With the presence of prominent speakers, the meeting allowed us to review the main aspects of Contemporary Criminal Law.

In the Multipurpose Hall of the Enrique Molina Garmendia Campus, the ''I Criminal Law Seminar: The principle of legality and criminal policy issues was held. Challenges and proposals of contemporary criminal law'', organized by the students of the Law career, attached to the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences (FACSE) of the University of La Serena, with the support of the School management.

On the occasion, the director of the ULS Law course, Gonzalo Plaza, introduced the students from different houses of higher education, guests and specialists, to the concept of Criminal Law, pointing out that with this initiative future lawyers acquire tools and necessary updates for optimal professional practice.

Subsequently, the lawyer Carlos Esperguen, an academic with extensive experience and a specialist in the field, gave a conference on "Deception in the crime of fraud through computer means, an unresolved problem", giving an account of the many edges and forms to interpret current legislation regarding the use of technology as a means to commit offenses and fraud of different sizes.

The day continued with a visit to the area by Raúl Carnevali, Dr. in Criminal Law from the University of Navarra, Spain, and an academic at different institutions in the country, who has stood out for being the author of books, articles and being a co-researcher in important projects related to the central theme, including: "Extraterritorial Jurisdiction and International Criminal Law" sponsored by the Universidad de los Andes; "The causal relationship in civil liability for damages" sponsored by the Universidad de los Andes; ''The new challenges that the new social structures impose on Criminal Law' 'sponsored by the University of Talca; and "The Principle of Complementarity: a paradigm shift in international justice" sponsored by the University of Talca.

Through the conference "The principle of legality and its current challenges," the specialist shared with students and academics his vision regarding the challenges faced by jurisprudence and the prevailing legal system in our country.

In the Official's Patio, located on the Isabel Bongard Campus, the celebration of Worker's Day was held at the University of La Serena, an activity organized by the Human Resources Department and in which a large number of members of the university community participated. , who enjoyed a pleasant moment of recreation.

On the occasion, the director of Human Resources, Héctor Bugueño, reflected on what it means to work at a public university. '''Working in a public institution implies sharing a scenario in which diversity is respected, public values ​​are promoted, it implies working in a space fully committed to knowledge, it means living in a quality environment that is managed with criteria of equity and pluralism'', adding that it is a participatory and tolerant space, ''it is the place where we share a vision of the future, experiences and traditions''.

Furthermore, he maintained that as workers we must think big, starting from each of the specific functions that we perform, "since as a worker, we are contributing to the construction of the University that we dream of."

Meanwhile, the president of the Association of ULS Officials, Cecilia Hernández, indicated that as officials "we have a great opportunity ahead of us, let's not waste it, the opportunity to demonstrate the quality of people and workers that we are," highlighting which in this way contributes to transforming the University into an institution of excellence. 

University authorities, headed by the Rector, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, directors, academics, presidents and members of trade associations, officials of the institution and representatives of Caja de Compensación Los Andes, Coopeuch, Mutual de Seguridad and SENDA, were present at this celebration in which they enjoyed the melodies of the groups ''Carpediem'' and ''The Blue'', made up of academics and officials, and the Orchestra of the Luis Braille School of La Serena, made up of students from the establishment, under the directed by Professor Leonardo Saavedra, who received applause from those present, as well as the theatrical cast of the Extension Directorate ''ÉTÉULS'', which performed the play ''En Redes con Polígona''.

During this event, in addition, the Safety Mutual of the Chilean Chamber of Construction, presented recognition to the Rector, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, and to the members of the Ovalle Joint Committee, since the latter was certified at Level 1 ''Bronze'' for their efforts, commitments, innovations, and the optimization of their management, based on the guidelines provided by the Mutual and the Risk Prevention Department of the study house.

Likewise, various prizes from Caja de Compensación Los Andes, Coopeuch and Óptica ''D'Ibañez'' were raffled among attendees, gifts that were given by representatives of these entities and the Human Resources Department.

Finally, the officials were able to enjoy a snack prepared for this day of camaraderie.

Important international media have already publicized the discovery that, for the first time, shows a plant imitating several ''hosts''.

