Enfoque UTE

pp. 1 - 13

Authors: César del Río

This paper reviews what stage the central banks of the world’s leading economies are at in their study and adoption of distributed ledger technology (DLT) to reengineer their various systems and functions. A brief description of DLT will be given, followed by an analysis of central banks’ publications and pronouncements to determine what each central bank is doing on their journey to DLT adoption. It was found that of the central banks for which information was available, all of them have expressed interest in DLT and have evaluated it to some extent. Nevertheless, no central bank has an operational DLT-based system at this point. This is because some issues remain regarding the speed, cost of processing, security, transparency and privacy, legal settlement finality, scalability and network effects of the technology. As DLT matures, the expectation is that these issues will begin to be resolved.

pp. 26 - 36

Authors: Michael Álvarez González, Lamberto Álvarez Gil, Romel Vázquez Rodríguez

The paper presents the evaluation and the analysis of three types of filter geometry to evaluate the filtration risk in Zaza Reservoir, taking as starting point the historic characteristics of the fluctuation of water levels inside the earth dam. The work is based on the experience of a multidisciplinary team and previous research with bi-dimensional models, using the Finite Elements Method for the solution of basic engineering problems. Also, the results of the installation of a new filter system with a geospatial index are evaluated (under criteria of threats, vulnerability, and risk) with spatial visualization data in a Geographical Information System for thematic maps generation, that represent how much the water level varies inside the dam according to the different filters evaluated.

pp. 46 - 52

Authors: María José Jijón, Teresa Guerrero Villegas, Adriana Barahona, Pablo Aguilar Barriga

Macadamia nut is considered "the queen of nuts", because of its high energy content and nutritional value. Certain types of nuts are considered to be non-commercial due to their color; therefore, the aim of this study was determining a method of surface bleaching using additives that do not affect the taste, smell and texture of the walnut. Color is a sensory quality of food; it’s an indicator and a critical quality factor in fresh and processed products. Three food additives were used as bleaching agents: 1% citric acid for 2 minutes and 3% for 1 minute, 0.1% ascorbic acid for 1 minute and 0.3% for 3 minutes, and 5 and 10% sodium bicarbonate for 1 minute. For all treatments, color analysis, walnut moisture, sensory analysis of odor, taste and texture were carried out. Walnuts were bleached superficially after drying. The results indicate that the best treatment for bleaching macadamia nut is ascorbic acid at 0.3%, with this it is possible to add a more homogeneous and natural color to the nut, free of blackish spots.

pp. 67 - 75

Authors: JE Miranda-Yuquilema, A Marín-Cárdenas, M González-Pérez, D Sánchez-Macías

The aim of this work was to evaluate the physical, microbiological, fibrous and lactic acid changes of cassava silage with cowpea used on biological mix. Fifty kg whole cassava (root, stem and leaves), 20 kg of cowpea flour and 4 L of microbial culture containing Lactobacillus acidophillus, Streptococcus thermophillus and Klyumyces fragilis (L-4 UCLV) were used. The evaluated treatments were: Y100integral cassava (Y100), integral cassava more 20% cowpea (Y+C), and integral cassava more 20% cowpeas and 8% of microbial culture (Y+C+BP). The ensiled material was preserved in sterile glass bottles with wide mouth. A completely randomized design was used. The physicochemical, microbiological, fibrous and lactic acid characteristics were evaluated. For 18 months, the dry matter, crude and true protein, lactic acid contents and the microbial viability was higher (P <0.05) in Y+C+BP treatments from 2 to 18 months. The fibrosity and the pH of the silage was also lower (P <0.05) at the end of the study in this treatment Y+C+BP. It is concluded that with the inclusion of the microbial mix in the cassava silage with cowpea, it is possible to preserve the physicochemical and microbiological properties for 18 months, as well as the values of dry matter, crude and true protein, and lactic acid contents were improved.

pp. 89 - 102

Authors: Luis Hidalgo Aguilera, Jimmy Imbaquingo, Daniel Mideros

An automatic machine has been designed to obtain threads and ribbons through a continuous rotational cutting process. This machine processes plastic bottles used as containers for storage and transportation of soft drinks and non-carbonated drinks with a capacity of three liters. It is a mechatronic design, composed of simple mechanical / pneumatic, electrical and control systems, which allows to process up to fifty bottles per hour. A variety of products can be obtained; from threads with approximately 46.5 m in length and 1.6 mm thick (width) to ribbons with 11.3 m in length and 6.7 mm in width per bottle can be obtained. These products are economic raw material obtained from waste material such as plastic bottles, which are highly polluting elements of the environment due to the small percentage that is recycled especially in Ecuador. This raw material can have applications in some manufacturing processes such as the manufacture of brooms, ropes, baskets, bags, fasteners among others.