Universidad Indoamérica
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EC
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Quito
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INDOAMÉRICA es una Institución de educación superior con más de tres décadas al servicio de la ciencia y la formación de profesionales de excelencia. Nuestros orígenes se remontan a los años ochenta, cuando fue constituido el Centro de Estudios de Computación “Servisistemas Informáticos Indoamérica”. Su nombre, INDOAMÉRICA, expresa un profundo sentido de pertenencia a la cultura latinoamericana, lo cual constituye la base fundamental de nuestra identidad.

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Associations among MHC genes, latitude, and avian malaria infections in the rufous‐collared sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis)

2024 , Juan Rivero de Aguilar , Omar Barroso , Bonaccorso, Elisa , Hector Cadena , Lucas Hussing , Josefina Jorquera , Javier Martinez , Josué Martínez‐de la Puente , Alfonso Marzal , Fabiola León Miranda , Santiago Merino , Nubia E. Matta , Marilyn Ramenofsky , Ricardo Rozzi , Carlos E. Valeris‐Chacín , Rodrigo A. Vásquez , Juliana A. Vianna , John C. Wingfield

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a genetic region in jawed vertebrates that contains key genes involved in the immune response. Associations between the MHC and avian malaria infections in wild birds have been observed and mainly explored in the Northern Hemisphere, while a general lack of information remains in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, we investigated the associations between the MHC genes and infections with Plasmodium and Haemoproteus blood parasites along a latitudinal gradient in South America. We sampled 93 rufous-collared sparrows (Zonotrichia capensis) individuals from four countries, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, and estimated MHC-I and MHC-II allele diversity. We detected between 1–4 (MHC-I) and 1–6 (MHC-II) amino acidic alleles per individual, with signs of positive selection. We obtained generalized additive mixed models to explore the associations between MHC-I and MHC-II diversity and latitude. We also explored the relationship between infection status and latitude/biome. We found a non-linear association between the MHC-II amino acidic allele diversity and latitude. Individuals from north Chile presented a lower MHC genetic diversity than those from other locations. We also found an association between deserts and xeric shrublands and a lower prevalence of Haemoproteus parasites. Our results support a lower MHC genetic in arid or semi-arid habitats in the region with the lower prevalence of Haemoproteus parasites.

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Exploring the Landscape of Data Analysis: A Review of Its Application and Impact in Ecuador

2023 , Ayala-Chauvin, Manuel Ignacio , Avilés-Castillo F. , Buele, Jorge

Latin America has shown increased big data adoption since 2012; Ecuador is now entering this transformative field. Science and engineering in Ecuador have benefited most from data analysis, with untapped potential in health and services sectors. Big data is shaping sectors in Ecuador, including disaster prediction, agriculture, smart city development, and electoral data analysis. Despite public sector inefficiencies, residential ICT adoption provides opportunities for Ecuador’s smart city advancements. Despite some data underutilization, big data’s transformative potential is evident in Ecuador’s healthcare and education advancements. Highlights: Data analysis is increasingly critical in aiding decision-making within public and private institutions. This paper scrutinizes the status quo of big data and data analysis and its applications within Ecuador, focusing on its societal, educational, and industrial impact. A detailed literature review was conducted from academic databases such as SpringerLink, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, and ACM, incorporating research from inception until May 2023. The search process adhered to the PRISMA statement, employing specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The analysis revealed that data implementation in Ecuador, while recent, has found noteworthy applications in six principal areas, classified using ISCED: education, science, engineering, health, social, and services. In the scientific and engineering sectors, big data has notably contributed to disaster mitigation and optimizing resource allocation in smart cities. Its application in the social sector has fortified cybersecurity and election data integrity, while in services, it has enhanced residential ICT adoption and urban planning. Health sector applications are emerging, particularly in disease prediction and patient monitoring. Educational applications predominantly involve student performance analysis and curricular evaluation. This review emphasizes that while big data’s potential is being gradually realized in Ecuador, further research, data security measures, and institutional interoperability are required to fully leverage its benefits. © 2023 by the authors.

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Psychometric Properties of the Acoso Sexual en las Instituciones de Educación Superior Scale (ASIES) in an Ecuadorian Sample [Propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Acoso Sexual en las Instituciones de Educación Superior (ASIES) en una muestra ecuatoriana]

2023 , Guarderas P. , de Lourdes Larrea M. , Moreta-Herrera R. , Reyes-Valenzuela C. , Vaca D., Acosta D.

