In this thesis, we study problems related to the reconstruction (up to bi-interpretability) of first-order theories from various functorial invariants: automorphism groups, endomorphism monoids, (categories of) countable models, and (ultra)categories of models. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

This work presents methods used to obtain geometric models of spatial mechanisms which can be realized in hardware. Each model is created automatically from the kinematic description of a mechanism. The models are tested for interference between joints and links. Models with interfering links or joints are reshaped automatically into an interference-free configuration. An investigation of the relative efficiency of different interference detection techniques is discussed. A method for determining interferences based on vector loop equations was developed for this work. Other approaches for interference detection include parametric space and a method using parallel coordinates. 2000 line segments were randomly generated to test the three methods. No significant difference between the three techniques was found, but a coarse detection scheme was developed based on observations of intersection conditions in parallel coordinates. The coarse detection technique reduced interference detection times by 48%. The concept of joint positioning freedoms is presented formally for the first time. Using a unidirectional avoidance strategy along a straight line, these repositioning freedoms are exploited in a manner which guarantees the elimination of interferences for revolute, prismatic, and cylindric joints. A unique method for optimal orientation of spheric joint ball-cup pairs is described. Points from an inverse image of the attachment piece for the ball are mapped onto a unit sphere in the reference frame of the cup. The axis of a bounding cone is then used to align the attachment piece for the cup. The method minimizes the chances for collisions between the cup and the ball attachment piece. Elements which attach the joints are modeled as three segments. This has proven to be an optimal representation. Interferences with these elements are eliminated using the elliptical projection of circular paths onto a plane which is perpendicular to the axis of symmetry for an intruding object. Several examples are given illustrating the successful generation of interference-free spatial mechanism models. The mechanisms include an RSSR, an RPCS, an RCCC, and an RRRRRRR. / Ph. D.

No description available.

In dieser Arbeit werden lambda-Strukturen und s-Strukturen eingeführt, und Funktionen S und Lambda entwickelt, die lambda-Strukturen auf s-Strukturen abbilden und umgekehrt. lambda-Strukturen sind eng verwandt mit den in von Jensen untersuchten Prämäusen (iterierbare Prämäuse dieser Art sind lambda-Strukturen), und s-Strukturen wurden in Anlehnung an die von Mitchell und Steel betrachteten Prämäuse definiert. Wieder sind iterierbare Prämäuse dieser Art auch s-Strukturen. Für die Definition dieser Strukturen wurde eine neue, schwache Form der initial segment condition entwickelt (die s'-ISC), die stark genug für die Anwendungen ist. Um zu zeigen, dass die hier entwickelten Funktionen die gewünschte Korrespondenz realisieren, wurden Methoden zur Übersetzung von Formeln entwickelt, die teilweise sehr allgemein gehalten sind. So ist die Übersetzung von Sigma-1-Formeln, die in einer Nachfolgerstufe der Jensen-Hierarchie gelten, in entsprechende Sigma-omega-Formeln in der Vorgängerstufe, anwendbar auf beliebige J-Strukturen. Es werden normale s-Iterationen eingeführt, die den normalen Iterationen von Prämäusen im Sinne von Mitchell-Steel nachgebildet sind, aber auf lambda-Strukturen angewandt werden, und es wird gezeigt, dass die entwickelten Funktionen komponentenweise auf Iterationen angewandt werden können, um normale s-Iterationen von lambda-Strukturen in normale Iterationen von s-Strukturen zu übersetzen, und umgekehrt. Mit diesen Methoden lassen sich auch Iterationsstrategien übersetzen, und man erhält, dass die entwickelten Funktionen normal s-iterierbare lambda-Strukturen auf normal iterierbare s-Strukturen abbilden, und umgekehrt. Auch bleiben die wesentlichen feinstrukturellen Größen, wie bspw. Projekta, und unter gewissen Voraussetzungen (soundness und 1-solidity) auch die Standard-Parameter, erhalten. / In this work we introduce lambda-structures and s-structures, and develop functions S and Lambda, which map lambda-structures to s-structures and vice versa. lambda-structures are closely related to the premice studied in recent work of Jensen (iterable premice of this kind are lambda-structures), and s-structures were defined with the premice developed by Mitchell and Steel in mind. Again, iterable premice of this kind are s-structures. For the definition of these structures, a new form of the initial segment condition condition, called s'-ISC, was developed, which is a common weakening of the versions used in by Steel and Jensen. It still suffices for the applications. In order to show that the functions introduced establish the desired correspondence, we developed methods for translating formulae, which in part are very generally applicable. For instance, the translation of Sigma-1-formulae which hold in a successor level of the Jensen-hierarchy into corresponding Sigma-omega-formulae in the predecessor level, can be applied to arbitrary J-structures. We introduce normal s-iterations, which have been designed so as to rebuild the iterations of premice in the sense of Mitchell-Steel but are applied to lambda-structures. It is shown that the translation functions can be applied component-wise to normal iterations, in order to translate normal s-iterations of lambda-structures into normal iterations of s-structures, and vice versa. Using these methods, we can also translate iteration strategies and the result is that the functions introduced in this work map normally s-iterable lambda-structures to normally iterable s-structures, and vice versa. Also,the fundamental fine structural notions, such as projecta, and under additional hypotheses (soundness and 1-solidity) standard-parameters, are preserved.

