Decision makers (DMs) face different levels of uncertainty throughout the decision making process. In particular, natural language is generally subjective or ambiguous when used to express perceptions and judgments. The aim of this paper is to extend the VIKOR method and develop a methodology for solving multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problems with stochastic data. The weights of the sto...

The extracellular matrix (ECM) provides structural and biochemical support to cells within tissues. An emerging body of evidence has established that the ECM plays a key role in cell mechanotransduction - the study of coupling between mechanical inputs and cellular phenotype - through either mediating transmission of forces to the cells, or presenting mechanical cues that guide cellular behavio...

The unsustainable harvest of wildlife is a major threat to global biodiversity and to the millions of people who depend on wildlife for food and income. Past research has called attention to the fact that commonly used methods to evaluate the sustainability of wildlife hunting perform poorly, yet these methods remain in popular use today. Here, we conduct a systematic review of empirical sustai...

This review discusses the analytical characterization of molecular electronic devices and structures relevant thereto. In particular, we outline the methods for probing molecular junctions, which contain an ensemble of molecules between two contacts. We discuss the analytical methods that aid in the fabrication and characterization of molecular junctions, beginning with the confirmation of the ...

BACKGROUND Influenza infection does not always cause clinical illnesses, so serological surveillance has been used to determine the true burden of influenza outbreaks. This study investigates the accuracy of measuring cumulative incidence of influenza infection using different serological survey designs. METHODS We used a simple transmission model to simulate a typical influenza epidemic and ...

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has allowed the unprecedented capability to measure the human brain in vivo. This technique has paved the way for longitudinal studies exploring brain changes across the entire life span. Results from these studies have given us a glimpse into the remarkably extended and multifaceted development of our brain, converging with evidence from anatomical and histolog...

This article describes a new analytical approach for vendor evaluation. The work for this project is done by an European consortium, and partially funded by the European Commission. The aim of the project is to provide a close link between Enterprise Resource Planning Systems and latest Data Mining technology. Within this project, we have focused on vendor evaluation which is one of the importa...

We describe the application of wide-field frequency domain Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM) to imaging in microfluidic devices. FLIM is performed using low cost, intensity modulated Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) for illumination. The use of lifetime imaging for quantitative analysis within such devices is demonstrated by mapping the molecular diffusion of iodide ions across a micr...

Sustainable development is regarded as a pivotal factor for smart urban planning. Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is a well-known land use transportation integration (LUTI) planning method, which can fulfill sustainable development objectives. In this study, a new spatial index is developed to measure TOD levels in neighborhoods of Tehran, the capital of Iran. To develop the TOD index, sever...

This investigation establishes an analytical hierarchy framework to help SMEs predicting implementation success as well as identifying the actions necessary before implementing B2B e-commerce to increase e-commerce initiative feasibility. The consistent fuzzy preference relation is used to improve decision making consistency and effectiveness. A case study involving six influences solicited fro...