Covering Partial Cubes with Zones

A partial cube is a graph having an isometric embedding in a hypercube. Partial cubes are characterized by a natural equivalence relation on the edges, whose classes are called zones. The number of zones determines the minimal dimension of a hypercube in which the graph can be embedded. We consider the problem of covering the vertices of a partial cube with the minimum number of zones. The problem admits several special cases, among which are the problem of covering the cells of a line arrangement with a minimum number of lines, and the problem of finding a minimum-size fibre in a bipartite poset. For several such special cases, we give upper and lower bounds on the minimum size of a covering by zones. We also consider the computational complexity of those problems, and establish some hardness results

Cuts in matchings of 3-connected cubic graphs

We discuss conjectures on Hamiltonicity in cubic graphs (Tait, Barnette, Tutte), on the dichromatic number of planar oriented graphs (Neumann-Lara), and on even graphs in digraphs whose contraction is strongly connected (Hochst\"attler). We show that all of them fit into the same framework related to cuts in matchings. This allows us to find a counterexample to the conjecture of Hochst\"attler and show that the conjecture of Neumann-Lara holds for all planar graphs on at most 26 vertices. Finally, we state a new conjecture on bipartite cubic oriented graphs, that naturally arises in this setting.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. Improved expositio

Exploring the randomness of Directed Acyclic Networks

The feed-forward relationship naturally observed in time-dependent processes and in a diverse number of real systems -such as some food-webs and electronic and neural wiring- can be described in terms of so-called directed acyclic graphs (DAGs). An important ingredient of the analysis of such networks is a proper comparison of their observed architecture against an ensemble of randomized graphs, thereby quantifying the {\em randomness} of the real systems with respect to suitable null models. This approximation is particularly relevant when the finite size and/or large connectivity of real systems make inadequate a comparison with the predictions obtained from the so-called {\em configuration model}. In this paper we analyze four methods of DAG randomization as defined by the desired combination of topological invariants (directed and undirected degree sequence and component distributions) aimed to be preserved. A highly ordered DAG, called \textit{snake}-graph and a Erd\:os-R\'enyi DAG were used to validate the performance of the algorithms. Finally, three real case studies, namely, the \textit{C. elegans} cell lineage network, a PhD student-advisor network and the Milgram's citation network were analyzed using each randomization method. Results show how the interpretation of degree-degree relations in DAGs respect to their randomized ensembles depend on the topological invariants imposed. In general, real DAGs provide disordered values, lower than the expected by chance when the directedness of the links is not preserved in the randomization process. Conversely, if the direction of the links is conserved throughout the randomization process, disorder indicators are close to the obtained from the null-model ensemble, although some deviations are observed.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures and 5 table

On Directed Feedback Vertex Set parameterized by treewidth

We study the Directed Feedback Vertex Set problem parameterized by the treewidth of the input graph. We prove that unless the Exponential Time Hypothesis fails, the problem cannot be solved in time $2^{o(t\log t)}\cdot n^{\mathcal{O}(1)}$ on general directed graphs, where $t$ is the treewidth of the underlying undirected graph. This is matched by a dynamic programming algorithm with running time $2^{\mathcal{O}(t\log t)}\cdot n^{\mathcal{O}(1)}$. On the other hand, we show that if the input digraph is planar, then the running time can be improved to $2^{\mathcal{O}(t)}\cdot n^{\mathcal{O}(1)}$.Comment: 20

Sizing the length of complex networks

Among all characteristics exhibited by natural and man-made networks the small-world phenomenon is surely the most relevant and popular. But despite its significance, a reliable and comparable quantification of the question `how small is a small-world network and how does it compare to others' has remained a difficult challenge to answer. Here we establish a new synoptic representation that allows for a complete and accurate interpretation of the pathlength (and efficiency) of complex networks. We frame every network individually, based on how its length deviates from the shortest and the longest values it could possibly take. For that, we first had to uncover the upper and the lower limits for the pathlength and efficiency, which indeed depend on the specific number of nodes and links. These limits are given by families of singular configurations that we name as ultra-short and ultra-long networks. The representation here introduced frees network comparison from the need to rely on the choice of reference graph models (e.g., random graphs and ring lattices), a common practice that is prone to yield biased interpretations as we show. Application to empirical examples of three categories (neural, social and transportation) evidences that, while most real networks display a pathlength comparable to that of random graphs, when contrasted against the absolute boundaries, only the cortical connectomes prove to be ultra-short

Domino tilings and related models: space of configurations of domains with holes

We first prove that the set of domino tilings of a fixed finite figure is a distributive lattice, even in the case when the figure has holes. We then give a geometrical interpretation of the order given by this lattice, using (not necessarily local) transformations called {\em flips}. This study allows us to formulate an exhaustive generation algorithm and a uniform random sampling algorithm. We finally extend these results to other types of tilings (calisson tilings, tilings with bicolored Wang tiles).Comment: 17 pages, 11 figure