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Intense drought and vegetation browning exacerbate air temperature rise in unirrigated peri-urban areas under global warming
No full textCities are particularly vulnerable to climate change, which continues to drive rising air temperatures. The morphology of a city also influences local climate through diverse surface properties and configurations, leading to diverse responses to warming trends. We examined the impact of climate change on Santiago, Chile, a valley city with a semi-arid climate. Near-surface air temperature and rainfall data from Chile’s Bureau of Meteorology over the past 63 years were collected from three different local climate zones (LCZs) in a peri-urban, urban park, and residential areas. The research employed regression analysis, a seasonal time series model, and standardised anomalies to assess air temperature and rainfall trends. Results show that the peri-urban area has experienced the highest rate of warming and the greatest decline in rainfall, alongside a doubling of the warming rate in recent years. Discrepancies in maximum and minimum temperature trends resulted in varying daily temperature ranges (DTR) across LCZs. The peri-urban area also displayed significant intra-annual variability in air temperature and rainfall, leading to trend variations over the years in contrast to the other LCZs. Our findings underscore the accentuated impact of climate change in the peri-urban area due to its permeable bare soil surfaces with an increase of 0.36°C per decade of warming, compared to the areas characterised by impermeable surfaces and well-irrigated green spaces of 0.25°C per decade on average. It highlights the importance of analysing urban air temperatures through LCZ classifications, challenging the conventional urban-rural temperature dichotomy that underpins urban heat island assessments
Adaptación y fluidez: espacios intermedios como articuladores en clima mediterráneo
No full textTesis (Arquitecta y Magíster en Arquitectura Sustentable y Energía)--Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 2025El cambio climático ha generado nuevos desafíos para el diseño arquitectónico, especialmente en ciudades con climas mediterráneos como Santiago de Chile, donde los veranos cálidos y secos junto con los inviernos frescos exigen soluciones para mantener condiciones de confort térmico en los espacios urbanos. Se busca enfrentar las exigencias climáticas desde un punto de vista de un diseño pasivo, como los espacios intermedios. Estos espacios actúan como reguladores térmicos que optimizan la temperatura y calidad del aire, mientras responden a las fluctuaciones climáticas y de ocupación. En este contexto, surge la pregunta central de esta investigación, ¿Cómo pueden volúmenes semiabiertos, adyacentes a un volumen central, optimizar las condiciones térmicas y de confort mediante configuraciones espaciales adaptables y variabilidad en la densidad programática en un clima mediterráneo? Esta pregunta, busca comprender como los espacios intermedios pueden mejorar el confort térmico y la ventilación en edificios urbanos, analizar su eficiencia en distintos contextos climáticos, evaluar su respuesta ante cambios en la densidad de ocupación y su impacto en el rendimiento térmico, por último, explorar la capacidad de adaptación sobre las variaciones estacionales
Axionic quantum criticality of generalized Weyl semimetals
No full textTesis (Master in Physics)--Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 2025In this work, we capture the quantum criticality of interacting generalized Weyl semimetals residing at the brink of axionic insulation. We do this by formulating a general field-theoretic description of -dimensional interacting nodal semimetals featuring dispersion that scales with linear and th power of momentum along and directions around a few isolated points in the reciprocal space. A suitable renormalization group scheme is controlled by ``small" parameters and , where is the number of identical fermion copies. The leading order renormalization group analysis suggests a Gaussian nature of the underlying quantum phase transition, around which the critical exponents assume mean-field values. This outcome agrees with previous results for simple Weyl semimetals ( and ), and implies that marginal Fermi liquids showcase logarithmic corrections to physical observables at the scales of measurements.ANI
Connexin and Pannexin Hemichannels: Broad-Spectrum Players in Neuroinflammatory Signaling
