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In the design process, design changes are unavoidable due to the need to meet customers' requirements and support future change through technology development. Although components are supposed to be renewed within existing designs, these changes can propagate into other parts due to their interfaces. Propagation makes it difficult for a designer to identify these changes. This study aimed to introduce the integration matrix (I-DSM), an approach to the design of mechatronic products that involves determining changes in existing products with an axiomatic design. Reverse zigzagging was used to break down the entire product to its lowest level. A design matrix (DM) was constructed and then transformed into a design structure matrix (DSM). The I-DSM consists of three layers: information technology, electrical technology, and mechanical technology. The breadth-first search (BFS) method was employed to ascertain the change propagation path in order to consider it. After this, the changing workload was analyzed, and the decision-making process was used to determine the best possible option. Finally, an automatic guided vehicle was used in a case study to demonstrate the use of this methodology by showing how changes in a product can affect it and how a designer can prioritize activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shoes designed for the elderly can reduce the risk of injury associated with falling. Pinpointing the specific needs of users and directions for product improvement allows companies to maximize the allocation of limited resources. However, user evaluation of important criteria is often ambiguous and uncertain. This paper contributes to solving this issue through the development of a two-stage user-satisfaction framework with a fuzzy-Six Sigma index and fuzzy axiomatic design (FAD). In the proposed method, we consider sampling uncertainty, analyze the vagueness of natural-language evaluations, and explore the match between company capabilities and user satisfaction. This framework highlights both the advantages and disadvantages of current shoe designs for the elderly, and a case study illustrates the applicability of the framework. Additionally, result comparison and sensitivity analysis are conducted to verify the reliability and effectiveness of the proposed method. Finally, the managerial implications, conclusions and limitations of the study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is the first complete axiomatic presentation of the theory of cognition (epistemology). It presents the axioms of the theory of cognition, the definitions of the concepts and categories used in the text of the theory, and also provides detailed proofs of the propositions (theorems) arising from them. Based on this axiomatic system, evidencebased solutions to the problems (aporias) of the theory of cognition are proposed. This system of axiomatic epistemology can serve as a step in building a rigorous scientific theory of human cognition. The axioms of the proposed system follow the Aristotelian general understanding of the essence of human cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduced the integration of well-known TD tools that have been applied in many fields including product development, project management, many engineering disciplines, design of the organization, sustainable development, social issues, environmental issues, and others across many industries including automotive, aerospace, telecom, semiconductor, defense, transportation, energy, healthcare, agriculture, and more. The main objective of this paper is to introduce a new transdisciplinary (TD) engineering-based integrated approach to designing and developing a 3D silicone printing machine (SPM). Factors in designing and developing 3D SPM were simplified by considering the main factors affecting the performance of 3D SPM. Results are discussed and the modular 3D silicone printing machine design was presented. Using the Axiomatic Design (AD) tool, components of each module were identified to satisfy the functional requirements of the 3D SPM. Six TD-integrated tools were used to design the 3D SPM in this research. They are Quality Function Deployment (QFD), House of Quality (HOQ), TRIZ, AD, Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM), and Design Structure Matrix (DSM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Mechanical Engineering is the property of Editorial Board of China Mechanical Engineering 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.)

