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In today's competitive environment, industries are required to increase reliability and safety level of their equipment with reasonable cost. Consequently, it is essential to select the appropriate maintenance strategy. In the paper industry, pumping of cooked pulp requires abrasion- and sometimes corrosion-resistant pumps that are able to handle up to 70 % solids content. But the maintenance engineer and supervisor often face failures of the pump. Hence, this article describes the application of multi criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique for the selection of optimum maintenance strategy for pumps used in the paper industry. The proposed hybrid MCDM model comprises fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), grey relational analysis (GRA), and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) technique. The FAHP is used to compute the criteria weights whereas GRA-TOPSIS is used for determining the ranking of alternatives. This study discusses four maintenance strategies: corrective maintenance, predictive maintenance, time-based preventive maintenance, and condition-based maintenance. Four main criteria-safety, cost, added value, and feasibility-have been used to evaluate the optimum maintenance strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic and comprehensive understanding of stakeholder relationships is the key component for achieving social sustainability of brownfield regeneration (BR), which has not been recognized by existing researches. Based on the widely acknowledged idea of social networks, this paper proposes a systematic research framework for the analysis of stakeholder relationships, with a focus on the dynamic and networked nature of relationships. The relationship network of stakeholders in BR is considered from three aspects: identifying the stakeholders and relationships among them, quantifying stakeholder relationships, and analyzing relationships network structure. The proposed stakeholder relationships analysis framework uses empirical methods (i.e., interviews and surveys), rationalistic methods (i.e., fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and social network analysis (SNA)) to analyze stakeholder relationships. To demonstrate the usability of the proposed framework, we apply it to the BR in China. The results show that: (1) it is feasible to mine the relationships of stakeholders from the social network perspective; (2) from the individual network aspect, the government, developers, government are at the core of the network with the highest network centrality during the recycling and contamination treatment stage, the construction stage and the use stage, respectively; (3) from the local network aspect, different cohesive subgroups with strong linkages are formed throughout the life cycle of BR; (4) from the overall network aspect, the highest density of the use stage means that there is good cohesion among stakeholders at this stage; the centralization of the construction stage is the highest, indicating that the stakeholders have relatively concentrated network power and loose relationships. The paper puts forward suggestions for improving the network structure of stakeholder relationships, including strengthening the network relationship between the government and environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs), improving the monitoring efficiency and network status of news media, establishing a construction consulting platform that effectively serves the public and end-users, forming the alliances among end-users, the public and ENGOs and enhancing the relationship network stability. Overall, this study helps to clarify stakeholder relationships by providing a systematic framework to encourage better stakeholder engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assembly process is generally considered one of the primary factors influencing the quality of complex products. Currently, most existing quality-integrated diagnostic methods for products tend to deteriorate over different processes and degrade over time. To address this issue, this paper introduces a systematic quality-integrated diagnostic method for complex product assembly processes. First, the influence factors and error sources in the complex assembly process are analyzed using the 5M1E and FAHP methodologies. Next, similarity-based multi-task clustering and dismantling using RGMM is applied to divide the assembly tasks. Finally, MMD-MSE is employed to develop a quality prediction model for the complex assembly process using a spatial–temporal transfer learning approach. Experiments were conducted on an array antenna assembly task, comparing the proposed method with conventional methods. The results show that the accuracy and PrUP of the proposed model are 97.6% and 95.2%, respectively, for the quality-integrated diagnostic of complex assembly processes, with a fluctuation in accuracy of less than 6%. The diagnostic results effectively meet expert evaluations and provide a stable, reliable, and practical solution for addressing quality fluctuations in complex production assembly processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a growing social commerce adoption trend among SMEs for few years. However, it is often a challenging strategic task for SMEs to choose the right type of social commerce. SMEs usually have a limited budget, technical skills and resources and want to maximise productivity with those limited resources. There is much literature that discusses the social commerce adoption strategy for SMEs. However, there is no work to enable SMEs to choose social commerce—onsite/offsite or hybrid strategy. Moreover, very few studies allow the decision-makers to handle uncertain, complex nonlinear relationships of social commerce adoption factors. The paper proposes a fuzzy linguistic multi-criteria group decision-making in a complex framework for onsite, offsite social commerce adoption to address the problem. The proposed approach uses a novel hybrid approach by combining FAHP, FOWA and selection criteria of the technological–organisation–environment (TOE) framework. Unlike previous methods, the proposed approach uses the decision maker's attitudinal characteristics and recommends intelligently using the OWA operator. The approach further demonstrates the decision behaviour of the decision-makers with Fuzzy Minimum (FMin), Fuzzy Maximum (FMax), Laplace criteria, Hurwicz criteria, FWA, FOWA and FPOWA. The framework enables the SMEs to choose the right type of social commerce considering TOE factors that help them build a stronger relationship with current and potential customers. The approach's applicability is demonstrated using a case study of three SMEs seeking to adopt a social commerce type. The analysis results indicate the proposed approach's effectiveness in handling uncertain, complex nonlinear decisions in social commerce adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) largely depends on effective data dissemination among vehicles. In this context, VANETs can be a great help for Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) users travelling in a vehicle for prompt and reliable transfer of alert messages to the caregivers. This research paper aims to minimize the delay of alert message dissemination and maximize the packet delivery ratio and throughput of the network by applying priority scheduling of message transmission requests involving WBANs and hybrid VANETs. The proposed TRP mechanism involves Prioritization of the sensors, Collection of physiological data from sensors, Detection of abnormality and alert message generation, Priority Scheduling by the Road Side Unit (RSU) of the message transmission requests using multi-criteria decision making tools named as Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process and Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution and finally delivery of the alert message to its proper destination. Even though the RSU is stationary, mobility of a vehicle leads to reduced connection time between them. This results in a greater request drop rate, particularly at the overburdened RSUs. Thus, the proposed TRP considers request transfer among RSUs and enhances the quality of service by reducing deadline miss ratio and increasing success rate of request transfer ratio. The simulation analysis demonstrates that the outcomes of TRP are superior to those of the standard scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The telecommunication segment has grown tremendously over the past few decades. Particularly smartphones have now turned out to be essential and have outperformed many gadgets like computers, cameras, etc. In this current scenario, smartphones become an essential product for all kinds of consumers such as students, teachers, businessmen, etc. And the consumers also like an extensive number of enhanced and better-quality features being embedded into them. Along with this growth, there is a fast growth of mobile application software providers also. Apart from calling, many consumers use smartphones for browsing the internet. Many android developers provide browser application software with several advancements. This puts the consumers into confusion to select a better browser for their smartphone to accomplish their requirements. Hence the consumers need a proven methodology to select a better browser for their smartphones. To select a better browser, in this paper a hybrid multi-criteria decision making model is proposed by integrating grey relational analysis (GRA) and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP). The findings are compared and validated through a machine learning approach also. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Search engines facilitate the access of information available on the World Wide Web. However, as the Web continues to expand, the portion of Web covered by each search engine is decreasing constantly. Metasearch engines address this issue by combining the results of multiple individual search engines and thereby, increasing the search effectiveness. This paper proposes a new model for metasearch, MetaXplorer, which is both intelligent and adaptable. This paper also proposes a novel Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) operator named Intelligent OWA operator, which is capable of handling the dynamic nature of decision making environment. The proposed Intelligent OWA operator is used for result aggregation in MetaXplorer, along with Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP). Furthermore, MetaXplorer analyses the documents returned by individual search engines instead of considering their ranks in search engine result lists alone in the aggregation process, and thus is intelligent. Subjective evaluation of MetaXplorer is provided by comparing it with previously proposed models. Also, the performance evaluation of MetaXplorer in terms of precision has been presented. The precision values of MetaXplorer are compared with three existing metasearch engines on the Web namely, Webcrawler, Excite and Dogpile. The results indicate that MetaXplorer performs better than the existing metasearch engines with the highest average precision of 0.6641, followed by Dogpile (0.5887), Excite (0.5723) and WebCrawler (0.5694), respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable and safe development is a key issue in petrochemical industry. However, many catastrophic accidents and irreversible environmental pollution have occurred in the petrochemical industry, most of which are caused by human behavior factor. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and improve the sustainable safety performance of a petrochemical plant from the perspective of human behavior factors. Therefore, this study proposes an extended behavior-based safety (BBS) approach that combines the application of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) to assess sustainable safety performance of a petrochemical plant. The results show the importance of human behavior factors, and we should pay attention to the practical application of petrochemical industry. Finally, BBS management can reduce occupational injuries and accidents, which will enhance the sustainable safety development of the petrochemical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around the globe, all developing and developed economies focus on renewable energy sources for clean and sustainable economic growth and aim to decrease carbon emission to improve the climatic condition. This study aims to evaluate the feasible renewable energy source in Pakistan and study the criteria based on the investigation of wind energy, biomass energy, geothermal and solar energy, and their effects on Pakistan's climate. As renewable energy, clean and sustainable production is only produced from renewable energy sources; the current paper bears the viability of five primary renewable energy sources in Pakistan. This article established an advanced fuzzy (AHP) with a multi-perspective approach based on the expert assessment to select the efficient renewable energy in Pakistan. Further in this study, we utilized the DEA model to investigate the relative efficacy of renewable energy. This study indicated that wind energy is the efficient renewable energy source in Pakistan, which showed an efficiency score of 0. 1000. Our results further suggested that wind energy's next option for renewable energy solar best for renewable production in Pakistan. The results further exposed that the solar is the second-highest energy source with an efficiency score of 0. 777. Moreover, geothermal gets a less efficient score, that of 0.198. Further, our study showed that the economic benefits (EBs) and environmental implication criteria are significant in this research. This article gives a strong recommendation for a future wind energy source in Pakistan. Our results suggest that the best renewable energy source in the future is wind energy for the sustainable and economic development of Pakistan and other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind erosion is one of the most severe environmental problems in arid, semiarid, and dry sub-humid regions of the planet. This paper aimed to identify areas sensitive to wind erosion in Northeastern Algeria (Wilaya of Tebessa) based on empirical model using analytic hierarchy process, fuzzy analytic hierarchy process approaches, and geomatics-based techniques. Sixteen causative factors were used incorporating meteorological, soil erodibility, physical environment, and anthropogenic impacts as main available inputs in this approach. Weighted linear combination algorithm was adopted to combine all standardized raster layers. Area under curve value equal to 0.96 indicates an excellent accuracy for the proposed approach. Globally, wind erosion risk increases gradually from the North to South of the whole area. Besides, it was found that areas with slight, moderate, high, and very high risk covered 9.65%, 25.83%, 24.30%, and 40.22% of the total area, respectively. Our results highlighted the potential of additive linear model and free available medium resolution multi-source remote sensing data in studying natural hazards and disasters mainly under data-scarce or areas of difficult access in developing countries. In addition, restoration and re-vegetation activities of sensitive areas at high risk of wind erosion represent a challenge for researchers and decision-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their different abilities to improve financial growth and improve social development, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been referred to as the economy's backbone. Small- and medium-sized enterprises are crucial for both high- and low-income nations' financial development. Customers grow more conscious of their purchase choices, preferences, and environmental consequences. The financial opportunities for SMEs in the United Arab Emirates to use green innovation methods to address potential obstacles for increasing green goods, processes, and management are examined in this paper; as a result, it is critical to reduce clean technology adoption constraints in small- and medium-sized businesses. To identify significant hurdles, sub-barriers, and ways to overcome impediments to green innovation in the United Arab Emirates, we apply an integrated decision process. Following a detailed literature analysis and the assistance of twelve experts, six primary obstacles, twenty-five sub-obstacles, and strategies to reduce the barriers were identified. Primary and sub-barriers were assessed using the FAHP. The (FTOPSIS) approach was used to rank the strategies. Five SMEs in the United Arab Emirates are putting the suggested integrated decision model to the test. "Financial investment levels 0.646 to 11 percent growth level," according to the FAHP, are the most significant hurdles to SMEs adopting green practices. This research demonstrated a considerable beneficial association between SMEs and financial development and funding in the United Arab Emirates. According to this study, using research methodologies to provide green innovation in SMEs is the best strategy to overcome green innovation and adoption hurdles in small and medium firms and increasing their economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the industry is undergoing the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and techniques and algorithms for automated compliance checking (ACC) are continually being improved, generalized and flexible with the use of semantic and logic-based representations. However, there is still a lack of research that addresses advances in ACC tools headed for the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) perspective and that point out practitioners' perceptions concerning the current application of these technologies. In this sense, this paper aims to conduct a systematic review to identify the main automated code-checking tools to regulatory compliance in the I4.0 era, indicating new trends and possible gaps, and then ranking the selected technologies with the support of two soft hybrid multi-criteria decision-making techniques. By content analysis, we identified and categorized seven main technologies used to ACC in several industrial areas. As a practical example of group decision-making and modeling of uncertainty, we implemented fuzzy analytical hierarchical process to aggregate different perspectives and obtain the criteria weights and combined it with TOPSIS and VIKOR methods. To do this, by means of expert panel, we evaluated practitioner's perception about the surveyed technologies concerning the ISO/IEC 9126 standard. The results indicate that both methods have shown similar rankings, and although portability was considered the most relevant criterion, open-source tools are key issues when choosing ACC technologies. Several further research trends were also pointed out through this theoretical–empirical approach, such as the use of natural language processing, declarative rule processing and flow-based processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to propose a solution to the problem of mining method selection in mining projects. To this aim, a novel fuzzy techno-financial methodology based on technical and capital budgeting criteria has been developed. The methodology embodies five capital budgeting techniques, i.e., real options analysis, net present value, modified internal rate of return, profitability index and discounted payback period. The developed methodology is based on the University of British Columbia mining method selection technique and two fuzzy multiple criteria decision-making techniques called the fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. The proposed methodology also integrates a sensitivity analysis of technical and financial criteria to determine the stability of the solution. To illustrate the practical application of the proposed methodology, it was applied in the selection of an optimal mining method for Konkola East orebody in Zambia. The results showed that sub-level open stoping is the optimal mining method for Konkola East orebody as reflected by the highest closeness coefficient (CCi) value of 0.14. Sensitivity analyses revealed that this solution is most sensitive to − 50% weight change in technical criteria and + 50% weight change in financial criteria. This is because these changes alter the optimal mining method from sub-level open stoping to block caving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In precision machine assembly process, the product quality is not only dependent on the tolerance design, but also on the assurance of the assembly process planning. Therefore, there is a need to develop a mathematical analysis method to predict and control the variation in an assembly process. In this paper, to improve assembly precision and finally improve assembly quality stability for machining products, a mechanical assembly accuracy prediction model based on a state space equation is put forward. In this approach, fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) is used to identify the key factor affecting the product quality. With the help of current variation of assembling process, the state space equation is used to build the variation propagation model of a mechanical assembly system, predict the influence law of machine precision, and guarantee the machine assembly precision within the boundary. Finally, the validity is verified by using the application of the small six-axis precision machine tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vulnerability of coastal regions to climate change is a growing global concern, particularly in Bangladesh, which is vulnerable to flooding and storm surges due to its low-lying coastal areas. In this study, we used the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) method to assess the physical and social vulnerability of the entire coastal areas of Bangladesh, using 10 critical factors to evaluate the coastal vulnerability model (CVM). Our analysis indicates that a significant portion of the coastal regions of Bangladesh is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. We found that one-third of the study area, encompassing around 13,000 km2, was classified as having high or very high coastal vulnerability. Districts in the central delta region, such as Barguna, Bhola, Noakhali, Patuakhali, and Pirojpur, were found to have high to very high physical vulnerability. Meanwhile, the southern parts of the study area were identified as highly socially vulnerable. Our findings also showed that the coastal areas of Patuakhali, Bhola, Barguna, Satkhira, and Bagerhat were particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The coastal vulnerability map we developed using the FAHP method showed satisfactory modeling, with an AUC of 0.875. By addressing the physical and social vulnerability factors identified in our study, policymakers can take proactive steps to ensure the safety and wellbeing of coastal residents in the face of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to rising concerns for environmental sustainability, the Indian electronic industry faces immense pressure to incorporate effective sustainable practices into the supply chain (SC) planning. Consequently, manufacturing enterprises (ME) are exploring the option of re-examining their SC strategies and taking a formalized approach towards a sustainable partnership with logistics providers. To begin with, it is imperative to associate with sustainable forward and reverse logistics providers to manage effectively the upward and downstream flows simultaneously. In this context, this paper proposes an integrated SC network for the evaluation and selection of forward distribution partners (FDP) and third party reverse logistic providers (3PRLP) from a sustainable perspective of an Indian electronic ME. The sustainable evaluation of the logistic partners is performed using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and the technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution. The integrated logistics network is modeled as a bi-objective mixed-integer programming problem with the objective of maximizing the profit of the manufacturer and maximizing the sustainable score of the selected forward and reverse logistics providers. The novelty of the study is its ranking of the FDPs and 3PRLPs on the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainability and the simultaneous integration of logistics outsourcing decisions for the forward and reverse flow of products. Goal programming approach is utilized to capture the trade-off between the conflicting objectives and to attain a satisfying solution to the bi-objective problem. The results indicate that integrating the strategic decisions of selection of logistics partners with the operational flow planning decisions can immensely improve the sustainable performance value of the SC network and secure reasonable profits. The managerial implications drawn from the result analysis provide a sustainable framework to the ME for enhancing its corporate image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the application of a well-known multi-criteria decision-making technique, called preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation (PROMETHEE II), in combination with fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), as a weighting technique to explore landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM). To this end, eight landslide-related geodata layers of the Minoo Dasht located in the Gorgan province of Iran, involving slope, aspect, distance to river, drainage density, distance to fault, mean annual rainfall, distance to road and lithology have been integrated using the PROMETHEE II enhanced by FAHP technique. Afterward, the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves for the proposed LSM were drawn using an inventory of landslides containing 83 recent and historic landslide points, and the area under curve = 0.752 value was calculated accordingly. Additionally, to further verify the practicality of such susceptibility map, it was also evaluated against the landslide inventory using simple overlay. The outcome was that about 11 % of the occurred landslide points fall into the very high susceptibility class of the LSM, but approximately 52 % of them indeed fall into the high and very high susceptibility zones together. Also, it resulted that no recorded landslide occurred in the zone of very low susceptibility. According to the results of the ROC curves analysis and simple overlay evaluation, the produced map has exhibited good performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectrum sharing is one of the most important stages in cognitive radio wireless networks, responsible for the opportunistic allocation of free channels to unlicensed users (SUs) to be utilized in data transmission. One of the critical issues at this stage, is related to the absence of a module capable of allocating the available resources fairly to all network users. In this sense, the paper develops a media access control protocol (MAC) for cognitive networks based on infrastructure called CRUD-MAC, which allows to take advantage of channel access in a more equitable and efficient way; for this purpose two algorithms we designed within the MAC standard (using ANFIS and FAHP) for the ranking or classification of SUs by score when assigned channels based on network usage historical metrics, so that nodes with better ranking have priority in the allocation. Validation of the proposals was made by comparing the performance of CRUD-MAC with ANFIS, FAHP, and a channel assignment algorithm, not including ranking. The results show that the system is more efficient from the standpoint of fair allocation of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the growing anxiety and depression among Chinese university students by evaluating and ranking music education strategies to alleviate these issues. We integrates Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). FAHP was utilized to determine the weight of factors such as academic pressures, social relationships, and cultural norms, while fuzzy TOPSIS ranked the effectiveness of music education interventions based on these weights. The results revealed that 'Mental health stigma' and 'Academic Pressures and Rigidity' are among the highest weighted factors, significantly impacting student anxiety. 