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The purpose of the proposed thesis is to:1. Define expert systems and discuss various implementation techniques for the components of expert systems. This includes discussion on knowledge representation, inference methods, methods for dealing with uncertainty, and methods of explanation. Specifically, the focus will be on the implementation of rule-based expert systems;2. Apply selected expert system techniques to a case study. The case study will be a rule-based expert system in Prolog to recognize and identify musical chords from tonal harmony. The system will have a general knowledge base containing fundamental rules about chord construction. It will also contain some knowledge that will allow it to deduce non-trivial chords. Furthermore, it will contain procedures to deal with uncertainty and explanation;3. Explain general concepts about music theory and tonal chord classification to put the case study in context; and4. Discuss the limitations of expert systems based on the results of the case study and the current literature. / Department of Computer Science

An expert system has been constructed for the purpose of assisting in the design and analysis of direct gain passive solar environments. This system has been constructed for the use of senior undergraduate architecture students in a computer-based design studio. The primary use of the system is in the role of an educational tool which generates design recommendations from user input and predicts some physical characteristics of the environment.The system is applicable to passive solar environments with vertical, south-facing glazing. The system incorporates three models. The first model represents an attached sunspace with no thermal mass storage. The second model represents a direct gain living space. The third model represents a direct gain living space integrated with thermal mass storage. The third model allows the use of floors, ceilings, and walls as mass for thermal storage. Four representative mass materials (concrete, adobe, common brick, and dense concrete masonry) have been included for comparison purposes. Four representative sub-climates are also incorporated into the system: cold / arid, hot / arid, hot / humid, and cool / humid. For educational purposes, the system makes separate calculations for identical structures based on models for inhabited and uninhabited cases.The system incorporates scientific and mathematical relationships as well as rulesof thumb which have demonstrated their applicability to passive solar design. The system performs calculations based on work by Balcomb, et al. [5, 9], and Duffle and Beckman [1], to estimate environmental temperature swings, total solar energy input, and thermal absorption by mass storage elements. The system also utilizes models based upon work by Mazria [4] to recommend glazing areas. Recommended glazing areas are calculated from user input variables such as structure type, site latitude, and floor area.The system's ease of use allows it to be adapted for various classroom goals, and its generalized nature permits the instructor to adapt it easily into different areas of architectural design curricula. The system is written for use with the CLIPS expert system shell. / Department of Physics and Astronomy

Two empirical studies are presented which investigated Sexpert, a rule-based expert system for the treatment of couple sexual dysfunctions. The following hypotheses were evaluated: (1) couples' attitudes towards computerized psychotherapy would improve subsequent to an interaction with Sexpert, (2) couples would find Sexpert more engaging than other sources of information, (3) couples interacting with Sexpert would report learning more about their relationship than those exposed to other sources of information, and (4) Sexpert could influence the sexual behavior of volunteer couples. The research hypotheses were tested in 2 studies (81 & 77 couples respectively) which compared the effects of Sexpert, a sex education book and video, and a therapist, with a no-information control (crossword puzzles). A rigorous statistical analysis of the reliability of couples' self-report of their sexual behavior was made. In study 1, positive attitude shifts towards Sexpert were replicated with semantic differential as well as dissimilarity scales. In study 2, positive attitude shifts were only demonstrated via a ranking methodology. Sexpert was reported to be the most engaging of the experimental manipulations tested in either study. Couples provided with information via Sexpert, video, book, or therapist retrospectively reported significant positive changes in communication, sexuality, feelings, and relationship satisfaction. The highest change ratings were given by participants in the therapist group, followed by the Sexpert, video and book groups. Participants also reported significant learning about many aspects of their relationship and sexuality; however, there were no significant differences between the Sexpert, video, and therapist conditions. The sexual behavior monitoring data did not corroborate retrospectively reported changes in behavior. These inconsistencies in behavioral reporting were attributed to couple reactivity to the monitoring of sexual behavior and to s

New Zealand�s main export earnings come from the primary production area including agriculture, horticulture, and viticulture. One of the major contributors in this area of horticulture is the production of quality export grade fruit; specifically apples. In order to maintain a competitive advantage, the systems and methods used to grow the fruit are constantly being refined and are increasingly based on data collected and analysed by both the orchardist who grows the produce and also researchers who refine the methods used to determine high levels of fruit quality. To support the task of data analysis and the resulting decision-making process it requires efficient and reliable tools. This thesis attempts to address this issue by applying the techniques of Connectionist-Based Intelligent Information Systems (CBIIS) for Image Analysis and Knowledge Discovery. Using advanced neurocomputing techniques and a novel knowledge engineering methodology, this thesis attempts to seek some solutions to a set of specific problems that exist within the horticultural domain. In particular it describes a methodology based on previous research into neuro-fuzzy systems for knowledge acquisition, manipulation, and extraction and furthers this area by introducing a novel and innovative knowledge-based architecture for knowledge-discovery using an on-line/real-time incremental learning system based on the Evolving Connectionist System (ECOS) paradigm known as the Evolving Fuzzy Neural Network (EFuNN). The emphases of this work highlights knowledge discovery from these data sets using a novel rule insertion and rule extraction method. The advantage of this method is that it can operate on data sets of limited sizes. This method can be used to validate the results produced by the EFuNN and also allow for greater insight into what aspects of the collected data contribute to the development of high quality produce.

Thesis (MEng)--University of South Australia, 1994

Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 1997

Thesis (MSc(Comp & InfoSc))--University of South Australia, 1998

Thesis (MEng (Electronic Eng))--University of South Australia, 1994