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The extensions of ordinary fuzzy sets are problematic because they require decimal numbers for membership, non-membership and indecision degrees of an element from the experts, which cannot be easily determined. This will be more difficult when three or more digits' membership degrees have to be assigned. Instead, proportional relations between the degrees of parameters of a fuzzy set extension will make it easier to determine the membership, non-membership, and indecision degrees. The objective of this paper is to present a simple but effective technique for determining these degrees with several decimal digits and to enable the expert to assign more stable values when asked at different time points. Some proportion-based models for the fuzzy sets extensions, intuitionistic fuzzy sets, Pythagorean fuzzy sets, picture fuzzy sets, and spherical fuzzy sets are proposed, including their arithmetic operations and aggregation operators. Proportional fuzzy sets require only the proportional relations between the parameters of the extensions of fuzzy sets. Their contribution is that these models will ease the use of fuzzy set extensions with the data better representing expert judgments. The imprecise definition of proportions is also incorporated into the given models. The application and comparative analyses result in that proportional fuzzy sets are easily applied to any problem and produce valid outcomes. Furthermore, proportional fuzzy sets clearly showed the role of the degree of indecision in the ranking of alternatives in binomial and trinomial fuzzy sets. In the considered car selection problem, it has been observed that there are minor changes in the ordering of intuitionistic and spherical fuzzy sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IVIFSs), based on the intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs), combine the classical decision method and its research and application is attracting attention. After a comparative analysis, it becomes clear that multiple classical methods with IVIFSs' information have been applied to many practical issues. In this paper, we extended the classical EDAS method based on the Cumulative Prospect Theory (CPT) considering the decision experts (DEs)' psychological factors under IVIFSs. Taking the fuzzy and uncertain character of the IVIFSs and the psychological preference into consideration, an original EDAS method, based on the CPT under IVIFSs (IVIF-CPT-EDAS) method, is created for multiple-attribute group decision making (MAGDM) issues. Meanwhile, the information entropy method is used to evaluate the attribute weight. Finally, a numerical example for Green Technology Venture Capital (GTVC) project selection is given, some comparisons are used to illustrate the advantages of the IVIF-CPT-EDAS method and a sensitivity analysis is applied to prove the effectiveness and stability of this new method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy conservation and emission reduction are important policies vigorously promoted in China. With the continuous popularization of the concept of green transportation, electric vehicles have become a green transportation tool with good development prospects, greatly reducing the pressure on the environment and resources caused by rapid economic growth. The development status of electric vehicles has a significant impact on urban energy security, environmental protection, and sustainable development in China. With the widespread application of new energy vehicles, charging piles have become an important auxiliary infrastructure necessary for the development of electric vehicles. They have significant social and economic benefits, so it is imperative to build electric vehicle charging piles. There are many factors to consider in the scientific layout of electric vehicle charging stations, and the location selection problem of electric vehicle charging stations is a multiple-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) problem. Recently, the Combined Compromise Solution (CoCoSo) technique and CRITIC technique have been utilized to deal with MAGDM issues. Spherical fuzzy sets (SFSs) can uncover the uncertainty and fuzziness in MAGDM more effectively and deeply. In this paper, on basis of CoCoSo technique, a novel spherical fuzzy number CoCoSo (SFN-CoCoSo) technique based on spherical fuzzy number cosine similarity measure (SFNCSM) and spherical fuzzy number Euclidean distance (SFNED) is conducted for dealing with MAGDM. Moreover, when the attribute weights are completely unknown, the CRITIC technique is extended to SFSs to acquire the attribute weights based on the SFNCSM and SFNED. Finally, the SFN-CoCoSo technique is utilized for location selection problem of electric vehicle charging stations to prove practicability of the developed technique and compare the SFN-CoCoSo technique with existing techniques to further demonstrate its superiority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ELECTRE III is a well-established outranking relation model used to address the ranking of alternatives in multi-criteria and multi-actor decision-making problems. It has been extensively studied across various scientific fields. Due to the complexity of decision-making under uncertainty, some higher-order fuzzy sets have been proposed to effectively model this issue. Circular Intuitionistic Fuzzy Set (CIFS) is one such set recently introduced to handle uncertain IF values. In CIFS, each element of the set is characterized by a circular area with a radius, r