An exchange theorem for bases of matroids

Theorem. Given two basesB₁andB₂of a matroid ($\text{M}$, r), and a partitionB₁ = X₁ ∪ Y₁, there is a partitionB₂ = X₂ ∪ Y₂such thatX₁ ∪ Y₂andX₂ ∪ Y₁are both bases of$\text{M}$.     

On exchange axioms for valuated matroids and valuated delta-matroids

Two further equivalent axioms are given for valuations of a matroid. Let M = (V,B) be a matroid on a finite setV with the family of basesB. For :BR the following three conditions are equivalent: A similar result is obtained for valuations of a delta-matroid.This work was done while the author was at Forschungsinstitut für Diskrete Mathematik, Universität Bonn.     

A new characterization of graphic matroids

We give a necessary and sufficient condition for a binary matroid to be graphic. The condition is very natural, but, unlike other similar results, it gives a trivial algorithm for testing graphicness.     

A unique exchange property for bases

We define the concept of unique exchange on a sequence (X₁,…, X_m) of bases of a matroid M as an exchange of x ? X_i for y ? X_j such that y is the unique element of X_j which may be exchanged for x so that (X_i ? {x}) ∪ {y} and (X_j ? {y}) ∪ {x} are both bases. Two sequences X and Y are compatible if they are on the same multiset. Let UE(1) [UE(2)] denote the class of matroids such that every pair of compatible basis sequences X and Y are related by a sequence of unique exchanges [unique exchanges and permutations in the order of the bases]. We similarly define UE(3) by allowing unique subset exchanges. Then UE(1),UE(2), and UE(3) are hereditary classes (closed under minors) and are self-dual (closed under orthogonality). UE(1) equals the class of series-parallel networks, and UE(2) and UE(3) are contained in the class of binary matroids. We conjecture that UE(2) contains the class of unimodular matroids, and prove a related partial result for graphic matroids. We also study related classes of matroids satisfying transitive exchange, in order to gain information about excluded minors of UE(2) and UE(3). A number of unsolved problems are mentioned.     

A property of convex sets and its application

Translated from Matematicheskie Zametki, Vol. 44, No. 1, pp. 89–99, July, 1988.     

A sufficient condition for the bernoulli property for K-systems and its application to classical statistical mechanics

Translated from Matematicheskii Zametki, Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 105–112, February, 1989.     

A composition for matroids

The composition of a quotient matroid Q over a collection of component matroids f₁, …, f_n indexed on the cells of Q, is described. This composition, called quotient composition, may be viewed as an application of clutter composition to matroids, or as a generalization of matroid direct sum composition to the next higher connectivity. It may also be viewed as equivalent to compositions described by Minty in 1966, and Brylawski in 1971.Quotient composition is characterized, and the circuits and rank function of a composed matroid are given. Various other properties are described, along with a category for quotient composition.     

A decomposition theory for matroids. II. Minimal violation matroids

Two decomposition theorems of Part I are utilized to characterize minimal violation matroids of matroid properties that possess certain composition and extension properties. Graphicness, planarity, and regularity have all or almost all of the desired composition and extension properties, and rather simple arguments produce the well-known minimal violation matroids.     

Independence and port oracles for matroids,with an application to computational learning theory

Given a matroidM with distinguished elemente, aport oracie with respect toe reports whether or not a given subset contains a circuit that containse. The first main result of this paper is an algorithm for computing ane-based ear decomposition (that is, an ear decomposition every circuit of which contains elemente) of a matroid using only a polynomial number of elementary operations and port oracle calls. In the case thatM is binary, the incidence vectors of the circuits in the ear decomposition form a matrix representation forM. Thus, this algorithm solves a problem in computational learning theory; it learns the class ofbinary matroid port (BMP) functions with membership queries in polynomial time. In this context, the algorithm generalizes results of Angluin, Hellerstein, and Karpinski [1], and Raghavan and Schach [17], who showed that certain subclasses of the BMP functions are learnable in polynomial time using membership queries. The second main result of this paper is an algorithm for testing independence of a given input set of the matroidM. This algorithm, which uses the ear decomposition algorithm as a subroutine, uses only a polynomial number of elementary operations and port oracle calls. The algorithm proves a constructive version of an early theorem of Lehman [13], which states that the port of a connected matroid uniquely determines the matroid.Research partially funded by NSF PYI Grant No. DDM-91-96083.Research partially funded by NSF Grant No CCR-92-10957.     

