Subregular Spreads of Hermitian Unitals

In this paper, we consider the problem of constructing partitions of the points of a Hermitian unital into pairwise disjoint blocks, commonly known as spreads. We generalize a construction of Baker et al. (In Finite Geometry and Combinatorics, Vol. 191 of London Math. Soc. Lecture Not Ser., pages 17–30. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1993.) to provide a new infinite family of spreads. Morover, we develop a structural connection between these new spreads of the Hermitian unital in PG(2, q²) and the subregular spreads of PG(3, q), allowing us to christen a new “subregular” family of spreads in the Hermitian unital in PG(2, q²).     

Optimal linear perfect hash families with small parameters

A linear (q^d, q, t)‐perfect hash family of size s consists of a vector space V of order q^d over a field F of order q and a sequence ?₁,…,?_s of linear functions from V to F with the following property: for all t subsets X ? V, there exists i ∈ {1,·,s} such that ?_i is injective when restricted to F. A linear (q^d, q, t)‐perfect hash family of minimal size d( – 1) is said to be optimal. In this paper, we prove that optimal linear (q², q, 4)‐perfect hash families exist only for q = 11 and for all prime powers q > 13 and we give constructions for these values of q. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comb Designs 12: 311–324, 2004     

New Besov-type spaces and Triebel–Lizorkin-type spaces including Q spaces

Let ${s,\,\tau\in\mathbb{R}}Let s, t ? \mathbbR{s,\,\tau\in\mathbb{R}} and q ? (0,￥]{q\in(0,\infty]} . We introduce Besov-type spaces [(B)\dot]^s, t_p, q(\mathbbRⁿ){{{{\dot B}^{s,\,\tau}_{p,\,q}(\mathbb{R}^{n})}}} for p ? (0, ￥]{p\in(0,\,\infty]} and Triebel–Lizorkin-type spaces [(F)\dot]^s, t_p, q(\mathbbRⁿ) for p ? (0, ￥){{{{\dot F}^{s,\,\tau}_{p,\,q}(\mathbb{R}^{n})}}\,{\rm for}\, p\in(0,\,\infty)} , which unify and generalize the Besov spaces, Triebel–Lizorkin spaces and Q spaces. We then establish the j{\varphi} -transform characterization of these new spaces in the sense of Frazier and Jawerth. Using the j{\varphi} -transform characterization of [(B)\dot]^s, t_p, q(\mathbbRⁿ) and [(F)\dot]^s, t_p, q(\mathbbRⁿ){{{{\dot B}^{s,\,\tau}_{p,\,q}(\mathbb{R}^{n})}\, {\rm and}\, {{\dot F}^{s,\,\tau}_{p,\,q}(\mathbb{R}^{n})}}} , we obtain their embedding and lifting properties; moreover, for appropriate τ, we also establish the smooth atomic and molecular decomposition characterizations of [(B)\dot]^s, t_p, q(\mathbbRⁿ) and [(F)\dot]^s, t_p, q(\mathbbRⁿ){{{{\dot B}^{s,\,\tau}_{p,\,q}(\mathbb{R}^{n})}\,{\rm and}\, {{\dot F}^{s,\,\tau}_{p,\,q}(\mathbb{R}^{n})}}} . For s ? \mathbbR{s\in\mathbb{R}} , p ? (1, ￥), q ? [1, ￥){p\in(1,\,\infty), q\in[1,\,\infty)} and t ? [0, \frac1(max{p, q})￠]{\tau\in[0,\,\frac{1}{(\max\{p,\,q\})'}]} , via the Hausdorff capacity, we introduce certain Hardy–Hausdorff spaces B[(H)\dot]^s, t_p, q(\mathbbRⁿ){{{{B\dot{H}^{s,\,\tau}_{p,\,q}(\mathbb{R}^{n})}}}} and prove that the dual space of B[(H)\dot]^s, t_p, q(\mathbbRⁿ){{{{B\dot{H}^{s,\,\tau}_{p,\,q}(\mathbb{R}^{n})}}}} is just [(B)\dot]^-s, t_p￠, q￠(\mathbbRⁿ){\dot{B}^{-s,\,\tau}_{p',\,q'}(\mathbb{R}^{n})} , where t′ denotes the conjugate index of t ? (1,￥){t\in (1,\infty)} .     

