Recursive Program Schemes and Context-Free Monads

AbstractSolutions of recursive program schemes over a given signature Σ were characterized by Bruno Courcelle as precisely the context-free (or algebraic) Σ-trees. These are the finite and infinite Σ-trees yielding, via labelling of paths, context-free languages. Our aim is to generalize this to finitary endofunctors H of general categories: we construct a monad CH “generated” by solutions of recursive program schemes of type H, and prove that this monad is ideal. In case of polynomial endofunctors of Set our construction precisely yields the monad of context-free Σ-trees of Courcelle. Our result builds on a result by N. Ghani et al on solutions of algebraic systems

Semantics of Higher-Order Recursion Schemes

Higher-order recursion schemes are recursive equations defining new operations from given ones called "terminals". Every such recursion scheme is proved to have a least interpreted semantics in every Scott's model of \lambda-calculus in which the terminals are interpreted as continuous operations. For the uninterpreted semantics based on infinite \lambda-terms we follow the idea of Fiore, Plotkin and Turi and work in the category of sets in context, which are presheaves on the category of finite sets. Fiore et al showed how to capture the type of variable binding in \lambda-calculus by an endofunctor H\lambda and they explained simultaneous substitution of \lambda-terms by proving that the presheaf of \lambda-terms is an initial H\lambda-monoid. Here we work with the presheaf of rational infinite \lambda-terms and prove that this is an initial iterative H\lambda-monoid. We conclude that every guarded higher-order recursion scheme has a unique uninterpreted solution in this monoid

Coalgebras and Their Logics

Transition systems pervade much of computer science. This article outlines the beginnings of a general theory of specification languages for transition systems. More specifically, transition systems are generalised to coalgebras. Specification languages together with their proof systems, in the following called (logical or modal) calculi, are presented by the associated classes of algebras (e.g., classical propositional logic by Boolean algebras). Stone duality will be used to relate the logics and their coalgebraic semantics

Abstract GSOS Rules and a Modular Treatment of Recursive Definitions

Terminal coalgebras for a functor serve as semantic domains for state-based systems of various types. For example, behaviors of CCS processes, streams, infinite trees, formal languages and non-well-founded sets form terminal coalgebras. We present a uniform account of the semantics of recursive definitions in terminal coalgebras by combining two ideas: (1) abstract GSOS rules l specify additional algebraic operations on a terminal coalgebra; (2) terminal coalgebras are also initial completely iterative algebras (cias). We also show that an abstract GSOS rule leads to new extended cia structures on the terminal coalgebra. Then we formalize recursive function definitions involving given operations specified by l as recursive program schemes for l, and we prove that unique solutions exist in the extended cias. From our results it follows that the solutions of recursive (function) definitions in terminal coalgebras may be used in subsequent recursive definitions which still have unique solutions. We call this principle modularity. We illustrate our results by the five concrete terminal coalgebras mentioned above, e.\,g., a finite stream circuit defines a unique stream function

The Category Theoretic Solution of Recursive Program Schemes

This paper provides a general account of the notion of recursive program schemes, studying both uninterpreted and interpreted solutions. It can be regarded as the category-theoretic version of the classical area of algebraic semantics. The overall assumptions needed are small indeed: working only in categories with “enough final coalgebras” we show how to formulate, solve, and study recursive program schemes. Our general theory is algebraic and so avoids using ordered, or metric structures. Our work generalizes the previous approaches which do use this extra structure by isolating the key concepts needed to study substitution in infinite trees, including second-order substitution. As special cases of our interpreted solutions we obtain the usual denotational semantics using complete partial orders, and the one using complete metric spaces. Our theory also encompasses implicitly defined objects which are not usually taken to be related to recursive program schemes. For example, the classical Cantor two-thirds set falls out as an interprete