The Inequalities of Merris and Foregger for Permanents

Conjectures on permanents are well-known unsettled conjectures in linear algebra. Let A be an n×n matrix and Sn be the symmetric group on n element set. The permanent of A is defined as perA=∑σ∈Sn∏i=1naiσ(i). The Merris conjectured that for all n×n doubly stochastic matrices (denoted by Ωn), nperA≥min1≤i≤n∑j=1nperA(j|i), where A(j|i) denotes the matrix obtained from A by deleting the jth row and ith column. Foregger raised a question whether per(tJn+(1−t)A)≤perA for 0≤t≤nn−1 and for all A∈Ωn, where Jn is a doubly stochastic matrix with each entry 1n. The Merris conjecture is one of the well-known conjectures on permanents. This conjecture is still open for n≥4. In this paper, we prove the Merris inequality for some classes of matrices. We use the sub permanent inequalities to prove our results. Foregger’s inequality is also one of the well-known inequalities on permanents, and it is not yet proved for n≥5. Using the concepts of elementary symmetric function and subpermanents, we prove the Foregger’s inequality for n=5 in [0.25, 0.6248]. Let σk(A) be the sum of all subpermanents of order k. Holens and Dokovic proposed a conjecture (Holen–Dokovic conjecture), which states that if A∈Ωn,A≠Jn and k is an integer, 1≤k≤n, then σk(A)≥(n−k+1)2nkσk−1(A). In this paper, we disprove the conjecture for n=k=4.

Centralising Monoids with Low-Arity Witnesses on a Four-Element Set

As part of a project to identify all maximal centralising monoids on a four-element set, we determine all centralising monoids witnessed by unary or by idempotent binary operations on a four-element set. Moreover, we show that every centralising monoid on a set with at least four elements witnessed by the Maľcev operation of a Boolean group operation is always a maximal centralising monoid, i.e., a co-atom below the full transformation monoid. On the other hand, we also prove that centralising monoids witnessed by certain types of permutations or retractive operations can never be maximal.

Computational Analysis of Quantitative Characteristics of some Residual Properties of Solvable Baumslag-Solitar Groups

Let $G_{k}$ be defined as $G_{k} = \langle a, b;\ a^{-1}ba = b^{k} \rangle$, where $k \ne 0$. It is known that, if $p$ is some prime number, then $G_{k}$ is residually a finite $p$-group if and only if $p \mid k - 1$. It is also known that, if $p$ and $q$ are primes not dividing $k - 1$, $p < q$, and $\pi = \{p,\,q\}$, then $G_{k}$ is residually a finite $\pi$-group if and only if $(k, q) = 1$, $p \mid q - 1$, and the order of $k$ in the multiplicative group of the field $\mathbb{Z}_{q}$ is a $p$\-number. This paper examines the question of the number of two-element sets of prime numbers that satisfy the conditions of the last criterion. More precisely, let $f_{k}(x)$ be the number of sets $\{p,\,q\}$ such that $p < q$, $p \nmid k - 1$, $q \nmid k - 1$, $(k, q) = 1$, $p \mid q - 1$, the order of $k$ modulo $q$ is a $p$\-number, and $p$, $q$ are chosen among the first $x$ primes. We state that, if $2 \leq |k| \leq 10000$ and $1 \leq x \leq 50000$, then, for almost all considered $k$, the function $f_{k}(x)$ can be approximated quite accurately by the function $\alpha_{k}x^{0.85}$, where the coefficient $\alpha_{k}$ is different for each $k$ and $\{\alpha_{k} \mid 2 \leq |k| \leq 10000\} \subseteq (0.28;\,0.31]$. We also investigate the dependence of the value $f_{k}(50000)$ on $k$ and propose an effective algorithm for checking a two-element set of prime numbers for compliance with the conditions of the last criterion. The results obtained may have applications in the theory of computational complexity and algebraic cryptography.

Solving equation systems in ω-categorical algebras

We study the computational complexity of deciding whether a given set of term equalities and inequalities has a solution in an [Formula: see text]-categorical algebra [Formula: see text]. There are [Formula: see text]-categorical groups where this problem is undecidable. We show that if [Formula: see text] is an [Formula: see text]-categorical semilattice or an abelian group, then the problem is in P or NP-hard. The hard cases are precisely those where [Formula: see text] has a uniformly continuous minor-preserving map to the clone of projections on a two-element set. The results provide information about algebras [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text] does not satisfy this condition, and they are of independent interest in universal algebra. In our proofs we rely on the Barto–Pinsker theorem about the existence of pseudo-Siggers polymorphisms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the pseudo-Siggers identity has been used to prove a complexity dichotomy.

