With rapid economic development and restructuring, the number of old or obsolete buildings is growing in large cities. Construction practice has actively focused in recent decades on the regeneration ...of brownfield areas and creating opportunities for their cost-effective and sustainable reuse. Some of the buildings could be identified as-built industrial heritage whose purpose could be modified and used differently. Adaptive reuse can make a major contribution to sustainable development by reducing construction waste and saving natural resources. In the reuse management process, the problem is how to deal with multiple criteria that are imposed as factors in assessing the reuse of a building. Using the adjusted fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), we explore the potential for the adaptation and new use of industrial buildings in the former area of Electronic Industry Nis (EI Nis) in Serbia. The standard FAHP, in which we determine the weights of each sub-criterion based on the expert’s evaluation, we adjusted for use when no pairwise comparison of existing alternatives was available. Multiple criteria evaluation was performed by applying many criteria and sub-criteria, taking into account the different spatial and physical performance of buildings, as well as their locational indicators. A case study is used to demonstrate the application of the method and show its effectiveness.
In civil engineering and architecture, sustainability requires energy optimization minimizing the energy amounts needed for heating and cooling. Revitalization of built heritage, except the renewal ...of the original identity, and preservation through adaptive reuse, must meet the requirements set within the framework of energy postulates. Given that the physical interventions for improvement of energy efficiency can affect the visual appearance of the building, energy retrofitting of built heritage under the protection regime represents a challenge in the management of cultural heritage. The paper aims to identify the most optimal measures to be applied to increase energy efficiency, depending on the protection level, using the fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. Results show that for the highest protection level, the maximum degree of optimism indicates complete preservation of building identity, favoring indicators related to the technical systems, while for the medium protection level, all degrees of optimism favor internal insulation of thermal barriers and collector walls. Despite the allowed interventions for the lowest protection level, the optimistic view suggests alternative solutions not to greatly undermined identity. At the maximum degree of optimism, the application of indicators for technical systems dominates, which only in the last resort makes changes to the building.
Buildings can be made more user-friendly and secure by putting “smart” design strategies and technology processes in place. Such strategies and processes increase energy efficiency, make it possible ...to use resources rationally, and lower maintenance and construction costs. In addition to using wireless technologies and sensors to improve thermal, visual, and acoustic comfort, “smart” buildings are known for their energy, materials, water, and land management systems. Smart buildings use wireless technologies and sensors to improve thermal, visual, and acoustic comfort. These systems are known for managing energy, materials, water, and land. The task of the study is to consider the indicators that form the basis of the framework for evaluating intelligent buildings. The indicators for the development of “smart” buildings are classified into six categories in this paper: green building construction, energy management systems, safety and security management systems, occupant comfort and health, building automation and control management systems, and communication and data sharing. The paper aims to develop a scoring model for the smartness of public buildings. In developing the scoring system, the decision-making process requires an appropriate selection of the optimal solution. The contents of the research are the methods known as the Pythagorean Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (PF-AHP), Interval Valued Pythagorean Fuzzy AHP with differences (IVPF-AHP d), and the proposed method Interval Valued Pythagorean Fuzzy AHP (IVPF-AHP p). The research focuses on the IVPF-AHP as one of the methods of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) and its implementation. The comparative analysis of the three presented methods indicates a significant degree of similarity in the ranking, which confirms the ranking similarity. The results highlight the importance of bioclimatic design, smart metering, ecological materials, and renewable energy systems.
Previous initiatives developed for the purpose of designing and the realization of a smart, sustainable city have shown that there is no single approach to make a city “smarter” and more sustainable. ...Each city represents a unique system where different stakeholders, local authorities, utility companies, and citizens undertake numerous activities, creating a matrix of interactions and interdependencies. In order to understand the ecological and social contexts of the city, as well as its priority activities, history, and specific features, the establishment of an appropriate methodology to support the establishment of a sustainable and smart city has become extremely important. Our research aims to explore key indicators in the development of the concept of the smart city in Serbia, and to assess the prioritization of activities. An integral approach based on a mathematical method a hybrid fuzzy Multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model based on Interval type-2 fuzzy sets classifies the whole system through different criteria and sub-criteria while respecting the experts’ opinions. The aim is to offer modelled solutions for our country integrated with the EU by smart cities.
For the past four decades, the methodology of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process based on fuzzy trapezoidal or triangular numbers with the linear type of membership functions has witnessed an expanding ...development with applicability to a wide variety of areas, such as industry, environment, education, government, economics, engineering, health, and smart city leadership. On the other hand, the interval gray analytic hierarchy process is a more practical method when a significant number of professionals have large variations in preferences and interests in complex decisions. The paper examines the management of architectural heritage in smart cities, using methods of multi-criteria decision making. Two appropriate methods generally recommended by the scientific literature have been applied: fuzzy and interval grey analytic hierarchy process. By using both techniques, there is an opportunity to analyze the consensual results from the aspect of two different stakeholder groups: architectural heritage experts and smart city development experts. Trapezoidal fuzzy analytical hierarchical process shows better stability than a triangular one. Both approaches assign priority to the strategy, but the interval approach gives a more significant rank to architectural heritage factors. The similarity of the proposed methods has been tested, and the similarity factor in the ranking indicates a high degree of similarity in comparing the reference rankings.
•Reflectance of deciduous and coniferous forests.•Terrestrial measurements by a spectroradiometer.•Reflectance of forest vegetation with continuous smooth curves.
Monitoring forests with satellite, ...remote sensors, and terrestrial measurements are active due to the forests’ great ecological and economic importance. The subject of our research is the reflectance of deciduous and coniferous forests, based on the results of terrestrial measurements by a spectroradiometer in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) of 400–700 nm. One of the tasks is to show the reflectance of forest vegetation with continuous smooth curves obtained by constructed cubic splines. Interval mathematics was also used as mathematical support for obtaining the continuous representation of the center reflectance values and comparison with corresponding mean values of reflectance given by the spectroradiometer. The field of research is the Pester plateau, which represents the center of biodiversity in terms of richness and diversity of forest vegetation. Their center reflectance values higher than the corresponding values obtained using the spectroradiometer have been researched. Factor analysis of the reflectance of forests has been performed and two factors have been separated. This paper aims to find a mathematical model of forest reflection analysis that facilitates forest classification and, based on the range of the reflection, assessments the health status of the forest.
The balance between resource consumption and the ability of natural systems to meet the needs of future generations emerges as a prerequisite of sustainability. Sustainability means aligning economic ...growth and development with the interest of the environment and social development. Decision-making is a significant responsibility in an environment and the business world because decisions affect the ecology and business performance. It is necessary to adopt new approaches in decision-making to find an appropriate method for assessing and setting priority goals. Various methods for multi-criteria decision-making have been developed, including the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The paper deals with the management of natural and human resources for the sustainable economic development of Serbia by selecting influential factors, relying on a multi-criteria decision-making framework. Appropriate methods have been applied: AHP and several fuzzy AHP (FAHP) approaches. These methods’ application enables the analysis of results from different aspects of expert opinion. Through a case study, this paper investigates the AHP method from several facets in which the identification of decision criteria is based on the perception of experts of different profiles. The findings of this research can be a guideline for decision-makers in resource management to enhance sustainable economic development. The case study confirms that the stability of the business environment and business sectors is the most influential indicator in all scenarios.
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to examine the MRI appearance of the ligaments within the external space of the lumbar intervertebral foramen by correlating MR images with the corresponding ...anatomic dissection of the cadaver lumbar spine.
Methods
This was a two part study. Part I of the anatomic study consisted of the dissection of lumbar specimens from one embalmed adult male cadaver. At each lumbar level the external ligamentous structures were identified and their origin, insertion and position were determined. Part II of the study consisted of the anatomical analysis of the external transforaminal ligaments in the 180 lumbar intervertebral foramina on the MR images (1.5 T) in the sagittal plane. The diagnostic procedure was performed on 18 individuals from 18 to 25 years of age.
Results
The external transforaminal ligaments were observed at all levels and from both sides in the lumbar intervertebral foramen. The presence of the superior corporotransverse ligament was found in 45.56 % intervertebral foramina, while the inferior corporotransverse ligament was found in 61.67 % intervertebral foramina in the MRI.
Conclusion
Our results confirm that external transforaminal ligaments are common structures in the intervertebral foramen. The results of this study show that the external transforaminal ligaments can be clearly visualized in MR images. It is crucial to have previous knowledge of the cadaveric specimens to recognize the transforaminal ligaments in MR images. The presence of these ligaments is clinically important because the ligaments could be the cause of nerve root compression or the low back pain syndrome.
Higher-order methods for the simultaneous inclusion of complex zeros of algebraic polynomials are presented in parallel (total-step) and serial (single-step) versions. If the multiplicities of each ...zeros are given in advance, the proposed methods can be extended for multiple zeros using appropriate corrections. These methods are constructed on the basis of the zero-relation of Gargantini’s type, the inclusion isotonicity property and suitable corrections that appear in two-point methods of the fourth order for solving nonlinear equations. It is proved that the order of convergence of the proposed methods is at least six. The computational efficiency of the new methods is very high since the acceleration of convergence order from 3 (basic methods) to 6 (new methods) is attained using only
n
polynomial evaluations per iteration. Computational efficiency of the considered methods is studied in detail and two numerical examples are given to demonstrate the convergence behavior of the proposed methods.
New efficient iterative method of Halley’s type for the simultaneous inclusion of all simple complex zeros of a polynomial is proposed. The presented convergence analysis, which uses the concept of ...the R-order of convergence of mutually dependent sequences, shows that the convergence rate of the basic fourth order method is increased from 4 to 9 using a two-point correction. The proposed inclusion method possesses high computational efficiency since the increase of convergence is attained with only one additional function evaluation per sought zero. Further acceleration of the proposed method is carried out using the Gauss–Seidel procedure. Some computational aspects and three numerical examples are given in order to demonstrate high computational efficiency and the convergence properties of the proposed methods.
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