Criteria Decision Research Articles

Enhancing ecological network establishment with explicit species information and spatially coordinated optimization for supporting urban landscape planning and management

While insightful, ecological networks (ENs) incorporated in landscape planning and management may not provide a sufficient reference for maintaining biodiversity without explicit species information and coordinated actions, particularly in urban agglomeration areas. To address this gap, we conducted a study in Southern Jiangsu to refine the habitat ranges of 25 target species within the current ecological spaces by integrating explicit species information and diversified environmental variables using the MaxEnt model. Subsequently, an eco-space network and a habitat network were established for the region with identified connectivity hotspots as strategic areas for optimizing ENs. To assess the potential impacts of divergent actions during implementation, we developed four decision-making criteria from global and local views to simulate multiple optimization scenarios. These scenarios were quantitatively evaluated based on connectivity performance using cohesive metrics derived from complex network theory. Our findings demonstrated that incorporating species distribution and their interactions with the environment into ENs establishment can strengthen biodiversity conservation planning schemes within a limited range of regional ecological spaces. Furthermore, it highlighted shortcomings such as lack of focus on landscape priorities, discrepancies in corridors, and underestimation of landscape fragmentation caused by solely relying on an eco-space network-based approach. During optimization efforts, our results revealed that adopting a criterion focused on maximizing the number of strategic areas while adhering to a total area threshold can lead to a more connected and effective habitat network strategy when coordinating individual cities from a global view. This study provides valuable insights into prioritized landscapes and offers practical contributions toward mitigating biodiversity loss and improving urban sustainability.

Optimal sizing and location of grid-interfaced PV, PHES, and ultra capacitor systems to replace LFO and HFO based power generations

The impacts of climate change, combined with the depletion of fossil fuel reserves, are forcing human civilizations to reconsider the design of electricity generation systems to gradually and extensively incorporate renewable energies. This study aims to investigate the technical and economic aspects of replacing all heavy fuel oil (HFO) and light fuel oil (LFO) thermal power plants connected to the electricity grid in southern Cameroon. The proposed renewable energy system consists of a solar photovoltaic (PV) field, a pumped hydroelectric energy storage (PHES) system, and an ultra-capacitor energy storage system. The economic and technical performance of the new renewable energy system was assessed using metrics such as total annualized project cost (TAC), loss of load probability (LOLP), and loss of power supply probability (LPSP). The Multi-Objective Bonobo Optimizer (MOBO) was used to both size the components of the new renewable energy system and choose the best location for the solar PV array. The results achieved using MOBO were superior to those obtained from other known optimization techniques. Using metaheuristics for renewable energy system sizing necessitated the creation of mathematical models of renewable energy system components and techno-economic decision criteria under MATLAB software. Based on the results for the deficit rate (LPSP) of zero, the installation of the photovoltaic field in Bafoussam had the lowest TAC of around 52.78 × 106€ when compared to the results for Yaoundé, Bamenda, Douala, and Limbe. Finally, the project profitability analysis determined that the project is financially viable when the energy produced by the renewable energy systems is sold at an average price of 0.12 €/kWh.

Electronic shopping cart abandonment: What do we know and where should we be heading?

This paper aims to systematically review the literature on electronic shopping cart abandonment (ESCA). It analyzes the development of ESCA literature in terms of publication trends, publication outlets, number of citations, methodologies, and theoretical underpinnings. Furthermore, based on the literature synthesis, this review proposes a conceptual framework integrating the widely used antecedents, mediators, and moderators that influence ESCA. The antecedents include customer attributes and website-related factors while research and comparison mediate the relationship between these antecedents and ESCA. Using lexicometric analysis, this SLR identified key themes studied in ESCA literature over time, including customer decision-making criteria, motives and characteristics, online shopping environment, and website attributes. Further, this SLR suggests future research directions to advance ESCA literature from theoretical, contextual, and methodological perspectives. This SLR also suggests strategies for e-retailers and marketers to overcome ESCA. Overall, this review is a silver line in ESCA literature.

Feasibility of the interdisciplinary multimodal assessment-The team perspective

Secondary preventive outpatient diagnostic services for patients with pain and risk factors for chronification have not yet been sufficiently established. In the PAIN2020 project (Innovation Fund, 01NVF17049) an outpatient interdisciplinary multimodal assessment (IMA) was introduced for the first time early in the course of the disease. For the implementation of the IMA procedures for team cooperation and decision criteria were developed, which were implemented by ateam of medical, physiotherapeutic and psychological therapists. These procedures and decision criteria are to be discussed against the background of clinical experience and examined with respect to their feasibility (qualitative). In PAIN2020 aworkshop on IMA was held in September 2021 to jointly reflect on the findings and experiences gained in the process so far through monitoring and structuring documentation in the implementation with staff or teams of PAIN2020 centers on the feasibility of implementing astructured interdisciplinary multimodal assessment. In three work phases, occupational group-specific and cross-occupational group topics were addressed. In the decision-making processes of the occupational groups, in addition to profession-specific focal points within the framework of the assessment of findings (somatic, functional or psychosocial core criteria), overarching core criteria within the professions as well as complementary patient-related aspects are evident, which are included in the integrative team process. With respect to team collaboration, the implementation of the team meeting and the final discussion can be used to identify structural and process parameters that promote or inhibit implementation, which are also accompanied by interactional factors. For the implementation of the IMA, there were (1)adaptations of the IMA, which is currently implemented as A‑IMA in the selective agreement with BARMER and (2)new dimensions or task fields and ideas for evidence-based concepts for the content design of integrative diagnostics as well as for the feedback of the results to the patients, which should be discussed in the future.

Determining the Criteria Related to the Preference of Contemporary Mosques by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) Method within the Context of User-centered Design

The concept of user-centered design has recently been accepted in contemporary design teachings and has created new perspectives in the design field. This article aims to evaluate the contemporary mosques built in Türkiye from a user-centered perspective. In this context, first of all, the concept of user-centered design was included and the necessity of a pluralistic environment in decision-making processes was emphasized in order to create an ideal publicity phenomenon. In the context of the conceptual framework created, contemporary mosque examples built in the 21st century were selected and presented to the preference of architect and non-architect participant groups. Decision criteria that are thought to affect the choice of participants are aesthetic value, material and workmanship, dimensions of the building, religious symbols in the building, and the brand value of the building. These factors, which may be effective in the choice of contemporary mosques, were evaluated with the Analytic Hierarchy Process method. Accordingly, it was observed that the main criteria constituting the contemporary mosque preferences of the architect group were aesthetics, the brand value of the building, material, and workmanship criteria. On the other hand, the main criterion constituting the contemporary mosque preferences of the non-architect group was the presence of religious symbols. Accordingly, it was observed that architectural profession ideologies affected and differentiated the reasons for preference. As a result, it was concluded that the ideology of the architectural profession is effective in the construction process of the contemporary built environment.

Performance indicators and analytic hierarchy process to evaluate water supply services management in Algeria

ABSTRACT The provision of an efficient water supply service (WSS) is crucial for the well-being of citizens and the sustainability of cities. This study aims to evaluate the performance of WSS using the results of a household survey and the ranking of performance indicators (PIs) by the analytic hierarchy process method. The methodology developed was tested for the case of the city of Taoura (Algeria). A survey was carried out among 340 residents of the city. The survey results showed that the majority of respondents (70%) were relatively dissatisfied with the quantity of water provided and 67% of households surveyed rated the quality of service as poor. Then, the performance was evaluated according to 5 decision criteria and 20 PIs. The results of the evaluation of the relative weights of the criteria are as follows: the ‘Financial and economic’ criterion plays the most important role, with a relative weight of 38.61%, followed by the ‘Operational’ criterion (24.7%) and the criterion ‘Physics’ (17.32%). The methodology used in this study can be a reliable tool for evaluating the performance of WSS in developing countries.

Lithium-ion battery second life: pathways, challenges and outlook.