On the Lattice of ESI-closed Classes of Multifunctions on Two-elements Set

The paper considers multifunctions on a two-element set with superposition and the equality predicate branching operator. The superposition operator is based on the intersection of sets. The main purpose of the work is to describe all closed classes with respect to the considered operators. The equality predicate branching operator allows the task to be reduced to a description of all closed classes generated by 2-variable multifunctions. Using this, it is shown that the lattice of classes closed with respect to the considered operators contains 237 elements. A generating set is specified for each closed class. The result obtained in the paper extends the known result for all closed classes of partial functions on a two-element set.

Irradiation Flux Modelling for Thermal–Electrical Simulation of CubeSats: Orbit, Attitude and Radiation Integration

During satellite development, engineers need to simulate and understand the satellite’s behavior in orbit and minimize failures or inadequate satellite operation. In this sense, one crucial assessment is the irradiance field, which impacts, for example, the power generation through the photovoltaic cells, as well as rules the satellite’s thermal conditions. This good practice is also valid for CubeSat projects. This paper presents a numerical tool to explore typical irradiation scenarios for CubeSat missions by combining state-of-the-art models. Such a tool can provide the input estimation for software and hardware in the loop analysis for a given initial condition and predict it along with the satellite’s lifespan. Three main models will be considered to estimate the irradiation flux over a CubeSat, namely an orbit, an attitude, and a radiation source model, including solar, albedo, and infrared emitted by the Earth. A case study illustrating the tool’s abilities is presented for a typical CubeSats’ two-line element set (TLE) and five attitudes. Finally, a possible application of the tool as an input to a CubeSat task-scheduling is introduced. The results show that the complete model’s use has considerable differences from the simplified models sometimes used in the literature.

Some Identities Involving Derangement Polynomials and Numbers and Moments of Gamma Random Variables

The problem of counting derangements was initiated by Pierre Rémond de Montmort in 1708. A derangement is a permutation that has no fixed points, and the derangement number D n is the number of fixed point free permutations on an n element set. Furthermore, the derangement polynomials are natural extensions of the derangement numbers. In this paper, we study the derangement polynomials and numbers, their connections with cosine-derangement polynomials and sine-derangement polynomials, and their applications to moments of some variants of gamma random variables.

Approximation Algorithms for the Submodular Load Balancing with Submodular Penalties

In this paper, we study the submodular load balancing problem with submodular penalties. The objective of this problem is to balance the load among sets, while some elements can be rejected by paying some penalties. Officially, given an element set V, we want to find a subset R of rejected elements, and assign other elements to one of m sets A1,A2,⋯,Am. The objective is to minimize the sum of the maximum load among A1,A2,⋯,Am and the rejection penalty of R, where the load and rejection penalty are determined by different submodular functions. We study the submodular load balancing problem with submodular penalties under two settings: heterogenous setting (load functions are not identical) and homogenous setting (load functions are identical). Moreover, we design a Lovász rounding algorithm achieving a worst-case guarantee of m+1 under the heterogenous setting and a min{m,⌈nm⌉+1}=O(n)-approximation combinatorial algorithm under the homogenous setting.

Breaking the rmax Barrier: Enhanced Approximation Algorithms for Partial Set Multicover Problem

Given an element set E of order n, a collection of subsets [Formula: see text], a cost cS on each set [Formula: see text], a covering requirement re for each element [Formula: see text], and an integer k, the goal of a minimum partial set multicover problem (MinPSMC) is to find a subcollection [Formula: see text] to fully cover at least k elements such that the cost of [Formula: see text] is as small as possible and element e is fully covered by [Formula: see text] if it belongs to at least re sets of [Formula: see text]. This problem generalizes the minimum k-union problem (MinkU) and is believed not to admit a subpolynomial approximation ratio. In this paper, we present a [Formula: see text]-approximation algorithm for MinPSMC, in which [Formula: see text] is the maximum size of a set in S. And when [Formula: see text], we present a bicriteria algorithm fully covering at least [Formula: see text] elements with approximation ratio [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a fixed number. These results are obtained by studying the minimum density subcollection problem with (or without) cardinality constraint, which might be of interest by itself.