• Asia Pacific Journal of Business Review
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.57-76
• /
• 2018

The "Internet of things" (IoT) is becoming an increasingly growing topic of conversation, it is a new emergent technology that can be present in almost every field and application. It's a concept that not only has the potential to impact how people live but also how people work. Broadband Internet and Mobile Internet are becoming more widely available, the cost of the service is decreasing, more devices are being created with Wi-Fi capabilities and sensors built into them, technology costs are going down, and smartphone penetration is growing so fast. All of these facts are creating the best environment for the IoT applications. In a country like Ecuador, is important to have a previous analysis about the feasibility of the implementation of this new technology in order to know what are the challenges the country has to face, and also to not stay behind as the other countries in the region are advancing. Currently, this kind of analysis does not exist. The Internet of Things is an innovation where business and technology models in Ecuador are relatively unexplored. The current infrastructure deployed in Ecuador and the available devices in the market are the central facts to initiate with the research, which is a starting point to show if Ecuador is ready to this technology, and if is not ready what is missing. This study shows the current telecommunications status in Ecuador, and its strengths and weaknesses to start the deployment of Internet of Things. Besides, it also will show the most likely applications that can be easily adopted for the Ecuadorian market with its respective availability, affordability, and adaptability.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.56 no.2
• /
• pp.189-194
• /
• 2018

To determine that Paragonimus sp. is actively transmitted in a tropical area of the Pacific region of Ecuador where human cases of pulmonary paragonimiasis have recently been documented, a total of 75 freshwater crabs were collected from 2 different streams in the Pedernales area of $Manab\acute{i}$ Province, Ecuador. All collected crabs were identified as Hypolobocera guayaquilensis based on morphological characteristics of the male gonopods. The hepatopancreas of each crab was examined by compressing it between 2 glass plates followed by observation under a stereomicroscope. Excysted Paragonimus metacercariae were detected in 39 (52.0%) crabs and their densities varied from 1 to 32 per infected crab. There was a positive relationship between crab size and metacercarial density. Sequences of the second internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal RNA gene of the Paragonimus metacercariae obtained in this study were identical to those of Paragonimus mexicanus deposited in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank database. Thus, the present study is the first to confirm that the crab species H. guayaquilensis is the second intermediate host of P. mexicanus in $Manab\acute{i}$ Province, Ecuador. Because this crab might be the possible source of human infections in this area, residents should pay attention to improper crab-eating habits related with a neglected parasitic disease, i.e., paragonimiasis.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.293-299
• /
• 2022

Purpose: Data on eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) in South America is scarce. Moreover, no studies are available in Ecuador. We evaluated the clinical, endoscopic, and histological characteristics of Ecuadorian children with EoE. Methods: Medical records of 2,711 children who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGE) between 2009 and 2020 at Hospital Metropolitano de Quito, Ecuador were reviewed. Esophageal mucosal biopsies were obtained from 72 patients and the features of 35 children with EoE were described. EoE was diagnosed when there were more than 15 eosinophils in the esophagus, per high power field. Results: EoE was diagnosed in 35 children (9.4±4.5 years) with a male predominance (74%). Abdominal pain (51.4%) and vomiting (31.4%) were dominant symptoms. A history of allergic diseases was noted in 47.1% of the children, which mainly included allergic rhinitis (37.1%) and atopic dermatitis (11.4%). The most common endoscopic findings were furrowing (82.9%) and edema (74.3%). All patients were initially treated with proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs). Those who did not respond to PPIs received steroids (5.7%) and diet therapy (5.7%), and five patients were referred to an allergist. Clinical and histological resolution was observed in 65% of the patients who underwent a second UGE after 6-8 weeks of PPI. Conclusion: Our study describes the clinical features of pediatric EoE in Ecuador. This is the first retrospective study in Ecuador that describes the clinical, endoscopic, and histological manifestations of EoE in a small pediatric population. Almost half of the children who underwent a biopsy had EoE.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.3-23
• /
• 2015

