Centro de Investigación de Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación
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Item type:Publication, Gender Barriers, Equity and Social Sustainability in Rural Agriculture: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach from EcuadorGender equity has become a key component of sustainable rural development and socially sustainable agricultural systems. This study examines the relationship between perceived gender barriers, gender equity, and social sustainability in agriculture in Tungurahua Province, Ecuador. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design was employed using survey data collected from 930 farmers during 2025. Descriptive analyses were used to assess perceived levels of gender equity and social sustainability, while structural equation modeling was applied to evaluate the relationships among the study constructs. The findings reveal high perceived levels of gender equity (80.3%) and social sustainability (88.3%) among participants. The structural model indicates that perceived gender barriers are significantly associated with gender equity (β = 0.383, p < 0.001), and gender equity is positively associated with social sustainability (β = 0.350, p < 0.001). No significant direct effect of perceived gender barriers on social sustainability was identified. The results suggest that gender equity may represent an important pathway linking perceived gender barriers and social sustainability in rural agricultural systems. These findings highlight the importance of promoting equitable access to productive resources, training opportunities, and leadership participation to strengthen social sustainability and inform gender-responsive rural development policies in Ecuador. © 2026 by the authors. - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Social Capital and Economic Growth: An Analysis in South America(2025); Ximena Morales-UrrutiaSocial capital has emerged as a key variable in explaining regional economic disparities, yet its multidimensional nature complicates measurement and policy design. In the South American context, characterized by institutional fragility and inequality, the impact of social capital on economic growth remains empirically ambiguous. Methods This study employs a quantitative methodology using panel data from 2007 to 2023 across nine South American countries. Data is sourced from the Legatum Prosperity Index, focusing on five elements of social capital: family relationships, social networks, interpersonal trust, social tolerance, and civic participation. Econometric analysis is conducted using instrumental variables and two-stage least squares models to address endogeneity. Results The econometric findings reveal heterogeneous effects among dimensions of social capital. Civic participation and family relationships exhibit a significant positive association with economic growth, while social tolerance and interpersonal trust show negative or inconsistent impacts. Notably, social networks instrumentalized in the model have a negative and significant relationship with growth, suggesting potential inefficiencies in their current form. The presence of endogeneity and multicollinearity among variables highlights the complexity of causality in this domain. Conclusions Social capital plays a critical, yet context-dependent, role in fostering economic development in South America. While some dimensions such as civic engagement promote inclusive growth, others may reinforce exclusion or inefficiencies depending on institutional quality and social structure. Policymakers should therefore target specific aspects of social capital, promoting civic participation and inclusive networks while addressing institutional weaknesses. Future research should explore longitudinal dynamics and the interaction of social capital with digitalization and labor market transformation. - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Impact of Interactive Digital Environments: Literacy Development in Middle School(Springer Nature Switzerland, 2026); - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Decision-Intelligent Educational Management and Sustainable Brand Performance: Insights from Ecuador(Springer Nature Switzerland, 2026-08-02); ; ; This study analyzes how the joint use of information systems and economic analytics strengthens sustainable brand performance in Ecuadorian higher education institutions. The objective is to characterize levels of digital maturity and economic analytics and to relate them to perceived outcomes of sustainable marketing and ICT investment. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was implemented, combining a stratified survey of students, faculty, and staff with semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Results show heterogeneous digital maturity: 22% of institutions operate at a basic level (limited to email and office tools), 48% at an intermediate level (LMS, videoconferencing, CRM), and 30% at an advanced level (big data, predictive analytics, ERP). Economically, 42% rely on traditional financial indicators, 33% assess academic program profitability, and 25% apply predictive analytics, indicating a partial integration of information technology with managerial decision-making. Perceived outcomes of sustainable marketing include improved reputation (72%), community relations (67%), resource efficiency (59%), and student attraction (64%). ICT budgets rose from 12% to 18% between 2020 and 2024, prioritizing basic platforms over advanced technologies. Based on these findings, a practical, data-driven framework is proposed that connects academic, financial, and ESG indicators to guide managerial choices. The study concludes that the effectiveness of sustainable brand strategies depends on the alignment between digital maturity, evaluation culture, and institutional scale. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2027. - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Social Capital and Economic Growth: An Analysis in South America(2025); Ximena Morales-UrrutiaSocial capital has emerged as a key variable in explaining regional economic disparities, yet its multidimensional nature complicates measurement and policy design. In the South American context, characterized by institutional fragility and inequality, the impact of social capital on economic growth remains empirically ambiguous. Methods This study employs a quantitative methodology using panel data from 2007 to 2023 across nine South American countries. Data is sourced from the Legatum Prosperity Index, focusing on five elements of social capital: family relationships, social networks, interpersonal trust, social tolerance, and civic participation. Econometric analysis is conducted using instrumental variables and two-stage least squares models to address endogeneity. Results The econometric findings reveal heterogeneous effects among dimensions of social capital. Civic participation and family relationships exhibit a significant positive association with economic growth, while social tolerance and interpersonal trust show negative or inconsistent impacts. Notably, social networks instrumentalized in the model have a negative and significant relationship with growth, suggesting potential inefficiencies in their current form. The presence of endogeneity and multicollinearity among variables highlights the complexity of causality in this domain. Conclusions Social capital plays a critical, yet context-dependent, role in fostering economic development in South America. While some dimensions such as civic engagement promote inclusive growth, others may reinforce exclusion or inefficiencies depending on institutional quality and social structure. Policymakers should therefore target specific aspects of social capital, promoting civic participation and inclusive networks while addressing institutional weaknesses. Future research should explore longitudinal dynamics and the interaction of social capital with digitalization and labor market transformation. - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, INDI: A Low-Cost LLM-Enabled Multimodal Campus Guide Robot(MDPI AG, 2026-09-03); ; - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Road Drainage Infrastructure Diagnostics and Deficiency Indexing in ENSO-Vulnerable Andean Corridors: A STEM–PjBL Field Assessment(MDPI AG, 2026-05-15); Benavides-Ortega, Leirys MaríaRoad drainage infrastructure in ENSO-vulnerable Andean regions faces compounding threats from climatic variability, geometric inadequacy, and systemic maintenance neglect. This study presents a STEM-integrated Project-Based Learning (PjBL) diagnostic framework applied to 42 road segments along corridors connecting Loja, Ecuador, selected through a purposive-stratified spatial-coverage protocol. Using ArcGIS Survey123, standardised field data were collected on structure presence, geometry, failure modes, and condition across four structure types: crown gutters, road gutters, hydraulic chutes, and culverts. The Composite Drainage Deficiency Index (DDI, 0–100) was derived from five equally weighted binary indicators and validated through Monte Carlo Dirichlet weight-perturbation analysis and jackknife leave-one-out resampling, confirming rank-order invariance to admissible alternative weightings. The results reveal severe systemic deficiencies, including crown gutters absent at 88.1% (95% CI: 75.0–94.8) and road gutters at 81.0% (95% CI: 66.7–90.0) of sites. Every segment exhibited at least one drainage failure (100%; 95% CI: 91.6–100). The DDI identified 73.8% of segments in the High or Critical band (DDI ≥ 60; mean = 60.2 ± 20.4). Hierarchical clustering isolated one geometric outlier whose exclusion altered the aggregate metrics by <1.2%. These findings establish a georeferenced baseline for maintenance prioritisation and validate the methodological reproducibility of academically integrated field protocols for infrastructure diagnostics. © 2026 by the authors. - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Explaining Financial Inclusion in the European Union: A Panel Data Analysis of Macroeconomic Determinants (2004–2023)(MDPI AG, 2026-06-26); - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Analysis of Age to First Calving in Ecuadorian Charolais Cattle Using Linear and Survival Models(Springer Nature Switzerland, 2026); Vargas-Jurado, Napo-leónThe Charolais breed has successfully adapted to the Amazonian conditions of Ecuador. The implementation of reproductive and molecular biotechnologies has positioned this breed as the most genetically significant for improvement programs in the region. The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for age at first calving (AFC) under Normal and survival models. Data included animals born between 2010 and 2021, with calving records spanning from 2012 to 2024. The total number of records was 700 after editing. Sire and animal models were considered for the analysis of AFC. The mean AFC was 3.44 years with a standard deviation of 1.19 years. Contemporary group had a significant effect on AFC, but type of cross and multiple ovulation and embryo transfer status had no impact. Under normality assumptions, heritability estimates ranged from 0.17 to 0.21 for sire and animal models, respectively. On the other hand, for the Weibull survival model heritability ranged from 0.45 to 0.74 for sire and animal model, respectively. Estimates for the sire and animal models under Normal assumptions were similar to those reported in literature and thus suggest appropriate model fit. This constitutes an additional step into routine genetic evaluation in Ecuadorian beef cattle. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026. - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Estimation of Unmodeled Dynamics: Nonlinear MPC and Adaptive Control Law With Momentum Observer Dynamic(2024); ; Daniel C. GandolfoThis article proposes an enhancement to estimate unmodeled dynamics within the simplified dynamic model of a quadcopter by integrating three key methodologies: Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC), a Momentum Observer Dynamics (MOD), and an adaptive control law. Termed as Adaptive NMPC with MOD, this integrated approach leverages NMPC, implemented using the CasADi framework, for real-time decision-making, while the momentum observer facilitates system state estimation and uncertainty mitigation. Simultaneously, the adaptive control law adjusts parameters to estimate errors in unmodeled dynamics. Through digital twin and Model in Loop (MiL) simulations, the effectiveness of this framework is demonstrated. Specifically, the study focuses on the simplified quadcopter model, acknowledging often overlooked inherent dynamics resulting from the simplification by not considering the nonlinearities induced by the drone's attitude angles. Addressing these unmodeled dynamics is critical, and the Adaptive NMPC with MOD method emerges as a robust solution, showcasing its potential across various scenarios.17