8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of applying the rule-based expert system comprises evaluating the set of rules in a sequence such that rules whose conditional premises are fully known are evaluated before the rules whose conditional premises are not fully known.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the set of rules includes a first rule and a second rule that relies on a conclusion of the first rule, and wherein the first rule is evaluated before the second rule.