General Constructions for Double Group Divisible Designs and Double Frames

We generalize the concept of an incomplete double group divisible design and describe some recursive constructions for such a generalized new design. As a consequence, we obtain a general recursive construction for group divisible designs, which unifies many important recursive constructions for various types of combinatorial designs. We also introduce the concept of a double frame. After providing a preliminary result on the number of partial resolution classes, we describe a general construction for double frames. This construction method can unify many known recursive constructions for frames.     

Constant Weight Codes and Group Divisible Designs

The study of a class of optimal constant weight codes over arbitrary alphabets was initiated by Etzion, who showed that such codes are equivalent to special GDDs known as generalized Steiner systems GS(t,k,n,g) Etzion. This paper presents new constructions for these systems in the case t=2, k=3. In particular, these constructions imply that the obvious necessary conditions on the length n of the code for the existence of an optimal weight 3, distance 3 code over an alphabet of arbitrary size are asymptotically sufficient.     

The Asymptotic Existence of Resolvable Group Divisible Designs

A group divisible design (GDD) is a triple which satisfies the following properties: (1) is a partition of X into subsets called groups; (2) is a collection of subsets of X, called blocks, such that a group and a block contain at most one element in common; and (3) every pair of elements from distinct groups occurs in a constant number λ blocks. This parameter λ is usually called the index. A k‐GDD of type is a GDD with block size k, index , and u groups of size g. A GDD is resolvable if the blocks can be partitioned into classes such that each point occurs in precisely one block of each class. We denote such a design as an RGDD. For fixed integers and , we show that the necessary conditions for the existence of a k‐RGDD of type are sufficient for all . As a corollary of this result and the existence of large resolvable graph decompositions, we establish the asymptotic existence of resolvable graph GDDs, G‐RGDDs, whenever the necessary conditions for the existence of ‐RGDs are met. We also show that, with a few easy modifications, the techniques extend to general index. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Combin. Designs 21: 112–126, 2013     

Group Divisible Designs with Block Size Four and Group Type for

Nonuniform group divisible designs (GDDs) have been studied by numerous researchers for the past two decades due to their essential role in the constructions for other types of designs. In this paper, we investigate the existence problem of ‐GDDs of type for . First, we determine completely the spectrum of ‐GDDs of types and . Furthermore, for general cases, we show that for each and , a ‐GDD of type exists if and only if , and , except possibly for , and .     

A New Construction of Group Divisible Designs with Nonuniform Group Type

The construction of group divisible designs (GDDs) is a basic problem in design theory. While there have been some methods concerning the constructions of uniform GDDs, the construction of nonuniform GDDs remains a challenging problem. In this paper, we present a new approach to the construction of nonuniform GDDs with group type and block size k. We make a progress by proposing a new construction, in which generalized difference sets, a truncating technique, and a difference method are combined to construct nonuniform GDDs. Moreover, we present a variation of this new construction by employing Rees' product constructions. We obtain several infinite families of nonuniform GDDs, as well as many examples whose block sizes are relatively large.     

A Family of Semi-Regular Divisible Difference Sets

We give a construction of semi-regular divisible difference sets with parametersm = p2a(r–1)+2b (pr – 1)/(p – 1), n = pr, k = p(2a+1)(r–1)+2b (pr – 1)/(p – 1)1 = p(2a+1)(r–1)+2b (pr–1 – 1)/(p-1), 2 = p2(a+1)(r–1)–r+2b (pr – 1)/(p – 1)where p is a prime and r a + 1.     

Partitioning Quadrics, Symmetric Group Divisible Designs and Caps

Using partitionings of quadrics we give a geometric construction of certain symmetric group divisible designs. It is shown that some of them at least are self-dual. The designs that we construct here relate to interesting work — some of it very recent — by D. Jungnickel and by E. Moorhouse. In this paper we also give a short proof of an old result of G. Pellegrino concerning the maximum size of a cap in AG(4,3) and its structure. Semi-biplanes make their appearance as part of our construction in the three dimensional case.     

Twisted product of cocycles and factorization of semi‐regular relative difference sets

In this article, we introduce what we call twisted Kronecker products of cocycles of finite groups and show that the twisted Kronecker product of two cocycles is a Hadamard cocycle if and only if the two cocycles themselves are Hadamard cocycles. This enables us to generalize some known results concerning products and factorizations of central semi‐regular relative difference sets. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 16: 431–441, 2008     

Group Divisible Designs with Block Size Four and Group Type gum1 with Minimum m

In this paper, we continue to investigate the spectrum for {4}-GDDs of type g^u m¹ with m as small as possible. We determine, for each admissible pair (g,u), the minimum values of m for which a {4}-GDD of type g^um¹ exists with four possible exceptions.Gennian Ge-Researcher supported by NSFC Grant 10471127.Alan C. H. Ling-Researcher supported by an ARO grant 19-01-1-0406 and a DOE grant.classification Primary 05B05     

Semi–cyclic Holey Group Divisible Designs and Applications to Sampling Designs and Optical Orthogonal Codes

We consider the existence problem for a semi‐cyclic holey group divisible design of type with block size 3, which is denoted by a 3‐SCHGDD of type . When t is odd and or t is doubly even and , the existence problem is completely solved; when t is singly even, many infinite families are obtained. Applications of our results to two‐dimensional balanced sampling plans and optimal two‐dimensional optical orthogonal codes are also discussed.     

