Total Domishold Graphs: a Generalization of Threshold Graphs, with Connections to Threshold Hypergraphs

A total dominating set in a graph is a set of vertices such that every vertex of the graph has a neighbor in the set. We introduce and study graphs that admit non-negative real weights associated to their vertices such that a set of vertices is a total dominating set if and only if the sum of the corresponding weights exceeds a certain threshold. We show that these graphs, which we call total domishold graphs, form a non-hereditary class of graphs properly containing the classes of threshold graphs and the complements of domishold graphs, and are closely related to threshold Boolean functions and threshold hypergraphs. We present a polynomial time recognition algorithm of total domishold graphs, and characterize graphs in which the above property holds in a hereditary sense. Our characterization is obtained by studying a new family of hypergraphs, defined similarly as the Sperner hypergraphs, which may be of independent interest.Comment: 19 pages, 1 figur

Decomposing 1-Sperner hypergraphs

A hypergraph is Sperner if no hyperedge contains another one. A Sperner hypergraph is equilizable (resp., threshold) if the characteristic vectors of its hyperedges are the (minimal) binary solutions to a linear equation (resp., inequality) with positive coefficients. These combinatorial notions have many applications and are motivated by the theory of Boolean functions and integer programming. We introduce in this paper the class of $1$-Sperner hypergraphs, defined by the property that for every two hyperedges the smallest of their two set differences is of size one. We characterize this class of Sperner hypergraphs by a decomposition theorem and derive several consequences from it. In particular, we obtain bounds on the size of $1$-Sperner hypergraphs and their transversal hypergraphs, show that the characteristic vectors of the hyperedges are linearly independent over the reals, and prove that $1$-Sperner hypergraphs are both threshold and equilizable. The study of $1$-Sperner hypergraphs is motivated also by their applications in graph theory, which we present in a companion paper

On Equidomination in Graphs

A graph G=(V,E) is called equidominating if there exists a value t in IN and a weight function w : V -> IN such that the total weight of a subset D of V is equal to t if and only if D is a minimal dominating set. Further, w is called an equidominating function, t a target value and the pair (w,t) an equidominating structure. To decide whether a given graph is equidominating is referred to as the EQUIDOMINATION problem. First, we examine several results on standard graph classes and operations with respect to equidomination. Furthermore, we characterize hereditarily equidominating graphs. These are the graphs whose every induced subgraph is equidominating. For those graphs, we give a finite forbidden induced subgraph characterization and a structural decomposition. Using this decomposition, we state a polynomial time algorithm that recognizes hereditarily equidominating graphs. We introduce two parameterized versions of the EQUIDOMINATION problem: the k-EQUIDOMINATION problem and the TARGET-t EQUIDOMINATION problem. For k in IN, a graph is called k-equidominating if we can identify the minimal dominating sets using only weights from 1 to k. In other words, if an equidominating function with co-domain {1,...,k} exists. For t in IN, a graph is said to be target-t equidominating if there is an equidominating structure with target value t. For both parameterized problems we prove fixed-parameter tractability. The first step for this is to achieve the so-called pseudo class partition, which coarsens the twin partition. It is founded on the requirement that vertices from different blocks of the partition cannot have equal weights in any equidominating structure. Based on the pseudo class partition, we state an XP algorithm for the parameterized versions of the EQUIDOMINATION problem. The second step is the examination of three reduction rules - each of them concerning a specific type of block of the pseudo class partition - which we use to construct problem kernels. The sizes of the kernels are bounded by a function depending only on the respective parameter. By applying the XP algorithm to the kernels, we achieve FPT algorithms. The concept of equidomination was introduced nearly 40 years ago, but hardly any investigations exist. With this thesis, we want to fill that gap. We may lay the foundation for further research on equidomination

HH-product and HH-threshold graphs

This paper is the continuation of the research of the author and his colleagues of the {\it canonical} decomposition of graphs. The idea of the canonical decomposition is to define the binary operation on the set of graphs and to represent the graph under study as a product of prime elements with respect to this operation. We consider the graph together with the arbitrary partition of its vertex set into $n$ subsets ($n$-partitioned graph). On the set of $n$-partitioned graphs distinguished up to isomorphism we consider the binary algebraic operation $\circ_H$ ($H$-product of graphs), determined by the digraph $H$. It is proved, that every operation $\circ_H$ defines the unique factorization as a product of prime factors. We define $H$-threshold graphs as graphs, which could be represented as the product $\circ_{H}$ of one-vertex factors, and the threshold-width of the graph $G$ as the minimum size of $H$ such, that $G$ is $H$-threshold. $H$-threshold graphs generalize the classes of threshold graphs and difference graphs and extend their properties. We show, that the threshold-width is defined for all graphs, and give the characterization of graphs with fixed threshold-width. We study in detail the graphs with threshold-widths 1 and 2

Complexity Results for Equistable Graphs and Related Classes

The class of equistable graphs is defined by the existence of a cost structure on the vertices such that the maximal stable sets are characterized by their costs. This graph class, not contained in any nontrivial hereditary class, has so far been studied mostly from a structural point of view; characterizations and polynomial time recognition algorithms have been obtained for special cases. We focus on complexity issues for equistable graphs and related classes. We describe a simple pseudo-polynomial-time dynamic programming algorithm to solve the maximum weight stable set problem along with the weighted independent domination problem in some classes of graphs, including equistable graphs. Our results are obtained within the wider context of Boolean optimization; corresponding hardness results are also provided. More specifically, we show that the above problems are APX-hard for equistable graphs and that it is co-NP-complete to determine whether a given cost function on the vertices of a graph defines an equistable cost structure of that graph.Germany. Federal Ministry of Education and ResearchAlexander von Humboldt-Stiftung (Sofja Kovalevskaja Award 2004