Codd defined the relational algebra [E.F. Codd, Communications of the ACM13 (1970) 377–387; E.F. Codd, Relational completeness of data base sublanguages, in Data Base Systems, R. Rustin, Ed., Prentice-Hall (1972) 65–98] as the algebra with operations projection, join, restriction, union and difference. His projection operator can drop, permute and repeat columns of a relation. This permuting and repeating of columns does not really add expressive power to the relational algebra. Indeed, using the join operation, one can rewrite any relational algebra expression into an equivalent expression where no projection operator permutes or repeats columns. The fragment of the relational algebra known as the semijoin algebra, however, lacks a full join operation. Nevertheless, we show that any semijoin algebra expression can still be simulated in a natural way by a set of expressions where no projection operator permutes or repeats columns.

This paper studies the computational complexity of the proper interval colored graph problem (PICG), when the input graph is a colored caterpillar, parameterized by hair length. In order prove our result we establish a close relationship between the PICG and a graph layout problem the proper colored layout problem (PCLP). We show a dichotomy: the PICG and the PCLP are NP-complete for colored caterpillars of hair length ≥2, while both problems are in P for colored caterpillars of hair length <2. For the hardness results we provide a reduction from the multiprocessor scheduling problem, while the polynomial time results follow from a characterization in terms of forbidden subgraphs.

Inf-Datalog extends the usual least fixpoint semantics of Datalog with greatest fixpoint semantics: we defined inf-Datalog and characterized the expressive power of various fragments of inf-Datalog in [CITE]. In the present paper, we study the complexity of query evaluation on finite models for (various fragments of) inf-Datalog. We deduce a unified and elementary proof that global model-checking (i.e. computing all nodes satisfying a formula in a given structure) has 1. quadratic data complexity in time and linear program complexity in space for CTL and alternation-free modal μ-calculus, and 2. linear-space (data and program) complexities, linear-time program complexity and polynomial-time data complexity for Lµk (modal μ-calculus with fixed alternation-depth at most k).

In this paper, we survey the rich theory of infinite episturmian words which generalize to any finite alphabet, in a rather resembling way, the well-known family of Sturmian words on two letters. After recalling definitions and basic properties, we consider episturmian morphisms that allow for a deeper study of these words. Some properties of factors are described, including factor complexity, palindromes, fractional powers, frequencies, and return words. We also consider lexicographical properties of episturmian words, as well as their connection to the balance property, and related notions such as finite episturmian words, Arnoux-Rauzy sequences, and “episkew words” that generalize the skew words of Morse and Hedlund.

We study infinite words u over an alphabet $\mathcal{A}$ satisfying the property $\mathcal{P} :~\mathcal{P}(n)+ \mathcal{P}(n+1) = 1+ \#\mathcal{A}\ {\rm for\ any}\ n \in \mathbb{N}$, where $\mathcal{P}(n)$ denotes the number of palindromic factors of length n occurring in the language of u. We study also infinite words satisfying a stronger property $\mathcal{PE}$: every palindrome of u has exactly one palindromic extension in u. For binary words, the properties $\mathcal{P}$ and $\mathcal{PE}$ coincide and these properties characterize Sturmian words, i.e., words with the complexity C(n) = n + 1 for any $n \in \mathbb{N}$. In this paper, we focus on ternary infinite words with the language closed under reversal. For such words u, we prove that if C(n) = 2n + 1 for any $n \in \mathbb{N}$, then u satisfies the property $\mathcal{P}$ and moreover u is rich in palindromes. Also a sufficient condition for the property $\mathcal{PE}$ is given. We construct a word demonstrating that $\mathcal{P}$ on a ternary alphabet does not imply $\mathcal{PE}$.