The Generalized Dirichlet to Neumann Map for the KdV Equation on the Half-Line

For the two versions of the KdV equation on the positive half-line an initial-boundary value problem is well posed if one prescribes an initial condition plus either one boundary condition if q _t and q _xxx have the same sign (KdVI) or two boundary conditions if q _t and q _xxx have opposite sign (KdVII). Constructing the generalized Dirichlet to Neumann map for the above problems means characterizing the unknown boundary values in terms of the given initial and boundary conditions. For example, if {q(x,0),q(0,t)} and {q(x,0),q(0,t),q _x (0,t)} are given for the KdVI and KdVII equations, respectively, then one must construct the unknown boundary values {q _x (0,t),q _xx (0,t)} and {q _xx (0,t)}, respectively. We show that this can be achieved without solving for q(x,t) by analysing a certain “global relation” which couples the given initial and boundary conditions with the unknown boundary values, as well as with the function Φ ^(t)(t,k), where Φ ^(t) satisfies the t-part of the associated Lax pair evaluated at x=0. The analysis of the global relation requires the construction of the so-called Gelfand–Levitan–Marchenko triangular representation for Φ ^(t). In spite of the efforts of several investigators, this problem has remained open. In this paper, we construct the representation for Φ ^(t) for the first time and then, by employing this representation, we solve explicitly the global relation for the unknown boundary values in terms of the given initial and boundary conditions and the function Φ ^(t). This yields the unknown boundary values in terms of a nonlinear Volterra integral equation. We also discuss the implications of this result for the analysis of the long t-asymptotics, as well as for the numerical integration of the KdV equation.     

The limiting case of Haglund's (q,t)-Schröder theorem and an involution formula

As a generalization of Haglund's statistic on Dyck paths [Conjectured statistics for the q,t-Catalan numbers, Adv. Math. 175 (2) (2003) 319–334; A positivity result in the theory of Macdonald polynomials, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 98 (2001) 4313–4316], Egge et al. introduced the (q,t)-Schröder polynomial S_n,d(q,t), which evaluates to the Schröder number when q=t=1 [A Schröder generalization of Haglund's statistic on Catalan paths, Electron. J. Combin. 10 (2003) 21pp (Research Paper 16, electronic)]. In their paper, S_n,d(q,t) was conjectured to be equal to the coefficient of a hook shape on the Schur function expansion of the symmetric function e_n, which Haiman [Vanishing theorems and character formulas for the Hilbert scheme of points in the plane, Invent. Math. 149 (2002) 371–407] has shown to have a representation-theoretic interpretation. This conjecture was recently proved by Haglund [A proof of the q,t-Schröder conjecture, Internat. Math. Res. Not. (11) (2004) 525–560]. However, because that proof makes heavy use of symmetric function identities and plethystic machinery, the combinatorics behind it is not understood. Therefore, it is worthwhile to study it combinatorially. This paper investigates the limiting case of the (q,t)-Schröder Theorem and obtains interesting results by looking at some special cases.     

On the Spectrum of the Sizes of Maximal Partial Line Spreads in <Emphasis Type="Italic">PG</Emphasis>(2<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">q</Emphasis>), <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis> ≥ 3

A lot of research has been done on the spectrum of the sizes of maximal partial spreads in PG(3,q) [P. Govaerts and L. Storme, Designs Codes and Cryptography, Vol. 28 (2003) pp. 51–63; O. Heden, Discrete Mathematics, Vol. 120 (1993) pp. 75–91; O. Heden, Discrete Mathematics, Vol. 142 (1995) pp. 97–106; O. Heden, Discrete Mathematics, Vol. 243 (2002) pp. 135–150]. In [A. Gács and T. Sznyi, Designs Codes and Cryptography, Vol. 29 (2003) pp. 123–129], results on the spectrum of the sizes of maximal partial line spreads in PG(N,q), N 5, are given. In PG(2n,q), n 3, the largest possible size for a partial line spread is q^2n-1+q^2n-3+...+q³+1. The largest size for the maximal partial line spreads constructed in [A. Gács and T. Sznyi, Designs Codes and Cryptography, Vol. 29 (2003) pp. 123–129] is (q²ⁿ⁺¹–q)/(q²–1)–q³+q²–2q+2. This shows that there is a non-empty interval of values of k for which it is still not known whether there exists a maximal partial line spread of size k in PG(2n,q). We now show that there indeed exists a maximal partial line spread of size k for every value of k in that interval when q 9.J. Eisfeld: Supported by the FWO Research Network WO.011.96NP. Sziklai: The research of this author was partially supported by OTKA D32817, F030737, F043772, FKFP 0063/2001 and Magyary Zoltan grants. The third author is grateful for the hospitality of Ghent University.     

