Hankel determinants and orthogonal polynomials

We develop a general context for the computation of the determinant of a Hankel matrix H_n = (α_i+j)0i,jn, assuming some suitable conditions for the exponential (or ordinary) generating function of the sequence (α_n)_n0. Several well-known particular cases are thus derived in a unified way.     

On the ordering of trees by the Laplacian coefficients

We generalize the results from [X.-D. Zhang, X.-P. Lv, Y.-H. Chen, Ordering trees by the Laplacian coefficients, Linear Algebra Appl. (2009), doi:10.1016/j.laa.2009.04.018] on the partial ordering of trees with given diameter. For two n-vertex trees T₁ and T₂, if c_k(T₁)c_k(T₂) holds for all Laplacian coefficients c_k,k=0,1,…,n, we say that T₁ is dominated by T₂ and write T_1cT₂. We proved that among n vertex trees with fixed diameter d, the caterpillar C_n,d has minimal Laplacian coefficients c_k,k=0,1,…,n. The number of incomparable pairs of trees on 18 vertices is presented, as well as infinite families of examples for two other partial orderings of trees, recently proposed by Mohar. For every integer n, we construct a chain of n-vertex trees of length , such that T₀S_n,T_mP_n and T_icT_i+1 for all i=0,1,…,m-1. In addition, the characterization of the partial ordering of starlike trees is established by the majorization inequalities of the pendent path lengths. We determine the relations among the extremal trees with fixed maximum degree, and with perfect matching and further support the Laplacian coefficients as a measure of branching.     

Linked graphs with restricted lengths

A graph G is k-linked if G has at least 2k vertices, and for every sequence x₁,x₂,…,x_k,y₁,y₂,…,y_k of distinct vertices, G contains k vertex-disjoint paths P₁,P₂,…,P_k such that P_i joins x_i and y_i for i=1,2,…,k. Moreover, the above defined k-linked graph G is modulo (m₁,m₂,…,m_k)-linked if, in addition, for any k-tuple (d₁,d₂,…,d_k) of natural numbers, the paths P₁,P₂,…,P_k can be chosen such that P_i has length d_i modulo m_i for i=1,2,…,k. Thomassen showed that, for each k-tuple (m₁,m₂,…,m_k) of odd positive integers, there exists a natural number f(m₁,m₂,…,m_k) such that every f(m₁,m₂,…,m_k)-connected graph is modulo (m₁,m₂,…,m_k)-linked. For m₁=m₂=…=m_k=2, he showed in another article that there exists a natural number g(2,k) such that every g(2,k)-connected graph G is modulo (2,2,…,2)-linked or there is XV(G) such that |X|4k−3 and G−X is a bipartite graph, where (2,2,…,2) is a k-tuple.We showed that f(m₁,m₂,…,m_k)max{14(m₁+m₂++m_k)−4k,6(m₁+m₂++m_k)−4k+36} for every k-tuple of odd positive integers. We then extend the result to allow some m_i be even integers. Let (m₁,m₂,…,m_k) be a k-tuple of natural numbers and ℓk such that m_i is odd for each i with ℓ+1ik. If G is 45(m₁+m₂++m_k)-connected, then either G has a vertex set X of order at most 2k+2ℓ−3+δ(m₁,…,m_ℓ) such that G−X is bipartite or G is modulo (2m₁,…,2m_ℓ,m_ℓ+1,…,m_k)-linked, where

Our results generalize several known results on parity-linked graphs.     

The maximum spectral radius of -free graphs of given order and size

Suppose that G is a graph with n vertices and m edges, and let μ be the spectral radius of its adjacency matrix.Recently we showed that if G has no 4-cycle, then μ²-μn-1, with equality if and only if G is the friendship graph.Here we prove that if m9 and G has no 4-cycle, then μ²m, with equality if G is a star. For 4m8 this assertion fails.     

A distance approximating trees

A 1-approximation of connected graph G=(V,E) is a tree T=(V,E^′) with the same vertex set such that for every two vertices |d_G(u,v)−d_T(u,v)|1. A polynomial time algorithm is designed for finding such a tree.     

-Linked planar graphs

A graph G is (m,n)-linked if for any two disjoint subsets R,BV(G) with |R|m and |B|n, G has two disjoint connected subgraphs containing R and B, respectively. We shall prove that a planar graph with at least six vertices is (3,3)-linked if and only if G is 4-connected and maximal.     

On groups with conjugacy classes of distinct sizes

A finite group G is called an ah-group if any two distinct conjugacy classes of G have distinct cardinality. We show that if G is an ah-group, then the non-abelian socle of G is isomorphic to one of the following:

1. , for 1a5, a≠2.

2. A₈.

3. PSL(3,4)^e, for 1e10.

4. A₅×PSL(3,4)^e, for 1e10.

Based on this result, we virtually show that if G is an ah-group with π(G) 2,3,5,7 , then F(G)≠1, or equivalently, that G has an abelian normal subgroup.In addition, we show that if G is an ah-group of minimal size which is not isomorphic to S₃, then the non-abelian socle of G is either trivial or isomorphic to one of the following:

1. , for 3a5.

2. PSL(3,4)^e, for 1e10.

Our research lead us to interesting results related to transitivity and homogeneousity in permutation groups, and to subgroups of wreath products of form Z₂S_n. These results are of independent interest and are located in appendices for greater autonomy.     

