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The SIR Iber highlights the geographical location of Ibero-American universities by positioning them according to the indicators grouped into three main factors: research, innovation and social impact. The 2020 edition highlights the formation of three groups of countries according to the production capacity of higher education institutions. In group 1 we have: Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Colombia as Latin American countries that managed to publish more than 60,000 papers in the period 2014-2018. This paper analyzes and compares the indicators from the five (05) Latin American countries in group 1 of the SIR Iber 2020 referring to investment in I+S as a percentage of its Gross Domestic Product (PIB), the number of full-time equivalent researchers (Inv JCE), the production (%) of scientific works in the university education sector, to name a few. A conglomerate formed with the Normalized Impact (NI) of public and private IESs is presented, regarding the global average of citation, with the data published in the SIR IBER 2020 Report, and highlights that Chile has a normalized impact above the World average for both public and private IES publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Most studies focus on the ecotoxicity of pulp and paper mill effluents, rather than on how they affect the physicochemical and biological structure and the intrinsic ecological capabilities of the receiving watercourses. We investigated the impact of such effluents on the water quality, microplankton system and microbial self-purification capacity (degradation of polymeric organic compounds via extracellular enzymes) of the Biobío River in Chile. The physicochemical impact on the water quality was indicated by raised conductivity, by the pollution of the water body with nitrate, nitrite and soluble reactive phosphorus, by the appearance of tannin and lignin, and by the steady accumulation of inorganic and organic suspended matter (SPM) along the river. From the biological structure of the microplankton system, very low and declining concentrations of chlorophyll a and heterotrophic flagellate densities were determined. The pulp and paper mill effluents introduced high bacterial abundances and biomass concentrations into the river water. This reflects the effective use made of the abundantly available inorganic and organic nutrients within this industrial and municipal process water by bacteria adapted to these extreme environments, additionally supported by concomitant low grazing pressure derivable from low heterotrophic flagellate abundances. Indeed, in one section of the river affected by a pulp mill, the plant was found to significantly contribute to the self-cleaning capacity of the river. However, this elevated degradation capacity was not enough to compensate for the additionally discharged organic material which, together with the toxic effects of the paper plant effluents, significantly interferes with the ecological status of the Biobío River. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The extreme aridity of the northern Chilean Coastal Cordillera enables the complete preservation of permanent deformation related to the coupling between Nazca and South America. The region between Antofagasta and Arica is characterized by four types of Late Cenozoic structures: EW-striking reverse faults; ~NS-striking normal faults; sparse WNW and NNW-striking right-lateral strike–slip faults; and unimodal and bimodal populations of surface cracks. The EW reverse faults occur only between 19° and 21°40'' S latitude and have been active since at least 6 Ma to present. A March 2007 earthquake demonstrates that this deformation can occur during the interseismic phase of the plate boundary seismic cycle. The NS-normal faults are most abundant near Antofagasta and Mejillones and diminish in significance northward. Several of these faults, in both the Antofagasta and the Salar Grande area, have been reactivated as reverse faults causing minor topographic inversion. We suggest that normal faults move during both interseismic and coseismic deformation and are fundamentally very weak. Surface cracks are ubiquitous throughout the region and form by both non-tectonic and tectonic mechanisms. A significant proportion forms during coseismic deformation and thus may be used to identify long-lived rupture segments on the plate boundary. Overall, forearc deformation is very slow, with permanent strain rates of 1–5 nstrain/year and fault slip rates less than 0.5 mm/year. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Plastic pollution is a global concern with adverse consequences on the environment. • Ban policies has recently drawn the attention of governments to regulate plastic. • We analyze consistency of stated and revealed preferences for plastic bag ban. • Inconsistencies reduced with regulation experience and pro-environmental behavior. This paper exploits individual-level data before the implementation of a national policy to understand the factors driving avoidance of plastic consumption and explore potential inconsistencies between revealed and stated preferences for a plastic bag ban policy. We estimate a bivariate ordered probit model that allows us to account for a potential correlation between these types of preferences. The data reveals that while 71% of respondents take a reusable bag for shopping, only 58% of the sample state to strongly agree with prohibiting plastic bags. We find that gender, age, environmental concerns, environmental efforts, participation in environmental causes and pro-environmental behavior determine avoidance of plastic consumption, but no effects are found for being in favor of the prohibition. We also find inconsistencies decrease for individuals demonstrating higher pro-environmental behavior in related domains. This indicates waste management policies may benefit from local grounded knowledge from related environmental initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows an agricultural irrigation alternative using a low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) application. This technology allows the automation and optimization of processes by monitoring, processing, and analyzing large volumes of related data, including variables related to the soil (moisture), fertilization, and irrigation, which can be visualized through the internet to enable sustainable and efficient agriculture. The study is centered on the Los Angeles, Biobío, Chile case. The main objective of the prototype is to optimize water consumption for agricultural irrigation by using only the amount that is strictly necessary for each crop by allowing real-time visualization of irrigation status, moisture data, and irrigation times while providing a history of data that can be used for further analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an innovative approach towards real-time earthquake forecasting in Chile by integrating intelligent technologies and machine learning methods. Earthquakes pose significant risks to communities and infrastructure in Chile, making accurate and timely forecasting crucial for disaster preparedness and mitigation. Traditional forecasting methods have limitations in providing real-time insights into seismic activity. In contrast, intelligent technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning offer promising avenues for enhancing prediction accuracy and speed. A new earthquake forecasting method using a modified clustering approach LMSCAN(Local Maxima-based Spatio-Cluster Analysis Network) and enhanced neural network time series analysis LSTM-IC (Long Short Term Memory Inverse Correlation) is presented in this paper. This neural network-based technology has been utilized to forecast earthquakes in the Chile region, one of the countries with the largest seismic activity. This study explores the integration of intelligent systems with machine learning algorithms to analyze seismic data and predict earthquake occurrences in Chile. By leveraging historical seismic data, sensor networks, and advanced predictive models, our approach aims to provide timely warnings and insights into seismic events, thereby improving disaster response and resilience. The proposed framework holds the potential to revolutionize earthquake forecasting by enabling real-time monitoring and proactive measures to safeguard communities and infrastructure in Chile and beyond. The remarkable 95 % accuracy achieved by this model is a testament to its exceptional learning process, which sets it apart from other models. Its ability to learn and adapt to new data is unparalleled, allowing it to forecast incredibly precisely and produce highly reliable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new u-channel paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) data for ODP Site 1233 (Chile margin) for the last 70 ky. This is the highest-resolution, long-term PSV record ever recovered. The u-channel study has carried out detailed af demagnetization of the natural remanence (NRM) and developed a characteristic remanence (ChRM – final PSV direction) for each sampling horizon. The u-channel rock magnetic studies have measured magnetic susceptibility and anhysteretic remanence (ARM) with af demagnetization and used them to normalize the NRM and develop a new, detailed relative paleointensity record. The paleomagnetic record contains three excursions: the Mono Lake Excursion, the Laschamp Excursion, and the Greenland/Norwegian-Sea Excursion. These excursions have nominal sampling intervals of 5–8 years. Both the Mono Lake and Greenland/Norwegian-Sea Excursions involve short duration intervals of excursional directions (<300 years). The excursions are distinctly different from similar excursion records from other parts of the World. The Laschamp Excursion exhibits a full local reversal of the field with fast (<200 yr) movement to/from reversed directions and ∼ 500 years of full reversed polarity directions. This pattern is distinctly different from Laschamp excursion records from other parts of the World. We have carried out a statistical analysis of the Site 1233 u-channel PSV record. Notable specific features of that analysis include documentation that the field spends >1/3 of its time with anomalously large amplitude directional variability (high angular dispersion). These intervals occur at∼25–45 ka and 55–65 ka. These intervals have lower-frequency (more sluggish) directional variability and are associated with lower than average paleointensity. • This paper presents a very detail record of PSV from the Southern Hemisphere. • The record contains detailed records of three excursions. • The Site 1233 PSV record of the Laschamp Excursion is a local field reversal. That is different from its detailed character elsewhere in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changing environmental data analytics modify perceptions and policies on resources, particularly in terms on mining legitimisations. Enhanced data products are critical for improved planning and execution of extractive activities. Improved data in the mining industry tends to increase definitions and scale levels thus segregating environmental features from each other. This tends to be in conflict with local contingent appreciations of resources and their interactions with broader environmental features and conditions. Data scales and availabilities influence which resource perception dominates and so how mining is justified or antagonised successfully. This paper contributes