Abstract. Trace semantics has been defined for various kinds of state-based systems, notably with different forms of branching such as non-determinism vs. probability. In this paper we claim to identify one underlying mathematical structure behind these “trace

Abstract. The technique of forward/backward simulations has been applied successfuly in many distributed and concurrent applications. In this paper, however, we claim that the technique can actually have more genericity and mathematical clarity. We do so by identifying forward/backward simulations as lax/oplax morphisms of coalgebras. Starting from this observation, we present a systematic study of this generic notion of simulations. It is meant to be a generic version of the study by Lynch and Vaandrager, covering both non-deterministic and probabilistic systems. In particular we prove soundness and completeness results with respect to trace inclusion: the proof is by coinduction using the generic theory of traces developed by Jacobs, Sokolova and the author. By suitably instantiating our generic framework, one obtains the appropriate definition of forward/backward simulations for various kinds of systems, for which soundness and completeness come for free. 1

Trace semantics has been defined for various non-deterministic systems with different input/output types, or with different types of “non-determinism ” such as classical non-determinism (with a set of possible choices) vs. probabilistic nondeterminism. In this paper we claim that these various forms of “trace semantics” are instances of a single categorical construction, namely coinduction in a Kleisli category. This claim is based on our main technical result that an initial algebra in

Introduction The authors introduced in [1] the technique of coalgebraic trace semantics for the powerset monad P. There the initial F-algebra α: F A ∼ = → A

ABSTRACT. This paper uses elementary categorical techniques to systematically describe the semantics of context-free grammars and of attribute evaluation for such grammars. The novelty lies in capturing inherited attributes and their evaluation via exponents and naturality. 1.

Abstract. A theory of traces of computations has emerged within the field of coalgebra, via finality in Kleisli categories. In concurrency theory, traces are traditionally obtained from executions, by projecting away states. These traces and executions are sequences and will be called “thin”. The coalgebraic approach gives rise to both “thin ” and “fat” traces/executions, where in the “fat ” case the structure of computations is preserved. This distinction between thin and fat will be introduced first. It is needed for a theory of schedulers in a coalgebraic setting, of which we only present the very basic definitions and results. 1

Abstract. We give a coalgebraic account of context-free languages using the functor D(X) =2 × X A for deterministic automata over an alphabet A, in three different but equivalent ways: (i) by viewing context-free grammars as D-coalgebras; (ii) by defining a format for behavioural differential equations (w.r.t. D) for which the unique solutions are precisely the context-free languages; and (iii) as the D-coalgebra of generalized regular expressions in which the Kleene star is replaced by a unique fixed point operator. In all cases, semantics is defined by the unique homomorphism into the final coalgebra of all languages, paving the way for coinductive proofs of context-free language equivalence. Furthermore, the three characterizations can serve as the basis for the definition of a general coalgebraic notion of context-freeness, which we see as the ultimate long-term goal of the present study. 1