A framework for the selection of the right nuclear power plant

Civil nuclear reactors are used for the production of electrical energy. In the nuclear industry vendors propose several nuclear reactor designs with a size from 35–45 MWe up to 1600–1700 MWe. The choice of the right design is a multidimensional problem since a utility has to include not only financial factors as levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) and internal rate of return (IRR), but also the so called “external factors” like the required spinning reserve, the impact on local industry and the social acceptability. Therefore it is necessary to balance advantages and disadvantages of each design during the entire life cycle of the plant, usually 40–60 years. In the scientific literature there are several techniques for solving this multidimensional problem. Unfortunately it does not seem possible to apply these methodologies as they are, since the problem is too complex and it is difficult to provide consistent and trustworthy expert judgments. This paper fills the gap, proposing a two-step framework to choosing the best nuclear reactor at the pre-feasibility study phase. The paper shows in detail how to use the methodology, comparing the choice of a small-medium reactor (SMR) with a large reactor (LR), characterised, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (2006), by an electrical output respectively lower and higher than 700 MWe

Fuzzy Decision-Support System for Safeguarding Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage

In the current world economic situation, the maintenance of built heritage has been limited due to a lack of funds and accurate tools for proper management and implementation of these actions. However, in specific local areas, the maintenance and conservation of historical and cultural heritage have become an investment opportunity. In this sense, in this study, a new tool is proposed, for the estimation of the functional service life of heritage buildings in a local region (city of Seville, South Spain). This tool is developed in Art-Risk research project and consists of a free software to evaluate decisions in regional policies, planning and management of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, considering physical, environmental, economic and social resources. This tool provides a ranking of priority of intervention among case studies belonging to a particular urban context. This information is particularly relevant for the stakeholders responsible for the management of maintenance plans in built heritage

Matrix formulation of fuzzy rule-based systems

In this paper, a matrix formulation of fuzzy rule based systems is introduced. A gradient descent training algorithm for the determination of the unknown parameters can also be expressed in a matrix form for various adaptive fuzzy networks. When converting a rule-based system to the proposed matrix formulation, only three sets of linear/nonlinear equations are required instead of set of rules and an inference mechanism. There are a number of advantages which the matrix formulation has compared with the linguistic approach. Firstly, it obviates the differences among the various architectures; and secondly, it is much easier to organize data in the implementation or simulation of the fuzzy system. The formulation will be illustrated by a number of examples

A Study on Green Economy Indicators and Modeling: Russian Context

This article aims to assess and forecast the dynamics of a regional green economy. The research relevance is determined by the need to develop theoretical and methodological basis of the green economy for the transition period and to identify criteria basis for assessing the state and regional level of it. The authors applied the modern methods, which allowed to model criteria considering data uncertainty and both static and dynamic criteria. The research process involved the methods of scientific analysis, comparison and synthesis, the theory of fuzzy sets, and fuzzy modeling. The main principles and methodology of the criteria evaluation for a regional green economy are proposed. The principal methodological approach in this research combines the current state and dynamics of the green economy in evaluating and forecasting the conditions of data uncertainty. The research results form a theoretical, methodological, and practical basis for assessing the current state and level of a regional green economy development, determining the effectiveness of environmental and economic programs, optimizing financial management, conducting environmental monitoring, and developing state plans.The research was funded by the grant of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation to Perm National Research Polytechnic University # 26.6884.2017/8.9 "Sustainable development of urban areas and the improvement of the human environment.

A Study on Green Economy Indicators and Modeling: Russian Context

This article aims to assess and forecast the dynamics of a regional green economy. The research relevance is determined by the need to develop theoretical and methodological basis of the green economy for the transition period and to identify criteria basis for assessing the state and regional level of it. The authors applied the modern methods, which allowed to model criteria considering data uncertainty and both static and dynamic criteria. The research process involved the methods of scientific analysis, comparison and synthesis, the theory of fuzzy sets, and fuzzy modeling. The main principles and methodology of the criteria evaluation for a regional green economy are proposed. The principal methodological approach in this research combines the current state and dynamics of the green economy in evaluating and forecasting the conditions of data uncertainty. The research results form a theoretical, methodological, and practical basis for assessing the current state and level of a regional green economy development, determining the effectiveness of environmental and economic programs, optimizing financial management, conducting environmental monitoring, and developing state plans.The research was funded by the grant of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation to Perm National Research Polytechnic University # 26.6884.2017/8.9 "Sustainable development of urban areas and the improvement of the human environment.

Hierarchical fuzzy logic based approach for object tracking

In this paper a novel tracking approach based on fuzzy concepts is introduced. A methodology for both single and multiple object tracking is presented. The aim of this methodology is to use these concepts as a tool to, while maintaining the needed accuracy, reduce the complexity usually involved in object tracking problems. Several dynamic fuzzy sets are constructed according to both kinematic and non-kinematic properties that distinguish the object to be tracked. Meanwhile kinematic related fuzzy sets model the object's motion pattern, the non-kinematic fuzzy sets model the object's appearance. The tracking task is performed through the fusion of these fuzzy models by means of an inference engine. This way, object detection and matching steps are performed exclusively using inference rules on fuzzy sets. In the multiple object methodology, each object is associated with a confidence degree and a hierarchical implementation is performed based on that confidence degree.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio