Multicriteria decision making for enhanced perception-based multimedia communication

This paper proposes an approach that integrates technical concerns with user perceptual considerations for intelligent decision making in the construction of tailor-made multimedia communication protocols. Thus, the proposed approach, based on multicriteria decision making (MDM), incorporates not only classical networking considerations, but, indeed, user preferences as well. Furthermore, in keeping with the task-dependent nature consistently identified in multimedia scenarios, the suggested communication protocols also take into account the type of multimedia application that they are transporting. Lastly, this approach also opens the possibility for such protocols to dynamically adapt based on a changing operating environment and user's preferences

Bibliometric analysis of scientific production on methods to aid decision making in the last 40 years

Purpose: Multicriteria methods have gained traction in both academia and industry practices for effective decision-making over the years. This bibliometric study aims to explore and provide an overview of research carried out on multicriteria methods, in its various aspects, over the past forty-four years. Design/Methodology/Approach: The Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases were searched for publications from January 1945 to April 29, 2021, on multicriteria methods in titles, abstracts, and keywords. The bibliographic data were analyzed using the R bibliometrix package. Findings: This bibliometric study asserts that 29,050 authors have produced 20,861 documents on the theme of multicriteria methods in 131 countries in the last forty-four years. Scientific production in this area grows at a rate of 13.88 per year. China is the leading country in publications with 14.14%; India with 10.76%; and Iran with 8.09%. Islamic Azad University leads others with 504 publications, followed by the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University with 456 and the National Institute of Technology with 336. As for journals, Expert Systems With Applications; Sustainability; and Journal of Cleaner Production are the leading journals, which account for more than 4.67% of all indexed literature. Furthermore, Zavadskas E. and Wang J have the highest publications in the multicriteria methods domain regarding the authors. Regarding the most commonly used multicriteria decision-making methods, AHP is the most favored approach among the ten countries with the most publications in this research area, followed by TOPSIS, VIKOR, PROMETHEE, and ANP. Practical implications: The bibliometric literature review method allows the researchers to explore the multicriteria research area more extensively than the traditional literature review method. It enables a large dataset of bibliographic records to be systematically analyzed through statistical measures, yielding informative insights. Originality/value: The usefulness of this bibliometric study is summed in presenting an overview of the topic of the multicriteria methods during the previous forty-four years, allowing other academics to use this research as a starting point for their research

Research productivity of academics in a physiotherapy department: a case study

Objective: Research productivity is an important activity among academics. This study was done to document the research productivity of the academics of a physiotherapy department in South Africa. Method: An archival research design was used to document the research productivity for the physiotherapy department between 2002 and 2009. Data were analysed by two independent reviewers and consensus was reached on the information to be included in the study. Results: Among the nine academics there were 67 publications, 20 articles in progress, 7 under review and 63 conferences attended. While the overall research productivity of the department seems to be good, the bulk of the productivity rests in the hands of the senior academics. Conclusion: There is a need to facilitate the acquisition of research skills in academic staff, particularly in upgrading staff to PhD level and improving publication output

Life Cycle-based Environmental Performance Indicator for the Coal-to-energy Supply Chain: A Chinese Case Application

Coal consumption and energy production (CCEP) has received increasing attention since coal-fired power plants play a dominant role in the power sector worldwide. In China, coal is expected to retain its primary energy position over the next few decades. However, a large share of CO2 emissions and other environmental hazards, such as SO2 and NOx, are attributed to coal consumption. Therefore, understanding the environmental implications of the life cycle of coal from its production in coal mines to its consumption at coal-fired power plants is an essential task. Evaluation of such environmental burdens can be conducted using the life cycle assessment (LCA) tool. The main issues with the traditional LCA results are the lack of a numerical magnitude associated with the performance level of the obtained environmental burden values and the inherent uncertainty associated with the output results. This issue was addressed in this research by integrating the traditional LCA methodology with a weighted fuzzy inference system model, which is applied to a Chinese coal-to-energy supply chain system to demonstrate its applicability and effectiveness. Regarding the coal-to-energy supply chain under investigation, the CCEP environmental performance has been determined as “medium performance”, with an indicator score of 39.15%. Accordingly, the decision makers suggested additional scenarios (redesign, equipment replacement, etc.) to improve the performance. A scenario-based analysis was designed to identify alternative paths to mitigate the environmental impact of the coal-to-energy supply chain. Finally, limitations and possible future work are discussed, and the conclusions are presented

Methodology for the evaluation and design of projects considering multiple criteria and uncertainty. Application to the development of energy projects in rural areas

