On the extendability of certain semi-Cayley graphs of finite abelian groups

A connected graph Γ with at least 2n+2 vertices is said to be n-extendable if every matching of size n in Γ can be extended to a perfect matching. The aim of this paper is to study the 1-extendability and 2-extendability of certain semi-Cayley graphs of finite abelian groups, and the classification of connected 2-extendable semi-Cayley graphs of finite abelian groups is given. Thus the 1-extendability and 2-extendability of Cayley graphs of non-abelian groups which can be realized as such semi-Cayley graphs of abelian groups can be deduced. In particular, the 1-extendability and 2-extendability of connected Cayley graphs of generalized dicyclic groups and generalized dihedral groups are characterized.     

A characterization of maximal non-k-factor-critical graphs

A graph G of order p is k-factor-critical,where p and k are positive integers with the same parity, if the deletion of any set of k vertices results in a graph with a perfect matching. G is called maximal non-k-factor-critical if G is not k-factor-critical but G+e is k-factor-critical for every missing edge e∉E(G). A connected graph G with a perfect matching on 2n vertices is k-extendable, for 1?k?n-1, if for every matching M of size k in G there is a perfect matching in G containing all edges of M. G is called maximal non-k-extendable if G is not k-extendable but G+e is k-extendable for every missing edge e∉E(G) . A connected bipartite graph G with a bipartitioning set (X,Y) such that |X|=|Y|=n is maximal non-k-extendable bipartite if G is not k-extendable but G+xy is k-extendable for any edge xy∉E(G) with x∈X and y∈Y. A complete characterization of maximal non-k-factor-critical graphs, maximal non-k-extendable graphs and maximal non-k-extendable bipartite graphs is given.     

Construction for bicritical graphs and k-extendable bipartite graphs

A graph G is said to be bicritical if G-u-v has a perfect matching for every choice of a pair of points u and v. Bicritical graphs play a central role in decomposition theory of elementary graphs with respect to perfect matchings. As Plummer pointed out many times, the structure of bicritical graphs is far from completely understood. This paper presents a concise structure characterization on bicritical graphs in terms of factor-critical graphs and transversals of hypergraphs. A connected graph G with at least 2k+2 points is said to be k-extendable if it contains a matching of k lines and every such matching is contained in a perfect matching. A structure characterization for k-extendable bipartite graphs is given in a recursive way. Furthermore, this paper presents an O(mn) algorithm for determining the extendability of a bipartite graph G, the maximum integer k such that G is k-extendable, where n is the number of points and m is the number of lines in G.     

Minimum degree of minimal defect -extendable bipartite graphs

A near perfect matching is a matching saturating all but one vertex in a graph. If G is a connected graph and any n independent edges in G are contained in a near perfect matching, then G is said to be defect n-extendable. If for any edge e in a defect n-extendable graph G, G−e is not defect n-extendable, then G is minimal defect n-extendable. The minimum degree and the connectivity of a graph G are denoted by δ(G) and κ(G) respectively. In this paper, we study the minimum degree of minimal defect n-extendable bipartite graphs. We prove that a minimal defect 1-extendable bipartite graph G has δ(G)=1. Consider a minimal defect n-extendable bipartite graph G with n≥2, we show that if κ(G)=1, then δ(G)≤n+1 and if κ(G)≥2, then 2≤δ(G)=κ(G)≤n+1. In addition, graphs are also constructed showing that, in all cases but one, there exist graphs with minimum degree that satisfies the established bounds.     

Characterizing defect n-extendable graphs and -critical graphs

A near perfect matching is a matching saturating all but one vertex in a graph. Let G be a connected graph. If any n independent edges in G are contained in a near perfect matching where n is a positive integer and n(|V(G)|-2)/2, then G is said to be defect n-extendable. If deleting any k vertices in G where k|V(G)|-2, the remaining graph has a perfect matching, then G is a k-critical graph. This paper first shows that the connectivity of defect n-extendable graphs can be any integer. Then the characterizations of defect n-extendable graphs and (2k+1)-critical graphs using M-alternating paths are presented.     