The vine Boquila trifoliolata, native to the temperate rainforest of Chile and Argentina, is the protagonist of a notable discovery in nature made by the researcher at the University of La Serena, Dr. Ernesto Gianoli Molla.Through research, the scientist verified that the leaves of this climbing plant can imitate the leaves of multiple support trees (hosts) and their mimicry patterns are consistent with a herbivory avoidance hypothesis. 

The discovery was made by Dr. Ernesto Gianoli together with his student from the U. de Concepción, Fernando Carrasco Urra. The article was published last week in the journal Current Biology (Elsevier) (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982214002693) and immediately caught the attention of important international media.

National Geographichttp://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2014/04/24/the-most-versatile-impressionist-in-the-forest/) and Science (http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/04/scienceshot-chameleon-vine-discovered-chile) have already announced this discovery that shows the remarkable imitation capacity of this plant, while this week the magazine Nature will join in.

As the biologists point out in their article, mimicry in animals is quite common, while documented cases in plants are rare and the associated benefits rarely elucidated. 

In the case of Boquila trifoliolata (family Lardizabalaceae), the imitation of the leaves of its supporting trees is carried out in terms of size, shape, thickness and color of the blade, as well as the orientation and length of the petiole, and even, the appearance of a thorn at the leaf apex. 

As the researchers highlight, the case of other plants that have the capacity to mimic another species or its characteristics has previously been reported, but this is the first time that a single individual can imitate multiple and varied hosts.

According to the data obtained by the authors, this ability gives these plants some protection against forest herbivores, such as insects and small snails.

Dr. Ernesto Gianoli and Fernando Carrasco have not yet determined how this plant – which is already beginning to be called in the media ''the chameleon vine'' – can capture the characteristics of its nearby trees. At the moment, it is presumed that it would have the ability to do so by detecting signals hidden in odors or chemicals secreted by hosts, or by means of microbes that can transport activation gene signals between Boquila trifoliolata and the mimic species.

The discovery

As the biologist from the University of La Serena tells National Geographic, the discovery was part of a naturalistic observation walk through the forest, when he decided to take a break from the usual sampling and measurement work that his studies of forest plants entail. temperate climates of Chile.

At that time, Dr. Ernesto Gianoli discovered the strange capacity of Boquila trifoliolata, which grew in the sector exhibiting very different leaves, while similar to its nearby plants and trees.

Thus Fernando Carrasco's undergraduate thesis project was born and the research began that made it possible to verify the extraordinary capabilities of the aforementioned vine, in which they were even able to show that the leaves of Boquila can vary up to 10 times the size of their leaves and from very light to very dark their color.

The relevance of this finding, which in the words of Ernesto Gianoli "can lead us to understand a new way by which the phenotype of plants is controlled", has led the authors of the main biology textbook in English (Campbell ) contact you to give special coverage to the case in the next edition of the book.

In the host study house, students of Commercial Engineering, Construction Engineering, Food Engineering, Ped. in Spanish and Philosophy, Ped. in English and Journalism who have a disability actively participate in the activities prepared for them.

The Support Program for Students with Disabilities (PAED) at the University of La Serena and the Inclusive Higher Education Network in the Coquimbo Region (REDESIC) were the organizers of a training day on Teaching Strategies with a Universal Approach, aimed to teachers of different careers from educational institutions that serve students with sensory and/or motor disabilities.

The activity took place during the morning in Room 2 of the Teaching Improvement Unit of the ULS, with the objective of learning some suggestions for adapting study materials and teaching aids so that university students with sensory or physical disabilities can take different courses. 

Aspects such as the adaptation of methodologies, teaching materials, evaluation techniques and others were addressed. The rapporteurs were the person in charge of the PAED and president of REDESIC Region of Coquimbo, Georgina García, academic of the Department of Education of the University of La Serena; the PAED professional, Andrea Irarrázabal; and the kinesiologist from the U. Pedro de Valdivia, Joel García.

The types of disabilities addressed are vision problems (total blindness and low vision), hearing (profound deafness or hearing loss) and physical problems (limitations in the execution of movements and/or chronic diseases). Regarding them, various international investigations provide advice and suggestions to optimize student performance in classes.

For example, Georgina García emphasized that the use of accessible, flexible and simple instructions is recommended; communicate content effectively; consider the different paces of learning; minimize physical effort and maximize attention to learning; consider the characteristics of the students in the instructions; create learning communities; and generate welcoming and inclusive environments.

Other aspects to consider are: providing multiple means of representation (occupying different channels: auditory, visual or motor), multiple means for action and expression (different ways to learn and make known what has been learned) and multiple means of engagement (offering options so that they feel involved and motivated to learn).

The ULS academic also urged attendees not to generalize the behavior of people with disabilities, even if they have the same condition; find out with the student himself what he requires before modifying the environment or determining supports; do not force him to receive help, avoid overprotection and promote autonomy; and make non-significant curricular adjustments to guarantee conditions of equity.

In the same way, he recommended for classroom work to ensure that they have a seat in the front row, ensure that they have good lighting, allow the use of recorders or other recording materials, and adapt PowerPoint presentations (dark background, white letters and short texts). ), verbalize visual information, adapt evaluation formats (Braille, larger print or orally), have visible warning signs (for example, for classroom changes) and allow longer times for their work or dissertations, among others. suggestions that will help young people achieve their best academic performance.

In the afternoon, the workshop was replicated with numerous preschool, basic and secondary school teachers from different educational establishments in the area.

Let us remember that the Support Program for Students with Disabilities at the U. de La Serena has as its fundamental purpose to provide comprehensive support – academic, social and health – to university students with sensory and/or motor disabilities. In addition, guide their academics and families so that they can support these students, so that they can respond satisfactorily to the academic, social and emotional demands that any professional training process implies. 

It is important to mention that the entry and participation of students with disabilities in this Program is voluntary. Currently, 6 young people studying Commercial Engineering, Construction Engineering, Food Engineering, Ped. in Spanish and Philosophy, Ped. in English and Journalism actively participate in initiatives that support different areas of their personal and professional training. 

Students, academics and administrators who wish to have more information about the PAED can visit the Resource Room of the Central Library ''Irma Salas'' (Anfión Muñoz corner Infante) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 13 p.m. :00 a.m. and on Tuesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 16:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Inclusive Higher Education Network in the Coquimbo Region is headed by the U. of La Serena and has among its members the UCN, UPV, U. Central and Colegio Maristas Nuestra Señora de Andacollo.

Coinciding with the passage of the aircraft, the validation of the remotely detected data was carried out through a Terrain Group, whose members made measurements and took samples of soil and vegetation in various types of agricultural fields.

For the second consecutive year, the UAVSAR (Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission, a NASA air vehicle that has a polarimetric L-band radar sensor, flew over a large part of the Coquimbo Region with the purpose of making soil moisture measurements. by radar remote sensing. An international cooperation project was incorporated this year to the four fields measured in 2013 (Juan Soldado, Callegari, La Alpina and Las Cardas). and from the University of La Serena, through the head of the Central Laboratory for Analysis and Applied Research of the state campus, Mg. Héctor Maureira, who added to the analysis the vineyards of Tamaya and Tabalí (Province of Limarí) with the objective of creating a Water Management Model for the cultivation of the vine, using satellite data, which will provide a decision-making tool for managing the irrigation, through maps of Evapotranspiration, Temperature and Humidity of Soil and Vegetation, and Water Stress.

It is expected that through the use of satellite information it will be possible to increase yield and quality related to key parameters such as: yield per hectare, sugar content and bunch density. "All of the above can be achieved through the information generated by maps, which will make it possible to adopt an efficient irrigation strategy, knowing when and how much water to use," said Maureira, who maintained that the model could also be expanded to other crops or natural plant covers of our region, currently exposed to a long period of drought.

For the validation of the data remotely detected by the radar, the support of a Field Group made up of more than 70 people was required, which, coinciding with the passage of the aircraft, made measurements and took samples of soil and vegetation in the fields. aforementioned agriculture.