The Chevron saga including Chevron/TexPet v. Ecuador, PCA Case No. 34877(hereinafter referred to as "Chevron I") and Chevron/TexPet v. Ecuador, PCA Case No. 2009-23(hereinafter referred to as "Chevron II") started out of domestic litigations between TexPet and Ecuador in the early 1990s. In Chevron I, the Tribunal decided that Article 2(7) of the U.S.-Ecuador BIT on effective means of provision was breached because of undue delays in the seven legal proceedings TexPet had brought against Ecuador in respect to contractual obligations. In Chevron II, it was contended that through the actions and inactions of the judiciary and the executive, Ecuador breached her several obligations under the BIT. Ecuador objected to the jurisdiction of the Tribunal because TexPet's investment was terminated in 1992, and because Chevron is not a party to the 1995 Settlement Agreement and 1998 Final Release. In its Interim Award on Jurisdiction and Admissibility, the Tribunal applied a prima facie standard to the facts alleged by the Claimants but denied by the Respondent, and decided that questions in respect of the Respondent's jurisdictional objections should be joined to the merits under Article 21(4) of the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. In the merits phase of Chevron II, the Tribunal divided the merits of the Parties' dispute into two parts, entitled "Track 1" and "Track 2". In its Partial Award on Track 1, the Tribunal decided that Chevron is a "Releasee" under the 1995 Settlement Agreement. In a decision on "Track 1B", the Tribunal decided that the Lago Agrio complaint cannot be read as pleading "exclusively" or "only" diffuse claims, and that, to this extent, the Claimants' reliance on the 1995 Settlement Agreement as a complete bar to the Lago Agrio complaint must fail, as a matter of Ecuadorian law. The Tribunal maintained the position that the Parties' disputes on both merit and jurisdiction should be reserved for Track 2. It remains to be seen how the Tribunal addresses the Claimants' allegations of multiple denials of justice under international law against the judgments of the Respondent's Courts, together with the Respondent's jurisdictional objections in Track 2 of the arbitration.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.31-42
• /
• 2010

Purpose: The aims of this study were to identify successful strategies and propose a community-based participatory global health project model for primary health care capacity development. Methods: The study used case study methodology. A The unit of analysis was an international cooperation health project entitled "Community-based Primary Health Care Improvement in San Lorenzo, Ecuador" using community-based participatory research conducted in 2007~2008. Data were collected through windshield surveys, focus group discussion, key informant interviews, and provider surveys. Results: Identified successful strategies for the international cooperation health project were reciprocal partnership between researchers and community, partners' capacity building, south-to-south cooperation, and continuous monitoring and feedback. Community participation was found to be an essential tenet to guarantee the improvement of primary health care in the underserved rural community. Evidence from the activities of community health practitioners in Korea was applicable to the development of training programs for primary health care providers in Ecuador. Conclusion: Strategies for strengthening primary health capacity may be tailored depending on socio-cultural, political, and economical situations of each country. The model, however, would be applicable to the entire process of community-based global health projects in underserved rural communities of other countries.

• International Area Studies Review
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.559-580
• /
• 2011

It's hardly possible to end the controversy over the effectiveness of government's role in economic growth of developing countries. It seems that each side can provide enough empirical evidences to support each side's argument. In most developing countries, the governments' capability to implement the economic plan is a more important factor that the type of policy they choose. Therefore, in this study, we focus on the capacity of policy implementation rather than the choice of policy itself. We tried to critically investigate Ecuador's policy implementation capacity in terms of qualities of policy framework, policy measures and policy constraints. First, Ecuador places high priority on import substitution and export promotion, she is not equipped with sufficient policy measures. Second, the overall policy framework is not effective enough to mobilize resource support those policies. Third, while the SENPLADES is leading overall develoment plan, it lacks the capacity to coordinate various ministries involved.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.101-108
• /
• 1990