Some results on the spectral radii of bicyclic graphs

A bicyclic graph is a connected graph in which the number of edges equals the number of vertices plus one. Let Δ(G) and ρ(G) denote the maximum degree and the spectral radius of a graph G, respectively. Let B(n) be the set of bicyclic graphs on n vertices, and B(n,Δ)={G∈B(n)∣Δ(G)=Δ}. When Δ≥(n+3)/2 we characterize the graph which alone maximizes the spectral radius among all the graphs in B(n,Δ). It is also proved that for two graphs G₁ and G₂ in B(n), if Δ(G₁)>Δ(G₂) and Δ(G₁)≥⌈7n/9⌉+9, then ρ(G₁)>ρ(G₂).     

New families of graphs without short cycles and large size

We denote by ex(n;{C₃,C₄,…,C_s}) or f_s(n) the maximum number of edges in a graph of order n and girth at least s+1. First we give a method to transform an n-vertex graph of girth g into a graph of girth at least g−1 on fewer vertices. For an infinite sequence of values of n and s∈{4,6,10} the obtained graphs are denser than the known constructions of graphs of the same girth s+1. We also give another different construction of dense graphs for an infinite sequence of values of n and s∈{7,11}. These two methods improve the known lower bounds on f_s(n) for s∈{4,6,7,10,11} which were obtained using different algorithms. Finally, to know how good are our results, we have proved that for s∈{5,7,11}, and for s∈{6,10}.     

Connected graphs as subgraphs of Cayley graphs: Conditions on Hamiltonicity

Let Γ be a connected simple graph, let V(Γ) and E(Γ) denote the vertex-set and the edge-set of Γ, respectively, and let n=|V(Γ)|. For 1≤i≤n, let e_i be the element of elementary abelian group which has 1 in the ith coordinate, and 0 in all other coordinates. Assume that V(Γ)={e_i∣1≤i≤n}. We define a set Ω by Ω={e_i+e_j∣{e_i,e_j}∈E(Γ)}, and let Cay_Γ denote the Cayley graph over with respect to Ω. It turns out that Cay_Γ contains Γ as an isometric subgraph. In this paper, the relations between the spectra of Γ and Cay_Γ are discussed. Some conditions on the existence of Hamilton paths and cycles in Γ are obtained.     

Characterization of digraphs with equal domination graphs and underlying graphs

A domination graph of a digraph D, dom(D), is created using the vertex set of D and edge {u,v}∈E[dom(D)] whenever (u,z)∈A(D) or (v,z)∈A(D) for every other vertex z∈V(D). The underlying graph of a digraph D, UG(D), is the graph for which D is a biorientation. We completely characterize digraphs whose underlying graphs are identical to their domination graphs, UG(D)=dom(D). The maximum and minimum number of single arcs in these digraphs, and their characteristics, is given.     

Rose window graphs underlying rotary maps

Given natural numbers n≥3 and 1≤a,r≤n−1, the rose window graph R_n(a,r) is a quartic graph with vertex set {x_i∣i∈Z_n}∪{y_i∣i∈Z_n} and edge set {{x_i,x_i+1}∣i∈Z_n}∪{{y_i,y_i+r}∣i∈Z_n}∪{{x_i,y_i}∣i∈Z_n}∪{{x_i+a,y_i}∣i∈Z_n}. In this paper rotary maps on rose window graphs are considered. In particular, we answer the question posed in [S. Wilson, Rose window graphs, Ars Math. Contemp. 1 (2008), 7-19. http://amc.imfm.si/index.php/amc/issue/view/5] concerning which of these graphs underlie a rotary map.     

