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Copyright of Avances en Ciencias e Ingeniería is the property of Avances en Ciencias e Ingenieria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper takes another look at the controversial category of expository philosophical writing in the context of Filipino philosophy. Expository philosophical writing is understood here as writing about the philosophical thoughts of a given philosopher, who is usually Wester. This paper starts with how Quito and Abulad denounced this mode of philosophical writing as inferior. With Abulad's realization of the necessity of this mode of writing, the author took a parallel look at how he grappled with this controversial category from the late 1990s to the present. Agreeing with Abulad on the necessity of this mode of writing, this paper offers a typology of expository philosophical writing consisting of: 1) introductory/overview writing, 2) curation writing, 3) archeological writing, 4) forensic writing, 5) comparative writing, 6) polemic writing, 7) writing as a prelude to appropriation, and 8) writing in the Filipino language. This paper has two substantive sections. The first one catalogues eight typologies of expository philosophical writings together with their strengths and weaknesses. The second one sharpens further the idea of expository philosophical writing by contrasting it with related modes of philosophical writing. This paper will be useful to Filipino philosophy students, philosophy teachers, thesis advisers, and thesis panelists, as this paper attempted not only to clear away the mark of inferiority that Filipino philosophy placed on expository philosophical writing but more so to provide some guideposts on how specific types of expository philosophical writings should be pursued by Filipino researchers of philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper aims to describe the process of creating CHARG—Corpus de Habla Radiofónica de Guayaquil (the Guayaquil Radiophonic Speech Corpus). It is the first systematized spoken corpus for this rather under-researched variety of Spanish. Guayaquil is the most populated city of Ecuador, while its capital city is Quito. Therefore, Ecuador is a rare case of a Spanish-speaking country with two major urban centers that belong to two separate dialectal zones, offering a very peculiar sociolinguistic context. CHARG is a corpus composed of Guayaquil radio programs. Its structure is organized by non-linguistic criteria (program type) in order to ensure a representative and balanced sample. The paper describes the design of the corpus (defining the study population, sample and stratification) and its construction (recording procedure, speakers and speech style coding, transcription and annotation). As a result, CHARG consists of 24 h of transcriptions and annotations of recordings from 142 speakers. The paper's potential use is twofold: since it presents a step-by-step procedure of corpus construction that can be replicated, the readers might be interested in both the procedure and the corpus itself as a research material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The New Urban Agenda (NUA) was adopted at Habitat III, the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, which was held in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2016. This paper is informed in large measure by the resulting documentation on the so-called 'Quito Declaration' and accompanying 'Implementation Plan' set out in the official NUA publications prepared by UN Habitat, as well as drawing on various supporting documents prepared by other UN agencies in the wake of the Declaration. The Implementation Plan lists 175 commitments and principles that respond to the vision and ambitions in the Declaration in which the building of more resilient urban settlements and supporting infrastructure is implicitly seen as the pathway to sustainability, and the adoption of more climate-friendly urban planning and development protocols is therefore a priority. While such ambition is clearly laudable, the paper questions the efficacy of the Agenda's key principles and associated development guidelines, and asks if these are sufficiently detailed to inform policy makers in pursuit of its aspirations, as well as questioning their flexibility as implementation tools to accommodate geographically specific contextual differences in disparate urban settings. It is not therefore a research paper in the normally accepted academic sense, but is simply an essay-cum-commentary on the Agenda's progress as it seeks to promote good practice in urban planning, and whether this is likely to deliver on more sustainable development that is also responsive to climate change imperatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact of green advertising and eco-labels on the attitudes and environmental awareness of millennials purchasing eco-friendly products in shopping centers across Ecuador. The research utilized a quantitative, correlational, cross-sectional methodology with 430 millennials participating. A 20-item survey was administered face-to-face at shopping centers in Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador. The validity of the research model was established through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), employing SPSS 20 and AMOS 24 for statistical evaluations. Findings reveal that green advertising significantly shapes environmental attitudes (β: 0.245) and awareness (β: 0.110), as well as directly influences the purchasing behavior (β: 0.154) towards green products. While eco-labels do not exert a direct effect on purchasing behavior (β: 0.128), they significantly inform attitudes (β: 0.406) and ecological awareness (β: 0.277) of millennials who purchase organic products. This paper is among the pioneering research to delineate the correlation between green advertising elements and the purchasing patterns of green products among millennials in a developing nation. It concludes that marketing strategies centered on green advertising and eco-labels do affect millennials' attitudes and environmental consciousness, but only advertising has a direct impact on purchasing behaviors, contrary to eco-labels. The research bears social significance as it affirms that millennials are attentive to environmental issues and are actively engaged in promoting sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an overview of the findings in the handover (HO) process performance within three routes in Quito, Ecuador. We used the Net-Monitor Software to gather information from one of the three national mobile operators. Then, we used the R tool to analyze the HO performance. We