1,769 research outputs found
Dynamic Semantics
This article focuses on foundational issues in dynamic and static semantics, specifically on what is conceptually at stake between the dynamic framework and the truth-conditional framework, and consequently what kinds of evidence support each framework. The article examines two questions. First, it explores the consequences of taking the proposition as central semantic notion as characteristic of static semantics, and argues that this is not as limiting in accounting for discourse dynamics as many think. Specifically, it explores what it means for a static semantics to incorporate the notion of context change potential in a dynamic pragmatics and denies that this conception of static semantics requires that all updates to the context be eliminative and distributive. Second, it argues that the central difference between the two frameworks is whether semantics or pragmatics accounts for dynamics, and explores what this means for the oft-heard claim that dynamic semantics blurs the semantics/pragmatics distinction
Super Logic Programs
The Autoepistemic Logic of Knowledge and Belief (AELB) is a powerful
nonmonotic formalism introduced by Teodor Przymusinski in 1994. In this paper,
we specialize it to a class of theories called `super logic programs'. We argue
that these programs form a natural generalization of standard logic programs.
In particular, they allow disjunctions and default negation of arbibrary
positive objective formulas.
Our main results are two new and powerful characterizations of the static
semant ics of these programs, one syntactic, and one model-theoretic. The
syntactic fixed point characterization is much simpler than the fixed point
construction of the static semantics for arbitrary AELB theories. The
model-theoretic characterization via Kripke models allows one to construct
finite representations of the inherently infinite static expansions.
Both characterizations can be used as the basis of algorithms for query
answering under the static semantics. We describe a query-answering interpreter
for super programs which we developed based on the model-theoretic
characterization and which is available on the web.Comment: 47 pages, revised version of the paper submitted 10/200
Uniform Substitution for Differential Game Logic
This paper presents a uniform substitution calculus for differential game
logic (dGL). Church's uniform substitutions substitute a term or formula for a
function or predicate symbol everywhere. After generalizing them to
differential game logic and allowing for the substitution of hybrid games for
game symbols, uniform substitutions make it possible to only use axioms instead
of axiom schemata, thereby substantially simplifying implementations. Instead
of subtle schema variables and soundness-critical side conditions on the
occurrence patterns of logical variables to restrict infinitely many axiom
schema instances to sound ones, the resulting axiomatization adopts only a
finite number of ordinary dGL formulas as axioms, which uniform substitutions
instantiate soundly. This paper proves soundness and completeness of uniform
substitutions for the monotone modal logic dGL. The resulting axiomatization
admits a straightforward modular implementation of dGL in theorem provers
Towards a General Framework for Formal Reasoning about Java Bytecode Transformation
Program transformation has gained a wide interest since it is used for
several purposes: altering semantics of a program, adding features to a program
or performing optimizations. In this paper we focus on program transformations
at the bytecode level. Because these transformations may introduce errors, our
goal is to provide a formal way to verify the update and establish its
correctness. The formal framework presented includes a definition of a formal
semantics of updates which is the base of a static verification and a scheme
based on Hoare triples and weakest precondition calculus to reason about
behavioral aspects in bytecode transformationComment: In Proceedings SCSS 2012, arXiv:1307.802
Reducing the Number of Annotations in a Verification-oriented Imperative Language
Automated software verification is a very active field of research which has
made enormous progress both in theoretical and practical aspects. Recently, an
important amount of research effort has been put into applying these techniques
on top of mainstream programming languages. These languages typically provide
powerful features such as reflection, aliasing and polymorphism which are handy
for practitioners but, in contrast, make verification a real challenge. In this
work we present Pest, a simple experimental, while-style, multiprocedural,
imperative programming language which was conceived with verifiability as one
of its main goals. This language forces developers to concurrently think about
both the statements needed to implement an algorithm and the assertions
required to prove its correctness. In order to aid programmers, we propose
several techniques to reduce the number and complexity of annotations required
to successfully verify their programs. In particular, we show that high-level
iteration constructs may alleviate the need for providing complex loop
annotations.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure
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