to discussions that explore resource materialities from analyses of lithium mining. It focuses on the Atacama Salt Flat in contexts of lithium mining and material metrics, and separates itself from focuses on global availability of reserves by taking a narrower discussion on chemical differences that contour abundancy, variety and rarity of materials. This paper is based on fieldwork conducted in 2019 in Chile. It presents the current state of social appreciations on lithium materialities in and around places of extraction in Chile. Centrally, it unpacks an analysis of the social values of lithium and sets grounds for thinking about how a social value of a material becomes prevalent over other social values, particularly in contexts of global material needs and local environmental change for climate change mitigation solutions. • Affordances of data products on the Atacama Salt Flat sustain social values that favour lithium extraction. • Legitimisations to extract materials in the global south benefit from data products that increase metrics and categories of materials. • Contestations to lithium mining in San Pedro de Atacama use dominant discourses that better sustain extraction. • Environmental policy-making need to scrutinise data products from the outset of social values. • Data-driven responsible material sourcing should integrate social value assessments • There is no clear-cut definition of social value respective to the environment and progress on its understanding is context and place specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Games improved preschool children's problem solving, letter-word recognition and phonological awareness. • No effects were observed on target science vocabulary. • Teachers perceived the games as engaging, easy to play, and aligned with curriculum goals. • Results extend research about games in preschool beyond mathematics. • Results show that structured games are feasible and useful in adverse classroom contexts. This paper reports results of an experimental study that assessed the efficacy and teachers' perception of feasibility of a set of structured games for promoting curriculum learning goals in 12 prekindergarten and kindergarten classrooms in Chile. We developed four structured games aligned with the Chilean curriculum learning goals, and that were adequate to the material and human conditions of low-income classrooms in Chile. Six classrooms implemented the games in the course of 6 months, and the other six received them at the end of the intervention. One-hundred-and-twenty-one children were evaluated in letter-word identification, math problem solving, phonological awareness, and science word knowledge at the beginning and end of the school year. Head teachers were interviewed about the games' feasibility in their classrooms and their ability to engage the children. Multilevel regression results show that children in classrooms that implemented the games increased more than children in no-game classrooms in their letter-word identification, math problem-solving, and phonological awareness scores, controlling for grade level, entry receptive vocabulary, and entry executive function. Head teachers found the games engaging and fun for the children. They reported few difficulties in implementing the games in authentic classroom conditions. Results are analyzed regarding contributions to extant literature on playful learning and games, as well as implications for the successful use of playful methodologies for the promotion of academic learning goals in preschool classrooms in low- and middle-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper examines the key determinants of early childhood stimulation provided by caregivers. • We focus on Chile, one of the most economically unequal countries in the world. • We use longitudinal survey data administered to a sample of 8251 infants. • The main predictors for less stimulation are low caregiver education and low-income. • Caregivers' personality traits are also highly relevant for early child stimulation. This paper examines the determinants of early childhood stimulation provided by caregivers using an ecological approach. The focus of our inquiry is on Chile, one of the most economically unequal countries in the world. We use data from the Longitudinal Early Childhood Survey conducted in 2010 and 2012, which contains information regarding infants aged 30 months on average (n = 8,251). Early childhood stimulation is examined using a multidimensional index that comprises three domains: caregivers' stimulation of cognitive-language, sensorimotor, and socio-emotional development. Our dynamic models show that the main factors that lead to less stimulation are low caregiver education, low-income households, and large families. Specifically, it was found that an additional child being born within a two-year period decreases stimulation, indicating possible competition between siblings due to time and resource restrictions in the household. Furthermore, caregivers' performance in personality (BFI) and linguistic intelligence (WAIS language) tests was found to be a more significant factor than operational memory. Taken together, these findings suggest the need for initiatives aimed at increasing equality in early childhood stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explain why over the past two decades in Chile internal rural–urban migration has not worked as an effective equalizing mechanism for territorial income disparities. In view of this aim, we investigate how labor market incentives and non-market barriers structurally affect migration. Based on national household surveys, our empirical strategy controls for the self-selection of working migrants, allowing the estimation of a non-endogenous earnings differential while relying on a consistent poverty identification at the origin. On the one hand, our results show that earning differentials observed by potential working migrants encourage migration. However, on the other hand, the household-level constraints of the potential working migrant, such as stayers' welfare, might work as a pull or push factor. Thus, we are in the presence of a market failure in which migrants are not strictly those who could profit most from labor market differentials but rather those who are not constrained by poverty and the low human capital of their families. Consequently, this market failure explains the ineffectiveness of migrations as an welfare-equalizing mechanism, shedding light on the type of public policies needed to achieve more functional migration flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct normal solar irradiation is a crucial parameter for site selection and design of solar power tower plants. It also has a high impact on economic studies, such as the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). However, direct solar irradiation can be partially extinguished in its path between heliostats and receivers. Therefore, considering only direct normal solar irradiation in the solar resource assessment for tower plant projects is insufficient and leads to errors. This paper presents an improved methodology to estimate the extinction of radiation in the first 150 m of the lower atmosphere, where solar power tower plants are located. This work also shows the first atmospheric extinction maps, which in this case are elaborated for Chilean territory, and the intercomparison of extinction values with other places of interest in the sunbelt. Chile stands out for having the lowest annual atmospheric extinction values, below 4% for 1 km of slant range, while elsewhere annual losses can reach up to 17%. These values limit the amount of local useful solar resource available directly impacting on the LCOE values calculated for solar tower power plants. A new equation for the calculation of the LCOE considering atmospheric extinction is proposed in this paper. [Display omitted] • Solar radiation is partially extinguished between heliostat and receiver. • A new methodology validated at PSA allows the development of extinction maps. • The first atmospheric extinction map useful for tower plants in Chile is presented. • Sunbelt analysis shows that extinction is having a major impact on Saudi Arabia. • LCOE formula for solar tower plants considers atmospheric extinction is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographical research on lithium and other renewable energy materials explores the geopolitical dimensions of resource supply and the 'new geographies' associated with an expanding resource frontier. The material characteristics and environmental conditions of lithium production, however, are largely overlooked in this perspective. In the context of a global speculative boom for lithium linked to its growing role in energy storage, this paper adopts a grounded, exploratory approach to investigate the dynamics of production and resource management at one of the world's most significant sources of lithium: the brine deposits of the Atacama Salt Flat/Salar de Atacama in northern Chile. We show how lithium production from brine has a distinctive 'eco-regulatory' character as it involves managing a series of hydrogeological conditions and physical processes that are largely external to capital. The paper highlights the infrastructures (pumps, pipes, ponds) associated with the harvesting of lithium from brine and examines how production on the salar generates a series of ecological contradictions (notably around water depletion) with potential to disrupt accumulation. We also examine the multiple flexibilities afforded by the eco- regulatory character of production, and show how these enable lithium producers to adapt fixed infrastructures to dynamic political economic conditions. By focusing on both contradictions and flexibilities of lithium production, the paper draws attention to trajectories of capitalisation in the lithium value chain and their environmental consequences; and considers the political-economic incentives shaping further capitalisation. The paper concludes by considering the implications of this exploratory case study for critical resource geography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of transmission lines is based on the Load and Resistance Factor Design approach, considering that their collapse limit state is governed by climatic actions (wind and ice). Even so, accident reports indicate the regular observation of moderate to severe damage of towers after strong ground motions, affecting the structure's capacity to withstand future load events. Therefore, integrating the concepts of Performance-Based and Multi-Hazard Design, successfully applied to buildings and still embryonic to transmission lines, seems to be promising. With such performance-based multi-hazard approaches, intermediate performances can be evaluated even when they are controlled by a non-dominant hazard. Hence, the present paper aims at performing an original multi-hazard assessment of a Chilean 230kV transmission line segment. For this purpose, direct geometric and material nonlinear time history analysis, using a finite element suitable for eccentrically loaded angle profiles (L-shaped cross-sections), is employed to construct the fragility curves. In addition, uncertainties in loads and material properties are accounted for to address the transmission line system failure probability. In the existing literature, fragility analysis has been performed through pushover approaches, whereas reliability has been assessed for a single structure rather than for the