A new approach to fuzzy programming

A fuzzy program is defined in the usual way as a sequence of statements (instruction) which are considered as functions (possibly fuzzy functions) and fuzzy predicates defined on the given input domain. The essential difference in the approach presented in this paper is the new interpretation of the execution of fuzzy programs, and a new method of evaluating fuzzy predicates. The result of the fuzzy program execution is an appropriate fuzzy subset in the output domain.     

A note on “Generalized fuzzy rough approximation operators based on fuzzy coverings”

In this note, we show by examples that Theorem 5.3, partial proof of Theorem 5.3′, Lemma 5.4 and Remark 5.2 in [1] contain slight flaws and then provide the correct versions.     

A representation of the probability of a fuzzy subset

A representation of the probability associated with a fuzzy subset is presented. This representation, which is itself a fuzzy subset of the unit interval, is defined by the intersection of an upper and lower bound on the probability of the fuzzy event.     

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.     

A fuzzy goal programming method with imprecise goal hierarchy

Two most widely used approaches to treating goals of different importance in goal programming (GP) are: (1) weighted GP, where importance of goals is modelled using weights, and (2) preemptive priority GP, where a goal hierarchy is specified implying infinite trade-offs among goals placed in different levels of importance. These approaches may be too restrictive in modelling of real life decision making problems. In this paper, a novel fuzzy goal programming method is proposed, where the hierarchical levels of the goals are imprecisely defined. The imprecise importance relations among the goals are modelled using fuzzy relations. An additive achievement function is defined, which takes into consideration both achievement degrees of the goals and degrees of satisfaction of the fuzzy importance relations. Examples are given to illustrate the proposed method.     

Fuzzy power sets and fuzzy implication operators

The theory of fuzzy power sets, which has hitherto been insufficiently developed, is shown very naturally to require the use of a fuzzy implication operator (Section 1). Six such operators are gathered from the literature on multiple-valued logic (Section 2), and their effects on fuzzy power-set theory are compared throughout the rest of the paper. After certain fundamental definitions of set characteristics (Section 3), the six operators are carried in parallel while working out basic aspects of power-set theory. Among these are the properties of the set-inclusion relation and the set-equivalence relation (Section 4), two distinct concepts of disjointness (Section 5), questions of consistency in the relations between a set and its complement (Section 6), and a very concrete theorem on a difference among the operators with regard to the derivation of crisp conclusions from fuzzy premises (Section 7). Finally (Section 8), emphasis is placed on the dependence of the choice of operators upon the purposes the user has in hand.     

A new type of approximation for fuzzy intervals

This paper suggests a new method to approximate a fuzzy interval u by a sequence of differentiable fuzzy intervals. This new approximation method involves the construction of differentiable fuzzy intervals using the sup-min convolution of fuzzy sets. Numerical examples and an algorithm for computational implementation of the method proposed are also given.     

Drying process of tobacco leaves by using a fuzzy controller

This paper presents the first results from a research project devoted to the application of the fuzzy control based technology to the drying process of tobacco leaves, which the authors are carrying out in the province of Pinar del Rio (Cuba). The fuzzy controller here reported has been designed and implemented by means of a fuzzy rule base constructed from the knowledge of the expert curers taking part in the natural drying process. The preliminary results obtained are very promising.     

A self-organizing adaptive fuzzy controller

There are two main parts in this paper. The first part presents a knowledge representation and reasoning scheme, called tree-searched neural networks (TNN). The TNN is based on a well-known intuitive knowledge representation (IKR) and can reduce the number of the processing nodes in the neural networks. The second part proposes a self-organizing adaptive fuzzy controller (SOAFC) based on the TNN model. It can help acquire control knowledge and thus can reduce the dependence on experts. Furthermore, designers do not need to predefine all membership functions to cover whole input space domain. For improving its performance further, we design a D-controller which is included within the SOAFC. Whether the fuzzy controller is incorporated with the D-controller or not, it is also guaranteed to be globally stable. Simulation results show that this approach has faster convergence speed, results in better transient response, and in addition requires less total control energy.     

Two fuzzier implication operators in the theory of fuzzy power sets

The theory of fuzzy power sets requires the use of an implication operator acting within the set of values taken by the membership functions of the fuzzy sets. Two such operators and resulting relationships between fuzzy sets are studied here, and the results compared with previous ones obtained with other implication operators.     

Concepts and fuzzy sets: Misunderstandings, misconceptions, and oversights

The psychology of concepts has been undergoing significant changes since the early 1970s, when the classical view of concepts was seriously challenged by convincing experimental evidence that conceptual categories never have sharp boundaries. Some researchers recognized already in the early 1970s that fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic were potentially suitable for modeling of concepts and obtained encouraging results. This positive attitude abruptly changed in the early 1980s, and since that time fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic have been portrayed as problematic and unsuitable for representing and dealing with concepts. Our aim in this paper is to identify some of the most notorious claims regarding fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic that have propagated through the literature on psychology of concepts and to show that they are, by and large, false. We trace the origin and propagation of these claims within the literature in this area. It is shown in detail that these claims are consistently erroneous and that they are based on various misunderstandings, misconceptions, and oversights. The ultimate purpose of this paper is to document these various erroneous claims.     

Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process: A logarithmic fuzzy preference programming methodology

Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) proves to be a very useful methodology for multiple criteria decision-making in fuzzy environments, which has found substantial applications in recent years. The vast majority of the applications use a crisp point estimate method such as the extent analysis or the fuzzy preference programming (FPP) based nonlinear method for fuzzy AHP priority derivation. The extent analysis has been revealed to be invalid and the weights derived by this method do not represent the relative importance of decision criteria or alternatives. The FPP-based nonlinear priority method also turns out to be subject to significant drawbacks, one of which is that it may produce multiple, even conflict priority vectors for a fuzzy pairwise comparison matrix, leading to entirely different conclusions. To address these drawbacks and provide a valid yet practical priority method for fuzzy AHP, this paper proposes a logarithmic fuzzy preference programming (LFPP) based methodology for fuzzy AHP priority derivation, which formulates the priorities of a fuzzy pairwise comparison matrix as a logarithmic nonlinear programming and derives crisp priorities from fuzzy pairwise comparison matrices. Numerical examples are tested to show the advantages of the proposed methodology and its potential applications in fuzzy AHP decision-making.     

The influence of some fuzzy implication operators on the accuracy of a fuzzy model-Part I

The problem of the influence of fuzzy implication operators and connective also on the accuracy of a fuzzy model of a d.c. series motor is considered. Several typical fuzzy implication operators are used to construct the fuzzy model of a d.c. series motor. A root-mean-square error is adopted as the criterion of the model's adequacy to the real system. The best typical fuzzy relations are selected.     

The influence of some fuzzy implication operators on the accuracy of a fuzzy model-part II

The influence of fuzzy implication operators and the connective Also on the accuracy of a fuzzy model of a d.c. series motor is considered. Some typical fuzzy implication operators are applied to the construction of a fuzzy model of a d.c. series motor. A root-mean-square error is used as the criterion of the fuzzy model's adequacy to the real system. A number of mathematical operations necessary for the implementation of the fuzzy model are used as the criterion by which the fuzzy model's applicability if estimated from the point of view of computing techniques. The best types of fuzzy relations, representing fuzzy models of a real system, are chosen in order to secure the least root-mean-square error with minimal number of mathematical operations necessary for computer implementation.     

A fuzzy newsvendor approach to supply chain coordination

In the absence of a clear command and control structure, a key challenge in supply chain management is the coordination and alignment of supply chain members who pursue divergent and often conflicting goals. The newsvendor model is typically used as a framework to quantify the cost of misalignment and to assess the impact of various coordination initiatives. The application of the newsvendor framework, however, requires the specification of some probability distribution for the sources of uncertainty, and in particular, for the market demand. The specification of an adequate demand distribution becomes difficult in the absence of statistical data. We therefore consider a fuzzy approach to the newsvendor problem. We use several fuzzy parameters in the model for the demand, the wholesale price, and the market sales price. We solve the fuzzy newsvendor problem to study three coordination policies: quantity discounts, profit sharing, and buyback. For each coordination policy, the optimal order quantity of the retailer is computed. The possible profits of the members in the supply chain are calculated with minimum sharing of private information. We further extend the fuzzy newsvendor model to a setting with a single manufacturer and multiple retailers under the assumption of ample capacity for the manufacturer. Detailed numerical examples are also provided.     

Set-valued cooperative games with fuzzy payoffs. The fuzzy assignment game

In this paper we study cooperative games with fuzzy payoffs. The main advantage of the approach presented is the incorporation into the analysis of the problem of ambiguity inherent in many real-world collective decision situations. We propose extensions of core concepts which maintain the fuzzy nature of allocations, and lead to a more satisfactory study of the problem within the fuzzy context. Finally, we illustrate the extended core concepts and the approach to obtain the corresponding allocations through the analysis of assignment games with uncertain profits.