The pre-university course established at the Universidad Politécnica Estatal del Carchi (UPEC) after the disappearance of the Sistema Nacional de Nivelación y Admisión (National Equalization and Admissions System, known by its Spanish acronym as the SNNA) posed new challenges for the organizational and academic structure of this university. To start with, the challenge began with the adaptation of a curricular structure according to the educational needs of the nine undergraduate degrees offered at the university. It was followed by the implementation of the program, and finally its evaluation. The present research was designed and carried out as part of the latter goal. Its main objective was to determine the sociocultural and demographic factors that influence the academic performance of the students in the course. For the purposes of this investigation, from a methodological perspective, academic performance was associated with the number of subjects passed by the student. Using multivariate dependency techniques, a logistic regression was performed, which determined the degree of incidence of sociocultural and demographics factors on academic success. After applying the model, the results indicated that the demographic factors in this case do not influence academic success, while variables such as the educational level of the student’s parents, the student’s grade on university entrance exams and work status are significant when it comes to establishing a cause and effect relationship in this case study.

The community of Warintza, located in the province of Morona Santiago, faces a serious limitation for its development planning due to the absence of systematic data on key socioeconomic conditions, such as employment, access to health services, education, basic infrastructure and connectivity. Given this problem, the main objective of this research was to carry out an exhaustive data collection through a structured census in order to generate a baseline of indicators. The methodology was based on a quantitative approach, with the application of questionnaires in the field to the 383 households identified, using electronic devices to ensure the quality and traceability of the data. The census design included demographic, social, economic and environmental variables, with complete territorial coverage and adapted logistical strategies. During the analysis stage, critical patterns were identified: 87.99% of the population lives in owner-occupied housing, which reflects a certain residential stability; however, this condition contrasts with serious deficiencies in basic services. Only 55% of the dwellings have access to safe drinking water, and only 48% have adequate sanitation systems. Electrification reaches 70 %, while digital connectivity, key in the contemporary world, is scarce, with only 25 % of households having access to the Internet. The discussion of these results shows that, although there is some progress in housing tenure and partial electricity coverage, the current model of service provision and opportunities in Warintza is insufficient to sustain inclusive development. In conclusion, it is highlighted that the information generated not only allows for the precise identification of priority intervention areas, but also contributes to articulate territorial planning processes, citizen participation and access to resources for development.

Los cultivos permanentes representan una estrategia clave para la sostenibilidad agrícola en Ecuador, al ofrecer rendimientos estables sin requerir replantación anual. No obstante, existen pocos estudios que analicen de forma integral los factores que determinan su productividad. Este estudio analiza el efecto de los insumos agrícolas y de los factores ambientales sobre la productividad de cultivos permanentes en Ecuador, utilizando modelos de regresión lineal por pasos a partir de los datos de la Encuesta de Superficie y Producción Agropecuaria Continua (ESPAC 2023). Se analizaron variables como tipo de semilla, uso de fertilizantes y fitosanitarios, riego y eventos climáticos adversos. La colinealidad elevada en fertilizantes (VIF = 89), fitosanitarios (VIF = 76) y riego (VIF = 46.9) motivó su exclusión del modelo, mientras que variables como plagas y enfermedades (VIF ? 1) se mantuvieron. Los resultados indican que el uso de semilla común tuvo un efecto positivo significativo sobre la productividad, mientras que el uso de herbicidas mostró un efecto negativo. El modelo explicó el 99.8% de la variabilidad de la productividad (R² ajustado = 0.998). Se concluye que el rendimiento agrícola depende de un manejo adecuado de semillas y agroquímicos. Se recomienda fortalecer la capacitación técnica y promover prácticas sostenibles para mejorar la rentabilidad y resiliencia de los cultivos permanentes en el país.

Guinea pig raising in the Andean countries of South America, such as Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia, involves some 800,000 producers who face challenges that affect economic sustainability and animal welfare. Within the statistical case study by data segmentation in guinea pig breeding, the variable of growth and fattening has been determined. This allows to systematically evaluate the effects of different feeding treatments in order to determine the most optimal treatment that allows to have guinea pigs of 1200 grams in less time. Through data analysis in R Studio provides powerful tools to interpret the results and make decisions to improve the production and marketing of guinea pigs. To achieve these objectives, the research developed used the block mechanisms, since it contributes to the experimental design in the analysis of guinea pig weight gain. In addition, the research encompasses descriptive, correlative and explanatory aspects involving the collection and analysis of numerical data to identify causal relationships and significant patterns. This approach is ideal for measuring the impact of different types of feeding on guinea pig growth and development. That, through descriptive statistical analysis, ANCOVA test, ANOVA allowed to determine the significant differences between treatments and their influence on weight gain giving optimal results for the fattening process of guinea pigs.

Tourism is increasingly recognized as a driver of well-being and sustainability in nature-based destinations, yet the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. This study investigates how travel frequency influences tourist authentic happiness through the mediating role of perceived stress. Data were collected from 385 visitors to Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador, and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). A Confirmatory Factor Analysis validated the measurement model, followed by a mediation SEM that incorporated demographic controls (age and income). Results indicate that perceived stress exerts a strong negative effect on happiness (β = −0.58, p < 0.001), confirming its role as a key inhibitor of well-being. Travel frequency significantly reduces stress (β = −0.36, p < 0.001), while its direct effect on happiness is not significant (β = 0.07, p > 0.05), evidencing full mediation. These findings refine traditional assumptions that “more travel equals more happiness,” highlighting stress mitigation as the critical pathway to sustainable tourist well-being. Practical implications suggest prioritizing low-stress, high-adjustment experiences through clear signage, real-time information, and simplified booking systems. This research contributes to tourism psychology and sustainable destination management by demonstrating that authentic happiness depends on reducing stress rather than increasing hedonic stimuli.

La presente investigación analiza los enfoques de aprendizaje y los factores sociodemográficos como predictores del rendimiento académico en estudiantes universitarios en la Universidad Estatal de Bolívar. El rendimiento académico es un indicador clave del éxito profesional de los estudiantes, influenciado no solo por competencias técnicas y cognitivas, sino también por estrategias de aprendizaje y aspectos sociodemográficos. Se fundamenta en teorías previas existentes, destacando la importancia de la motivación y factores sociodemográficos en el desempeño estudiantil. Se desarrolló bajo un enfoque cuantitativo, descriptivo-correlacional, con el uso del método inductivo que partió del análisis de las características particulares de los resultados de investigación para llegar a su generalización y el método analítico para descomponer las variables y determinar la relación existente se utilizó una muestra de 313 estudiantes. Se emplearon técnicas como el Análisis Factorial Exploratorio (AFE) y Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio (AFC) para validar los instrumentos de medición y estructurar las variables en factores subyacentes. Además, se aplicaron ecuaciones estructurales para determinar las relaciones de dependencia entre los enfoques de aprendizaje, los factores sociodemográficos y el rendimiento académico. Los resultados muestran que los enfoques profundos y estratégicos están positivamente asociados con un mejor rendimiento académico, mientras que los enfoques superficiales tienen un impacto limitado. Asimismo, factores sociodemográficos como zona, sexo, niveles educativos de los padres y tipo de familia se identificaron como elementos que influyen en el rendimiento académico. el estudio destaca la necesidad de implementar estrategias educativas que fortalezcan los enfoques de aprendizaje efectivos y la eliminación de brechas demográficas. Permitirá a las instituciones de educación superior promover el éxito académico, así como mejorar los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje