Search

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the signed distance metric for fuzzy numbers. Due to the property of directionality, this measure has been widely used. However, it has a main drawback in handling asymmetry and irregular shapes in fuzzy numbers. To overcome this rather bad feature, we introduce two new distances, the balanced signed distance (BSGD) and the generalised signed distance (GSGD), seen as generalisations of the classical signed distance. The developed distances successfully and effectively take into account the shape, the asymmetry and the overlap of fuzzy numbers. The GSGD is additionally directional, while the BSGD satisfies the requirements for being a metric of fuzzy quantities. Analytical simplifications of both distances in the case of often-used particular types of fuzzy numbers are provided to simplify the computation process, making them as simple as the classical signed distance but more realistic and precise. We empirically analyse the sensitivity of these distances. Considering several scenarios of fuzzy numbers, we also numerically compare these distances against established metrics, highlighting the advantages of the BSGD and the GSGD in capturing the shape properties of fuzzy numbers. One main finding of this research is that the defended distances capture with great precision the distance between fuzzy numbers; additionally, they are theoretically appealing and are computationally easy for traditional fuzzy numbers such as triangular, trapezoidal, Gaussian, etc., making these metrics promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk-neutral fuzzy probability measures play a crucial role in evaluating American fuzzy put option and fuzzy call option pricing models that depend on the amount of increase or decrease of the equity prices. Volatility and risk-free interest rate are the two significant parameters that are affecting the financial market frequently. In 2008, Muzzioli et al [9] and Xcaojian Yu [17] used non-overlapping triangular/trapezoidal and non-overlapping fuzzy trapezoidal numbers respectively to describe the same to study American put option model. In this study, we recommend fuzzy measures involving non-overlapping fuzzy octagonal numbers using which we demonstrate American Put Fuzzy Option Model (APFOM) by incorporating the uncertain values to real in the volatile series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning applied to regression models offers powerful mathematical tools for predicting responses based on one or more predictor variables. This paper extends the concept of multiple linear regression by implementing a learning system and incorporating both fuzzy predictors and fuzzy responses. To estimate the unknown parameters of this soft regression model, the approach involves minimizing the absolute distance between two lines under three constraints related to the absolute error distance between observed data and their respective predicted lines. A thorough comparative analysis is conducted, showcasing the practical applicability and superiority of the proposed soft multiple linear regression model. The effectiveness of the model is demonstrated through a comprehensive examination involving simulation studies and real-life application examples.

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.)

Copyright of International Journal of Engineering Research & Development (IJERAD) is the property of International Journal of Engineering Research & Development 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 EM algorithm is a powerful tool and generic useful device in a variety of problems for maximum likelihood estimation with incomplete data which usually appears in practice. Here, the term ``incomplete" means a general state and in different situations it can mean different meanings, such as lost data, open source data, censored observations, etc. This paper introduces an application of the EM algorithm in which the meaning of ``incomplete" data is non-precise or fuzzy observations. The proposed approach in this paper for estimating an unknown parameter in the parametric statistical model by maximizing the likelihood function based on fuzzy observations. Meanwhile, this article presents a case study in the electronics industry, which is an extension of a well-known example used in introductions to the EM algorithm and focuses on the applicability of the algorithm in a fuzzy environment. This paper can be useful for graduate students to understand the subject in fuzzy environment and moreover to use the EM algorithm in more complex examples.

