This paper describes an innovative method to evaluate energy access in any of size population by applying fuzzy logic. The obtained results allow ranking regions of Mexico according to their overall energy access. The regions were determined by the country’s political division (32 states). The results presented herein are in close correspondence with other studies undertaken. This method is recommended because it is possible to use as an assessment tool due to its representativeness—that is, it poses a heuristic alternative to quantify the level of Energy Access in a particular region through qualitative data. It is also efficient and cost-effective in terms of computer resources. This is extremely important to public policy makers that require more accurate, faster and cheaper methodologies to assess energy access as an indicator of well-being.

In this work, we propose a fuzzy inference as a decision support system built in the MATLAB Fuzzy Logic Designer for evaluating manual material handling risk conditions. The input variables for the fuzzy decision were: (1) the total time duration of the manual material handling in one shift of 450 min, with 3 h considered the maximal exposition time; (2) 25 kg as a maximal mass reference which should never be exceeded; (3) the repetitiveness of the manual material handling task through the shift considering as the maximal frequency of four lifts per min. Results of 135 earlier direct ergonomic evaluations made using the method proposed by the ISO 11228-1 were used as validator results, and called “expected results”. The experimentation intended to simulate an ergonomic evaluation in different boundary conditions of work and verify if the fuzzy interface could correctly replicate the results of the ergonomic evaluations. As validation, the list with the 135 expected results was compared against the evaluation made by the fuzzy logic interface, called “Work_Conditions”. From the comparison, only three evaluations (0.02%) differed with respect to the expected results. Consequently, it is concluded that the fuzzy interface can be used as a tool for automating the determination of manual material handling ergonomic risk levels, with great precision.

In this work, we evaluate the role of the ternary compound, Cd _{1– x} Zn _x S, as an electron-transport layer (ETL) in the n-i-p structure of antimony selenide (Sb ₂ Se ₃ ) solar cells. The incorporation of Zn reduces the amount of Cd and contributes to improving the power-conversion efficiency of the solar cell. On the other hand, the n-i-p structure makes it possible to overcome two issues that impair the efficiency of Sb ₂ Se ₃ solar cells: the potential barrier due to the rear contact and the low hole concentration in the Sb ₂ Se ₃ absorber material. In this paper, we present a theoretical work on Sb ₂ Se ₃ solar cells using the SCAPS 1-D software. The theoretical analysis allows us to understand the impact of the semiconductor parameters on efficiency and also to find the optimal values for an optimized device. The optimal molar composition of the ternary compound is investigated in the superstrate and inverted configurations. Parameters such as the thickness, defect density, and the acceptor concentration of the Cd _{1– x} Zn _x S and Sb ₂ Se ₃ layers are optimized. Also, we analyze the impact of interface-defect density at the hole-transport layer (HTL) (Sb ₂ Se ₃ ) and the ETL (Sb ₂ Se ₃ ). Following optimization, a power-conversion efficiency ( η ) of 14.29% is obtained using Cd _0.4 Zn _0.6 S as the ETL and Cu ₂ O as the HTL in the superstrate configuration. This simulation process is expected to guide other experimentalists in the design and manufacture of solar cells.

This article shows a new Te-transform and its periodogram for applications that mainly exhibit stochastic behavior with a signal-to-noise ratio lower than −30 dB. The Te-transform is a dyadic transform that combines the properties of the dyadic Wavelet transform and the Fourier transform. This paper also provides another contribution, a corollary on the energy relationship between the untransformed signal and the transformed one using the Te-transform. This transform is compared with other methods used for the analysis in the frequency domain, reported in literature. To perform the validation, the authors created two synthetic scenarios: a noise-free signal scenario and another signal scenario with a signal-to-noise ratio equal to −69 dB. The results show that the Te-transform improves the sensitivity in the frequency spectrum with respect to previously reported methods.

The purpose of this study was to propose an interactive computer system that utilises the MATLAB Fuzzy Logic Designer to measure the level of implementation of SDG 8, which focuses on sustainable decent work (SDW) and economic growth. This study used policies and laws as parameters to determine the presence or absence of SDW. The fuzzy method was implemented in car windshield manufacturing in the auto parts industry as a case study to define and quantify work conditions and to determine the level of sustainable decent work (SDWL). The study described environmental conditions, such as noise, lighting, and heat stress; ergonomic factors, such as exposure time, the mass of the object manipulated, and lifting frequency; and organisation at work, such as workplace violence, salary, and workday, as linguistic variables. The level of the presence or absence of SDW was defined as their membership functions. The resulting vectors determined the absence of SDW with a score of 1.5 in two linguistic variables: environmental conditions and ergonomic factors. Some features of SDW in the linguistic variable organisation at work had an SDW score of 5. The SDWL vector determined a final score of 1.24, indicating the absence of decent work in production areas. This study found that the workers suffer a lack of long and healthy lives and a bad standard of living without economic growth due to work-related musculoskeletal disorders and work illnesses, increasing their out-of-pocket spending and catastrophic health expenses. As a CSR approach, assessing SDWLs helped managers improve policies and work conditions.

This article solves the problem of detecting water leaks with a minimum size of down to $1\mathrm{mm}$ in diameter. Two new mathematical tools are used to solve this problem: the first one is the ${\mathcal{T}}_e$ cross-spectral density and the second is ${\mathcal{T}}_e$ coherence. These mathematical tools provide the possibility of discriminating spurious frequency components, making use of the property of multi-sensitivity. This advantage makes it possible to maximize the sensitivity of the frequency spectrum. The wavelet function used was Daubechies $45$, because it provides an attenuation of $150\mathrm{dB}$ in the rejection band. The tools were validated with two scenarios. For the first scenario, a synthetic signal was analyzed. In the second scenario, two types of background leakage were analyzed: the first one has a diameter of $1\mathrm{mm}$ with a signal-to-noise ratio of $2.82\mathrm{dB}$ and flow rate of $33.7\mathrm{mL}/\mathrm{s}$, and the second one has a diameter of $4\mathrm{mm}$ with a signal-to-noise ratio of $9.73\mathrm{dB}$ with a flow rate of $125.0\mathrm{mL}/\mathrm{s}$. The results reported in this paper show that both the ${\mathcal{T}}_e$ cross-spectral density and ${\mathcal{T}}_e$ coherence are higher than those reported in scientific literature.