Cuenca City Research Articles

Assessing the Feasibility of Hydrogen and Electric Buses for Urban Public Transportation using Rooftop Integrated Photovoltaic Energy in Cuenca Ecuador

A main restriction of renewables from intermittent sources is the mismatch between energy resource availability and energy requirements, especially when extensive power plants are producing at their highest potential causing huge energy surpluses. In these cases, excess power must be stored or curtailed. One alternative is increasing urban solar potential which could be integrated to feed electric buses directly or alternatively through hydrogen (H2) as an energy vector. H2 from renewable electricity can be stored and used directly or through fuel cells. This study aims to determine the H2 capability that could be achieved when integrating large-scale photovoltaic (PV) generation in urban areas. This analysis was carried out by determining the PV energy potentially generated by installing PV in Cuenca City downtown (Ecuador). Cuenca is in the process of adopting renewal of the public transport vehicle fleet, introducing a new model with an electric tram main network combined with “clean type buses”. The conventional diesel urban transport could be replaced, establishing a required vehicle fleet of 475 buses spread over 29 routes, emitting 112 tons of CO2 and burning 11,175 gallons of diesel daily. Between the main findings, we concluded that the electricity that could be produced in the total roof area exceeds the actual demand in the study area by 5.5 times. Taking into account the energy surplus, it was determined that the available PV power will cover from 97% to 127% of the total demand necessary to mobilize the city bus fleet. The novelty of this work is the proposal of a combined methodology to find the potential to feed urban transport with urban solar power in cities, close to the equatorial line.

HLA-DMB alleles and haplotypes in Ecuador (Cuenca) Amerindians: Importance for HLA and disease studies.

HLA-DMB allele frequencies and HLA-DBM-DRB1-DQB1 extended haplotypes were studied for the first time in Amerindians (Cuenca city area, Ecuador). It was found that most common extended haplotypes gathered the most frequent HLA-DRB1 Amerindian alleles. HLA-DMB polymorphism studies may be important to uncover HLA and diseases pathogenesis and also in an extended HLA haplotype frameshift. HLA-DM molecule has a crucial role together with CLIP protein in HLA class II peptide presentation. HLA extended haplotypes including complement and non classical genes alleles are proposed to HLA and disease studies.

Looking inside the Blackbox: Cuenca’s water metabolism

The socio-ecological metabolism of the water connects concepts that emerge out of the complexity of ecosystems, linking endosomatic processes that are indispensable for society while forming different hierarchic levels and relations among as well as aligning to their particularities. The consumptive uses of Cuenca city in their different categories and social metabolism both at rural and urban levels were assessed, inquiring about diverse typologies of the city’s water. Water Metabolic Rates (WMR) were calculated for each one of the consumptives’ uses gauged in liters per hour of human activity. Our results indicate that farming and industrial uses of water were highly inefficient. Linked to farms, both consumption of water and metabolic rates were higher in the rural areas. While paid work showed higher metabolic rates than households. Rural households evidenced a greater use of water and higher metabolic rates than urban households as water use combines human consumption and family farming. This research determined the water metabolism of the socio-ecological system in the canton of Cuenca, Ecuador through different dimensions of water metabolism. Formulating a system of flows and uses of water that were metabolized by different hierarchy levels of diverse consumptive uses within the aforementioned canton, as a tool to implement policies that guarantee water access and ecological metabolism, linking social dynamics within ecosystems.

Landslide Susceptibility Mapping of Landslides with Artificial Neural Networks: Multi-Approach Analysis of Backpropagation Algorithm Applying the Neuralnet Package in Cuenca, Ecuador

Natural hazards generate disasters and huge losses in several aspects, with landslides being one of the natural risks that have caused great impacts worldwide. The aim of this research was to explore a method based on machine learning to evaluate susceptibility to rotational landslides in an area near Cuenca city, Ecuador, which has a high incidence of these phenomena, mainly due to its environmental conditions, and in which, however, such studies are scarce. The implemented method consisted of an artificial neural network multilayer perceptron (ANN MLP), generated with the neuralnet R package, with which, by means of different backpropagation algorithms (RPROP+, RPROP−, SLR, SAG, and Backprop), five landslide susceptibility maps (LSMs) were generated for the study area. A landslide inventory updated to 2019 and 10 conditioning factors, mainly topographical, geological, land cover, and hydrological, were considered. The results obtained, which were validated through the AUC-ROC value and statistical parameters of precision, recall, accuracy, and F-Score, showed a good degree of adjustment and an acceptable predictive capacity. The resulting maps showed that the area has mostly sectors of moderate, high, and very high susceptibility, whose landslide occurrence percentages vary between approximately 63% and 80%. In this research, different variants of the backpropagation algorithm were implemented to verify which one gave the best results. With the implementation of additional methodologies and correct zoning, future analyses could be developed, contributing to adequate territorial planning and better disaster risk management in the area.

