Decision-making Issues Research Articles

The Public Health Emergency Response Model of COVID-19 Pandemic in North-eastern Part of Thailand

Introduction:The pandemic of COVID-19 in the northeastern part of Thailand established the response mechanism to COVID-19.Method:This study aimed to explore the PHER model of the COVID-19 pandemic in three provinces located in northeastern Thailand. The target group was 78 people who were responsible for COVID-19 response from the sub-district, district, and provincial levels. The data was collected through in-depth and group interviews following the non-structure interview guide and data was analyzed by content analysis.Results:Two levels of the PHER model were: 1) The response of the provincial level related to national and global situations. The provincial’s measure of the COVID-19 response was run by the Provincial Communicable Disease Committee (PCDC) and followed by the COVID-19 Epidemic Administrative Center (CEAC). The core team was a public health subcommittee who ran the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) and COVID-19 pandemic. The PCDC launched the provincial measure, risk communication response to COVID-19, and issues of the pandemic from CEAC and EOC. 2) The response inside the provincial level two components of the structure were the PCDC and the PEOC and the district EOC. They composed the Situation Analysis Team (SAT) and Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which was an operation to surveillance, investigation, real-time situation and reported to PEOC and PCDC as the issues of measures decision. Thailand’s identity of the PHER model was the village and sub-district on behalf of the Communicable Disease Control Unit (CDCU) and Community COVID-19 Respond Teams (CCRTs) in which members were Health Volunteer (HV), Village’s leader, and Local organization. Core activities were screening the risky group and surveillance: Home or Local quarantine and Home isolation (HI) or community isolation (CI) of rehabilitation from Covid-19 post treatment.Conclusion:The strengthening of PHER depended on the CCRTs and CDCU which supported the PEOC and PCDC to prevent and control Covid-19.

Skills necessary to conduct a competent conversation with the ward in social rehabilitation work

The article presents an analysis of decision-making issues regarding the selection of appropriate skills during an interview. An important issue in the area of justice and social rehabilitation is the skilful conversation. It is necessary to train the personnel in such a way as to obtain precise and complete information through all elements of the social rehabilitation system. By improving conversation techniques, the functioning of the entire social rehabilitation system will be improved, because it largely consists in collecting and providing information in a direct way.Innovative methods of conducting interviews should be implemented in social rehabilitation, should be based on empirical evidence, and the information contained in them should be presented in a practical way.

Surgical considerations in the management of short bowel syndrome.

Patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) are optimally managed in centers of expertise with dedicated multidisciplinary intestinal failure (IF) teams. Over the life of a patient with SBS, many different surgical concerns may arise requiring intervention. These can range from reasonably simple procedures, such as the creation or maintenance of gastrostomy tube and enterostomies, to complex reconstructions of multiple enterocutaneous fistulas or the performance of intestine-containing transplants. This review will cover the development of a surgeon's role on the IF team; common surgical issues arising in patients with SBS, with a focus on decision-making rather than technique; and, finally, a brief overview of transplantation and some related decision-making issues.

A consensus model under framework of prospect theory with acceptable adjustment and endo-confidence

Consensus is an important issue in group decision making to make a reliable and scientific decision, and it has become a hot topic recently. Due to the complexity and uncertainty of decision-making problems, several aspects of alternatives should be considered in decision-making process. Also, the bounded rational characteristics of decision makers (DMs) may significantly affect the decision results. This paper proposes a multi-criteria consensus model based on prospect theory (PT) to consider the unsymmetrical risk attitudes of DM for gain or loss and on endo-confidence (confidence which is derived by DMs’ evaluation information) levels of DMs to determine their weights. First, the reference point in PT is selected and how to measure the prospect consensus degree is presented. Then, the way to identify the expert who need to modify his/her evaluation is given and two programming models are proposed to obtain the updated evaluation. Subsequently, both the overall difference and the endo-confidence level of the DM are used to determine the weights of DMs. Finally, an illustrative example and the comparative analysis are used to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed model.

TODIM-VIKOR method based on hybrid weighted distance under probabilistic uncertain linguistic information and its application in medical logistics center site selection.

