On the geometric structure of independence systems

A bouquet of matroids is a combinatorial structure that generalizes the properties of matroids. Given an independence system, there exist several bouquets of matroids having the same family of independent sets. We show that the collection of these geometries forms in general a meet semi-lattice and, in some cases, a lattice (for instance, when is the family of the stable sets in a graph). Moreover, one of the bouquets that correspond to the highest elements in the meet semi-lattice provides the smallest decomposition of into matroidal families, such that the rank functions of the different matroids have the same values for common sets. In the last section, we give sharp bounds on the performance of the greedy algorithm, using parameters of some special bouquets in the semi-lattice.     

An explication of secret sharing schemes

This paper is an explication of secret sharing schemes, emphasizing combinatorial construction methods. The main problem we consider is the construction of perfect secret sharing schemes, for specified access structures, with the maximum possible information rate.In this paper, we present numerous direct constructions for secret sharing schemes, such as the Shamir threshold scheme, the Boolean circuit construction of Benaloh and Leichter (for general access structures), the vector space construction of Brickell, and the Simmons geometric construction. We discuss the connections between ideal schemes (i.e., those with information rate equal to one) and matroids. We also mention the entropy bounds of Capocelli et al. Then we give a very general construciton, called the decomposition construction, and numerous applications of it. In particular, we study schemes for access structures based on graphs and the many interesting bounds that can be proved; and we determine the exact value of the optimal information rate for all access structures on at most four participants.Research supported by NSERC (Canada) grant A9287.     

A general model for matroids and the greedy algorithm

We present a general model for set systems to be independence families with respect to set families which determine classes of proper weight functions on a ground set. Within this model, matroids arise from a natural subclass and can be characterized by the optimality of the greedy algorithm. This model includes and extends many of the models for generalized matroid-type greedy algorithms proposed in the literature and, in particular, integral polymatroids. We discuss the relationship between these general matroids and classical matroids and provide a Dilworth embedding that allows us to represent matroids with underlying partial order structures within classical matroids. Whether a similar representation is possible for matroids on convex geometries is an open question. S. Fujishige’s research was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.     

Constructions of rank five geometries for the Mathieu group M 22

We construct nine rank five incidence geometries that are firm and residually connected and on which the Mathieu group M²² acts flag-transitively. The constructions use mainly objects arising from the Steiner systemS(3, 6, 22). One of these geometries was constructed by Meixner and Pasini in [10]. Three of them are obtained from the geometry of Meixner and Pasini using doubling (see [8] or [12]) or similar constructions. The remaining five are new and four of them have a star diagram. These latter four geometries are constructed using special partitions of the 22 points of the Steiner system S(3, 6, 22).     

On binary linear <Emphasis Type="Italic">r</Emphasis>-identifying codes

A subspace C of the binary Hamming space F ⁿ of length n is called a linear r-identifying code if for all vectors of F ⁿ the intersections of C and closed r-radius neighbourhoods are nonempty and different. In this paper, we give lower bounds for such linear codes. For radius r =  2, we give some general constructions. We give many (optimal) constructions which were found by a computer search. New constructions improve some previously known upper bounds for r-identifying codes in the case where linearity is not assumed.     

On the Generation of Oriented Matroids

We provide a multiple purpose algorithm for generating oriented matroids. An application disproves a conjecture of Grünbaum that every closed triangulated orientable 2-manifold can be embedded geometrically in R ³ , i.e., with flat triangles and without self-intersections. We can show in particular that there exists an infinite class of orientable triangulated closed 2-manifolds for each genus g \geq 6 that cannot be embedded geometrically in Euclidean 3-space. Our algorithm is interesting in its own right as a tool for many investigations in which oriented matroids play a key role. Received January 7, 1999, and in final form July 16, 1999.     