Net zero targets have resulted in a drive to decarbonise the transport sector worldwide through electrification. This has, in turn, led to an exponentially growing battery market and, conversely, increasing attention on how we can reduce the environmental impact of batteries and promote a more efficient circular economy to achieve real net zero. As these batteries reach the end of their first life, challenges arise as to how to collect and process them, in order to maximise their economical use before finally being recycled. Despite the growing body of work around this topic, the decision-making process on which pathways batteries could take is not yet well understood, and clear policies and standards to support implementation of processes and infrastructure are still lacking. Requirements and challenges behind recycling and second life applications are complex and continue being defined in industry and academia. Both pathways rely on cell collection, selection and processing, and are confronted with the complexities of pack disassembly, as well as a diversity of cell chemistries, state-of-health, size, and form factor. There are several opportunities to address these barriers, such as standardisation of battery design and reviewing the criteria for a battery's end-of-life. These revisions could potentially improve the overall sustainability of batteries, but may require policies to drive such transformation across the industry. The influence of policies in triggering a pattern of behaviour that favours one pathway over another are examined and suggestions are made for policy amendments that could support a second life pipeline, while encouraging the development of an efficient recycling industry. This review explains the different pathways that end-of-life EV batteries could follow, either immediate recycling or service in one of a variety of second life applications, before eventual recycling. The challenges and barriers to each pathway are discussed, taking into account their relative environmental and economic feasibility and competing advantages and disadvantages of each. The review identifies key areas where processes need to be simplified and decision criteria clearly defined, so that optimal pathways can be rapidly determined for each end-of-life battery.

Criteria for surgical decision-making in talocalcaneal tarsal coalitions

Assessment and management of talocalcaneal middle facet tarsal coalitions present a complex orthopedic challenge. Various studies have attempted to establish guidelines for surgical intervention based on coalition size and hindfoot alignment. Our paper reviews the historical focus on coalition size, suggesting instead that posterior facet health is a more appropriate consideration for surgical decision making. Additionally, we challenge the traditional method for evaluating hindfoot alignment and propose a more accurate evaluation method. This critical review intends to highlight flaws in historical literature, aiming to trigger a reevaluation of the criteria for surgical intervention in talocalcaneal tarsal coalitions and promote future research studies driven by data and scientifically validated methodologies. Level of evidenceV

An analytic network process model for ranking exoskeleton evaluation criteria

In nearly 60 years of research on exoskeleton design, manufacturing, testing, and application, few researchers study what goes into the process of designing these devices that augment human performance. Exoskeleton evaluation and selection, however, remains under-­researched and ultimately unclear given the large number of decision criteria with possible interdependencies. In this paper, an analytic network process (ANP) model was structured and used due to its ability to consider multi-levels of interdependencies between decision criteria while encapsulating the advantages of expert opinion. A panel of experts categorized 55 engineering design metrics into five categories. Discussion sessions were conducted to identify the metrics’ interdependencies yielding an unweighted, weighted, and limit priority super-matrix from the ANP model. The results of the ANP model provide an analysis of how interdependencies affect the importance of design metrics in exoskeleton design. The results of the proposed model were compared to a previous study where a panel of 40 experts individually ranked the importance of engineering design metrics without considering interdependencies. The use of the ANP can provide a stronger, more holistic approach to the inherently multi-criteria decision-making involved in exoskeleton design.

Comparative analysis of process selection and carbon emissions assessment of innovative steelmaking routes

Innovative emission reduction technologies combined with optimized processes can effectively reduce the environmental pressure in the iron and steel industry (ISI). Identifying and comparatively analyzing the carbon emissions (CE) from steel productions is conducive to achieving China's ambitious carbon reduction targets. In this paper, we investigated two innovative routes: the shaft furnace-induction furnace-basic oxygen furnace route (SF-IF-BOF) and shaft furnace-electric smelting furnace-basic oxygen furnace route (SF-ESF-BOF), alongside two traditional routes: the blast furnace-BOF route (BF-BOF) and SF-electric arc furnace route (SF-ESF). The analysis was based on a functional unit of 1000 kg of crude steel (CS). By establishing the mass and energy balance models and decision criteria, 12 typical smelting scenarios for these routes were analyzed and compared in terms of materials consumption and CE. The results showed that increasing the proportion of scrap was beneficial for reducing CE. Under the condition of a 50% scrap ratio, the CE of the SF-IF-BOF, SF-ESF-BOF, BF-BOF, and SF-EAF routes were 768, 823, 946, and 870 kg, respectively. The SF-IF-BOF route displayed the most significant advantage of CE reduction. In addition, by using 100% zero-carbon electricity substitution, the SF-EAF route exhibited the greatest CE reduction effect of 41% (from 870 to 510 kg/t). While deploying 100% biomass fuels to replace coal, the CE of the BF-BOF route reduced by 80%. Finally, after introducing biomass fuels and zero-carbon electricity, the CE of the SF-IF-BOF route was minimized to a significantly low 13 kg/t (from 768), nearing zero CE. This research is expected to provide a novel solution for further CE reduction in the future of ISI, contributing to environmental sustainability and carbon reduction goals.

Chinese University Students' Growth in Critical Thinking: Accounting for School Transition and Selection Effects

Evaluating cognitive ability and skills development in higher education presents challenges because the focal outcome often serves as, or at least is reflected in, selection criteria for college admission decisions. Additionally, the baseline abilities and skills gained from earlier educational experiences impact students' further learning outcomes. To address these challenges, we propose an integrated framework for estimating students' growth that accounts for lasting transition effects and varying selection effects. Using a nationally representative longitudinal sample of Chinese university students, we found that students experienced medium-sized growth (0.67) in critical thinking skills, with a large effect size observed for evaluating the reasoning of an argument, a medium effect size for evaluating argument implications, and no significant growth in evaluating argument credibility. Our estimates of transition effects showed that the impact of earlier education experience on students' critical thinking growth diminished in the college years. After controlling students' socioeconomic status and the college entrance examination scores, we found that the within-university advantage in the college entrance examination served as a factor in explaining the university impacts on students’ critical thinking. Our findings provide rich insights into improving the evaluation of critical thinking skills in Chinese universities, and our illustrative framework can also be applied to similar education contexts.

Practice variations in the surgical treatment of small bowel obstruction in Quebec

Background: Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a common emergency and selectively requires surgical management. There is growing evidence supporting the use of laparoscopic surgery (LS) compared to open surgery for SBO. Methods: An online survey-based cohort study examining surgeon characteristics, patient factors, and clinical situations that impact decision making regarding the use of LS for SBO was sent to the 538 members of the Association Québécoise de Chirurgie and their answers were collected over a 4-month period in 2019. Results: The response rate was 27.1% (n=146). The gender, sex or the practice setting did not have an impact on the surgical approach. It was noted that surgeons who were more comfortable with laparoscopy used it more often (P=0.002). The three factors favoring the initial approach by laparotomy were most frequently cited: hostile abdomen, severe abdominal distension, and hemodynamic instability. Young surgeons had more homogenous answers (P=0.03). The surgeons having a practice oriented into LS had different decision criteria compared to those doing more open surgery. Conclusion: This article emphasizes key clinical scenarios and determinants that shape the surgical strategy for SBO treatment. The authors aim for this research to stimulate more discussions and contemplation about using laparoscopic methods for treating SBO in certain patients, thereby potentially elevating the frequency of surgeons adopting this approach. Moreover, considering the existing literature supports LS as a viable and safe method for SBO treatment, and noting the enhanced outcomes for patients, it becomes increasingly vital to advocate for this conversation.

Methodology of a thermal injection mold design with locally applied heating coatings on the cavity wall

AbstractThe thermal balance of injection molds is defined by the cooling channel layout. However, the fluid tempering of injection molds underlies certain restrictions concerning the thermal dynamic and the local limitation of the zone of influence. The optimal heat balance within the mold to minimize warpage cannot be solely achieved with conformal cooling channels. Ceramic heating coating systems applied by Thermal Spraying on the cavity wall are a novel tempering method for high heating rates and offer the possibility of a more local heat input. In terms of the thermal mold design, the position and size of local heating coating systems need to be determined. A methodology is proposed, which connects the optimization of part warpage by defining the necessary local heat flux within the mold with the determination of the heating coating placement. Due to the dependence of the coating placement on the heating time and the power, different decision criteria of these parameters are discussed with regard to the process efficiency. The developed methodology can calculate the necessary heating power distribution to homogenize the surface temperature and freeze time. A second step discretizes the heating power distribution to certain manufacturable heating zones.

