Multi-criteria Setting Research Articles

Food-energy-water (FEW) nexus: Sustainable food production governance through system dynamics modeling

The transition challenge to sustainability is the governance of common use and property resources the commons. Climate change, as the prime mover of that transition processes, directly affects all sectors of society. Food production, and its relative resources – energy and water - is a relevant sector in the transition to sustainability, since it makes direct use of commons. Food production systems present different configurations and interrelations with the environment; however, they have as a similar character: the complexity regarding the interrelations with commons and with society. This complexity addresses the demand on understanding the dynamics of food, energy and water nexus (FEW Nexus) interrelated dimensions. In this context, this article models FEW Nexus using a System Dynamics Modelling (SDM) approach. The study was developed in the green belt of the peri-urban region of the city of São Paulo, located at the edge of the Atlantic Forest, a high-biodiversity forest in the south-eastern Brazil. The simulation of this complex system aims to support the sustainable governance policy of conventional and agroecological production systems. The innovative pattern of different food sustainable systems could be foresighted, from a set of socioeconomic and environmental multi-criteria ensemble of relevant indicators, as Water Footprint, Trophic State Index, Land Social Development Index, Carbon Footprint, Land Use Earnings. Policy tools, as Community Supported Agriculture strategies and Payment for Environmental Services are used to understand the different levels of sustainability under new innovative policies like them. The SDM tool enabled addressing predictive scenarios - seeing the interrelations and causalities of the set of indicators. The multi-criteria set of indicators modelling permits to understand the FEW Nexus sustainability level of the different food production systems. The results are strong guides to implementing strategies that lead to the dynamics of sustainable food systems, concerning FEW Nexus. SDM tool prove to be useful and effective in decision-making sustainable policy design processes and efficient alternatives in governance for sustainability and its transition process.

Method for solving the multi-criteria non-Markov problem of project portfolio optimization

The subject of the study in this paper is models and methods of optimization of the organization's project portfolio for the planning period, considering the effects of the previously made decisions. Project portfolio optimization is one of the responsible and complex tasks by company's top management solves. Based on the analysis of the known works in the field, the research purpose is described: to create a method that would allow solve the problem of multi-criteria project portfolio optimization for the planned period, considering the aftereffects of the previously made decisions. The research tasks are to enhance the method for solving the project portfolio optimization problem in terms of maximizing the difference between income and costs for all projects started during the planned period; to propose a method for solving the project portfolio optimization problem in terms of the social effects of projects that started during the planned period; create a method for solving the problem of project portfolio optimization for the planned period in a multi-criteria setting. There are the following results obtained in the paper. There is presents the mathematical model of the problem being solved, the problem objective functions include the difference between the receipt and expenditure of funds in time, the portfolio risks, and its implementation social effects. The mathematical model considers the provision of funds sufficiency for the implementation of projects in all periods, the required sequence of project implementation, and the mandatory inclusion of some projects in the portfolio for a given period. The problem under consideration belongs to the multi-criteria non-Markov dynamic discrete optimization problems. There is a proposed method for solving it in a multi-criteria formulation. The method is based on solving one criterion problem, and then a multi-criteria problem. The method is based on the minimax approach and implicit search. There has been developed solving method for the problem of enterprise project portfolio optimization for the planned period following the profit criterion. In contrast to the existing methods, this method considers the constraints on debt absence and the aftereffects of the previously made decisions. The method served as the basis for creating risk and social effect optimization methods. A method for enterprise project portfolio optimization of the planned period is provided, which, unlike previous, considers the criteria of profit, risks, and social effect, the constraints on debt absence, and the aftereffect of the previously made decisions. That makes it possible to improve the quality of the generated portfolio.

Picture fuzzy WASPAS method for selecting last-mile delivery mode: a case study of Belgrade

BackgroundLast-mile delivery (LMD) is becoming more and more demanding due to an increasing number of users and traffic problems in cities. Besides, medical crises (like the COVID-19 outbreak) and air pollution represent additional motives for the transition from traditional to socially and environmentally sustainable LMD mode. An emerging problem for companies in the postal and logistics industry is how to determine the best LMD mode in a multi-criteria setting under uncertainty.MethodFor the first time, an extension of the Weighted Aggregated Sum Product ASsessment (WASPAS) method under the picture fuzzy environment is presented to solve the LMD mode selection problem. The introduced picture fuzzy set (PFS) based multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method can be highly beneficial to managers who are in charge of LMD since it can take into account the neutral/refusal information and efficiently deal with high levels of imprecise, vague, and uncertain information. The comparative analysis with the existing state-of-the-art PFS-based MCDM methods approved the high reliability of the proposed picture fuzzy WASPAS method. Its high robustness and consistency are also confirmed. The presented method can be used to improve LMD in urban areas worldwide. Besides, it can be applied to solve other emerging MCDM problems in an uncertain environment.FindingsA real-life case study of Belgrade is presented to fully illustrate the potentials and applicability of the picture fuzzy WASPAS method. The results show that postomates are the best mode for LMD in Belgrade, followed by cargo bicycles, drones, traditional delivery, autonomous vehicles, and tube transport.

