Modified Component Valuations in Valuation Based Systems As A Way to Optimize Query Processing

. Valuation-Based System (VBS for short) can represent knowledge in different domains including probability theory, Dempster-Shafer theory and possibility theory. More recent studies show that the framework of VBS is also appropriate for representing and solving Bayesian decision problems and optimization problems. In this paper after introducing the valuation based system framework, we present Markov-like properties of VBS and a method for resolving queries to VBS. Key words: approximate reasoning, knowledge representation and integration, valuation based systems, query processing, graphical representation of domain knowledge Abbreviations: VBS - Valuation-based Systems 1. Introduction Though graphical representation of a domain knowledge has quite long history, its full potential has not been recognized until recently. We should mention here pioneering works of J. Pearl, reported in his monograph published in 1988 (1988). Further development in this domain has been achieved by Sh..