Eulerian numbers with fractional order parameters

Summary The aim of this paper is to generalize the well-known Eulerian numbers, defined by the recursion relationE(n, k) = (k + 1)E(n – 1, k) + (n – k)E(n – 1, k – 1), to the case thatn is replaced by . It is shown that these Eulerian functionsE(, k), which can also be defined in terms of a generating function, can be represented as a certain sum, as a determinant, or as a fractional Weyl integral. TheE(, k) satisfy recursion formulae, they are monotone ink and, as functions of , are arbitrarily often differentiable. Further, connections with the fractional Stirling numbers of second kind, theS(, k), > 0, introduced by the authors (1989), are discussed. Finally, a certain counterpart of the famous Worpitzky formula is given; it is essentially an approximation ofx in terms of a sum involving theE(, k) and a hypergeometric function.Dedicated to the memory of Alexander M. Ostrowski on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth.     

∑II∑ threshold formulas

A II formula has the form, where eachL is either a variable or a negated variable. In this paper we study the computation of threshold functions by II formulas. By combining the proof of the Fredman-Komlós bound [5, 10] and a counting argument, we show that fork andn large andkn/2, every II formula computing the threshold functionT _k ⁿ has size at least exp . Fork andn large andkn ^2/3, we show that there exist II formulas for computingT _k ⁿ with size at most exp .     

On the Value of a Random Minimum Weight Steiner Tree

Consider a complete graph on n vertices with edge weights chosen randomly and independently from an exponential distribution with parameter 1. Fix k vertices and consider the minimum weight Steiner tree which contains these vertices. We prove that with high probability the weight of this tree is (1+o(1))(k-1)(log n-log k)/n when k =o(n) and n.* Research supported in part by NSF grant DSM9971788 Research supported in part by NSF grants DMS-0106589, CCR-9987845 and by the State of New Jersey. Part of this research was done while visiting IBM T. J. Watson Research Center.     

On the ascending star subgraph decomposition of star forests

LetG be a graph of size for some integern2. ThenG is said to have an ascending star subgraph decomposition ifG can be decomposed inton subgraphsG ₁,G ₂, ...,G _n such that eachG _i is a star of sizei with 1in. We shall prove in this paper that a star forest with size , possesses an ascending star subgraph decomposition if the size of each component is at leastn, which is stronger than the conjecture proposed by Y. Alavi, A. J. Boals, G. Chartrand, P. Erds and O. R. Oellermann.     

The local nature of Δ-coloring and its algorithmic applications

Given a connected graphG=(V, E) with |V|=n and maximum degree such thatG is neither a complete graph nor an odd cycle, Brooks' theorem states thatG can be colored with colors. We generalize this as follows: letG-v be -colored; then,v can be colored by considering the vertices in anO(log n) radius aroundv and by recoloring anO(log n) length augmenting path inside it. Using this, we show that -coloringG is reducible inO(log³ n/log) time to (+1)-vertex coloringG in a distributed model of computation. This leads to fast distributed algorithms and a linear-processorNC algorithm for -coloring.A preliminary version of this paper appeared as part of the paper Improved Distributed Algorithms for Coloring and Network Decomposition Problems, in theProceedings of the ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing pages 581–592, 1992. This research was done when the authors were at the Computer Science Department of Cornell University. The research was supported in part by NSF PYI award CCR-89-96272 with matching funds from UPS and Sun Microsystems.     

