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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.)

Objective: There is limited knowledge on vitamin D status of children residing in the Andes and its association with undernutrition. We evaluated the vitamin D status of children residing in a low socio-economic status (SES) setting in the Ecuadorian Andes and assessed the association between vitamin D status, stunting and underweight. We hypothesized that children who were underweight would have lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and lower 25(OH)D levels would be associated with a higher risk of stunting. Design: We conducted a cross-sectional secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial, the Vitamin A, Zinc and Pneumonia study. Children had serum 25(OH)D concentrations measured. A sensitivity analysis was undertaken to determine a vitamin D cut-off specific for our endpoints. Associations between serum 25(OH)D and underweight (defined as weight-for-age Z -score ≤ − 1) and stunting (defined as height-for-age Z -score ≤ − 2) were assessed using multivariate logistic regression. Setting: Children residing in five low-SES peri-urban neighbourhoods near Quito, Ecuador. Subjects: Children (n 516) aged 6–36 months. Results: Mean serum 25(OH)D concentration was 58·0 (sd 17·7) nmol/l. Sensitivity analysis revealed an undernutrition-specific 25(OH)D cut-off of <42·5 nmol/l; 18·6 % of children had serum 25(OH)D<42·5 nmol/l. Children who were underweight were more likely to have serum 25(OH)D<42·5 nmol/l (adjusted OR (aOR)=2·0; 95 % CI 1·2, 3·3). Children with low serum 25(OH)D levels were more likely to be stunted (aOR=2·8; 95 % CI 1·6, 4·7). Conclusions: Low serum 25(OH)D levels were more common in underweight and stunted Ecuadorian children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The segmentation of intenational tourists who visit the city of Quito according to their perceptions with regard to the gastronomy. To achieve this objective, the methodology used in this investigation has been the application of a multivariate technique of item grouping and the realization of an univariate ANOVA post hoc analysis. The main conclusions that emanante from this research focus on the segmentation of international tourists into three different groups and in how the attraction to the gastronomy, considered by the travellers implies a greater satisfaction of the destination. The main practical implications are centred on a better understanding of key factors about how gastronomy can reinforce a touristic destination and achieve a greater satisfaction considered by the traveller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work applies evolutionary computation and machine learning methods to study the transportation system of Quito from a design optimization perspective. It couples an evolutionary algorithm with a microscopic transport simulator and uses the outcome of the optimization process to deepen our understanding of the problem and gain knowledge about the system. The work focuses on the optimization of a large number of traffic lights deployed on a wide area of the city and studies their impact on travel time, emissions and fuel consumption. An evolutionary algorithm with specialized mutation operators is proposed to search effectively in large decision spaces, evolving small populations for a short number of generations. The effects of the operators combined with a varying mutation schedule are studied, and an analysis of the parameters of the algorithm is also included. In addition, hierarchical clustering is performed on the best solutions found in several runs of the algorithm. An analysis of signal clusters and their geolocation, estimation of fuel consumption, spatial analysis of emissions, and an analysis of signal coordination provide an overall picture of the systemic effects of the optimization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the steps taken and analysis applied in developing a local health policy agenda for the city of Quito, in Ecuador. In 2014, the Health Commissioner's Office of the Municipality of Quito analyzed the city's epidemiological health profiles, social determinants of health, the legal authority of the Municipality, and relevant literature to understand the city's health burden and develop a Ten-Year Health Plan (2015-2025). Results revealed that Quito's population suffered from noncommunicable chronic diseases (diabetes and hypertension) and identified the primary risk factors (poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and resulting overweight or obesity). Other common conditions included respiratory diseases, mental health conditions, deaths and injuries from motor vehicles, violence, and physical insecurity. The plan emphasized health promotion and disease prevention with the aim of transforming citizens' health perceptions with their active participation by fostering public and private intersectoral commitment to improve the quality of life of the population . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students of the South American Andes have long noted the extraordinary force of objects to traverse cosmic and psychic distances, fill (or empty) the living with power that is often exhibited through public dance, and serve as ‘transactors’ in senses socioeconomic, psychic, cosmic, and geographical. In this article, I examine substances and actions involved in a modified version of Holy Communion that took place in June of 2012 in a working-class neighbourhood located at the outskirts of Quito, Ecuador, to celebrate the nativity of St. John the Baptist. I argue that this act was specifically designed to expand the celebration of the Eucharist in a way that allowed a type of transubstantiation whereby the relatives and friends of former hacienda peons were able to transform their physical bodies into something some believed had long been hidden from them – their right to live in the city as persons of their own making, ones who could legitimately adopt the identity and corresponding histories, territories, and political rights of indigenous persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Economics is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)

