Bartholdi zeta functions of some graphs

We give a decomposition formula for the Bartholdi zeta function of a graph G which is partitioned into some irregular coverings. As a corollary, we obtain a decomposition formula for the Bartholdi zeta function of G which is partitioned into some regular coverings.     

A note on the rank parity function

We provide some further theorems on the partitions generated by the rank parity function. New Bailey pairs are established, which are of independent interest.     

A short note on the overpartition function

In this brief note, we give a combinatorial proof of a variation of Gauss’s q-binomial theorem, and we determine arithmetic properties of the overpartition function modulo 8.     

Pruning processes and a new characterization of convex geometries

We provide a new characterization of convex geometries via a multivariate version of an identity that was originally proved, in a special case arising from the k-SAT problem, by Maneva, Mossel and Wainwright. We thus highlight the connection between various characterizations of convex geometries and a family of removal processes studied in the literature on random structures.     

A degree sum condition for graphs to be prism hamiltonian

Win, in 1975, and Jackson and Wormald, in 1990, found the best sufficient conditions on the degree sum of a graph to guarantee the properties of “having a k-tree” and “having a k-walk”, respectively. The property of “being prism hamiltonian” is an intermediate property between “having a 2-tree” and “having a 2-walk”. Thus, it is natural to ask what is the best degree sum condition for graphs to be prism hamiltonian. As an answer to this problem, in this paper, we show that a connected graph G of order n with σ₃(G)≥n is prism hamiltonian. The degree sum condition “σ₃(G)≥n” is best possible.     

A new proof of convergence of MCMC via the ergodic theorem

A key result underlying the theory of MCMC is that any η-irreducible Markov chain having a transition density with respect to η and possessing a stationary distribution π is automatically positive Harris recurrent. This paper provides a short self-contained proof of this fact using the ergodic theorem in its standard form as the most advanced tool.     

A sufficient condition for pancyclability of graphs

Let G be a graph of order n and S be a vertex set of q vertices. We call G,S-pancyclable, if for every integer i with 3≤i≤q there exists a cycle C in G such that |V(C)∩S|=i. For any two nonadjacent vertices u,v of S, we say that u,v are of distance two in S, denoted by d_S(u,v)=2, if there is a path P in G connecting u and v such that |V(P)∩S|≤3. In this paper, we will prove that if G is 2-connected and for all pairs of vertices u,v of S with d_S(u,v)=2, , then there is a cycle in G containing all the vertices of S. Furthermore, if for all pairs of vertices u,v of S with d_S(u,v)=2, , then G is S-pancyclable unless the subgraph induced by S is in a class of special graphs. This generalizes a result of Fan [G. Fan, New sufficient conditions for cycles in graphs, J. Combin. Theory B 37 (1984) 221-227] for the case when S=V(G).     

A probabilistic proof of the Andrews-Gordon identities

Recently, Fulman proved the “extreme” cases of the Andrews-Gordon identities using a Markov chain on the non-negative integers. Here we extend Fulman's methods to prove the Andrews-Gordon identities in full generality.     

On a new class of Finsler metrics

In this paper, the geometric meaning of (α,β)-norms is made clear. On this basis, a new class of Finsler metrics called general (α,β)-metrics are introduced, which are defined by a Riemannian metric and a 1-form. These metrics not only generalize (α,β)-metrics naturally, but also include some metrics structured by R. Bryant. The spray coefficients formula of some kinds of general (α,β)-metrics is given and the projective flatness is also discussed.     

The poset structures admitting the extended binary Golay code to be a perfect code

Brualdi et al. [Codes with a poset metric, Discrete Math. 147 (1995) 57-72] introduced the concept of poset codes, and gave an example of poset structure which admits the extended binary Golay code to be a 4-error-correcting perfect P-code. In this paper we classify all of the poset structures which admit the extended binary Golay code to be a 4-error-correcting perfect P-code, and show that there are no posets which admit the extended binary Golay code to be a 5-error-correcting perfect P-code.     

A new construction of vertex algebras and quasi-modules for vertex algebras

In this paper, a new construction of vertex algebras from more general vertex operators is given and a notion of quasimodule for vertex algebras is introduced and studied. More specifically, a notion of quasilocal subset(space) of for any vector space W is introduced and studied, generalizing the notion of usual locality in the most possible way, and it is proved that on any maximal quasilocal subspace there exists a natural vertex algebra structure and that any quasilocal subset of generates a vertex algebra. Furthermore, it is proved that W is a quasimodule for each of the vertex algebras generated by quasilocal subsets of . A notion of Γ-vertex algebra is also introduced and studied, where Γ is a subgroup of the multiplicative group C^× of nonzero complex numbers. It is proved that any maximal quasilocal subspace of is naturally a Γ-vertex algebra and that any quasilocal subset of generates a Γ-vertex algebra. It is also proved that a Γ-vertex algebra exactly amounts to a vertex algebra equipped with a Γ-module structure which satisfies a certain compatibility condition. Finally, two families of examples are given, involving twisted affine Lie algebras and certain quantum torus Lie algebras.     

