A Constructive Proof of Fundamental Theory for Fuzzy Variable Linear Programming Problems

Two existing methods for solving fuzzy variable linear programming problems based on ranking functions are the fuzzy primal simplex method proposed by Mahdavi-Amiri et al. (2009) and the fuzzy dual simplex method proposed by Mahdavi-Amiri and Nasseri (2007). In this paper, we prove that in the absence of degeneracy these fuzzy methods stop in a finite number of iterations. Moreover, we generalize the fundamental theorem of linear programming in a crisp environment to a fuzzy one. Finally, we illustrate our proof using a numerical example

Measurement of spin-dependent conductivities in a two-dimensional electron gas

Spin accumulation is generated by injecting an unpolarized charge current into a channel of GaAs two-dimensional electron gas subject to an in-plane magnetic field, then measured in a non-local geometry. Unlike previous measurements that have used spin-polarized nanostructures, here the spin accumulation arises simply from the difference in bulk conductivities for spin-up and spin-down carriers. Comparison to a diffusive model that includes spin subband splitting in magnetic field suggests a significantly enhanced electron spin susceptibility in the 2D electron gas

Holstein polaron in the presence of disorder

Non-local, inhomogeneous and retarded response observed in experiments is reproduced by introducing the Inhomogeneous Momentum Average (IMA) method to study single polaron problems with disorder in the on-site potential and/or spatial variations of the electron-phonon couplings and/or phonon frequencies. We show that the electron-phonon coupling gives rise to an additional inhomogeneous, strongly retarded potential, which makes instant approximations questionable. The accuracy of IMA is demonstrated by comparison with results from the approximation free Diagrammatic Monte Carlo (DMC) method. Its simplicity allows for easy study of many problems that were previously unaccessible. As an example, we show how inhomogeneities in the electron-phonon coupling lead to nonlocal, retarded response in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Fuzzy Efficiency Measures in Data Envelopment Analysis Using Lexicographic Multiobjective Approach

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.There is an extensive literature in data envelopment analysis (DEA) aimed at evaluating the relative efficiency of a set of decision-making units (DMUs). Conventional DEA models use definite and precise data while real-life problems often consist of some ambiguous and vague information, such as linguistic terms. Fuzzy sets theory can be effectively used to handle data ambiguity and vagueness in DEA problems. This paper proposes a novel fully fuzzified DEA (FFDEA) approach where, in addition to input and output data, all the variables are considered fuzzy, including the resulting efficiency scores. A lexicographic multi-objective linear programming (MOLP) approach is suggested to solve the fuzzy models proposed in this study. The contribution of this paper is fivefold: (1) both fuzzy Constant and Variable Returns to Scale models are considered to measure fuzzy efficiencies; (2) a classification scheme for DMUs, based on their fuzzy efficiencies, is defined with three categories; (3) fuzzy input and output targets are computed for improving the inefficient DMUs; (4) a super-efficiency FFDEA model is also formulated to rank the fuzzy efficient DMUs; and (5) the proposed approach is illustrated, and compared with existing methods, using a dataset from the literature

Optimal Design of a Sustainable Hydrogen Supply Chain Network: Application in an Airport Ecosystem

Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies are one solution foraddressing the challenges that major airports are facing today, such asupward price trends of liquid hydrocarbon fuels, greenhouse gasemission regulations, and stricter noise and air pollutant emissionregulations, especially for on-ground pollution. An airport can also beviewed as the center of a hydrogen ecosystem, around which multiplehydrogen users could be clustered, with cost sharing of hydrogenproduction and storage occurring among users. The main novelty of thepresent work is the design of a hydrogen infrastructure irrigated by theairport ecosystem that satisfies the airport ecosystem energy needs. Forthis purpose, the model development is based on a multiobjectiveoptimization framework designed to consider four echelons: energysources, hydrogen production, transportation, and storage. Themultiperiod problem is then solved using theε-constraint method.Two objective functions are involved, that is, the total daily cost (TDC) of the network and an environmental indicator basedon the global warming potential. The second innovative contribution is to model the demand uncertainty using fuzzy conceptsfor a hydrogen supply chain design. Because hydrogen demand is one the most significant parameters, the uncertainty of thedemand has been considered using a proposed fuzzy linear programming strategy. The solutions are compared with the originalcrisp model, giving more robustness to the proposed approach. This work has been performed in the framework of the Hyportmeta-project and, in particular, within the“H2modeling”project. This paper focuses on a hydrogen airport ecosystem located inthe department of Hautes-Pyrénées (France). However, the developed methodology could be extended to other hydrogenecosystems for which deployment involves a multiperiod multi-objective formulation under an uncertain deman

