The theory of 2-structures provides a convenient framework for decomposition and transformation of mathematical systems where one or several different binary relationships hold between the objects of the system. In particular, it forms a useful framework for decomposition and transformation of graphs.The decomposition methods presented in this book correspond closely to the top-down design methods studied in computer science. The transformation methods considered here have a natural interpretation in the dynamic evolution of certain kinds of communication networks. From the mathematical point of view, the clan decomposition method presented here, also known as modular decomposition or substitution decomposition, is closely related to the decomposition by quotients in algebra. The transformation method presented here is based on labelled 2-structures over groups, the theory of which generalizes the well-studied theory of switching classes of graphs.This book is both a text and a monograph. As a monograph, the results concerning the decomposition and transformation of 2-structures are presented in a unified way. In addition, detailed notes on references are provided at the end of each chapter. These notes allow the reader to trace the origin of many notions and results, and to browse through the literature in order to extend the material presented in the book.To facilitate its use as a textbook, there are numerous examples and exercises which provide an opportunity for the reader to check his or her understanding of the discussed material. Furthermore, the text begins with preliminaries on partial orders, semigroups, groups and graphs to the extent needed for the book.

This book is based on columns and tutorials published in the Bulletin of the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS) during the period 2000-2003. It presents many of the most active current research lines in theoretical computer science. The material appears in two volumes, “Algorithms and Complexity” and “Formal Models and Semantics”, reflecting the traditional division of the field.The list of contributors includes many of the well-known researchers in theoretical computer science. Most of the articles are reader-friendly and do not presuppose much knowledge of the area in question. Therefore, the book constitutes very suitable supplementary reading material for various courses and seminars in computer science.

The scientific developments at the end of the past millennium were dominated by the huge increase and diversity of disciplines with the common label “computer science”. The theoretical foundations of such disciplines have become known as theoretical computer science. This book highlights some key issues of theoretical computer science as they seem to us now, at the beginning of the new millennium.The text is based on columns and tutorials published in the Bulletin of the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science in the period 1995-2000. The columnists themselves selected the material they wanted for the book, and the editors had a chance to update their work. Indeed, much of the material presented here appears in a form quite different from the original. Since the presentation of most of the articles is reader-friendly and does not presuppose much knowledge of the area, the book constitutes suitable supplementary reading material for various courses in computer science.

The theory of formal languages is one of the oldest branches of theoretical computer science. Its original aim (in the fifties and sixties) was to clarify the laws and algorithms that underlie the definition and compilation of programming languages. Since then, formal language theory has changed very much. Today it includes mathematical topics like combinatorics of words, word equations, and coding theory, but it also covers connections to linguistics (for example, the study of contextual grammars), new computational paradigms (like DNA computing), and a wide range of applications, among them hypertext processing, database theory, and formal program verification. Many of these themes of modern formal language theory are represented in this volume.

Graph grammars originated in the late 60s, motivated by considerations about pattern recognition and compiler construction. Since then, the list of areas which have interacted with the development of graph grammars has grown quite impressively. Besides the aforementioned areas, it includes software specification and development, VLSI layout schemes, database design, modeling of concurrent systems, massively parallel computer architectures, logic programming, computer animation, developmental biology, music composition, visual languages, and many others.The area of graph grammars and graph transformations generalizes formal language theory based on strings and the theory of term rewriting based on trees. As a matter of fact, within the area of graph grammars, graph transformation is considered as a fundamental computation paradigm where computation includes specification, programming, and implementation. Over the last three decades, graph grammars have developed at a steady pace into a theoretically attractive and important-for-applications research field.Volume 3 of the indispensable Handbook of Graph Grammars and Computing by Graph Transformations presents the research on concurrency, parallelism, and distribution — important paradigms of modern computer science. The topics considered include semantics for concurrent systems, modeling of concurrency, mobile and coordinated systems, algebraic specifications, Petri nets, visual design of distributed systems, and distributed algorithms. The contributions have been written in a tutorial/survey style by the top experts.

