Optimal Design of an Eco-Friendly Transportation Network under Uncertain Parameters

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The literature review is adequate to the authors’ research.

A decrease of carbon emission due to transportation is difficult nowadays. Carbon emission depend on fuel type, vehicle type, street condition, climate condition, traffic condition, load condition, driver behaviour etc. The paper illustrates a multi-attribute decision-making process named the exponential technique.

The authors apply the presented models on a case study in Tripura (a state situated in northeast India)

The case study is nicely done, the conclusions are supported by the results presented in the article.

 

The authors should check the English, there are some mistakes in expression. 

Overall, the paper deals with an interesting research problem, I believe it has been prepared with a great deal of effort and I think it should be published.

 

Author Response

A response file is attached.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Hi Authors

Thanks for submission to Sustainability. 

Title: Uncertain parameters---- Kindly review and replace with more appropriate word

Abstract

Can you pls enter some quantitative descriptions of your results in abstract? Currently its all qualitative. Kindly review. 

solid transportation problem--- Pls clarify? 

Line 26 uncertain environment===== Pls clarify ?

Applying the proposed one and the other three multi- 28 attribute decision-making processes (which processes??? Can you explain please????)

Methodology is not clear in your abstract kindly revisit?

Results description in abstract need the attention? Currently its not clear?

Multi attribute decision making process ----- Pls expand quantitatively int he abstract?

 Keywords

 ELECTRE; TOPSIS; Exp-TOPSIS; Not used in title or abstract

Pls use some from the list of the special issue of the submission?

Introduction

Bumpy street, PLAIN STREET, SLOPING STREET ----- Kindly use international nomenclature. Please revisit?

 Uncertain environment===== Please expand? The term need explaination?

Line 70 these dubious cases ===== which cases?

Lines 71 to 81 Pls observe the MDPI reference citation format?

Line 91 In our study? why methodology in the introduction?

Introduction lacks following. Pls enter appropriate literature review of the title keywords???  problem statement??? research motivation??? Research objectives??? Than specify the scope. 

Literature review

Can you please enlist few studies of transportation carried out globally comparable with your studies ???

In current form it seems very confusing?

Basic concepts of uncertainty theory======= why ? Definitions why? Most of this part belongs to literature review? Pls give suitable reference only. 

Figure 1 please label axis and label the figure also. 

Line 226 Theorem????? who proposed this theorem??? Reference?

Decision making process ===== Pls provide reference? Why you are giving this all here there seems no logic in it? Pls elaborate?

Upto Line 401 No materials and methods????? Pls observe the Journal guidelines for headings

Figure 2 reference?

Headings 5.1 and 5.2 same text Kindly revise?

Problem description? The inputs and out puts are not clear. Further boundary conditions are not clear for the model. 

How model equations were made. Pls elaborate. If any software help was taken? Kindly expand?

Line 482 model description pls correct the reference parenthesis style?

Pls separate the materials and methods from the section of introduction? 

Results and Discussions

How fuel type, vehicle type and road, weather condition, tolling system, load condition, vehicle efficiency, etc types were taken wat was the rationale? Kindly expand? 

Table 1 please label the parameters, how their limits were taken?

How were alternatives selected? Pls provide the rationale?

Pls elaborate the rationale of decision matrix? 

Table 1 , 2, 3, 4 the link with the research is completely missing for readers.  Pls need serious attention? 

What are concordance and Dis concordance index relevance with the research???

Tables 5 , 6, 7, 8 and 9 Not clear why provided? No logic 

Line 617 The results are repeating pls correct

Figure 4 and 5 pls label

Conclusions

No conclusion extracted from research objectives.

No conclusion about eco friendly transportation network?

No merit / demerit of uncertain parameters? 

Kindly in last paragraph provide the application of this study for societal and industrial benefit if so. 

References

Pls observe the MDPI format. 

All the best. 

Author Response

A response file is attached

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

1. The abstract concisely summarizes the main content of the whole article, and the introduction section also describes the research background more clearly.

2. The article describes the advantages of the algorithm in the final conclusion section, but does not particularly clearly summarize the potential value of the study. The literature review section simply says who did what research and does not make a summary, which seems irrelevant. It is recommended that the references be sorted out and the contribution of the article be presented accordingly.

3. The structure of the article is missing the part of research problem and research area, and the problem description in section 5.3 simply lists the mathematical model.

4. The algorithm is described in detail, but it is recommended to state its innovation in detail, the research has reasonable theoretical support, the experiment is compared and analyzed more fully, and a more reasonable conclusion is obtained.

5. The authors put forward the future research direction at the end of the article, but did not summarize the scope of application and limitations of the current study.

6. The source of the original data and the rationality of the initial value need to be explained. Please see Line 521-526.

Author Response

A response file is attached

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Hi Authors

Thanks for submission of the revision. 

Line 71 There are various sorts of uncertain variables viz. fuzzy variables like triangular, trapezoidal, normal, gamma, fuzzy rough variables, stochastic fuzzy variables, uncertain variables like linear, zigzag, normal, lognormal so on======== Pls correct duplicate words

Line 74 with these dubious cases???  Which dubious cases???

Line 74 however, in 74 this study, the uncertainty theory, established by Liu [4] in 2007, which is part of mathematics that relies on normality, duality, subadditivity, and product axioms. Liu et al. [5], 76 have a great contribution to developing uncertainty theory that can be applied to many 77 real-life cases======Pls revisit and correct the tense. 

The expected value function of uncertainty theory is presented in {6}. The 78 uncertain multi-objective and goal programming is shown in [7]. ----- Pls correct statements as per MDPI format. 

 In their multi objective model, several uncertain parameters are considered to depict the ==== models in place of models pls correct, are pls correct were

Line 113 research are as follows< are to be replaced with were.

Line 142 Citation numbers need revision [44] ----  after [17 ]

Line   263, 299, 304, 310, 320 pls add equation number.

Figure 2 Not clear/readable?

Line 529 3. results & Line 533 6. Numerical analysis Kindly update Headings Sr. 

Table 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 Pls label and elaborate parameters properly. Pls add some discussion on parameters, analysis and findings described in these tables. 

Line 643 Results and discussions ----- Its repeating Kindly examine.

Figures 4 and 5 CAPTION FOR Y-AXIS VALUES?

The papers lack particularly in the following. Authors are reminded to kindly please expedite further on the following to make it clearer and more understandable for the readers>=====

1. Optimal design description/explanation in methodology, results and discussions. How it will be achieved need to be addressed in conclusions also?

2. Ecofriendly transportation network description/explanation in methodology, results and discussions. How it will be achieved need to be addressed in conclusions also?

All the best

 

 

Author Response

Please see the attached file of the response.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

There are some errors in the format of matrix and formula，such as Line 320，Line 329,Line409.

Author Response

Please see the attached file of the response.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf