$1. Introduction. The occasion of a retiring presidential address seems like a time to look back, take stock and perhaps look ahead.

We prove that the two quantifier theory of the Turing degrees with order, join and jump is undecidable.

Abstract The three quantifier theory of (R; ^T), the recursively enumerable degrees under Turing reducibility, was proven undecidable by Lempp, Nies and Slaman [1998]. The two quantifier theory includes the lattice embedding problem and its decidability is a long standing open question. A negative solution to this problem seems out of reach of the standard methods of interpretation of theories because the language is relational. We prove the undecidability of a fragment of the theory of R that lies between the two and three quantifier theories with ^T but includes function symbols.

Abstract not found

. We study the problem of the interpretability of arithmetic in the r.e. degrees in models of fragments of Peano arithmetic. The main result states that there is an interpretation # ## # # such that every formula # of Peano arithmetic corresponds to a formula # # in the language of the partial ordering of r.e. degrees such that for every model N of # 4 -induction, N |= # if and only if RN |= # # , where RN is the structure whose universe is the collection of r.e. degrees in N . This supplies, for example, statements #m about the r.e. degrees which are equivalent (over I# 4 ) to I#m for every m > 4. 1. Introduction. A basic goal of reverse mathematics is to determine the axiom systems needed to prove particular theorems of mathematics by showing that they are equivalent (over a given base theory) to some specific axiom system. (See [12] for a general introduction to reverse mathematics in the setting of second order arithmetic.) In reverse recursion theory our setti...