Graph grammars originated in the late 60s, motivated by considerations about pattern recognition and compiler construction. Since then, the list of areas which have interacted with the development of graph grammars has grown quite impressively. Besides the aforementioned areas, it includes software specification and development, VLSI layout schemes, database design, modeling of concurrent systems, massively parallel computer architectures, logic programming, computer animation, developmental biology, music composition, visual languages, and many others.The area of graph grammars and graph transformations generalizes formal language theory based on strings and the theory of term rewriting based on trees. As a matter of fact, within the area of graph grammars, graph transformation is considered as a fundamental computation paradigm where computation includes specification, programming, and implementation. Over the last three decades, graph grammars have developed at a steady pace into a theoretically attractive and important-for-applications research field.Volume 2 of the indispensable Handbook of Graph Grammars and Computing by Graph Transformations considers applications to functional languages, visual and object-oriented languages, software engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical process engineering, and images. It also presents implemented specification languages and tools, and structuring and modularization concepts for specification languages. The contributions have been written in a tutorial/survey style by the top experts in the corresponding areas. This volume is accompanied by a CD-Rom containing implementations of specification environments based on graph transformation systems, and tools whose implementation is based on the use of graph transformation systems.

Graph grammars originated in the late 60s, motivated by considerations about pattern recognition and compiler construction. Since then the list of areas which have interacted with the development of graph grammars has grown quite impressively. Besides the aforementioned areas it includes software specification and development, VLSI layout schemes, database design, modeling of concurrent systems, massively parallel computer architectures, logic programming, computer animation, developmental biology, music composition, visual languages, and many others.The area of graph grammars and graph transformations generalizes formal language theory based on strings and the theory of term rewriting based on trees. As a matter of fact within the area of graph grammars, graph transformation is considered a fundamental programming paradigm where computation includes specification, programming, and implementation.Over the last 25-odd years graph grammars have developed at a steady pace into a theoretically attractive and well-motivated research field. In particular, they are now based on very solid foundations, which are presented in this volume. Volume 1 of the indispensable Handbook of Graph Grammars and Computing by Graph Transformations includes a state-of-the-art presentation of the foundations of all the basic approaches to rule-based graph specification and transformation: algebraic approach, logic approach, node-based rewriting, (hyper)edge-based rewriting, programmed graph rewriting, and 2-structures. The book has been written in a tutorial/survey style to enhance its usefulness.

The theory of traces employs techniques and tackles problems from quite diverse areas which include formal language theory, combinatorics, graph theory, algebra, logic, and the theory of concurrent systems. In all these areas the theory of traces has led to interesting problems and significant results. It has made an especially big impact in formal language theory and the theory of concurrent systems. In both these disciplines it is a well-recognized and dynamic research area. Within formal language theory it yields the theory of partially commutative monoids, and provides an important connection between languages and graphs. Within the theory of concurrent systems it provides an important formal framework for the analysis and synthesis of concurrent systems.This monograph covers all important research lines of the theory of traces; each chapter is devoted to one research line and is written by leading experts. The book is organized in such a way that each chapter can be read independently — and hence it is very suitable for advanced courses or seminars on formal language theory, the theory of concurrent systems, the theory of semigroups, and combinatorics. An extensive bibliography is included. At present, there is no other book of this type on trace theory.

The book is a very up-to-date collection of articles in theoretical computer science, written by leading authorities in the field. The topics range from algorithms and complexity to algebraic specifications, and from formal languages and language-theoretic modeling to computational geometry. The material is based on columns and articles that have appeared in the EATCS Bulletin during the past two to three years. Although very recent research is discussed, the largely informal style of writing makes the book accessible to readers with little or no previous knowledge of the topics.

The contributions of the proceedings cover almost all parts of the theory of formal languages from pure theoretical investigations to applications to programming languages. Main topics are combinatorial properties of words, sequences of words and sets of words, grammar systems and grammars with controlled derivations, generation of higher-dimensional objects and graphs, trace languages, numerical parameters of automata and languages.

