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Article
Publication date: 23 August 2011

Hongwei Mo and Lifang Xu

Biogeography‐based optimization algorithm is a new kind of optimization algorithm based on biogeography. It is designed based on the migration strategy of animals to solve the…

Abstract

Purpose

Biogeography‐based optimization algorithm is a new kind of optimization algorithm based on biogeography. It is designed based on the migration strategy of animals to solve the problem of optimization. The purpose of this paper is to present a new algorithm – biogeography migration algorithm for traveling salesman problem (TSPBMA). A new special migration operator is designed for producing new solutions.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper gives the definition of TSP and models of TSPBMA; introduces the algorithm of TSPBMA in detail and gives the proof of convergence in theory; provides simulation results of TSPBMA compared with other optimization algorithms for TSP and presents some concluding remarks and suggestions for further work.

Findings

The TSPBMA is tested on some classical TSP problems. The comparison results with the other nature‐inspired optimization algorithms show that TSPBMA is useful for TSP combination optimization. Especially, the designed migration operator is very effective for TSP solving. Although the proposed TSPBMA is not better than ant colony algorithm in the respect of convergence speed and accuracy, it provides a new way for this kind of problem.

Originality/value

The migration operator is a new strategy for solving TSPs. It has never been used by any other evolutionary algorithm or swarm intelligence before TSPBMA.

Details

International Journal of Intelligent Computing and Cybernetics, vol. 4 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-378X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 September 2003

Benjamin P.‐C. Yen and Elsie O.S. Ng

It has been an increasing trend for companies to migrate their businesses onto or publicize themselves on the Internet. Business process reengineering (BPR) is applied to migrate…

2080

Abstract

It has been an increasing trend for companies to migrate their businesses onto or publicize themselves on the Internet. Business process reengineering (BPR) is applied to migrate the business processes of the supply chain onto the Web. Such migration may cause some of the processes merged together, minimized or transformed into other processes within a supply chain. Therefore, careful planning for such migration with technical requirements is necessary. This paper starts with the review of related research on BPR, migration of supply chain onto the Internet, and the impact analysis of the migration. A thorough overview of how BPR can change each process of the supply chain onto the Internet is discussed. The main contribution of this paper is a framework of the electronic commerce (EC) impact on the supply chain and the measurement of impact. An industrial example is used to illustrate the evaluation as a result of EC deployment.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 41 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 February 2012

Farasat Shafi‐Ullah and Saima Qutab

This paper aims to elaborate the library data migration process from LAMP (Library Automation Management Program) to the open source software Koha's (2.2.8 Windows based…

1101

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to elaborate the library data migration process from LAMP (Library Automation Management Program) to the open source software Koha's (2.2.8 Windows based) Pakistani flavour PakLAG‐Koha in six legislative assembly libraries of Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explains different steps of the data migration from one ILM (integrated library management system) to a new ILM in six libraries over the course of three months. Qualitative research methods, i.e. direct observation and interviews, were adopted for finding the problems and solutions of the delayed project. Training and support was offered by a local volunteer group (PakLAG). One of the authors of the paper presented first‐hand experience of being a consultant of this project. The study and results are the author's own reflections and first‐hand experiences, and hence results are based on direct observations.

Findings

The paper identifies several critical issues and their solutions concerning data migration within a local scenario as well as how local consultants and support groups are coping with these issues. It was noticed that the data migration can be done quickly if any support group is properly involved with the library staff.

Originality/value

This paper provides first‐hand experience and success story of library data migration from DOS‐based ILM to open source software. Process, tools and findings discussed in this paper are valuable for the libraries planning to convert non‐MARC data to open source MARC‐based software Koha.

Details

Program, vol. 46 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0033-0337

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 May 2011

Abel Chikanda

The paper seeks to investigate the leading causes of physician migration from Zimbabwe and to highlight the patterns of physician migration over the past‐two decades.

Abstract

Purpose

The paper seeks to investigate the leading causes of physician migration from Zimbabwe and to highlight the patterns of physician migration over the past‐two decades.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed methods approach, involving a survey and interviews, was used to collect data for the study.

Findings

The paper demonstrates that personal networks, not recruitment agencies, are the main drivers of physician migration from the country. However, the importance of recruitment agencies as channels of information about job opportunities abroad has grown substantially over the last decade. The research findings suggest that Zimbabwe will continue losing physicians to other countries until economic and political stability has been restored in the country.

