Particle Swarm Algorithm for Improved Handling of the Mirrored Traveling Tournament Problem

In this study, we used a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to address a variation of the non-deterministic polynomial-time NP-hard traveling tournament problem, which determines the optimal schedule for a double round-robin tournament, for an even number of teams, to minimize the number of trips taken. Our proposed algorithm iteratively explored the search space with a swarm of particles to find near-optimal solutions. We also developed three techniques for updating the particle velocity to move towards optimal points, which randomly select and replace row and column parameters to find candidate positions close to an optimal solution. To further optimize the solution, we calculated the particle cost function, an important consideration within the problem conditions, for team revenues, fans, and media. We compared our computation results with two well-known meta-Heuristics: a genetics algorithm utilizing a swapping method and a Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure Iterated Local Search algorithm heuristic on a set of 20 teams. Ultimately, the PSO algorithm generated solutions that were comparable, and often superior, to the existing well-known solutions. Our results indicate that our proposed algorithm could aid in reducing the overall budget expenditures of international sports league organizations, which could enable significant monetary savings and increase profit margins

An Exploration of Ticket Pricing in Intercollegiate Athletics

Ticket sales represent a significant revenue stream for FBS athletic departments, yet little is known about how administrators determine prices for those tickets. This three-paper format dissertation is an attempt to begin filling this gap in the literature so that we may better understand ticket pricing from a managerial perspective. Paper one is conceptual in nature, and includes a review of extant ticket pricing literature and presents a research agenda for studying pricing in the unique environment of intercollegiate sport using the theoretical frameworks of stakeholder theory and institutional theory. The second and third papers are empirical examinations of ticket-pricing from the viewpoints of athletic administrators with various departmental responsibilities so that we may better understand the role of ticket pricing in intercollegiate sport from different points of departure. Using a phenomenological approach, twenty athletic administrators, representing two Power 5 and two Group of 5 institutions, were interviewed about their experiences with ticket pricing. Paper two represents an attempt to better understand the pricing process utilized in college sport, including the organizational objectives and influencing factors identified by administrators, while also suggesting a cyclical model for spectator sport ticket pricing. Paper three is an exploration of the perceived roles of athletic administrative stakeholders, as well as departmental isomorphic behavior, as they relate to ticket pricing decisions in intercollegiate athletics

Examination of Athletic Academic Support Services of NCAA D-I HBCUs

Since 1991, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has mandated academic support services for student-athletes at all Division I institutions. Today, there is a vast difference of athletic academic support units at Power 5 Conferences compared to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The resources at Power 5 Conference institutions are also immensely different at HBCUs although the main services provided are similar. Advising, tutoring, orientation, assessment of study skills, compliance checks, personal counseling, career counseling, student-athlete scheduling/advising, testing of academically at-risk student-athletes are all services that are provided at both Power 5 institutions and HBCUs but there is still a stark difference in academic success (ie. APR and GSR). The purpose of this study was to evaluate select athletic academic support service services to student-athletes at HBCUs that support student-athlete academic success and graduation. Additionally, this study looked at how specific academic support services promote academic success and graduation through the NCAA\u27s APR and GSR annual metrics. There were three null hypotheses tested utilizing a multiple linear regression to evaluate the relationship between academic support services and academic success. This research demonstrates the effectiveness and the barriers of receiving athletic academic support for non-revenue generating teams and revenue generating teams

Time Relaxed Round Robin Tournament and the NBA Scheduling Problem

This dissertation study was inspired by the National Basketball Association regular reason scheduling problem. NBA uses the time-relaxed round robin tournament format, which has drawn less research attention compared to the other scheduling formats. Besides NBA, the National Hockey League and many amateur leagues use the time-relaxed round robin tournament as well. This dissertation study is the first ever to examine the properties of general time-relaxed round robin tournaments. Single round, double round and multiple round time-relaxed round robin tournaments are defined. The integer programming and constraint programming models for those tournaments scheduling are developed and presented. Because of the complexity of this problem, several decomposition methods are presented as well. Traveling distance is an important factor in the tournament scheduling. Traveling tournament problem defined in the time constrained conditions has been well studied. This dissertation defines the novel problem of time-relaxed traveling tournament problem. Three algorithms has been developed and compared to address this problem. In addition, this dissertation study presents all major constraints for the NBA regular season scheduling. These constraints are grouped into three categories: structural, external and fairness. Both integer programming and constraint programming are used to model these constraints and the computation studies are presente

Spartan Daily, November 17, 1995

Volume 105, Issue 56https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/8771/thumbnail.jp

The Cowl - v.32 - n.14 - Feb 6, 1980

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 32 – February 6, 1980. 12 pages

Nurses\u27 Alumnae Association Bulletin, May 1960

Accreditation of Programs in Nursing Alumnae Meetings, 1959 Committee Reports Greetings from the President Highlights from first issue of Alumnae Bulletin Living in the new nurses residence Lost Members Marriages Necrology New Arrivals Notices Personal Items of Interest Report of the School of Nursing and Nursing Services Staff Nurses Association Student Activities Year of tremendous growth and expansio

Minimizing Breaks by Maximizing Cuts

Jean Charles Régin and Michael Trick have proposed to solve the schedule generation problem for sports leagues in two phases in which the first generates a tournament schedule and the second fixes the home-away pattern so as to minimize the number of breaks. While constraint programming techniques appear to be the methods of choice for the first phase, we propose to solve the break minimization problem in sports scheduling by transforming it into a maximum cut problem in an undirected graph and applying a branch-and-cut algorithm. Our approach outperforms previous approaches with constraint programming and integer programming techniques