Minimal sumsets in finite solvable groups

Given a group G and positive integers r,s≤|G|, we denote by μ_G(r,s) the least possible size of a product set AB={ab∣a∈A,b∈B}, where A,B run over all subsets of G of size r,s, respectively. While the function μ_G is completely known when G is abelian [S. Eliahou, M. Kervaire, Minimal sumsets in infinite abelian groups, Journal of Algebra 287 (2005) 449-457], it is largely unknown for G non-abelian, in part because efficient tools for proving lower bounds on μ_G are still lacking in that case. Our main result here is a lower bound on μ_G for finite solvable groups, obtained by building it up from the abelian case with suitable combinatorial arguments. The result may be summarized as follows: if G is finite solvable of order m, then μ_G(r,s)≥μ_G^′(r,s), where G^′ is any abelian group of the same order m. Equivalently, with our knowledge of μ_G^′, our formula reads .One nice application is the full determination of the function μ_G for the dihedral group G=D_n and all n≥1. Up to now, only the case where n is a prime power was known. We prove that, for all n≥1, the group D_n has the same μ-function as an abelian group of order |D_n|=2n.     

Character degree graphs with no complete vertices

Let Γ be a graph in which each vertex is non-adjacent to another different one. We show that, if G is a finite solvable group with abelian Fitting subgroup and with character degree graph $\Gamma (G)=\Gamma$, then G is a direct product of subgroups having a disconnected character degree graph. In particular, Γ is a join of disconnected graphs. We deduce also that solvable groups with abelian Fitting subgroup have a character degree graph with diameter at most 2.     

Secure domination critical graphs

A secure dominating set X of a graph G is a dominating set with the property that each vertex u∈V_G−X is adjacent to a vertex v∈X such that (X−{v})∪{u} is dominating. The minimum cardinality of such a set is called the secure domination number, denoted by γ_s(G). We are interested in the effect of edge removal on γ_s(G), and characterize γ_s-ER-critical graphs, i.e. graphs for which γ_s(G−e)>γ_s(G) for any edge e of G, bipartite γ_s-ER-critical graphs and γ_s-ER-critical trees.     

2-extendability of toroidal polyhexes and Klein-bottle polyhexes

A toroidal polyhex (resp. Klein-bottle polyhex) described by a string (p,q,t) arises from a p×q-parallelogram of a hexagonal lattice by a usual torus (resp. Klein bottle) boundary identification with a torsion t. A connected graph G admitting a perfect matching is k-extendable if |V(G)|≥2k+2 and any k independent edges can be extended to a perfect matching of G. In this paper, we characterize 2-extendable toroidal polyhexes and 2-extendable Klein-bottle polyhexes.     

Triangle-free graphs with uniquely restricted maximum matchings and their corresponding greedoids

A matching M is uniquely restricted in a graph G if its saturated vertices induce a subgraph which has a unique perfect matching, namely M itself [M.C. Golumbic, T. Hirst, M. Lewenstein, Uniquely restricted matchings, Algorithmica 31 (2001) 139-154]. G is a König-Egerváry graph provided α(G)+μ(G)=|V(G)| [R.W. Deming, Independence numbers of graphs—an extension of the König-Egerváry theorem, Discrete Math. 27 (1979) 23-33; F. Sterboul, A characterization of the graphs in which the transversal number equals the matching number, J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 27 (1979) 228-229], where μ(G) is the size of a maximum matching and α(G) is the cardinality of a maximum stable set. S is a local maximum stable set of G, and we write S∈Ψ(G), if S is a maximum stable set of the subgraph spanned by S∪N(S), where N(S) is the neighborhood of S. Nemhauser and Trotter [Vertex packings: structural properties and algorithms, Math. Programming 8 (1975) 232-248], proved that any S∈Ψ(G) is a subset of a maximum stable set of G. In [V.E. Levit, E. Mandrescu, Local maximum stable sets in bipartite graphs with uniquely restricted maximum matchings, Discrete Appl. Math. 132 (2003) 163-174] we have proved that for a bipartite graph G,Ψ(G) is a greedoid on its vertex set if and only if all its maximum matchings are uniquely restricted. In this paper we demonstrate that if G is a triangle-free graph, then Ψ(G) is a greedoid if and only if all its maximum matchings are uniquely restricted and for any S∈Ψ(G), the subgraph spanned by S∪N(S) is a König-Egerváry graph.     