'Music Appreciation and Music-Based Self-Care' emerged as the most effective strategy. These results highlight the importance of direct involvement in music-related activities for improving student mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to propose a hybrid decision-making methodology based on affinity diagram, fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (FTOPSIS) to evaluate, rank and select the most appropriate cloud solutions to accommodate and manage big data projects. In fact, the strategic priority of many corporations consists in the creation of competitive advantages by using new available technologies, processes and governance mechanisms, such as big data and cloud computing. Since the technology is permanently subject to advances and developments, the question for many businesses is how to benefit from big data using the power of technical flexibility that cloud computing can provide. In this context, selecting the most adequate cloud solution to host big data projects is a complex issue that requires an extensive evaluation process. Thus, to assist users to efficiently select their most preferred cloud solution, we propose a hybrid decision-making methodology that meets these requirements in four stages. In the first stage, the identification of evaluation criteria is performed by a decision-making committee using Affinity Diagram. Due to the varied importance of the selected criteria, a FAHP process is used in the second stage to assign the importance weights for each criterion, while FTOPSIS process, in the third stage, employs these weighted criteria as inputs to evaluate and measure the performance of each alternative. In the last step, a sensitivity analysis is performed to evaluate the impact of criteria weights on the final rankings of alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing affluence and awareness of food-borne diseases have heightened demand for food safety standards (FSS), but supply side constraints continue to impede their implementation. As a developing country, it is not feasible to implement all strategies aimed at overcoming barriers and facilitating FSS implementation. Therefore, the study targets to identify and rank barriers to FSS implementation and prioritise strategies accordingly. An Indian seafood context is used for the study analysis. After reviewing relevant literature and utilizing Delphi techniques, twenty barriers and ten strategies were identified. The barriers are categorized into five main categories, and their weights are computed using fuzzy AHP. Subsequently, the fuzzy TOPSIS tool is applied to prioritize strategies based on their effectiveness in overcoming these barriers. Lastly, a sensitivity analysis is done to determine model robustness. Lack of commitment by managers, resistance from employees, and a lack of firm capacity are three key barriers. Accordingly, the most effective ways to overcome these barriers are to provide financial assistance, invest in infrastructure and research, and provide technical assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A meta-search engine (MSE) is a system that supports unified access to multiple existing web search engines by querying them simultaneously, thereby widening coverage of the World Wide Web. Result aggregation techniques are used in an MSE to combine the results from multiple underlying web search engines and present a single consolidated result list to the user. In this paper, we propose a new method for optimization of MSE results using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and modified extended ordered weighted averaging (EOWA) operator. In our method, FAHP is used for pair-wise comparison of documents in underlying search engines. We assign fuzzy importance degrees to search engines which are represented in triangular fuzzy numbers, and subsequently defuzzified using center of gravity method. Center of gravity method is found to be a better defuzzifier operator in the literature as compared to max membership method which is an important constituent of EOWA operator. The modified EOWA operator is therefore proposed to aggregate the scores of individual search engine documents so as to obtain the final ranking of the documents. Lastly, we compute the effectiveness of the proposed MSE viz. MetaSurfer by calculating the classical Precision. Since we have proposed a new method which reorders documents such that a more relevant document occupies a higher rank, therefore we have defined a new criterion to calculate effectiveness called weighted precision. The precision and weighted precision values are compared with those of existing and popular MSEs. The results show that MetaSurfer performs better than existing MSEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous wireless networks encompass different radio access technologies to offer services as per the requirements of the users at anytime and anywhere. In such networks, mobile users have to undergo vertical and horizontal handovers to realize seamless communication with guaranteed quality of service. In this paper, we propose cross layer based dynamic handover decision algorithm to maximize resource utilization and to attain high QoS. The parameters measured at different layers are used through media independent handover functionality to estimate handover requirement and to select an appropriate target network. Based on user's preferences, different weights are assigned to handover decision parameters using fuzzy analytical hierarchical process. The weights, assigned to decision parameters, are made adaptive to call time, velocity of mobile user, type of application and remaining battery life of the mobile handset. A popular multiple attribute decision making technique, TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution), is adopted to choose the most suitable target network. Numerical results are obtained through computer simulation for preference scores of different networks, security, end to end delay and available data rate, which show that QoS perceived by the end user is maintained consistently in varied conditions of the network and applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of new-product forecasting, forecasting by analogy is a well-known technique. In this paper, on the basis of a review of relevant literature, nine desirable characteristics for an analogy-based new-product forecasting technique are purported. Also, a methodology that addresses the purported desirable characteristics for new-product forecasting is proposed. The methodology is demonstrated by considering a total of eleven different items that include consumer durables and information and communication technology (ICT) products and services in India. The proposed methodology offers a unified platform for building an information system that typically involves men and machine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes the combination of qualitative methods and a MCDA technique, to rank a set of alternatives for the water use of Corumba IV reservoir, a multipurpose water resource located in the center-east of Brazil. The model specification presented in this paper was set up with six relevant benefits to the ecosystem and five water uses, identified through an in-depth interview with stakeholders. The relative importance of the benefits and the performance of water uses were measured by the Saaty nine-point scale. The imprecision of subjective judgment was partially compensated by using a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP). These groups include the Corumba IV power plant staff, in charge of an environmental mitigation program, federal government officials in charge of formulating and enforcing policies, community leaders and municipal authorities. The hierarchies of the set of benefits for these groups show evidence of convergence; however, statistical tests suggest the existence of conflicts among them regarding their preference for water use. This study clarifies the extent of such perceptions, making it possible to adopt better public policies practices for water management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An approach of nonprofit organizational performance measurement and its computing algorithm is proposed in this paper. In this study, we propose the organizational performance measurement. Importantly, the proposed can assist the administrators to assess the organizational performance, making it highly applicable for academia and commercial purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of information technology has made a wide range of cutting-edge technologies accessible, supporting the flourishing of human existence. Modern technology has made it possible for new computer-based technological strategies like gamification. The pedagogical framework is based on the “gamification” game format, which is one of the most recent teaching strategies and has an engaging component for students. Gamification, flipped learning, and problem-based learning are three examples of the technical aspect of escape rooms. In the academic setting, gamification aims to boost student engagement and motivation in order to produce a better user experience. Gamification has been found to increase levels of participation, foster it, and improve activity outcomes. Gamification is recommended in educational settings to improve students’ achievement, focus, and contentment in light of these benefits. In order to establish an effective learning environment where students may effectively improve their learning capacities and boost their performance, it can be difficult to select a higher performing technique among the available techniques due to the ongoing use of gamification techniques. The fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and evaluation based on distance from average solution (EDAS) are applied in order to determine the criterion weighting and assess the techniques in order to make a good decision. The presented paper analyzed numerous game-based learning techniques along with their applications in the educational field. Additionally, ten criteria and eight gamification methodologies are used to assess and pick the prior pertinent works. By utilizing the suggested approaches, the decision problem has been resolved. The FAHP approach is used in the suggested analysis to evaluate the criteria and determine their weights. Then, using the EDAS method, places are assigned to the chosen procedures based on their evaluation score and criterion weighting. The results of the appraisal show that the gamification technique with the highest production takes first place and is regarded as the best-performing and most successful technique. On the other hand, it is clear that the technique with the lowest production takes the bottom spot and is referred to as the least expensive and lowest performing technique. In order to increase students’ motivation, which could have a substantial impact on learning, it has been discovered that gamification is a feasible strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides being a widespread disaster are associated with susceptibility, vulnerability and risk. The physical factors inducing landslides are relatively well-known. However, how landslide susceptibility will be exacerbated by climate change, impede the attainment of the sustainable development goals and increase health vulnerability is relatively less explored. We present an integrated assessment of landslide susceptibility, health vulnerability and overall risk to understand these interconnected dimensions using Arunachal Pradesh, India, as a case study, which is susceptible to landslides due to its topography and climate conditions. Landslide susceptibility was examined using twenty landslide conditioning parameters through the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP). The susceptibility map was validated using the area under the ROC curve (AUC). National Family Health Survey (NFHS 4) data were used to analyze the health vulnerability, while the overall risk was computed through the integration of susceptibility and vulnerability. Landslide susceptibility analysis indicated that nearly 22% area of the state is characterized by moderate susceptibility followed by high (17%) and very high susceptibility (13%). High elevation, slope, rainfall, SPI, drainage density and complex geology were identified as the causative factors of landslides. In the case of health vulnerability, East Kameng and Lohit districts were found to be very highly vulnerable, while Papum Pare, Changlang and Tirap districts experience high health vulnerability due to high degree of exposure and sensitivity. Overall risk analysis revealed over 16.8% area of the state is under moderate risk followed by high (9.8%) and very high (4.2%) risk. Linking this analysis with the climate change projections and SDG goals attainment revealed that Papum Pare, Upper Subansiri, Tirap and West Kameng require priority for lessening susceptibility, vulnerability and risk for achieving sustainable development. A strong correlation (99%) between HVI and risk further demonstrates the need for lessening health vulnerability and risk in the study area. Furthermore, our study contributes additional insights into landslide susceptibility by considering heal vulnerability and risk which may help in planning sustainable development strategies in a changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to present the status and projections of wind turbine blade retirement in Turkey; to investigate the number of retiring WT blades in the regional, manufacturer, and material aspects; and to discuss the management methods for retired WT blades. To determine the best possible wind turbine blade waste management methods for Turkey, a combined application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) is used in this study. It is found that around nine thousand WT blades will become waste between 2020 and 2039 in Turkey, corresponding to around 80,500 tons of waste. On average, 52,325 tons of glass/carbon and 28,175 tons of polymers will be accumulated between 2020 and 2039 from wind turbine blades. More than half of the WT blade waste will come from two WT manufacturers, namely, Enercon and Nordex. Aegean and Marmara regions will provide 74% of the blade waste, where 33% of them will be 2 MW and 2.5 MW sizes of WT blades. Furthermore, a case study is applied to Izmir city to demonstrate the results of FAHP for finding the best available method to dispose of WT blades. The results show that using blade waste as filling material is the best alternative, while waste-to-energy is the last favorable option for blade waste management. Finally, sensitivity analyses are applied to demonstrate the robustness of the results for the inclusion of new alternatives and the bias of experts' judgments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improper use of alluvial aquifers and declining water levels in these aquifers have led to significant attention to the search for other groundwater sources in karst areas and hard formations. Iran is one of the countries that has a very high percentage of karst in the world and the study and tracing of karst are very important in this country. In this research, eight effective factors in karstification are identified and categorized into two groups and the relevant information layers are prepared. The first group includes average annual rainfall, type of geological formations, the density of fractures, and density of the fracture site. The second group, which is of secondary importance, includes the average annual temperature, the density of canals, slope, and type of vegetation. After preparing the information layers, quantitative parameters based on fuzzy logic and qualitative parameters were standardized by the rasterization method. The importance and weight of each of the effective factors were determined from two methods viz. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Fuzzy Hierarchical Analysis Process (FAHP). After multiplying the standard maps with their respective weights, they were overlaid, and finally, karst potential maps were generated. Maps were generated from the two weighting methods based on the subsurface and surface hydrogeological-geomorphological diagrams. Karst features such as Karen, dissolution cavities, depressions, caves, dry valleys, reservoir rocks of springs and water exploitation wells, and Calcareous limbs were ascertained, which indicates that the results of the FAHP method are more consistent with the existing conditions in the region. The final map was divided into five classes in terms of the karst potential, viz. very high, high, medium, low, and no potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of dams are unquestionable, with the water impoundment upstream and flood-control downstream usually being sufficient to increase investments and promote growth. However, their presence brings risks to the downstream population and the environment. This paper employs a fuzzy approximate reasoning for dam safety risk assessment, initially using a FAHP to weight the importance of the indicators suggested by a dam expert and then adopts linguistic variables in a two-stage risk assessment. In the first stage, we compute the risk of dam collapse, hereinafter called dam break, through indicators such as design premises and safety procedures. In the second stage, we evaluate the combined effect between the