and membership/non-membership degrees as the centre. This paper introduces CIF-ELECTRE III, an extension of ELECTRE III within the CIFS framework, for group decision analysis. To achieve this, we define extensions for the group decision matrix and group weighting vector based on CIFS conditions, particularly focusing on optimistic and pessimistic attitudes. These attitudinal characters of the group of actors are constructed using conditional rules to ensure that each element of the set falls within the circular area. Parameterized by α ∈ [ 0 , 1 ] for the net score degree, we conduct an extensive analysis of group decision-making between optimistic and pessimistic attitudes. To illustrate the applicability of the proposed model, we provide a numerical example of the stock-picking process. Additionally, we conduct a comparative analysis with existing sets and perform sensitivity analyses to validate the results of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce the concept of circular Pythagorean fuzzy set (value) (C-PFS(V)) as a new generalization of both circular intuitionistic fuzzy sets (C-IFSs) proposed by Atannassov and Pythagorean fuzzy sets (PFSs) proposed by Yager. A circular Pythagorean fuzzy set is represented by a circle that represents the membership degree and the non-membership degree and whose centre consists of non-negative real numbers μ and ν with the condition μ 2 + ν 2 ⩽ 1. A C-PFS models the fuzziness of the uncertain information more properly thanks to its structure that allows modelling the information with points of a circle of a certain centre and a radius. Therefore, a C-PFS lets decision makers to evaluate objects in a larger and more flexible region and thus more sensitive decisions can be made. After defining the concept of C-PFS we define some fundamental set operations between C-PFSs and propose some algebraic operations between C-PFVs via general triangular norms and triangular conorms. By utilizing these algebraic operations, we introduce some weighted aggregation operators to transform input values represented by C-PFVs to a single output value. Then to determine the degree of similarity between C-PFVs we define a cosine similarity measure based on radius. Furthermore, we develop a method to transform a collection of Pythagorean fuzzy values to a C-PFS. Finally, a method is given to solve multi-criteria decision making problems in circular Pythagorean fuzzy environment and the proposed method is practiced to a problem about selecting the best photovoltaic cell from the literature. We also study the comparison analysis and time complexity of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory of T-spherical fuzzy (T-SF) sets possesses remarkable capability to manage intricate uncertain information. The REGIME method is a well-established technique concerning discrete choice analysis. This paper comes up with a multiple-criteria choice analysis approach supported by the REGIME structure for manipulating T-SF uncertainties. This paper constructs new-created measurements such as superiority identifiers and guide indices for relative attractiveness and fittingness, respectively, between T-SF characteristics. This study evolves the T-SF REGIME I and II prioritization procedures for decision support. The application and comparative studies exhibit the effectiveness and favorable features of the propounded T-SF REGIME methodology in real decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) method utilizing q-rung orthopair fuzzy (qROF) sets, improved power weighted operators and improved power weighted Maclaurin symmetric mean (MSM) operators. The power weighted averaging operator and power weighted Maclaurin symmetric mean (MSM) operator used in the existing MCGDM methods have the drawback of being unable to distinguish the priority order of alternatives in some scenarios, especially when one of the qROF numbers being considered has a non-belongingness grade of 0 or a belongingness grade of 1. To address this limitation of existing MCGDM methods, four operators, namely qROF improved power weighted averaging (qROFIPWA), qROF improved power weighted geometric (qROFIPWG), qROF improved power weighted averaging MSM (qROFIPWAMSM) and qROF improved power weighted geometric MSM (qROFIPWGMSM), are proposed in this paper. These operators mitigate the effects of erroneous assessment of information from some biased decision-makers, making the decision-making process more reliable. Following that, a group decision-making methodology is developed that is capable of generating a reasonable ranking order of alternatives when one of the qROF numbers considered has a non-belongingness grade of 0 or a belongingness grade of 1. To investigate the applicability of the proposed approach, a case study is also presented and a comparison-based investigation is used to demonstrate the superiority of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory of T-spherical fuzzy (T-SF) sets possesses remarkable capability to manage intricate uncertain information. The REGIME method is a well-established technique concerning discrete choice analysis. This paper comes up with a multiple-criteria choice analysis approach supported by the REGIME structure for manipulating T-SF uncertainties. This paper constructs new-created measurements such as superiority identifiers and guide indices for relative attractiveness and fittingness, respectively, between T-SF characteristics. This study evolves the T-SF REGIME I and II prioritization procedures for decision support. The application and comparative