Evaluation of culturally-familiar odorants for a Persian smell identification test

Introduction: Processing odor information by the olfactory system depends greatly on the odor concentration. In order to use an odorant in a smell identification test (SIT), the minimum identification concentration (MIC) needs to be determined. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in 60 healthy native individuals aged 20 to 60 years, selected from patients' companions in a tertiary hospital. In the first step, 25 odorants were presented to evaluate familiarity among the subjects. Then, the MICs for the eligible odorants were measured using the ascending method of limits. Results: Out of 25 odorants, only one (cacao) was distinguished by less than 70 of the subjects, and was therefore removed from the list. The MICs of the remaining 24 odorants ranged from 6.87±2.74 for menthol to 27.62±18.98 for cantaloupe. There was significant correlation between age and the MIC only for coffee (P=0.02, r=-0.300). There was a significant difference in MIC between men and women only for hazelnut (P=0.03). Conclusion: We present the MICs of 24 culturally-familiar odorants in a sample of the Persian population in a SIT

Evaluation of culturally-familiar odorants for a Persian smell identification test

Introduction: Processing odor information by the olfactory system depends greatly on the odor concentration. In order to use an odorant in a smell identification test (SIT), the minimum identification concentration (MIC) needs to be determined. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in 60 healthy native individuals aged 20 to 60 years, selected from patients' companions in a tertiary hospital. In the first step, 25 odorants were presented to evaluate familiarity among the subjects. Then, the MICs for the eligible odorants were measured using the ascending method of limits. Results: Out of 25 odorants, only one (cacao) was distinguished by less than 70 of the subjects, and was therefore removed from the list. The MICs of the remaining 24 odorants ranged from 6.87±2.74 for menthol to 27.62±18.98 for cantaloupe. There was significant correlation between age and the MIC only for coffee (P=0.02, r=-0.300). There was a significant difference in MIC between men and women only for hazelnut (P=0.03). Conclusion: We present the MICs of 24 culturally-familiar odorants in a sample of the Persian population in a SIT

Estimation of radiation dose-reduction factor for cerium oxide nanoparticles in MRC-5 human lung fibroblastic cells and MCF-7 breast-cancer cells

In the current study, radiation dose-reduction factor (DRF) of nanoceria or cerium oxide nanoparticles (CONPs) in MRC-5 Human Lung Fibroblastic Cells and MCF-7 Breast-Cancer Cells was estimated. Characterization of CONPs was determined using scanner electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and spectrophotometer. Then, six plans were designed with different radiation dose values on planning target value. The obtained MRC-5 and MCF-7 cells were treated with non-toxic concentrations of CONPs and then exposed. Finally, cell viability () of the cell lines was determined using MTT assay. The findings showed that CONPs have no significant radioprotective effect against 10 cGy radiation dose value. Nevertheless, 70 μM CONPs resulted in a significant radioprotection against 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 cGy radiation dose values compared with the control group in MRC-5 cells. For all radiation dose values, mean cell viability () of MCF-7 had not increased significantly at the presence of nanoceria compared with control group. According to the findings, it was revealed that the use of CONPs have a significant radioprotective effect on normal lung cells, while they do not provide any protection for MCF-7 cancer cells. These properties can help to increase therapeutic ratio of radiotherapy. © 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group