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Given a subgroup $H$ of a group $(G,+)$, a $(G,H,k,1)$ difference family (DF) is a set $\mathcal F$ of $k$-subsets of $G$ such that $\{f-f':f,f'\in F, f\neq f',F\in \mathcal F\}=G\setminus H$. Let $g\mathbb Z_{gh}$ is the subgroup of order $h$ in $\mathbb Z_{gh}$ generated by $g$. A $(\mathbb Z_{gh},g\mathbb Z_{gh},k,1)$-DF is called cyclic and written as a $(gh,h,k,1)$-CDF. This paper shows that for $h\in\{2,3,6\}$, there exists a $(gh,h,4,1)$-CDF if and only if $gh\equiv h\pmod{12}$, $g\geq 4$ and $(g,h)\not\in\{(9,3),(5,6)\}$. As a corollary, it is shown that a 1-rotational S$(2,4,v)$ exists if and only if $v\equiv4\pmod{12}$ and $v\neq 28$. This solves the long-standing open problem on the existence of a 1-rotational S$(2,4,v)$. As another corollary, we establish the existence of an optimal $(v,4,1)$-optical orthogonal code with $\lfloor(v-1)/12\rfloor$ codewords for any positive integer $v\equiv 1,2,3,4,6\pmod{12}$ and $v\neq 25$. We also give applications of our results to cyclic group divisible designs with block size four and optimal cyclic $3$-ary constant-weight codes with weight four and minimum distance six.

Even though Peltesohn proved that a cyclic (v,3,1)-design exists if and only if $v\equiv 1,3\pmod{6}$ as early as 1939, the problem of determining the spectrum of cyclic (v,k,1)-designs with k>3 is far from being settled, even for k=4. This paper shows that a cyclic (v,4,1)-design exists if and only if $v\equiv 1,4\pmod{12}$ and $v\not\in\{16,25,28\}$.

Nov\'{a}k conjectured in 1974 that for any cyclic Steiner triple systems of order $v$ with $v\equiv 1\pmod{6}$, it is always possible to choose one block from each block orbit so that the chosen blocks are pairwise disjoint. We consider the generalization of this conjecture to cyclic $(v,k,\lambda)$-designs with $1 \leq \lambda \leq k-1$. Superimposing multiple copies of a cyclic symmetric design shows that the generalization cannot hold for all $v$, but we conjecture that it holds whenever $v$ is sufficiently large compared to $k$. We confirm that the generalization of the conjecture holds when $v$ is prime and $\lambda=1$ and also when $\lambda \leq (k-1)/2$ and $v$ is sufficiently large compared to $k$. As a corollary, we show that for any $k \geq 3$, with the possible exception of finitely many composite orders $v$, every cyclic $(v,k,1)$-design without short orbits is generated by a $(v,k,1)$-disjoint difference family., Comment: 9 pages, 0 figures

This paper introduces almost partitionable sets to generalize the known concept of partitionable sets. These notions provide a unified frame to construct $\mathbb{Z}$-cyclic patterned starter whist tournaments and cyclic balanced sampling plans excluding contiguous units. The existences of partitionable sets and almost partitionable sets are investigated. As an application, a large number of optical orthogonal codes achieving the Johnson bound or the Johnson bound minus one are constructed.

Optical orthogonal signature pattern codes (OOSPCs) have attracted wide attention as signature patterns of spatial optical code division multiple access networks. In this paper, an improved upper bound on the size of an $(m,n,3,\lambda_a,1)$-OOSPC with $\lambda_a=2,3$ is established. The exact number of codewords of an optimal $(m,n,3,\lambda_a,1)$-OOSPC is determined for any positive integers $m,n\equiv2\ ({\rm mod }\ 4)$ and $\lambda_a\in\{2,3\}$., Comment: To appear in Designs, Codes and Cryptography; According to the referees' comments, the proof of Theorem 1.3 was removed to the current arXiv version

Strong difference families of special types are introduced to produce new relative difference families from the point of view of both asymptotic existences and concrete examples. As applications, group divisible designs of type $30^u$ with block size $6$ are discussed, $r$-rotational balanced incomplete block designs with block size $6$ are derived for $r\in\{6,10\}$, and several classes of optimal optical orthogonal codes with weight $5$, $6$, $7$, or $8$ are obtained.

