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The article presents new types of fuzzy sets, such as the hypersoft set, indeterminate soft set, indeterminate hypersoft set, and tree soft set. Definitions and examples of these sets are provided, as well as practical applications. Other fuzzy extensions of the soft set are also mentioned, and the possibility of investigating and applying new forms of soft sets in combination with fuzzy sets and their extensions is suggested. The author of the article is Florentin Smarandache from the University of New Mexico. The text was published in the Octogon Mathematical Magazine and Journal of Fuzzy Extension and Applications. [Extracted from the article]

Diabetic neuropathy is the most frequent chronic microangiopathic complication that generates greater disability due to amputations and mortality in diabetes mellitus. Hence, efforts are considered necessary to contribute with essential methodological recommendations for students of medical sciences, patients and specialists, in the management of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) based on the best scientific evidence. In this disease, the clinical specialty is crucial for a correct diagnosis, however, uncertainty is appreciated in the diagnosis of this disease. The aim of this article is to propose a soft set-based model for the diagnosis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Soft sets are another way of modeling uncertainty, they also generalize fuzzy sets, with the advantage that they do not necessarily need of membership functions to be defined. The model uses a hybrid between soft sets and methods of rough sets. The latter ones are also used to model uncertainty and are useful for arriving at knowledge-related rules from data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main policy instruments to fight poverty, especially in developing countries, is the public spending in sectors as education, health, and social welfare. In Ecuador, the amount of these three sectors has experienced a growing trend from 2008. Consequently, our objective is to identify the effect of public spending on multidimensional poverty in Ecuador, therefore, a multidimensional poverty index based in fuzzy sets theory is applied, analyzing it as a degree of deprivation rather than an attribute of presence or absence, we construct a poverty profile and estimate a multinomial probit model with a pool of provincial data for the period 2009-2017. Our main results show that poverty is reduced in the study period, but that not all population groups have benefited to the same extent, in addition that social welfare spending has significant effects on multidimensional poverty, but health and education spending are not significant. These results suggest that public policies should be applied in two ways, one to combat poverty and the other to close the gaps, which leads to the execution of more and better public spending on social welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boundaries controversies in the Southern Pacific impacted on the theoretical and empirical discussion about uti possidetis juris during the 19th century sustained by the foreign policy decision -- makers of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru, which were also some of their most prominent public intellectuals. Thus, our main objective is to assess the aforementioned decision -- makers' theses in order to elucidate why the same arguments had given different solutions. Thereon, the method that we utilize is the fuzzy sets qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to assess the ideas of the above -- mentioned intellectuals that are contained in their respective publications. As preliminary result, we argue that the perceived uncertainty of the decision -- maker about a particular solution is a necessary and sufficient cause for the absence of war. Our main finding is that, unlike the perceived uncertainty of alternative solutions to war, or the perceived uncertainty of alternative solutions to war, perceptions about regional balance of power are not relevant to achieve pacific solutions to international controversies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mexican Journal of Economics & Finance / Revista Mexicana de Economia y Finanzas is the property of Instituto Mexicano de Ejecutivos de Finanzas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Tesla Revista Científica is the property of Puerto Madero Editorial Academica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The development of a model that allows measuring the productivity of a technology-based company is presented, which is based on the interactions identified between the investment of the research department, computer fraud, and theft. These interactions are presented through a model of fuzzy variables in which the membership functions are developed for each of these. Likewise, the interaction rules are developed based on the conjunction of the fuzzy sets proposed for the Mamdani model. With these designs, it is possible to determine the degree of productivity, characterized by a fuzzy set. To test the model, Monte Carlo simulation was used with four scenarios. The simulations' series results show that the fuzzy sets described allow to measure company's productivity being analysed through the proposed fuzzy sets productivity ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Confinement has had a great emotional impact on the population, especially in terms of stress. Factors such as the presence of previous mental or physical illness, resilience or emotional intelligence may influence the occurrence or increase of stress. The aim was to assess predictors of stress by comparing two statistical methodologies (one linear and one non-linear). Method. 