Fuzzy rule-based models in epidemiology

Abstract

Mathematical models are, in essence, theoretical structures that describe the behavior of real systems through the quantification and manipulation of variables. These models have been widely applied in several areas, aiming to the elaboration of forecasts, analysis of information, treatment of data, control of systems, and evaluation of hypotheses and strategies. In this sense, mathematical modeling have importantly contributed to decision making process. Chapter 3 presents an overview of mathematical modeling and its aspects in epidemiology, introducing the basic concepts of some classic models, that is, models based on the classical logic axioms, and discuss the problems to modeling uncertainties when a more realistic scenario is considered. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.