A rough set approach to intuitionistic fuzzy soft set based decision making

The soft set theory, originally proposed by Molodtsov, can be used as a general mathematical tool for dealing with uncertainty. Since its appearance, there has been some progress concerning practical applications of soft set theory, especially the use of soft sets in decision making. The intuitionistic fuzzy soft set is a combination of an intuitionistic fuzzy set and a soft set. The rough set theory is a powerful tool for dealing with uncertainty, granuality and incompleteness of knowledge in information systems. Using rough set theory, this paper proposes a novel approach to intuitionistic fuzzy soft set based decision making problems. Firstly, by employing an intuitionistic fuzzy relation and a threshold value pair, we define a new rough set model and examine some fundamental properties of this rough set model. Then the concepts of approximate precision and rough degree are given and some basic properties are discussed. Furthermore, we investigate the relationship between intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets and intuitionistic fuzzy relations and present a rough set approach to intuitionistic fuzzy soft set based decision making. Finally, an illustrative example is employed to show the validity of this rough set approach in intuitionistic fuzzy soft set based decision making problems.     

An adjustable approach to intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets based decision making

Molodtsov initiated the concept of soft set theory, which can be used as a generic mathematical tool for dealing with uncertainty. There has been some progress concerning practical applications of soft set theory, especially the use of soft sets in decision making. In this paper we generalize the adjustable approach to fuzzy soft sets based decision making. Concretely, we present an adjustable approach to intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets based decision making by using level soft sets of intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets and give some illustrative examples. The properties of level soft sets are presented and discussed. Moreover, we also introduce the weighted intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets and investigate its application to decision making.     

A novel approach to interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy soft set based decision making

The soft set theory, originally proposed by Molodtsov, can be used as a general mathematical tool for dealing with uncertainty. The interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy soft set is a combination of an interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set and a soft set. The aim of this paper is to investigate the decision making based on interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets. By means of level soft sets, we develop an adjustable approach to interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets based decision making and some numerical examples are provided to illustrate the developed approach. Furthermore, we also define the concept of the weighted interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy soft set and apply it to decision making.     

A fuzzy random forest

When individual classifiers are combined appropriately, a statistically significant increase in classification accuracy is usually obtained. Multiple classifier systems are the result of combining several individual classifiers. Following Breiman’s methodology, in this paper a multiple classifier system based on a “forest” of fuzzy decision trees, i.e., a fuzzy random forest, is proposed. This approach combines the robustness of multiple classifier systems, the power of the randomness to increase the diversity of the trees, and the flexibility of fuzzy logic and fuzzy sets for imperfect data management. Various combination methods to obtain the final decision of the multiple classifier system are proposed and compared. Some of them are weighted combination methods which make a weighting of the decisions of the different elements of the multiple classifier system (leaves or trees). A comparative study with several datasets is made to show the efficiency of the proposed multiple classifier system and the various combination methods. The proposed multiple classifier system exhibits a good accuracy classification, comparable to that of the best classifiers when tested with conventional data sets. However, unlike other classifiers, the proposed classifier provides a similar accuracy when tested with imperfect datasets (with missing and fuzzy values) and with datasets with noise.     

An adjustable approach to fuzzy soft set based decision making

Molodtsov’s soft set theory was originally proposed as a general mathematical tool for dealing with uncertainty. Recently, decision making based on (fuzzy) soft sets has found paramount importance. This paper aims to give deeper insights into decision making based on fuzzy soft sets. We discuss the validity of the Roy-Maji method and show its true limitations. We point out that the choice value designed for the crisp case is no longer fit to solve decision making problems involving fuzzy soft sets. By means of level soft sets, we present an adjustable approach to fuzzy soft set based decision making and give some illustrative examples. Moreover, the weighted fuzzy soft set is introduced and its application to decision making is also investigated.     

Robust fuzzy rough classifiers

Fuzzy rough sets, generalized from Pawlak's rough sets, were introduced for dealing with continuous or fuzzy data. This model has been widely discussed and applied these years. It is shown that the model of fuzzy rough sets is sensitive to noisy samples, especially sensitive to mislabeled samples. As data are usually contaminated with noise in practice, a robust model is desirable. We introduce a new model of fuzzy rough set model, called soft fuzzy rough sets, and design a robust classification algorithm based on the model. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.     

The multi-fuzzy soft set and its application in decision making

Molodtsov’s soft set theory was originally proposed as a general mathematical tool for dealing with uncertainty. By combining the multi-fuzzy set and soft set models, the purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of multi-fuzzy soft sets. Some operations on a multi-fuzzy soft set are defined, such as complement operation, “AND” and “OR” operations, Union and Intersection operations. Then, the DeMorgan’s laws are proved. Finally, by means of level soft set, an algorithm is presented, and a decision problem is analyzed using multi-fuzzy soft set.     