Surgically collected cystic fluid of Taenia solium metacestodes from patients of intracranial cystic lesion were compared in their protein composition with those from naturally infected pigs in Cheju Do, Korea and Ecuador. In non-denaturing discontinuous-polyacryla aide gel electrophoresis (disc-PAGE) , no discernible differences were recognized in banding patterns between the cystic fluids from Cheju Do and Ecuador, and between the cystic quids from pigs and human lesions except wider bands that corresponded to human albumin and T-globulin (in 4 of 9 patients). In reducing SDS-PAGE, bands in the cystic Ruid from Ecuador showed the same banding pattern with that from Cheju Do but two bands of 21 and 17 kDa were stained darker. Cystic quids (rom patients revealed the same protein compositions of the major protein bands of 94, 64, 15, 10 and 7 kDa as in the cystic fluid of pig origin, but human albumin (66 kDa), heavy and light chains of gamma globulin (55 and 22.5 kDa) were contaminated in 4 of 9 cystic fluids. Human CSF proteins seem to have been contaminated during cystic ftuid collection. In any cystic quid from patients, the majcr Protein component was 150 kDa which was subdivided into 15, 10 and 7 kDa in reducing SDS-PAGE.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
• /
• 2015.05a
• /
• pp.271-271
• /
• 2015

The Ecuadorian coast has two different climate regions. One is humid region where the annual rainfall is above 2000 mm and rain falls in almost all months of the year, and the other is dry region where the annual rainfall can fall below 50 mm and rainfall can be very seasonal. The agriculture is frequently limited by the seasons during the year and the availability of rainfall amounts. The corn fields in Ecuador are cultivated during the rainy season, due to this reason. The weather conditions for optimum development of corn growth require a monthly average rainfall of 120 mm to 140 mm and a temperature range of $22^{\circ}C{\sim}32^{\circ}C$ for the dry region, and a monthly average rainfall of 200 mm to 400 mm and a temperature range of $25^{\circ}C{\sim}30^{\circ}C$ for the humid area. The objective of this study is to predict how the weather conditions are going to change in corn fields of the coastal region of Ecuador in the future decades. For this purpose, this study selected six General Circulation Models (GCM) including BCC-CSM1-1, IPSL-CM5A-MR, MIROC5, MIROC-ESM, MIROC-ESM-CHEM, MRIC-CGC3 with different climate scenarios of the RCP 4.5, RCP 6.0, and RCP 8.5, and applied for the period from 2011 to 2100. The climate variables information was obtained from the INAMHI (National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology) in Ecuador for the a base line period from 1986 to 2012. The results indicates that two regions would experience significant changes in rainfall and temperature compared to the historical data. In the case of temperature, an increment of $1^{\circ}C{\sim}1.2^{\circ}C$ in 2025s, $1.6^{\circ}C{\sim}2.2^{\circ}C$ in 2055s, $2.1^{\circ}C{\sim}3.5^{\circ}C$ in 2085s were obtained from the dry region while less increment were shown from the humid region with having an increment of $1^{\circ}C$ in 2025s, $1.4^{\circ}C{\sim}1.8^{\circ}C$ in 2055s, $1.9^{\circ}C{\sim}3.2^{\circ}C$ in 2085s. Significant changes in rainfall are also projected. The rainfall projections showed an increment of 8%~11% in 2025s, 21%~33% in 2055s, and 34%~70% in 2085s for the dry region, and an increment of 2%~10%, 14%~30% and 23%~57% in 2025s, 2055s and 2085s decade respectively for humid region.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.263-267
• /
• 2002

The faunistic study on the spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) from Quito and Galapagos Islands was carried out from 1st to 18th Aug. 2000. During the survey period, 50 species of 48 genera belonging to 22 families (include 1 undetermined species) were identified from 562 collecting individuals. The dominant family was Araneidae (Gasteracantha cancriformis : 32% of total species). The species of settling spiders were richer than those of hunting spiders among the identified spiders. The author redescribes and figures in detail Gasteracantha cancriformis, which was collected during a field trip of Quito and Galapagos Islands.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.26 no.12
• /
• pp.2224-2227
• /
• 2016

Shigella sonnei harboring $bla_{CTX-M-55}$ was isolated outside of Asia for the first time. The $bla_{CTX-M-55}$ gene was found to be downstream of ISEcp-1 and located in a ~130 kb conjugative plasmid belonging to the I1 incompatibility group. The strain was recovered from a 7-year-old Ecuadorian girl with watery diarrhea who had not travelled abroad. Recent local data describe the emergence of $bla_{CTX-M-55}$ and other variants typically found in Asia in the Andean Region, suggesting that increased travel of humans and trade relationships with Asian countries are influencing the current Ecuadorian bacterial resistance situation.