Extended fuzzy N-Soft PROMETHEE method and its application in robot butler selection.

This paper extends the literature on fuzzy PROMETHEE, a well-known multi-criteria group decision-making technique. The PROMETHEE technique ranks alternatives by specifying an allowable preference function that measures their deviations from other alternatives in the presence of conflicting criteria. Its ambiguous variation helps to make an appropriate decision or choose the best option in the presence of some ambiguity. Here, we focus on the more general uncertainty in human decision-making, as we allow N-grading in fuzzy parametric descriptions. In this setting, we propose a suitable fuzzy N-soft PROMETHEE technique. We recommend using an Analytic Hierarchy Process to test the feasibility of standard weights before application. Then the fuzzy N-soft PROMETHEE method is explained. It ranks the alternatives after some steps summarized in a detailed flowchart. Furthermore, its practicality and feasibility are demonstrated through an application that selects the best robot housekeepers. The comparison between the fuzzy PROMETHEE method and the technique proposed in this work demonstrates the confidence and accuracy of the latter method.

An integrated ELECTRE method for selection of rehabilitation center with m-polar fuzzy N-soft information.

The primary goal of this research article is to apply ELECTRE I, a fundamental multi-criteria group decision-making technique, in an m-polar fuzzy N-soft environment. This new methodology helps us to pinpoint the best alternative(s) in the presence of multi-polar options with N-graded qualities. Its basic operational idea entails the comparison between any two alternatives by the assessment of score degrees. Concordance and discordance indices are then calculated to evaluate the alternatives' superiority and inferiority. We may disqualify the incompetent alternatives using concordance and discordance levels. An m-polar fuzzy N-soft dominance matrix can represent the combined effect of concordance and discordance dominance matrices. The steps of this new multi-criteria group decision making technique are summarized in a flowchart. In order to demonstrate its authenticity and applicability, we employ a case study involving the establishment of a rehabilitation facility for drug abusers. A comparison with the m-polar fuzzy PROMETHEE and m-polar fuzzy ELECTRE I methodologies establishes its validity. Finally, we conclude our study of the methodology proposed in this paper with a critical analysis of its benefits and drawbacks.

Intersecting Disadvantages for Married Adolescents: Life After Marriage Pre- and Post-COVID-19 in Contexts of Displacement.

PURPOSE: Although there is a growing evidence base on the drivers of child marriage, comparatively little is known about the experiences of married girls in refugee settings and how their development trajectories diverge from those of their nonmarried peers, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on cross-national panel data from Bangladesh and Jordan, this article explores diversity in child marriage experiences in contexts affected by forced displacement, highlighting how married girls' well-being differs from that of their unmarried peers, and how COVID-19 has reinforced these differences. METHODS: We analyzed longitudinal survey data-collected pre- and post-COVID-19-from the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence study with 293 ever-married and 1,102 never-married adolescent girls. Multivariate regression analysis assessed the well-being of married and unmarried girls across contexts and refugee status, both prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. These quantitative data are complemented by in-depth qualitative data from adolescents (n = 112), and key informant interviews with service providers and community leaders (n = 62). RESULTS: Our findings highlight that married girls in contexts affected by displacement are disadvantaged in multiple ways, but that the patterning of disadvantage varies across contexts, and that marriage can also have protective effects in certain contexts. The COVID-19 pandemic has, however, served to exacerbate existing inequalities in all contexts. DISCUSSION: Although child marriage prevention efforts remain critical, there is also an urgent need for programming that targets married girls in refugee and host communities to mitigate negative outcomes among this vulnerable group.

Intersecting barriers to adolescents' educational access during COVID-19: Exploring the role of gender, disability and poverty.

This article explores the social determinants of adolescents' access to education during the COVID-19 pandemic in three diverse urban contexts in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Jordan. It provides novel empirical data from the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence longitudinal study, drawing on phone surveys (4441), qualitative interviews with adolescents aged 12-19 years (500), and key informant interviews conducted between April and October 2020. Findings highlight that the pandemic is compounding pre-existing vulnerabilities to educational disadvantage, and that gender, poverty and disability are intersecting to deepen social inequalities. The paper concludes by reflecting on policy implications for inclusive distance education in emergencies.