258,195 research outputs found
Introduction to the 28th International Conference on Logic Programming Special Issue
We are proud to introduce this special issue of the Journal of Theory and
Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP), dedicated to the full papers accepted for
the 28th International Conference on Logic Programming (ICLP). The ICLP
meetings started in Marseille in 1982 and since then constitute the main venue
for presenting and discussing work in the area of logic programming
Logic programming in the context of multiparadigm programming: the Oz experience
Oz is a multiparadigm language that supports logic programming as one of its
major paradigms. A multiparadigm language is designed to support different
programming paradigms (logic, functional, constraint, object-oriented,
sequential, concurrent, etc.) with equal ease. This article has two goals: to
give a tutorial of logic programming in Oz and to show how logic programming
fits naturally into the wider context of multiparadigm programming. Our
experience shows that there are two classes of problems, which we call
algorithmic and search problems, for which logic programming can help formulate
practical solutions. Algorithmic problems have known efficient algorithms.
Search problems do not have known efficient algorithms but can be solved with
search. The Oz support for logic programming targets these two problem classes
specifically, using the concepts needed for each. This is in contrast to the
Prolog approach, which targets both classes with one set of concepts, which
results in less than optimal support for each class. To explain the essential
difference between algorithmic and search programs, we define the Oz execution
model. This model subsumes both concurrent logic programming
(committed-choice-style) and search-based logic programming (Prolog-style).
Instead of Horn clause syntax, Oz has a simple, fully compositional,
higher-order syntax that accommodates the abilities of the language. We
conclude with lessons learned from this work, a brief history of Oz, and many
entry points into the Oz literature.Comment: 48 pages, to appear in the journal "Theory and Practice of Logic
Programming
An interactive semantics of logic programming
We apply to logic programming some recently emerging ideas from the field of
reduction-based communicating systems, with the aim of giving evidence of the
hidden interactions and the coordination mechanisms that rule the operational
machinery of such a programming paradigm. The semantic framework we have chosen
for presenting our results is tile logic, which has the advantage of allowing a
uniform treatment of goals and observations and of applying abstract
categorical tools for proving the results. As main contributions, we mention
the finitary presentation of abstract unification, and a concurrent and
coordinated abstract semantics consistent with the most common semantics of
logic programming. Moreover, the compositionality of the tile semantics is
guaranteed by standard results, as it reduces to check that the tile systems
associated to logic programs enjoy the tile decomposition property. An
extension of the approach for handling constraint systems is also discussed.Comment: 42 pages, 24 figure, 3 tables, to appear in the CUP journal of Theory
and Practice of Logic Programmin
Tight Logic Programs
This note is about the relationship between two theories of negation as
failure -- one based on program completion, the other based on stable models,
or answer sets. Francois Fages showed that if a logic program satisfies a
certain syntactic condition, which is now called ``tightness,'' then its stable
models can be characterized as the models of its completion. We extend the
definition of tightness and Fages' theorem to programs with nested expressions
in the bodies of rules, and study tight logic programs containing the
definition of the transitive closure of a predicate.Comment: To appear in Special Issue of the Theory and Practice of Logic
Programming Journal on Answer Set Programming, 200
Nominal Logic Programming
Nominal logic is an extension of first-order logic which provides a simple
foundation for formalizing and reasoning about abstract syntax modulo
consistent renaming of bound names (that is, alpha-equivalence). This article
investigates logic programming based on nominal logic. We describe some typical
nominal logic programs, and develop the model-theoretic, proof-theoretic, and
operational semantics of such programs. Besides being of interest for ensuring
the correct behavior of implementations, these results provide a rigorous
foundation for techniques for analysis and reasoning about nominal logic
programs, as we illustrate via examples.Comment: 46 pages; 19 page appendix; 13 figures. Revised journal submission as
of July 23, 200
Defeasible Logic Programming: An Argumentative Approach
The work reported here introduces Defeasible Logic Programming (DeLP), a
formalism that combines results of Logic Programming and Defeasible
Argumentation. DeLP provides the possibility of representing information in the
form of weak rules in a declarative manner, and a defeasible argumentation
inference mechanism for warranting the entailed conclusions.
In DeLP an argumentation formalism will be used for deciding between
contradictory goals. Queries will be supported by arguments that could be
defeated by other arguments. A query q will succeed when there is an argument A
for q that is warranted, ie, the argument A that supports q is found undefeated
by a warrant procedure that implements a dialectical analysis.
The defeasible argumentation basis of DeLP allows to build applications that
deal with incomplete and contradictory information in dynamic domains. Thus,
the resulting approach is suitable for representing agent's knowledge and for
providing an argumentation based reasoning mechanism to agents.Comment: 43 pages, to appear in the journal "Theory and Practice of Logic
Programming
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
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