This thesis explores the geometric principles underlying many of the known Trichotomy Theorems. The main aims are to unify the field construction in non-linear o-minimal structures and generalizations of Zariski Geometries as well as to pave the road for completely new results in this direction. In the first part of this thesis we introduce a new axiomatic framework in which all the relevant structures can be studied uniformly and show that these axioms are preserved under elementary extensions. A particular focus is placed on the study of a smoothness condition which generalizes the presmoothness condition for Zariski Geometries. We also modify Zilber's notion of universal specializations to obtain a suitable notion of infinitesimals. In addition, families of curves and the combinatorial geometry of one-dimensional structures are studied to prove a weak trichotomy theorem based on very weak one-basedness. It is then shown that under suitable additional conditions groups and group actions can be constructed in canonical ways. This construction is based on a notion of ``geometric calculus'' and can be seen in close analogy with ordinary differentiation. If all conditions are met, a definable distributive action of one one-dimensional type-definable group on another are obtained. The main result of this thesis is that both o-minimal structures and generalizations of Zariski Geometries fit into this geometric framework and that the latter always satisfy the conditions required in the group constructions. We also exhibit known methods that allow us to extract fields from this. In addition to unifying the treatment of o-minimal structures and Zariski Geometries, this also gives a direct proof of the Trichotomy Theorem for "type-definable" Zariski Geometries as used, for example, in Hrushovski's proof of the relative Mordell-Lang conjecture.

This thesis investigates the connections between henselian valuations and absolute Galois groups. There are fundamental links between these: On one hand, the absolute Galois group of a field often encodes information about (henselian) valuations on that field. On the other, in many cases a henselian valuation imposes a certain structure on an absolute Galois group which makes it easier to study. We are particularly interested in the question of when a field admits a non-trivial parameter-free definable henselian valuation. By a result of Prestel and Ziegler, this does not hold for every henselian valued field. However, improving a result by Koenigsmann, we show that there is a non-trivial parameter-free definable valuation on every henselian valued field. This allows us to give a range of conditions under which a henselian field does indeed admit a non-trivial parameter-free definable henselian valuation. Most of these conditions are in fact of a Galois-theoretic nature. Throughout the thesis, we discuss a number of applications of our results. These include fields elementarily characterized by their absolute Galois group, model complete henselian fields and henselian NIP fields of positive characteristic, as well as PAC and hilbertian fields.