''Soil samples were taken to measure humidity and also samples of biomass, that is, of vegetables. To these is added the measurement of the roughness of the terrain and the temperature, which are elements that serve to correct the radar images,'' explained the ULS researcher, Héctor Maureira, adding that this sampling was in charge of of students and professionals from the University of La Serena, the Catholic University of the North, the Mayor University, the Oterra Natural Resources Study Center and the Santo Tomas Institute and Technical Training Center, after lining up and marking points of the Chilean Army (Regiment No. 21 Coquimbo) and the Chilean Navy (Maritime Government of Coquimbo). While personnel from the Investigative Police of Chile (Metropolitan Region), carried out the georeferencing of the sampling points, "in order to achieve absolute precision of the point in which the sample is taken, which is compared with the information that generates the plane," said the expert. 

The field work had the collaboration of these institutions and the University of Chile - Ceza Arid Zones Study Center, the Ministry of Public Works, Agrícola Callegari Ltda., Agrícola La Alpina Ltda., Viña Tabalí SA and Viña Tamaya SA In addition, This mission was sponsored by the Compañía Minera del Pacífico. 

According to what was indicated by the person in charge of the NASA-UAVSAR Mission in the Coquimbo Region, Héctor Maureira, it is expected that the results of the samples and the information obtained by the plane will be ready by the end of July.

The NASA-UAVSAR mission constitutes a test of the sensors that is being carried out through various places on Earth to validate those that will be incorporated into the SMAP (Soil Moisture Activ Passiv) satellite that will be launched on November 5, 2014. with which periodic measurements of soil humidity of the entire planet will be obtained, serving as a basic input for the creation of humidity and drought models, which will allow us to understand, together with other data, the climatological processes suffered by the region

The activity included the participation of the Rector of the ULS, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, and the guest speaker Mg. Lic. Ricardo Marcelo Coca, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the National University of San Juan, Argentina. 

With the participation of the new students of the Master's Degree ''Leadership, Strategic Management and Communication in Organizations'', the welcome ceremony for this postgraduate program was held, which is being taught in its 5th version after several years of successful results.

The activity had as a special guest, the dean of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences of the National University of San Juan Argentina, Ricardo Marcelo Coca, who in his presentation addressed the importance of the generation of knowledge and technological scientific development, are linked to social development. In this regard, Dean Coca emphasized that "it is very relevant that the issue of business is not disconnected from ethics and the development of people and in this regard we have social commitments that require us to be more responsible every day."

On the occasion, the director of the Master's Degree, Dr. Luperfina Rojas, pointed out that this program ''allows us to provide an alternative for continuity of studies for our graduates; It is a transversal master's degree, in which we have students who are commercial engineers, psychologists, journalists, lawyers, among other professionals, which allows us to address such important topics as leadership, communication and strategic management and, as a transversal axis, ethics.' '.

Dr. Rojas added that ''for us this process has been very important, this is the fifth generation of students who have entered and we have important challenges such as the accreditation of the program and the opportunity to teach it in Argentina at the National University of San Juan . We are happy, we have made notable progress with the graduates, which shows us that we are on the right path, given that the people who have entered have been climbing in their professional lives, that is important because it shows that from this Master's degree onwards they They manage to differentiate themselves.

With this postgraduate program, the professional acquires extensive skills to develop a strategic vision, manage it, form and lead work teams, developing effective communication skills and mastery in the development of messages that position and empower their organization. 

To do this, this graduate will have a solid theoretical base complemented with an ethical-value perspective that will allow him to act correctly in the application of the relevant processes and theories to create, maintain and optimize, from a strategic point of view, internal and external communications. of any organization, whether public or private, so that they positively impact the social and economic profitability of the organization.

Its duration is four semesters and the modality of operation is every week, on Fridays and Saturdays.

It should be noted that the activity also included the participation of the Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Nibaldo, Avilés Pizarro, the academic vice-rector, Dr. Jorge Catalán, the dean of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Mg. Jorge Fernández, and university authorities.

Master Talk

Within the framework of the activities carried out on the same day, during the afternoon the Master Talk ''Universities of Argentina'' was given by Dean Coca to the students of the courses of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences in the framework of the 2014 anniversary.

The activity was marked by a large attendance of authorities, academics and students, who were able to learn about the development of Higher Education in Argentina through this exhibition.