Transformation rules which increase the scope for concurrent activity
within systems prescribed by programs of concurrent-object languages a
re given. Their correctness is proved on the basis of a semantic defin
ition by translation to an extension of the pi-calculus. The main theo
retical development concerns the notions of confluence and partial con
fluence of processes. (C) 1998-Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserv
ed.