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We enumerate permutations that avoid all but one of the $k$ patterns of length $k$ starting with a monotone increasing subsequence of length $k-1$. We compare the size of such permutation classes to the size of the class of permutations avoiding the monotone increasing subsequence of length $k-1$.

A random binary search tree grown from the uniformly random permutation of $[n]$ is studied. We analyze the exact and asymptotic counts of vertices by rank, the distance from the set of leaves. The asymptotic fraction $c_k$ of vertices of a fixed rank $k\ge 0$ is shown to decay exponentially with $k$. Notoriously hard to compute, the exact fractions $c_k$ had been determined for $k\le 3$ only. We computed $c_4$ and $c_5$ as well; both are ratios of enormous integers, denominator of $c_5$ being $274$ digits long. Prompted by the data, we proved that, in sharp contrast, the largest prime divisor of $c_k$'s denominator is $2^{k+1}+1$ at most. We conjecture that, in fact, the prime divisors of every denominator for $k>1$ form a single interval, from $2$ to the largest prime not exceeding $2^{k+1}+1$., 28 pages

We use stack words to find a new, simple proof for the best known upper bound for the number of 3-stack sortable permutations of a given length. This is the first time that stack words are used to obtain such a result., Comment: 6 pages

We study permutations $p$ such that both $p$ and $p^2$ avoid a given pattern $q$. We obtain a generating function for the case of $q=312$ (equivalently, $q=231$), we prove that if $q$ is monotone increasing, then above a certain length, there are no such permutations, and we prove an upper bound for $q=321$. We also present some intriguing questions in the case of $q=132$., Comment: 10 pages

We show that for every $k$, the probability that a randomly selected vertex of a random binary search tree on $n$ nodes is at distance $k-1$ from the closest leaf converges to a rational constant $c_k$ as $n$ goes to infinity., 12 pages 1 figure

We use an interesting result of probabilistic flavor concerning the product of two permutations consisting of one cycle each to find an explicit formula for the average number of block interchanges needed to sort a permutation of length $n$., 8 pages, 4 figures

We consider two questions of Wilf related to Standard Young Tableaux. We provide a partial answer to one question, and that will lead us to a more general answer to the other question. Our answers are purely combinatorial., Comment: 8 pages

We consider pattern containment and avoidance with a very tight definition that was used first by Riordan more than 60 years ago. Using this definition, we prove the monotone pattern is easier to avoid than almost any other pattern of the same length. We also show that with this definition, almost all patterns of length $k$ are avoided by the same number of permutations of length $n$. The corresponding statements are not known to be true for more relaxed definitions of pattern containment. This is the first time we know of that expectations are used to compare numbers of permutations avoiding certain patterns., 1 file 10 pages

Many remarkably robust, rapid and spontaneous self-assembly phenomena occurring in nature can be modeled geometrically, starting from a collection of rigid bunches of spheres. This paper highlights the role of symmetry in sphere-based assembly processes. Since spheres within bunches could be identical and bunches could be identical, as well, the underlying symmetry groups could be of large order that grows with the number of participating spheres and bunches. Thus, understanding symmetries and associated isomorphism classes of microstates that correspond to various types of macrostates can significantly increase efficiency and accuracy, i.e., reduce the notorious complexity of computing entropy and free energy, as well as paths and kinetics, in high dimensional configuration spaces. In addition, a precise understanding of symmetries is crucial for giving provable guarantees of algorithmic accuracy and efficiency, as well as accuracy vs. efficiency trade-offs in such computations. In particular, this may aid in predicting crucial assembly-driving interactions. This is a primarily expository paper that develops a novel, original framework for dealing with symmetries in configuration spaces of assembling spheres, with the following goals. (1) We give new, formal definitions of various concepts relevant to the sphere-based assembly setting that occur in previous work and, in turn, formal definitions of their relevant symmetry groups leading to the main theorem concerning their symmetries. These previously-developed concepts include, for example: (i) assembly configuration spaces; (ii) stratification of assembly configuration space into configurational regions defined by active constraint graphs; (iii) paths through the configurational regions; and (iv) coarse assembly pathways. (2) We then demonstrate the new symmetry concepts to compute the sizes and numbers of orbits in two example settings appearing in previous work. (3) Finally, we give formal statements of a variety of open problems and challenges using the new conceptual definitions.