studies exhibit the effectiveness and favorable features of the propounded T-SF REGIME methodology in real decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consensus creation is a complex challenge in decision making for conflicting or quasi-conflicting evaluator groups. The problem is even more difficult to solve, if one or more respondents are non-expert and provide uncertain or hesitant responses in a survey. This paper presents a methodological approach, the Interval-valued Spherical Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process, with the objective to handle both types of problems simultaneously; considering hesitant scoring and synthesizing different stakeholder group opinions by a mathematical procedure. Interval-valued spherical fuzzy sets are superior to the other extensions with a more flexible characterization of membership function. Interval-valued spherical fuzzy sets are employed for incorporating decision makers' judgements about the membership functions of a fuzzy set into the model with an interval instead of a single point. In the paper, Interval-valued spherical fuzzy AHP method has been applied to public transportation problem. Public transport development is an appropriate case study to introduce the new model and analyse the results due to the involvement of three classically conflicting stakeholder groups: passengers, non-passenger citizens and the representatives of the local municipality. Data from a real-world survey conducted recently in the Turkish big city, Mersin, help in understanding the new concept. As comparison, all likenesses and differences of the outputs have been pointed out in the reflection with the picture fuzzy AHP computation of the same data. The results are demonstrated and analysed in detail and the step-by-step description of the procedure might foment other applications of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multilattices are generalisations of lattices introduced by Mihail Benado in [4]. He replaced the existence of unique lower (resp. upper) bound by the existence of maximal lower (resp. minimal upper) bound(s). A multilattice will be called pure if it is not a lattice. Multilattices could be endowed with a residuation, and therefore used as set of truth-values to evaluate elements in fuzzy setting. In this paper we exhibit the smallest pure multilattice and show that it is a sub-multilattice of any pure multilattice. We also prove that any bounded residuated multilattice that is not a residuated lattice has at least seven elements. We apply the ordinal sum construction to get more examples of residuated multilattices that are not residuated lattices. We then use these residuated multilattices to evaluate objects and attributes in formal concept analysis setting, and describe the structure of the set of corresponding formal concepts. More precisely, if i := (Ai, ≤i, ⊤i, ⊙i, →i, ⊥i), i = 1, 2 are two complete residuated multilattices, G and M two nonempty sets and (ϕ, ψ) a Galois connection between A 1 G and A 2 M that is compatible with the residuation, then we show that : = { (h , f) ∈ A 1 G × A 2 M ; φ (h) = f and ψ (f) = h } can be endowed with a complete residuated multilattice structure. This is a generalization of a result by Ruiz-Calviño and Medina [20] saying that if the (reduct of the) algebras i, i = 1; 2 are complete multilattices, then is a complete multilattice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to develop a Fermatean fuzzy ELECTRE method for solving multi-criteria group decision-making problems with unknown weights of decision makers and incomplete weights of criteria. First, a new distance measure between Fermatean fuzzy sets is proposed based on the Jensen–Shannon divergence. The cross entropy for Fermatean fuzzy sets is defined. Three kinds of dominance relationships for Fermatean fuzzy sets are proposed. Then, two optimization models are constructed to obtain positive ideal decision-making information and negative ideal decision-making information, respectively. Accordingly, the credibility degree of each decision maker is calculated. Decision makers' dynamic weights are determined by their credibility degrees. Besides, to obtain the weights of criteria, an optimization model is constructed based on grey relational analysis for Fermatean fuzzy numbers. Finally, the strong, medium and weak Fermatean fuzzy concordance and discordance sets are identified to construct the Fermatean fuzzy concordance and discordance matrices, respectively. A practical case study is carried out to illustrate the feasibility and applicability of the proposed ELECTRE method. Comparative analyses are performed to demonstrate the superiority and effectiveness of the proposed ELECTRE method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There exist various types of similarity measures for intuitionistic fuzzy sets in the literature. However, in many studies the interactions among the elements are ignored in the construction of the similarity measure. This paper presents a cosine similarity measure for intuitionistic fuzzy sets by using a Choquet integral model in which the interactions between elements are considered. The proposed similarity measure is applied to some pattern recognition problems and the results are compared with some existing results to demonstrate the effectiveness of this new similarity measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy-makers are often hesitant to invest in unproven solutions because of a lack of the decision-making framework for managing innovations as a portfolio