A new method for ranking fuzzy numbers and its application to group decision making

In this paper, a new method for comparing fuzzy numbers based on a fuzzy probabilistic preference relation is introduced. The ranking order of fuzzy numbers with the weighted confidence level is derived from the pairwise comparison matrix based on 0.5-transitivity of the fuzzy probabilistic preference relation. The main difference between the proposed method and existing ones is that the comparison result between two fuzzy numbers is expressed as a fuzzy set instead of a crisp one. As such, the ranking order of n fuzzy numbers provides more information on the uncertainty level of the comparison. Illustrated by comparative examples, the proposed method overcomes certain unreasonable (due to the violation of the inequality properties) and indiscriminative problems exhibited by some existing methods. More importantly, the proposed method is able to provide decision makers with the probability of making errors when a crisp ranking order is obtained. The proposed method is also able to provide a probability-based explanation for conflicts among the comparison results provided by some existing methods using a proper ranking order, which ensures that ties of alternatives can be broken.     

A new semidefinite programming hierarchy for cycles in binary matroids and cuts in graphs

The theta bodies of a polynomial ideal are a series of semidefinite programming relaxations of the convex hull of the real variety of the ideal. In this paper we construct the theta bodies of the vanishing ideal of cycles in a binary matroid. Applied to cuts in graphs, this yields a new hierarchy of semidefinite programming relaxations of the cut polytope of the graph. If the binary matroid avoids certain minors we can characterize when the first theta body in the hierarchy equals the cycle polytope of the matroid. Specialized to cuts in graphs, this result solves a problem posed by Lovász.     

On modules for which the finite exchange property implies the countable exchange property

It has been a long standing open problem whether the finite exchange property implies the full exchange property for an arbitrary module. The main results of this paper are Theorem 1.1: For modules whose idempotent endomorphisms are central, the finite exchange property implies the countable exchange property, and Theorem 2.11: Over a ring with ace on essential right ideals, the finite exchange property implies the full exchange property for every quasi-continuous module. The latter can be viewed as a partial affirmative answer to an open problem of Mohamed and Muller [8].     

A maximum-rank minimum-term-rank theorem for matroids

M. Iri has proved that the maximum rank for a pivotal system of matrices (i.e., combivalence class) equals the minimum term rank. Here this and some of Iri's related results are generalized to matroids. These generalizations are presented using a representation of matroids with (0,1)-matrices. Then, with the aid of matroid basis graphs, these generalizations are restated graph-theoretically. Finally, related results about certain uniform basis graphs are derived.     

A MacWilliams type identity for matroids

In this paper, we consider the coboundary polynomial for a matroid as a generalization of the weight enumerator of a linear code. By describing properties of this polynomial and of a more general polynomial, we investigate the matroid analogue of the MacWilliams identity. From coding-theoretical approaches, upper bounds are given on the size of circuits and cocircuits of a matroid, which generalizes bounds on minimum Hamming weights of linear codes due to I. Duursma.     

A unique factorization theorem for matroids

We study the combinatorial, algebraic and geometric properties of the free product operation on matroids. After giving cryptomorphic definitions of free product in terms of independent sets, bases, circuits, closure, flats and rank function, we show that free product, which is a noncommutative operation, is associative and respects matroid duality. The free product of matroids M and N is maximal with respect to the weak order among matroids having M as a submatroid, with complementary contraction equal to N. Any minor of the free product of M and N is a free product of a repeated truncation of the corresponding minor of M with a repeated Higgs lift of the corresponding minor of N. We characterize, in terms of their cyclic flats, matroids that are irreducible with respect to free product, and prove that the factorization of a matroid into a free product of irreducibles is unique up to isomorphism. We use these results to determine, for K a field of characteristic zero, the structure of the minor coalgebra of a family of matroids that is closed under formation of minors and free products: namely, is cofree, cogenerated by the set of irreducible matroids belonging to .     

A noise of new type and its application

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new noise depending on the space parameter and the construction of a space of generalized functional of the new noise. One of the significant applications is to give a concrete answer to the jump finding problem raised in [10] where the first step to the approach has been made. It is noted that the new noise, denoted by P??(u), is quite different from the time derivative ?(t) of a Poisson process P(t).