The subject of this paper is the cycle structure of the random permutation $\sigma$ of $[N]$, which is the product of $k$ independent random cycles of maximal length $N$. We use the character-based Fourier transform to study the number of cycles of $\sigma$ and also the distribution of the elements of the subset $[\ell]$ among the cycles of $\sigma$., Comment: 35 pages

We find surprisingly simple formulas for the limiting probability that the rank of a randomly selected vertex in a randomly selected phylogenetic tree or generalized phylogenetic tree is a given integer., Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure

We show the first known example for a pattern $q$ for which $\lim_{n\to \infty} \sqrt[n]{S_n(q)}$ is not an integer. We find the exact value of the limit and show that it is irrational. Then we generalize our results to an infinite sequence of patterns. Finally, we provide further generalizations that start explaining why certain patterns are easier to avoid than others. Finally, we show that if $q$ is a layered pattern of length $k$, then $L(q)\geq (k-1)^2$ holds., 10 pages, 1 figure

Simion conjectured the unimodality of a sequence counting lattice paths in a grid with a Ferrers diagram removed from the northwest corner. Recently, Hildebrand and then Wang proved the stronger result that this sequence is actually log concave. Both proofs were mainly algebraic in nature. We give two combinatorial proofs of this theorem., 6 pages, 3 figures, Latex, see related papers at http://www.math.msu.edu/~sagan

We combinatorially prove that the number $R(n,k)$ of permutations of length $n$ having $k$ runs is a log-concave sequence in $k$, for all $n$. We also give a new combinatorial proof for the log-concavity of the Eulerian numbers., 10 pages, 4 figures

The purpose of this paper is to enumerate various classes of cyclically colored m-gonal plane cacti, called m-ary cacti. This combinatorial problem is motivated by the topological classification of complex polynomials having at most m critical values, studied by Zvonkin and others. We obtain explicit formulae for both labelled and unlabelled m-ary cacti, according to i) the number of polygons, ii) the vertex-color distribution, iii) the vertex-degree distribution of each color. We also enumerate m-ary cacti according to the order of their automorphism group. Using a generalization of Otter's formula, we express the species of m-ary cacti in terms of rooted and of pointed cacti. A variant of the m-dimensional Lagrange inversion is then used to enumerate these structures. The method of Liskovets for the enumeration of unrooted planar maps can also be adapted to m-ary cacti., Comment: LaTeX2e, 28 pages, 9 figures (eps), 3 tables

Refining an existing counting argument, we provide an improved upper bound for the number of 1324-avoiding permutations of a given length., Comment: 9 pages

We prove that the number of 1324-avoiding permutations of length n is less than (7+4\sqrt{3})^n., 6 pages

Motivated by the question of how macromolecules assemble, the notion of an {\it assembly tree} of a graph is introduced. Given a graph $G$, the paper is concerned with enumerating the number of assembly trees of $G$, a problem that applies to the macromolecular assembly problem. Explicit formulas or generating functions are provided for the number of assembly trees of several families of graphs, in particular for what we call $(H,\phi)$-graphs. In some natural special cases, we apply powerful recent results of Zeilberger and Apagodu on multivariate generating functions, and results of Wimp and Zeilberger, to deduce recurrence relations and very precise asymptotic formulas for the number of assembly trees of the complete bipartite graphs $K_{n,n}$ and the complete tripartite graphs $K_{n,n,n}$. Future directions for reseach, as well as open questions, are suggested., Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures

We prove generalized versions of some conjectures of Joel Lewis on the number of alternating permutations avoiding certain patterns. Our main tool is the perhaps surprising observation that a classic bijection on pattern avoiding permutations often preserves the alternating property., Comment: 6 pages

The probability that two randomly selected phylogenetic trees of the same size are isomorphic is found to be asymptotic to a decreasing exponential modulated by a polynomial factor. The number of symmetrical nodes in a random phylogenetic tree of large size obeys a limiting Gaussian distribution, in the sense of both central and local limits. The probability that two random phylogenetic trees have the same number of symmetries asymptotically obeys an inverse square-root law. Precise estimates for these problems are obtained by methods of analytic combinatorics, involving bivariate generating functions, singularity analysis, and quasi-powers approximations., Comment: 14 pages