risk of a dam collapse and the socioeconomic and environmental impact on the surrounding area, hereinafter called potential risk. The danger scale of dam break and the hazard scale of potential risk were constructed. The risk assessment of the Simplicio Hydroelectric plant, located in Brazil's Southern region, showed that the risk classification of the proposed method attached great importance to the downstream consequences. The accuracy of the evaluation results was proved through a study of the Oroville Dam, whose spillway faced a failure event. These findings indicate the importance of extracting the knowledge of experts and incorporating it in the model specification through fuzzification of variables and the rule-based construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to create a suitable map for wind energy projects in a rural area. The primary goal here is to show a methodology using automatic object extraction of the target classes of buildings, vegetation, and ground. The secondary goal is to identify the potential effects for wind turbine sites based on four criteria: Wind speed, Slope, Building, and Vegetation using the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP). This paper discusses two important situations for wind energy projects. The first strategy is to just determine the best suitable site locations of wind turbines, while the second strategy determines the locations of wind turbines with minimal negative effects on the rural area. The proposed approach is tested using the data obtained from a multi-sensor system in Evrencik, Turkey. In preliminary phases of renewable energy projects, successful results are dependent on evaluating the potential site's suitability with criteria such as social, environmental, physical, and economic conditions. Furthermore, an accuracy analysis is performed on the automatically extracted target classes for the study area, yielding a value of 89% in the remote sensing section of the study. Moreover, for the GIS section of the study, suitable and unsuitable areas are identified, and the suitability levels of the remaining areas are determined for the two strategies. According to the results, 11% of the areas are found to have high, moderate, and low suitability levels, and 89% are unsuitable for the first strategy, whereas these rates are, respectively, 2% and 98% for the second strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempts to present a contribution of Blockchain Technology (BC-T) in managing disruptions, and risk caused by the COVID-19 outbreaks and extending profound support in developing resilient Food Supply Chains (FSCs). The effects of the pandemic can be witnessed on global supply chains in their demand & supply side disruptions and in the changing patterns of consumer buying in the food industry. The assessment of the disruptive factors is required to explore the present issues and promising resilient strategies to impart robustness to the FSCs for mitigating disruptions in the future. An integrated approach of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and Weighted Assessment Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) is employed to assess the factors related to sourcing, lean, workforce, and flexibility, as well as evaluation of the BC-T enabled FSCs resilient strategies that mitigate the effect of disruption during the pandemic. The findings exhibit that 'Sourcing related' is the most affecting disruptive factor causing distress in the FSCs and 'flexibility resilient strategy' is the most relevant resilient strategy for BC-T enabled FSCs. The BC-T acts as a catalyst in enhancing the flexibility, traceability, and shorter supply chain network structure that may help the FSCs to mitigate risk and disruption in the pandemic situation. The BC-T helps the FSCs to control the demand and supply shocks, and supports the organization with real-time monitoring and sharing information. This study provides insights to the decision-makers, managers, and other stakeholders to take significant decisions during an emergency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilizes fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) to analyze decision-making patterns with regard to third-generation wireless communications (3GWC) service adoption, and to provide customized strategic recommendations to suppliers of 3GWC services regarding marketing and resource allocation in the context of the Chinese 3GWC market. First of all, a three-layer hierarchy of 3GWC adoption factors is developed by referring to the relevant literature and industry reports. A questionnaire of pairwise comparisons in the fuzzy AHP format is then designed and distributed to experts familiar with the handset market in Shanghai, China. These surveys are then analyzed using fuzzy AHP to establish an understanding of the weights and impacts of the various factors. The results show that the four most important factors for the adoption of 3GWC systems are: (i) handset price and voice and data-transmission fees; (ii) handset aesthetics; (iii) personalization; and (iv) network coverage. These findings suggest that providers of such services should customize and diversify the content/applications they offer and ensure the speed and reliability of network access. In addition, handset designs should be in accordance with consumer demands. If these steps can be achieved, then consumers will adopt 3GWC services more rapidly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over recent years, there was a substantial rise globally in the importance of the environmental agenda for SMEs. The customer becomes now conscious of their consumer choices' environmental consequences. This research has also identified obstacles to introducing green business activities in small- and medium-sized enterprises and increase sustainable development. The green innovation barriers refer to green products, processes, and management; therefore, it is important to minimize restrictions on clean technology implementation in small- and medium-sized enterprises. This study uses an integrated decision process to define primary barriers, sub-obstacles, and approaches to addressing those obstacles to Saudi Arabia's green innovation practices. Through extensive literature review and twelve experts' opinions, six key barriers, twenty-five sub-barriers, and plans to reduce obstacles were identified. Using the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), key barriers and sub-barriers are assessed. The methodology used to rank strategies is the Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS). Five Saudi Arabia SMEs are involved in the study of the proposed integrated decision model. The FAHP reports that the key obstacles to introducing green practices in SMEs are "political obstacles" The FTOPSIS, therefore suggesting that "developing research methods to deliver green innovation in small- and medium-sized enterprises" is the best approach to addressing barriers in green innovation adoption in SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smartphones nowadays have become the most globally demanded electronic devices. Each year, almost thousands of new smartphone models are launched by different brands having diverse specifications and variable price range. Due to the availability of large smartphone quantity in the market, sometimes the buyers get confused about the most appropriate model to buy at low price with respect to descent hardware specifications. This research article states such a type of decision problem and solves it using multi-criteria decision-making techniques that enable the mobile users to select the best smartphone model. The main objective of the study is to choose the best smartphone model among 10 selected models available in the market with the help of fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and preference ranking organization method for enrichment of evaluations (PROMETHEE) where FAHP based on trapezoidal fuzzy numbers is used to evaluate the criteria weights and PROMETHEE is used to propose the preference ranking order of the alternatives. Seven important specifications (i.e., criteria), namely price, storage capacity, RAM, battery, screen size, camera and clock speed, are considered based on which the selection procedure is carried out. PROMETHEE I provides the partial alternatives ranking and shows the mode of preference of each model over other models, whereas PROMETHEE II delivers the complete ranking of the alternatives which recommends Realme 5i and Samsung J6 Plus as the best and worst model, respectively, among the group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wake of the Paris agreement, the adoption of green innovation practices has received substantial attention throughout the world. The consumers, manufacturers, governments, and communities have started realizing the severity and intensity of environmental hazards and climate change. The manufacturing sector is one of the leading industrial waste producers and contributors to environmental pollution, posing a threat to environmental sustainability. The adoption of green innovation practices in the manufacturing sector is indispensable to ensure