In this research, a mining effluent was used to produce microalgal and cyanobacterial biomass to obtain red (carotenoids) and blue pigments (phycocyanin). Two strains were isolated from a hydrothermal source in Norte de Santander and grown in mining wastewater mixed with 50% BG-11 medium for the Osci_UFPS01 cyanobacterium and 50% with Bold Basal medium for the Chlo_UFPS01 microalgae. A carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus experiment design was developed, and subsequent response surface analysis (RSM) was used to determine the optimal operating conditions for the formation of the products of interest. A notable decrease in pigment production was observed compared to that in the controls without mining wastewater. Overall, 45% of phycocyanin (C PC) per unit dry weight (DW) and 1,129% (w/w) of carotenoids were obtained in the cultures with a mining wastewater mixture in the final optimization processes.

The study of thin-film solar cells based on tin sulphide is becoming increasingly relevant due to its advantages over similar technologies, such as its low cost, toxicity, and the fact that its constituent elements are more abundant in the earth's crust; besides, they could be made by thigh vacuum techniques like thermal spraying, sputtering, co-evaporation, or thermal evaporation. On the other hand, Simulations allow modelling of the behaviour of solar cells to understand the processes and improve the device's efficiency. Therefore, in this work, the simulation process is carried out using mathematical models that represent the physical behaviour of the solar cell made of heterojunction of several thin films with ZnO/ZnS/SnS configuration. Two radiation models were evaluated, one using a theoretical equation and the other with data from the incident radiation. Until today, different simulations of solar cells have been carried out mainly using a Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator (SCAPS); however, this research was developed using MATLAB due to its performance and efficiency. The optimal thickness of the absorbent layer was established from the results obtained for open circuit voltage (Voc), short circuit current density (Jsc), fill factor and conversion efficiency (n).

The growing global consumption of coffee has positioned Colombia as the third largest producer worldwide. However, the processing of coffee beans generates significant by-products, such as mucilage, which is rich in phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity. Inadequate disposal of this waste creates environmental problems and economic losses. This research aimed to develop high-quality coffee mucilage capsules using spray drying technology. Chemically modified banana starch with octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) and commercial maltodextrin were used as coating materials to enhance the properties of the capsules. Physicochemical and functional characterization was performed on samples of fresh and filtered coffee mucilage (MF), concentrated mucilage (MC), concentrated mucilage with the addition of maltodextrin and OSA-modified starch (MCMA), and finally, spray-dried coffee mucilage powder (MP). The antioxidant capacity (AC) of the mucilage was evaluated throughout the processing stages. MF showed an AC of 179.2 µmol of trolox/100 g, while the final coffee mucilage powder (MP) showed a significantly higher AC of 5444.35 µmol of trolox/100 g. Additionally, the MP showed a stability index of 0.48, water activity (aw) of 0.19, solubility of 14.64%, and a high water retention capacity of 90.53%. Microscopic analysis revealed amorphous structures with an average size of 29.16 ± 2.12 µm in the MP. These findings highlight the potential of spray drying with food-grade matrices such as OSA-modified banana starch to encapsulate coffee mucilage, preserving its antioxidant capacity and creating a new functional food ingredient with water retention properties.

La exploración de la biodiversidad de cianobacterias y microalgas es muy prometedora para la obtención de pigmentos de interés industrial. Este estudio se centra en la bioprospección de estos organismos para obtener pigmentos de interés industrial junto con biomasa enriquecida. Investigamos el impacto del fotoperiodo y la concentración de fuentes de nutrientes C/N/P en cultivos heterótrofos, controlando variables específicas como la intensidad luminosa, volumen, pH, temperatura, flujo de aire y tiempo para la producción de ficobiliproteínas en Arthrospira sp.y carotenoides totales en Scenedesmus sp. Empleando un diseño Plackett‒Burman no factorial en el software STATISTICA 7.0. La concentración de biomasa fue determinada por peso seco, mientras que la concentración de ficocianinas y carotenoides fueron determinadas espectrofotométricamente a longitudes de onda específicas. Los cultivos heterótrofos demostraron una productividad superior, alcanzando las ficocianinas y los carotenoides porcentajes del 7% y el 0,4% (% p/p) respectivamente, y un notable valor R2 de 0,99. Entre los parámetros influyentes, el difosfato potásico y el bicarbonato sódico desempeñaron papeles fundamentales en la deposición final de carotenoides y ficocianinas, respectivamente, alcanzando concentraciones de 96,5 mg/L de ficocianinas y 6,5 mg/L de carotenoides.