Originality/value

By highlighting the patterns and causes of physician migration from Zimbabwe, the paper makes a contribution to the implementation of policy measures aimed at retaining physicians in the country.

Details

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 7 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-9894

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 July 2021

Kamil Luczaj and Olga Kurek-Ochmanska

The purpose of this paper is to uncover the basic motivations of the administrators (referred to also as “managers”) to hire foreign-born employees in the academic system, which…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to uncover the basic motivations of the administrators (referred to also as “managers”) to hire foreign-born employees in the academic system, which is relatively ethnically homogenous and where the proficiency in Polish is still a strong asset. By doing this, the authors make an attempt to theorise the value of internationalisation of higher education in the academic peripheries.

Design/methodology/approach

This study reports the finding of 20 qualitative interviews with the deans and other senior academic officials serving managerial functions at Polish public and private universities.

Findings

The four basic motivations expressed directly by the mangers were (1) the crave for cultural diversity, (2) willingness to “Westernize” the academe, (3) a need for academic achievement and (4) staff shortages. In the discussion, the authors show, however, that the discursive order of these institutional motivations to hire international faculty is incompatible with motivations of international faculty to seek employment in Poland and statistical data regarding their concentration in different academic centres.

Originality/value

The paper tackles crucial issues regarding staffing (including recruitment and retention) and diversity hiring in a country with an “emigration culture”, similar to other East European states, namely a place from which highly skilled workers emigrate. A relocation to Poland is a rather unusual reverse migration, or “stepping down”, to a periphery to use it as a possible stepping stone for career progression.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 35 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 July 2023

Sarah Adeyinka, Ine Lietaert and Ilse Derluyn

This paper aims to explore the role of family members in human trafficking and how their roles impact and are perceived by their children and wards.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the role of family members in human trafficking and how their roles impact and are perceived by their children and wards.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses data collected through a longitudinal, cross-country study. The study was conducted among 31 female, Nigerian victims of trafficking in Italy.

Findings

The authors argue that family members play important, howbeit diverse roles across space and time, in the different stages of the trafficking process, echoing a relational approach of their geographies.

Originality/value

This paper discusses the under-researched role of how family members may (wilfully or unknowingly) facilitate and aid the trafficking of their dependents and the consequences of their involvement on their children and wards.

Details

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 19 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-9894

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 10 December 2018

Geraldine Pratt and Migrante BC

We contextualize contemporary domestic worker organizing in Vancouver within a history of domestic worker organizing in Canada and then build the argument that their organizing…

Abstract

We contextualize contemporary domestic worker organizing in Vancouver within a history of domestic worker organizing in Canada and then build the argument that their organizing has been structured by the gendered geographies of: international migration; the location of the work in the private home; and the prevalence of stepwise migration of Filipina domestic workers to Canada. These gendered geographies have led to a distinctive mode of organizing: in the community around a wide range of issues that enfold social reproduction into workplace issues to engage the entirety of individuals’ and families’ lives across the life course. Domestic workers’ organizing is grounded in the spatialities and materialities of their lives, and seemingly familiar gender scripts take on an active force in the domestic workers’ mobilization. Confronting the contradictions of organizing domestic workers and organizing to revalue domestic work points to the enduring undervaluation of feminized workers and their work, as well as the potential for intersectional solidarities along with the need for multisectoral strategies.

Details

Gendering Struggles against Informal and Precarious Work
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78769-368-5

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2010

Cory Lampert, Alex Dolski and Brian Egan

Development of library digital initiatives increasingly requires integration of new technologies and collaboration between staff to accomplish specialized responsibilities. Yet…

Abstract

Purpose

Development of library digital initiatives increasingly requires integration of new technologies and collaboration between staff to accomplish specialized responsibilities. Yet, as responsibilities have evolved, the software tools used to fulfill them have largely failed to keep pace. This paper aims to show how UNLV Libraries overcame these challenges by developing a collaborative workflow model in a team with mixed technical skills.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper offers a case study of one library's effort to transform inefficient web development processes in the digital library unit into an agile, collaborative team workflow through the development of a tool (dmBridge) that helps to reduce redundancies and encourage cooperation in the digital library design process.

