No / In recent decades, sustainable investing has caught on with investors, and it has now become the norm. In the age of start-ups, with scant information on the sustainability aspects of an asset, it becomes harder to pursue sustainable investing. To this end, this paper proposes a sustainable financial portfolio selection approach in an intuitionistic fuzzy framework. We present a comprehensive three-stage methodology in which the assets under consideration are ethically screened in Stage-I. Stage-II is concerned with cal- culating the sustainability scores, based on various social, environmental, and economic (SEE) criteria and an evaluation of the return and risk of the ethical assets. Intuitionistic fuzzy set theory is used to gauge the linguistic assessment of the assets on several SEE criteria from multiple decision-makers. A novel intuitionistic fuzzy multi-criteria group decision-making technique is applied to calculate the sustainability score of each asset. Finally, in Stage-III, an intuitionistic fuzzy multi-objective financial portfolio selection model is developed with maximization of the satisfaction degrees of the sustainabil- ity score, return, and risk of the portfolio, subject to several constraints. The ε-constraint method is used to solve this model, which yields various efficient, sustainable financial portfolios. Subsequently, investors can choose the portfolio best suited to their preferences from this pool of efficient, sustainable financial portfolios. A detailed empirical illustration and a comparison with existing works are given to substantiate and validate the proposed approach. / Institution of Eminence, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 under Faculty Research Program

Fuzzy relational databases deal with imprecise data or fuzzy information in a relational database. The purpose of this fuzzy database implementation is to retrieve images by using fuzzy queries whose common-language descriptions are defined by the consensus of a particular user community. The fuzzy set, which is presentation of fuzzy attribute values of the images, is determined through membership function. This paper compares two methods of constructing membership functions, the Direct Rating and New Random Proportional, to determine which method gives maximum users satisfaction with minimum feedback from the community. The statistical analysis of results suggests the use of Direct Rating method. Moreover, the analysis shows that the performance of the New Random Proportional method can be improved with the inclusion of a "Not" modifier. This paper also identifies and analyzes issues that are raised by different versions of the database system.

The GUHA method is one of the oldest methods of exploratory data analysis, which is regarded as part of the data mining or knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) scienti_c area. Unlike many other methods of data mining, the GUHA method has firm theoretical foundations in logic and statistics. In scope of the method, finding interesting knowledge corresponds to finding special formulas in satisfactory rich logical calculus, which is called observational calculus. The main topic of the thesis is application of the "fuzzy paradigm" to the GUHA method By the term "fuzzy paradigm" we mean approaches that use many-valued membership degrees or truth values, namely fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic. The thesis does not aim to cover all the aspects of this application, it emphasises mainly on: - Association rules as the most prevalent type of formulas mined by the GUHA method - Usage of fuzzy data - Logical aspects of fuzzy association rules mining - Comparison of the GUHA theory to the mainstream fuzzy association rules - Implementation of the theory using the bit string approach The thesis throughoutly elaborates the theory of fuzzy association rules, both using the theoretical apparatus of fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic. Fuzzy set theory is used mainly to compare the GUHA method to existing mainstream approaches to formalize fuzzy association rules, which were studied in detail. Fuzzy logic is used to define novel class of logical calculi called logical calculi of fuzzy association rules (LCFAR) for logical representation of fuzzy association rules. The problem of existence of deduction rules in LCFAR is dealt in depth. Suitable part of the proposed theory is implemented in the Ferda system using the bit string approach. In the approach, characteristics of examined objects are represented as strings of bits, which in the crisp case enables efficient computation. In order to maintain this feature also in the fuzzy case, a profound low level testing of data structures and algoritms for fuzzy bit strings have been carried out as a part of the thesis.

