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Introduction: It has been shown that the practice of Slackline, a sports discipline that consists of balancing on a rope anchored between two fixed points, not only can improve motor aspects such as body balance and postural control, but also cognitive aspects such as spatial orientation. Here we wonder whether the practice of Slackline is related to other cognitive functions such as attention and/or memory. Materials and methods: Slackline practitioners were invited to take the Toulouse-Pieron test to assess attention and the Benton test to assess visual memory. The same tests were applied to a control group composed of people of the same age and with the same educational level. Results: 14 Slackline practitioners, mean age 23.7 ± 4.1 years, and 14 controls, mean age 23.5 ± 3.5 years, participated in the study. When comparing the groups, we observed differences of 20% in the memory score (p

La exóstosis del conducto auditivo externo (ECAE), también conocida como oído de surfista, es una alteración del tejido óseo del oído externo, principalmente causada debido a la sobrexposición al frío. Considerando que los practicantes de deportes acuáticos como el surf y bodyboard de las costas del pacífico sur se exponen a aguas con temperaturas entre 12-16 °C, se busca determinar, en este estudio, la prevalencia y grado de ECAE en practicantes de surf y bodyboard de las localidades de Reñaca y Concón durante el año 2018. Se realizó una evaluación del CAE mediante video-otoscopía a 67 personas (134 oídos) practicantes de surf y bodyboard de las playas de Reñaca y Concón, y se les aplicó un cuestionario respecto a sus hábitos de práctica. Como resultado, se observó una prevalencia de ECAE del 77,6%, siendo el 61,2% ECAE bilateral y el 16,4% ECAE unilateral. Se pudo determinar, además, que el 62,3% de los participantes no usa protecciones. A partir de estos hallazgos, es posible concluir que existe una alta prevalencia de la ECAE en practicantes de surf y bodyboard en las costas centrales chilenas, lo que debería alertar tanto a la población practicante como a profesionales de la salud auditiva con el fin de promover una vida saludable en esta población.

Slackline challenges balance by walking on a tensioned strap, where the trunk muscles help to maintain or regain balance. This study aimed to compare a cohort of individuals who regularly practiced slackline and physically inactive individuals on core endurance (CE) and dynamic balance (DB) and to determine whether CE is associated with years of slackline practice. Nine individuals (7 men) who practiced slackline regularly (SG; age= 24.5±3.6 years) and nine physically inactive individuals (7 men) (CG; age= 23.2±3.3 years) were compared. CE was assessed with the McGill battery (trunk flexor, extensor, and side-bridge test) and the plank test. DB was measured with the modified star excursion balance test in stable and unstable conditions. The SG maintained a 36.2% and 45% longer time in left lateral bridge (p=.049) and plank (p=.031), respectively, compared to the CG. The distance achieved in the stable DB test was similar between groups, but in unstable condition was 37.8% greater (p=.016) in SG in both legs and 46.6% greater in the non-dominant leg (p=.039) compared to CG. The SG showed a correlation between years of slackline practice and flexor (r=.674; p=.046), right lateral (r=.765; p=.016) and left (r=.730; p=.026) trunk endurance. In conclusion, those who practice slackline maintain a longer time in the plank and left lateral bridge test and achieve a higher reach distance in unstable DB compared to physically inactive individuals who do not practice slackline. Resumen. El slackline desafía el equilibrio al caminar sobre una cinta en tensión, donde los músculos del tronco ayudan a mantener o recuperar el equilibrio. El objetivo de este estudio fue comparar individuos que practicaban slackline e individuos inactivos fisicamente (IF) en resistencia del core (RC) y equilibrio dinámico (ED), y conocer si la RC se asocia a los años de practica de slackline. Nueve individuos (7 hombres) que practicaban slackline regularmente (GS; edad= 24.5±3.6 años) y nueve individuos IF (7 hombres) (GC; edad= 23.2±3.3 años) fueron comparados. La RC se evaluó con la bateria de McGill (prueba de flexores y extensores de tronco y puente lateral) y la prueba de la plancha. El ED se midió con la prueba de excursión de la estrella modificada en condiciones estables e inestables. El GS mantuvo un tiempo 36.2% y 45% mayor en puente lateral izquierdo (p=.049) y plancha (p=.031) respectivamente comparado con el GC. La distancia alcanzada en la prueba de ED estable fue similar entre grupos, pero en condición inestable fue 37.8% mayor (p=.016) en GS en ambas piernas y 46.6% mayor en la pierna no dominante (p=.039) comparado al GC. El GS mostró una correlación entre años de práctica de slackline y resistencia flexora (r=.674; p=.046), lateral derecha (r=.765; p=.016) e izquierda (r=.730; p=.026) de tronco. En conclusión, quienes practican slackline mantienen un tiempo mayor la prueba de la plancha y puente lateral izquierdo y logran un mayor alcance en ED inestable comparados con individuos IF que no lo practican.

