Vilnius Gediminas Technical University

Nowadays, the importance of bibliographic databases (DBs) has increased enormously, as they are the main providers of publication metadata and bibliometric indicators universally used both for research assessment practices and for performing daily tasks. Because the reliability of these tasks firstly depends on the data source, all users of the DBs should be able to choose the most suitable one. Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus are the two main bibliographic DBs. The comprehensive evaluation of the DBs’ coverage is practically impossible without extensive bibliometric analyses or literature reviews, but most DBs users do not have bibliometric competence and/or are not willing to invest additional time for such evaluations. Apart from that, the convenience of the DB’s interface, performance, provided impact indicators and additional tools may also influence the users’ choice. The main goal of this work is to provide all of the potential users with an all-inclusive description of the two main bibliographic DBs by gathering the findings that are presented in the most recent literature and information provided by the owners of the DBs at one place. This overview should aid all stakeholders employing publication and citation data in selecting the most suitable DB.

The paper considers major principles of application of the multi‐attribute systems to solve legislative tasks. In order to assess dispute resolution methods from economic, social and other points of view, it is necessary to apply methods for assessing solutions according to multiple attributes. All known multi‐attribute methods cannot value the atribute weights as one weight of attribute is higher or lower significant than the other attribute. The new step‐wise weight assessment ratio analysis method (SWARA) allows including experts, lawyers or dispute parties opinion about significance ratio of the attributes in the process of rational decision determination. SWARA method could be applied in practical implementation of specialised decision support systems and alternative dispute resolution in virtual environment. Starting with principles and established approaches, a problem‐structuring methodology was developed which would condition the problem to allow a more thoughtful application of existing decision‐making analytic methodologies. Santrauka Darbe nagrinejami daugiakriterines analizes taikymo galimybes ir principai teisiniams uždaviniams spresti. Siekiant ekonominiu, socialiniu ar kitu aspektu ivertinti ginču sprendimo būdu alternatyvas, būtina taikyti metodus, ivertinančius šias alternatyvas apibūdinančius kriterijus. Tačiau visi žinomi daugiakriteriniai metodai nevertina, kiek rodikliai, apibūdinantys alternatyvas, yra vienas už kita svar‐besni ar ne tokie reikšmingi. Pasiūlytas naujas kriteriju svoriu nustatymo metodas, pagristas nuose‐kliu laipsnišku poriniu kriteriju santykines svarbos lyginimu (angl. Step‐Wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis ‐ SWARA), leidžia priimant sprendimus ivertinti ekspertu, advokatu ar ginčo šaliu nuomo‐ne apie rodikliu reikšmingumu skirtumus. SWARA metodas gali būti taikomas kuriant specializuotas sprendimu paramos sistemas, skirtas racionaliam ginču sprendimo būdui parinkti ar ginčams spresti alternatyviais būdais virtualioje aplinkoje. Darbe trumpai apžvelgti ginču sprendimo būdai, sukurtas ju vertinimo ir lyginimo metodas, kuris sekmingai galetu būti taikomas ir kitiems uždaviniams spresti.

An effective way for managing and controlling a large number of inventory items or stock keeping units (SKUs) is the inventory classification. Traditional ABC analysis which based on only a single criterion is commonly used for classification of SKUs. However, we should consider inventory classification as a multi-criteria problem in practice. In this study, a new method of Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution (EDAS) is introduced for multi-criteria inventory classification (MCIC) problems. In the proposed method, we use positive and negative distances from the average solution for appraising alternatives (SKUs). To represent performance of the proposed method in MCIC problems, we use a common example with 47 SKUs. Comparing the results of the proposed method with some existing methods shows the good performance of it in ABC classification. The proposed method can also be used for multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problems. A comparative analysis is also made for showing the validity and stability of the proposed method in MCDM problems. We compare the proposed method with VIKOR, TOPSIS, SAW and COPRAS methods using an example. Seven sets of criteria weights and Spearman’s correlation coefficient are used for this analysis. The results show that the proposed method is stable in different weights and well consistent with the other methods.

One of important parts of every computer-aided multiple criteria decision support system is selection of a proper MCDM (Multiple Criteria Decision Making) method. WSM (Weighted Sum Model) and WPM (Weighted Product Model) are analyzed in the current research. The aim of the research is to measure the accuracy of the latter methods and to propose a method to increase the ranking accuracy of alternatives. It is proposed to apply joint WASPAS (Weighted Aggregates Sum Product Assessment) method. Methodology for evaluation of accuracy, based on initial criteria values, is developed. Optimization of weighted aggregated function is suggested, that enables to reach the highest accuracy of measurement. An example of application of the proposed methodology is presented. Ill. 3, bibl. 15, tabl. 4 (in English; abstracts in English and Lithuanian).DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eee.122.6.1810

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the advantage of a combinatory methodology presented in this study. The paper suggests that the comparison with results of previously developed methods is in high agreement. Design/methodology/approach This paper introduces a combined compromise decision-making algorithm with the aid of some aggregation strategies. The authors have considered a distance measure, which originates from grey relational coefficient and targets to enhance the flexibility of the results. Hence, the weight of the alternatives is placed in the decision-making process with three equations. In the final stage, an aggregated multiplication rule is employed to release the ranking of the alternatives and end the decision process. Findings The authors described a real case of choosing logistics and transportation companies in France from a supply chain project. Some comparisons such as sensitivity analysis approach and comparing to other studies and methods provided to validate the performance of the proposed algorithm. Originality/value The algorithm has a unique structure among MCDM methods which is presented for the first time in this paper.

Multicriteria decision‐making (MCDM) methods are used in many areas of human activities. Each alternative in a multicriteria decision‐making problem can be described by a set of criteria. Criteria can be qualitative and quantitative. They usually have different units of measurement and a different optimization direction. The normalization aims at obtaining comparable scales of criteria values. The paper introduces a new Additive Ratio ASsessment (ARAS) method. In order to illustrate the described ARAS method a real case study of evaluation of microclimate in office rooms is presented. The case study aims to determine the inside climate of the premises, where people work, and to define measures to be taken to improve their environment. Based on the analysis, the following criteria for inside climate evaluation are suggested: air turnover inside the premises, air humidity, air temperature, illumination intensity, air flow rate, and dew point. The criteria weights were determined by the method of pairwise comparison based on the estimates of experts. Santrauka Daugiakriteriniai sprendimų metodai taikomi daugelyje žmogaus veiklos sričių. Kiekviena alternatyva, sprendžiant daugiakriterinius uždavinius, gali būti apibūdinta kriteriju aibe. Kriterijai gali būti kokybiniai ir kiekybiniai. Jie paprastai turi skirtingus matavimo vienetus ir įvairią optimizavimo kryptį. Kriterijų vertės yra normalizuojamos lyginamos skalės vertėms gauti. Straipsnyje pateikiamas naujas adityvinis kriterijų santykių įvertinimo metodas (ARAS) daugiakriteriniams uždaviniams spręsti. ARAS metodo taikymui pavaizduoti pateiktas realus mikroklimato biuro patalpose vertinimo tyrimas. Tyrimo tikslas ‐ įvertinti patalpų, kurioje žmonės dirba, mikroklimata ir nustatyti priemones, kurių reikia imtis aplinkai pagerinti. Remiantis uždavinio tikslų analize, siūlomi šie kriterijai vidaus klimatui įvertinti: oro pasikeitimas, patalpų oro santykinė dregmė, oro temperatūra, apšvietimo intensyvumas, oro srautas ir rasos taškas. Kriterijų svoriai nustatomi porinio lyginimo metodu, remiantis ekspertų vertinimais. Kriterijų reikšmės nustatytos sertifikuotu prietaisu.

Decision-making is primarily a process that involves different actors: people, groups of people, institutions and the state. As a discipline, multi-criteria decision-making has a relatively short history. Since 1950s and 1960s, when foundations of modern multi-criteria decision-making methods have been laid, many researches devoted their time to development of new multi-criteria decision-making models and techniques. In the past decades, researches and development in the field have accelerated and seem to continue growing exponentially. Despite the intensive development worldwide, few attempts have been made to systematically present the theoretical bases and developments of multi-criteria decision-making methods. However, the methodological choices and framework for assessment of decisions are still under discussion. The article describes the situation with reviews of MCDM/MADM methods. Furthermore, there is a need for research to study the strengths and weaknesses of different decision-making methods.

