Temuco Catholic University

In the context of promoting student inclusion in higher education, this study examines the effectiveness of transition programs from vocational to undergraduate education as access mechanisms that enable effective and successful inclusion. A cohort of 637 Chilean students from three academic disciplines, namely, agronomy, early childhood education, and physical education was analyzed, comparing academic performance, failure rates, and persistence between continuation program participants and students admitted through traditional or inclusive pathways. Statistical analyses, including persistence metrics and analysis of variance (ANOVA), indicate that students in the continuation program achieve equal or superior academic outcomes to their peers admitted through regular or other inclusionary pathways. These results provide evidence to support the relevance and feasibility of this type of higher education pathway access as an effective inclusive education strategy in terms of academic success and persistence. So, this paper contributes with specific evidence on the effectiveness of this inclusion mechanism, which could be relevant for designing efficient inclusion policy mechanisms. However, future studies that address career paths and professional development longitudinally must complement these initial results.

Este trabajo expone un diseño metodológico de investigación social basado en algunos elementos del mapuche kimün (sabiduría mapuche). Describe el modo en que se llevó a cabo la co-construcción de una problemática de investigación con personas mapuche formadas en Trabajo Social, guiada por el principio mapuche del kelluwün (reciprocidad y ayuda mutua). El propósito es evidenciar otros posibles procesos investigativos dentro de la academia tradicional. La pregunta que orienta el estudio es: ¿cómo el mapuche kimün, entendido como un saber territorial y comunitario, puede fundamentar un diseño metodológico de investigación social culturalmente respetuoso y colaborativo con personas y comunidades mapuche? El texto se desarrolla a partir de la exposición de una experiencia de investigación doctoral construida desde principios rituales y prácticas mapuche, tales como el inkatu (solicitud de apoyo), pentukun (saludo protocolar), chalintukun (saludo inicial), nütram (conversación) y ramtukan (acción de preguntar en el marco de la conversación). Estos pasos metodológicos permitieron transitar desde una relación basada en informantes hacia un proceso de co-investigación. Se destaca la importancia del territorio, no solo como espacio físico, sino como un elemento constitutivo de la identidad y cosmovisión mapuche para interpretar problemáticas sociales. Esta propuesta de diseño metodológico, basada en esta sabiduría ancestral, representa una ruptura significativa con las prácticas coloniales y eurocéntricas de producción de conocimiento.

There is still an unresolved debate about the relationship between technology and inequality. This article addresses digital inequality as a political problem rather than a technical one. Aiming to understand digital inequalities in the territories of La Araucanía, Chile, it was considered pertinent to contribute theoretical value from the perspective of sociotechnical controversies and the Social Construction of Technology. A theoretical model comprising four axes is proposed: technological infrastructure, connectivity policies and regulations, territorial approach and geographic digital divide, and the subjective experience of people on the network. The methodology used was controversy mapping based on the definition of two case studies. The main results highlight that the proposed model allowed “opening the black box” of digital inequality, establishing the different positions of the actors, associations, and disputes. They allow observing its main facets and deepening a societal problem, referring to the market model that governs connectivity in Chile.

Beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy have shown to have broad repercussions on the population, primarily because those who adopt such beliefs express attitudes and behaviors based on misinformation and a level of distrust in both governments and scientific societies. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of trust in government, scientific societies, and media consumption on adherence to COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs in Chile, Mexico, and Colombia during the pandemic. With a sample of 2,111 participants surveyed online between December 2020 and April 2021, structural equation models reveal significant findings. Across all three countries, heightened trust in scientific and international societies, along with increased reliance on formal media, correlates with lower adherence to conspiracy beliefs. Additionally, variations exist in the relationship between trust in government and informal media use among the countries. These results illuminate key predictors of conspiracy beliefs in Latin America, providing valuable insights into the contextual factors influencing public perceptions during the unique challenges posed by the pandemic.

Postnatal testicular maturation in domestic cats remains poorly quantified despite its relevance for reproductive biology, veterinary practice, and the management of threatened felid species. This study aimed to characterize age-related changes in testicular structure from six to thirty-six months of age. Testes were collected from clinically healthy cats undergoing routine orchiectomy, and design-based stereology was used to estimate the volumes and densities of the main testicular components, including the seminiferous epithelium, interstitial tissue, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells. Immunohistochemical detection of Desert Hedgehog, a developmental signaling molecule, was performed to assess interstitial maturation. Testicular volume and the absolute volumes of the seminiferous epithelium, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells increased significantly with age, while the numerical density of Leydig cells remained stable, indicating hypertrophy rather than proliferation. Desert Hedgehog immunoreactivity declined progressively across age groups, consistent with the transition from immature to mature interstitial cells. Principal component analysis revealed a clear separation between immature and mature testes based on volumetric and density variables. These results demonstrate that feline testicular maturation follows a coordinated pattern of tubular and interstitial growth and provide quantitative reference values useful for reproductive assessment, comparative studies, and conservation programs in domestic and wild felids.

