I+ T+ C- Research, Technology and Science

Advances in Agroecological Integration and Prospects for Agroecology in Cattle Systems: A literature review

Erika Pérez — 2024-05-04

The bovine livestock sector currently faces a crisis that encompasses productive, environmental, economic, and social aspects, thereby impacting food availability and human health. This crisis compels producers to modify and rethink their practices concerning the timely and proper management of livestock and the synergies linked to the production process, thereby promoting the transition towards more resilient and sustainable systems. The objective of this review article is to identify and analyze the impact of agroecological principles on animal health, the reduction of inputs for production, the optimization of the metabolic functioning of agricultural systems, the strengthening of resilience through diversification, the preservation of biodiversity, and social considerations in bovine livestock systems. For the development of this research, bibliographic databases such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, Springer Link, Taylor & Francis, and Google Scholar were utilized. These databases yielded variables such as agroecological management, diversity, practices, empirical and scientific knowledge, future perspectives, policies, research support, and community participation, among others. This enriched the search and analysis of information found under the ecological and productive parameters of bovine livestock.

Evaluation of the moisture percentage of gluten-free pasta mix from hyperprotein quinoa flour and its effect on cooking characteristics and color in the final product

Astrid Carolina Vanegas Guilombo — 2024-05-04

Hydration during mixing in the preparation of pasta is of great importance since it allows for obtaining a uniform dough, which will give desirable final characteristics to the product in terms of texture, strength, and color [1]. In this research, different moisture percentages (45, 37, 35, and 30%) were evaluated on the final properties of the dough, in terms of baking and color tests. Also, two mathematical models were evaluated at the drying stage to determine which one best fit the experimental data. The results showed that the best-fitting model was Page's model, specifically in the 30% moisture mix, where the highest values of linear regression (R2) and drying constant (k) were found. In the baking tests, it was found that it was the mixture with a moisture content of 30% that presented the lowest values of baking losses and increase in weight. Finally, in the color test, the lowest values were obtained in the a* coordinate and the highest in the b* and L* coordinates in the mixture with a moisture content of 30%, results that are typical of quinoa flour.

Design of a Corrective Feedback Software for Coffee Growers in the Department of Cauca Using a User-Centered Design Methodology (UCD)

Luis Fernando Moncayo Marulanda — 2024-05-04

Considering the relevance of the coffee industry for Colombia and specifically for the department of Cauca and because of the sustainability challenges that the industry presents in the department, the article presents the design process, using a UCD methodology, a digital platform that aims to contribute to improving the quality of coffee in the department of Cauca, Colombia. An agile and iterative software design methodology is used to provide effective solutions to the needs of the different identified users. As a result, a software design is obtained that contains user history, use cases, sequence of use, data structure and evaluation. Using modern and flexible technologies such as TypeScript, React and React DO, a prototype was developed to be evaluated with coffee tasters in Cauca who expressed an understanding and interest in the exposed platform. In conclusion, the agile UCD Software design methodology proved to be effective. Furthermore, it is concluded that the implementation of this platform would represent an important contribution to the Cauca coffee industry, promoting best practices to increase the profits of coffee growers and strengthen regional competitiveness. It is suggested that future research explore the adoption of the platform in other coffee-growing regions of Colombia and internationally

Using SME to build a method for usability and accessibility evaluation in small software development companies.

Carlos Casas — 2024-05-03

Usability guarantees that a software application is effective, efficient, and satisfactory; meanwhile, accessibility ensures that the developed software can be used by all types of people regardless of their qualities and/or abilities. These two characteristics are key to providing quality software products. However, small software development companies do not have the personnel, knowledge, tools, and time necessary to carry out the evaluation process of these characteristics, resulting in the omission of these evaluations in the software development processes. The purpose of building a lightweight method is that within the software development process of small companies, it is possible to execute in a guided, simple, and correct way the usability and accessibility evaluations. For the construction of this method, the Situational Method Engineering-SME was used, resulting in the structure of the method, which consists of 5 activities with their respective tasks and formats, being subjected to expert evaluation validating its ease of use, usefulness, and completeness, obtaining as a result that it is a method moderately easy to use, useful, and complete, with elements of its structure that should be improved. Additionally, its ease of use and completeness were validated in a case study, obtaining an optimal response in the process.