Dans ces travaux de thèse nous proposons de tirer parti de la théorie des ensembles flous afin d'améliorer les interactions entre les systèmes de bases de données et les utilisateurs. Les mécanismes coopératifs visent à aider les utilisateurs à mieux interagir avec les SGBD. Ces mécanismes doivent faire preuve de robustesse : ils doivent toujours pouvoir proposer des réponses à l'utilisateur. Empty set (0,00 sec) est un exemple typique de réponse qu'il serait désirable d'éradiquer. Le caractère informatif des explications de réponses est parfois plus important que les réponses elles-mêmes : ce peut être le cas avec les réponses vides et pléthoriques par exemple, d'où l'intérêt de mécanismes coopératifs robustes, capables à la fois de contribuer à l'explication ainsi qu'à l'amélioration des résultats. Par ailleurs, l'utilisation de termes de la langue naturelle pour décrire les données permet de garantir l'interprétabilité des explications fournies. Permettre à l'utilisateur d'utiliser des mots de son propre vocabulaire contribue à la personnalisation des explications et améliore l'interprétabilité. Nous proposons de nous intéresser aux explications dans le contexte des réponses coopératives sous trois angles : 1) dans le cas d'un ensemble pléthorique de résultats ; 2) dans le contexte des systèmes de recommandation ; 3) dans le cas d'une recherche à partir d'exemples. Ces axes définissent des approches coopératives où l'intérêt des explications est de permettre à l'utilisateur de comprendre comment sont calculés les résultats proposés dans un effort de transparence. Le caractère informatif des explications apporte une valeur ajoutée aux résultats bruts, et forme une réponse coopérative. / In this thesis, we are interested in how we can leverage fuzzy logic to improve the interactions between relational database systems and humans. Cooperative answering techniques aim to help users harness the potential of DBMSs. These techniques are expected to be robust and always provide answer to users. Empty set (0,00 sec) is a typical example of answer that one may wish to never obtain. The informative nature of explanations is higher than that of actual answers in several cases, e.g. empty answer sets and plethoric answer sets, hence the interest of robust cooperative answering techniques capable of both explaining and improving an answer set. Using terms from natural language to describe data --- with labels from fuzzy vocabularies --- contributes to the interpretability of explanations. Offering to define and refine vocabulary terms increases the personalization experience and improves the interpretability by using the user's own words. We propose to investigate the use of explanations in a cooperative answering setting using three research axes: 1) in the presence of a plethoric set of answers; 2) in the context of recommendations; 3) in the context of a query/answering problem. These axes define cooperative techniques where the interest of explanations is to enable users to understand how results are computed in an effort of transparency. The informativeness of the explanations brings an added value to the direct results, and that in itself represents a cooperative answer.

Concept Maps (CMs) are considered a well-known pedagogy technique in creating curriculum, educating, teaching, and learning. Determining comprehension of concepts result from comparisons of candidate CMs against a master CM, and evaluate "goodness". Past techniques for comparing CMs have revolved around the creation of a subjective rubric. We propose a novel CM scoring scheme called MAnanA based on a Fuzzy Similarity Scaling (FSS) score to vastly remove the subjectivity of the rubrics in the process of grading a CM. We evaluate our framework against a predefined rubric and test it with CM data collected from the Introduction to Computer Security course at the University of New Orleans (UNO), and found that the scores obtained via MAnanA captured the trend that we observed from the rubric via peak matching. Based on our evaluation, we believe that our framework can be used to objectify CM analysis.

Due to increase global competitive pressure, shortened product life cycles and ease of imitation, firms must continue to innovate to maintain their competitiveness. Technological innovation has become the primary basis of productivity improvements, sales volume growth, and competitiveness of firms, especially for the high-tech companies. Thus, identification and evaluation of technologies from a variety of perspectives now play important roles in the effective technological sources management. Traditionally, technological innovation studies stressed single model or variable having effects on firm productivity and performance. However, the challenge for business environment is continually changing; single model or variable is not good enough to explain the overall impact of technological innovation. The most difficult aspect of technological innovation performance measurement is the identification of appropriate metrics and approaches that provide information concerning these facets. In this study, the researcher tried to develop a technological innovation performance measurement model and determine tangible and intangible factors from the systematical perspective. That is, technological innovation in its nature is multi-dimensional and multi-criteria. Furthermore, technology innovation performance measurement can be conceptualized as multi-criteria a complex problem which involves the simultaneous consideration of multiple quantitative and qualitative requirements. In this empirical study, the researcher firstly utilizes the Delphi technique to build a hierarchical network structure model for evaluating the technological innovation performance measurement of high tech firms. Secondly, analytic network process (ANP) was applied to determine the importance weights of each dimension and criterion while exists interdependencies among criteria within the same dimension. Thirdly, Non-additive fuzzy integral method was then applied for information fusion and calculates the synthetic performance on a hierarchical network model structure for which criteria are interdependent and interactive. This study applied fuzzy measure and non-additive fuzzy integral method to derive the synthetic performance values of each dimension and firm. Through the technological innovation performance evaluation model can provide firms with an overview of their strengths and weaknesses with regards to technological innovation management. Furthermore, R&D managers and senior managers can apply this model to evaluate and determine the technological innovation capabilities of a firm to improve its technological innovation performance. Finally, this model may provide the useful information for managers and to reduce the overall technological innovation uncertainty.

