Neodymium recovery by chitosan/iron(III) hydroxide [ChiFer(III)] sorbent material: Batch and column systems

A low cost composite material was synthesized for neodymium recovery from dilute aqueous solutions. The in-situ production of the composite containing chitosan and iron(III) hydroxide (ChiFer(III)) was improved and the results were compared with raw chitosan particles. The sorbent was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analyses (SEM-EDX). The equilibrium studies were performed using firstly a batch system, and secondly a continuous system. The sorption isotherms were fitted with the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Sips models; experimental data was better described with the Langmuir equation and the maximum sorption capacity was 13.8 mg g-1 at pH 4. The introduction of iron into the biopolymer matrix increases by four times the sorption uptake of the chitosan; the individual sorption capacity of iron (into the composite) was calculated as 30.9 mg Nd/g Fe. The experimental results of the columns were fitted adequately using the Thomas model. As an approach to Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets effluents, a synthetic dilute effluent was simulated at pH 4, in order to evaluate the selectivity of the sorbent material; the overshooting of boron in the column system confirmed the higher selectivity toward neodymium ions. The elution step was carried out using MilliQ-water with the pH set to 3.5 (dilute HCl solution).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Plan de estrategias y políticas en el servicio de atención al cliente en el área de secretaría, en el Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Parroquial Rural Dayuma, cantón Francisco de Orellana, provincia de Orellana.

La presente investigación del diseño del Plan de Estrategias y Políticas en el servicio de atención al cliente, en el Área de Secretaría en el Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Parroquial Rural Dayuma, tiene el propósito de determinar la eficacia y la eficiencia en las actividades a realizar, con el fin de mejorar la atención Institucional. Para llevar a cabo el Plan de Estrategias y Políticas fue necesario aplicar encuestas tanto a clientes internos como clientes externos con la finalidad de medir la eficacia y eficiencia de los procedimientos ejecutados. La investigación realizada aportó al desarrollo de estrategias que contiene técnicas para el mejoramiento para el óptimo desempeño del personal siendo estas; Realizar eventos de capacitación en el servicio al cliente al personal del GADPRD, Guía para el mejoramiento de la calidad de servicio, Revisión permanente del buzón de quejas y/o sugerencias, se plantea estas estrategias a fin de brindar un servicio de calidad, cubriendo las expectativas y necesidades de los clientes internos de GAD, Parroquial Rural Dayuma. Lo cual se recomienda que las autoridades del GAD Parroquial Rural Dayuma, programen procesos de capacitación en temas de atención y servicio al cliente a los funcionarios de las diferentes áreas, así como también es necesario que se implemente el buzón de quejas y/o sugerencias, y la guía diseñada para el mejoramiento del servicio al cliente, ya que con estos métodos se estará satisfaciendo por completo las necesidades tanto de los clientes internos como externos del GAD Parroquial Rural Dayuma.This research plan design strategies and policies in the customer service in the area of secretary in the Autonomous Government Decentralized Rural Parish Dayuma, it has the purpose of determining the effectiveness and efficiency of the activities undertaken to improve institutional attention. To carry out the plan of strategies and policies was necessary to apply surveys both internal customers and external customers in order to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of the procedures performed. The conducted research helped the develop strategies that contains techniques for improving optimum performance for the staff being these; Doing training events in the customer service to the staff of GADPRD, Guide for improving service quality, Permanent revision of the mailbox of complaints and / or suggestions, these strategies arises to provide quality service, covering expectations and needs of internal customers of GAD, Rural Parish Dayuma. Which recommended that the authorities of the Rural Parish GAD Dayuma, program training processes on issues of care and customer service to officials of different areas, as well as it must implement the mailbox of complaints and / or suggestions, and guidance designed to improve customer service, because with these methods will completely satisfy the needs of both internal and external Dayuma Rural Parish GAD clients

Influencia del clima organizacional en las actitudes laborales y en el comportamiento pro-social de los profesionales de la salud

