Estudios de Caso: una caracterización metodológica

Caracterizar a los Estudios de Caso/s, constituye un requerimiento académico e investigativo, en tiempos de diversificación metodológica. En torno a ellos, se han generado múltiples acepciones; y, por otro lado, múltiples cuestionamientos sobre la validez de los hallazgos que puedan hacerse con su empleo. En consecuencia, en este artículo se plantea una caracterización temática y metodológica que apoye en su comprensión. Consiste en una investigación de abordaje cualitativo sustentada tanto en la revisión y reflexiones sistemáticas con el uso de fichas RAE, como en el análisis de contenido. Se concluye que los Estudios de Caso/s pueden definirse como: objeto de estudio, método, pero más que nada, como una estrategia de investigación empírica. Resulta, además, prioritario reflexionar tanto sobre las tradiciones antropológica y sociológica en la que se inscriben, como en la posibilidad de un abordaje multimetódico. Al final, con su empleo se garantiza que los significados asumidos no sean independientes de las convenciones culturales, de los valores e imaginarios simbólicos generados a lo largo de la trayectoria social de una persona, colectividad o institución. &nbsp

Optimización del sistema de aire comprimido de la planta industrial UNACEM

Diseñar una propuesta de optimización del sistema de aire comprimido de la planta industrial “UNACEM”.La eficiencia energética es con frecuencia un tópico pocamente valorado en las industrias, pero ofrece primacías ampliamente aprovechables. Este estudio se centró específicamente en la optimización energética del sistema de aire comprimido de la planta industrial UNACEM, mismo que no era tomado en cuenta como un recurso importante en la línea de producción. Para lo cual se plantearon algunas propuestas de mejora para el sistema sin recurrir a modificaciones drásticas del mismo ni alternativas costosas. Considerando como objeto la optimización energética en sistemas de aire comprimido, se adoptaron métodos teóricos, empíricos y estadísticos, consiguiendo así establecer las bases necesarias para una auditoria energética apropiada. Puntualizando lo innecesario de realizar cambios radicales en un sistema sin un reconocimiento de todas las variables que componen al mismo. Se presentaron opciones apoyadas en la tecnología como automatización o uso de dispositivos que permiten tener un sistema óptimo, eficaz y eficiente. Asimismo, se presentaron beneficios respecto a las propuestas de optimización.Ingenierí

Alternative conceptions of COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 assumed by Basic Education pre-service teachers. A case study for Universidad Técnica del Norte, Ecuador [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]

Background: Almost at the end of 2022, the world is experiencing a relative calm after the rigors imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Knowing the ideas, feelings and procedures used by people in this type of unexpected events, which exceeded all established standards of educational and health actions, can help us be prepared for the possible occurrence of similar events. This study aims to determine the main alternative conceptions that pre-service teachers hold about the pandemic and the post-pandemic within the framework of the four basic pillars of Education. Methods: A case study was conducted using an ethnographic approach. The unit of analysis was made up of 227 students from the major of Basic Education at Universidad Técnica del Norte. Two research instruments were used to collect the data: a test for verbal associations where participants can express themselves freely with hierarchical, substitution and connotative evocations; and Specialized Analytical Summary sheets to revise and organize specialized scientific texts. The data was analyzed using the IRaMuTeQ software. Results: At first glance, what was expressed in the two contexts, both in the pandemic and in the post-pandemic, show a similar structure; however, a deeper analysis reveals different perspectives. Conclusions: In the end, the alternative conceptions moved from expressing fear to tranquility

ICT in the development of research competencies in students of the Faculty of Education, Science and Technology from the teacher's perspective

La tarea investigativa es una actividad de eminente relevancia en el contexto académico universitario, específicamente en la Facultad de Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología de la Universidad Técnica del Norte, apoyada en las Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación a través de las diferentes herramientas virtuales y del amplio equipamiento tecnológico que se tiene a disposición en la actualidad y en los laboratorios de la institución tanto en hardware como en software. El proceso de investigación constituye un pilar importante en la formación estudiantil, existe la necesidad de buscar o acceder a la información con cierto nivel de rigor científico en diversos formatos a través de las herramientas para este propósito, por lo tanto, el objetivo de este trabajo fue establecer las competencias investigativas que los docentes de la asignatura  de TIC desean desarrollar en sus alumnos, mediante la determinación de la importancia, uso, herramientas, destrezas y dificultades. El estudio es cualitativo y transversal, analizado mediante el enfoque fenomenológico-hermenéutico, y la técnica de recopilación de información fue la entrevista aplicada a los docentes que imparten la asignatura de Tecnologías en la ciudad de Ibarra Ecuador. Los resultados más relevantes, producto del análisis permitieron determinar que las TIC son ciertamente herramientas y medios indispensables para la investigación, y que las competencias de los estudiantes están asociadas mayoritariamente al apropiado uso de los recursos especializados y a destrezas de grado mayor como el discernimiento y análisis crítico de la información.ABSTRACT:The research task is an activity of eminent relevance in the university academic context, specifically in the Faculty of Education, Science and Technology of the Universidad Técnica del Norte, supported by the Information and Communication Technologies through the different virtual tools and the extensive technological equipment that is currently available and in the laboratories of the institution both in hardware and software. The research process is an important pillar in student training, there is a need to search or access information with a certain level of scientific rigor in various formats through the tools for this purpose, therefore, the objective of this work was to determine the research skills that teachers of the subject of ICT want to develop in their students, by determining the importance, use, tools, skills and difficulties. The study is qualitative and transversal, analyzed through the phenomenological-hermeneutic approach, and the information gathering technique was the interview applied to teachers who teach the subject of Technologies in the city of Ibarra, Ecuador. The most relevant results of the analysis allowed us to determine that ICTs are certainly indispensable tools and means for research, and that students' competencies are mostly associated with the appropriate use of specialized resources and higher level skills such as discernment and critical analysis of information

