A feasibility approach for constructing combinatorial designs of circulant type

In this work, we propose an optimization approach for constructing various classes of circulant combinatorial designs that can be defined in terms of autocorrelations. The problem is formulated as a so-called feasibility problem having three sets, to which the Douglas-Rachford projection algorithm is applied. The approach is illustrated on three different classes of circulant combinatorial designs: circulant weighing matrices, D-optimal matrices, and Hadamard matrices with two circulant cores. Furthermore, we explicitly construct two new circulant weighing matrices, a $CW(126,64)$ and a $CW(198,100)$, whose existence was previously marked as unresolved in the most recent version of Strassler's table

Hadamard 2-(63,31,15) designs invariant under the dihedral group of order 10

AbstractAll Hadamard 2-(63,31,15) designs invariant under the dihedral group of order 10 are constructed and classified up to isomorphism together with related Hadamard matrices of order 64. Affine 2-(64,16,5) designs can be obtained from Hadamard 2-(63,31,15) designs having line spreads by Rahilly’s construction [A. Rahilly, On the line structure of designs, Discrete Math. 92 (1991) 291–303]. The parameter set 2-(64,16,5) is one of two known sets when there exists several nonisomorphic designs with the same parameters and p-rank as the design obtained from the points and subspaces of a given dimension in affine geometry AG(n,pm) (p a prime). It is established that an affine 2-(64,16,5) design of 2-rank 16 that is associated with a Hadamard 2-(63,31,15) design invariant under the dihedral group of order 10 is either isomorphic to the classical design of the points and hyperplanes in AG(3,4), or is one of the two exceptional designs found by Harada, Lam and Tonchev [M. Harada, C. Lam, V.D. Tonchev, Symmetric (4, 4)-nets and generalized Hadamard matrices over groups of order 4, Designs Codes Cryptogr. 34 (2005) 71–87]

European Journal of Combinatorics Index, Volume 27

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is an inflammatory condition associated with iron abnormalities and increased oxidative damage. We aimed to investigate how diabetes affects the interrelationships between these pathogenic mechanisms. METHODS: Glycaemic control, serum iron, proteins involved in iron homeostasis, global antioxidant capacity and levels of antioxidants and peroxidation products were measured in 39 type 1 and 67 type 2 diabetic patients and 100 control subjects. RESULTS: Although serum iron was lower in diabetes, serum ferritin was elevated in type 2 diabetes (p = 0.02). This increase was not related to inflammation (C-reactive protein) but inversely correlated with soluble transferrin receptors (r = - 0.38, p = 0.002). Haptoglobin was higher in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes (p &lt; 0.001) and haemopexin was higher in type 2 diabetes (p &lt; 0.001). The relation between C-reactive protein and haemopexin was lost in type 2 diabetes (r = 0.15, p = 0.27 vs r = 0.63, p &lt; 0.001 in type 1 diabetes and r = 0.36, p = 0.001 in controls). Haemopexin levels were independently determined by triacylglycerol (R(2) = 0.43) and the diabetic state (R(2) = 0.13). Regarding oxidative stress status, lower antioxidant concentrations were found for retinol and uric acid in type 1 diabetes, alpha-tocopherol and ascorbate in type 2 diabetes and protein thiols in both types. These decreases were partially explained by metabolic-, inflammatory- and iron alterations. An additional independent effect of the diabetic state on the oxidative stress status could be identified (R(2) = 0.5-0.14). CONCLUSIONS: Circulating proteins, body iron stores, inflammation, oxidative stress and their interrelationships are abnormal in patients with diabetes and differ between type 1 and type 2 diabetes</p

Hadamard ideals and Hadamard matrices with two circulant cores

We apply Computational Algebra methods to the construction of Hadamard matrices with two circulant cores, given by Fletcher, Gysin and Seberry. We introduce the concept of Hadamard ideal, to systematize the application of Computational Algebra methods for this construction. We use the Hadamard ideal formalism to perform exhaustive search constructions of Hadamard matrices with two circulant cores for the twelve orders 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52. The total number of such Hadamard matrices is proportional to the square of the parameter. We use the Hadamard ideal formalism to compute the proportionality constants for the twelve orders listed above. Finally, we use the Hadamard ideal formalism to improve the lower bounds for the number of inequivalent Hadamard matrices for the seven orders 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64, 68