Ghostcatcher

This text explores both the genesis and emergence of Ghostcatcher, a virtual narrative construction that exists through the dealings and interactions of its reading community. Through Ghostcatcher, this text explores the possibilities of virtual enunciation, all whilst accounting for the dissolution of the traditional authorial figure and outlining what may very well be one the scenarios of textual production in the future.Este texto explora los procesos de generación y emergencia de Ghostcatcher, una construcción narrativa virtual que habita en el intercambio e interacción de su comunidad de lectores. A través de Ghostcatcher, se explora las posibilidades de ser de la enunciación en espacios virtuales, todo mientras se figura la disolución de la autoría tradicional y se bosqueja lo que bien podría ser uno de los futuros escenarios de la producción textual

Bias-correction in the CCAFS-Climate Portal: A description of methodologies

Global Climate Models (GCMs) have been the primary source of information for constructing climate scenarios, and they provide the basis for climate change impacts assessments of climate change at all scales, from local to global. However, impact studies rarely use GCM outputs directly because errors in GCM simulations relative to historical observations are large (Ramirez-Villegas et al. 2013), and because the spatial resolution is generally too coarse to satisfy the requirements for finer-scale impact studies. More specifically, the typical GCM spatial resolution (50 km or even more) is not practical for assessing agricultural landscapes, particularly in the tropics, where orographic and climatic conditions vary significantly across relatively small distances (Tabor & Williams, 2010). Hence, it is important to bias-correct and downscale the raw climate model outputs in order to produce climate projections that are better fit for agricultural modeling. Here we describe three different calibration approaches to produce reliable daily climate for future periods, employed in a new interface in CCAFS-Climate portal (www.ccafs-climate.org/data_bias_corrected/), as follows: (a) bias correction (or nudging) (Hawkins et al., 2013), (b) change factor (Hawkins et al., 2013) and (c) Quantile Mapping (Gudmundsson et al., 2012). In addition, briefly describe some observational datasets relevant to agricultural modeling and employed as the historical observations for the calibration methods mentioned here

Wildfire Early Detection System (WEDS)

With climate change causing an increase in temperature over the past several decades, wildfires have been burning hotter and moving quicker leaving a trail of destruction in their path. Detecting a wildfire early allows firefighters to respond efficiently and effectively to ensure containment. With the rise of advanced computer vision and algorithms, autonomous systems can be used to monitor and report any fire activity. Having multiple devices spread out across a large area will allow first responders to map out the fire location and track the fire. By utilizing smart technologies, property damage can be minimized and residents living in fire prone areas can be evacuated earlier. The wildfire early detection system (WEDS) is a low-powered, low-cost (in both manufacturing and maintenance), easily deployable unit that can be mass-produced. The goal is to produce large volumes of this product to cover as much acreage in forests as possible. In a given area, multiple devices would report to one control center. Ideally, users would deploy these units in dense forests as this is where fires are harder to control and detect. Onboard sensors and cameras will detect heat signatures, and smoke particles to determine if a wildfire is present. To keep long-lasting, LiPo batteries supported by solar cells are required to power it. Keeping these devices small and portable will allow for wider distribution, increasing the area covered

Non-Intrusive Electrical Load Monitoring System Applying Neural Networks with Combined Steady-State Electrical Variables

This paper presents a full electrical load identification model that considers steady-state parameters obtained easily from low-cost residential smart meters. The model was developed using neural networks including combinations of real power, current, impedance and admittance variables to identify the best input parameters. The monitoring model was improved by training one neural network to identify changing events and another neural network to identify the load state. The proposed model was tested using two different groups of residential loads: residential appliances measured in the laboratory and a public database of electrical measurements. The results show that the impedance model and a feedforward neural network achieved the best performance to characterise the load. In addition, when combining the different input parameters, those that consider impedance as an input parameter produced better results. The output provides simultaneous information about the operation state of all the loads before and after an event occurs