No full textConnexin- and pannexin-formed hemichannels have emerged as pivotal, upstream amplifiers of neuroinflammation. Under physiological stressors—depolarization, Ca2+ overload, redox shift, or cytokine exposure—these large pores release adenosine triphosphate, glutamate, and other danger signals that activate P2X/P2Y and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, ignite NLR family pyrin domain containing (NLRP) 3 inflammasome, and propagate Ca2+/reactive oxygen species waves between mast cells, microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, neurons, and brain endothelium. Evidence across acute (e.g., stroke, trauma, seizure, and sepsis) and chronic (e.g., Alzheimer's, and multiple sclerosis) models shows that genetic ablation or pharmacological blockade of hemichannels shrinks lesions, preserves synaptic plasticity, restores blood–brain barrier integrity, and rescues cognition, often without altering the primary pathogenic trigger. Translational leads include mimetic peptides (e.g., Gap19, 10panx1), the nanomolar, gap junction–sparing small-molecule D4, and the pleiotropic alkaloid boldine, all of which curb epileptiform activity, neurodegeneration, and depressive-like behavior. Yet key gaps persist, such as the long-term safety of chronic inhibition, which remains poorly defined and will be critical to translate these “gatekeeper” channels into next-generation neuro–anti-inflammatory therapeutics
Análisis de las actitudes hacia la innovación curricular en el personal académico de la Educación Superior
No full textCurricular innovation in higher education is crucial in addressing academic and societal demands. However, its implementation depends significantly on faculty engagement.This study explores faculty attitudes toward curricular innovation, focusing on the interplay between personal factors, institutional support,and willingness to participate. Specifically, the study aims to identify the attitudes that promote orhinder curricular innovation and to examine how personal factors, such as professional background andexperience, influence these attitudes. Through a quantitative approach and a retrospective descriptive design, the study analyzed the responses of 174 participants using a questionnaire with a Likert scale.The results show that the teaching staff has a positive attitude toward innovation. However, the institution states that it does not provide them with prompt information nor favor their active role. The results underscore the importance of integrating organizational and personal factors into innovation processes to foster engagement and enhance the likelihood of sustained change and continuous improvement.These findings contribute to discussing enhancing institutional strategies for curricular development and innovation in higher educationLa innovación curricular en la educación superior es fundamental para responder a las demandas académicas ysociales. No obstante, su implementación depende engran medida del compromiso del profesorado. Esteestudioexplora las actitudes del cuerpo docente hacia la innovación curricular, poniendo énfasis en la interacción entrelos factores personales, el apoyo institucional y la disposición a participar en estos procesos. Específicamente,se propone identificar las actitudes que favorecen o dificultan la innovación curricular, así como examinar cómofactores personales, como la trayectoria profesional y la experiencia, influyen en dichas actitudes. A través deun enfoque cuantitativo y un diseño descriptivo retrospectivo, se analizaron las respuestas de 174 participantesmediante un cuestionario con escala Likert. Los resultados muestran que el profesorado manifiesta una actitudpositiva hacia la innovación; sin embargo, también indican que la institución no les proporciona informaciónoportuna ni favorece su rol activo. Loshallazgos subrayan la importancia de integrar factoresorganizacionales ypersonales en los procesos de innovación, con el fin de fomentar la participación y aumentar la probabilidad decambios sostenidos y mejora continua. Estos resultados aportan al debatesobre el fortalecimiento de estrategiasinstitucionales para el desarrollo e innovación curricular en la educación superior
Harm from indoor air contaminants: protection by exposure limit values
No full textThe protection from chronic harm provided by exposure limit values (ELVs) for indoor air contaminants varies significantly across Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (AIVC) member countries, revealing inconsistencies in public health protection. The concept of a regulated harm budget (RHB) is introduced, representing the total harm implicitly allowed by regulators. Spain is the only AIVC nation with an RHB of 2400 disability-adjusted life-year (DALYs)/105 person/year for contaminants of concern (CoC): PM2.5, NO2, and formaldehyde. Most AIVC countries exceed harm levels linked to smoking and alcoholism. This highlights the need to reduce indoor air contaminant harm to levels comparable to other regulated health risks
Fame in Historia Abreviada de la literatura portátil: a literary product outside of literary frames of reference