The EM algorithm is a powerful tool and generic useful device in a variety of problems for maximum likelihood estimation with incomplete data which usually appears in practice. Here, the term "incomplete" means a general state and in different situations it can mean different meanings, such as lost data, open source data, censored observations, etc. This paper introduces an application of the EM algorithm in which the meaning of "incomplete" data is non-precise or fuzzy observations. The proposed approach in this paper for estimating an unknown parameter in the parametric statistical model by maximizing the likelihood function based on fuzzy observations. Meanwhile, this article presents a case study in the electronics industry, which is an extension of a well-known example used in introductions to the EM algorithm and focuses on the applicability of the algorithm in a fuzzy environment. This paper can be useful for graduate students to understand the subject in fuzzy environment and moreover to use the EM algorithm in more complex examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The logistic distribution is widely used to model various types of applied data. The modified logistic distribution under neutrosophic statistics is introduced in this work. The neutrosophic logistic distribution (NLD) and its engineering applications are mainly emphasized. An appealing characteristic of the suggested NLD is that it is useful to many widely utilized survival assessment metrics, including the reliability function, hazard function, and survival function. Applications of some mathematical and statistical properties of the suggested model are discussed. Numerical investigations on simulated data are used to validate the theoretical findings experimentally. From an application point of view, it is inferred that the proposed distribution fits data with imprecise, hazy, and fuzzy information better than the usual model. In addition, the maximum likelihood (ML) technique for the proposed model is discussed under the neutrosophic inference framework. Eventually, some illustrative examples related to system reliability are provided to clarify further the implementation of the neutrosophic probabilistic model in real-world problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Predicted the explanatory power of core through the application of autoregressive functions and fuzzy time series by archery performance. Can the archery performance of different athletes (high-score group and low-score group) be predicated and evaluated? In this study, purposive sampling was used to recruit the research participants by Chinese Taipei Archery Association (CTAA) were data collected in this study. Method: This study applied fuzzy statistics to the analysis of quadratic regression, autoregressive functions, and transfer functions. Subsequently, these statistics and relevant data were analyzed using Minitab 16.0 and Microsoft Office Excel 2013. Results: The findings of this study are listed as follows: Using autoregressive functions and fuzzy time series can truly reflect the explanatory power of athletes' performance in archery and effectively predict the archery performance of male athletes in the high-score group during the 2013 Asian Games. Suggestion: Fuzzy mode could be used to investigate the academic performance and learning environment of universities because it enhances the authenticity of students learn skill. Further academic learn training programs for student could be planned according to contest goals and contents, and the proportion of male to female student can be determined according to current situations. Contribution: The performance of student predicted using fuzzy time series should be used to design training programs for athletes and to assess students' ability to participate in learn environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An approach is proposed to construct fuzzy confidence intervals for unknown parameters in statistical models. In this approach, a family of confidence intervals of the unknown crisp parameters is considered. Such confidence intervals are used to obtain a fuzzy confidence interval for the parameter of interest. The proposed approach enjoys a wide range of confidence intervals to obtain a trapezoidal shaped fuzzy set of the parameter space as the fuzzy confidence interval for the parameter of interest. By using the resolution identity, it is shown that the constructed fuzzy confidence intervals are really fuzzy sets of the parameter space. Some numerical examples are provided to explain the functionality of the approach at one-sided and two-sided fuzzy confidence intervals. Moreover, the application of this proposed approach in health sciences is provided for the case of the recovery time of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions for COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In several research areas, ratings data and response times have been successfully used to unfold the stagewise process through which human raters provide their responses to questionnaires and social surveys. A limitation of the standard approach to analyze this type of data is that it requires the use of independent statistical models. Although this provides an effective way to simplify the data analysis, it could potentially involve difficulties with regard to statistical inference and interpretation. In this sense, a joint analysis could be more effective. In this research article, we describe a way to jointly analyze ratings and response times by means of fuzzy numbers. A probabilistic tree model framework has been adopted to fuzzify ratings data and four-parameters triangular fuzzy numbers have been used in order to integrate crisp responses and times. Finally, a real case study on psychometric data is discussed in order to illustrate the proposed methodology. Overall, we provide initial findings to the problem of using fuzzy numbers as abstract models for representing ratings data with additional information (i.e., response times). The results