The University of Valparaíso (UV) is a state public university in Chile, with its headquarters and the majority of its campuses in the city of Valparaíso. It has several other campuses in the Valparaiso Region of Chile (Quinta Región) and in Santiago, which is 100 km from Valparaiso.Taking its current name as an autonomous university on February 12, 1981, UV is heir to the most longstanding higher education tradition in Valparaiso and its region.As the major Pacific port south of San Francisco, Valparaiso was an important centre of business in the nineteenth century. Formal studies in law began there in 1878. By 1911, teaching had evolved into Chile’s first regional School of Law, part of the national University of Chile (UCH, which in turn can trace its origins back through two colonial universities to 1622, some 82 years after the Spanish began their colonisation of today’s central Chile).Two private universities would form in Valparaiso in the 1920s and 1930s—what would become Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María (UTFSM, or USM) and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV, or UCV)—as state-backed higher education was also consolidated under the aegis of the national Universidad de Chile system.In 1972, public university education in Valparaiso was organized as a Seat (Sede) of UCH; UV inherited all of this except for the Teaching Institute, which would eventually become the basis of the Universidad de Playa Ancha. On February 12, 1981 the University of Valparaiso adopted its present name and autonomous form. The creation of public regional universities was an important component of the economic reforms undertaken under the military rule that lasted until 1990.UV is one of sixteen members of the Consortium of State Universities of Chile. All of these took their more or less current structure following a decision to divide the Universidad de Chile and the State Technical University into autonomous entities. UV and all state universities are among the 25 members of Chile’s Council of University Rectors (“CRUCH”); these 25 are often referred to as the “traditional” universities, as opposed to the other “new private” universities. UV is also in the Grouping of Regional Universities of Chile, all of whose members are public and have been discussed (in English) together as public regional universities.Higher education contributing much to its economy, Valparaiso is Chile's "college town". Three other traditional universities are based in Valparaiso – UTFSM, PUCV and "Universidad de Playa Ancha" (UPLA) – all of these are organized more in a “campus” style than UV, although Católica has departments strewn throughout the city and branch campuses in the region. UV’s various faculties and schools form a university quarter the length of the plain (plano') 'of central Valparaiso, between the main UPLA campus in the south and in the north the main PUVC building..
BackgroundUltra-processed foods (UPF), most of which have hyper-palatable properties, have been implicated in overconsumption and adverse health outcomes, yet their association with food addiction (FA) remains underexplored in young adults.AimTo assess the association between marker foods for UPF consumption and FA in Chilean university students, comparing UPF consumption among individuals with and without FA.MethodsIn a cross-sectional study, 287 young adults (median age: 21 years) completed the NOVA Screener -which captures the presence and number of UPF items consumed during the previous day- and the Chilean version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0-Chile). Anthropometric measurements and body composition were obtained for 271 participants. Logistic regression models were adjusted for gender, physical activity, and Body Mass Index (BMI).ResultsThe prevalence of FA was 17.4%, predominantly severe cases. Participants with FA had significantly higher median NOVA scores for beverages, snacks, and total UPF consumption. FA was positively associated with greater consumption of UPF beverages (OR 1.48, p = 0.014), snacks (OR 1.26, p = 0.044), and NOVA score (OR 1.12, p = 0.042). Individuals with FA also exhibited higher BMI and body fat percentage.ConclusionThese findings highlight a significant association between UPF consumption and FA in young adults, suggesting that UPF consumption may potentially contribute to addictive eating behaviors and associated metabolic risks. Public health strategies targeting UPF consumption may be essential in preventing FA and related health conditions.
Background An imbalance in the dietary ratio of omega-6 (n-6) to omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and/or a high-fat diet (HFD) may disrupt the metabolic conversion of essential PUFAs, such as linoleic acid (LA) and α-linolenic acid (ALA), into their long-chain derivatives (LC-PUFAs), thereby altering their accumulation in various tissues. To determine the effects of low maternal intake of ALA and/or an HFD on FA composition in maternal tissues (liver, adipose tissue, and erythrocytes) and offspring tissues (liver, erythrocytes, adipose tissue, heart, kidney, intestine, muscle, brain, eye, lung, and stomach contents) in rats. Methods A prospective, randomized, controlled experimental study was conducted in Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were assigned to one of four dietary intervention groups: CD-<1%-ALA, CD-2%-ALA, HFD-<1%-ALA, and HFD-2%-ALA. The diets were administered throughout the pregestational, gestational, and postnatal periods. Following euthanasia, tissue samples were collected and analyzed for FA composition using gas chromatography. Results The accumulation of n-3 PUFAs varied across the analyzed tissues, suggesting tissue-specific uptake or incorporation of ALA. The liver exhibited the highest capacity for PUFA biosynthesis in rats, whereas extrahepatic tissues showed limited activity. Moreover, maternal diet did not consistently correlate with PUFA concentrations in the offspring. Conclusions The increase in ALA is tissue-specific, reflecting differential incorporation among tissue types. Maternal n-3 PUFA stores become a critical source for the transfer of these FAs to the offspring, particularly under dietary stress conditions such as low ALA intake or HFDs.
BackgroundWorkplace discrimination is a recognised social determinant of mental health. However, evidence regarding its impact in highly masculinised and demanding industries, such as mining, remains limited, particularly in Latin America. This study aimed to estimate the association between perceived and observed workplace discrimination and depressive symptoms among mining workers in Chile, and to evaluate the mediating role of psychological distress.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 712 employees from a large-scale mining company, including both principal and subcontracted workers. Data were collected via an online survey between September and December 2024. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and psychological distress was measured with the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). Logistic regression models, stratified by sex, were used to assess associations. Causal mediation analysis was conducted within a counterfactual framework to decompose the total effect of workplace discrimination into direct and indirect effects through psychological distress.ResultsThe prevalence of perceived workplace discrimination was 13.56%, observed discrimination was 19.29%, and moderate/severe depressive symptoms were present in 8.31% of participants. Perceived workplace discrimination was associated with significantly higher odds of depressive symptoms (adjusted OR = 5.17; 95% CI: 2.70-9.91). Similar associations were found for observed discrimination (adjusted OR = 4.01; 95% CI: 2.20-7.31). Sex-stratified logistic regression analyses indicated that these associations were stronger among men than among women. Causal mediation analysis demonstrated that psychological distress mediated a substantial proportion of the association, accounting for 81.4% of the total effect for perceived discrimination and 65.9% for observed discrimination.ConclusionsWorkplace discrimination is a significant risk factor for depressive symptoms among mining workers, operating largely through increased psychological distress. These findings highlight the need for organisational interventions that address both discriminatory practices and their psychological consequences, particularly in male-dominated industries such as mining.
This study examines citizens’ perceptions of the 2019 Chilean social outburst using cross-sectional survey data from a stratified probabilistic sample of 809 adults in the Valparaíso Region, Chile. We analyse how environmental collective action willingness, political identification, attitudes toward democracy, and gender are associated with evaluations of the protest movement. Descriptive analyses and a General Linear Model (ANCOVA) were estimated, controlling for age, educational level, and participation in social organisations; multiple linear regression models were additionally used as robustness checks. The results indicate that environmental collective action willingness constitute the strongest and most robust correlate of positive evaluations of the social outburst, followed by political identification, with respondents identifying with the left reporting more favourable perceptions than those identifying with the right. In contrast, attitudes toward democracy and gender do not exhibit independent effects in the fully adjusted model, while age introduces a consistent generational gradient. Overall, the findings suggest that perceptions of the Chilean social outburst are structured primarily by dispositional orientations toward collective action and, to a lesser extent, by ideological positioning, rather than by normative evaluations of democracy.
El artículo presenta los resultados de un proyecto de investigación-acción que tuvo como objetivo modelar y validar los aportes de la inteligencia artificial generativa (IAGen) como recurso de aprendizaje en las líneas curriculares matrices del proceso formativo de trabajo social. La investigación responde a la necesidad de modelar la inclusión de la IAGen como recurso de aprendizaje en la formación universitaria de disciplinas centradas en el vínculo humano como trabajo social. Participó una sección de dieciocho estudiantes del cuarto semestre de la carrera, seleccionados por muestreo no probabilístico por conveniencia. Se realizó un ciclo de cuatro sesiones de trabajo con IAGen, que se compatibilizó con las actividades formativas de las líneas curriculares teórico-metodológica de las ciencias sociales y teórico-práctica del trabajo social realizadas en la asignatura seleccionada. Los resultados esperados se orientaron a la obtención de definiciones, reflexiones de cotejo, la redacción de documentos profesionales y el mapeo metodológico con apoyo de IAGen. Se concluye que la experiencia valida la condición de recurso de aprendizaje de la IAGen con respaldo en opiniones docentes y estudiantiles. Además, se confirma que la intervención social ocupa un lugar central en la formación profesional, que desplaza a la IAGen desde una valoración de centralidad asignada inicialmente por las generaciones estudiantiles nativas digitales, hacia una posición de contribución acotada y complementaria que se suma al repertorio de recursos de aprendizaje disponibles.
