Utilitas Algorithmica (UA)

ISSN: xxxx-xxxx (print)

Utilitas Algorithmica (UA) is a premier, open-access international journal dedicated to advancing algorithmic research and its applications. Launched to drive innovation in computer science, UA publishes high-impact theoretical and experimental papers addressing real-world computational challenges. The journal underscores the vital role of efficient algorithm design in navigating the growing complexity of modern applications. Spanning domains such as parallel computing, computational geometry, artificial intelligence, and data structures, UA is a leading venue for groundbreaking algorithmic studies.

Travis Dillon1, Adrian Dumitrescu2
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA
2Algoresearch L.L.C., Milwaukee, WI, USA; and Research Institute of the University of Bucharest, Romania; and Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics, Budapest, Hungary
Abstract:

How efficiently can a closed curve of unit length in \(\mathbb{R}^d\) be covered by \(k\) closed curves so as to minimize the maximum length of the \(k\) curves? We show that the maximum length is at most \(2k^{-1} – \frac{1}{4} k^{-4}\) for all \(k\geq 2\) and \(d \geq 2\). As a first byproduct, we show that \(k\) agents can traverse a Euclidean TSP instance significantly faster than a single agent. We thereby sharpen recent planar results by Berendsohn, Kim, and Kozma (2025) and extend these improvements to all dimensions. As a second byproduct, we obtain a linear time approximation algorithm with ratio \(2 – \frac{1}{4} k^{-3}\) for covering any closed polygonal curve in \(\mathbb{R}^d\) by \(k\) closed curves so that the maximum length of an individual curve is minimized.

Lucas Mader1, Sarbari Mitra1
1Department of Mathematics, Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas, United States
Abstract:

A Fibonacci cordial (FC) labeling of a graph G is an injective function f : V(G) → {F0, F1, …, Fn}, where Fi is the ith Fibonacci number, such that the induced edge labeling f*(uv) = (f(u) + f(v)) (mod  2) satisfies |ef(0) − ef(1)| ≤ 1. A graph admitting such a labeling is called a Fibonacci cordial. First introduced by Rokad and Ghodasara (2016), FC labeling has been studied for several graph families. Mitra and Bhoumik (2020) extended this to complete graphs, cycles, and their corona (Cn and Kp for p ≤ 3). Motivated to build upon their work, we investigate Cn ⊙ Kp for p ≥ 4. Additionally, we examine whether the aforementioned family of corona graphs retains Fibonacci cordiality when alterations are made to the order of the corona, as observed in the family Kn ⊙ Cm. Moreover, we investigate the conditions under which two additional corona graph families, namely Km ⊙ Km and Kn, n ⊙ Kp, exhibit Fibonacci cordial labeling.

Feng Lv1, Zuosong Liang1
1School of Mathematics, Guangxi Minzu University, Nanning 530006, China
Abstract:

A graph is near-bipartite if its vertex set can be partitioned into two parts such that one part is an independent set and the other induces a forest. It is clear that near-bipartite graphs are 3-colorable. It was proved that planar graphs without 4-, 5– and 8-cycles are 3-colorable [Discuss. Math. Graph Theory, 31(2011): 775-789]. It is asked by Kang et al that whether it is true that the planar graphs without 4-, 5– and 8-cycles are near-bipartite [Discuss. Math. Graph Theory 45 (2025) 129-145]. A 6-cycle is called a special 6-cycle if this 6-cycle shares an edge with a triangle of G. In this paper, we prove that planar graphs without 4-, 5-, 8-cycles and special 6-cycles are near-bipartite which is a step toward the problem.

Dhilshath Shajahan1
1Department of Mathematics, Sri Sairam Engineering College, Sai Leo Nagar, West Tambaram, Chennai-600044, India
Abstract:

We study a modular generalization of the (σ, ρ)-Dominating Set problem on graphs of bounded treewidth, where vertices must satisfy neighborhood constraints modulo a fixed integer m. We present a dynamic programming algorithm over tree decompositions that achieves a runtime of O(n ⋅ (2m)2tw + 2) and space usage O(n ⋅ (2m)tw + 1), establishing fixed-parameter tractability when both treewidth tw and log m are treated as parameters. We prove this bound exhibits the correct exponential dependence on twlog m, as this factor is inherent to modular constraint satisfaction under the Strong Exponential Time Hypothesis (SETH). Experimental evaluation on synthetic graphs confirms the algorithm’s efficiency for small values of tw and m, highlighting its applicability to network design, logic circuits, and distributed systems with modular constraints.

Shyam Saurabh1
1Department of Mathematics, Tata College, Kolhan University, Chaibasa, India
Abstract:

The solutions of some new triangular designs not tabulated in Clatworthy (1973) are presented here. These designs are known in the literature but re–presented here with more explicit block lists. As a by–product, resolvable solutions of some designs are also obtained. The work addresses a recognized gap in combinatorial design theory and appears to extend classical catalogs.