At a time of global epidemic control, the location of the medical logistics distribution center (MLDC) has an important impact on the operation of the entire logistics system to reduce the operating costs of the company, enhance the service quality and effectively control the COVID-19 on the premise of increasing the company's profits. Thus, the research on the location of MLDC has important theoretical and practical application significance separately.Recently, the TODIM and VIKOR method has been used to solve multiple-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) issues. The probabilistic uncertain linguistic term sets (PULTSs) are used as a tool for characterizing uncertain information. In this paper, we design the TODIM-VIKOR model to solve the MAGDM in PULT condition. Firstly, some basic concept of PULTSs is reviewed, and TODIM and VIKOR method are introduced. The extended TODIM-VIKOR model is proposed to tackle MAGDM problems under the PULTSs. At last, a numerical case study for medical logistics centersite selection (MLCSS) is given to validate the proposed method.

Parameter optimization decision framework for transient process of a pumped storage hydropower system

The construction of Pumped Storage Hydropower Systems (PSHSs) has significance for improving the renewable energy accommodation capacity and meeting the peaking demand for future power systems. During the rapid construction of PSHS, whether the transient process meets the safety requirements is a core issue for decision-makers. The traditional methods to ensure the safety of PSHS transient process are based on Code for Design of PSHS (NB/T 10072–2018), which lacks a systematic theoretical framework to overcome the disadvantages of traditional methods, such as a large amount of calculation and strong subjectivity. Therefore, this study proposes a novel decision framework to determine the optimization parameters for PSHS transient process. The approach is based on the characteristics of PSHS design and transient process and an optimized evaluation system consisting of eleven influencing factors and five evaluation indexes are proposed and validated against experimental data from an actual PSHS. A comprehensive ranking of the influencing factors is also realized, which avoids the deviation caused by subjective experience. The results show that the change in pipe diameter has a greater influence on the surge tank than other factors. Besides, the available optimization parameters and priorities are different from various transient indexes. Finally, the feasibility of the optimization framework decision is verified through the case study in China and provides theoretical guidance to optimize the transient characteristics of PSHS according to the priorities.

An intelligent women safety app for educational campus

AbstractWomen's safety is an essential and decisive issue in today's world. In these modern times, where technology has advanced a lot, women safety is still a matter of concern. In academic organizations, education for girls/women has become a hurdle. Education is a powerful weapon to end poverty and traditional rituals. Campuses of educational institutions have been highly affected directly or indirectly by various types of violence. Safety is a considerable factor for parents when choosing the campus for their children. Thus, it becomes the responsibility of the campus administration to provide a safe and secure environment. The paper highlights various research papers in the context of women's safety, campus safety, and women awareness. The Intelligent Women Safety App has been proposed with features like Authenticity by user and guard, Real‐Time Location of user and guard, Geo‐fencing technique, SOS facilities for the user. With the use of this app, the campus administration will attempt to provide a safe and secure environment especially for girls in the campus. Both girls and their parents will feel safe to undergo education effectively, and will help in the growth on the nation.

CONSENSUAL DEMOCRACY IN NORTH MACEDONIA, ACCORDING TO ARBËN XHAFERI

<p><span>In this study, focused on the political thought of Arbën Xhaferi, this politician, diplomat and philosopher, known among Albanians and beyond, his views on solving inter-ethnic problems within multi-ethnic states, which can lead to possible conflicts, are discussed. The unresolved issue of not only the rights of minorities in many countries can become the cause of inter-ethnic conflicts, which has been proven in history, from the oldest to the most recent one. Considering all these possible social crises, which according to Xhaferi can be resolved through the good will of the two parties in conflict, as an intellectual, politician and as a party leader, he took this issue seriously, even in the form of his practical action and engagement in solving problems of this nature, by being one of the participants in the Ohrid Framework Agreement, whose primary goal was to end the 2001 conflict in Macedonia, which erupted just because of the non-applicability of the rights of a large portion of Macedonian citizens at the time, such as the Albanians. In the study, in addition to Xhaferi's views on the issue of consensual decision-making, we also talk about the views of other personalities related to the phenomenon of consensual resolution of conflicts, such as Max Weber, Kavanagh, Maurice, Lijphart and others.</span></p><p><span><strong>Keywords:</strong> politics, conflict, consensus, majoritarianism, over voting, equality, binational.</span></p>

When content-centric networking meets multi-criteria group decision-making: Optimal cache placement policy achieved by MARCOS with q-rung orthopair fuzzy set pair analysis

