Whither Evidentialist Reliabilism?

Evidentialism and Reliabilism are two of the main contemporary theories of epistemic justification. Some authors have thought that the theories are not incompatible with each other, and that a hybrid theory which incorporates elements of both should be taken into account. More recently, other authors have argued that the resulting theory is well- placed to deal with fine-grained doxastic attitudes (credences). In this paper I review the reasons for adopting this kind of hybrid theory, paying attention to the case of credences and the notion of probability involved in their treatment. I argue that the notion of probability in question can only be an epistemic (or evidential) kind of probability. I conclude that the resulting theory will be incompatible with Reliabilism in one important respect: it cannot deliver on the reductivist promise of Reliabilism. I also argue that attention to the justification of basic beliefs reveals limitations in the Evidentialist framework as well. The theory that results from the right combination of Evidentialism and Reliabilism, therefore, is neither Evidentialist nor Reliabilist

Feasibility Study on Laser Cutting of Phenolic Resin Boards

AbstractLaser cutting is the most widely implemented application of lasers in industry. The many advantages of this process stimulate users in industry to cut many different materials, such as wood and wood composites –particleboard, plywood, etc.–, which are being cut with excellent results and productivity. Phenolic resins boards are a new substitute of wood in highly aggressive environments. In the present work we study the feasibility of CO2 lasers to cut phenolic resin boards and assess the potential health hazards of the vapours and residues produced, since its thermal degradation may produce toxic organic vapors

An optimisation approach for the e-grocery order picking and delivery problem

[EN] Traditional supermarket chains that are adopting an omni-channel approach must now carry out the order picking and delivery processes to serve online orders, previously done by the customer. The complexity of the logistics processes has increased, therefore modelling and optimising e-grocery operations becomes definitely important. Since there are few studies modelling order picking and delivery processes, we propose an approach that simultaneously optimises the decision variables of different functions which have traditionally been treated separately. In this study, we present a linear programming model for store-based e-fulfilment strategies with multiple picking locations. The proposed model optimises the allocation of online orders to stores, based on the e-fulfilment costs. As well as minimising the picking and delivery costs, the proposed approach consolidates workloads in order to avoid idle times and reduce the amount of resources required. A weighted sum method is applied to compute the solution, integrating parameters that represent different store features such as the product range, sales mode and physical store activities. The proposed model has been tested on one of the largest grocery sellers, showing that substantial savings can be achieved by reallocating orders to different stores, time windows and delivery vehicles. By focusing on optimising e-fulfilment resources, this approach serves as a guide for traditional grocery sellers to redesign their supply chains and to facilitate decision-making at a managerial level.Funding was provided by Universidade de Vigo.Vazquez-Noguerol, M.; Comesaña-Benavides, J.; Poler, R.; Prado-Prado, JC. (2022). An optimisation approach for the e-grocery order picking and delivery problem. Central European Journal of Operations Research. 30(3):961-990. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10100-020-00710-9S96199030

Development of marine-based nanocomposite scaffolds for biomedical applications

Despite the increasing attention that marine organisms are receiving, many of those are not efficiently exploited and subproducts with valuable compounds are being discarded. Two examples of those subproducts are the endoskeleton of squid, from which β-­‐chitin and consecutively chitosan can be obtained; and fish-­‐bones, as a source for the production of nano-­‐ hydroxyapatite. In this work, inspired in the nanocomposite structure of human bone, marine-­‐ based nanocomposite scaffolds composed by chitosan and nano-­‐hydroxyapatite (nHA) were developed using particle aggregation methodology. Chitosan was obtained from endoskeleton of giant squid Dosidicus Gigas while fish hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were synthesized from fish-­‐bones by pulsed laser in deionized water. An innovative methodology was used based on the agglomeration of prefabricated microspheres of chitosan/nHA, generally based on the random packing of microspheres with further aggregation by physical or thermal means to create a marine nanocomposite (CHA) .The morphological analysis of the developed nanocomposites revealed a low porosity structure, but with high interconnectivity, for all produced scaffolds. Furthermore, the nanocomposite scaffolds were characterized in terms of their mechanical properties, bioactivity, crystallinity and biological behavior. The obtained results highlight that the chitosan/nHA-­‐based marine nanocomposite can be a good candidate for biomedical applications, namely on bone regeneration

Semiconductor gellan gum based composite hydrogels for tissue engineering applications