analyze several performance metrics, such as HO types, HO conditions, and the ping-pong process. Analysis of the results of the outdoor drive tests demonstrate that the radio frequency (RF) parameters, such as Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), power margin, times radio frequency measurements repeats, and HO percentage to nearest BS, are extremely important during different HO types and ping-pong processes because there are statistical differences in these measured RF parameters. The main measurement results demonstrate that RSSI difference between inter HO and intra HO is 20 dB, whereas HOs are performed when the mobile device (MS) gets farther from the base station (BS), approximately 50% of total HOs. Operator achieves a high ping-pong rate of approximately 10% of total HOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of the paper is to offer an overview and understanding of hotel maintenance for hotel managers. It highlights the importance of this function and its inherent challenges and key issues. The sampling frame consists of thirteen, 4–5-star hotels in Quito, Ecuador. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with managers who oversee maintenance. The research follows a qualitative approach to data collection and analysis. The research had important findings, amongst them that planned preventive maintenance was the preferred maintenance strategy. The paper developed and applied a framework for researching hotel maintenance management, from strategic, operational and stakeholder viewpoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Marchetti Dilatometer test is a non-destructive in situ test that can be used to determine the geotechnical properties of soils. This paper presents the results of a study that investigated the correlations between the parameters obtained from the Marchetti Dilatometer test and geomechanical parameters for soft soils, mainly organic soils, obtained in the laboratory. The study was conducted in the El Garrochal sector in Southern Quito, Ecuador. The results of the study showed that there are significant correlations between the Marchetti Dilatometer test and the undrained shear strength, modulus of elasticity, and density of soil. The equations that were developed in this study can be used to estimate these geomechanical parameters from the results of the Marchetti Dilatometer test for the South Quito sector, which are valuable for geotechnical engineers to design structures in these types of soils. The equations that were developed in this study can be used to improve the accuracy of the design of these structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bitácora Urbano/Territorial is the property of Bitacora Urbano/Territorial and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Trashumante. Revista Americana de Historia Social is the property of Universidad de Antioquia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Floods represent one of the most threatening risks for earthen architectural heritage. Developing risk assessment tools is considered crucial to mitigate the risk and to protect heritage buildings. Due to its hygroscopic nature, earthen architecture is generally considered to be vulnerable to water, requiring a specific analysis. This paper proposes a vulnerability assessment method for earthen buildings in flood-prone areas. Based on the evaluation of the susceptibility of the building's components and characteristics, the method allows for quantifying the vulnerability of the assets, in non-monetary terms. An application of the methodology is carried out assessing a selection of earthen construction in Quito Historic Centre (Ecuador). The results show the influence of each component in the global vulnerability of the earthen buildings. The response of different construction techniques and the importance of the maintenance of heritage buildings is exposed. Vulnerability assessment methods at the meso-small scale constitute the foundation for risk assessment. Thus, this study aims to provide a significant assessment tool that can be used for further analysis and future lines of research, aiming to protect cultural heritage that is at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a comparative analysis between the PM 2.5 concentration in downtown Quito, Ecuador, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the previous five years (from 2015 to 2019) was carried out. Here, in order to fill in the missing data and achieve homogeneity, eight datasets were constructed, and 35 different estimates were used together with six interpolation methods to put in the estimated value of the missing data. Additionally, the quality of the estimations was verified by using the sum of squared residuals and the following correlation coefficients: Pearson's r, Kendall's τ , and Spearman's ρ. Next, feature vectors were constructed from the data under study using the wavelet transform, and the differences between feature vectors were studied by using principal component analysis and multidimensional scaling. Finally, a robust method to impute missing data in time series and characterize objects is presented. This method was used to support the hypothesis that there were significant differences between the PM 2.5 concentration in downtown Quito in 2020 and 2015–2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista INVI is the property of Universidad de Chile and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

During the year 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic affected mobility around the world, significantly reducing the number of trips by public transport. In this paper, we study its impact in five South American capitals (i.e., Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Lima, Quito and Santiago). A decline in public transport patronage could be very bad news for these cities in the long term, particularly if users change to less sustainable modes, such as cars or motorbikes. Notwithstanding, it could be even beneficial if users selected more sustainable modes, such as active transport (e.g., bicycles and walking). To better understand this phenomenon in the short term, we conducted surveys in these five cities looking for the main explanation for changes from public transport to active and private modes in terms of user perceptions, activity patterns and sociodemographic information. To forecast people's mode shifts in each city, we integrated both objective and subjective information collected in this study using a SEM-MIMIC model. We found five latent variables (i.e., COVID-19 impact, Entities response , Health risk , Life related activities comfort and Subjective well-being), two