In this paper, we present a hybrid algorithm combining ant colony optimization algorithm with the taboo search algorithm for the classical job shop scheduling problem. Instead of using the conventional construction approach to construct feasible schedules, the proposed ant colony optimization algorithm employs a novel decomposition method inspired by the shifting bottleneck procedure, and a mec...

In every society there are things which are believed to be not appropriate if spoken on public occasions. A large number of words are therefore taken as silly, vulgar or obscene when used in communication. These words are “taboos”. This paper investigates all the major varieties of English taboo, i.e., bodily excretions, death and disease, sex, four-letter words, privacy and discriminatory lang...

– In this paper we study the Brownian taboo process, which is a version of Brownian motion conditioned to stay within a finite interval, and the α-perturbed Brownian taboo process, which is an analogous version of an α-perturbed Brownian motion.We are particularly interested in the asymptotic behaviour of the supremum of the taboo process, and our main results give integral tests for upper and ...

This position paper argues for addressing ‘good death’ as part of ‘well ageing’ in human life. Although in most societies death is protected through taboos, we have to provide solutions in helping citizens preparing for their own death. The Oedipus Trilogy is an ancient narrative to describe clearly the three phases in any human life, the unavoidability of those phase changes. We have to use th...

This paper proposes a new power-factor-correction (PFC) topology, and explains its operation principle, its control mechanism, related application problems followed by experimental results. In this proposed topology, critical-conduction-mode (CRM) interleaved technique is applied to a bridgeless PFC in order to achieve high efficiency by combining benefits of each topology. This application is ...

Only 5.5 percent of black males married white females in 1990, and the family-income premium for intermarried black males was 7 percent. This paper estimates the impact of the mating taboo, courting opportunities, and individual endowments on the black male marriage market. Results indicate that eliminating the mating taboo would raise the intermarriage rate from 5.5 to 64 percent, and do away ...