Vandermonde sets and super-Vandermonde sets

Given a set TGF(q), |T|=t, w_T is defined as the smallest positive integer k for which ∑_yTy^k≠0. It can be shown that w_Tt always and w_Tt−1 if the characteristic p divides t. T is called a Vandermonde set if w_Tt−1 and a super-Vandermonde set if w_T=t. This (extremal) algebraic property is interesting for its own right, but the original motivation comes from finite geometries. In this paper we classify small and large super-Vandermonde sets.     

disjoint cycles containing specified independent vertices

Let k1 be an integer and G be a graph of order n3k satisfying the condition that σ₂(G)n+k-1. Let v₁,…,v_k be k independent vertices of G, and suppose that G has k vertex-disjoint triangles C₁,…,C_k with v_iV(C_i) for all 1ik.Then G has k vertex-disjoint cycles such that

(i) for all 1ik.

(ii) , and

(iii) At least k-1 of the k cycles are triangles.

The condition of degree sum σ₂(G)n+k-1 is sharp.

Existence of HSOLSSOMs of type

In this paper we investigate the existence of holey self-orthogonal Latin squares with a symmetric orthogonal mate of type 2ⁿu¹ (HSOLSSOM(2ⁿu¹)). For u2, necessary conditions for existence of such an HSOLSSOM are that u must be even and n3u/2+1. Xu Yunqing and Hu Yuwang have shown that these HSOLSSOMs exist whenever either (1) n9 and n3u/2+1 or (2) n263 and n2(u-2). In this paper we show that in (1) the condition n9 can be extended to n30 and that in (2), the condition n263 can be improved to n4, except possibly for 19 pairs (n,u), the largest of which is (53,28).     

Algorithms for extracting motifs from biological weighted sequences

In this paper we present three algorithms for the Motif Identification Problem in Biological Weighted Sequences. The first algorithm extracts repeated motifs from a biological weighted sequence. The motifs correspond to repetitive words which are approximately equal, under a Hamming distance, with probability of occurrence 1/k, where k is a small constant. The second algorithm extracts common motifs from a set of N2 weighted sequences. In this case, the motifs consists of words that must occur with probability 1/k, in 1qN distinct sequences of the set. The third algorithm extracts maximal pairs from a biological weighted sequence. A pair in a sequence is the occurrence of the same word twice. In addition, the algorithms presented in this paper improve previous work on these problems.     

Degree constrained book embeddings

A book embedding of a graph consists of a linear ordering of the vertices along a line in 3-space (the spine), and an assignment of edges to half-planes with the spine as boundary (the pages), so that edges assigned to the same page can be drawn on that page without crossings. Given a graph G=(V,E), let be a function such that 1f(v)deg(v). We present a Las Vegas algorithm which produces a book embedding of G with pages, such that at most f(v) edges incident to a vertex v are on a single page. This result generalises that of Malitz [J. Algorithms 17 (1) (1994) 71–84].     

Generating all cycles, chordless cycles, and Hamiltonian cycles with the principle of exclusion

An efficient method to generate all edge sets XE of a graph G=(V,E), which are vertex-disjoint unions of cycles, is presented. It can be tweaked to generate (i) all cycles, (ii) all cycles of cardinality 5, (iii) all chordless cycles, (iv) all Hamiltonian cycles.     

On a problem of H. Shapiro

Let μ be a real measure on the line such that its Poisson integral M(z) converges and satisfies|M(x+iy)|Ae^−cyα, y→+∞,for some constants A,c>0 and 0<α1. We show that for 1/2<α1 the measure μ must have many sign changes on both positive and negative rays. For 0<α1/2 this is true for at least one of the rays, and not always true for both rays. Asymptotical bounds for the number of sign changes are given which are sharp in some sense.     

A pointwise convergence for Sobolev space functions

Let 1<p<∞, and k,m be positive integers such that 0(k−2m)pn. Suppose ΩRⁿ is an open set, and Δ is the Laplacian operator. We will show that there is a sequence of positive constants c_j such that for every f in the Sobolev space W^k,p(Ω), for all xΩ except on a set whose Bessel capacity B_k−2m,p is zero.     

Simultaneous similarity and triangularization of sets of 2 by 2 matrices

Let be a finite or infinite sequence of 2×2 matrices with entries in an integral domain. We show that, except in a very special case, is (simultaneously) triangularizable if and only if all pairs (A_j,A_k) are triangularizable, for 1j,k∞. We also provide a simple numerical criterion for triangularization.Using constructive methods in invariant theory, we define a map (with the minimal number of invariants) that distinguishes simultaneous similarity classes for non-commutative sequences over a field of characteristic ≠2. We also describe canonical forms for sequences of 2×2 matrices over algebraically closed fields, and give a method for finding sequences with a given set of invariants.     

Arithmetic progressions consisting of unlike powers

In this paper we present some new results about unlike powers in arithmetic progression. We prove among other things that for given k 4 and L 3 there are only finitely many arithmetic progressions of the form with x_i , gcd(x₀, x_l) = 1 and 2 l_i L for i = 0, 1, …, k − 1. Furthermore, we show that, for L = 3, the progression (1, 1,…, 1) is the only such progression up to sign. Our proofs involve some well-known theorems of Faltings [9], Darmon and Granville [6] as well as Chabauty's method applied to superelliptic curves.     

Efficient algorithms for a constrained k-tree core problem in a tree network

Let T=(V,E) be a free tree in which each vertex has a weight and each edge has a length. Let n=|V|. Given T and parameters k and l, a (k,l)-tree core is a subtree X of T with diameter l, having k leaves, which minimizes the sum of the weighted distances from all vertices in T to X. In this paper, two efficient algorithms are presented for finding a (k,l)-tree core of T. The first algorithm has O(n²) time complexity for the case that each edge has an arbitrary length. The second algorithm has O(lkn) time complexity for the case that the lengths of all edges are 1. The (k,l)-tree core problem has an application in distributed database systems.     

On the pullback equation

We discuss the existence of a diffeomorphism such that

φ^*(g)=f