indicate that using fuzzy numbers leads to theoretically sound and more parsimonious data analysis methods, which limit some statistical issues that may occur with standard data analysis procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonparametric tests do not rely on data belonging to any particular parametric family of probability distributions, which makes them preferable in case of doubt about the underlying population. Although the two‐tailed sign test is likely the most common nonparametric test for location problems, practitioners face serious drawbacks, such as its lack of statistical power and its inapplicability when information regarding data and hypotheses is uncertain or imprecise. In this paper, we generalize the two‐tailed sign test by embedding fuzzy hypotheses caused by uncertainty/imprecision regarding linguistic statements on fractions of underlying quantiles. By achieving this objective, (1) crucial limitations of the common two‐tailed sign test are mitigated/overcome, (2) various further strengths are incorporated into the sign test (e.g., meeting the trade‐off between point‐ and interval‐valued hypotheses, facilitated formulation of fuzzy hypotheses, standardization of membership functions), and (3) shortcomings that often come along with fuzzy hypothesis testing are avoided (e.g., higher complexity, fuzzy test decision, possibilistic interpretation of test results). In addition, we conduct a comprehensive case study using a real data set on the psychosocial status during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The results of the case study clearly indicate that the generalized two‐tailed sign test is preferable to the two‐tailed sign test with point‐ or interval‐valued hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The failure criterion of structural serviceability is often fuzzy, which has a direct impact on the results of structural reliability analysis. Membership function is a basic mathematical tool to describe the fuzziness of failure criteria. At present, the fuzzy statistical method for generating the fuzzy set membership function is to take the numerical interval of the fuzzy set as a sample, and directly generate the membership function through statistics. However, this kind of sample will cover the uncertainty of the individual's understanding of fuzzy boundaries to a certain extent, and its statistical results are difficult to truly reflect the characteristics of fuzzy sets. The fuzzy boundary is described by the membership density function, and the numerical interval covering the fuzzy boundary is taken as the sample. The fuzzy statistical method for generating the membership density function is proposed, and the indirect statistical method for generating the membership function is established. The comparative analysis results show that the membership functions generated by the two statistical methods are different. The membership function generated by indirect statistical method can fully reflect the uncertainty of the individual's understanding of the fuzzy boundary, more truly reflect the characteristics of the fuzzy set, and provide a more solid foundation for the fuzzy probability analysis of structural serviceability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sign test is one of the most popular nonparametric tests for location problems and allows testing for any quantile of a population. However, the common sign test has serious drawbacks such as loss of information by considering solely signs of observations but not their magnitudes, various problems related to handling of ties in the data, and the lack of embedding uncertainty regarding the fraction of underlying quantile. To address these issues, we present an extended sign test based on fuzzy categories and fuzzy formulated hypotheses that improves the generality, versatility, and practicability of the common sign test. This generalized test procedure is neat in theory and practice and avoids disadvantages that are often associated with fuzzy tests (e.g., a considerably higher complexity of the underlying model, a fuzzy test decision, and a possibilistic instead of a probabilistic interpretation of test results). In addition, we perform a comprehensive case study on COVID‐19 in HIV‐infected individuals with a focus on human body temperature and related measurement problems. The results of the study clearly indicate that fuzzy categories and fuzzy hypotheses improve the performance of the sign test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although control charts can notify the state of out-of-control in a process by generating a signal, the indication is usually followed by a considerable amount of delay. Identifying the real time of the change in a process would provide a starting point for further investigation of an assignable cause. This paper addresses the problem of detecting the change point in different processes when the quality characteristics drift steadily away from an in-control state. For this purpose, a fuzzy statistical clustering (FSC) method is used to estimate the drift time in different processes. Since the application of an FSC method requires both in- and out-of-control values of the process parameter, a linear regression model is utilised to estimate the trend rate and then calculate the out-of-control process parameter. Through extensive simulations, the performance of the proposed change point estimation method is analysed and compared with the most recent estimators for several control charts. The results demonstrate that the proposed method is more effective in detecting the drift time through a wide range of trend rates. Furthermore, it is shown that the proposed method offers a higher estimation precision compared to conventional statistical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reduce the risk of slope stability evaluation due to the fuzziness of calculation parameters, a finite element analysis method of slope stability based on fuzzy statistics is proposed. Based on the principle of quasi-static method