In the global construction market, most construction companies are willing to undertake international projects in order to maximise their profitability by taking advantage of attractive emerging markets and minimise dependence on unfavorable domestic market conditions. In order to be awarded a contract in highly competitive global construction market, companies should excel in choosing the most attractive markets and prepare winning bids for the selected construction projects in those markets. While preparing bids, the major concern of companies is to offer an optimum price that will enable them to earn enough profits and win the contract at the same time, where profit making ability is strongly correlated with proper estimation of a risk premium that is added onto the estimated cost of the project. Due to the nature of construction works, there are lots of uncertainties associated with the project, market and country conditions. Therefore, how the profitability of the project changes with occurrence of various risk events, in other words, the sensitivity of project costs to risk events, should be estimated by bidders realistically. In this study, fuzzy set theory is used to estimate cost overrun risk in international projects at the bidding stage. The objective is to propose a methodology which can be used by bidders to quantify cost overrun risk so that a realistic risk premium may be determined. A fuzzy risk rating approach is proposed to quantify cost overrun risk rating, which takes into account of risks characterised in international construction projects. For this purpose, risk sources have been identified and a risk model is put forward by using influence diagramming method. Based on this risk model, a fuzzy risk rating algorithm has been defined and software has been developed to conduct fuzzy risk rating calculations easily. After a decision-maker inserts the necessary inputs related with project and country risk factors, the output of the software is a rating that takes into account of all factors that may affect cost overrun risk in international construction projects. The reliability of the algorithm and developed software have been tested by an application on a real construction project. The proposed methodology and decision support tool have been proved to be reliable for the estimation of cost overrun risk while giving bidding decisions in international markets.

[Truncated abstract] Fuzzy inference systems (FIS) are information processing systems using fuzzy logic mechanism to represent the human reasoning process and to make decisions based on uncertain, imprecise environments in our daily lives. Since the introduction of fuzzy set theory, fuzzy inference systems have been widely used mainly for system modeling, industrial plant control for a variety of practical applications, and also other decisionmaking purposes; advanced data analysis in medical research, risk management in business, stock market prediction in finance, data analysis in bioinformatics, and so on. Many approaches have been proposed to address the issue of automatic generation of membership functions and rules with the corresponding subsequent adjustment of them towards more satisfactory system performance. Because one of the most important factors for building high quality of FIS is the generation of the knowledge base of it, which consists of membership functions, fuzzy rules, fuzzy logic operators and other components for fuzzy calculations. The design of FIS comes from either the experience of human experts in the corresponding field of research or input and output data observations collected from operations of systems. Therefore, it is crucial to generate high quality FIS from a highly reliable design scheme to model the desired system process best. Furthermore, due to a lack of a learning property of fuzzy systems themselves most of the suggested schemes incorporate hybridization techniques towards better performance within a fuzzy system framework. ... This systematic enhancement is required to update the FIS in order to produce flexible and robust fuzzy systems for unexpected unknown inputs from real-world environments. This thesis proposes a general framework of Adaptive T-S (Takagi-Sugeno) type Rough-Fuzzy Inference Systems (ARFIS) for a variety of practical applications in order to resolve the problems mentioned above in the context of a Rough-Fuzzy hybridization scheme. Rough set theory is employed to effectively reduce the number of attributes that pertain to input variables and obtain a minimal set of decision rules based on input and output data sets. The generated rules are examined by checking their validity to use them as T-S type fuzzy rules. Using its excellent advantages in modeling non-linear systems, the T-S type fuzzy model is chosen to perform the fuzzy inference process. A T-S type fuzzy inference system is constructed by an automatic generation of membership functions and rules by the Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) clustering algorithm and the rough set approach, respectively. The generated T-S type rough-fuzzy inference system is then adjusted by the least-squares method and a conjugate gradient descent algorithm towards better performance within a fuzzy system framework. To show the viability of the proposed framework of ARFIS, the performance of ARFIS is compared with other existing approaches in a variety of practical applications; pattern classification, face recognition, and mobile robot navigation. The results are very satisfactory and competitive, and suggest the ARFIS is a suitable new framework for fuzzy inference systems by showing a better system performance with less number of attributes and rules in each application.