The replacement of fishmeal with plant-based proteins in aquafeeds is key for sustainable aquaculture but may compromise filet pigmentation in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), a quality trait dependent on astaxanthin (Ax) deposition and metabolism. This study aimed to assess the effects of graded fishmeal replacement with a plant protein blend on Ax retention, pigmentation, lipid metabolism, and gut microbiota composition. Rainbow trout were fed three isoenergetic diets containing 60%, 36%, or 12% fishmeal, each supplemented with equal amounts of natural Ax from Haematococcus pluvialis, for 12 weeks. Ax retention, pigmentation, plasma metabolites, lipid digestibility, and distal intestinal microbiota were evaluated. The high plant protein diet (12% fishmeal) significantly reduced Ax concentrations in filet and plasma and decreased dorsal and belly pigmentation scores (p < 0.05). It also lowered plasma cholesterol and bile acid levels by 18–30%, reduced di-esterified Ax digestibility by 15%, and lipid absorption efficiency by 12%. The gut microbiota shifted significantly, with a marked reduction in Bacillaceae, positively correlated with Ax retention and pigmentation. Fish fed High Plant Meal diets exhibited impaired performance parameters, along with reduced lipid accumulation in the liver. High plant meal compromises Ax bioavailability by altering cholesterol–bile acid metabolism and gut microbiota, impairing Ax absorption. However, moderate inclusion of plant meal preserved pigmentation, underscoring the need for dietary cholesterol management and microbiota modulation in plant-based aquafeeds.

Abstract A long bubble train propagating along a channel is modelled. The train is arranged in a so-called staircase configuration with films between bubbles zigzagging along the channel. Specifically, the geometry of the back (i.e. upstream) portion of the staircase is computed by determining bubble film lengths and vertex locations where three films meet. The geometry is shown to be distinct from a so-called infinite staircase. Provided upstream conditions are selected correctly (i.e. provided the geometrical shape of the backmost bubble is specified correctly), the configuration can be made to converge towards an infinite staircase moving downstream. Care must be taken, however, in selecting upstream conditions, as computations prove very stiff. To achieve convergence, well-defined ratios are needed for displacements of successive vertices from their infinite staircase counterparts. A minimum allowed bubble area results for the back end of a staircase to avoid breaking (i.e. to avoid a requirement for topological rearrangements of the bubble train), despite the infinite staircase having no minimum bubble area.

Cyclometallated Ir(III) complexes are extensively used in luminescent devices such as Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells (LECs) due to their high stability and also high luminescence quantum yields. To increase the promising complexes for LEC applications, efforts are focused on the design of molecules with specific ligands that can modulate the emission color as well as the nature of the excited state from which radiative decays occur. In this context, this work presents a study of the luminescent properties of two new Ir(III) complexes containing a ligand derived from 1H-imidazo[4, 5-f][1,10]phenanthroline (dmbip). This study, complemented by theoretical DFT calculations and electrochemical characterizations, shows that, in solution, both Ir(III) complexes exhibit the same emission energy as that of the free dmbip ligand. However, in the solid state, the complexes exhibit phosphorescent emission with a marked red shift of nearly 100nm relative to their performance in solution. This unusual behavior is due to the presence of a luminescent 3ILCT excited state in the solid state, whose population is favored by the heavy metal center. Furthermore, these complexes were characterized in LEC devices and displayed the same emission profile identified in solid-state photoluminescence.

Objetivo: analizar si el Parlamento de Quilín de 1641 constituyó una coyuntura crítica transformadora en las relaciones hispano-mapuche mediante un supuesto reconocimiento de soberanía, o si representó una continuidad institucional dentro del patrón colonial castellano. Método: se empleó una investigación cualitativa bajo el enfoque del Análisis Histórico Comparado (CHA). Se examinaron sistemáticamente los acuerdos pactados entre 1593 y 1647, contrastando además sus elementos comunes. Resultados: el análisis reveló la constante presencia del requerimiento, el vasallaje y la obediencia al rey tanto en Quilín como en encuentros previos y posteriores. No se encontró evidencia documental de un reconocimiento explícito de la soberanía mapuche en ningún parlamento. Así mismo, se constató que, aunque el primer parlamento de Quilín tuvo una convocatoria significativa, esta no fue excepcional en comparación a los encuentros posteriores como el de 1647. Conclusiones: el Parlamento de Quilín de 1641 no constituyó una coyuntura crítica, ya que no introdujo innovaciones ni jurídicas ni políticas, sino que reafirmó una lógica colonial de subordinación pactada. El supuesto reconocimiento de soberanía mapuche corresponde a lecturas anacrónicas ajenas al contexto histórico y político del siglo XVII.