An allocation scheme for estimating the reliability of a parallel-series system

We give a hybrid two stage design which can be useful to estimate the reliability of a parallel-series and/or by duality a series-parallel system, when the component reliabilities are unknown as well as the total numbers of units allowed to be tested in each subsystem. When a total sample size is fixed large, asymptotic optimality is proved systematically and validated via Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure

Using NLP to build the hypertextuel network of a back-of-the-book index

Relying on the idea that back-of-the-book indexes are traditional devices for navigation through large documents, we have developed a method to build a hypertextual network that helps the navigation in a document. Building such an hypertextual network requires selecting a list of descriptors, identifying the relevant text segments to associate with each descriptor and finally ranking the descriptors and reference segments by relevance order. We propose a specific document segmentation method and a relevance measure for information ranking. The algorithms are tested on 4 corpora (of different types and domains) without human intervention or any semantic knowledge

Microbial contamination of bee pollen and impact of preservation methods

Dupla diplomação com a Université Libre de TunisSince ancient times, bee pollen has gained reputation as an important source of energy and beneficial substances from the nutritional and health points of view. However, in recent years this natural product has gained much more interest, largely consumed and used in increasing quantities as a food. Due to the nutrient content of bee pollen, a variety of spoilage microorganisms can grow, especially when handling practices are not appropriate. Taking into account human safety, the production of high quality products is of paramount importance. This work intended to: i) characterise Portuguese bee pollen in terms of microbial loads and potential hazards based on established analytical methods; ii) evaluate the impact of different preservation methods (oven drying at 35 ºC, 40 ºC, and 45 ºC, freezing, and freeze-drying) on the microbial stability of bee pollen. For bee pollen characterisation, the studied microorganisms were aerobic mesophiles (AM), lactic acid bacteria (LAB), yeasts and moulds (Y&M), coliforms, Escherichia coli, Salmonella and sulphite-reducing Clostridium. For the impact of the different preservation methods, AM, LAB, and Y&M were enumerated after one month, three months and six months of storage. Our results showed that bee pollen has a poor microbial quality, and the loads differ between regions. E. coli and Salmonella were absent in all the samples. Our results showed that freezing and freeze drying techniques present the highest microbial levels, while the oven drying technique presents the lowest microbial loads throughout time, without a significant difference between the different temperatures tested. There is the need to adopt appropriate preservation practices of Portuguese bee pollen to prevent possible contamination by equipment or handling.Desde a antiguidade, o pólen tem ganho reputação como uma importante fonte de energia e de substâncias benéficas do ponto de vista nutricional e de saúde. No entanto, mais recentemente, este produto natural tem vindo a ganhar bastante interesse, sendo largamente consumido e utilizado como alimento em quantidades crescentes. Devido à sua riqueza nutricional, diversos microrganismos de deterioração podem desenvolverse, especialmente quando as práticas de manuseamento não são as mais adequadas. Assim, para garantir a segurança alimentar, é fundamental a obtenção de produtos de elevada qualidade. Com este trabalho pretendeu-se: i) caracterizar o pólen apícola português no que respeita à sua carga microbiana e potenciais riscos, utilizando métodos analíticos estabelecidos; ii) avaliar o impacto da aplicação de diferentes métodos de preservação (secagem em estufa a 35 ºC, 40 ºC e 45 ºC, congelação e liofilização) na estabilidade microbiana do pólen. Para a caracterização do pólen apícola, os microrganismos estudados foram os mesófilos aeróbicos (AM), bactérias do ácido láctico (LAB), leveduras e bolores (Y&M), coliformes, Escherichia coli, Salmonella e Clostridium sulfito-redutores (SRC). Para a avaliação do impacto dos diferentes métodos de preservação procedeu-se à enumeração de AM, LAB e Y&M após um, três e seis meses de armazenamento. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que o pólen estudado possui má qualidade microbiológica e que as cargas microbianas diferem de acordo com a região de captura. Não foram detetadas E. coli e Salmonella nas amostras analisadas. Relativamente aos processos de preservação, os resultados evidenciaram a presença de maiores níveis de microrganismos nas amostras preservadas por congelação e liofilização, enquanto as amostras secadas em estufa apresentaram as menores cargas microbianas ao longo do tempo de armazenamento, sem diferença significativa entre as três temperaturas testadas. Existe a necessidade de adoptar práticas de preservação adequadas que permitam prevenir a possibilidade de contaminação do pólen português através do equipamento ou manipulação

Discapacidad e inclusión de las personas con trastorno del espectro autista –ejemplo de Tetuán–

The condition of Persons in the Situation of Disability (PSD) due to mental, physical or visual deficiency, whether permanent or temporary, is pertinent. For this reason, the article studies this topic to highlight its dimensions and the suffering of these persons. It also discusses the social situation of these persons and their capacity for inclusion based on Functional Capacity. The theme of “Autism” has been chosen to be able to narrow down the scope of this inquiry. To conduct this research, the historical method has been adopted to study the development of the term “Disability”, as well as the analytical and critical method to study the social behavior of this group and the legal texts related to it. The study stresses the need for paying attention to the words used to describe PSD. Also, as their right to social inclusion and their enjoyment of the Functional Capacity in the presence of a supportive decision.La condición de las personas en estado de discapacidad por deficiencia mental, física o visual, que sea permanente o temporal, representa un problema para las sociedades. Por eso, este artículo estudia este tema con el objetivo de resaltar sus dimensiones, discutir la situación social de estas personas y su capacidad de inclusión a partir de la capacidad de obrar. Se ha elegido el término “autismo” para poder controlarlo. Para elaborar esta investigación, se ha adoptado la metodología histórica para estudiar el desarrollo del término “discapacidad”, la metodología analítica y crítica al estudiar el comportamiento social en frente de las personas con discapacidades, así como al estudiar los textos legales relacionados con ellos. Hay una necesidad de prestar atención a las palabras utilizadas hablando de ellos o con ellos, sus derechos a la inclusión social y disfrutar de la elegibilidad para actuar con la presencia de una decisión de apoyo

RELIGIOUS DISCOURSE IN THE ARAB MEDIA

The goal of oral and written Arab media is to send a message both inside and outside the country, to correct a misconception, or to spread a negative opinion about a particular aspect of politics, society, or the economy for a variety of reasons. Under the guise of modernizing the religious discourse, condemning its past, emancipating itself from religion, or restricting itself to international norms, this discourse had a presence in the Arab media. On the other hand, a different discourse seeks to portray Islam as a religion of peace, rights, and responsibilities as well as an embrace of others free from prejudice. The 2011 attack contributed to the growth of Islamophobia, which necessitates an inclusive conversation for understanding. This study will examine the consequences of this prevalent discourse on social cohesion in the Arab world. For this purpose, many institutions and scholars try to clarify the issue to improve social and religious life. Keyword: religious discourse; Islam; Arab media; Islamophobi