Influence of mobility restrictions on air quality in the historic center of Cuenca city and its inference on the Covid-19 rate infections

At the end of 2019 in Wuhan China city, the outbreak of the virus called SARS-CoV 2 was originated, which later became a pandemic. In Ecuador, patient zero arrived on February 14, 2020 and the first mobility restriction imposed by the Government occurred on Tuesday, March 17 of the same year. Throughout the confinement, vehicle mobility restrictions have been modified by government entities depending on the number of infected people. This article presents an air quality study in the historic center of Cuenca city as consequence of mobility changes caused by Covid-19, where a comparison of concentration levels of polluting gases of the first semester of 2018, 2019 and 2020 is made, that allow differentiating and identifying the influence of vehicular flow on air quality. It can also be verified how the decrease in vehicle mobility restrictions influenced the increase in the rate of daily infections. For the study, air quality data published by the public mobility company of the city of Cuenca (EMOV EP) and the communications issued by the Emergency Operations Committee (COE), before and during the confinement, were collected. The acquisition, classification, analysis and interpretation of the data obtained through machine learning techniques was carried out. It can be concluded that while mobility restrictions were more severe, air quality improved and infections rate of decrease. Obtaining that polluting gases such as NO2 and CO produced by vehicular traffic show correlations of 61% and 60% respectively, which means that after 15 days of lifting the restrictive measures, the pollutants increased as well as the number of infected.

An Integrated Multi Criteria Decision Making Model for Evaluating Park-and-Ride Facility Location Issue: A Case Study for Cuenca City in Ecuador

A park-and-ride (P&R) system is a set of facilities where private vehicle users can transfer to public transport to continue their journey. The main advantage of the system is decreasing the congestion in the central business district. This paper aims to analyze the most significant factors related to a Park-and-Ride facility location by adopting a combined model of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Best Worst Method (BWM). The integrated model is applicable for complex problems, which can be structured as a hierarchy with at least one 5 × 5 pairwise comparison matrix (PCM) (or bigger). Applying AHP for at least 5 × 5 PCM may generate inconsistent matrices, which may cause a loss of reliable information. As a solution for this gap, we conducted BWM, which generates more consistent comparisons compared to the AHP approach. Moreover, the model requires fewer comparisons compared to the classic AHP approach. That is the main reason of adopting the AHP-BWM model to evaluate Park-and-Ride facility location factors for a designed two-level hierarchical structure. As a case study, a real-world complex decision-making process was selected to evaluate the Park-and-Ride facility location problem in Cuenca city, Ecuador. The result shows that the application of multi-criteria methods becomes a planning tool for experts when designing a P&R system.

An Integrated Approach of Analytic Hierarchy Process and Triangular Fuzzy Sets for Analyzing the Park-and-Ride Facility Location Problem

A park and ride (P&R) system is a set of facilities where private vehicle users can transfer to public transport to complete their journey. The main advantage of the system is reducing the congestions problem in the central business district (CBD). Thus, the notion of symmetry is particularly important in multi-criteria decision aid (MCDA) because they are basic characteristics of the binary relationships used in modelling the preferences of decision-makers. The focal point of this study is evaluating the P&R facility system location problem from the experts’ point of view. For this aim, an integrated multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) methodology is proposed to evaluate the location of the facilities of the P&R system. The questionnaire survey was designed and estimated by 10 transport experts in the related field. The famous analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was adopted in a fuzzy environment, where the fuzzy sets have an efficient ability to manage the vague concepts in a specific way; moreover, it can mitigate the evaluator reasoning during decision-making. The hierarchical structure of the problem was established to evaluate a real-life problem in Cuenca city, Ecuador. The outcomes highlighted the “accessibility of public transport” as the most significant issue in the P&R facility location problem. The obtained results provide more flexible facilities than the pure AHP method.

