, …, d+m?1 whenever (m, k) ≡ (0, 0), (1, d+1), (2, 1), (3, d) (mod (4, 2)). A list of values m, d that are open for the existence of these partitions (which are equivalent to the existence of Langford and hooked Langford sequences) is given in the conclusion.     

List circular coloring of trees and cycles

Suppose G=(V, E) is a graph and p ≥ 2q are positive integers. A (p, q)‐coloring of G is a mapping ?: V → {0, 1, …, p‐1} such that for any edge xy of G, q ≤ |?(x)‐?(y)| ≤ p‐q. A color‐list is a mapping L: V → ({0, 1, …, p‐1}) which assigns to each vertex v a set L(v) of permissible colors. An L‐(p, q)‐coloring of G is a (p, q)‐coloring ? of G such that for each vertex v, ?(v) ∈ L(v). We say G is L‐(p, q)‐colorable if there exists an L‐(p, q)‐coloring of G. A color‐size‐list is a mapping ? which assigns to each vertex v a non‐negative integer ?(v). We say G is ?‐(p, q)‐colorable if for every color‐list L with |L(v)| = ?(v), G is L‐(p, q)‐colorable. In this article, we consider list circular coloring of trees and cycles. For any tree T and for any p ≥ 2q, we present a necessary and sufficient condition for T to be ?‐(p, q)‐colorable. For each cycle C and for each positive integer k, we present a condition on ? which is sufficient for C to be ?‐(2k+1, k)‐colorable, and the condition is sharp. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 55: 249–265, 2007     

On the minimum length of some linear codes

We determine the minimum length n _q (k, d) for some linear codes with k ≥ 5 and q ≥ 3. We prove that n _q (k, d) = g _q (k, d) + 1 for when k is odd, for when k is even, and for . This work was supported by the Korea Research Foundation Grant funded by the Korean Government(MOEHRD). (KRF-2005-214-C00175). This research has been partially supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science under Contract Number 17540129.     

A bound for wilson's theorem (I)

In 1975, Richard M. Wilson proved: Given any positive integers k ? 3 and λ, there exists a constant v⁰ = v⁰(k, λ) such that v ? B(k,λ) for every integer v ? v⁰ that satisfies λ(v ? 1) ≡ 0(mod k ? 1) and λv(v ? 1) ≡ 0[mod k(k ? 1)]. The proof given by Wilson does not provide an explicit value of v⁰. We try to find such a value v⁰(k, λ). In this article we consider the case λ = 1 and v ≡ 1[mod k(k ? 1)]. We show that: if k ? 3 and v = 1[mod k(k ? 1)] where v > k^kk5, then a B(v,k, 1) exists. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A new extension theorem for 3-weight modulo q linear codes over $${\mathbb{F}_ q}$$

We prove that every [n, k, d] _q code with q ≥ 4, k ≥ 3, whose weights are congruent to 0, −1 or −2 modulo q and is extendable unless its diversity is for odd q, where .      

An existence theory for pairwise balanced designs,III: Proof of the existence conjectures

Given positive integers k and λ, balanced incomplete block designs on v points with block size k and index λ exist for all sufficiently large integers v satisfying the congruences λ(v ? 1) ≡ 0 (mod k ? 1) and λv(v ? 1) ≡ 0 (mod k(k ? 1)). Analogous results hold for pairwise balanced designs where the block sizes come from a given set K of positive integers. We also observe that the number of nonisomorphic designs on v points with given block size k > 2 and index λ tends to infinity as v increases (subject to the above congruences).     

Some new BIBDS with λ = 1 and 6 ≤ k ≤ 10

This article is in two main parts. The first gives some (q,k, 1) difference families with q a prime power and 7 ≤ k ≤ 9; it also gives some GD(k, 1, k,kq)s which are extendable to resolvable (kq,k, 1) BIBDs for k E {6,8,10} and q a prime power equal to 1 mod 2(k − 1). The second uses some of these plus several recursive constructions to obtain some new (v,k,, 1) BIBDs with 7 ≤ k ≤ 9 and some new (v,8,1) resolvable BIBDs. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On a conjecture of jungnickel and tonchev for quasi-symmetric designs

Jungnickel and Tonchev conjectured in [4] that if a quasi-symmetric design D is an s-fold quasi-multiple of a symmetric (v,k,λ) design with (k,(s ? 1)λ) = 1, then D is a multiple. We prove this conjecture under any one of the conditions: s ≤ 7, k ? 1 is prime, or the design D is a 3-design. It is shown that for any fixed s, the conjecture is true with at most finitely many exceptions. The unique quasi-symmetric 3-(22,7,4) design is characterized as the only quasi-symmetric 3-design, which as a 2-design is an s-fold quasi-multiple with s ≡ 1 (mod k). © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Q5‐factorization of λKn

Q_k is the simple graph whose vertices are the k‐tuples with entries in {0, 1} and edges are the pairs of k‐tuples that differ in exactly one position. In this paper, we proved that there exists a Q₅‐factorization of λK_n if and only if (a) n ≡ 0(mod 32) if λ ≡ 0(mod 5) and (b) n ≡ 96(mod 160) if λ ? 0(mod 5).     

The spectrum for large sets of disjoint mendelsohn triple systems with any index

The spectrum for LMTS(v,1) has been obtained by Kang and Lei (Bulletin of the ICA, 1993). In this article, firstly, we give the spectrum for LMTS(v,3). Furthermore, by the existence of LMTS(v,1) and LMTS(v,3), the spectrum for LMTS(v,λ) is completed, that is v ≡ 2 (mod λ), v ≥ λ + 2, if λ ? 0(mod 3) then v ? 2 (mod 3) and if λ = 1 then v ≠ 6. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.