Compulsory enforcement of the fee for the transformation of the perpetual usufruct right into ownership of real estate

In the Polish legal system, there are two ways of compulsory enforcement of obligations. It takes place either in administrative enforcement proceedings, which have no connection with the administration of justice, or in judicial enforcement proceedings, which are part of civil proceedings, ultimately determining the fulfilment by the courts of their respective judicial functions. Those proceedings are separate and independent of each other. Sometimes the obligation meets the conditions for administrative and judicial enforcement at the same time. Such an example is the fee for the transformation of perpetual usufruct into ownership. It has a civil law character, results from the operation of law or from an administrative decision, and a special provision does not specify the way of its enforcement. There is a convergence of criteria distinguishing between administrative and judicial enforcement.Currently, there is no doubt that the compulsory recovery of the transformation fee resulting from an administrative decision takes place in the mode of administrative enforcement, despite the civil law nature of this fee. Uncertainty arises as to the method of enforcement if the fee arises by operation of law. There are both sentences in favour of the admissibility of administrative enforcement and dissenting opinions favouring the admissibility of compulsory recovery of the fee in question by way of judicial enforcement.The aim of the article is to indicate the decisive criterion demarcating the path of administrative and judicial enforcement and to determine the method of enforcement of the fee for the transformation of the perpetual usufruct right into ownership. The work uses a formal-dogmatic method of work.

A user-centric analysis and survey-based approach for early design decision-making criteria of the ‘Symbiotic Data Platform’: Integration of BIM with IoT for occupants’ thermal comfort

A user-centric analysis and survey-based approach for early design decision-making criteria of the ‘Symbiotic Data Platform’: Integration of BIM with IoT for occupants’ thermal comfort

Financial Performance and Bankruptcy Risk Analysis: An Application on Private Health Insurance Companies in Turkey

This research evaluates the correlation between the financial performances of seven insurance companies operating in Turkey from 2018 to 2022 and their risk of bankruptcy. In the study, data obtained from the year-end financial statements of the companies were used, weights were assigned to the criteria determined by the ENTROPY methodology, and the performance rankings of the companies were obtained using the WASPAS method. The Altman-Z model was applied to determine the risk of bankruptcy. The decisive criteria in the financial performance ranking are profitability ratios such as Asset Profitability, Equity Profitability, and Net Profit Margin. While Turkey Insurance and Anadolu Insurance's leadership positions in the sector were identified, Ray Insurance and Mapfre Insurance were determined as the companies showing the weakest performance. Although the research shows that financial performance affects the risk of bankruptcy, it also reveals that it is not the sole factor in determining the likelihood of bankruptcy. In this context, the evaluation of financial performance in the insurance industry should be considered as part of a more holistic risk assessment approach.

Disentangling ESG: Environmental, social and governance ratings and financial performance of Polish listed companies

Socially responsible investments are a significant element of the global capital market and are becoming increasingly important also in the eyes of Polish investors. ESG ratings are a crucial decisive criterion, as they provide information on the corporate governance (G), and social (S) and environmental (E) activities, of companies. Even though the abovementioned areas differ significantly, the use of ESG ratings by investors is often narrowed down to the total ESG score. Additionally, the literature does not provide unambiguous results on whether the impact of total score as well as the individual pillars of E, S and G on the accounting-based financial performance of companies is statistically significant, and positive or negative. Sparse academic studies concentrate mainly on highly developed markets and accounting-based measures of profitability, leaving aside emerging markets, like Poland, and the other main characteristics of financial performance, like liquidity, efficiency, or leverage. The aim of this paper is therefore to fill the above gap by identifying the dependence of ratings in E, S and G areas and the accounting-based financial performance of companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Selected financial parameters and company quotations were taken from the Notoria Serwis SA database, while data on ESG ratings from Refinitiv Eikon were used to perform correlation analysis. The analysis covers the years 2013–2022. The findings indicate a significant positive bi-directional impact of corporate governance (G) and efficiency, as well as of controversies score and efficiency. A linkage has also been revealed between controversies score and profitability. However, the hypothesis of an unequivocally positive impact of ESG factors on financial results, or conversely of financial results on ESG aspects, should be rejected.

Earthquake Risk Assessment Using GIS-Based Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP): The Case of Bitlis Province (Türkiye)

The risk level of natural disasters such as earthquakes depends on many factors. Some of these are direct hazards, while others are vulnerability factors that increase the risk. In this regard, risk assessment should be performed by evaluating the hazard and vulnerability factors together. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a powerful tool for co-evaluating such multiple decision criteria. The spatial visualization of the results facilitates the direct assessment of risks as well. In the present study, the seismic risk assessment of the Bitlis province in Eastern Anatolia, which has a high seismic risk, was performed by using the GIS-based AHP method. Among many criteria, six effective criteria on earthquake risk such as seismicity, demographic and topographic criteria were taken into consideration based on expert decision makers. It is concluded that the results obtained from the study were quite successful in terms of determining the seismic risks of the study area. Accordingly, while the risks are high in densely populated settlements with high peak ground acceleration (PGA), the risk decreases according to soil and land use.

Methods for Minimizing the Savage Function with Various Constraints

Introduction. When making decisions under uncertainty, Savage's criterion is sometimes used, or the criterion of minimizing regrets [1]. Usually, in the literature, this decision situation is described in matrix language. In other words, both the number of decision alternatives and the number of states of nature are finite. Of particular interest are situations where the admissible domain of decision variants is a convex set, and the regrets with respect to each state of nature are expressed by convex functions. In this paper, we propose numerical methods for minimizing Savage's regret function, constructed based on the subgradient projection method with automatic step size adjustment [2, 3]. The convergence of these methods is demonstrated. Goal. In the article, the Savage function is defined as a function that expresses the maximum regret value, assumed to be a convex function with respect to the decision factors. This function measures the effectiveness of each decision relative to the set of states of nature. It is important to note that computing the values of these functions is complex because of the need to know the optimal solution for each state of nature. This difficulty is successfully overcome in the process of solving the problem of minimizing functions on convex sets, thanks to parallel solutions of m "internal" algorithms based on the number of states of nature, and one external algorithm, aimed at minimizing the Savage function. Each of the m+1 algorithms represent modifications of the subgradient projection method with a programmable way of adjusting the step size. Depending on the complexity of the constraints and the required precision, three theorems have been proven, confirming the convergence of the investigated methods. Results obtained. Constructive numerical algorithms have been developed for determining optimal decision alternatives under uncertainty, when the number of states of nature is finite, the admissible domain of control factors is convex and compact, and the Savage regret function serves as a decision criterion. The convergence of the corresponding algorithms to the set of optimal solutions has been proven, without knowing the exact values of the Savage function. Instead, estimates obtained from parallel runs of algorithms were used, aimed at determining optimal solutions for each state of nature. Conclusions. Uncertainty poses significant difficulties in designing and making decisions. Any decision made under uncertainty represents a certain risk or a certain regret. In cases where the number of states of nature is finite, the decision domain is convex, the target function with respect to each state of nature is convex, and the Savage regret function is adopted as the decision criterion, the decision-making problem can be successfully solved using numerical algorithms based on the generalized gradient method. The implementation of the algorithm is relatively simple, and the fields of application can be very diverse. Keywords: uncertainty, decisions, Savage function, optimization.

Who is “anti-science”?

Objectives“Anti-science” accusations are common in medicine and public health, sometimes to discredit scientists who hold opposing views. However, there is no such thing as “one science”. Epistemology recognizes that any “science” is sociologically embedded, and therefore contextual and intersubjective. In this paper, we reflect on how “science” needs to adopt various perspectives to give a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of a phenomenon. Study designOpinion paper. MethodsBased on a targeted literature survey, we first clarify the known limits of traditional scientific methods and then reflect on how the scientific reporting about Covid-19 mRNA vaccines has evolved. ResultsThe first reports of the Covid-19 mRNA vaccines randomised controlled trial results showed impressive efficacy. Nevertheless, an abundant literature has since depicted a far more nuanced picture of the effectiveness and safety of those vaccines over the medium-term. We organise them around five themes: (i) differentiating between relative and absolute reduction; (ii) taking account of time in reporting effectiveness; (iii) taking account of all outcomes, including adverse effects; (iv) stratifying effectiveness and considering other decision criteria (efficiency, equity, and acceptance); (v) changing the outcome of concern and assessing vaccines’ effectiveness on mortality. ConclusionsScience offers a wide range of perspectives on a given study object. Only the process of deliberation amongst scientists and other stakeholders can result in accepted new knowledge useful to support decision-making. Unfortunately, by trying to reduce “science” to simple messages set in stone, scientists can become the worse enemies of science.