El presente trabajo busca establecer un modelo de las relaciones que se generan entre las variables del clima organizacional, las actitudes laborales y el comportamiento pro social de los profesionales de la salud. Considerando que las percepciones que los individuos tienen sobre el clima organizacional y las actitudes laborales determinan su comportamiento pro social, se utilizó para su estudio una combinación de métodos cuantitativos. Se optó por aplicar métodos descriptivos para analizar la muestra, seguido de los métodos multivariantes e inferenciales de análisis factorial para explorar los modelos en estudio a través de análisis AFE y AFC, finalmente, mediante el modelamiento estructural para confirmar existencia y sentido de las relaciones que entrega el análisis MES. Se determinó una muestra de trabajadores del sector salud, logrando una muestra de 583 individuos que incluye profesionales médicos, enfermeras y auxiliares de unidades médicas de la provincia de Guayas, Ecuador. Los hallazgos sugieren que el clima organizacional logra la formación de actitudes laborales positivas, como la satisfacción laboral y compromiso organizacional afectivo, las cuales influyen sobre el comportamiento pro social. Se confirma el efecto significativo de clima organizacional y el carácter mediador de las variables del constructo actitudes laborales sobre las variables de comportamiento pro social.The present research seeks to establish a model of the relationships that are generated between the variables of the organizational climate, work attitudes and prosocial behavior of health professionals. Considering that the perceptions that individuals have about the organizational climate and work attitudes determine their prosocial behavior, a combination of quantitative methods was used for this study. We chose to apply descriptive methods to analyze the sample, followed by multivariate and inferential methods of factorial analysis to explore the models under study through EFA y FCA and, finally, through structural modeling to confirm existence and direction of the relationships that it delivers the SEM analysis. A sample of workers in the health sector was determined, reaching a sample of 583 individuals that includes medical professionals, nurses and auxiliaries of medical units in the province of Guayas, Ecuador. The findings suggest that the organizational climate achieves the formation of positive work attitudes, such as job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment, which influence pro-social behavior. The significant effect of the organizational climate and the mediating nature of the construct variables on labor attitudes on the variables of prosocial behavior are confirmed.Tesi

Sorption of Hg(II) and Pb(II) ions on chitosan-iron(III) from aqueous solutions: Single and binary systems

The present work describes the study of mercury Hg(II) and lead Pb(II) removal in single and binary component systems into easily prepared chitosan-iron(III) bio-composite beads. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and point of zero charge (pHpzc) analysis were carried out. The experimental set covered pH study, single and competitive equilibrium, kinetics, chloride and sulfate effects as well as sorption–desorption cycles. In single systems, the Langmuir nonlinear model fitted the experimental data better than the Freundlich and Sips equations. The sorbent material has more affinity to Hg(II) rather than Pb(II) ions, the maximum sorption capacities were 1.8 mmol·g-1 and 0.56 mmol·g-1 for Hg(II) and Pb(II), respectively. The binary systems data were adjusted with competitive Langmuir isotherm model. The presence of sulfate ions in the multicomponent system [Hg(II)-Pb(II)] had a lesser impact on the sorption efficiency than did chloride ions, however, the presence of chloride ions improves the selectivity towards Hg(II) ions. The bio-based material showed good recovery performance of metal ions along three sorption–desorption cycles.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Recovery of neodymium (III) from aqueous phase by chitosan-manganese-ferrite magnetic beads

Neodymium is a key rare-earth element applied to modern devices. The purpose of this study is the development of a hybrid biomaterial based on chitosan (CS) and manganese ferrite (MF) for the recovery of Nd(III) ions from the aqueous phase. The preparation of the beads was performed in two stages; first, MF particles were obtained by the assessment of three temperatures during the co-precipitation synthesis, and the best nano-MF crystallites were incorporated into CS to obtain the hybrid composite material (CS-MF). The materials were characterized by FTIR, XRD, magnetization measurements, and SEM-EDX. The adsorption experiments included pH study, equilibrium study, kinetics study, and sorption–desorption reusability tests. The results showed that for MF synthesis, 60 °C is an appropriate temperature to obtain MF crystals of ~30 nm with suitable magnetic properties. The final magnetic CS-MF beads perform maximum adsorption at pH 4 with a maximum adsorption capacity of 44.29 mg/g. Moreover, the material can be used for up to four adsorption–desorption cycles. The incorporation of MF improves the sorption capacity of the neat chitosan. Additionally, the magnetic properties enable its easy separation from aqueous solutions for further use. The material obtained represents an enhanced magnetic hybrid adsorbent that can be applied to recover Nd(III) from aqueous solutionsPeer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Olive oil and the millennial generation in Chile. What do these consumers consider when buying this product?

