500 research outputs found
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Extended Single-Iteration Fuzzy C-Means, and Gustafson-Kessel Algorithms for Medium-Sized (106) Multisource Weber Problem
No full textAn uncapacitated multisource Weber problem involves finding facility locations for known customers. When this problem is restated as finding locations for additional new facilities, while keeping the current facilities, a new solution approach is needed. In this study, two new and cooperative fuzzy clustering algorithms are developed to solve a variant of the uncapacitated version of a multisource Weber problem (MWP). The first algorithm proposed is the extensive version of the single iteration fuzzy c-means (SIFCM) algorithm. The SIFCM algorithm assigns customers to existing facilities. The new extended SIFCM (ESIFCM), which is first proposed in this study, allocates discrete locations (coordinates) with the SIFCM and locates and allocates continuous locations (coordinates) with the original FCM simultaneously. If the SIFCM and the FCM, show differences between the successive cluster center values are still decreasing, share customer points among facilities. It is simply explained as single-iteration fuzzy c-means with fuzzy c-means. The second algorithm, also proposed here, runs like the ESIFCM. Instead of the FCM, a Gustafson-Kessel (GK) fuzzy clustering algorithm is used under the same framework. This algorithm is based on single-iteration (SIGK) and the GK algorithms. Numerical results are reported using two MWP problems in a class of a medium-size-data (106 bytes). Using clustering algorithms to locate and allocate the new facilities while keeping current facilities is a novel approach. When applied to the big problems, the speed of the proposed algorithms enable to find a solution while mathematical programming solution is not doable due to the great computational costs
Sheaf Representation of an Information System
No full textEver since Pawlak introduced the concepts of rough sets, it has attracted many researchers and scientists from various fields of science and technology. Particularly for algebraists as it presented a gold mine to explore the algebraic and topological connections with rough set theory. The present article deals with the connections between rough sets and sheaves. The authors studied sheaf representation of an information system in rough set framework and illustrated how it helps information retrieval
System Architectures for Sensor-Based Dynamic Remaining Shelf-life Prediction
No full textDifferent storage and handling conditions in cold supply chains often cause variations in the remaining shelf life of perishable foods. In particular, the actual shelf life may differ from the expiration date printed on the primary package. Based on temperature sensors placed on or close to the food products, a remaining shelf-life prediction (RSLP) service can be developed, which estimates the remaining shelf life of individual products, in real-time. This type of service may lead to decreased food waste and is used for discovering supply chain inefficiencies and ensuring food quality. Depending on the system architecture, different service qualities can be obtained in terms of usability, accuracy, security, etc. This article presents a novel approach for how to identify and select the most suitable system architectures for RSLP services. The approach is illustrated by ranking different architectures for a RSLP service directed towards the supply chain managers. As a proof of concept, some of the most highly ranked architectures have been implemented and tested in food cold supply chains
Aggregating and Ranking Method for the Evaluation of Product Design Materials
No full textA new MCDM model based on a triangular intuitionistic fuzzy (TIF) aggregating and ranking model is proposed for the evaluation of adhesive materials used in joining fibre-reinforced plastic. The new model which uses the triangular intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (TIFN), TIF aggregating operators and the TIF ranking functions provides a more accurate method for assessing uncertain or imprecise information in the decision-making process. The model addresses the MCDM problem in which the available information cannot be assessed with exact numbers and requires the use of a more holistic approach which is a drawback in the existing MCDM methods used in the evaluation of design materials in literature. The result from the evaluation shows that the alternative T3 (Polyurethane) has the best chances of been used in joining the FRP with respect to the fracture mechanics-based criteria. With the ranking result presented, the study can conclude that the procedure used for the evaluation of the adhesive material has led to the selection of the best adhesive material for joining the FRP elements
Privacy-Preserving and Publicly Verifiable Protocol for Outsourcing Polynomials Evaluation to a Malicious Cloud
No full textAs cloud computing provides affordable and scalable computational resources, delegating heavy computing tasks to the cloud service providers is appealing to individuals and companies. Among different types of specific computations, the polynomial evaluation is an important one due to its wide usage in engineering and scientific fields. Cloud service providers may not be trusted, thus, the validity and the privacy of such computation should be guaranteed. In this article, the authors present a protocol for publicly verifiable delegations of high degree polynomials. Compared with the existing solutions, it ensures the privacy of outsourced functions and actual results. And the protocol satisfies the property of blind verifiability such that the results can be publicly verified without learning the value. The protocol also improves in efficiency
Performance Evaluation and Scheme Selection of Person Re-Identification Algorithms in Video Surveillance
No full textWith the increasing number of camera networks deployed in public places, intelligent video processing has become a key technology for video surveillance. In order to alleviate the workload of the tracers in the artificial tracking video, person re-identification (re-id) can match a large number of pedestrian images to obtain the location of same person at different time in surveillance. This article focuses on the comparison of different classic distance metric learning methods so as to select optimum person re-identification scheme with excellent performance. The authors compare four algorithms matching Local Maximal Occurrence (LOMO) feature representation on three common databases and obtains a criterion to choose algorithms for different datasets. The selection of re-identification algorithms can simplify the video investigation process according to the size and number of person images. In the end, they propose an improved metric learning based on one of algorithms and get improved results. The re-id is useful and efficient in works such as the criminal investigators etc
Semantic Web-Linked Data and Libraries
No full textThe present society is considered an information society. A society where the creation, distribution, use, integration, and manipulation of digital information have become the most significant activity in all aspects. Information is producing from every sector of any society, which has resulted in an information explosion. Modern technologies are also having a huge impact. So managing this voluminous information is really a tough job. Again WWW has opened the door to connect anyone or anything within a fraction of a second. This study discussed the Semantic Web and linked data technologies and their effect and application to libraries for the handling of various types of resources
Spatial Multivariate Cluster Analysis for Defining Target Population of Environments in West Africa for Yam Breeding
No full textYam (Dioscorea spp.) is a major staple crop with high agricultural and cultural significance for over 300 million people in West Africa. Despite its importance, productivity is miserably low. A better understanding of the environmental context in the region is essential to unlock the crop's potential for food security and wealth creation. The article aims to characterize the production environments into homologous mega-environments, having operational significance for breeding research. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed separately on environmental data related to climate, soil, topography, and vegetation. Significant PCA layers were used in spatial multivariate cluster analysis. Seven clusters were identified for West Africa; four were country-specific; the rest were region-wide in extent. Clustering results are valuable inputs to optimize yam varietal selection and testing within and across the countries in West Africa. The impact of breeding research on poverty reduction and problems of market accessibility in yam production zones were highlighted
Integration of Bricolage and Institutional Entrepreneurship for Internet Finance: Alibaba's Yu'e Bao
No full textThis article describes how current research on the institutional entrepreneurship process tends to ‘design principles.' There is lack of research on mechanism and strategy of the institutional bricolage, especially for Internet finance. Based on analysis of Yu'e Bao, the authors found that institutional entrepreneurs often use bricolage to form new institutions in organizational, material and discursive dimensions: organizational dimension which uses the attaching and bridging bricolage to achieve relational networks; material dimension which uses the simplifying and extending bricolage to acquire technical and economic basis; discursive dimension which uses the beautifying and analogy bricolage to theorize and institutionalize new practices. This article tries to explain and distinguish these three intertwined dimensions by using the case study. From the bricolage perspective, entrepreneurship behavior and institutional entrepreneurship behavior can be bridged. The emerging institutional entrepreneurship theory has been integrated with the bricolage theory for Internet finance