This paper studies definability within the theory of institutions, a version of abstract model theory that emerged in computing science studies of software specification and semantics. We generalise the concept of definability to arbitrary logics, formalised as institutions, and we develop three general definability results. One generalises the classical Beth theorem by relying on the interpolation properties of the institution. Another relies on a meta Birkhoff axiomatizability property of the institution and constitutes a source for many new actual definability results, including definability in (fragments of) classical model theory. The third one gives a set of sufficient conditions for ‘borrowing’ definability properties from another institution via an ‘adequate’ encoding between institutions.

The power of our general definability results is illustrated with several applications to (many-sorted) classical model theory and partial algebra, leading for example to definability results for (quasi-)varieties of models or partial algebras. Many other applications are expected for the multitude of logical systems formalised as institutions from computing science and logic.

It is well known that classical propositional logic can be interpreted in intuitionistic prepositional logic. In particular Glivenko's theorem states that a formula is provable in the former iff its double negation is provable in the latter. We extend Glivenko's theorem and show that for every involutive substructural logic there exists a minimum substructural logic that contains the first via a double negation interpretation. Our presentation is algebraic and is formulated in the context of residuated lattices. In the last part of the paper, we also discuss some extended forms of the Koltnogorov translation and we compare it to the Glivenko translation.

Makkai [10] produced an arithmetical structure of Scott rank ω1CK. In [9], Makkai's example is made computable. Here we show that there are computable trees of Scott rank ω1CK. We introduce a notion of “rank homogeneity”. In rank homogeneous trees, orbits of tuples can be understood relatively easily. By using these trees, we avoid the need to pass to the more complicated “group trees” of [10] and [9], Using the same kind of trees, we obtain one of rank ω1CK that is “strongly computably approximable”. We also develop some technology that may yield further results of this kind.

In [12]. T. Scanlon proved a quantifier elimination result for valued D-fields in a three-sorted language by using angular component functions. Here we prove an analogous theorem in a different language which was introduced by F. Delon in her thesis. This language allows us to lift the quantifier elimination result to a one-sorted language by a process described in the Appendix. As a byproduct, we state and prove a “positivstellensatz” theorem for the differential analogue of the theory of real-series closed fields in the valued D-field setting.

A general method is provided whereby bizarre revisions of consistent theories with respect to contingent sentences that they refute can be delivered by revision-functions satisfying both the basic and the supplementary postulates of the AGM-theory of theory-revision.

This paper investigates when it is possible for a partial ordering ℙ to force Pk(Λ)\V to be stationary in Vℙ. It follows from a result of Gitik that whenever ℙ adds a new real, then Pk(Λ)\V is stationary in Vℙ for each regular uncountable cardinal κ in Vℙ and all cardinals λ ≥ κ in Vℙ [4], However, a covering theorem of Magidor implies that when no new ω-sequences are added, large cardinals become necessary [7]. The following is equiconsistent with a proper class of ω1-Erdős cardinals: If ℙ is ℵ1-Cohen forcing, then Pk(Λ)\V is stationary in Vℙ, for all regular κ ≥ ℵ2and all λ ≩ κ. The following is equiconsistent with an ω1-Erdős cardinal: If ℙ is ℵ1-Cohen forcing, then is stationary in Vℙ. The following is equiconsistent with κ measurable cardinals: If ℙ is κ-Cohen forcing, then is stationary in Vℙ.

A real is called properly n-generic if it is n-generic but not n + 1-generic. We show that every 1-generic real computes a properly 1-generic real. On the other hand, if m > n ≥ 2 then an m-generic real cannot compute a properly n-generic real.

Nominal logic is a variant of first-order logic in which abstract syntax with names and binding is formalized in terms of two basic operations: name-swapping andfreshness. It relies on two important principles: equivariance (validity is preserved by name-swapping), and fresh name generation (“new” or fresh names can always be chosen). It is inspired by a particular class of models for abstract syntax trees involving names and binding, drawing on ideas from Fraenkel-Mostowski set theory: finite-support models in which each value can depend on only finitely many names.

Although nominal logic is sound with respect to such models, it is not complete. In this paper we review nominal logic and show why finite-support models are insufficient both in theory and practice. We then identify (up to isomorphism) the class of models with respect to which nominal logic is complete: ideal-supported models in which the supports of values are elements of a proper ideal on the set of names.

We also investigate an appropriate generalization of Herbrand models to nominal logic. After adjusting the syntax of nominal logic to include constants denoting names, we generalize universal theories to nominal-universal theories and prove that each such theory has an Herbrand model.

We prove that there exists a noncomputable c.e. real which is low for weak 2-randomness, a definition of randomness due to Kurtz, and that all reals which are low for weak 2-randomness are low for Martin-Löf randomness.

