On the combinatorics of Riordan arrays and Sheffer polynomials: monoids, operads and monops

We introduce a new algebraic construction, monop, that combines monoids (with respect to the product of species), and operads (monoids with respect to the substitution of species) in the same algebraic structure. By the use of properties of cancellative set-monops we construct a family of partially ordered sets whose prototypical examples are the Dowling lattices. They generalize the partition posets associated to a cancellative operad, and the subset posets associated to a cancellative monoid. Their generalized Withney numbers of the first and second kind are the entries of a Riordan matrix and its inverse. Equivalently, they are the connecting coefficients of two umbral inverse Sheffer sequences with the family of powers {x }n=0. We study algebraic monops, their associated algebras and the free monop-algebras, as part of a program in progress to develop a theory of Koszul duality for monops. Dedicated to the memory of Gian Carlo Rota, 1932-1999.