Tesi en modalitat de compendi de publicacionsIn 2015, the United Nations defined the Sustainable Development Goals in a transition towards a world without poverty and where human rights, equity and sustainability are prioritized. In particular, modern energy services are considered crucial not only to achieve universal access to energy by 2030, but due to their contribution to alleviate chronical poverty, reduce food insecurity, promote the access to modern information in schools and enhance the start of productive activities. However, the aim of global access by 2030 is still far from being complete, with more than 700 million people living in rural areas without access to electricity and using firewood and other polluting traditional biomass for cooking and heating. Decentralized energy systems are gaining attention as a more feasible solution than grid extension to provide energy to rural and inaccessible areas. The evaluation and design of decentralized systems is a complex process that needs to take into account multiple alternatives and criteria to ensure a long-term sustainability, but usually available studies in literature focus exclusively in technical and economic aspects. Also, the minority of studies following a multicriteria decision-making approach underestimate the effect of the potential lack of confidence of the experts and users consulted to weight the importance of each criterion or to evaluate a specific alternative. In this context, the objective of this thesis is to develop multicriteria procedures considering uncertainty to increase the robustness of the results. These procedures are applied to projects that foster access to energy services and promote therefore the development of rural and underprivileged areas. The thesis begins with two multicriteria procedures presented for the evaluation and the design, respectively, of rural electrification projects. These procedures are applied to two real case studies in Peru and Nigeria. Both applications provide valuable insights, for local authorities and other promoters of electrification systems in similar contexts, regarding which technologies and configurations to use in determined circumstances. At the same time, the analysis carried out enable an improvement regarding the robustness of results through the consideration of the lack of confidence of the opinions collected about the importance of the criteria and the evaluation of the alternatives. In this regard, A Methodology for Multicriteria Decision-making considering Uncertainty (MIMDU) is then developed based on fuzzy numbers to include the lack of confidence experts and users might have when weighting a criterion or evaluating an alternative. The methodology designed includes a novel procedure to quantify human opinions with non-pre-defined fuzzy numbers and a systematic process to calculate diverse rankings of alternatives and provide complimentary information that leads to a more robust decision-making. Indeed, the potential of the methodology is illustrated with an example case that shows how the lack of confidence can affect the alternatives ranking and the subsequent decision. Finally, the methodology is applied to a real case study in Colombia to select the best alternative for digestate post-treatment before its application to agricultural soil as a fertilizer. The use of MIMDU presents three major beneficial outcomes for multicriteria decision-making to foster rural development. First, the consideration of the lack of confidence of the respondents can reduce the pressure they might feel when providing an answer without complete knowledge. Second, it allows a more accurate quantification of the opinions given, turning, for example, more hesitant answers into less reliable evaluations of an alternative, that worsens its final ranking. And third, more robust decisions can be taken due to the major precision in the modelling of opinions and the possibility of comparing crisp and fuzzy-based rankings of the alternatives.Dins dels objectius de desenvolupament sostenibles, els serveis energètics moderns es consideren crucials no només per aconseguir l'accés universal a l'energia el 2030, sinó per la seva contribució a pal·liar la pobresa crònica, reduir la inseguretat alimentària, promoure l'accés a la informació moderna a les escoles i permetre l'inici d'activitats productives. Tot i això, l’objectiu d’accés mundial per al 2030 encara està lluny d’acomplir-se, ja que més de 700 milions de persones viuen a les zones rurals sense accés a l’electricitat i utilitzen llenya i altres biomasses tradicionals contaminants per cuinar i escalfar. Els sistemes energètics descentralitzats guanyen pes respecte l’extensió de la xarxa per proporcionar energia a zones rurals i inaccessibles. L’avaluació i el disseny d’aquests sistemes és un procés complex que ha de tenir en compte múltiples alternatives i criteris per garantir una sostenibilitat a llarg termini, però els estudis de literatura disponibles generalment se centren exclusivament en aspectes tècniques i econòmiques. A més, la minoria d’estudis que segueixen un enfocament multicriteri subestimen l’efecte de la manca de confiança potencial dels experts i usuaris consultats per ponderar la importància de cada criteri o avaluar una alternativa específica. En aquest context, l'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és desenvolupar procediments multicriteri considerant la incertesa per afavorir l’obtenció de resultats robustos. Aquests procediments s’apliquen a projectes que afavoreixen l’accés als serveis energètics i promouen, per tant, el desenvolupament de zones rurals i desfavorides. La tesi comença amb dos procediments multicriteri presentats per a l'avaluació i el disseny, respectivament, de projectes d'electrificació rural. Aquests procediments s'apliquen a dos casos pràctics reals al Perú i Nigèria. Ambdues aplicacions proporcionen informació valuosa, per a les autoritats locals i altres promotors de sistemes d’electrificació en contextos similars, sobre quines tecnologies i configuracions a utilitzar en determinades