Espacios sagrados en Antofagasta:

El libro se halla prologado por el sr. Rector de la Universidad Católica del Norte, don Misael Camus Ibacache. La coordinación y edición del mismo estuvo a cargo de Erika Tello Bianchi, y contiene capítulos desarrollados por Lautaro Núnez Atencio, José Antonio González y Claudio Galeno Ibaceta. Las abundantes fotografías son responsabilidad de Lionel Godoy y Claudio Galeno, mientras que el diseñó estuvo a cargo de Nelson Torres

Prefactibilidad para potenciar el negocio de un centro terapéutico de servicios estéticos y fitness

Tesis (Ingeniero Industrial)El desarrollo de las PYMES ha sido fundamental para el sustento de la economía del estado de Chile. Potenciar el negocio de pequeñas e innovadoras empresas que logran satisfacer nuevas necesidades modernas de segmentos de la sociedad, trae sin lugar a duda óptimos resultados de rentabilidad y aporte a la sociedad. Este es el motivo de potenciar el negocio de un Centro Terapéutico que, pese a ser pequeño, satisface necesidades actuales del mercado. Luego de realizar el estudio de mercado, se reconoce que la gran mayoría de los clientes actuales no corresponden a la demografía más cercana del Centro Terapéutico ubicado en Providencia, que pese a ser este segmento el target ideal para el negocio, no se está logrando alcanzar. Debido a esto se realiza un estudio técnico en función de satisfacer una parte de esta demografía, en función de lo posible técnicamente, tomando en cuenta factores como la “capacidad de la producción óptima”, “localización óptima” entre otros; todo esto sin dejar de lado la clientela existente, de tal manera de garantizar la capacidad para satisfacer ambos segmentos. Luego se aplica el estudio económico, donde se considera la inversión involucrada en las nuevas estaciones de trabajo, así como todos los costos asociados al potenciamiento del negocio, que junto a los ingresos proyectados originan flujos de caja para diferentes escenarios. Se utilizan los indicadores VAN, iVAN y TIR para estimar con precisión la rentabilidad del proyecto. Finalmente, estos resultados se someten a análisis de sensibilidad aplicados a situaciones con variación de diversos factores económicos. Se concluye que la prefactibilidad para potenciar el negocio es viable en todo aspecto, incluso recurriendo a un gran financiamiento. Por lo que, si el Centro Terapéutico logra una correcta implementación del plan de negocios, incrementara significativamente su rentabilidad, así como su aporte satisfaciendo una gran necesidad de la ciudadanía, mejorando así paulatinamente la calidad de vida de los chilenos.The development of PYMES in Chile has been a crucial element for the increasing economy of the country. Supporting small and innovating enterprises which satisfy new modern society’s necesities, bring a wide range of advantages such as rentability and new society’s incomes. As a result, it was decided to support a small Therapeutic Center which despite of its small size, it does satify new and current necesities in the community. After a market study, it was recognized that most of the current customers do not represent the demography of the surrounding of the Therapeutic Center located in Providencia, which even though the people is the target costumer for the enterprise, it have not receive the expected incomes. For that reason, the study focuses on satify the demography of costumer near the center, technically, considering various factors. For example, “outcomes capacity”, “best posible location”, among others. However, the idea is not to take apart the daily customers of the center but garanted that target costumers get higher. Secondly, it is applied an economic study in which it is consider the inversion involved in new job positions, also all the costs associated to potenciate the bussiness. As a result, the expected incomes generate different cash flows for different scenarios. It was applied different indicators such as VAN, iVAN and TIR to precisely calculate the rentability of the proyect. Finally, those results were put under a sensibility analizis applied in different economy situations. As a conclusion, the “prefeasibility” to potenciate the bussiness is completly beneficial for the PYME in all aspects, even in a huge financing. So, if the Therapeutic Center achieves a correct implementation of the strategies, it will significally increase its rentability, as well as its benefits to the society and the people from Providencia. That is the path to Foster a better chilean lifestyle

A model for a collaborative recommender system for multimedia learning material

Abstract. In a cluster of many servers containing heterogeneous multimedia learning material and serving users with different backgrounds (e.g. language, interests, previous knowledge, hardware and connectivity) it may be difficult for the learners to find a piece of material which fit their needs. This is the case of the COLDEX project. Recommender systems have been used to help people sift through all the available information to find that most valuable to them. We propose a recommender system, which suggest multimedia learning material based on the learner's background preferences as well as the available hardware and software that he/she has.

