Open Access
Aggregation of individual rankings through fusion functions: criticism and optimality analysis
(IEEE, 2020) Bustince Sola, Humberto; Bedregal, Benjamin; Campión Arrastia, María Jesús; Silva, Ivanoska da; Fernández Fernández, Francisco Javier; Induráin Eraso, Esteban; Raventós Pujol, Armajac; Santiago, Regivan; Estatistika, Informatika eta Matematika; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Estadística, Informática y Matemáticas
Throughout this paper, our main idea is to analyze from a theoretical and normative point of view different methods to aggregate individual rankings. To do so, first we introduce the concept of a general mean on an abstract set. This new concept conciliates the social choice where well-known impossibility results as the Arrovian ones are encountered and the decision-making approaches where the necessity of fusing rankings is unavoidable. Moreover it gives rise to a reasonable definition of the concept of a ranking fusion function that does indeed satisfy the axioms of a general mean. Then we will introduce some methods to build ranking fusion functions, paying a special attention to the use of score functions, and pointing out the equivalence between ranking and scoring. To conclude, we prove that any ranking fusion function introduces a partial order on rankings implemented on a finite set of alternatives. Therefore, this allows us to compare rankings and different methods of aggregation, so that in practice one should look for the maximal elements with respect to such orders defined on rankings IEEE.
Open Access
Pseudo overlap functions, fuzzy implications and pseudo grouping functions with applications
(MDPI, 2022) Zhang, Xiaohong; Liang, Rong; Bustince Sola, Humberto; Bedregal, Benjamin; Fernández Fernández, Francisco Javier; Li, Mengyuan; Ou, Qiqi; Estadística, Informática y Matemáticas; Estatistika, Informatika eta Matematika
Overlap and grouping functions are important aggregation operators, especially in information fusion, classification and decision-making problems. However, when we do more in-depth application research (for example, non-commutative fuzzy reasoning, complex multi-attribute decision making and image processing), we find overlap functions as well as grouping functions are required to be commutative (or symmetric), which limit their wide applications. For the above reasons, this paper expands the original notions of overlap functions and grouping functions, and the new concepts of pseudo overlap functions and pseudo grouping functions are proposed on the basis of removing the commutativity of the original functions. Some examples and construction methods of pseudo overlap functions and pseudo grouping functions are presented, and the residuated implication (co-implication) operators derived from them are investigated. Not only that, some applications of pseudo overlap (grouping) functions in multi-attribute (group) decision-making, fuzzy mathematical morphology and image processing are discussed. Experimental results show that, in many application fields, pseudo overlap functions and pseudo grouping functions have greater flexibility and practicability.
Open Access
Type-2 fuzzy entropy-sets
(IEEE, 2017) Miguel Turullols, Laura de; Santos, Helida; Sesma Sara, Mikel; Bedregal, Benjamin; Jurío Munárriz, Aránzazu; Bustince Sola, Humberto; Automática y Computación; Automatika eta Konputazioa; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
The final goal of this study is to adapt the concept of fuzzy entropy of De Luca and Termini to deal with Type-2 Fuzzy Sets. We denote this concept Type-2 Fuzzy Entropy-Set. However, the construction of the notion of entropy measure on an infinite set, such us [0, 1], is not effortless. For this reason, we first introduce the concept of quasi-entropy of a Fuzzy Set on the universe [0, 1]. Furthermore, whenever the membership function of the considered Fuzzy Set in the universe [0, 1] is continuous, we prove that the quasi-entropy of that set is a fuzzy entropy in the sense of De Luca y Termini. Finally, we present an illustrative example where we use Type-2 Fuzzy Entropy-Sets instead of fuzzy entropies in a classical fuzzy algorithm.
