Cultural algorithm is a kind of evolutionary algorithm inspired from societal evolution and is composed of a belief space, a population space and a protocol that enables exchange of knowledge between these sources. Knowledge created in the population space is accepted into the belief space while this collective knowledge from these sources is combined to influence the decisions of the individual agents in solving problems. Classification rules comes under descriptive knowledge discovery in data mining and are the most sought out by users since they represent highly comprehensible form of knowledge. The rules have certain properties which make them useful forms of actionable knowledge to users. The rules are evaluated using these properties namely the rule metrics. In the current study a Cultural Algorithm Toolkit for Classification Rule Mining (CAT-CRM) is proposed which allows the user to control three different set of parameters namely the evolutionary parameters, the rule parameters as well as agent parameters and hence can be used for experimenting with an evolutionary system, a rule mining system or an agent based social system. Results of experiments conducted to observe the effect of different number and type of metrics on the performance of the algorithm on bench mark data sets is reported.

The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology that is useful for analysing from a microeconomic perspective the incentives to entry, permanence and exit in the market for pharmaceutical generics under fuzzy conditions. In an empirical application of our proposed methodology, the potential towards permanence of labs with different characteristics has been estimated. The case we deal with is set in an open market where global players diversify into different national markets of pharmaceutical generics. Risk issues are significantly important in deterring decision makers from expanding in the generic pharmaceutical business. However, not all players are affected in the same way and/or to the same extent. Small, non-diversified generics labs are in the worse position. We have highlighted that the expected NPV and the number of generics in the portfolio of a pharmaceutical lab are important variables, but that it is also important to consider the degree of diversification. Labs with a higher potential for diversification across markets have an advantage over smaller labs. We have described a fuzzy decision support system based on the Mamdani model in order to determine the incentives for a laboratory to remain in the market both when it is stable and when it is growing.

The Matrix Bandwidth Minimization Problem (MBMP) seeks for a simultaneous reordering of the rows and the columns of a square matrix such that the nonzero entries are collected within a band of small width close to the main diagonal. The MBMP is a NP-complete problem, with applications in many scientific domains, linear systems, artificial intelligence, and real-life situations in industry, logistics, information recovery. The complex problems are hard to solve, that is why any attempt to improve their solutions is beneficent. Genetic algorithms and ant-based systems are Soft Computing methods used in this paper in order to solve some MBMP instances. Our approach is based on a learning agent-based model involving a local search procedure. The algorithm is compared with the classical Cuthill-McKee algorithm, and with a hybrid genetic algorithm, using several instances from Matrix Market collection. Computational experiments confirm a good performance of the proposed algorithms for the considered set of MBMP instances. On Soft Computing basis, we also propose a new theoretical Reinforcement Learning model for solving the MBMP problem.

This paper presents a novel fuzzy logic based Adaptive Super-twisting Sliding Mode Controller for the control of dynamic uncertain systems. The proposed controller combines the advantages of Second order Sliding Mode Control, Fuzzy Logic Control and Adaptive Control. The reaching conditions, stability and robustness of the system with the proposed controller are guaranteed. In addition, the proposed controller is well suited for simple design and implementation. The effectiveness of the proposed controller over the first order Sliding Mode Fuzzy Logic controller is illustrated by Matlab based simulations performed on a DC-DC Buck converter. Based on this comparison, the proposed controller is shown to obtain the desired transient response without causing chattering and error under steady-state conditions. The proposed controller is able to give robust performance in terms of rejection to input voltage variations and load variations.

System identification from the experimental data plays a vital role for model based controller design. Derivation of process model from first principles is often difficult due to its complexity. The first stage in the development of any control and monitoring system is the identification and modeling of the system. Each model is developed within the context of a specific control problem. Thus, the need for a general system identification framework is warranted. The proposed framework should be able to adapt and emphasize different properties based on the control objective and the nature of the behavior of the system. Therefore, system identification has been a valuable tool in identifying the model of the system based on the input and output data for the design of the controller. The present work is concerned with the identification of transfer function models using statistical model identification, process reaction curve method, ARX model, genetic algorithm and modeling using neural network and fuzzy logic for interacting and non interacting tank process. The identification technique and modeling used is prone to parameter change & disturbance. The proposed methods are used for identifying the mathematical model and intelligent model of interacting and non interacting process from the real time experimental data.

