LAWS@SRI-AI.ARPA (01/21/85)
From: AIList Moderator Kenneth Laws <AIList-REQUEST@SRI-AI.ARPA> AIList Digest Monday, 21 Jan 1985 Volume 3 : Issue 7 Today's Topics: Psychology - Infantile Amnesia, Humor - Linguistic Humor, Seminars - An Internal Semantics for Modal Logic (CSLI) & Constraint Languages (SU) & Nonlinear Planning (BBN) & Automated Reasoning (CMU) & Mathematical Variable Types (CSLI), Conferences - Functional Programming and Computer Architecture & Symbolic and Numerical Computing in Expert Systems ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 21 Jan 1985 0830-PST From: MORAN%hplabs.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa Subject: Infantile Amnesia I asked a knowledgeable friend (Linda Acredolo, associate editor for infancy of Child Development - a major journal) to recommend a list of good review articles for people reading AILIST but clearly have a lack of knowledge in the field. She forwarded the following list, and I have made one addition: White, S.H. & Pillemer, D.B. Childhood amnesia and the development of a socially accessible memory system. In J.F. Kihlstrom and F.J. Evans (Eds.), Functional Disorders of Memory. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Hillsdale, New Jersey, 1979. [This article is particularly good for those interested in merging Freudian and Cognitive perspectives on the issue.] Spear, N.E., Experimental analysis of infantile amnesia. [see above reference] [This articel considers methodlogical problems in the scientific investigation of the problem.] Nadel, L. & Zola-Morgan, S., Infantile amnesia a neurobiological perspective. In M. Moscovitch (Ed.) Infant Memory. NY: Pleneum, 1984. Schacter, D. & Moscovitch, M. Infants, amnesia, and dissociable memory systems. [see above reference] All these articles contain good reference sections for persons interested in further reading on the infantile amnesia topic. Michael A. Moran HP Corporate Human Factors ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Jan 85 13:26:27 est From: 20568%vax1@cc.delaware (FRAWLEY) Subject: Linguistic Humor Here are some contributions to the AI (and related) humor. A favorite oxymoron: Exciting half-time show And some excerpts from the recent Delaware alternative linguistics course offerings: 1. LING 805 Recursion This course is the same as LING 805. 2. LING 843 Cataphora See below. 3. LING 844 Anaphora See above. 4. LING 870 Pigeons and Creoles Principles of tomato-based creoles; Julia Child's theories; how to make creoles out of pigeons. ------------------------------ Date: Wed 16 Jan 85 17:31:31-PST From: Emma Pease <Emma@SU-CSLI.ARPA> Subject: Seminar - An Internal Semantics for Modal Logic (CSLI) [Forwarded from the CSLI Newsletter by Laws@SRI-AI.] Thursday, January 24, 1985 2:15 p.m. Redwood Hall, Room G-19 ``An Internal Semantics for Modal Logic'' Moshe Vardi In Kripke semantics for modal logic both notions of possible worlds and the possibility relation are primitive notions. This has both technical and conceptual shortcomings. From a technical point of view, the mathematics associated with Kripke semantics is often quite complicated. From a conceptual point of view, it is not clear how to model propositional attitudes by Kripke structures. We introduce modal structures as models for modal logic. We use the idea of possible worlds, but in Leibniz's style rather than Kripke's style. It turns out that modal structures model individual nodes in Kripke structures, while Kripke structures model collections of modal structures. Nevertheless, it is much easier to study the standard logical questions using modal structures. Furthermore, modal structure offer a much more intuitive approach to modelling propositional attitudes. ------------------------------ Date: Fri 18 Jan 85 20:53:56-PST From: John McDonald <JAM@SU-SCORE.ARPA> Subject: Seminar - Constraint Languages (SU) [Forwarded from the Stanford BBoard by Laws@SRI-AI.] LCS Seminar "Constraint Languages" John Alan McDonald Department of Statistics Stanford University Time: 4:15 Thursday January 24 Place: Sequoia Hall 114 Cookies: at 4:00 in the Lounge Abstract: The choice of programming language(s) is a fundamental decision in the design of an environment for data analysis. The goal is to provide appropriate abstractions. Constraints are an abstraction which is useful for many problems that arise in data analysis. A constraint specifies a relation whose truth should be maintained in subsequent computation. For example, in a typical constraint language, one might assert the relation: 2 e == m * c The "constraint engine" would be responsible for computing e, given m and c, or c, given e and m. I will discuss the basic concepts