COVID-19 related attributes (i.e. , new cases and deaths), two trip attributes (i.e., cost savings and time), and six socio-demographic attributes (i.e. , age, civil status, household characteristics, income level , occupation and gender) influencing the shift from public transport to other modes. Furthermore, both the number of cases and the number of deaths caused by COVID-19 increased the probability of moving from public transport to other modes but, in general, we found a smaller probability of moving to active modes than to private modes. The paper proposes a novel way for understanding geographical and contextual similarities in the pandemic scenario for these metropolises from a transportation perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Quiroga: Revista de Patrimonio Iberoamericano is the property of Quiroga: Revista de Patrimonio Iberoamericano and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The world is rapidly urbanising. In 1950, only 30 per cent of the world’s population lived in urban areas. That proportion has increased to 55 per cent in 2018 (United Nations 2018a) and is predicted to reach 68 per cent by 2050 (United Nations 2018b). Governments are struggling to cope with the pace of urbanisation as well as maximising the opportunities urban centres can offer. In Australia, urbanisation has created issues including economic, environmental, social infrastructure, waste disposal, energy and natural resources. The United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat- III), held in October 2016 in Quito, Ecuador, generated the New Urban Agenda (United Nations 2016a) that is a shared vision of the global community and a global framework for sustainable urban development and urbanisation for the next 20 years. This paper discusses the main features of the New Urban Agenda, its development, key elements and relationships. The paper highlights Australia’s role in implementing the New Urban Agenda and considers how Australian cities are preparing for sustainable and equitable growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industries in different sectors are addressing the emission reductions of their processes. Several energy efficiency proposals have been developed by researchers. However, the complexity of most industrial sectors makes it difficult for modelers, businesses, and policymakers to appreciate and realize the full potential for efficiency-driven energy savings in specific industries. Thus, this paper studies the energy efficiency potentials within a vehicle store in Quito, Ecuador. Data on power consumption, operating hours, and consumption were recorded for each inventory item. The workshop was identified as a problem area when the data were analyzed by agency action areas. It is the part of the company with the most machinery and the most operational hours. Finally, proposals for energy efficiency were developed and examined using the internal rate of return and net present value. The proposals with the best applicability were specified using these two indications, resulting in the changing of lights, the use of a timer for the compressor, and the reduction of pump usage time, and lastly, the energy performance indicator and the energy use intensity of the building were calculated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Gender & Development is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article reports that the American Society of Quality and Corporation 3D Quality are co-sponsoring the Quality International Congress on June 22-23, 2007 in Quito, Ecuador. Both organizations have issued a call for success stories and a call for papers. The deadline for submissions is March 16, 2007. Contact information are provided for interested presenters.

Copyright of Cuadernos de Música, Artes Visuales y Artes Escénicas is the property of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: The spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria may be driven by human–animal–environment interactions, especially in regions with limited restrictions on antibiotic use, widespread food animal production, and free-roaming domestic animals. In this study, we aimed to identify risk factors related to commercial food animal production, small-scale or "backyard" food animal production, domestic animal ownership, and practices related to animal handling, waste disposal, and antibiotic use in Ecuadorian communities. Methods and findings: We conducted a repeated measures study from 2018 to 2021 in 7 semirural parishes of Quito, Ecuador to identify determinants of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant E. coli (3GCR-EC) and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase E. coli (ESBL-EC) in children. We collected 1,699 fecal samples from 600 children and 1,871 domestic animal fecal samples from 376 of the same households at up to 5 time points per household over the 3-year study period. We used multivariable log-binomial regression models to estimate relative risks (RR) of 3GCR-EC and ESBL-EC carriage, adjusting for child sex and age, caregiver education, household wealth, and recent child antibiotic use. Risk factors for 3GCR-EC included living within 5 km of more than 5 commercial food animal operations (RR: 1.26; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10, 1.45; p-value: 0.001), household pig ownership (RR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.48; p-value: 0.030) and child pet contact (RR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.39; p-value: 0.001). Risk factors for ESBL-EC were dog ownership (RR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.83; p-value: 0.053), child pet contact (RR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.10, 2.16; p-value: 0.012), and placing animal feces on household land/crops (RR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.09, 2.46; p-value: 0.019). The primary limitations of this study are the use of proxy and self-reported exposure measures and the use of a single beta-lactamase drug (ceftazidime with clavulanic acid) in combination disk diffusion tests for ESBL confirmation, potentially underestimating phenotypic ESBL production among cephalosporin-resistant E. coli isolates. To improve ESBL determination, it is recommended to use 2 combination disk diffusion tests (ceftazidime with clavulanic acid and cefotaxime with clavulanic acid) for ESBL confirmatory testing. Future studies should also characterize transmission pathways by assessing antibiotic resistance in commercial food animals and environmental reservoirs. Conclusions: In this study, we observed an increase in enteric colonization of antibiotic-resistant bacteria among