Assessing the cache placement policy (CPP) is a crucial step in the deployment process of content-centric networking (CCN), which is still an open question. In this paper, assessing the CPP is formulated to be a multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) issue since it involves the consideration of multiple experts, and a new aggregated MCGDM algorithm is presented for dealing with this issue. On that account, an assessment criteria system is to formulate to portray these experts’ considerations for assessing CPPs, and then the concepts of q-rung orthopair fuzzy set (q-ROFS) and set pair analysis (SPA) are presented to directly and indirectly define the group preference information of CPPs with respect to the criteria, respectively. Later, some revised aggregation operators are employed for aggregating the group preference information. Then, a new integrated objective criteria weights (IOCW) method based on score value and combined criteria weights based on non-linear comprehensive method are given for determining the important degrees of criteria. Based on IOCW method, non-linear comprehensive method, score function, distance measure, and aggregation operators, a new integrated q-rung orthopair fuzzy MCGDM model based on MARCOS (Measurement of Alternatives and Ranking according to COmpromise Solution) method is developed to rank CPPs. Finally, an example is given to illustrate the evaluation process of CPP, and the advantages of developed method are verified by comparative analysis.

What drives selection decisions of private universities in Jakarta?

In many circumstances, the issues of competitiveness and selection decisions are becoming more important as a strategic focal point of the institutional function in higher education (HE). With the implementation of a social market economy in Indonesia, as an intermediary stage between socialism and capitalism, the need to incorporate competitiveness within an institutional role becomes more pressing. Despite the fact that private higher education in Indonesia grew steadily, there has been no published research on the competitiveness of private higher education. The purpose of this study is to examine the assessment of the competitiveness and selection decision of private universities (PTS) and the implications for the decision to attend a private university. The sample size is 300 students who choose to continue their education at PTS as part of the Higher Education Service Institute (LLDIKTI) Region III Jakarta. We employed the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), the SWOT analysis, and the Business Model Canvas. The AHP results showed that a variety of variables could be utilized to choose private universities in LLDIKTI Region III Jakarta. Meanwhile, the SWOT analysis findings were located in the third quadrant (defense). In this situation, private universities have a big market opportunity, yet there are hurdles inside the private universities themselves. As a result, the PTS strategy should focus on minimizing internal PTS issues in order to capture the greater possibilities to compete with other PTS in LLDIKTI Region III Jakarta. Furthermore, the results of the business model canvas analysis proved that optimizing the role of websites, social media, alumni, scholarships, and competitiveness was expected to be able to make private universities superior and of high quality through the provision of accurate, fast, and easy information and communication channels that followed the technological developments and needs, as well as customer segments.

Collective renovation decisions in multi-owned housing management: the case of public–private homeowners associations in Poland

The increasing popularity of multi-owned housing in various parts of the world and the need to constantly maintain these stocks in good condition raises issues of collective renovation decisions made by groups of unit owners in this housing sector. The main aim of the study was to identify the exogenous factors influencing collective decision-making actions of public–private homeowners associations regarding common property renovations in the management of housing condominiums in Poland. To achieve this aim, an original multi-stage top-down research methodology was applied. As the dependent variable representing the success of collective decision-making actions on common property renovations, the renovation fund rate passed by homeowners associations was adopted. Empirical research was conducted on representative samples of public–private homeowners associations with the participation of the municipality of Olsztyn in Poland. The results showed that building age, the number of unit owners and the share of the municipality in the common property significantly influenced renovation fund rates, ceteris paribus, with the influence of the former factor being positive and the others negative. This confirmed the hypothesis that the municipalities tend to negatively influence the collective renovation decisions of public–private homeowners associations by their shares in common properties. This study contributes to collective action theory when public and private actors co-participate in group decision-making and has far-reaching policy and practical implications. Hence, further research on this topic in different markets and institutional arrangements is recommended.

Enhancing Green Supply Chain Efficiency Through Linear Diophantine Fuzzy Soft-Max Aggregation Operators

Improving the effectiveness of green supply chains is a critical step towards minimizing waste, optimizing resource use, and reducing the environmental impact of business operations. Sustainable practices should be implemented throughout the entire supply chain, from product design and procurement to production and transportation, in order to achieve these goals. By doing so, businesses can not only improve their environmental performance but also reduce costs, increase customer satisfaction, and gain a competitive advantage in the market. However, due to the existence of competing characteristics, imprecise information, and a lack of knowledge, selecting the appropriate green provider is a complex and unpredictable decision-making issue. The primary objective of a linear-diophantine fuzzy (LiDF) framework is to assist decision makers in selecting the optimal course of action. This paper introduces several novel aggregation operators (AOs), namely the linear Diophantine fuzzy soft-max average (LiDFSMA) and the linear Diophantine fuzzy soft-max geometric (LiDFSMG) operators. The proposed method is then demonstrated through a simple example of a green supplier optimization technique containing linear Diophantine fuzzy content, showing the utility and applicability of the approach. Overall, the proposed LiDF framework and AOs can aid decision makers in selecting the most suitable green provider, thereby enhancing the efficiency of green supply chains.