circumstàncies. Al mateix temps, les anàlisis realitzades permeten una millora en quant a la solidesa dels resultats mitjançant la consideració de la manca de confiança de les opinions recollides sobre la importància dels criteris i l’avaluació de les alternatives. Per fer-ho, es desenvolupa una metodologia per a la presa de decisions multicriteri que té en compte la incertesa (MIMDU) basada en nombres difusos per incloure la manca de confiança que els experts i usuaris podrien tenir quan ponderen un criteri o avaluen una alternativa. La metodologia dissenyada inclou un nou procediment per quantificar opinions humanes amb nombres difusos no predefinits i un procés sistemàtic per calcular diversos rànquings d’alternatives i proporcionar informació complementària que condueix a una presa de decisions més robusta. De fet, el potencial de la metodologia s’il·lustra amb un cas d’exemple que mostra com la manca de confiança pot afectar el rànquing d’alternatives i la decisió posterior. Finalment, la metodologia s'aplica a un estudi de cas real a Colòmbia per seleccionar la millor alternativa per al post-tractament del digestat abans de la seva aplicació a sòl agrícola com a fertilitzant. L’ús de MIMDU presenta tres grans beneficis per a la presa de decisions multicriteri per fomentar el desenvolupament rural. En primer lloc, la consideració de la manca de confiança dels enquestats pot reduir la pressió que podrien sentir al donar una resposta sense coneixement complet. En segon lloc, permet una quantificació més precisa de les opinions donades, convertint, per exemple, respostes més dubtoses en avaluacions menys fiables d’una alternativa, que empitjora la seva classificació final. I, en tercer lloc, es poden prendre decisions més robustes a causa de la precisió en la modelització d’opinionsEn 2015, la Organización de las Naciones Unidas definió los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible en una transición hacia un mundo sin pobreza y donde se priorizan los derechos humanos, la equidad y la sostenibilidad. En particular, los servicios energéticos modernos se consideran cruciales no solo para lograr el acceso universal a la energía en 2030, sino por su contribución para aliviar la pobreza crónica, reducir la inseguridad alimentaria, promover el acceso a la información en las escuelas y permitir el inicio de actividades productivas. Sin embargo, el objetivo de acceso global a la energía para 2030 aún está lejos de ser completo, con más de 700 millones de personas viviendo en áreas rurales sin acceso a electricidad y utilizando leña y otra biomasa tradicional contaminante, para cocinar y calentar. Los sistemas de energía descentralizados están ganando peso respecto a la extensión de la red para proporcionar energía a áreas rurales e inaccesibles. La evaluación y el diseño de sistemas descentralizados es un proceso complejo que precisa considerar múltiples alternativas y criterios para que sea sostenible a largo plazo, pero los estudios disponibles en la literatura generalmente se enfocan exclusivamente en aspectos técnicos y económicos. Asimismo, la minoría de estudios que siguen un enfoque de toma de decisiones multicriterio subestiman el efecto de la potencial falta de confianza de los expertos y usuarios consultados para ponderar la importancia de cada criterio o para evaluar una alternativa específica. En este contexto, el objetivo de esta tesis es desarrollar procedimientos multicriterio considerando la incertidumbre para aumentar la robustez de los resultados. Estos procedimientos se aplican a proyectos que fomentan el acceso a los servicios energéticos y, por tanto, promueven el desarrollo de zonas rurales y desfavorecidas. La tesis comienza con dos procedimientos multicriterio presentados para la evaluación y el diseño, respectivamente, de proyectos de electrificación rural. Estos procedimientos se aplican a dos estudios de casos reales en Perú y Nigeria. Ambas aplicaciones pueden proporcionar información valiosa, para las autoridades locales y otros promotores de sistemas de electrificación en contextos similares, sobre qué tecnologías y configuraciones utilizar en determinadas circunstancias. Al mismo tiempo, los análisis realizados permiten una mejora en cuanto a la robustez de los resultados a través de la consideración de la falta de confianza de las opiniones recogidas acerca de la importancia de los criterios y de la evaluación de las alternativas. Para ello, se desarrolla una Metodología para la toma de decisiones multicriterio considerando la incertidumbre (MIMDU) basada en números difusos para incluir la falta de confianza que los expertos y los usuarios pueden tener al ponderar un criterio o evaluar una alternativa La metodología diseñada incluye un procedimiento novedoso para cuantificar opiniones humanas con números difusos no predefinidos y un proceso sistemático para proponer rankings de alternativas y brindar información complementaria que conduce a una toma de decisiones más robusta. El potencial de la metodología se ilustra con un caso de ejemplo que muestra cómo la falta de confianza puede afectar el ranking de alternativas y la decisión posterior. Finalmente, la metodología diseñada se aplica a un estudio de caso real en Colombia para seleccionar la mejor alternativa para el digestato post-tratamiento previo a su aplicación al suelo agrícola como fertilizante. El uso de MIMDU presenta tres importantes beneficios para la toma de decisiones multicriterio en contextos de desarrollo rural. En primer lugar, la consideración de la falta de confianza de los encuestados puede reducir la presión al dar una respuesta sin un conocimiento completo. En segundo lugar, permite una cuantificación más precisa de las opiniones emitidas, convirtiendo, por ejemplo, respuestas más vacilantes en valoraciones menos fiables de una alternativa, que empeora su clasificación final. Y tercero, se pueden tomar decisiones más sólidas debido a la mayor precisión en el modelado de opiniones y la posibilidad de comparar rankings deterministas y difusos de las alternativas.Postprint (published version

