Let $G=(V,E)$ be a graph. If $G$ is a Konig graph or $G$ is a graph without 3-cycles and 5-cycle, we prove that the following conditions are equivalent: $Delta_{G}$ is pure shellable, $R/I_{Delta}$ is Cohen-Macaulay, $G$ is unmixed vertex decomposabl
e graph and $G$ is well-covered with a perfect matching of Konig type $e_{1},...,e_{g}$ without square with two $e_i$s. We characterize well-covered graphs without 3-cycles, 5-cycles and 7-cycles. Also, we study when graphs without 3-cycles and 5-cycles are vertex decomposable or shellable. Furthermore, we give some properties and relations between critical, extendables and shedding vertices. Finally, we characterize unicyclic graphs with each one of the following properties: unmixed, vertex decomposable, shellable and Cohen-Macaulay.
Our purpose is to study the family of simple undirected graphs whose toric ideal is a complete intersection from both an algorithmic and a combinatorial point of view. We obtain a polynomial time algorithm that, given a graph $G$, checks whether its
toric ideal $P_G$ is a complete intersection or not. Whenever $P_G$ is a complete intersection, the algorithm also returns a minimal set of generators of $P_G$. Moreover, we prove that if $G$ is a connected graph and $P_G$ is a complete intersection, then there exist two induced subgraphs $R$ and $C$ of $G$ such that the vertex set $V(G)$ of $G$ is the disjoint union of $V(R)$ and $V(C)$, where $R$ is a bipartite ring graph and $C$ is either the empty graph, an odd primitive cycle, or consists of two odd primitive cycles properly connected. Finally, if $R$ is $2$-connected and $C$ is connected, we list the families of graphs whose toric ideals are complete intersection.
Let $I_G$ be the toric ideal of a graph $G$. We characterize in graph theoretical terms the primitive, the minimal, the indispensable and the fundamental binomials of the toric ideal $I_G$.
Let C be a uniform clutter and let I=I(C) be its edge ideal. We prove that if C satisfies the packing property (resp. max-flow min-cut property), then there is a uniform Cohen-Macaulay clutter C1 satisfying the packing property (resp. max-flow min-cu
t property) such that C is a minor of C1. For arbitrary edge ideals of clutters we prove that the normality property is closed under parallelizations. Then we show some applications to edge ideals and clutters which are related to a conjecture of Conforti and Cornuejols and to max-flow min-cut problems.
We introduce 2-partitionable clutters as the simplest case of the class of $k$-partitionable clutters and study some of their combinatorial properties. In particular, we study properties of the rank of the incidence matrix of these clutters and prope
rties of their minors. A well known conjecture of Conforti and Cornuejols cite{ConfortiCornuejols,cornu-book} states: That all the clutters with the packing property have the max-flow min-cut property, i.e. are mengerian. Among the general classes of clutters known to verify the conjecture are: balanced clutters (Fulkerson, Hoffman and Oppenheim cite{FulkersonHoffmanOppenheim}), binary clutters (Seymour cite{Seymour}) and dyadic clutters (Cornuejols, Guenin and Margot cite{CornuejolsGueninMargot}). We find a new infinite family of 2-partitionable clutters, that verifies the conjecture. On the other hand we are interested in studying the normality of the Rees algebra associated to a clutter and possible relations with the Conforti and Cornuejols conjecture. In fact this conjecture is equivalent to an algebraic statement about the normality of the Rees algebra cite{rocky}.
