Logic Programming and Constraint Logic Programming

Constraint Logic Programming (CLP) languages extend logic programming by allowing the use of constraints from different domains such as real numbers or Boolean functions. They have proved to be ideal for expressing problems that require interactive mathematical modeling and complex combinatorial optimization problems. However, CLP languages have mainly been considered as research systems, useful for rapid prototyping, by not really competitive with more conventional programming languages where efficiency is a more important consideration. One promising approach to improving the performance of CLP systems is the use of powerful program optimizations to reduce the cost of constraint solving. We extend work in this area by describing a new optimizing compiler for the CLP language CLP(ℛ). The compiler implements six powerful optimizations: reordering of constraints, removal of redundant variables, and specialization of constraints which cannot fail. Each program optimization is designed to remove the overhead of constraint solving when possible and keep the number of constraints in the store as small as possible. We systematically evaluate the effectiveness of each optimization in isolation and in combination. Our empirical evaluation of the compiler verifies that optimizing compilation can be made efficient enough to allow compilation of real-world programs and that it is worth performing such compilation because it gives significant time and space performance improvements.

The incorporation of global program analysis into recent compilers for Constraint Logic Programming (CLP) languages has greatly improved the efficiency of compiled programs. We present a global analyser based on abstract interpretation. Unlike traditional optimizers, whose designs tend to be ad hoc, the analyser has been designed with flexibility in mind. The analyser is incremental, allowing substantial program transformations by a compiler without requiring redundant re-computation of analysis data. The analyser is also generic in that it can perform a large number of different program analyses. Furthermore, the analyser has an object-oriented design, enabling it to be adapted to different applications easily and allowing it to be used with various CLP languages with simple modifications. As an example of this generality, we sketch the use of the analyser in two different applications involving two distinct CLP languages: an optimizing compiler for CLP(R) programs and an application for detecting occur-check problems in Prolog programs. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

In logic programming, a program is stipulated as a set of axioms; execution of such a program involves posing a goal statement (i.e., theorem) and having the system construct a proof. Mechanical reasoning programs are not able to operate with logical sentences expressed in a broad form instead they use a simpler and more restricted form known as Horn Clauses. Note that Horn clauses have the additional restriction of including at most one non‐negative disjunctive term. The origins of logic programming can be found in the work of the French mathematician Jacques Herbrand. He developed a theorem, published in his doctoral dissertation and which now bears his name, that provides a method for mechanically determining whether a set of clauses is satisfiable. Robinson published a paper in 1965 describing the unification algorithm and the resolution principle. Kowalski built upon this work and demonstrated that Horn clause statements can be interpreted as recursive procedures.

Using artificial neural networks for constraint satisfaction problem

Prolog programming for artificial intelligence: Ivan Bratko, Addison Wesley Publishing Company (1986)

In recent years, several constraintdbased temporal reasoning frameworks have been proposed. They consider temporal points or intervals as domain elements linked by temporal constraints. Temporal reasoning in these systems is based on constraint propagation. In this paper, we argue that a language based on constraint propagation can be a suitable tool for expressing and reasoning about temporal problems. We concentrate on Constraint Logic Programming (CLP) which is a powerful programming paradigm combining the advantages of Logic Programming and the efficiency of constraint solving. However, CLP presents some limitations in dealing with temporal reasoning. First, it uses an “arc consistency” propagation algorithm which is embedded in the inference engine, cannot be changed by the user, and is too weak in many temporal frameworks. Second, CLP is not able to deal with qualitative temporal constraints. We present a general meta CLP architecture which maintains the advantages of CLP, but overcomes these two main limitations. Each architectural level is a finite domain constraint solver (CLP(FD)) that reasons about constraints of the underlying level. Based on this conceptual architecture, we extend the CLP(FD) language and we specialize the extension proposed on Vilain and Kautz’s Point Algebra, on Allen’s Interval Algebra and on the STP framework by Dechter, Meiri and Pearl. In particular, we show that we can cope effectively with disjunctive constraints even in an intervaldbased framework.

This article surveys various complexity and expressiveness results on different forms of logic programming. The main focus is on decidable forms of logic programming, in particular, propositional logic programming and datalog, but we also mention general logic programming with function symbols. Next to classical results on plain logic programming (pure Horn clause programs), more recent results on various important extensions of logic programming are surveyed. These include logic programming with different forms of negation, disjunctive logic programming, logic programming with equality, and constraint logic programming.

Relating defeasible and normal logic programming through transformation properties

In this paper, we discuss the computational complexity of Read-once resolution (ROR) with respect to Horn formulas. Recall that a Horn formula is a boolean formula in conjunctive normal form (CNF), such that each clause has at most one positive literal. Horn formulas find applications in a number of domains such as program verification and logic programming. It is well-known that deduction in ProLog is based on unification, which in turn is based on resolution and instantiation. Resolution is a sound and complete procedure to check whether a boolean formula in CNF is satisfiable. Although inefficient in general, resolution has been used widely in theorem provers, on account of its simplicity and ease of implementation. This paper focuses on two variants of resolution, viz., Read-once resolution and Unit Read-once resolution (UROR). Both these variants are sound, but incomplete. In this paper, the goal is to check for the existence of proofs (refutations) of Horn formulas under these variants. We also discuss the computational complexity of determining optimal length proofs where appropriate.

In object-oriented representation, inheritance determines the attributes of a given object, given its type. Conversely, recognition determines the type of an object, given its attributes. The author addresses the more general problem of recognition from constraints; arguing that it can be seen as a special case of the classical abduction process and that it can be implemented as an abduction operation on constraints. Abductive reasoning is common in most fields of artificial intelligence. Constraint logic programming (CLP) generalizes logic programming by replacing unification with constraint solving. He first explores the relationship between abduction and CLP and shows that CLP is a special case of abduction. A class of problems is then identified for which the usual unrestricted forms of abduction are unsuitable. Within the CLP framework a restricted form of abduction is formulated which is applicable to the whole class of problems, in which object-oriented recognition can be considered as a special case. >

Constraint Logic Programming (CLP) and Hereditary Harrop formulas (HH) are two well known ways to enhance the expressivity of Horn clauses. In this paper, we present a novel combination of these two approaches. We show how to enrich the syntax and proof theory of HH with the help of a given constraint system, in such a way that the key property of HH as a logic programming language (namely, the existence of uniform proofs) is preserved. We also present a procedure for goal solving, showing its soundness and completeness for computing answer constraints. As a consequence of this result, we obtain a new strong completeness theorem for CLP that avoids the need to build disjunctions of computed answers, as well as a more abstract formulation of a known completeness theorem for HH.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the correctness of a method for constructing parallel processing programs from a problem description. The framework we adopt for this purpose is Equivalent Transformation Framework (ETF), which regards computation as transformation of definite clauses. In the framework, a problem's domain knowledge and a query are described in definite clauses, and its meaning is defined by a model of the set of definite clauses. Then meaning-preserving transformation rules for the query are generated. We propose a parallel processing method based on “specialization”, a part of operation in the transformations, and discuss new parallel processing method based on the specialization that maintains correctness of the computation. The specialization is generalized notion of substitution in logic programming, and it allows more rich representation. We examine the correctness of our approach based the specialization.

We study the relationship between argumentation (abduction) and disjunctive logic programming. Based on the paradigm of argumentation, an abductive semantic framework for disjunctive logic programming is presented, in which the disjunctions of negative literals are taken as possible assumptions rather than only negative literals as the case of non-disjunctive logic programming. In our framework, three semantics PDH, CDH and WFDH are defined by three kinds of acceptable hypotheses to represent credulous reasoning, moderate reasoning and skeptical reasoning in AI, respectively. On the other hand, our semantic framework could be established in a broader class than that of disjunctive programs (called bi-disjunctive logic programs) and, hence, the corresponding abductive framework is abbreviated as BDAS (Bi-Disjunctive Argumentation-theoretic Semantics). Besides its rich expressive power and nondeterminism, BDAS integrates and naturally extends many key semantics, such as the minimal models, EGCWA, the well-founded model, and the stable models. In particular, a novel and interesting argumentation-theoretic characterization of EGCWA is shown. Thus the framework in this paper does not only provides a new way of performing argumentation (abduction) in disjunctive logic programming, but also is a simple, intuitive and unifying semantic framework for disjunctive logic programming.KeywordsLogic ProgramLogic ProgrammingArgument FrameworkDisjunctive ProgramDisjunctive LogicThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Constraint logic programming framework for integrated decision supports

Horn clause queries and generalizations