of constraint languages, review several existing languages, describe applications to statistics, and explore possibilities for the future. ------------------------------ Date: 15 Jan 1985 09:10-EST From: Brad Goodman <BGOODMAN at BBNG> Subject: Seminar - Nonlinear Planning (BBN) [Forwarded from the MIT bboard by SASW@MIT-MC.] BBN Laboratories Science Development Program Speaker: David Chapman, MIT AI Lab Title: "Nonlinear planning: a rigorous reconstruction." Date: Thursday, January 24th Time: 10:30am Place: 3rd floor large conference room BBN Laboratories Inc. 10 Moulton Street Cambridge, MA. 02238 Abstract: The problem of achieving several goals simultaneously has been central to domain-independent planning research; the nonlinear constraint-posting approach has been most successful. Previous planners of this type have been complicated, heuristic, and ill-defined. I will present a simple, precise algorithm for nonlinear constraint-posting planning which I have proved correct and complete. The rigor of this algorithm makes clear the range of applicability of classical planning techniques. The crucial limitation on the state of the art is the traditional add/delete-list representation for actions; I will suggest a way to transcend this limitation. ------------------------------ Date: 15 Jan 1985 1406-EST From: Lydia Defilippo <DEFILIPPO@CMU-CS-C.ARPA> Subject: Seminar - Automated Reasoning (CMU) [Forwarded from the CMU bboard by Laws@SRI-AI.] Title: Automated Reasoning: Introduction and Applications Speaker: Larry Wos Mathematics and Computer Science Division Argonne National Laboratory Date: Wednesday, January 23, 1985 Time: 2:00 - 3:15 Place: 2105 Doherty Hall What is automated reasoning? Which hard problems have been solved with an automated reasoning program? How can a single general-purpose program (such as AURA or ITP) be effective enough to answer previously open questions from mathematics and from formal logic, design superior logic circuits, and validate existing designs? You are enthusiastically invited to come and hear answers to these three questions--and more. This talk requires no background. I shall discuss other existing applications that range from solving puzzles to proving properties of computer programs, and tell you about a portable reasoning program (ITP) that is available for such applications. I shall tell you how such a program reasons, what strategies it uses to direct and restrict the reasoning, and which procedures contribute to solving diverse and difficult problems with the assistance of such a program. If you wish a preview, the book "Automated Reasoning: Introduction and Applications" by Wos, Overbeek, Lusk, and Boyle is a good source. The book, published by Prentice-Hall, contains numerous examples and exercises. Finally, if you are simply curious about an exciting and challenging area of computer science, I shall attempt to satisfy that curiosity by focusing on one type of computer program--a program that functions as an automated reasoning assistant. ------------------------------ Date: Wed 16 Jan 85 17:31:31-PST From: Emma Pease <Emma@SU-CSLI.ARPA> Subject: Seminar - Mathematical Variable Types (CSLI) [Forwarded from the CSLI Newsletter by Laws@SRI-AI.] ``Theories of Variable Types for Mathematical Practice, with Computational Interpretations'' Speaker: Solomon Feferman, Depts. of Mathematics and Philosophy Time: 1:30-3:30 Date: Wednesday, January 23 Place: Ventura Seminar room A new class of formal systems is set up with the following characteristics: 1) Significant portions of current mathematical practice (such as in algebra and analysis) can be formalized naturally within them. 2) The systems have standard set-theoretical interpretations. 3) They also have direct computational interpretations, in which all functions are partial recursive. 4) The proof-theoretical strengths of these systems are surprisingly weak (e.g. one is of strength Peano arithmetic). Roughly speaking, these are axiomatic theories of partial functions and classes. The latter serve as types for elements and functions, but they may be variable (or ``abstract'') as well as constant. In addition, an element may fall under many types (``polymorphism''). Nevertheless, a form of typed lambda calculus can be set up to define functions. The result 3) gets around some of the problems that have been met with the interpretation of the polymorphic lambda calculus in recent literature on abstract data types. Its proof requires a new generalization of the First Recursion Theorem, which may have independent interest. The result 4) is of philosophical interest, since it undermines arguments for impredicative principles on the grounds of necessity for mathematics (and, in turn, for physics). There are simple extensions of these theories, not meeting condition 2), in which there is a type of all types, so that operations on types appear simply as special kinds of functions. ------------------------------ Date: 11 Jan 1985 0313-PST From: JOUANNAUD at SRI-CSL.ARPA Subject: Conference - Functional Programming and Computer Architecture CALL FOR PAPERS (REMINDER) FUNCTIONAL PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES AND COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE A Conference Sponsored by The International Federation for Information Processing Technical Committees 2 and 10 Nancy, France 16 to 19 September, 1985 This conference has been planned as a successor to the highly successful conference on the same topics held at Wentworth, New Hampshire, in October 1981. Papers are solicited on any aspect of functional or logic programming and on computer architectures to support the efficient execution of such programs. Nancy, in the eastern part of France, was the city of the Dukes of Lorraine; it is known for its ``Place Stanistlas'' and its ``Palais Ducal''. ``Art Nouveau'' started there at the beginning of this century. There are beautiful buildings and museums and, of course, good restaurants. Authors should submit five copies of a 3000 to 6000-word paper (counting a full page figure as 300 words), and ten additional copies of a 300-word abstract of the paper to the Chairman of the Program Committee by 6 February 1985. The paper should be typed double spaced, and the names and affiliations of the authors should be included on both the paper and the abstract. Papers will be reviewed by the Program Committee with the assistance of outside referees; authors will be notified of acceptance or rejection by 30 April 1985. Camera-ready copy of accepted papers will be required by 22 June 1985 for publication in the Conference Proceedings. Program Committee: Makoto Amamiya (NTT, Japan) David Aspinall (UMIST, UK) Manfred Broy (Passau University, W Germany) Jack Dennis (MIT, USA) Jean-Pierre Jouannaud (CRIN, France) Manfred Paul (TUM, W Germany) Joseph Stoy (Oxford University, UK) John Willliams (IBM, USA) Address for Submission of Papers: J.E. Stoy, Balliol College, Oxford OX1 3BJ, England. Paper Deadline: 6 February 1985. Return this form to receive a copy of the advance program. [ ] I plan to submit a paper: Subject ....................................... Name ........................................... Organisation ................................... Address .......................................... .......................................... .......................................... J.E. Stoy, Balliol College, Oxford OX1 3BJ, England. NOTE: In the preliminary CALL FOR PAPER, the Conference deadline was January, 31. This new deadline is the true one. ------------------------------ Date: 18 Jan 85 15:12:42 EST From: Patricia.Boyle@CMU-RI-ISL1 Subject: Conference - Symbolic and Numerical Computing in Expert Systems [Forwarded from the CMU bboard by Laws@SRI-AI.] WORKSHOP ON COUPLING SYMBOLIC AND NUMBERIAL COMPUTING IN EXPERT SYSTEMS, sponsored by American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) Location: Boeing Computer Services AI Center Bellevue, Washington 98008 Dates: August 17-29, 1985 A majority of the current expert systems focus on the symbolic oriented logic and inference mechanisms of AI. Common rule-based systems employ empirical associations and are not well suited to deal with problems that require structural and causal models. Such problems often arise in science, engineering analysis, production and design, for example the VLSI design. The objective of the workshop is to assemble theoreticians and practitioners of AI who recognize the need for coupling symbolic reasoning with conventional mathematical and statistical algorithms to provide basis for multilevel expert systems. Papers are invited for consideration in all aspects of expert systems combining symbolic and numerical computing, but not restricted to: -architecture of coupled expert systems -configuration of hardware for such systems -implementation languages and software systems -multilevel expert systems -deep reasoning involving quantitative models -applications in science and engineering For more information please contact workshop chairman: Janusz S. Kowalik Boeing Computer Services Advanced Technology Applications Division M/S 7A-03 P.O. Box 24346 Seattle, Washington 98124 (206) 763-5392 or- Mark S. Fox, Robotics Institute, CMU (member, program and X3832 local arrangements committee) ------------------------------ End of AIList Digest ********************