Sharif Digital Repository

Subcontractor (SC) selection is a critical part of SC management, and a major challenge is the existence of multiple criteria that the project management team needs to evaluate in the selection process. To overcome this challenge, the Kano model is applied to classify the selection criteria into five categories including must-be, reverse, one-dimensional, attractive, and indifferent. Data were obtained via a questionnaire based on Kano model concepts to categorize the identified selection criteria. The obtained results show that the selection criteria can be categorized into three categories; must-be, one-dimensional, and attractive. According to this categorization, the weight of criteria... 

Strategic health, safety, and environmental management system (HSE-MS) involves systematic and cooperative planning in each phase of the lifecycle of a project to ensure that interaction among the industry group, client, contractor, stakeholder, and host community exists with the highest level of health, safety, and environmental standard performances. Therefore, it seems necessary to assess the HSE-MS performance of contractor(s) by a comparative strategic management model with the aim of continuous improvement. The present Strategic Management Model (SMM) has been illustrated by a case study and the results show that the model is a suitable management tool for decision making in a contract... 

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) measures the relative efficiency of a homogenous set of decision-making units (DMUs) when multiple inputs and outputs are present. The DEA-based Malmquist productivity index measuring the productivity change of DMUs over time has proven itself to be a valid tool to compare group performance. However, in the previous models developed for this purpose, it was supposed that all factors were controllable or discretionary. It is noteworthy that in most real cases, there are some inputs and outputs that are non-discretionary or semi-discretionary. Therefore, the main objective of the present study was to develop the DEA-based Malmquist productivity index on such... 

In advanced combined-cycle power plants, significant improvements in the thermodynamic performance are mainly achieved by the development of more efficient gas-turbine systems. This paper evaluates the effect of selected decision variables in the steam system for optimization of Thermal Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (TCCGT) power plant using an iterative exergoeconomic. The design variables were the thermodynamic parameters that establish the configuration both of the steam and gas systems. The design data of an existing plant (Damavand power plant in Tehran-Iran) is used. Two different objective functions are proposed: one minimizes the total cost of production per unit of output, and the... 

Nonspecific low back pain (NSLBP) constitutes a critical health challenge that impacts millions of people worldwide with devastating health and socioeconomic consequences. In today’s clinical settings, practitioners continue to follow conventional guidelines to categorize NSLBP patients based on subjective approaches, such as the STarT Back Screening Tool (SBST). This study aimed to develop a sensor-based machine learning model to classify NSLBP patients into different subgroups according to quantitative kinematic data, i.e., trunk motion and balance-related measures, in conjunction with STarT output. Specifically, inertial measurement units (IMU) were attached to the trunks of ninety-four... 

Finding the most suitable location among some alternatives is one of the most important factors which could affect the whole success of the construction of a facility. The facility site selection is a multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) problem including both quantitative and qualitative criteria. Due to some difficulties in many real life cases, defining the exact values for MCDM problems is almost impractical and, it's preferable to use fuzzy values (fuzzy numbers) in this type of problems. In this study, we try to determine a suitable location for a Sewage Treatment Plant by using a new fuzzy weighted average (FWA) method. For this aim, ten different criteria is defined and then, by... 

In this work, optimization of metalorganic chemical vapor deposition process for uniform layer thickness with especial attention to reactor geometric parameters as decision variables is presented. A numerical solution to a steady thermal flow associated with multi-species and chemical reactions in atmospheric pressure axisymmetrical rotating disk reactor by the CFD technique is obtained. Such a simulation is conducted on the assumption that the low Mach number flow is laminar. Then the validation of the numerical results with the benchmark solutions is conducted. Finally, integrating the CFD simulator with an optimization program, based on the Nelder-Mead algorithm, as a new approach is... 

In this study, a new series of assessments and evaluations of the Dual-Miller cycle is performed. Furthermore, the specified output power and the thermal performance associated with the engine are determined. Besides, multi-objective optimization of thermal efficiency, ecological coefficient of performance (ECOP) and ecological function (Eun) by means of NSGA-II technique and thermodynamic analysis are presented. The Pareto optimal frontier obtaining the best optimum solution is identified by fuzzy Bellman-Zadeh, Linear Programming Technique for Multidimensional Analysis of Preference (LINMAP), and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) decision-making... 

Automation is acknowledged by distribution utilities as a successful investment strategy to enhance reliability and operation efficiency. However, practical approaches that can handle the complex decision-making process faced by decision makers to justify the long-term financial effects of distribution automation have remained scarce. An automated and remote-controlled sectionalizing switch play a fundamental role in an automated distribution network. This paper introduces a new optimization approach for distribution automation in terms of automated and remotely controlled sectionalizing switch placement. Mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) is utilized to model the problem. The proposed... 

Automation is acknowledged by distribution utilities as a successful investment strategy to enhance reliability and operation efficiency. However, practical approaches that can handle the complex decision-making process faced by decision makers to justify the long-term financial effects of distribution automation have remained scarce. An automated and remote-controlled sectionalizing switch play a fundamental role in an automated distribution network. This paper introduces a new optimization approach for distribution automation in terms of automated and remotely controlled sectionalizing switch placement. Mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) is utilized to model the problem. The proposed... 

This paper aims to propose a framework by which decision-makers can evaluate and compare alternatives for sustainable island-based tourism development. The uncertainties and risks involved in information and judgment within the evaluation process were taken into account by using a hybrid approach, which combined the Delphi method, fuzzy set theory, and a discrete multi-criteria method based on prospect theory called TODIM (an acronym in Portuguese of interactive and multiple-criteria decision making). The decision making model examined 3 different techniques for aggregating the viewpoints of different decision-makers and explored how the aggregation technique would affect the ranking of the... 

This paper aims to propose a framework by which decision-makers can evaluate and compare alternatives for sustainable island-based tourism development. The uncertainties and risks involved in information and judgment within the evaluation process were taken into account by using a hybrid approach, which combined the Delphi method, fuzzy set theory, and a discrete multi-criteria method based on prospect theory called TODIM (an acronym in Portuguese of interactive and multiple-criteria decision making). The decision making model examined 3 different techniques for aggregating the viewpoints of different decision-makers and explored how the aggregation technique would affect the ranking of the... 

In this paper, we propose a sampling policy considering Bayesian risks. Various definitions of producer's risk and consumer's risk have been made. Bayesian risks for both producer and consumer are proven to give better information to decision-makers than classical definitions of the risks. So considering the Bayesian risk constraints, we seek to find optimal acceptance sampling policy by minimizing total cost, including the cost of rejecting the batch, the cost of inspection, and the cost of defective items detected during the operation. Proper distributions to construct the objective function of the model are specified. In order to demonstrate the application of the proposed model, we... 

In this paper we study a two-echelon decentralized supply chain consists of one retailer and several manufacturers in competitive environment. The manufacturers compete on their price and lead time. To model the interactions between the retailer and manufacturers, we use Stackelberg game in which the manufacturers decide on their wholesale price and lead time as leader and the retailer decides on retail price and its order quantity to each manufacturer as follower. Besides, we use the Nash Equilibrium analysis to investigate the horizontal competition between manufacturers to model their simultaneous decision making on their price and lead time. In this problem, the customers' demand is a... 

Various urban, industrial, and agricultural pollutions discharge more than river self-purification potential damages river ecosystem and increases water treatment costs. As different decision-makers and stakeholders are involved in the water quality management in river systems, a new bankruptcy form of the game theory is used to resolve the existing conflict of interests related to waste load allocation in downstream river. The river restoration potential can allocate to the conflicting parties with respect to their claims, by using bankruptcy solution methods. In this research, dischargeable pollution loads to Karun River are determined by pollution sources in various scenarios using... 

Various urban, industrial, and agricultural pollutions discharge more than river self-purification potential damages river ecosystem and increases water treatment costs. As different decision-makers and stakeholders are involved in the water quality management in river systems, a new bankruptcy form of the game theory is used to resolve the existing conflict of interests related to waste load allocation in downstream river. The river restoration potential can allocate to the conflicting parties with respect to their claims, by using bankruptcy solution methods. In this research, dischargeable pollution loads to Karun River are determined by pollution sources in various scenarios using... 

Hamoon-Jazmoorian plain is located in southeast of Iran. Overexploitation of groundwater in this plain has led to water level decline and caused serious problems such as land subsidence, aquifer destruction and water quality degradation. The increasing population and agricultural development along with drought and climate change, have further increased the pressure on water resources in this region over the last years. In order to overcome such crisis, introduction of surface water into an aquifer at particular locations can be a suitable solution. A wide variety of methods have been developed to recharge groundwater, one of which is aquifer storage and recovery (ASR). One of the fundamental... 

Evaluation of a project and its contractors has considerable importance in gas well-drilling projects due to their high investments and worth. In this paper, the quality of some gas well-drilling projects is analyzed in order to evaluate and grade project tasks. A neuro-fuzzy network is utilized to learn the grading process and generate models. To select among these models, a ranking method, namely technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) is employed. During seven gas well-drilling projects, 77 tasks are studied based on quality practitioners[U+05F3] points of view. After generating the primary models, three indices namely, root mean square error (RMSE),... 

Interworking in heterogeneous wireless networks is one of the key objectives in the Next Generation Networks (NGN). Handoff between cellular and Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) can help achieve this aim. In this paper, a new method for decision-making on vertical handoff initiation is proposed which is on the basis of road topology information and mobility prediction. The main distinction between the proposed algorithm and previous research is exploitation of road topology map of the destination hotspot within a cellular network. Mobile terminal speed, WLAN dynamic traffic in the destination hotspot, and topology information are used to decide on suitability of vertical handoff... 

Urban air quality is a major concern throughout the world. The concentration of human activities in a relatively small area puts enormous pressure on urban systems and has led to numerous environmental problems which have created major problems for urban air quality management. The complex nature of air pollution, especially with respect to health impacts in urban areas, has prompted attempts to define the so-called indicators that condense and simplify the available monitoring data to make them suitable for public reporting and decision makers. Several concepts and indicators exist to measure and rank urban areas in terms of their infrastructural, socioeconomic and environment-related...