Riordan arrays and r-Stirling number identities

By using the theory of Riordan arrays, we establish four pairs of general r-Stirling number identities, which reduce to various identities on harmonic numbers, hyperharmonic numbers, the Stirling numbers of the first and second kind, the r-Stirling numbers of the first and second kind, and the r-Lah numbers. We further discuss briefly the connections between the r-Stirling numbers and the Cauchy numbers, the generalized hyperharmonic numbers, and the poly-Bernoulli polynomials. Many known identities are shown to be special cases of our results, and the combinatorial interpretations of several particular identities are also presented as supplements.(c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.