On construction ofk-wise independent random variables

A 0–1probability space is a probability space (, 2,P), where the sample space -{0, 1} ⁿ for somen. A probability space isk-wise independent if, whenY _i is defined to be theith coordinate or the randomn-vector, then any subset ofk of theY _i 's is (mutually) independent, and it is said to be a probability spacefor p ₁,p ₂, ...,p _n ifP[Y _i =1]=p _i .We study constructions ofk-wise independent 0–1 probability spaces in which thep _i 's are arbitrary. It was known that for anyp ₁,p ₂, ...,p _n , ak-wise independent probability space of size always exists. We prove that for somep ₁,p ₂, ...,p _n [0,1],m(n,k) is a lower bound on the size of anyk-wise independent 0–1 probability space. For each fixedk, we prove that everyk-wise independent 0–1 probability space when eachp _i =k/n has size (n _k ). For a very large degree of independence —k=[n], for >1/2- and allp _i =1/2, we prove a lower bound on the size of . We also give explicit constructions ofk-wise independent 0–1 probability spaces.This author was supported in part by NSF grant CCR 9107349.This research was supported in part by the Israel Science Foundation administered by the lsrael Academy of Science and Humanities and by a grant of the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology.     

Packing directed circuits

We prove a conjecture of Younger, that for every integern0 there exists an integert0 such that for every digraphG, eitherG hasn vertex-disjoint directed circuits, orG can be made acyclic by deleting at mostt vertices.Research partially supported by DONET ECHM contract CHRXCT930090.Research partially supported by DIMACS, by NSF grant DMS-9401981 and by ONR grant N00014-92-J-1965, and partially performed under a consulting agreement with Bellcore.Research partially supported by DIMACS, by Université de Paris VI, by NSF grant DMS-9303761 and by ONR grant N00014-93-1-0325, and partially performed under a consulting agreement with Bellcore.     

On the product of sign vectors and unit vectors

For a fixed unit vectora=(a ₁,...,a _n )S ^n-1, consider the 2 ⁿ sign vectors=(₁,..., _n ){±1{ ⁿ and the corresponding scalar products^·a = _n ⁱ⁼¹ = _i a _i . The question that we address is: for how many of the sign vectors must^.a lie between–1 and 1. Besides the straightforward interpretation in terms of the sums ±a ₂ , this question has appealing reformulations using the language of probability theory or of geometry.The natural conjectures are that at least 1/2 the sign vectors yield |.a|1 and at least 3/8 of the sign vectors yield |.a|<1 (the latter excluding the case when |a _i |=1 for somei). These conjectured lower bounds are easily seen to be the best possible. Here we prove a lower bound of 3/8 for both versions of the problem, thus completely solving the version with strict inequality. The main part of the proof is cast in a more general probabilistic framework: it establishes a sharp lower bound of 3/8 for the probability that |X+Y|<1, whereX andY are independent random variables, each having a symmetric distribution with variance 1/2.We also consider an asymptotic version of the question, wheren along a sequence of instances of the problem satisfying ||a||0. Our result, best expressed in probabilistic terms, is that the distribution of .a converges to the standard normal distribution, and in particular the fraction of sign vectors yielding .a between –1 and 1 tends to 68%.This research was supported in part by the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications with funds provided by the National Science Foundation.     

A note on matrix rigidity

In this paper we give an explicit construction ofn×n matrices over finite fields which are somewhat rigid, in that if we change at mostk entries in each row, its rank remains at leastCn(log _q k)/k, whereq is the size of the field andC is an absolute constant. Our matrices satisfy a somewhat stronger property, we will explain and call strong rigidity. We introduce and briefly discuss strong rigidity, because it is in a sense a simpler property and may be easier to use in giving explicit construction.This paper was written while on leave from Princeton, at the Hebrew University. The author wishes to acknowledge the National Science Foundation for supporting this research in part under PYI grant CCR-8858788, and a grant from the program of Medium and Long Term Research at Foreign Centers of Excellence.     

Regressions and monotone chains II: The poset of integer intervals

A regressive function (also called a regression or contractive mapping) on a partial order P is a function mapping P to itself such that (x)x. A monotone k-chain for is a k-chain on which is order-preserving; i.e., a chain x ₁<...ksuch that (x ₁)...(x_k). Let P _nbe the poset of integer intervals {i, i+1, ..., m} contained in {1, 2, ..., n}, ordered by inclusion. Let f(k) be the least value of n such that every regression on P _nhas a monotone k+1-chain, let t(x,j) be defined by t(x, 0)=1 and t(x,j)=x ^t(x,j–1). Then f(k) exists for all k (originally proved by D. White), and t(2,k) < f(K) <t( + _k, k) , where _k 0 as k. Alternatively, the largest k such that every regression on P _nis guaranteed to have a monotone k-chain lies between lg^*(n) and lg^*(n)–2, inclusive, where lg^*(n) is the number of appliations of logarithm base 2 required to reduce n to a negative number. Analogous results hold for choice functions, which are regressions in which every element is mapped to a minimal element.     