Sexual harassment has become increasingly common in Ecuador’s higher education centers. However, due to the lack of instruments that evaluate sexual harassment, the magnitude of this phenomenon in Ecuador is unknown. This research aims to analyze the construct validity and internal consistency reliability of a sexual harassment measurement scale in higher education institutions (ASIES). The instrument analyzes 21 behaviors related to sexual harassment. The sample consisted of 4628 people. A descriptive analysis of the items, item-total correlation analysis, and both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis are performed to test the internal structure of the scale. It was found that the 4-factor model and a second-order factor presented a better fit (CFI = .99, TLI = .99, SRMR = .075, and RMSEA = .018). The results confirm the four dimensions proposed. Copyright: © 2023. International Journal of Psychological Research provides open access to all its contents under the terms of the license creative commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

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Geo-colonizing Mars: A fun way to raise awareness about environment caring and teach Geometry

2021 , Arroyo-Cruz L. , Chacón-Castro M. , Jadán Guerrero, Janio

The technological boom in which we are immersed has caused the game rules in education to change to adapt to the new educational needs demanded by society. An increasingly digital age, where speed, change and transformation have become its fundamental characteristics. This article describes a pedagogical strategy that integrates elements, dynamics and games' mechanics in order to increase motivation in learning geometry, making it more active, lasting, meaningful and fun for Primary Education students. This proposal is based on a Breakout called Geo-Colonizing Mars, an immersive game that includes problem solving activities, experimentation, debates, and research related to geometry. The immersion is supported by a narrative that raises awareness about environment caring through videos and interactive material developed with Genially, Kahoot, Edpuzzle and Flippity. To evaluate this proposal, an intervention was carried out with 51 6th year Primary Education students from a public institution in Spain. The results showed a motivational change that led to a proactive attitude towards learning, collaborative work and problem solving. © 2021 ACM.

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Strategies to Produce Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Supplies for Tourism in the Galapagos Archipelago

2024 , Álvarez Sánchez, Ana , Suárez del Villar, Alexis

The implementation of disinfectants in the Galapagos Islands requires a meticulous and thoughtful approach, given the ecological sensitivity of this protected area. Disinfectants must be biodegradable and non-toxic to preserve the unique terrestrial and marine biodiversity of the islands. Their effectiveness against a variety of pathogens is critical to protect public health, but this must not compromise the integrity of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Adherence to strict environmental regulations and the provision of clear information on their use are imperative to ensure that their application is both safe and responsible. Maintaining this delicate balance between the protection of human health and the conservation of the unique ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands is crucial, and the disinfectants used play a key role in this effort. The microenterprise under study is dedicated to the manufacture of cleaning products such as disinfectants, liquid soap, and fabric softener for the hotel sector on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Archipelago; 8 years ago, due to external factors on the island, the company presented an increase in sales, resulting in inefficiency in the manufacturing process due to lack of capacity, the physical space where it processes was not designed for this business as it is located within the property of the owner of the company, for this reason the 30 m2 that are currently used do not have inventory areas of raw materials, material in process and finished products, which can meet the current demand for production. By using manual processes for the manufacture of the products, the transformation time varies between 1 and 2 days for each reference, which delays delivery times, creating failures that contribute to the non-fulfillment of orders. By diagnosing the mixing and packaging operations that directly influence the failure to deliver products to the final customer, an improvement proposal is made to take advantage of the capacity of the areas [1], reduce waste and minimize the ergonomic risks of the current production line to increase its productivity and satisfy the demand of its customers.

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Nutritional niches reveal fundamental domestication trade-offs in fungus-farming ants

2021 , Shik J.Z. , Kooij P.W. , Donoso D.A. , Santos J.C. , Gomez E.B. , Franco M. , Crumière A.J.J. , Arnan X. , Howe J. , Wcislo W.T. , Boomsma J.J.

During crop domestication, human farmers traded greater productivity for higher crop vulnerability outside specialized cultivation conditions. We found a similar domestication trade-off across the major co-evolutionary transitions in the farming systems of attine ants. First, the fundamental nutritional niches of cultivars narrowed over ~60 million years of naturally selected domestication, and laboratory experiments showed that ant farmers representing subsequent domestication stages strictly regulate protein harvest relative to cultivar fundamental nutritional niches. Second, ants with different farming systems differed in their abilities to harvest the resources that best matched the nutritional needs of their fungal cultivars. This was assessed by quantifying realized nutritional niches from analyses of items collected from the mandibles of laden ant foragers in the field. Third, extensive field collections suggest that among-colony genetic diversity of cultivars in small-scale farms may offer population-wide resilience benefits that species with large-scale farming colonies achieve by more elaborate and demanding practices to cultivate less diverse crops. Our results underscore that naturally selected farming systems have the potential to shed light on nutritional trade-offs that shaped the course of culturally evolved human farming. © 2020, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.