Elahe Mehraban1, Reza Ebrahimi Atani2, T. Aaron Gulliver3, Evren Hincal1,4,5
1Mathematics Research Center, Near East University TRNC, Mersin 10, 99138 Nicosia, Turkey
2Department of Computer Engineering, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
3Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
4Department of Mathematical Sciences, Saveetha School of Engineering, SIMATS, Chennai – 602105, Tamilnadu, India
5Research Center of Applied Mathematics, Khazar University, Baku, Azerbaijan
Abstract:

This work introduces two algebraic variants of the Massey-Omura cryptosystem based on newly defined generalized (k,t)-Jacobsthal p-numbers and their extensions to finite groups. We first generalize the classical Jacobsthal recurrence and establish structural properties including periodicity, invertibility conditions, and recurrence behavior modulo finite integers. These results are then extended to group-theoretic settings, where we construct the corresponding (k,t)-Jacobsthal sequences in specific finite groups and derive their sequence periods. Leveraging these algebraic foundations, we propose two Massey-Omura-type encryption schemes in which private exponents are selected from the generalized Jacobsthal sequences. We formally prove the correctness of both constructions and analyze the implications of periodicity on exponent invertibility and protocol feasibility. The proposed schemes do not introduce new hardness assumptions beyond those inherent in the underlying platform group. Instead, they provide a mathematically structured alternative to classical exponent selection in three-pass protocols. The results highlight a new connection between recurrence-defined sequences and multiplicative exponentiation in finite groups, offering an algebraically motivated direction for exploring generalized exponent families in symmetric and non-abelian cryptosystems.

Livinus U. Uko1
1Mathematics Department, Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, GA, USA
Abstract:

Given any integers \(q\ge 2\) and \(p\ge 3\), a multidimensional array \[[m(i_1,i_2, \dots, i_q)\colon 1\le i_1\le p, \dots , 1\le i_q\le p],\] with non-repeated entries from the set \(\{1,2,\dots, p^q\}\) will be called a \(q\) dimensional magic hyper-square of order \(p\) if the sum of the numbers in any of its axes or diagonals is \(p(p^q+1)/2\). In this paper, we study odd-order uniform step magic hyper-squares of the form \[m(i_1, \dots, i_q)=1+\sum\limits_{j=1}^{q} p^{j-1}\left[\left(\sum\limits_{k=1}^qa_{j,k} i_k+d_j\right) \bmod p \right] .\] We derive necessary and sufficient conditions for these coefficients to generate magic hyper-squares and use a specific choice of coefficients to get new formula that generates magic hyper-squares of all odd orders greater than two.

Christine T. Cheng1
1Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, United States
Abstract:

In this paper, we consider two ways of breaking a graph’s symmetry: distinguishing labelings and fixing sets. A distinguishing labeling ϕ of G colors the vertices of G so that the only automorphism of the labeled graph (G, ϕ) is the identity map. The distinguishing number of G, D(G), is the fewest number of colors needed to create a distinguishing labeling of G. A subset S of vertices is a fixing set of G if the only automorphism of G that fixes every element in S is the identity map. The fixing number of G, Fix(G), is the size of a smallest fixing set. A fixing set S of G can be translated into a distinguishing labeling ϕS by assigning distinct colors to the vertices in S and assigning another color (e.g., the “null” color) to the vertices not in S. Color refinement is a well-known efficient heuristic for graph isomorphism. A graph G is amenable if, for any graph H, color refinement correctly determines whether G and H are isomorphic or not. Using the characterization of amenable graphs by Arvind et al. as a starting point, we show that both D(G) and Fix(G) can be computed in O((|V(G)|+|E(G)|)log |V(G)|) time when G is an amenable graph.

Xiaoqin Zhan1, Ping Zhang1
1School of Science, East China JiaoTong University, Nanchang, 330013, P. R. China
Abstract:

This paper studies the classification problem of block-transitive \( t \)-designs. Let \(\cal D = (\mathcal{P}, \mathcal{B}) \) be a non-trival \( t\)-\((v,k,\lambda) \) design with \( \lambda \leq 5 \), and let \( G \) be a block-transitive, point-primitive automorphism group of \(\cal D \). We prove that if \( \text{Soc}(G) \) is a sporadic simple group, then up to isomorphism, there are exactly 15 such designs \( \cal D \).

Shehnaz Akhter1, Sourav Mondal2, Zahid Raza3
1School of Natural Sciences, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad-44000, Pakistan
2Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering (RISE), MASEP Research Group, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
3Department of Mathematics, College of Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
Abstract:

The Mostar invariants are newly introduced bond-additive, distance-related descriptors that compute the degree of peripherality of specific edges as well as the entire graph. These invariants have attracted significant attention in both classical applications of chemical graph theory and studies of complex networks. They have proven to be useful for exploring the topological aspects of these networks. For a graph , the edge Mostar index Moe is defined as the sum of the magnitudes of the differences between m(x) and m(g) across all edges xg of . Here, m(g) (or m(x)) represents the cardinality of the edges in that are closer to g (or x) than x (or g). In this paper, we determine the trees that maximize and minimize the edge Mostar index for fixed order, diameter, and number of pendent vertices. Sharp upper and lower bounds for this index are established, and the corresponding extremal trees are characterized. Moreover, the correlation of the edge Mostar index with certain physicochemical properties is examined.

Special Issues

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