Rafik Aliev

Joint MBA Program, Georgia State University, USA, Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University, Azerbaijan.


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ABSTRACT : Z-FUZZY VALUED APPROXIMATE REASONING

One of main topic of fuzzy logic is approximate reasoning, that refers to theory and methodologies for reasoning with imprecise antecedents to obtain meaning full consequents.
Z-extinction of fuzzy sets porridges a richer knowledge representation and reliable approximate reasoning. In literature on approximate reasoning exist huge number works based on use of Type-1, Type-2 and other extensions of fuzzy sets. Unfortunately up today there is no studes on Z-fuzzy set-based approximate reasoning. In this study for first time we develop theoretical basis and computational methods of Z-fuzzy information-based approximate reasoning. We suggest Z-fuzzy valued implication and investigate its properties. Then using Z-fuzzy implication approximate reasoning is studied. A numerical example and application in business problem are discussed.

SHORT BIO ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Rafik A. Aliev received the Ph.D. and Doctorate degrees from the Institute of Control Problems, Moscow, Russia, in 1967 and 1975, respectively. His major fields of study are decision theory with imperfect information, fuzzy logic, soft computing and control theory. He is a Professor and the Head of the Department of the joint MBA Program between the Georgia State University (Atlanta, GA, USA) and the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy. His current research is focused on generalized theory of stability, recurrent fuzzy neural networks, fuzzy type-2 systems, evolutionary computation, decision theory with imperfect information, calculus with Z-numbers, and fuzzy economics. He has over 350 scientific publications including 55 books, 15 editor volumes and more than 280 research papers. Dr. Aliev is a regular Chairman of the International Conferences on Applications of Fuzzy Systems and Soft Computing and International Conferences on Soft Computing and Computing with Words. He is an Editor of the Journal of Advanced Computational Intelligence and Intelligent Informatics (Japan), associate editor of the Information Sciences journal, a member of Editorial Boards of International Journal of Information Technology and Decision Making, International Journal of Web-based Communities (The Netherlands), Iranian Journal of Fuzzy Systems (Iran), International Journal of Advances in Fuzzy Mathematics (Italy), and International Journal “Intelligent Automation and Soft Computing.” He is series editor of “Advances in Uncertain Computation”, “World Scientific”. He was awarded USSR State Prize in field of Science (1983), USA Fulbright Award (1997), and Lifetime Achievement Award in Science (2014). He was a supervisor of more than 150 PhD Students and over 30 Doctorates.



Janusz Kacprzyk

Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland


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ABSTRACT : Z-numbers in multistage fuzzy decision making and control: a higher expressive power but at a price