SummaryAs island ecosystems are among the most critical breeding habitats for seabirds, their protection should enhance population viability for many species. The Peruvian Diving-petrel Pelecanoides garnotii breeds only in Chile and Perú, is an endangered seabird with historically large populations of over 100,000 breeding pairs, but fewer than 1,000 remained in the 1980s and it became the first endangered seabird of the Humboldt Current System. In Chile, they breed on five islands, three of which are legally protected, but only two have a management plan. Between 2010 and 2014, we evaluated the density of nests, burrow occupancy, and colony patch sizes on the islands to estimate the breeding population. The population trend was assessed by compiling historical data available in the literature and several unpublished technical reports. The current breeding population size in Chile was ∼12,500 breeding pairs (95% CI: 10,613–14,676 pairs) that is ∼34% of the breeding pairs reported for Peru (∼36,450 pairs). Choros Island, the only island with adequate protection, accounted for ∼95% of the total breeding population of the Peruvian Diving-petrel in Chile. Historical population trends showed a significant increase in breeding pairs during recent years on Choros Island. It seems that the adequate legal protection of Choros Island is leading to the recovery of Peruvian Diving-petrels, demonstrating that protection of breeding colonies remains an essential strategy for the conservation of endemic seabirds.

Este trabajo expone una propuesta de conformación de equipos de trabajo para el logro de una efectiva transformación digital. Aquí se presenta una experiencia de investigación-consultoría entre una universidad nacional y un ente municipal, ambos de la República Argentina. Del trabajo conjunto se logró mejorar la calidad de los procesos por medio de su transformación digital, incrementando las capacidades de estos. Se capacitó a alumnos y agentes en reingeniería de procesos, incluyendo desde notaciones de procesos estándar hasta Factores Críticos de Éxitos. Luego del relevamiento y análisis de los procesos sensibles, ha surgido el caso especial de estudio, el proceso "Habilitación Municipal de Locales Comerciales". Como resultado se logró incrementar sustancialmente la tasa de habilitación de locales, de haber habilitado 8 locales comerciales en todo el año 2017, y 40 locales habilitados desde enero a abril de 2018, antes de comenzar el dictado de nuestra asignatura, se registraron entre mayo de 2018 al 31 de octubre de 2018 la habilitación de 898 locales, mostrando claramente una mejora sustancial en la reingeniería de dicho proceso. También se logró integrar sistemas propietarios por medio de técnicas de web scraping como resultado de visualizaciones de soluciones sobre los procesos relevados.

Face perception in humans and nonhuman primates is accomplished by a patchwork of specialized cortical regions. How these regions develop has remained controversial, some studies claiming that seeing faces is necessary for face-domain formation, while others contend that visual experience is not necessary for their development. In sighted individuals, facial information is primarily conveyed via the visual modality. Blind individuals, on the other hand, can still recognize shapes using auditory and tactile cues. Here we examined whether face-selective regions like the fusiform face area (FFA) show selectivity for faces in individuals with early blindness. In particular, we asked if such individuals can learn to distinguish faces from other shapes by using a sensory substitution device (SSD) presenting faces as sound-encoded stimuli. Early blind individuals and sighted controls were trained to discriminate sound-encoded faces, houses, and abstract geometrical shapes presented via an SSD. Combining functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with an N-back task, we found new evidence for preferential activation of the left FFA by sound-encoded faces in early blind adults. The results demonstrate that face-selective cortical regions can be activated by substituting vision with audition. This implies that the development of the FFA does not necessarily depend on experience with visual faces per se, but may instead depend on sensory experience with facial configurations.

