Universidad Técnica de Ambato

Entropies such as the Shannon–Wiener and Gini–Simpson indices are not themselves diversities. Conversion of these to effective number of species is the key to a unified and intuitive interpretation of diversity. Effective numbers of species derived from standard diversity indices share a common set of intuitive mathematical properties and behave as one would expect of a diversity, while raw indices do not. Contrary to Keylock, the lack of concavity of effective numbers of species is irrelevant as long as they are used as transformations of concave alpha, beta, and gamma entropies. The practical importance of this transformation is demonstrated by applying it to a popular community similarity measure based on raw diversity indices or entropies. The standard similarity measure based on untransformed indices is shown to give misleading results, but transforming the indices or entropies to effective numbers of species produces a stable, easily interpreted, sensitive general similarity measure. General overlap measures derived from this transformed similarity measure yield the Jaccard index, Sørensen index, Horn index of overlap, and the Morisita–Horn index as special cases.

G(ST) and its relatives are often interpreted as measures of differentiation between subpopulations, with values near zero supposedly indicating low differentiation. However, G(ST) necessarily approaches zero when gene diversity is high, even if subpopulations are completely differentiated, and it is not monotonic with increasing differentiation. Likewise, when diversity is equated with heterozygosity, standard similarity measures formed by taking the ratio of mean within-subpopulation diversity to total diversity necessarily approach unity when diversity is high, even if the subpopulations are completely dissimilar (no shared alleles). None of these measures can be interpreted as measures of differentiation or similarity. The derivations of these measures contain two subtle misconceptions which cause their paradoxical behaviours. Conclusions about population differentiation, gene flow, relatedness, and conservation priority will often be wrong when based on these fixation indices or similarity measures. These are not statistical issues; the problems persist even when true population frequencies are used in the calculations. Recent advances in the mathematics of diversity identify the misconceptions, and yield mathematically consistent descriptive measures of population structure which eliminate the paradoxes produced by standard measures. These measures can be directly related to the migration and mutation rates of the finite-island model.

The generation rate of Municipal Solid Waste is expected to increase to 2.2 billion tonnes per year by 2025 worldwide. However, in developing countries, collection, transport and disposing of waste is still challenging while, in developed countries, emerging technologies are used to produce different by-products such as heat, electricity, compost and bio-fuels. This study assesses the different waste-to-energy technologies developed to date. This work is divided into four groups: biological treatment of waste; thermal treatment of waste; landfill gas utilization; and biorefineries. Furthermore, integrated solid waste management systems with waste-to-energy technologies are studied and some worldwide examples are provided.

A lean supply chain (LSC) is a set of organizations directly linked by upstream and downstream value streams between processes that work collaboratively to reduce costs and waste. Currently, supply chains (SCs) have been put to the test as the world has had to face a series of unprecedented disruptions in demand and supply caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, a detailed study of constructs and multistructural components was carried out to develop a conceptual reference model that merges Industry 4.0 (I4.0) digital technologies with lean manufacturing tools to reduce waste and minimize costs in the lean supply chain planning (LSCP) context. The main theoretical contribution of this conceptual proposal is to establish a structured relation among the lean, agile, sustainable, resilient and flexible paradigms to improve SC performance by implementing I4.0 enabling technologies. The proposed conceptual model, dubbed as LSCP 4.0, is applied and validated with a case study in a large footwear company. It can help decision-makers and researchers to improve the planning and management of digital SC production processes, even with unexpected disruptions.

This work presents a case study on the first large-scale industrial biogas upgrading process with simultaneous purification of methane and CO₂ in one of Europe's largest biogas production and purification plants in Northern Italy.

Real-time monitoring in CNC machine tools is focused on the early detection of tool wear, and in this way to assess part piece quality. The machining process known as broaching is critical for firtree slots (dovetails) production in turbomachinery components, such as turbine disks. Tight tolerances on one hand, even less than 5 µm in firtree-slots pressure faces, and high productivity on the other, are the two main requirements. Besides, broaching tools are very expensive and the cutting edges wear must be estimated during the process; in fact, tool wear in difficult-to-cut materials machining may cause a waste not only in terms of the tool but also of the very expensive workpieces. Broaching usually is one of the last operations in the process chain, so components start the operation with a very high-added value. Hence, only one bad slot implies an unrecoverable piece and therefore a huge waste of time and money. In this paper, a monitoring method for efficient broaching is proposed by combining real-time monitoring and off-line tool wear inspection. Firstly, the cutting tool characteristics are defined, and those affected by tool degradation. Secondly, some broaching cycles were carried out while measuring a) process accelerations through two accelerometers, b) cutting force by load cells, and c) motor drive consumption. They were simultaneously recorded. Furthermore, the sensitivity between tool wear and broaching process natural frequencies is established. Finally, a series of experimental tests were executed for verification, showing the useful approach for daily life production. The paper focuses on signals and their sensitivity to significant process variations.

The improvement of the writing skill with the help of modern computer programmes has gained considerable attention in the English as a Foreign Language writing learning process and the better understanding about the contributions of these technological programmes are needed in the field of education. This paper sought to shed light on the effects of implementing free Automated Writing Evaluation tools on the writing performance of the students of an English Teacher Training Programme. Ecuadorian undergraduate learners were encouraged to use Grammark and Grammarly

Integrating technology in the classroom has increased in the last few years. Previous studies on the interactive response system (IRS) have generally being in mind of instructors of languages to facilitate teaching and learning process. The purpose of the present study was therefore to explore the use of the online platform Kahoot! As a tool for teaching and learning vocabulary in an English Class. A quasi experimental design process was developed throughout a period of time to see how helpful this tool was in the learning vocabulary process in English Language classroom. The results support previous studies which found that using IRS improved learners’ engagement and interaction. They also provide further evidence that the use of Kahoot! Increased motivation and improved acquisition of vocabulary for later exams. The results of the students’ satisfaction survey indicated that students enjoyed playing Kahoot! And found it easy to use. It is necessary to use classroom technology in language classrooms to improve learning, and gamification is one of the latest approaches used in language classes. Kahoot! is a platform that can be used also for informal assessment.

in ASD children.

The fourth industrial revolution has forced most companies to technologically evolve, applying new digital tools, so that their workers can have the necessary skills to face changing work environments. This article presents a scoping review of the literature on virtual reality-based training systems. The methodology consisted of four steps, which pose research questions, document search, paper selection, and data extraction. From a total of 350 peer-reviewed database articles, such as SpringerLink, IEEEXplore, MDPI, Scopus, and ACM, 44 were eventually chosen, mostly using the virtual reality haptic glasses and controls from Oculus Rift and HTC VIVE. It was concluded that, among the advantages of using this digital tool in the industry, is the commitment, speed, measurability, preservation of the integrity of the workers, customization, and cost reduction. Even though several research gaps were found, virtual reality is presented as a present and future alternative for the efficient training of human resources in the industrial field.

Objectives: Dementia poses one of the greatest global health challenges, affecting 50 million people worldwide. With 10 million new cases each year, dementia is a growing burden, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). This study aimed to identify the facilitators and barriers to providing quality dementia assessment and care in LMICs from a global health perspective. Methods/Design: A qualitative semi-structured interview study with 20 dementia expert healthcare providers from 19 countries. To be included, providers had to: practice dementia assessment or care in LMICs where the population over age 60 is projected to more than double by 2050 and be recognized as a leading dementia expert in the region based on position, research publications, and/or policy leadership. Interviews were analyzed by a multidisciplinary team of researchers using thematic analysis. Results: Barriers to dementia assessment and care included stigma about dementia, poor patient engagement in and access to healthcare, inadequate linguistic and cultural validation, limited dementia capable workforce, competing healthcare system priorities, and insufficient health financing. Facilitators included the rise in dementia awareness campaigns, dementia training for general practitioners, availability of family support and family caregivers, and national and international collaborations including coordinated policy efforts and involvement in international research initiatives. Conclusions: Findings from this study provide insights for prioritizing dementia assessment and care capacity-building in LMICs as a global health priority and for tailored public health approaches to strengthen dementia assessment and care at the individual, community, national, and multi-national levels.

