Nº 1, Marzo 2012

Nº 1, Marzo 2012
 
A multivariate method for estimating the existence of cryptic archaeological sites at infrastructure works - Felisa Córdova González - Download
 

  • Abstract. A parametric spatio-temporal model for facing the risk of exposure of cryptic archaeological sites due to large infrastructure projects in rural areas is presented. It works under budget constraints in the information market, and is useful for making decisions on the control of environmental systems. After characterizing and measuring the main variables that describe the probability of the existence of any site in an area where works are projected, a function is generated through an artificial neural network or some other statistical process to find these probabilities in each zone of the rural area.  The method provides cartography with probabilities of existence of archaeological sites, a useful tool for choosing the best location for the planned infrastructure. This method of non-invasive prospecting of archeological evidence, reduces the cost of information gathering to one third of traditional methods and provides probabilities with satisfactory accuracy.
  • Keywords: artificial mind, cryptic archaeological sites, environmental systems, probability, costs.

 
Turning bad things into good things: invasive species as a source of energy in insular ecosystems - Carlos Alvarez González - Download
 

  • Abstract: Insular native ecosystems due to their weak resistance to biological invaders, are being damaged because of the introduction, colonization, conquest and naturalization of exotic species. Some of these plants are used as food, feed and even building material. However, the rate of extraction performed by economic agents is less than its natural growth, making the invasive biomass is increasing. In this context it proposed a new method for use of harmful invasive species: bioenergy. As a first step it must be updated a register of harmful invaders and quantification of their biomass. Then, compute the energy equivalent for making a market research. Parallel to this activity, it must be designed appropriate technology for biomass collection and transport, processing and subsequent distribution of energy for performing some mechanical work. The result is achieved by mapping the location of exploitable areas and the cost in monetary units that their presence creates. Trials to test the method in Chile showed that bioenergy exploitation of invasive plants replacing native forest is profitable in the adjacency of rural roads.
  • Keywords: biomass, invasive species, ecosystem, energy, transformation, profit.

 
Conceptual design of a coleopterans catcher: basic requirements for developing capture systems of edible beetles - Adolfo Oyarzún Ruiz - Download
 

  • Abstract. Given the explosive growth of world population and the persistent famine in some regions, concern for food and nutrition becomes relevant. In this regard, different sources to satisfy this growing demand are studied, implying some cultural changes. Industrial designers want to provide products that improve the quality of life, care the environment and make a positive contribution to cultural changes. In this context, arthropods in general and beetles in particular, today should be considered as a natural resource available, especially regarding their role along the history. The purpose of this work is to have a friendly look to the arthropods resource, which in near future should provide part of the proteins, minerals and vitamins that people need to survive. Arthropods have higher protein content than other species, such as beef, pork or poultry; the latter being resources that have uncontrollably raised the amount of methane in the atmosphere. Since the oldest known insect that resembles species of coleopteran date back to the 270 million year ago, beetles have been able to survive three massive extinctions, so they became an interesting source of food for facing scarcity from environment. The tools designed allow to capture of edible beetles in ergonomic way. This capture system takes advantage of anatomy and physiology of coleopterans. In fact, these devices are designed based on the weaknesses of beetles. Once inside the containers, the insects can be directly assigned to human food or breeding.
  • Keywords: arthropods, beetles, catchers, enthomophagy, insects as food, hunger and food deficiency.  

 
The human evolutionary design and its contribution to energy efficiency in urban transport - Felipe Gutiérrez Cerda - Download
 

  • Abstract: This paper evaluates the contribution to energy efficiency in urban transport of natural human locomotion among other features characterized by large lower limbs and walking upright. Indeed, using the result of 3 million years of evolution, it is shown that the alternative of taking the bipedal mode in residential and commercial scenarios within the district of Santiago may have a higher net income by 25% on average over any other way. Bipedalism in upright primates allows efficiency in grassland ecosystems where the human species evolutionarily, allowing a young Homo sapiens can go up to 6 kilometers consuming less than 1900 kilojoules. These ecosystems in terms of topography and climate are similar to the urban environment is now overnight journeys, also hot days and during episodes of air pollution, confirming the structural determinism for the day light vision, endotherm, and low relative filter pulmonary respiration. One advantage is that energy is easily recovered busy walking with omnivore intake. Run by many people in your daily commute, especially on a slope, solar radiation and humidity. A disadvantage of this alternative is that spontaneously loses appeal for citizens in all 
  • Keywords: Energy Efficiency, Bipedalism, Ecosystems, Transportation, Alternative, Evolution.

 
Conceptual basis for the management of the Imagination in changing environments - Paz Díaz Castillo y Pedro Palominos Belmar - Download
 

  • Abstract: Imagination defined as the creation of new images in the mind, is modeled to reach better performances in changing environments. Although from different sciences Imagination is supposed to increase the intelligence; before starting the current research this intellectual capacity was often undervalued, most time confused it with Creativity. Certainly, the review of episodes recorded by the Economics, Anthropology, Psychology and History, confirm the hypothesis that the Imagination is a mental faculty that contributes to the viability. This model considers three major systems. The first is the environment which interacts with the second one corresponding to the Organization and which in turn contains the third: Mind. In the latter are identified close to Imagination, interacting with it through the flow of images Perception, Memory and Reasoning. Through a partnership process between parent images, a daughter image is generated with emergent properties, totally absent in the sensory images captured by the Organization from its Environment. Since the model establishes dependency relationships between Imagination with other intellectual phenomena and these in turn are based on elements outside of the Mind and controllable by the Organization, this model can be used for increasing the Imagination in business.
  • Keywords: imagination, process, model, viability, intelligence.