Forbidden induced subgraph characterization of cograph contractions

Let S₁, S₂,…,S_t be pairwise disjoint non‐empty stable sets in a graph H. The graph H^* is obtained from H by: (i) replacing each S_i by a new vertex q_i; (ii) joining each q_i and q_j, 1 ≤ i # j ≤ t, and; (iii) joining q_i to all vertices in H – (S₁ ∪ S₂ ∪ ··· ∪ S_t) which were adjacent to some vertex of S_i. A cograph is a P₄‐free graph. A graph G is called a cograph contraction if there exist a cograph H and pairwise disjoint non‐empty stable sets in H for which G ? H^*. Solving a problem proposed by Le [ 2 ], we give a finite forbidden induced subgraph characterization of cograph contractions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 46: 217–226, 2004     

Subexponential ultracontractivity and L p ? L q functional calculus

 We prove that if a symmetric submarkovian semigroup (T _t ) _t>0 satisfies an estimate of the form

Optimal constant weight covering codes and nonuniform group divisible 3-designs with block size four

Let K _q (n, w, t, d) be the minimum size of a code over Z _q of length n, constant weight w, such that every word with weight t is within Hamming distance d of at least one codeword. In this article, we determine K _q (n, 4, 3, 1) for all n ≥ 4, q = 3, 4 or q = 2 ^m  + 1 with m ≥ 2, leaving the only case (q, n) = (3, 5) in doubt. Our construction method is mainly based on the auxiliary designs, H-frames, which play a crucial role in the recursive constructions of group divisible 3-designs similar to that of candelabra systems in the constructions of 3-wise balanced designs. As an application of this approach, several new infinite classes of nonuniform group divisible 3-designs with block size four are also constructed.     

( q,t)-analogues and $GL_{n}({\ma thbb{F}}_{ q})$

We start with a (q,t)-generalization of a binomial coefficient. It can be viewed as a polynomial in t that depends upon an integer q, with combinatorial interpretations when q is a positive integer, and algebraic interpretations when q is the order of a finite field. These (q,t)-binomial coefficients and their interpretations generalize further in two directions, one relating to column-strict tableaux and Macdonald’s “7 ^th variation” of Schur functions, the other relating to permutation statistics and Hilbert series from the invariant theory of GL_n(\mathbbF_q)GL_{n}({\mathbb{F}}_{q}) .     

A new semifield of order 2

In [G. Lunardon, Semifields and linear sets of PG(1,q^t), Quad. Mat., Dept. Math., Seconda Univ. Napoli, Caserta (in press)], G. Lunardon has exhibited a construction method yielding a theoretical family of semifields of order q²ⁿ,n>1 and n odd, with left nucleus F_qⁿ, middle and right nuclei both F_q² and center F_q. When n=3 this method gives an alternative construction of a family of semifields described in [N.L. Johnson, G. Marino, O. Polverino, R. Trombetti, On a generalization of cyclic semifields, J. Algebraic Combin. 26 (2009), 1-34], which generalizes the family of cyclic semifields obtained by Jha and Johnson in [V. Jha, N.L. Johnson, Translation planes of large dimension admitting non-solvable groups, J. Geom. 45 (1992), 87-104]. For n>3, no example of a semifield belonging to this family is known.In this paper we first prove that, when n>3, any semifield belonging to the family introduced in the second work cited above is not isotopic to any semifield of the family constructed in the former. Then we construct, with the aid of a computer, a semifield of order 2¹⁰ belonging to the family introduced by Lunardon, which turns out to be non-isotopic to any other known semifield.     