and with the help of the finite element software COMSOL multiphysics, this paper studies the stability of the gravel soil accumulation rock slope under the action of different seismic acceleration. By analyzing the displacement, plastic zone and safety factor of the rock soil slope, the stability of the rock soil slope is analyzed. The research results show that the fuzziness of mechanical parameters of rock and soil slope will lead to the fuzziness of position displacement and stress analysis results of rock and soil slope, and the analysis of rock and soil slope with the method of fuzzy finite element analysis can strengthen the comprehensive understanding of position displacement, stress and safety of rock and soil slope by engineers and technicians, and reduce the stability of rock and soil slope due to the fuzziness of calculation parameters to a certain extent Evaluate the risk qualitatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with fuzzy hypothesis testing in the framework of the randomized and non-randomized hypergeometric test for a proportion. Moreover, we differentiate between a test of significance and an alternative test to control the type I error or both error types simultaneously. In contrast to classical (non-)randomized hypothesis testing, fuzzy hypothesis testing provides an additional gradual consideration of the indifference zone in compliance with expert opinion or user priorities. In particular, various types of hypotheses with user-specified membership functions can be formulated. Additionally, the proposed test methods are compared via a comprehensive case study, which demonstrates the high flexibility of fuzzy hypothesis testing in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tunnel Construction / Suidao Jianshe (Zhong-Yingwen Ban) is the property of Tunnel Construction Editorial Office 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 we propose fuzzy hypothesis testing for a proportion with crisp data as the exact generalized one-tailed hypergeometric test with fuzzy (non-)complementary hypotheses, and incorporate the conventional hypergeometric test with crisp hypotheses into its framework. In particular, we formulate hypotheses as ontic or epistemic (fuzzy) sets, since we assume that presumptions regarding the true population proportion can be expressed in the conjunctive or disjunctive reading. Further, we suggest modeling of membership functions in terms of cost or frequency due to considerations of user's priorities or incomplete knowledge in relation to hypotheses formulation. Considering a hypothesis as union of its crisp and fuzzy areas, we illustrate via real-life examples that in contrast to classical test theory, fuzzy hypothesis testing provides an additional partial and gradual consideration of the indifference zone for both complementary and non-complementary hypotheses. The test concept is introduced for both test methods, a test of significance and an alternative test, and leads to a crisp test decision considering further cost aspects like the sample size. The generalized error criteria are derived and interpreted in relation to both hypotheses. Additionally, a corresponding sensitivity analysis is presented for one of the most promising test types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial robots, which enable manufacturing firms to produce high-quality products in a cost-effective manner, are important components of advanced manufacturing technologies. The performance of industrial robots is determined by multiple and conflicting criteria that have to be simultaneously considered in a robust selection study. In this study, a decision model based on fuzzy linear regression is presented for industrial robot selection. Fuzzy linear regression provides an alternative approach to statistical regression for modelling situations where the relationships are vague or the data set cannot satisfy the assumptions of statistical regression. The results obtained by employing fuzzy linear regression are compared with those of earlier studies applying different analytical methods to a previously reported robot selection problem. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Agility is the performance measure of agile manufacturing (AM) practices and with the increasing adoption of AM systems its assessment has gained in importance. This study has been undertaken to fill the observed research gap that no research has been attempted to validate an agility assessment result using an alternative effective method. The agility assessment of an Indian electric automotive car manufacturing organisation has been done using a scoring approach and validated using an effective multi-grade fuzzy method. The result indicates that the organisation was agile to an extent of 84.1% using the scoring approach and 7.05 using the multi-grade fuzzy method, which implies the organisation is agile. The gap analysis results indicate that the largest gap is observed in the case of ‘nature of management’ criterion followed by ‘devolution of authority’, ‘customer response adoption’ and ‘employee involvement’. Necessary actions were taken for the improvement of these agility gaps. The improvement in agile performance measures is 7.7 to 9.7 (on a Likert scale of range 0–10) after the implementation of the suggested proposals. The statistical validation study indicates the feasibility of improvement in agility after the assessment exercise with a practical success rate of 90%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In marketing, qualitative data are used in theory development to investigate marketing phenomena in more depth. After qualitative data are collected, the judgment-based classification of items into categories is routinely used to summarize and communicate the information contained in the data. In this article, the authors provide marketing researchers with a method that (1) provides useful substantive information about the proportion and degree to which items belong to several categories and (2) measures the classification accuracy