We assume as the point of departure the classic Bellman and Zadeh’s [2] problem of multistage decision making and control under fuzzy constraints on inputs (decisions or controls) and fuzzy goals on the outputs (states, for simplicity), in a more comprehensive form presented in Kacprzyk [10]. As opposed to the basic case of a fixed and specified termination time (planning horizon), for instance „10 years” in the case of economic planning, we assume a fuzzy termination time exemplified, for instance, by „more or less 10 years”, „much more than 5 years”, „much less than 15 years”, etc. Such a fuzzy termination time is quite often what is really perceived by the human stakeholders, for instance, decision makers, in real life even if, for formal reasons, a fixed and specified termination time, here „10 years” is set. The fuzzy termination time, introduced by Kacprzyk [3,4,5] is assumed to be a fuzzy set in the set of control (decision making) stages which is assumed to be finite. We assume, first, that the system under control is deterministic and its dynamics (stage transitions) is given as state transition matrix, both the same at all control stategs and also time varying, that is, different for different control stages.
To extend the expressive power of the formulation, and to acccount for a partial reliability, the fuzzy constraints and fuzzy goals are represented by the Z-numbers defined in finite sets of states and controls, and then, we also mention an extended formulation with the system under control represented by a Z-relation. We assume in the first shot that the fuzzy termination time is defined just as a fuzzy number defined in the set of control stages.
First, we recall the source Z-number based basic approach to the problem of multistage fuzzy control with a fixed and specified termination time by Aliev, Pedrycz, Guirimov, Huseynov and Aliyev (2024) in which the termination time is assumed to be fixed and specified, exemplified by „10 years” as in our example.
Then, we consider the 3 basic approaches to the formulation and solution of the multusgae fuzzy control (decision making) problem with a fuzzy termination time proposed by Kacprzyk [3, 4, 5, 10]:
· dynamic programming,
· branch-and-bound,
· evolutionary computation (mostly genetic algorithms).
We start with the presentation of a Z-number extension of Kacprzyk’s [3, 4, 5] basic fuzzy dynamic programming model of the multistage fuzzy control (decision making) problem with a fuzzy termination time combined with some Z-number related solutions employed for the fuzzy dynamic programming by Aliev, Pedrycz, Guirimov, Huseynov and Aliyev [1]. This new approach proposed involves an additional degree of membership of a particular control stage in the fuzzy termination time.
Next, we show first a Z-numbr based extension of the branch-and-bound approach (cf. Kacprzyk [6]) to the formuation and solution of the problem of multistage fuzzy control (decision making) with a fuzzy termination time which can be a good alternative to dynamic programming for larger problems because it makes it possible to alleviate the infamous course of dimensionality of dynamic programming, including clearly fuzzy dynamic programming and the Z-number based dynamic programming alike. We show mainly how to implement the partitioning of a problem into smaller problems, and to devise and implememt a bounding function in the case of the Z-numbers.
Then, we show a Z –number based extension of a conceptually simple genetic algorithm approach by Kacprzyk [11].
Finally, we briefly indicate possible further extensions related to the use of the Z-numbers for the formulation and solution of multistage fuzzy control (decision making) with a fuzzy termination time in the case of the stochastic and fuzzy systems under control, and also a very interesting case of a fuzzy termination time specified as a Z-number. We mention a possible Z-number based extension of a neural network approach to the solution of the multistage fuzzy control (decision making) problem, an extension of Francelin, Kacprzyk and Gomide [12, 13], as well as the use of belief qualification introduced by Kacprzyk and [14]. We also mention some applications, notably in inventory control.
References
1. R.A. Aliev, W. Pedrycz, B.G. Guirimov, O.H. Huseynov, R.R. Aliyev, Z-relation-based multistage decision making, Information Sciences, vol. 653, p. 119799, 2024.
2. R.E. Bellman and L.A. Zadeh (1970) Decision-Making in a Fuzzy Environment,” Management Science., vol. 17, no. 4, p. B-141-B-164.
3. J. Kacprzyk (1978) , Control of a stochastic system in a fuzzy environment with a fuzzy termination time, Systems Science, Vol. 4, 291-300, 1978.
4. J. Kacprzyk, Control of a nonfuzzy system in a fuzzy environment with a fuzzy termination time, Systems Science, Vol. 3, 320-334, 1977.
5. J. Kacprzyk, Decision-making in a fuzzy environment with fuzzy termination time, Fuzzy Sets and Systems, Vol. 1, 169-179, 1978.
6. J. Kacprzyk, A branch-and-bound algorithm for the multistage control of a nonfuzzy system in a fuzzy environment, Control and Cybernetics, Vol. 7, 51-64, 1978.
7. J. Kacprzyk and P. Staniewski, Long-term inventory policy-making through fuzzy decision- making models, Fuzzy Sets and Systems, Vol. 8, 117-132, 1982.
8. J. Kacprzyk, A generalization of fuzzy multistage decision making and control via linguistic quantifiers, International Journal of Control, Vol. 38, 1249-1270, 1983.
9. J. Kacprzyk and R.R. Yager, Linguistic quantifiers and belief qualification in fuzzy multicriteria and multistage decision making, Control and Cybernetics, Vol.13, 155-173, 1984.
10. J. Kacprzyk, Multistage Fuzzy Control: A Model-Based Approach to Control and Decision-Making, Wiley, Chichester, 1997.
11. J. Kacprzyk, Multistage Control of a Stochastic System in a Fuzzy Environment Using a Genetic Algorithm, International Journal of Intelligent Systems, vol. 13, 1011-1023, 1998.
12. R.A.F. Francelin, J. Kacprzyk and F.A. Gomide, Neural network based algorithm for dynamic system optimization. Asian Journal of Control, vol. 3, No. 2, 131-142, 2001.
13. R.A. Francelin, F.A.C. Gomide and J. Kacprzyk, A biologically inspired neural network for dynamic programming. International Journal of Neural Systems, vol. 11, no. 6, 561—572, 2001.