Open Access
Additively generated (a,b)-implication functions*
(IEEE, 2023) Santos, Helida; Pereira Dimuro, Graçaliz; Bedregal, Benjamin; Paiva, Rui; Lucca, Giancarlo; Moura, Bruno; Cruz, Anderson; Bustince Sola, Humberto; Estadística, Informática y Matemáticas; Estatistika, Informatika eta Matematika
Some problems involving classification through neural networks are known to use inputs out of the scope of the unit interval. Therefore, defining operations on arbitrary closed real intervals may be an interesting strategy to tackle this issue and enhance those application environments. In this paper we follow the ideas already discussed in the literature regarding (a,b)-fusion functions, and (a,b)-negations, to provide a new way to construct implication functions. The main idea is to construct an operator using additively generated functions that preserve the properties required by implication functions.
Open Access
Abstract homogeneous functions and consistently influenced/disturbed multi-expert decision making
(IEEE, 2021) Santiago, Regivan; Bedregal, Benjamin; Pereira Dimuro, Graçaliz; Fernández Fernández, Francisco Javier; Bustince Sola, Humberto; Fardoun, Habib; Estadística, Informática y Matemáticas; Estatistika, Informatika eta Matematika
In this paper we propose a new generalization for the notion of homogeneous functions. We show some properties and how it appears in some scenarios. Finally we show how this generalization can be used in order to provide a new paradigm for decision making theory called consistent influenced/disturbed decision making. In order to illustrate the applicability of this new paradigm, we provide a toy example.
Open Access
Towards interval uncertainty propagation control in bivariate aggregation processes and the introduction of width-limited interval-valued overlap functions
(Elsevier, 2021) Da Cruz Asmus, Tiago; Pereira Dimuro, Graçaliz; Bedregal, Benjamin; Sanz Delgado, José Antonio; Mesiar, Radko; Bustince Sola, Humberto; Estatistika, Informatika eta Matematika; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Estadística, Informática y Matemáticas; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Overlap functions are a class of aggregation functions that measure the overlapping degree between two values. They have been successfully applied as a fuzzy conjunction operation in several problems in which associativity is not required, such as image processing and classification. Interval-valued overlap functions were defined as an extension to express the overlapping of interval-valued data, and they have been usually applied when there is uncertainty regarding the assignment of membership degrees, as in interval-valued fuzzy rule-based classification systems. In this context, the choice of a total order for intervals can be significant, which motivated the recent developments on interval-valued aggregation functions and interval-valued overlap functions that are increasing to a given admissible order, that is, a total order that refines the usual partial order for intervals. Also, width preservation has been considered on these recent works, in an intent to avoid the uncertainty increase and guarantee the information quality, but no deeper study was made regarding the relation between the widths of the input intervals and the output interval, when applying interval-valued functions, or how one can control such uncertainty propagation based on this relation. Thus, in this paper we: (i) introduce and develop the concepts of width-limited interval-valued functions and width limiting functions, presenting a theoretical approach to analyze the relation between the widths of the input and output intervals of bivariate interval-valued functions, with special attention to interval-valued aggregation functions; (ii) introduce the concept of (a,b)-ultramodular aggregation functions, a less restrictive extension of one-dimension convexity for bivariate aggregation functions, which have an important predictable behaviour with respect to the width when extended to the interval-valued context; (iii) define width-limited interval-valued overlap functions, taking into account a function that controls the width of the output interval and a new notion of increasingness with respect to a pair of partial orders (≤1,≤2); (iv) present and compare three construction methods for these width-limited interval-valued overlap functions, considering a pair of orders (≤1,≤2), which may be admissible or not, showcasing the adaptability of our developments.
Open Access
Admissible OWA operators for fuzzy numbers
(Elsevier, 2024) García-Zamora, Diego; Cruz, Anderson; Neres, Fernando; Santiago, Regivan; Roldán López de Hierro, Antonio Francisco; Paiva, Rui; Pereira Dimuro, Graçaliz; Martínez López, Luis; Bedregal, Benjamin; Bustince Sola, Humberto; Estadística, Informática y Matemáticas; Estatistika, Informatika eta Matematika; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC
Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) operators are some of the most widely used aggregation functions in classic literature, but their application to fuzzy numbers has been limited due to the complexity of defining a total order in fuzzy contexts. However, the recent notion of admissible order for fuzzy numbers provides an effective method to totally order them by refining a given partial order. Therefore, this paper is devoted to defining OWA operators for fuzzy numbers with respect to admissible orders and investigating their properties. Firstly, we define the OWA operators associated with such admissible orders and then we show their main properties. Afterward, an example is presented to illustrate the applicability of these AOWA operators in linguistic decision-making. In this regard, we also develop an admissible order for trapezoidal fuzzy numbers that can be efficiently applied in practice.
