Ludwik Czaja - Böcker

This book presents a new algebraic system whose interpretation coincides with the behaviour of Petri nets, enhanced with an inhibitory mechanism and four time models. Its goal is to provide a formal means of modelling dynamic tasks, and of testing and verifying properties, in contexts characterised by the parallel execution of actions. However, the task description differs from that of Petri nets. The algebra is a quasi-semiring, “quasi” because of its somewhat restricted distributivity axiom. Expressions of this algebra, the cause–effect structures, have a graphic presentation as nets, but with one kind of named nodes, each annotated by two expressions that specify the type of signal reception from predecessors and transmission to successors. Many structural and behavioural properties are stated with proofs, and illustrative sample tasks are included. The book is intended for all those interested or involved in parallel and distributed computing – students, researchers and practitioners alike.

This book focuses on numerous examples of tasks represented by c-e structure. In particular, how computing with natural numbers and in propositional calculus can be performed by c-e structures and how to specify behavior of data structures.

This book focuses on numerous examples of tasks represented by c-e structure. In particular, how computing with natural numbers and in propositional calculus can be performed by c-e structures and how to specify behavior of data structures.

This book presents the adaptation of cause-effect structures to the formal description of phenomena such as the behaviour of living objects, the mutual communication of living cells, but also such as the growth of crystals and other natural processes.

This book presents the adaptation of cause-effect structures to the formal description of phenomena such as the behaviour of living objects, the mutual communication of living cells, but also such as the growth of crystals and other natural processes. The system of cause-effect structures has been designed for the description and analysis of objects with dispersed components, acting concurrently and synchronizing and communicating one another. This adaptation consists in customizing generic semantics of cause-effect structures to semantics specific to the behaviour of natural objects. That is creating evolution rules for the formal models of these objects. However, the structural, algebraic properties of cause-effect structures are retained. The activity of cellular cause-effect structures is supposed to imitate the activity of cellular automata, the formal system intended for the above-mentioned aims. But operations on syntactic constructions, in particular their transformations and simplification, are the same as for the general cause-effect structures. These algebraic operations are also used to perform certain geometric/topological conversions of location bases for the cellular cause-effect structures, like flat surfaces into cylindrical or toroidal. This is depicted by numerous illustrations. An adaptation of cause-effect structures to other formal descriptions of some natural phenomena, such as reaction systems, is provided in book 331 of the “Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems” series, whereas the complete description of cause-effect structures, in book 45.

This book introduces readers to selected issues in distributed systems, and primarily focuses on principles, not on technical details. Though the systems discussed are based on existing (von Neumann) computer architectures, the book also touches on emerging processing paradigms. Uniquely, it approaches system components not only as static constructs, but also “in action,” exploring the different states they pass through. The author’s teaching experience shows that newcomers to the field, students and even IT professionals can far more readily grasp the essence of distributed algorithmic structures in action, than on the basis of static descriptions.