On cool congruence formats for weak bisimulations

In TCS 146, Bard Bloom presented rule formats for four main notions of bisimulation with silent moves. He proved that weak bisimulation equivalence is a congruence for any process algebra defined by WB cool rules, and established similar results for rooted weak bisimulation (Milner’s “observational congruence”), branching bisimulation and rooted branching bisimulation. This study reformulates Bloom’s results in a more accessible form and contributes analogues for (rooted) η-bisimulation and (rooted) delay bisimulation. Moreover, finite equational axiomatisations of rooted weak bisimulation equivalence are provided that are sound and complete for finite processes in any RWB cool process algebra. These require the introduction of auxiliary operators with lookahead, and an extension of Bloom’s formats for this type of operator with lookahead. Finally, a challenge is presented for which Bloom’s formats fall short and further improvement is called for.     

CPO Models for Compact GSOS Languages

In this paper, we present a general way of giving denotational semantics to a class of languages equipped with an operational semantics that fits the GSOS format of Bloom, Istrail, and Meyer. The canonical model used for this purpose will be Abramsky's domain of synchronization trees, and the denotational semantics automatically generated by our methods will be guaranteed to be fully abstract with respect to the finitely observable part of the bisimulation preorder. In the process of establishing the full abstraction result, we also obtain several general results on the bisimulation preorder (including a complete axiomatization for it), and give a novel operational interpretation of GSOS languages.     

Computing maximal weak and other bisimulations

We present and compare several algorithms for computing the maximal strong bisimulation, the maximal divergence-respecting delay bisimulation, and the maximal divergence-respecting weak bisimulation of a generalised labelled transition system. These bisimulation relations preserve CSP semantics, as well as the operational semantics of programs in other languages with operational semantics described by such GLTSs and relying only on observational equivalence. They can therefore be used to combat the space explosion problem faced in explicit model checking for such languages. We concentrate on algorithms which work efficiently when implemented rather than on ones which have low asymptotic growth.     

基于语义的决策模型能力评估与选择方法

本体决策模型选择的最佳手段是使计算机在理解决策问题和决策模型自身能力的基础上进行.通过领域本体,决策问题和决策模型可以具备被计算机自动理解的形式化语义.在理解决策问题语义的基础上,系统可选择对应的求解模型类别并获取决策问题内在需求,进而根据对应的候选模型语义对其具备的能力进行评估,选择最适合于决策问题的决策模型.最后,实例分析结果表明了这种模型选择方法是有效且可行的.     

Computing strong and weak bisimulations for psi-calculi

We present a symbolic transition system and strong and weak bisimulation equivalences for psi-calculi, and show that they are fully abstract with respect to bisimulation congruences in the non-symbolic semantics. A procedure which computes the most general constraint under which two agents are bisimilar is developed and proved correct.A psi-calculus is an extension of the pi-calculus with nominal data types for data structures and for logical assertions representing facts about data. These can be transmitted between processes and their names can be statically scoped using the standard pi-calculus mechanism to allow for scope migrations. Psi-calculi can be more general than other proposed extensions of the pi-calculus such as the applied pi-calculus, the spi-calculus, the fusion calculus, or the concurrent constraint pi-calculus.Symbolic semantics are necessary for an efficient implementation of the calculus in automated tools exploring state spaces, and the full abstraction property means the symbolic semantics makes exactly the same distinctions as the original.     

Structured coalgebras and minimal HD-automata for the -calculus

The coalgebraic framework developed for the classical process algebras, and in particular its advantages concerning minimal realizations, does not fully apply to the π-calculus, due to the constraints on the freshly generated names that appear in the bisimulation.In this paper we propose to model the transition system of the π-calculus as a coalgebra on a category of name permutation algebras and to define its abstract semantics as the final coalgebra of such a category. We show that permutations are sufficient to represent in an explicit way fresh name generation, thus allowing for the definition of minimal realizations.We also link the coalgebraic semantics with a slightly improved version of history dependent (HD) automata, a model developed for verification purposes, where states have local names and transitions are decorated with names and name relations. HD-automata associated with agents with a bounded number of threads in their derivatives are finite and can be actually minimized. We show that the bisimulation relation in the coalgebraic context corresponds to the minimal HD-automaton.     

Abstract Interpretation for Proving Secrecy Properties in Security Protocols

A cryptographic protocol is a distributed program that can be executed by several actors. Since several runs of the protocol within the same execution are allowed, models of cryptoprotocols are often infinite. Sometimes, for verification purposes, only a finite and approximated model is needed. For this, we consider the problem of computing such an approximation and we propose to simulate the required partial execution in an abstract level. More precisely, we define an abstract finite category G ^a as an abstract game semantics for the SPC calculus, a dedicated calculus for security protocols. The abstract semantics is then used to build a decision procedure for secrecy correctness in security protocols.     