On the number of limit cycles in perturbations of a two dimensional nonlinear differential system

Summary For the nonlinear system , which has a family { _h } of closed orbits, we consider perturbations of the type , whereP andQ are arbitrary polynomials. The abelian integralsA(h) corresponding to this family { _h } are investigated. By deriving differential equations forA(h) and proving monotonicity for quotients of abelian integrals, we obtain results on the number of zeros of abelian integrals and, hence, on the number of closed orbits _h which persist as limit cycles of the perturbed system (^*). In particular, a uniqueness theorem for limit cycles of (^*) with quadratic polynomialsP, Q is proved. Moreover, whenP, Q are of arbitrary degree, a lower bound for the possible number of limit cycles of (^*) is derived.     

How to draw a planar graph on a grid

Answering a question of Rosenstiehl and Tarjan, we show that every plane graph withn vertices has a Fáry embedding (i.e., straight-line embedding) on the 2n–4 byn–2 grid and provide anO(n) space,O(n logn) time algorithm to effect this embedding. The grid size is asymptotically optimal and it had been previously unknown whether one can always find a polynomial sized grid to support such an embedding. On the other hand we show that any setF, which can support a Fáry embedding of every planar graph of sizen, has cardinality at leastn+(1–o(1))n which settles a problem of Mohar.Supported in part by P. R. C. Mathematiques et Informatique.Supported in part by HSF grant 1814.Part of the work on this paper was done while this author was on sabbatical leave at école Normal Supérieure and école des Hautes études en Sciences Sociales; supported in part by NSF grant DMS-850 1947.     

Hypersurfaces of restricted type in Minkowski space

A submanifold M _n ^r of Minkowski space is said to be of restricted type if its shape operator with respect to the mean curvature vector is the restriction of a fixed linear transformation of to the tangent space of M _n ^r at every point of M _n ^r . In this paper we completely classify hypersurfaces of restricted type in . More precisely, we prove that a hypersurface of is of restricted type if and only if it is either a minimal hypersurface, or an open part of one of the following hypersurfaces: S ^k × , S _k ¹ × , H ^k × , S _n ¹ , H ⁿ , with 1kn–1, or an open part of a cylinder on a plane curve of restricted type.This work was done when the first and fourth authors were visiting Michigan State University.Aangesteld Navorser N.F.W.O., Belgium.     

On Heilbronn’s Problem in Higher Dimension

Heilbronn conjectured that given arbitrary n points in the 2-dimensional unit square [0, 1]², there must be three points which form a triangle of area at most O(1/n²). This conjecture was disproved by a nonconstructive argument of Komlós, Pintz and Szemerédi [10] who showed that for every n there is a configuration of n points in the unit square [0, 1]² where all triangles have area at least (log n/n²). Considering a generalization of this problem to dimensions d3, Barequet [3] showed for every n the existence of n points in the d-dimensional unit cube [0, 1]^d such that the minimum volume of every simplex spanned by any (d+1) of these n points is at least (1/n^d). We improve on this lower bound by a logarithmic factor (log n).     

The asymptotic numbers of regular tournaments,Eulerian digraphs and Eulerian oriented graphs

LetRT(n), ED(n) andEOG(n) be the number of labelled regular tournaments, labelled loop-free simple Eulerian digraphs, and labelled Eulerian oriented simple graphs, respectively, onn vertices. Then, asn,, for any>0. The last two families of graphs are also enumerated by their numbers of edges. The proofs use the saddle point method applied to appropriaten-dimensional integrals.     

