Transport of patterns by Burge transpose

We take the first steps in developing a theory of transport of patterns from Fishburn permutations to (modified) ascent sequences. Given a set of pattern avoiding Fishburn permutations, we provide an explicit construction for the basis of the corresponding set of modified ascent sequences. Our approach is in fact more general and can transport patterns between permutations and equivalence classes of so called Cayley permutations. This transport of patterns relies on a simple operation we call the Burge transpose. It operates on certain biwords called Burge words. Moreover, using mesh patterns on Cayley permutations, we present an alternative view of the transport of patterns as a Wilf-equivalence between subsets of Cayley permutations. We also highlight a connection with primitive ascent sequences.Comment: 24 pages, 4 figure

Combinatorial Optimization of Subsequence Patterns in Words

Packing patterns in words concerns finding a word with the maximum number of a prescribed pattern. The majority of the work done thus far is on packing patterns into permutations. In 2002, Albert, Atkinson, Handley, Holton and Stromquist showed that there always exists a layered permutation containing the maximum number of a layered pattern among all permutations of length n. Consequently, the packing density for all but two (up to equivalence) permutation patterns up to length 4 can be obtained. In this thesis we consider the analogous question for colored patterns and permutations. By introducing the concept of colored blocks we characterize the optimal permutations with the maximum number of a given colored pattern when it contains at most three colored blocks. As examples, we apply this characterization to find the optimal permutations of various colored patterns and subsequently obtain their corresponding packing densities

Place-difference-value patterns: A generalization of generalized permutation and word patterns

Motivated by study of Mahonian statistics, in 2000, Babson and Steingrimsson introduced the notion of a "generalized permutation pattern" (GP) which generalizes the concept of "classical" permutation pattern introduced by Knuth in 1969. The invention of GPs led to a large number of publications related to properties of these patterns in permutations and words. Since the work of Babson and Steingrimsson, several further generalizations of permutation patterns have appeared in the literature, each bringing a new set of permutation or word pattern problems and often new connections with other combinatorial objects and disciplines. For example, Bousquet-Melou et al. introduced a new type of permutation pattern that allowed them to relate permutation patterns theory to the theory of partially ordered sets. In this paper we introduce yet another, more general definition of a pattern, called place-difference-value patterns (PDVP) that covers all of the most common definitions of permutation and/or word patterns that have occurred in the literature. PDVPs provide many new ways to develop the theory of patterns in permutations and words. We shall give several examples of PDVPs in both permutations and words that cannot be described in terms of any other pattern conditions that have been introduced previously. Finally, we raise several bijective questions linking our patterns to other combinatorial objects.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl

Locally Convex Words and Permutations

We introduce some new classes of words and permutations characterized by the second difference condition $\pi(i-1) + \pi(i+1) - 2\pi(i) \leq k$, which we call the $k$-convexity condition. We demonstrate that for any sized alphabet and convexity parameter $k$, we may find a generating function which counts $k$-convex words of length $n$. We also determine a formula for the number of 0-convex words on any fixed-size alphabet for sufficiently large $n$ by exhibiting a connection to integer partitions. For permutations, we give an explicit solution in the case $k = 0$ and show that the number of 1-convex and 2-convex permutations of length $n$ are $\Theta(C_1^n)$ and $\Theta(C_2^n)$, respectively, and use the transfer matrix method to give tight bounds on the constants $C_1$ and $C_2$. We also providing generating functions similar to the the continued fraction generating functions studied by Odlyzko and Wilf in the "coins in a fountain" problem.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figure

Set Systems and Families of Permutations with Small Traces

We study the maximum size of a set system on $n$ elements whose trace on any $b$ elements has size at most $k$. We show that if for some $b \ge i \ge 0$ the shatter function $f_R$ of a set system $([n],R)$ satisfies $f_R(b) < 2^i(b-i+1)$ then $|R| = O(n^i)$; this generalizes Sauer's Lemma on the size of set systems with bounded VC-dimension. We use this bound to delineate the main growth rates for the same problem on families of permutations, where the trace corresponds to the inclusion for permutations. This is related to a question of Raz on families of permutations with bounded VC-dimension that generalizes the Stanley-Wilf conjecture on permutations with excluded patterns

Pattern avoidance in labelled trees

We discuss a new notion of pattern avoidance motivated by the operad theory: pattern avoidance in planar labelled trees. It is a generalisation of various types of consecutive pattern avoidance studied before: consecutive patterns in words, permutations, coloured permutations etc. The notion of Wilf equivalence for patterns in permutations admits a straightforward generalisation for (sets of) tree patterns; we describe classes for trees with small numbers of leaves, and give several bijections between trees avoiding pattern sets from the same class. We also explain a few general results for tree pattern avoidance, both for the exact and the asymptotic enumeration.Comment: 27 pages, corrected various misprints, added an appendix explaining the operadic contex