children with exposures to domestic animals and their waste in the household environment and children living in areas with a higher density of commercial food animal production operations. In a repeated-measures study conducted between 2018-2021 in 7 semi-rural parishes of Quito, Ecuador, Heather Kathleen Amato and colleagues aim to identify determinants of antibiotic resistant E.coli infection in children. Author summary: Why was this study done?: An estimated 1.27 million deaths in 2019 were attributable to bacterial antibiotic-resistant infections, 89% of which occurred in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Small-scale and commercial-scale food animal production is expanding rapidly in middle-income countries like Ecuador and antibiotic use in food animals is increasing at the fastest rate in these settings, fueling the emergence and selection of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Evidence is needed to inform action against the spread of antibiotic resistance in communities with varying degrees of both small-scale or "backyard" and commercial food animal production, especially in South America where research on community-acquired antibiotic resistance is lacking. What did the researchers do and find?: We conducted a repeated measures study in a food animal-producing region in Ecuador to compare the risk of antibiotic-resistant bacterial (ARB) carriage among children with varying degrees of exposure to backyard and commercial food animals. We used multivariable log-binomial regression models to estimate relative risks (RR) of ARB carriage, adjusting for child sex and age, caregiver education, household wealth, and recent child antibiotic use. Living within 5 km of >5 commercial food animal operations, household pig or dog ownership, child contact with pets, and placing animal feces on household crops were identified as significant risk factors for ARB carriage in children. What do these findings mean?: This study underscores the need for improved waste management and surveillance of antibiotic resistance in LMICs with widespread food animal production. A significant challenge remains: There is a lack of available data on antibiotic usage and resistance in commercial food animal operations and their effluent, in Ecuador and globally, due to limited oversight and surveillance. In future studies, researchers should work with local and national governments to monitor antibiotic use and resistance in food animals, food animal production waste, nearby environmental reservoirs, and food animal products in order to more accurately characterize sources of exposure and transmission routes of community-acquired ARB. The primary limitations of this study are the use of proxy and self-reported exposure measures and the use of a single beta-lactamase drug (ceftazidime with clavulanic acid) in combination disk diffusion tests for ESBL confirmation, potentially underestimating phenotypic ESBL production among cephalosporin-resistant E. coli isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of EURE is the property of Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The lack of opportunities for employment is still present in most South American cities. This arises as a problem due to its impact on chronic poverty and social mobility, two of the main challenges in the region. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to identify the causal link between residential location and labour market exclusion, and its effects on development, geography, and urbanism. This paper uses an urban mobility approach to define the geographic poverty pattern and to generate new tools for the development of local policies in Quito. It also delves the lack of opportunities to access employment, as representing the main source of urban poverty growth in South America, especially due to residential location. The analysis applies the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and the Labour Exclusion by Residential Causes Index (LERCI) to each Quito parish. LERCI includes variables of distance, cost, and public transportation density. Our results regarding the correlation between the two indices suggest a pattern of labour exclusion by residential causes that includes two different dimensions of urban poverty - one in downtown parishes and the other in the periphery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Urban Studies (Sage Publications, Ltd.) is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The worldwide research initiatives on Corona Virus disease 2019 lockdown effect on air quality agree on pollution reduction, but the most reliable method to pollution reduction quantification is still in debate. In this paper, machine learning models based on a Gradient Boosting Machine algorithm are built to assess the outbreak impact on air quality in Quito, Ecuador. First, the precision of the prediction was evaluated by cross‐validation on the four years prelockdown, showing a high accuracy to estimate the real pollution levels. Then, the changes in pollution are quantified. During the full lockdown, air pollution decreased by −53 ± 2%, −45 ± 11%, −30 ± 13%, and −15 ± 9% for NO2, SO2, CO, and PM2.5, respectively. The traffic‐busy districts were the most impacted areas of the city. After the transition to the partial relaxation, the concentrations have nearly returned to the levels as before the pandemic. The quantification of pollution drop is supported by an assessment of the prediction confidence. Key Points: A data driven modeling is applied to quantify the reduction of air pollution during the Corona Virus disease 2019 outbreak in Quito, EcuadorThe accuracy of the models is high (mean PCC = 0.78), especially for predicting NO2 (mean PCC = 0.87) and CO (mean PCC = 0.86)The average drop of pollution during the lockdown is: −53% for NO2, −45% for SO2, −30% for CO, and −15% for PM2.5The industrial areas are less impacted by the quarantine than the traffic and residential districtsThe concentration of pollution tends to return to usual levels, as soon as the relaxed restriction is implemented [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological risk attached to the filling of Quito's ravines, together with the subsequent loss of a memory about their existence, are the focus of this paper which aims to provide a base for both comprehension and action. Ravines are part of the geomorphology of the city's basin and play a vital role in the hydrogeological system of Quito's water cycle. They have been filled over time, disappearing from urban maps. This disrupts ravines' original course and natural drainage system generating risks. An integral multi-scale perspective that considers