Wind energy is one of the most promising alternatives for obtaining a sustainable electricity generation model with low greenhouse gas emissions. The maturity of this technology, coupled with its low investment costs and good performance, makes it highly interesting for countries to develop projects within this field. However, its high operation intermittency caused by the natural behavior of wind requires preliminary research on the technical conditions (Installation, Capacity, Environmental, Legal, Administrative, Logistics) of the geographical area wherein the wind energy project is planned. This paper provides an overview of the state-of-the-art research studies on the potential of wind energy within a territory. This review describes current methodological alternatives for assessing wind energy generation projects and potential energy studies in different geographical areas globally. Therefore, a bibliometric analysis is included, examining the scientific research trends in the field of wind energy in addition to the different technologies and innovations that have contributed to the viability of a greater wind energy generation project. Finally, the study discusses the technical restriction criteria faced by any such project. This paper also seeks to become a point of reference for future reviews and decision-making in wind projects.

The study evaluates the generation and recovery capacity of methane at the Villavicencio Landfill in Colombia, using the LandGEM model. It shows a significant increase in methane generation, rising from about 1.5 million cubic meters in 2010 to over 8.5 million in 2020, indicating a growing urgency to implement effective mitigation measures. It was estimated that by the year 2042, the electrical energy production from methane could be 248.067 kW/day, capable of supplying about 43.705 homes monthly. Additionally, thermal energy generation would be 468.572 kWh/day, useful for industrial processes. Management scenarios were proposed, where, for example, operational optimization could increase electric production to 342.333 kW/day, benefiting more than 60.000 homes monthly. The conclusions highlight the direct correlation between the amount of waste and methane generation, and the significant potential for converting these emissions into energy, pointing towards regional energy self-sufficiency and sustainability. Methane recovery represents a valuable alternative to the dependence on fossil fuels and for the development of a circular economy.

This article identifies value-generating activities in agro-industrial chains, through a systematic literature review in the Scopus database, combining terms associated with the generation of value in this type of chains. The search yielded more than two thousand documents, which were reduced using pre-established exclusion and inclusion criteria, like date and language. As a result of the application of these criteria, seventy-eight articles were selected for analysis, allowing the identification of thirty value-generating activities in agro-industrial chains. The findings show that activities associated with operational skills and the integration of agribusiness are the most relevant. However, in recent years value has been given to activities associated with marketing and innovation, making new strategies for the use of resources visible, which directly impacts the increase in the competitiveness of agro-industrial chains.

Student evaluation of teaching (SET) is an ad-hoc way of assessing teaching effectiveness in higher education institutions. In this paper, we present an approach to analyzing sentiments expressed in SET comments using a large language model (LLM). By employing natural language processing techniques, we extract and analyze sentiments expressed by students when the course has ended, aiming to provide educators and administrators with valuable insights into teaching quality and elements to improve teaching practice. Our study demonstrates the effectiveness of LLMs in sentiment analysis of comments, highlighting their potential to enhance the evaluation process. Our experiments with a crowdsourced tagged dataset show a 93% of accuracy in the classification of feedback messages. We discuss the implications of our findings for educational institutions and propose future directions for research in this domain.

In order to take advantage of the antiseptic and healing properties of honey, the preparation of polymeric micro and nanofibers with honey from bees has been investigated in many parts of the world, in order to enhance their use in the development of biomedical products such as dressings, bandages and other elements that favor wound closure and tissue restoration. To contribute to this line of research, a background review is presented here on the application of the electrospinning technique in the preparation of micro and nanofiber membranes with honey, focusing on experimental methodology including the use of polymers, solvents, therapeutic agents, active principles or drugs loaded in apitherapeutic fibers. Electrospinning techniques and parameters, tests and material characterization methods have been compiled, presenting the effect of these variables on the compositional, morphological, mechanical and physicochemical properties of the fibrous meshes. A compendium of biological tests evaluated in vitro and in vivo was made in order to analyze the functionality and potential of the application of fibers in tissue engineering, as well as in the construction of devices for clinical diagnosis and in general for the development of advanced materials for wound treatment. This review sees the establishment of the methodological foundations for the design of new materials based on honey and plant extracts not yet explored, and which could be developed into compounds of high scientific and industrial interest.

The complexity of the software allows us to analyze how difficult to understand, implement and maintain the program can be. The metrics allow us to measure and estimate certain characteristics of the software to make decisions and corrective or preventive actions. The definition of the complexity of the microservices-based applications design is fundamental since it directly affects the performance of the application, development, testing, maintainability, storage (transactions and distributed queries), and the use and consumption of computational resources. In this paper, a cognitive complexity metric is proposed to evaluate the design and granularity of microservices-based applications, which define the required effort, or degree of difficulty to understand the microservices that make up the system. Typical cases were analyzed, which can appear in the design of microservices-based applications, the calculation of cognitive complexity was correct and consistent with the difficulty of understanding, maintaining, and developing a microservice system, therefore it is a viable option for analyzing complexity in microservices-based architecture.