The advent of the computer age has set in motion a profound shift in our perception of science -its structure, its aims and its evolution. Traditionally, the principal domains of science were, and are, considered to be mathe- matics, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and related disciplines. But today, and to an increasing extent, scientific progress is being driven by a quest for machine intelligence - for systems which possess a high MIQ (Machine IQ) and can perform a wide variety of physical and mental tasks with minimal human intervention. The role model for intelligent systems is...

Intelligent systems enhance the capacities made available by the internet and other computer-based technologies. This book deals with the theory behind the solutions to difficult problems in the construction of intelligent systems. Particular attention is paid to situations in which the available information and data may be imprecise, uncertain, incomplete or of linguistic nature. Various methodologies for these cases are discussed, among which are probabilistic, possibilistic, fuzzy, logical, evidential and network-based frameworks. One purpose of the book is to consider how these methods...

The book aims at surveying results in the application of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic to economics and engineering. New results include fuzzy non-linear regression, fully fuzzified linear programming, fuzzy multi-period control, fuzzy network analysis, each using an evolutionary algorithm; fuzzy queuing decision analysis using possibility theory; fuzzy differential equations; fuzzy difference equations; fuzzy partial differential equations; fuzzy eigenvalues based on an evolutionary algorithm; fuzzy hierarchical analysis using an evolutionary algorithm; fuzzy integral equations. Other important...

Assessing the degree to which two objects, an object and a query, or two concepts are similar or compatible is a fundamental component of human reasoning and consequently is critical in the development of automated diagnosis, classification, information retrieval and decision systems. The assessment of similarity has played an important role in such diverse disciplines such as taxonomy, psychology, and the social sciences. Each discipline has proposed methods for quantifying similarity judgments suitable for its particular applications. This book presents a unified approach to quantifying...

During the past few years, data mining has grown rapidly in visibility and importance within information processing and decision analysis. This is par- ticularly true in the realm of e-commerce, where data mining is moving from a "nice-to-have" to a "must-have" status. In a different though related context, a new computing methodology called granular computing is emerging as a powerful tool for the conception, analysis and design of information/intelligent systems. In essence, data mining deals with summarization of information which is resident in large data sets, while granular computing...

Computational intelligence techniques are gaining momentum in the medical prognosis and diagnosis. This volume presents advanced applications of machine intelligence in medicine and bio-medical engineering. Applied methods include knowledge bases, expert systems, neural networks, neuro-fuzzy systems, evolvable systems, wavelet transforms, and specific internet applications. The volume is written in view of explaining to the practitioner the fundamental issues related to computational intelligence paradigms and to offer a fast and friendly-managed introduction to the most recent methods based...

When we learn from books or daily experience, we make associations and draw inferences on the basis of information that is insufficient for under- standing. One example of insufficient information may be a small sample derived from observing experiments. With this perspective, the need for de- veloping a better understanding of the behavior of a small sample presents a problem that is far beyond purely academic importance. During the past 15 years considerable progress has been achieved in the study of this issue in China. One distinguished result is the principle of in- formation diffusion....

After a decade's development, evolutionary computation (EC) proves to be a powerful tool kit for economic analysis. While the demand for this equipment is increasing, there is no volume exclusively written for economists. This volume for the first time helps economists to get a quick grasp on how EC may support their research. A comprehensive coverage of the subject is given, that includes the following three areas: game theory, agent-based economic modelling and financial engineering. Twenty leading scholars from each of these areas contribute a chapter to the volume. The reader will find...

It is expected that the use of soft computing will increase greatly in industrial applications, because the conceptual structure of hard computing is much too precise in relation to the great imprecision of the world around us. This book aims at attracting researchers and engineers both in the fields of industrial electronics (IE) and computational intelligence (CI). By approaching the different viewpoints of IE and CI people, it is hoped to provide practicing engineers with new solutions to the demanding real-world problems. The applications are divided into two categories, Electric Power...

Geometric properties and relations play central roles in the description and processing of spatial data. The properties and relations studied by mathematicians usually have precise definitions, but verbal descriptions often involve imprecisely defined concepts such as elongatedness or proximity. The methods used in soft computing provide a framework for formulating and manipulating such concepts. This volume contains eight papers on the soft definition and manipulation of spatial relations and gives a comprehensive summary on the subject.