A unified view of metaheuristics

This book provides a complete background on metaheuristics and shows readers how to design and implement efficient algorithms to solve complex optimization problems across a diverse range of applications, from networking and bioinformatics to engineering design, routing, and scheduling. It presents the main design questions for all families of metaheuristics and clearly illustrates how to implement the algorithms under a software framework to reuse both the design and code.

Throughout the book, the key search components of metaheuristics are considered as a toolbox for:

Designing efficient metaheuristics (e.g. local search, tabu search, simulated annealing, evolutionary algorithms, particle swarm optimization, scatter search, ant colonies, bee colonies, artificial immune systems) for optimization problems

Designing efficient metaheuristics for multi-objective optimization problems

Designing hybrid, parallel, and distributed metaheuristics

Implementing metaheuristics on sequential and parallel machines

Using many case studies and treating design and implementation independently, this book gives readers the skills necessary to solve large-scale optimization problems quickly and efficiently. It is a valuable reference for practicing engineers and researchers from diverse areas dealing with optimization or machine learning; and graduate students in computer science, operations research, control, engineering, business and management, and applied mathematics.

The only single, up-to-date source for Grid issues in bioinformatics and biology
Bioinformatics is fast emerging as an important discipline for academic research and industrial applications, creating a need for the use of Grid computing techniques for large-scale distributed applications. This book successfully presents Grid algorithms and their real-world applications, provides details on modern and ongoing research, and explores software frameworks that integrate bioinformatics and computational biology.
Additional coverage includes:
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Bio-ontology and data mining
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Data visualization
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DNA assembly, clustering, and mapping
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Molecular evolution and phylogeny
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Gene expression and micro-arrays
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Molecular modeling and simulation
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Sequence search and alignment
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Protein structure prediction
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Grid infrastructure, middleware, and tools for bio data
Grid Computing for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology is an indispensable resource for professionals in several research and development communities including bioinformatics, computational biology, Grid computing, data mining, and more. It also serves as an ideal textbook for undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in bioinformatics and Grid computing.