transmission line system, as recommended by line codes. Contrary to design practice, the results show that seismic loads control all limit states in TLs located from central to northern Chile. Numerical results presented in this paper are based on 5000 h of total computation time. • Seismic + wind multi-hazard assessment of full transmission line segment. • Performance-based approach considering multi-hazard curves. • Direct geometric and material nonlinear time history analysis performed. • Several locations in Chile considered; for some locations. • Collapse LS controlled by wind, but serviceability and damage LS controlled by seismic actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand side management is a promising alternative to offer flexibility to power systems with high shares of variable renewable energy sources. Numerous industries possess large demand side management potentials but accounting for them in energy system analysis and modelling is restricted by the availability of their demand data, which are usually confidential. In this study, a methodology to synthetize anonymized hourly electricity consumption profiles for industries and to calculate their flexibility potential is proposed. This combines different partitioning and hierarchical clustering analysis techniques with regression analysis. The methodology is applied to three case studies in Chile: two pulp and paper industry plants and one food industry plant. A significant hourly, daily and annual flexibility potential is found for the three cases (15%–75%). Moreover, the resulting demand profiles share the same statistical characteristics as the measured profiles but can be used in modelling exercises without confidentiality issues. • The electricity demand of paper and food companies in Chile is analysed. • The analysis is based on two years of data from three companies. • 22 clustering methods are tested to generate synthetic electricity load profiles. • The demand response potential for a typical hour is approximately ± 15%. • On a daily basis up to 70% of the demand can be mobilized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the characteristic and constraints of female entrepreneurs in rural tourism. The paper draws on a longitudinal case study following and comparing 26 microbusinesses and entrepreneurs in rural tourism in Norway (Global North) and Chile (Global South) from 2003 until 2020 (Nordbø, 2009, 2018, 2022). It responds to a call for more research on female entrepreneurship from different geographical locations, and from within an industry of great importance for the economic development and vitality of rural areas. The female entrepreneurs in the study stand out with reference to their motivation for running a business, their goals and economic aspirations, priorities, challenges and survival rates, among other things. The findings from the research show that although some of the differences and challenges are clearly related to the female entrepreneurs' embeddedness in national, regional and local contexts and historical path dependency, others are more global in scale and related to the spread and diffusion of Western ideas of entrepreneurship and rural economic development. Female entrepreneurs in rural tourism, more than men, and independent of Global North – Global South location, can become locked into path-dependent trajectories related to rural tourism as an economic sector, tourism entrepreneurship as a rural economic development strategy, and the history of place. The article suggests it is vital to understand and differentiate between such factors in order to be able to provide more accurate initiatives for the empowerment and business survival of female entrepreneurs in rural areas, in both the Global North as well as the Global South. • Characteristic and constraints of female entrepreneurs in rural tourism in a Global North-South context through a longitudinal case study over 15 years. • Responds to a call for more research on female entrepreneurship from different geographical locations, and from within an industry of great importance for rural areas. • The differences and challenges are related to the female entrepreneurs' embeddedness in national, regional and local contexts and historical path dependency, and to the diffusion of Western ideas of entrepreneurship and rural economic development. • Such factors are important in order to provide more accurate initiatives for the empowerment and business survival of female entrepreneurs in rural areas both in the Global North and South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its high efficiency and zero direct greenhouse gas emissions, the direct utilization of geothermal energy could play a crucial role in addressing climate change. Low-enthalpy geothermal projects, such as geothermal heat pumps (GHPs), have the potential to contribute to greenhouse gases reduction and replace polluting systems like wood burning, which are extensively used in countries such as Chile. The implementation of this technology presents various challenges, encompassing not only economic and technical aspects but also cultural and social factors. This paper addresses the latter two, providing empirical findings from a social and qualitative perspective by examining three GHP projects in educational spaces in Chilean Patagonia. An inductive approach was employed to describe the social perception of GHP projects in three public buildings, specifically educational facilities, located in the Aysén region of Chile. The questions that guided the research were how users interact with technology in these environments and what factors influence their acceptance. Data were collected through various methods, including in-depth interviews and participant observation, with a focus on social perceptions and everyday practices. The paper argues that there is a general lack of information regarding GHP technology. This type of system is often perceived as an 'elegant' and almost 'untouchable' technology. Nevertheless, motivational factors such as preventing deforestation and reducing air pollution were identified as the primary drivers supporting this type of initiative. One of the cases studied, which demonstrated sustainability over time, revealed that the participants' main motivation was to see themselves as agents of change. This allowed them to build a coherent narrative around the project. Consequently, the cultural meaning attached to the new practice became central for change and sustained adoption of social practices. • There is a social distance between GHP technology and local communities. • There is a low level of information about geothermal energy. • Sustainable adoption of GHP requires cultural and social changes. • GHP projects require the development of new skills and monitoring activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artisanal and small-scale fisheries and the livelihoods of entire fishery dependent communities often rely on the catch and processing of straddling fish stocks. These stocks, as they expand to Marine Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ), are usually subject to different management regimes —within Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) by coastal states and by Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) in the high seas. While RFMO decisions can impact the livelihoods of entire coastal communities, artisanal and small-scale fishers are rarely engaged in regional decision-making fora. The South Pacific Jumbo Flying Squid (JFS), is mainly fished by artisanal operators in Chile, Peru and Ecuador, along with a growing Distant Water Fleet operating within ABNJ. In view of the lack of attention placed by the South Pacific RFMO (SPRFMO) to JFS management in the high seas, in 2018, the most important artisanal fishing cooperatives and processors from Chile, Peru and Ecuador, joined together to promote improvements in RFMO policies towards a sustainable use of the resource. In this paper we review the impact of the Committee for the Sustainable Management of the JFS in the South Pacific (CALAMASUR) in influencing the RFMO agenda. We conclude that CALAMASUR has influenced the SPRFMO agenda by triggering an increased focus on squid as well as by driving attention to the group's 5 priority improvement areas. Results suggests that resource users' engagement in RFMO governance can help advance RFMOs towards meeting the objectives set in their founding arrangements. The paper calls for improving RFMO governance by developing co-management mechanisms that enable effective participation of artisanal and small-scale fishers from coastal states in decisions affecting their livelihoods. • Resource users have contributed to increase the importance of the JFS fishery in the SPRFMO. • Keywords mentions reveals CALAMASUR's influence on the SPRFMO agenda. • CALAMASUR presented a CMM draft with a formula to limit fishing effort to the SPRFMO. • CALAMASUR introduced a regional stock assessment conceptual model to the SPRFMO. • Improving RFMO governance may benefit from the participation of resource users from coastal states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Salares Norte (SN) Au–Ag belt is here defined as an Upper Miocene-Pliocene metallogenic area, extending for nearly 200 km, located NE of the northern end of the Upper Oligocene-Lower Miocene Maricunga Belt in the central Andes of northern Chile. The belt is located just east of the main reverse NS fault systems which are part of the Sierra Castillo, Potrerillos Mine and Claudio Gay Cordillera faults, limited to the north and south by the NW-striking oblique to the arc Imilac and Wheelwright-Incahuasi regional faults systems. The epithermal deposits within the SN belt are intimately associated with the occurrence of Middle Miocene volcaniclastic basins and Middle to Upper Miocene phreatomagmatic vents and their related high-sulfidation hydrothermal systems. The volcanostratigraphy of the SN epithermal belt comprises volcaniclastic sequences, subvolcanic and volcanic rocks ranging between the Lower Miocene and the Pliocene. High-angle NS reverse faults involving Paleozoic and lower Cenozoic units form the western-southwestern limit of the belt. Folded and faulted Middle Miocene volcaniclastic and volcanic sequences form the main host rock of at least 4 phreatomagmatic events that generated maar-diatreme fields and discrete maar vents, with their related subvolcanic facies, within the widespread Upper Cenozoic volcanic arc, ranging in age between ca. 15 and ca. 4 Ma. These four phreatomagmatic events are spatially and temporarily associated to 4 main high-sulfidation hydrothermal events which have altered both the phreatomagmatic rocks and the Cenozoic country rock of the explosive activity. These hydrothermal systems have formed dozens of discrete hydrothermally altered areas where argillic, advance argillic, silicification and steam-heated alteration are common. Most of the maar fields and the hydrothermal alteration systems are emplaced within a strike-slip tectonic regime with NE-trending shortening which is accommodated in the NW-striking sinistral-normal faults and NE-striking extension structures. These fault systems crosscutting interaction favor the hydrothermal fluid circulation and migration, as well as mineral precipitation on structural and/or primary lithological traps and on NE-striking tension cracks. In summary, the SN epithermal belt is an almost 200 km long and 60 km wide area, mainly NNE-oriented, where epithermal deposits have formed during the Upper Miocene