Smartphone-based parking guidance algorithm and implementation

To alleviate parking problem and offer convenient and efficient service for drivers in parking selection, a smartphone-based parking guidance algorithm and system implementation architecture are proposed. The algorithm describes parking selection as multi-criteria decision making. Dijkstra algorithm is used to suggest the shortest path for the candidate parking lots. Travel cost criteria for the shortest path and parking cost criteria for the candidate parking lots are integrated to constitute a multi-criteria decision set. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is explored to decide criteria weights and further make decision about the most appropriate parking lot for drivers. This work also gives the smartphone-based parking guidance system architecture to implement the proposed algorithm. The system enables drivers to inquire the information such as the optimal parking lot recommended by the proposed algorithm and driving route to the suggested parking lot on smartphone. To illustrate the implementation process of the proposed algorithm, an example is presented. The proposed algorithm and system not only provide drivers with services such as intelligent parking decision, convenient inquiry, and route navigation, but also reduce cruising time, energy consumption, and traffic congestion caused by searching available parking lots.

Zoning methodology for estimating the service life of the vehicle

The article presents a comprehensive method for removing uncertainty when solving multicriteria problems of vehicle maintenance. The task of the control system for the service life of the car is formed, and its characteristics are also highlighted. The main provisions of the zoning method are formulated from the point of view of the hierarchical correlation of the probabilities of the state of the external environment. The dynamics of changes in the quality indicators of cars in a multicriteria setting is estimated.

Multi-criteria Assessment of Entrepreneurial Activity in the Regions of the Far Eastern Federal District

Due to the lack of entrepreneurial activity in many regions of theRussian Federation, limited investment resources, which have become especially acute due to the pandemic, the objective assessment of entrepreneurial activity as a basis for developing an effective program to support entrepreneurship for each region becomes particularly relevant and practical. The goal of paper is development of methodological and instrumental approaches to solving the problem of quantitative assessment of business activity in the region based on comparison of a number of indicators. This article offers a methodological approach to solving the complex problem of assessing the entrepreneurial activity of regions in a multi-criteria setting using the "TOPSIS" method. Testing of the proposed tools is carried out on the example of the subjects of theRussian Federationin the Far Eastern Federal district. As a result of the implementation of the "TOPSIS" algorithm, integral estimates of the business activity of the subjects of theRussian Federationof the Far Eastern Federal district were obtained using private criteria. As a result, it is concluded that the use of the "TOPSIS" method for multi-criteria assessment of business activity of regions for its state support at the Federal and regional levels due to: the first, a mathematically sound and relatively simple algorithm for calculating integral estimates; the second, the possibility of multi-criteria problem formulation without limiting the number of criteria involved; the third, minimizing the influence of subjective factors; the forth, the possibility of using integrated assessments as ratings of regional territories and organizing monitoring of business activity in these regions based on them.

Systematic comparison framework for selecting the best retrofitting alternative for an existing water resource recovery facility.

A systematic comparison framework for selecting the best retrofitting alternative for a water resource recovery facility (WRRF) is proposed in this work. The procedure is applied comparing different possible plant configurations to retrofit an existent anoxic/oxic (A/O) WRRF (Manresa, Spain) aiming to include enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR). The framework for comparison was built on system analysis using a calibrated IWA ASM2d model. A multicriteria set of performance variables, as the operational and capital expenditures (OPEX and CAPEX, respectively) and robustness tests for measuring how fast the plant configuration refuses external disturbances (like ammonium and phosphate peak loads), were used for comparison. Starting from the existent WRRF, four plant configurations were tested: single A2 /O (only one anoxic reactor converted to anaerobic), double A2 /O (two anoxic reactors converted to anaerobic), BARDENPHO, and UCT. The double A2 /O plant configuration was the most economical and reliable alternative for improving the existent Manresa WRRF capacity and implementing EBPR, since the effluent quality increased 3.8% compared to the current plant configuration. In addition, the double A2 /O CAPEX was close to €165,000 which was at the same order of the single A2 /O and lower than the BARDENPHO and UCT alternatives. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Four configurations including EBPR were evaluated for retrofitting an A/O WRRF. A new multicriteria comparison framework was used to select the best configuration. Up to 13 criteria related to effluent quality, robustness and costs were included. A single function based on the combination of all the criteria was also evaluated.

