Optimized PC-Based Expert Systems

SASHA is a model-driven application shell which generates expert systems for fault isolation and repair in complex electronic systems. SASHA incorporates an expert system shell and a knowledge acquisition tool into a unique mechanism that elicits data directly from the domain expert and outputs a rule-based diagnostic expert system.SASHA employs causal-model and rule-based representations. It uses a causal model to identify the structure, behavior and relation of a domain object. It uses rules to direct the diagnostic problem solver. SASHA's initial knowledge base consists of a domain independent generalized model of the system under analysis. This underlying model drives knowledge acquisition and the consequent generation of an expert system. SASHA introduces a new concept of Pattern Rules, which are a generalized skeleton of the diagnostic problem solver. During diagnosis, when applied to the domain specific Structural Knowledge base, Pattern Rules dynamically instantiate the actual domain rules. Based on the Pattern Rules notion, three types of rule base organization are proposed and analyzed: Fully Patternized Organization (FPO), Partly Patternized Organization (PPO) and Customized Domain-specific Organization (CDO).

Expert system knowledge represents expertise obtained through formal education, training, and/or experience. Formal education provides deep knowledge of a particular domain; experience and training result in heuristic knowledge. A knowledge base defines the range of information and understanding with which the system is capable of dealing; therefore, its information must be structured and filed for ready access. The objective of this symposium is to address the challenges associated with establishment of valid expert system knowledge, specifically, knowledge to be used by expert system shells. As expert system knowledge is obtained, structured, and stored, it is formulated. In this symposium, knowledge formulation is addressed as a three-phase process: knowledge acquisition, the mechanics associated with structuring knowledge, and knowledge porting. Knowledge acquisition is the process of extracting expertise from a domain expert. Expertise may be collected through a series of interviews between the expert and a knowledge engineer or through sessions the expert holds with an automated knowledge acquisition tool. Thus, the ultimate outcome of knowledge acquisition is a collection of raw knowledge data. The following human factors issues become apparent: documenting mental models (where mental models are the expert's conceptualization of a problem), recording cognitive problem-solving strategies, and specifying an appropriate interface between the domain expert and the acquisition methodology. The knowledge structuring process involves the refinement of raw knowledge data, where knowledge is organized and assigned a semantic structure. One issue that must be considered is how to interpret knowledge data such that formal definitions, logical relationships, and facts can be established. Finally, formulation involves knowledge porting, that is, the movement of an expert system shell's knowledge base to various other shells. The outcome of this process is a portable knowledge base, where the challenges lie in maintaining consistent knowledge, understanding the constraints inherent to a shell (the shell's ability to incorporate all relevant knowledge), and designing an acceptable user-expert system interface. The fundamental component of any expert system is its knowledge base. The issues to be presented in this symposium are important because they address three processes that are critical to the development of a knowledge base. In addition to presenting computer science challenges, knowledge base formulation also presents human factors challenges, for example, understanding cognitive problem-solving processes, representing uncertain information, and defining human-expert system interface problems. This symposium will provide a forum for discussion of both types of challenges.

Expert systems are a well-known and well-received technology. It was thought that the performance of a domain expert could not be duplicated by a machine. Expert systems technologies have shown this to be a false belief, and indeed have demonstrated how experts themselves can come to depend on expert systems. Expert systems enjoy widespread use in industrial domains and further uses are planned. The growth in acceptance has been explosive since about 1986. Continued rampant growth appears to depend on cracking the so-called knowledge acquisition bottleneck.The knowledge acquisition bottleneck limits the scalability of expert systems. While it is relatively straightforward to populate a small-scale knowledge base, it becomes more difficult to maintain consistency and validity as the knowledge base grows. Thus, it is important to automate the knowledge acquisition process. A by-product of this process is that any failure of the expert system will be “soft.”The question is, “What impact can machine learning technologies have on knowledge acquisition in the large?” The true test will be on prospective industrial applications in areas such as biology, education, geology, medicine, and scientific discovery. Machine learning technologies include expert systems, genetic algorithms, neural networks, random seeded crystal learning, or any effective combinations.Relevant subtopics include: Second generation expert systems — progress and prognosisRepertory GridsThe importance of symbolic and qualitative reasoningThe acquisition of fuzzy rulesThe best learning paradigm or combination of paradigmsImpact of machine learning on explanation systemsThe role of toy domains such as chessAutomatic programming revisitedApplications to computer vision, decision support systems, diagnosis, helpdesks, optimization, planning, scheduling, et al.Implementation issues using SIMD and MIMD platformsSources for joint sponsorshipForming industrial partnershipsForming alliances abroad

An expert database system is an expert system which is developed on databases using DBMS technology to manage facts and rules. Frame-based expert systems are widely used as the knowledge representation for such expert systems with large knowledge bases. Many systems have the ability to connect to external databases. Facts stored in databases can be loaded into expert system's knowledge base and inference is performed by the inference engine of the expert system. In many cases, such external facts are required several times for each inference. Thus, a lot of communication traffic takes place. This research work present the design and implementation of a frame-based object-relational database system which has a tight coupling between the expert system and the external knowledge base. The external knowledge base also use frame as its knowledge representation. More over, it has its own inference engine so that inference can be perform on the knowledge base side and the results, not only simple facts, are sent back to the expert system for further inference. A medical consultation system is used as an illustrated example an Oracle lOg object relational DBMS is used as the database platform.

