Optimal Policy Derivation for Transmission Duty-Cycle Constrained LPWAN

Low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) technologies enable Internet of Things (IoT) devices to efficiently and robustly communicate over long distances, thus making them especially suited for industrial environments. However, the stringent regulations on the usage of certain industrial, scientific, and medical bands in many countries in which LPWAN operate limit the amount of time IoT motes can occupy the shared bands. This is particularly challenging in industrial scenarios, where not being able to report some detected events might result in the failure of critical assets. To alleviate this, and by mathematically modeling LPWAN-based IoT motes, we have derived optimal transmission policies that maximize the number of reported events (prioritized by their importance) while still complying with current regulations. The proposed solution has been customized for two widely known LPWAN technologies: 1) LoRa and 2) Sigfox. Analytical results reveal that our solution is feasible and performs remarkably close to the theoretical limit for a wide range of network activity patterns

Evaluating the more suitable ISM frequency band for iot-based smart grids: a quantitative study of 915 MHz vs. 2400 MHz

IoT has begun to be employed pervasively in industrial environments and critical infrastructures thanks to its positive impact on performance and efficiency. Among these environments, the Smart Grid (SG) excels as the perfect host for this technology, mainly due to its potential to become the motor of the rest of electrically-dependent infrastructures. To make this SG-oriented IoT cost-effective, most deployments employ unlicensed ISM bands, specifically the 2400 MHz one, due to its extended communication bandwidth in comparison with lower bands. This band has been extensively used for years by Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) and Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANET), from which the IoT technologically inherits. However, this work questions and evaluates the suitability of such a "default" communication band in SG environments, compared with the 915 MHz ISM band. A comprehensive quantitative comparison of these bands has been accomplished in terms of: power consumption, average network delay, and packet reception rate. To allow such a study, a dual-band propagation model specifically designed for the SG has been derived, tested, and incorporated into the well-known TOSSIM simulator. Simulation results reveal that only in the absence of other 2400 MHz interfering devices (such as WiFi or Bluetooth) or in small networks, is the 2400 MHz band the best option. In any other case, SG-oriented IoT quantitatively perform better if operating in the 915 MHz band.This research was supported by the MINECO/FEDER project grants TEC2013-47016-C2-2-R (COINS) and TEC2016-76465-C2-1-R (AIM). The authors would like to thank Juan Salvador Perez Madrid nd Domingo Meca (part of the Iberdrola staff) for the support provided during the realization of this work. Ruben M. Sandoval also thanks the Spanish MICINN for an FPU (REF FPU14/03424) pre-doctoral fellowship

“Motivation in pre-service English teachers at the technical University of Cotopaxi”

Nowadays, English has become a universal language, which has forced more people, especially young students, to learn it to achieve personal, better academic, and work opportunities. So, if people want to learn a second language like English, it is necessary to have a good level of motivation. Motivation is a fundamental and relevant component in this process because it directs students to make a substantial effort to commit to their goal of learning the target language. Therefore, this descriptive quantitative study aims to investigate the level and type of motivation at the Technical University of Cotopaxi located in the province of Cotopaxi, Pujilí Canton, Latacunga. The instrument used for data collection was a standardized questionnaire adapted from the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB), designed by Gardner, with a 6-point Likert scale adapted from the original 7-point scale. The main objective of this questionnaire was to collect information on student motivation and consisted of three principal parts: four demographic questions, 13 on integrative motivation, and ten on instrumental motivation. The participants were 191 students of the first four semesters of the Pedagogy of National and Foreign Languages career during the academic period of April - August 2022, from which a sample of 162 students was obtained. Data were collected and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SP SS) and EXCEL. The results showed that all students have a high-level of motivation in English language learning. Moreover, the data indicated that students have a tendency towards integrative motivation than instrumental one. That is because the students' interests are based on having close contact with the culture of native people and being able to communicate effectively using the target language (English). Finally, the results will allow English teachers to consider the level and type of motivation students have in their teaching process. Thus, the teachers will apply didactic and innovative strategies to maintain and increase the students' motivation level within the teaching-learning process of English.En la actualidad, el inglés se ha convertido en un idioma universal, lo que ha obligado a más personas, especialmente jóvenes estudiantes, a aprenderlo para lograr mejores oportunidades personales, académicas y laborales. Entonces, si las personas quieren aprender un segundo idioma como el inglés, es necesario tener un buen nivel de motivación. La motivación es un componente fundamental y relevante en este proceso porque dirige a los estudiantes a hacer un esfuerzo sustancial para comprometerse con su meta de aprender el idioma de destino. Por lo tanto, este estudio cuantitativo descriptivo tiene como objetivo investigar el nivel y tipo de motivación en la Universidad Técnica de Cotopaxi ubicada en la provincia de Cotopaxi, cantón Pujilí, Latacunga. El instrumento utilizado para la recolección de datos fue un cuestionario estandarizado adaptado del Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB), diseñado por Gardner, con una escala tipo Likert de 6 puntos adaptada de la escala original de 7 puntos. El objetivo principal de este cuestionario fue recopilar información sobre la motivación de los estudiantes y consto de tres partes principales; cuatro preguntas demográficas, 13 sobre motivación integradora y diez sobre la motivación instrumental. Los participantes fueron 191 estudiantes de los primeros cuatro semestres de la carrera de Pedagogía de Idiomas Nacionales y Extranjeras durante el periodo académico abril – agosto 2022, de los cuales se obtuvo una muestra de 162 estudiantes. Los datos fueron recolectados y analizados utilizando el programa SPSS (por sus siglas en inglés Statistical Package for Social Sciences) y Excel. Los resultados mostraron que todos los estudiantes tienen un alto nivel de motivación en el aprendizaje del idioma inglés. Además, los datos indicaron que los estudiantes tienen una tendencia hacia la motivación integradora más que hacia la instrumental. Esto se debe a que los intereses de los estudiantes se basan en tener un contacto cercano con la cultura de los nativos y así poder comunicarse de manera efectiva utilizando el idioma de destino (inglés). Finalmente, los resultados permitirán a los docentes de inglés considerar el nivel y tipo de motivación que tienen los estudiantes en su proceso de enseñanza. Así, los docentes aplicarán estrategias didácticas e innovadoras para mantener e incrementar el nivel de motivación de los estudiantes dentro del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje del inglés

Nutritional regulation of fibroblast growth factor 21: from macronutrients to bioactive dietary compounds

Obesity is a worldwide health problem mainly due to its associated comorbidities. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a peptide hormone involved in metabolic homeostasis in healthy individuals and considered a promising therapeutic candidate for the treatment of obesity. FGF21 is predominantly produced by the liver but also by other tissues, such as white adipose tissue (WAT), brown adipose tissue (BAT), skeletal muscle, and pancreas in response to different stimuli such as cold and different nutritional challenges that include fasting, high-fat diets (HFDs), ketogenic diets, some amino acid-deficient diets, low protein diets, high carbohydrate diets or specific dietary bioactive compounds. Its target tissues are essentially WAT, BAT, skeletal muscle, heart and brain. The effects of FGF21 in extra hepatic tissues occur through the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)-1c together with the co-receptor β-klotho (KLB). Mechanistically, FGF21 interacts directly with the extracellular domain of the membrane bound cofactor KLB in the FGF21- KLB-FGFR complex to activate FGFR substrate 2α and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Mice lacking KLB are resistant to both acute and chronic effects of FGF21. Moreover, the acute insulin sensitizing effects of FGF21 are also absent in mice with specific deletion of adipose KLB or FGFR1. Most of the data show that pharmacological administration of FGF21 has metabolic beneficial effects. The objective of this review is to compile existin