and Pliocene (ca. 13-4 Ma), emplaced within Middle to Upper Miocene volcanic and volcaniclastic sequences associated to small volcanotectonic basins oriented in NS, NE-SW and NW-SE directions, in which most of the high-sulfidation systems are associated to discrete or repetitive structurally-controlled Upper Miocene-Pliocene phreatomagmatic vents and maar fields. • This paper defines a new Au–Ag epithermal belt in the Central Andes of northern Chile. • Novel results in terms of age, volcanic stratigraphyand hydrothermal alteration. • The relationships between Upper Cenozoic HS epithermal areas, local tectonics and phreatomagmatic volcanism are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the concept of density rent gaps in verticalizing cities, with relation to Peter Marcuse's displacement categories. The study highlights a commonly uncritical relation with the rent gap that both defenders and critics of gentrification usually assume in the literature. Results from a quantitative analysis of a Displacement Index suggest that the largest rent gaps do not always correlate with the highest displacement rates because, in verticalizing cities, the most significant rent gaps come from 'density rent' and not necessarily the most expensive new housing. The study focuses on Chile's second-tier towns of Iquique and Antofagasta (seldom seen in the international literature). It uses real estate and population data and fieldwork analysis to fill data voids and caps the rent gap to estimate the amount of land value capture possible to implement to reduce Chile's highly exclusionary housing environment. We believe this analysis helps to conceptually separate the rent gap from gentrification for a more precise urban analysis of vertical cities. • The study contests the automatic association between rent gap and gentrification. • Residential density increases rent gaps; developers capitalize on more substantially than landholders. • Census data from 2002 and 2017 shows no statistical correlation between the largest rent gaps and displacement. • Displacement correlates with more expensive, low-density areas with lower rent gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rural-urban divide has traditionally been used to characterize key features of regions, including features of economic geography like density and connectivity that determine the prospects for economic growth and other dimensions of territorial development. In this paper, we develop a methodology that identifies areas along the urban-rural continuum according to their key features of population density and distance to large urban settlements at a more-detailed scale than the smallest administrative areas, taking Chile as a case study, a country that has experienced a rapid socio-economic transition over the last three decades. Information derived from the application of this methodology allows the identification of geographic categories according to observable density and distance. We also present geographic definitions of urban, rural, and mixed areas, which allow a practical, policy-relevant taxonomy of the rural-urban landscape, consistent with the 3-tier approach taken in most OECD countries. We demonstrate the relevance and practical importance of this smaller-scale approach by showing that, in the case of Chile, there is a significant mismatch between the official, cruder definitions, based on political subdivisions and currently in use by the government, and the realities of the country's present rural-urban landscape. Our results demonstrate that a focus on the scale at which information can be interpreted and summarized is not merely an academic exercise, but a way of correctly identifying, within the policymaking framework, communities according to the realities of their needs and capabilities. • Density and connectivity are used to create an urban/rural continuum. • Connectivity, measured as travel time, is derived using modern GIS tools. • The urban/rural continuum can be aggregated in a familiar binary taxonomy. • The scale at which density is estimated is key to describe geographic units. • Urban/rural categories relevant for practical policy analysis are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supply schemes, specifically delivery times, are essential factors in the resulting final cost of fuels. It is the particular case of hydrogen produced from variable renewable energies. However, the impact of different delivery times on the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) remains unclear. This paper assesses the combined impact of different delivery times, local renewable sources, and onsite generation curtailment on the LCOH. We developed an optimization model of an electrolysis-based hydrogen plant and found key LCOH locational drivers and trends. The model uses hourly solar PV and wind generation data for four locations in Chile and optimizes the capacities of the onsite solar and wind generators, electrolyzers, storage tanks, and compressors. In all the locations examined, we found an almost linear relationship between LCOH and delivery time. LCOH values for a daily delivery range from 2.4 to 3.4 $US/kg (for different locations). Values for a delivery time of 120 days range from 12.2 to 13.6 $US/kg. These are explained by the almost linear increase in storage costs with respect to delivery time, despite the variability of renewable energies at the analyzed locations. Production costs remain almost constant for different delivery times. Furthermore, we obtained that curtailment could decrease LCOHs between 5% and 40%, by increasing the electrolyzer's capacity factor and decreasing the storage size. Moreover, we show that off-grid solar-dominant scenarios are strongly affected by the lack of solar energy in winter, increasing LCOHs considerably. • Linear relationship between LCOH and delivery time. • Low delivery times imply less volume and cost of storage, decreasing the LCOH. • Production costs remain almost constant for different delivery times. • Curtailment reduces LCOHs between 5% and 40% due to increased capacity factors. • Off-grid solar dominant locations present higher LCOHs due to winter's lower solar generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses rich administrative data from Chile to estimate teacher value added (TVA) on test scores and on an educational attainment index. We allow each teacher to have a different TVA for male and female students and show that differences in TVA explain an important part of the gender gaps we observe in test scores and postsecondary education trajectories. The gaps in gender-specific teaching effectiveness are especially pronounced in mathematics. Indeed, eliminating within-teacher differences in math test score VA would reduce the gender gap in math performance by 67%. We explore what could be behind these gaps in gender-specific TVA and find no significant differences in what makes teachers effective for male and female students. We do find, however, significant associations between teacher characteristics—e.g., gender and performance in the college admission exam—and practices—e.g., paying attention to low-performing students, congratulating students who improve, and having a good relationship with students—with teacher effectiveness. Finally, we also show that math teachers tend to be biased in favor of male students and that teachers with smaller gender biases are more effective for both, male and female students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can protests produce changes in electoral behavior? In this paper, we examine variations in voter turnout and electoral preferences at the local level after a protest cycle. Using data on protest occurrence during the 2019 social mobilizations in Chile and Bolivia and a difference-in-differences design, we assess the impact that street demonstrations had on voting behavior in the elections that took place the following year. We found that turnout was higher in municipalities that had protests, while the incumbent vote was lower. We argue that the effect on turnout is explained by the surge in political efficacy that emerged from the protests. Furthermore, we suggest that the protests enabled more effective blame attribution and heightened the salience of political issues, leading to changes in voter preferences. These results demonstrate the effect of protests on electoral dynamics, highlighting their role not only in mobilizing voters but also in shaping electoral preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies calculate the potential of renewable energies throughout the world. However, these studies vary in the underlying assumptions and do not consider several technologies within a uniform methodology, which affects comparability. In this paper, we calculate the worldwide potentials of ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV), concentrated solar power (CSP), and wind onshore and offshore on a 6.5 by 6.5 km grid. The results consist of installable capacity, generated electricity, and specific cost of electricity generation. Our methodology combines high-resolution data for land uses, slope, and hourly weather data with a thorough analysis of different factors for wind power, like hub heights and rotor diameters, and solar power plants, like tilt angle, and temperature-related loss of efficiency. The results show that the summed-up potential capacity of ground-mounted PV surpasses the amount of CSP, wind onshore and offshore combined with 450 TW. Given the cost-potential curve, ground-mounted PV reaches 560,000 TWh at costs below 20 €/MWh, which is twice the projected worldwide primary energy supply of the World Energy Outlook 2022 for the year 2050 with 205,557 TWh. The calculated results can function as input factors for energy system models, which are an important tool to analyse the energy transition. • Model-based global renewable potential calculation. • Calculation of capacity, electricity generation and costs for four technologies. • Results show technical potentials of 662,740 TWh for ground-mounted PV. • Ground-mounted PV shows potentials of 560,000 TWh at costs below 20 €/MWh. • Most cost efficient ground-mounted PV and CSP potentials can be found in Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water scarcity is a critical issue worldwide and has become a major constraint on socio-economic development. Seawater desalination is an appealing adaptation option in regions with access to the coast; however, it has sustainability challenges that require careful consideration. Two critical challenges are: how to manage the spectrum of potential adverse social and environmental impacts; and how to provide fair and sustainable water access benefits to the region as a whole. This paper presents a participatory modelling framework designed to support the participatory planning of sustainable integration of desalinated seawater into a regional water supply network in water-scarce regions. The framework is based on a modelling tool that facilitates collaborative understanding of the regional context and optimises and maps candidate water supply networks and the associated trade-offs between economic, environmental and social performance criteria. The framework aims to facilitate dialogue between all interested parties and contributes to a more informed, fair, consented, long-term and sustainable integration of desalinated seawater into regional water supply schemes. An application to the Atacama region in Chile illustrates the capabilities of the framework to communicate options under