of investments that balances risk and return, especially in the field of developing new technologies. This study provides a new portfolio matrix for decision making of policy-makers to identify IoT applications in the agriculture sector for future investment based on two dimensions of sustainable development as a return and IoT challenge as a risk using a novel MADM approach. To this end, the identified applications of IoT in the agriculture sector fall into eight areas using the meta-synthesis method. The authors extracted a set of criteria from the literature. Later, the fuzzy Delphi method helped finalise it. The authors extended the SWARA method with interval-valued triangular fuzzy numbers (IVTFN SWARA) and used it to the weighting of the characteristics. Then, the alternatives were rated using the Additive Ratio Assessment (ARAS) method based on interval-valued triangular fuzzy numbers (IVTFN ARAS). Finally, decision-makers evaluated the results of ratings based on two dimensions of sustainability and IoT challenge by developing a framework for decision-making. Results of this paper show that policy-makers can manage IOT innovations in a disciplined way that balances risk and return by a portfolio approach, simultaneously the proposed framework can be used to determine and prioritise the areas of IoT application in the agriculture sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 3D extensions of ordinary fuzzy sets such as intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFS), Pythagorean fuzzy sets (PFS), and neutrosophic sets (NS) aim to describe experts' judgments more informatively and explicitly. In this paper, generalized three dimensional spherical fuzzy sets are presented with their arithmetic, aggregation, and defuzzification operations. Weighted Aggregated Sum Product A Ssessment (WASPAS) is a combination of two well-known multi-criteria decisionmaking (MCDM) methods, which are weighted sum model (WSM) and weighted product model (WPM). The aim of this paper is to extend traditionalWASPASmethod to spherical fuzzy WASPAS (SF-WASPAS) method and to show its application with an industrial robot selection problem. Additionally, we present comparative and sensitivity analyses to show the validity and robustness of the given decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the paper is to introduce a novel approach using the multi-attribute border approximation area comparison (MABAC) approach under intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs) to solve the smartphone selection problem with incompleteweights or completely unknownweights. A novel discrimination measure of IFSs is proposed to calculate criteria weights. In view of the fact that the ambiguity is an unavoidable feature of multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problems, the proposed approach is an innovative process in the decision-making under uncertain settings. To express the utility and strength of the developed approach for solving problems in the area of MCDM, a smartphone selection problem is demonstrated. To validate the IF-MABAC approach, a comparative discussion is made between the outcomes of the developed and those of the existing methods. The outcomes of analysis demonstrate that the introduced method is well-ordered and effective with the existing ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spherical fuzzy sets theory is useful and advantageous for handling uncertainty and imprecision in multiple attribute decision-making problems by considering membership, nonmembership, and indeterminacy degrees. In this paper, by extending the classical linear assignment method, we propose a novel method called the spherical fuzzy linear assignment method (SFLAM) to solve multiple criteria group decision-making problems in the spherical fuzzy environment. A ranking procedure consisting of aggregation functions, score functions, accuracy functions, weighted rank frequency, and a binary mathematical model are presented to determine the criterionwise preferences and various alternatives' priority order. The proposed method's applicability and validity are shown through the selection problem among wind power farm locations. The proposed method helps managers to find the best location to construct the wind power plant based on the determined criteria. Finally, a comparative analysis is performed between the proposed spherical fuzzy linear assignment (SF-LAM) model and the spherical fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (SF-AHP) and spherical fuzzy WASPAS methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we develop a new flexible method for interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision-making problems with cosine similarity measure. We first introduce the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy cosine similarity measure based on the notion of the weighted reduced intuitionistic fuzzy sets. With this cosine similarity measure, we are able to accommodate the attitudinal character of decision-makers in the similarity measuring process. We study some of its essential properties and propose the weighted interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy cosine similarity measure. Further, the work uses the idea of GOWA operator to develop the ordered weighted interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy cosine similarity (OWIVIFCS) measure based on the weighted reduced intuitionistic fuzzy sets. The main advantage of the OWIVIFCS measure is that it provides a parameterized family of cosine similarity measures for interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets and considers different scenarios depending on the attitude of the decision-makers. The measure is demonstrated to satisfy some essential properties, which prepare the ground for applications in different areas. In addition, we define the quasi-ordered weighted interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy cosine similarity (quasi-OWIVIFCS) measure. It includes a wide range of particular cases such as OWIVIFCS measure, trigonometric-OWIVIFCS measure, exponential-OWIVIFCS measure, radical-OWIVIFCS measure. Finally, the study uses the OWIVIFCS measure to develop a new decision-making method to solve real-world decision problems with interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy information. A real-life numerical example of contractor selection is also given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed approach in solving real-life problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public-private partnership (PPP) is regarded as an innovative way to the procurement of public projects. Models vary with PPP projects due to their differences. The evaluation criteria are usually complex and the judgments offered by decision makers (DMs) show the characteristics of fuzziness and uncertainty. Considering these cases, this paper first analyses the risk factors for PPP models and then proposes a new method for selecting them in the setting of single-valued neutrosophic hesitant fuzzy environment. To achieve these purposes, two single-valued neutrosophic hesitant fuzzy correlation coefficients are defined to measure evaluated PPP models. Considering the weights of the risk factors and their interactions, two single-valued neutrosophic hesitant fuzzy 2-additive Shapley weighted correlation coefficients are defined. When the 2-additive measure on the risk factor set is not exactly known, several distance measure-based programming models are constructed to determine it. Based on these results, an algorithm for evaluating PPP models with single-valued neutrosophic hesitant fuzzy information is developed. Finally, a practical numerical example is provided to verify the validity and feasibility of the new method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is a very common and useful method for solving multi-criteria decision making problems in certain and uncertain environments. Single valued neutrosophic hesitant fuzzy set (SVNHFS) and interval neutrosophic hesitant fuzzy set (INHFS) are developed on the integration of neutrosophic set and hesitant fuzzy set. In this paper, we extend TOPSIS method for multi-attribute decision making based on single valued neutrosophic hesitant fuzzy set and interval neutrosophic hesitant fuzzy set. Furthermore, we assume that the attribute weights are known, incompletely known or completely unknown. We establish two optimization models for SVNHFS and INHFS with the help of maximum deviation method. Finally, we provide two numerical examples to validate the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction site selection is a complex probleminvolving many alternatives and conflicting criteria with vague and imprecise evaluations. Fuzzymulti-criteria decision-making methods are the most effective tools to obtain optimum solutions under possibilistic uncertainty. In this paper, a novel interval hesitant fuzzy CODAS method is proposed and applied to a residential construction site selection problem. A comparative analysis with ordinary fuzzy CODAS method is applied for validating the proposed method. Also, a sensitivity analysis is conducted for the stability of the ranking results of the interval hesitant fuzzy CODAS method. The results of the analyses demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many papers exist on ordinary fuzzy control charts in literature in order to consider the vagueness and uncertainty in observation data. These are on both variable and attribute control charts. Several extensions of fuzzy sets have appeared in literature since ordinary fuzzy sets emerged. Type-2 fuzzy sets are one of these extensions. Type-2 fuzzy sets take into account the imprecision of membership functions in three dimensions. The aim of this paper is to develop interval type-2 fuzzy control charts for number of nonconformities, briefly c-control charts. In this paper, the theoretical structure of interval type-2 fuzzy c-control charts is proposed for the first time and the application is implemented in a food company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutrosophic hesitant fuzzy set (NHFS) is a convincing tool that deals with uncertain information. In this paper, we propose an NH-MADM strategy for solving MADM with NHFSs based on extended GRA. We assume that the information of attributes is partially known or completely unknown. We develop two models to determine the weights of attributes. Then we rank the alternatives based on the strategy. Further, we extend the strategy into MADM in interval neutrosophic hesitant fuzzy set environment which we call INH-MADM strategy. Finally, we provide two illustrative examples to show the validity and effectiveness of the proposed strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to make a proposal for a new extension of the MULTIMOORA method extended to deal with bipolar fuzzy sets. Bipolar fuzzy sets are proposed as an extension of classical fuzzy sets in order to enable solving a particular class of decision-making problems. Unlike other extensions of the fuzzy set of theory, bipolar fuzzy sets introduce