Geosimulation and Multicriteria Modelling of Residential Land Development in the City of Tehran: A Comparative Analysis of Global and Local Models

Conventional models for simulating land-use patterns are insufficient in addressing complex dynamics of urban systems. A new generation of urban models, inspired by research on cellular automata and multi-agent systems, has been proposed to address the drawbacks of conventional modelling. This new generation of urban models is called geosimulation. Geosimulation attempts to model macro-scale patterns using micro-scale urban entities such as vehicles, homeowners, and households. The urban entities are represented by agents in the geosimulation modelling. Each type of agents has different preferences and priorities and shows different behaviours. In the land-use modelling context, the behaviour of agents is their ability to evaluate the suitability of parcels of land using a number of factors (criteria and constraints), and choose the best land(s) for a specific purpose. Multicriteria analysis provides a set of methods and procedures that can be used in the geosimulation modelling to describe the behaviours of agents. There are three main objectives of this research. First, a framework for integrating multicriteria models into geosimulation procedures is developed to simulate residential development in the City of Tehran. Specifically, the local form of multicriteria models is used as a method for modelling agents’ behaviours. Second, the framework is tested in the context of residential land development in Tehran between 1996 and 2006. The empirical research is focused on identifying the spatial patterns of land suitability for residential development taking into account the preferences of three groups of actors (agents): households, developers, and local authorities. Third, a comparative analysis of the results of the geosimulation-multicriteria models is performed. A number of global and local geosimulation-multicriteria models (scenarios) of residential development in Tehran are defined and then the results obtained by the scenarios are evaluated and examined. The output of each geosimulation-multicriteria model is compared to the results of other models and to the actual pattern of land-use in Tehran. The analysis is focused on comparing the results of the local and global geosimulation-multicriteria models. Accuracy measures and spatial metrics are used in the comparative analysis. The results suggest that, in general, the local geosimulation-multicriteria models perform better than the global methods

Mathematical Fuzzy Logic in the Emerging Fields of Engineering, Finance, and Computer Sciences

Mathematical fuzzy logic (MFL) specifically targets many-valued logic and has significantly contributed to the logical foundations of fuzzy set theory (FST). It explores the computational and philosophical rationale behind the uncertainty due to imprecision in the backdrop of traditional mathematical logic. Since uncertainty is present in almost every real-world application, it is essential to develop novel approaches and tools for efficient processing. This book is the collection of the publications in the Special Issue “Mathematical Fuzzy Logic in the Emerging Fields of Engineering, Finance, and Computer Sciences”, which aims to cover theoretical and practical aspects of MFL and FST. Specifically, this book addresses several problems, such as:- Industrial optimization problems- Multi-criteria decision-making- Financial forecasting problems- Image processing- Educational data mining- Explainable artificial intelligence, etc

A Multicriteria Framework for Benchmarking Sustainability Performance of Organizations

Sustainability involves meeting the needs of present generation without compromising the requirements of future generations. It involves focus on three main pillars: economic, environmental and social for realizing overall performance. Sustainability assessment is very essential for business organizations to improve their competition capacity. Majority of them are moving towards sustainability practices for corporate progress and improving the business appearance for long term effectiveness, thereby receiving economic benefits as well. In this thesis, we propose a multi-criteria framework for benchmarking sustainability performance of organizations. The indicators for evaluation are obtained using Sustainalytics database. Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) are used to generate sustainability rankings and determine targets for improvement. The proposed techniques are applied to evaluate performance of 24 companies in two major sectors: manufacturing and service. The selected companies come from the Canadian market. The results of TOPSIS study show manufacturing sector to be doing better than the service sector with average Relative Closeness (Ci) values as 0.5 and 0.36 respectively. The DEA method identified 10 inefficient companies in each sector and provided targets for improvement. Future work can involve integration of financial Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), cross-sector investigation and involvement of Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques such as Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for criteria weighting in the proposed study