SHORT BIO ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Janusz Kacprzyk is a professor of Computer Science at the Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, WIT – Warsaw School of Information Technology, and Chongqing Three Gorges University, Wanzhou, Chongqing, China, and Professor of Automatic Control at PIAP – Industrial Institute of Automation and Measurements in Warsaw, Poland. He is Honorary Foreign Professor at the Department of Mathematics, Yli Normal University, Xinjiang, China. He is Full Member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Member of Academia Europaea, European Academy of Sciences and Arts, European Academy of Sciences, Foreign Member of the: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Spanish Royal Academy of Economic and Financial Sciences (RACEF), Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, Flemish Royal Academy of Belgium of Sciences and the Arts (KVAB), National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. He was awarded with 6 honorary doctorates. He is Fellow of IEEE, IET, IFSA, EurAI, IFIP, AAIA, I2CICC, and SMIA.
His main research interests include the use of modern computation computational and artificial intelligence tools, notably fuzzy logic, in systems science, decision making, optimization, control, data analysis and data mining, with applications in mobile robotics, systems modeling, ICT etc.
He authored 7 books, (co)edited more than 150 volumes, (co)authored more than 650 papers, including ca. 150 in journals indexed by the WoS. He is listed in 2020 and 2021 ”World’s 2% Top Scientists” by Stanford University, Elsevier (Scopus) and ScieTech Strategies and published in PLOS Biology Journal.
He is the editor in chief of 8 book series at Springer, and of 2 journals, and is on the editorial boards of ca. 40 journals. He is President of the Polish Operational and Systems Research Society and Past President of International Fuzzy Systems Association.



Witold Pedrycz

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada


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ABSTRACT : INFORMED MACHINE LEARNING: EMERGING OPPORTUNITIES

Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have enjoyed a lot of interest and led to numerous success stories including those in areas of high criticality. With the passage of time, some limitations of the ML technology have become visible and raised concerns about the deployment of the ML constructs (including LLMs) and their exclusive reliance on data. Indeed, data are a lifeblood of design methodologies and drive current commonly encountered development practices. At the center of the ML methodology lies a default assumption that the data fully represent the problem to be solved (e.g., classification or prediction). We look at the problem and produce a solution through the lens of data; in many cases, this may lead to the data blinding effect. We advocate that a holistic knowledge-data development perspective is urgently needed. An Informed ML (IML) has emerged as a new direction of research addressing these needs. In brief, IML is sought as a methodology in which data and knowledge are used in unison to design ML systems. From the design perspective encountered in the ML learning environment, data and knowledge are radically different. Data are numeric and precise. Knowledge is general and usually expressed at the higher level of abstraction (generality). Knowledge and data emerge at different levels of information granularity. In this talk, we deliver a comprehensive taxonomy of main pursuits of IML and link them with key ways the knowledge is represented. A historical perspective is offered by studying the symbolic and subsymbolic processing encountered in successive decades of AI. The two general categories of physics-oriented and neuro-symbolic constructs associated with the ways in which knowledge and data are explored together. We elaborate on the design process being guided by a prudently augmented additive loss function whose corresponding parts minimize distances between the developed ML model and numeric target values and deliver adherence of the model to information granules reflecting available knowledge. A general taxonomy of neuro-symbolic systems involving: learning-for-reasoning, reasoning-for-learning, reasoning-learning is discussed.

Witold Pedrycz is a Professor and Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Computational Intelligence in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. He is also with the Systems Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland. He also holds an appointment of special professorship in the School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham, UK. In 2009 Dr. Pedrycz was elected a foreign member of the Polish Academy of Sciences. In 2012 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Witold Pedrycz has been a member of numerous program committees of IEEE conferences in the area of fuzzy sets and neurocomputing. In 2007 he received a prestigious Norbert Wiener award from the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Council. He is a recipient of the IEEE Canada Computer Engineering Medal 2008. In 2009 he has received a Cajastur Prize for Soft Computing from the European Centre for Soft Computing for “pioneering and multifaceted contributions to Granular Computing”. In 2013 has was awarded a Killam Prize. In the same year he received a Fuzzy Pioneer Award 2013 from the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society. His main research directions involve Computational Intelligence, fuzzy modeling and Granular Computing, knowledge discovery and data mining, fuzzy control, pattern recognition, knowledge-based neural networks, relational computing, and Software Engineering. He has published numerous papers in this area. He is also an author of 15 research monographs covering various aspects of Computational Intelligence, data mining, and Software Engineering. Dr. Pedrycz is intensively involved in editorial activities. He is an Editor-in-Chief of Information Sciences and Editor-in-Chief of WIREs Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery (Wiley). He currently serves as an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems and is a member of a number of editorial boards of other international journals.