Nominal and pronominal address forms, which play a central role in the construction of interpersonal relations (cf. Bargiela et al. 2002; Clyne et al. 2009), have been the focus of attention in different linguistics subfields for several decades now. Less attention, however, has been paid to these forms from a variational pragmatics (Schneider and Barron 2008) perspective, particularly in Spanish. Using a corpus of role play interactions, we examine the impact of region and gender on nominal address usage among male and female university students from Quito (Ecuador), Santiago (Chile) and Seville (Spain). We look at how these forms are employed in rapport management (Spencer-Oatey 2008 [2000]) in two situations: giving advice and making a direct complaint (Boxer 1993). Building on work on nominal forms (cf. Leech 1999; McCarthy and O'Keeffe 2003), we examine similarities and differences in their use across the three varieties of Spanish. Among the findings recorded was a larger repertoire of nominal forms in the Santiago and Quito data sets relative to the Seville corpus, with the highest frequency of use in Santiago. We suggest that address usage in the dyadic contexts examined is connected to the expression of affect and involvement, with Chileans (Santiago) and Ecuadorians (Quito) displaying more affect than Spaniards (Seville). Contrary to early research suggesting that women employ more affiliative language than men (cf. Lakoff 1975), overall, males in the present study were found to use address forms more frequently than females across the three locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how community radio operates transnationally through a media ethnography of the Latin American Association of Radio Education (ALER) executive secretariat in Quito, Ecuador. Findings show that ALER staff members share a common vision of their work based around 4 themes: collective self-representations, unity, inclusion, and transformation. Having a shared collective conviction in the transformative function of radio shapes how ALER staff conceptualize its journalistic production. This research advances knowledge of how community radio scales-up to the transnational level and the shared values underlying this journalistic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Territorios: Revista de Estudios Regionales y Urbanos is the property of Universidad de los Andes 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.)

While key conceptions and the status of environmental education (EE) have been reported at various international, regional, national and local levels, those in play in the schools of Quito (Ecuador) are still relatively unknown. Of particular interest to this study are private schools: they are considerable in number in Ecuador and elsewhere, yet remain largely underrepresented in national and local studies. Therefore, a survey with a focus on conceptions of EE was administered to teachers (74) and pupils (748) of the third-, fourth- and fifth-years (7–10 years old) of elementary education, in 22 private schools in Quito. Using Sauvé's categorization of conceptual currents in EE, findings suggest a strong conservationist theme among teachers whereas pupils approach EE from both conservationist and naturalist perspectives. In terms of the status of EE, implementation is still limited to classrooms and in teacher professional education and development. Consideration of diverse conceptual currents is strongly recommended in teacher professional development, and the strengthening of EE-related partnerships between schools, homes and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an urgent and growing need for trained personnel and services to serve children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in Ecuador. This article illustrates how, almost 10 years ago, a small group of very committed professionals from multidisciplinary fields decided to fill the void for ASD services by establishing the Centro de Rehabilitación Helen Keller. The authors address the educational and behavioral interventions provided by the team of professionals, support staff, and volunteers that are capitalizing on their collective knowledge and experience to help children, and discuss the vision and goals of the center. Finally, the authors appeal to the global community for professional development opportunities, internships, student exchange programs, and other experiences to increase knowledge, skills, and resources in the area of ASD for Ecuadorian children, youth, and adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of monumental colonial architecture in Quito, Ecuador, examining questions of European influence and indigenous Andean agency. The author reflects on several buildings in Quito, including the Chapel of San Juan de Letrán, the Church and Monastery of San Francisco, and the Jesuit College.

The article provides details of the Iberoamerican Mathematics Competition for University Students (CIIM) held on the first week of October 2011 in Quito, Ecuador. It mentions that 48 university students from 11 Latin American university teams joined the competition. A brief background of the Mathematics Olympiad Project and its director, Maria E. Losada, is presented. A short history and structure of the CIIM and the math problems used in the competition are included.

Background: Tropical countries are thought to play an important role in the global behavior of respiratory infections such as influenza. The tropical country of Ecuador has almost no documentation of the causes of acute respiratory infections. The objectives of this study were to identify the viral agents associated with influenza like illness (ILI) in Ecuador, describe what strains of influenza were circulating in the region along with their epidemiologic characteristics, and perform molecular characterization of those strains. Methodology/Findings: This is a prospective surveillance study of the causes of ILI based on viral culture of oropharyngeal specimens and case report forms obtained in hospitals from two cities of Ecuador over 4 years. Out of 1,702 cases of ILI, nine viral agents were detected in 597 patients. During the time of the study, seven genetic variants of influenza circulated in Ecuador, causing six periods of increased activity. There appeared to be more heterogeneity in the cause of ILI in the tropical city of Guayaquil when compared with the Andean city of Quito. Conclusions/Significance: This was the most extensive documentation of the viral causes of ILI in Ecuador to date. Influenza was a common cause of ILI in Ecuador, causing more than one outbreak per year. There was no well defined influenza season although there were periods of time when no influenza was detected alternating with epidemics of different variant strains [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To identify the immunogenetic factors that trigger the beginning of preeclampsia and eclampsia. Methods: A retrospective, case-control study of 142 pregnant women in Obstetrics and Gynecological Hospital Isidro Ayora in Quito, who are grouped into two different groups, diseased and healthy. The study analyzed ethnicity, age, gynecological history, contraception, immunizations, blood type and Rh factor, and family history of preeclampsia-eclampsia of each of the pregnant women; and gestational age, sex, weight, and blood type and Rh factor of the progeny. Results: Age, ethnicity, history of pregnancy, abortions, contraception, and blood type and Rh factor were similar for both groups ( p > 0.05). Gestational age and weight of the progeny was lower in cases compared with controls ( p < 0.05). There was no statistical difference when comparing the blood type and Rh factor of the two groups ( p > 0.05). Male gender was predominant in both groups for cases 69.01 and 87.32% for controls ( p < 0.05). Conclusions: There was a higher predisposition for inherited cases (26%) versus controls (9.85%), p < 0.05, for the occurrence of preeclampsia. The frequency of the recessive gene for Mendelian inheritance model mother-fetus homozygous (aa/aa), in agreement with the Hardy-Weinberg Law, was 0.41 for the sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the results of a study which explores the social representation concerning inequalities in street children education in Santiago, Chile and Quito, Ecuador. The findings of the study reveal that street children leave school because they feel expel due to punishment in relation to bad adaptation to school regulations. The expulsion signifies an expulsion from an opportunity of a decent life and from a neoliberal society.