Symbiotic associations with microbes can help plants to respond to environmental changes. In this study, we investigated how colonization by root endophytic fungi enhances performance of Chenopodium quinoa and its ability to cope with extended periods of drought. The fungus Penicillium minioluteum, which was isolated from quinoa naturally occurring in the Atacama Desert, was used for endophyte colonization. We developed a greenhouse experiment, subjecting endophyte-infected (E+) and endophyte-free (E−) plants to two treatments: water deficit and abundant water availability. Differences in plant performance, photosynthesis, water-use efficiency and photochemical efficiency between E+ and E− plants under both water treatments were examined. We assessed the nature of the plant–symbiont interaction (parasitic or mutualistic) under both treatment conditions. We found that P. minioluteum initially affected radicle growth, subsequently triggering improvements in root formation, with the latter particularly evident under drought conditions. Under low water, E+ plants demonstrated a 40% improvement in root formation relative to E− plants; however, physiological responses to drought were not demonstrably enhanced by the presence of endophytic fungi. The nature of the interaction appeared to be positive, but only under conditions of water stress. Our study demonstrates that, in C. quinoa, P. minioluteum assists in coping with water stress primarily by affecting substantial root biomass adjustments, and that host benefits in this relationship are conferred in conditions of stress only.

In less than one century, the once-abundant Peruvian diving petrel has become the first endangered seabird of the Humboldt Current System (HCS). This small endemic petrel of the South American Pacific coast is now an important indicator of ongoing habitat loss and of the success of local conservation policies in the HCS - an ecoregion designated as a priority for the conservation of global biodiversity. Yet so far, poorly understood life history traits such as philopatry or dispersal ability may strongly influence the species’ response to ecosystem changes, but also our capacity to assess and interpret this response. To address this question, we explore the range-wide population structure of the Peruvian diving petrel, and show that this small seabird exhibits extreme philopatric behavior at the island level. Mitochondrial DNA sequences and genome-wide SNP data reveal significant isolation and low migration at very short distances, and provide strong evidence for questioning the alleged recovery in the Peruvian and Chilean populations of this species. Importantly, the full demographic independence between colonies makes local population rescue through migration unlikely. As a consequence, the Peruvian diving petrel appears to be particularly vulnerable to ongoing anthropogenic pressure. By excluding immigration as a major factor of demographic recovery, our results highlight the unambiguously positive impact of local conservation measures on breeding populations; yet at the same time they also cast doubt on alleged range-wide positive population trends. Overall, the protection of independent breeding colonies, and not only of the species as a whole, remains a major element in the conservation strategy for endemic seabirds. Finally, we underline the importance of considering the philopatric behavior and demographic independence of breeding populations, even at very fine spatial scales, in spatial planning for marine coastal areas.

El objetivo del presente estudio es determinar el somatotipo y la composición corporal de la selección masculina de fútbol universitario bicampeona del año 2013 y realizar la comparación de éstos entre posiciones de juego y con otras poblaciones de futbolistas. Se realizó una evaluación kineantropométrica a trece jugadores de la selección masculina de fútbol de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV) 2013, utilizando el perfil completo del protocolo de la Sociedad Internacional para el Avance de la Kineantropometría (ISAK). Las mediciones se realizaron en pretemporada. Se determinó que el somatotipo de la selección masculina de fútbol de la PUCV 2013 corresponde a Endo-Mesomorfo (3,5­5,6­1,7). Los valores de composición corporal promedio de la selección de fútbol PUCV fueron 25,81% de masa grasa, 47,41% de masa muscular, 10,68% de masa ósea, 5,07% de masa piel y 11,03% de masa residual. No se encontraron diferencias significativas en los resultados expuestos en las diferentes posiciones en el campo de juego, con respecto a somatotipo, composición corporal y variables kineantropométricas analizadas (valor p >0,05). El perfil somatotípico de la selección masculina de fútbol de la PUCV 2013 es Endo-Mesomorfo, resultado similar al encontrado en otro estudio realizado en futbolistas universitarios. En cuanto a la composición corporal se observó que los porcentajes de tejido muscular y óseo se encuentran dentro de los rangos aceptables, mientras que el tejido graso se encuentra elevado respecto a otras poblaciones de futbolistas profesionales y universitarios.

