A new probabilistic network construction system, DYNASTY, is proposed for diagnostic reasoning given variables whose probabilities change over time. Diagnostic reasoning is formulated as a sequential stochastic process, and is modeled using influence diagrams. Given a set O of observations, DYNASTY creates an influence diagram in order to devise the best action given O. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to determine if the best network has been created, given the uncertainty in network parameters and topology. DYNASTY uses an equivalence class approach to provide decision thresholds for the sensitivity analysis. This equivalence-class approach to diagnostic reasoning differentiates diagnoses only if the required actions are different. A set of network-topology updating algorithms are proposed for dynamically updating the network when necessary.

This paper presents a simple framework for Horn clause abduction, with probabilities associated with hypotheses. It is shown how this representation can represent any probabilistic knowledge representable in a Bayesian belief network. The main contributions are in finding a relationship between logical and probabilistic notions of evidential reasoning. This can be used as a basis for a new way to implement Bayesian Networks that allows for approximations to the value of the posterior probabilities, and also points to a way that Bayesian networks can be extended beyond a propositional language.

The EMalgorithm is a general procedure to get maximum likelihood estimates if part of the observations on the variables of a network are missing. In this paper a stochastic version of the algorithm is adapted to probabilistic neural networks describing the associative dependency of variables. These networks have a probability distribution, which is a special case of the distribution generated by probabilistic inference networks. Hence both types of networks can be combined allowing to integrate probabilistic rules as well as unspecified associations in a sound way. The resulting network may have a number of interesting features including cycles of probabilistic rules, hidden'unobservable' variables, and uncertain and contradictory evidence. IN TRODUCTION Probabilistic inference networks (Pearl 1988) have been used to model uncertain causal relations between variables, for instance in a diagnostic system.

We present a general architecture for the monitoring and diagnosis of large scale sensor-based systems with real time diagnostic constraints. This architecture is multileveled, combining a single monitoring level based on statistical methods with two model based diagnostic levels. At each level, sources of uncertainty are identified, and integrated methodologies for uncertainty management are developed. The general architecture was applied to the monitoring and diagnosis of a specific nuclear physics detector at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that contained approximately 5000 components and produced over 500 channels of output data. The general architecture is scalable, and work is ongoing to apply it to detector systems one and two orders of magnitude more complex.

In this paper we study the uses and the semantics of non-monotonic negation in probabilistic deductive data bases. Based on the stable semantics for classical logic programming, we introduce the notion of stable formula, functions. We show that stable formula, functions are minimal fixpoints of operators associated with probabilistic deductive databases with negation. Furthermore, since a. probabilistic deductive database may not necessarily have a stable formula function, we provide a stable class semantics for such databases. Finally, we demonstrate that the proposed semantics can handle default reasoning naturally in the context of probabilistic deduction.

At last year?s Uncertainty in AI Conference, we reported the results of a sensitivity analysis study of Pathfinder. Our findings were quite unexpected-slight variations to Pathfinder?s parameters appeared to lead to substantial degradations in system performance. A careful look at our first analysis, together with the valuable feedback provided by the participants of last year?s conference, led us to conduct a follow-up study. Our follow-up differs from our initial study in two ways: (i) the probabilities 0.0 and 1.0 remained unchanged, and (ii) the variations to the probabilities that are close to both ends (0.0 or 1.0) were less than the ones close to the middle (0.5). The results of the follow-up study look more reasonable-slight variations to Pathfinder?s parameters now have little effect on its performance. Taken together, these two sets of results suggest a viable extension of a common decision analytic sensitivity analysis to the larger, more complex settings generally encountered in artificial intelligence.

The belief network is a well-known graphical structure for representing independences in a joint probability distribution. The methods, which perform probabilistic inference in belief networks, often treat the conditional probabilities which are stored in the network as certain values. However, if one takes either a subjectivistic or a limiting frequency approach to probability, one can never be certain of probability values. An algorithm should not only be capable of reporting the probabilities of the alternatives of remaining nodes when other nodes are instantiated; it should also be capable of reporting the uncertainty in these probabilities relative to the uncertainty in the probabilities which are stored in the network. In this paper a method for determining the variances in inferred probabilities is obtained under the assumption that a posterior distribution on the uncertainty variables can be approximated by the prior distribution. It is shown that this assumption is plausible if their is a reasonable amount of confidence in the probabilities which are stored in the network. Furthermore in this paper, a surprising upper bound for the prior variances in the probabilities of the alternatives of all nodes is obtained in the case where the probability distributions of the probabilities of the alternatives are beta distributions. It is shown that the prior variance in the probability at an alternative of a node is bounded above by the largest variance in an element of the conditional probability distribution for that node.

Selecting the right reference class and the right interval when faced with conflicting candidates and no possibility of establishing subset style dominance has been a problem for Kyburg's Evidential Probability system. Various methods have been proposed by Loui and Kyburg to solve this problem in a way that is both intuitively appealing and justifiable within Kyburg's framework. The scheme proposed in this paper leads to stronger statistical assertions without sacrificing too much of the intuitive appeal of Kyburg's latest proposal.

When a planner must decide whether it has enough evidence to make a decision based on probability, it faces the sample size problem. Current planners using probabilities need not deal with this problem because they do not generate their probabilities from observations. This paper presents an event based language in which the planner's probabilities are calculated from the binomial random variable generated by the observed ratio of one type of event to another. Such probabilities are subject to error, so the planner must introspect about their validity. Inferences about the probability of these events can be made using statistics. Inferences about the validity of the approximations can be made using interval estimation. Interval estimation allows the planner to avoid making choices that are only weakly supported by the planner's evidence.

This paper outlines a methodology for analyzing the representational support for knowledge-based decision-modeling in a broad domain. A relevant set of inference patterns and knowledge types are identified. By comparing the analysis results to existing representations, some insights are gained into a design approach for integrating categorical and uncertain knowledge in a context sensitive manner.