geomorphological and hydrogeological modifications is missing. Three problematics can be observed. Technical-infrastructural, Urban-spatial and Architectural-cultural. The conjugation of all the phenomena described above, constitutes a call to consciously establish the risk level to which this territory is exposed. The damage goes beyond material or human loss. It affects history, living memory, identity, and knowledge. All these aspects have contributed to the consideration of HCQ (Historical Centre of Quito) as World Heritage Site. These are valuable legacies that need to be preserved. Therefore, it is necessary to undertake a detailed inventory of: i) the technical constructive state of patrimonial buildings made using raw earth; ii) the modifications and current state of DMQ's (Metropolitan District of Quito) ravines; iii) the existing interstitial spaces associated to the ravines' path within the HCQ. The paradigm under consideration for the future is not conservation but integral protection. Rescuing Memory in relation to HCQ's ravines as an active operator for transformative provisions associated to social, environmental, urban and architectonic dimensions becomes fundamental for future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Estudios Andaluces is the property of Revista de Estudios Andaluces and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of MARCO (Márketing y Comunicación Política) is the property of Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Servicio de Publicaciones and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Much of the discussion surrounding neoliberal urbanism has been empirically grounded in the North. This paper shifts the discussion south to focus on the regulation of indigenous street vendors and beggars in the Andean nation of Ecuador. Inspired by zero tolerance policies from the North, the cities of Quito and Guayaquil have recently initiated urban regeneration projects to cleanse the streets of informal workers, beggars, and street children. In this paper, I explore the particular and pernicious ways in which these neoliberal urban policies affect indigenous peoples in the urban informal sector. Grounded in the literature on space, race and ethnicity in the Andes, I argue that Ecuador's particular twist on revanchism is through its more transparent engagement with the project of blanqueamiento or “whitening”. I further argue that Ecuador's “refinement” of revanchist urban policies only works to displace already marginalised individuals and push them into more difficult circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kamarakafego was a particular target: his activities were closely monitored by the FBI, CIA, ASIO, and colonial authorities in Bermuda, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. (Paper US$ 28.00) I Pauulu's Diaspora i is an expansive study of Black internationalism told through the extraordinary life and global activism of Pauulu Kamarakafego (formerly Roosevelt Browne). I Pauulu's Diaspora i is a welcome addition to scholarship on global Black Power, Black internationalism, and the growing field of the "Black Pacific.". [Extracted from the article]

In this paper I look at personal histories of middle class women who belong to a Catholic group in Quito, Ecuador. Using a poststructuralist definition of the subject I explore the reasons why these women intentionally break the Church’s rules and make decisions that constitute sins. I argue that in order to understand their disobedience to Catholicism, it is necessary to contextualise their decisions. Their choices can be explained if we look at these women’s lives not only as Catholics but also as belonging to a social class and ethnicity and as members of a family. In this paper I want to explore how these different affiliations are combined and why and when one is prioritised over the others. In other words, how Catholic women adapt religion to fit in with their other needs. Ultimately, this paper will provide insights on the concept of agency and decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quito (Ecuador) has a history of mudflow events from ravines that pose significant risks to its urban areas. Located close to the Pichincha Volcanic Complex, on 31 January 2022, the northwest and central parts of the city were hit by a mudflow triggered by unusual rainfall in the upper part of the drainage, with 28 fatalities and several properties affected. This research focuses on the affected area from collector overflow to the end, considering sedimentological characteristics and behavior through various urban elements. This study integrates the analysis of videos, images, and sediment deposits to understand the dynamics and impacts of the mudflow using a multidisciplinary approach. The methodology includes verifying multimedia materials using free software alongside the Large-Scale Particle Image Velocimetry (LSPIV) to estimate the kinematic parameters of the mudflow. The affected area, reaching a maximum distance of 3.2 km from the overflow point, was divided into four zones for a detailed analysis, each characterized by its impact level and sediment distribution. Results indicate significant variations in mudflow behavior across different urban areas, influenced by topographical and anthropogenic factors. Multimedia analysis provided insights into the mudflow's velocity and evolution as it entered urban areas. The study also highlights the role of urban planning and infrastructure in modifying the mudflow's distribution, particularly in the Northern and Southern Axes of its path, compared with a similar 1975 event, seven times larger than this. It also contributes to understanding urban mudflow events in Quito, offering valuable insights for disaster risk management in similar contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Cubana de Ciencias Forestales is the property of Universidad de Pinar del Rio and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Arenal.Revista de Historia de las Mujeres is the property of Arenal. Revista de Historia de las Mujeres and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents an analysis of the current relationships between three fundamental constructs in the decision-making process of the visitor – motivation, satisfaction and loyalty – of a tourist destination World Heritage Site like the city of Quito, Ecuador. The results demonstrate the existence of three motivational dimensions among foreign visitors to visit the city: firstly cultural, secondly circumstantial and finally hedonic-gastronomic. Additionally, and tending to the motivational schemes, four types of foreign visitors have been identified: a