espanolIntroduccion: la determinacion de las caracteristicas morfologicas de los deportes mas populares ha permitido la evaluacion y comparacion entre los atletas, lo que ha contribuido a mejorar su rendimiento. El street workout (ejercicio callejero) es un deporte emergente basado en ejercicios de calistenia, el cual ha ido ganando popularidad en los ultimos anos. A pesar de su masifi cacion, aun no ha sido determinado el perfil morfologico ni las caracteristicas morfologicas de los atletas de street workout. Objetivo: determinar las caracteristicas y el perfi l morfologico de los atletas de street workout mediante antropometria. Material y metodos: catorce atletas (22,7 ± 3,26 anos de edad promedio) fueron reclutados del Torneo Nacional de Calistenia del ano 2015 en Chile. Los atletas fueron evaluados siguiendo el protocolo de la Sociedad Internacional para el Avance de la Kineantropometria para determinar el somatotipo, la composicion corporal, asi como tambien indices de composicion corporal tales como el indice de masa corporal, cintura/cadera, cintura/talla masa grasa/musculo y musculo/masa osea. Resultados: los atletas de street workout evaluados presentaron un somatotipo mesomorfi co balanceado, una baja masa grasa y un alto desarrollo muscular, con dominancia en miembros superiores y tronco. Respecto a los indices de composicion corporal, los valores obtenidos permiten clasificar a este grupo de atletas como una poblacion de bajo riesgo de enfermedades cronicas no transmisibles. Conclusion: el presente estudio sienta el primer antecedente de las caracteristicas morfologicas del street workout, estableciendo que los atletas evaluados presentan un somatotipo mesomorfico equilibrado, siendo clasificados como una muestra atletica y saludable por sus indices de composicion corporal. EnglishIntroduction: The determination of the morphological characteristics of the most popular sports has allowed the evaluation and comparison between athletes, which has helped to improve their performance. The Street Workout is an emerging sport based on calisthenics, which recently has become popular. Despite its popularization, neither the morphologic profile nor the morphologic characteristics of Street Workout athletes has been determined. Objective: Determine the profile and morphological characteristics of Street-Workout athletes, through anthropometry. Material and methods: Fourteen athletes (22.7 ± 3.26 years) were recruited from the National Calisthenics Tournament 2015 in Chile. The athletes were evaluated following the protocol of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry to determine the somatotype, body composition, as well as indices of body composition such as body mass index, waist to hip ratio, waist to height ratio, fat/muscle mass and muscle/bone mass indexes. Results: Street Workout practitioners presented a balanced-mesomorphic somatotype, a low fat mass and a high muscular development, with upper arms and trunk predominance. Regarding body composition indices, the values obtained allow us to classify them as a low-risk population of chronic non-communicable diseases. Conclusion: The present study sets a first antecedent of the morphological characteristics of Street Workout, determining that the Street Workout athletes presented balanced-mesomorphic somatotype and were classified as a healthy and athletic sample by their body composition indexes.

A visual-to-auditory sensory substitution device initially developed for the blind is known to allow visual-like perception through sequential exploratory strategies. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to test whether processing the location versus the orientation of simple (elementary) “visual” stimuli encoded into sounds using the device modulates the brain activity within the dorsal visual stream in the absence of sequential exploration of these stimuli. Location and orientation detection with the device induced a similar recruitment of frontoparietal brain areas in blindfolded sighted subjects as the corresponding tasks using the same stimuli in the same subjects in vision. We observed a similar preference of the right superior parietal lobule for spatial localization over orientation processing in both sensory modalities. This provides evidence that the parietal cortex activation during the use of the prosthesis is task related and further indicates the multisensory recruitment of the dorsal visual pathway in spatial processing.

