An Application of Declarative Languages in Distributed Architectures: ASP and DALI Microservices

In this paper we introduce an approach to the possible adoption of Answer Set Programming (ASP) for the definition of microservices, which are a successful abstraction for designing distributed applications as suites of independently deployable interacting components. Such ASP-based components might be employed in distributed architectures related to Cloud Computing or to the Internet of Things (IoT), where the ASP microservices might be usefully coordinated with intelligent logic-based agents. We develop a case study where we consider ASP microservices in synergy with agents defined in DALI, a well-known logic-based agent-oriented programming language developed by our research group

Logic-Based Specification Languages for Intelligent Software Agents

The research field of Agent-Oriented Software Engineering (AOSE) aims to find abstractions, languages, methodologies and toolkits for modeling, verifying, validating and prototyping complex applications conceptualized as Multiagent Systems (MASs). A very lively research sub-field studies how formal methods can be used for AOSE. This paper presents a detailed survey of six logic-based executable agent specification languages that have been chosen for their potential to be integrated in our ARPEGGIO project, an open framework for specifying and prototyping a MAS. The six languages are ConGoLog, Agent-0, the IMPACT agent programming language, DyLog, Concurrent METATEM and Ehhf. For each executable language, the logic foundations are described and an example of use is shown. A comparison of the six languages and a survey of similar approaches complete the paper, together with considerations of the advantages of using logic-based languages in MAS modeling and prototyping.Comment: 67 pages, 1 table, 1 figure. Accepted for publication by the Journal "Theory and Practice of Logic Programming", volume 4, Maurice Bruynooghe Editor-in-Chie

Combining Introspection and Communication With Rationality and Reactivity in Agents

. We propose a logic-based language for programming agents that can reason about their own beliefs as well as the beliefs of other agents and can communicate with each other. The agents can be reactive, rational/deliberative or hybrid, combining both reactive and rational behaviour. We illustrate the language by means of examples. 1 Introduction Kowalski & Sadri [12] propose an approach to agents within an extended logic programming framework. In the remainder of the paper we will refer to their agents as KS-agents. KS-agents are hybrid in that they exhibit both rational (or deliberative) and reactive behaviour. The reasoning core of KS-agents is a proof procedure that combines forward and backward reasoning. Backward reasoning is used primarily for planning, problem solving and other deliberative activities. Forward reasoning is used primarily for reactivity to the environment, possibly including other agents. The proof procedure is executed within an observe-thinkact cycle that..