varying conditions of environmental protection. The case study also illustrates the role of stakeholders in the process of tool refinement as part of early-stage participatory planning. • Water supply planning framework to support participatory planning. • Supports fair and sustainable integration of desalination in regional water supply. • It encompasses both spatial layout and network optimisation planning. • It incorporates environmental, social and economic aspects in planning stages. • The Atacama region (Chile) application illustrates trade-offs of shared solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Counterurbanization as a process of transformation of rural territories. • The modeling of spatial determinants on political-territorial impacts. • Amenity and lifestyle migration in tension over rural lands indigenous. Indigenous land is permeable to uses and practices that differ greatly from what current regulations establish. At the international level it is possible to see how real estate, agribusiness and forestry projects are diminishing these communities' capacity to control and manage their territories. A similar situation can be seen in Chile, where Mapuche communities have experienced a loss of territory to these external productive agents. However, a new actor has appeared on the horizon of permeability of indigenous territory: the amenity migrant. In this sense, and less evidently in the international literature, the counterurbanization process based on amenity uses in legally protected indigenous lands opens up a new front in the conflicts over peri-urban lands. The objective of this paper is to explore and discover the future impacts that the processes of suburbanization through counterurbanization will have indigenous lands in the vicinity of the city of Temuco, regional capital of La Araucanía (Chile), which are already visible. Considering a series of variables theoretically related to the projection of natural amenity on rural land and applying a logistic regression model, the results indicate that the future of the Títulos de Merced, the main mechanism recognizing property over indigenous lands, will be affected by the expansion of leisure plots, the modality through which amenity practices in Chile are disseminated. With this evidence, the implications that this situation has for Territorial Planning Instruments are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar photovoltaic (PV) plants are popular sources of renewable energy. Factors that affect the performance of energy collection through PV facilities include the material of the solar panels and the incident irradiation that reach their surface. In this context, evaluations reported in the literature normally assess the effects of using different materials and tracking systems to follow the sun position throughout the day; however, these evaluations usually analyze these properties independently and focus mainly on energy yield. From a practical perspective, to assess the effective utility of solar technology as a valid alternative to fossil fuels for energy generation, the evaluations should take a holistic approach, considering different types of technology and the specific operational conditions of the target environment. For example, the relative gains of using an advanced tracking system might be significant in cold climates. This paper presents a performance analysis of an on-grid microgrid installed in the south-central part of Chile, composed by a variety of PV modules, inverters, and fixed and tracking mounting structures, with a combined installed capacity of 41.2 kWp. The evaluation also considers the impact of the different technologies under study in terms of CO 2 emission mitigation capacity. The analysis performed over the data collected during two years shows that different configurations and combinations of silicon PV panels and mounting systems have different benefits and drawbacks depending on the target metric and environmental conditions. Regarding tracking performance, the PV Systems with solar tracking develop annual capacity factors of up to 25.89% (with up to 39% during summer), while some of the fixed system can only reach a 18.56% (with up to 24% during summer) during the same period of evaluation. The results allow for the quantification of the impact that different tracking systems have on key performance indicators in regions such as the one considered in this study. • Tracking systems increase performance of PV systems under low irradiation. • The best PR typically occurs in early spring in the south-central part of Chile. • Higher PR values are not always obtained on the days of greatest irradiation. • The dual-axis tracking system offers the greatest capacity and mitigation factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective: In Chile, between 7 and 24% of young people claim to be victims of physical violence in their romantic relationships, but there is a lack of validated questionnaires to measure these behaviors and research in this area is still limited. Due to this fact, adapting and validating the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS; Straus, 1979 ; Straus et al., 1996) with multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was conducted in this paper; afterword, it aims to analyze the violence involvement within the young couples (dating violence) in Chile, and its association with the perceived quality of the relationship. Method: 1283 university students participated (69.1% women; 30.9% men; mean age = 21.94; s.d. = 1.871). Results: A bi-factorial model of the CTS (moderate vs severe behaviors) with sex invariance among the youth population in Chile was confirmed. Between 15 and 25% of involvement in moderate violence was pointed out; these behaviors have high percentages of reciprocity and are occasional. The negative quality variables such as imbalance of power or conflicts are related to higher rates of involvement in violence, but not the positive quality variables such as communication. Conclusions: this paper represents a novel contribution for Dating Violence analysis in the Latin American context; it establishes a validated and invariance measure for analyzing Dating Violence with Chilean youth population, and pointed out high rates of involvement on this violent behaviors. Its value for the development of precautionary policies and suitable intervention has to be considered. Highlights • CTS adaptation is a validated and stable instrument for dating violence measurement in the youth population of Chile. • Physical Dating Violence rates in Chile is comparable to some European countries with similar culture characteristics. • The aggressive dynamics established within these couples are mainly correlated with negative relationship quality scales. • The need for education on this subject is clear for avoiding violence and allows people to enjoy love. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How is professional purpose impacted in the context of a crisis? Building on discussions about professional purpose and identity, the paper explores how the understanding that professionals have about the framing, scope of functioning and aims of their profession is impacted during a time of crisis. The paper draws on interviews with 41 kinesiologists working at an accidents & emergencies (A&E) hospital in Chile during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper shows professional purpose as a fluid, situated notion that gets re-shaped in light of contextual features. In the face of new and changing demands during times of crisis, professionals reconfigure their professional purpose to take advantage of the opportunities available. This reconfiguration takes place in response to the external context of the profession (its positioning in the public domain) and the internal relational context of the profession (its positioning with other professionals). The paper suggests a research agenda to develop a processual, situated approach to the interrogation of professional purpose to embed contextual features in scholarship in this area. • Professional purpose is fluid, situated and shaped by contextual circumstances. • During times of crisis, professionals reconfigure their professional purpose. • Meanings attached to a profession are impacted by internal and external factors. • Public recognition, social status, and prestige impact professional purpose. • Specialist authoritative expert status amongst peers shapes professional purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Experimental study on multi-layer strong wood shear walls. • Influence of nonstructural Type X GWB finishes on the lateral response of strong wood shear walls. • Significant increase in strength and stiffness, no significant reduction of the deformation capacity. • Calibration of the parameters of the SDPWS model. • A numerical model that accounts for different types of connections acting as a system was found reasonably accurate. A fundamental premise for the design of resilient light frame timber buildings in areas of high seismic activity consists of achieving strong shear walls while keeping nonstructural damage to a minimum, especially by preventing the brittle failure of Type X gypsum wallboard (GWB) finish layers. Under this premise, it has been commonly thought that the stronger the shear wall the lesser the structural contribution of the finishes, and therefore the effect of GWB finishes in strong timber shear walls has been typically ignored by design codes and mechanical models. In the research reported in this paper, the influence of nonstructural finishes on the structural characteristics of a strong light frame shear wall was experimentally and numerically investigated. The wall evaluated in this paper, denoted here Multi-Layered Strong Shear Wall (MLSSW), is representative of walls located at the 1st story of a 7-story building located in Chile, a country where the level of seismic activity is high. The MLSSW has a continuous rod system, double OSB sheathing, robust timber framing, closely spaced nails to attach the OSB sheathing layers to wood-frame members, and is covered at both sides by two layers of screwed Type X GWB. The characteristics of the MLSSW, particularly the quantity and type of nonstructural finishes, are different from those of typical light frame timber walls. Full-scale connection-level tests, both monotonic and cyclic, are reported first, followed by descriptions of the full-scale cyclic assembly-level tests. For comparison purposes, a bare strong wall (i.e., without the GWB layers) was tested as well. The structural response of the MLSSW was evaluated in terms of stiffness, strength, energy dissipation and plastic deformation characteristics. The applicability of the SDPWS analytical model was also evaluated, as well as the applicability of existing numerical models to predict the cyclic behavior of the MLSSW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following study explores how the preservation of the sense of community through collaborative mechanisms and the strengthening of a Smart city governance reduce the vulnerability of cities. Chiloé archipelago is selected as the case to study, given its vernacular architecture, in relation to wood, geography, cultural enrichment associated with tourism and a consolidated and integrated governance model for its population. The paper reviews secondary sources and build an urban management model, applied to the case, to conclude that preserving the sense of community and strengthening Smart city