A Multi-Attribute Decision-Making Method Using Belief-Based Probabilistic Linguistic Term Sets and Its Application in Emergency Decision-Making

Probabilistic linguistic term sets(PLTSs)are an effective tool for expressing subjective human cognition that offer advantages in the field ofmulti-attribute decision-making(MADM).However,studies have found that PLTSs have lost their ability to accurately capture the views of decision-makers(DMs)in certain circumstances,such as when the DM hesitates between multiple linguistic terms or the decision information is incomplete,thus affecting their role in the decision-making process.Belief function theory is a leading streamof thought in uncertainty processing that is suitable for dealing with the limitations of PLTS.Therefore,the purpose of this study is to extend PLTS to incorporate belief function theory.First,we provide the basic concepts of the extended PLTS(i.e.,belief-based PLTS)through case analyses.Second,the aggregation operator of belief-based PLTS is defined with the ordered weighted average(OWA)-based soft likelihood function,which is improved by considering the reliability of the information source.Third,to measure the magnitude of different belief-based PLTSs,the belief interval of singleton is calculated,and the comparison method of belief-based PLTS is constructed based on probabilities.On the basis of the preceding discussion,we further develop an emergency decision framework that includes several novel techniques,such as attribute weight determination and decision information aggregation.Finally,the usefulness of the framework is demonstrated through a case study,and its effectiveness is illustrated through a series of comparisons.

Concept of Yager operators with the picture fuzzy set environment and its application to emergency program selection

Purpose-The aim of this study as to find out an approach for emergency program selection.Design/methodology/approach-The authors have generated six aggregation operators(AOs),namely picture fuzzy Yager weighted average(PFYWA),picture fuzzy Yager ordered weighted average,picture fuzzy Yager hybrid weighted average,picture fuzzy Yager weighted geometric(PFYWG),picture fuzzy Yager ordered weighted geometric and picture fuzzy Yager hybrid weighted geometric aggregations operators.Findings-First of all,the authors defined the score and accuracy function for picture fuzzy set(FS),and some fundamental operational laws for picture FS using the Yager aggregation operation.After that,using the developed operational laws,developed some AOs,namely PFYWA,picture fuzzy Yager ordered weighted average,picture fuzzy Yager hybrid weighted average,PFYWG,picture fuzzy Yager ordered weighted geometric and picture fuzzy Yager hybrid weighted geometric aggregations operators,have been proposed along with their desirable properties.A decision-making(DM)approach based on these operators has also been presented.An illustrative example has been given for demonstrating the approach.Finally,discussed the comparison of the proposed method with the other existing methods and write the conclusion of the article.Originality/value-To find the best alternative for emergency program selection.

Propane catalytic cracking on pretreated La-ZSM-5 zeolite during calcination for light olefins production

The purpose of this study was to increase light olefins yield and selectivity in catalytic cracking of propane. Pretreatment of ZSM-5 zeolite was performed during calcination. First, lanthanum was loaded on the catalyst by wet impregnation method and then the effect of parameters, such as temperature（400–800 oC）, time（120–480 min） and type of stream, on La-ZSM-5 zeolite was examined during calcination using central composite design（CCD） method. Based on the proposed models, the optimized condition for maximizing selectivity of light olefins for air stream was 680 oC and 310 min and for the nitrogen stream was 735 oC and 173 min that under these conditions, selectivity amount increased 24% for nitrogen stream and 19% for air stream as compared with H-ZSM-5 catalyst. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction（XRD） and temperature-programmed desorption（TPD） techniques. According to the results of NH3-TPD, as the temperature increased, the number of strong acid sites（specially Bronsted acid sites） reduced and resulted in increased production of light olefins as well as catalyst stability. Accordingly, stability of the samples calcined with nitrogen stream was higher than the samples calcined with the air stream.