The recent rediscovery of an early seventeenth-century mural painting hidden beneath an eighteenth-century painting on canvas on the nave crossing arch of the Church of Santo Domingo provides striking visual evidence of individual and corporate identities and shifting devotional contexts at the Dominican monastery. Complementing and clarifying the visual evidence in the paintings, recently recovered archival documents confirm the identities, roles, and activities of the major protagonists in the Dominican artistic and building campaigns of the early seventeenth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RESUMEN A partir de investigación histórica y etnográfica llevada a cabo en Quito, Ecuador, el artículo describe los cambios operados en las políticas de adopción y de bienestar infantil durante la segunda mitad del siglo veinte. El autor sostiene que las prácticas relativas a la transferencia del cuidado y potestad de los niños han estado t estado históricamente basadas en relaciones asimétricas y en contextos caracterizados por diferencias de clase y de raza. De esta manera, se argumenta que las políticas y prácticas administrativas vinculadas a temas de bienestar infantil y adopción formaban parte de un proyecto civilizatorio que implicaba la exclusión de ciertos grupos y categorías de personas. El artículo analiza estas prácticas de exclusión a través de la observación de los cambios en los discursos públicos sobre parentesco (relatedness) y niñez. Asimismo, se comparan las políticas y la legislación sobre bienestar infantil con las prácticas tradicionales de circulación de los niños en los Andes. Finalmente, se sostiene que a medida que el proyecto de ciudadanía se acerca más a los ideales de inclusión universal, la distancia entre los principios básicos de la adopción formal y las prácticas populares se ha incrementado. In this article, I draw from historical and ethnographic research in Quito, Ecuador, to describe changes in adoption and child welfare policies from the mid to the late 20th century. Child care transference practices were carried out in relations marked by power inequalities, and in contexts characterized by class difference and defined by racial oppositions. I argue that child welfare policies and the administration of adoptions formed part of civilizing projects of citizenship which implied the exclusion of specific groups and categories of persons. These exclusionary practices are analyzed through a focus on shifting public understandings of relatedness and childhood. I also compare child welfare policies and legislation with Andean child circulation practices, and discuss how the distance between the basic principles of formal adoption and popular practices has increased as the project of citizenship comes nearer to an ideal of all-inclusiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how organizational culture influences corporate performance in the Ecuadorian service sector. The study employs four organizational culture features and twelve concepts for corporate performance using a self-designed online questionnaire, which were supplied to postgraduate students from academic programs at Universidad de Las Americas (UDLA) in Quito, Ecuador. The respondents were working as managers or employees in small Ecuadorian service firms. The operational items of the questionnaire to measure organizational culture and corporate performance were designed using the Denison model. The findings reveal a statistically positive relationship between organizational culture and firm performance. Moreover, involvement, adaptability, consistency, and mission affect the non-financial performance of the Ecuadorian service sector. Involvement is the critical determinant of the influence of organizational culture on corporate performance, while training shows the strongest association with organizational culture. This study provides a perspective on long-term organizational strategies, vision, and performance. Future research should include the characteristics of the studied firms to increase the effectiveness of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how middle-class Quiteños respond to certain convivial directives among family and friends that they are unable or unwilling to comply with. It examines some of the strategies which Quiteños employ to deal with the tensions that can arise from two conflicting forces: social pressure and individual wants. Close ties among family members and intimate friends often make refusals to certain directives difficult, so that people feel obliged to comply because of el compromiso (social) (i.e., the obligation that relations of kin or friendship impose). On the other hand, when there is less closeness, token acceptances and avoidance strategies may be employed for face-saving purposes. Both sets of behavior (compliance and non-compliance) are interpreted in terms of the underlying interpersonal ideology of connectedness (Fitch 1998) that seems to operate in Quiteño society. Within this ideology, relationships can take precedence over the individual's own desires; if however, the bonds are less strong, people find ways of responding to social pressure without actually acting contrary to their own wishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objetives: The purpose of the present article was to evaluate how shamans and the suburban communities of Quito interpret the terminology used in genetics. Methods: One hundred people living in 5 suburban districts of Quito were surveyed as well as 19 shamans of the Salasaca community. Results: The results show that members of both groups are little informed about genetics. As knowledge about genetics is correlated to educational level, which is very poor in both groups, knowledge and understanding of genetics are either very basic or nonexistent. As for the medical practices in treating genetic alterations, the surveys show that while in very severe cases scientific medicine is sought, in most cases explanations and a cure are given by shamanic medicine. Conclusion: There is limited knowledge of genetics and its terminology in the study population. Shamanic and marginal health practices seem to remain prevalent in these communities due to their low costs, the personal attention the individuals receive, and the holistic point of view employed. It is important that the community councils, the medical doctors and the shamans work together to set up community programs on medical education, particularly on genetics. Copyright © 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traces the transformation of pobreza de solemnidad or solemn poor petition system from a remedy to abate elite impoverishment that supports colonial boundaries to a generic petitioning for a public service that obscured socioracial divisions in the colonial society in Quito, Ecuador. Implication of being declared as solemn poor; Arguments used by women in claiming poverty; Inclusion of nonwhites among the solemn poor and racial descriptors in poverty petitions.

