The University of Guayaquil (Spanish: Universidad de Guayaquil), known colloquially as the Estatal (i.e., "the State [University]"), is a public university in Guayaquil, Guayas Province, Ecuador.Estatal was founded in 1883. It is the oldest university in the city of Guayaquil and has the largest student body (over 80,000 students). It operates six extension universities throughout the country.
El estudio de la sostenibilidad surge como respuesta a la fragmentación y deterioro de los territorios de las ciudades y hábitats naturales. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar la forma urbana barrial a partir de 20 casos de la ciudad de Guayaquil. Se realiza un estudio bibliográfico sobre la forma urbana sostenible, se seleccionan casos con base en criterios geográficos y morfológicos, y se relevan datos en campo. A su vez, se seleccionaron variables e indicadores tales como: compacidad, conectividad, áreas verdes y calidad ambiental. Se establecieron parámetros de evaluación, y por medio de una normalización se obtuvieron índices de sostenibilidad barrial. Los resultados permitieron determinar una mayor influencia de las variables conectividad y áreas verdes en los niveles de sostenibilidad barrial. El estudio concluye abordando el valor de la metodología propuesta en la búsqueda de una forma urbana barrial sostenible que mejore la calidad de vida poblacional.
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the CONGA game, an interactive and gamified digital tool that uses AI-generated or manually created questions with feedback, to improve colon cancer literacy among tenth- semester Software Engineering students at the University of Guayaquil. Grounded in Paulo Freire's critical pedagogy, CONGA operationalizes the concept of "conscientiza & ccedil;& atilde;o" (critical consciousness awakening) by engaging learners in dialogical reflection on medical myths and encouraging critical evaluation of health information sources. This work addresses an age group-emerging adulthood-that is often overlooked in cancer prevention campaigns despite increasing cancer incidence in this population. The game incorporates an adaptive engine that personalizes difficulty and scoring based on player performance, enhancing engagement and learning personalization. A controlled experiment compared the game-based intervention with traditional lecture-based instruction, using pre- and post-test assessments to measure knowledge gains and misconception reduction. Results demonstrated that the CONGA group achieved a significantly higher post-test correct response rate of 82%, compared to 57% in the traditional instruction group, and showed a 70.4% reduction in incorrect responses versus 42.4% in the control group. These findings indicate that CONGA's adaptive, feedback-driven design was more effective in enhancing short-term knowledge acquisition and immediate conceptual clarification following a single session. The study concludes that, based on immediate post-intervention assessments, gamified learning represents a scalable and engaging pedagogical strategy for colon cancer literacy, particularly in our local younger population. However, these results reflect short-term learning gains measured immediately after a single session, and further research is needed to evaluate long-term knowledge acquisition.
The brewing industry generates large volumes of malt bagasse, an underutilized lignocellulosic residue that poses an environmental challenge and represents an opportunity for the circular economy. In the face of increasing pressure on forest resources for paper production, the valorization of agro-industrial waste as an alternative source of cellulosic fiber emerges as a sustainable strategy. This study aimed to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of producing biodegradable paper from brewer’s spent grain using an alkaline pulping process with sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The methodology included the collection and pretreatment of the bagasse, two-stage alkaline digestion (70 °C and 80 °C), morphological characterization of cellulose by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and evaluation of the physical and mechanical properties of the resulting paper (grammage, moisture content, ash content, porosity, tensile strength, and tear resistance). The results showed a high grammage (233 g/m2), low porosity in the paper samples (Average: 27.96 μm2), ash content of 2.38%, maximum tensile stress of 2.26 MPa, elongation at break of 1.52%, and average tear resistance of 2.19 N—values comparable to those of commercial papers. Although the production cost at laboratory scale was high ($108.18/m2), the prospective analysis indicates that NaOH recovery (>80%) and process scale-up could reduce it to $3.28/m2, making it competitive. In conclusion, brewer’s spent grain constitutes a viable raw material for biodegradable paper production, aligned with circular economy principles, although further optimization is required to improve homogeneity, reduce ash content, and enable sustainable scale-up.
Background:Advancements in CAD/CAM glass-ceramics have expanded their use in esthetic dentistry; however, the combined influence of thermal processing and adhesive cementation on their mechanical performance after oral aging remains unclear. Aim:To assess the effect of crystallization and adhesive cementation on the fracture resistance of CAD/CAM advanced lithium disilicate and zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate ceramics following thermocycling. Materials and methods:Eighty monolithic crowns (n = 10/group) were milled from advanced lithium disilicate (CEREC Tessera™), lithium disilicate (e.max CAD), and zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate (Vita Suprinity®). Specimens were assigned to eight groups based on crystallization and cementation protocols. All crowns underwent 5,000 thermocycles (5 °C-55 °C). Fracture resistance was measured under static compressive loading. Non-parametric tests (Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U with Bonferroni correction) were applied (α = 0.05). Results:Both crystallization and adhesive cementation significantly increased fracture resistance (p < 0.05). Crystallized-cemented specimens exhibited the highest values across all materials. Tessera™ crystallized-cemented crowns reached the highest mean fracture resistance (1,918.9 ± 246.3 N), outperforming e.max CAD and Vita Suprinity®. Conclusion:Crystallization and adhesive cementation exert synergistic benefits on the fracture resistance of CAD/CAM glass-ceramic crowns after thermocycling. Adhering to recommended thermal cycles and adhesive protocols is essential to optimize mechanical reliability and long-term performance.
La inteligencia artificial (IA) ha pasado de ser una promesa tecnológica a un soporte crítico para la toma de decisiones estratégicas en el sector público. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar la evidencia científica sobre el impacto de la IA en la gestión estratégica gubernamental durante el periodo 2020-2025. Se empleó una metodología de revisión sistemática bajo el protocolo PRISMA 2020, consultando bases de datos como Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO y Redalyc, logrando un corpus final de 19 artículos de alto rigor metodológico. Los resultados demuestran que la implementación de analítica avanzada incrementa la precisión proyectiva hasta en un 89% y mejora la eficiencia operativa entre un 18% y 55%. No obstante, se identificó que el éxito de la adopción depende en un 47% de la infraestructura y capacitación técnica previa. Se concluye que, si bien la IA reduce la incertidumbre y optimiza recursos, su sostenibilidad estratégica requiere de marcos regulatorios claros que garanticen la transparencia algorítmica y la ética pública, especialmente en contextos de adopción fragmentada como América Latina y Ecuador