This study aimed to identify the attributes influencing the purchase decision process of the olive oil consumer belonging to "Millennials" in the Metropolitan Region, Chile. The method includes data collection from 408 people and a combination of factorial and cluster analysis. The results identified two segments in the millennial consumers. In the purchasing, one of the consumer groups, with 150 people, attached importance to product information and origin, as well as oil category, colour, and acidity. The other group with 258 people rejected a large part of the attributes, except for that related to electronic commerce. These results suggest that the search for attractive attributes in a broad sense is relevant and should be considered in the development of commercial strategies for the segment that positively values all attributes. However, for that segment rejecting intrinsic attributes, it would be advisable to deepen on aspects related to technology and social network. Highlights Young consumers of olive oil in Chile. Signs for product development and marketing channels in the millennial generation. Important receptivity of the electronic channel for the marketing of olive oil.This study aimed to identify the attributes influencing the purchase decision process of the olive oil consumer belonging to "Millennials" in the Metropolitan Region, Chile. The method includes data collection from 408 people and a combination of factorial and cluster analysis. The results identified two segments in the millennial consumers. In the purchasing, one of the consumer groups, with 150 people, attached importance to product information and origin, as well as oil category, colour, and acidity. The other group with 258 people rejected a large part of the attributes, except for that related to electronic commerce. These results suggest that the search for attractive attributes in a broad sense is relevant and should be considered in the development of commercial strategies for the segment that positively values all attributes. However, for that segment rejecting intrinsic attributes, it would be advisable to deepen on aspects related to technology and social network. Highlights Young consumers of olive oil in Chile. Signs for product development and marketing channels in the millennial generation. Important receptivity of the electronic channel for the marketing of olive oil

Predictable quantum efficient detector based on n-type silicon photodiodes

Timo Dönsberg et al. -- 16 pags., 16 figs., 4 tabs. -- Open Access funded by Creative Commons Atribution Licence 3.0The predictable quantum efficient detector (PQED) consists of two custom-made induced junction photodiodes that are mounted in a wedged trap configuration for the reduction of reflectance losses. Until now, all manufactured PQED photodiodes have been based on a structure where a SiO2 layer is thermally grown on top of p-type silicon substrate. In this paper, we present the design, manufacturing, modelling and characterization of a new type of PQED, where the photodiodes have an Al2O3 layer on top of n-type silicon substrate. Atomic layer deposition is used to deposit the layer to the desired thickness. Two sets of photodiodes with varying oxide thicknesses and substrate doping concentrations were fabricated. In order to predict recombination losses of charge carriers, a 3D model of the photodiode was built into Cogenda Genius semiconductor simulation software. It is important to note that a novel experimental method was developed to obtain values for the 3D model parameters. This makes the prediction of the PQED responsivity a completely autonomous process. Detectors were characterized for temperature dependence of dark current, spatial uniformity of responsivity, reflectance, linearity and absolute responsivity at the wavelengths of 488¿nm and 532¿nm. For both sets of photodiodes, the modelled and measured responsivities were generally in agreement within the measurement and modelling uncertainties of around 100 parts per million (ppm). There is, however, an indication that the modelled internal quantum deficiency may be underestimated by a similar amount. Moreover, the responsivities of the detectors were spatially uniform within 30¿ppm peak-to-peak variation. The results obtained in this research indicate that the n-type induced junction photodiode is a very promising alternative to the existing p-type detectors, and thus give additional credibility to the concept of modelled quantum detector serving as a primary standard. Furthermore, the manufacturing of PQEDs is no longer dependent on the availability of a certain type of very lightly doped p-type silicon wafers.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) project SIB57 'New Primary Standards and Traceability for Radiometry'. The EMRP is jointly funded by the EMRP participating countries within EURAMET and the European Union. Financial support from the Academy of Finland through the Finnish Centre of Excellence in Atomic Layer Deposition is also acknowledged.Peer Reviewe

The diverging patterns of life satisfaction between families : A latent profile analysis in dual-earner parents with adolescents

This study identifies family profiles based onthe level of life satisfaction (LS) inmothers, fathers and adolescents, and variables related to their family, food, and work life.The sample was composed of 303 families of dual-earner parents (mothers’ mean age = 40.9 years, SD = 7.4, fathers’ mean age = 43.2 years, SD = 7.2) and one of their children aged between 10 and 17 years (mean age 13.3, SD = 2.4, 51.5% female). A Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was used to identify five family profiles. Profiles differed in LS, satisfaction with family life (SWFaL), satisfaction with food-related life (SWFoL), family functioning, both parents’ worklife balance and their perception of the financial situation of the household. Balanced and imbalanced families in terms of LS differed in the three family members’ LS and SWFaL, mothers’ and children’ SWFoL and family functioning, and both parents’ perception of financial situation. These results contribute to understanding the heterogeneity of life satisfaction dynamics between and within dual-earner families.©2021 Springer Nature. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Satisfacción laboral y su relación con la evaluación de desempeño de los trabajadores. Caso : Refinería Esmeraldas.