Although the use of expert systems (ESs) as a problem-solving tool is relatively new in the transportation profession, it has been recognized that a well-designed ES can contribute in areas where knowledge domain requires an integration of expertise from various disciplines or is very complex and difficult to quantify. To minimize the effort involved in developing essential ES mechanisms, researchers often prefer to use ES shells which provide a standard inference procedure, knowledge representation, and a user-friendly design environment. However, commercial ES shells tend to be designed for only certain classes of problems, and are not as general and flexible as programming languages. More than 150 commercial ES shells are available in the microcomputer market. Most ES shells are ususally claimed by their vendors to be usable for almost any conceivable applications, but such claims have often proved to be extravagant. Hence, the selection of an efficient yet cost-effective commercial shell is one of the most critical tasks in ES development. In reviewing the the vital task of ES shell selection, this paper presents our experience in evaluating more than 30 ES shells for developing an ES for signal design. The proposed ES includes signal settings, phasing plans, controllers, and detector locations.

The design and implementation of two expert systems for semiconductor manufacturing are described and compared. The first expert system is used for parametric test analysis in a CMOS wafer facility. It is designed as a user-interactive system, with all the expert's knowledge included in one knowledge base. This expert system tightly controls the flow of information between the knowledge base and the wafer data stored in a relational database. This expert system was implemented using the knowledge engineering environment shell with interface programs to INGRES. The second expert system is used for parametric test analysis in an analog wafer facility. This system is partitioned into several independent C programs running online and continuously communicating their results through the relational database. The interactive system is more flexible in representing expert knowledge and in explaining results, while the online system is faster, more open to new module integration, and better able to classify and diagnose large volumes of wafer data. >

This work focuses on the construction of an expert system shell for airborne equipment design. Traditional expert systems are constructed using a single monolithic software program for a specific application. Since the airborne equipment design is critical & complex, it demands the use of expert system technology. Since present aircrafts take in different equipments for different purposes, it is not feasible to think in terms of independently developed monolithic expert system program for each equipment. To overcome these problems, we have designed and developed a complex competent system i.e., a generic component based expert system for airborne equipment design. The main advantage of the component-based approach is that, the knowledge base is not hard coded and these components can be coupled with any domain-specific knowledge bases. The expert system with its expertise knowledge is made to guide the designer by providing design guidelines & testing procedures for the desired equipment. The expert system also audits the design and provides guidelines to modify & to improve the design.

Rule-based systems are relatively easier to explain to end users because rules can be expressed as if/else conditions. Indeed, at times there are multiple if/else conditions. Expert systems are deterministic in nature and very accurate, because they are driven by well-established rules and conditions. The need for explainability arises when multiple rules either conflict or are combined in such a way that it is difficult to interpret. In the field of artificial intelligence, an expert system is a program designed to simulate a real decision making process. Expert systems are designed to solve complex problems by simple reasoning and are represented as if/else/then conditions. Expert systems are designed to act like an inference engine. The role of an inference engine is to make decisions. Sometimes expert systems are simple, like a decision tree, and sometimes expert systems are very complex. Complex expert systems require a knowledge base. Sometimes these knowledge bases are an ontology, which is a form of a body of knowledge, through which a particular rule can be framed and inferencing can be done.

Expert systems are among the most fascinating application of computers which attempt to emulate human cognition and perceptual abilities. In the environmental field, expert systems have been used for spectral pattern recognition and have proven useful for classification and identification of waterborne petroleum oils. This paper, after reviewing expert systems in general, describes a few successful attempts by the authors for classification of synchronous fluorescence spectra of petroleum oils. A typical scheme for developing an expert system for the classification and identification of petroleum oils is also presented. The scheme suggested uses pattern recognition and artificial intelligence (AI) for modeling expert knowledge and spectral processing. Using this model, an expert system called Spectral Expert system (SES) was designed. SES comprised of five primary components, fact gathering, knowledge/rule base, knowledge organization/learning, inference engine and expert/user interface. All these components were developed and integrated into a working system. The system is successfully used to classify several oil samples.

This eight-volume report presents guidelines for performing verification and validation (V&V) on Artificial Intelligence (Al) systems with nuclear applications. The guidelines have much broader application than just expert systems; they are also applicable to object-oriented programming systems, rule-based systems, frame-based systems, model-based systems, neural nets, genetic algorithms, and conventional software systems. This is because many of the components of AI systems are implemented in conventional procedural programming languages, so there is no real distinction. The report examines the state of the art in verifying and validating expert systems. V&V methods traditionally applied to conventional software systems are evaluated for their applicability to expert systems. One hundred fifty-three conventional techniques are identified and evaluated. These methods are found to be useful for at least some of the components of expert systems, frame-based systems, and object-oriented systems. A taxonomy of 52 defect types and their delectability by the 153 methods is presented. With specific regard to expert systems, conventional V&V methods were found to apply well to all the components of the expert system with the exception of the knowledge base. The knowledge base requires extension of the existing methods. Several innovative static verification and validation methods for expert systems have been identified and are described here, including a method for checking the knowledge base {open_quotes}semantics{close_quotes} and a method for generating validation scenarios. Evaluation of some of these methods was performed both analytically and experimentally. A V&V methodology for expert systems is presented based on three factors: (1) a system`s judged need for V&V (based in turn on its complexity and degree of required integrity); (2) the life-cycle phase; and (3) the system component being tested.