Novel decision aid model for green supplier selection based on extended EDAS approach under pythagorean fuzzy Z-numbers

The main objective of this study is to identify the green suppliers that would most effectively assist manufacturing producers in implementing green manufacturing production while including uncertainty and reliability in their decision-making. For this firstly, we justify and manifest the idea of Pythagorean Fuzzy Z-numbers (PyFZNs). It has significant implications for improving the effectiveness of decision-making processes in several theories of uncertainty. It can more flexibly explain real-world data and human cognition due to its capacity to express imprecise and reliable information. Thus it is a more accurate mathematical tool for addressing accuracy and uncertainty. Secondly, we defined the Pythagorean fuzzy Z-number arithmetic aggregation operators and geometric aggregation operators. Thirdly, based on the proposed operators and EDAS (Evaluation based on distance from average solution) approach, a fast decision model is designed to deal with the issue of multi-criteria decision-making. Finally, using PyFZN data we also provide a numerical example to demonstrate the usability of the created multicriteria decision-making (MDM) approach. Moreover, a case study also proves its efficacy.

Практика внедрения интерактивных технологий в процесс подготовки будущих сотрудников органов внутренних дел

Introduction: Speaking about the relevance of the study, it is necessary to note the positive role of studying the issue of managerial decisions during the training of future employees of the internal affairs bodies in educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia while studying the academic discipline «Fundamentals of Management in the Internal Affairs Bodies». It seems that in order to strengthen the practical component of studying this issue, it is necessary to search for suitable interactive technologies for conducting training sessions, which we tried to find in the framework of the study. The purpose of the study is dictated by the need to create certain methodological teaching aids, the use of which will make it possible to introduce into the learning process the practical implementation of the study of certain issues within the framework of conducting classes in an interactive form in the discipline «Fundamentals of Management in the Internal Affairs Bodies». Research methods: In the course of the research, such theoretical methods as analysis, synthesis, systematization, generalization, comparison and such empirical methods as observation, conversation, description, testing, experiment were used. Results of the study: We saw the solution to the problem in the testing and application of interactive technologies in the form of «Case method» and the «Business game» method in the training course of the discipline «Fundamentals of Management in the Internal Affairs Bodies». The study reflects new, previously not used, methodological teaching aids developed for this specified academic discipline, containing the designated teaching methods and the results of their practical application, which showed a pronounced positive trend in mastering new knowledge, skills and abilities by learners in the educational process, which allows us to speak about the practical significance of his study results.

Neutrosophic MCDM Methodology for Assessment Risks of Cyber Security in Power Management


 Every day, new reports of cyberattacks on interconnected control systems emerge. The vulnerability of their communication mechanism makes similar control systems a target for malicious outsiders. Protecting sensitive data and maintaining network reliability and availability are two of the main reasons why network security is so important. Strong and dependable network security strategies use a number of safeguards to protect users and businesses from malware and cyber assaults like distributed denial of service. A safety analysis is an essential step that must precede the introduction of any security measures. There hasn't been much experience with cyberattacks on power control systems yet, therefore it's important to develop a method for thoroughly assessing the safety of power control technologies used in data transmission systems. A prior study has identified the authority control process evaluation of security and the safety level of each control stage as two of the primary obstacles to effective security assessment. For this reason, this article provides a safety risk evaluation of the communication networks of power management and control technologies (PMCT) using the neutrosophic Evaluation Based on Distance from Average Solution (EDAS) method. A prime instance of a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) issue is used to solve the security risk assessment in the power system. In this study, we offer an interval-valued neutrosophic version of the EDAS approach for solving the MCDM issue. The neutrosophic EDAS method is used to rank and assess the security risks in power system.

