Informatica

In this paper, the numerical algorithms for calculating the values of the left- and right-sided Riemann–Liouville fractional integrals and the Riesz fractional integral using spline interpolation techniques are derived. The linear, quadratic and three variants of cubic splines are taken into account. The estimation of errors using analytical methods are derived. We show four examples of numerical evaluation of the mentioned fractional integrals and determine the experimental rate of convergence for each derived algorithm. The high-precision calculations are executed using the 128-bit floating-point numbers and arithmetic routines.

A complex spherical fuzzy set (CSFS) is a generalization of the spherical fuzzy set (SFS) to express the two-dimensional ambiguous information in which the range of positive, neutral and negative degrees occurs in the complex plane with the unit disk. Considering the vital importance of the concept of CSFSs which is gaining massive attention in the research area of two-dimensional uncertain information, we aim to establish a novel methodology for multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM). This methodology allows us to calculate both the weights of the decision-makers (DMs) and the weights of the criteria objectively. For this goal, we first introduce a new entropy measure function that measures the fuzziness degree associated with a CSFS to compute the unknown criteria weights in this methodology. Then, we present an innovative Complex Proportional Assessment (COPRAS) method based on the proposed entropy measure in the complex spherical fuzzy environment. Besides, we solve a strategic supplier selection problem which is very important to maximize the efficiency of the trading companies. Finally, we present some comparative analyses with some existing methods in different set theories, including the entropy measures, to show the feasibility and usefulness of the proposed method in the decision-making process.

Metaheuristics are commonly employed as a means of solving many distinct kinds of optimization problems. Several natural-process-inspired metaheuristic optimizers have been introduced in the recent years. The convergence, computational burden and statistical relevance of metaheuristics should be studied and compared for their potential use in future algorithm design and implementation. In this paper, eight different variants of dragonfly algorithm, i.e. classical dragonfly algorithm (DA), hybrid memory-based dragonfly algorithm with differential evolution (DADE), quantum-behaved and Gaussian mutational dragonfly algorithm (QGDA), memory-based hybrid dragonfly algorithm (MHDA), chaotic dragonfly algorithm (CDA), biogeography-based Mexican hat wavelet dragonfly algorithm (BMDA), hybrid Nelder-Mead algorithm and dragonfly algorithm (INMDA), and hybridization of dragonfly algorithm and artificial bee colony (HDA) are applied to solve four industrial chemical process optimization problems. A fuzzy multi-criteria decision making tool in the form of fuzzy-measurement alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution (MARCOS) is adopted to ascertain the relative rankings of the DA variants with respect to computational time, Friedman’s rank based on optimal solutions and convergence rate. Based on the comprehensive testing of the algorithms, it is revealed that DADE, QGDA and classical DA are the top three DA variants in solving the industrial chemical process optimization problems under consideration.

ELECTRE III is a well-established outranking relation model used to address the ranking of alternatives in multi-criteria and multi-actor decision-making problems. It has been extensively studied across various scientific fields. Due to the complexity of decision-making under uncertainty, some higher-order fuzzy sets have been proposed to effectively model this issue. Circular Intuitionistic Fuzzy Set (CIFS) is one such set recently introduced to handle uncertain IF values. In CIFS, each element of the set is characterized by a circular area with a radius, r and membership/non-membership degrees as the centre. This paper introduces CIF-ELECTRE III, an extension of ELECTRE III within the CIFS framework, for group decision analysis. To achieve this, we define extensions for the group decision matrix and group weighting vector based on CIFS conditions, particularly focusing on optimistic and pessimistic attitudes. These attitudinal characters of the group of actors are constructed using conditional rules to ensure that each element of the set falls within the circular area. Parameterized by $\alpha \in [0,1]$ for the net score degree, we conduct an extensive analysis of group decision-making between optimistic and pessimistic attitudes. To illustrate the applicability of the proposed model, we provide a numerical example of the stock-picking process. Additionally, we conduct a comparative analysis with existing sets and perform sensitivity analyses to validate the results of the proposed model.

Ligand-Based Virtual Screening accelerates and cheapens the design of new drugs. However, it needs efficient optimizers because of the size of compound databases. This work proposes a new method called Tangram CW. The proposal also encloses a knowledge-based filter of compounds. Tangram CW achieves comparable results to the state-of-the-art tools OptiPharm and 2L-GO-Pharm using about a tenth of their computational budget without filtering. Activating it discards more than two thirds of the database while keeping the desired compounds. Thus, it is possible to consider molecular flexibility despite increasing the options. The implemented software package is public.

Master data has been revealed as one of the most potent instruments to guarantee adequate levels of data quality. The main contribution of this paper is a data quality model to guide repeatable and homogeneous evaluations of the level of data quality of master data repositories. This data quality model follows several international open standards: ISO/IEC 25012, ISO/IEC 25024, and ISO 8000-1000, enabling compliance certification. A case study of applying the data quality model to an organizational master data repository has been carried out to demonstrate the applicability of the data quality model.

In this paper, we introduce a novel Model Based Foggy Image Enhancement using Levenberg-Marquardt non-linear estimation (MBFIELM). It presents a solution for enhancing image quality that has been compromised by homogeneous fog. Given an observation set represented by a foggy image, it is desired to estimate an analytical function dependent on adjustable variables that best cross the data in order to approximate them. A cost function is used to measure how the estimated function fits the observation set. Here, we use the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, a combination of the Gradient descent and the Gauss-Newton method, to optimize the non-linear cost function. An inverse transformation will result in an enhanced image. Both visual assessments and quantitative assessments, the latter utilizing a quality defogged image measure introduced by Liu et al. (2020), are highlighted in the experimental results section. The efficacy of MBFIELM is substantiated by metrics comparable to those of recognized algorithms like Artificial Multiple Exposure Fusion (AMEF), DehazeNet (a trainable end-to-end system), and Dark Channel Prior (DCP). There exist instances where the performance indices of AMEF exceed those of our model, yet there are situations where MBFIELM asserts superiority, outperforming these standard-bearers in algorithmic efficacy.

In many industrial sectors, the current digitalization trend resulted in new products and services that exploit the potential of built-in sensors, actuators, and control systems. The business models related to these products and services usually are data-driven and integrated into digital ecosystems. Quantified products (QP) are a new product category that exploits data of individual product instances and fleets of instances. A quantified product is a product whose instances collect data about themselves that can be measured or, by design, leave traces of data. The QP design has to consider what dependencies exist between the actual product, services related to the product, and the digital ecosystem of the services. By investigating three industrial case studies, the paper contributes to a better understanding of typical features of QP and the implications of these features for the design of products and services. For this purpose, we combine the analysis of features of QP potentially affecting design with an analysis of dependencies between features. The main contributions of the work are (1) three case studies describing QP design and development, (2) a set of recurring features of QPs derived from the cases, and (3) a feature model capturing design dependencies of these features.

In this paper, we introduce the concept of circular Pythagorean fuzzy set (value) (C-PFS(V)) as a new generalization of both circular intuitionistic fuzzy sets (C-IFSs) proposed by Atannassov and Pythagorean fuzzy sets (PFSs) proposed by Yager. A circular Pythagorean fuzzy set is represented by a circle that represents the membership degree and the non-membership degree and whose centre consists of non-negative real numbers μ and ν with the condition ${\mu ^{2}}+{\nu ^{2}}\leqslant 1$. A C-PFS models the fuzziness of the uncertain information more properly thanks to its structure that allows modelling the information with points of a circle of a certain centre and a radius. Therefore, a C-PFS lets decision makers to evaluate objects in a larger and more flexible region and thus more sensitive decisions can be made. After defining the concept of C-PFS we define some fundamental set operations between C-PFSs and propose some algebraic operations between C-PFVs via general triangular norms and triangular conorms. By utilizing these algebraic operations, we introduce some weighted aggregation operators to transform input values represented by C-PFVs to a single output value. Then to determine the degree of similarity between C-PFVs we define a cosine similarity measure based on radius. Furthermore, we develop a method to transform a collection of Pythagorean fuzzy values to a C-PFS. Finally, a method is given to solve multi-criteria decision making problems in circular Pythagorean fuzzy environment and the proposed method is practiced to a problem about selecting the best photovoltaic cell from the literature. We also study the comparison analysis and time complexity of the proposed method.

The article presents the tax declaration scheme using blockchain confidential transactions based on the modified ElGamal encryption providing additively-homomorphic property. Transactions are based on the unspent transactions output (UTxO) paradigm allowing to effectively represent digital asset of cryptocurrencies in e-wallets and to perform financial operations. The main actors around transaction are specified, include money senders, receivers, transaction creator, Audit Authority (AA) and Net of users. A general transaction model with M inputs and N outputs is created, providing transaction amount confidentiality and verifiability for all actors with different levels of available information.