a positivemembership function, which denotes the satisfaction degree of the element x to the property corresponding to the bipolar-valued fuzzy set, and the negative membership function, which denotes the degree of the satisfaction of the element x to some implicit counter-property corresponding to the bipolar-valued fuzzy set. By using single-valued bipolar fuzzy numbers, the MULTIMOORA method can be more efficient for solving some specific problems whose solving requires assessment and prediction. The suitability of the proposed approach is presented through an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intuitionistic uncertain linguistic variables (IULVs) are useful to express the qualitative and quantitative recognitions of decision makers. However, after reviewing the previous operational laws on IULVs, we find there are some limitations. To address these issues, we define several new operations on IULVs and give a new ranking method. To improve the utilization of IULVs, this paper defines two Choquet operators: the intuitionistic uncertain linguistic symmetrical Choquet averaging (IULSCA) operator and the intuitionistic uncertain linguistic symmetrical Choquet geometric mean (IULSCGM) operator, which can address the internal correlations among elements. To globally reflect the interactive characteristics of the importance of elements, two generalized Shapley intuitionistic uncertain linguistic symmetrical Choquet operators are presented. Subsequently, a new distance measure is defined, which is then used to build models to ascertain fuzzy measures on decision maker and criteria sets to address the case where the weighting information is partly known. After that, a new procedure to intuitionistic uncertain linguistic group decision making is developed. Finally, a specific example is offered to illustrate the practicality of the new procedure, and the comparison analysis is also made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interval-valued intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy sets (IVIHFSs) are useful to denote the decision makers' interval preferred, interval non-preferred and hesitant opinions simultaneously. Considering the application of IVIHFSs, this paper introduces a new decision-making method with interval-valued intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy information that extends the application scopes. To do this, the interval-valued intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy hybrid Shapley weighted averaging (IVIHFHSWA) operator and the interval-valued intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy hybrid Shapley weighted geometric (IVIHFHSWG) operator are defined to aggregate the collective attribute values of alternatives. To reflect the interactions and reduce the complexity of calculating the weights, the 2-additive measures are used to define these two hybrid Shapley weighted operators. To derive the exact weight information of attributes and ordered positions, the associated programming models for determining the optimal 2-additive measures are constructed that are based on the defined Hamming distance measure. To show the feasibility and efficiency of the new method, a practical decision-making problem is offered, which is also used to compare with the previous methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we presented another form of eight similarity measures between PFSs based on the cosine function between PFSs by considering the degree of positive membership, degree of neutral membership, degree of negative membership and degree of refusal membership in PFSs. Then, we applied these weighted cosine function similarity measures between PFSs to strategic decision making. Finally, an illustrative example for selecting the optimal production strategy is given to demonstrate the efficiency of the similarity measures for strategic decision making problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes the concepts of a neutrosophic number and a trapezoidal neutro-sophic number (TNN), the basic operational relations of TNNs, and the score function of TNN. Then, we develop a trapezoidal neutrosophic weighted arithmetic averaging (TNWAA) operator and a trapezoidal neutrosophic weighted geometric averaging (TNWGA) operator to aggregate TNN information and investigate their properties. Furthermore, a multiple attribute decision making method based on the TNWAA and TNWGA operators and the score function of TNN is established under a TNN environment. Finally, an illustrative example of investment alternatives is given to demonstrate the application and effectiveness of the developed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linguistic hesitant fuzzy sets (LHFSs) permit the decision maker to apply several linguistic terms with each having several membership degrees to denote his/her preference of one thing. This type of fuzzy sets can well address the qualitative and quantitative cognitions of the decision maker as well as reflect his/her hesitancy, uncertainty and inconsistency. This paper introduces a distance measure between any two LHFSs and then defines a correlation coefficient of LHFSs. Considering the application of LHFSs, the weighted distance measure and the weighted correlation coefficient of LHFSs are defined. To address the interactions between elements in a set, the Shapley weighted distance measure and the Shapley weighted correlation coefficient are presented. It is worth noting that when the elements are independent, they degenerate to the associated weighted distance measure