Resulta de suma importancia realizar un estudio de la Refinería Esmeraldas (REE), debido a que su operatividad es de gran impacto para el Ecuador. En el año 1997 esta institución amplió sus instalaciones para procesar 110.000 BPD, por este motivo resulta oportuno estudiar al personal de operaciones de Refinería Esmeraldas que son los principales actores de este complejo. En EP PETROECUADOR existe un subsistema de Formación, Capacitación y Desarrollo Profesional, aquí se fortalecerán los conocimientos, habilidades y destrezas del personal mediante la implementación de programas de formación, capacitación, entrenamiento y desarrollo alineados a las estrategias y prioridades empresariales. Debido al gran impacto que tienen los sectores estratégicos en el país y por la importancia del correcto desempeño y mejora continua necesaria en las empresas. Este trabajo tiene como propósito el estudio de la relación de la satisfacción con el desempeño laboral de los trabajadores de operaciones de la Refinería Esmeraldas (REE), para lograr entender la dimensión de la importancia de un trabajador satisfecho con su evaluación de desempeño y más aún en zonas de alto riesgo y de gran impacto para la dinámica de la economía del país. Por ello, los autores de esta investigación tomaron como objeto de estudio una muestra de la población de trabajadores del área de operaciones de REE. El método de investigación utilizado en este trabajo es de lógica deductiva, porque está partiendo de una base teórica a un estudio particular. La investigación es de corte descriptivo y correlacional. El diseño de la investigación fue no experimental, es decir sin la manipulación de variables. En estos tipos de investigación no hay condiciones ni estímulos a los cuales se expongan los sujetos del estudio. Es un diseño transeccional, es decir se recolectan datos en un solo momento, en un tiempo único. Su propósito es describir variables y analizar su influencia e interrelación en un momento dado. La investigación de esta problemática se realizó por el interés como profesionales y de conocer mejor el sentir del talento humano de una empresa de gran incidencia a nivel país. Profundizar en las correlaciones entre las variables de evaluación de desempeño versus la satisfacción fue un interés académico. Debido al gran impacto que tienen los sectores estratégicos en el país y por la importancia del correcto desempeño y mejora continua necesaria en las empresas, resulta de alto interés conocer sobre la relación entre la satisfacción laboral y su relación con el desempeño de los trabajadores del área de operaciones de refinería esmeraldas. El desarrollo de esta tesis comprende los capítulos de marco teórico, etc.

Parents’ Modeling During the COVID-19 Pandemic : Influences on Family Members’ Diet Quality and Satisfaction With-Food-Related Life in Dual-Earner Parents With Adolescent Children

Reciprocal family influences in the food domain have been little explored, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. To fill in this gap, this study explored actor and partner effects between parents’ food modeling and parents’ and their adolescent children’s diet quality and satisfaction with food-related life (SWFoL); and the mediating role of diet quality between modeling and SWFoL. This study used a cross-sectional design. A sample of 430 different-sex dual-earner parents and one adolescent child were recruited in Rancagua, Chile, between March and June 2020. Parents answered the modeling dimension of the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire. Parents and adolescents answered the Adapted Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) and the SWFoL Scale. Analyses were conducted using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model and structural equation modeling. Results showed that one parent’s modeling enhanced diet quality for themselves, their partner, and the adolescents. Parents’ modeling was associated with their own SWFoL, directly and via their own diet quality. There were positive associations between mothers’ modeling and adolescents’ SWFoL; between mothers’ diet quality and fathers’ SWFoL; and between mothers’ modeling and fathers’ SWFoL via the fathers’ diet quality. Parents’ modeling can improve the three family members’ diet quality, while mothers’ modeling and diet quality showed to improve fathers’ and adolescents’ SWFoL.2022 Schnettler, Miranda-Zapata, Orellana, Saracostti, Poblete, Lobos, Adasme-Berríos, Lapo, Beroiza and Grunert. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed