A New Rational Algorithm for View Updating in Relational Databases

The dynamics of belief and knowledge is one of the major components of any autonomous system that should be able to incorporate new pieces of information. In order to apply the rationality result of belief dynamics theory to various practical problems, it should be generalized in two respects: first it should allow a certain part of belief to be declared as immutable; and second, the belief state need not be deductively closed. Such a generalization of belief dynamics, referred to as base dynamics, is presented in this paper, along with the concept of a generalized revision algorithm for knowledge bases (Horn or Horn logic with stratified negation). We show that knowledge base dynamics has an interesting connection with kernel change via hitting set and abduction. In this paper, we show how techniques from disjunctive logic programming can be used for efficient (deductive) database updates. The key idea is to transform the given database together with the update request into a disjunctive (datalog) logic program and apply disjunctive techniques (such as minimal model reasoning) to solve the original update problem. The approach extends and integrates standard techniques for efficient query answering and integrity checking. The generation of a hitting set is carried out through a hyper tableaux calculus and magic set that is focused on the goal of minimality.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1301.515

Arithmetical conservation results

In this paper we present a proof of Goodman's Theorem, a classical result in the metamathematics of constructivism, which states that the addition of the axiom of choice to Heyting arithmetic in finite types does not increase the collection of provable arithmetical sentences. Our proof relies on several ideas from earlier proofs by other authors, but adds some new ones as well. In particular, we show how a recent paper by Jaap van Oosten can be used to simplify a key step in the proof. We have also included an interesting corollary for classical systems pointed out to us by Ulrich Kohlenbach

The ss-semantics approach; theory and applications

AbstractThis paper is a general overview of an approach to the semantics of logic programs whose aim is to find notions of models which really capture the operational semantics, and are, therefore, useful for defining program equivalences and for semantics-based program analysis. The approach leads to the introduction of extended interpretations which are more expressive than Herbrand interpretations. The semantics in terms of extended interpretations can be obtained as a result of both an operational (top-down) and a fixpoint (bottom-up) construction. It can also be characterized from the model-theoretic viewpoint, by defining a set of extended models which contains standard Herbrand models. We discuss the original construction modeling computed answer substitutions, its compositional version, and various semantics modeling more concrete observables. We then show how the approach can be applied to several extensions of positive logic programs. We finally consider some applications, mainly in the area of semantics-based program transformation and analysis

The Computational Strength of Extensions of Weak König’s Lemma

The weak König's lemma WKL is of crucial significance in the study of fragments of mathematics which on the one hand are mathematically strong but on the other hand have a low proof-theoretic and computational strength. In addition to the restriction to binary trees (or equivalently bounded trees), WKLis also `weak' in that the tree predicate is quantifier-free. Whereas in general the computational and proof-theoretic strength increases when logically more complex trees are allowed, we show that this is not the case for trees which aregiven by formulas in a class Phi where we allow an arbitrary function quantifier prefix over bounded functions in front of a Pi^0_1-formula. This results in a schema Phi-WKL.Another way of looking at WKL is via its equivalence to the principle For all x there exists y there exists

Specialization of Difference Equations and High Frobenius Powers

We study valued fields equipped with an automorphism $\sigma$ which is locally infinitely contracting in the sense that $\alpha\ll\sigma\alpha$ for all $0<\alpha\in\Gamma$. We show that various notions of valuation theory, such as Henselian and strictly Henselian hulls, admit meaningful transformal analogues. We prove canonical amalgamation results, and exhibit the way that transformal wild ramification is controlled by torsors over generalized vector groups. Model theoretically, we determine the model companion: it is decidable, admits a simple axiomatization, and enjoys elimination of quantifiers up to algebraically bounded quantifiers. The model companion is shown to agree with the limit theory of the Frobenius action on an algebraically closed and nontrivially valued field. This opens the way to a motivic intersection theory for difference varieties that was previously available only in characteristic zero. As a first consequence, the class of algebraically closed valued fields equipped with a distinguished Frobenius $x\mapsto x^{q}$ is decidable, uniformly in $q$.Comment: identical to v1 apart from slight modifications in abstrac