A vertex critical graph without critical edges
A vertex k-critical graph is a k -chromatic graph with the property that the removal of any vertex leaves a ( k - 1)-colourable graph. A critical edge in a graph is an edge whose deletion lowers the chromatic number. Dirac conjectured in 1970 that for some k ⩾4 there is a vertex k -critical graph with no critical edge. We produce here an example of such a graph for k = 5.

title: A ramsey type problem concerning vertex colourings
abstract: Let H → k v G denote the fact that for every function π: V ( H ) → {1, …, k } there is an induced subgraph G ′ of H with G ′ ≅ G and V ( G ′) ⊆ π −1 ( i ) for some i . Folkman has shown that for all graphs G and for all positive integers k such a graph H exists. We examine here f ( G , k ), the minimum order of a graph H for which H → k v G . We show that for any fixed integer k ≥ 2 there are positive constants C 1 and C 2 such that C 1 n 2 ≤ max{ f ( G , k ): | V ( G )| = n } ≤ C 2 n 2 log 2 n .

title: The Complexity of Generalized Graph Colorings
abstract: Given a graph property P and positive integer k, a P k-coloring of a graph G is an assignment of one of k colors to each vertex of the graph so that the subgraphs induced by each color class have property P. This notion generalizes the standard definition of graph coloring, and has been investigated for many properties. We consider here the complexity of the decision problem. In particular, for the property —G, of not containing an induced subgraph isomorphic to G, we conjecture (and provide strong evidence) that —G k-colorability is NP-complete whenever G has order at least 3 and k ⩾ 2. The techniques rely on new NP-completeness results for hypergraph colorings.

title: On chromatic roots with negative real part

title: The existence of uniquely -G colourable graphs
abstract: Given graphs F and G and a nonnegative integer k , a function π : V ( F ) → 1, …, k is a − G k-colouring of F if no induced copy of is monochromatic; F is − G k-chromatic if F has a − G k -colouring but no − G ( k − 1)-colouring. Further, we say F is uniquely − G k -colourable if F is − G k -chromatic and, up to a permutation of colours, it has only one − G k -colouring. Such notions are extensions of the well-known corresponding definitions from chromatic theory. It was conjectured that for all graphs G of order at least two and all positive integers k there exist uniquely − G k -colourable graphs. We prove the conjecture and show that, in fact, in all cases infinitely many such graphs exist.

title: Average independence polynomials
abstract: The independence polynomial of a graph G is the function i(G, x) = Σ k ≥ 0 ik xk, where ik is the number of independent sets of vertices in G of cardinality k. We investigate here the average independence polynomial, where the average is taken over all independence polynomials of (labeled) graphs of order n. We prove that while almost every independence polynomial has a nonreal root, the average independence polynomials always have all real, simple roots.

title: Foundations of Envisioning
abstract: This paper explores a particular kind of qualitative reasoning, called envisioning, that is capable of producing causal explanations for device behavior. It has been implemented in a computer program, ENVISION, which can analyze a wide variety of thermal, fluid, electrical, translational and rotational devices. Rather than present the technical details of the envisioning process, this paper examines the theoretical foundations upon which it is built. Many of these considerations are ones that any builder of qualitative reasoning systems must pay attention to. Two such considerations are explanation and robustness: What notion of causality is adequate for causal explanations of device behavior? How can there be any confidence in the analysis of a novel device?

title: Proximity-aware directory-based coherence for multi-core processor architectures
abstract: As the number of cores increases on chip multiprocessors, coherence is fast becoming a central issue for multi-core performance. This is exacerbated by the fact that interconnection speeds are not scaling well with technology. This paper describes mechanisms to accelerate coherence for a multi-core architecture that has multiple private L2 caches and a scalable point-to-point interconnect between cores. These techniques exploit the differences in geometry between chip multiprocessors and traditional multiprocessor architectures.
 Directory-based protocols have been proposed as a scalable alternative to snoop-based protocols. In this paper, we discuss implementations of coherence for CMPs and propose and evaluate a novel directory-based coherence scheme to improve the performance of parallel programs on such processors. Proximity-aware coherence accelerates read and write misses by initiating cache-to-cache transfers from the spatially closest sharer. This has the dual benefit of eliminating unnecessary accesses to off-chip memory, and minimizing the distance over which communicated data moves across the network. The proposed schemes result in speedups up to 74.9% for our workloads.

title: Plant snoRNA database
abstract: The Plant snoRNA database (http://www.scri.sari.ac.uk/plant_snoRNA/) provides information on small nucleolar RNAs from Arabidopsis and eighteen other plant species. Information includes sequences, expression data, methylation and pseudouridylation target modification sites, initial gene organization (polycistronic, single gene and intronic) and the number of gene variants. The Arabidopsis information is divided into box C/D and box H/ACA snoRNAs, and within each of these groups, by target sites in rRNA, snRNA or unknown. Alignments of orthologous genes and gene variants from different plant species are available for many snoRNA genes. Plant snoRNA genes have been given a standard nomenclature, designed wherever possible, to provide a consistent identity with yeast and human orthologues.

title: A Qualitative Physics Based on Confluences
abstract: A qualitative physics predicts and explains the behavior of mechanisms in qualitative terms. The goals for the qualitative physics are (1) to be far simpler than the classical physics and yet retain all the important distinctions (e.g., state, oscillation, gain, momentum) without invoking the mathematics of continuously varying quantities and differential equations, (2) to produce causal accounts of physical mechanisms that are easy to understand, and (3) to provide the foundations for commonsense models for the next generation of expert systems. This paper presents a fairly encompassing account of qualitative physics. First, we discuss the general subject of naive physics and some of its methodological considerations. Second, we present a framework for modeling the generic behavior of individual components of a device based on the notions of qualitative differential equations (confluences) and qualitative state. This requires developing a qualitative version of the calculus. The modeling primitives induce two kinds of behavior, intrastate and interstate, which are governed by different laws. Third, we present algorithms for determining the behavior of a composite device from the generic behavior of its components. Fourth, we examine a theory of explanation for these predictions based on logical proof. Fifth, we introduce causality as an ontological commitment for explaining how devices behave.

title: The Ribonuclease P Database
abstract: Ribonuclease P is responsible for the removal of leader sequences from tRNA precursors. Ribonuclease P is a ribonucleoprotein, and in bacteria the RNA subunit alone is catalytically active in vitro, i.e. it is a ribozyme. The Ribonuclease P Database is a compilation of ribonuclease P sequences, sequence alignments, secondary structures, three-dimensional models, and accessory information, available via the World Wide Web.