of the judges. The model is called the fuzzy latent class model (FLCM), because it extends Dillon and Mulani's (1984) latent class model by freeing it from the restrictive assumption that all items are crisp for a given categorization. Instead, FLCM allows for items to be either crisp or fuzzy. Crisp items belong exclusively to one category, whereas fuzzy items belong--in varying degree--to multiple categories. This relaxation in the assumption about the nature of qualitative data makes FLCM more widely applicable: Qualitative data in marketing research are often fuzzy, because they involve open-ended descriptions of complex phenomena. The authors also propose a moment-based measure of overall data fuzziness that is bounded by 0 (completely crisp) and 1 (completely fuzzy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classifiers based on Gamma statistical distribution can be found in the scientific literature, but they assume the collected data doesn't present any errors. However, in some cases, information precision can not be guaranteed, then the fuzzy approach is convenient. Several methods found in the literature are not able to ponder the specific contribution of each class and/or feature for the classification tasks. This paper presents a proposal of a new classifier named Doubled Weighted Fuzzy Gamma Naive Bayes network (DW-FGamNB). This new classifier uses two types of weights in order to allow users to ponder the real contribution of each class and feature in the classification task. The theoretical development is presented, as well as results of its application on simulated multidimensional data using Gamma statistical distribution. A comparison among DW-FGamNB, Fuzzy Gamma Naive Bayes classifier, classical Gamma Naive Bayes classifier, Naive Bayes classifier, DecionTree-Naive Bayes, Decision Tree C4.5, Logistic Regression, Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network, Adaboost-M1, Radial Basis Function Network and Random Forest was performed. The results obtained showed that the DW-FGamNB produced the best performance, according to the Overall Accuracy Index, Kappa and Tau Coefficients, and diagnostic tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomena treated in this paper are classified into the following three cases: (I) Phenomena whose objective variable is quantitative, where such quantitative changes of the objective variable are referred to as quantitative external criterion. (II) Phenomena whose objective variable is qualitative, where the qualitative changes of the objective variable are referred to as qualitative external criterion. (III) Phenomena which are specified without any objective variables. This paper has consisted of three parts corresponding to the above classification of phenomena. The methods for analyzing phenomena with quantitative external criterion are presented in Section 3 as fuzzy time-series analysis and in Section 4 as fuzzy regression qualitative analysis. The methods for analyzing phenomena with qualitative external criterion are described in Section 5 as fuzzy discriminant qualitative analysis and in Section 7 as fuzzy discriminant analysis. In Section 6 the fuzzy discriminant qualification analysis is successively applied to the analysis of purchasing factors in consumer's behavior. The methods for analyzing phenomena without any external criteria are treated in Sections 8 to 11. In Section 8 the heuristic method is proposed in order to find a fuzzy transitive relation. This heuristic method is applied to the hierarchical clustering problem in Section 9 and to the identifying problem of preference ordering in Section 10. In Section 11 the evaluation of alternatives with multiple attributes is analytically discussed in view of the concept of fuzzy sets. In Section 1 the survey of the fuzzy set theory and the into-introductory description of fuzzy multivariate analysis are given. Section 2 briefly describes concepts and definitions of fuzzy sets in preparation for the main parts of this paper. At the end Section 12 summarizes the results of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the problems existing in the evaluation index selection and whether the evaluation method is too simple to evaluate the coordinated development of regional economy. Based on the comprehensive analysis of the definition of the coordinated development of regional economy, this paper discusses the definition of the scientific connotation of the coordinated development of regional economy and puts forward three evaluation indexes for coordinated development of regional economy (the degree of regional economic integration, the degree of regional economic development gap, and the speed of regional economic development). In view of the diversity of evaluation factors and the fuzziness of the relationship between evaluation indexes, this paper uses the fuzzy classification statistical model to evaluate the coordinated development of regional economy and established a regional economic development coordination management system based on fuzzy hierarchical statistical model to evaluate the degree of regional economic coordinated development. Finally, the eastern region and the central and western regions are taken as the object of study. The analysis results show that the conclusion drawn from the model is basically consistent with the actual situation in China. This model can effectively manage the coordinated development of regional economy in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the problem of defining statistical parameters when the uncertainty is expressed using a fuzzy measure. We extend the concept of monotone expectation in order to define a monotone variance and monotone moments. We also study parameters that allow the joint analysis of two functions defined over the same reference set. Finally, we propose some parameters over product spaces, considering the case in which a function over the product space is available and also the case in which such function is obtained by combining those in the marginal spaces.