The main research activities in economics during the last five years have significantly increased. The main research fields are operation research and sustainable development. The philosophy of decision making in economics is to assess and select the most preferable solution, implement it and to gain the biggest profit. Preferences are used in a lot of problem situations both in individual and organizational decision making processes. A number of effective decision making methods that support decisions under conditions of multiple criteria have appeared in the last decade. This paper presents a panorama of decision making methods in economics and summarizes the most important results and applications over the last five years. This paper considers decision making in light of the recent developments of multiple criteria decision making methods (because classical methods are overviewed in a lot of earlier publications). Authors of different approaches, pioneering studies and works are presented in short. Santrauka Priimant ekonominius sprendimus pagrindinis tikslais gali būti: įvertinti tikslingas altrenatyvas, parinkti geriausią alternatyvą, įgyvendinti parinktą sprendimą ir gauti didžiausią naudą. Sprendimus gali parinkti tiek atskiri veikėjai tiek ir veikėjų grupės. Vertinamų sprendimų pasekmės įtakoja tiek sprendėjų tiek ir visuomenės poreikius. Šiame straipsnyje pateikiama sprendimų priėmimo metodų, kuriuos galima taikyti ekonomikoje, apžvalga. Straipnyje pateikiama paskutinių penkerių metų svarbiausių tyrimų apžvalga. Taip pat pristatyti populiariausių daugiatikslių sprendimų priėmimo metodų, kurie taikomi ir kuriuos galima taikyti priimant sprendimus ekonomikoje, autoriai.

The weights of criteria in multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problems are essential elements that can significantly affect the results. Accordingly, researchers developed and presented several methods to determine criteria weights. Weighting methods could be objective, subjective, and integrated. This study introduces a new method, called MEREC (MEthod based on the Removal Effects of Criteria), to determine criteria’ objective weights. This method uses a novel idea for weighting criteria. After systematically introducing the method, we present some computational analyses to confirm the efficiency of the MEREC. Firstly, an illustrative example demonstrates the procedure of the MEREC for calculation of the weights of criteria. Secondly, a comparative analysis is presented through an example for validation of the introduced method’s results. Additionally, we perform a simulation-based analysis to verify the reliability of MEREC and the stability of its results. The data of the MCDM problems generated for making this analysis follow a prevalent symmetric distribution (normal distribution). We compare the results of the MEREC with some other objective weighting methods in this analysis, and the analysis of means (ANOM) for variances shows the stability of its results. The conducted analyses demonstrate that the MEREC is efficient to determine objective weights of criteria.

The countries of Central and Eastern Europe moved from a previously centrally planned economy to a modern transition economy with strong market aspects. This paper proposes project management as an answer to this transition. Traditional Cost‐Benefit analysis does not respond to this purpose. Indeed Cost‐Benefit analysis is only interested in one specific project and not in a competition between projects. In addition all goals (objectives) have to be translated into money terms, leading sometimes to immoral consequences. On the contrary Multi‐Objective Optimization takes care of different objectives, whereas the objectives keep their own units. However different methods exist for the application of Multi‐Objective Optimization. The authors tested them after their robustness resulting in seven necessary conditions. MOORA (Multi‐Objective Optimization by Ratio analysis) and MULTIMOORA (MOORA plus Full Multiplicative Form), assisted by Ameliorated Nominal Group and Delphi Techniques, satisfy the seven conditions, although in a theoretical way. A simulation exercise illustrates the use of these methods, ideals to be strived for as much as possible. Santrauka Centrinės ir rytų Europos šalys perėjo iš anksčiau centralizuotai planuojamos ūkinės sistemos į šiuolaikinę pereinamąją ūkinę sistemą, kuriai būdingi ryškūs rinkos požymiai. Šiame straipsnyje siūloma projektų vadyba kaip atsakas į perėjimą. Įprastinė kainos ir naudos analizė tam tikslui yra netinkama. Be viso to, kainos ir naudos analizėje neatsižvelgiama į kiekvieną atskirai paimtą projektą bei į konkurenciją tarp tų projektų. Visi tikslai turi būti pakeisti piniginėmis vertėmis. Del to kartais kyla nepageidaujamų pasėkmių. Priešingai tam daugiatikslė optimizacija atsižvelgia į skirtingus tikslus, išsaugant tikslams būdingus mato vienetus. Yra daug įvairių daugiatikslės optimizacijos metodų. Autoriai patikrino jų stipriasias savybęs pagal septynias būtinasias sąlygas. MOORA (daugiatikslė optimizacija santykių dydžių analizės pagrindu) ir MULTIMOORA (MOORA plius pilnoji sandaugos forma), apimanti patobulintą normaliųjų grupių ir Delphi būdus, geriausiai atitinka septynias būtinąsiąs sąlygas taip pat ir teoriniu lygmeniu. Pavyzdžio modelis iliustruoja šiu metodu taikymą, idealai buvo pasiekti tiek, kiek galima.

