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Propositional semantics for default logic
We present new semantics for propositional default logic based on the notion of meta-interpretations - truth functions that assign truth values to clauses rather than letters. This leads to a propositional characterization of default theories: for each such finite theory, we show a classical propositional theory such that there is a one-to-one correspondence between models for the latter and extensions of the former. This means that computing an extension and answering questions about coherence, set-membership, and set-entailment are reducible to propositional satisfiability. The general transformation is exponential but tractable for a subset which we call 2-DT which is a superset of network default theories and disjunction-free default theories. This leads to the observation that coherence and membership for the class 2-DT is NP-complete and entailment is co-NP-complete.Since propositional satisfiability can be regarded as a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP), this work also paves the way for applying CSP techniques to default reasoning. In particular, we use the taxonomy of tractable CSP to identify new tractable subsets for Reiter's default logic. Our procedures allow also for computing stable models of extended logic programs
Extending and Relating Semantic Models of Compensating CSP
Business transactions involve multiple partners coordinating and interacting with each other. These transactions have hierarchies of activities which need to be orchestrated. Usual database approaches (e.g.,checkpoint, rollback) are not applicable to handle faults in a long running transaction due to interaction with multiple partners. The compensation mechanism handles faults that can arise in a long running transaction. Based on the framework of Hoare's CSP process algebra, Butler et al introduced Compensating CSP (cCSP), a language to model long-running transactions. The language introduces a method to declare a transaction as a process and it has constructs for orchestration of compensation. Butler et al also defines a trace semantics for cCSP. In this thesis, the semantic models of compensating CSP are extended by defining an operational semantics, describing how the state of a program changes during its execution. The semantics is encoded into Prolog to animate the specification. The semantic models are further extended to define the synchronisation of processes. The notion of partial behaviour is defined to model the behaviour of deadlock that arises during process synchronisation. A correspondence relationship is then defined between the semantic models and proved by using structural induction. Proving the correspondence means that any of the presentation can be accepted as a primary definition of the meaning of the language and each definition can be used correctly at different times, and for different purposes. The semantic models and their relationships are mechanised by using the theorem prover PVS. The semantic models are embedded in PVS by using Shallow embedding. The relationships between semantic models are proved by mutual structural induction. The mechanisation overcomes the problems in hand proofs and improves the scalability of the approach
Fifty years of Hoare's Logic
We present a history of Hoare's logic.Comment: 79 pages. To appear in Formal Aspects of Computin
A Design Strategy for Deadlock-Free Concurrent Systems
When building concurrent systems, it would be useful to have a collection of reusable processes
to perform standard tasks. However, without knowing certain details of the inner workings of
these components, one can never be sure that they will not cause deadlock when connected to
some particular network.
Here we describe a hierarchical method for designing complex networks of communicating
processeswhich are deadlock-free.We use this to define a safe and simple method for specifying
the communication interface to third party software components. This work is presented using
the CSP model of concurrency and the occam2.1 programming language
The Circuit Ideal of a Vector Configuration
The circuit ideal, \ica, of a configuration \A = \{\a_1, ..., \a_n\}
\subset \Z^d is the ideal generated by the binomials {\x}^{\cc^+} -
{\x}^{\cc^-} \in \k[x_1, ..., x_n] as \cc = \cc^+ - \cc^- \in \Z^n varies
over the circuits of \A. This ideal is contained in the toric ideal, \ia,
of \A which has numerous applications and is nontrivial to compute. Since
circuits can be computed using linear algebra and the two ideals often
coincide, it is worthwhile to understand when equality occurs. In this paper we
study \ica in relation to \ia from various algebraic and combinatorial
perspectives. We prove that the obstruction to equality of the ideals is the
existence of certain polytopes. This result is based on a complete
characterization of the standard pairs/associated primes of a monomial initial
ideal of \ica and their differences from those for the corresponding toric
initial ideal. Eisenbud and Sturmfels proved that \ia is the unique minimal
prime of \ica and that the embedded primes of \ica are indexed by certain
faces of the cone spanned by \A. We provide a necessary condition for a
particular face to index an embedded prime and a partial converse. Finally, we
compare various polyhedral fans associated to \ia and \ica. The Gr\"obner
fan of \ica is shown to refine that of \ia when the codimension of the
ideals is at most two.Comment: 25 page
Datalog and Constraint Satisfaction with Infinite Templates
On finite structures, there is a well-known connection between the expressive
power of Datalog, finite variable logics, the existential pebble game, and
bounded hypertree duality. We study this connection for infinite structures.
This has applications for constraint satisfaction with infinite templates. If
the template Gamma is omega-categorical, we present various equivalent
characterizations of those Gamma such that the constraint satisfaction problem
(CSP) for Gamma can be solved by a Datalog program. We also show that
CSP(Gamma) can be solved in polynomial time for arbitrary omega-categorical
structures Gamma if the input is restricted to instances of bounded treewidth.
Finally, we characterize those omega-categorical templates whose CSP has
Datalog width 1, and those whose CSP has strict Datalog width k.Comment: 28 pages. This is an extended long version of a conference paper that
appeared at STACS'06. In the third version in the arxiv we have revised the
presentation again and added a section that relates our results to
formalizations of CSPs using relation algebra
A Logical Foundation for Environment Classifiers
Taha and Nielsen have developed a multi-stage calculus {\lambda}{\alpha} with
a sound type system using the notion of environment classifiers. They are
special identifiers, with which code fragments and variable declarations are
annotated, and their scoping mechanism is used to ensure statically that
certain code fragments are closed and safely runnable. In this paper, we
investigate the Curry-Howard isomorphism for environment classifiers by
developing a typed {\lambda}-calculus {\lambda}|>. It corresponds to
multi-modal logic that allows quantification by transition variables---a
counterpart of classifiers---which range over (possibly empty) sequences of
labeled transitions between possible worlds. This interpretation will reduce
the "run" construct---which has a special typing rule in
{\lambda}{\alpha}---and embedding of closed code into other code fragments of
different stages---which would be only realized by the cross-stage persistence
operator in {\lambda}{\alpha}---to merely a special case of classifier
application. {\lambda}|> enjoys not only basic properties including subject
reduction, confluence, and strong normalization but also an important property
as a multi-stage calculus: time-ordered normalization of full reduction. Then,
we develop a big-step evaluation semantics for an ML-like language based on
{\lambda}|> with its type system and prove that the evaluation of a well-typed
{\lambda}|> program is properly staged. We also identify a fragment of the
language, where erasure evaluation is possible. Finally, we show that the proof
system augmented with a classical axiom is sound and complete with respect to a
Kripke semantics of the logic
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