Introduction: Lean Thinking has been applied across various sectors to optimize processes and improve efficiency; however, its implementation in higher education still faces methodological and structural challenges.Methods: This study developed and validated an instrument to measure the application of Lean Thinking in Ecuadorian higher education institutions. A cross-sectional empirical design was used, involving 315 university students who responded to a 42-item questionnaire. Data were analyzed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.Results: The results revealed an eight-dimensional factorial structure addressing leadership, long-term thinking, continuous improvement, waste elimination, student value, teaching, research, and community engagement. The instrument showed high reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.94; factor loadings > 0.40), convergent validity (AVE > 0.40), and discriminant validity (HTMT < 0.85). Model fit indices confirmed its robustness (CFI = 1.000, TLI = 1.008, RMSEA = 0.000). Leadership was the highest-rated factor (M = 7.53, SD = 1.09), while research scored the lowest (M = 7.25, SD = 1.13).Discussion: This validated tool provides a reliable means to assess Lean adoption in higher education. Findings suggest that Lean implementation enhances institutional efficiency and student experience, though sustained impact requires long-term strategies.

Purpose: The following research examines a wide range of studies on the implementation of the lean approach in higher education institutions (HEIs) between 2010 and 2023. This analysis aims to address particular questions: Q1. What are the current publications on the use or implementation of lean practices in the area of HEIs, taking into account factors such as paper quality, scientific journals, author participation and comparison with major scientific databases such as SCOPUS and WoS? Q2. What are the groupings according to authors and keywords? Q3. What are the perspectives of research and author productivity in the context of lean thinking in HEIs? Q4. In which areas will possible future research be directed?Design/methodology/approach: This paper compares Scopus and WoS databases based on factors such as publication pattern, document categorization, most prolific contributors and citation analysis. The paper analyzes primary sources, author productive efficiency, worldwide bibliographic references, terminological evolution, thematic representation and visualization of international collaborations using the WoS and Scopus sets. R Studio software, together with the Bibliometrix package, was used for processing and analysis.Findings: In the academic literature, the adoption of lean practices in HEIs is a growing trend. The International Journal of Lean Six Sigma was found to be the main source publishing research in this field, according to an analysis of databases such as WoS and Scopus. The first to make scientific contributions in this area were the United States and Brazil in geographical terms. At the individual level, Antony Jiju stands out as the most prolific researcher, with a significant accumulation of works in this field over time.Originality/value: This study generates a great contribution to the literature by mapping the field of application of the lean philosophy in HEIs.

This paper presents a study of the noise levels to which the personnel performing activities in the technical training area of ​​the PMIASA Talleres company in the city of Guayaquil are exposed. The purpose of this research was to determine the nature and extent of the noise problem presented in this area for which the line and base was established. It was identified that, despite being a training area, there are problems related to Noises that are outside Ecuadorian law (Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social, 2010) And that involves risks of hearing loss for the exposed people (The Instructor mainly) and also noise levels that affect the activities of concentration in areas dedicated to study (the people in the classrooms). Noise measurements were made by sonometry simulating activities under usual working conditions and the results showed high levels of continuous noise (100 dBA) in areas where the Instructor and students perform the activities of the courses they receive. In the final part of this research, alternatives to noise mitigation are proposed from the administrative point of view (distribute daily practice hours so that they do not exceed 2 continuous hours, staff awareness courses)) and from the point of view (Use of hearing protectors, improve the isolation of the compressor room, improve the isolation of the room "Héctor Andrade") among other mitigation alternatives. Este trabajo presenta un estudio de los niveles de ruido al que están expuestos el personal que realiza actividades en el área de entrenamiento técnico de la compañía Talleres PMIASA en la ciudad de Guayaquil. El propósito de esta investigación fue determinar la naturaleza y extensión del problema de ruido que se presenta en esta área para lo cual se estableció la línea y base con lo cual se identificó que, a pesar de ser un área de entrenamiento, existen problemas relacionados con ruidos que están fuera de la ley ecuatoriana (Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social, 2010) Y que involucra riesgos de pérdida de audición para las personas expuestas (El Instructor principalmente) y también niveles de ruido que afectan las actividades de concentración en zonas dedicadas a estudiar (las personas que se encuentra en los salones de clases). Las mediciones de ruido se lo hicieron por sonometría simulando las actividades bajo condiciones de trabajo habituales y los resultados mostraron altos niveles de ruido continuo (100 dBA) en las áreas donde el Instructor y los estudiantes realizan las actividades propias de los cursos que reciben. En la parte final de esta investigación se proponen alternativas de mitigación del ruido desde el punto de vista administrativo (distribuir las horas de prácticas diarias de tal forma que no superen 2 horas continuas, cursos de concientización al personal) y desde el punto de vista ingenieril (Uso de protectores auditivos, mejorar el aislamiento del cuarto de compresor, mejorar el aislamiento de la sala “Héctor Andrade”) entre otras alternativas de mitigación.

Resumen El estudio aborda la aplicación de Lean Six-Sigma en Instituciones de Educación Superior entre 2013-2023, con el objetivo de analizar las tendencias actuales de publicación, especialmente en las bases de datos científicas Scopus y Web of Science. Las preguntas de investigación se centran en las tendencias de publicación, autores activos, publicaciones a nivel nacional, grupos según autores y palabras clave, tendencias de investigación, productividad de los autores y futuras áreas de investigación. La metodología compara Scopus y Web of Science según los patrones de publicación, el tipo de documento y los autores activos. Para el análisis detallado se utilizaron programas informáticos como Vosviewer y Biblioshiny. Los resultados muestran que Lean Six-Sigma en las Educación Superior es un nicho específico. “International Journal of Lean Six-Sigma” y “TQM Journal” en Web of Science y Scopus son las principales fuentes de publicación. Estados Unidos lidera la producción científica y Antony J destaca como el autor más activo. Este estudio es valioso por su originalidad, ya que llena un vacío en la bibliografía al cartografiar el alcance del Lean Six-Sigma en las instituciones de enseñanza superior.

Industrial fed-batch fermentation generates coupled, time-dependent process data that are difficult to interpret using isolated alarms. This study developed a retrospective, batch-aware machine learning framework integrating operational safety margins, anomaly characterization, 30 min critical event prediction, and 60 min product concentration forecasting. Complete fermentation batches were separated into training, validation, and locked test sets to prevent within-batch information leakage. Linear and ensemble classifiers and regressors were evaluated against temporal and feature ablation baselines. On the locked test set, gradient boosting was the most selective classifier (accuracy = 0.901; sensitivity = 0.556; false alarm rate = 3.1%), random forest prioritized sensitivity (accuracy = 0.479; sensitivity = 0.857; false alarm rate = 59.5%), and logistic regression showed an intermediate operating point (accuracy = 0.878; sensitivity = 0.571; false alarm rate = 6.2%). The ridge increment model achieved an RMSE = 1.173 g/L and R² = 0.9984 versus RMSE = 4.072 g/L and R² = 0.9807 for persistence; removing the current product concentration increased the RMSE to 10.078 g/L and reduced R² to 0.8819. The archived process risk and CCP state formulas were recovered and verified against all source records, enabling a fully auditable rule-based retrospective scenario for alarm burden and downtime. The contribution is therefore workflow integration and traceable batch-level validation rather than a new learning algorithm. The framework is intended for operator-oriented decision support and requires prospective, cross-campaign and cross-reactor validation before deployment.