\(S\)-preclones and the Galois connection \(^S\mathrm{Pol} - {^S\mathrm{Inv}}\). I. (Q6579992)

Let \(A\) be a set and let \(f\colon A^n\to A\) be an \(n\)-ary operation on \(A\). In this paper, the authors permit the assignment of a property to each argument of \(f\), such as the property of being order-preserving or order-reversing. The set \(S\) of properties is assumed to have a monoid structure, so that, e.g., order-reversing composed with order-reversing is order-preserving. The operations on \(A\) with assigned properties from \(S\) are called \emph{\(S\)-signed operations} or just \emph{\(S\)-operations}. The set \({}^S\textrm{Op}(A)\) of \(S\)-operations on \(A\) need not be closed under variable identification, so \({}^S\textrm{Op}(A)\) need not be a clone on \(A\). Rather, it is an object that the authors call an ``\(S\)-preclone''. (The precise definition of `\(S\)-preclone' is 23 lines long, so it will be omitted here.)\N\NThis paper is Part I of a two-part series. It is a study of \(S\)-preclones defined on a finite set \(A\).\N\NIn Sections 2-4, the authors introduce and study `\(S\)-relations', `\(S\)-relational clones', and the \(S\)-version of the Pol-Inv Galois connection.\N\NIn Section 5, the authors study the lattice of \(S\)-preclones on a finite set. They show that the lattice is atomic and coatomic and they show that the lattice has finitely many atoms and coatoms. They show that the lattice of \(S\)-preclones has automorphisms induced by permutations of the base set and also automorphisms induced by monoid automorphisms of \(S\). They show that lattice of ordinary clones on \(A\) is embeddable in the lattice of \(S\)-preclones on \(A\) in several ways.\N\NIn the final section of the paper, Section 6, the authors include remarks and suggestions concerning the further development of the theory \(S\)-preclones and their representations. The authors highlight the following problem: \emph{Classify the maximal \(S\)-preclones on \(A\) for a finite monoid \(S\) and finite set \(A\)}. The solution to this problem (and more) for the case where the base set \(A\) has size \(2\) is promised in Part II of this series of papers.