On statistical properties of finite continued fractions

Statistical properties of continued fractions for numbers a/b, where a and b lie in the sector a, b ≥ 1, a² + b² ≤ R², are studied. The main result is an asymptotic formula with two meaning terms for the quantity

Designs on vector spaces constructed using quadratic forms

Let N be the set of nonnegative integers, let , t, v be in N and let K be a subset of N, let V be a v-dimensional vector space over the finite field GF(q), and let W _Kbe the set of subspaces of V whose dimensions belong to K. A t-[v, K, ; q]-design on V is a mapping : W _K N such that for every t-dimensional subspace, T, of V, we have (B)=. We construct t-[v, {t, t+1}, ; q-designs on the vector space GF(q ^v) over GF(q) for t2, v odd, and q ^t(q–1)² equal to the number of nondegenerate quadratic forms in t+1 variables over GF(q). Moreover, the vast majority of blocks of these designs have dimension t+1. We also construct nontrivial 2-[v, k, ; q]-designs for v odd and 3kv–3 and 3-[v, 4, q ⁶+q ⁵+q ⁴; q]-designs for v even. The distribution of subspaces in the designs is determined by the distribution of the pairs (Q, a) where Q is a nondegenerate quadratic form in k variables with coefficients in GF(q) and a is a vector with elements in GF(q ^v) such that Q(a)=0.This research was partly supported by NSA grant #MDA 904-88-H-2034.     

On the Oscillation of Second Order Neutral Differential Equations of Emden-Fowler Type

Some oscillation criteria are established by the averaging technique for the second order neutral delay differential equation of Emden-Fowler type (a(t)x￠(t))￠+q₁(t)| y(t-s₁)|^a sgn y(t-s₁) +q₂(t)| y(t-s₂)|^b sgn y(t-s₂)=0,    t 3 t₀,(a(t)x'(t))'+q_1(t)| y(t-\sigma_1)|^{\alpha}\,{\rm sgn}\,y(t-\sigma_1) +q_2(t)| y(t-\sigma_2)|^{\beta}\,{\rm sgn}\,y(t-\sigma_2)=0,\quad t \ge t_0, where x(t) = y(t) + p(t)y(t − τ), τ, σ₁ and σ₂ are nonnegative constants, α > 0, β > 0, and a, p, q ₁, q₂ ? C([t₀, ￥), \Bbb R)q_2\in C([t_0, \infty), {\Bbb R}) . The results of this paper extend and improve some known results. In particular, two interesting examples that point out the importance of our theorems are also included.     

Zinbiel algebras under <Emphasis Type="Italic">q</Emphasis>-commutators

An algebra with the identity t ₁(t ₂ t ₃) = (t ₁ t ₂+t ₂ t ₁)t ₃ is called Zinbiel. For example, ℂ[x] under the multiplication is Zinbiel. Let a ○ _q b = a ○ b + q b ○ a be a q-commutator, where q ∈ ℂ. We prove that for any Zinbiel algebra A the corresponding algebra under the commutator A ⁽⁻¹⁾ = (A, ○₋₁) satisfies the identities t ₁ t ₂ = −t ₂ t ₁ and (t ₁ t ₂)(t ₃ t ₄) + (t ₁ t ₄)(t ₃ t ₂) = jac(t ₁, t ₂, t ₃)t ₄ + jac(t ₁, t ₄, t ₃)t ₂, where jac(t ₁, t ₂, t ₃) = (t ₁ t ₂)t ₃ + (t ₂ t ₃)t ₁ + (t ₃ t ₁)t ₂. We find basic identities for q-Zinbiel algebras and prove that they form varieties equivalent to the variety of Zinbiel algebras if q ² ≠ 1. __________ Translated from Fundamentalnaya i Prikladnaya Matematika, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 57–78, 2005.     

On a series of Hadamard matrices of order 2 t and the maximal excess of Hadamard matrices of order 22t

In this paper we give a new series of Hadamard matrices of order 2 ^t . When the order is 16, Hadamard matrices obtained here belong to class II, class V or to class IV of Hall's classification [3]. By combining our matrices with the matrices belonging to class I, class II or class III obtained before, we can say that we have direct construction, namely without resorting to block designs, for all classes of Hadamard matrices of order 16.Furthermore we show that the maximal excess of Hadamard matrices of order 2^2t is 2^3t , which was proved by J. Hammer, R. Levingston and J. Seberry [4]. We believe that our matrices are inequivalent to the matrices used by the above authors. More generally, if there is an Hadamard matrix of order 4n ² with the maximal excess 8n ³, then there exist more than one inequivalent Hadamard matrices of order 2^2t n ² with the maximal excess 2^3t n ³ for anyt 2.     

