Bases for the digital transformation of the productive sector: an exploratory study of key competencies in Peru

The main objective of this research is to determine the basis of the key competencies necessary to achieve the digital transformation of public and private organizations in Peru. With this objective in mind, the conceptual framework involves the definition of a digital transformation in organizations and their impact on those organizations. Secondly, the article presented the results of the exploratory fieldwork conducted through in-depth interviews with ten executives from different productive sectors and analyzed them through content analysis. From this exploratory study, it concludes that all the experts interviewed agree on: i) the urgency of initiating a digital transformation process in small, medium, and large companies; ii) the need for training in digital transformation for company employees in all functional lines, giving priority to the commercial area; and iii) investment in the implementation process starting with cybersecurity and big data due to the impact on the operational and commercial results of the companies.El objetivo principal de esta investigaci?n es determinar las bases de las competencias clave necesarias para lograr la transformaci?n digital de las organizaciones p?blicas y privadas en el Per?. Con este objetivo en mente, el marco conceptual implica la definici?n de la transformaci?n digital en las organizaciones y su impacto en las mismas. En segundo lugar, el art?culo presenta los resultados del trabajo de campo exploratorio realizado a trav?s de entrevistas en profundidad a diez ejecutivos de diferentes sectores productivos y los analiza a trav?s del an?lisis de contenido. De este estudio exploratorio se concluye que todos los expertos entrevistados coinciden en: i) la urgencia de iniciar un proceso de transformaci?n digital en las peque?as, medianas y grandes empresas; ii) la necesidad de formaci?n en transformaci?n digital para los empleados de las empresas en todas las l?neas funcionales, priorizando el ?rea comercial; y iii) la inversi?n en el proceso de implantaci?n a partir de la ciberseguridad y el big data por el impacto en los resultados operativos y comerciales de las empresas

