Curriculum VitÃƒÂ¦ of Alain Colmerauer - Colmerauer, Alain - Free

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distinct integers or the set sort 2m of 2m-tuples of the form(x 1 , . . . , x 2m ) where the m-tuple (x m+1 , . . . , x 2m ) is obtainedby sorting the m-tuple (x 1 , . . . , x m ) in non decreasing order,etc.Solving such a constraint (1) consists, not only of decidingwhether it admits at least one solution, but also incomputing, in the sense of inclusion, the smallest intervalsX i which can be substituted for the intervals A i withoutchanging the set of solution of (1). This is the sameas computing the smallest Cartesian product of intervalsX 1 × · · · × X n which contains the set r n ∩ A 1 × · · · × A n ofn-tuples.The objective is to find good global constraints which canbe solved in polynomial time. With my mathematician colleagueNoëlle Bleuzen-Guernalec we have developed an algorithmfor solving the sort constraint in O(n log n) time[12]. For example with n = 2 × 5, this algorithm narrowsthe sequence of intervals (A 1 , . . . , A n ) of constraint (1) asfollows:( )[0, 13], [6, 10], [10, 11], [4, 16], [4, 6],[1, 3], [5, 10], [6, 9], [11, 17], [10, 15]( ⇓)[1, 3], [6, 9], [11, 11], [11, 15], [5, 6],[1, 3], [5, 6], [6, 9], [11, 11], [11, 15]I succeeded to solve this constraint, in reasonable time,with 2n equals up to 10 000 000.From this algorithm we have inferred a way to solve alsothe dif n constraint in O(n log n) [53].Approximation spaces While I was writing my PhDcourse, I felt the necessity to understand the concept of constraintssolving by intervals narrowing. Thus I have introduced“approximation spaces” and “good” n-ary relationin order to surrond its topological aspects. I have shownthat r is a good n-ary relation if and only if each binaryrelation one can extract from r (by fixing n − 2 variablesto constant) is a good binary relation. I have presented myfirst results in three invited lectures [36]. One was the InternationalConference on Logic Programming, on the islandof Cyprus, where I was surprised to get a special edition ofthe revue Theory and Practice of Logic programming, in honorto my 60th birthday [13].2000–2004 Complete first-order theoriesFull first order constraints on trees In many programminglanguages the notion of composite data is defined forrepresenting various complex objects, like sequences, sequencesof sequences, vectors, matrices etc. Essentially acomposed datum is, either a simple datum like a number oran identifier, or a finite sequence of pointers to other compositedata. Thus a composed datum can be considered asbeing a tree whose end nodes are labelled by simple dataand whose intermediate nodes are labelled by identifiers.It is thus important to be able to solve general constraintsin the theory of trees. By general constraints, we understandnon restricted first order formulae, that is formulae whichare constructed with the quantifiers ∃, ∀, the logical constantstrue, false the connectors ¬, ∧, ∨, the relation = andterms made from variables and constructors.Starting from the solving algorithms of Prolog II, Bich-Han Dao-Thi, one of my PhD students, has developed analgorithm which simplifies a first order formula p in a formulawhich is equivalent in the theory of infinite trees. Thissimplified formula is either the logical constant true or theconstant false or a formula, true for some values of the freevariables and false for some other values.Thi Bich Hanh has conceived an algorithm expressed in11 rewrite rules which ran on examples of constraints with100 alternat quantifications ∃, ∀, ∃, ∀, . . . This work endedwith a PhD end of 2000 [106] and an article [14].We plan to study the complexity of this algorithm accordingto the different forms of the formula p. It is known thatin the worst case this complexity is expressed by an iteratedembedding of exponential functions, with a depth dependinglinearly on the size of p.Full first-order constraints mixing trees and additive orderedrational numbers Later, with Khalil Djelloul in theframe of a thesis, we have combined the trees and theordered additive rational numbers, in a complete theory[108].Complete first-order theories I have started to establisha catalogue from the complete first-order theories whichare the most interesting for computer science. I have presentedthis catalogue in two invited lectures, [34, 35]. Ihave also organized a workshop intitled ”Solving firstorderconstraints in various structures” in the “Centre Internationaldes Rencontres de Mathmatiques” at Marseille.Three themes were involved : first-order constraints resolutionalgorithms, axiomatisation in the first-order of interestingstructurs, expressiveness power and complexity ofthe resolution of first-order constraints. Volker Weispfenning,University Passau, Andrei Voronkov, The Universityof Manchester Hoon Hong, North Carolina State University,Jean-Pierre Jouannaud, University Paris-sud, wereamong the participants.2004–2006 Complexity of universal programsEvery year I ask my second year students to program a universalTuring. For this purpose I give them special software.In fact they do not program a complete machine – itwould be too long – they rewrite one or two modules of acomplete machine which I have beforehand tested and documented.My first machine was very slow and it was notconceivable to let it run on itself. As years passed, I conceivedfaster and faster machines and now they can run onthemselves.Starting from this work I defined and studied the complexityof universal programs. The obtained results werepresented in two invited conférences and also in the ”Colloqueannuel de l’Institut Universitaire de France” in March2003 [38, 39, 28].Developped softwares- Parser and synthetiser of languages defined by W-grammars;- The Q-systems;- Prolog I (with Ph. Roussel);4
