For a finite set D of nodes let E2(D)={(x, y)[mid ]x, y∈D, x≠y}. We define an inversive Δ2-structure g as a function g[ratio ]E2(D)→Δ into a given group Δ satisfying the property g(x, y)=g(y, x)−1 for all (x, y)∈E2(D). For each function (selector) σ[ratio ]D→Δ there is a corresponding inversive Δ2-structure gσ defined by gσ(x, y)=σ(x)·g(x, y)·σ(y)−1. A function η mapping each g into the group Δ is called an invariant if η(gσ)=η(g) for all g and σ. We study the group of free invariants η of inversive Δ2-structures, where η is defined by a word from the free monoid with involution generated by the set E2(D). In particular, if Δ is abelian, the group of free invariants is generated by triangle words of the form (x0, x1)(x1, x2)(x2, x0).

We investigate Girard's calculus Fω as a ‘Curry style’ type assignment system for pure lambda terms. First we show an example of a strongly normalizable term that is untypable in Fω. Then we prove that every partial recursive function is nonuniformly represented in Fω (even if quantification is restricted to constructor variables of level 1). It follows that the type reconstruction problem is undecidable and cannot be recursively separated from normalization.

Place/transition (PT) Petri nets are one of the most widely used models of concurrency. However, they still lack, in our view, a satisfactory semantics: on the one hand the ‘token game’ is too intensional, even in its more abstract interpretations in terms of nonsequential processes and monoidal categories; on the other hand, Winskel's basic unfolding construction, which provides a coreflection between nets and finitary prime algebraic domains, works only for safe nets. In this paper we extend Winskel's result to PT nets. We start with a rather general category PTNets of PT nets, we introduce a category DecOcc of decorated (nondeterministic) occurrence nets and we define adjunctions between PTNets and DecOcc and between DecOcc and Occ, the category of occurrence nets. The role of DecOcc is to provide natural unfoldings for PT nets, i.e., acyclic safe nets where a notion of family is used to relate multiple instances of the same place. The unfolding functor from PTNets to Occ reduces to Winskel's when restricted to safe nets. Moreover, the standard coreflection between Occ and Dom, the category of finitary prime algebraic domains, when composed with the unfolding functor above, determines a chain of adjunctions between PTNets and Dom.