A hybrid approach to apply dematel in a multi-criteria setting

The DEMATEL method has been applied in the Decision Sciences in several studies. However, one has not been able to apply DEMATEL directly to a multi-criteria matrix formed by a set of alternatives and a set of criteria yet. In order to approach this, we propose a novel way to apply DEMATEL to a multi-criteria matrix for ranking a set of alternatives according to their performances in a set of criteria. For accomplishing this, we consider the set of alternatives in a classical multi-criteria problem as the set of components used in a usual DEMATEL application. To set up the influence degree among studied components, we used the preference index of PROMÉTHÉE II. Such preference index takes into consideration the performances of alternatives on all criteria to establish each influence degree. Thereby, we denote the influence degree by preference degree. This new approach is applied to a case study and results are compared against those of three multi-criteria methods. It is then possible to note small, understandable differences among the rankings. This hybrid approach has therefore shown to be theoretically sound and feasible to be used in the practice of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis.

Strategic Development of Oil Shipments from Russia to Palestine

Recent decades have seen a significant expansion of world oil trade, which contributes to development of appropriate transport infrastructure, improvement and deepening of business ties in world energy markets and acceleration of their globalization. Russia plays an increasingly important role in export of oil and oil products, thereby seriously affecting physical volumes of foreign trade operations, prices, and the level of supply and demand. At the same time, interest in Russian oil is obviously taking into account the use of the existing or planned transport infrastructure. Despite the featured significant fluctuations in prices, which are caused by various factors of economic, geopolitical, and political nature, it is obvious that the general tendencies towards increase in oil prices remain against the background of the expected increase in demand for liquid fuel. This conclusion can be made on the basis of the costs of extracting energy resources, organizing the logistics component, of growing relevant political risks, according to competitive realities. In this regard, selection of an optimal transport route is of particular importance. The objective of the study is to test the algorithm developed by the authors for solving the multicriteria problem of choosing a rational route of fuel delivery within the framework of logistics chains from an oil refinery to a consumer. Testing is carried out at the example of development of hypothetical oil shipments from Russia to the State of Palestine. The use of the methods of economic analysis, multicriteria problem solving, expert assessments, representation of tasks in a multi-criteria setting using the developed deterministic method allows in each case to objectively find the best practical solution.The results of the analysis based on a sample of four options, have confirmed the possibility of using the proposed algorithm for solving the multicriteria problem to select the optimal route. The developed theory allows to objectively select the best proposal among possible variants; to improve the quality of the result obtained not only by the digital values of the accepted criteria, but also by taking into account the significance of different criteria among themselves by their influence on the process under consideration; to refine the intermediate data by using linear and nonlinear interpolation; to consider possible financial, time and other risks; to pose and solve problems taking into account hypothetical ways of transporting liquid fuel and compare the results with existing schemes.

The Optimization Methodology of the Digital Model of the Educational Program Based on Learning-Forgetting Functions

A methodology for curriculum optimizing based on the construction of learning-forgetting terms of educational content is proposed. In the formation of the curriculum, it is important not only to minimize the intervals between educational modules that use the same terms, but also to take into account the forgetting of the studied educational material. The article offers a generalized representation of the optimization methodology of the digital model of the educational program based on modeling the learning-forgetting function of the terms throughout the educational program, which poses the task of optimizing the curriculum in a multicriteria setting.

