• Dr Laura Almendares Calderón, professor at the Technological Faculty of Universidad de Santiago, presented her study “Development of a technology to replace prickly pear skin with a peel to keep the physiological, microbiological and organoleptic properties of the fresh fruit” at the Expo Milano 2015 (Italy). Dr Almendares presented the innovation in an activity devoted to the best sustainable development practices for food security.

Dr Laura Almendares Calderón, professor at the Technological Faculty of our University, carried out a technical visit to the Expo Milano 2015 (Italy) in order to get an insight of the food situation around the world. She was able to see a wide variety of raw materials, manufactured goods, equipment and supplies exhibited by more than one hundred countries. The activity had the presence of leaders from all over the world, like President Michelle Bachelet, who opened the Chilean Pavillion.

In this context, Dr Almendares, director of the FIA-USACH Project, PYT-2012-0033, “Development of a technology to replace prickly pear skin with a peel to keep the physiological, microbiological and organoleptic properties of the fresh fruit”, presented her work at the BSDP Week.

The activity started with an exhibition of photos, porters, brochures and other information material related to this matter. The academic was able to show the results of this Chilean innovative project to people from different countries, at the Urban Center, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, in downtown Milano, between June 10^th and 13^th.

Chile participated in the competition “Feeding Knowledge”, a program created to contribute to the permanent legacy of the Expo Milano 2015.

With that purpose in mind, a document will be generated containing policies and key recommendations to create an effective knowledge system in the food security field in the Mediterranean Region. The final version of this document will be available in September this year.

Selection of proposals

The proposals submitted by eligible candidates underwent a strict admission control by the International Selection Committee, which is responsible for the final evaluation, using nine pre-established criteria.

The proposals that did not meet one or more of the admission criteria were not considered as “Good Practices in Food Safety.”

The ones that were well evaluated officially became “participating initiatives”, like the work presented by Dr Almendares. 

Her work was included in the priority theme “Food consumption habits: diet, environment, society, economy and health.”

This theme groups all projects which objectives are focused on research activities that evaluate the impact of current diets on the environment, economy, society, culture, health and nutritional sustainability.

This was the only Chilean study presented at the activity and it was registered as ‘9712. Development of methodology to replace prickly pear skin for enriched eatable peel. Chile. 25’.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

•   Dr Astrid Oddershede, researcher at the Department of Industrial Engineering of Universidad de Santiago, studied how these technologies work in public and private hospitals and the importance they have for the different agents involved. “We found that the use of ICT is essential for clinical service staff, that is to say, doctors and nurses, as most of them felt that quick and efficient information helped them to have a best performance at work,” she said.

By using the multi-criteria analysis method, Dr Astrid Oddershede, professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering of Universidad de Santiago, studied how Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) were appraised and to what extent they were required by the users of the health system in Chile.

In recent years ICT have become an almost unavoidable need for everyone. Most services have adopted and incorporated them to their operation procedures, like the health system, for example, that evolved from paper forms into digital interconnected systems that allow capturing data. However, it is not clear if this change has been reflected in a better service to users. This was the process that Dr Oddershede evaluated.

By studying the factors that affect the quality of the Chilean health service, Dr Oddershede, an expert in multi-criteria analysis, found that information technologies are considered an important issue in the quality of service; however, there was little scientific literature about the needs and requirements of people who interact with them. This information is helpful for these centres’ managers to better allocate the budget they have, because with this data they can optimize their operations.

With the support of the Scientific and Technological Research Department (Dicyt) of Universidad de Santiago, professor Oddershede studied how these technologies worked in public and private hospitals and their importance for the different users involved. The results were published in the International Journal of Computers Communications & Control under the title “Decision Model for Assessing Healthcare ICT Support Implications: User Perception.”

“We detected four types of users: clinical service staff, patients, administrative staff and researchers. Based on different techniques, we found out that the use of ICT was essential for clinical service staff, that is to say, doctors and nurses, as most of them felt that quick and efficient information helped them to have a best performance at work,” she said.