Publicado em "Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine", vol. 7, supp. 1 (2013)Semiconductor hydrogels can be developed by combining the intrinsic electrical properties of semiconductors with the specific characteristics of hydrogels. These hydrogels have recently attracted much attention for applications in tissue engineering, especially formulations incorporating pyrrole and excellent biocompatibility. Several studies have reported that electrical stimulation influences the migration, proliferation and differentiation of stem cells and other cell lines [1]. The goal of this work is to use in situ chemical polymerization of polypyrrole (PPy) with gellan gum (GG) in order to obtain a new generation of semiconductor composite hydrogels. For the synthesis of GG/PPy composites, GG at 1.25% (w/v) final concentration was prepared in distilled water at room temperature. The solution was then heated under stirring at 90°C for 20 min. Temperature was decreased to 65°C and Py was added under vigorous agitation. The crosslinker solution (CaCl2, 0.18%) was added at 50°C. After 2 h, GG/Py composite hydrogels were obtained. In a further step, GG/Py samples were immersed in a solution of oxidizing agent in PBS and the reaction was carried out for 18 h under agitation at room temperature. Finally, the samples were frozen at -80°C for 48 h and lyophilized. The characterization of GG, GG/PPy and PPy samples was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The incorporation of PPy in the gellan gum was confirmed by SEM analysis. The coating with PPy increases the thickness of each sheet in 3 fold when compared with GG samples. Conductivity tests were also performed. For cytotoxicity assay, the samples were rehydrated with complete culture medium. MTS and DNA quantification assays were performed to evaluate the metabolic activity and proliferation of L929 fibroblast cells after 1, 3 and 7 days in culture with GG, GG/PPy and PPy samples. MTS assays clearly indicate a proportional relation between the cell viability and the PPy concentration: higher concentrations of PPy resulted in lower cell viability. These results show that lower concentration of PPy incorporated in the GG hydrogels can provide an adequate electrical stimulus to improve cell behavior. In conclusion, semiconductor hydrogels can be an excellent platform for tissue engineering and electrochemical therapy application

Procura-PALavras (P-PAL): a new measure of word frequency for contemporary European Portuguese

Neste trabalho apresentamos as estratégias e os procedimentos adoptados na constituição de uma nova medida de frequência lexical do Português Europeu contemporâneo, o Procura-PALavras (P- -PAL). Baseado num corpus de mais de 227 milhões de palavras, o P-PAL é uma aplicação web que oferece, por defeito, valores de frequência lexical para todas as suas entradas lexicais (lemas e formas) e que permite a computação de uma grande diversidade de outras medidas objectivas (lexicais e sublexicais) e subjectivas. Descrevemos ainda o processo de defi nição das suas entradas lexicais e da extracção dos respectivos valores de frequência. O elevado número de índices e de entradas lexicais tornam o P-PAL numa aplicação web avançada e indispensável à promoção e internacionalização da investigação em Portugal. O P-PAL encontra-se disponível em http://p-pal.di.uminho.pt/toolsIn this paper we present the strategies and procedures undertaken in the development of a new measure of lexical frequency of the contemporary European Portuguese – Procura-PALavras (P-PAL). Based on a corpus of over 227 million words, P-PAL offers the default frequency per million words (lemmas and wordforms), and the computation of several other objective (lexical and sublexical) and subjective word metrics. We also describe lexical entry integration and word frequency extraction. The high number of indices and lexical entries makes P-PAL an advanced and indispensable web application for the promotion and internationalization of Portuguese research. P-PAL is available at http://p-pal.di.uminho.pt/toolsFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Benchwood: Una experiencia de benchmarking para la mejora continua

[ESP] Esta ponencia presenta el trabajo realizado en el proyecto de investigación denominado Benchwood desarrollado por el Grupo de Ingeniería de Organización (GIO) de la Universidad de Vigo, al cual pertenecen los autores, en colaboración con el Clúster de la Madera de Galicia (CMA) y que se enmarca en el Plan Estratégico Operativo de la Madera 2008-2011 de éste. El Clúster de la Madera de Galicia (CMA) nació en 2001 con la finalidad de lograr la unión, cooperación e integración del conjunto de empresas y agentes de la cadena de la madera de la Comunidad Autónoma de Galicia (España), buscando alcanzar una mayor nivel de competitividad en todo el sector, establecer las bases de futuras actuaciones conjuntas, constituir un foro de debate y acción, en el fomento de la cultura maderera gallega y, en general, para la defensa de todos sus intereses. El Clúster reúne actualmente a 60 empresas de la comunidad autónoma gallega, pertenecientes a distintos subsectores de la cadena de la madera: forestal, aserradero, chapa y tablero, pasta y papel, carpintería y mobiliario, adhesivos y barnices y servicios. El volumen de negocio que generan las empresas asociadas al Clúster supone más de 1.500 millones de euros, lo que representa cerca del 70% del total del sector, y dan empleo directo a más de 11.500 trabajadores

Modelo para la aplicación de la Responsabilidad Social Corporativa en la Gestión de la Cadena de Suministro

[ESP] En esta última década ha aumentado el interés, tanto en el ámbito académico como en el empresarial, por la Responsabilidad Social Corporativa o Corporate Social Responsibility (en adelante, CSR), también llamada Responsabilidad Social Empresarial. Sin embargo, el concepto de CSR tiene una larga y variada historia, cuyo tratamiento en la literatura de manera formal se remonta a la década de los 50. Por otra parte, es en la década de los 70 cuando las organizaciones intergubernamentales comienzan a posicionarse e involucrarse en los temas concernientes a la CSR. En 1976 la OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) publica “Líneas directrices de la OECD para empresas multinacionales”. En 1977, la OIT (Organización Internacional del Trabajo) publica la “Declaración tripartita de principios sobre las empresas multinacionales y la política social”. Y una década más tarde, en 1987, la Comisión Mundial sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo, promovida por Naciones Unidas, elabora un informe titulado “Our Common Future”, más conocido como Informe Brundtland, en referencia al presidente de la comisión. En el informe se define por primera vez el término Desarrollo Sostenible como “La capacidad de satisfacer las necesidades de las generaciones presentes sin comprometer las posibilidades de las del futuro para atender sus propias necesidades”