Automated emotion recognition (AEE) is an important issue in various fields of activities which use human emotional reactions as a signal for marketing, technical equipment, or human-robot interaction. This paper analyzes scientific research and technical papers for sensor use analysis, among various methods implemented or researched. This paper covers a few classes of sensors, using contactless methods as well as contact and skin-penetrating electrodes for human emotion detection and the measurement of their intensity. The results of the analysis performed in this paper present applicable methods for each type of emotion and their intensity and propose their classification. The classification of emotion sensors is presented to reveal area of application and expected outcomes from each method, as well as their limitations. This paper should be relevant for researchers using human emotion evaluation and analysis, when there is a need to choose a proper method for their purposes or to find alternative decisions. Based on the analyzed human emotion recognition sensors and methods, we developed some practical applications for humanizing the Internet of Things (IoT) and affective computing systems.

The electrical power sector plays an important role in the economic growth and development of every country around the world. Total global demand for electric energy is growing both in developed and developing economies. The commitment to the decarbonization of economies, which would mean replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources (RES) as well as the electrification of transport and heating as a means to tackle global warming and dangerous climate change, would lead to a surge in electricity consumption worldwide. Hence, it appears reasonable that the electric power sector should embed the principles of sustainable development into its functioning and operation. In addition, events such as the recent European gas crisis that have emerged as a result of the massive deployment of renewables need to be studied and prevented. This review aims at assessing the role of the renewable energy in the sustainable development of the electrical power sector, focusing on the energy providers and consumers represented both by businesses and households that are gradually becoming prosumers on the market of electric energy. Furthermore, it also focuses on the impact of renewables on the utility side and their benefits for the grid. In addition, it identifies the major factors of the sustainable development of the electrical power sector.

In recent years several previous scholars made attempts to develop, extend, propose and apply Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) for solving problems in decision making issues. Indeed, there are questions, how TOPSIS can help for solving these problems? Or does TOPSIS solved decision making problems in the real world? Therefore, this study shows the recent developments of TOPSIS approach which are presented by previous scholars. To achieve this objective, there are 105 reviewed papers which developed, extended, proposed and presented TOPSIS approach for solving DM problems. The results of the study indicated that 49 scholars have extended or developed TOPSIS technique and 56 scholars have proposed or presented new modifications for problems solution related to TOPSIS technique from 2000 to 2015. In addition, results of this study indicated that, previous studies have modifications related to this technique in 2011 more than other years.

The paper presents risk assessment of construction projects. The assessment is based on the multi‐attribute decision‐making methods. The risk evaluation attributes are selected taking into consideration the interests and goals of the stakeholders as well as factors that have influence on the construction process efficiency and real estate value. Ranking of objects and determination of their optimality are determined by applying TOPSIS grey and COPRAS‐G methods with attributes values determined at intervals. A background and a description of the proposed model are provided and key findings of the analysis are presented. Santrauka Straipsnyje vertinama statybos projektu rizika. Vertinimas pagristas ivairiais daugiatikslio vertinimo metodais. Rizikos vertinimo rodikliai atrenkami, atsižvelgiant i suinteresuotu šaliu interesus, tikslus ir veiksnius, kurie turi itakos statybos proceso efektyvumui ir nekilnojamojo turto vertes didinimui. Projektai surikiuoti pagal naudinguma, nustatyti santykiniai ju optimalumo dydžiai. Uždavinio modeliui aprašyti ir jam išspresti taikomi TOPSIS grey ir COPRAS‐G metodai. Projektu savybes aprašomos efektyvumo rodikliu reikšmemis, apibrežiamomis intervaluose. Straipsnyje aprašomas taikomas modelis, atlikta uždavinio analize ir pateikiamos trumpos išvados.

