Earlier, for an action of a finite group$G$on a germ of an analytic variety, an equivariant$G$-Poincaré series of a multi-index filtration in the ring of germs of functions on the variety was defined as an element of the Grothendieck ring of$G$-sets with an additional structure. We discuss to which extent the$G$-Poincaré series of a filtration defined by a set of curve or divisorial valuations on the ring of germs of analytic functions in two variables determines the (equivariant) topology of the curve or of the set of divisors.

Let$X$⊂$V$be a closed embedding, with$V$∖$X$nonsingular. We define a constructible function$ψ$_{$X$,$V$}on$X$, agreeing with Verdier’s specialization of the constant function$1$_{$V$}when$X$is the zero-locus of a function on$V$. Our definition is given in terms of an embedded resolution of$X$; the independence of the choice of resolution is obtained as a consequence of the weak factorization theorem of Abramovich–Karu–Matsuki–Włodarczyk. The main property of$ψ$_{$X$,$V$}is a compatibility with the specialization of the Chern class of the complement$V$∖$X$. With the definition adopted here, this is an easy consequence of standard intersection theory. It recovers Verdier’s result when$X$is the zero-locus of a function on$V$.

In this paper we use a homological approach to obtain upper bounds for a few homological invariants of FI_G-modules V. These upper bounds are expressed in terms of the generating degree and torsion degree, which measure the top and socle of V under actions of non-invertible morphisms in the category respectively.

We describe an inductive machinery to prove various properties of representations of a category equipped with a generic shift functor. Specifically, we show that if a property (P) of representations of the category behaves well under the generic shift functor, then all finitely generated representations of the category have the property (P). In this way, we obtain simple criteria for properties such as Noetherianity, finiteness of Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity, and polynomial growth of dimension to hold. This gives a systemetic and uniform proof of such properties for representations of the categories $\FI_G$ and $\OI_G$ which appear in representation stability theory.