On arithmetic and asymptotic properties of up-down numbers (Q879388)

Counting the number of permutations with some specified pattern has a very long history in combinatorics. This paper is concerned with the enumeration of permutations with a given up-down pattern (or signature) \((s_1,\dots,s_n)\in\{-1,+1\}^n\) (``\(+1\)'' up and ``\(-1\)'' down). The main result is a universal polynomial of parameters \(s_1, \dots, s_n\) whose value gives the total number of permutations with such an up-down pattern. Several applications of this polynomial are also given.