Findings

dmBridge came about in response to the growing necessity to create a sustainable digital library workflow within a framework capable of accommodating advanced customizability and relatively simple web development for CONTENTdm digital collections.

Practical implications

As libraries seek to extend technology and digitization partnerships and cultivate successful grant funding, the authors demonstrate how development of tools like dmBridge can deliver an improved user experience, boost project efficiency, and support the strategic goals of the institution.

Originality/value

dmBridge fills a need for a more modern, feature‐rich, customizable digital collections framework. In doing so, it has brought about a considerable transformation in digitization projects workflow and resource provisioning.

Details

OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives, vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1065-075X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 February 2018

Vijayakumar Polepally and K. Shahu Chatrapati

This paper aims to develop the Dragonfly-based exponential gravitational search algorithm to VMM strategy for effective load balancing in cloud computing. Due to widespread growth…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to develop the Dragonfly-based exponential gravitational search algorithm to VMM strategy for effective load balancing in cloud computing. Due to widespread growth of cloud users, load balancing is the essential criterion to deal with the overload and underload problems of the physical servers. DEGSA-VMM is introduced, which calculates the optimized position to perform the virtual machine migration (VMM).

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents an algorithm Dragonfly-based exponential gravitational search algorithm (DEGSA) that is based on the VMM strategy to migrate the virtual machines of the overloaded physical machine to the other physical machine keeping in mind the energy, migration cost, load and quality of service (QoS) constraints. For effective migration, a fitness function is provided, which selects the best fit that possess minimum energy, cost, load and maximum QoS contributing toward the maximum energy utilization.

Findings

For the performance analysis, the experimentation is performed with three setups, with Setup 1 composed of three physical machines with 12 virtual machines, Setup 2 composed of five physical machines and 19 virtual machines and Setup 3 composed of ten physical machines and 28 virtual machines. The performance parameters, namely, QoS, migration cost, load and energy, of the proposed work are compared over the other existing works. The proposed algorithm obtained maximum resource utilization with a good QoS at a rate of 0.19, and minimal migration cost at a rate of 0.015, and minimal energy at a rate of 0.26 with a minimal load at a rate of 0.1551, whereas with the existing methods like ant colony optimization (ACO), gravitational search algorithm (GSA) and exponential gravitational search algorithm, the values of QoS, load, migration cost and energy are 0.16, 0.1863, 0.023 and 0.29; 0.16, 0.1863, 0.023 and 0.28 and 0.18, 0.1657, 0.016 and 0.27, respectively.

Originality/value

This paper presents an algorithm named DEGSA based on VMM strategy to determine the optimum position to perform the VMM to achieve a better load balancing.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 47 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 April 2012

Ján Vaščák

Conventional rule‐based systems are insufficient for description of complex dynamic systems requiring nontrivial decision procedures. Fuzzy cognitive maps seem to be convenient to…

Abstract

Purpose

Conventional rule‐based systems are insufficient for description of complex dynamic systems requiring nontrivial decision procedures. Fuzzy cognitive maps seem to be convenient to overcome these limitations. However, they lack ability of self‐learning and therefore some adaptation approaches are needed. The purpose of this paper is both to show the use of fuzzy cognitive maps for such systems and to present migration algorithms as convenient adaptation means.

Design/methodology/approach

Some problems of a complex dynamic system description by knowledge‐based means are discussed. Fuzzy cognitive maps are presented as a possible way to solve these problems followed by description of migration algorithms as their adaptation means. Their use is clarified on an example of the so‐called parking problem based on path planning using a graph search algorithm and a traffic simulation system.

Findings

After series of simulations the reality of the proposed system and selected methods with their modifications was proved. It has shown the robustness of the presented solution under circumstances of uncertainty, too.

Research limitations/implications

The paper points to stability investigation of the proposed approach introducing uncertainties into the traffic simulation system to take into account, e.g. unexpected events. Further, a possibility of developing a linguistic information retrieval system is mentioned.

Practical implications

The proposed approach can find various implementations not only in planning tasks but also in robotic navigation and multi‐agent applications in general. In addition, it suggests possibilities of knowledge‐based systems, directly using human‐like approaches, to areas of decision making under uncertainties and contradictories.

Originality/value

An new modification of migration algorithms for adaptation of parameters for fuzzy cognitive maps is introduced and compared to other known self‐learning methods. Further, the concept of a traffic simulation system for path planning is presented.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 41 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

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