In the last few years exciting advances have been achieved in developing printing techniques for organic semiconductors, and impressive mobility values have been reported for the resulting organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs). However, not all these techniques are scalable and some of them require additional crystallization steps. This study reports on the fabrication of OFETs employing blends of four benchmark organic semiconductors with polystyrene and demonstrates that applying the same formulation and experimental conditions for printing them, highly reproducible and uniform crystalline films exhibiting high OFET performance are successfully achieved. It is noted that the mobility values achieved here are not the highest reported for the studied materials; however, they are state‐of‐the‐art values and could be regarded as exceptional considering the low cost and fast speed of the fabrication process involved here.

The current pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus infection is known as Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). This disease can be asymptomatic or can affect multiple organ systems. Damage induced by the virus is related to dysfunctional activity of the immune system, but the activity of molecules such as C-reactive protein (CRP) as a factor capable of inducing an inflammatory status that may be involved in the severe evolution of the disease, has not been extensively evaluated. A systematic review was performed using the NCBI-PubMed database to find articles related to Covid-19 immunity, inflammatory response, and CRP published from December 2019 to December 2020. High levels of CRP were found in patients with severe evolution of Covid-19 in which several organ systems were affected and in patients who died. CRP activates complement, induces the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and induces apoptosis which, together with the inflammatory status during the disease, can lead to a severe outcome. Several drugs can decrease the level or block the effect of CRP and might be useful in the treatment of Covid-19. From this review it is reasonable to conclude that CRP is a factor that can contribute to severe evolution of Covid-19 and that the use of drugs able to lower CRP levels or block its activity should be evaluated in randomized controlled clinical trials.

Two varieties of green fruit banana growing in Guerrero State México, were used for starch isolation. Starch yields from the bananas varieties “macho” and “criollo” were 43.8% and 11.8%, respectively. Thermal transition temperatures assessed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were higher for “criollo” than for “macho” starch but the enthalpy changes in both starches were not different. Both starches showed A-type diffraction pattern, until now not reported for banana starches. Light microscopy revealed some structural characteristics of banana starches as shape and size and eccentric birefringence was observed under polarized light. The iodine-stained differed in their blue color intensity. The viscosity profiles of both samples evaluated with the Rapid Visco Analyzer (RVA) were similar, and the gelatinization temperatures agree with those obtained by DSC. The pastes formed from banana starches in general were opaque and the storage temperature had a slight effect on clarity.

A report from the Interprofessional Education Collaborative and another from the Institute of Medicine cite working as part of interdisciplinary teams as a core proficiency area for improving health care. This article discusses the core competencies of interprofessional education and the essential role for social workers as leaders and facilitators of this practice. Educators will learn how to help students discover the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for successful interprofessional work. Specifically, this article has the following objectives:Discuss essential elements of effective interprofessional practice;Present exemplars of interprofessional education involving social work;Identify the roles for social work in leadership, education, and practice in interprofessional education.

Abstract Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), also known as fall armyworm (FAW) is a polyphagous pest which can cause significant losses and is considered a global threat to different crops and a risk to food security. Currently, in maize, the pest is predominantly controlled by pesticides or transgenic events. However, the use of biological control agents is considered the most sustainable and preferred method of control, providing high effectiveness. Among the various natural enemies reported for FAW, the egg parasitoid Telenomus remus has gained most interest, and has been mass released against FAW in the Americas for many years. In addition to FAW, other armyworms of the genus Spodoptera often cause high crop damage and may be controlled using T. remus . Among other important aspects, this paper presents a review on T. remus mass rearing techniques, estimated costs of mass production, and release strategies. Due to the recent invasion of FAW in Africa, Asia, and Australia T. remus provides good opportunities for the establishment of an augmentative biological control program, reinforcing sustainable production of major crops such as maize in affected countries.