The Andrews-Stanley partition function and Al-Salam-Chihara polynomials

For any partition λ let ω(λ) denote the four parameter weight

ω(λ)=a^{∑_i≥1⌈λ_2i−1/2⌉}b^{∑_i≥1⌊λ_2i−1/2⌋}c^{∑_i≥1⌈λ_2i/2⌉}d^{∑_i≥1⌊λ_2i/2⌋},     

A group-based search for solutions of the n-queens problem

The n-queens problem is a well-known problem in mathematics, yet a full search for n-queens solutions has been tackled until now using only simple algorithms (with the exception of the Rivin-Zabih algorithm). In this article, we discuss optimizations that mainly rely on group actions on the set of n-queens solutions. Most of our arguments deal with the case of toroidal queens; at the end, the application to the regular n-queens problem is discussed, and also the Rivin-Zabih algorithm.     

Property (w) and perturbations II

This note is a continuation of a previous article [P. Aiena, M.T. Biondi, Property (w) and perturbations, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 336 (2007) 683-692] concerning the stability of property (w), a variant of Weyl's theorem, for a bounded operator T acting on a Banach space, under finite-dimensional perturbations K commuting with T. A counterexample shows that property (w) in general is not preserved under finite-dimensional perturbations commuting with T, also under the assumption that T is a-isoloid.     

On (d,1)-total numbers of graphs

A (d,1)-total labelling of a graph G assigns integers to the vertices and edges of G such that adjacent vertices receive distinct labels, adjacent edges receive distinct labels, and a vertex and its incident edges receive labels that differ in absolute value by at least d. The span of a (d,1)-total labelling is the maximum difference between two labels. The (d,1)-total number, denoted , is defined to be the least span among all (d,1)-total labellings of G. We prove new upper bounds for , compute some for complete bipartite graphs K_m,n, and completely determine all for d=1,2,3. We also propose a conjecture on an upper bound for in terms of the chromatic number and the chromatic index of G.     

Graphic sequences with a realization containing a complete multipartite subgraph

A nonincreasing sequence of nonnegative integers π=(d₁,d₂,…,d_n) is graphic if there is a (simple) graph G of order n having degree sequence π. In this case, G is said to realizeπ. For a given graph H, a graphic sequence π is potentiallyH-graphic if there is some realization of π containing H as a (weak) subgraph. Let σ(π) denote the sum of the terms of π. For a graph H and n∈Z⁺, σ(H,n) is defined as the smallest even integer m so that every n-term graphic sequence π with σ(π)≥m is potentially H-graphic. Let denote the complete t partite graph such that each partite set has exactly s vertices. We show that and obtain the exact value of σ(K_j+K_s,s,n) for n sufficiently large. Consequently, we obtain the exact value of for n sufficiently large.     

Graph designs for the eight-edge five-vertex graphs

The existence of graph designs for the two nonisomorphic graphs on five vertices and eight edges is determined in the case of index one, with three possible exceptions in total. It is established that for the unique graph with vertex sequence (3, 3, 3, 3, 4), a graph design of order n exists exactly when and n≠16, with the possible exception of n=48. For the unique graph with vertex sequence (2,3,3,4,4), a graph design of order n exists exactly when , with the possible exceptions of n∈{32,48}.     

On a generalization of the Evans Conjecture

The Evans Conjecture states that a partial Latin square of order n with at most n-1 entries can be completed. In this paper we generalize the Evans Conjecture by showing that a partial r-multi Latin square of order n with at most n-1 entries can be completed. Using this generalization, we confirm a case of a conjecture of Häggkvist.     

Minimal rankings and the arank number of a path

Given a graph G, a function f:V(G)→{1,2,…,k} is a k-ranking of G if f(u)=f(v) implies every u-v path contains a vertex w such that f(w)>f(u). A k-ranking is minimal if the reduction of any label greater than 1 violates the described ranking property. The arank number of a graph, denoted ψ_r(G), is the largest k such that G has a minimal k-ranking. We present new results involving minimal k-rankings of paths. In particular, we determine ψ_r(P_n), a problem posed by Laskar and Pillone in 2000.     

Spanning trails containing given edges

A graph G is Eulerian-connected if for any u and v in V(G), G has a spanning (u,v)-trail. A graph G is edge-Eulerian-connected if for any e^′ and e^″ in E(G), G has a spanning (e^′,e^″)-trail. For an integer r?0, a graph is called r-Eulerian-connected if for any X⊆E(G) with |X|?r, and for any , G has a spanning (u,v)-trail T such that X⊆E(T). The r-edge-Eulerian-connectivity of a graph can be defined similarly. Let θ(r) be the minimum value of k such that every k-edge-connected graph is r-Eulerian-connected. Catlin proved that θ(0)=4. We shall show that θ(r)=4 for 0?r?2, and θ(r)=r+1 for r?3. Results on r-edge-Eulerian connectivity are also discussed.