The Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaiso (Spanish: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso) (PUCV), also known as Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (UCV), is one of six Catholic universities in Chile and one of the two pontifical universities in the country, along with the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. It is located in Valparaíso, Chile and has approximately 14,000 students.PUCV attracts students from different areas of Chile, as well as hundreds of exchange students from Europe, North America and several countries from South America, due to its convenient student exchange programs. It is recognized as a traditional institution with high academic prestige and as a complex university due to its important research and educational development in the fields of science, engineering, humanities and arts. As a Catholic university, it answers directly to the Holy See and the Bishopric of Valparaíso. It is a private university with state support.PUCV is an urban university. It has a central campus known as Casa Central (Central House) located in downtown Valparaíso, only a few blocks away from the Chilean Congress, the Metro, and the Pacific Ocean. One of the drawbacks of being an urban university is the difficulty of growing at the original site of its foundation. Several PUCV buildings are on the historic palm-tree-lined Avenida Brasil, but most of its schools are dispersed in throughout Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Quilpué and Quillota.It was positioned 29th at the QS Latin America University Ranking 2014 (5th nationwide). At the 2014 edition of the América Economía magazine university ranking, it was positioned 5th nationwide and first in the Region of Valparaiso.
Objectives To identify and analyze the individual, interpersonal, community, and environmental factors associated with active commuting to school (ACS) among Spanish adolescents, and to examine the contribution of correlates from multiple ecological domains to ACS. Methods A total of 307 Spanish adolescents (14.4 ± 0.6 years) participated. Data on potential correlates of ACS were collected using validated questionnaires (individual and interpersonal levels), school and city information (community level), and GIS-based indicators and MAPS-Global audits (environmental level). Binary logistic regression models were conducted separately for each ecological level, followed by a multivariable model including all significant factors. Results At the individual level, ownership of two or more motorized vehicles, identified motivation, and perceived environmental/safety barriers were associated with lower odds of ACS, whereas independent mobility, perceived competence for ACS, and integrated motivation were associated with higher odds. At the interpersonal level, parental barriers were associated with lower odds of ACS, whereas greater perceived proximity to destinations was associated with higher odds of ACS. At the community level, attending high-SES schools reduced the odds of ACS compared with low-SES schools. Environmentally, shorter home-school distance, greater leisure-time PA opportunities around the school, and higher aesthetic and social quality of the home neighborhood were significant correlates. In the final multivariable model, ACS was positively associated with perceived competence, integrated motivation, aesthetic and social quality, and higher active transport score around the home, whereas motorized vehicle ownership, identified motivation, perceived environmental/safety barriers, destinations and land use score, higher home-school distance, and higher grand score for leisure PA for home were negatively associated. Conclusion ACS among Spanish adolescents was associated with multiple individual and environmental correlates.
Transmission expansion delays represents a critical barrier to the timely and cost-effective development of modern power systems, particularly for integrating renewable energy. Although network congestions arising from postponed major infrastructure projects (e.g., new transmission lines) can severely impact system efficiency, these effects can be mitigated through the rapid deployment of flexible technologies such as FACTS devices and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). In this paper, we propose a two-stage stochastic optimization framework that complements first-stage, asset-intensive network expansion decisions with second-stage, scenario-dependent investments in flexible transmission assets, including FACTS and BESS. The formulation explicitly captures the probabilistic nature of project delays, accounting for zonal variations in the likelihood of such delays and their implications for system planning. Through a set of case studies, we demonstrate that the strategic use of FACTS and BESS can serve as an effective hedge against the adverse impacts of transmission expansion delays.
Polyembryony, characterized by the formation of multiple embryos within a single seed, and apomixis, a seed production process involving asexual embryos, are reproductive strategies that may confer adaptive advantages to plants, particularly in disturbed environments. This study evaluated the occurrence and association of these traits in the Cerrado, a megadiverse Neotropical savanna region in central Brazil. We analyzed data from the literature (125 species) and new records (91 species), counting embryos and emerging seedlings per seed to evaluate the presence and number of polyembryonic seeds. Plants were classified as monoembryonic or polyembryonic, and thresholds were established to distinguish between low and high polyembryony. Breeding systems were examined to establish the relationship between polyembryony and apomixis, and the origin of extranumerary embryos was investigated, whenever possible, using literature sources. Phylogenetic signals and evolutionary transitions for both traits were also assessed. Polyembryony was observed in one-third of the studied species (72/216), with widely variable polyembryonic seed percentages (PSPs) and percentages of seeds with extranumerary seedlings (PSES). Polyembryony ≥ 5
Carbonic anhydrase isoforms I and II (hCA-I and hCA-II) are metalloenzymes involved in essential physiological processes and represent relevant therapeutic targets for disorders such as glaucoma and osteoporosis. Chalcones have emerged as promising scaffolds for carbonic anhydrase inhibition; however, their structure-activity relationships, particularly for non-sulfonamide derivatives, remain insufficiently explored from a computational point of view. In this study, a dataset of 118 chalcone derivatives has been analyzed by using a three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) modeling, which comprises Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA) and Comparative Molecular Similarity Index Analysis (CoMSIA). The developed models exhibited strong internal consistency and predictive capability for both isoforms. For hCA-I, steric, electrostatic, hydrophobic, and hydrogen bond acceptor fields has been identified as key contributors to inhibitory activity, whereas for hCA-II, hydrogen bond donor features played a more prominent role. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations have been employed as complementary approaches to analyze ligand-protein interactions and binding stability. In addition, quantum chemical descriptors, derived from density functional theory, that have been integrated with the 3D-QSAR analysis, reveal a consistent correspondence between contour map features and the distribution of frontier molecular orbitals and molecular electrostatic potential. Furthermore, ADME-based pharmacokinetic properties of the proposed compounds have been evaluated to assess their potential drug-likeness. Based on the integrated computational analysis, six new chalcone derivatives, with predicted inhibitory activity in the nanomolar range, are proposed. Overall, this study provides a consistent physicochemical framework for understanding the inhibitory activity of chalcone derivatives and highlights key molecular features that may guide the modulation of activity across hCA-I and hCA-II isoforms.
Water-scarcity driven by climate change, stagnant agricultural productivity, and rapid population growth trigger food security. Sustainable alternatives such as the use of plant-growth promoting microorganisms (PGPM), including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), yeast (PGPY) and rhizobacteria (PGPR) offer promising sustainable solutions. However, the potential of microbial consortia remains insufficiently explored. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) on the morphophysiological responses of maize, common bean, and squash under drought stress. Six microbial strains (two AMF, two PGPY and two PGPR) were combined into eight SynComs. Seeds were inoculated with AMF at germination, followed by PGPY and PGPR every 15 days after transplanting. Biomass production and leaf water potential were assessed under controlled drought conditions. Water-deficit reduced overall biomass production; yet specific SynComs, significantly enhanced plant performance. Maize and common bean inoculated with the consortium Funneliformis mosseae, Naganishia albida and Bacillus tequilensis showed increases exceeding 40
