A new aggregation method for strategic decision making and its application in assignment theory

A new aggregation method for decision making is presented by using induced aggregation operators and the index of maximum and minimum level. Its main advantage is that it can assess complex reordering processes in the aggregation that represent complex attitudinal characters of the decision maker such as psychological or personal factors. A wide range of properties and particular cases of this new approach are studied. A further generalization by using hybrid averages and immediate weights is also presented. The key issue in this approach against the previous model is that we can use the weighted average and the ordered weighted average in the same formulation. Thus, we are able to consider the subjective attitude and the degree of optimism of the decision maker in the decision process. The paper ends with an application in a decision making problem based on the use of the assignment theory.

The making of frozen-hydrated, vitreous lamellas from cells for cryo-electron microscopy.

There has been a long standing desire to produce thick (up to 500 nm) cryo-sections of fully hydrated cells and tissue for high-resolution analysis in their natural state by cryo-transmission electron microscopy. Here, we present a method that can successfully produce sections (lamellas in FIB-SEM terminology) of fully hydrated, unstained cells from high-pressure frozen samples by focused ion beam (FIB) milling. The samples are therefore placed in thin copper tubes and vitrified by high-pressure freezing. For transfer, handling and subsequent milling, the tubes are placed in a novel connective device (ferrule) that protects the sample from devitrification and contamination and passes through all operation steps. A piezo driven sample positioning stage (cryo-nano-bench, CNB) with three degrees of freedom was additionally developed to enable accurate milling of frozen-hydrated lamellas. With the CNB, high-pressure frozen samples can be milled to produce either thin lamellas (<100 nm), for direct imaging by high-resolution cryo-TEM or thicker lamellas (300-500 nm) for cryo-electron tomography. The sample remains vitreous throughout the process by using the presented tools and methods. The results are an important step towards investigating larger cells and even tissue in there natural state which in the end will enable us to gain better insights into cellular processes.

Bioinformatics: making large-scale science happen

Bionformatics is a rapidly evolving research field dedicated toanalyzing and managing biological data with computational resources. This paperaims to overview some of the processes and applications currently implementedat CCiT-UB¿s Bioinformatics Unit, focusing mainly on the areas of Genomics,Transcriptomics and Proteomics

You are not alone...making an informed decision about your pregnancy, January 1997

When you are faced with a difficult decision, it’s not unusual to feel confused, frustrated, and perhaps a little frightened because you are not sure what to expect or where to turn for answers. The purpose of this handbook is to assist you in making an informed choice about your pregnancy.

Decision-making with distance measures and inducedaggregation operators

[spa] Se presenta un nuevo modelo para la toma de decisiones basado en el uso de medidas de distancia y de operadores de agregación inducidos. Se introduce la distancia media ponderada ordenada inducida (IOWAD). Es un nuevo operador de agregación que extiende el operador OWA a través del uso de distancias y un proceso de reordenación de los argumentos basado en variables de ordenación inducidas. La principal ventaja el operador IOWAD es la posibilidad de utilizar una familia parametrizada de operadores de agregación entre la distancia individual máxima y la mínima. Se estudian algunas de sus principales propiedades y algunos casos particulares. Se desarrolla un ejemplo numérico en un problema de toma de decisiones sobre selección de inversiones. Se observa que la principal ventaja de este modelo en la toma de decisiones es la posibilidad de mostrar una visión más completa del proceso, de forma que el decisor está capacitado para seleccionar la alternativa que está más cerca de sus intereses.

Decision-making with distance measures and inducedaggregation operators

[spa] Se presenta un nuevo modelo para la toma de decisiones basado en el uso de medidas de distancia y de operadores de agregación inducidos. Se introduce la distancia media ponderada ordenada inducida (IOWAD). Es un nuevo operador de agregación que extiende el operador OWA a través del uso de distancias y un proceso de reordenación de los argumentos basado en variables de ordenación inducidas. La principal ventaja el operador IOWAD es la posibilidad de utilizar una familia parametrizada de operadores de agregación entre la distancia individual máxima y la mínima. Se estudian algunas de sus principales propiedades y algunos casos particulares. Se desarrolla un ejemplo numérico en un problema de toma de decisiones sobre selección de inversiones. Se observa que la principal ventaja de este modelo en la toma de decisiones es la posibilidad de mostrar una visión más completa del proceso, de forma que el decisor está capacitado para seleccionar la alternativa que está más cerca de sus intereses.

Decision making techniques with similarity measures and OWA operators

We analyse the use of the ordered weighted average (OWA) in decision-making giving special attention to business and economic decision-making problems. We present several aggregation techniques that are very useful for decision-making such as the Hamming distance, the adequacy coefficient and the index of maximum and minimum level. We suggest a new approach by using immediate weights, that is, by using the weighted average and the OWA operator in the same formulation. We further generalize them by using generalized and quasi-arithmetic means. We also analyse the applicability of the OWA operator in business and economics and we see that we can use it instead of the weighted average. We end the paper with an application in a business multi-person decision-making problem regarding production management

How can continuing professional development better promote shared decision-making? Perspectives from an international collaboration.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Shared decision-making is not widely implemented in healthcare. We aimed to set a research agenda about promoting shared decision-making through continuing professional development. METHODS: Thirty-six participants met for two days. RESULTS: Participants suggested ways to improve an environmental scan that had inventoried 53 shared decision-making training programs from 14 countries. Their proposed research agenda included reaching an international consensus on shared decision-making competencies and creating a framework for accrediting continuing professional development initiatives in shared decision-making. CONCLUSIONS: Variability in shared decision-making training programs showcases the need for quality assurance frameworks.

Improvement of a fully distributed decision making protocol for CRN

Abstract¿La deteción del espectro libre para las comunicaciones inalámbricas en un momento puntual es una tarea compleja cuyo desarrollo se simplica al realizarse de forma distribuida por una red de radio cognitiva. Sin embargo existes dificultades y vulnerabilidades de seguridad que han de ser tenidas en cuenta y solventadas a la hora de autenticar y validar los nodos de la red. Este artículo presenta una propuesta de mejora del protocolo fully distributed decision making protocol for CRN con el fin de llevar a cabo esta tarea de detección del espectro de una manera eficiente y segura.

Making a Modern Highway: Transformation of Iowa Roadways in the Mid-Twentieth Century, 2014

The booklet tells the history of the construction of the Iowa Highway 376 Bridge within the context of significant modernization and expansion of the highway system in Iowa in the 1950s. Curvy, narrow highways were widened and straightened and narrow iron truss bridges were replaced with more modern concrete and steel structures, changing the landscape of rural Iowa. Bridge engineer Herbert A Arthur, who designed the Iowa Highway 376 Bridge, was a prolific bridge engineer in the 1950s. This booklet serves to inform the public of this significant aspect of Iowa transportation history.

A method for decision making with the OWA operator

A new method for decision making that uses the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator in the aggregation of the information is presented. It is used a concept that it is known in the literature as the index of maximum and minimum level (IMAM). This index is based on distance measures and other techniques that are useful for decision making. By using the OWA operator in the IMAM, we form a new aggregation operator that we call the ordered weighted averaging index of maximum and minimum level (OWAIMAM) operator. The main advantage is that it provides a parameterized family of aggregation operators between the minimum and the maximum and a wide range of special cases. Then, the decision maker may take decisions according to his degree of optimism and considering ideals in the decision process. A further extension of this approach is presented by using hybrid averages and Choquet integrals. We also develop an application of the new approach in a multi-person decision-making problem regarding the selection of strategies.