It is generally assumed that older mansions in the elite residential sector of Latin American cities filter down to the middle classes once their residents migrate to modern suburban homes. Five land use maps compiled between 1975 and 1999 show that the elite residential sector of Quito (Mariscal Sucre) experienced a much more complex fate. Diffusion of nonresidential land uses from the city center and its associated spine transformed the residential neighborhood into a vibrant upper-scale business district. Sophisticated businesses subsequently moved on to modern suburban facilities, but Mariscal Sucre became a major hub for business, nocturnal entertainment, and tourism. Diversification of land use in Mariscal Sucre confirms the Crowley hypothesis of complexity in Latin American urban land use patterns (). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The city of Quito, Ecuador, began working in 2000 to protect the ecologically fragile watershed area for its drinking water. In order to protect the Papallacta watershed, the independent Fund for the Conservation of Watersheds (FONAG) was launched to finance and manage economically sound sustainability projects in the area. FONAG is funded in part through start up grants from several organisations and a 1 per cent fee on all Quito water bills, but it has been unable to build an endowment sizeable enough to begin implementing conservation projects. We measure perceptions of the fund among Quito's university–based residents in two settings and evaluate the quality of the fund's proposed communication campaign based on existing communication theory. Further, we propose an adapted environmental education model based on a synthesis of existing theory and the empirical findings from our examination of the FONAG example. The Papallacta case study illuminates the potential strengths and weaknesses of the cultural ecology and political will of this type of collaborative sustainability project for addressing water problems in a developing country in a mountainous setting, centred around the themes of water conservation and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterizes different rainfall/runoff processes in a small peri-urban catchment in Quito, Ecuador. Physiographic units of the watersheds; Measurement of infiltration point-processes; Variations in the runoff coefficients.

This article explores the role played by images of the Virgin Mary in the ordering of space during the colonial period, as well as in the disruption of such order as a gesture of resistance by subordinate groups. In the Real Audiencia de Quito of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, civil and religious authorities used miraculous images of the Virgin Mary as aids in the founding of reducciones, which assured the imposition of Christian civility upon the Native population. Legal records suggest that in the second half of the eighteenth century Indigenous communities deployed similar strategies as a means of asserting their own concerns. Native actors physically manipulated Marian images in times of conflict, moving them around or apprehending them either to legitimize their desertion of colonial settlements or to resist forced relocation. In both the early colonial period and in the eighteenth century, the key strategy of shaping sacred landscapes was implemented in both Andean and Christian traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LLUNPIY (lahar modeling by local rules based on an underlying pick of yoked processes, from the Quechua word "llunp'iy", meaning flood) is a cellular automata (CA) model that simulates primary and secondary lahars, here applied to replicate those that occurred during the huge 1877 Cotopaxi Volcano eruption. The lahars flowing down the southwestern flanks of the volcano were already satisfactorily simulated in previous investigations of ours, assuming two possible different triggering mechanisms, i.e., the sudden and homogeneous melting of the summit ice and snow cap due to pyroclastic flows and the melting of the glacier parts hit by free-falling pyroclastic bombs after being upwardly ejected during the volcanic eruption. In a similar fashion, we apply here the CA LLUNPIY model to simulate the 1877 lahars sprawling out the Cotopaxi northern slopes and eventually impacting densely populated areas. Our preliminary results indicate that several important public infrastructures (among them the regional potable water supply system) and the Valle de Los Chillos and other Quito suburban areas might be devastated by northward-bound lahars, should a catastrophic Cotopaxi eruption comparable to the 1877 one occur in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine women's reasons for seeking care at The Quito Project (TQP), a student-led organization that aims to improve the health, education, and well-being of a semi-urban community in Quito, Ecuador, and to explore the need for additional preventative interventions.Methods: An oral survey was administered to 86 adult patients in 2008. We also completed a chart review to evaluate patient demographics and medical conditions.Results: Sixty-three (73.3%) survey respondents were female. Nearly three-quarters of the women reported an income below the minimum wage; 60% reported that the cost of medical care posed a burden. Fifty-two percent sought care at TQP because the services were free. Additionally, 77% of women reported going to the doctor only when ill and did not access preventative services.Conclusions: By offering medical, dental, and tutoring services, along with preventative health workshops, TQP addresses established barriers to achieving adequate women's health. Survey results have reinforced TQP's focus on prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, robust confidence intervals