By considering the specialisation $s_{\lambda}(1,q,q^2,\dots,q^{n-1})$ of the Schur function, Stanley was able to describe a formula for the number of semistandard Young tableaux of shape $\lambda$ in terms of the contents and hook lengths of the boxes in the Young diagram. Using specialisations of symplectic and orthogonal Schur functions, we derive corresponding formulae, first given by El Samra and King, for the number of semistandard symplectic and orthogonal $\lambda$-tableaux.

A classical question for a Toeplitz matrix with given symbol is how to compute asymptotics for the determinants of its reductions to finite rank. One can also consider how those asymptotics are affected when shifting an initial set of rows and columns (or, equivalently, asymptotics of their minors). Bump and Diaconis obtained a formula for such shifts involving Laguerre polynomials and sums over symmetric groups. They also showed how the Heine identity extends for such minors, which makes this question relevant to Random Matrix Theory. Independently, Tracy and Widom used the Wiener-Hopf factorization to express those shifts in terms of products of infinite matrices. We show directly why those two expressions are equal and uncover some structure in both formulas that was unknown to their authors. We introduce a mysterious differential operator on symmetric functions that is very similar to vertex operators. We show that the Bump-Diaconis-Tracy-Widom identity is a differentiated version of the classical Jacobi-Trudi identity.

We determine the necessary and sufficient combinatorial conditions for which the tensor product of two irreducible polynomial representations of $\GL(n,\mathbb{C})$ is isomorphic to another. As a consequence we discover families of Littlewood--Richardson coefficients that are non-zero, and a condition on Schur non-negativity.

The consideration of tensor products of $0$-Hecke algebra modules leads to natural analogs of the Bessel $J$-functions in the algebra of noncommutative symmetric functions. This provides a simple explanation of various combinatorial properties of Bessel functions.

A well-known theorem states that if $f(z)$ generates a PF$_r$ sequence then $1/f(-z)$ generates a PF$_r$ sequence. We give two counterexamples which show that this is not true, and give a correct version of the theorem. In the infinite limit the result is sound: if $f(z)$ generates a PF sequence then $1/f(-z)$ generates a PF sequence.