THE ELECTRIC DRIVE PUMPING UNITS STEADY OPERATING MODES OPTIMIZATION BY THE MODES RELIABILITY CRITERIAS

According to the research results, the target functions of the task of optimizing the functioning of the units according to the criteria of the regime reliability, depending on the flow of the working fluid were synthesized, which made it possible to research the influence of the regime on the reliability of operation of electric and hydraulic subsystems of the pump unit. The extreme weight of local target functions of regime reliability of electric motor and the centrifugal pump in various (especially low-flow rate) operating modes are determined. It is proposed to optimize the operating modes of pumping units of oil pumping station with the simultaneous use of the reliability criteria of electric drive and centrifugal pump. . It was established that the maximum values of reliability of electric drive and centrifugal pump are achieved at different values of the load, which requires the involvement of multi-criteria optimization methods. The problem of optimization of the established modes of the pump unit in the multicriteria setting, taking into account the technological limitations of its subsystems was formalized. The analysis of modern methods of solving the problem of multicriteria optimization of the steady modes of operation of pump units is carried out. The method of solving the multicriterion optimization problem is substantiated, which fully takes into account the influence of operation mode on the reliability of electric and hydraulic subsystems of pumping unit. It is revealed that the most appropriate method for solving this problem is the method of approaching an ideal (utopian) point in the criteria space. With this method, the desired ratio of criteria at the optimum point is the best. The value of the "agreed optimum" of liquid flow has been determined in order to choose the optimum for the reliability of operation mode of the pumping unit of oil pumping station.

РІШЕННЯ ЗАВДАННЯ ОПТИМІЗАЦІЇ ПАРАМЕТРІВ ОБРОБКИ МЕТАЛІВ ПРИ ОПЕРАЦІЇ ТОЧІННЯ

The statement and solution with the application of the intellectual decision support system (IDSS) for optimization of metal processing parameters during the turning operation are shown. The task was posed during the development of IDSS, which allows automating the development of the technological process (TP), optimizing and managing it. The absence of such systems of intellectual support for decision-making does not allow enterprises to fully utilize the capabilities of high-tech equipment and reduces the efficiency and profitability of production due to inefficient use of machine tools, material and engineering resources of enterprises. The tasks of synthesis of the optimal technological process are solved in two stages: the first – structural optimization of the technological process (synthesis of the optimal TP structure); the second – parametric optimization of the technological process (determination of optimal operating parameters for all operations of the technological process). The task of optimizing the parameters of metal processing during the turning operation is one of the subtasks of the second stage of the synthesis of the optimal structure of the technological process of metal machining. The task is solved taking into account the level of accumulated wear on the back surface of the tool, the level of machine efficiency, depending on the operating modes and the period of economically effective tool life. The task is solved in a multi-criteria setting taking into account three objective functions: the cost of operations, the specific energy costs for operations and the operation's performance and the ten existing technical and technological limitations. The solution is obtained as a Pareto-optimal solution. During the solution, an artificial neural network and the genetic algorithm FFGA were applied. This approach allows us to solve the problems of optimization of real production. Shown: the statement of the problem and its practical solution, the structure of the developed system of intellectual support for decision-making, present’s practical results of solving the task, verified the results obtained. The technological map obtained with the help of the IDSS for processing the surface of the «Filter housing» component of the GP-21 generator drive.

Automated Methodology for Optimizing Menus in Personalized Nutrition

In the personalized nutrition rationalized management system the central practical task is to compile an optimized menu that provides the best value for a multi-criteria set of assessments. These are nutrient composition, cost (economic acceptability), energy value, food intolerances, individual preferences, etc. To solve the problem, a combined optimization method is used. It includes preliminary ordering of options and controlled enumeration. The result of solving the problem of developing a personalized nutrition menu is a diet that meets the needs of a particular diet, taking into account its nutritional status, individual preferences and intolerances, medical appointments. In connection with discrete values of the outputs of dishes and recipes, the task of optimizing the human diet is in practice a combinatorially integer, and for its solution the method of computer modeling and controlled enumeration of options was used. Evaluation of the effectiveness of optimization is carried out by external experts. The developed menu design system makes it possible to repeatedly solve the problem of optimizing a personalized menu when changing incoming data for reasons of changing dietary tasks, introducing new products, changing food preferences, etc. With this approach, the system is a personalized food model that is regularly used for rational planning and allows to achieve a reduction in labor costs (compared to the “manual” compilation of a menu in a computer system) by 2-3 times. An additional way to use such a model is the targeted design of functional product formulations. Moreover, the properties of the product are not evaluated in isolation, but as part of a specific diet.