We study Stirling permutations defined by Gessel and Stanley. We prove that their generating function according to the number of descents has real roots only. We use that fact to prove that the distribution of these descents, and other, equidistributed statistics on these objects converge to a normal distribution., 8 pages

We prove that the generating polynomials of partitions of an $n$-element set into non-singleton blocks, counted by the number of blocks, have real roots only and we study the asymptotic behavior of the leftmost roots. We apply this information to find the most likely number of blocks., 16 pages

We use Janson's dependency criterion to prove that the distribution of $d$-descents of permutations of length $n$ converge to a normal distribution as $n$ goes to infinity. We show that this remains true even if $d$ is allowed to grow with $n$, up to a certain degree., Comment: 7 pages

We prove an interesting fact describing the location of the roots of the generating polynomials of the numbers of derangements of length $n$, counted by their number of cycles. We then use this result to prove that if $k$ is the number of cycles of a randomly selected derangement of length $n$, then the probability that $k$ is congruent to a given $r$ modulo a given $q$ converges to $1/q$. Finally, we generalize our results to $a$-derangements, which are permutations in which each cycle is longer than $a$.

We enumerate weighted graphs with a certain upper bound condition. We also compute the generating function of the numbers of these graphs, and prove that it is a rational function. In particular, we show that if the given graph is a bipartite graph, then its generating function is of the form $\frac{p(x)}{(1-x)^{m+1}}$, where $m$ is the number of vertices of the graph and $p(x)$ is a polynomial of degree at most $m$., Comment: 25 pages

Consider the number of permutations in the symmetric group on n letters that contain c copies of a given pattern. As c varies (with n held fixed) these numbers form a sequence whose properties we study for the monotone patterns and the patterns 1, l, l-1, ..., 2. We show that, except for the patterns 1, 2 and 2, 1 where the sequence is well-known to be log concave, there are infinitely many n where the sequence has internal zeros., Comment: 24 pages

We introduce two partially ordered sets, $P^A_n$ and $P^B_n$, of the same cardinalities as the type-A and type-B noncrossing partition lattices. The ground sets of $P^A_n$ and $P^B_n$ are subsets of the symmetric and the hyperoctahedral groups, consisting of permutations which avoid certain patterns. The order relation is given by (strict) containment of the descent sets. In each case, by means of an explicit order-preserving bijection, we show that the poset of restricted permutations is an extension of the refinement order on noncrossing partitions. Several structural properties of these permutation posets follow, including self-duality and the strong Sperner property. We also discuss posets $Q^A_n$ and $Q^B_n$ similarly associated with noncrossing partitions, defined by means of the excedence sets of suitable pattern-avoiding subsets of the symmetric and hyperoctahedral groups., 15 pages, 2 figures

We constructively prove that the partially ordered set of finite permutations ordered by deletion of entries contains an infinite antichain. In other words, there exists an infinite collection of permutations no one of which contains another as a pattern.

Answering a question of Wilf, we show that if $n$ is sufficiently large, then one cannot cover an $n \times p(n)$ rectangle using each of the $p(n)$ distinct Ferrers shapes of size $n$ exactly once. Moreover, the maximum number of pairwise distinct, non-overlapping Ferrers shapes that can be packed in such a rectangle is only $\Theta(p(n)/ \log n).$, Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures

Solving the first nonmonotonic, longer-than-three instance of a classic enumeration problem, we obtain the generating functionH(x) of all 1342-avoiding permutations of lengthnas well as anexactformula for their numberSn(1342). While achieving this, we bijectively prove that the number of indecomposable 1342-avoiding permutations of lengthnequals that of labeled plane trees of a certain type onnvertices recently enumerated by Cori, Jacquard, and Schaeffer, which is in turn known to be equal to the number of rooted bicubic maps enumerated by Tutte (Can. J. Math.33(1963), 249–271). Moreover,H(x) turns out to be algebraic, proving the first nonmonotonic, longer-than-three instance of a conjecture of Noonan and Zeilberger (Adv. Appl. Math.17(1996), 381–407). We also prove thatSn(1342)converges to 8, so in particular, limn→∞(Sn(1342)/Sn(1234))=0.