On characterization of generalized interval-valued fuzzy rough sets on two universes of discourse

This paper proposes a general study of (I,T)-interval-valued fuzzy rough sets on two universes of discourse integrating the rough set theory with the interval-valued fuzzy set theory by constructive and axiomatic approaches. Some primary properties of interval-valued fuzzy logical operators and the construction approaches of interval-valued fuzzy T-similarity relations are first introduced. Determined by an interval-valued fuzzy triangular norm and an interval-valued fuzzy implicator, a pair of lower and upper generalized interval-valued fuzzy rough approximation operators with respect to an arbitrary interval-valued fuzzy relation on two universes of discourse is then defined. Properties of I-lower and T-upper interval-valued fuzzy rough approximation operators are examined based on the properties of interval-valued fuzzy logical operators discussed above. Connections between interval-valued fuzzy relations and interval-valued fuzzy rough approximation operators are also established. Finally, an operator-oriented characterization of interval-valued fuzzy rough sets is proposed, that is, interval-valued fuzzy rough approximation operators are characterized by axioms. Different axiom sets of I-lower and T-upper interval-valued fuzzy set-theoretic operators guarantee the existence of different types of interval-valued fuzzy relations which produce the same operators.     

A Decision Making Method for the Quality Identification of Wines Based on Fuzzy Soft Sets

Quality identification of wines is a crucial one for wine industry. The paper aims to give a decision making approach based on soft fuzzy sets for it. First, based on fuzzy soft sets, calculation steps are given to solve decision making problems. The grey relative coefficient between each alternative with the ideal alternative is calculated by grey relational analysis (GRA). Then, a relative relational degree is defined to determine ranking orders of all alternatives. Finally, an application of our proposed approach demonstrates its practicality and effectiveness in the quality identification of red wines.     

A novel approach to multi attribute group decision making based on trapezoidal interval type-2 fuzzy soft sets

Soft set theory, originally proposed by Molodtsov, has become an effective mathematical tool to deal with uncertainty. A type-2 fuzzy set, which is characterized by a fuzzy membership function, can provide us with more degrees of freedom to represent the uncertainty and the vagueness of the real world. Interval type-2 fuzzy sets are the most widely used type-2 fuzzy sets. In this paper, we first introduce the concept of trapezoidal interval type-2 fuzzy numbers and present some arithmetic operations between them. As a special case of interval type-2 fuzzy sets, trapezoidal interval type-2 fuzzy numbers can express linguistic assessments by transforming them into numerical variables objectively. Then, by combining trapezoidal interval type-2 fuzzy sets with soft sets, we propose the notion of trapezoidal interval type-2 fuzzy soft sets. Furthermore, some operations on trapezoidal interval type-2 fuzzy soft sets are defined and their properties are investigated. Finally, by using trapezoidal interval type-2 fuzzy soft sets, we propose a novel approach to multi attribute group decision making under interval type-2 fuzzy environment. A numerical example is given to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Solving the knapsack problem with imprecise weight coefficients using genetic algorithms

This paper investigates solving the knapsack problem with imprecise weight coefficients using genetic algorithms. This work is based on the assumption that each weight coefficient is imprecise due to decimal truncation or coefficient rough estimation by the decision-maker. To deal with this kind of imprecise data, fuzzy sets provide a powerful tool to model and solve this problem. We investigate the possibility of using genetic algorithms in solving the fuzzy knapsack problem without defining membership functions for each imprecise weight coefficient. The proposed approach simulates a fuzzy number by distributing it into some partition points. We use genetic algorithms to evolve the values in each partition point so that the final values represent the membership grade of a fuzzy number. The empirical results show that the proposed approach can obtain very good solutions within the given bound of each imprecise weight coefficient than the fuzzy knapsack approach. The fuzzy genetic algorithm concept approach is different, but gives better results than the traditional fuzzy approach.     

A new approach of forecasting intermittent demand for spare parts inventories in the process industries

Accurate demand forecasting is of vital importance in inventory management of spare parts in process industries, while the intermittent nature makes demand forecasting for spare parts especially difficult. With the wide application of information technology in enterprise management, more information and data are now available to improve forecasting accuracy. In this paper, we develop a new approach for forecasting the intermittent demand of spare parts. The described approach provides a mechanism to integrate the demand autocorrelated process and the relationship between explanatory variables and the nonzero demand of spare parts during forecasting occurrences of nonzero demands over lead times. Two types of performance measures for assessing forecast methods are also described. Using data sets of 40 kinds of spare parts from a petrochemical enterprise in China, we show that our method produces more accurate forecasts of lead time demands than do exponential smoothing, Croston's method and Markov bootstrapping method.     

Fuzzy adaptive network in presidential elections

Several scientific forecasting models for presidential elections have been suggested. However, most of these models are based on traditional statistics approaches. Since the system is linguistic, vague, and dynamic in nature, the traditional rigorous mathematical approaches are inappropriate for the modeling of this kind of humanistic system. This paper presents a combined neural fuzzy approach, namely a fuzzy adaptive network, to model and forecast the problem of a presidential election. The fuzzy adaptive network, which is ideally suited for the modeling of vaguely defined humanistic systems, combines the advantages of the representation ability of fuzzy sets and the learning ability of a neural network. To illustrate the approach, experiments were carried out by first formulating the problem, then training the network, and, finally, predicting the election results based on the trained network. The experimental results show that a fuzzy adaptive network is an ideal approach for the modeling and forecasting of national presidential elections.     