A novel probabilistic linguistic multi-attribute decision-making method based on Mahalanobis–Taguchi system and fuzzy measure

Probabilistic linguistic term sets (PLTSs) may convey flexible and accurate qualitative information to decision-makers, and it has been widely utilized to handle multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) issues. This article presents a novel technique for MADM using probabilistic linguistic information where attribute weights are entirely unknown and interactive. Firstly, we define the covariance matrix for the set of PLTSs and investigate its properties. Secondly, we propose the probabilistic linguistic Mahalanobis–Taguchi System (PL-MTS) by extending the Mahalanobis–Taguchi System (MTS) to the probabilistic linguistic environment. Using PL-MTS, fuzzy measures of attributes are then computed. Thirdly, this article modifies the current probabilistic linguistic Choquet integral (PLCI) operator and proposes the probabilistic linguistic geometric Choquet integral (PLGCI) operator and the probabilistic linguistic average Choquet integral (PLACI) operator. Fourthly, the decision information of all alternatives is aggregated using PLGCI and PLACI operators, and the alternatives are ordered according to the comparison rules of PLTSs. Finally, an illustration of supplier selection is provided to validate the efficacy of the method.

The role of radio in community engagement in the UAE: The case of the “Direct Line” program

This study examines the role of Sharjah Radio as a medium of community engagement and development, focusing on the case of the Direct Line program. It seeks to investigate the extent to which the station and its prime show (the Direct Line program) contribute to building and enacting public opinion and awareness in the Emirates of Sharjah and UAE in general, and eventually to social and economic development. It also aims to study community participation and audience involvement in the Direct Line program. Drawing on the development communication theory, concepts of participatory communication, and community engagement, the study uses a quantitative research method, namely a survey. A sample of around 300 Emirati citizens (adult males and females) living in the city of Sharjah was selected using the convenience sampling method. The study concludes that Sharjah Radio’s Direct Line program effectively contributes to community engagement and participation in the Emirate’s efforts to produce a positive change in the local society. The findings indicate that the program is successfully involving its audiences in proposing issues for public discussion and policy decision and consideration.

Environmental impacts of photovoltaic power plants in northwest China

In the past decade, approximately 17 % of the world's photovoltaic capacity has been installed in China, especially in the northwestern desert areas. The impacts of the construction and operation of large-scale photovoltaic power plants (PPPs) on local ecological environments have become urgent scientific issues in regional environmental protection decision-making. To quantitatively evaluate the local environmental impacts of the construction and operation of PPPs in the desert oasis region, thermal infrared and multispectral sensors mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as well as X-ray fluorescence spectrometers and soil sensors were used in this study to monitor a large PPP in Northwest China. We found that the construction and operation of PPPs can promote biological soil crust development and vegetation growth and can thus improve the soil texture and nutrition. However, the Ca, S and Cl concentrations were found to be 3, 5 and 1.7 times higher inside the PPP area than outside the PPP area, respectively. In addition, the soil salinization is also more severe inside the PPP area. In future studies, it is essential to further elucidate the impacts of PPP operations and agricultural on desert ecosystems.

Applying Human Values Theory to Software Engineering Practice: Lessons and Implications

The study of human values in software engineering (SE) is increasingly recognised as a fundamental human-centric issue of SE decision making. However, values studies in SE still face a number of issues, including the difficulty of eliciting values in a systematic and structured way, the challenges of measuring and tracking values over time, and the lack of practice-based understanding of values among software practitioners. This paper aims to help address these issues by: 1) outlining a research framework that supports a systematic approach to values elicitation, analysis, and understanding; 2) introducing tools and techniques that help elicit and measure values during SE decision making processes in a systematic way; and 3) applying such tools to a month-long research sprint co-designed with an industry partner and conducted with 27 software practitioners. The case study builds on lessons from an earlier pilot (12 participants) and combines in-situ observations with the use of two values-informed tools: the Values Q-Sort (V-QS), and the Values-Retro. The V-QS adapts instruments from values research to the SE context, the Values-Retro adapts existing SE techniques to values theory. We distil implications for research and practice in ten lessons learned.

Cyclotron beam extraction by acceleration

One of the decisive issues in the design and operation of cyclotrons is the choice of the beam extraction method. Typical methods are extraction by electrostatic extractors and by stripping. The former method requires DC high voltage electrodes which are notorious for high-voltage breakdowns. The latter method requires beams of atomic or molecular ions which are notorious for rest gas and Lorentz stripping. Here we discuss the conditions to be met such that a beam will leave the magnetic field of an isochronous cyclotron purely by fast acceleration.