This paper is concerned with a class K of models and an abstract notion of submodel ≤. Experience in first order model theory has shown the desirability of finding a ‘monster model’ to serve as a universal domain for K. In the original constructions of Jónsson and Fraïssé, K was a universal class and ordinary substructure played the role of ≤. Working with a cardinal λ satisfying λ<λ = λ guarantees appropriate downward Löwenheim-Skolem theorems; the existence and uniqueness of a homogeneous-universal model appears to depend centrally on the amalgamation property. We make this apparent dependence more precise in this paper.

The major innovation of this paper is the introduction of a weaker notion (chain homogeneous-universal) to replace the natural notion of (K, <)-homogeneous-universal model. Modulo a weak extension of ZFC (provable if V = L), we show (Corollary 5.24) that a class K obeying certain minimal restrictions satisfies a fundamental dichotomy. For arbitrarily large λ, either K has the maximal number of models in power λ or K has a unique chain homogeneous-universal model of power λ. We show (5.25) in a class with amalgamation this dichotomy holds for the notion of K-homogeneous-universal model in the more normal sense.

The methods here allow us to improve our earlier results [5] in two other ways: certain requirements on all chains of a given length are replaced by requiring winning strategies in certain games; the notion of a canonically prime model is avoided. A full understanding of these extensions requires consideration of the earlier papers but we summarize them quickly here.

Among the earliest and best-known theorems on the decision problem is Skolem's result [7] that the class of all closed formulas with prefixes of the form ∀···∀∃···∃ is a reduction class for satisfiability for the whole of quantification theory. This result can be refined in various ways. If the Skolem prefix alone is considered, the best result [8] is that the ∀∀∀∃ class is a reduction class, for Gödel [3], Kalmár [4], and Schütte [6] showed the ∀∀∃···∃ class to be solvable. The purpose of this paper is to describe the more complex situation that arises when (Skolem) formulas are restricted with respect to the arguments of their atomic subformulas. Before stating our theorem, we must introduce some notation.

Let x, y1, y2, be distinct variables (we shall use v1, v2, ··· and w1, w2, ··· as metavariables ranging over these variables), and for each i ≥ 1 let Y(i) be the set {y1, ···, yi}. An atomic formula Pv1 ··· vk will be said to be {v1, ···, vk}-based. For any n ≥ 1, p ≥ 1, and any subsets Y1, ··· Yp of Y(n), let C(n, Y1, ···, Yp) be the class of all those closed formulas with prefix ∀y1 ··· ∀yn∃x such that each atomic subformula not containing the variable x is Yi-based for some i, 1 ≤ i ≤ p.

It is shown that if κ is an uncountable successor cardinal in L[0#], then there is a normal tree T ϵ L[0#] of height κ such that 0# ∉ L[T], yet T is < κ-distributive in L[0#]. A proper class version of this theorem yields an analogous L[0#]-definable tree such that distinct branches in the presence of 0# collapse the universe. A heretofore unutilized method for constructing in L[0#] generic objects for certain L-definable forcings and “exotic sequences”, combinatorial principles introduced by C. Gray, are used in constructing these trees.

For every $n\in \omega \setminus \{0,1\}$ we introduce the following weak choice principle:

Moreover, we consider the following choice principle:

We will discuss the relations between these two choice principles and their relations to other well-known weak choice principles. Moreover, we will discuss what happens when we replace $\mathcal {F}$ by a linearly ordered or a well-ordered family.

For a NIP theory T, a sufficiently saturated model ${\mathfrak C}$ of T, and an invariant (over some small subset of ${\mathfrak C}$) global type p, we prove that there exists a finest relatively type-definable over a small set of parameters from ${\mathfrak C}$ equivalence relation on the set of realizations of p which has stable quotient. This is a counterpart for equivalence relations of the main result of [2] on the existence of maximal stable quotients of type-definable groups in NIP theories. Our proof adapts the ideas of the proof of this result, working with relatively type-definable subsets of the group of automorphisms of the monster model as defined in [3].

Extending Aanderaa’s classical result that $\pi ^{1}_{1} < \sigma ^{1}_{1}$ , we determine the order between any two patterns of iterated $\Sigma ^{1}_{1}$ - and $\Pi ^{1}_{1}$ -reflection on ordinals. We show that this order of linear reflection is a prewellordering of length $\omega ^{\omega }$ . This requires considering the relationship between linear and some non-linear reflection patterns, such as $\sigma \wedge \pi $ , the pattern of simultaneous $\Sigma ^{1}_{1}$ - and $\Pi ^{1}_{1}$ -reflection. The proofs involve linking the lengths of $\alpha $ -recursive wellorderings to various forms of stability and reflection properties satisfied by ordinals $\alpha $ within standard and non-standard models of set theory.

We study the position of the computable setting in the “common theory of locality” developed in [4, 5] for local problems on $\Delta $-regular trees, $\Delta \in \omega $. We show that such a problem admits a computable solution on every highly computable $\Delta $-regular forest if and only if it admits a Baire measurable solution on every Borel $\Delta $-regular forest. We also show that if such a problem admits a computable solution on every computable maximum degree $\Delta $ forest then it admits a continuous solution on every maximum degree $\Delta $ Borel graph with appropriate topological hypotheses, though the converse does not hold.

We introduce and analyze a new axiomatic theory $\mathsf {CD}$ of truth. The primitive truth predicate can be applied to sentences containing the truth predicate. The theory is thoroughly classical in the sense that $\mathsf {CD}$ is not only formulated in classical logic, but that the axiomatized notion of truth itself is classical: The truth predicate commutes with all quantifiers and connectives, and thus the theory proves that there are no truth value gaps or gluts. To avoid inconsistency, the instances of the T-schema are restricted to determinate sentences. Determinateness is introduced as a further primitive predicate and axiomatized. The semantics and proof theory of $\mathsf {CD}$ are analyzed.

In this paper we shall prove that any 2-transitive finitely homogeneous structure with a supersimple theory satisfying a generalized amalgamation property is a random structure. In particular, this adapts a result of Koponen for binary homogeneous structures to arbitrary ones without binary relations. Furthermore, we point out a relation between generalized amalgamation, triviality and quantifier elimination in simple theories.

We study model theory of fields with actions of a fixed finite group scheme. We prove the existence and simplicity of a model companion of the theory of such actions, which generalizes our previous results about truncated iterative Hasse–Schmidt derivations [13] and about Galois actions [14]. As an application of our methods, we obtain a new model complete theory of actions of a finite group on fields of finite imperfection degree.

Sahlqvist theory is extended to the fragments of the intuitionistic propositional calculus that include the conjunction connective. This allows us to introduce a Sahlqvist theory of intuitionistic character amenable to arbitrary protoalgebraic deductive systems. As an application, we obtain a Sahlqvist theorem for the fragments of the intuitionistic propositional calculus that include the implication connective and for the extensions of the intuitionistic linear logic.

We prove that the homeomorphism relation between compact spaces can be continuously reduced to the homeomorphism equivalence relation between absolute retracts, which strengthens and simplifies recent results of Chang and Gao, and Cieśla. It follows then that the homeomorphism relation of absolute retracts is Borel bireducible with the universal orbit equivalence relation. We also prove that the homeomorphism relation between regular continua is classifiable by countable structures and hence it is Borel bireducible with the universal orbit equivalence relation of the permutation group on a countable set. On the other hand we prove that the homeomorphism relation between rim-finite metrizable compacta is not classifiable by countable structures.

In previous work, the author has shown that $\Pi ^1_1$ -induction along $\mathbb N$ is equivalent to a suitable formalization of the statement that every normal function on the ordinals has a fixed point. More precisely, this was proved for a representation of normal functions in terms of Girard’s dilators, which are particularly uniform transformations of well orders. The present paper works on the next type level and considers uniform transformations of dilators, which are called 2-ptykes. We show that $\Pi ^1_2$ -induction along $\mathbb N$ is equivalent to the existence of fixed points for all 2-ptykes that satisfy a certain normality condition. Beyond this specific result, the paper paves the way for the analysis of further $\Pi ^1_4$ -statements in terms of well ordering principles.