Optimal selection of an electric power wheelchair using an integrated COPRAS and EDAS approach based on Entropy weighting technique

The decision to purchase the best available electric power wheelchair (EPWC) for a person with a disability in a low-resource context is very stressful, whether it is based on financial circumstances or the availability of medical solutions. The study's objective is to assess the EPWC options available on the market, focused on a set of conflicting criteria. In this research, three multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approaches are used to make decisions. ENTROPY method for weightage calculation of various parameters, COPRAS and EDAS methods for evaluating and ranking alternatives are applied. Both COPRAS and EDAS are applied separately for ranking of selected wheelchair models, and to check the robustness of the applied method, sensitivity analysis on cost criterion is carried out. The result shows that for both methods, EPWC-1 is the top priority model to buy, whereas EPWC-7 is the worst model for COPRAS, and EPWC-10 is the worst model for EDAS among the ten alternatives.

The persuasion of vaccine allocation models during Covid-19. Rhetoric, ethics and science

The swift development of effective vaccines against the new coronavirus was an unprecedented scientific achievement. In this paper, we discuss what models have been proposed for distributing vaccines locally and globally through the application of Aristotelian rhetoric. This discussion, therefore, focuses on a specific question: how are the different models of vaccine administration and distribution justified on an ethical-argumentative level? This report also examines what has come to be known as “vaccine nationalism” through the lens of the early experience with the COVID- 19 vaccination process. To this end, this report proceeds as follows: Section I explains the rhetorical method applied to ethical principles, and Section II explains the chosen criteria for the analysis. Section III looks at the Fair Priority Model; Section IV examines the COVAX and GAVI model; Section V presents the weighted lottery model. Section VI proposes a summary table of the analysis of the proposed models and Section VII focuses on the ethical problem of vaccine nationalism and its implications in relation to the models, that were taken into consideration during the previous sections. Section VIII offers brief conclusions; solidarity conceived as an argument of reciprocity should be, according to this analysis, the guiding value to address ethical problems in the area of resource allocation.

An integrated FMEA approach using Best-Worst and MARCOS methods based on D numbers for prioritization of failures

Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is a useful reliability analysis technique to identify potential failure modes in a wide range of industries. However, the conventional FMEA method is deficient in dealing with the risk evaluation and prioritization method. To overcome the shortcomings, this paper presents a new risk priority model using Best-Worst Method based on D numbers (D-BWM) and the Measurement of Alternatives and Ranking according to COmpromise Solution based on D numbers (D-MARCOS). First, D numbers are used to deal with the uncertainty of FMEA team members’ subjective judgment. Second, the distance-based method is proposed to determine the objective weight of each team member. Then, the D-BWM was used to determine the weight of risk factors. The combination rule of D number theory combined the evaluation information of multiple members into group opinions. Finally, D-MARCOS method is proposed to obtain the risk priority of the failure modes. An example and the results of comparative analysis show the method is effective.

A Bus Signal Priority Model at Oversaturated Intersection under Stochastic Demand

This paper focuses on the optimization of bus signal priority with the consideration of the stochastic traffic demand. Based on a situation of the variability of traffic composition, the phase clearance reliability (PCR) value of each phase and traffic composition ratio is introduced to reflect the traffic condition at intersection. Then, a bus signal priority optimization model is proposed with the purpose of the maximum of the total vehicular departure as the optimization goal. In order to obtain the optimal solution, an improved algorithm is designed by introducing the PCR value search strategy. Finally, two cases’ study is exhibited to demonstrate the reasonability of the model, theory, and algorithm. The result shows that the model can not only clear the queue under the condition of continuous dynamic traffic flow but also reduce the vehicle queuing and passenger delay.

Factors to Improve Publication Productivity in Russian Universities

One of the most important conditions for the effectiveness of science is the motivation of academic staff of universities as key and direct producers of new knowledge. The purpose of the article was to substantiate the factors of efficiency in managing the publication activity of Russian universities. The nature and density of the relationship between the number of scientific publications and the level of citation of 19 leading countries in the world, including Russia, were determined by means of statistical analysis and the method of clusters. It has been empirically proven that the priority model for the development of publication activity should be an intensive model, which aims at improving the quality of scientific publications and the level of their citation. Moreover, a survey of 1573 young scientists (under the age of 39) and 2461 senior scientists from 14 universities in Russia was conducted. It investigated the factors of effective management of the publication activity at Russian universities. The results contribute to a better understanding on how Russian universities can activate and foster the flow of high-quality publication outputs by their researchers.