for PM2.5 (particles with size less than or equal to 2.5   μ m ) concentration measurements performed in La Carolina Park, Quito, Ecuador, have been built. Different techniques have been applied for the construction of the confidence intervals, and routes around the park and through the middle of it have been used to build the confidence intervals and classify this urban park in accordance with categories established by the Quito air quality index. These intervals have been based on the following estimators: the mean and standard deviation, median and median absolute deviation, median and semi interquartile range, a -trimmed mean and Winsorized standard error of order a , location and scale estimators based on the Andrew's wave, biweight location and scale estimators, and estimators based on the bootstrap- t method. The results of the classification of the park and its surrounding streets showed that, in terms of air pollution by PM2.5, the park is not at caution levels. The results of the classification of the routes that were followed through the park and its surrounding streets showed that, in terms of air pollution by PM2.5, these routes are at either desirable, acceptable or caution levels. Therefore, this urban park is actually removing or attenuating unwanted PM2.5 concentration measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study identifies spatial patterns of crimes and their associations with the index of Unsatisfied Basic Needs (UBN), with Communitarian Policy Units (CPU) density, as well as with population density. The case study is the Metropolitan District of Quito. Correlation analyses were applied between number of registers of each type of crime, and the UBN index, CPU density and population density measures. The spatial autocorrelation index of Getis-Ord Gi* was calculated to identify hotspots of the different types of crime. Ordinary least squares regressions and geographically weighted regressions considering types of crime as dependent variables, were calculated. Larceny and robbery were found to be the predominant crimes in the study area. An inverse relationship between the UBN index and number of crimes was identified for each type of crime, while positive relationships were found between crimes and CPU density, and between crimes and population density. Significant hotspots of fraud, homicide, larceny, murder, rape and robbery were found in all urban parishes. Additionally, crime hotspots were identified in eastern rural parishes adjacent to urban parishes. This study provides important implications for crime prevention in the Metropolitan District of Quito (MDQ), and the obtained results contribute to the ecology of crime research in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a robust statistical analysis of particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration measurements is carried out. Here, the region chosen for the study was the urban park La Carolina, which is one of the most important in Quito, Ecuador, and is located in the financial center of the city. This park is surrounded by avenues with high traffic, in which shopping centers, businesses, entertainment venues, and homes, among other things, can be found. Therefore, it is important to study air pollution in the region where this urban park is located, in order to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life in the area. The preliminary study presented in this article was focused on the robust estimation of both the central tendency and the dispersion of the PM2.5 concentration measurements carried out in the park and some surrounding streets. To this end, the following estimators were used: (i) for robust location estimation: α-trimmed mean, trimean, and median estimators; and (ii) for robust scale estimation: median absolute deviation, semi interquartile range, biweight midvariance, and estimators based on a subrange. In addition, nonparametric confidence intervals were established, and air pollution levels due to PM2.5 concentrations were classified according to categories established by the Quito Air Quality Index. According to these categories, the results of the analysis showed that neither the streets that border the park nor the park itself are at the Alert level. Finally, it can be said that La Carolina Park is fulfilling its function as an air pollution filter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface ozone is problematic to air pollution. It influences respiratory health. The air quality monitoring stations measure pollutants as surface ozone, but they are sometimes insufficient or do not have an adequate distribution for understanding the spatial distribution of pollutants in an urban area. In recent years, some projects have found a connection between remote sensing, air quality and health data. In this study, we apply an empirical land use regression (LUR) model to retrieve surface ozone in Quito. The model considers remote sensing data, air pollution measurements and meteorological variables. The objective is to use all available Landsat 8 images from 2014 and the air quality monitoring station data during the same dates of image acquisition. Nineteen input variables were considered, selecting by a stepwise regression and modelling with a partial least square (PLS) regression to avoid multicollinearity. The final surface ozone model includes ten independent variables and presents a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.768. The model proposed help to understand the spatial concentration of surface ozone in Quito with a better spatial resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented which calls the attention of dental students, dentists or retired dentists to help in addressing the dental care and hygiene on the impoverished community in Quito, Ecuador.