- Prolog II (with M. Van Caneghem and H. Kanoui);- Prolog III (with several PhD students and particularlyTouraivane);- Prolog IV (with PrologIA and particularlyTouraivane).Other activitiesBeing the first computer science professor in Marseille, Ihave developed this science ”ex nihilo”:- by constantly taking care to have access to a computer;- by forming younger colleagues;- by supervising numerous theses;- by creating in 1973 the ”Groupe d’Intelligence Artificielle”(GIA), URA CNRS 816, at the Sciences Facultyof Luminy;- by taking an active part in the creation of the ”Laboratoired’Informatique de Marseille” in 1994. It is anassociation of the CNRS and two universities: Aix-Marseille I University and Aix-Marseille II University.This laboratory involves more than hundred researchers(with the PhD students) and gathers most ofthe computer scientists from Marseille;- by creating, as soon as 1975, a Computer Science”DEA” (PhD curriculum);- by participating to the creation of number of coursesin computer science (licence, maitrise, 2 DESS,département d’Informatique de l’école d’ingénieursESIL de Luminy) ;- by having numerous contracts with the industry andthe research institution; among others, I have obtainedthree ESPRIT contracts with two of them as principalcontractor;- by creating in 1984 the company PrologIA (with fiveof my colleagues). This company developed and sellsProlog II, Prolog III, Prolog IV and is involved in bankloans and air planes scheduling.[6] Alain Colmerauer et Jean-Franois Pique. About naturallogic, dans Logique et Analyse, Nauwelaerts PrintingS.A., 101-111, September 1985. Note : a second editionfrom [16].[7] Alain Colmerauer. Prolog in 10 Figures, Communicationsof the ACM, vol. 28, num. 12, December 1985.[8] Alain Colmerauer. Opening the Prolog III Universe,Byte, August 1987.[9] Alain Colmerauer. Une Introduction à Prolog III, Annalesdes Télécommunications, 44, number 5-6, 1989.[10] Alain Colmerauer. An Introduction to Prolog III, Communicationsof the ACM, 33(7): 68-90, 1990.[11] Alain Colmerauer. Les systèmes-Q ou un formalismepour analyser et synthètiser des phrases sur ordinateur.Traitement Automatique des Langues, Revuesemestrielle de l’Association pour le Traitement Automatiquedes Langues, volume 33, Number 1–2, p105–148, 1992. This is an old technical report from theUniversity of Montréal which was never published before.[12] Nolle Bleuzen-Guernalec et Alain Colmerauer. Optimalnarrowing of a block of sortings in optimal time,dans Constraints, Kluwer Academic publishers. January,pp.85–118.[13] Special issue in honor of Alain Colmerauer, on the occasionof his 60th birthday, Theory and Practice of Logicprogramming, volume1, part 6, November 2001.[14] Alain Colmerauer et Thi-Bich-Hanh Dao. Expressivenessof Full First-Order constraints in the Algebra ofFinite or Infinite Tress, dans Constraints, Kluwer Academicpublishers. 2003, volume 8, issue 3.Books and papers in booksPapers in journals[1] Alain Colmerauer. Notions d’opérateurs dans unegrammaire “context-free”, RIRO, no 2, 1967.[2] Alain Colmerauer. Total Precedence Relations, Journalof the ACM, January 1970.[3] Alain Colmerauer. Un sous-ensemble intéressant dufrançais, in RAIRO Informatique Théorique 13, no 14,1979.[4] Alain Colmerauer. Sur les bases théoriques de Prolog,in Groupe Programmation et Languages AFCET, divisionthéorie et technique de l’informatique, no 9, 1979.[5] Alain Colmerauer, Henry Kanoui et Michel Van Caneghem.Prolog, Bases théoriques et développementsactuels, in TSI, vol. 2, no 4 (AFCET-Bordas), August1983.[15] Alain Colmerauer. Metamorphosis grammars, dansNatural Language Communication with Computers, LecturesNotes in Computer Science n 63, edited by L.Bolc, Springer Verlag, 1978.[16] Alain Colmerauer and Jean-François Pique. Aboutnatural logic, dans Advances in Data Base Theory 1,edited by H. Gallaire, H. Minker and J.M. Nicolas,Plenum Press, 1981.[17] Alain Colmerauer. An interesting subset of naturallanguage, in Logic Programming, edited by K. L. Clarkand J. A. Tarnlund, Academic Press, 1982.[18] Alain Colmerauer. Prolog and infinite trees, in LogicProgramming, edited by K. L. Clark et J. A. Tarnlund,Academic Press, 1982.[19] Frédéric Benhamou and Alain Colmerauer, editors.Constraint Logic programming, Selected Research. MITPress, 1993.5
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