Targets, threats and (dis)trust: The managerial troika for public school principals in Chile

Public education in Chile has been steadily losing students as a result of the implementation, for the last 35 years, of a market model. In this paper we exemplify how a structural problem (public schools’ declining enrollment) created by neoliberal educational policies is transformed into an individual problem to be managed by the public school principal. Principals must sign a performance-based contract that specifies sanctions and incentives for meeting enrollment targets. The current paper examines, through data produced by in-depth interviews and shadowing, how 19 principals worked toward that target. Findings show that to manage enrollment principals spent, on average, 24% of their time performing marketing tasks. Principals, thus, have developed an entrepreneurial self, which is promoted by quasi-market school governance models. Through this entrepreneurship they manage various threats that represent barriers to the possibilities for meeting enrollment targets

Pedra sobre a pedra, o homem onde esteve? Percepção e significado da pedra na geografia sagrada das sociedades andinas

This article examines the semantic components that the stone have in Andean societies. Based on ethnohistorical, linguistic and ethnographic background, we discuss the perception of the functions and meanings that the stone had to indigenous groups, according to cosmological and cultural contexts in which stone element is inserted in both the symbols as in the ceremonial display during the Tawantinsuyu.Este artículo examina los componentes semánticos que posee la piedra en las sociedades andinas. Sobre la base de antecedentes etnohistóricos, lingüísticos e información etnográfica, se discute la percepción acerca de las funciones y significados que la piedra tuvo para los grupos indígenas, según los contextos cosmogónicos y culturales en los cuales se inserta el elemento pétreo, tanto en la simbología como en el despliegue ceremonial durante el Tawantinsuyu.Este articulo examina os componentes semânticos que possui a pedra nas sociedades andinas. Sobre a base de antecedentes etno históricos, linguísticos e informação etnográfica, se discute a percepção a cerca das funções e significados que a pedra teve para os grupos indígenas, segundo os contextos cósmicos e culturais nos quais se inserta o elemento pedregoso, tanto na simbologia como no decorrer cerimonial durante o Tawantinsuyu

Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles for Soil and Groundwater Remediation

Zero-valent iron has been reported as a successful remediation agent for environmental issues, being extensively used in soil and groundwater remediation. The use of zero-valent nanoparticles have been arisen as a highly effective method due to the high specific surface area of zero-valent nanoparticles. Then, the development of nanosized materials in general, and the improvement of the properties of the nano-iron in particular, has facilitated their application in remediation technologies. As the result, highly efficient and versatile nanomaterials have been obtained. Among the possible nanoparticle systems, the reactivity and availability of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (NZVI) have achieved very interesting and promising results make them particularly attractive for the remediation of subsurface contaminants. In fact, a large number of laboratory and pilot studies have reported the high effectiveness of these NZVI-based technologies for the remediation of groundwater and contaminated soils. Although the results are often based on a limited contaminant target, there is a large gap between the amount of contaminants tested with NZVI at the laboratory level and those remediated at the pilot and field level. In this review, the main zero-valent iron nanoparticles and their remediation capacity are summarized, in addition to the pilot and land scale studies reported until date for each kind of nanomaterials.The authors thank administrations that collaborate to carry out this project: HAZITEK (Gobierno Vasco)

Efecto de un método de Entrenamiento Intervalado de Alta Intensidad sobre el consumo máximo de oxígeno en escolares chilenos

Introduction: The low levels of maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) evaluated in Chilean schoolchildren suggest the startup of trainings that improve the aerobic capacity. Objective: To analyze the effect of a High-intensity Interval Training method on maximum oxygen consumption in Chilean schoolchildren. Materials and methods: Thirty-two high school students from the eighth grade, who were divided into two groups, were part of the study (experimental group = 16 students and control group = 16 students). The main analyzed variable was the maximum oxygen consumption through the Course Navette Test. A High-intensity Interval training method was applied based on the maximum aerobic speed obtained through the Test. A mixed ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. Results: The experimental group showed a significant increase in the Maximum Oxygen Consumption between the pretest and posttest when compared with the control group (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: The results of the study showed a positive effect of the High-intensity Interval Training on the maximum consumption of oxygen. At the end of the study, it is concluded that High-intensity Interval Training is a good stimulation methodology for Chilean schoolchildren

Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles for Soil and Groundwater Remediation

