The study of graph structure has advanced in recent years with great strides: finite graphs can be described algebraically, enabling them to be constructed out of more basic elements. Separately the properties of graphs can be studied in a logical language called monadic second-order logic. In this book, these two features of graph structure are brought together for the first time in a presentation that unifies and synthesizes research over the last 25 years. The authors not only provide a thorough description of the theory, but also detail its applications, on the one hand to the construction of graph algorithms, and, on the other to the extension of formal language theory to finite graphs. Consequently the book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in graph theory, finite model theory, formal language theory, and complexity theory.

"The study of graph structure has advanced in recent years with great strides: finite graphs can be described algebraically, enabling them to be constructed out of more basic elements. Separately the properties of graphs can be studied in a logical language called monadic second-order logic. In this book, these two features of graph structure are brought together for the first time in a presentation that unifies and synthesizes research over the last 25 years. The author not only provides a thorough description of the theory, but also details its applications, on the one hand to the construction of graph algorithms, and, on the other to the extension of formal language theory to finite graphs. Consequently the book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in graph theory, finite model theory, formal language theory, and complexity theory"--

This volume contains the proceedings of the AMS-ASL Special Session on Model Theoretic Methods in Finite Combinatorics, held January 5-8, 2009, in Washington, DC. Over the last 20 years, various new connections between model theory and finite combinatorics emerged. The best known of these are in the area of 0-1 laws, but in recent years other very promising interactions between model theory and combinatorics have been developed in areas such as extremal combinatorics and graph limits, graph polynomials, homomorphism functions and related counting functions, and discrete algorithms, touching the boundaries of computer science and statistical physics. This volume highlights some of the main results, techniques, and research directions of the area. Topics covered in this volume include recent developments on 0-1 laws and their variations, counting functions defined by homomorphisms and graph polynomials and their relation to logic, recurrences and spectra, the logical complexity of graphs, algorithmic meta theorems based on logic, universal and homogeneous structures, and logical aspects of Ramsey theory.

This book covers both theoretical and practical results for graph polynomials. Graph polynomials have been developed for measuring combinatorial graph invariants and for characterizing graphs. Various problems in pure and applied graph theory or discrete mathematics can be treated and solved efficiently by using graph polynomials. Graph polynomials have been proven useful areas such as discrete mathematics, engineering, information sciences, mathematical chemistry and related disciplines.

This book constitutes the revised selected papers of the 44th International Workshop on Graph-Theoretic Concepts in Computer Science, WG 2018, held in Cottbus, Germany, in June 2018. The 30 full papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 66 submissions. They cover a wide range of areas, aiming at connecting theory and applications by demonstrating how graph-theoretic concepts can be applied in various areas of computer science. Another focus is on presenting recent results and on identifying and exploring promising directions of future research.

Samson Abramsky’s wide-ranging contributions to logical and structural aspects of Computer Science have had a major influence on the field. This book is a rich collection of papers, inspired by and extending Abramsky’s work. It contains both survey material and new results, organised around six major themes: domains and duality, game semantics, contextuality and quantum computation, comonads and descriptive complexity, categorical and logical semantics, and probabilistic computation. These relate to different stages and aspects of Abramsky’s work, reflecting its exceptionally broad scope and his ability to illuminate and unify diverse topics. Chapters in the volume include a review of his entire body of work, spanning from philosophical aspects to logic, programming language theory, quantum theory, economics and psychology, and relating it to a theory of unification of sciences using dual adjunctions. The section on game semantics shows how Abramsky’s work has led to a powerful new paradigm for the semantics of computation. The work on contextuality and categorical quantum mechanics has been highly influential, and provides the foundation for increasingly widely used methods in quantum computing. The work on comonads and descriptive complexity is building bridges between currently disjoint research areas in computer science, relating Structure to Power. The volume also includes a scientific autobiography, and an overview of the contributions. The outstanding set of contributors to this volume, including both senior and early career academics, serve as testament to Samson Abramsky’s enduring influence. It will provide an invaluable and unique resource for both students and established researchers.