802 Spaniards (65.50% women) who completed the questionnaires autonomously after signing the informed consent form participated. Stress (PSPP), COVID-19 threat perception (BIPQ-5), resilience (CD-RISC-10) and emotional intelligence (TMMS-24) were assessed. Descriptive statistics, hierarchical regression (HRM) and fuzzy set comparative qualitative analysis (fsQCA) were conducted. Results. Data obtained by HRM showed that the presence of previous mental illness, low resilience and emotional clarity, high emotional alertness and COVID-19 threat perception predicted 51% of the variance in stress. On the other hand, the results of the QCA showed that different combinations of these variables explained 71% of high stress and 56% of low stress. Pointing out how the presence of previous mental illness, high resilience, high emotional clarity and repair, low emotional alertness and low COVID-19 threat perception play a key role in explaining stress. Conclusions. These aspects will help to promote personal resources to buffer stress in confinement situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the characterization of variables related to the precise fertilization of soils and dairy cattle pastures, for the construction of an intelligent system for the recommendation of fertilization plans. The characterization was carried out through a field study that considered soil analysis and determination of optimum levels of macronutrients in five farms in the north of Antioquia-Colombia. The main result was the establishment of the input and output fuzzy sets, together with the production rules, which were later taken to a functional prototype. From the above, it is concluded that the use of artificial intelligence techniques has great potential for integration with software to support fertilization-related tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper contains a comparative study between two non-deterministic approaches to the Delphi method: one based on Pythagorean fuzzy numbers, and the other based on the cloud model. From the empirical evidence obtained in an experimental investigation (N = 56 experts), related to the academic results forecast, it is observed that both approaches produce relatively similar results, even close to the results of an ARIMA test based on series chronological. The study reveals that both methods differ substantially in the way they input, process and output information. Advantages and disadvantages are analyzed, which must be addressed in each case. It is concluded that both approaches are viable, as alternative resources in unusual situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, where the use of diachronic information is not always completely justified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to analyze the degree of insertion of the variables of peace and negative peace (Galtung, 1969a) of each one of the parties during the Colombian Peace dialogue between the National Government and the farc-ep (2012-2016). The research seeks to fill the gap in the analysis of the peace approaches taken by each one of the parties at La Havana peace dialogues based on the theories of Galtung (1965, 1969a, 1969b, 1971, 1990), Fisas (2005) and Lederach (1995, 2016). The qualitative methodology is based on seven indepth interviews carried out with some of the negotiators as well as two interviews with the international actors. The analysis developed using the Fuzzy Sets Theory concludes that the National Government was oriented towards a negative peace, while the farc-ep was oriented towards a positive peace. This work is part of a growing field in the research of the Colombian peace accord as a guarantee to a transition towards a peaceful society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Investigaciones Regionales is the property of Asociacion Espanola de Ciencia Regional and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The training of the competition undertaken in Ecuadorian university students, is an important objective for teachers and managers of higher education. The competence to undertake means that the student has the ability to self-regulate and make appropriate decisions, with professionalism, ethics, and vocation of service to society. This article aims to evaluate the competence to be undertaken in students from three universities, using the fuzzy NPN logic. Diffuse NPN logic is based on a sub-interference semantics of [-1, 1], instead of a single value in the range [0, 1], as in mathematical logic or classical fuzzy logic. NPN logic and its fuzzy extent are usually used in cognitive map modeling, however, this article leverages its semantics and operators to perform calculations where experts express both their degree of agreement and disagreement over each resulting value. The procedure followed here may be of interest to other similar studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to study the management of sustainable development in public and private educational institutions in the Pillco Marca Huánuco District of Perú. For this, a survey based on Bronfenbrenner's ecological model is designed. According to this theory each person is significantly affected by the interactions of a series of overlapping systems. This is part of contextual dialectical theories that explain the change of behavior of the individual through the influence of the environment. For the representation and processing of the data the Neutrosophic Likert scale is used. The classic Likert scale is widely used in psychological and sociological surveys, however, it restricts the possible answers to a fixed number and only one of them must be chosen. The neutrosophic Likert scale allows the respondent to determining the degree he/she prefers among these possible responses, in this way the respondent's opinions are captured more accurately, including the possible degree of indeterminacy between their opinions. Neutrosophic sets generalize fuzzy and intuitionistic fuzzy sets, so that to the degree of membership and non-membership of an element to the set, it is added a degree of indeterminacy, without any restriction among them. On the other hand, "Triple Refined Indeterminate Neutrosophic Sets" (TRINS) are used in the Neutrosophic Likert scale. The novelty of this article is that for the first time Sustainable