and the weighted correlation coefficient, respectively. After that, their application to pattern recognition is studied. Furthermore, an approach to multi-attribute decision making under linguistic hesitant fuzzy environment is developed. Meanwhile, numerical examples are offered to show the concrete application of the developed procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a kind of hybrid multiple attribute decision making (MADM) problems with incomplete attribute weight information and develops a hesitant fuzzy programming method based on the linear programming technique for multidimensional analysis of preference (LINMAP). In this method, decision maker (DM) gives preferences over alternatives by the pair-wise comparison with hesitant fuzzy truth degrees and the evaluation values are expressed as crisp numbers, intervals, intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs), linguistic variables and hesitant fuzzy sets (HFSs). First, by calculating the relative projections of alternatives on the positive ideal solution (PIS) and negative ideal solution (NIS), the overall relative closeness degrees of alternatives associated with attribute weights are derived. Then, the hesitant fuzzy consistency and inconsistency measures are defined. Through minimizing the inconsistency measure and maximizing the consistency measure simultaneously, a new bi-objective hesitant fuzzy programming model is constructed and a novel solution method is developed. Thereby, the weights of attributes are determined objectively. Subsequently, the ranking order of alternatives is generated based on the overall relative closeness degrees of alternatives. Finally, a supplier selection example is provided to show the validity and applicability of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes the concept of an interval neutrosophic hesitant fuzzy set (INHFS) and the operational relations of INHFSs. Then, we develop correlation coefficients of INHFSs and investigate the relation between the similarity measures and the correlation coefficients. Furthermore, a multiple attribute decision making method based on the correlation coefficients is established under interval neutrosophic hesitant fuzzy environment. Through the correlation coefficients between each alternative and the ideal alternative, we obtain the ranking order of all alternatives and the best one. Finally, an illustrative example of investment alternatives is given to demonstrate the application and effectiveness of the developed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to compete in the global environment, a manufacturing company has to keep developing new technologies. Selection of a right technology is a critical stage in a successful technology transfer process. However, technology selection is a complex multi-dimensional problem including both qualitative and quantitative factors, such as human resources, operational and financial dimensions, which may be in conflict and may also be uncertain. In addition, interdependent relationships exist among various dimensions as well as criteria of technology selection. The identified problems could be solved by combining multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) methods of different nature and fuzzy set theory. The objective of the current paper is to develop a complex approach to evaluate technologies and to rank their appropriateness for a company. A hybrid model is proposed, based on Fuzzy Analytic Network Process (FANP) and Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS).A real-life case study is presented to validate the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective movement of materials plays an important role in successful operation of any organization. Proper methods adopted for material movement are also crucial for the overall safety of the personnel involved in the manufacturing processes. Selection of the appropriate material handling equipment (MHE) is a vital task for improving productivity of an organization. In today's technological era, varieties of MHEs are available to carry out a desired task. Depending on the type of material to be moved, there are many quantitative and qualitative factors influencing the selection decision of a suitable MHE. The problem of selecting the right type of MHE for a given purpose can be solved using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods which are capable of dealing with the combination of crisp and fuzzy data. In this paper, an MCDM method employing fuzzy axiomatic design principles is applied for selecting the most appropriate MHE for the given task. As a measure of suitability, the total information content is calculated for each MHE and the MHE alternative with the least total information content is regarded as the best choice. Two real time problems from the literature, i.e. selection of an automated guided vehicle, and selection of loading and hauling equipments in surface mines, are solved to validate the applicability, flexibility and potentiality of the adopted approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an extension of the ARAS method which, due to the use of intervalvalued fuzzy numbers, can be more appropriate for solving real-world problems. In order to overcome the complexity of real-world decision-making problems, the proposed extension also includes the use of linguistic variables and a group decision making approach. In order to highlight the proposed methodology an example of a faculty websites evaluation is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]