Logic Programming

Tabling has been used for some time to improve efficiency of Prolog programs by memorizing answered queries. The same idea can be naturally used to memorize visited states during search for planning. In this paper we present a planner developed in the Picat language to solve the Petrobras planning problem. Picat is a novel Prolog-like language that provides pattern matching, deterministic and non-deterministic rules, and tabling as its core modelling and solving features. We demonstrate these capabilities using the Petrobras problem, where the goal is to plan transport of cargo items from ports to platforms using vessels with limited capacity. Monte Carlo Tree Search has been so far the best technique to tackle this problem and we will show that by using tabling we can achieve much better runtime efficiency and better plan quality.

The article deals with design patterns of relational databases that are used as storage systems of experimental data. The classification of these patterns based on their complexity and level of detail in the description of entities and their relations is given. For each pattern, specific features of its application in the process of data modeling are shown. Databases created on the basis of simple patterns are less adapted to changes. Their design corresponds only to a context of a solvable task. Databases created using more complex patterns have a more flexible design. It allows considering requirements which can arise in the future that minimizes need for redesign.

We are researching the interaction between the rule and the ontology layers of the Semantic Web, by comparing two options: 1) using OWL and its rule extension SWRL to develop an integrated ontology/rule language, and 2) layering rules on top of an ontology with RuleML and OWL. Toward this end, we are developing the SWORIER system, which enables efficient automated reasoning on ontologies and rules, by translating all of them into Prolog and adding a set of general rules that properly capture the semantics of OWL. We have also enabled the user to make dynamic changes on the fly, at run time. This work addresses several of the concerns expressed in previous work, such as negation, complementary classes, disjunctive heads, and cardinality, and it discusses alternative approaches for dealing with inconsistencies in the knowledge base. In addition, for efficiency, we implemented techniques called extensionalization, avoiding reanalysis, and code minimization.

The research addresses the teaching-learning difficulties of the Architecture and Urbanism course at the Federal University of Tocantins (UFT) and investigates whether these problems, raised with the help of the Structuring Director Nucleus (SDN), are inherent to higher education in the area or if they arise in high school issues. The Pedagogical Innovation project (PIP), responsible for the work, used the technique of listening and embracement to identify difficulties and promoted dialogues with the professors, using action-research methodology, about active teaching methodologies and learning styles. Didactic materials were developed and leveling workshops, tutoring and short courses also based on active methodologies were carried out. The result indicated that the problems are similar in both spheres of teaching and that the teachers' teaching process is related to their own learning styles. Finally, the workshops and tutorials that were carried out, were widely accessed by t...

Multimodal neuroimaging analyses are of major interest for both research and clinical practice, enabling the combined evaluation of the structure and function of the human brain. These analyses generate large volumes of data and consequently increase the amount of possibly useful information. Indeed, BrainArchive was developed in order to organize, maintain and share this complex array of neuroimaging data. It stores all the information available for each participant/patient, being dynamic by nature. Notably, the application of reasoning systems to this multimodal data has the potential to provide tools for the identification of undiagnosed diseases. As a matter of fact, in this work we explore how Artificial Intelligence techniques for decision support work, namely Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) that may be used to achieve such endeavour. Particularly, it is proposed a reasoning system that uses the information stored in BrainArchive as past knowledge for the identification of individu...

Coinduction is a powerful technique for reasoning about unfounded sets, unbounded structures, infinite automata, and interactive computations [6]. Where induction corresponds to least fixed points semantics, coinduction corresponds to greatest fixed point semantics. Recently coinduction has been incorporated into logic programming and an elegant operational semantics developed for it [11, 12]. This operational semantics is the greatest fix point counterpart of SLD resolution (SLD resolution imparts operational semantics to least ...

In this paper authors research the problem of traceability of assumptions in logical derivation. The essence of this task is to trace which assumptions from the available knowledge base of assumptions are necessary to derive a certain conclusion. The paper presents a new derivation procedure for propositional logic, which ensures traceability feature. For the derivable conclusion formula derivation procedure also returns the smallest set of assumptions those are enough to get derivation of the conclusion formula. Verification of the procedure were performed using authors implementation.

One of the advantages of logic programming (LP) and constraint logic programming (CLP) is the fact that one can exploit implicit parallelism in logic programs. Logic programs have two major forms of implicit parallelism: orparallelism (ORP) and and-parallelism (ANDP). In this work we survey some of work that has been taking place within the C LoPn project towards fast execution of logic programs. We first briefly present our work in comparing several data representations for ORP: copying, copy-on-write, and the sparse ...

We present an approach to agents that can reason, react to the environment and are able to update their own knowledge as a result of new incoming information. Each agents' view of the social relationships among agents (itself and others) is represented by a graph, which in turn can be updated, allowing for the representation of such social evolution.