Centro de Costeo para prestaciones de los Hospitales de la ciudad de Cuenca - Ecuador

Los servicios de salud privados de la ciudad de Cuenca, consideran imperioso a más de la aplicación de dichas herramientas, la necesidad de poder conocer la rentabilidad de las diferentes unidades de negocios o centros de costos de los diferentes bienes o servicios que ofrecen al mercado para ello el presente artículo tiene como propósito investigar la correcta estructuración, análisis e implementación de centros de costo, lo cual permitirá tener una clara visión para poder tomar las mejores decisiones financieras que garanticen la obtención de resultados exitosos, objetivo fundamental de toda organización. La investigación aplicada es de tipo no experimental pues se busca recopilar información que permita conocer la realidad sobre la aplicación de centros de costos en servicios de salud privados. Es de tipo mixta, conservando un enfoque cualitativo.

Prevalencia del trastorno bipolar y factores asociados en las parroquias rurales del cantón Cuenca

Introducción: El trastorno bipolar es una patología del estado de ánimo que se caracteriza por episodios que cambian entre manía y depresión; el objetivo del estudio fue conocer la prevalencia y factores asociados del trastorno bipolar en la población de las parroquias rurales del cantón Cuenca. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó un estudio de tipo transversal analítico. El universo estuvo conformado por 199.506 habitantes, a través de una muestra polietápica se evaluaron a 984 individuos de las parroquias El Valle, Tarqui y Checa. Se aplicó una entrevista sociodemográfica y el test MINI (Mini Entrevista Neuropsiquiátrica Internacional para adultos). Se incluyó personas de 18 años en adelante y se excluyó a individuos con alteraciones cognitivas y conductuales graves. Resultados: Se encontró que 32 personas presentaron trastorno bipolar actual que corresponde a una prevalencia del 3,30% de los cuales el 1,42%, se reportaron como trastorno único. Las personas que sufren manía actualmente representaron el 1,70% de la población; mientras que los que sufren hipomanía fueron el 1,50%. Se encontró un mayor porcentaje en el sexo femenino. El único factor asociado es el no convivir con una pareja, con un chi cuadrado de 11,60 (p: 0.00) con un OR de 2,20 (IC 1,39 – 3,50). No existe asociación con estructura y funcionalidad familiar, situación laboral, migración, edad y sexo. Se consideró como comorbilidades: ansiedad y dependencia-abuso de alcohol y sustancias. Conclusiones: El trastorno bipolar tiene una prevalencia del 3,30%. El principal factor asociado fue vivir sin una pareja.

Using Cooperative Learning Strategies to Develop Rural Primary Students' English Oral Performance

This small-scale quasi-experimental research study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of cooperative learning (CL) strategies in the achievement of students’ oral performance at the A1 Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) level. The study participants were twenty-four seventh graders from a small rural primary school located on the southern part of Cuenca city. The quantitative part was based on a descriptive statistic study. It was collected through the students’ speaking pre and post-test. The results were processed and analyzed through SPSS version 25. To compare the mean scores of the students in the pre and post- test, a T test for one sample was used. In addition, the qualitative part based on phenomenological research was gathered through direct classroom observations and group discussion. Findings indicated that: firstly, the study participants reached their A1 oral performance level in the evaluation criteria of comprehension, interaction, fluency, pronunciation. Secondly, students had positive attitudes toward CL strategies. Thirdly, through CL strategies students became more motivated and less reluctant during oral participation. In light of the findings, CL should be adopted in primary English learning as it helps improve learners’ EFL peaking skill.

Optimization Model for School Transportation Based on Supply-Demand Analyses

This paper presents a new conception model of school transportation supply-demand ratio (STSDR) in order to define the number of school buses needed in a limited area and to describe the conditions of school transport system. For this purpose, a mathematical equation was elaborated to simulate the real system based on the school transport conditions and on the estimated results of STSDR from 15 zones of Cuenca city in Ecuador. The data used in our model was collected from several diverse sources (i.e. administrative data and survey data). The estimated results have shown that our equation has described efficiently the school transport system by reaching an accuracy of 96%. Therefore, our model is suitable for statistical estimation given adequate data and will be useful in school transport planning policy. Given that, it is a support model for making decisions which seek efficiency in supply and demand balance.

