Researches on Temporal Logics, Automata, and Games

1. Researches on Temporal Logics, Automata, and Games Angelo Montanari Departement of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Udine Udine, May 8, 2008

2. Research topic: temporal logics (TL) - 1 • Temporal logics for time granularity: - metric temporal logics, axiomatic systems for metric temporal logics, executability - classical/non classical logics for time granularity, definability issues, axiomatic systems, decidability of the theories of finite, upward unbounded, and downward unbounded layered structures - combined temporal logics, model checking procedures for combined temporal logics, implementation - applications (formal specifications, temporal databases, bioinformatics)‏

3. Research topic: temporal logics (TL) - 2 • Interval temporal logics: - expressiveness, axiomatic systems - decidability/undecidability results - proof methods for interval temporal logics, tableau systems, implementation - applications (artificial intelligence, temporal databases, bioinformatics)‏

4. Research topic: automata theory (AT)‏ • Automata theory: - combined automata for time granularity - single-string automata, restricted labeled automata, ultimately periodic automata, implementation - automaton-based solution to the model checking problem for monadic second-order logic over (deterministic) colored trees (contraction method)‏ - on the relationships between the contraction method and Shelah’s composition method

5. Research topic: game theory (GT) - 1 • Game theory: - comparison games (bisimulation games) as a method to measure the expressive power of a (temporal) logic/to compare the expressive power of different (temporal) logics - comparison games (first-order Ehrenfeucht-Fraissé games) as a tool to compare structures and determine where and how they differ (remoteness)

6. Research topic: game theory (GT) - 2 - algorithmic game theory: efficient algorithms (taking advantage of generalized suffix trees) for computing the remoteness and the sets of optimal moves for both players in the case of labelled successor structures (recently extended to structures with a bounded ordering relation), implementation - applications: bioinformatics (e.g., to compare genome assemblies of the same organism obtained by different programs--a left-to-right comparison is not adequate, because different parts may be ordered differently and some other segments may not be related)‏

7. Research topic: spatio-temporal databases (DB)‏ • A development framework for spatio-temporal databases: - conceptual design (spatio-temporal conceptual models and software tools for their visual synthesis)‏ - logical design1: translation into temporally-extended spatial relational schemas, implementation - logical design 2: translation into XML Schema document, implementation • Temporal databases for the life sciences

8. People Temporal logics: Maarten de Rijke, Adriano Peron, Alberto Policriti, Valentin Goranko, Agostino Dovier, Carla Piazza, Massimo Franceschet, Guido Sciavicco, Nicola Vitacolonna, Gabriele Puppis, Davide Bresolin, Elisabetta De Maria, Pietro Sala, Dario Della Monica Automata theory: Ugo Dal Lago, Massimo Franceschet, Gabriele Puppis Game theory: Alberto Policriti, Valentin Goranko, Nicola Vitacolonna, Elisabetta De Maria Spatio-temporal databases: Carlo Combi, Emiliano Dalla, Donatella Gubiani, Massimo Franceschet, Giuseppe Pozzi, Marco Zantoni

9. PhD students - 1 Massimo Franceschet (PhD 2002)‏ PhD thesis: “Dividing and Conquering the Layered Land” (TL)‏ during his PhD, he visited prof. Maarten de Rijke at the CWI, University of Amsterdam (NL)‏ assistant professor at the University of Chieti-Pescara (2002-2006) assistant professor at the University of Udine (2006-)‏ Guido Sciavicco (PhD 2004)‏ PhD thesis: “Adventures in Propositional Interval Temporal Logics” (TL)‏ during his PhD, he visited prof. Valentin Goranko at the Rand Afrikaans University of Johannesburg, South Africa post-doc at the University of Murcia, Espana (2005-)

10. PhD students - 2 Nicola Vitacolonna (PhD 2005)‏ PhD thesis: “Intervals: logics, algorithms, and games” (GT)‏ post-doc at the University of Udine (2005-2007)‏ assistant professor at the University of Udine (2007-)‏ Gabriele Puppis (PhD 2006)‏ PhD thesis: “Automata for branching and layered structures” (AT)‏ during his PhD, he visited prof. Wolfgang Thomas at the University of Aachen, Germany E.W. Beth Dissertation Prize 2006 award for the Ph.D. thesis granted by the "Association of Logic, Language, and Information – FoLLI” post-doc at the University of Udine, Italy (2006-)

11. PhD students - 3 Davide Bresolin (PhD 2007)‏ PhD thesis: “Proof methods for interval temporal logics” (TL)‏ during his PhD, he visited prof. Ewa Orlowska at the University of Warsaw and prof. Valentin Goranko at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa post-doc at the University of Verona, Italy (2007-)‏ Donatella Gubiani (PhD 2008)‏ PhD thesis: “ChronoGeoGraph: a Development Framework for Spatio- Temporal Databases” (DB), University of Chieti-Pescara during her PhD, she visited prof. Stefano Spaccapietra at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

12. Current PhD students Elisabetta De Maria (2006-2008)‏ Topics: application of formal methods to bioinformatics, including model checking and game theory (GT)‏ during her PhD, she visited prof. Francois Fages at INRIA Rocquencourt, Paris, France Pietro Sala (2007-2009)‏ Topics: decidability/undecidability of interval temporal logics, proof methods, implementation (TL)‏ Dario Della Monica (2008-2010)‏ Topics: decidability/undecidability of interval temporal logics, proof methods, implementation (TL)‏

13. Research projects (2005-)- 1 • TL: PRIN project on “Vincoli e preferenze come formalismo unificante per l’analisi di sistemi informatici e la soluzione di problemi reali”, with Francesca Rossi et al. (2006/08) • DB: FIRB project on “Il riconoscimento molecolare nelle interazioni proteina-ligando, proteina-proteina e proteina-superficie: sviluppo di approcci sperimentali e computazionali integrati per lo studio di sistemi di interesse farmaceutico”, with Hugo Monaco et al. (2006/08) • TL: NWO project on “Model checking methods and tools for hybrid logics, with Holger Schlingloff et al. (2002/06)

14. Research projects (2005-)- 2 • TL: INTAS project on “Algebraic and deduction methods in non classical logics and their applications to computer science”, with Alberto Policriti et al. (2005/07) • TL: GNCS project on “Sviluppo di risolutori con vincoli e loro applicazione in teoria dei codici e bioinformatica”, with Agostino Dovier et al. (2005) • TL/DB: Friuli Venezia Giuliaproject on “BIOCHECK: uno strumento per la simulazione e verifica di sistemi biologici”, with Alberto Policriti (2006/07)

15. Research projects (2005-) - 3 • TL: Italy-South Africa bilateral projects on temporal logics in computer and information sciences, with Valentin Goranko et al. (2005/07)‏ • GT/AT: Research Networking Programme “Games for Design and Verification (GAMES)”,withErich Graedel et al. (2008-2013) • TL: Italy-Spain bilateral project on formal methods for interval temporal logics, with Roque Marin and Guido Sciavicco (proposal)‏ • AT: Italy-France bilateral projects on automaton-based methods for the verification of infinite state systems, with Didier Caucal and Thomas Colcombet (proposals) • TL/DB: FP 7 project on “Bio-Abstractor: Intelligent, Multi-Granular Structured Digital Abstracts for Biomedicine”, with Udo Hahn et al. (proposal)