Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

INTRODUCTION. Executive Functions refer to a set of complex cognitive skills that allow to respond efficiently to the environment. Intellectual Disability is a developmental disorder that involves cognitive and adaptive behavioral difficulties, which can limit the interaction with the environment and the quality of life of these people. OBJECTIVE. To analyze the profile of executive functions in people with intellectual disability, characterizing strengths and weaknesses, and to evaluate if there are differences by etiology and degree of intellectual disability. METHOD. A qualitative descriptive systematic review method was used, considering the PRISMA model. Articles and/or theses developed between 2010 and 2024 were selected. RESULTS. People with intellectual disabilities present weaknesses associated with complex processing; such as planning, working memory and cognitive flexibility. As strengths, basic skills such as concrete information processing and semantic or declarative memory are observed. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. The findings of this study suggest that people with intellectual disabilities present a specific profile of executive functions. Thus, the present study contributes to the knowledge of the study population in order to design supports adjusted to their real characteristics and to favor the autonomy and integral wellbeing of people with intellectual disabilities.

INTRODUCTION. Land cover mapping is key for land management in dynamic agricultural regions such as Tabacundo, where the rapid expansion of agriculture and greenhouses poses a sustainability challenge. OBJECTIVE. To quantify land cover changes and transitions in the parish between 2014 and 2024. METHOD. A multitemporal analysis was conducted using an orthophoto (2014) and a Sentinel-2 image (2024). To generate the cover maps, a supervised classification algorithm (Random Forest) was applied on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, followed by manual post-classification refinement. Finally, transformations were quantified through change analysis. RESULTS. The analysis revealed that 45.2% of the territory was transformed, highlighting the conversion of forest to agriculture and from agriculture to greenhouses. This resulted in an increase of 543.46 ha in greenhouse area and a net loss of 649.57 ha of forest. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. The expansion of intensive floriculture displaces traditional agriculture, causing the loss of natural ecosystems. The methodology proves to be a robust tool for monitoring and land use planning, establishing a baseline for future research.

Volume 14, Issue 1 of CienciAmérica features a valuable collection of research addressing critical challenges in neuropsychology, education, the environment, medicine, and forensic science. In the field of cognitive functioning, several studies stand out focusing on executive functions (EF) and their impact on populations with special needs. One study explores the relationship between EF and academic performance in children with ADHD, emphasizing the crucial role of working memory and inhibition. Another examines EF in individuals with intellectual disabilities, identifying both cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Interventions aimed at improving social-communication skills in children and adolescents with ASD are also discussed, highlighting the positive effects of group-based approaches targeting attention and memory. In the educational domain, the use of technology by nursing educators is analyzed, revealing a gap between willingness and effective use of ICT, which underscores the need for ongoing professional development. In environmental science, land cover and land use changes in Morona Santiago (Ecuador) between 2000 and 2018 are assessed, identifying a systematic shift from "Forest" to "Agricultural Land"—a classic pattern of Amazonian deforestation. Another study in Tabacundo (Ecuador) quantifies the expansion of intensive floriculture between 2014 and 2024, which displaces traditional agriculture and impacts natural ecosystems. This research validates the use of remote sensing methodologies for territorial monitoring. In the field of health, a review on cervical cancer evaluates advancements in biomarkers (miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs) for diagnostic and prognostic purposes, as well as targeted therapies (immunotherapies, monoclonal antibodies), which have shown promising results in advanced stages. Finally, in forensic science, the lack of a standardized methodology in Ecuador for identifying forged fingerprints is addressed. The high morphological fidelity of these forgeries poses a risk to the integrity of judicial evidence, underscoring the urgent need for advanced protocols and instrumental techniques.

INTRODUCTION. The Ecuadorian forensic system employs the ACE-V method for fingerprint analysis; however, it lacks a standardized protocol to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit prints, thereby compromising the integrity of the evidence. OBJECTIVE. To assess the effectiveness of traditional fingerprint analysis methods in detecting counterfeit impressions and to propose the incorporation of complementary instrumental techniques. METHOD. Counterfeit fingerprints were simulated using dental plaster, chromatic alginate, and vegetable grease. The replicas were developed using black volcanic powder and evaluated under single-blind conditions by a certified fingerprint expert. RESULTS. The analysis revealed that in 80% of the cases, the expert failed to detect signs of forgery. Furthermore, 70% of the replicas met the minimum threshold of 12 matching minutiae points required for positive identification, with physical methods unable to distinguish between biological residues and synthetic compounds. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. These findings highlight the high vulnerability of the forensic system to fingerprint forgeries and underscore the urgent need to adopt advanced instrumental techniques (e.g., spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and artificial intelligence) and to implement a national methodological protocol that ensures objectivity and legal reliability in criminal proceedings.

