Formalization of Universal Algebra in Agda

In this work we present a novel formalization of universal algebra in Agda. We show that heterogeneous signatures can be elegantly modelled in type-theory using sets indexed by arities to represent operations. We prove elementary results of heterogeneous algebras, including the proof that the term algebra is initial and the proofs of the three isomorphism theorems. We further formalize equational theory and prove soundness and completeness. At the end, we define (derived) signature morphisms, from which we get the contravariant functor between algebras; moreover, we also proved that, under some restrictions, the translation of a theory induces a contra-variant functor between models.Fil: Gunther, Emmanuel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gadea, Alejandro Emilio. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Pagano, Miguel Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentin

Combining and Relating Control Effects and their Semantics

Combining local exceptions and first class continuations leads to programs with complex control flow, as well as the possibility of expressing powerful constructs such as resumable exceptions. We describe and compare games models for a programming language which includes these features, as well as higher-order references. They are obtained by contrasting methodologies: by annotating sequences of moves with "control pointers" indicating where exceptions are thrown and caught, and by composing the exceptions and continuations monads. The former approach allows an explicit representation of control flow in games for exceptions, and hence a straightforward proof of definability (full abstraction) by factorization, as well as offering the possibility of a semantic approach to control flow analysis of exception-handling. However, establishing soundness of such a concrete and complex model is a non-trivial problem. It may be resolved by establishing a correspondence with the monad semantics, based on erasing explicit exception moves and replacing them with control pointers.Comment: In Proceedings COS 2013, arXiv:1309.092

Variations on Algebra: monadicity and generalisations of equational theories

Dedicated to Rod Burstal

Algebraic specification : syntax, semantics, structure

Algebraic specification is the technique of using algebras to model properties of a system and using axioms to characterize such algebras. Algebraic specification comprises two aspects: the underlying logic used in the axioms and algebras, and the use of a small, general set of operators to build specifications in a structured manner. We describe these two aspects using the unifying notion of institutions. An institution is an abstraction of a logical system, describing the vocabulary, the kinds of axioms, the kinds of algebras, and the relation between them. Using institutions, one can define general structuring operators which are independent of the underlying logic. In this paper, we survey the different kind of logics, syntax, semantics, and structuring operators that have been used in algebraic specification

Composition of hierarchic default specifications

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Polymonadic Programming

Monads are a popular tool for the working functional programmer to structure effectful computations. This paper presents polymonads, a generalization of monads. Polymonads give the familiar monadic bind the more general type forall a,b. L a -> (a -> M b) -> N b, to compose computations with three different kinds of effects, rather than just one. Polymonads subsume monads and parameterized monads, and can express other constructions, including precise type-and-effect systems and information flow tracking; more generally, polymonads correspond to Tate's productoid semantic model. We show how to equip a core language (called lambda-PM) with syntactic support for programming with polymonads. Type inference and elaboration in lambda-PM allows programmers to write polymonadic code directly in an ML-like syntax--our algorithms compute principal types and produce elaborated programs wherein the binds appear explicitly. Furthermore, we prove that the elaboration is coherent: no matter which (type-correct) binds are chosen, the elaborated program's semantics will be the same. Pleasingly, the inferred types are easy to read: the polymonad laws justify (sometimes dramatic) simplifications, but with no effect on a type's generality.Comment: In Proceedings MSFP 2014, arXiv:1406.153