Open Access
On fuzzy implications derived from general overlap functions and their relation to other classes
(MDPI, 2023) Pinheiro, Jocivania; Santos, Helida; Pereira Dimuro, Graçaliz; Bedregal, Benjamin; Santiago, Regivan; Fernández Fernández, Francisco Javier; Bustince Sola, Humberto; Estadística, Informática y Matemáticas; Estatistika, Informatika eta Matematika; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC
There are distinct techniques to generate fuzzy implication functions. Despite most of them using the combination of associative aggregators and fuzzy negations, other connectives such as (general) overlap/grouping functions may be a better strategy. Since these possibly non-associative operators have been successfully used in many applications, such as decision making, classification and image processing, the idea of this work is to continue previous studies related to fuzzy implication functions derived from general overlap functions. In order to obtain a more general and flexible context, we extend the class of implications derived by fuzzy negations and t-norms, replacing the latter by general overlap functions, obtaining the so-called (GO, N)-implication functions. We also investigate their properties, the aggregation of (GO, N)-implication functions, their characterization and the intersections with other classes of fuzzy implication functions.
Open Access
Pre-aggregation functions: construction and an application
(IEEE, 2015) Lucca, Giancarlo; Sanz Delgado, José Antonio; Pereira Dimuro, Graçaliz; Bedregal, Benjamin; Mesiar, Radko; Kolesárová, Anna; Bustince Sola, Humberto; Automática y Computación; Automatika eta Konputazioa
In this work we introduce the notion of preaggregation function. Such a function satisfies the same boundary conditions as an aggregation function, but, instead of requiring monotonicity, only monotonicity along some fixed direction (directional monotonicity) is required. We present some examples of such functions. We propose three different methods to build pre-aggregation functions. We experimentally show that in fuzzy rule-based classification systems, when we use one of these methods, namely, the one based on the use of the Choquet integral replacing the product by other aggregation functions, if we consider the minimum or the Hamacher product t-norms for such construction, we improve the results obtained when applying the fuzzy reasoning methods obtained using two classical averaging operators like the maximum and the Choquet integral.
Embargo
Non-symmetric over-time pooling using pseudo-grouping functions for convolutional neural networks
(Elsevier, 2024-07-01) Ferrero Jaurrieta, Mikel; Paiva, Rui; Cruz, Anderson; Bedregal, Benjamin; Miguel Turullols, Laura de; Takáč, Zdenko; López Molina, Carlos; Bustince Sola, Humberto; Estadística, Informática y Matemáticas; Estatistika, Informatika eta Matematika; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC
Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are a family of networks that have become state-of-the-art in several fields of artificial intelligence due to their ability to extract spatial features. In the context of natural language processing, they can be used to build text classification models based on textual features between words. These networks fuse local features to generate global features in their over-time pooling layers. These layers have been traditionally built using the maximum function or other symmetric functions such as the arithmetic mean. It is important to note that the order of input local features is significant (i.e. the symmetry is not an inherent characteristic of the model). While this characteristic is appropriate for image-oriented CNNs, where symmetry might make the network robust to image rigid transformations, it seems counter-productive for text processing, where the order of the words is certainly important. Our proposal is, hence, to use non-symmetric pooling operators to replace the maximum or average functions. Specifically, we propose to perform over-time pooling using pseudo-grouping functions, a family of non-symmetric aggregation operators that generalize the maximum function. We present a construction method for pseudo-grouping functions and apply different examples of this family to over-time pooling layers in text-oriented CNNs. Our proposal is tested on seven different models and six different datasets in the context of engineering applications, e.g. text classification. The results show an overall improvement of the models when using non-symmetric pseudo-grouping functions over the traditional pooling function.