Group Connectivity of Bridged Graphs

Let G be a 2-edge-connected simple graph, and let A denote an abelian group with the identity element 0. If a graph G ^* is obtained by repeatedly contracting nontrivial A-connected subgraphs of G until no such a subgraph left, we say G can be A-reduced to G*. A graph G is bridged if every cycle of length at least 4 has two vertices x, y such that d _G (x, y) < d _C (x, y). In this paper, we investigate the group connectivity number Λ _g (G) = min{n: G is A-connected for every abelian group with |A| ≥ n} for bridged graphs. Our results extend the early theorems for chordal graphs by Lai (Graphs Comb 16:165–176, 2000) and Chen et al. (Ars Comb 88:217–227, 2008).     

On friendly index sets of 2-regular graphs

Let G be a graph with vertex set V and edge set E, and let A be an abelian group. A labeling f:V→A induces an edge labeling f^∗:E→A defined by f^∗(xy)=f(x)+f(y). For i∈A, let v_f(i)=card{v∈V:f(v)=i} and e_f(i)=card{e∈E:f^∗(e)=i}. A labeling f is said to be A-friendly if |v_f(i)−v_f(j)|≤1 for all (i,j)∈A×A, and A-cordial if we also have |e_f(i)−e_f(j)|≤1 for all (i,j)∈A×A. When A=Z₂, the friendly index set of the graph G is defined as {|e_f(1)−e_f(0)|:the vertex labelingf is Z₂-friendly}. In this paper we completely determine the friendly index sets of 2-regular graphs. In particular, we show that a 2-regular graph of order n is cordial if and only if n?2 (mod 4).     

The graph of perfect matching polytope and an extreme problem

For graph G, its perfect matching polytope Poly(G) is the convex hull of incidence vectors of perfect matchings of G. The graph corresponding to the skeleton of Poly(G) is called the perfect matching graph of G, and denoted by PM(G). It is known that PM(G) is either a hypercube or hamilton connected [D.J. Naddef, W.R. Pulleyblank, Hamiltonicity and combinatorial polyhedra, J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 31 (1981) 297-312; D.J. Naddef, W.R. Pulleyblank, Hamiltonicity in (0-1)-polytope, J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 37 (1984) 41-52]. In this paper, we give a sharp upper bound of the number of lines for the graphs G whose PM(G) is bipartite in terms of sizes of elementary components of G and the order of G, respectively. Moreover, the corresponding extremal graphs are constructed.     

Optimal graphs for chromatic polynomials

Let F(n,e) be the collection of all simple graphs with n vertices and e edges, and for G∈F(n,e) let P(G;λ) be the chromatic polynomial of G. A graph G∈F(n,e) is said to be optimal if another graph H∈F(n,e) does not exist with P(H;λ)?P(G;λ) for all λ, with strict inequality holding for some λ. In this paper we derive necessary conditions for bipartite graphs to be optimal, and show that, contrarily to the case of lower bounds, one can find values of n and e for which optimal graphs are not unique. We also derive necessary conditions for bipartite graphs to have the greatest number of cycles of length 4.     

A new result on Davenport constant

Let G be a finite abelian group of order n and Davenport constant D(G). Let S=⁰h(S)_∏g∈Ggvg(S)∈F(G) be a sequence with a maximal multiplicity h(S) attained by 0 and t=|S|?n+D(G)−1. Then 0∈k_∑(S) for every 1?k?t+1−D(G). This is a refinement of the fundamental result of Gao [W.D. Gao, A combinatorial problem on finite abelian groups, J. Number Theory 58 (1996) 100-103].