It is well-known that some of the most basic properties of words, like the commutativity (xy = yx) and the conjugacy (xz = zy), can be expressed as solutions of word equations. An important problem is to decide whether or not a given equation on words has a solution. For instance, the equation xMyN = zP has only periodic solutions in a free monoid, that is, if xMyN = zP holds with integers m,n,p ≥ 2, then there exists a word w such that x, y, z are powers of w. This result, which received a lot of attention, was first proved by Lyndon and Schützenberger for free groups. In this paper, we investigate equations on partial words. Partial words are sequences over a finite alphabet that may contain a number of “do not know” symbols. When we speak about equations on partial words, we replace the notion of equality (=) with compatibility (↑). Among other equations, we solve xy ↑ yx, xz ↑ zy, and special cases of xmyn ↑ zp for integers m,n,p ≥ 2. 


In the job shop scheduling problem k-units-Jm, there are m machines and each machine has an integer processing time of at most k time units. Each job consists of a permutation of m tasks corresponding to all machines and thus all jobs have an identical dilation D. The contribution of this paper are the following results; (i) for $d=o(\sqrt{D})$ jobs and every fixed k, the makespan of an optimal schedule is at most D+ o(D), which extends the result of [3] for k=1; (ii) a randomized on-line approximation algorithm for k-units-Jm is presented. This is the on-line algorithm with the best known competitive ratio against an oblivious adversary for $d = o(\sqrt{D})$ and k > 1; (iii) different processing times yield harder instances than identical processing times. There is no 5/3 competitive deterministic on-line algorithm for k-units-Jm, whereas the competitive ratio of the randomized on-line algorithm of (ii) still tends to 1 for $d = o(\sqrt{D})$.

The algebraic study of formal languages shows that ω-rational sets correspond precisely to the ω-languages recognizable by finite ω-semigroups. Within this framework, we provide a construction of the algebraic counterpart of the Wagner hierarchy. We adopt a hierarchical game approach, by translating the Wadge theory from the ω-rational language to the ω-semigroup context. More precisely, we first show that the Wagner degree is indeed a syntactic invariant. We then define a reduction relation on finite pointed ω-semigroups by means of a Wadge-like infinite two-player game. The collection of these algebraic structures ordered by this reduction is then proven to be isomorphic to the Wagner hierarchy, namely a well-founded and decidable partial ordering of width 2 and height ωω.

We consider relational periods, where the relation is a compatibility relation on words induced by a relation on letters. We prove a variant of the theorem of Fine and Wilf for a (pure) period and a relational period.

The algebraic counterpart of the Wagner hierarchy consists of a well-founded and decidable classification of finite pointed ω-semigroups of width 2 and height ωω. This paper completes the description of this algebraic hierarchy. We first give a purely algebraic decidability procedure of this partial ordering by introducing a graph representation of finite pointed ω-semigroups allowing to compute their precise Wagner degrees. The Wagner degree of any ω-rational language can therefore be computed directly on its syntactic image. We then show how to build a finite pointed ω-semigroup of any given Wagner degree. We finally describe the algebraic invariants characterizing every degree of this hierarchy.

Let w be an infinite fixed point of a binary k-uniform morphism f, and let Ew be the critical exponent of w. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for Ew to be bounded, and an explicit formula to compute it when it is. In particular, we show that Ew is always rational. We also sketch an extension of our method to non-uniform morphisms over general alphabets.

This paper presents two extensions of the second order polymorphic lambda calculus, system F, with monotone (co)inductive types supporting (co)iteration, primitive (co)recursion and inversion principles as primitives. One extension is inspired by the usual categorical approach to programming by means of initial algebras and final coalgebras; whereas the other models dialgebras, and can be seen as an extension of Hagino's categorical lambda calculus within the framework of parametric polymorphism. The systems are presented in Curry-style, and are proven to be terminating and type-preserving. Moreover their expressiveness is shown by means of several programming examples, going from usual data types to lazy codata types such as streams or infinite trees.

In this paper, we define the notion of biRFSA which is a residual finate state automaton (RFSA) whose the reverse is also an RFSA. The languages recognized by such automata are called biRFSA languages. We prove that the canonical RFSA of a biRFSA language is a minimal NFA for this language and that each minimal NFA for this language is a sub-automaton of the canonical RFSA. This leads to a characterization of the family of biRFSA languages. In the second part of this paper, we define the family of biseparable automata. We prove that every biseparable NFA is uniquely minimal among all NFAs recognizing a same language, improving the result of H. Tamm and E. Ukkonen for bideterministic automata.