Non-uniformly hyperbolic horseshoes arising from bifurcations of Poincaré heteroclinic cycles

In the present paper, we advance considerably the current knowledge on the topic of bifurcations of heteroclinic cycles for smooth, meaning C ^∞, parametrized families {g _t ∣t∈ℝ} of surface diffeomorphisms. We assume that a quadratic tangency q is formed at t=0 between the stable and unstable lines of two periodic points, not belonging to the same orbit, of a (uniformly hyperbolic) horseshoe K (see an example at the Introduction) and that such lines cross each other with positive relative speed as the parameter evolves, starting at t=0 and the point q. We also assume that, in some neighborhood W of K and of the orbit of tangency o(q), the maximal invariant set for g ₀=g _t=0 is K∪o(q), where o(q) denotes the orbit of q for g ₀. We then prove that, when the Hausdorff dimension HD(K) is bigger than one, but not much bigger (see (H.4) in Section 1.2 for a precise statement), then for most t, |t| small, g _t is a non-uniformly hyperbolic horseshoe in W, and so g _t has no attractors in W. Most t, and thus most g _t , here means that t is taken in a set of parameter values with Lebesgue density one at t=0.     

Recursive constructions for difference matrices and relative difference families

We present a new recursive construction for difference matrices whose application allows us to improve some results by D. Jungnickel. For instance, we prove that for any Abelian p-group G of type (n₁, n₂, …, n_t) there exists a (G, p^e, 1) difference matrix with e = Also, we prove that for any group G there exists a (G, p, 1) difference matrix where p is the smallest prime dividing |G|. Difference matrices are then used for constructing, recursively, relative difference families. We revisit some constructions by M. J. Colbourn, C. J. Colbourn, D. Jungnickel, K. T. Phelps, and R. M. Wilson. Combining them we get, in particular, the existence of a multiplier (G, k, λ)-DF for any Abelian group G of nonsquare-free order, whenever there exists a (p, k, λ)-DF for each prime p dividing |G|. Then we focus our attention on a recent construction by M. Jimbo. We improve this construction and prove, as a corollary, the existence of a (G, k, λ)-DF for any group G under the same conditions as above. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Combin Designs 6: 165–182, 1998     

On maximal curves in characteristic two

The genus g of an q-maximal curve satisfies g=g ₁≔q(q−1)/2 or . Previously, q-maximal curves with g=g ₁ or g=g ₂, q odd, have been characterized up to q-isomorphism. Here it is shown that an q-maximal curve with genus g ₂, q even, is q-isomorphic to the non-singular model of the plane curve ∑ _{i =1}} ^t y ^{q /2 i} =x ^{q +1}, q=2 ^t , provided that q/2 is a Weierstrass non-gap at some point of the curve. Received: 3 December 1998     

A proof of the q,t-Catalan positivity conjecture

We present here a proof that a certain rational function C_n(q,t) which has come to be known as the “q,t-Catalan” is in fact a polynomial with positive integer coefficients. This has been an open problem since 1994. The precise form of the conjecture is given in Garsia and Haiman (J. Algebraic Combin. 5(3) (1996) 191), where it is further conjectured that C_n(q,t) is the Hilbert series of the diagonal harmonic alternants in the variables (x₁,x₂,…,x_n;y₁,y₂,…,y_n). Since C_n(q,t) evaluates to the Catalan number at t=q=1, it has also been an open problem to find a pair of statistics a(π),b(π) on Dyck paths π in the n×n square yielding C_n(q,t)=∑_πt^a(π)q^b(π). Our proof is based on a recursion for C_n(q,t) suggested by a pair of statistics a(π),b(π) recently proposed by Haglund. Thus, one of the byproducts of our developments is a proof of the validity of Haglund's conjecture. It should also be noted that our arguments rely and expand on the plethystic machinery developed in Bergeron et al. (Methods and Applications of Analysis, Vol. VII(3), 1999, p. 363).