The shuffled frog leaping algorithm (SFLA) easily falls into local optimum when it solves multioptimum function optimization problem, which impacts the accuracy and convergence speed. Therefore this paper presents grouped SFLA for solving continuous optimization problems combined with the excellent characteristics of cloud model transformation between qualitative and quantitative research. The ...

The Cross-Entropy Ant System (CEAS) is an Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) system for distributed and online path management in telecommunication networks. Previous works on CEAS have focused on reducing the overhead induced by the continuous sampling of paths. In particular, elite selection has been introduced to discard ants that have sampled poor quality paths. This paper focuses on the ability...

This paper presents a multi-objective differential evolution algorithm, called MODE, to search for a set of non-dominated solutions on the Pareto front. During the iterative search process, the non-dominated solutions found are stored as the ‘Elite group’ of solutions. The study focuses on utilising the solutions in the Elite group to guide the movement of the search. Several potential mutation...

This article aims to evaluate the strategic positioning and ideology of the Conservatives in Coalition, under the leadership of David Cameron. In so doing, it seeks to shed light on the key drivers of the party’s elite leadership strategy since entering government in 2010. The analysis is framed in terms of statecraft, namely the attempt to carve out elite control of the main fields of ‘high po...

Molisa (2011) offers a presentation of the work of Eckhart Tolle (1997, 2005) and a critique of critical and social accounting research, particularly the notion of emancipation. While taking issue with some of both Molisa (2011) and Tolle’s (1997, 2005) arguments, I contend that their conclusions have some interesting implications. The religious traditions referenced by Tolle (1997, 2005) recog...

This paper analyses the dynamics of inequality, democratization and economic development in a political economy model of growth where education is both the engine of growth and a determinant of political participation. In a context with imperfect capital markets, we investigate the incentives for an educated oligarchy to subsidize the poor’s education and to initiate a democratic transition. We...

As the winning margin in Olympic competition is so small, there is a continuous quest for improvements in the preparation of athletes at this standard. Therefore, even the smallest physiological improvements that result from modifications in training strategy, preparation regime or ergogenic aids are potentially useful. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research data on elite competitors, which...