模糊粗糙集及粗糙模糊集的模糊度

1965年,Zadeh提出了Fuzzy集理论,1982年,Z.Pawlak提出Rough集理论。将二者结合而形成的模糊粗糙集（FR集）及粗糙模糊集（RF集）近年来越来越受到国际学术界的关注。本文所研究的FR集及RF集的模糊度,是对FR集及RF集模糊程度的一种度量,进而引进了相应的明可夫斯基距离,明可夫斯基模糊度和Shannon模糊度。     

Short-run electricity load forecasting with combinations of stationary wavelet transforms

Short-term forecasting of electricity load is an essential issue for the management of power systems and for energy trading. Specific modeling approaches are needed given the strong seasonality and volatility in load data. In this paper, we investigate the benefit of combining stationary wavelet transforms to produce one day-ahead forecasts of half-hourly electric load in France. First, we assess the advantage of decomposing the aggregate load into several subseries with a wavelet transform. Each component is predicted separately and aggregated to get the final forecast. One innovation of this paper is to propose several approaches to deal with the boundary problem which is particularly detrimental in electricity load forecasting. Second, we examine the benefit of combining forecasts over individual models. An extensive out-of-sample evaluation shows that a careful treatment of the border effect is required in the multiresolution analysis. Combinations including the wavelet predictions provide the most accurate forecasts. This result is valid with several assumptions about the forecast error in temperature and for different types of hours (peak, normal, off-peak), different days of the week and various forecasting periods.     

广义对偶犹豫模糊软集及其在决策中的应用

犹豫模糊软集作为一种处理不确定问题的工具受到了广泛关注。本文将广义模糊软集与对偶犹豫模糊集相结合,提出了广义对偶犹豫模糊软集的概念,给出了广义对偶犹豫模糊软集的交、并、补、“且”、“或”运算的概念,并基于这些概念研究其若干相关性质。此外,定义了广义对偶犹豫模糊软集的信息能量、相关性和相关系数的概念并讨论了它的性质。最后,给出了基于广义对偶犹豫模糊软集的多属性决策方法,并通过实例说明了该方法的的可行性和有效性。     

A new evaluation method based on D–S generalized fuzzy soft sets and its application in medical diagnosis problem

Soft set theory, initiated by Molodtsov, is a general mathematical tool for dealing with uncertain problems. In this paper, we first point out that the similarity measure in a previous paper by Majumdar and Samanta [P. Majumdar, S.K. Samanta, Generalized fuzzy soft sets, Comput. Math. Appl. 59 (2010) 1425–1432] is limited by two counterexamples. To deal with the problems of subjective evaluation and uncertain knowledge, this paper proposes the concept of D–S generalized fuzzy soft sets by combining Dempster–Shafer theory of evidence and generalized fuzzy soft sets. We study some of its operations and basic properties, and the relationship between generalized fuzzy soft sets and D–S generalized fuzzy soft sets are introduced. Then we propose the concept of the similarity between two D–S generalized fuzzy soft sets. At last, we present a new method of evaluation based on D–S generalized fuzzy soft sets and apply it into a medical diagnosis problem.     

Using investment portfolio return to combine forecasts: A multiobjective approach

This study investigates the usefulness and efficacy of a multiobjective decision method for financial trading guided by a set of seemingly diverse analysts' forecasts. The paper proposes a goal programming (GP) approach which combines various forecasts based on the performance of their previous investment returns. In our experiment, several series of financial analysts' forecasts are generated by different forecasting techniques. Investment returns on each series of forecasts are measured and then evaluated by three performance criteria, namely, mean, variance, and skewness. Subsequently, these distributional properties of the returns are used to construct a GP model. Results of the GP model provide a set of weights to compose an investment portfolio using various forecasts. To examine its practicality, the approach is tested on several major stock market indices. The performance of the proposed GP approach is compared with those of individual forecasting techniques and a number of forecast combination models suggested by previous studies. This comparison is conducted with respect to different levels of investor preference over return, variance, and skewness. Statistical significance of the results are accessed by bootstrap re-sampling. Empirical results indicate that, for all examined investor preference functions and market indices, the GP approach is significantly better than all other models tested in this study.     

我国上市公司被特别处理的组合预测模型研究

针对组合预测比单项预测具有更高的预测精度，本提出了一种基于模糊神经网络的上市公司被ST的非线性组合建模与预测新方法，并给出了相应的混合学习算法。通过与多元线性回归模型、Fisher模型和Logistc回归模型的预测结果对比表明，该方法具有预测精度高，学习与泛化能力强，适应性广的优点。