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Cannabis is an herbaceous species of the Cannabaceae family and is native to the Himalayas. It contains hundreds of metabolites with potential bioactivity, including cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the yield and the cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of medicinal cannabis (variety Cherry Oregon) in two localities of the Ecuadorian highlands. A Randomized Complete Block Design with four treatments and four replications was carried out. Treatment 1 was maintained with natural light, treatment 2 received 16/8 photoperiod (16 hours light, 8 hours dark) for one week, treatment 3 received 16/8 photoperiod for two weeks, and treatment 4 received 16/8 photoperiod for 3 weeks. In the locality 1, treatment 4 showed better values of plant height, dry biomass, biomass yield per plant and greater biomass yield per m2, in both cycles. In the locality 2, the treatments were statistically similar in all variables in both cycles, but a trend where treatment 4 presented higher values compared to the rest of the treatments was observed. The THC and CBD contents for the treatments and cycles ranged between 0.06% and 0.51%, and between 13.76% and 15.29% respectively in both localities. Finally, the results obtained agree with what is reported in the variety's technical sheet, and the THC content does not exceed the maximum value allowed by Ecuadorian regulations.

Maize (Zea maysL.) germplasm from the Ecuadorian Higlands has low tolerance to inbreeding especially in starchy cultivars. To create competitive varieties at the commercial level it is necessary to identify outstanding progenitor lines by early testing. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the yield potential of S1linesof black corn by early testing. The experiment was conducted at the “Tunshi” Experiment Station, Licto parish, Chimborazo province, Ecuador using a complete random block design with four replications. Twenty-four treatments were evaluated, each consisting of an S1line of black corn. Agronomic traits were registered and the percentage of inbreeding depression was calculated. The lines presented statistical differences (P ≤ 0.05) in the variables days to male and female flowering, plant height, ear height, leaf disease, ear length, weight of 100 kernels and grain yield. All the variables showed inbreeding depression, except days to male flowering, which presented a low increase. Lines 16, 15 and 22 were the most productive with yields of 2.00; 2.08 and 1.95 t ha-1respectively. These resultsallow to select lines with less depressive effects on yield produced by inbreeding, and to continue with the improvement processes of black maize.

In this investigation, the optimization of mechanical properties with thermal post-processing treatments was analyzed across a wide range of variants. A major aspect of additive manufacturing is the correlation between heat treatments and the effects on the mechanical properties and microstructure of the printed materials. Therefore, the present paper describes a comprehensive overview of post-process heat treatments for Laser Powder Bed Fusion fabricated AlSi10Mg alloy consisting of stress relief anneals at 190 ̊C and 285 ̊C for 2 h, hot isostatic pressing at 515 ̊C for 3 h, hot isostatic pressing + T6 treatment for 6 h, and final aging of each of these conditions at 177 ̊C for up to 1000 h. This has resulted in 40 experimental variants: 20 in the vertical and 20 in the horizontal tensile direction. After tensile testing, the resulting mechanical properties (ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation) and stress–strain curves are analyzed for comparison between all variants. Ultra-fine cellular, micro dendritic structures (0.6–1.2 μm) along with melt-band structures dominated the asbuilt and stress relief anneal conditions. In contrast, hot isostatic pressing and hot isostatic pressing + T6 conditions were dominated by ~10 μm, equiaxed, recrystallized grain structures and pseudo-eutectic silicon particles with varying sizes and size distributions. Microhardness and fractography results also corresponded to their specific heat treatment and microstructure. The comparison and correlation of the heat treatments are presented to help advance the selection of design strategies for high performance applications.

Avocado demand has increased in recent years due to the nutraceutical properties that this fruit has and its positive impacts on human health; however, avocado production also requires sustainable alternatives to improve its cultivation. The objective of this study was to carry out characterization of the mineral content and phytochemical compounds in avocado fruit of the Hass variety grown using sustainable agricultural practices in Ecuador. Our results show an increase in fruit quality traits, such as firmness, and in the content of soluble solids, protein, fiber, fat, carotenoids, Ca, Mg, Zn and stearic acid in the pulp of the avocado Hass variety, as well as an initial trend of yield increase with the application of sustainable practices. Moreover, antioxidant activity was associated with polyphenol content. There were positive correlations of Mg with K and Ca, and of flavonoids with linolelaidic, linoleic and linolenic acids. Overall, our results indicate that avocado can be used as a functional and nutritional food due to its phytochemical composition and the mineral content of its pulp, which contributes to the promotion of its consumption and encourages healthy eating. In addition, the use of sustainable practices, such as fertigation and the application of microorganisms, is also promoted for growing avocado.

The province of Tungurahua is well known for the production of deciduous fruit trees in Ecuador, however, its production is impacted by some issues that affect productivity. The purpose of this investigation was to conduct a diagnosis of the production system of deciduous fruit trees in 6 locations in Tungurahua province. Surveys were carried out to obtain information on 117 production units (farms). A regression model was used to determine the relationship between the variables and their incidence in the production system. The results showed that peach (Prunus persica) is the fruit crop with highest yield (16.19 t ha-1), followed by apple (Malus domestica) (13.36 t ha-1) and pear (Pyrus communis) (13.15 t ha-1). Apple cultivars Emilia and Golden Delicious, cv. Uvilla of pear and Conservero Amarillo of peach were the most cultivated in Tungurahua. The main factors that influenced the farmer income were: Land area used for cultivation, reason for growing fruit trees, age of the producer, fruit selection and type of production. It is necessary to advocate to expand the cultivated land area of these fruit crops in order to satisfy local demand and compete with imports of these fruits.

La producción científica en Ecuador ha seguido un patrón similar a la evolución de otros países latinoamericanos, existiendo escasa generación de documentos indexados; pero en los últimos años se ha incrementado. El INIAP ha plasmado los resultados de sus investigaciones en publicaciones técnicas, dípticos, guías, manuales, entre otros. Desde el año 2014 ha tenido un aumento sostenido en su producción científica, debido a nueva reglamentación de acreditación e incentivos a investigadores. El objetivo de la presente investigación fue realizar un análisis de la producción científica del INIAP durante el periodo 2014-2019. Los resultados mostraron un aumentó 3,1 veces durante el periodo analizado, superando el crecimiento latinoamericano en ese mismo tiempo. Se determinó que más del 54% de las publicaciones del INIAP tienen colaboración internacional y el 62% de publicaciones están indexadas en revistas con índice SJR. Estos resultados indican que INIAP ha incrementado su producción y calidad científica en investigación agropecuaria.

Tree tomato (Solanum betaceum Cav.) is an Andean fruit crop that is grown in Ecuador. It is an exceptional source of minerals and vitamins, thus has nutraceutical properties. The objective of this research was to carry out a phytochemical characterization of a breeding population composed of 90 segregants. Pulp (including mesocarp, mucilage, seeds and placenta) was ground and sieved in order to obtain the liquid pulp to be lyophilized for the chemical analyzes. Antioxidants compounds were determined by spectrophotometry and vitamin C by reflectometry. Data were analyzed by principal components, grouping, and variance analyses; in addition, Z Score estimation was carried out to select elite individuals. There was a broad variability in the data obtained for the breeding population, polyphenol content varied from 5.11 to 16.59 mg GAE g−1, flavonoids from 1.24 to 6.70 mg cat g−1, carotenoids from 50.39 to 460.72 µg β-carotene g−1, anthocyanins from 1.06 to 240.49 mg cy-3-glu 100 g−1, antioxidant capacity from 49.51 to 312.30 µm Trolox g−1, and vitamin C from 78.29 to 420.16 mg 100 g−1. It can be concluded that tree tomato is a good source of beneficial biocompounds and has a high antioxidant capacity.

La presente investigación evalúa el comportamiento del consumidor de productos agroecológicos comercializados por productores de PACAT (Corporación de Asociaciones de Productores Agroecológicos y Comercio Asociativo de Tungurahua) frente a la aplicación de Buenas Prácticas Agrícolas (BPA), tomando como punto de partida el aumento descontrolado de ferias que comercializan productos bajo la denominación de agroecológicos en la provincia de Tungurahua. La principal herramienta utilizada en esta investigación fue la encuesta, aplicada a una muestra de 217 consumidores y 33 productores agroecológicos, con el uso de esta herramienta se determinó el comportamiento del consumidor de la Plaza Pachano y además se analizó la aplicación de Buenas Prácticas Agrícolas. Se reconoce la alta calidad como la principal razón para consumir productos agroecológicos, la frescura constituye la característica física que más atrae, y el producto más comprado fueron las hortalizas. Respecto a productores se determinó que aplican correctamente BPA. Palabras clave: Economía del consumidor, mercados agrarios y marketing, análisis de la oferta y de la demanda, producción, consumo.

Digital Twins (DT) are powerful tools to support asset managers in the operation and maintenance of cognitive buildings. Building Information Models (BIM) are critical for Asset Management (AM), especially when used in conjunction with Internet of Things (IoT) and other asset data collected throughout a building’s lifecycle. However, information contained within BIM models is usually outdated, inaccurate, and incomplete as a result of unclear geometric and semantic data modelling procedures during the building life cycle. The aim of this paper is to develop an openBIM methodology to support dynamic AM applications with limited as-built information availability. The workflow is based on the use of the IfcSharedFacilitiesElements schema for processing the geometric and semantic information of both existing and newly created Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) objects, supporting real-time data integration. The methodology is validated using the West Cambridge DT Research Facility data, demonstrating good potential in supporting an asset anomaly detection application. The proposed workflow increases the automation of the digital AM processes, thanks to the adoption of BIM-IoT integration tools and methods within the context of the development of a building DT.

Inconel 718 alloy fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) (or laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF)) has been post-process heat-treated by stress-relief anneal at 1065 °C; stress-relief anneal (1065 °C) + solution treatment (at 720 °C) + aging (at 620 °C); hot isostatic pressing (HIP) (at 1120–1200 °C); stress-relief anneal + HIP; and stress-relief anneal + HIP + solution treatment + aging. Microstructure analysis utilizing optical metallography revealed primarily equiaxed grain structures (having average diameters ranging from ~30 to 49 microns) containing annealing twins, and a high concentration of carbide precipitates in all HIP-related treatments in the grain boundaries and intragrain regions. However, no precipitates nucleated on the {111} coherent annealing twin boundaries because of their very low interfacial free energy in contrast to regular grain boundaries. The mechanical properties for the as-fabricated Inconel 718 exhibited a yield stress of 0.64 GPa, UTS of 0.98 GPa, and elongation of 26%. Following stress-relief anneal at 1065 °C, the yield stress dropped to 0.60 GPa, while the elongation increased to 43%. The associated grain structure was an irregular, somewhat elongated, recrystallized structure. This structure was preserved at a stress anneal at 1065 °C + solution treatment + aging, but grain boundary and intragrain precipitation resulted in a doubling of the yield stress to 1.3 GPa and a reduced elongation of 12.6%. The results of HIP-related post-process heat treatments involving temperatures above 1060 °C demonstrated that the yield stress and elongations could be varied from 1.07 to 1.17 GPa and 11.4% to 19%, respectively. Corresponding Rockwell C-scale hardness values also varied from 33 for the as-fabricated Inconel 718 to 53 for simple post-process HIP treatment at 1163 °C.

Los programas de entretenimiento de televisión influyen en la audiencia inculcando estereotipos, actitudes y valores. Algunas investigaciones realizadas en este campo, especialmente las del sicosociólogo venezolano Eduardo Santoro, efectuada con 900 niños caraqueños y la realizada por Martha Colombia de Rivera en la Universidad de Zulia, demuestran que los programas de la televisión latinoamericaua están produciendo fuerte impacto en los niños, inclinándolos a la violencia, fomentando en ellos los prejuicios raciales, llevándoles a admirar a los ricos y a despreciar a los pobres.

Los medios de comunicación deben conocer mediante la investigación, la forma como llegan sus mensajes al público perceptor; la mejor manera de utilizar los canales; pueden precisar contenidos de valor trascendente quede ben llegar al perceptor; las demandas de información en torno a los problemas de mayor importancia; el comportamiento de la opinión pública, el grado de influencia de la información difundida, etc. Toda esta clase de investigaciones proporcionará elementos valiosos para que la comunicación pueda atender a los requerimientos de una sociedad sometida a constantes cambios. Por otro lado, se debe desarrollar una metodología apropiada para atender a las necesidades regionales y efectuar trabajos que promuevan el interés por la investigación y contribuyan a que los medios de información conozcan los efectos reales que producen con la difusión de sus mensajes.

La falta de estudios de los medios audiovisuales en el Ecuador y América Latina y la necesidad de contar con una base metodológica para futuras indaga­ciones sobre la televisión, son factores que han influído poderosamente para efec­tuar esta primera investigación sobre las programaciones de televisión de Quito y Guayaquil, ciudades en las que se hallan concentradas las estaciones televisivas. De lo afirmado se establece la importancia de este trabajo que nos proporcionará datos sobre el verdadero contenido de los programas, para que los estudiosos de la comunicación establezcan la influencia de aquellos en el público televidente. Además el estudio tiende a descubrir la cantidad de mensajes que suscita en el receptor la alienación cultural; es conocida la inmensa cantidad de "enlatados" que difunden los canales de televisión, con material procedente del extranjero y especialmente de Europa y Estados Unidos.

Transcurridos 3 años de la socialización de la prensa peruana, cabe preguntar: ¿Ha significado la nueva estructura de la prensa peruana un efectivo cambio en la propiedad de los medios? ¿Se ha operado una transformación en los mensajes, en el ámbito publicitario, en la temática periodística, etc.? Estas preguntas sumamente importantes para detectar la trascendencia del proceso de socialización de la prensa peruana, constituyen un estímulo al investigador de la comunicación social, para el análisis respectivo. Sin duda alguna, la socialización de la prensa es un intento valioso "a priori", ya que cumple con la finalidad de romper un monopolio de los mensajes en manos de emisores que responden a grupos de presión socio-económica.

Hoy en día el uso de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación se encuentra plenamente integrado en muchos procesos docentes. Uno de estos usos se concreta en la utilización de sistemas de gestión de cursos en las universidades, donde sirven de soporte a lo que podríamos denominar campus virtuales. Este artículo describe el Campus Virtual de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, incidiendo en los factores claves que han impulsado su desarrollo.