Taylor and Francis Group and Autosoft

INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION & SOFT COMPUTING

Call For Papers

Special Issue on

Z-numbers theory and its applications

I. AIMS AND SCOPE

Real-world information is imperfect. On the one hand, such

information is often characterized by fuzziness. This implies that

we often impose soft constraints on values of variables of

interest. On the other hand, real-world information is

characterized by partial reliability. Indeed, any estimation of

values of interest, be it precise or soft, is subject to the

confidence in sources of information – knowledge, assumptions,

intuition, envision, experience – which, in general, cannot

completely cover the whole complexity of real-world phenomena.

Thus, fuzziness and partial reliability are strongly associated to

each other. In order to take into account this fact, L.A. Zadeh

suggested the concept of a Z-number as a more adequate formal

construct for description of real-world information.

Many numbers, especially, in fields such as economics and decision

analysis, are in reality Z-numbers, but they are not treated as

such, because it is much simpler to compute with numbers than with

Z-numbers. Basically, the concept of a Z-number is a step toward

formalization of the remarkable human capability to make rational

decisions in an environment of imprecision and uncertainty.

The concept of a Z-number has a potential for many applications,

especially in the realms of computation with probabilities and

events described in NL. Of particular importance are applications

in economics, decision analysis, risk assessment, prediction,

anticipation, planning, biomedicine and rule-based manipulation of

imprecise functions and relations.

The aim of this special issue is to collect the most recent

outstanding theoretical and practical contributions to the

Z-number concept. It will attempt to cover the issues related to

using Z-numbers in control, decision analysis, system analysis,

modeling etc. These contributions will represent an advance in the

state-of-the-art of computation with Z-numbers including models,

algorithms, methodologies and applications.

We will select high quality papers that pay attention to new

methodologies to deal with the emerging problems and technologies

(big data, system of systems, Z-reasoning, Z-forecasting, …)

together well-established problems (classification and regression,

clustering, time series, data mining, intelligent automation,

hybrid systems), with the aim of collecting novel and creative

proposals involving new avenues for research in the field of

Z-number.

II. TOPICS COVERED

* Z-Number and Z-Information Analysis

* Computation with Z-Numbers

* Reasoning with Z-Numbers

* Z-Arithmetic

* Aggregation of Z-Information

* Z-number Based Linear and Non-Linear Programming

* Z-Number and Computing With Words

* Z-Number Based Neurocomputing

* Z-Number and Evolutionary Computation

* Z-Number in Control

* Decision Making under Z-Information

* Z-Number Based Time Series

* Z-Number Based Pattern Recognition

* Z-Number in Art

* Z-Number Based Regression and Clustering

* Uncertain Computation and Applications

* Z-number and Soft Computing in Earth Sciences, Industrial

  Engineering, Financial Engineering, Medicine and Biomedical

  Engineering, Business and Economics

* Other Related Areas and Applications

III. IMPORTANT DATES

June 1, 2016: Submission deadline

September 1, 2016: Notification of the first-round review

November 1, 2016: Revised submission due

December 1, 2016: Final notice of acceptance/reject

IV. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Manuscripts should be prepared according to the instruction of the

“Instructions for Authors” section of the journal and submission

should be done through the Intelligent Automation & Soft Computing

(Autosoft) journal official website:

http://wacong.org/autosoft/auto/. Authors who are going to submit

their papers to the Autosoft special issue on "Z-Number and

Z-Information Analysis", should select this special issue from a

select box on paper submission page.

Clearly mark "Z-numbers theory and its applications" in your cover

letter to the Editor-in-Chief.

All submitted manuscripts will be reviewed using the standard

procedure that is followed for regular submissions.

V. GUEST EDITORS

Prof. Rafik Aliev

Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University

e-mail: raliev@asoa.edu.az

Prof. Vladik Kreinovich

University of Texas at El Paso, USA

e-mail: vladik@utep.edu

Prof. Burhan Turksen

University of Toronto, Canada

e-mail: turksen@mie.utoronto.ca,

ibturksen@gmail.com