El mejoramiento del arroz

Rice improvement The main advantages and disadvantages of the methods most used by plant breeders in their attempt to develop varieties that respond to the needs of rice farmers, millers, consumers, and seed producers of the regional and global rice sector are described and illustrated with examples. Modern rice varieties have been developed using methods of phenotypical selection that little consider molecular structure. Because many of the factors limiting rice production are controlled by a large number of genes, it is increasingly difficult to use conventional selection methods to develop improved varieties. Fortunately, the advances made in molecular biology, genomics, and informatics allow traditional breeding methods to be combined with molecular tools (marker genes) to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of plant selection and development of improved rice varieties. The chapter is merely an introduction to the extensive topic of modern plant improvement. The main topics addressed include: genetic improvement; breeding systems or methods (bulk selection, backcrossing, limited backcrossing, pedigree method); other improvement techniques (mutation, recurrent selection, hybridization, marker-assisted selection, anther culture); genetic improvement of agronomic and morphological characteristics; grain quality; greater pest resistance; and tolerance to unfavorable soil conditions.Se describen e ilustran con ejemplos las principales ventajas y desventajas de los métodos más usados por los fitomejoradores en su esfuerzo por desarrollar variedades que respondan a las necesidades de los cultivadores, los molineros, los consumidores y los productores de semilla del sector arrocero regional y mundial. Las variedades modernas de arroz han sido desarrolladas empleando métodos de selección fenotípica, que no poco consideran su constitución molecular. Puesto que muchos factores limitantes de la producción de arroz están controlados por un buen número de genes, cada día es más difícil emplear la selección convencional para desarrollar mejores variedades. Por fortuna, los avances logrados en la biología molecular, en la genómica y en la informática hacen posible la combinación de los métodos tradicionales de mejoramiento con las herramientas moleculares (los genes marcadores), para elevar la eficiencia y la efectividad de los procesos de selección de plantas y de desarrollo de mejores variedades de arroz. El capítulo es apenas una introducción al extenso tema del mejoramiento vegetal moderno. Los principales temas tratados incluyen: mejoramiento genético; sistemas o métodos de mejoramiento (método masal, retrocruzamiento, retrocruzamiento limitado, método genealógico o del pedigrí); otras técnicas de mejoramiento (mutaciones, selección recurrente, hibridación, selección asistida por marcadores y cultivo de anteras); mejoramiento genético de características agronómicas y morfológicas; calidad del grano; mayor resistencia a las plagas; y tolerancia de condiciones edáficas desfavorables

50 years of changing diversity in global food supplies

Newly released infographics show how the so-called “globalized diet” has emerged. It’s the story of massive change over the past 50 years in the foods people eat, of crop winners and losers, and most of all, of increasing similarity in the food supplies of countries worldwide. Here are five graphs that together describe some of the the most important changes in food diversity over the past five decade

Implementación de una celda de combustible microbiano a partir de agua residual doméstica.

Ingeniería AmbientalIn the current investigation we pretend to evaluate the electrical energy generated by degradation processes of organic matter through the implementation of a microbial fuel cell on a pilot scale or laboratory, whose functionality is based on the conversion of chemical energy to electrical energy, from degradation processes of organic matter carried out by microorganisms present in the waste water. The experimental system assembly consists of two chambers, an anaerobic and another which is aerobic, separated by a proton exchange membrane. The electrodes used in the microbial fuel cell were determined after various tests that helped to identify the highest efficiency according to the voltage obtained, because of this, it was possible to establish the use of copper electrodes, with which is recorded the highest potential difference with a voltage of 1.44 V.En la presente investigación se pretende evaluar la generación de energía eléctrica a partir de procesos de degradación de materia orgánica, mediante la implementación de una celda de combustible microbiano a escala piloto o de laboratorio, cuya funcionalidad se basa en la conversión de la energía química a energía eléctrica, a partir de procesos de degradación de materia orgánica llevados a cabo por microorganismos presente en las agua residuales. El montaje experimental del sistema consta de dos cámaras, una anaerobia y otra aerobia, separadas por una membrana de intercambio protónico. Los electrodos a ser utilizados en la celda de combustible microbiano fueron determinados luego de variadas pruebas que ayudaron a identificar el de mayor eficiencia de acuerdo al voltaje obtenido, debido a esto fue posible establecer el uso de electrodos de cobre, ya que registraron la mayor diferencia de potencial, con un voltaje de 1.44 V

