Extremal \u3cem\u3eH\u3c/em\u3e-Colorings of Trees and 2-connected Graphs

For graphs G and H, an H-coloring of G is an adjacency preserving map from the vertices of G to the vertices of H. H-colorings generalize such notions as independent sets and proper colorings in graphs. There has been much recent research on the extremal question of finding the graph(s) among a fixed family that maximize or minimize the number of H-colorings. In this paper, we prove several results in this area. First, we find a class of graphs H with the property that for each H∈H, the n-vertex tree that minimizes the number of H -colorings is the path Pn. We then present a new proof of a theorem of Sidorenko, valid for large n, that for every H the star K1,n−1 is the n-vertex tree that maximizes the number of H-colorings. Our proof uses a stability technique which we also use to show that for any non-regular H (and certain regular H ) the complete bipartite graph K2,n−2 maximizes the number of H-colorings of n -vertex 2-connected graphs. Finally, we show that the cycle Cn has the most proper q-colorings among all n-vertex 2-connected graphs

Counting Independent Sets of a Fixed Size in Graphs with Given Minimum Degree

Galvin showed that for all fixed δ and sufficiently large n, the n-vertex graph with minimum degree δ that admits the most independent sets is the complete bipartite graph . He conjectured that except perhaps for some small values of t, the same graph yields the maximum count of independent sets of size t for each possible t. Evidence for this conjecture was recently provided by Alexander, Cutler, and Mink, who showed that for all triples with , no n-vertex bipartite graph with minimum degree δ admits more independent sets of size t than . Here, we make further progress. We show that for all triples with and , no n-vertex graph with minimum degree δ admits more independent sets of size t than , and we obtain the same conclusion for and . Our proofs lead us naturally to the study of an interesting family of critical graphs, namely those of minimum degree δ whose minimum degree drops on deletion of an edge or a vertex

H-Colouring Bipartite Graphs

For graphs G and H, an H-colouring of G (or homomorphism from G to H) is a function from the vertices of G to the vertices of H that preserves adjacency. H-colourings generalize such graph theory notions as proper colourings and independent sets. For a given H, k∈V(H) and G we consider the proportion of vertices of G that get mapped to k in a uniformly chosen H-colouring of G. Our main result concerns this quantity when G is regular and bipartite. We find numbers 0⩽a−(k)⩽a+(k)⩽1 with the property that for all such G, with high probability the proportion is between a−(k) and a+(k), and we give examples where these extremes are achieved. For many H we have a−(k)=a+(k) for all k and so in these cases we obtain a quite precise description of the almost sure appearance of a randomly chosen H-colouring. As a corollary, we show that in a uniform proper q-colouring of a regular bipartite graph, if q is even then with high probability every colour appears on a proportion close to 1/q of the vertices, while if q is odd then with high probability every colour appears on at least a proportion close to 1/(q+1) of the vertices and at most a proportion close to 1/(q−1) of the vertices. Our results generalize to natural models of weighted H-colourings, and also to bipartite graphs which are sufficiently close to regular. As an application of this latter extension we describe the typical structure of H-colourings of graphs which are obtained from n-regular bipartite graphs by percolation, and we show that p=1/n is a threshold function across which the typical structure changes. The approach is through entropy, and extends work of J. Kahn, who considered the size of a randomly chosen independent set of a regular bipartite graph

