Association schemes related to universally optimal configurations, Kerdock codes and extremal Euclidean line-sets

H. Cohn et. al. proposed an association scheme of 64 points in R^{14} which is conjectured to be a universally optimal code. We show that this scheme has a generalization in terms of Kerdock codes, as well as in terms of maximal real mutually unbiased bases. These schemes also related to extremal line-sets in Euclidean spaces and Barnes-Wall lattices. D. de Caen and E. R. van Dam constructed two infinite series of formally dual 3-class association schemes. We explain this formal duality by constructing two dual abelian schemes related to quaternary linear Kerdock and Preparata codes.Comment: 16 page

Efficient Two-Stage Group Testing Algorithms for Genetic Screening

Efficient two-stage group testing algorithms that are particularly suited for rapid and less-expensive DNA library screening and other large scale biological group testing efforts are investigated in this paper. The main focus is on novel combinatorial constructions in order to minimize the number of individual tests at the second stage of a two-stage disjunctive testing procedure. Building on recent work by Levenshtein (2003) and Tonchev (2008), several new infinite classes of such combinatorial designs are presented.Comment: 14 pages; to appear in "Algorithmica". Part of this work has been presented at the ICALP 2011 Group Testing Workshop; arXiv:1106.368

Problems on q-Analogs in Coding Theory

The interest in $q$-analogs of codes and designs has been increased in the last few years as a consequence of their new application in error-correction for random network coding. There are many interesting theoretical, algebraic, and combinatorial coding problems concerning these q-analogs which remained unsolved. The first goal of this paper is to make a short summary of the large amount of research which was done in the area mainly in the last few years and to provide most of the relevant references. The second goal of this paper is to present one hundred open questions and problems for future research, whose solution will advance the knowledge in this area. The third goal of this paper is to present and start some directions in solving some of these problems.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:0805.3528 by other author

New characterisations of the Nordstrom–Robinson codes

In his doctoral thesis, Snover proved that any binary $(m,256,\delta)$ code is equivalent to the Nordstrom-Robinson code or the punctured Nordstrom-Robinson code for $(m,\delta)=(16,6)$ or $(15,5)$ respectively. We prove that these codes are also characterised as \emph{completely regular} binary codes with $(m,\delta)=(16,6)$ or $(15,5)$, and moreover, that they are \emph{completely transitive}. Also, it is known that completely transitive codes are necessarily completely regular, but whether the converse holds has up to now been an open question. We answer this by proving that certain completely regular codes are not completely transitive, namely, the (Punctured) Preparata codes other than the (Punctured) Nordstrom-Robinson code

Distance-regular graphs

This is a survey of distance-regular graphs. We present an introduction to distance-regular graphs for the reader who is unfamiliar with the subject, and then give an overview of some developments in the area of distance-regular graphs since the monograph 'BCN' [Brouwer, A.E., Cohen, A.M., Neumaier, A., Distance-Regular Graphs, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1989] was written.Comment: 156 page

Z2Z4-additive cyclic codes, generator polynomials and dual codes

A ${\mathbb{Z}}_2{\mathbb{Z}}_4$-additive code ${\cal C}\subseteq{\mathbb{Z}}_2^\alpha\times{\mathbb{Z}}_4^\beta$ is called cyclic if the set of coordinates can be partitioned into two subsets, the set of ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$ and the set of ${\mathbb{Z}}_4$ coordinates, such that any cyclic shift of the coordinates of both subsets leaves the code invariant. These codes can be identified as submodules of the $\mathbb{Z}_4[x]$-module $\mathbb{Z}_2[x]/(x^\alpha-1)\times\mathbb{Z}_4[x]/(x^\beta-1)$. The parameters of a ${\mathbb{Z}}_2{\mathbb{Z}}_4$-additive cyclic code are stated in terms of the degrees of the generator polynomials of the code. The generator polynomials of the dual code of a ${\mathbb{Z}}_2{\mathbb{Z}}_4$-additive cyclic code are determined in terms of the generator polynomials of the code ${\cal C}$