We present a generalisation of the theory of quantitative algebras of Mardare, Panangaden and Plotkin where (i) the carriers of quantitative algebras are not restricted to be metric spaces and can be arbitrary fuzzy relations or generalised metric spaces, and (ii) the interpretations of the algebraic operations are not required to be nonexpansive. Our main results include: a novel sound and complete proof system, the proof that free quantitative algebras always exist, the proof of strict monadicity of the induced Free-Forgetful adjunction, the result that all monads (on fuzzy relations) that lift finitary monads (on sets) admit a quantitative equational presentation.

The framework of quantitative equational logic has been successfully applied to reason about algebras whose carriers are metric spaces and operations are nonexpansive. We extend this framework in two orthogonal directions: algebras endowed with generalised metric space structures, and operations being nonexpansive up to a lifting. We apply our results to the algebraic axiomatisation of the Łukaszyk–Karmowski distance on probability distributions, which has recently found application in the field of representation learning on Markov processes.

This paper studies trace-based equivalences for systems combining nondeterministic and probabilistic choices. We show how trace semantics for such processes can be recovered by instantiating a coalgebraic construction known as the generalised powerset construction. We characterise and compare the resulting semantics to known definitions of trace equivalences appearing in the literature. Most of our results are based on the exciting interplay between monads and their presentations via algebraic theories.

We prove that every finitely generated convex set of finitely supported probability distributions has a unique base. We apply this result to provide an alternative proof of a recent result: the algebraic theory of convex semilattices presents the monad of convex sets of probability distributions.

We study monads resulting from the combination of nondeterministic and probabilistic behaviour with the possibility of termination, which is essential in program semantics. Our main contributions are presentation results for the monads, providing equational reasoning tools for establishing equivalences and distances of programs.

The monad of convex sets of probability distributions is a well-known tool for modelling the combination of nondeterministic and probabilistic computational effects. In this work we lift this monad from the category of sets to the category of metric spaces, by means of the Hausdorff and Kantorovich metric liftings. Our main result is the presentation of this lifted monad in terms of the quantitative equational theory of convex semilattices, using the framework of quantitative algebras recently introduced by Mardare, Panangaden and Plotkin.

This paper studies trace-based equivalences for systems combining nondeterministic and probabilistic choices. We show how trace semantics for such processes can be recovered by instantiating a coalgebraic construction known as the generalised powerset construction. We characterise and compare the resulting semantics to known definitions of trace equivalences appearing in the literature. Most of our results are based on the exciting interplay between monads and their presentations via algebraic theories.

Environmental bisimulations for probabilistic higher-order languages are studied. In contrast with applicative bisimulations, environmental bisimulations are known to be more robust and do not require sophisticated techniques such as Howe’s in the proofs of congruence. As representative calculi, call-by-name and call-by-value λ-calculus, and a (call-by-value) λ-calculus extended with references (i.e., a store) are considered. In each case, full abstraction results are derived for probabilistic environmental similarity and bisimilarity with respect to contextual preorder and contextual equivalence, respectively. Some possible enhancements of the (bi)simulations, as “up-to techniques,” are also presented. Probabilities force a number of modifications to the definition of environmental bisimulations in non-probabilistic languages. Some of these modifications are specific to probabilities, others may be seen as general refinements of environmental bisimulations, applicable also to non-probabilistic languages. Several examples are presented, to illustrate the modifications and the differences.

Allegories were introduced by Freyd and Scedrov; they form a fragment of Tarski's calculus of relations. We show that their equational theory is decidable by characterising it in terms of a specific class of graph homomorphisms.

Bisimulation metrics allow us to compute distances between the behaviors of probabilistic systems. In this paper we present enhancements of the proof method based on bisimulation metrics, by extending the theory of up-to techniques to (pre)metrics on discrete probabilistic concurrent processes. Up-to techniques have proved to be a powerful proof method for showing that two systems are bisimilar, since they make it possible to build (and thereby check) smaller relations in bisimulation proofs. We define soundness conditions for up-to techniques on metrics, and study compatibility properties that allow us to safely compose up-to techniques with each other. As an example, we derive the soundness of the up-to-bisimilarity-metric-and-context technique. The study is carried out for a generalized version of the bisimulation metrics, in which the Kantorovich lifting is parametrized with respect to a distance function. The standard bisimulation metrics, as well as metrics aimed at capturing multiplicative properties such as differential privacy, are specific instances of this general definition.

Environmental bisimulations for probabilistic higher-order languages are studied. In contrast with applicative bisimulations, environmental bisimulations are known to be more robust and do not require sophisticated techniques such as Howe’s in the proofs of congruence. As representative calculi, call-by-name and call-by-value λ- calculus, and a (call-by-value) λ-calculus extended with references (i.e., a store) are considered. In each case full abstraction results are derived for probabilistic environmental similarity and bisimilarity with respect to contextual preorder and contextual equivalence, respectively. Some possible enhancements of the (bi)simulations, as ‘up-to techniques’, are also presented. Probabilities force a number of modifications to the definition of environmental bisimulations in non-probabilistic languages. Some of these modifications are specific to probabilities, others may be seen as general refinements of environmental bisimulations, applicable also to non-probabilistic languages. Several examples are presented, to illustrate the modifications and the differences.