Computing with Words based Question Answering (CWQA) system provides a foundation to develop futuristic search engines where more of reasoning and less of pattern matching and statistical methods are used for information retrieval. In order to perform successful reasoning, these systems should analyze the semantic of the query and the related information in the Knowledge Base. The concept of Computing with Words (CW) which is a kind of perception based reasoning where manipulation of perceptions using fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic play a key role in recognition, decision and execution processes can be utilized for this purpose. Two concepts that were introduced by Computing with Words are the Generalized Constraint Language (GCL) and the Generalized Theory of Uncertainty (GTU) . In GCL propositions, i.e. perceptions in natural language, are denoted using generalized constraints. The Generalized Theory of Uncertainty (GTU) uses GCL to express proposition drawn from natural language as a generalized constraint. The GCL plays a fundamental role in GTU by serving as a precisiation language for propositions, commands and questions in natural language. In GTU, deduction rules are used to propagate generalized constraints to accomplish reasoning under uncertainty. In the previous work a CW-based QA-system methodology was introduced which uses a knowledge tree data structure, called as a Constraint Propagation Tree (CPT) that utilizes the concepts briefed above. The realization of Constraint Propagation Tree, the first phase, and partial implementation of constraint propagation and node combination, the second phase, is the main goal of this work.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Poverty is the worst form of human deprivation. The literature on poverty has gone through advances, since the traditional way of measuring poverty through monetary income does not capture all forms of deprivation suffered by people. The advancement of the concept of poverty is to include other important dimensions of people's lives; from the one-dimensional approach to the multidimensional approach. This dissertation, based on Capability Approach of Sen (1981, 1988, 2000), aims to measure multidimensional poverty for Brazilian cities in 2010. Using data from the Census (IBGE), which involved the choice of 16 indicators, five types of indices were constructed: the first four for each of the dimensions (housing conditions, income, access to knowledge and education and health and sanitary conditions), and the last one for the aggregated IFP, through Fuzzy Set Theory that allowed to approach poverty as a complex phenomenon and to generate the relative index of poverty. The results indicate that there is greater poverty in terms of health and sanitary conditions. However, the dimensions of access to knowledge and education and housing conditions also had weight in the multidimensional poverty index. The income dimension is one of less deprivation among cities, which emphasizes the importance of addressing and measuring poverty multidimensionally. The indicators with the greatest deprivations and that deserve greater attention on the part of the public managers are microcomputer with access to internet, washing machine, schooling and the type of sanitary sewage. The characteristics of poverty in the dimensions studied were similar and showed that the regions and states have similar poverty profiles, indicating that the North and Northeast of the country are the regions with the highest number of cities in the situation of very high and high poverty. / A pobreza é a pior forma de privação humana. A literatura sobre a pobreza passou por avanços, pois a forma tradicional de medir a pobreza via renda monetária, não captura todas as formas de privação sofridas pelas pessoas. O avanço do conceito de pobreza é no sentido de incluir outras dimensões importantes sobre a vida das pessoas; passando da abordagem unidimensional para a abordagem multidimensional. Esta dissertação, com base na Abordagem das Capacitações de Sen (1981, 1988, 2000) tem por objetivo medir a pobreza multidimensional para os municípios brasileiros no ano de 2010. Utilizando-se dados do Censo Demográfico (IBGE), que envolveu a escolha de 16 indicadores, foram construídos cinco tipos de índices: os quatro primeiros para cada uma das dimensões (condições de moradia, renda, acesso ao conhecimento e educação e saúde e condições sanitárias), e o último para o IFP agregado, através da Teoria dos Conjuntos Fuzzy que permitiu abordar a pobreza como um fenômeno complexo e gerar o índice relativo de pobreza. Os resultados encontrados indicam que existe maior pobreza na dimensão saúde e condições sanitárias. Entretanto, as dimensões acesso ao conhecimento e educação e condições de moradia também tiveram peso no índice de pobreza multidimensional. A dimensão renda é a de menor privação entre os municípios, o que enfatiza a importância de abordar e mensurar a pobreza multidimensionalmente. Os indicadores com as maiores privações e que merecem maior atenção por parte dos gestores públicos são microcomputador com acesso a internet, máquina de lavar, escolaridade e o tipo de esgotamento sanitário. As características da pobreza nas dimensões estudadas foram parecidas e mostraram que as regiões e estados possuem perfis de pobreza semelhantes, ao indicar que o Norte e Nordeste do país são as regiões que possuem o maior número de municípios na situação de pobreza muito alta e alta.