Low-loss inverted taper edge coupler in silicon nitride

"This paper is a postprint of a paper submitted to and accepted for publication in IET Optoelectronics and is subject to Institution of Engineering and Technology Copyright. The copy of record is available at IET Digital Library"[EN] An inverted lateral taper with one vertical discrete step was designed for a medium confinement silicon nitride waveguide platform in the C-band, as a chip edge coupler, with a predicted insertion loss of 0.58¿dB. The design is supported by an extensive study to evaluate the impact of fabrication process variations on the performance of such a coupler. The device was manufactured and measured, showing an insertion loss of 1.47 dB, which was traced back to fabrication process variations as cross-checked with simulations. To the authors¿ knowledge, the reported edge coupler is the shortest and among the best performing found for silicon nitride platforms.The authors acknowledge financial support through projects TEC2015-69787-REDT PIC4TB, TEC2016-80385-P SINXPECT, TEC2014-54449-C3-1-R, GVA PROMETEO 2017/103, EC H2020-ICT-27-2015 PICs4all CSA 68777.Fernández-Vicente, J.; Baños Lopez, R.; Doménech Gómez, JD.; Domínguez-Horna, C.; Muñoz Muñoz, P. (2019). Low-loss inverted taper edge coupler in silicon nitride. IET Optoelectronics. 13(2):62-66. https://doi.org/10.1049/iet-opt.2018.5065S6266132Marcatili, E. A. J. (1969). Dielectric Rectangular Waveguide and Directional Coupler for Integrated Optics. Bell System Technical Journal, 48(7), 2071-2102. doi:10.1002/j.1538-7305.1969.tb01166.xMiller, S. E. (1969). Integrated Optics: An Introduction. Bell System Technical Journal, 48(7), 2059-2069. doi:10.1002/j.1538-7305.1969.tb01165.xTomlinson, W. J., & Brackett, C. A. (1987). Telecommunications applications of integrated optics and optoelectronics. Proceedings of the IEEE, 75(11), 1512-1523. doi:10.1109/proc.1987.13912Lim, A. E.-J., Junfeng Song, Qing Fang, Chao Li, Xiaoguang Tu, Ning Duan, … Tsung-Yang Liow. (2014). Review of Silicon Photonics Foundry Efforts. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, 20(4), 405-416. doi:10.1109/jstqe.2013.2293274Smit, M., Leijtens, X., Ambrosius, H., Bente, E., van der Tol, J., Smalbrugge, B., … van Veldhoven, R. (2014). An introduction to InP-based generic integration technology. Semiconductor Science and Technology, 29(8), 083001. doi:10.1088/0268-1242/29/8/083001Taillaert, D., Bogaerts, W., Bienstman, P., Krauss, T. F., Van Daele, P., Moerman, I., … Baets, R. (2002). An out-of-plane grating coupler for efficient butt-coupling between compact planar waveguides and single-mode fibers. IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, 38(7), 949-955. doi:10.1109/jqe.2002.1017613Dillon, T., Murakowski, J., Shi, S., & Prather, D. (2008). Fiber-to-waveguide coupler based on the parabolic reflector. Optics Letters, 33(9), 896. doi:10.1364/ol.33.000896Li, H., Cao, Z., Lu, H., & Shen, Q. (2003). Free-space coupling of a light beam into a symmetrical metal-cladding optical waveguide. Applied Physics Letters, 83(14), 2757-2759. doi:10.1063/1.1616205Cardenas, J., Poitras, C. B., Luke, K., Luo, L.-W., Morton, P. A., & Lipson, M. (2014). High Coupling Efficiency Etched Facet Tapers in Silicon Waveguides. IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, 26(23), 2380-2382. doi:10.1109/lpt.2014.2357177Shiraishi, K., Yoda, H., Ohshima, A., Ikedo, H., & Tsai, C. S. (2007). A silicon-based spot-size converter between single-mode fibers and Si-wire waveguides using cascaded tapers. Applied Physics Letters, 91(14), 141120. doi:10.1063/1.2795337Tao, H., Song, J., Fang, Q., Yu, M., Lo, G., & Kwong, D. (2008). Improving coupling efficiency of fiber-waveguide coupling with a double-tip coupler. Optics Express, 16(25), 20803. doi:10.1364/oe.16.020803Muñoz, P., Micó, G., Bru, L., Pastor, D., Pérez, D., Doménech, J., … Domínguez, C. (2017). Silicon Nitride Photonic Integration Platforms for Visible, Near-Infrared and Mid-Infrared Applications. Sensors, 17(9), 2088. doi:10.3390/s17092088Papes, M., Cheben, P., Benedikovic, D., Schmid, J. H., Pond, J., Halir, R., … Vašinek, V. (2016). Fiber-chip edge coupler with large mode size for silicon photonic wire waveguides. Optics Express, 24(5), 5026. doi:10.1364/oe.24.005026Cheben, P., Schmid, J. H., Wang, S., Xu, D.-X., Vachon, M., Janz, S., … Picard, M.-J. (2015). Broadband polarization independent nanophotonic coupler for silicon waveguides with ultra-high efficiency. Optics Express, 23(17), 22553. doi:10.1364/oe.23.022553Shani, Y., Henry, C. H., Kistler, R. C., Orlowsky, K. J., & Ackerman, D. A. (1989). Efficient coupling of a semiconductor laser to an optical fiber by means of a tapered waveguide on silicon. Applied Physics Letters, 55(23), 2389-2391. doi:10.1063/1.102290Zhuang, L., Marpaung, D., Burla, M., Beeker, W., Leinse, A., & Roeloffzen, C. (2011). Low-loss, high-index-contrast Si_3N_4/SiO_2 optical waveguides for optical delay lines in microwave photonics signal processing. Optics Express, 19(23), 23162. doi:10.1364/oe.19.02316

Assessment of present and future water security under anthropogenic and climate changes using WEAP model in the Vilcanota-Urubamba catchment, Cusco, Perú

Water is an essential resource for social and economic development. The availability of this resource is constantly threatened by the rapid increase in its demand. This research assesses current (2010–2016), short- (2017–2040), middle- (2041–2070), and long-term (2071–2099) levels of water security considering socio-economic and climate change scenarios using the Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) in Vilcanota-Urubamba (VUB) catchment. The streamflow data of the Pisac hydrometric station were used to calibrate (1987–2006) and validate (2007–2016) the WEAP Model applied to the VUB region. The Nash Sutcliffe efficiency values were 0.60 and 0.84 for calibration and validation, respectively. Different scenarios were generated for socio-economic factors (population growth and increased irrigation efficiency) and the impact of climate change to evaluate their effect on the current water supply system. The results reveal that water availability is much higher than the current demand in the VUB for the period (2010–2016). For short-, middle- and long term, two scenarios were considered, “Scenario 1” (RCP 4.5) and “Scenario 2” (RCP 8.5). Climate change scenarios show that water availability will increase. However, this increase will not cover the future demands in all the sub-basins because water availability is not evenly distributed in all of the VUB. In both scenarios, an unmet demand was detected from 2050. For the period 2071–2099, an unmet demand of 477 hm3/year for “Scenario 1” and 446 hm3/year for “Scenario 2” were estimated. Because population and agricultural demands are the highest, the effects of reducing the growth rate and improving the irrigation structure were simulated. Therefore, two more scenarios were generated “Scenario 3” (RCP 4.5 with management) and “Scenario 4” (RCP 8.5 with management). This socio-economic management proved to be effective in reducing the unmet demand up to 50% in all sub-basins for the period 2071–2099

Multiple approaches at admission based on lung ultrasound and biomarkers improves risk identification in COVID-19 patients

Background: Risk stratification of COVID-19 patients is fundamental to improving prognosis and selecting the right treatment. We hypothesized that a combination of lung ultrasound (LUZ-score), biomarkers (sST2), and clinical models (PANDEMYC score) could be useful to improve risk stratification. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study designed to analyze the prognostic value of lung ultrasound, sST2, and PANDEMYC score in COVID-19 patients. The primary endpoint was in-hospital death and/or admission to the intensive care unit. The total length of hospital stay, increase of oxygen flow, or escalated medical treatment during the first 72 h were secondary endpoints. Results: a total of 144 patients were included; the mean age was 57.5 ± 12.78 years. The median PANDEMYC score was 243 (52), the median LUZ-score was 21 (10), and the median sST2 was 53.1 ng/mL (30.9). Soluble ST2 showed the best predictive capacity for the primary endpoint (AUC = 0.764 (0.658–0.871); p = 0.001), towards the PANDEMYC score (AUC = 0.762 (0.655–0.870); p = 0.001) and LUZ-score (AUC = 0.749 (0.596–0.901); p = 0.002). Taken together, these three tools significantly improved the risk capacity (AUC = 0.840 (0.727–0.953); p = 0.001). Conclusions: The PANDEMYC score, lung ultrasound, and sST2 concentrations upon admission for COVID-19 are independent predictors of intra-hospital death and/or the need for admission to the ICU for mechanical ventilation. The combination of these predictive tools improves the predictive power compared to each one separately. The use of decision trees, based on multivariate models, could be useful in clinical practice. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/)

Gerenciamento de stakeholders e escritório de gerenciamento de projetos: Efeito nos resultados

Uma vez que stakeholders de projetos afetam seus resultados, o gerenciamento desses atores deve ser considerado uma atividade relevante no gerenciamento de projetos. Somado a essa evidência, este estudo reconhece que os resultados de projetos podem ser incrementados quando há o apoio de um Escritório de Gerenciamento de Projetos (EGP). Assim, busca-se analisar a influência positiva do gerenciamento de stakeholders nos resultados dos projetos, especificamente na probabilidade de sua conclusão dentro de prazos e custos previstos, considerando o efeito moderador do apoio de EGPs. Para isso, o estudo apresenta um modelo conceitual validado por regressão logarítmica, usando dados coletados em pesquisa do tipo survey respondida por 216 professionais experientes da área de gerenciamento de projetos e que estudam o tema em cursos de pós-graduação. Os resultados indicam que o gerenciamento de stakeholders melhora os resultados de projetos e confirmam que o EGP aprimora a influência desse tipo de gerenciamento nos resultados. Como contribuição, a pesquisa reforça o gerenciamento de stakeholders e o apoio de EGPs como elementos-chave para o sucesso no gerenciamento de projetos. A amostragem foi suficiente para a replicabilidade da pesquisa, contudo restringiu-se a profissionais que vivem no Peru. Portanto, estudos futuros podem buscar alcançar uma população mais ampla.

Análisis Comparativo de la Toxicidad del extracto acuoso en cocimiento de la harina de maca (Lepidium Meyenii Walp) en tres especies de animales modelos: Artemisa Franciscana (Crustacea Anostraca), Pez Guppy (Poecilia Meticulosa) y ratón (Mus musculus).

Se evalúa la toxicidad del extracto acuoso en cocimiento de la harina de maca en dos organismos acuáticos, un invertebrado la Artemia franciscana y un vertebrado el pez Guppy (Poecilia reticulata). Así mismo, se evalúa la toxicidad aguda por vía intraperitoneal en el ratón (Mus musculus) que es el modelo animal comúnmente utilizado para ensayos preclínicos a nivel de laboratorios. Se comprobó que existe toxicidad del Lepidium meyenii para estos tres animales que dependen de la dosis y el tiempo de exposición

Branch xylem density variations across Amazonia

International audienceMeasurements of branch xylem density, Dx, were made for 1466 trees representing 503 species, sampled from 80 sites across the Amazon basin. Measured values ranged from 240 kg m?3 for a Brosimum parinarioides from Tapajos in West Pará, Brazil to 1130 kg m?3 for an Aiouea sp. from Caxiuana, Central Pará, Brazil. Analysis of variance showed significant differences in average Dx across the sample plots as well as significant differences between families, genera and species. A partitioning of the total variance in the dataset showed that geographic location and plot accounted for 33% of the variation with species identity accounting for an additional 27%; the remaining "residual" 40% of the variance accounted for by tree to tree (within species) variation. Variations in plot means, were, however, hardly accountable at all by differences in species composition. Rather, it would seem that variations of xylem density at plot level must be explained by the effects of soils and/or climate. This conclusion is supported by the observation that the xylem density of the more widely distributed species varied systematically from plot to plot. Thus, as well as having a genetic component branch xylem density is a plastic trait that, for any given species, varies according to where the tree is growing and in a predictable manner. Exceptions to this general rule may be some pioneers belonging to Pourouma and Miconia and some species within the genera Brosimum, Rinorea and Trichillia which seem to be more constrained in terms of this plasticity than most species sampled as part of this study

Evaluation of a joint Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics international course in Peru

Background: New technologies that emerge at the interface of computational and biomedical science could drive new advances in global health, therefore more training in technology is needed among health care workers. To assess the potential for informatics training using an approach designed to foster interaction at this interface, the University of Washington and the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia developed and assessed a one-week course that included a new Bioinformatics (BIO) track along with an established Medical/Public Health Informatics track (MI) for participants in Peru. Methods: We assessed the background of the participants, and measured the knowledge gained by track-specific (MI or BIO) 30-minute pre- and post-tests. Participants' attitudes were evaluated both by daily evaluations and by an end-course evaluation. Results: Forty-three participants enrolled in the course - 20 in the MI track and 23 in the BIO track. Of 20 questions, the mean % score for the MI track increased from 49.7 pre-test (standard deviation or SD = 17.0) to 59.7 (SD = 15.2) for the post-test (P = 0.002, n = 18). The BIO track mean score increased from 33.6 pre-test to 51.2 post-test (P less than 0.001, n = 21). Most comments (76%) about any aspect of the course were positive. The main perceived strength of the course was the quality of the speakers, and the main perceived weakness was the short duration of the course. Overall, the course acceptability was very good to excellent with a rating of 4.1 (scale 1-5), and the usefulness of the course was rated as very good. Most participants (62.9%) expressed a positive opinion about having had the BIO and MI tracks come together for some of the lectures. Conclusion: Pre- and post-test results and the positive evaluations by the participants indicate that this first joint Bioinformatics and Medical/Public Health Informatics (MI and BIO) course was a success.The University of Washington AMAUTA Global Training in Health Informatics, a Fogarty International Center/NIH funded grant (5D43TW007551), and the AMAUTA Research Practica Program, a Puget Sound Partners for Global Health-funded grant

Patterns of wood carbon dioxide efflux across a 2,000-m elevation transect in an Andean moist forest

During a 1-year measurement period, we recorded the CO2 efflux from stems (RS) and coarse woody roots (RR) of 13–20 common tree species at three study sites at 1,050, 1,890 and 3,050 m a.s.l. in an Andean moist forest. The objective of this work was to study elevation changes of woody tissue CO2 efflux and the relationship to climate variation, site characteristics and growth. Furthermore, we aim to provide insights into important respiration–productivity relationships of a little studied tropical vegetation type. We expected RS and RR to vary with dry and humid season conditions. We further expected RS to vary more than RR due to a more stable soil than air temperature regime. Seasonal variation in woody tissue CO2 efflux was indeed mainly attributable to stems. At the same time, temperature played only a small role in triggering variations in RS. At stand level, the ratio of C release (g C m−2 ground area year−1) between stems and roots varied from 4:1 at 1,050 m to 1:1 at 3,050 m, indicating the increasing prevalence of root activity at high elevations. The fraction of growth respiration from total respiration varied between 10 (3,050 m) and 14% (1,050 m) for stems and between 5 (1,050 m) and 30% (3,050 m) for roots. Our results show that respiratory activity and hence productivity is not driven by low temperatures towards higher elevations in this tropical montane forest. We suggest that future studies should examine the limitation of carbohydrate supply from leaves as a driver for the changes in respiratory activity with elevation