Tutte-martin polynomials and orienting vectors of isotropic systems

Isotropic systems are structures which unify some properties of 4-regular graphs and of pairs of dual binary matroids. In this paper we unify the properties of the symmetric Tutte polynomials (i.e. with equal variables) of binary matroids and of the Martin polynomials of 4-regular graphs. For this purpose we introduce the orienting vectors of an isotropic system in order to generalize the eulerian orientations of 4-regular graphs.     

On fixing elements in matroid minors

LetF be a collection of 3-connected matroids which is (3, 1)-rounded, that is, whenever a 3-connected matroidM has a minor in F ande is an element ofM, thenM has a minor in F whose ground set contains.e. The aim of this note is to prove that, for all sufficiently largen, the collection ofn-element 3-connected matroids having some minor inF is also (3, 1)-rounded.This research was partially supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DMS-8500494.     

The incidence structure of subspaces with well-scaled frames

In this paper, the incidence structure of classes of subspaces that generalize the regular (unimodular) subspaces of rational coordinate spaces is studied. Let F the a field and S - F β {0}. A subspace, V, of a coordinate space over F is S-regular if every elementary vector of V can be scaled by an element of F β {0} so that all of its non-zero entries are elements of S. A subspace that is {−1, +1 }-regular over the rational field is regular.Associated with a subspace, V, over an arbitrary (respectively, ordered) field is a matroid (oriented matroid) having as circuits (signed circuits) the set of supports (signed supports) of elementary vectors of V. Fundamental representation properties are established for the matroids that arise from certain classes of subspaces. Matroids that are (minor) minimally non-representable by various classes of subspaces are identified. A unique representability results is established for the oriented matroids of subspaces that are dyadic (i.e., {±2⁰, ±2¹, ±2², …}-regular) over the rationals. A self-dual characterization is established for the matroids of S-regular subspaces which generalizes Minty's characterization of regular spaces as digraphoids.     

Kuratowski's and Wagner's theorems for matroids

In an earlier paper we proved the following theorem, which provides a strengthening of Tutte's well-known characterization of regular (totally unimodular) matroids: A binary matroid is regular if it does not have the Fano matroid or its dual as a series-minor (parallel-minor). In this paper we prove two theorems (Theorems 5.1 and 6.1) which provide the same kind of strengthening for Tutte's characterization of the graphic matroids (i.e., bond-matroids). One interesting aspect of these theorems is the introduction of the matroids of “type R”. It turns out that these matroids are, in at least two different senses, the smallest regular matroids which are neither graphic nor cographic (Theorems 6.2 and 6.3).     

A Decomposition Theorem for Binary Matroids with no Prism Minor

The prism graph is the dual of the complete graph on five vertices with an edge deleted, K ₅\ e. In this paper we determine the class of binary matroids with no prism minor. The motivation for this problem is the 1963 result by Dirac where he identified the simple 3-connected graphs with no minor isomorphic to the prism graph. We prove that besides Dirac’s infinite families of graphs and four infinite families of non-regular matroids determined by Oxley, there are only three possibilities for a matroid in this class: it is isomorphic to the dual of the generalized parallel connection of F ₇ with itself across a triangle with an element of the triangle deleted; it’s rank is bounded by 5; or it admits a non-minimal exact 3-separation induced by the 3-separation in P ₉. Since the prism graph has rank 5, the class has to contain the binary projective geometries of rank 3 and 4, F ₇ and PG(3, 2), respectively. We show that there is just one rank 5 extremal matroid in the class. It has 17 elements and is an extension of R ₁₀, the unique splitter for regular matroids. As a corollary, we obtain Mayhew and Royle’s result identifying the binary internally 4-connected matroids with no prism minor Mayhew and Royle (Siam J Discrete Math 26:755–767, 2012).     

The Canonical Genus of a Classical and Virtual Knot

A diagram D of a knot defines the corresponding Gauss Diagram G _D . However, not all Gauss diagrams correspond to the ordinary knot diagrams. From a Gauss diagram G we construct closed surfaces F _G and S _G in two different ways, and we show that if the Gauss diagram corresponds to an ordinary knot diagram D, then their genus is the genus of the canonical Seifert surface associated to D. Using these constructions we introduce the virtual canonical genus invariant of a virtual knot and find estimates on the number of alternating knots of given genus and given crossing number.     