The use of an expert system shell (EXPERTECH Xi Plus) in the construction of an expert system for the diagnosis of infertility has been evaluated. A module was devised for predicting ovulation from the medical history alone. Two versions of this system were constructed, one using the expert system shell, and the other using QuickBASIC. The two systems have been compared with respect to: (1) ease of construction; (2) ease of knowledge base update; (3) help and explanation facilities; (4) diagnostic accuracy; (5) acceptability to patients and clinicians; (6) user-friendliness and ease of use; (7) use of memory space; and (8) run time. The responses of patients and clinicians were evaluated by questionnaires. The predictions made by the computer systems were compared to the conclusions reached by clinicians and to the "gold standard" of day 21 progesterone. The conclusions of this pilot study are: (1) the construction of this expert system was NOT facilitated by the use of this expert system shell; (2) update of the knowledge base was not facilitated either; (3) the expert system shell offered built-in help and explanation facilities, but as the system increased in complexity these became less useful; (4) after initial adjustment of decision thresholds the diagnostic accuracy of the system equalled that of the clinician; (5) the patient response to computer history-taking was very favorable but much less favorable to computer diagnosis; (6) the clinicians took a positive attitude to computer diagnosis; (7) the systems were easy to use; (8) the expert systems shell required much more memory space and had a much slower response time than the system written in BASIC.

The application of an expert system (expert system) which is very useful for the wider community is certainly very much needed by society today. Apart from that, this development also supports various human activities. Expert systems are also able to make recommendations for a series of user actions. The aim of this research is to determine the development of expert systems in management information systems. The research method used in this research is a descriptive research method with theoretical studies, namely a method that discusses several possibilities for solving actual problems by collecting data, compiling or classifying them, analyzing and interpreting them with existing theories and comparing them from literature sources. The research results show the development of expert systems in management information systems, namely knowledge bases, inference engines, and user interfaces. It can be concluded that expert systems help work and technological progress more quickly and the decision-making process is based on existing information and facts. Expert systems have also been used in various fields, from medical, legal, to financial. In developing an expert system, it is necessary to increase the level of knowledge related to the latest technology and information. So you can utilize modern technology to complete work more effectively and efficiently.

The study aimed to design and develop an intelligent knowledge-based system prototype which mimics the human domain experts’ knowledge that can be used by environmental impact assessment review committee (EIARC) members in the assessment and preparation of environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports for mountain resort projects. Specifically, the system aimed to strengthen and improve the implementation of EIA among mountain resort development projects through an objective, transparent and fast-paced evaluation of EIA documents. The knowledge-based system was developed using e2gRuleWriter to generate its knowledge base and e2gRuleEngine as expert system shell. The human domain experts were purposively selected as the source of knowledge of the system. Through knowledge engineering, the knowledge of the domain experts was captured and became the basis for the development of the expert system rules which were presented in production rules format to assess the project description and activities of mountain resort developments. The developed expert system rules were validated using resolution principle to ensure its correctness. The human domain experts further validated the developed expert system rules by confirming that the knowledge-based system produces correct recommendation. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Knowledge Engineering, Environmental Impact Assessment, Expert System

Over 1.5-2 million tuberculosis deaths occur annually. Medical professionals are faced with a lot of challenges in delivering good health-care with unassisted automation in hospitals where there are several patients who need the doctor's attention. To automate the pre-laboratory screening process against tuberculosis infection to aid diagnosis and make it fast and accessible to the public via the Internet. The expert system we have built is designed to also take care of people who do not have access to medical experts, but would want to check their medical status. A rule-based approach has been used, and unified modeling language and the client-server architecture technique were applied to model the system and to develop it as a web-based expert system for tuberculosis diagnosis. Algorithmic rules in the Tuberculosis-Diagnosis Expert System necessitate decision coverage where tuberculosis is either suspected or not suspected. The architecture consists of a rule base, knowledge base, and patient database. These units interact with the inference engine, which receives patient' data through the Internet via a user interface. We present the architecture of the Tuberculosis-Diagnosis Expert System and its implementation. We evaluated it for usability to determine the level of effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction. The result of the usability evaluation reveals that the system has a usability of 4.08 out of a scale of 5. This is an indication of a more-than-average system performance. Several existing expert systems have been developed for the purpose of supporting different medical diagnoses, but none is designed to translate tuberculosis patients' symptomatic data for online pre-laboratory screening. Our Tuberculosis-Diagnosis Expert System is an effective solution for the implementation of the needed web-based expert system diagnosis.

An integrated expert decision support system for agricultural management