Development Management is studied with the help of the Neutrosophic Likert scale, in a survey based on the Bronfenbrenner's ecological model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metallic materials used in drinking water distribution systems show corrosion damage, which makes it necessary to develop simple and accessible methods that allow preventive and/or corrective measures to be carried out quickly. The work that is described in this paper intended to build a fuzzy logic model based on data obtained from visual inspections of the cladding, and the visible deterioration appearances degree (aging) of the elements. The methodological design used was quantitative research, also known as a mathematical approach, distinguished by the interpretation of data, statistics, numbers, and tables, among others. The data and records of various pressure reducing stations (ERPs) in zones 1 and 4 of aqueduct and sewer in Bogotá were analyzed. Fuzzy Logic Toolbox? MATLAB software complementing was used, based on the selection of two parameters (protection, and coating and aging). Each one was assigned quality conditions that operated as the program input data. By applying the model, a three-dimensional surface was obtained with the values of the corrosion states, according to the quality of the coating and the aging dimension. Four zones were identified, which represent the corrosion states of the evaluated elements: optimal, imperceptible, light, and severe, with no transition interval. The results show that this methodology provides a reliable evaluation of the state of corrosion of the evaluated metal structures. It is concluded that the implementation of the fuzzy inference system provides a simple application tool, which can be adjusted with information collected in routine preventive or corrective maintenance work, and in activities that relate other variables to corrosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Saber, Ciencia y Libertas is the property of Saber, Ciencia y Libertad and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Direito da Cidade is the property of Editora da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (EdUERJ) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

One of the aspects that has become more relevant in the supply chains management is the one related to the supplier management. In this process, the selection is a fundamental activity, since depending of the accuracy of this decision will be derived the results of the productive system. It has been demonstrated in the literature that supplier selection is a multicriteria problem and therefore, requires the use of appropriate methodologies for this type of problem. One of the multi-criteria methodologies that is gaining strength in the field of multi-criteria decision-making problems is the diffuse AHP (Fuzzy Hierarchic Analytic Process), which combines the traditional AHP with fuzzy logic. Another key aspect in the management of modern supply chains is the one related to risks. Managing risks properly is vital for the organizations survival. This article proposes an application of the fuzzy AHP technique for the supplier selection including the operational risk within the selection criteria. The proposed methodology is applied in the selection process of a raw material supplier of a manufacturing company in Colombia, yielding satisfactory results for the organization when selecting the supplier that responds in the best way to the set of criteria established by the company. The proposed methodology represents an effective method to evaluate different suppliers according to a set of criteria selected by a group of decision makers through the use of different comparison matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper are analyzed the labor paths in Mexico from the perspective of the quality of employment, diferenced by education level. The study focuses on the workpeople born in 1981 during twelve years, from 24 to 36 years old, to estimate the welfare obtained from their work contrasting two groups: one with higher education and other with basic instruction. For this, we calculate a multidimensional index based on fuzzy sets using the data from the National Survey of Occupation and Employment in the period 2005- 2016. As main result we found that the quality of employment only increases in the higher education group, particularly in women regardless the presence of adverse wage gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the achievement of the poverty targets of the EU's 2020 Strategy. To this end, for the first time for all EU Member States, an alternative measure of monetary poverty is built using fuzzy set methodology, which helps to avoid some of the drawbacks of the EU's AROPE indicator. The results from the Fuzzy Poverty Indicator (FPI) reveal that the probability of a citizen being poor in the EU has increased slightly since the launch of the Strategy in just over 20 basis points. The EU is not achieving its intended aims and also shows a significant lack of coordination due to a lack of uniformity in objectives and different behavior among Member States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Formación Universitaria is the property of Centro de Informacion Tecnologica (CIT) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Gestión Joven is the property of Asociacion Espanola de Contabilidad y Administracion de Empresas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Saber, Ciencia y Libertas is the property of Saber, Ciencia y Libertad and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article analyzes the election results for the mayoralty of Santiago de Cali in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015. Based on premises of the sociological model of voting behavior and through the use of fuzzy sets and geo-referencing, it makes estimates regarding electoral behavior in relation to socio-economic status and levels of fragmentation exhibited by the different types of candidacy (elite-non-elite). Causal configurations are thus identified