Support vector machine has become an increasingly popular tool for machine learning tasks involving classification, regression or novelty detection. Training a support vector machine requires the solution of a very large quadratic programming problem. Traditional optimization methods cannot be directly applied due to memory restrictions. Up to now, several approaches exist for circumventing the above shortcomings and work well. Another learning algorithm, particle swarm optimization, Quantum-behave Particle Swarm for training SVM is introduced. Another approach named least square support vector machine (LSSVM) and active set strategy are introduced. The obtained results by these methods are tested on a breast cancer dataset and compared with the exact solution model problem

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a quantitative model which helps enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementers in Egypt to predict their implementation success as a function of achieved critical success factors and the organizational culture. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual framework is formulated and operationalized based on existing literature and a series of interviews with key persons involved in ERP implementation in Egypt. A cross-sectional survey involving 45 ERP implementers is conducted to collect data used to fit the developed model. Findings – Half the surveyed ERP implementations are considered failures according to the research success metrics. While the critical success factors positively contribute to the success of an ERP implementation, the Egyptian organizational culture hinders its progress. The concept of integration provided by ERP systems is considered relatively new to the Egyptian organizations. Research limitations/implications – The surveyed sample size is considered relatively small, which partially restricts the generalization of results to the whole population of ERP Egyptian adopters. Future research will involve combining detailed case studies and a larger survey. Practical implications – ERP adopters should periodically evaluate their implementation process using risk analysis tools for ensuring optimum benefits and avoiding any problems that may occur. Furthermore, the Egyptian organizational culture should be carefully considered while implementing an off-shelf ERP system. Originality/value – This paper research adds to the growing body of knowledge on ERP implementations, a study of ERP implementation in the Egyptian settings. For practitioners, it provides ERP adopters with a self-evaluation tool that helps them to monitor and predict the likelihood of project success.

A solution method for solving optimization problems with a max-separable objective function and min-separable inequality constraints is suggested. The method is based on the results of 5 Zimmermann, K . 2003. Disjunctive optimization, max-separable problems and extremal algebras. Theor. Comput. Sci, 293: 45–54. [Google Scholar] , 6 Zimmermann, K . 2004. One class of optimization problems with alternative constraints and its application. Proceedings Symposium on Operations Research, September: 3–9. Split [Google Scholar] . Application in some location problems and small illustrative numerical examples are presented.

The vehicle routing problem (VRP) is one of the important problems that has been examined extensively over the past decades. The problem holds a central position within the fields of transportation logistics and supply chain management. Due to the NP-hard nature of the problem, many researchers have developed several heuristics and metaheuristics to solve the problem. This research proposes a hybrid bat algorithm to solve the VRP. The algorithm employs the Bat algorithm hybridized with a modified kmeans algorithm. The proposed solution technique adopts the methodology of cluster first route second to decompose the original VRP into traveling sales man problems (TSPs) with reduced complexity. Benchmark test instances from the literature are used to prove the efficiency of the proposed hybrid algorithm.

There are challenges and obstacles to higher education institutions in implementing the accreditation standards for the national and international accreditation bodies. However, it has difference importance levels. Studies have shown that, the weakness of understanding the accreditation concept and the lifelong learning concepts which represent part of the institutional culture comes as the first challenge of these obstacles and it is classified under the type of educational and cognitive obstacles. Many other challenges will be discussed in this article under different titles like the organizational issues, financial issues, Library issues, Polices of Admission, Human resources, Faculty members’ qualifications and the scientific research. In recent studies, it is observed that higher education Business Schools in the Arab region are in dire need of reviewing their systems and building an administrative system based on the application of TQM concepts in all its aspects to improve performance and develop its university outputs for the sack of meeting the accreditation standards for both the national and international levels. This article will be followed by a comparative study among eight different Business schools in the United Arab Emirates and Egypt to conclude with many recommendations and suggestions for officials of higher education institutions that may help them remove obstacles that impede the implementation of the imposed accreditation standards nationally by CAA in UAE and NAQAAE in Egypt and internationally by AACSB.