Tofigh Allahviranloo

Istinye University, Istanbul, Turkey


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ABSTRACT : A MATHEMATICAL FRAMEWORK FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE UNDER RELIABILITY-AWARE UNCERTAINTY

Classical Artificial Intelligence models primarily rely on probabilistic frameworks to represent uncertainty. However, many real-world systems involve not only randomness but also imprecision, linguistic ambiguity, and varying levels of information reliability. Traditional AI methodologies do not adequately capture these structured forms of uncertainty.
This talk introduces Z-AI, a mathematical framework for Artificial Intelligence based on Z-information theory, where each piece of information is modeled as a pair consisting of a restriction component and a reliability component. By embedding credibility directly into the learning and inference process, Z-AI enables intelligent systems to distinguish between uncertain data and unreliable data.
The presentation outlines the theoretical foundations of Z-numbers, their linguistic extensions, and their integration into machine learning and optimization models. Applications in decision support and healthcare systems are discussed to illustrate how reliability-aware uncertainty modeling can enhance robustness, interpretability, and trust in AI systems.
Z-AI represents a step toward mathematically rigorous, reliability-conscious intelligent systems capable of operating in complex, uncertainty-rich environments.

SHORT BIO ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Tofigh Allahviranloo is a Professor of Applied Mathematics at Istinye University in Istanbul, Türkiye. An accomplished mathematician and computer scientist, Prof. Allahviranloo is dedicated to multi- and interdisciplinary research efforts. His expertise lies primarily in fundamental research in applied fuzzy mathematics, with a special focus on dynamical systems and pioneering applications in applied biological sciences. Prof. Allahviranloo has made significant scientific contributions, including authoring over 16 international books in English and 10 books in Farsi, as well as approximately 450 publications with renowned publishers such as Elsevier, Springer, Wiley, and Taylor & Francis. He has published more than 250 peer-reviewed journal papers over the past 15 years. He is the lead editor of the book series, Uncertainty, Computational Techniques and Decision Intelligence, published by ELSEVIER. In addition to his extensive writing activities, Prof. Allahviranloo plays an important role in the academic community as Associate Editor and Editorial Board Member of several prestigious journals. These include Information Sciences opens in new tab/window (ELSEVIER), Fuzzy Sets and Systems (ELSEVIER), Journal of Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems (IOS Press), Iranian Journal of Fuzzy Systems, Mathematical Sciences (Springer), Granular Computing (Springer), Journal of Mathematics and Computer Science (ISRP), and Journal of Computational Methods for Differential Equations (University of Tabriz). He is currently Executive Editor-in-Chief of Information Sciences, Editor-in-Chief of Transactions on Fuzzy Sets and Systems, Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Industrial Mathematics, Chairman of International Conference on Decision Sciences (IDS) and Managing Editor of The Journal of Mathematics and Computer Science (International Scientific Research Publications). In addition, Prof. Allahviranloo is a member of the program committee for the FUZZ-IEEE, NAFIPS Annual Meeting, and IFSA conferences, where he brings his extensive knowledge and experience to these key events in the field of fuzzy systems and applied mathematics.



Ardashir Mohammadzadeh

Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey


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ABSTRACT : ADVANCEMENT IN TYPE-3 FUZZY SYSTEMS AND CONTROL

This keynote, titled “Advancement in Type-3 Fuzzy Systems and Control,” surveys the rapid evolution of type-3 (T3) fuzzy systems and their growing adoption across a broad range of scientific and technological domains. In recent years, T3 fuzzy frameworks have attracted significant attention due to their enhanced ability to model deep uncertainty, complex nonlinearities, and highly variable operating environments, capabilities increasingly demanded in modern intelligent systems. The talk first reviews the principal methodological advancements in T3 fuzzy systems, highlighting key developments in representation, learning, inference, and computational implementation that have enabled practical deployment. It then introduces Type-3 Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference Systems (T3-ANFIS) as a unifying learning-and-inference architecture that extends classical ANFIS to higher-order uncertainty modeling. Finally, the keynote presents and critically discusses a recently developed intelligent control scheme based on T3-ANFIS, emphasizing design rationale, validation results, and a real-world implementation to demonstrate feasibility, robustness, and performance in practical control applications.

SHORT BIO ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Prof. Ardashir Mohammadzadeh is a professor at Sakarya University, Turkey. He also leading a researching team in field of intelligent control systems in China. As reported by Stanford University, in 2021-2024, he was listed among the top 2% of the best researchers in the field of artificial intelligence. He was also listed among the top 1% of highly cited researchers in based on the ESI database. His research interests include control theory, fuzzy logic systems, machine learning, neural networks, intelligent control systems, electric vehicles, power system control systems, chaotic systems, and medical control systems.



Rahib Abiyev

Near East University, North Cyprus, Turkey


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ABSTRACT: TYPE-3 FUZZY INFERENCE USING SIMILARITY MEASURE

Traditional fuzzy reasoning is based on compositional inference. In high-order fuzzy systems, this inference mechanism requires both type-reduction and defuzzification operations. In type-3 fuzzy systems, a three-dimensional membership function is first reduced to a two-dimensional representation, then to a one-dimensional form, and finally converted into a crisp output. As the number of variables and rules increases, compositional inference becomes computationally expensive. This research investigates the use of similarity in approximate reasoning. Similarity-based fuzzy reasoning is an alternative inference approach in which conclusions are drawn by measuring how closely a new input resembles previously defined fuzzy rule antecedents, rather than relying solely on strict rule matching. This approach is particularly effective when rule structures are complex (high-order) and inputs do not clearly match existing rules. It compares observed input patterns with stored fuzzy rule antecedents and determines outputs according to their degree of similarity. The proposed mechanism more closely reflects human reasoning, is robust to uncertainty and incomplete knowledge, demonstrates strong generalization capability, and effectively handles nonlinear, high-order interactions. Compared with compositional inference, similarity-based reasoning offers stronger interpolation capability and is more robust to sparse rule bases. In this research, common similarity measures—including set-theoretic and distance-based measures—are investigated to design an inference mechanism for type-3 fuzzy systems, and real-time applications of similarity-based reasoning are examined.

SHORT BIO ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Rahib H.Abiyev is a Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering, at Near East University, North Cyprus. In 2001, he founded Applied Artificial Intelligence Research Centre and in 2008, he created “Robotics” research group in Near East University. He is currently chair of Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute and chair of Computer Engineering Department. His current research interests include computational intelligence, fuzzy systems, control systems, and signal processing. He has published set of research papers in related subjects. R.H.Abiyev is listed in the ”World’s 2% Top Scientists” in the field of Artificial Intelligence for 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, published by Elsevier BV & Stanford University.



Rustu Burak Eke

The Language and System Foundation, Istanbul, Turkey


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ABSTRACT : Paradox in the Intersection of Numerical and Linguistic Concepts

For some time now, we have been focusing on the intersection between linguistics and fuzzy logic in these studies. We began with “Some Contributions of Fuzzy Logic and Artificial Intelligence Studies to Linguistics” and continued with “Systems, Language, and Fuzzy Logic.” Perhaps one of the most interesting topics within this line of research is Paradox. This topic has been an area of interest in linguistics for a very long time. Our esteemed professor Rafiq Aliyev emphasized the numerical dimension of this topic and, in fact, the context of this paper, particularly in the additions section of his published book Fuzzy Logic and Language-Speech. In my preface, I stated: “At this point, let us simply say that paradox is perhaps the most important issue being addressed in human systems and motivation science, or in other words, contemporary linguistics.” However, paradox is vital in terms of the human mind, mental health, communication, and interaction. Beyond that, it also gives rise to our beliefs and doubts about the universe we live in. Today, paradox is related in some way to the intersection of numerical and linguistic sciences, meta-mathematics, proof theory, logical type theory, and issues of consistency, computability, and decision. As a starting point for these studies, I would like to focus on this very important topic in linguistics. I will focus on its importance in practical life and communication, beyond its place in history, mythology, and writing.

SHORT BIO ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Av.Dr. Rüştü Burak Eke graduated from Istanbul University, Faculty of Law in 1982. He received master’s degree (Thesis: "Transfer of Technology through Foreign Investments) and PhD degree (Thesis: Patent Right and License Agreement) at the same university where he worked as a research assistant in the Conflict of Laws Department between 1983-1990 and lecturer at the Faculty of Business Administration between 1990-1995. He was on the board of Başak Insurance Company, an affiliate of state-owned bank Ziraat Bankası between 1995-1996 and thereafter he worked as CEO of Ziraat Leasing, also affiliate of Ziraat Bankası from 1995 to 2003. R. Burak Eke is a member of Istanbul Bar since1985. Currently, he is working as advisor and trainer for numerous companies on the subjects of Communication and Organizational Learning along with his professional activities as an attorney at law. He lectures on contemporary rhetoric at MEF University in Istanbul. He is the founder and trustee of Dil ve Sistem Vakfi (The Language and System Foundation)



Nazim Muzaffarli

Director of the Institute of Economics, Ministry of Science and Education of Azerbaijan (since 2014)


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Main books:

- Economic Sketches, 1996

- Azerbaijan's Ranking (in International Comparative Studies), 2006

- Rehabilitation of Post-Conflict Territories of Azerbaijan, 2010

- Social Orientation of the Economy in Right-Wing and Left-Wing Systems, 2014

- Post-Conflict Territories: Economic Potential and Comparative Advantages, 2023

- Government Regulation of Pricing: Cross-Country Analysis and Outcomes for Azerbaijan, 2024