Zabrocki's nonnegativity conjecture for set-partition sums

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For a positive integer mm, let [m]={1,…,m}[m]=\{1,\dots,m\}, and let σ\sigma and τ\tau be set partitions of [m][m], with τ≥σ\tau\ge\sigma meaning that every block of σ\sigma is contained in some block of τ\tau. Write ℓ(σ)\ell(\sigma) for the number of blocks of σ\sigma, let (λ(τ)−1)!(\lambda(\tau)-1)! denote the product of the factorials of one less than the number of elements in each block of τ\tau, and let (λ(σ,τ)−1)!(\lambda(\sigma,\tau)-1)! denote the product of the factorials of one less than the number of blocks of σ\sigma contained in each block of τ\tau. Zabrocki's conjecture. For every set partition σ\sigma of [m][m], the numbers

∑τ≥σ(−1)ℓ(σ)−ℓ(τ)(ℓ(τ)−1)!(λ(σ,τ)−1)!(λ(τ)−1)!\sum_{\tau\ge\sigma}(-1)^{\ell(\sigma)-\ell(\tau)} \frac{(\ell(\tau)-1)!(\lambda(\sigma,\tau)-1)!}{(\lambda(\tau)-1)!}

are nonnegative. This conjecture concerns the sign pattern in the expansion of the x\mathbf{x}-basis in the e\mathbf{e}-basis for symmetric functions in noncommuting variables. Its resolution is not specified in the supplied text.

References

Primary source

Victor Wang, “On an alternating sum of factorials and Stirling numbers of the first kind: trees, lattices, and games”, arXiv:2504.21176 (2025).

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