Multi-core symbolic bisimulation minimisation

We introduce parallel symbolic algorithms for bisimulation minimisation, to combat the combinatorial state space explosion along three different paths. Bisimulation minimisation reduces a transition system to the smallest system with equivalent behaviour. We consider strong and branching bisimilarity for interactive Markov chains, which combine labelled transition systems and continuous-time Markov chains. Large state spaces can be represented concisely by symbolic techniques, based on binary decision diagrams. We present specialised BDD operations to compute the maximal bisimulation using signature-based partition refinement. We also study the symbolic representation of the quotient system and suggest an encoding based on representative states, rather than block numbers. Our implementation extends the parallel, shared memory, BDD library Sylvan, to obtain a significant speedup on multi-core machines. We propose the usage of partial signatures and of disjunctively partitioned transition relations, to increase the parallelisation opportunities. Also our new parallel data structure for block assignments increases scalability. We provide SigrefMC, a versatile tool that can be customised for bisimulation minimisation in various contexts. In particular, it supports models generated by the high-performance model checker LTSmin, providing access to specifications in multiple formalisms, including process algebra. The extensive experimental evaluation is based on various benchmarks from the literature. We demonstrate a speedup up to 95\(\times \) for computing the maximal bisimulation on one processor. In addition, we find parallel speedups on a 48-core machine of another 17\(\times \) for partition refinement and 24\(\times \) for quotient computation. Our new encoding of the reduced state space leads to smaller BDD representations, with up to a 5162-fold reduction.

     

Characterizing contextual equivalence in calculi with passivation

We study the problem of characterizing contextual equivalence in higher-order languages with passivation. To overcome the difficulties arising in the proof of congruence of candidate bisimilarities, we introduce a new form of labeled transition semantics together with its associated notion of bisimulation, which we call complementary semantics. Complementary semantics allows to apply the well-known Howe?s method for proving the congruence of bisimilarities in a higher-order setting, even in the presence of an early form of bisimulation. We use complementary semantics to provide a coinductive characterization of contextual equivalence in the HOπP calculus, an extension of the higher-order π-calculus with passivation, obtaining the first result of this kind. We then study the problem of defining a more effective variant of bisimilarity that still characterizes contextual equivalence, along the lines of Sangiorgi?s notion of normal bisimilarity. We provide partial results on this difficult problem: we show that a large class of test processes cannot be used to derive a normal bisimilarity in HOπP, but we show that a form of normal bisimilarity can be defined for HOπP without restriction.     

Contextual Labelled Semantics for Higher-order Process Calculi

In this paper, we study a contextual labelled transition semantics for Higher-Order process calculi. The labelled transition semantics are relatively clean and simple, and corresponding bisimulation equivalence can be easily formulated based on it. Besides we develop a novel approach to reason about behaviours of a higher-order substituted process P{Q/X}, based on which we can directly prove a very important result – factorisation theorem. To show the correspondence between our semantics and the well-established ones, we characterize our bisimulation in a version of barbed equivalence.     

Deciding orthogonal bisimulation

Bergstra, Ponse and van der Zwaag introduced in 2003 the notion of orthogonal bisimulation equivalence on labeled transition systems. This equivalence is a refinement of branching bisimulation, in which consecutive tau’s (silent steps) can be compressed into one (but not zero) tau’s. The main advantage of orthogonal bisimulation is that it combines well with priorities. Here we solve the problem of deciding orthogonal bisimulation equivalence in finite (regular) labeled transition systems. Unlike as in branching bisimulation, in orthogonal bisimulation, cycles of silent steps cannot be eliminated. Hence, the algorithm of Groote and Vaandrager (1990) cannot be adapted easily. However, we show that it is still possible to decide orthogonal bisimulation with the same complexity as that of Groote and Vaandrager’s algorithm. Thus if n is the number of states, and m the number of transitions then it takes O(n(m + n)) time to decide orthogonal bisimilarity on finite labeled transition systems, using O(m + n) space. J. Parrow     

A fully abstract semantics for causality in the \pi-calculus

We examine the meaning of causality in calculi for mobile processes like the -calculus, and we investigate the relationship between interleaving and causal semantics for such calculi. We separate two forms of causal dependencies on actions of -calculus processes, called subject and object dependencies: The former originate from the nesting of prefixes and are propagated through interactions among processes (they are the only form of causal dependencies present in CCS-like languages); the latter originate from the binding mechanisms on names. We propose a notion of causal bisimulation which distinguishes processes which differ for the subject or for the object dependencies. We show that this causal equivalence can be reconducted to, or implemented into, the ordinary interleaving observation equivalence. We prove that our encoding is fully abstract w.r.t. the two behavioural equivalences. This allows us to exploit the simpler theory of the interleaving semantics to reason about the causal one. In [San94b] a similar programme is carried out for location bisimulation [BCHK91], a non-interleaving spatial-sensitive (as opposed to causal-sensitive) behavioural equivalence. The comparison between the encodings of causal bisimulation in this paper, and of location bisimulation in [San94b], evidences the similarities and the differences between these two equivalences. Received 11 December 1995 / 16 June 1997     

