36,507 research outputs found
Hennessy-Milner Logic with Greatest Fixed Points as a Complete Behavioural Specification Theory
There are two fundamentally different approaches to specifying and verifying
properties of systems. The logical approach makes use of specifications given
as formulae of temporal or modal logics and relies on efficient model checking
algorithms; the behavioural approach exploits various equivalence or refinement
checking methods, provided the specifications are given in the same formalism
as implementations.
In this paper we provide translations between the logical formalism of
Hennessy-Milner logic with greatest fixed points and the behavioural formalism
of disjunctive modal transition systems. We also introduce a new operation of
quotient for the above equivalent formalisms, which is adjoint to structural
composition and allows synthesis of missing specifications from partial
implementations. This is a substantial generalisation of the quotient for
deterministic modal transition systems defined in earlier papers
Incompleteness of relational simulations in the blocking paradigm
Refinement is the notion of development between formal specifications For specifications given in a relational formalism downward and upward simulations are the standard method to verify that a refinement holds their usefulness based upon their soundness and joint completeness This is known to be true for total relational specifications and has been claimed to hold for partial relational specifications in both the non-blocking and blocking interpretations
In this paper we show that downward and upward simulations in the blocking interpretation where domains are guards are not Jointly complete This contradicts earlier claims in the literature We illustrate this with an example (based on one recently constructed by Reeves and Streader) and then construct a proof to show why Joint completeness fails in general (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserve
Using parametric set constraints for locating errors in CLP programs
This paper introduces a framework of parametric descriptive directional types
for constraint logic programming (CLP). It proposes a method for locating type
errors in CLP programs and presents a prototype debugging tool. The main
technique used is checking correctness of programs w.r.t. type specifications.
The approach is based on a generalization of known methods for proving
correctness of logic programs to the case of parametric specifications.
Set-constraint techniques are used for formulating and checking verification
conditions for (parametric) polymorphic type specifications. The specifications
are expressed in a parametric extension of the formalism of term grammars. The
soundness of the method is proved and the prototype debugging tool supporting
the proposed approach is illustrated on examples.
The paper is a substantial extension of the previous work by the same authors
concerning monomorphic directional types.Comment: 64 pages, To appear in Theory and Practice of Logic Programmin
Using Event Calculus to Formalise Policy Specification and Analysis
As the interest in using policy-based approaches for systems management grows, it is becoming increasingly important to develop methods for performing analysis and refinement of policy specifications. Although this is an area that researchers have devoted some attention to, none of the proposed solutions address the issues of analysing specifications that combine authorisation and management policies; analysing policy specifications that contain constraints on the applicability of the policies; and performing a priori analysis of the specification that will both detect the presence of inconsistencies and explain the situations in which the conflict will occur. We present a method for transforming both policy and system behaviour specifications into a formal notation that is based on event calculus. Additionally it describes how this formalism can be used in conjunction with abductive reasoning techniques to perform a priori analysis of policy specifications for the various conflict types identified in the literature. Finally, it presents some initial thoughts on how this notation and analysis technique could be used to perform policy refinement
An Improved Algorithm for Generating Database Transactions from Relational Algebra Specifications
Alloy is a lightweight modeling formalism based on relational algebra. In
prior work with Fisler, Giannakopoulos, Krishnamurthi, and Yoo, we have
presented a tool, Alchemy, that compiles Alloy specifications into
implementations that execute against persistent databases. The foundation of
Alchemy is an algorithm for rewriting relational algebra formulas into code for
database transactions. In this paper we report on recent progress in improving
the robustness and efficiency of this transformation
ViSpec: A graphical tool for elicitation of MTL requirements
One of the main barriers preventing widespread use of formal methods is the
elicitation of formal specifications. Formal specifications facilitate the
testing and verification process for safety critical robotic systems. However,
handling the intricacies of formal languages is difficult and requires a high
level of expertise in formal logics that many system developers do not have. In
this work, we present a graphical tool designed for the development and
visualization of formal specifications by people that do not have training in
formal logic. The tool enables users to develop specifications using a
graphical formalism which is then automatically translated to Metric Temporal
Logic (MTL). In order to evaluate the effectiveness of our tool, we have also
designed and conducted a usability study with cohorts from the academic student
community and industry. Our results indicate that both groups were able to
define formal requirements with high levels of accuracy. Finally, we present
applications of our tool for defining specifications for operation of robotic
surgery and autonomous quadcopter safe operation.Comment: Technical report for the paper to be published in the 2015 IEEE/RSJ
International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems held in Hamburg,
Germany. Includes 10 pages and 19 figure
Confluence reduction for Markov automata
Markov automata are a novel formalism for specifying systems exhibiting nondeterminism, probabilistic choices and Markovian rates. Recently, the process algebra MAPA was introduced to efficiently model such systems. As always, the state space explosion threatens the analysability of the models generated by such specifications. We therefore introduce confluence reduction for Markov automata, a powerful reduction technique to keep these models small. We define the notion of confluence directly on Markov automata, and discuss how to syntactically detect confluence on the MAPA language as well. That way, Markov automata generated by MAPA specifications can be reduced on-the-fly while preserving divergence-sensitive branching bisimulation. Three case studies demonstrate the significance of our approach, with reductions in analysis time up to an order of magnitude
Characterisation of collaborative decision making processes
This paper deals with the collaborative decision making induced or facilitated by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and their impact on decisional systems. After presenting the problematic, we analyse the collaborative decision making and define the concepts related to the conditions and forms of collaborative work. Then, we explain the mechanisms of collaborative decision making with the specifications and general conditions of collaboration using the modelling formalism of the GRAI method. Each specification associated to the reorganisation of the decisional system caused by the collaboration is set to the notion of decision-making centre. Finally, we apply this approach to the e-maintenance field, strongly penetrated by the ICTs, where collaborations are usual. We show that the identified specifications allow improving the definition and the management of collaboration in e-maintenance
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