which, as sufficient conditions, contribute to demystifying widespread perceptions about the impact of some sectors of the city on the election of the mayor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ingeniería (0121-750X) is the property of Ingenieria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Forum Empresarial is the property of University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The establishment of networks of scientific collaboration of academic groups occurs like a strategic element for the generation and dissemination of knowledge. It is in this sense that the analysis and study of these networks and their results are presented in an appropriate way, however, it is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon. This is why new methods and tools are required. This paper explores the theory of fuzzy logic as an element of analysis that allows to accurately distinguish in quantifying the potential of academic groups in a multidimensional way. It makes evident the greater potential of academic bodies that make scientific collaboration networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze the impact of management variables (Service Quality, Perceived Value and General Satisfaction) and variables of disability itself (origin and type of disability) on the future intentions to attend again of disabled athletes. This is a particularly interesting study taking into account the limited existing literature, the inclusion of disability variables in the analysis and due to the combination of traditional regression models and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis models (fsQCA). The sample of this study consisted of 231 disabled athletes participating in 14 sports competitions during 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 seasons. The hierarchical regression model suggests that management variables seem more relevant than those related to the disability itself. Meanwhile, based on the results of the fsQCA model, the only necessary condition for future intentions to return to the event is not having a visual impairment, while the most explanatory sufficient condition results from the combination of having a disability from birth, high perceived value, high general satisfaction and high service quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurement of sustainable development presents considerable difficulties that have limited the capacity in analyzing environmental questions in local systems. The intention of this study is to make a contribution in the measurement of sustainable development at the local level. In order to undertake this study, an Index of Sustainable Local Development (IDSL) was created drawing on the theory of fuzzy logic. This index permits us to analyze and compare sustainable development in three dimensions of the environmental system at the local level: social, environmental and economic. Empirical evidence is presented from the results of the application of the Index in 11 municipalities in the State of Jalisco, Mexico. These municipalities include the three largest metropolitan areas of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The learning of classification rules is a classic problem of the automatic learning. The algorithm IRBASIR for the induction of classification rules based on similaridad relations allows to discover knowledge starting from decision systems that contain features with continuous and discrete domains. This algorithm has shown to obtain higher results than other well-known algorithms. In this article, several modifications to this algorithm based on the Fuzzy sets theory are proposed, taking into account the measure quality of similarity. The experimental results show that using the fuzzy sets theory allow to obtain higher results than the original algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fuzzy sets allow for the representation of vague concepts, where membership of an object could be gradual. The use of this theory in the data bases has been proposed. As result of that, the fuzzy relational model GEFRED has emerged, as well as the fuzzy extended Entity-Relationship model FuzzyEER and the fuzzy querying language FSQL, among others. These extensions include some forms of fuzzy attributes, such as the so-called Type 3. These attributes have values in a set of labels provided with a fuzzy similarity relation, which is an extension of equivalence relations in the fuzzy set theory. The implications of such attributes in partitioned query operators have not been previously explored. The contribution of this paper is on the syntactic and semantic definition of an extension to SQL, in order to allow for partitioned queries with Type 3 fuzzy attributes in grouping criteria. This extension increases the expressive power of the database language with respect to previous proposals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Polis (07176554) is the property of Polis - Revista Academica Universidad Bolivariana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Inge@UAN. Tendencias de la Ingeniería is the property of Universidad Antonio Narino and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper the design and implementation of a fuzzy controller to the reaction wheel pendulum is presented. The methodology uses fundamental concepts of fuzzy logic to design the controller based on the knowledge of operators and thus avoiding the modeling of system dynamics. The design is implemented on the nonlinear model of the system and applies perturbations to evaluate the capabilities of the controller. The results show that the fuzzy logic based controllers have a good response to different types of disturbances that affect systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the political process of establishing constitutional law and enacting reforms. The author comments on the relationship between constitutionalism and national sovereignty and describes the implementation of the concept of fuzzy sets theory in constitutional procedures and decision making.