Zero-valent iron has been reported as a successful remediation agent for environmental issues, being extensively used in soil and groundwater remediation. The use of zero-valent nanoparticles have been arisen as a highly effective method due to the high specific surface area of zero-valent nanoparticles. Then, the development of nanosized materials in general, and the improvement of the properties of the nano-iron in particular, has facilitated their application in remediation technologies. As the result, highly efficient and versatile nanomaterials have been obtained. Among the possible nanoparticle systems, the reactivity and availability of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (NZVI) have achieved very interesting and promising results make them particularly attractive for the remediation of subsurface contaminants. In fact, a large number of laboratory and pilot studies have reported the high effectiveness of these NZVI-based technologies for the remediation of groundwater and contaminated soils. Although the results are often based on a limited contaminant target, there is a large gap between the amount of contaminants tested with NZVI at the laboratory level and those remediated at the pilot and field level. In this review, the main zero-valent iron nanoparticles and their remediation capacity are summarized, in addition to the pilot and land scale studies reported until date for each kind of nanomaterials.The authors thank administrations that collaborate to carry out this project: HAZITEK (Gobierno Vasco)

Development of new remediation technologies for contaminated soils based on the application of zero-valent iron nanoparticles and bioremediation with compost

This study aimed to develop new techniques for the remediation of contaminated soils based on the application of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) and bioremediation with compost from organic wastes and a mixed technique of both. An assessment of the effectiveness of remediation in two soils contaminated with hydrocarbons and heavy metals was carried out, with the aim of looking for positive synergies by combining the two techniques, and demonstrating their viability on an industrial scale. The application of nZVI for in situ immobilization of As and Cr in two different soils (Soil I from a contaminated industrial site and Soil II, contaminated artificially) showed a decrease in the concentration of As in Soil I and Soil II, as well as a decrease in Cr concentration for Soil I and Soil II in the leachate of both soils. The addition of compost and nanoparticles under uncontrolled environmental conditions in biopiles was able to produce a decrease in the concentration of aliphatic hydrocarbons of up to 60% in the two soils. Especially, degradation and transformation of longer chains occurred. A significant reduction of ecotoxicity was observed throughout the process in the biopile of soil II, not reaching the LC50 even with 100% of the sample after the treatment, in both earthworm and seeds growth tests. [All rights reserved Elsevier]

Cambios morfologicos en el tejido muscular esqueletico inducidos por microesferas polimericas biodegradables para liberacion farmacalogica

75 p.El gran desarrollo de la biotecnología ha contribuido al descubrimiento de nuevos sistemas de liberación de fármacos que permiten aumentar el efecto farmacológico y, del mismo modo, reducir sus efectos secundarios. Una gran variedad de sustancias poliméricas biodegradables han sido utilizadas en estos nuevos sistemas de liberación de fármacos. Entre ellos, el PGLA ha sido de gran importancia en la formulación de microesferas como dispositivos de liberación controlada, principalmente por su baja toxicidad en el organismo, ya que sufre hidrólisis no enzimática de los ácidos láctico y glicólico, los cuales se metabolizan a dióxido de carbono y agua, siendo inocuos para los tejidos. Por esto, los polímeros de esta clase pueden ser considerados un estándar para la administración de medicamentos, por tanto una razonable selección como material polimérico para la entrega del fármaco vía IM. Sin embargo, las micropartículas poliméricas pueden causar una reacción inflamatoria dependiendo de la naturaleza del material, tamaño de las partículas y el tipo de tejido al que se administra. El objetivo de este proyecto fue analizar los cambios morfológicos en el tejido muscular esquelético en términos de número, diámetro y distribución de fibras musculares en ratas Sprague Dawley sometidas a una inyección IM única de microesferas biodegradables de PLGA como sistema de liberación farmacológica. Fueron utilizadas 13 ratas (Rattus novergicus) hembras de la cepa Sprague Dawley sanas, las cuales se distribuyeron en 4 grupos: G1: control sano, G2: control inyectado con solución vehículo estéril, G3: experimental inyectado con 50 mg de micropartículas de PLGA en una solución vehículo estéril, G4: experimental inyectado con 75 mg de micropartículas de PLGA en una solución vehículo estéril. A los 14 días post inyección se realizó un análisis histológico. El análisis histológico mostró una arquitectura tisular uniforme en toda la muestra, sin alteraciones en las fibras musculares ni diferencias significativas entre los grupos, con presencia de infiltrado inflamatorio leve y residuos poliméricos en los grupos sometidos a la inyección de microesferas biodegradables de PLGA. De acuerdo a los resultados se puede concluir que no existen cambios morfológicos en el tejido muscular esquelético en términos de número, diámetro y distribución de fibras musculares, pero se evidencia la presencia de un infiltrado inflamatorio crónico 2 semanas post inyección. A pesar de ello, se demuestra el carácter biocompatible de las micropartículas y la ausencia de algún tipo de efecto secundario a nivel morfológico en el sitio de inyección intramuscular resultado de miotoxicidad. PALABRAS CLAVES: Micropartículas, PLGA, Tejido muscular