The theory of 2-structures provides a convenient framework for decomposition and transformation of mathematical systems where one or several different binary relationships hold between the objects of the system. In particular, it forms a useful framework for decomposition and transformation of graphs.The decomposition methods presented in this book correspond closely to the top-down design methods studied in computer science. The transformation methods considered here have a natural interpretation in the dynamic evolution of certain kinds of communication networks. From the mathematical point of view, the clan decomposition method presented here, also known as modular decomposition or substitution decomposition, is closely related to the decomposition by quotients in algebra. The transformation method presented here is based on labelled 2-structures over groups, the theory of which generalizes the well-studied theory of switching classes of graphs.This book is both a text and a monograph. As a monograph, the results concerning the decomposition and transformation of 2-structures are presented in a unified way. In addition, detailed notes on references are provided at the end of each chapter. These notes allow the reader to trace the origin of many notions and results, and to browse through the literature in order to extend the material presented in the book.To facilitate its use as a textbook, there are numerous examples and exercises which provide an opportunity for the reader to check his or her understanding of the discussed material. Furthermore, the text begins with preliminaries on partial orders, semigroups, groups and graphs to the extent needed for the book.

This book is based on columns and tutorials published in the Bulletin of the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS) during the period 2000-2003. It presents many of the most active current research lines in theoretical computer science. The material appears in two volumes, “Algorithms and Complexity” and “Formal Models and Semantics”, reflecting the traditional division of the field.The list of contributors includes many of the well-known researchers in theoretical computer science. Most of the articles are reader-friendly and do not presuppose much knowledge of the area in question. Therefore, the book constitutes very suitable supplementary reading material for various courses and seminars in computer science.

The scientific developments at the end of the past millennium were dominated by the huge increase and diversity of disciplines with the common label “computer science”. The theoretical foundations of such disciplines have become known as theoretical computer science. This book highlights some key issues of theoretical computer science as they seem to us now, at the beginning of the new millennium.The text is based on columns and tutorials published in the Bulletin of the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science in the period 1995-2000. The columnists themselves selected the material they wanted for the book, and the editors had a chance to update their work. Indeed, much of the material presented here appears in a form quite different from the original. Since the presentation of most of the articles is reader-friendly and does not presuppose much knowledge of the area, the book constitutes suitable supplementary reading material for various courses in computer science.

The theory of formal languages is one of the oldest branches of theoretical computer science. Its original aim (in the fifties and sixties) was to clarify the laws and algorithms that underlie the definition and compilation of programming languages. Since then, formal language theory has changed very much. Today it includes mathematical topics like combinatorics of words, word equations, and coding theory, but it also covers connections to linguistics (for example, the study of contextual grammars), new computational paradigms (like DNA computing), and a wide range of applications, among them hypertext processing, database theory, and formal program verification. Many of these themes of modern formal language theory are represented in this volume.

Graph grammars originated in the late 60s, motivated by considerations about pattern recognition and compiler construction. Since then, the list of areas which have interacted with the development of graph grammars has grown quite impressively. Besides the aforementioned areas, it includes software specification and development, VLSI layout schemes, database design, modeling of concurrent systems, massively parallel computer architectures, logic programming, computer animation, developmental biology, music composition, visual languages, and many others.The area of graph grammars and graph transformations generalizes formal language theory based on strings and the theory of term rewriting based on trees. As a matter of fact, within the area of graph grammars, graph transformation is considered as a fundamental computation paradigm where computation includes specification, programming, and implementation. Over the last three decades, graph grammars have developed at a steady pace into a theoretically attractive and important-for-applications research field.Volume 3 of the indispensable Handbook of Graph Grammars and Computing by Graph Transformations presents the research on concurrency, parallelism, and distribution — important paradigms of modern computer science. The topics considered include semantics for concurrent systems, modeling of concurrency, mobile and coordinated systems, algebraic specifications, Petri nets, visual design of distributed systems, and distributed algorithms. The contributions have been written in a tutorial/survey style by the top experts.

Graph grammars originated in the late 60s, motivated by considerations about pattern recognition and compiler construction. Since then, the list of areas which have interacted with the development of graph grammars has grown quite impressively. Besides the aforementioned areas, it includes software specification and development, VLSI layout schemes, database design, modeling of concurrent systems, massively parallel computer architectures, logic programming, computer animation, developmental biology, music composition, visual languages, and many others.The area of graph grammars and graph transformations generalizes formal language theory based on strings and the theory of term rewriting based on trees. As a matter of fact, within the area of graph grammars, graph transformation is considered as a fundamental computation paradigm where computation includes specification, programming, and implementation. Over the last three decades, graph grammars have developed at a steady pace into a theoretically attractive and important-for-applications research field.Volume 2 of the indispensable Handbook of Graph Grammars and Computing by Graph Transformations considers applications to functional languages, visual and object-oriented languages, software engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical process engineering, and images. It also presents implemented specification languages and tools, and structuring and modularization concepts for specification languages. The contributions have been written in a tutorial/survey style by the top experts in the corresponding areas. This volume is accompanied by a CD-Rom containing implementations of specification environments based on graph transformation systems, and tools whose implementation is based on the use of graph transformation systems.

Graph grammars originated in the late 60s, motivated by considerations about pattern recognition and compiler construction. Since then the list of areas which have interacted with the development of graph grammars has grown quite impressively. Besides the aforementioned areas it includes software specification and development, VLSI layout schemes, database design, modeling of concurrent systems, massively parallel computer architectures, logic programming, computer animation, developmental biology, music composition, visual languages, and many others.The area of graph grammars and graph transformations generalizes formal language theory based on strings and the theory of term rewriting based on trees. As a matter of fact within the area of graph grammars, graph transformation is considered a fundamental programming paradigm where computation includes specification, programming, and implementation.Over the last 25-odd years graph grammars have developed at a steady pace into a theoretically attractive and well-motivated research field. In particular, they are now based on very solid foundations, which are presented in this volume. Volume 1 of the indispensable Handbook of Graph Grammars and Computing by Graph Transformations includes a state-of-the-art presentation of the foundations of all the basic approaches to rule-based graph specification and transformation: algebraic approach, logic approach, node-based rewriting, (hyper)edge-based rewriting, programmed graph rewriting, and 2-structures. The book has been written in a tutorial/survey style to enhance its usefulness.

The theory of traces employs techniques and tackles problems from quite diverse areas which include formal language theory, combinatorics, graph theory, algebra, logic, and the theory of concurrent systems. In all these areas the theory of traces has led to interesting problems and significant results. It has made an especially big impact in formal language theory and the theory of concurrent systems. In both these disciplines it is a well-recognized and dynamic research area. Within formal language theory it yields the theory of partially commutative monoids, and provides an important connection between languages and graphs. Within the theory of concurrent systems it provides an important formal framework for the analysis and synthesis of concurrent systems.This monograph covers all important research lines of the theory of traces; each chapter is devoted to one research line and is written by leading experts. The book is organized in such a way that each chapter can be read independently — and hence it is very suitable for advanced courses or seminars on formal language theory, the theory of concurrent systems, the theory of semigroups, and combinatorics. An extensive bibliography is included. At present, there is no other book of this type on trace theory.

The book is a very up-to-date collection of articles in theoretical computer science, written by leading authorities in the field. The topics range from algorithms and complexity to algebraic specifications, and from formal languages and language-theoretic modeling to computational geometry. The material is based on columns and articles that have appeared in the EATCS Bulletin during the past two to three years. Although very recent research is discussed, the largely informal style of writing makes the book accessible to readers with little or no previous knowledge of the topics.

The contributions of the proceedings cover almost all parts of the theory of formal languages from pure theoretical investigations to applications to programming languages. Main topics are combinatorial properties of words, sequences of words and sets of words, grammar systems and grammars with controlled derivations, generation of higher-dimensional objects and graphs, trace languages, numerical parameters of automata and languages.