基于ε-互模拟的软件近似正确性模型

软件正确性是软件可信性的重要属性。在实际软件开发和设计中,需要不断地对软件进行修改,从而软件越来越正确。为了讨论软件的动态近似正确性,基于概率进程代数的ε-互模拟,建立软件越来越正确的形式化描述。定义ε-极限互模拟,用来反应软件实现与规范之间的关系,给出一些特殊的ε-极限互模拟。提出ε-互模拟极限,用其刻画规范是软件实现的极限形式,同时证明ε-互模拟极限的一些性质。     

Models for name-passing processes: interleaving and causal

We study syntax-free models for name-passing processes. For interleaving semantics, we identify the indexing structure required of an early labelled transition system to support the usual π-calculus operations, defining Indexed Labelled Transition Systems. For non-interleaving causal semantics we define Indexed Labelled Asynchronous Transition Systems, smoothly generalizing both our interleaving model and the standard Asynchronous Transition Systems model for CCS-like calculi. In each case we relate a denotational semantics to an operational view, for bisimulation and causal bisimulation respectively. We establish completeness properties of, and adjunctions between, categories of the two models. Alternative indexing structures and possible applications are also discussed. These are first steps towards a uniform understanding of the semantics and operations of name-passing calculi.     

一种基于共代数的面向对象形式语义

针对面向对象方法的数学理论基础相对薄弱的问题,利用共代数方法从范畴论及观察的角度研究面向对象的形式语义及行为关系。首先,给出类和对象的共代数描述,其中抽象类定义成一个类规范,类定义为满足类规范的共代数,类的各个对象则看成共代数状态空间上的元素,并分别利用强Monads理论和断言给出方法的行为的参数化描述和语义约束;接着,利用共代数互模拟探讨了不同对象在强Monads下的行为等价关系;最后用实例说明如何通过PVS工具证明类规范的一致性及对象的行为关系。     

混合语义时间Petri网的特征条件及时间性质

针对时间Petri网现有强、弱语义模型在调度分析上存在的缺陷以及凝练调度一致性问题和调度时限性问题,提出混合语义模型解决方案,并给出混合语义模型的特征条件,比较混合语义模型与强、弱语义模型的时间互模拟能力,证明混合语义模型的正确性和时间行为的不可替代性。     

Towards a theory of bisimulation for the higher-order process calculi

In this paper, a labelled transition semantics for higher-order process calculi is studied. The labelled transition semantics is relatively clean and simple, and corresponding bisimulation equivalence can be easily formulated based on it. And the congruence properties of the bisimulation equivalence can be proved easily. To show the correspondence between the proposed semantics and the well-established ones, the bisimulation is characterized as a version of barbed equivalence and a version of context bisimulation.     

连续时间Markov决策过程互模拟等价及逻辑保持

模型检测中,Markov决策过程可以建模具有不确定性的系统,然而状态空间爆炸问题将会影响系统验证的成败与效率,互模拟等价可以用于系统状态的简约.在强互模拟关系的基础上,给出Markov决策过程模型弱互模拟等价关系的概念,导出了连续时间Markov决策过程及其内嵌离散时间Markov决策过程互模拟等价关系的内在联系;在强互模拟等价关系逻辑特征保持的基础上,给出弱互模拟等价关系下的逻辑保持性质,证明了弱互模拟等价的两个状态,同时满足除下一步算子外的连续随机逻辑公式,从而可以将原模型中的验证问题转换为简约后模型的验证问题,提高验证的效率.     

Bisimulation and simulation algorithms on probabilistic transition systems by abstract interpretation

We show how bisimulation equivalence and simulation preorder on probabilistic LTSs (PLTSs), namely the main behavioural relations on probabilistic nondeterministic processes, can be characterized by abstract interpretation. Both bisimulation and simulation can be obtained as completions of partitions and preorders, viewed as abstract domains, w.r.t. a pair of concrete functions that encode a PLTS. This approach provides a general framework for designing algorithms that compute bisimulation and simulation on PLTSs. Notably, (i)?we show that the standard bisimulation algorithm by Baier et al. (2000) can be viewed as an instance of such a framework and (ii)?we design a new efficient simulation algorithm that improves the state of the art.