Topology optimization has been identified as a powerful tool to improve aircraft structures for many years. Yet, innovative layouts have not been successfully implemented in commercial aircraft for several reasons. One reason identified by our research group is the lack of design constraints during topology optimization, such as buckling stability, which yields complex solutions that are not easily manufacturable. Second, the complexity of the resulting layouts makes integration with other systems highly challenging. With respect to these challenges, we propose a new heuristic layout optimization process: complexitydriven layout exploration for aircraft structures (CD-LEAS). The new process addresses the challenges of complexity and nonlinear constraints, such as buckling, in aircraft structure layout optimization. The novelty of CD-LEAS comes from the integration of a relative complexity metric as a driver to navigate the design space efficiently. Two case studies of commonly used stiffened panels are carried out to showcase the performance of the process. The results show that using complexity to navigate an explicit design space allows our process to quickly output a family of simple, light, stiff and buckling-resistant layouts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blockchain platforms (BPs) have emerged as important tools for improving enterprise data security. However, the selection of a suitable BP for is a challenging issue for enterprises. In this paper, a novel heterogenous multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model is proposed to facilitate the BP selection and evaluation process. First, the evaluation criteria for BPs are defined through an analysis of popular BPs. Second, based on the defined evaluation criteria, multiple types of fuzzy numbers are adopted to accurately represent the evaluation criteria. Then, to deal with multiple types of fuzzy numbers, a hybrid distance measure is proposed to determine the negative and positive ideal separation matrices of the evaluation criteria. In addition, using the axiomatic design's information content metric the as basis, an improved method is proposed to unify the evaluation of multiple types into a single number. An improved weight method is then proposed based on the combination of objective and subjective weighting to obtain the comprehensive weights of the criteria. Finally, a closeness degree metric is introduced to obtain the ranking order of all BP alternatives. An example case is analyzed to illustrate how to evaluate and select a suitable BP. The superiority of the proposed heterogeneous model is verified by comparisons with state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of mass personalization, the dynamic and erratic nature of customer requirements (CRs) is increasingly pronounced. Amidst intensifying market competition, enterprises are compelled to swiftly adjust their products to satisfy the ever-changing CRs. However, the complicated design processes often result in prolonged product update and iteration cycles. Thus, it is urgent for enterprises to promote product rapid design, in which, it is essential to map CRs to functional requirements (FRs), then to design parameters (DPs). Traditional mapping methods are time-consuming and labor-intensive, struggle to keep pace with the ever-changing CRs. Moreover, enhancing the efficiency of design knowledge management and reuse is imperative for achieving product rapid design. Considering the strengths of knowledge graphs (KGs) in knowledge management and mining, we establish a multi-domain product design KG (MPDKG) including a CR domain, a FR domain, and a DP domain, and facilitate the mapping process by constructing mapping relations between domains. Firstly, CR entities in the CR domain are extracted through a triple-task cascaded CRs identification model from online reviews and complaints. Secondly, FR entities are identified from product functional lists and instructions, and the Sentence-Bert model is employed to establish the mapping relations between CR entities and FR entities. Subsequently, a corpus comprising product design knowledge is constructed and a cross-domain joint entity relation extraction model is developed to extract DP entities and construct their mapping relations with FR entities. Lastly, the multi-domain mapping of BYD Qin is implemented as a case study to elucidate the practical utility and effectiveness of the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the ever-stringent regulatory standards and financial pressure imposed by governments worldwide, public universities are striving to produce and deliver high quality knowledge by leveraging various organizational and technological tools. Despite their prominence and proliferation, research information management systems (RIMS) cover only the research management life-cycle of the institution and thereby presume that the scholars are actively engaged in research and are committed to feeding the system with accurate research data, which may not be the case at public universities. In this paper, we propose to leverage Axiomatic Design and Research Information Systems to support the entire research production life-cycle. The architecture of the proposed system is described in terms of a set of software modules, which may be incorporated into an open-source or a commercial Current Research Information System (CRIS). This will extend the CRIS functionality to cover the research production life-cycle in addition to the research management life-cycle making it well suited for developing research capacity at public universities.

Topology optimization has been identified as a powerful tool to improve aircraft structures for many years. Yet, innovative layouts have not been successfully implemented in commercial aircraft for several reasons. One reason identified by our research group is the lack of design constraints during topology optimization, such as buckling stability, which yields complex solutions that are not easily manufacturable. Second, the complexity of the resulting layouts makes integration with other systems highly challenging. With respect to these challenges, we propose a new heuristic layout optimization process: complexity-driven layout exploration for aircraft structures (CD-LEAS). The new process addresses the challenges of complexity and nonlinear constraints, such as buckling, in aircraft structure layout optimization. The novelty of CD-LEAS comes from the integration of a relative complexity metric as a driver to navigate the design space efficiently. Two case studies of commonly used stiffened panels are carried out to showcase the performance of the process. The results show that using complexity to navigate an explicit design space allows our process to quickly output a family of simple, light, stiff and buckling-resistant layouts.

Dual type-2 fuzzy cones are defined. Formulae for infimum and supremum of any number of fuzzy grades are derived. These formulae are used to study basic properties of dual type-2 fuzzy cones. It is shown that most properties of type-1 fuzzy cones remain valid. An axiomatic approach to Pareto set reduction is then considered. A method of Pareto set reduction with the use of dual type-2 fuzzy cones is outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Leave no one behind' has become an important principle of the entire 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals that brings inequality to the centre stage. Although a precise definition of what it is to lag behind is essential to assess sustainable economic growth and social progress a discussion on the desirable properties of such a measure is absent in the literature. This paper fills that gap by proposing and discussing a number of normative and analytical properties a measure of the 'Leave no one behind' principle should satisfy. The axioms proposed are necessary and sufficient to characterize the fuzzy measure by García-Pardo et al. [8] and together with other additional axioms make the structure of this measure more transparent. • Leaving no one behind is the central focus of the Sustainable Development Goals. • The Leaving no one behind principle suggests going beyond the averages. • The ambiguity of the left behind principle makes it convenient to use a fuzzy approach. • We discuss desirable properties of a measure of the extent an individual lags behind. • A subset of axioms characterizes the fuzzy set proposed by García-Pardo et al. [8]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institution theory represents the fully axiomatic approach to model theory in which all components of logical systems are treated fully abstractly by reliance on category theory. Here, we survey some developments over the last decade or so concerning the institution theoretic approach to non-classical aspects of model theory. Our focus will be on many-valued truth and on models with states, which are addressed by the two extensions of ordinary institution theory known as L -institutions and stratified institutions, respectively. The discussion will include relevant concepts, techniques, and results from these two areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose an approach to program verification using an abstract characterisation of weak memory models. Our approach is based on a hierarchical axiom scheme that captures the observational properties of a memory model. In particular, we show that it is possible to prove correctness of a program with respect to a particular axiom scheme, and we show this proof to suffice for any memory model that satisfies the axioms. Our axiom scheme is developed using a characterisation of weakest liberal preconditions for weak memory. This characterisation naturally extends to Hoare logic and Owicki-Gries reasoning by lifting weakest liberal preconditions (defined over read/write events) to the level of programs. We study three memory models (SC, TSO, and RC11-RAR) as example instantiations of the axioms, then we demonstrate the applicability of our reasoning technique on a number of litmus tests. The majority of the proofs in this article are supported by mechanisation within Isabelle/HOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally, there are different challenges in traditional approaches to aircraft design, resulting in a decrease in the efficiency of the design process. For instance, decisions made at the conceptual design phase are based on limited knowledge about design, while these decisions can significantly decrease the design freedom in further design steps. In addition, the decision in the conceptual design phase constituted as high as 80% of the life-cycle costs. Furthermore, in the conceptual design phase, because of their critical issues in achieving performance requirements, more attention has been given to aerodynamics and propulsion disciplines, while other disciplines are evaluated only later throughout the design process. However, in the last decades, new requirements such as environment-friendliness, considering global warming, reducing energy consumption, reusing, recycling, and remanufacturing have been added to aircraft design criteria. These changes in design requirements have led to the development of different kinds of Functional Requirements (FRs) and disciplines and, consequently, increased coupling and iterative cycles. These issues have increased the complexity of the aircraft conceptual design process compared to the past. Consequently, in the last decades, many researchers and designers have tried to address these challenges. In this regard, various design methodologies such as multidisciplinary design optimization and knowledge-based engineering were developed. These approaches could support the evolutionary improvement of current product designs or the study of the novel complex product or could reduce the coupling between various FRs and Design Parameters (DPs). In this research, designers tried to use the Axiomatic Design (AD) approach to identify and reduce coupling between different FRs, resulting in less repetitive activities and design iteration in the design process. The authors also developed an algorithm based on the AD method to improve the conceptual aircraft design. The results obtained in this study indicate the high efficiency of this method in reducing the coupling between the FRs defined for the aircraft as well as in reducing repetitive activities, thus optimizing the time and the cost of the aircraft design process.

We define a class of subshifts defined by a family of allowed patterns of the same shape where, for any contents of the shape minus a corner, the number of ways to fill in the corner is the same. For such a subshift, a locally legal pattern of convex shape is globally legal, and there is a measure that samples uniformly on convex sets. We show by example that these subshifts need not admit a group structure by shift-commuting continuous operations. Our approach to convexity is axiomatic, and only requires an abstract convex geometry that is "midpointed with respect to the shape". We construct such convex geometries on several groups, in particular strongly polycyclic groups and free groups. We also show some other methods for sampling finite patterns, and show a link to conjectures of Gottshalk and Kaplansky. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hedonic games are coalition formation games in which players have preferences over the coalitions they can join. For a long time, all models of representing hedonic games were based upon selfish players only. Among the known ways of representing hedonic games compactly, we focus on friend-oriented hedonic games and propose a novel model for them that takes into account not only the players' own preferences but also their friends' preferences. Depending on the order in which players look at their own or their friends' preferences, we distinguish three degrees of altruism: selfish-first, equal-treatment, and altruistic-treatment preferences. We study both the axiomatic properties of these games and the computational complexity of problems related to various common stability concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical machining is usually included in the wider group of non-conventional machining methods. This method is based on the material removal from the workpiece as a result of chemical reactions between the electrolyte and the material of the workpiece, under conditions where the tool electrode and the workpiece are immersed in an electrolyte and connected to the poles of a direct current source. Using principles from axiomatic design, specialized equipment was designed. This equipment could be used to experimentally investigate the influence of working gap size on the material removal rate from a test sample made of an electroconductive material. The development of the design matrix led to the observation that, in the proposed version, the condition imposed by the first axiom is not strictly respected. This requires the independence of the functional requirements valid for different components of the equipment, which means that there are possibilities for future improvement of the proposed constructive solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Zhejiang University (Science Edition) is the property of Journal of Zhejiang University (Science Edition) 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.)

Social awareness of the environment has promoted the vigorous development of remanufacturing. Traditional product design does not consider the remanufacturability, which leads to improper disposal at the end of the product's life, resulting in environmental pollution and resource waste. In this paper, a method for the generation and optimization of product design schemes was established, in which remanufacturability was included at the early design stage of the product. Firstly, based on axiomatic design, the Z-shaped mapping was upgraded to the tree topology mapping, which was then incorporated into the scheme generation model, and seven remanufacturability design constraint criteria were used as constraints to obtain a product design set of scenarios. Secondly, the entropy weight method and analytic hierarchy process were combined to calculate the weights of the four evaluation indicators: functionality, economy, stability, and environment; and a differential evolution algorithm was used to optimize the scheme. Finally, a lathe was taken as a case to illustrate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed methodology. The results showed that the method could successfully generate product design schemes that improved remanufacturability and met the needs of users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new theoretical approach to the study of robotics manipulators dynamics. It is based on the well-known geometric approach to system dynamics, according to which some axiomatic definitions of geometric structures concerning invariant subspaces are used. In such a framework, certain typical problems in robotics are mathematically formalised and analysed in axiomatic form. The outcomes are sufficiently general that it is possible to discuss the structural properties of robotic manipulation. A generalized theoretical linear model is used, and a thorough analysis is made. The noninteracting nature of this model is also proven through a specific theorem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supplier selection is one of the most important steps of supply chain management, and choosing the right supplier is of great importance in achieving the goals of the companies under competitive conditions. In this study, the supplier selection problem in a company operating in the logistics sector is discussed. Firstly, critical spare parts have been selected by FSN (Fast-Slow-Non-Moving) analysis in order to determine the product group from which supplier selection would be made. Axiomatic Design and Dematel (The Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) method, which are among the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques, have been proposed to solve the problem. The relationships between the criteria influencing the supplier selection have been interpreted via Dematel and the criteria have been divided into two groups as "dispatcher" and "receiver", and selection and ranking among the suppliers have been carried out with Axiomatic Design. In addition, considering the fact that the criteria do not have equal weight, the criteria have been weighted by the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method and the ranking obtained by Weighted Axiomatic Design have been compared with the previous ranking. Finally, the criteria determined as "receiver" in the Dematel method have been removed from the analysis and the methodology has been repeated. Thus, the effect of determining the cause-effect relationship between the criteria on the results has been interpreted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To control manufacturing processes, integration of flows of manufacturing information is an important starting point. In this regard, an effective Integrated Manufacturing Information System (IMIS) which is capable of monitoring, analyzing, and inspecting manufacturing processes properly is critical. Often, most of difficulties in achieving an effective IMIS stem from a poor design for the system architecture. This study particularly addresses the problem of coupling in architecture of an IMIS and its effect on the system performance. This study employs "Independence Axiom" of the Axiomatic Design (AD) theory to deal with the problem and uses "times in process" and "utilized capacities of available resources" as two important criteria for evaluating the system performance. To verify the proposed methodology, a real IMIS is addressed, its stochastic behavior is simulated in Visual SLAM and AweSim (version 3.o) software environment, and the outcomes are analyzed by using logistic regression method for each level of system decomposition. Results of the analyses indicate that fulfillment of independence axiom of AD theory can significantly enhance performance of the concerned IMIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability and a circular economy (CE) are crucial for the development of society. The CE approach should start by designing new products or processes or retrofitting existing ones to achieve the best efficiency and extend their life cycle. Designs that enable CE require the guidance of a design theory. Axiomatic design (AD) theory allows for the classification of designs and achieving the targets if appropriate requirements are adopted. This paper aimed to show that sustainability and productivity can be made compatible by ensuring functional independence, as defined in AD and using the circular economy concept. The paper presents how a salt washing machine could be improved concerning its performance. The analysis of the existing design showed fewer design parameters than the functional requirements. A viable enhancement was the addition of one design parameter, which made it possible to control the separation and washing independently. The resulting machine retrofitting increased the production rate by 20% to 30%—the productivity and the quality of the final product was also improved. The washing process now used less water and energy. Moreover, the brine feeding system was also redesigned, so that the brine was now reused, the land use was reduced as was the operating time, and the operators now worked in a more friendly environment. The industrial case study presented in this paper is an example of how innovative engineering design that fits the design science research (DSR) with the generation of knowledge. The objective of this design solution was to increase the efficiency of the entire process and consequently increase the productivity and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a systematic approach for evaluating the potential failure modes in a system, and is mainly employed in three distinct tasks labelled: (1) Functional FMEA – evaluating those failures associated with product functional definition, (2) Design FMEA – analysing those failures associated with design definition and (3) Process FMEA – assessing potential failures in manufacturing and assembly processes. The literature review has shown limited works on the field of synchronising these different tasks into a working model. To address this gap, this research developed a framework for integrating these tasks of FMEAs, and then qualitatively validating the proposed framework. This research adopted a semi-structured questionnaire to collect experts’ feedback and validate the proposed framework. The t-test was then employed to evaluate the collected feedback. The findings highlight that the proposed framework is applicable and could facilitate the synchronisation of the different tasks of FMEA. This research presents a methodological approach for executing and synchronising FMEAs. Therefore, the proposed framework is practically relevant as an aid for the practitioners in catching the cascading failures and reducing the relevant impact.

There have been various approaches to the supply chain such as lean, agile, robustness, sustainability, resilient, and green that each one focuses on supply chain from specific aspect. One of the new approaches to the supply chain is an integration of Lean, Agile, Resilient, and Green (LARG) that benefiting from the advantages of different approaches and avoiding their disadvantages. The present study proposes a model to design and evaluate LARG-based supply chain in Iran automotive industry using the concept of Axiomatic Design (AD) in a Hesitant Fuzzy (HF) environment. The study process consisted of two stages: designing stage and evaluating stage. In the first stage, the Functional Requirements (FR) and chain Design Parameters (DP) identified in the LARG supply chain based on the Delphi technique and literature review. Based on independence axiom, it should be considered that whether the satisfaction of one FR by the related DPs affects the quality of the other FR or not, which is examined based on the design matrix. In the second stage an integration of information axiom, the Best-Worst Method (BWM), and hesitant fuzzy logic was used to evaluate four supply chains in Iran automotive industry. The weight of supply chain criteria, the utility rate of desired supply chain criteria, and the current status for each supply chain criteria identified in this stage. The results indicated that the excellent LARG supply chain was consisted of 13 indicators. The model also revealed that the excellent supply chain was contained less information axiom and complexity.

Electrochemical machining is usually included in the wider group of non-conventional machining methods. This method is based on the material removal from the workpiece as a result of chemical reactions between the electrolyte and the material of the workpiece, under conditions where the tool electrode and the workpiece are immersed in an electrolyte and connected to the poles of a direct current source. Using principles from axiomatic design, specialized equipment was designed. This equipment could be used to experimentally investigate the influence of working gap size on the material removal rate from a test sample made of an electroconductive material. The development of the design matrix led to the observation that, in the proposed version, the condition imposed by the first axiom is not strictly respected. This requires the independence of the functional requirements valid for different components of the equipment, which means that there are possibilities for future improvement of the proposed constructive solution.

Abstract Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) in critical infrastructure face serious threats of attack, motivating research into a wide variety of defence mechanisms such as those that monitor for violations of invariants, i.e. logical properties over sensor and actuator states that should always be true. Many approaches for identifying invariants attempt to do so automatically, typically using data logs, but these can miss valid system properties if relevant behaviours are not well-represented in the data. Furthermore, as the CPS is already built, resolving any design flaws or weak points identified through this process is costly. In this paper, we propose a systematic method for deriving invariants from an analysis of a CPS design, based on principles of the axiomatic design methodology from design science. Our method iteratively decomposes a high-level CPS design to identify sets of dependent design parameters (i.e. sensors and actuators), allowing for invariants and invariant checkers to be derived in parallel to the implementation of the system. We apply our method to the designs of two CPS testbeds, SWaT and WADI, deriving a suite of invariant checkers that are able to detect a variety of single- and multi-stage attacks without any false positives. Finally, we reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of our approach, how it can be complemented by other defence mechanisms, and how it could help engineers to identify and resolve weak points in a design before the controllers of a CPS are implemented.

Axiomatic fuzzy sets (AFS) theory has seen extensive application in classification tasks in recent years. Yet, efficiently generating precise fuzzy descriptions for each target class from a multitude of complex concepts is challenging. This study aims to bridge this gap by transforming the challenge into a combinatorial optimization problem. We adopt an advanced model-based evolutionary optimization method, Randomized Coordinate Shrinking Classification (RACOS), to create an interpretable classifier within the AFS framework. By refining the definition of the complex concept set in AFS theory, we define a feasible search space for the optimization method. Innovative fitness functions have been developed focusing on semantic discrimination and prediction accuracy. Concurrently, we establish an encoding–decoding mechanism to link the solution vector with the complex concept for each fitness function. Ultimately, the complex concepts, guided by various fitness functions, are integrated into the class's fuzzy description using AFS logical operations. Our method demonstrates competitive classification performance and superior interpretability compared to other evolutionary fuzzy rule-based classifiers. • Develop encoding–decoding mechanism to bridge complex concept and solution vector. • Design various fitness function to balance prediction accuracy and interpretability. • Covert training AFS-based classifier to solving combinatorial optimization problem. • Generate semantic description for prediction result in form of natural language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are several multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) approaches presented in the literature with their characteristics. Although traditional MCDM approaches are considered a proper implementation to select the best alternative from available types, they failed to consider uncertainty which is quite high and desires to be thoughtfully measured in the selection process. This research focuses on extending MCDM in the neutrosophic environment using axiomatic design (AD) as a novel contribution to selecting appropriate Computed Tomography (CT) devices. We present a new linguistic scale for evaluating criteria and alternatives based on single-valued triangular neutrosophic numbers (SVTrN). The proposed approach is superior to other existing approaches due to its simplicity and ability to simulate natural human thinking via considering truth, indeterminacy, and falsity degrees. Then, applying it will increase the value of imaging for medical decision-making and decrease needless costs. So, this study can be valuable to researchers by helping them consider the appropriate medical imaging system selection problem theoretically under uncertainty, and for governments and organizations to design better satisfying medical imaging evaluation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from the notion of a multidistance, we formalize, through a suitable system of axioms, the concept of an inequality measure defined on a nonempty set with no additional structure implemented a priori. Among inequality measures, apart from multidistances we pay special attention to dispersions, and study their main features. Classical concepts will be generalized to this abstract setting. Multidistances are then revisited, and some new methods to generate them are implemented. A wide spectrum of interdisciplinary applications is outlined in the final section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Products classified as hazardous materials are used extensively in various sectors and can be transported from the location where they are produced to their destinations by different methods. Hazardous materials transportation differs from other transportation types due to the chemicals in the content of the products or flammable and explosive materials. For this reason, the alternative that provides the lowest cost or the fastest delivery may not be the best solution for the transport of hazardous materials. Petrol, which is in the hazardous materials class, is transported in higher amounts than other hazardous materials due to it is widely consumed. In this study, a model is proposed to determine the most suitable transportation mode for petroleum. In the proposed model, seven criteria are determined as transportation cost, accident risk, transportation speed, capacity, flexibility, service area and damage cost. The importance weights of the criteria are calculated by the fuzzy AHP method, and alternative transportation modes are evaluated with the weighted fuzzy axiomatic design method considering the criteria. In addition, sensitivity analysis is performed to evaluate the effect of criterion weights on the results. As a result of the study, maritime transport is determined as the most suitable transportation mode for petroleum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy Sustainability has been addressed through advancing technology efficiency, which may increase the impact of the use of natural resources. However, the increase in efficiency makes services cheaper, which causes a rebound effect, direct or indirect, on energy consumption and materials. Moreover, the popular concept of recycling seems insufficient to reduce the use of critical raw materials to provide energy services. From the perspective of the Earth's limited resources, the sustainability problem needs a design approach to tackle the rebound effect from efficiency. This work aims to create a theoretical holistic review regarding energy use linked to technology efficiency, to understand how rebound effects may be prevented. In this work, the Axiomatic Design (AD) theory creates the framework that defines the Energy Sustainability functions and identifies the couplings that create the rebounds. According to AD, cycles occur on coupled designs, classified as poor designs. Decoupling the design clarifies two possible and complementary policies to achieve sustainability goals regarding the use of resources. The first is the circular economy, with constraints on energy and raw materials. The second is the massive use of local renewable energies. Plausible solutions come from mandating efficiency and taxation, dematerializing the economy, and reducing, reusing, remanufacturing, and recycling materials from products and systems. These solutions impact economic, environmental, and societal behaviors. The novelty of this approach is the definition of a system model for Energy Sustainability in the frame of AD, while tackling the rebound effect from technological efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the population growth and the rapid development of tech-economy, the industrialization process of cities has accelerated the generation of a large number of hazardous wastes, which has caused serious harm to human health and the ecological environment. The location of hazardous waste disposal sites plays an important role in hazardous waste management. Because of the multiple conflicting criteria and the inherent ambiguity of experts' judgments, the location of hazardous waste disposal sites is regarded as a fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making problem. This paper proposes an integrated method, which consists of a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and fuzzy axiomatic design (FAD), to determine the best hazardous waste disposal site. First, from the perspective of sustainability, an evaluation index system based on economic, social, and environmental criteria is built. Then, FAHP is employed to evaluate criteria weights. In the FAD application phase, the functional requirements (FRs) are determined by the five experts from different fields, and then, we use FAD to calculate the information content of alternatives and rank them. Finally, sensitivity analysis is performed on the change of criteria weight and the change of FRs, and the results show that the proposed hybrid method is a robust decision support tool for ranking alternatives. Moreover, the proposed method is flexible and can be used to solve the problem of hazardous waste disposal site selection in other developing countries or regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the concept of physical integration as understood in axiomatic design, design parameters of a product should be integrated into a single physical part or a few parts with the aim of reducing the information content, while still satisfying the independence of functional requirement. However, no specific method is suggested in the literature for determining the optimal degree of physical integration in a given design. This is particularly important with the current advancement in technologies such as additive manufacturing. As new manufacturing technologies allow physical elements to be integrated in new ways, new methods are needed to help designers optimize physical integration given the specific constraints and conflicts of each design. This study proposes an algorithm that uses graph partitioning to allow a designer to optimize the integration of functional requirements into a target number of parts, with the goal of minimizing the co-allocation of incompatible functional requirements in the same part. The operation and viability of the algorithm are demonstrated via two numerical examples and a practical example of designing a pencil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Group Identification Problem ("Who is a J?") introduced by Kasher and Rubinstein [14] assumes a finite class of agents, each one with an opinion about the membership to a group J of the members of the society, consisting in a function that indicates for each agent, including herself, the degree of membership to J. The problem is that of aggregating those functions, satisfying different sets of axioms and characterizing different aggregators. The literature has already considered fuzzy versions of this problem. In this paper we consider alternative fuzzy presentations of the axiomatic of the original problem. While some results are analogous to those of the original crisp model, we show that our fuzzy version is able to overcome some of the main impossibility results of Kasher and Rubinstein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concept design evaluation is the most critical part of product design, which determines the direction of the subsequent design stage. Due to the various uncertainties inherent in decision-maker (DM)'s linguistic evaluation, such as fuzziness and randomness, how to deal with these uncertainties reasonably is a challenge. Only using a single uncertainty treatment method may not be enough to select an appropriate conceptual design. Therefore, this paper aims to develop an extended information axiom concept design evaluation model combining linguistic Z-numbers (LZNs) and axiomatic design methods to deal with the uncertainty in concept design evaluation. Specifically, the LZNs are used to express DM's subjective evaluation information and the reliability of the evaluation result. In the evaluation process, the uncertainty caused by linguistic variables is represented by the cloud model. Moreover, the compatibility weights of concepts are derived objectively based on the compatibility matrix. Finally, the design combination with the minimum information content is obtained by using the extended information axiom. The feasibility and applicability of this method are verified by an evaluation example of ink pen concept design. Compared with the existing methods, the proposed method considers more uncertainty and is more in line with the actual situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, considering L being a complete residuated lattice, we first introduce the concept of mediate L-fuzzy relations and give its characterizations by L-fuzzy upper and lower rough approximation operators. Then we provide an axiomatic approach to characterize L-fuzzy rough sets by L-fuzzy unions and L-fuzzy intersections. Concretely, we present axiomatic characterizations of L-fuzzy rough sets with respect to serial, reflexive, symmetric, transitive, mediate and Euclidean L-fuzzy relations. Finally, we give characterizations of L-fuzzy upper (lower) rough approximation operators by L-closure (interior) operators from a categorical aspect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

System framework is for adopting additive manufacturing (AM) in a mass production line where AM processes are integrated to customize protective parts for manual tools that are found to cause damages of products. The system ensures AM processes are adopted to meet the requirements of functionalities, reliability, line balancing, and the production rate like other conventional processes. The proposed system is different from other AM applications in sense that product designs and fabrications become integrated parts of a production flow. The effectiveness of the system framework is validated as the solution to fix surface mutilations in a truck assembly line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]