The aim of the paper is to examine procedures of descriptive statistics in the case when the values of relevant attribute in a sample are set in the form of fuzzy categories. The paper provides alternative definitions of a fuzzy random variable, and describes corresponding procedures for calculating the analogues of location and spread parameters. The paper also presents some illustrative examples and analyses the results obtained. Based on the result analysis, practical recommendations are given on how to use procedures of fuzzy statistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study investigated policy-driven implementations of internationalization in higher education institutions in Taiwan by evaluating its effects as perceived by students and faculty. For organizing the internationalization indicators, we designed a fuzzy questionnaire in which the review indicators were classified into context (C), input (I), process (P), and outcome (O) dimensions according to the context, input, process, and outcome (CIPO) model. This study used statistical models to interpret valid questionnaire returns from 612 students and faculty members from various universities. The results indicated wider gaps between the importance and feasibility of implementing internationalization in the I dimension and partially in the C dimension. In addition, the perceptions of students and faculty suggested a wide chasm between expected and actual results of the CIPO dimensions. Typically, the students favored implementing internationalization regarding the C, I, P, and O indicators more than did the faculty. The diversity of internationalization, based on implementations in public and private sector universities, is demonstrated in the C and I dimensions, with gender-based perceptions and distinctions between participants in universities and technological universities being exhibited in some indicators. This study provides a method for detecting key stakeholders' perceptions of implementing internationalization policies in higher education institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurement of volatility is of fundamental importance in finance. Standard market practice adopted for volatility estimation from option prices leads to a considerable loss of information and the introduction of an element of arbitrariness in the volatility index computation. We propose to adopt fuzzy regression methods in order to include all the available information from option prices, and to obtain an informative volatility index. In fact, the obtained fuzzy volatility indices not only offer a most possible value, but also a lower and an upper bound for the interval of possible values, providing investors with an additional source of information. We also propose a defuzzification procedure to select a representative value within this interval. Moreover, we investigate the occurrence of truncation and discretization errors in volatility index computation by adopting an interpolation-extrapolation method. We also test the forecasting power of each volatility index on future realized volatility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The premise of dealing with uncertainty in this article is to figure out the impact of uncertainties on project performance. This article proposes a framework for quantitative analysis that combines a fuzzy mathematics approach with system dynamics theory. Simulations generated using a model based on the framework show that uncertainties affect project performance by changing project parameters, and the mechanisms involved depend on the sources of the uncertainties. Furthermore, while technical and financial uncertainties mainly influence project costs, uncertainties related to markets, regulations, and organizational structures affect both project duration and cost. Finally, strategies for coping with uncertainties in a resource allocation perspective are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The efficacies of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) are well documented in decreasing the apnoea–hypopnoea index in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. To guarantee these efficacies, CPAP manufacturers must thoroughly test these devices to ensure the flow of oxygenated air to the patient at various temperatures during a prescribed time frame. The calculation of the percent oxygen in a “bimixture” of gas can be done by measuring the travel time of a sound wave through the gas, and the travel time is proportional to the density of the air. We utilized existing multisensor tubes that were developed to collect and measure oxygen flow, diffusion, speed, temperature, and time metrics. Then these metrics were analysed using a Markov fuzzy, statistical, artificial neural network, nearest‐neighbour predictive approach to determine the interactions between these variables. An improved Kalman filter method was employed to reduce noise, increase viscosity, and obtain correct data from the CPAP system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aims to analyze various psychological propensities with fuzzy questionnaires in physical education. Motivations: Fuzzy questionnaires with fuzzy statistical analysis can better reflect people's psychological thinking. Method: Fuzzy descriptive statistics, fuzzy correlation coefficients and fuzzy regression models. Finding: Comparing among three scales, fuzzy Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO), Cronbach's a and traditional one: fuzzy Mastery-Avoidance had a positive correlation with self-esteem. Fuzzy positive self-esteem significantly impacted predictive Mastery-Approach (AF_MA) and Mastery-Avoidance (AF_M_a); while traditional positive self-esteem significantly impacted predictive Performance-Avoidance (A_P_a) and Mastery-Avoidance (AF_M_a). Further, fuzzy and traditional negative selfesteem significantly impacted predictive AF_MA, simultaneously fuzzy negative self-esteem significantly impacted predictive AF_MA. Only fuzzy negative self-esteem significantly impacted predictive AF_MA. Innovations: Traditional psychological examination technology has been used for many years, while a new approach with fuzzy statistical analysis on artificial intelligence technology will promote the quality of sampling survey and marketing information. Value: This study offered new examination skill in analyzing psychological propensity in physical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is recognized that handling uncertainty is