25,996 research outputs found
Automatic Probabilistic Program Verification through Random Variable Abstraction
The weakest pre-expectation calculus has been proved to be a mature theory to
analyze quantitative properties of probabilistic and nondeterministic programs.
We present an automatic method for proving quantitative linear properties on
any denumerable state space using iterative backwards fixed point calculation
in the general framework of abstract interpretation. In order to accomplish
this task we present the technique of random variable abstraction (RVA) and we
also postulate a sufficient condition to achieve exact fixed point computation
in the abstract domain. The feasibility of our approach is shown with two
examples, one obtaining the expected running time of a probabilistic program,
and the other the expected gain of a gambling strategy.
Our method works on general guarded probabilistic and nondeterministic
transition systems instead of plain pGCL programs, allowing us to easily model
a wide range of systems including distributed ones and unstructured programs.
We present the operational and weakest precondition semantics for this programs
and prove its equivalence
Probabilistic Infinite Secret Sharing
The study of probabilistic secret sharing schemes using arbitrary probability
spaces and possibly infinite number of participants lets us investigate
abstract properties of such schemes. It highlights important properties,
explains why certain definitions work better than others, connects this topic
to other branches of mathematics, and might yield new design paradigms.
A probabilistic secret sharing scheme is a joint probability distribution of
the shares and the secret together with a collection of secret recovery
functions for qualified subsets. The scheme is measurable if the recovery
functions are measurable. Depending on how much information an unqualified
subset might have, we define four scheme types: perfect, almost perfect, ramp,
and almost ramp. Our main results characterize the access structures which can
be realized by schemes of these types.
We show that every access structure can be realized by a non-measurable
perfect probabilistic scheme. The construction is based on a paradoxical pair
of independent random variables which determine each other.
For measurable schemes we have the following complete characterization. An
access structure can be realized by a (measurable) perfect, or almost perfect
scheme if and only if the access structure, as a subset of the Sierpi\'nski
space , is open, if and only if it can be realized by a span
program. The access structure can be realized by a (measurable) ramp or almost
ramp scheme if and only if the access structure is a set
(intersection of countably many open sets) in the Sierpi\'nski topology, if and
only if it can be realized by a Hilbert-space program
Towards a Convenient Category of Topological Domains
We propose a category of topological spaces that promises to be convenient for the purposes of domain theory as a mathematical theory for modelling computation. Our notion of convenience presupposes the usual properties of domain theory, e.g. modelling the basic type constructors, fixed points, recursive types, etc. In addition, we seek to model parametric polymorphism, and also to provide a flexible toolkit for modelling computational effects as free algebras for algebraic theories. Our convenient category is obtained as an application of recent work on the remarkable closure conditions of the category of quotients of countably-based topological spaces. Its convenience is a consequence of a connection with realizability models
A Convenient Category of Domains
We motivate and define a category of "topological domains",
whose objects are certain topological spaces, generalising
the usual -continuous dcppos of domain theory.
Our category supports all the standard constructions of domain theory,
including the solution of recursive domain equations. It also
supports the construction of free algebras for (in)equational
theories, provides a model of parametric polymorphism,
and can be used as the basis for a theory of computability.
This answers a question of Gordon Plotkin, who asked
whether it was possible to construct a category of domains
combining such properties
Modal logics are coalgebraic
Applications of modal logics are abundant in computer science, and a large number of structurally different modal logics have been successfully employed in a diverse spectrum of application contexts. Coalgebraic semantics, on the other hand, provides a uniform and encompassing view on the large variety of specific logics used in particular domains. The coalgebraic approach is generic and compositional: tools and techniques simultaneously apply to a large class of application areas and can moreover be combined in a modular way. In particular, this facilitates a pick-and-choose approach to domain specific formalisms, applicable across the entire scope of application areas, leading to generic software tools that are easier to design, to implement, and to maintain. This paper substantiates the authors' firm belief that the systematic exploitation of the coalgebraic nature of modal logic will not only have impact on the field of modal logic itself but also lead to significant progress in a number of areas within computer science, such as knowledge representation and concurrency/mobility
Reasoning about exceptions in ontologies: from the lexicographic closure to the skeptical closure
Reasoning about exceptions in ontologies is nowadays one of the challenges
the description logics community is facing. The paper describes a preferential
approach for dealing with exceptions in Description Logics, based on the
rational closure. The rational closure has the merit of providing a simple and
efficient approach for reasoning with exceptions, but it does not allow
independent handling of the inheritance of different defeasible properties of
concepts. In this work we outline a possible solution to this problem by
introducing a variant of the lexicographical closure, that we call skeptical
closure, which requires to construct a single base. We develop a bi-preference
semantics semantics for defining a characterization of the skeptical closure
Argument-based Belief in Topological Structures
This paper combines two studies: a topological semantics for epistemic
notions and abstract argumentation theory. In our combined setting, we use a
topological semantics to represent the structure of an agent's collection of
evidence, and we use argumentation theory to single out the relevant sets of
evidence through which a notion of beliefs grounded on arguments is defined. We
discuss the formal properties of this newly defined notion, providing also a
formal language with a matching modality together with a sound and complete
axiom system for it. Despite the fact that our agent can combine her evidence
in a 'rational' way (captured via the topological structure), argument-based
beliefs are not closed under conjunction. This illustrates the difference
between an agent's reasoning abilities (i.e. the way she is able to combine her
available evidence) and the closure properties of her beliefs. We use this
point to argue for why the failure of closure under conjunction of belief
should not bear the burden of the failure of rationality.Comment: In Proceedings TARK 2017, arXiv:1707.0825
Universal homogeneous causal sets
Causal sets are particular partially ordered sets which have been proposed as
a basic model for discrete space-time in quantum gravity. We show that the
class C of all countable past-finite causal sets contains a unique causal set
(U,<) which is universal (i.e., any member of C can be embedded into (U,<)) and
homogeneous (i.e., (U,<) has maximal degree of symmetry). Moreover, (U,<) can
be constructed both probabilistically and explicitly. In contrast, the larger
class of all countable causal sets does not contain a universal object.Comment: 14 page
- …