hedonic-gastronomic cultural tourist, a hedonic-gastronomic tourist, a circumstantial hedonic-gastronomic cultural tourist and an alternative tourist. The reasons or motives of the visit reveal that only the hedonic-gastronomic dimension discriminates significantly as far as the degree of perceived satisfaction and loyalty declared by the visitors are concerned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista CIENCIA UNEMI is the property of Universidad Estatal de Milagro (UNEMI) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A public safety answering point (PSAP) receives thousands of security alerts and attends a similar number of emergencies every day, and all the information related to those events is saved to be post-processed and scrutinized. Visualization and interpretation of emergency data can provide fundamental feedback to the first-response institutions, to managers planning resource distributions, and to all the instances participating in the emergency-response cycle. This paper develops the application of multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) of emergency responses in a PSAP, with the objective of finding informative relationships among the different categories of registered and attended events. We propose a simple yet statistically meaningful method to scrutinize the variety of events and recorded information in conventional PSAPs. For this purpose, MCA is made on the categorical features of the available report forms, and a statistical description is achieved from it by combining bootstrap resampling and Parzen windowing, in order to provide the user with the most relevant factors, their significance, and a meaningful representation of the event grouping trends in a given database. We analyzed the case of the 911-emergency database from Quito, Ecuador, which includes 1,078,846 events during 2014. Individual analysis of the first-response institutions showed that there are groups with very related categories, whereas their joint analysis showed significant relationships among several types of events. This was the case for fire brigades, military, and municipal services attending large-scale forest fires, where they work in a combined way. Independence could be established among actions in other categories, which was the case for specific police events (as drug selling and distribution) or fire brigades events (as fire threats). We also showed that a very low number of factors can be enough to accurately represent the dynamics of frequent events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like many Latin American cities, the city of Quito, Ecuador, is adopting innovative transit development like Bus Rapid Transit, cable car systems, and underground metro rail to connect previously marginalized communities across the city. In this landscape urban dwellers continue to use informal transportation to complete their journeys. Informal transit is understood as a self-regulated and flexible service that operates in tandem with the formal, public system of the city. In contrast to research with a political-economic focus on informal transit as a self-regulated entrepreneurial activity, this paper examines informal transit under the broader social conditions of neoliberalism. Thus, our attention is on understanding this collective service and how it functions to provide urban livelihood for residents. Using ethnographic and participatory research that draws on participant observation, photography, interviews, and GPS technology, this research first shows how informal transit is an infrastructure that produces new affective relations between citizens and the state. We discuss the ways in which care emerges as a powerful lens to reconsider gender identities in the city by specifically exploring patriarchal power relations, highlighting that while men experience marginality when performing informal and illegal work, they simultaneously exert masculine privilege in the construction of transit infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antibiotics are increasingly used throughout the world in food animal production for controlling and preventing disease and for promoting growth. But this trend also has the potential for promoting antibiotic resistance, which represents a threat to human, animal, and environmental health. The use of antibiotics and the potential effects of antibiotic dependence has often been associated with large-scale food animal production. But rural households also engage in small-scale production, often operating literally in backyards. While some small-scale producers use veterinary antibiotics, many do not. This paper examines knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and agricultural practices (KAP) that represent an alternative to dependence on antibiotics.Methods: Qualitative field research was based on four focus group discussions (FGDs) with non-indigenous backyard food animal producers in four communities near Quito, Ecuador and two FGDs with veterinarians. FGDs were supplemented by structured observations and key informant interviews. They were recorded with digital audio devices and transcriptions were analyzed independently by two researchers using a three-stage coding procedure. Open coding identifies underlying concepts, while axial coding develops categories and properties, and selective coding integrates the information in order to identify the key dimensions of the collective qualitative data.Results: Backyard food animal producers in the Ecuadorian highlands generally do not use antibiotics while rearing small batches of animals and poultry for predominantly non-commercial household consumption. Instead, they rely on low cost traditional veterinary remedies. These practices are informed by their Andean history of agriculture and a belief system whereby physical activity is a holistic lifestyle through which people maintain their health by participating in the physical and spiritual environment.Conclusions: Backyard food animal producers in the Ecuadorian highlands implement complex strategies based on both economic calculations and sociocultural underpinnings that shape perceptions, attitudes, and practices. They use traditional veterinary remedies in lieu of antibiotics in most cases because limited production of food animals in small spaces contributes to a predictable household food supply, while at the same time conforming to traditional concepts of human and environmental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a transformation of medical training. Although there were obvious medical education and social interaction challenges, e-learning presented some advantages, which may have generated medical curricula innovation and adjustments to novel technological methodologies. This study aims to generate consensuses among medical students regarding medical education provided during the pandemic in the resource-limited context of a Global South university. Methods: The implementation of a participatory Delphi method included a recruitment campaign, training, constitution of Delphi panels and questions, and development of the Delphi exercises. Students from the second to the sixth year of medicine of a university in Quito, Ecuador, constituted two Delphi panels, developed questions about the education received during the pandemic, and answered them over 3.5 rounds. Findings: Twenty-two medical students participated in the Delphi exercises about their perception of medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis consisted of a total of 22 Delphi questions divided into five distinct categories: adaptations and innovations, curriculum and assessment changes, virtual clinical practice, time management, and mental health. The authors established high, medium, and low consensuses for analysis. Conclusions: Consensuses were reached based on students' academic year and focused on the changes in lecture delivery, the usage of new technologies, patient care skills, the impact of the educational routine, and the mental health of the COVID-19 pandemic. The way the pandemic affected medical education in the Global South set the stage for the need for a comprehensive review of tools, skills, and curricula for students from culturally diverse backgrounds. This study offers a highly replicable methodology to generate consensuses and introduce students to academic research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The capital of Ecuador, as a case study, is here used to show how policies regarding urban heritage may improve urban democratic standards and practices by supporting popular participation to redefine the concept of heritage and by encouraging residents to make urban heritage spaces their own. Quito was the first city in 1978 (along with Krakow) to be awarded the title of ‘Cultural Heritage of Humanity’, for the cultural importance of its historic centre. Heritage then became an essential resource not only for local but also national and international actors, as well as a lever for a more comprehensive urban development policy. However, the gradual depopulation of the area reflects the difficulties in conducting a policy of sustainable urban planning. In this context, recent urban programmes mark a watershed as they have involved the inhabitants as actors in the heritage policies and have given rise to a redefinition of heritage—whose long-lasting impact on cultural policy needs questioning. This paper therefore examines the evolution of heritage policies in Quito, and highlights the innovative nature of a recent cultural programme, entitled ‘Tell me about your Quito’, and its impact on the definition and on the appropriation of heritage, in a specific national context, that of the ‘Citizens' Revolution’ and ‘Good Living State’ which Rafael Correa’s government has promoted since 2007. It finally concludes on the emergence of a ‘right to heritage’, as an inclusive tool that establishes the conditions for the residents to appropriate the city and consequently, for the emergence of a more inclusive urban space. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The urban theorist Jane Jacobs related the presence of people with street safety, coining the expression "eyes on the street" and connecting it with morphological characteristics of architecture and urban space. However, urban studies have usually focused on people's perceptions of fear and social features rather than establishing a connection between where violence takes place and how the built environment looks like. This paper aims to estimate a potential relationship between street safety and urban morphology in a neighborhood of Quito, Ecuador, called la Mariscal. Crime Data was provided by the competent local government and morphological indicators were taken from a recent study of the neighborhood. Both categories were tested using the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) econometric model. Results show that five morphological indicators related with the presence of people, non-basic commercial and facility balance, street area, distance to squares and pocket parks, distance to public transport stations, and distance to border vacuums, referring to big urban areas abandoned or with massive single uses, are strongly correlated with the number of robberies. This outcome provides evidence to support that urban planning and design principles may incorporate safety considerations. • The presence of people helps to reduce the number of street robberies. • Morphological urban indicators related to the presence of people are strongly correlated with the number of street robberies. • Jane Jacobs's postulate regarding eyes on the street is still valid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the pollution of the Machángara River basin in Ecuador. For the assessment, water samples were pumped from the river for 1 to 4 h, with a representative water sample of 4 L collected. In the site and laboratory, the physicochemical parameters, carbamazepine (CBZ), and diclofenac (DIC) concentrations were measured using standardized analytical methods. On average, a temperature of 17.02 °C, pH of 7.06, electrical conductivity of 760.96 µS/cm, and turbidity of 83.43 NTU were found. Furthermore, the average solids content was 72.88, 495.47, and 568.35 mg/L for total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), and total solids (TS) in that order. The highest chloride concentration (Cl− = 87.97 mg/L) was below the maximum permissible limit (MPL) based on the Ecuadorian regulations for surface and underground water for human consumption and domestic use, which only require conventional treatment. In contrast, levels of nitrate (NO3− = 27.75–288.25 mg/L) and nitrite in five points (NO2− = 2.02–5.42 mg/L) were higher than the MPLs. Moreover, sulfate (SO42− = 34.75–110 mg/L) and phosphate (PO4−P = 4.15–16.58 mg/L) contents caused turbidity and eutrophication in the river water., Additionally, concentrations of copper (Cu2+ = 0.002–0.071 mg/L), zinc (Zn2+ = 0.001–0.011 mg/L) and iron (Fe3+ = 0.000–0.287 mg/L) were within the permissible limits. On the other hand, carbamazepine concentrations in the Machángara River basin were below the limit of detection (LOD) up to a value of 0.121 mg/L. At the same time, diclofenac levels ranged from 9.32 to 48.05 mg/L. The concentration discrepancy for both pharmaceuticals is linked with the trend of drug