No full text© 2025 Universidad de Valladolid. All rights reserved.This article proposes a reading approach based on the idea that Historia abreviada de la literatura portátil criticizes the notion of historical fame by destabilizing its credibility through parodic exaggeration. This destabilization can be expressed both structurally and argumentatively, that is, linked to formal narrative aspects on the one hand, and to the plot on the other. In the structural case, the analysis focuses on the referential marks and the appearance of academic truth discovered or supported. Specifically, on (a) the incorporation of a prologue that is part of the plot, (b) the constant citation of research and works by third parties, (c) the use of explanatory notes in the margin, and (d) the appendix of "Essential Bibliography". In the argumentative case, on the other hand, the destabilization points to the figure of the shandy as a Duchampian metaphor for the fictional and liquid character that historical representation carries. In both cases, what is reinforced is the illusory essence of the construction of the past.FONDECYTFONDECYTCentre for Intercultural and Indigenous Researc
Modeling cell migratory persistence through temporal correlations and angular noise
No full textThe persistence of cell migration is a fundamental property of motile behavior, enabling cells to maintain directionality while adapting to fluctuations and external cues. This feature underlies essential processes such as development, immune responses, and cancer invasion. Classical mathematical models have offered key insights into directed migration, yet they often neglect temporal correlations arising from cellular mechanisms that stabilize polarity and protrusion dynamics, processes not well captured by simple white noise. Here, we introduce an agent-based model based on stochastic differential equations (SDEs) that integrates fractional Brownian motion (fBm) to explicitly incorporate translational autocorrelation in cell trajectories. We simulate migration as a function of angular reorientation (D r ) and the strength of correlated noise (H). In this framework, temporal correlation stabilizes trajectory features inherited from initial conditions, whereas angular reorientation introduces variability that enables transitions between erratic and directed motion. Our simulations show that, unlike models driven by white noise, positive correlation markedly enhances persistence even under strong angular reorientation. Moreover, the combination of D r and H gives rise to emergent behaviors, particularly in the presence of taxis, where persistence and responsiveness are jointly tuned. These results identify correlated noise as a proxy for intrinsic cellular memory and provide a versatile computational framework to interpret the diversity and complexity of migratory behaviors
Capital hits bottom: deep-sea mining representations as a resource frontierEl capital toca fondo: representaciones de la minería en aguas profundas como frontera de recursos
No full text© 2025, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California. All rights reserved.This article aims to analyze the central discourses present in narratives about deep-sea mining, to understand what representations are being constituted of the ocean floor and its minerals. With a methodology based on qualitative content analysis applied to grey literature, including media and social networks published in the period from June 2021 to June 2024, the results show that the themes of blue economy, governance and biodiversity are connected to resource frontier dynamics such as the need to exploit other sources, govern resources and present the ocean floor as a zone of opportunity. Although it is recognized that some issues may be missing, the sample illustrates the characteristics of the most dominant and recurrent positions on deep-sea mining. These findings allow to nurture the conceptual discussion and open questions about the creation of new extraction spaces at a global level.Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo-ANIDConcrete Innovation Hub UCFONDECYTFONDECY
Characteristics of a university leadership
No full text© 2025 Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. All rights reserved.This article explores the intersection of decoloniality and the metaphor of the Cannibal-Caliban as a means to reimagine cultural terrors in the poetry collection “Lobo” (2018) by Chilean poet Thomas Harris. Drawing on the works of intellectuals engaged with the decolonial network, it examines the dismantling of coloniality and the proposition of an alternative epistemic framework based on interculturality. The untamed territory, symbolizing the historical struggle against Western European hegemony, is framed within the concept of civilbarbarism, reflecting the disputes of subjectivities in Latin American society. Through the Cannibal/ Caliban metaphor, this article offers a glimpse of new cultural subjectivities through a poetics that challenges and complicates Western discourses.Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo-ANIDConcrete Innovation Hub UCFONDECYTFONDECY