environmental sustainability. However, it is pivotal to identify, assess, and evaluate the green innovation aspects and sub-aspects with the perspective of sustainability performance indicators in the manufacturing industry. This study services this purpose and proposes a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) by combining the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (FTOPSIS) to analyze the effects of green innovation aspects with sustainability performance of the manufacturing industry. The authors identify six green innovation aspects (criteria), twenty-four sub-aspects (sub-criteria), and three sustainability performance indicators (alternatives) for the manufacturing industry in China. The FAHP method indicates that green managerial innovation, green product innovation, and green technological innovation are the most influential aspects of implementing green innovation practices. Further, the FTOPSIS technique reveals that environmental performance is the most suitable sustainability performance indicator in adopting green innovation practices in the garment manufacturing industry of China. This research provides support to the managers and policymakers in understanding the green innovation practices in promoting sustainable development in the manufacturing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cloud computing has recently evolved into container technology and edge computing for conveniently hosting and delivering a set of services. There is a need to compose individual services to perform a complex task. However, finding an optimal solution of composition satisfying both functional and non-functional requirements is a challenging problem. To solve this problem, we propose a method using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process and an extended Dijkstra algorithm to find a solution in a directed bipartite graph stored in a Neo4j graph database. Unlike other database-based approaches that aim to optimize a pre-defined composition task, our approach is much flexible that can perform an arbitrary task once the services information is preprocessed in a database. We conduct experiments and compare the performance of the proposed approach with a Graphplan method and a relational database-based approach, and the results show that this approach leads to less query execution time and better user's satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the harsh environment around city subways and the typically poor geological conditions, it is often difficult to ensure the stability of a tunnel, which makes it prone to collapses and other accidents. The influence of multiple factors on tunnel stability was analyzed under the same geological conditions and environmental factors by using a three-dimensional numerical simulation. Taking into account the objective environment and manual operation and other factors, construction sequence, support closure time, and reinforcement area and parameters were chosen as the main factors affecting the tunnel stability. Finally, based on ground deformation, tunnel convergence deformation, and surrounding soil stress as evaluation indicators, a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP)-gray correlation degree-technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) model was established. It was found that the higher the relative closeness of the construction parameter combination, the greater the tunnel stability. The best combination of construction parameters was applied to the Tiantongyuan Station project of Beijing Metro Line 17. All geological conditions being equal, reasonable selection of construction parameters can ensure optimal tunnel construction stability, reduce construction risks, and support sustainable tunnel development. In addition, the FAHP-gray correlation degree-TOPSIS method achieved multi-index evaluation of tunnel stability, which provides practical guidance for the construction of similar projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The megatrends within the industrial automation and global value chains expedited the adoption of "Industry 4.0 enabled by 5G" to comprehend extremely flexible and smart production systems. The pivotal challenge for the smart manufacturing leveraging on 5G is the seamless vertical handover and connectivity to a suitable network in accordance with the determined application. The existing literature reports numerous strategies to ensure "always best connected" paradigm but they suffer from a couple of limitations. The amateurish approach employed in these strategies propelled the development of an autonomous network selection model exploiting fuzzy analytical hierarchical process consolidated with the novel extended efficacy coefficient method-based Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution. This article addresses the vertical handover execution under the circumstances of four typical 5G application scenarios, respectively, i.e. Tactile Internet, Bitpipe, Internet of Things and Internet Access for Regional Areas. The analytical results validated through the extensive simulation revealed that the proposed hybrid scheme is effective and efficient compared to other methods in terms of avoiding the unnecessary handover and the ranking abnormality issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Omni channel (OC) is an integrated fulfillment process of satisfying the demands from multiple channels such as a physical store, call center, mail, online and mobile applications with seamless customer experience. The growth of innovative technologies and mobile platforms attracts customers to online channels. The retail industries are facing a challenging task of managing the online demand along with traditional demand, which leads to the origin of the Omni channel. The objective of this study is to identify the four different distribution network configuration of OC and evaluating their performance using different multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques such as analytical hierarchy process, fuzzy analytical hierarchy process and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution with respect to cost and service factors. The results obtained through different MCDM techniques show that integrated warehouse and transport—delivery from all Nodes configuration performs better than other configurations. A sensitivity analysis is performed to examine the stability of priority ranking. Also gap analysis is carried out to improve the level of certainty in decision making. This research article is the first of its kind, which applies the MCDM techniques for evaluating the performance of Omni channel distribution network configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydraulic fracturing technologies revolutionize the way petroleum industries drill the conventional and unconventional formations by the purpose for oil recovery enhancement. Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods are always considered as the preferable techniques in organizational and industrial operational performances that some of them are being widely administered for numerous purposes. The objective of this comprehensive study is to conduct an investigation about the considerable influence of five important criteria on the hydraulic fracturing techniques and select the best technology regarding enhancing oil recovery factor. Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS) analyses are applied to compare each criterion. Consequently, among the five fundamental criteria for selecting and operating hydraulic fracturing, in situ stress-strain with the score weight of 0.421 is the most important selectivity criteria. Furthermore, after analyzing the results derived from FAHP and FTOPSIS methods, hydra-jet fracturing and zipper fracturing techniques with the normalized weights of 0.186 and 0.194, and relative closeness coefficients of 0.69 with a 0.66 are considered respectively as the best and optimum techniques of hydraulic fracturing. Last but not least, the cavitation hydro-vibration fracturing and explosive fracturing are the least preferable methods among hydraulic fracturing techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is now considered to be one of the main technological options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It seems that pipeline transmission is an effective way to transport the large amount of CO2 from the capture site to the storage site over long distance for most CCUS projects. Therefore, risk assessment of CO2 transmission pipelines has been an important aspect for successful development of the CCUS industry in the future. Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a group-based activity to prioritize risk. A group multi-criteria decision-making approach based on combined weights and the hesitant fuzzy VIKOR (vlsekriterijumska optimizacija i kompromisno resenje in Serbian, meaning "multi-criteria optimization and compromise solution") method is proposed to evaluate the risk of CO2 transmission pipelines. First, a pair-wise comparison matrix for risk factors is constructed according to the evaluation information given by the FMEA team members, and a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process is used to determine the subjective weight vector of these risk factors. The maximizing deviation method is used to determine the objective weights of risk factors. Then, to select the most serious failure modes for CO2 transmission pipelines, the hesitant fuzzy VIKOR method is used to prioritize the potential failure modes that have been identified by the FMEA team members. Finally, a numerical example for risk assessment is given to illustrate the effectiveness and rationality of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electric vehicle (EV) technology has been getting momentum due to rapid depletion of fossil fuels and also in taking care of environment. Many manufacturers are investing a lot in electric vehicles for a particular outcome coming from it which can show a sign for replacement of conventional I.C engines. They are taking interest about the customer findings in a car. There are various factors which affect the performance of an electric vehicle such as battery capacity, charging time, price, driving range etc. As we know there are many electric vehicle models that are present in market with different combinations and this study is based on the performance evaluation of electric vehicles using multiple criteria decision making tool from customer point of view. This study highlights the best electric vehicle model in Asian market so that findings of an EV buyer can be fulfilled. Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process has been used to determine criteria weight whereas evaluation of mixed data has been used for performance evaluation and ranking. According to the study BYD E6 becomes the best electric vehicle model in Asian market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When surrounded by the heterogeneous networks environment, mobile terminals are often expected to select an optimal network quickly from the detected alternatives to ensure the required or better quality of service. How to reduce the probability of ping-pong effect of the process as much as possible is one of the most prominent challenges. From the two viewpoints of attribute weight and utility value, a flexible hybrid multiple attribute decision making heterogeneous network selection algorithm consisting of FAHP, standard deviation, and GRA is proposed. In this algorithm, comprehensive evaluation value of each candidate network is calculated by integrating attribute weight and utility value. Only the network whose comprehensive evaluation value is larger than that of current network and is at least the preassigned threshold will be chosen as the target network and start the handover process. Otherwise the terminal will remain on the current network. Simulation results show that among the four traffic classes this algorithm can quickly select the most suitable network and significantly reduce the number of vertical handovers and the number of ping-pong effects, compared with other four existing baseline algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic waste (E-waste) can be considered as challenging solid waste streams especially in some developing countries, including Iran. Several alternatives for collecting and processing E-waste have been developed and applied throughout the world. In this research, a model was developed according to fuzzy-AHP approach for the evaluation of different alternatives for E-waste's collection and processing in Tehran, Iran. Three alternatives for processing section (including recycling, exporting, landfilling) and three alternatives for collection section (door-to-door, special event, permanent drop-off) were studied in terms of different economic, social, technical, and environmental criteria. To establish a database in the current research, a questionnaire survey was performed and then the relative importance of each alternative in terms of each criterion was evaluated. The obtained results indicated that in the section of collection and processing of E-waste, permanent drop-off and recycling have the highest priorities among studied alternatives, respectively. Also, economic and environmental criteria were determined as the most significant ones in collection and processing sections, respectively. Furthermore, the developed model can be considered as a practical tool that will help the decision makers to determine the most appropriate E-waste management alternatives when diverse criteria are partially or completely in conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, environmental issues become real critical barriers for many supply chain corporations concerning the sustainability of their businesses. In this context, several studies have been proposed from both academia and industry trying to develop new measurements related to green supply chain management (GSCM) practices to overcome these barriers, which will help create new environmental strategies, implementing those practices in their manufacturing processes. The objective of this study is to present the technical and analytical contribution that multi-criteria decision making analysis (MCDA) can bring to environmental decision making problems, and especially to GSCM field. For this reason, a multi-criteria decision-making methodology, combining fuzzy analytical hierarchy process and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS), is proposed to contribute to a better understanding of new sustainable strategies through the identification and evaluation of the most appropriate GSCM practices to be adopted by industrial organizations. The fuzzy AHP process is used to construct hierarchies of the influential criteria, and then identify the importance weights of the selected criteria, while the fuzzy TOPSIS process employs these weighted criteria as inputs to evaluate and measure the performance of each alternative. To illustrate the effectiveness and performance of our MCDA approach, we have applied it to a chemical industry corporation located in Safi, Morocco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining operations threaten the environment if the monitoring and controlling steps are not implemented completely. One of the important methods for control of the environmental situation in the mining district is the environmental impact assessment (EIA) method, which is performed by matrix calculations. In this method, the environmental problem is broken into several parts as the Impacting Factors that is evaluated their influences on Environmental Components by the mathematical calculations. For these calculations, the weight of each Impacting Factor must be evaluated by using comprehensive scenarios that are involved all the predicable environmental issues. Based on literature, it has not been organized a comprehensive scenario about 'Interference with groundwater' as an Impacting Factor yet. By consideration of the importance degree of groundwater and its role in supply the drinking water resource, it is felt to demand for an organization a developed scenario in relation with groundwater pollution in mining district. Therefore, the main aim of this study is developing a new scenario to weight the 'Interference with groundwater' in EIA matrix. For this purpose, the 8 criteria and 63 subcriteria are defined and their weights are determined using the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process. The proposed scenario can be successfully evaluated the weight of 'Interference with groundwater' Impacting Factor more exactly than the former one, because it considers 8 criteria and 63 subcriteria instead of 2 criteria in the former scenario. Finally, the application of proposed scenario is illustrated by an imaginary ideal case study. Such studies can be used by mining engineers and planners to design an appropriate environmental plan for the mining districts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an approach for transferring the qualitative analysis of groundwater sustainability for development to quantitative evaluation by an analogy of two similar regions. A concept of groundwater exploitation sustainability (GES), which is an evaluation index based on water supply capability, eco-geo-environment maintaining capability and the harmony between water and society, is put forward. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process method is applied to calculate the GES for the Xiangshan and Dianchang karst groundwater sources in the Huaibei city, Anhui Province, China. The GES of the Xiangshan karst system was calculated to be 0.53 and represents medium exploitation sustainability, while that for the Dianchang is relatively high with a value of 0.70. These two karst systems are separate units but have similar hydrogeological conditions. The Dianchang area had limited groundwater observation data, while the Xiangshan area had long series of observation data, which enabled the computation of the sustainable yield. The sustainable yield of the Xiangshan karst area was used to calibrate the GES, and develop a linear equation between the GES and sustainable yield, which was used to calculate the sustainable yield of the Diangchang karst area as 40.4 million m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]