consumption by Quito's inhabitants. As measured in this investigation, meaningful amounts of CBZ and DIC are released to the Machángara River. Accordingly, the two pharmaceuticals in the river water may be dangerous for aquatic species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contributes to research on how firefighters manage the question of safety by analyzing their perception of risk. This work therefore serves to promote safety management, safer behavior and a safer work environment. Specifically, this work sheds light on the implications of firefighters' perception of their occupational risk. The study applies the paradigmatic psychometric model to describe perceived risk. The sample population comprised 205 firefighters from Quito, Ecuador. The results reveal that likelihood of occurrence (β = 0.222), risk controllability (β = 0.156), catastrophe potential (β = 0.168), and delay in consequences (β = 0.332) are the four factors that best illustrate firefighter's conception of risk perception (R = 32%). Furthermore, this study has identified two groups with different perceptions of risk. The findings show that more than 60% of the sampled firefighters consider that their occupation entails a high level of risk (127 subjects). Finally, the finding that a high level of education enhances a higher perception of risk is discussed. This paper also explores the implications of this research on management, academia and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Set at 8500 ft (2590 m) high in the Ecuadorian Andes the New Quito International Airport, opened in February 2013, is a landmark both in airport development in Latin America as well as in project finance. The location of this airport, which replaced the old airport that had become absorbed within the City of Quito surrounded by active volcanoes, added a number of unique challenges. As well as handling over 5 million passengers annually, the airport also exports some 20 million roses per day during peak times to destinations around the world. This paper summarises the project scope and benefits, key responsibilities, technical challenges and collaborative working that enabled the US$700 million airport development to meet contractual deadlines. Set up as a government-to-government Canadian-Ecuadorian prime contract, drawing in investors from Canada, USA and Brazil, with international financial institutions from the USA and Canada, the airport was built to international standards with suppliers from across the Americas and Europe, within the exacting obligations of the International Financial Organisation's Equator principles. The paper also examines the total concession structure including impact of a political event and the use of multiple sub-concessions needed for a fully operational airport. The authors' involvement throughout the planning, design and development of the new airport brings together important reference material for the particular benefit of those involved in transport concession projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a field research among Roman Catholic Charismatics and (Protestant) Pentecostals on their faith experiences, carried through in the region of Ecuador's capital, Quito. The outcomes of this research sustain the thesis that there is substantial theological convergence between Roman Catholic Charismatic and Classical Pentecostal faith experiences that justifies the assumption of a shared theological identity. The joint theological characteristics and their interconnection facilitate a critical and fruitful dialogue between theology and social sciences on Latin American Pentecostalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a robust analysis of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration measurements taken at Belisario station (Quito, Ecuador) was performed. The data used for the analysis constitute a set of measurements taken from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2019. Furthermore, the analysis was carried out in a robust way, defining variables that represent years, months, days and hours, and classifying these variables based on estimates of the central tendency and dispersion of the data. The estimators used here were classic, nonparametric, based on a bootstrap method, and robust. Additionally, confidence intervals based on these estimators were built, and these intervals were used to categorize the variables under study. The results of this research showed that the NO2 concentration at Belisario station is not harmful to humans. Moreover, it was shown that this concentration tends to be stable across the years, changes slightly during the days of the week, and varies greatly when analyzed by months and hours of the day. Here, the precision provided by both nonparametric and robust statistical methods served to comprehensively proof the aforementioned. Finally, it can be concluded that the city of Quito is progressing on the right path in terms of improving air quality, because it has been shown that there is a decreasing tendency in the NO2 concentration across the years. In addition, according to the Quito Air Quality Index, most of the observations are in either the desirable level or acceptable level of air pollution, and the number of observations that are in the desirable level of air pollution increases across the years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a robust analysis of carbon monoxide (CO) concentration measurements conducted at the Belisario air-quality monitoring station (Quito, Ecuador). For the analysis, the data collected from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2019 were considered. Additionally, each of the twelve years analyzed was considered as a random variable, and robust location and scale estimators were used to estimate the central tendency and dispersion of the data. Furthermore, classic, nonparametric, bootstrap, and robust confidence intervals were used to group the variables into categories. Then, differences between categories were quantified using confidence intervals and it was shown that the trend of CO concentration at the Belisario station in the last twelve years is downward. The latter was proven with the precision provided by both nonparametric and robust statistical methods. The results of the research work robustly proved that the CO concentration at Belisario station in the last twelve years is not considered a health risk, according to the criteria established by the Quito Air Quality Index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Técnica Energía is the property of Centro Nacional de Control de Energia CENACE and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)