Using a set of psychophysical tests, we compared the olfactory abilities of 8 persons who became blind early in life and 16 sighted persons in a control group who were matched for age, sex, and handedness. The results indicated that those who became blind early in life developed compensatory perceptual mechanisms in the olfactory domain that involve basic sensory processes, such as the detection of odors.

the proportionality model application, based on ideal proportions, would have a great impact on high performance sports, due to best athletes to resemble anthropometrically.the objective of this study was to compare the following anthropometric methods of proportionality: Phantom, Combined and Scalable, in male champion university Chilean soccer players in 2012 and 2013, using South American professional soccer players as criterion, in order to find the most appropriate proportionality method to sports populations.the measerement of 22 kinanthropometric variables was performed, according to the ISAK protocol, to a sample constituted of 13 members of the men's soccer team of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. The Z-values of the anthropometrics variables of each method were obtained using their respective equations. It was used as criterion population South American soccer players.a similar trend was observed between the three methods. Significant differences (p0.05) were found in some Z-values of Scalable and Combined methods compared to Phantom method. No significant differences were observed between the results obtained by the Combined and Scalable methods, except in wrist, thigh and hip perimeters.it is more appropriate to use the Scalable method over the Combined and Phantom methods for the comparison of Z values in kinanthropometric variables in athletes of the same discipline.Introducción: la aplicación de modelos de proporcionalidad, basados en proporciones ideales, tendría un gran impacto en el deporte de alto rendimiento, debido a que los mejores deportistas tienden a asemejarse antropométricamente. Objetivo: el objetivo de este estudio es comparar los métodos de proporcionalidad antropométrica: Phantom, Combinado y Escalable, en los campeones chilenos de fútbol masculino universitario de los años 2012 y 2013, ocupando como población de criterio a futbolistas profesionales sudamericanos, con el fin de encontrar el método de proporcionalidad más adecuado para poblaciones de deportistas. Metodología: se realizó la evaluación de 22 variables kineantropométricas, según el protocolo ISAK, a una muestra constituida por 13 jugadores pertenecientes a la selección masculina de fútbol de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. Se obtuvieron los valores Z de cada variable antropométrica de los diferentes métodos, usando sus fórmulas respectivas. Se usó como población de criterio a los futbolistas profesionales sudamericanos. Resultados: se observó una tendencia semejante entre los tres métodos. Se encontraron diferencias significativas (p0,05) en los valores Z de los métodos Escalable y Combinado, respecto al método Phantom. No se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los resultados obtenidos por los métodos Combinado y Escalable, excepto en los perímetros radiocarpiano, cadera y muslo. Conclusión: se propone la utilización del método Escalable sobre el método Combinado y Phantom para realizar la comparación de valores Z en variables kineantropométricas en deportistas de la misma disciplina.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in ten early blind humans, we found robust occipital activation during two odor-processing tasks (discrimination or categorization of fruit and flower odors), as well as during control auditory-verbal conditions (discrimination or categorization of fruit and flower names). We also found evidence for reorganization and specialization of the ventral part of the occipital cortex, with dissociation according to stimulus modality: the right fusiform gyrus was most activated during olfactory conditions while part of the left ventral lateral occipital complex showed a preference for auditory-verbal processing. Only little occipital activation was found in sighted subjects, but the same right-olfactory/left-auditory-verbal hemispheric lateralization was found overall in their brain. This difference between the groups was mirrored by superior performance of the blind in various odor-processing tasks. Moreover, the level of right fusiform gyrus activation during the olfactory conditions was highly correlated with individual scores in a variety of odor recognition tests, indicating that the additional occipital activation may play a functional role in odor processing.

It has long been established that the occipital cortex of early blind animals and humans is activated by nonvisual stimuli (Rauschecker 1995). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we have demonstrated recently that the middle occipital gyrus (MOG) of early blind humans retains its function in spatial localization and is activated in auditory and tactile spatial tasks (Renier et al 2010). Sound localization performance was directly correlated with amount of activation in MOG. Currently we are using a visual-to-auditory substitution device to investigate whether cortical areas in the visual ventral stream also retain their function in face and object recognition when they are stimulated by auditory and tactile “objects”. The results should make a valuable contribution not only to further understanding of this fundamental question regarding cortical plasticity but also to aid blind persons in everyday practical situations.