The affine representation theorem for abstract convex geometries

A convex geometry is a combinatorial abstract model introduced by Edelman and Jamison which captures a combinatorial essence of “convexity” shared by some objects including finite point sets, partially ordered sets, trees, rooted graphs. In this paper, we introduce a generalized convex shelling, and show that every convex geometry can be represented as a generalized convex shelling. This is “the representation theorem for convex geometries” analogous to “the representation theorem for oriented matroids” by Folkman and Lawrence. An important feature is that our representation theorem is affine-geometric while that for oriented matroids is topological. Thus our representation theorem indicates the intrinsic simplicity of convex geometries, and opens a new research direction in the theory of convex geometries.     

Strongly inequivalent representations and Tutte polynomials of matroids

We develop constructive techniques to show that non-isomorphic 3-connected matroids that are representable over a fixed finite field and that have the same Tutte polynomial abound. In particular, for most prime powers q, we construct infinite families of sets of 3-connected matroids for which the matroids in a given set are non-isomorphic, are representable over GF(q), and have the same Tutte polynomial. Furthermore, the cardinalities of the sets of matroids in a given family grow exponentially as a function of rank, and there are many such families.In Memory of Gian-Carlo Rota     

On the Real Zeros of Positive Semidefinite Biquadratic Forms

For a positive semidefinite biquadratic forms F in (3, 3) variables, we prove that, if F has a finite number but at least 7 real zeros 𝒵(F), then it is not a sum of squares. We show also that if F has at least 11 zeros, then it has infinitely many real zeros and it is a sum of squares. It can be seen as the counterpart for biquadratic forms as the results of Choi, Lam, and Reznick for positive semidefinite ternary sextics.

We introduce and compute some of the numbers BB _{n, m} which are set to be equal to sup |𝒵(F)| where F ranges over all the positive semidefinite biquadratic forms F in (n, m) variables such that |𝒵(F)| < ∞.

We also recall some old constructions of positive semidefinite biquadratic forms which are not sums of squares and we give some new families of examples.     

Four matroidal structures of covering and their relationships with rough sets

Covering is a common form of data representation, and covering-based rough sets serve as an efficient technique to process this type of data. However, many important problems such as covering reduction in covering-based rough sets are NP-hard so that most algorithms to solve them are greedy. Matroids provide well-established platforms for greedy algorithm foundation and implementation. Therefore, it is necessary to integrate covering-based rough set with matroid. In this paper, we propose four matroidal structures of coverings and establish their relationships with rough sets. First, four different viewpoints are presented to construct these four matroidal structures of coverings, including 1-rank matroids, bigraphs, upper approximation numbers and transversals. The respective advantages of these four matroidal structures to rough sets are explored. Second, the connections among these four matroidal structures are studied. It is interesting to find that they coincide with each other. Third, a converse view is provided to induce a covering by a matroid. We study the relationship between this induction and the one from a covering to a matroid. Finally, some important concepts of covering-based rough sets, such as approximation operators, are equivalently formulated by these matroidal structures. These interesting results demonstrate the potential to combine covering-based rough sets with matroids.     

Realization of abstract convex geometries by point configurations

The Edelman–Jamison problem is to characterize those abstract convex geometries that are representable by a set of points in the plane. We show that some natural modification of the Edelman–Jamison problem is equivalent to the well known NP-hard order type problem. The relation to the realizability of oriented matroids is clarified.     

Inseparability graphs of oriented matroids

We determine the inseparability graphs of uniform oriented matroids and of graphic oriented matroids. For anyr, n such that 4rn–3, examples of rankr uniform oriented matroids onn elements with a given inseparability graph are obtained by simple constructions of polytopes having prescribed separation properties.