Defeasible argumentation frameworks have evolved to become a sound setting to formalize commonsense, qualitative reasoning from incomplete and potentially inconsistent knowledge. Defeasible Logic Programming (DeLP) is a defeasible argumentation formalism based on an extension of logic programming. Although DeLP has been successfully integrated in a number of different real-world applications, DeLP cannot deal with explicit uncertainty, nor with vague knowledge, as defeasibility is directly encoded in the object language. This paper introduces P-DeLP, a new logic programming language that extends original DeLP capabilities for qualitative reasoning by incorporating the treatment of possibilistic uncertainty and fuzzy knowledge. Such features will be formalized on the basis of PGL, a possibilistic logic based on Godel fuzzy logic.

The approach described here allows to use the fuzzy Object Based Representation of imprecise and uncertain knowledge. This representation has a great practical interest due to the possibility to realize reasoning on classification with a fuzzy semantic network based system. For instance, the distinction between necessary, possible and user classes allows to take into account exceptions that may appear on fuzzy knowledge-base and facilitates integration of user's Objects in the base. This approach describes the theoretical aspects of the architecture of the whole experimental A.I. system we built in order to provide effective on-line assistance to users of new technological systems: the understanding of "how it works" and "how to complete tasks" from queries in quite natural languages. In our model, procedural semantic networks are used to describe the knowledge of an "ideal" expert while fuzzy sets are used both to describe the approximative and uncertain knowledge of novice users in fuzzy semantic networks which intervene to match fuzzy labels of a query with categories from our "ideal" expert.

Several authors analyzed propositional attitudes ( wish , fear , regret , glad ) by integrating their epistemic and deontic components. This paper extends previous work done by the author and presents a logical calculus inspired by Possibility Theory, a non-compositional version of fuzzy logic.

Many problems in AI require an intelligent agent to operate with incomplete or uncertain information, e.g., in reasoning, planning, learning, perception and robotics. We hope that the variety and richness of this track will help to promote cross fertilization among the different approaches for uncertain reasoning, and in this way foster the development of new ideas and paradigms. Like the previous tracks, the special track seeks to bring together researchers working on broad issues related to reasoning under uncertainty. Papers on all aspects of uncertain reasoning were invited. Papers of particular interest included uncertain reasoning formalisms, calculi and methodologies; reasoning with probability, possibility, fuzzy logic, belief function, vagueness, granularity, rough sets, and probability logics; modeling and reasoning using imprecise and indeterminate information, such as Choquet capacities, comparative orderings, convex sets of measures, and interval-valued probabilities; exact, approximate and qualitative uncertain reasoning; graphical models of uncertainty; multiagent uncertain reasoning and decision making; decision-theoretic planning and Markov decision process; temporal reasoning and uncertainty; belief change and merging; nonmonotonic and conditional logics; similarity-based reasoning; and practical applications of uncertain reasoning.

Attribute reduction is viewed as an important preprocessing step for pattern recognition and data mining. Most of researches are focused on attribute reduction by using rough sets. Recently, Tsang et al. discussed attribute reduction with covering rough sets in the paper [E. C.C. Tsang, D. Chen, Daniel S. Yeung, Approximations and reducts with covering generalized rough sets, Computers and Mathematics with Applications 56 (2008) 279-289], where an approach based on discernibility matrix was presented to compute all attribute reducts. In this paper, we provide an improved approach by constructing simpler discernibility matrix with covering rough sets, and then proceed to improve some characterizations of attribute reduction provided by Tsang et al. It is proved that the improved discernible matrix is equivalent to the old one, but the computational complexity of discernible matrix is greatly reduced.