essential to obtain more reliable results in modeling and computer simulation. This paper aims to discuss the logistic equation subject to fuzzy uncertainties in the initial conditions and parameters. Here we consider the population density at a specific time as a fuzzy variable in which the possibility distribution function depends on the possibility distribution functions of the environmental carrying capacity, the initial population density and the intrinsic growth rate. We provide closed-form expressions for the expected value of the fuzzy variables population density and for the time of maximum growth. We also perform some numerical simulations to illustrate our main results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the classical statistical test based on intuitionistic fuzzy hypotheses in relation to the underlying population parametric is extended. In this approach, the type-I, type-II, power of test, andp-value are extended for intuitionistic fuzzy hypotheses. Throughout the paper, some applied examples are provided for both parametric and non parametric cases to clarify the discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an adaptive mutation particle swarm optimization (AMPSO) to realize multi-objective optimization design method through scale-based product platform theory model. The Pareto-optimal solution was obtained via AMPSO, then the fuzzy statistics algorithm is presented to extract the optimal solution of multi-objective optimization problem. The Multi-objective Optimization Method was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, each product is optimized independently via AMPSO and the product platform constant parameter and its value is obtained according to the change ratio of design variables; In the second stage, the scaling variables of each product are solved via AMPSO based on the optimization objectives improving the performance in constraint of restrictions and the best compromise solution is extracted based on fuzzy statistics algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The food retailers have to make their supply chains more customer-driven to sustain in modern competitive environment. It is essential for them to assimilate consumer’s perception to improve their market share. The firms usually utilise customer’s opinion in the form of structured data collected from various means such as conducting market survey, customer interviews and market research to explore the interrelationships among factors influencing consumer purchasing behaviour and associated supply chain. However, there is abundance of unstructured consumer’s opinion available on social media (Twitter). Usually, retailers struggle to employ unstructured data in above decision-making process. In this paper, firstly, by the help of literature and social media Big Data, factors influencing consumer’s beef purchasing decisions are identified. Thereafter, interrelationships between these factors are established using big data supplemented with ISM and Fuzzy MICMAC analysis. Factors are divided as per their dependence and driving power. The proposed frameworks enable to enforce decree on the intricacy of the factors. Finally, recommendations are prescribed. The proposed approach will assist retailers to design consumer centric supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose Ultrasound ( US) imaging has been widely used in breast tumor diagnosis and treatment intervention. Automatic delineation of the tumor is a crucial first step, especially for the computer-aided diagnosis ( CAD) and US-guided breast procedure. However, the intrinsic properties of US images such as low contrast and blurry boundaries pose challenges to the automatic segmentation of the breast tumor. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to propose a segmentation algorithm that can contour the breast tumor in US images. Methods To utilize the neighbor information of each pixel, a Hausdorff distance based fuzzy c-means ( FCM) method was adopted. The size of the neighbor region was adaptively updated by comparing the mutual information between them. The objective function of the clustering process was updated by a combination of Euclid distance and the adaptively calculated Hausdorff distance. Segmentation results were evaluated by comparing with three experts' manual segmentations. The results were also compared with a kernel-induced distance based FCM with spatial constraints, the method without adaptive region selection, and conventional FCM. Results Results from segmenting 30 patient images showed the adaptive method had a value of sensitivity, specificity, Jaccard similarity, and Dice coefficient of 93.60 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the following functional equation af(x + y) + bf(x - y) + cf(y - x) = (a + b)f(x) + cf(-x) + (a + c)f(y) + bf(-y) for a fixed real numbers a; b; c with a = b + c and a ≠ 0. We study the fuzzy version of the generalized Hyers-Ulam stability for it in the sense of Mirmostafaee and Moslehian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three organic fertilizers of manure sheep, sewage sludge and municipal waste were mixed with soil at the rates of 0%, 1.25% and 2.5% (w/w), respectively. In a greenhouse experiment, corn seed were grown on pots of 3 kg treated contaminated soils and irrigated. Sixty days after sowing, the aerial plant parts were harvested and analyzed for Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) contents. Since all of data in this research are fuzzy, we need an extended version of analysis of variance (ANOVA) to investigate on these fuzzy observations. In this paper, as a method to compare several populations, the fuzzy analysis of variance (FANOVA) has been used where the collected data considered fuzzy rather than crisp numbers and therefore all calculations are based on FANOVA method. Although, ANOVA based on vague data can lead to a fuzzy decision, but measuring the vagueness of this fuzzy decision is one of advantages of proposed method from the applied point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life time data analysis is regarded as one of the significant out-shoots of statistics. Classical statistical techniques reckon life time observations as precise numbers and solely cover variation among the observations. In fact, there are two types of uncertainty in data: variation among the observations and the fuzziness. To this effect, the analysis techniques, which do not consider fuzziness and are only based on precise