First records for Lasiurus blossevillii, Histiotus humboldti and Enchisthenes hartii (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in an urban region in Southern Ecuador

Currently in Ecuador there are 171 bats species, however little is known of their presence in urban and peri-urban areas. These information gaps make it difficult to know the distribution of the species, as well as the ecosystems they are occupying. In this work we report for the first time three bats species in the urban and peri-urban area of Cuenca City which is located in the south of the Inter-Andean Valley. The individuals were identified taxonomically by morphological and morphometric characters, these were deposited in the Zoological Collection of the University of Azuay. The specimens reported in this work are: an adult male of Lasiurus blossevillii, a juvenile female of Histiotus humboldti, and an adult male of Enchisthenes hartii. These new records allow us to contribute with information on the distribution of these species, as well as raise new questions about the use of present resources by these bats in the urban and peri-urban environments of the city.

Prevalencia de Maloclusiones dentales en escolares de 12 años en la parroquia Bellavista, Cuenca, 2016

El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar la prevalencia de maloclusiones en escolares de 12 años de la parroquia urbana Bellavista de la ciudad de Cuenca-Ecuador. Es un estudio observacional, transversal y exploratorio en el cual seobservaron 111 escolares de 12 años de los cuales 62 fueron mujeres (56 %) y 49 varones (44 %), el estudio se realizó previo a la calibración de sus examinadores, consentimiento de sus padres y el asentimiento de los escolares. Todos losexámenes se realizaron con luz natural, antes del recreo y cuidando los aspectos de asepsia y antisepsia. Todos los datos se registraron en la ficha epidemiológica de la Universidad Católica de Cuenca. La prevalencia de maloclusiones fue del 77% en el total de escolares; el 23% de escolares registró una normooclusión; al relacionarla según el sexo el género femenino demostró una mayor prevalencia con el 44% que el sexo masculino con el 33 %. En este estudio se concluyó que existe una significativa prevalencia de maloclusiones en los escolares de la parroquia Bellavista de la ciudad de Cuenca, además es más frecuente la presencia de maloclusiones en mujeres que en varones. Respecto a la relación molar la clase I según laclasificación de Angle es la de mayor prevalencia.

Establishing Undergraduate Project Centers in Cuenca, Ecuador, and Panama City, Panama

Establishing Undergraduate Project Centers in Cuenca, Ecuador, and Panama City, Panama

Punto de corte de circunferencia abdominal para el agrupamiento de factores de riesgo metabólico: una propuesta para la población adulta de Cuenca, Ecuador

Background and objectiveFew studies have been conducted on waist circumference in Ecuador. This research aims to determine the cut-off points of waist circumference in an adult population from Cuenca City, Ecuador. MethodologyA cross-sectional, descriptive study, with a multistage random sampling was carried out on 318 adults of both sexes. Participants underwent a medical examination, with anthropometric and laboratory measurements. ROC curves were plotted to determine the waist circumference cut-offs for multiple risk factor aggregation. The IDF/NHLBI/AHA/WHF/IAS/IASO 2009, ATP-III and ALAD criteria were used to define metabolic syndrome. ResultsOf the 318 subjects, 57.2% were women. The presence of multiple risk factor aggregation was found in 54.1% (n=172). ROC curves showed waist circumference cut-offs of 91.5cm for females (sensitivity: 66.7%; specificity: 62.7%) and 95.5cm for males (sensitivity: 71.2%, specificity 68.3%). Using these cut-offs the prevalence of abdominal obesity was 53.3% for women, and 52.9% for men. ConclusionsThe cut-offs for waist circumference differ from those proposed for the Latin American population. A waist circumference cut-off of 91cm for women and 95cm for men from Cuenca city is suggested. It is necessary to unify efforts among the various research groups in the region to establish common values for Latin America based on the different reports to date.