A well known result of Fraenkel and Simpson states that the number of distinct squares in a word of length n is bounded by 2n since at each position there are at most two distinct squares whose last occurrence starts. In this paper, we investigate squares in partial words with one hole, or sequences over a finite alphabet that have a “do not know” symbol or “hole”. A square in a partial word over a given alphabet has the form uv where u is compatible with v, and consequently, such square is compatible with a number of words over the alphabet that are squares. Recently, it was shown that for partial words with one hole, there may be more than two squares that have their last occurrence starting at the same position. Here, we prove that if such is the case, then the length of the shortest square is at most half the length of the third shortest square. As a result, we show that the number of distinct squares compatible with factors of a partial word with one hole of length n is bounded by $\frac{7n}{2}$.

We present the first (polynomial-time) algorithm for reducing a given deterministic finite state automaton (DFA) into a hyper-minimized DFA, which may have fewer states than the classically minimized DFA. The price we pay is that the language recognized by the new machine can differ from the original on a finite number of inputs. These hyper-minimized automata are optimal, in the sense that every DFA with fewer states must disagree on infinitely many inputs. With small modifications, the construction works also for finite state transducers producing outputs. Within a class of finitely differing languages, the hyper-minimized automaton is not necessarily unique. There may exist several non-isomorphic machines using the minimum number of states, each accepting a separate language finitely-different from the original one. We will show that there are large structural similarities among all these smallest automata.

Mainstream object-oriented languages often fail to provide complete powerful features altogether, such as, multiple inheritance, dynamic overloading and copy semantics of inheritance. In this paper we present a core object-oriented imperative language that integrates all these features in a formal framework. We define a static type system and a translation of the language into the meta-language λ_object,, in order to account for semantic issues and prove type safety of our proposal.

We discuss some known and introduce some new hierarchies and reducibilities on regular languages, with the emphasis on the quantifier-alternation and difference hierarchies of the quasi-aperiodic languages. The non-collapse of these hierarchies and decidability of some levels are established. Complete sets in the levels of the hierarchies under the polylogtime and some quantifier-free reducibilities are found. Some facts about the corresponding degree structures are established. As an application, we characterize the regular languages whose balanced leaf-language classes are contained in the polynomial hierarchy. For any discussed reducibility we try to give motivations and open questions, in a hope to convince the reader that the study of these reducibilities is interesting for automata theory and computational complexity.

This paper gives a shortest path algorithm for CFG (context free grammar) labeled and weighted digraphs where edge weights may be positive or negative, but negative-weight cycles are not allowed in the underlying unlabeled graph. These results build directly on an algorithm of Barrett et al. [SIAM J. Comput.30 (2000) 809–837]. In addition to many other results, they gave a shortest path algorithm for CFG labeled and weighted digraphs where all edges are nonnegative. Our algorithm is based closely on Barrett et al.'s algorithm as well as Johnson's algorithm for shortest paths in digraphs whose edges may have positive or negative weights.

In this paper we present a dual approximation scheme for the class constrained shelf bin packing problem. In this problem, we are given bins of capacity 1, and n items of Q different classes, each item e with class ce and size se. The problem is to pack the items into bins, such that two items of different classes packed in a same bin must be in different shelves. Items in a same shelf are packed consecutively. Moreover, items in consecutive shelves must be separated by shelf divisors of size d. In a shelf bin packing problem, we have to obtain a shelf packing such that the total size of items and shelf divisors in any bin is at most 1. A dual approximation scheme must obtain a shelf packing of all items into N bins, such that, the total size of all items and shelf divisors packed in any bin is at most 1 + ε for a given ε > 0 and N is the number of bins used in an optimum shelf bin packing problem. Shelf divisors are used to avoid contact between items of different classes and can hold a set of items until a maximum given weight. We also present a dual approximation scheme for the class constrained bin packing problem. In this problem, there is no use of shelf divisors, but each bin uses at most C different classes.

We show that Dejean's conjecture holds for n ≥ 27. This brings the final resolution of the conjecture by the approach of Moulin Ollagnier within range of the computationally feasible.