Polímeros bioplásticos de fontes renováveis

Biopolymers are useful in the industry due to its elastic properties and sustainability as replacements of non-renewable polymers. In this article, bioplastics were produced and characterized using chitosan (CH), sodium alginate (SA), and galactomannan (GAL) from insects (Hermetia illucens), brown algae (Macrocystis pyrifera) and seeds (Leucaena leucocephala), respectively. The structure of biopolymers was observed by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and characterized by viscosity at different concentrations. The developed bioplastics were characterized by color and mechanical properties (texture). The results were compared to standard samples (commercial). The FTIR spectra confrmed the presence of the typical structure (footprint) for the obtained polymers. The SA showed signifcantly higher viscosity for all concentrations comparedto the standard and the other polymers. The bioplastics strength was similar among CH, SA and GAL for all concentrations; only SA (0,5%) demonstrated higher strength than the standard. For color measurements, hue value indicated a red-yellowish color and the chrome increased directly proportional with polymer concentration. The observed properties suggest that these sustainable sources might be an alternativeto bioplastic production, which can be extended to functionalization and molecular interactions for broad applications in different industries.Los biopolímeros son útiles en la industria por sus propiedades elásticas y su carácter sustentable en el reemplazo de polímeros no renovables. En este artículo se elaboraron y caracterizaron bioplásticos utilizando quitosano (CH), alginato de sodio (SA) y galactomanano (GAL) a partir de insectos (Hermetia illucens), algas pardas (Macrocystis pyrifera) y semillas (Leucaena leucocephala), respectivamente. La estructura de losbiopolímeros se observó por espectroscopía de infrarrojo (FTIR) y se caracterizó en viscosidad a diferentes concentraciones, y los bioplásticos desarrollados se caracterizaron en color y propiedades mecánicas (textura). Los resultados fueron comparados con muestras estándar (comerciales). Los espectros de FTIR confrmaron la presencia de la estructura típica (huella) de los polímeros obtenidos. El SA mostró una viscosidad signifcativamente mayor en todas las concentraciones comparado con el estándar y los otros polímeros. La fuerza de los bioplásticos fue similar entre CH, SA y GAL para todas las concentraciones; únicamente SA (0,5%) demostró una mayor fuerza que el estándar. Para las mediciones de color, los valores de matiz indicaron colores rojo-amarillento y el croma aumentó proporcionalmente a la concentración de polímero. Las propiedades observadas sugieren que estas fuentes sustentables son una alternativa para la producción de bioplásticos y podría mejorarse su funcionalización por interacciones moleculares para su aplicación en diferentes sectores industriales.Os biopolímeros são úteis na indústria por suas propriedades elásticas e sua natureza sustentável na substituição de polímeros não renováveis. Neste artigo, os bioplásticos foram preparados e caracterizados utilizando quitosana (CH), alginato de sódio (SA) e galactomanano (GAL) de insetos (Hermetia illucens), algas marrons (Macrocystis pyrifera) e sementes (Leucaena leucocephala), respectivamente. A estrutura dos biopolímeros foi observada por espectroscopia no infravermelho (FTIR) e caracterizada em viscosidade em diferentes concentrações, e os bioplásticos desenvolvidos foram caracterizados em propriedades mecânicas e de cor (textura). Os resultados foram comparados com amostras padrão (comerciais). Os espectros de FTIR confrmaram a presença da estrutura típica (pegada) dos polímeros obtidos. O SA mostrou uma viscosidade signifcativamente maior em todas as concentrações em comparação com o padrão e os outros polímeros. A força dos bioplásticos foi semelhante entre CH, SA e GAL para todas as concentrações; somente o SA (0,5%) demonstrou maior força que o padrão. Para medições de cores, os valores de matiz indicaram cores vermelho-amareladas e o croma aumentou proporcionalmente à concentração do polímero. As propriedades observadas sugerem que essas fontes sustentáveis são uma alternativa para a produção de bioplásticos, podendo ser melhoradas por interações moleculares para aplicação em diferentes setores industriais

Condiciones turísticas del distrito de Poroto para el desarrollo del turismo rural comunitario año 2017

La presente investigación tuvo por objetivo determinar las condiciones turísticas del distrito de Poroto para el desarrollo del Turismo Rural Comunitario. La investigación tuvo como variables de estudio las Condiciones turísticas y Turismo Rural Comunitario que fueron estudiadas bajo el diseño no experimental de tipo descriptiva – transversal. Para el acopio de información de las variables de estudio se emplearon las técnicas de la encuesta, observación y entrevista dirigidas a los pobladores, recursos y empresas de servicios, y gobierno local, respectivamente. La población estuvo conformada por 410 habitantes del área rural del distrito de Poroto. Para determinar la muestra se aplicó fórmula de población conocida con un muestreo aleatorio simple. Obteniéndose una muestra de 199 personas. De acuerdo a la realidad problemática del distrito de Poroto, se planteó el siguiente problema ¿Cuáles son las condiciones turísticas del distrito de Poroto para el desarrollo del turismo rural comunitario?, mediante la recolección y análisis de datos basados en el método no experimental de diseño transversal; se rechazó la hipótesis de investigación y se aceptó la hipótesis nula: “El distrito de Poroto no tiene condiciones adecuadas para el desarrollo del turismo rural comunitario”.Tesi