Genetic Testing to Inform Epilepsy Treatment Management From an International Study of Clinical Practice

IMPORTANCE: It is currently unknown how often and in which ways a genetic diagnosis given to a patient with epilepsy is associated with clinical management and outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how genetic diagnoses in patients with epilepsy are associated with clinical management and outcomes. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients referred for multigene panel testing between March 18, 2016, and August 3, 2020, with outcomes reported between May and November 2020. The study setting included a commercial genetic testing laboratory and multicenter clinical practices. Patients with epilepsy, regardless of sociodemographic features, who received a pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variant were included in the study. Case report forms were completed by all health care professionals. EXPOSURES: Genetic test results. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Clinical management changes after a genetic diagnosis (ie, 1 P/LP variant in autosomal dominant and X-linked diseases; 2 P/LP variants in autosomal recessive diseases) and subsequent patient outcomes as reported by health care professionals on case report forms. RESULTS: Among 418 patients, median (IQR) age at the time of testing was 4 (1-10) years, with an age range of 0 to 52 years, and 53.8% (n = 225) were female individuals. The mean (SD) time from a genetic test order to case report form completion was 595 (368) days (range, 27-1673 days). A genetic diagnosis was associated with changes in clinical management for 208 patients (49.8%) and usually (81.7% of the time) within 3 months of receiving the result. The most common clinical management changes were the addition of a new medication (78 [21.7%]), the initiation of medication (51 [14.2%]), the referral of a patient to a specialist (48 [13.4%]), vigilance for subclinical or extraneurological disease features (46 [12.8%]), and the cessation of a medication (42 [11.7%]). Among 167 patients with follow-up clinical information available (mean [SD] time, 584 [365] days), 125 (74.9%) reported positive outcomes, 108 (64.7%) reported reduction or elimination of seizures, 37 (22.2%) had decreases in the severity of other clinical signs, and 11 (6.6%) had reduced medication adverse effects. A few patients reported worsening of outcomes, including a decline in their condition (20 [12.0%]), increased seizure frequency (6 [3.6%]), and adverse medication effects (3 [1.8%]). No clinical management changes were reported for 178 patients (42.6%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Results of this cross-sectional study suggest that genetic testing of individuals with epilepsy may be materially associated with clinical decision-making and improved patient outcomes

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Ética para aprendices investigadores

Esta poesía, reflexiona y conmueve los necesarios planteamientos morales y éticos que toda acción humana debería demostrar. No obstante, las preocupaciones sobre la moral y la ética no han sido asuntos enmarcados solamente a los poetas; desde algunos milenios atrás, los filósofos presocráticos y los socráticos, ubicaron estos conceptos en el imaginario colectivo. A pesar de las preocupaciones y buenos propósitos poéticos, así como de las declaratorias y teorizaciones filosóficas, en buena parte de los pueblos de la aldea global, no se llegan a establecer prácticas adecuadas y ceñidas con una moral y ética planetaria. Por un lado, está la variedad de requerimientos de cada grupo humano y su contexto; por otro, los significados e interpretaciones asumidas de la pluralidad de sociedades terrenales

Ecos de la academia: Revista de la Facultad de Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología - FECYT Nro 14

Ecos de la academia, Revista de la Facultad de Educación Ciencia y Tecnología es una publicación científica de la Universidad Técnica del Norte, con revisión por pares a doble ciego que publica artículos en idioma español, quichua, portugués e inglés. Se edita con una frecuencia semestral con dos números por año.En ella se divulgan trabajos originales e inéditos generados por los investigadores, docentes y estudiantes de la FECYT, y contribuciones de profesionales de instituciones docentes e investigativas dentro y fuera del país, con calidad, originalidad y relevancia en las áreas de ciencias sociales y tecnología aplicada.Análisis de barreras y percepciones para la práctica de ejercicio en docentes de una facultad de Salud. Caracterización de los riesgos psicosociales laborales en Tungurahua (Ecuador): una revisión. El Diseño Universal de Aprendizaje. Una revisión sistemática. Estudios de Caso: una caracterización metodológica. Publicidad turística con enfoque cultural de La Habana Vieja, Cuba

