Abstract
Following the lead of Stanley and Gessel, we consider a linear map which associates to an acyclic directed graph (or a poset) a quasi-symmetric function. The latter is naturally defined as a multivariate generating series of nondecreasing functions on the graph. We describe the kernel of this linear map by using a simple combinatorial operation that we call cyclic inclusion-exclusion. Our result also holds for the natural noncommutative analogue and for the commutative and noncommutative restrictions to bipartite graphs. An application to the theory of Kerov character polynomials is given.
Féray, Valentin