Belief functions on lattices

We extend the notion of belief function to the case where the underlying structure is no more the Boolean lattice of subsets of some universal set, but any lattice, which we will endow with a minimal set of properties according to our needs. We show that all classical constructions and definitions (e.g., mass allocation, commonality function, plausibility functions, necessity measures with nested focal elements, possibility distributions, Dempster rule of combination, decomposition w.r.t. simple support functions, etc.) remain valid in this general setting. Moreover, our proof of decomposition of belief functions into simple support functions is much simpler and general than the original one by Shafer

Representation of preferences over a finite scale by a mean operator

Suppose that a decision maker provides a weak order on a given set of alternatives, each alternative being described by a vector of scores, which are given on a finite ordinal scale $E$. The paper addresses the question of the representation of this weak order by some mean operator, and gives necessary and sufficient conditions for such a representation, with possible shrinking and/or refinement of the scale $E$.preference representation, finite scale, meanoperator, aggregation of scores, refinement of scale

Ensuring the boundedness of the core of games with restricted cooperation

The core of a cooperative game on a set of players N is one of the most popular concept of solution. When cooperation is restricted (feasible coalitions form a subcollection F of 2N), the core may become unbounded, which makes it usage questionable in practice. Our proposal is to make the core bounded by turning some of the inequalities defining the core into equalities (additional efficiency constraints). We address the following mathematical problem : can we find a minimal set of inequalities in the core such that, if turned into equalities, the core becomes bounded ? The new core obtained is called the restricted core. We completely solve the question when F is a distributive lattice, introducing also the notion of restricted Weber set. We show that the case of regular set systems amounts more or less to the case of distributive lattices. We also study the case of weakly union-closed systems and give some results for the general case.Cooperative game, core, restricted cooperation, bounded core, Weber set.

Aggregation on bipolar scales

The paper addresses the problem of extending aggregation operators typically defined on $[0,1]$ to the symmetric interval $[-1,1]$, where the ``0'' value plays a particular role (neutral value). We distinguish the cases where aggregation operators are associative or not. In the former case, the ``0'' value may play the role of neutral or absorbant element, leading to pseudo-addition and pseudo-multiplication. We address also in this category the special case of minimum and maximum defined on some finite ordinal scale. In the latter case, we find that a general class of extended operators can be defined using an interpolation approach, supposing the value of the aggregation to be known for ternary vectors.bipolar scale; bi-capacity; aggregation

How to score alternatives when criteria are scored on an ordinal scale

We address in this paper the problem of scoring alternatives when they are evaluated with respect to several criteria on a finite ordinal scale $E$. We show that in general, the ordinal scale $E$ has to be refined or shrunk in order to be able to represent the preference of the decision maker by an aggregation operator belonging to the family of mean operators. The paper recalls previous theoretical results of the author giving necessary and sufficient conditions for a representation of preferences, and then focusses on describing practical algorithms and examples.ordinal scale, aggregation of scores, mean operator, refinement of scale

Capacities and Games on Lattices: A Survey of Result

We provide a survey of recent developments about capacities (or fuzzy measures) and ccoperative games in characteristic form, when they are defined on more general structures than the usual power set of the universal set, namely lattices. In a first part, we give various possible interpretations and applications of these general concepts, and then we elaborate about the possible definitions of usual tools in these theories, such as the Choquet integral, the Möbius transform, and the Shapley value.capacity, fuzzy measure, game, lattice, Choquet integral,Shapley value

The lattice of embedded subsets

In cooperative game theory, games in partition function form are real-valued function on the set of so-called embedded coalitions, that is, pairs $(S,\pi)$ where $S$ is a subset (coalition) of the set $N$ of players, and $\pi$ is a partition of $N$ containing $S$. Despite the fact that many studies have been devoted to such games, surprisingly nobody clearly defined a structure (i.e., an order) on embedded coalitions, resulting in scattered and divergent works, lacking unification and proper analysis. The aim of the paper is to fill this gap, thus to study the structure of embedded coalitions (called here embedded subsets), and the properties of games in partition function form.Partition; Embedded subset; Game; Valuation; k-monotonicity

The Möbius transform on symmetric ordered structures and its application to capacities on finite sets

Considering a linearly ordered set, we introduce its symmetric version, and endow it with two operations extending supremum and infimum, so as to obtain an algebraic structure close to a commutative ring. We show that imposing symmetry necessarily entails non associativity, hence computing rules are defined in order to deal with non associativity. We study in details computing rules, which we endow with a partial order. This permits to find solutions to the inversion formula underlying the Möbius transform. Then we apply these results to the case of capacities, a notion from decision theory which corresponds, in the language of ordered sets, to order preserving mappings, preserving also top and bottom. In this case, the solution of the inversion formula is called the Möbius transform of the capacity. Properties and examples of Möbius transform of sup-preserving and inf-preserving capacities are given.

The Symmetric Sugeno Integral

We propose an extension of the Sugeno integral for negative numbers, in the spirit of the symmetric extension of Choquet integral, also called \Sipos\ integral. Our framework is purely ordinal, since the Sugeno integral has its interest when the underlying structure is ordinal. We begin by defining negative numbers on a linearly ordered set, and we endow this new structure with a suitable algebra, very close to the ring of real numbers. In a second step, we introduce the Möbius transform on this new structure. Lastly, we define the symmetric Sugeno integral, and show its similarity with the symmetric Choquet integral.