Prime ideals in the quantum grassmannian

We consider quantum Schubert cells in the quantum grassmannian and give a cell decomposition of the prime spectrum via the Schubert cells. As a consequence, we show that all primes are completely prime in the generic case where the deformation parameter q is not a root of unity. There is a natural torus action of on the quantum grassmannian and the cell decomposition of the set of -primes leads to a parameterisation of the -spectrum via certain diagrams on partitions associated to the Schubert cells. Interestingly, the same parameterisation occurs for the nonnegative cells in recent studies concerning the totally nonnegative grassmannian. Finally, we use the cell decomposition to establish that the quantum grassmannian satisfies normal separation and catenarity.     

Bounds for arrays of dots with distinct slopes or lengths

Ann×m sonar sequence is a subset of then×m grid with exactly one point in each column, such that the vectors determined by them are all distinct. We show that for fixedn the maximalm for which a sonar sequence exists satisfiesn–Cn ^11/20<m<n+4n ^2/3 for alln andm>n+c logn log logn for infinitely manyn.Another problem concerns the maximal numberD of points that can be selected from then×m grid so that all the vectors have slopes. We proven ^1/2Dn ^4/5 Supported by Hungarian National Foundation for Scientific Research, Grant No. 1901Research conducted by Herbert Taylor was sponsored in part by the Office of Naval Research under ONR Contract No. N00014-90-J-1341.     

The tree number of a graph with a given girth

A family of subtrees of a graphG whose edge sets form a partition of the edge set ofG is called atree decomposition ofG. The minimum number of trees in a tree decomposition ofG is called thetree number ofG and is denoted by(G). It is known that ifG is connected then(G) |G|/2. In this paper we show that ifG is connected and has girthg 5 then(G) |G|/g + 1. Surprisingly, the case wheng = 4 seems to be more difficult. We conjecture that in this case(G) |G|/4 + 1 and show a wide class of graphs that satisfy it. Also, some special graphs like complete bipartite graphs andn-dimensional cubes, for which we determine their tree numbers, satisfy it. In the general case we prove the weaker inequality(G) (|G| – 1)/3 + 1.     

Discrepancy and approximations for bounded VC-dimension

Let (X, ) be a set system on ann-point setX. For a two-coloring onX, itsdiscrepancy is defined as the maximum number by which the occurrences of the two colors differ in any set in . We show that if for anym-point subset the number of distinct subsets induced by onY is bounded byO(m ^d) for a fixed integerd, then there is a coloring with discrepancy bounded byO(n ^1/2–1/2d(logn)^1+1/2d ). Also if any subcollection ofm sets of partitions the points into at mostO(m ^d) classes, then there is a coloring with discrepancy at mostO(n ^1/2–1/2dlogn). These bounds imply improved upper bounds on the size of -approximations for (X, ). All the bounds are tight up to polylogarithmic factors in the worst case. Our results allow to generalize several results of Beck bounding the discrepancy in certain geometric settings to the case when the discrepancy is taken relative to an arbitrary measure.Work of J.M. and E.W. was partially supported by the ESPRIT II Basic Research Actions Program of the EC under contract no. 3075 (project ALCOM). L.W. acknowledges support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft under grant We 1265/1-3, Schwerpunktprogramm Datenstrukturen und effiziente Algorithmen.     

Packing random items of three colors

Consider three colors 1,2,3, and forj3, considern items (X _i,j)in of colorj. We want to pack these items inn bins of equal capacity (the bin size is not fixed, and is to be determined once all the objects are known), subject to the condition that each bin must contain exactly one item of each color, and that the total item sizes attributed to any given bin does not exceed the bin capacity. Consider the stochastic model where the random variables (X _i,jj)in,j3 are independent uniformly distributed over [0,1]. We show that there is a polynomial-time algorithm that produces a packing which has a wasted spaceK logn with overwhelming probability.Work partially supported by an N.S.F. grant.