In order to survive in the present day global competitive environment, it now becomes essential for the manufacturing organizations to take prompt and correct decisions regarding effective use of their scarce resources. Various multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods are now available to help those organizations in choosing the best decisive course of actions. In this paper, the applicability of weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) method is explored as an effective MCDM tool while solving eight manufacturing decision making problems, such as selection of cutting fluid, electroplating system, forging condition, arc welding process, industrial robot, milling condition, machinability of materials, and electro-discharge micro-machining process parameters. It is observed that this method has the capability of accurately ranking the alternatives in all the considered selection problems. The effect of the parameter λ on the ranking performance of WASPAS method is also studied.

Abstract The study aims to examine the potential relationship between public health expenditures, logistics performance indices, renewable energy, and ecological sustainability in Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries. The study used secondary data, which downloaded from the World Bank website and tested for hypotheses using the structural equation modeling. The results show that the use of renewable energy in logistics operations will improve environmental and economic performance to reduce emissions, whereas environmental performance is negatively correlated with public health expenditures, indicating that greater environmental sustainability can improve human health and economic growth. The results also show that increased public health spending and poor environmental performance undermine economic growth in low efficiency and low labor productivity, thus reducing the speed of economic activity. On the other hand, the use of renewable energy in logistics cannot only improve the sustainability of the environment but also create a better national image and provide better export opportunities in environmentally friendly countries to promote sustainable economic growth. The outcomes of this study will help the policy/decision makers to make the proper planning to their investments for achieving sustainable economic growth.

The main objective of this paper is to present a systematic review of the VlseKriterijuska Optimizacija I Komoromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method in several application areas such as sustainability and renewable energy. This study reviewed a total of 176 papers, published in 2004 to 2015, from 83 high-ranking journals; most of which were related to Operational Research, Management Sciences, decision making, sustainability and renewable energy and were extracted from the “Web of Science and Scopus” databases. Papers were classified into 15 main application areas. Furthermore, papers were categorized based on the nationalities of authors, dates of publications, techniques and methods, type of studies, the names of the journals and studies purposes. The results of this study indicated that more papers on VIKOR technique were published in 2013 than in any other year. In addition, 13 papers were published about sustainability and renewable energy fields. Furthermore, VIKOR and fuzzy VIKOR methods, had the first rank in use. Additionally, the Journal of Expert Systems with Applications was the most significant journal in this study, with 27 publications on the topic. Finally, Taiwan had the first rank from 22 nationalities which used VIKOR technique.

During the past two decades of e-commerce growth, the concept of a business model has become increasingly popular. More recently, the research on this realm has grown rapidly, with diverse research activity covering a wide range of application areas. Considering the sustainable development goals, the innovative business models have brought a competitive advantage to improve the sustainability performance of organizations. The concept of the sustainable business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value, in economic, social, cultural, or other contexts, in a sustainable way. The process of sustainable business model construction forms an innovative part of a business strategy. Different industries and businesses have utilized sustainable business models’ concept to satisfy their economic, environmental, and social goals simultaneously. However, the success, popularity, and progress of sustainable business models in different application domains are not clear. To explore this issue, this research provides a comprehensive review of sustainable business models literature in various application areas. Notable sustainable business models are identified and further classified in fourteen unique categories, and in every category, the progress -either failure or success- has been reviewed, and the research gaps are discussed. Taxonomy of the applications includes innovation, management and marketing, entrepreneurship, energy, fashion, healthcare, agri-food, supply chain management, circular economy, developing countries, engineering, construction and real estate, mobility and transportation, and hospitality. The key contribution of this study is that it provides an insight into the state of the art of sustainable business models in various application areas and future research directions. This paper concludes that popularity and the success rate of sustainable business models in all application domains have been increased along with the increasing use of advanced technologies.