Despite numerous studies on cross-modal brain plasticity, it is still unclear to what extent distinct (nonvisual) sensory modalities are segregated in the reorganized occipital cortex (OC) of blind subjects. In addition, little is known about the potential role of the OC in olfactory processing that is enhanced in these subjects. Using fMRI, we monitored the brain activity in ten early blind (EB) subjects while they were discriminating or categorizing olfactory (fruit and flower odors) versus auditory-verbal stimuli (fruit and flower names). Both modalities selectively activated the ventral part of the OC and were segregated in this cortex; the right fusiform gyrus was most activated during olfactory conditions while part of the left ventral lateral occipital complex showed a preference for auditory-verbal processing. No such occipital activation was observed in sighted controls, but the same right-olfactory/left-auditory hemispheric lateralization was found overall in their brain. These findings constitute the first evidences (1) that the OC is involved in the processing of odors in EB subjects and (2) that sensory modalities are (to some extent) segregated in the OC of EB subjects. Furthermore, the ventral stream seems to develop its designated functional role in processing stimulus identity independently of visual experience.

We describe the development and evaluation of a computer-controlled system for delivering odors in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment. The system allows a timely presentation of different odors in synchrony with MRI sequences and participant's inspiration phase. The rise/fall time of odor deliverance has been optimized to generate prompt and strong stimulations. Equipped with a user-friendly programming interface, the system can be used reliably in a wide range of experimental paradigms. We have paid particular attention to developing a portable system that is relatively easy, rapid, and inexpensive to replicate. The equipment has been tested in a 3-Tesla MRI in a boxcar paradigm, in which stimulation conditions alternated with rest periods (no stimulation). The experiment demonstrated the good functioning of the device and its efficiency in producing the expected activation in the olfactory cortex; it also revealed some methodological and technical aspects to be improved.

Previous studies showed that early blind humans develop superior abilities in the use of their remaining senses, hypothetically due to a functional reorganization of the deprived visual brain areas. While auditory and tactile functions have been investigated for long, little is known about the effects of early visual deprivation on olfactory processing. However, blind humans make an extensive use of olfactory information in their daily life. Here we investigated olfactory discrimination and identification abilities in early blind subjects and age-matched sighted controls. Three levels of cuing were used in the identification task, i.e., free-identification (no cue), categorization (semantic cues) and multiple choice (semantic and phonological cues). Early blind subjects significantly outperformed the controls in odour discrimination, free-identification and categorization. In addition, the larger group difference was observed in the free-identification as compared to the categorization and the multiple choice conditions. This indicated that a better access to the semantic information from odour perception accounted for part of the improved olfactory performances in odour identification in the blind. We concluded that early blind subjects have both improved perceptual abilities and a better access to the information stored in semantic memory than sighted subjects.

Restoring vision in blind people is an important goal and can be achieved in certain cases, for instance by performing cataract surgeries in children. However, reconnecting the visual system alone is not sufficient; the visual cortex needs to be rewired. In order to fully appreciate visual information, a mental representation of the world needs to be created. Here we are presenting fMRI data from the visual cortex of blind people when they were perceiving faces, houses, and geometric shapes encoded into sounds by means of a sensory substitution device (SSD). Specifically, we focused on selective visual brain areas related to this perception: the fusiform face area (FFA), the lateral occipital complex (LOC) and the parahippocampal place area (PPA). Each area was identified in sighted subjects under visual conditions using a functional localizer consisting of pictures of famous persons, visual 2-D geometric shapes and real houses. Then, region-of-interest analyses were performed on the data acquired in both Congenitally Blind (CB) and Sighted Control (SC) subjects when the SSD was used to discriminate schematic drawings of faces, geometric shapes and houses. Our results indicate that the left LOC was activated under all three conditions in both groups, while the left FFA was activated in CB subjects selectively during the SSD-face discrimination condition. No significant brain activity was found in the PPA in CB or SC subjects at the group level. The specific recruitment of the FFA during the perception of sound-encoded faces in CB subjects shows that they can extract visual information from sound-encoded objects and such perception activates the appropriate module in the visual cortex. Our study also represents new evidence about the developmental constraints on functional specialization in the absence of visual inputs. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015.