H-coloring Tori

For graphs G and H, an H-coloring of G is a function from the vertices of G to the vertices of H that preserves adjacency. H-colorings encode graph theory notions such as independent sets and proper colorings, and are a natural setting for the study of hard-constraint models in statistical physics. We study the set of H-colorings of the even discrete torus View the MathML source, the graph on vertex set {0,…,m−1}d (m even) with two strings adjacent if they differ by 1 (mod m) on one coordinate and agree on all others. This is a bipartite graph, with bipartition classes E and O. In the case m=2 the even discrete torus is the discrete hypercube or Hamming cube Qd, the usual nearest neighbor graph on {0,1}d. We obtain, for any H and fixed m, a structural characterization of the space of H-colorings of View the MathML source. We show that it may be partitioned into an exceptional subset of negligible size (as d grows) and a collection of subsets indexed by certain pairs (A,B)∈V(H)2, with each H-coloring in the subset indexed by (A,B) having all but a vanishing proportion of vertices from E mapped to vertices from A, and all but a vanishing proportion of vertices from O mapped to vertices from B. This implies a long-range correlation phenomenon for uniformly chosen H-colorings of View the MathML source with m fixed and d growing. The special pairs (A,B)∈V(H)2 are characterized by every vertex in A being adjacent to every vertex in B, and having |A||B| maximal subject to this condition. Our main technical result is an upper bound on the probability, for an arbitrary edge uv of View the MathML source, that in a uniformly chosen H-coloring f of View the MathML source the pair View the MathML source is not one of these special pairs (where N⋅ indicates neighborhood). Our proof proceeds through an analysis of the entropy of f, and extends an approach of Kahn, who had considered the case of m=2 and H a doubly infinite path. All our results generalize to a natural weighted model of H-colorings

Combinatorially interpreting generalized Stirling numbers

Let $w$ be a word in alphabet $\{x,D\}$ with $m$ $x$'s and $n$ $D$'s. Interpreting "$x$" as multiplication by $x$, and "$D$" as differentiation with respect to $x$, the identity $wf(x) = x^{m-n}\sum_k S_w(k) x^k D^k f(x)$, valid for any smooth function $f(x)$, defines a sequence $(S_w(k))_k$, the terms of which we refer to as the {\em Stirling numbers (of the second kind)} of $w$. The nomenclature comes from the fact that when $w=(xD)^n$, we have $S_w(k)={n \brace k}$, the ordinary Stirling number of the second kind. Explicit expressions for, and identities satisfied by, the $S_w(k)$ have been obtained by numerous authors, and combinatorial interpretations have been presented. Here we provide a new combinatorial interpretation that retains the spirit of the familiar interpretation of ${n \brace k}$ as a count of partitions. Specifically, we associate to each $w$ a quasi-threshold graph $G_w$, and we show that $S_w(k)$ enumerates partitions of the vertex set of $G_w$ into classes that do not span an edge of $G_w$. We also discuss some relatives of, and consequences of, our interpretation, including $q$-analogs and bijections between families of labelled forests and sets of restricted partitions.Comment: To appear in Eur. J. Combin., doi:10.1016/j.ejc.2014.07.00

Information Exchange in Virtual Work Groups: The Effects of Member Tenure on Use of E-Mail Messaging

Virtual groups that communicate and coordinate their activities using e-mail continue to increase as an organizational form. Prior research, however, provides limited insight into how individuals within these groups communicate. Studies that investigate small group processes have suggested that individual status differences affect the communication behaviors of group members. This paper examines one such status element, tenure (length of time affiliated with a group), and its influence on individual communication usage in the context of virtual groups. A content analysis of e-mail communication among members of the group during a three-month period was performed. Empirical measurement found differences in communication use patterns for established members versus newcomers in the group. Results suggest that, as in traditional groups, newcomers primarily use an information seeking mode in their communication and established members use an information providing mode. Along with this preference for a particular type of exchange behavior, differences were found in the content of information exchanges depending on whether information seeking or information providing was being used. Newcomers had higher levels of regulative exchanges than cognitive exchanges whereas established members had higher levels of cognitive exchanges than normative exchanges. Finally, individual performance was shown to be related to membership message activity

Virtual Team performance: the effect of Trust on team cooperation: a longitudinal view

Communication and Information Technologies have rapidly changed the process of team formation and collaboration in organizations by extending the geographical boundaries of the workplace (Ahuja and Carley, forthcoming). The ability to form virtual teams that communicate and coordinate their activities using information technology (IT) continues to increase as an organizational form