The present work is a comprehensive collection of recently published research articles on Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) campaigns performed by means of Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors (DOFS). The latter are cutting-edge strain, temperature and vibration monitoring tools with a large potential pool, namely their minimal intrusiveness, accuracy, ease of deployment and more. Its most state-of-the-art feature, though, is the ability to perform measurements with very small spatial resolutions (as small as 0.63 mm). This review article intends to introduce, inform and advise the readers on various DOFS deployment methodologies for the assessment of the residual ability of a structure to continue serving its intended purpose. By collecting in a single place these recent efforts, advancements and findings, the authors intend to contribute to the goal of collective growth towards an efficient SHM. The current work is structured in a manner that allows for the single consultation of any specific DOFS application field, i.e., laboratory experimentation, the built environment (bridges, buildings, roads, etc.), geotechnical constructions, tunnels, pipelines and wind turbines. Beforehand, a brief section was constructed around the recent progress on the study of the strain transfer mechanisms occurring in the multi-layered sensing system inherent to any DOFS deployment (different kinds of fiber claddings, coatings and bonding adhesives). Finally, a section is also dedicated to ideas and concepts for those novel DOFS applications which may very well represent the future of SHM.

In recent years, ąuantitative multicriteria methods have been widely used for comparative evaluation of complicated technological and social-economic processes, as well as for determining the best alternative among the available options and ranking the alternatives based on their significance for a particular purpose. Professor of Vilnius Gediminas Tecnnical University E.K. Zavadskas was the first to use these methods in Lithuania in the mid-eignties of the last century for evaluation, substantiation and choosing of optimal technological solutions at various stages of construction (3aeadcxac 1987). In this period, new multicriteria evaluation methods were being developed and widely used in the world in various scientific and practical areas. Later, numerous disciples and colleagues of prof. Zavadskas as well representatives of various scientific schools extensively used the considered methods in Lithuania.The main concept behind the ąuantitative evaluation methods is integration of the values of the criteria describing a particular process and their weights (significances) into a single magnitude, i.e. the criterion of the method. For some particular (maximizing) criteria the largest value is the best, while for others (minimizing criteria) the smallest value is the best. The units of criteria measurement are also different. The alternatives compared are ranked according to the calculated values of the criterion of the method. Great numbers of multicriteria evaluation methods, based on different logical principles and having different complexity levels and the inherent features, have been created in the world. There is hardly any 'best' multicriteria evaluation method. Therefore, a parallel use of several multicriteria evaluation methods as well as the analysis of the spread of estimates and averaging of the values obtained may be recommended for evaluating complicated multifaceted objects and processes.The method SAW (Simple Additive JVeigMing) is one of the simplest, natural and most widely used multicriteria evaluation methods. It clearly demonstrates the idea of integrating the values and weights of criteria into a single estimating value - the criterion of the method. However, SAW uses only maximizing evaluation criteria, while minimizing evaluation criteria should be converted into the maximizing ones by the respective formulas prior to their application. This limitation is eliminated in the method COPRAS (Complex Proportional Assessment). The authors of the method, E. K. Zavadskas and his disciple A.Kaklauskas suggested that the influence of maximizing and minimizing evaluation criteria should be assessed separately. In this case, the component, taking into account the effect of maximizing criteria, matches the estimate yielded by the method SAW.Despite the fact that the method COPRAS is most commonly used in Lithuania, its main characteristics and properties have not been clearly defined and demonstrated. However, the awareness of these properties allows us to show the benefits of the method's application, to predict the influence of minimizing criteria values on the final result (estimate), to check the calculations and to take into account possible instability of estimates yielded by the method due to the specific character of the actual data.The paper describes the main features of multicriteria evaluation methods SAW and COPRAS and their common and diverse characteristics, as well as defining and demonstrating the properties of the method COPRAS, wMch are of great theoretical and practical value.All theoretical statements are illustrated by numerous examples and calculations.http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.22.2.310