Group Divisible Covering Designs with Block Size 4: A Type of Covering Array with Row Limit

A k‐GDCD, group divisible covering design, of type is a triple , where V is a set of gu elements, is a partition of V into u sets of size g, called groups, and is a collection of k‐subsets of V, called blocks, such that every pair of elements in V is either contained in a unique group or there is at least one block containing it, but not both. This family of combinatorial objects is equivalent to a special case of the graph covering problem and a generalization of covering arrays, which we call CARLs. In this paper, we show that there exists an integer such that for any positive integers g and , there exists a 4‐GDCD of type which in the worst case exceeds the Schönheim lower bound by δ blocks, except maybe when (1) and , or (2) , , and or . To show this, we develop constructions of 4‐GDCDs, which depend on two types of ingredients: essential, which are used multiple times, and auxiliary, which are used only once in the construction. If the essential ingredients meet the lower bound, the products of the construction differ from the lower bound by as many blocks as the optimal size of the auxiliary ingredient differs from the lower bound.     

Constructions for Anonymous Secret Sharing Schemes Using Combinatorial Designs

In an anonymous secret sharing scheme the secret can be reconstructed without knowledge ofwhich participants hold which shares.In this paper some constructions of anonymous secret sharing schemeswith 2 thresholds by using combinatorial designs are given.Let v(t,w,q)denote the minimum size of the setof shares of a perfect anonymous(t,w)threshold secret sharing scheme with q secrets.In this paper we provethat v(t,w,q)=(q)if t and w are fixed and that the lower bound of the size of the set of shares in[4]is notoptimal under certain condition.     

Kite-group Divisible Designs of Type g t u 1

Necessary and sufficient conditions are given to the existence for kite-group divisible designs of type g^tu¹. Research supported by NSFC Grant 10371002.     

Divisible design digraphs and association schemes

Divisible design digraphs are constructed from skew balanced generalized weighing matrices and generalized Hadamard matrices. Commutative and non-commutative association schemes are shown to be attached to the constructed divisible design digraphs.     

Divisible rigid groups

A soluble group G is rigid if it contains a normal series of the form G = G₁ > G₂ > … > G_p > G_p+1 = 1, whose quotients G_i/G_i+1 are Abelian and are torsion-free as right ℤ[G/G_i]-modules. The concept of a rigid group appeared in studying algebraic geometry over groups that are close to free soluble. In the class of all rigid groups, we distinguish divisible groups the elements of whose quotients G_i/G_i+1 are divisible by any elements of respective groups rings Z[G/G_i]. It is reasonable to suppose that algebraic geometry over divisible rigid groups is rather well structured. Abstract properties of such groups are investigated. It is proved that in every divisible rigid group H that contains G as a subgroup, there is a minimal divisible subgroup including G, which we call a divisible closure of G in H. Among divisible closures of G are divisible completions of G that are distinguished by some natural condition. It is shown that a divisible completion is defined uniquely up to G-isomorphism. Supported by the Council for Grants (under RF President) and State Aid of Leading Scientific Schools (grant NSh-344.2008.1). Translated from Algebra i Logika, Vol. 47, No. 6, pp. 762–776, November–December, 2008.     

On GMW Designs and Cyclic Hadamard Designs

We generalise results of Jackson concerning cyclic Hadamard designs admitting SL(2,2ⁿ) as a point transitive automorphism group. The generalisation concerns the designs of Gordon, Mills and Welch and we characterise these as designs admitting GM(m,qⁿ) acting in a certain way. We also generalise a construction given by Maschietti, using hyperovals, of cyclic Hadamard designs, and characterise these amongst the designs of Gordon, Mills and Welch.     

A Recursive Construction for New Symmetric Designs

We introduce a recursive construction of regular Handamard matrices with row sum 2h for h=±3ⁿ. Whenever q=(2h – 1)² is a prime power, we construct, for every positive integer m, a symmetric designs with parameters (4h²(q^m+1 – 1)/(q – 1), (2h² – h)q^m, (h² – h)q^m).     

A group extensions approach to relative difference sets

A new approach to (normal) relative difference sets (RDSs) is presented and applied to give a new method for recursively constructing infinite families of semiregular RDSs. Our main result (Theorem 7.1) shows that any metabelian semiregular RDS gives rise to an infinite family of metabelian semiregular RDSs. The new method is applied to identify several new infinite families of non‐abelian semiregular RDSs, and new methods for constructing generalized Hadamard matrices are given. The techniques employed are derived from the general theory of group extensions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 12: 279–298, 2004.