Copyright of Agora (0211-6642) is the property of Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Servicio de Publicaciones and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article results from years of teaching experience in methodology and thesis seminars. The origins and development of the underlying logic in comparative studies in Social Sciences starting with the formulations of Bacon and Mill are considered. Methods of concordance and difference are exposed as well as issues related with the design of comparative studies. Different uses of comparative studies are presented as well as illustrations of the. Finally, recent developments in comparative logic are revised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article a fuzzy inference model is developed for decision making under uncertainty conditions, applied to the design of products under a scheme of concurrent engineering. Customer requirements and criteria of different interdisciplinary teams to evaluate a particular design are presented as fuzzy variables. The model developed is applied to a garment company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Cubana de Ciencias Informáticas is the property of Universidad de las Ciencias Informaticas (UCI) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Analítika: Journal of Statistical Analysis / Revista de Análisis Estadístico is the property of Analitika: Journal of Statistical Analysis / Revista de Analisis Estadistico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The activity of the organizations is a complex phenomenon. Competitive factors are linked to human resources, which makes it necessary for organizations to have specialists in this area. In an uncertain scenario it is desirable to have tools to help make decisions, such as choosing the right candidate for a job. In this article we show three models of human resource selection based on fuzzy set theory and apply them to sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Contaduría y Administración is the property of Facultad de Contaduria y Administracion-Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents an architectural proposal for computing the generalized centroid of an interval type two fuzzy set using the enhanced Karnik Mendel algorithm. The architecture is adapted so that CORDIC based operators can be used to compute multiplications and divisions. In addition, two hardware implementations of the proposed architecture are described. The first one uses conventional parallel operations, while the latter includes CORDIC based operators. Both implementations are achieved over Field Programmable Gate Array technology. They are validated by computing the centroid of twelve deterministic interval type-2 fuzzy sets. Performance indices like area and maximum operation frequency are obtained in order to establish a comparative framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ingeniería Hidráulica en México is the property of Instituto Mexicano de Tecnologia del Agua (IMTA) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The main purpose of this paper is to present fuzzy sets theory as a reliable and straightforward methodology to measure poverty, which offers comparative advantages with respect to traditional methods. This paper also shows that fuzzy sets methodology is compatible with census data information to compute poverty indexes. Results of measuring poverty at state, municipal and town levels are presented for the case of Mexico and are compared with official results. Comparison reveals that fuzzy sets theory is an alternative that solve some of the methodological problems present in poverty lines and marginalization indexes, which makes it a helpful tool to evaluate and implement policies aimed at tackling poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of seismic vulnerability of masonry buildings in Colombian cities is a pressing need, as it is one of the most predominant structural systems. Day to day, the post earthquake attention programs force us to consider a good planning of the elements involved in the development of the cities. The housing buildings are an important aspect into consideration, and among them, the masonry building are elements of major priority. There are different methodologies for its evaluation but many of these have been built based on records of observed damages and analytic models both are complex, making its application only to the place were built. Therefore, is it important to propose models adjustable to Colombian conditions and for doing this, it is necessary to identify the parameters which influence the most in the vulnerability of masonry structures of our cities. The aim of this paper is to present the identification and assessment of these parameters. This study was based on the opinion of experts. Finally, it is presented the model that allows the correlation between vulnerability degrees of each one of the parameters with its value of importance; this correlation leads to calculate the seismic vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to develop a simple model to assess seismic vulnerability of masonry buildings to regional scale. This model was especially made for areas where current reposts of seismic damages of masonry buildings do not exist. The method is based on the identification of the most influential characteristics associated with the damage in a masonry building under the action of an earthquake. The evaluation of these characteristics was carried out by means of the determination of eleven parameters. A vulnerability degree and an importance value based on the opinion of experts was assigned to each of the 11 parameters. Due to the imprecision and subjectivity of the opinions, these data were processed by using fuzzy techniques. Once each one of the parameters was qualified, the qualifications of the parameters were related to their value of importance by means of a fuzzy weight average. The result of this relationship, according to techniques based on fuzzy set, is the masonry building vulnerability index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]