Constructing a Set of Indicators for Performance Assessment in Higher Education Establishments

The current phase of the socio-economic development in Ukraine is marked by the transformation in the national higher education system in order to harmonize it with international standards. These standards are based on the basically new competence-oriented paradigm of the higher education, making emphasis on the quality of higher professional education. An important component of the education quality is the performance of a higher education establishment (HEE), which significance is growing given the increasing competition among HEEs and stricter requirements to the transparence and information openness of their operation. This raises the relevance of the problem related with selection of indicators for assessment of HEE performance. It is pointed out that methodical approaches to quality assessment of HEEs for official accreditation and ranking purposes, practiced in Ukraine now, include the indicators capable for only fragmented assessment of HEE results and focused on education processes. These approaches to performance assessment in HEEs cause a gap between the quality of HEE performance and the quality of education provided by them. It is found that variations between indicators of domestic and international rankings by which HEE performance is assessed occur because international rankings, in contrast to domestic ones, account only for HEE performance, including job placement of graduates or applications of R&D, whereas ways to achieve the performance are considered as a matter of HEE choice. A theoretical and methodological approach to constructing a set of indicators of HEE performance is justified, which is based on the principle that a set of these indicators must provide as full as possible coverage of goals and operative tasks of HEEs, specified in the Law of Ukraine “Higher Education”. It is argued that the result of education process as a propriety operative task of HEE must be specific achievements of graduates, expected and measurable. A set of the indicators measuring results of education activities is proposed. A number of new indicators in addition to R&D spending are proposed for assessment of R&D in HEEs. Also, specific indicators are proposed for assessment of task completion: established international relations and performed international actions in the field of education; the increased education and cultural level of citizens. It is concluded that assessment of HEE performance need to be made by multi-criteria set of components and be based on a system of estimates.

RETRACTED: A method of multi-criteria set recognition based on deep feature representation

Abstract The large variations in the angle of different camera views and illumination can change the appearance of a lot of people, which makes human re identification is still a challenging problem. Therefore, the development of robust feature descriptors and the design of discriminative distance metrics to measure similarity between pedestrian images are two key aspects of human re identification. In this paper, we propose a method to improve the performance of the re identification using depth learning and multiple metric ensembles. First, we use a variety of data sets to train the general convolutional neural network (CNN), which is used to extract the features of the training and test set after deep level. Deep architecture makes it possible for people to learn more abstract and internal features that are robust to changes in viewpoint and illumination. Then, we utilize the deep features of the training set to learn a specific distance metric and combine it with the cosine distance metric. Multi metric sets can be used to measure the similarity between different images. Finally, a large number of experiments show that our method can effectively improve the recognition performance compared to the state-of-the-art methods.

GIS-based Suitability Analysis for Siting Waterfront Park in the City of Buffalo, New York

This study utilized GIS-based suitability analysis for selecting potential areas for a waterfront park and recreation facility development in the city of Buffalo, New York. The overall objective of this study was to determine areas which were suitable for new waterfront recreation facility by taking into consideration the multi-criteria set in GIS-based suitability analysis. Among the criteria incorporated in the analysis were a close distance to a waterbody, low density of existing water-based park or splash pads, small cost-distance to the nearest existing water-based park or splash pads, high population change of children per block-group (standardized), low density of existing parks/recreational facilities, and flat landscape slope. For each criterion, raster-based derived map was produced using ArcMap software. The GIS spatial analysis tools utilized to yield the derived maps were a measurement of distance, density calculation, surface analysis, and raster-based statistical analysis. The weighting of each criterion was based on current literature. The derived maps were overlaid and calculated in GIS- raster environment. The resulting composite suitability map shows the areas with higher raster scores as the most suitable sites for future potential waterfront recreation development. As a result, this study had identified four candidate locations which had the highest suitability score. Caution must be exercised in interpreting the results, due to some subjectivity issues in the GIS-suitability analysis, namely in selecting, reclassifying, and weighting the criteria. Nevertheless, this method could assist Buffalo city government in the decision-making process to identify potential locations for future waterfront park/recreation facility in the city of Buffalo.

Оценка методов восстановления деталей дорожно-строительных машин в многокритериальной постановке

Оценка методов восстановления деталей дорожно-строительных машин в многокритериальной постановке

Восстановление деталей дорожно-строительных машин моделированием в многокритериальной постановке с применением коэффициентов относительной важности

Восстановление деталей дорожно-строительных машин моделированием в многокритериальной постановке с применением коэффициентов относительной важности

RETRACTED ARTICLE: A method of multi-criteria set recognition based on deep feature representation

RETRACTED ARTICLE: A method of multi-criteria set recognition based on deep feature representation

Vector Games with Potential Function

The theory of non cooperative games with potential function was introduced by Monderer and Shapley in 1996. Such games have interesting properties, among which is the existence of equilibria in pure strategies. The paper by Monderer and Shapley has inspired many game theory researchers. In the present paper, many classes of multiobjective games with potential functions are studied. The notions of generalized, best-reply and Pareto potential games are introduced in a multicriteria setting. Some properties and Pareto equilibria are investigated.