1,768 research outputs found
A Generalization of the {\L}o\'s-Tarski Preservation Theorem over Classes of Finite Structures
We investigate a generalization of the {\L}o\'s-Tarski preservation theorem
via the semantic notion of \emph{preservation under substructures modulo
-sized cores}. It was shown earlier that over arbitrary structures, this
semantic notion for first-order logic corresponds to definability by
sentences. In this paper, we identify two properties of
classes of finite structures that ensure the above correspondence. The first is
based on well-quasi-ordering under the embedding relation. The second is a
logic-based combinatorial property that strictly generalizes the first. We show
that starting with classes satisfying any of these properties, the classes
obtained by applying operations like disjoint union, cartesian and tensor
products, or by forming words and trees over the classes, inherit the same
property. As a fallout, we obtain interesting classes of structures over which
an effective version of the {\L}o\'s-Tarski theorem holds.Comment: 28 pages, 1 figur
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Representing Patterns of autonomous agent dynamics in multi-robot systems
It is proposed that vocabularies for representing complex systems with interacting agents have a natural lattice hierarchical structure. We investigate this for the example
of simulated robot soccer, using data taken from the RoboCup simulation competition. Lattice hierarchies provide symbolic representations for reasoning about systems at appropriate levels. We note the difference between relational constructs being human supplied versus systems that abstract their own constructs autonomously. The lattice hierarchical representation underlies both
An Introduction to Mechanized Reasoning
Mechanized reasoning uses computers to verify proofs and to help discover new
theorems. Computer scientists have applied mechanized reasoning to economic
problems but -- to date -- this work has not yet been properly presented in
economics journals. We introduce mechanized reasoning to economists in three
ways. First, we introduce mechanized reasoning in general, describing both the
techniques and their successful applications. Second, we explain how mechanized
reasoning has been applied to economic problems, concentrating on the two
domains that have attracted the most attention: social choice theory and
auction theory. Finally, we present a detailed example of mechanized reasoning
in practice by means of a proof of Vickrey's familiar theorem on second-price
auctions
Order-Invariant MSO is Stronger than Counting MSO in the Finite
We compare the expressiveness of two extensions of monadic second-order logic
(MSO) over the class of finite structures. The first, counting monadic
second-order logic (CMSO), extends MSO with first-order modulo-counting
quantifiers, allowing the expression of queries like ``the number of elements
in the structure is even''. The second extension allows the use of an
additional binary predicate, not contained in the signature of the queried
structure, that must be interpreted as an arbitrary linear order on its
universe, obtaining order-invariant MSO.
While it is straightforward that every CMSO formula can be translated into an
equivalent order-invariant MSO formula, the converse had not yet been settled.
Courcelle showed that for restricted classes of structures both order-invariant
MSO and CMSO are equally expressive, but conjectured that, in general,
order-invariant MSO is stronger than CMSO.
We affirm this conjecture by presenting a class of structures that is
order-invariantly definable in MSO but not definable in CMSO.Comment: Revised version contributed to STACS 200
Reasoning About Pragmatics with Neural Listeners and Speakers
We present a model for pragmatically describing scenes, in which contrastive
behavior results from a combination of inference-driven pragmatics and learned
semantics. Like previous learned approaches to language generation, our model
uses a simple feature-driven architecture (here a pair of neural "listener" and
"speaker" models) to ground language in the world. Like inference-driven
approaches to pragmatics, our model actively reasons about listener behavior
when selecting utterances. For training, our approach requires only ordinary
captions, annotated _without_ demonstration of the pragmatic behavior the model
ultimately exhibits. In human evaluations on a referring expression game, our
approach succeeds 81% of the time, compared to a 69% success rate using
existing techniques
Robust Exponential Worst Cases for Divide-et-Impera Algorithms for Parity Games
The McNaughton-Zielonka divide et impera algorithm is the simplest and most
flexible approach available in the literature for determining the winner in a
parity game. Despite its theoretical worst-case complexity and the negative
reputation as a poorly effective algorithm in practice, it has been shown to
rank among the best techniques for the solution of such games. Also, it proved
to be resistant to a lower bound attack, even more than the strategy
improvements approaches, and only recently a family of games on which the
algorithm requires exponential time has been provided by Friedmann. An easy
analysis of this family shows that a simple memoization technique can help the
algorithm solve the family in polynomial time. The same result can also be
achieved by exploiting an approach based on the dominion-decomposition
techniques proposed in the literature. These observations raise the question
whether a suitable combination of dynamic programming and game-decomposition
techniques can improve on the exponential worst case of the original algorithm.
In this paper we answer this question negatively, by providing a robustly
exponential worst case, showing that no intertwining of the above mentioned
techniques can help mitigating the exponential nature of the divide et impera
approaches.Comment: In Proceedings GandALF 2017, arXiv:1709.0176
Disjoint-union partial algebras
Disjoint union is a partial binary operation returning the union of two sets
if they are disjoint and undefined otherwise. A disjoint-union partial algebra
of sets is a collection of sets closed under disjoint unions, whenever they are
defined. We provide a recursive first-order axiomatisation of the class of
partial algebras isomorphic to a disjoint-union partial algebra of sets but
prove that no finite axiomatisation exists. We do the same for other signatures
including one or both of disjoint union and subset complement, another partial
binary operation we define.
Domain-disjoint union is a partial binary operation on partial functions,
returning the union if the arguments have disjoint domains and undefined
otherwise. For each signature including one or both of domain-disjoint union
and subset complement and optionally including composition, we consider the
class of partial algebras isomorphic to a collection of partial functions
closed under the operations. Again the classes prove to be axiomatisable, but
not finitely axiomatisable, in first-order logic.
We define the notion of pairwise combinability. For each of the previously
considered signatures, we examine the class isomorphic to a partial algebra of
sets/partial functions under an isomorphism mapping arbitrary suprema of
pairwise combinable sets to the corresponding disjoint unions. We prove that
for each case the class is not closed under elementary equivalence.
However, when intersection is added to any of the signatures considered, the
isomorphism class of the partial algebras of sets is finitely axiomatisable and
in each case we give such an axiomatisation.Comment: 30 page
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