The aim of this study was to increase the antibacterial spectrum of modified hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) with thermal and chemical treatments against Gram-negative bacteria. The antibacterial activity of heat-denatured HEWL and chemical denatured HEWL against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria was evaluated in 15 h of incubation tests. HEWL was denatured by heating at pH 6.0 and pH 7.0 and chemical denaturing was carried out for 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 4.0 h with DL-Dithiothreitol (DTT). HEWL modified by thermal and chemical treatments was characterized using the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) electrophoresis method. Heat-denatured HEWL lytic activity against Micrococcus lysodeikticus lessened with increasing temperature and time of incubation with the chemical agent (DTT). The loss of lytic activity in modified HEWL suggests that the mechanism of action of the antibacterial activity is not dependent on the lytic activity. Thermal and chemical treatments of HEWL enabled the production of oligoforms and increased antibacterial activity over a wider spectrum. Heat-denatured HEWL at pH 6.0 and chemically-denatured HEWL increased the HEWL antibacterial spectrum against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922). HEWL at 120 °C and pH 6.0 (1.0 mg/mL) inhibited 78.20% of the growth of E. coli. HEWL/DTT treatment for 4.0 h (1.0 mg/mL) inhibited 68.75% of the growth E. coli. Heat-denatured HEWL at pH 6.0 and pH 7.0 and chemically-denatured HEWL (1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 4.0 h with DTT) were active against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus carnosus CECT 4491T). Heat-denatured and chemical-denatured HEWL caused the death of the bacteria with the destruction of the cell wall. LIVE/DEAD assays of fluorescent dye stain of the membrane cell showed membrane perturbation of bacteria after incubation with modified HEWL. The cell wall destruction was viewed using electron microscopy. The results obtained in this study suggest that heat-denatured HEWL at pH 6.0 and chemical-denatured HEWL treatments increase the HEWL antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria.

This Article presents a mathematical programming model for the mass integration of eco-industrial parks. The model considers the reuse of wastewater among different industries and the constraints given by the process sinks and the environmental regulations for waste streams discharged to the environment. The model allows the optimal selection of treatment units to satisfy the process and environmental regulations. The objective function consists of the minimization of the total annual cost, including the treatment unit costs, the piping costs, and the cost of fresh water. A new discretization approach is proposed for the model reformulation to handle the bilinear terms of the model as part of a global optimization strategy. Results show that significant savings can be achieved for the design of an integrated eco-industrial park with respect to the integration of each individual industry.

INTRODUCCIÓN. Con el advenimiento de la tecnología, el uso de redes sociales se ha convertido en la principal vía para realizar anuncios publicitarios y llegar al consumidor o cliente final, sin embargo, en Ecuador pocas empresas aprovechan estos nuevos canales de publicidad. OBJETIVO. Este artículo describe un estudio documental exploratorio sobre Marketing Digital y dentro de esta área el uso de las redes sociales por pequeñas y medianas empresas (Pymes). MÉTODO. El estudio inició con una revisión bibliográfica en bases de datos científicas sobre estrategias de Marketing Digital. Posteriormente, se buscaron sitios web con observatorios y cifras comerciales en el ámbito de las redes sociales. Finalmente, se identificaron las estadísticas sobre el uso de redes sociales en las Pymes. RESULTADOS. Los resultados reflejaron que el 82% de las Pymes del Ecuador accede a Internet, pero su uso se limita a enviar correos y tareas administrativas. Se identificó que las grandes corporaciones, al disponer de más recursos o equipos responsables de la comunicación aprovechan las redes sociales con verdaderas campañas publicitarias. En este contexto hasta finales de 2017 las redes sociales más utilizadas fueron: Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter y YouTube. DISCUSIÓN Y CONCLUSIONES. El evidente crecimiento de usuarios en estas redes sociales en el Ecuador es quizás, un nuevo reto, que exigirá una reorientación interna y el planteamiento de nuevas formas de relacionarse con sus clientes.

Extensive plastic production has become a serious environmental and health problem due to the lack of efficient treatment of plastic waste. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most used polymers and is accumulating in landfills or elsewhere in nature at alarming rates. In recent years, enzymatic degradation of PET by Ideonella sakaiensis PETase (IsPETase), a cutinase-like enzyme, has emerged as a promising strategy to completely depolymerize this polymer into its building blocks. Here, inspired by the architecture of cutinases and lipases homologous to IsPETase and using 3D structure information of the enzyme, we rationally designed three mutations in IsPETase active site for enhancing its PET-degrading activity. In particular, the S238Y mutant, located nearby the catalytic triad, showed a degradation activity increased by 3.3-fold in comparison to the wild-type enzyme. Importantly, this structural modification favoured the function of the enzyme in breaking down highly crystallized (~31%) PET, which is found in commercial soft drink bottles. In addition, microscopical analysis of enzyme-treated PET samples showed that IsPETase acts better when the smooth surface of highly crystalline PET is altered by mechanical stress. These results represent important progress in the accomplishment of a sustainable and complete degradation of PET pollution.