Repositorio Digital Ikiam (Univ. Regional Amazónica)
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Estandarización de un protocolo para la Elaboración de harina de frutos de chontaduro (bactris gasipaes kunth) replicable en comunidades Kichwas amazónicas de ecuador
Get PDFEl fruto de la palma de chontaduro (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) es ampliamente consumido
en la región amazónica del Ecuador, especialmente por pueblos y comunidades. Esta
es una fruta estacional y altamente perenne en corto tiempo y con propiedades
nutricionales beneficiosas que podrían ayudar a disminuir los niveles de desnutrición en
la región amazónica. Por ello, es importante desarrollar una metodología que permita
que este fruto pueda ser transformado y consumido durante todo el año y que, además,
mantenga sus propiedades nutricionales. En la presente investigación, para disminuir el
porcentaje de agua de la materia prima y proceder a su molienda para obtener diversas
harinas de chontaduro, se utilizaron diversos equipos -deshidratador, mufla, horno y
liofilizador- con diferentes variaciones -fruto crudo o cocinado, tamaño de troceado del
fruto, temperatura y tiempo en el equipo-Las harinas obtenidas fueron comparadas entre
ellas y se verificó que cumplan la Normativa Técnica Ecuatoriana, así como los
requisitos del CODEX alimentarius, respecto a sus propiedades bromatológicas. Por los
resultados obtenidos de los análisis bromatológicos, para la elaboración de la harina se
recomienda el uso del fruto cocinado con un grosor de 1 cm3 y secado en el
deshidratador, para posterior prensar los frutos y disminuir la cantidad de grasas, y
realizar la ulterior molienda antes de ser cernido y empacado al vacío. Este protocolo
asegura el cumplimiento de la normativa nacional y puede ser replicado por las
comunidades kichwas amazónicas del Ecuador y ser comercializado para reemplazar
las harinas comerciales por una harina libre de gluten
Evaluation of Data Acquisition System for PES Membranes Permeability Analysis in Water Treatment
Get PDFWastewater treatment has become a momentous field today. Membrane ultrafiltration processes are booming due to their versatility of use. However, there are limited studies related to the technology of automatic data acquisition systems (DAQ) for the analysis of pore fouling based on the permeability of the membranes. Thus, the objective of this research was to evaluate a DAQ system through its implementation in permeability tests of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes. For this, through the ANOVA-non-replicable method, the repeatability and reproducibility (r & R) of the data obtained from manual measurements (MA) and DAQ system measurements were analyzed. The tests were carried out through scenarios of filtering distilled water (W) and filtering water contaminated with standard foulant (BSA). The results show a percentage of the r & R relationship between 10% and 30%, concluding that the measurement system through the DAQ system is acceptable according to its use
Biomethane potential test applied to psychrophilic conditions: Three issues about inoculum temperature adaptation
Get PDFThis study aimed to give lights for establishing a psychrophilic BMP test by three approaches for inoculum acclimation under 25 °C. The first test was run using stabilized mesophilic (25 °C) and psychrophilic (15 °C) inoculums to digest cellulose. Second was based on temperature acclimatization of inoculum just by time, from 30 to 10 and 20 °C. The third was running a consecutive BMP under psychrophilic temperatures (23 °C). Cellulose psychrophilic BMP using stabilized psychrophilic inoculum achieve similar results to those obtained at mesophilic conditions with stabilized mesophilic inoculum. Time acclimatization of inoculum improve BMP results respect non-adapted (from 0.47 to 055 Nm3 CH4 kg−1 SV at 20 °C, from 0.31 to 0.44 Nm3 CH4 kg−1 SV at 10 °C). Consecutive BMP under psychrophilic conditions shows better results for inoculum acclimatization to run assays at low temperatures. There is a need to develop and standardize a procedure to run psychrophilic BMP
An experimental protocol for molecular biology lab at an Amazonian University
Get PDFLaboratory-based practical classes are an essential component in teaching molecular biology for undergraduate students. Universidad Regional Amazonica Ikiam is a higher education institution located in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, a high biodiversity place, including amphibians. Based on this, we have established a practical molecular biology program with eight sessions that contextualize the biodiverse surroundings of the University. This program stimulates synchronization of information between theory and practice and improves research skills. During these sessions, students are motivated to identify and characterize antimicrobial peptides from Ecuadorian frog skin secretions, using molecular biology techniques and biochemistry and microbiology knowledge. This practical course was held twice with a total of 56 students from the fifth semester of the biotechnology engineering. The evaluation of the practical program was carried out through a questionnaire applied to students using the Likert scale. Overall, this form of teaching had high receptivity and presented benefits for student learning. Interestingly, 80% of respondents strongly agreed that this course provided tools and knowledge for the development of their undergraduate dissertation. Therefore, practical courses tailored to the student's context can stimulate student learning and interest. Additionally, this experimental methodology is interdisciplinary and can be applied to other research fields and subjects
Situational factors shape moral judgements in the trolley dilemma in Eastern, Southern and Western countries in a culturally diverse sample
Get PDFThe study of moral judgements often centers on moral dilemmas in which options consistent
with deontological perspectives (i.e., emphasizing rules, individual rights, and duties) are in
conflict with options consistent with utilitarian judgements (i.e., following the greater good
based on consequences). Greene et al. (2009) showed that psychological and situational
factors (e.g., the intent of the agent or the presence of physical contact between the agent and
the victim) can play an important role in moral dilemma judgements (e.g., trolley problem).
Our knowledge is limited concerning both the universality of these effects outside the United
States and the impact of culture on the situational and psychological factors of moral
judgements. Thus, we empirically tested the universality of the effects of intent and personal
force on moral dilemma judgements by replicating the experiments of Greene et al. in 45
countries from all inhabited continents. We found that personal force and its interaction with
intention, exert influence on moral judgements in the US and Western cultural clusters,
replicating and expanding the original findings. Moreover, the personal force effect was
present in all cultural clusters, suggesting it is culturally universal. The evidence for the
cultural universality of the interaction effect was inconclusive in the Eastern and Southern
cultural clusters (depending on exclusion criteria). We found no strong association between
collectivism/individualism and moral dilemma judgement
Evolution of the coloration of glass frogs (Anura: Centrolenidae) and its relationship with altitudinal gradients in the Neotropic María José Sánchez Carvajal Napo - Ecuador 2022
Get PDFThe Andes played an important role in the flora and fauna evolution of South America.
The Andes played an important role in flora and fauna evolution of South America.
The Centrolenidae family comprises more than 156 species with high diversity and
endemism in the Andes. Herein, we investigate the biogeographic history of this family
using molecular phylogenetics and dating, to determine the role of the Andean uplift in
the diversification of dorsal color patterns of species in the Neotropical region. For
phylogenetic reconstruction, we used data on the coloration patterns of 120 glass
frog species and sequences of nuclear genes (c-myc, POMC, and RAG-1) and
mitochondrial genes (12S, 16S, and ND1). In addition, information on elevational
distributions was used for biogeographical reconstruction across ancestral areas
among lineages. We found that the rise of the Northern Andes is strongly associated
with lineage diversification processes during the last 10 million years, promoting the
evolution of color patterns in the altitudinal gradient. Biogeographically, highlands
harbor the greatest number of chromatic characteristics, both in life and in
preservation. Our study demonstrates the importance of mountain orogeny as driver
of rapid lineage diversification and color evolution patterns in the family
Centrolenidae in the Neotropic
Hydraulic relationship between aquifer and pond under potential influence of eucalyptus and sugarcane in tropical region of São Paulo, Brazil
Get PDFA hydraulic interaction between a pond and shallow aquifer in a watershed surrounded by cultivations of sugarcane and eucalyptus trees was evaluated in a tropical zone in Brazil. The pond, located in lower topographic levels, was prematurely interpreted as the local shallow unconfined aquifer's discharge area, suggesting the groundwater could flow toward the pond. However, water table gradients indicated opposite directions, bringing up questions about the eucalyptus root's potential to access groundwater, consequently lowering the water level and changing the groundwater flow directions. Physicochemical parameters, stable isotopes of δ18O and δ2H, major ions analysis were determined in samples of groundwater and pond water; geophysical surveys and groundwater level measurements were performed before and after the eucalyptus cutting. The results showed (1) the eucalyptus does not have a significant influence on the groundwater dynamic; (2) the pond behaves as a recharge, not a discharge area; and (3) previously considered as a local flow, the interaction between groundwater and pond is determined by an intermediate flow system, controlled by a near spring, independently of the seasonal variation and land uses
Anaerobic digestate: pollutants, ecotoxicology, and legislation
Get PDFAnaerobic digestion (AD) offers enormous potential towards a sustainable bioeconomy.
AD is suitable for waste management of various sources and generates value in multiple
sectors such as electricity, heating, or agriculture through biogas or fertilizer production.
However, attention must be paid to cheap fertilizers such as digestates because these
digested fractions contain heavy metals, (nano) microplastics, hormones, and other
chemical compounds that, when accessible, can be detrimental to humans, animals,
plants and the environment. Digestates originating from manure substrates should be
monitored to control the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes to the environment.
Digestate toxicity can be a problem for aquatic and terrestrial organisms as determined
by bioassays to detect the adverse consequences of digestate applied to the soil.
Anaerobic digestate must meet specified quality requirements prior to utilization in the
soil or crops to prevent dangers to human health and the environment. The digestate is
available in three forms: whole, liquid, and solid, and can be applied to the soil as a final
disposal location if it complies with applicable regulatory standards and is classified as
a ‘product
Photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A on BiOI nanostructured films under visible LED light irradiation
Get PDFBismuth oxyiodide (BiOI) films were prepared through the Layer-by-Layer (LbL) method for the first time using powdery BiOI microstructures previously synthesized by a solvothermal method. BiOI films and powdery samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The chemical composition and morphology of the powdery BiOI microstructures was not affected by the deposition process. The photocatalytic activity of prepared BiOI films and powdery samples was evaluated in the degradation of bisphenol A under white LED (Light emitting diode) light irradiation. The BiOI film composed by 1 layer (BiOI-1) of BiOI flower-like microspheres exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity in comparison with BiOI as powder and BiOI films composed by 3 (BiOI-3) and 5 layers (BiOI-5). The probable reasons for the highest photocatalytic performance of BiOI-1 may be related to its larger surface area, morphological characteristics, and fractal geometry. The results obtained in this work demonstrate that the LbL method can be a suitable technique to fabricate BiOI films with photocatalytic properties for water treatment
Stable isotope variability of precipitation and cave drip-water at Jumandy cave, western Amazon River basin (Ecuador)
Get PDFMonitoring studies are necessary to better understand the hydrological processes affecting the isotopic signature of cave waters, which are ultimately recorded in speleothems that are used as paleoclimate archives. This research examines changes in the isotopic composition (δ18O and δ2H) of precipitation as it infiltrates through the epikarst and into the Jumandy cave, located in the western Amazon Basin (Ecuador). Meteorological and hydrological parameters were monitored outside and inside the cave, and isotope analyses were carried out in waters from rainfall, an underground river, and drip-water at two sampling sites in the cave between April 2019 and February 2020. At monthly timescale, the rainfall weighted isotopic composition monitored at our stations was strongly correlated with the mean precipitation amount. However, when considered at weekly time-steps, the correlation is only moderate. This implies that the variation of the isotopic composition in the study area cannot be interpreted exclusively as an amount effect. Isotopic values and back-trajectory modeling show that the isotopic signature was affected by the moisture source effect associated with upstream rainout. The moisture flux is dominantly from an east to northeast direction and moisture mainly originates over the Atlantic Ocean, passing through the Amazon Basin. A significant fraction of moisture is associated with local sources within the Amazon Basin. This aspect is confirmed by d-excess values of rainfall and the Local Meteoric Water Lines (LMWLs) that indicate an influence of the high evapotranspiration rate of the Amazon region on the isotopic composition of local rainfall. The infiltrated water resides for about three weeks in the epikarst and then precipitates forming speleothems (residence time). However, this short residence time needs to be confirmed with a longer monitoring period. Despite the different magnitudes of the dripping rates, the isotopic values at the two monitored sites are similar. This suggests that the dripping discharge rate is affected by the karst structure, but the isotopic signature reflects the mixing of individual rainfall events above the cave. Therefore, ẟ18O in speleothems from these caves is mainly recording short-term precipitation changes linked to regional and large-scale atmospheric circulation