The aim of the Special Issue "Applications of Fuzzy Optimization and Fuzzy Decision Making" is to expand the applicability of fuzzy optimization and decision making for solving various types of problems in the areas of economics, business, engineering, management, operations research, etc. Any experimental research or empirical study of theoretical developments in fuzzy optimization and decision making is highly welcome. Additionally, research papers presenting solution methods and/or studying their computational complexity, and proposing new algorithms to solve fuzzy optimization and decision making problems, in an effective and efficient manner, are also welcome. We are looking forward to receive innovative approaches that apply, in practical settings, state-of-the art mathematical/algorithmic techniques from fuzzy technology, computational intelligence and soft-computing methodologies, with the aim to offer robust solutions for complex optimization and decision making problems characterized by non-probabilistic uncertainty, vagueness, ambiguity, and hesitation. Such type of papers will address the suitability, validity, and advantages of using fuzzy technologies and the enhancement of them using intelligent methods to treat real-life problems from various disciplines.

Many decision-making tasks are too complex to be understood quantitatively, however, humans succeed by using knowledge that is imprecise rather than precise. Fuzzy logic resembles human reasoning in its use of imprecise informa tion to generate decisions. Unlike classical logic which requires a deep under standing of a system, exact equations, and precise numeric values, fuzzy logic incorporates an alternative way of thinking, which allows modeling complex systems using a higher level of abstraction originating from our knowledge and experience. Fuzzy logic allows expressing this knowledge with subjective concepts such as very big and a long time which are mapped into exact numeric ranges. Since knowledge can be expressed in a more natural by using fuzzy sets, many decision (and engineering) problems can be greatly simplified. Fuzzy logic provides an inference morphology that enables approximate human reasoning capabilities to be applied to knowledge-based systems. The theory of fuzzy logic provides a mathematical strength to capture the un certainties associated with human cognitive processes, such as thinking and reasoning. The conventional approaches to knowledge representation lack the means for representating the meaning of fuzzy concepts. As a consequence, the approaches based on first order logic do not provide an appropriate con ceptual framework for dealing with the representation of commonsense knowl edge, since such knowledge is by its nature both lexically imprecise and non categorical.

This book offers a multifaceted perspective on fuzzy set theory, discussing its developments over the last 50 years. It reports on all types of fuzzy sets, from ordinary to hesitant fuzzy sets, with each one explained by its own developers, authoritative scientists well known for their previous works. Highlighting recent theorems and proofs, the book also explores how fuzzy set theory has come to be extensively used in almost all branches of science, including the health sciences, decision science, earth science and the social sciences alike. It presents a wealth of real-world sample applications, from routing problem to robotics, and from agriculture to engineering. By offering a comprehensive, timely and detailed portrait of the field, the book represents an excellent reference guide for researchers, lecturers and postgraduate students pursuing research on new fuzzy set extensions.

FUZZY INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS A comprehensive guide to Expert Systems and Fuzzy Logic that is the backbone of artificial intelligence. The objective in writing the book is to foster advancements in the field and help disseminate results concerning recent applications and case studies in the areas of fuzzy logic, intelligent systems, and web-based applications among working professionals and those in education and research covering a broad cross section of technical disciplines. Fuzzy Intelligent Systems: Methodologies, Techniques, and Applications comprises state-of-the-art chapters detailing how expert systems are built and how the fuzzy logic resembling human reasoning, powers them. Engineers, both current and future, need systematic training in the analytic theory and rigorous design of fuzzy control systems to keep up with and advance the rapidly evolving field of applied control technologies. As a consequence, expert systems with fuzzy logic capabilities make for a more versatile and innovative handling of problems. This book showcases the combination of fuzzy logic and neural networks known as a neuro-fuzzy system, which results in a hybrid intelligent system by combining a human-like reasoning style of neural networks. Audience Researchers and students in computer science, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data analytics and information and communication technology-related fields. Students will gain a thorough understanding of fuzzy control systems theory by mastering its contents.

In the beginning of 1983, I came across A. Kaufmann's book "Introduction to the theory of fuzzy sets" (Academic Press, New York, 1975). This was my first acquaintance with the fuzzy set theory. Then I tried to introduce a new component (which determines the degree of non-membership) in the definition of these sets and to study the properties of the new objects so defined. I defined ordinary operations as "n", "U", "+" and "." over the new sets, but I had began to look more seriously at them since April 1983, when I defined operators analogous to the modal operators of "necessity" and "possibility". The late George Gargov (7 April 1947 - 9 November 1996) is the "god father" of the sets I introduced - in fact, he has invented the name "intu itionistic fuzzy", motivated by the fact that the law of the excluded middle does not hold for them. Presently, intuitionistic fuzzy sets are an object of intensive research by scholars and scientists from over ten countries. This book is the first attempt for a more comprehensive and complete report on the intuitionistic fuzzy set theory and its more relevant applications in a variety of diverse fields. In this sense, it has also a referential character.

Hier lernen Sie, Expertensysteme auf der Basis von Fuzzy Logic zu konstruieren, die sich für den praktischen Einsatz eignen. Expertensysteme werden zunächst allgemein definiert, und die zugrundeliegende Mathematik wird eingeführt. Regelbasierte Systeme werden gründlicher besprochen als in jedem anderen Buch mit ähnlichem Thema. Am Ende jedes Kapitels können Sie Ihren Wissensstand anhand von Übungsaufgaben überprüfen. Von einem zugehörigen ftp-Server können Sie Ergänzungsmaterial abrufen. Für Praktiker und Forscher aus dem akademischen Umfeld gleichermaßen geeignet!

Fuzzy logic models can be used to demonstrate human decision making in complex situations, and can therefore be an important tool in examining natural complexity. Moreover, fuzzy logic can be exploited to predict chaotic behaviors. But why is fuzzy logic so valuable? The idea of fuzzy logic has been around since 1965, and since its introduction thousands of applications of fuzzy logic have been implemented in industry, medicine, and even economic applications and patents. How did this invaluable theory achieve such great success? This book aims to compare well-known and well-used membership functions to demonstrate how to select the best membership functions and show when and why to utilize them. This book also demonstrates how different fields of studies utilize fuzzy logic showing its wide reach and relevance.