Erratum to: Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition) (Autophagy, 12, 1, 1-222, 10.1080/15548627.2015.1100356

non present

Global age-sex-specific mortality, life expectancy, and population estimates in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1950–2021, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundEstimates of demographic metrics are crucial to assess levels and trends of population health outcomes. The profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations worldwide has underscored the need for timely estimates to understand this unprecedented event within the context of long-term population health trends. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 provides new demographic estimates for 204 countries and territories and 811 additional subnational locations from 1950 to 2021, with a particular emphasis on changes in mortality and life expectancy that occurred during the 2020–21 COVID-19 pandemic period.Methods22 223 data sources from vital registration, sample registration, surveys, censuses, and other sources were used to estimate mortality, with a subset of these sources used exclusively to estimate excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2026 data sources were used for population estimation. Additional sources were used to estimate migration; the effects of the HIV epidemic; and demographic discontinuities due to conflicts, famines, natural disasters, and pandemics, which are used as inputs for estimating mortality and population. Spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) was used to generate under-5 mortality rates, which synthesised 30 763 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 1365 surveys and censuses, and 80 other sources. ST-GPR was also used to estimate adult mortality (between ages 15 and 59 years) based on information from 31 642 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 355 surveys and censuses, and 24 other sources. Estimates of child and adult mortality rates were then used to generate life tables with a relational model life table system. For countries with large HIV epidemics, life tables were adjusted using independent estimates of HIV-specific mortality generated via an epidemiological analysis of HIV prevalence surveys, antenatal clinic serosurveillance, and other data sources. Excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 was determined by subtracting observed all-cause mortality (adjusted for late registration and mortality anomalies) from the mortality expected in the absence of the pandemic. Expected mortality was calculated based on historical trends using an ensemble of models. In location-years where all-cause mortality data were unavailable, we estimated excess mortality rates using a regression model with covariates pertaining to the pandemic. Population size was computed using a Bayesian hierarchical cohort component model. Life expectancy was calculated using age-specific mortality rates and standard demographic methods. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered values from a 1000-draw posterior distribution.FindingsGlobal all-cause mortality followed two distinct patterns over the study period: age-standardised mortality rates declined between 1950 and 2019 (a 62·8% [95% UI 60·5–65·1] decline), and increased during the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020–21; 5·1% [0·9–9·6] increase). In contrast with the overall reverse in mortality trends during the pandemic period, child mortality continued to decline, with 4·66 million (3·98–5·50) global deaths in children younger than 5 years in 2021 compared with 5·21 million (4·50–6·01) in 2019. An estimated 131 million (126–137) people died globally from all causes in 2020 and 2021 combined, of which 15·9 million (14·7–17·2) were due to the COVID-19 pandemic (measured by excess mortality, which includes deaths directly due to SARS-CoV-2 infection and those indirectly due to other social, economic, or behavioural changes associated with the pandemic). Excess mortality rates exceeded 150 deaths per 100 000 population during at least one year of the pandemic in 80 countries and territories, whereas 20 nations had a negative excess mortality rate in 2020 or 2021, indicating that all-cause mortality in these countries was lower during the pandemic than expected based on historical trends. Between 1950 and 2021, global life expectancy at birth increased by 22·7 years (20·8–24·8), from 49·0 years (46·7–51·3) to 71·7 years (70·9–72·5). Global life expectancy at birth declined by 1·6 years (1·0–2·2) between 2019 and 2021, reversing historical trends. An increase in life expectancy was only observed in 32 (15·7%) of 204 countries and territories between 2019 and 2021. The global population reached 7·89 billion (7·67–8·13) people in 2021, by which time 56 of 204 countries and territories had peaked and subsequently populations have declined. The largest proportion of population growth between 2020 and 2021 was in sub-Saharan Africa (39·5% [28·4–52·7]) and south Asia (26·3% [9·0–44·7]). From 2000 to 2021, the ratio of the population aged 65 years and older to the population aged younger than 15 years increased in 188 (92·2%) of 204 nations.InterpretationGlobal adult mortality rates markedly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, reversing past decreasing trends, while child mortality rates continued to decline, albeit more slowly than in earlier years. Although COVID-19 had a substantial impact on many demographic indicators during the first 2 years of the pandemic, overall global health progress over the 72 years evaluated has been profound, with considerable improvements in mortality and life expectancy. Additionally, we observed a deceleration of global population growth since 2017, despite steady or increasing growth in lower-income countries, combined with a continued global shift of population age structures towards older ages. These demographic changes will likely present future challenges to health systems, economies, and societies. The comprehensive demographic estimates reported here will enable researchers, policy makers, health practitioners, and other key stakeholders to better understand and address the profound changes that have occurred in the global health landscape following the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and longer-term trends beyond the pandemic