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Visual Servoing NMPC Applied to UAVs for Photovoltaic Array Inspection

2024 , Velasco-Sanchez E. , Recalde, Luis F. , Guevara B.S. , Varela-Aldas J. , Candelas F.A. , Puente S.T. , Gandolfo D.C.

The photovoltaic (PV) industry is seeing a significant shift toward large-scale solar plants, where traditional inspection methods have proven to be time-consuming and costly. Currently, the predominant approach to PV inspection using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is based on the capture and detailed analysis of aerial images (photogrammetry). However, the photogrammetry approach presents limitations, such as an increased amount of useless data and potential issues related to image resolution that negatively impact the detection process during high-altitude flights. In this work, we develop a visual servoing control system with dynamic compensation using nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) applied to a UAV. This system is capable of accurately tracking the middle of the underlying PV array at various frontal velocities and height constraints, ensuring the acquisition of detailed images during low-altitude flights. The visual servoing controller is based on extracting features using RGB-D images and employing a Kalman filter to estimate the edges of the PV arrays. Furthermore, this work demonstrates the proposal in both simulated and real-world environments using the commercial aerial vehicle (DJI Matrice 100), with the purpose of showcasing the results of the architecture. © 2016 IEEE.

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Attentional responses in toddlers: A protocol for assessing the impact of a robotic animated animal and a real dog

2025 , Zapata, Mireya , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Kevin Valencia-Aragón , Jorge Alvarez-Tello , Maheshkumar Baladaniya

Attentional processes in toddlers are characterized by a state of alertness in which they focus their waking state for short periods. It is essential to develop assessment and attention stimulation protocols from an early age to improve this cognitive function and detect possible deficits in the early stages of cognitive development. Methods: This protocol-based article presents a technological approach to assessing the impact of two animated stimuli on toddlers’ attention. The protocol involves presenting a robotic and a real dog to evaluate attentional activation in early development. This dual-stimulus framework may also inform therapeutic and educational programs aimed at fostering cognitive growth in early childhood. Discussion: This protocol contributes to assessing physiological attentional responses in toddlers, offering insights into attention evaluation and stimulation during early cognitive development. By incorporating both a robotic and a live dog, it enables the exploration of individual differences in attentional engagement and identifies which stimulus elicits a stronger response.

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Consumer value creation through clothing reuse: A mixed methods approach to determining influential factors

2019 , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Guadalupe-Lanas, Jorge , Velín-Fárez M.

Clothing reuse is a consumer disposal behavior that has been underexplored, although it has important consequences for the society. From the perspective of customer-dominant logic, reusing clothing is a consumer value creation behavior. To measure this tendency, we conducted a mixed method study in Ecuador, a developing Latin American country. We used 20 in-depth interviews followed by a survey of 425 adults to identify the factors associated with the tendency to reuse clothing. The study also identified gender differences regarding this behavior. Several factors in consumers' lives were revealed that explained the tendency to reuse clothing, including income, occupation, altruism, and physical environment. The study also showed that various population groups (e.g., lower income groups, younger individuals, students, and women) had a greater tendency to reuse clothing. © 2018 Elsevier Inc.

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Psychosocial Risk in the Operative Personnel of Public Companies: Galapagos Case

2023 , Domenica M.-C.A. , Carlos S.-P.J. , Mónica E.-G.

Psychosocial Risks (PR) affect the overall health of workers in many companies, so it is important to measure it in order to prevent them. Therefore, the research aims to identify the level of PR according to its dimensions in the operating personnel of the public company of the Galapagos Islands, for which the PR measurement tool of the Ministry of Labor of Ecuador, which is composed of eight dimensions, was applied. The data were processed and analyzed descriptively and correlated using SPSS and Excel software, from which it was obtained that the dimensions work addiction, workload and pace, leadership, discriminatory harassment, perceived health, sexual harassment, work organization, and work and emotional stability have a low level and the dimensions such as support and support, development of competencies, margin of action and control, and double presence (work-family) presented medium risk, while work and sexual harassment, and working conditions had a high risk. It is concluded that it is necessary to improve the work environment, and special attention should be paid to the dimensions with significant problems and risks for the wellbeing and health of workers. © 2023 IEEE.

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