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Applications of transaction logic to knowledge representation

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Book cover Temporal Logic (ICTL 1994)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 827))

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Abstract

We present applications of the recently proposed Transaction Logic — an extension of classical logic that accounts in a clean and declarative fashion for the phenomenon of state changes in knowledge bases, including logic programs and databases. Transaction Logic has a natural model theory and a sound- and-complete proof theory, but unlike many other logics, it allows users to program transactions. Its semantics also leads naturally to features whose amalgamation in a single logic has proved elusive in the past. These features include both hypothetical and committed updates, static and dynamic constraints, nondeterministic actions, nested transactions, bulk updates, view updates, active databases, subjunctive queries, and more. Finally, Transaction Logic holds promise as a logical model of hitherto non-logical phenomena, including procedural knowledge in AI, and the behavioral aspect of object-oriented databases, especially methods with side effects. This paper outlines the model theory of Transaction Logic, and then focuses on some of its applications to AI, including action definition and execution, planning, and dynamic constraints.

Work supported in part by an Operating Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and by a Connaught Grant from the University of Toronto.

Supported in part by NSF grant CCR-9102159. Part of this work is done during sabbatical year at the University of Toronto. Support of Computer Systems Research Institute of University of Toronto is gratefully acknowledged.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, M5S 1A4, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Anthony J. Bonner

  2. Department of Computer Science, SUNY at Stony Brook, 11790, Stony Brook, NY, USA

    Michael Kifer

Authors
  1. Anthony J. Bonner
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  2. Michael Kifer
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Dov M. Gabbay Hans Jürgen Ohlbach

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© 1994 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Bonner, A.J., Kifer, M. (1994). Applications of transaction logic to knowledge representation. In: Gabbay, D.M., Ohlbach, H.J. (eds) Temporal Logic. ICTL 1994. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 827. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0013981

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0013981

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-58241-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-48585-8

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