governance, reduces the vulnerability of cities in a sustainable approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a case study on power control and energy management for a 60 apartments' residential building with solar generation and energy storage tied to the grid in Santiago, Chile. A new energy management algorithm based on energy homeostasis is designed for a small electro thermal generation system (nanogrid), with smart metering. The test bed employs supervisory control with energy management that regulates the temperature inside a large room by the action of an HVAC (Heating/Ventilating/Air Conditioning) unit. The main objective of supervisory control is to allow temperature comfort for residents while evaluating the decrease in energy cost. The study considers a room with rooftop grid-tie nanogrid with a photovoltaic and wind turbine generation plant, working in parallel. It also has an external weather station that allows predictive analysis and control of the temperature inside the abode. The electrical system can be disconnected from the local network, working independently (islanding) and with voltage regulation executed by the photovoltaic generation system. Additionally, the system has a battery bank that allows the energy management by means of the supervisory control system. Under this scenario, a set of coordination and supervisory control strategies, adapted for the needs defined in the energy management program and considering the infrastructure conditions of the network and the abode, are applied with the aim of efficiently managing the supply and consumption of energy, considering Electricity Distribution Net Billing Laws 20.571 and 21.118 in Chile (https://www.bcn.cl/historiadelaley/historia-de-la-ley/vista-expandida/7596/), the electricity tariffs established by the distribution company and the option of incorporating an energy storage system and temperature control inside the room. The results show the advantage of the proposed tariffs and the overall energy homeostasis management strategy for the integration of distributed power generation and distribution within the smart grid transformation agenda in Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution in urban areas is one of the most severe environmental problems facing developing and transition economies. In Chile, many cities exceed the World Health Organization's norms for ambient concentration of particulate matter. In this paper, we analyze the factors explaining individuals' perceptions on fuelwood as the main cause of air pollution in urban areas and their willingness to ban this fuel to counteract its negative effects. We also explore variation across these perceptions and preferences based on individuals' degree of familiarity with air pollution and the extent to which they are affected by the regulation in place. Using data from the fourth environmental survey in Chile, we estimate an ordered bivariate probit model to account for a potential link between these perceptions and preferences. Results reveal a disconnect between perception of the problem and preferences for regulation to the extent that individuals are more likely to be affected by the regulation (i.e., fuelwood users and regulated cities). We also find that lower-income individuals are less willing to accept a fuelwood ban, and that the level of air pollution matters in shaping individuals' perceptions on the causes of poor air quality and preferences for regulations, although this depends on the measures used. Finally, we find evidence that pro-environmental behavior in other domains negatively affects the perception prohibiting fuelwood use. Thus, from a policy design perspective, it is essential to consider individuals' perceptions on environmental issues and preferences for regulations, because they might be linked with feasibility of implementation and compliance. • Poor air quality is regarded as one of the most urgent environmental and health problems. • Fuelwood for home heating is the main source of air pollution in central-southern Chile. • We analyze the motives explaining individual perceptions and regulations for poor air quality. • We find that both will depend on the extent that people are affected by the regulation. • This is important as linked with feasibility of implementation and compliance of policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a framework for analysing the responses of educational providers in competitive contexts. The evidence presented is based on empirical research carried out in one Chilean municipality. The objective of the paper is to analyse the responses developed by the schools with which to position themselves in the Chilean education market. The results show how the schools’ external communication is related to a range of factors such as their perception of competition, their position in the local hierarchy and the characteristics of the local market, as well as the symbolic attributes oriented toward positioning themselves within the market. Different schools’ typologies were identified with regard to marketing strategies in terms of the form and intensity they took on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Committed to achieving carbon neutrality by mid-century, South America faces unique challenges in carbon mitigation due to its distinct socio-economic, technological, and institutional backgrounds compared to developed and other developing economies. Previous research on South America's carbon emissions has limited country and sector coverage and typically adopts a top-down approach that focuses on the overall emissions of an economy, neglecting individual energy sources and emission sectors. Therefore, this paper compiles a comprehensive inventory of CO 2 emissions for South American countries based on a meticulous bottom-up approach and multi-source data integration, followed by a thorough analysis of their temporal evolution patterns and the driving forces behind them. Between 2010 and 2020, South America's overall emissions peaked in 2014 at 1092.3 Mt., led by emissions from oil consumption and from the transport and electricity sectors, and dropped to 865.6 Mt. in 2020, due to the economic fluctuations and COVID-19. Specifically, Brazil was the largest emitter, Chile experienced the most significant increase in emissions, and Paraguay recorded the highest emission growth rate. Generally, expanding population was constant driver of emission growth. High energy intensity led to significant emission increases in Brazil and Ecuador, while elevated carbon intensity was the main driver in Argentina. Energy structure changes played a positive role in most countries to different extents (e.g., much more significant in Brazil than in Chile) but aggrevated emissions in Paraguay and Guyana. Therefore, carbon mitigation strategies should be tailored to each country's unique national circumstances. • During 2010–2020, South America's CO 2 emissions from fossil fuels peaked in 2014. • Transport and electricity sectors comprised over 60% of total emissions. • Brazil was the top emitter, while Chile saw the largest increase in emissions. • Emission patterns and driving factors varied significantly across countries. • Carbon reduction strategies should be tailored to local circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in environmental systems is gradually more studied worldwide. However, in Latin America, the presence of contaminants of emerging concern, together with their environmental and toxicological impacts, has recently been gaining wide interest in the scientific community. This paper presents a critical review about the source, fate, and occurrence of distinct emerging contaminants reported during the last two decades in various countries of Latin America. In recent years, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia are the main countries that have conducted research on the presence of these pollutants in biological and aquatic compartments. Data gathered indicated that pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and personal care products are the most assessed CECs in Latin America, being the most common compounds the followings: atrazine, acenaphthene, caffeine, carbamazepine, ciprofloxacin, diclofenac, diuron, estrone, losartan, sulfamethoxazole, and trimethoprim. Most common analytical methodologies for identifying these compounds were HPLC and GC coupled with mass spectrometry with the potential to characterize and quantify complex substances in the environment at low concentrations. Most CECs' monitoring and detection were observed near to urban areas which confirm the out-of-date wastewater treatment plants and sanitization infrastructures limiting the removal of these pollutants. Therefore, the implementation of tertiary treatment should be required. In this tenor, this review also summarizes some studies of CECs removal using electrochemical advanced oxidation processes that showed satisfactory performance. Finally, challenges, recommendations, and future perspectives are discussed. [Display omitted] • Occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in Latin America. • Pharmaceuticals, pesticides and personal care products are the most assessed CECs. • The presence of CECs were predominantly observed in close proximity to urban areas. • Electrochemical technologies are an important alternative for CECs elimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines educational mismatch in Chile, a stable developing economy in Latin America, through the lens of incomplete markets. I offer three significant contributions to the field. Firstly, I develop a theoretical framework rooted in the job competition model and incomplete markets theory, placing educational mismatch in a historical context. This perspective broadens the discourse beyond conventional economic and sociological viewpoints, considering factors like the timing of higher education. Secondly, I explore the connection between educational mismatch's impact on wages and labor market discrimination, particularly gender-based disparities. This sheds light on how female workers are affected by educational mismatch. Lastly, I address methodological concerns by utilizing longitudinal data to refine our analysis, responding to critiques about using cross-sectional data to estimate educational mismatch. This study enhances the understanding of educational mismatch, offering insights specific to Chile's developing economy and contributing to a more comprehensive view of this issue in emerging economies. • Propose a novel framework, blending job competition and incomplete market theories, to analyze educational mismatch in Chile within its historical context. • Uncovers the links between educational mismatch and gender-based labor market discrimination, emphasizing the impact on female workers. • To bolster credibility, I tackle methodological concerns using longitudinal data, countering criticisms of cross-sectional data usage and ensuring research robustness. • My study extends beyond traditional viewpoints, advancing the understanding of educational mismatch in Chile's stable economy and providing policy insights for similar economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anticipation of collective futures has been described as one of the most critical challenges of contemporary societies. Imaginations or images of the collective future are a form of narrative and social activity that involves many complex political, psychological and cultural nuances that pose significant challenges in terms of assessment. In