This paper focuses on constructions for optimal $2$-D $(n\times m,3,2,1)$-optical orthogonal codes with $m\equiv 0\ ({\rm mod}\ 4)$. An upper bound on the size of such codes is established. It relies heavily on the size of optimal equi-difference $1$-D $(m,3,2,1)$-optical orthogonal codes, which is closely related to optimal equi-difference conflict avoiding codes with weight $3$. The exact number of codewords of an optimal $2$-D $(n\times m,3,2,1)$-optical orthogonal code is determined for $n=1,2$, $m\equiv 0 \pmod{4}$, and $n\equiv 0 \pmod{3}$, $m\equiv 8 \pmod{16}$ or $m\equiv 32 \pmod{64}$ or $m\equiv 4,20 \pmod{48}$.

Frame difference families, which can be obtained via a careful use of cyclotomic conditions attached to strong difference families, play an important role in direct constructions for resolvable balanced incomplete block designs. We establish asymptotic existences for several classes of frame difference families. As corollaries new infinite families of 1-rotational $(pq+1,p+1,1)$-RBIBDs over $\mathbb{F}_{p}^+ \times \mathbb{F}_{q}^+$ are derived, and the existence of $(125q+1,6,1)$-RBIBDs is discussed. We construct $(v,8,1)$-RBIBDs for $v\in\{624,1576,2976,5720,5776,10200,14176,24480\}$, whose existence were previously in doubt. As applications, we establish asymptotic existences for an infinite family of optimal constant composition codes and an infinite family of strictly optimal frequency hopping sequences., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1702.07500

Strong difference families are an interesting class of discrete structures which can be used to derive relative difference families. Relative difference families are closely related to $2$-designs, and have applications in constructions for many significant codes, such as optical orthogonal codes and optical orthogonal signature pattern codes. In this paper, with a careful use of cyclotomic conditions attached to strong difference families, we improve the lower bound on the asymptotic existence results of $(\mathbb{F}_{p}\times \mathbb{F}_{q},\mathbb{F}_{p}\times \{0\},k,\lambda)$-DFs for $k\in\{p,p+1\}$. We improve Buratti's existence results for $2$-$(13q,13,\lambda)$ designs and $2$-$(17q,17,\lambda)$ designs, and establish the existence of seven new $2$-$(v,k,\lambda)$ designs for $(v,k,\lambda)\in\{(694,7,2),(1576,8,1),(2025,9,1),(765,9,2),(1845,9,2),(459,9,4)$, $(783,9,4)\}$., Comment: Version 1 is named "Improved cyclotomic conditions leading to new 2-designs: the use of strong difference families". Major revision according to the referees' comments

Hedayat et al. first introduced balanced sampling plans for the exclusion of contiguous units. Wright detailed the results of a preliminary investigation of two-dimensional balanced sampling plans avoiding adjacent units (2-BSAs), and pointed out explicitly three types of 2-BSAs, which have different adjacency scheme, namely "Row and Column", "Sharing a Border" and "Island". This paper will provide more details for the three types of 2-BSAs from the point of view of design theory.

We consider the existence problem for a semi-cyclic holey group divisible design of type (n,m^t) with block size 3, which is denoted by a 3-SCHGDD of type (n,m^t). When t is odd and n\neq 8 or t is doubly even and t\neq 8, the existence problem is completely solved; when t is singly even, many infinite families are obtained. Applications of our results to two-dimensional balanced sampling plans and optimal two-dimensional optical orthogonal codes are also discussed., Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1304.3282

In this paper we discuss the existence problem for a semi-cyclic holey group divisible design of type (n,m^t) with block size 3, which is denoted by a 3-SCHGDD of type (n,m^t). When n=3, a 3-SCHGDD of type (3,m^t) is equivalent to a (3,mt;m)-cyclic holey difference matrix, denoted by a (3,mt;m)-CHDM. It is shown that there is a (3,mt;m)-CHDM if and only if (t-1)m\equiv 0 (mod 2) and t\geq 3 with the exception of m\equiv 0 (mod 2) and t=3. When n\geq 4, the case of t odd is considered. It is established that if t\equiv 1 (mod 2) and n\geq 4, then there exists a 3-SCHGDD of type (n,m^t) if and only if t\geq 3 and (t-1)n(n-1)m\equiv 0 (mod 6) with some possible exceptions of n=6 and 8. The main results in this paper have been used to construct optimal two-dimensional optical orthogonal codes with weight 3 and different auto- and cross-correlation constraints by the authors recently.