A framework for rule-base evidential reasoning in the interval setting applied to diagnosing type 2 diabetes

A new framework for rule-base evidential reasoning in the interval setting is presented. While developing this framework, two collateral problems such as combining and normalizing interval-valued belief structures from different sources and comparing resulting belief intervals, the bounds of which are intervals, arise. The first problem is solved with the use of the so-called interval extended zero method. It is shown that interval valued results of the proposed approach to combining and normalizing interval-valued belief structures are enclosed in those obtained by known methods and possess three desirable intuitively obvious properties of normalization procedure defined in the paper. The second problem is solved using the method for interval comparison based on the Demposter-Shafer theory providing the interval valued results of comparison. The advantages of the proposed framework for rule-base evidential reasoning in the interval setting are demonstrated using the developed expert system for diagnosing type 2 diabetes. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.