this article, we propose six analytical categories to describe qualitative information regarding imaginations about the collective futures. These categories reflect a conceptual integration of normative stances in Science, Technology and Society and capacity approaches to Futures Studies. We translated those analytical categories into grammatical markers that allow for their operationalisation. Using a large-scale participatory process in Chile aimed at systematising images of the future, we utilised Natural Language Process to transform the grammatical markers into computational codes that allowed us to automatically assess large amounts of qualitative data. Ultimately, our main argument is that analytical categories to describe imaginations about collective futures can be generated with reasonable foundations in the humanities and social sciences. • The paper discusses integrates Futures Studies and Science and Technology Studies. • Analytical categories are presented to describe imaginations about collective futures. • The categories include centralization, entropization, dimensionality, agency, semiotic distance, and modal attitude. • Grammatical markers are presented to operationalized these categories. • These markers are tested through Natural Language Processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication in the doctor-patient relationship is vital to today's globalized world where health professionals and patients constitute a very diverse socio-demographic and socio-cultural composition, and, thus, have different expectations and assumptions of how such communication should develop. In this light, the aim of this paper was to conduct a systematic and critical review of studies that examine intercultural communication in the doctor-patient relationship, with the purpose of synthesizing its findings, assessing its limitations and proposing future lines of research that move this field of studies forward. To that end, a set of advanced searches was performed in the Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Scielo. The use of the PRISMA methodology in the systematic review allowed the identification of 27 articles that 1) had the main purpose of investigating communication in the intercultural interaction between doctors and patients, 2) involved graduate doctors who were active medical professionals, and 3) collected empirical data regarding the role of intercultural communication in the doctor-patient relationship. We analyzed the articles' aims, variables, methodology, context of study, main findings, and publishing journals and their impact factors to draw conclusions from studies in international contexts, with a particular focus on studies conducted in Latin America. In general terms, our analysis showed that in most of the articles reviewed, interculturality is insufficiently theorized, variables or categories are not specified and communication is examined very superficially. Furthermore, interculturality is approached almost exclusively in terms of the national origin of the participants. Although a very balanced distribution between quantitative studies and qualitative studies is observed, only a few studies draw on natural data collected from video-recordings of medical consultations. To conclude, the paper offers an intercultural communication research agenda that includes recommendations on research topics and variables, theoretical perspectives and methodological contributions to conduct future investigations on the matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores a practice of popular education in Chile, in order to provide a linguistically based description of its pedagogy based on two key pedagogic dimensions: knowledge and interaction. The study is informed by Systemic Functional Linguistics and explores ideational and interpersonal meanings realised in resources from the discourse-semantic stratum, which are understood to construe knowledge and enact social relations through language. Discursive analysis shows continuity and discontinuity in meaning patterns in classroom discourse. Prevalent ideational and interpersonal patterns show an orientation towards the construal of specialised knowledge and the enactment of hierarchical relations between participants. However, instances of discontinuity in discourse show that a more horizontal relation can be enacted when a different patterning of ideational and interpersonal meanings occurs. The paper argues that the pedagogy of popular education, deemed by the literature as ‘democratic’, becomes so by transmitting to its students knowledge that would be otherwise inaccessible while at the same time opening up the space for instances of more egalitarian interaction in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Rainfall patterns and land uses in Chile create a unique natural laboratory. • First Forest hydrology review in Chile on water quantity and quality. • This paper review includes 75 studies since 1975. • Twenty research gaps are identified. The most significant is plant-soil-atmosphere relations. • A research agenda to support a future national planning legislation is proposed. This paper reviews the current knowledge of hydrological processes in Chilean temperate forests which extend along western South America from latitude 29° S to 56° S. This geographic region includes a diverse range of natural and planted forests and a broad sweep of vegetation, edaphic, topographic, geologic, and climatic settings which create a unique natural laboratory. Many local communities, endangered freshwater ecosystems, and downstream economic activities in Chile rely on water flows from forested catchments. This review aims to (i) provide a comprehensive overview of Chilean forest hydrology, to (ii) review prior research in forest hydrology in Chile, and to (iii) identify knowledge gaps and provide a vision for future research on forest hydrology in Chile. We reviewed the relation between native forests, commercial plantations, and other land uses on water yield and water quality from the plot to the catchment scale. Much of the global understanding of forests and their relationship with the water cycle is in line with the findings of the studies reviewed here. Streamflow from forested catchments increases after timber harvesting, native forests appear to use less water than plantations, and streams draining native forest yield less sediment than streams draining plantations or grassland/shrublands. We identified 20 key knowledge gaps such as forest groundwater systems, soil–plant-atmosphere interactions, native forest hydrology, and the effect of forest management and restoration on hydrology. Also, we found a paucity of research in the northern geographic areas and forest types (35-36°S); most forest hydrology studies in Chile (56%) have been conducted in the southern area (Los Rios Region around 39-40° S). There is limited knowledge of the geology and soils in many forested areas and how surface and groundwater are affected by changes in land cover. There is an opportunity to advance our understanding using process-based investigations linking field studies and modeling. Through the establishment of a forest hydrology science "society" to coordinate efforts, regional and national-scale land use planning might be supported. Our review ends with a vision to advance a cross-scale collaborative effort to use new nation-wide catchment-scale networks Long-term Ecosystem Research (LTER) sites, to promote common and complementary techniques in these studies, and to conduct transdisciplinary research to advance sound and integrated planning of forest lands in Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As with most contexts of South-South migration, the Bolivian-Chilean case remains severely under-researched. Responding to this paucity of research, this paper addresses Bolivian migrants’ inclusions in and exclusions from economic citizenship in Chile. Conceptually, the paper calls for a holistic and spatially aware approach to comprehending migration and citizenship, proposing the overarching conceptual framework of interacting transnational social spaces of citizenship representing its legal, political, social, and economic dimensions. It then focuses particularly on the transnational social space of economic citizenship , using this conceptual approach as a means to bring into better dialogue research on the migrant division of labour, precarious employment, labour exploitation, financial exclusion, and migrant citizenship practices. The analytical potential of the conceptual framework is explored through examining the specific geographies of the Bolivian-Chilean space of economic citizenship to reveal the reality of what is increasingly being referred to as the ‘Chilean dream’. Drawing on nine months of multi-sited ethnography and 76 semi-structured interviews, the paper addresses migrants’ economic situation in Bolivia before examining their changes in circumstances following migration to Chile, looking particular at the migrant labour niches of wholesale clothing retail, agriculture, and domestic labour. It explores the structural factors leading to economic marginalisation in Bolivia and labour exploitation in Chile. Additionally, it analyses the practices in which migrants may engage to challenge their exclusion from economic citizenship, and the role that migrant organisations play in encouraging, and at times constraining, such practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energies (RE) in Chile and around the world have experienced outstanding growth in recent years. However, RE technologies such as solar photovoltaic and wind generate an imbalance between generation (offer) and consumption (demand) because of their intermittent and variable nature. Moreover, RE's natural variability makes it necessary for conventional technologies to play a significant role in adjusting for the imbalance in the electric system frequency. As variable RE penetration grows, the need for frequency regulation will increase and, depending on how those higher costs are financed, this could lead to a disincentive to invest in conventional plants that provide that service. In this paper we study the impact of increased photovoltaic energy penetration, the leading RE in Chile, on the profitability of different conventional generation technologies. Specifically, we analyze the role that the frequency control remuneration mechanism has on that impact. For this purpose, four different solar photovoltaic penetration scenarios are simulated in Chile's Northern System, comparing two payment criteria for frequency regulation services: i) a cost-based pricing system whose payments relate to the incurred costs and ii) a market-based pricing system where the marginal cost of providing the services is paid. The results show that as installed photovoltaic capacity increases, the average marginal cost of energy (operation cost) decreases due to a displacement of more expensive power plants, but at the same time, investment cost may increase. In the long run, contract prices change as a result of falling operational costs and rising investment cost, resulting in changes in the profitability of all technologies. Finally, while both cost-based and market-based systems reward the ability to regulate frequency, the technologies performing the regulation receive different payments for the service, affecting both their profitability and the incentives for investment. • High penetration rates of intermittent renewable energies require more frequency regulation