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.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/um126-15
- Full Text
- Utilitas Mathematica
- Volume 126
- Pages: 297-304
- Published Online: 30/03/2026
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.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/um126-14
- Full Text
- Utilitas Mathematica
- Volume 126
- Pages: 277-296
- Published Online: 30/03/2026
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.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/um126-13
- Full Text
- Utilitas Mathematica
- Volume 126
- Pages: 267-276
- Published Online: 30/03/2026
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.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/um126-12
- Full Text
- Utilitas Mathematica
- Volume 126
- Pages: 235-266
- Published Online: 30/03/2026
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.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/um126-11
- Full Text
- Utilitas Mathematica
- Volume 126
- Pages: 223-234
- Published Online: 30/03/2026
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.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/jcmcc130-13
- Full Text
- Journal of Combinatorial Mathematics and Combinatorial Computing
- Volume 130
- Pages: 187-205
- Published Online: 30/03/2026
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.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/ars166-08
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 166
- Pages: 109-121
- Published Online: 28/03/2026
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.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/ars166-07
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 166
- Pages: 85-108
- Published Online: 28/03/2026
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.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/ars166-06
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 166
- Pages: 71-83
- Published Online: 28/03/2026
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 \( \cal D \).
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/ars166-05
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 166
- Pages: 55-69
- Published Online: 28/03/2026
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 ℋ, the edge Mostar index Moe is defined as the sum of the magnitudes of the differences between mℋ(x) and mℋ(g) across all edges xg of ℋ. Here, mℋ(g) (or mℋ(x)) represents the cardinality of the edges in ℋ 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.