We investigate axiomatizations of Kripke's theory of truth based on the Strong Kleene evaluation scheme for treating sentences lacking a truth value. Feferman's axiomatization KF formulated in classical logic is an indirect approach, because it is not sound with respect to Kripke's semantics in the straightforward sense: only the sentences that can be proved to be true in KF are valid in Kripke's partial models. Reinhardt proposed to focus just on the sentences that can be proved to be true in KF and conjectured that the detour through classical logic in KF is dispensable. We refute Reinhardt's Conjecture, and provide a direct axiomatization PKF of Kripke's theory in partial logic. We argue that any natural axiomatization of Kripke's theory in Strong Kleene logic has the same proof-theoretic strength as PKF. namely the strength of the system ramified analysis or a system of Tarskian ramified truth up to ωω. Thus any such axiomatization is much weaker than Feferman's axiomatization KF in classical logic, which is equivalent to the system of ramified analysis up to ε0.

Topologists Nabutovsky and Weinberger discovered how to embed computably enumerable (c.e.) sets into the geometry of Riemannian metrics modulo diffeomorphisms. They used the complexity of the settling times of the c.e. sets to exhibit a much greater complexity of the depth and density of local minima for the diameter function than previously imagined. Their results depended on the existence of certain sequences of c.e. sets, constructed at their request by Csima and Soare, whose settling times had the necessary dominating properties. Although these computability results had been announced earlier, their proofs have been deferred until this paper.

Computably enumerable sets have long been used to prove undecidability of mathematical problems such as the word problem for groups and Hilbert's Tenth Problem. However, this example by Nabutovsky and Weinberger is perhaps the first example of the use of c.e. sets to demonstrate specific mathematical or geometric complexity of a mathematical structure such as the depth and distribution of local minima.

A structure of finite signature is constructed so that: for all existential formulas and for all tuples of elements of the same length as the tuple one can decide in a quadratic time depending only on the length of the formula, if holds in the structure. In other words, the structure satisfies the relativized model-theoretic version of P=N P in the sense of [4]. This is a model-theoretical approach to results of Hemmerling and Gaßner.

We establish a surprising connection between Menger's classical covering property and Blass-Laflamme's modern combinatorial notion of groupwise density. This connection implies a short proof of the groupwise density bound on the additivity number for Menger's property.

We consider the question of randomness of the probability ΩU[X] that an optimal Turing machine U halts and outputs a string in a fixed set X. The main results are as follows:

• ΩU[X] is random whenever X is Σn0-complete or Πn0-complete for some n ≥ 2.

• However, for n ≥ 2, ΩU[X] is not n-random when X is Σn0 or Πn0. Nevertheless, there exists Δn+10 sets such that ΩU[X] is n-random.

• There are Δ20 sets X such that ΩU[X] is rational. Also, for every n ≥ 1, there exists a set X which is Δn+10 and Σn0-hard such that ΩU[X] is not random.

We also look at the range of ΩU as an operator. We prove that the set {ΩU[X]: X ⊆ 2≤ω} is a finite union of closed intervals. It follows that for any optimal machine U and any sufficiently small real r, there is a set X ⊆ 2≤ω recursive in ∅′ ⊕ r, such that ΩU[X] = r.

The same questions are also considered in the context of infinite computations, and lead to similar results.

The existence and uniqueness of a maximum point for a continuous real–valued function on a metric space are investigated constructively. In particular, it is shown, in the spirit of reverse mathematics, that a natural unique existence theorem is equivalent to the fan theorem.

We define a notion of realizability, based on a new assignment of formulas, which does not care for precise witnesses of existential statements, but only for bounds for them. The novel form of realizability supports a very general form of the FAN theorem, refutes Markov's principle but meshes well with some classical principles, including the lesser limited principle of omniscience and weak König's lemma. We discuss some applications, as well as some previous results in the literature.

Jeremy Avigad kindly pointed out to me that the proof of Theorem 2 in [3] is incomplete. At the very end it assumes that when is located, so is . This is not correct. In fact, Avigad explained that the construction in the proof of Theorem 15.3 in [1] can be read as a recursive counterexample to the statement: ‘If , then Anx converges for every x’. As a result the conclusion of Theorem 2 should be that An converges if and only if is located. Similar changes have to be made in the abstract, Lemma 4, and Theorem 16. Finally, the paragraph on ergodic measure preserving transformations should be removed.

As an unrelated point we would like to mention that in the last two displayed equations of the proof of theorem 1 the term should be replaced by .

We investigate the geometry of forking for SU-rank 2 elements in supersimple ω-categorical theories and prove stable forking and some structural properties for such elements. We extend this analysis to the case of SU-rank 3 elements.

We explore the interaction between Lebesgue measure and dominating functions. We show, via both a priority construction and a forcing construction, that there is a function of incomplete degree that dominates almost all degrees. This answers a question of Dobrinen and Simpson, who showed that such functions are related to the proof-theoretic strength of the regularity of Lebesgue measure for Gδ sets. Our constructions essentially settle the reverse mathematical classification of this principle.