life time observations, use incomplete information; hence lead to pseudo results. This study aimed at generalizing parameters estimation, survival functions, and hazard rates for fuzzy life time data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to review the literature that has addressed direct and inverse problems in option pricing in a fuzzy setting. In a direct problem, the stochastic process for the underlying asset is assumed and the option prices are derived by no-arbitrage or equilibrium conditions. In an inverse problem, the option prices are taken as given and used to infer the underlying asset process. Models are divided into discrete-time and continuous-time ones. Special attention is paid to real options, a particular class of nonfinancial options that are used to evaluate real investments. Directions for future research are outlined. In particular in inverse problems, there is still room for promising research, both in discrete time and in continuous time. Moreover, given that many proposed methods remain difficult to use in practice, there is mainly the need to apply the fuzzy models obtained on real market data and to compare the results with nonfuzzy techniques in order to assess the usefulness and the improvements in the modeling of imprecise data with fuzzy sets and fuzzy random variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a developed fuzzy-stochastic method with Hurwicz criterion (FSH) is proposed for planning land utilization in a wetland ecosystem under uncertainty. FSH can not only deal with natural stochastic uncertainties represented as random variables (such as water flow), but also handle subjective impressions expressed as fuzzy sets (such as economic data), even it can reflect the compromise of decision makers’ risk preferences in decision-making processes based on Hurwicz criterion. The proposed method can be applied to a practical land utilization management. Rational land utilization plan (including withdrawing reclamation and wetland recovering (WRWR)) is advocated to relive such contradictions artificially, where WRWR can improve ecological function, leading more intangible ecological benefits to human activities. Meanwhile, trading-oriented mechanism is introduced to increase the economic productivity of land plan. Based on various conjunctive goals of socio-economic development and eco-environmental sustainability, results of ecological effects of wetland ecosystem, land utilization patterns, pollution-mitigation schemes, trading mechanisms and system benefits under varied scenarios are obtained and analyzed. The results indicate that land-indicator-based optimization with trading-oriented mechanism can improve the efficiency of land utilization plan in the mass to satisfy regional water resource/environmental load. Meanwhile, tradeoffs between economic benefit and system-failure risk under optimistic/pessimistic option would support generating a robust plan associated with risk control for land utilization in wetland ecosystem under uncertainties. These detections can avail local policymakers to adjust existing land utilization plan with more efficient and sustainable manners, with aim to harmonize economic development and environmental protection in wetland ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrast Stretching is an important part in medical image processing applications. Contrast is the difference between two adjacent pixels. Fuzzy statistical values are analyzed and better results are produced in the spatial domain of the input image. The histogram mapping produces the resultant image with less impulsive noise and smooth nature. The probabilities of gray values are generated and the fuzzy set is determined from the position of the input image pixel. The result indicates the good performance of the proposed fuzzy based stretching. The inverse transform of the real values are mapped with the input image to generate the fuzzy statistics. This approach gives a flexible image enhancement for medical images in the presence of noises.

Process equipment failures (PEFs) are recognized as one of the leading causes of process accidents. Failure modes and effect analysis (FMEA) as a risk assessment technique, has widely been used in a variety of process industries. The conventional form of FMEA uses three parameters of severity (S), occurrence (O), and detection (D) as risk factors to calculate a risk priority number (R.P.N) and rank the failure modes based on this number. But several shortcomings associated with the FMEA have limited its applicability. This study aims at the development of an extension of FMEA that could efficiently handle the vagueness and uncertainty exists in the experts’ judgments in process of failure modes ranking in conventional FMEA. In this paper we used the concept of the Z number to capture the inherent uncertainty exists in the experts’ judgments. In addition, we used Shannon entropy concept to deploy objective weights to adjust subjective weights assigned by experts. Furthermore, the fuzzy VIKOR technique applied to rank and prioritize the failure modes based on the minimum individual regret and the maxi group utility. A numerical example is presented to illustrate an application of the proposed method in a geothermal power plant (GPP). Results are also compared with the conventional FMEA. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to validate the obtained results. Findings indicate that the application of the proposed approach (subjective-objective ranking) in fuzzy environment can improve the applicability of the conventional FMEA method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life time data are mainly used in medicine, public health, and engineering sciences. The classical statistics related to these fields are based on precise measurements. However, according to modern measurement science precise measurement of continuous phenomena is not possible. In addition the observed quantity is more or less precise. In order to obtain realistic results, in addition to classical and Bayesian inference, the most up to date model for this are fuzzy number approaches which are more suitable and realistic. In this study, I consider the classical and Bayesian inference criteria for the Pareto distribution to obtain more realistic results for fuzzy observations of life time. In addition to stochastic variation the proposed generalized estimators cover fuzziness of the life times as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]