Analysis of the presence of perfluoroalkyl substances in water, sediment and biota of the Jucar River (E Spain). Sources, partitioning and relationships with water physical characteristics

The presence, sources and partitioning of 21 perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs: C4–C14, C16, C18 carboxylate, C4, C6–C10 sulfonates and C8 sulfonamide) were assessed in water, sediment, and biota of the Jucar River basin (E Spain). Considering the three matrices, perfluoropentanoate (PFPeA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were the most frequent compounds, being remarkable the high occurrence of short-chain PFASs (C≤8), which are intended to replace the long-chain ones in several industrial and commercial applications. In general, all samples were contaminated with at least one PFAS, with the exception of three fish samples. Mean concentrations detected in sediments (0.22–11.5ng g−1) and biota (0.63–274µgkg−1) samples were higher than those measured in water (0.04–83.1ngL−1), which might suggest (bio) accumulation.The occurrence of PFAS is related to urban and industrial discharges (Cuenca city in the upper part of basin, and car's factory, and effluents of the sewage treatment plant (STP) of Alzira, in the lower part). Increasing pollution gradients were found. On the other hand, higher contamination levels were observed after regulation dams of the catchment pointing out their importance in the re-distribution of these contaminants. None of the hazard quotients (HQ) calculated indicate potential risk for the different tropic levels considered (algae, Daphnia sp. and fish). PFAS concentrations found in this study can be considered in acceptable levels if compared to existing Regulatory Legislation and, consequently, they do not pose an immediate human health risk.

Evaluating Multi-Sensor Nighttime Earth Observation Data for Identification of Mixed vs. Residential Use in Urban Areas

This paper introduces a novel top-down approach to geospatially identify and distinguish areas of mixed use from predominantly residential areas within urban agglomerations. Under the framework of the World Bank’s Central American Country Disaster Risk Profiles (CDRP) initiative, a disaggregated property stock exposure model has been developed as one of the key elements for disaster risk and loss estimation. Global spatial datasets are therefore used consistently to ensure wide-scale applicability and transferability. Residential and mixed use areas need to be identified in order to spatially link accordingly compiled property stock information. In the presented study, multi-sensor nighttime Earth Observation data and derivative products are evaluated as proxies to identify areas of peak human activity. Intense artificial night lighting in that context is associated with a high likelihood of commercial and/or industrial presence. Areas of low light intensity, in turn, can be considered more likely residential. Iterative intensity thresholding is tested for Cuenca City, Ecuador, in order to best match a given reference situation based on cadastral land use data. The results and findings are considered highly relevant for the CDRP initiative, but more generally underline the relevance of remote sensing data for top-down modeling approaches at a wide spatial scale.

Hydrogen from hydropower in Ecuador: Use and impacts in the transport sector

This paper estimates the potential for hydrogen production via electrolysis from hydropower coming from spilled turbinable energy of the hydroelectric plants of Ecuador. As a case study, the use of hydrogen in fuel cell-powered vehicles in public transportation in Cuenca city is analyzed. The technical and economic analysis determine the size of the electrolytic plant as well as the cost of hydrogen production, valued at 1.77 US$/kg in the best-case scenario. When compared to the price at which the State buys diesel in the international market, the results show that the cost of hydrogen is only 0.64 times the cost of diesel. In addition, the favorable impact of hydrogen penetration is calculated from both environmental and economic points of view. This study concludes that hydrogen production from untapped hydropower and its use in Cuenca's urban transport is a niche opportunity for leading the country towards a Hydrogen Economy.

Análisis de parámetros técnicos en eficiencia de iluminación para el edificio matriz de la Empresa Eléctrica Regional Centro Sur

Análisis energético realizado en las instalaciones de la Empresa Eléctrica Regional Centro Sur C.A. de la ciudad de Cuenca. Alternativas de ahorro para disminuir el consumo energético en iluminación. Incidencia del reemplazo de lámparas T8 por T5 sobre el índice de eficiencia energética de la instalación.

Visitor Profile Of Cuenca Religious Music Week

Religious Music Week in Cuenca is the fourth oldest music festival in Spain, involved in orchestras, choirs and performers of international stature and prestige that interpret various compositions of sacred music. Religious Music Week in Cuenca is declared a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest, since its inception in 1962, has always retained a strong personality as a result of high musical expertise; it is wonderful geographical location and the enormous wealth of heritage that surrounds it. This festival is writing a new chapter in the annals of religious music. Their long tradition has set the standard in Spain, which allows comparison with other festivals in Europe. In the present study is to characterize the profile of the visitor from the 48th through a questionnaire administered to attendees of the event, in the same show basic characteristics of visitors, taking a special interest in the economic impact is Cuenca city for the celebration of this event.