Creación de un colectivo de investigación popular y alternativa en el barrio de Jipijapa que resignifique la comunicación local del barrio

The present work is intended to demonstrate the process of creating a research group within the Ateneo College journalism, which allowed us to find new ways to solve problems, to understand the complexity of real life situations that are experienced in the sector, to reason, discover and propose new ideas of social and cultural renewal. The project is aimed at motivating the group, with all the activities chosen to promote the participation and involvement in everyday life, problems and needs of this group in order to transform and raise new proposals for each of the requirements of the people who live in the area but mainly help the group can work together and grow in community.El presente trabajo tiene por objetivo mostrar el proceso de la creación un grupo de investigación periodística dentro del Colegio Ateneo, el cual nos permitió hallar nuevos caminos de resolver problemas, de comprender la complejidad de las situaciones reales que se viven en el sector, de razonar, descubrir y plantear nuevas ideas de renovación social y cultural. El proyecto va dirigido a motivar al colectivo, con todas las actividades realizadas para promover a la participación e involucramiento en la vida cotidiana, los problemas y necesidades de este grupo para poder transformar y plantear nuevas propuestas para cada uno de los requerimientos de la gente que vive en la zona pero sobre todo ayudar a que el colectivo pueda trabajar en equipo y crecer en comunidad

Molecular metabolic response of diet-induced obese mice to a polyphenol mixture beverage based on Mediterranean Diet consumption

Podeu consultar el III Workshop anual INSA-UB complet a: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/118993Sessió 1. Pòster núm.

Metabolic Impact of Flavonoids Consumption in Obesity: From Central to Peripheral

The prevention and treatment of obesity is primary based on the follow-up of a healthy lifestyle, which includes a healthy diet with an important presence of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols. For many years, the health benefits of polyphenols have been attributed to their anti-oxidant capacity as free radical scavengers. More recently it has been described that polyphenols activate other cell-signaling pathways that are not related to ROS production but rather involved in metabolic regulation. In this review, we have summarized the current knowledge in this field by focusing on the metabolic e ects of flavonoids. Flavonoids are widely distributed in the plant kingdom where they are used for growing and defensing. They are structurally characterized by two benzene rings and a heterocyclic pyrone ring and based on the oxidation and saturation status of the heterocyclic ring flavonoids are grouped in seven di erent subclasses. The present work is focused on describing the molecular mechanisms underlying the metabolic impact of flavonoids in obesity and obesity-related diseases. We described the e ects of each group of flavonoids in liver, white and brown adipose tissue and central nervous system and the metabolic and signaling pathways involved on them

Bio-plastic polymers from renewable sources = Bio-plásticos de polímeros a partir de fuentes renovables

Biopolymers are useful in the industry due to its elastic properties and sustainability as replacements of non-renewable polymers. In this article, bioplastics were produced and characterized using chitosan (CH), sodium alginate (SA), and galactomannan (GAL) from insects (Hermetia illucens), brown algae (Macrocystis pyrifera) and seeds (Leucaena leucocephala), respectively. The structure of biopolymers was observed by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and characterized by viscosity at different concentrations. The developed bioplastics were characterized by color and mechanical properties (texture). The results were compared to standard samples (commercial). The FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of the typical structure (footprint) for the obtained polymers. The SA showed significantly higher viscosity for all concentrations compared to the standard and the other polymers. The bioplastics strength was similar among CH, SA and GAL for all concentrations; only SA (0,5%) demonstrated higher strength than the standard. For color measurements, hue value indicated a red-yellowish color and the chrome increased directly proportional with polymer concentration. The observed properties suggest that these sustainable sources might be an alternative to bioplastic production, which can be extended to functionalization and molecular interactions for broad applications in different industries