Cultura de riesgo : impacto social de la actividad petrolera en comunidades shuar y kichwa de la parroquia de Dayuma, Francisco de Orellana

The following study was carried out between July 2015 and August 2016 in Dayuma, located in the province of Francisco de Orellana, in the Ecuadorian Amazon, and developed under the framework of the binational research program between France and Ecuador "Environmental Monitoring, Health, Society and Oil in Ecuador (MONOIL), "whose main objective is to improve interdisciplinary knowledge on the social, health and environmental impacts of oil activities in Ecuador, and then to build vulnerability reduction strategies that Amazonian populations faced...El siguiente estudio se llevó a cabo entre julio de 2015 y agosto de 2016, en la parroquia de Dayuma, ubicada en la provincia de Francisco de Orellana, Amazonía ecuatoriana, y se desarrolló bajo el marco del programa de investigación binacional entre Francia y Ecuador “Monitoreo ambiental, salud, sociedad y petróleo en Ecuador (MONOIL)”, cuyo objetivo principal es mejorar los conocimientos interdisciplinarios sobre los impactos sociales, sanitarios y ambientales de las actividades petroleras en Ecuador, para luego construir estrategias de reducción de la vulnerabilidad a la que se enfrentan las poblaciones amazónicas..

Desarrollo de una aplicación web para la enseñanza de la asignatura de matemáticas para niños de tercer año de Educación Básica en la Unidad Educativa Intercultural Bilingüe Huayna Capac utilizando la metodología kanban.

Learning mathematics is fundamental in the area of education and in daily life, especially for children who require the use of basic and elementary operations to develop activities of daily life. In the teaching process there are concerns on the part of the professionals who teach these subjects, by virtue of the fact that they require the application of pedagogical and technological resources to strengthen their application and a better understanding of the contents of the subject and the achievement of the results. Learning. With the development of the use of technology that was strengthened from the Covid-19 pandemic, where technological tools were implemented to support the teaching-learning processes, which allowed communication between teachers and students and the strengthening of educational processes. . By virtue of the changes established in the educational processes for children in the area of mathematics, the development of a Web Application for the teaching of mathematics in children from 8 to 9 years of age is considered important. For the development of the system, the KANBAN methodology is applied due to its easy implementation, management, optimization and visualization of the work process. For the construction of the system, the Python programming language is applied with Django and the database connection is established through SQlite3, as a result an application with easy access, reliability and a user-friendly graphical interface is obtained.El aprendizaje de las matemáticas es fundamental en el área de la educación y en el diario vivir especialmente para los niños que requieren del uso de las operaciones básicas y elementales para desarrollar actividades de la vida cotidiana. En el proceso de enseñanza existen preocupaciones por parte de los profesionales que dictan estas asignaturas, en virtud de que requieren de la aplicación de recursos pedagógicos y tecnológicos para fortalecer su aplicación y un mejor entendimiento de los contenidos de la asignatura y el logro de los resultados de aprendizaje. Con el desarrollo del uso de la tecnología que se fortaleció a partir de la pandemia Covid-19 en donde se implementaron herramientas tecnológicas de apoyo a los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje, que permitió la comunicación entre docentes y estudiantes y el fortalecimiento de los procesos educativos. En virtud de los cambios establecidos en los procesos educativos para los niños en el área de las matemáticas se considera importante el desarrollo de una Aplicación Web para la enseñanza de las matemáticas en niños de 8 a 9 años. Para el desarrollo del sistema se aplica la metodología KANBAN por su fácil implementación, gestionar, optimar y visualizar el proceso de trabajo. Para la construcción del sistema se aplica el lenguaje de programación Python con Django y la conexión de la base de datos se establece mediante SQlite3, como resultado se obtiene una aplicación de fácil acceso, fiable y de interfaz gráfica amigable con el usuario