Testing the Integrity of Non-monotonic Knowledge Bases Containing Semi-Normal Defaults

This paper presents a methodology for testing general non-monotonic knowledge bases for logical and semantic inconsistencies. It extends the CTMS-based verification framework introduced in our previous work with an additional integrity test. This test aims to ensure that a logically consistent non-monotonic knowledge base is also free of semantic inconsistencies, resulted from violated integrity constraints. Generally, semantic inconsistencies are detected during dynamic validation of the KBS. We argue, however, that some types of semantic inconsistencies can be explicated during the formal V&V analysis, and we describe a logical procedure that carries out this validation task.