One of the features that users considered critical was the creation, permanent availability and use of data bases, the most important application to efficiently assist patients. However, it was possible to see in practice that Internet and e-mail were the tools that the system users used the most, what reflected the difference between what users want and what happens in practice.

“Little delay, better access, more reliability and efficiency were the most required features. Then, it was necessary to find what features were essential to develop each task. This allowed us to establish priorities to evaluate the quality of the network available at that moment,” professor Oddershede said.

“Most of the time, these institutions make budget decisions without having enough information about the real needs of their users. This is why these studies are essential, as they allow a better allocation of resources and the optimization of the decision making process on future budgets,” she said.

Multi-criteria analysis based research as a mechanism of agreement

When there are many agents involved in a problem, it is difficult to design a solution, because the idea is not to damage anyone. To find a solution, it would be ideal to have a map of the situation, something similar to what the multi-criteria analysis model seeks. Its purpose is to determine, based on a scientific model, the perception of most of the agents involved and then compare it to what happens in reality. This analysis involves a wide variety of methods which are mainly characterized by their ability to handle decision making problems in contexts with multiple goals, criteria, agents and choices.

According to Dr Oddershede, the greatest value of using this methodology is what you achieve with people. “When making decisions, the different agents many times come into conflict with each other due to the different knowledge, experience and expectations they have. This methodology allows comparing the different situations and helps to explain the problems so that they can find a solution together,” she said.

In recognition of the successful use of this method, professor Oddershede and a team of students at the Master’s Program were awarded a prize in 2013. They received an award to the best published work at the International Symposium on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (ISAHP) held in Malaysia, regarding a multi-criteria analysis conducted in a company that wanted to automate some of its operations.

“When an institution makes this type of decision, problems and reservations are frequent; besides, many agents must interact with each other. Considering the multi-criteria analysis model is a consensual way of approaching the problem, without prioritizing one area over the other,” Dr Oddershede stressed.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• A research team of the Technological Faculty of Universidad de Santiago, led by Dr. Arturo Rodríguez, conducted a study on the perception of Chilean people with regards to the use of electromagnetic technologies and their effect on human health. According to the survey conducted, among 1,100 people in the Metropolitan Region, although 87.4 per cent think that these tools are harmful to health, 92 per cent would not stop using them.

Electromagnetic technologies (mobile phones, Wi-Fi devices, mobile phones antennas, among others) have reached almost all spheres of life. In spite of this, users do not know much about the electromagnetic radiation these devices emit and the risk that they pose, two factors that have been considered the cause of some health problems.

A multidisciplinary team of the New Technologies Research Group (GINT-USACH, in Spanish) led Dr. Arturo Rodríguez, professor at the Technological Faculty of Universidad de Santiago, conducted a study that collected the Chileans’ opinion about technologies and their effect on human health. The study was based on face-to-face surveys and included 1,100 people from different communes of the Metropolitan Region.

The poll conducted in the context of a Public Opinion Dicyt Project showed that Chilean people are highly dependent on electromagnetic technologies, although they are aware of the health risk that they may pose. 

According to the researchers, the conclusions reflect a society that prefers meeting its need for communication and interconnection over health care. For example, 87.4 per cent of the respondents perceive the use of electromagnetic technologies to be harmful to health; however, 62.9 per cent think that it is important to have access to them and they also use these technologies for work.

The researchers say that these results are similar to other practices that can be observed in many situations of daily life. For example, drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes, which are associated to different diseases; however, people would not stop using them. 

The survey showed illustrative data regarding technological dependence. Almost 90 per cent of the respondents said that they use electromagnetic technologies for company, while 92 per cent said that they were not willing to stop using them, in spite of the negative effects they may have.

Regarding the usefulness of these technologies, 39.4 per cent say that they are not totally convinced of using them for commercial transactions; besides, they do not consider these technologies useful tools in case of emergency. 

According to Dr. Rodríguez, “this phenomenon is due to the high presence of technology in daily life and the lack of education regarding the usefulness of technological devices and the need for their use. Technologies which are only oriented to meet needs will lead us to a society that cannot tolerate frustration; doubtlessly, to an increasingly troubled society.”

Translated by Marcela Contreras