The pure descent statistic on permutations

We introduce a new statistic based on permutation descents which has a distribution given by the Stirling numbers of the first kind, i.e., with the same distribution as for the number of cycles in permutations. We study this statistic on the sets of permutations avoiding one pattern of length three by giving bivariate generating functions. As a consequence, new classes of permutations enumerated by the Motzkin numbers are obtained. Finally, we deduce results about the popularity of the pure descents in all these restricted sets.     

Partitions and partial matchings avoiding neighbor patterns

We obtain the generating functions for partial matchings avoiding neighbor alignments and for partial matchings avoiding neighbor alignments and left nestings. We show that there is a bijection between partial matchings avoiding the three neighbor patterns (neighbor alignments, left nestings and right nestings) and set partitions avoiding right nestings via an intermediate structure of upper triangular matrices. Combining our bijection and the bijection given by Dukes and Parviainen between upper triangular matrices and self-modified ascent sequences, we get a bijection between partial matchings avoiding the three neighbor patterns and self-modified ascent sequences.     

Descent distribution on Catalan words avoiding a pattern of length at most three

Catalan words are particular growth-restricted words over the set of non-negative integers, and they represent still another combinatorial class counted by the Catalan numbers. We study the distribution of descents on the sets of Catalan words avoiding a pattern of length at most three: for each such a pattern $p$ we provide a bivariate generating function where the coefficient of $x^n{y}^k$ in its series expansion is the number of length $n$$p$-avoiding Catalan words with $k$ descents. As a byproduct, we enumerate the set of Catalan words avoiding $p$, and we provide the popularity of descents on this set.     

The Enumeration of Maximally Clustered Permutations

The maximally clustered permutations are characterized by avoiding the classical permutation patterns {3421, 4312, 4321}. This class contains the freely braided permutations and the fully commutative permutations. In this work, we show that the generating functions for certain fully commutative pattern classes can be transformed to give generating functions for the corresponding freely braided and maximally clustered pattern classes. Moreover, this transformation of generating functions is rational. As a result, we obtain enumerative formulas for the pattern classes mentioned above as well as the corresponding hexagon-avoiding pattern classes where the hexagon-avoiding permutations are characterized by avoiding {46718235, 46781235, 56718234, 56781234}.     

Pattern avoidance in binary trees

This paper considers the enumeration of trees avoiding a contiguous pattern. We provide an algorithm for computing the generating function that counts n-leaf binary trees avoiding a given binary tree pattern t. Equipped with this counting mechanism, we study the analogue of Wilf equivalence in which two tree patterns are equivalent if the respective n-leaf trees that avoid them are equinumerous. We investigate the equivalence classes combinatorially. Toward establishing bijective proofs of tree pattern equivalence, we develop a general method of restructuring trees that conjecturally succeeds to produce an explicit bijection for each pair of equivalent tree patterns.     

An exact formula for the move-to-front rule for self-organizing lists

A collection of items (e.g., books), each with an associated weight (or popularity), is arranged in a row. At each unit of time an item is removed with probability proportional to its weight and replaced at the left end of the row. Thismove-to-front rule gives a Markov chain on permutations often known as theTsetlin library. We derive an exact and tractable formula for the probability of any permutation after any number of moves. From the formula we read off previously studied quantities of interest associated with the chain, such as the stationary distribution and eigenvalues. Measuring discrepancy from stationarity by separation, we use the formula to find the initial arrangement giving the slowest convergence to stationarity. The time to stationarity in this case is a convolution of geometric random variables which we analyze for three natural choices of weights. We also assess the time required for an important functional, namely, expected search cost, to approach its stationary value.     

Pattern Avoidance in Ordered Set Partitions

In this paper we consider the enumeration of ordered set partitions avoiding a permutation pattern of length 2 or 3. We provide an exact enumeration for avoiding the permutation 12. We also give exact enumeration for ordered partitions with 3 blocks and ordered partitions with n?1 blocks avoiding a permutation of length 3. We use enumeration schemes to recursively enumerate 123-avoiding ordered partitions with any block sizes. Finally, we give some asymptotic results for the growth rates of the number of ordered set partitions avoiding a single pattern; including a Stanley-Wilf type result that exhibits existence of such growth rates.     

Baxter permutations and plane bipolar orientations

We present a simple bijection between Baxter permutations of size n and plane bipolar orientations with n edges. This bijection translates several classical parameters of permutations into natural parameters of orientations, and has remarkable symmetry properties. By specialising it to Baxter permutations avoiding the pattern 3142, we obtain a bijection with non-separable planar maps, which had been described only in an implicit recursive manner so far (up to simple symmetries). A further specialization yields a bijection between permutations avoiding 3142 and 2413 and series-parallel maps.     

Some Combinatorics Related to Central Binomial Coefficients: Grand-Dyck Paths, Coloured Noncrossing Partitions and Signed Pattern Avoiding Permutations

We give some interpretations to certain integer sequences in terms of parameters on Grand-Dyck paths and coloured noncrossing partitions, and we find some new bijections relating Grand-Dyck paths and signed pattern avoiding permutations. Next we transfer a natural distributive lattice structure on Grand-Dyck paths to coloured noncrossing partitions and signed pattern avoiding permutations, thus showing, in particular, that it is isomorphic to the structure induced by the (strong) Bruhat order on a certain set of signed pattern avoiding permutations.     

Strategy-indifferent games of best choice

The game of best choice (or “secretary problem”) is a model for making an irrevocable decision among a fixed number of candidate choices that are presented sequentially in random order, one at a time. Because the classically optimal solution is known to reject an initial sequence of candidates, a paradox emerges from the fact that candidates have an incentive to position themselves immediately after this cutoff which challenges the assumption that candidates arrive in uniformly random order.One way to resolve this is to consider games for which every (reasonable) strategy results in the same probability of success. In this work, we classify these “strategy-indifferent” games of best choice. It turns out that the probability of winning such a game is essentially the reciprocal of the expected number of left-to-right maxima in the full collection of candidate rank orderings. We present some examples of these games based on avoiding permutation patterns of size 3, which involves computing the distribution of left-to-right maxima in each of these pattern classes.     

Enumerating Permutations Avoiding Three Babson-Steingrímsson Patterns

We settle some conjectures formulated by A. Claesson and T. Mansour concerning generalized pattern avoidance of permutations. In particular, we solve the problem of the enumeration of permutations avoiding three generalized patterns of type (1, 2) or (2, 1) by using ECO method and a graphical representation of permutations.Received July 15, 2004     

Pattern distributions in Dyck paths with a first return decomposition constrained by height

We provide generating functions for the popularity and the distribution of patterns of length at most three over the set of Dyck paths having a first return decomposition constrained by height.     

Restricted Simsun Permutations

A permutation is simsun if for all k, the subword of the one-line notation consisting of the k smallest entries does not have three consecutive decreasing elements. Simsun permutations were introduced by Simion and Sundaram, who showed that they are counted by the Euler numbers. In this paper we enumerate simsun permutations avoiding a pattern or a set of patterns of length 3. The results involve Motkzin, Fibonacci, and secondary structure numbers. The techniques in the proofs include generating functions, bijections into lattice paths and generating trees.     

Restricted Dumont permutations, Dyck paths, and noncrossing partitions

We complete the enumeration of Dumont permutations of the second kind avoiding a pattern of length 4 which is itself a Dumont permutation of the second kind. We also consider some combinatorial statistics on Dumont permutations avoiding certain patterns of length 3 and 4 and give a natural bijection between 3142-avoiding Dumont permutations of the second kind and noncrossing partitions that uses cycle decomposition, as well as bijections between 132-, 231- and 321-avoiding Dumont permutations and Dyck paths. Finally, we enumerate Dumont permutations of the first kind simultaneously avoiding certain pairs of 4-letter patterns and another pattern of arbitrary length.     

Comparing efficiency across markets: An extension and critique of the methodology

The use of non-parametric frontier methods for the evaluation of product market efficiency in heterogeneous markets seems to have gained some popularity recently. However, the statistical properties of these frontier estimators have been largely ignored. The main point is that non-parametric frontier estimators are biased and that the degree of bias depends on specific sample properties, most importantly sample size and number of dimensions of the model. To investigate the effect of this bias on comparing market efficiency, this contribution estimates the efficiency for several datasets for two main product categories. Following (Zhang, Y., Bartels, R., 1998. The effect of sample size on the mean efficiency in DEA with an application to electricity distribution in Australia, Sweden and New Zealand. Journal of Productivity Analysis, 9(3), 187-204.), these results comprise re-estimates for the larger samples limiting their size to that of the smaller samples when the model dimensions for different samples are identical. Furthermore, sample sizes are adjusted to mitigate the eventual differences in dimensions in specification. This allows comparing market efficiency for different markets on a more equal footing, since it reduces the bias effect to a minimum making the comparison of market efficiency possible. However, the article also points out the critical limitations of this [Zhang, Y., Bartels, R., (1998). The effect of sample size on the mean efficiency in DEA with an application to electricity distribution in Australia, Sweden and New Zealand. Journal of Productivity Analysis 9 (3), 187–204] approach in certain respects. Apart from reporting these negative results, we also offer some suggestions for future work.     

On cyclic strings avoiding a pattern

We count the number of cyclic strings over an alphabet that avoid a single pattern under two different assumptions. In the first case, we assume that the symbols of the alphabet are on numbered positions on a circle, while in the second case we assume that the symbols can be freely rotated on the circle (i.e., we deal with necklaces). In each case, we provide a generating function, and we explain how these two cases are related. For the situation of avoiding more than one pattern, we formulate a general conjecture for the first case, and a conditional result for the second case. We also explain the differences between our theory and the theory of Edlin and Zeilberger (2000) by emphasizing how we modified the definition of the enumeration of cyclic strings that avoid one or more patterns when their lengths are less than the length of the longest pattern.     

Performance Analysis of the GI/M/1 Queue with Single Working Vacation and Vacations

In this paper, we consider a new class of the GI/M/1 queue with single working vacation and vacations. When the system become empty at the end of each regular service period, the server first enters a working vacation during which the server continues to serve the possible arriving customers with a slower rate, after that, the server may resume to the regular service rate if there are customers left in the system, or enter a vacation during which the server stops the service completely if the system is empty. Using matrix geometric solution method, we derive the stationary distribution of the system size at arrival epochs. The stochastic decompositions of system size and conditional system size given that the server is in the regular service period are also obtained. Moreover, using the method of semi-Markov process (SMP), we gain the stationary distribution of system size at arbitrary epochs. We acquire the waiting time and sojourn time of an arbitrary customer by the first-passage time analysis. Furthermore, we analyze the busy period by the theory of limiting theorem of alternative renewal process. Finally, some numerical results are presented.     

A parallel branch and bound algorithm for solving large asymmetric traveling salesman problems

A parallel branch and bound algorithm that solves the asymmetric traveling salesman problem to optimality is described. The algorithm uses an assignment problem based lower bounding technique, subtour elimination branching rules, and a subtour patching algorithm as an upper bounding procedure. The algorithm is organized around a data flow framework for parallel branch and bound. The algorithm begins by converting the cost matrix to a sparser version in such a fashion as to retain the optimality of the final solution. Computational results are presented for three different classes of problem instances: (1) matrix elements drawn from a uniform distribution of integers for instances of size 250 to 10 000 cities, (2) instances of size 250 to 1000 cities that concentrate small elements in the upper left portion of the cost matrix, and (3) instances of size 300 to 3000 cities that are designed to confound neighborhood search heuristics.     

Consecutive Pattern Avoidances in Non-crossing Trees

In this paper, motivated by the concepts of increasing (alternating) non-crossing trees, the problem of consecutive pattern avoidances in non-crossing trees is proposed. Some given patterns of length two and three are investigated in detail. The Lagrange inversion formula is used to obtain the explicit formulas for these cases. Bijections are established between non-crossing trees avoiding special patterns and Schröder paths.     

Diversity and Popularity in Organizations and Communities

This paper examines social groupings whose structure depends only on the distribution of ability to attract attention. When people‘s attention is a scarce resource, those individuals who are rated highest by a large number of other individuals will have to ration their attention, resulting in constraints on the social structure of the group. The incidence of popular individuals by that definition reflects the extent to which individuals agree on who their highest-rated colleague is. We propose three basic distributions or ways to generate the matrix of perceived ability so as to yield popularity profiles that can be parametrically adjusted to match observations. We demonstrate that each of these assumption sets leads to a slightly different correlation between the value of the assumption‘s parameter and the set of observable popularity patterns. Since popularity, in real life, often determines such things as power, centrality, over-utilization and perhaps reduced accessibility, having more realistic ways of representing it is important for modeling and understanding virtual organizations and communities.