services. • Depending on the type of regulation, incentives to invest in technologies providing ancillary services might diminish. • Incentives to invest do not change between a regulatory scheme markedbased compare to one cost-based. • Profitability of the natural gas power plants is the one increasing most under market-based regulation. • Under market-based regulation the profitability of photovoltaic and eolic power plants decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Desalination exposes host communities to hydro-social and environmental impacts. • EIAs are found to de-politicize desalination within the Chilean context. • The regulatory process results in shortcomings in public participation. • Mitigation and compensation plans are inadequate for addressing impacts. • The energy implications of desalinated water expansion are not adequately disclosed. The construction of desalination plants is proliferating worldwide. In Chile, seawater purification technologies are framed as a tool for confronting water scarcity, stabilizing water provision and optimizing overall water availability while minimizing impacts on groundwater resources. Yet, local communities hosting desalination facilities in their territories are still confronting ongoing water-related inequities. The aim of this paper is to analyse how Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Declarations of Environmental Impact (DIAs) fit with the assessment and mitigation of socio-environmental implications of desalination. While they are intended to highlight and minimize negative impacts, and address them as part of the approval process prior to the construction of these facilities, we see instead how they are at times marshalled in ways that enable negative socio-environmental outcomes. Thorough analysis of EIAs (1994–2018) and DIAs (2010–2018) of mining companies in the Atacama region our research revealed shortcomings concerning public participation, mitigation and compensation plans, and water-energy management. This occurs, in part, through the depoliticization (or rendering technical) of desalination, in ways that obscure uneven and negative socio-environmental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Neoliberal urban development on the Central Coast increases disaster risk. • Mass tourism and informal development are key drivers of vulnerability. • Vulnerability and informality are leveraged against low-income communities. • There is a need for DRR research drawing on political ecology and urban studies. This paper examines the links between neoliberal urbanism and disaster vulnerability in Cartagena, a town on the Chilean central coast. In recent decades, this area has been transformed by speculative urban development, resulting in environmental damage and increased socio-economic segregation. We adopt a political ecology perspective to consider how these changes interact with disaster risk, drawing on ten interviews with representatives of local community organisations, a collaborative mapping exercise and census data. We find that mass tourism and informal urban expansion contribute to environmental degradation, as well as infrastructural and economic fragility, leading to increased risks for residents and tourists alike. We position our case study against the critiques of vulnerability leveraged by several critical geographers, who have come to see the term as depoliticising. While sympathising with these critiques, we argue for the usefulness of vulnerability analyses combining political ecology approaches to the study of human-nature relations and insight from critical urban studies on issues such as neoliberal planning policies, extractivism, urban informality and touristification. Articulated in these terms, vulnerability can be usefully mobilised to push for substantive policy change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We present a novel integration for reducing CO 2 emissions in blast furnaces. • It combines top gas recycling, oxy-fuel regime, power to gas and biomass pyrolysis. • The integration was modelled using the extended operating line methodology. • The best performance was found for pyrolysis at 700 °C. • The CO 2 emissions were reduced by 58% (9.8 MJ/kg CO2 energy consumption) The paper introduces a novel approach for mitigating CO 2 emissions in blast furnaces by integrating top gas recycling, an oxy-fuel regime, power to gas, and biomass pyrolysis. Various case studies were conducted, involving the adjustment of pyrolysis temperatures (300 °C, 500 °C, 700 °C, and 900 °C) and varying the quantity of blast furnace gas directed to methanation for carbon recycling. Pinus radiata, abundant and cost-effective in Chile and Spain, was chosen as the biomass source. The integration was modeled using the extended operating line methodology and evaluated through 12 key performance indicators, such as flame temperature, coke consumption, CO 2 emissions, and specific primary energy consumption per unit of CO 2 avoided. Optimal performance was observed with pyrolysis at 700 °C and no blast furnace gas recycled through methanation. This configuration achieved a 58 % reduction in CO 2 emissions, with an energy consumption of 9.8 MJ/kg CO2 , and obviated the need for geological storage. Comparing this innovative proposal with other oxygen blast furnace approaches from the literature revealed a 13 percentage point improvement in CO 2 reduction over the second-best alternative. Additionally, the required electrolysis capacity, influencing capital expenditure, was 57 % lower, and energy consumption was reduced by 44 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the causal effect of COVID-19 quarantine measures on the electricity consumption of different types of regulated customers. In particular, the average energy consumption of a group of customers in Chile is examined, exploiting the weekly variations in the application of the stages of the Step by Step Plan as a natural experiment. Step by Step Plan was the Chile COVID containment strategy, which involved implementing partial lockdowns based on the COVID incidence in the municipalities, and adjusted on a weekly basis. An econometric model is specified, and estimated using the technique Difference-in-Difference-in-Difference (DDD) to quantify the causal impact of these measures. After applying the model, it is found that the quarantine measures have had a negative effect on the trend weekly consumption of customers located in municipalities where some of the phases of the Plan have been applied. This effect is significantly different depending on each stage of the plan analysis, and statistically significant. It is also observed that, on average, the savings for a representative customer in the sample range from $ 8 to $ 6. 15 for some municipalities, and the sample costs range from $ 0. 02 to $ 0. 26 for others, depending on the municipality analyzed. The results can be expressed in a total of 2.95 tons less CO 2 emitted on a monthly basis. This shows a great impact in terms of sustainability and planning of energy demand and supply. • Quarantines by Covid 19 affected energy consumption, like a "Natural Experiment". • Using Panel Data of 400 thousand observations with geographic, temporal and Daylight Saving Time controls. • Difference-in-Difference-in-Difference method to quantify causal impact of quarantines on electric consumption. • Applying quarantines generated Energetic Savings from 8 cents to 6.15 dollars depending on client type. • An Event Study was designed to check the estimation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microgrids (MGs) are sustainable solutions for rural zone electrification that use local renewable resources. However, only careful planning at the start of an MG project can ensure its future optimal operation. In this paper, a novel methodology for MG planning by using the uncertainty characterization of renewable resources and demand is presented. Additionally, a model of electricity consumption is proposed and applied in an isolated rural community. In such communities, consumption patterns typically need to be derived as model inputs because consumption measurements are not available for the planning stage. To obtain these inputs, clustering algorithms based on self-organizing maps (SOMs) and fuzzy c-means are used to classify the families of the community given sociodemographic information obtained via surveys. Subsequently, Markov chains (MCs) are employed to generate consumption patterns based on consumption measurements in some dwellings and surveys applied to the community. The nonlinearities and uncertainties associated with renewable resources and consumption are modeled by using prediction interval (PI) models. These PI models provide the required consumption and generation scenarios for deriving the optimal sizing and topological information to address the MG planning problem. The results of the robust planning approach based on scenarios are useful at the feasibility and design phases of an MG project. The proposed methodology is successfully applied to MG planning for a rural Mapuche community, where a conservative criterion was considered to minimize the investment risk. This criterion corresponds to the worst-case scenario in which the demand increases by 19.9% compared to that of the baseline scenario and a lower energy cost is obtained. However, the net present cost and operational costs increase by 14% and 11.75% compared to those of the baseline scenario, respectively. • Clustering algorithms and Markov chains are used to generate consumption patterns. • Prediction interval models contribute to generating scenarios for MG planning. • The proposed methodology is validated in a rural Mapuche community in Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Value generation occurs during the life cycle of construction projects. However, the ability to influence the projects' characteristics at the design stage increases the probability of maximizing value. Nevertheless, few studies assess value creation during the design. Considering this gap, the aim of this paper is to analyze the value generated at the design stage of Chilean construction projects. The research method responds to a descriptive type of study consisting of three stages: design value attributes definition, assessment and quantitative measurement of value applying a Value Analysis Model recently developed, and value comparison. Twenty-eight value attributes were selected from literature review and grouped into seven satisfaction conditions. The value assessment was performed through a questionnaire applied to 47 Chilean companies within the construction industry. The main findings show that 1) companies, in general, have low-value expectations related to the design process and, in turn, low-value generation, which can be negatives values; 2) projects tend to compensate the lack of indispensable attributes with the inclusion of attractive features, thereby demonstrating an absence of prioritization; and 3) the satisfaction conditions with the highest value generation are business environment, schedule and budget, and with lowest value generated are deliverables, integration and tools and technology. The primary contribution of this study is be useful to designers, managers and researchers, as it provides information on focus attributtes that require appropriate care to improve value within design-build processes; and for any project or company wanting to know its value benchmarking concerning other projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]