In recent years the field of real numbers expanded by a multiplicative subgroup has been studied extensively. In this thesis, the known results will be extended to expansions of the real field. I will consider the structure R consisting of the field of real numbers and an irrational power function. Using Schanuel conditions, I will give a first-order axiomatization of expansions of R by a dense multiplicative subgroup which is a subset of the real algebraic numbers. It will be shown that every definable set in such a structure is a boolean combination of existentially definable sets and that these structures have o-minimal open core. A proof will be given that the Schanuel conditions used in proving these statements hold for co-countably many real numbers. The results mentioned above will also be established for expansions of R by dense multiplicative subgroups which are closed under all power functions definable in R. In this case the results hold under the assumption that the Conjecture on intersection with tori is true. Finally, the structure consisting of R and the discrete multiplicative subgroup 2^{Z} will be analyzed. It will be shown that this structure is not model complete. Further I develop a connection between the theory of Diophantine approximation and this structure.

This thesis presents a series of experiments where endorsement rates, latencies and measures of cognitive ability were collected, to investigate the extent to which people search for counterexamples under necessity instructions, and alternative models under possibility instructions. The research was motivated by a syllogistic reasoning study carried out by Evans, Handley, Harper, and Johnson-Laird (1999), and predictions were derived from mental model theory (Johnson-Laird, 1983; Johnson-Laird & Byrne, 1991). With regard to the endorsement rate data: Experiment 1 failed to find evidence that a search for counterexamples or alternative models took place. In contrast experiment 2 (transitive inference) found some evidence to support the search for alternative models under possibility instructions, and following an improved training session, experiment 3 produced strong evidence to suggest that people searched for other models; which was mediated by cognitive ability. There was also strong evidence from experiments 4, 5 and 6 (abstract and everyday conditionals) to support the search for counterexamples and alternative models. Furthermore it was also found that people were more likely to find alternative causes when there were many that could be retrieved from their everyday knowledge, and that people carried out a search for counterexamples with many alternative causes under necessity instructions, and across few and many causal groups under possibility instructions. .The evidence from the latency data was limited and inconsistent, although people with higher cognitive ability were generally quicker in completing the tasks.

This thesis describes a decision and minimization procedure for modal logic. The decision procedure answers the question of whether there exists a satisfying pointed model for a formula which obeys user-specified first-order conditions on the underlying frame. Then the minimization procedure produces a minimal model with respect to the number of worlds that satisfies the desired formula while obeying the requisite conditions on the underlying frame. A proof of correctness for the decision and minimization procedures is supplied, as well as a description of an implementation built upon the Enfragmo model expansion solver. / Graduate / 0984 / 0318 / wbkboyer@gmail.com

We investigate definability in henselian fields. Specifically, we are interested in those sets and substructures that are existentially definable or definable with `few' parameters. Our general approach is to use various versions of henselianity to understand the `local structure' of these definable sets. The fields in which we are most interested are those of positive characteristic, for example the local fields F_q((t)), but many of our methods and results also apply to p-adic and real closed fields. In positive characteristic we have to deal with inseparable field extensions and we develop the method of Λ-closure to `translate' inseparable field extensions into separable ones. In the first part of the thesis we focus on existentially definable sets, which are projections of algebraic sets. Our main tool is the Implicit Function Theorem (for polynomials) which is equivalent to t-henselianity, by work of Prestel and Ziegler. This enables us to prove that existentially definable sets are `large' in various senses. Using the Implicit Function Theorem, we also obtain a nonuniform local elimination of the existential quantifier. The non-uniformity and local character of this result at present forms an obstacle to full quantifier-elimination. From these technical statements we can deduce characterisations of, for example, existentially definable subfields and existentially definable transcendentals. We prove that a dense, regular extension of t-henselian fields is existentially closed which, in particular, implies the old result of Ershov that F_p(t)^h ≤_Ǝ F_p((t)). Using the existential closedness of large fields in henselian fields, we are able to apply many of these results to large fields. This answers questions for imperfect large fields that were answered in the perfect case by Fehm.</p> In the second part of the thesis, we work with power series fields F((t)) and subsets which are F- definable (and not contained in F). We use a `hensel-like' lemma to characterise F-orbits of (singleton) elements of F((t)). It turns out that all such orbits are Ǝ-t-definable. Consequently, we may apply our earlier results about existentially definable subsets to F-definable subsets. We can use this to characterise F-definable subfields of F((t)). As a further corollary, we obtain an Ǝ-0̸-definition of F_p[[t]] in F<sub>p<sub>((t)).