INTRODUCTION. This research addresses the prediction of credit default through the implementation of models based on Artificial Intelligence techniques, specifically Machine Learning. The dependent variable is default, and the independent variables include demographic, socioeconomic, and credit history characteristics. OBJECTIVE. Implement and train predictive models using supervised machine learning techniques, with the aim of anticipating possible loan defaults and supporting decision-making. METHOD. The stages of the CRISP-DM methodology were applied, starting with data extraction, transformation, and loading, followed by exploratory analysis, cleaning, correlation verification, supervised algorithm training, and performance evaluation. RESULTS. The highest recall rate of 0.68, a key indicator for identifying defaults, was obtained with the Logistic Regression algorithm using the SMOTE balancing technique. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. The result contrasts with other studies that adopt the Random Forest model in default prediction problems, in which case the recall values obtained were not significant. An important limitation was the imbalance in the variable to be predicted, which was addressed using balancing techniques. Finally, the importance of empirically validating the results according to the data and the specific context of application is evident.

INTRODUCTION. The use of technologies in university education raises the need to explore whether there is a teacher profile which is capable of recognizing various competencies related to the development of activities, strategies, and the use of technological support, essential for academic activities. Ongoing training, access to material resources, allows professors to acquire technological competence. This context raises questions about training, resources, and the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), aspects that often present difficulties and resistance in their implementation. OBJECTIVE.  To describe the teacher profile, the use of technologies, and the educational strategies applied by the teachers of the Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing.  METHOD. A survey was conducted with 31 teachers and it was used a quantitative, post facto and descriptive approach. RESULTS. There is a commitment to institutional objectives, although the use of educational technologies remains a major challenge in today’s education. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. The use of digital tools as facilitators in the construction of learning indicates an evolution and a marked trend towards active and collaborative learning. Training, educating, and utilizing them are among the main educational challenges.

INTRODUCTION. The analysis of systematic transitions using specific metrics allows the identification of causal and random patterns of change between land cover and land use categories in a study area. OBJECTIVE. To analyze changes and identify the most prevalent systematic transitions in land cover and land use in the province of Morona Santiago during the period 2000-2018. METHOD. This paper employs cross-tabulation matrix analysis that, by calculating metrics such as gains, losses, exchanges, net changes and total changes, allows the identification of systematic transitions in two periods: 1) 2000-2008 and 2) 2008-2018. RESULTS. The predominant systematic transitions for both periods of analysis correspond to the loss of “Forest” to be replaced by “Agricultural Land”, and the gain of “Agricultural Land” to replace “Forest”. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. These transitions are driven not by random exchanges but by a clear causal relationship, as shown by the classic “fishbone” pattern of deforestation, a well-documented phenomenon in the Ecuadorian Amazon, marked by shrinking forest cover and expanding agricultural land.

INTRODUCTION. Ocean eddies are phenomena whose dynamics depend on physical variables such as temperature, which modifies the viscosity of the water and, with it, the transmission of rotational movement. OBJECTIVE. Analyze how water temperature influences the rotation speed of a forced eddy under controlled laboratory conditions. METHOD. A quantitative experiment was designed with a cylinder of 250 mm diameter and 3.5 L capacity, coupled to a 375 W motor to generate the whirlpool. Three distilled water temperatures were used: 2.5 ± 0.2 °C, 26 ± 0.2 °C, and 48 ± 0.2 °C. Tangential velocity was measured with a Laser Doppler Anemometer (LDA) at radii of 50, 70 and 90 mm, registering 39 points for each condition. RESULTS. A positive relationship between temperature and velocity was found: at 2.5 °C the velocity decreased by 17 % compared to the ambient condition and at 48 °C it increased by 28 %, which represents more than 50 % compared to the cold condition. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. Temperature significantly influences the magnitude and distribution of rotational motion. This experimental model validates principles of fluid dynamics and is a tool applicable to oceanography and hydraulic engineering.

This research investigates two theoretical-academic phenomena, the rehabilitation of practical philosophy and phronesis by Gadamer and transjuridicity. Thus, taking into account the theoretical basis that transjuridicity already has, it will be investigated what Gadamer's rehabilitation of practical philosophy meant, in order to argue that both phenomena, each by its own means, have common purposes, one of them in particular, that of bringing scientific knowledge back into the world of life. It uses gadamerian hermeneutics as a methodology, although it approaches more a meaning of general character methodic, than a simple methodology, as it means, that the world itself and all the human experience are inserted in a linguistic circumscription of the being. So the discussions that gave rise to the tradition of practical philosophy and phrónesis with Plato and Aristotle are investigated, to later discuss in which terms Gadamer carries out a rehabilitation of this field of knowledge and consequently in which way this rehabilitation shares the purpose of Transjuridicity to return scientific knowledge to the world of life. All of the above ends up locating the phenomenon of law and the fields of its study in the context of a philosophy of finitude, as designated by Gadamer.

This article, the result of an interdisciplinary research focused on rescuing the relationship between law and literature in Brazil, seeks to demonstrate how the theme of citizenship is constructed in Torto arado (Crooked plow) by Itamar Vieira Júnior. In order to do so, it relies on studies on citizenship from a historical-legal point of view and on theoretical propositions related to literary construction, verifying how the novel builds the theme in question, both by the narrated story and by other narrative categories.