Countable locally 2-arc-transitive bipartite graphs

We present an order-theoretic approach to the study of countably infinite locally 2-arc-transitive bipartite graphs. Our approach is motivated by techniques developed by Warren and others during the study of cycle-free partial orders. We give several new families of previously unknown countably infinite locally-2-arc-transitive graphs, each family containing continuum many members. These examples are obtained by gluing together copies of incidence graphs of semilinear spaces, satisfying a certain symmetry property, in a tree-like way. In one case we show how the classification problem for that family relates to the problem of determining a certain family of highly arc-transitive digraphs. Numerous illustrative examples are given.Comment: 29 page

Tiltan and graphs with no infinite paths

We prove the consistency of tiltan with the positive relation $\omega^*\cdot\omega_1\rightarrow(\omega^*\cdot\omega_1,{\rm infinite\ path})^2$.Comment: Reference

Decreasing Diagrams for Confluence and Commutation

Like termination, confluence is a central property of rewrite systems. Unlike for termination, however, there exists no known complexity hierarchy for confluence. In this paper we investigate whether the decreasing diagrams technique can be used to obtain such a hierarchy. The decreasing diagrams technique is one of the strongest and most versatile methods for proving confluence of abstract rewrite systems. It is complete for countable systems, and it has many well-known confluence criteria as corollaries. So what makes decreasing diagrams so powerful? In contrast to other confluence techniques, decreasing diagrams employ a labelling of the steps with labels from a well-founded order in order to conclude confluence of the underlying unlabelled relation. Hence it is natural to ask how the size of the label set influences the strength of the technique. In particular, what class of abstract rewrite systems can be proven confluent using decreasing diagrams restricted to 1 label, 2 labels, 3 labels, and so on? Surprisingly, we find that two labels suffice for proving confluence for every abstract rewrite system having the cofinality property, thus in particular for every confluent, countable system. Secondly, we show that this result stands in sharp contrast to the situation for commutation of rewrite relations, where the hierarchy does not collapse. Thirdly, investigating the possibility of a confluence hierarchy, we determine the first-order (non-)definability of the notion of confluence and related properties, using techniques from finite model theory. We find that in particular Hanf's theorem is fruitful for elegant proofs of undefinability of properties of abstract rewrite systems

Matchings from a set below to a set above

AbstractOne way to represent a matching in a graph of a set A with a set B is with a one-to-one function m : A → B for which each pair {a, m(a)} is an edge of the graph. If the underlying set of vertices of the graph is linearly ordered and every element of A is less than every element of B, then such a matching is a down-up matching. In this paper we investigate graphs on well-ordered sets of type α and in many circumtances find either large independent sets of type β or down-up matchings with the initial set of some prescribed size γ. In this case we write α → (β, γ-matching)

Fixpoint Games on Continuous Lattices

Many analysis and verifications tasks, such as static program analyses and model-checking for temporal logics reduce to the solution of systems of equations over suitable lattices. Inspired by recent work on lattice-theoretic progress measures, we develop a game-theoretical approach to the solution of systems of monotone equations over lattices, where for each single equation either the least or greatest solution is taken. A simple parity game, referred to as fixpoint game, is defined that provides a correct and complete characterisation of the solution of equation systems over continuous lattices, a quite general class of lattices widely used in semantics. For powerset lattices the fixpoint game is intimately connected with classical parity games for $\mu$-calculus model-checking, whose solution can exploit as a key tool Jurdzi\'nski's small progress measures. We show how the notion of progress measure can be naturally generalised to fixpoint games over continuous lattices and we prove the existence of small progress measures. Our results lead to a constructive formulation of progress measures as (least) fixpoints. We refine this characterisation by introducing the notion of selection that allows one to constrain the plays in the parity game, enabling an effective (and possibly efficient) solution of the game, and thus of the associated verification problem. We also propose a logic for specifying the moves of the existential player that can be used to systematically derive simplified equations for efficiently computing progress measures. We discuss potential applications to the model-checking of latticed $\mu$-calculi and to the solution of fixpoint equations systems over the reals