De Colombia Research Articles

A technology transfer strategy based on the dynamics of the generation of intellectual property in Latin-America

Purpose: Latin American countries have adopted different models of units or transfer offices associated with improved competitiveness; however, it is unclear whether they have been successful or if they have been designed while taking into account the context and particularities of the region. This article aims to summarize the concept of transfer offices and the context of the generation of knowledge through patents in Latin America, and identify strategies that have been suggested in the literature to set up and operate this type of offices, based on the Latin American context. Design/methodology/approach: Through a systemic literature review, academic articles indexed in the ISI Web of Knowledge and Scopus databases were analyzed to identify the literature related to the context of technology transfer and transfer offices. We cited and analyzed in depth a total of 40 articles. For a review of the Latin American context, 29 documents were reviewed and referenced. Previous documents were taken from specialized networks of the Scientific Information System REDALCYT and libraries of universities, such as the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) and the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, among others. Additionally, we added reports and publications by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL), and REDEMPRENDIA. Statistical data provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) were used for the analysis of patent generation cases in Latin American countries. Subsequently, the literature of the systematic review was compared with studies by authors and Latin American entities, which give a regional context to this work. Finally, strategies were discussed and identified for the consolidation of transfer offices that impact the generation of knowledge in the region. Findings: The results of the literature review conducted revealed that several authors have proposed extensive mechanisms for transfer offices in Latin America that reject the general practices based on patent generation, due to the low generation of patents in the region. These mechanisms permit the generation and transfer of knowledge through different means. Therefore, the results of this article allow for a definition of strategies that has been adjusted to the reality and needs of Latin America, in order to consolidate the transfer offices. Originality/value: The contribution made by this article is focused on identifying possible strategies for consolidating transfer offices that contribute to the technological development of Latin American countries, taking into account the cultural context and limitations of the institutions of higher education.

Illness perceptions amongst individuals with dental caries.

To assess individuals' perception of dental caries, in order to explain how illness representations might influence their coping with the disease. Cross-sectional questionnaire study. 520 consecutive patients (aged ≥18 years) of the General Dentistry Clinic at Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Pasto, Colombia who had experienced dental caries. Illness perception of dental caries was assessed using the Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised (IPQ-R). The most frequent self-reported symptoms associated with dental caries were "toothache" (56.2%), "tooth sensitivity" (53.8%) and "mild to sharp pain when eating or drinking" (51.2%). The dimensions of illness perception were related to socio-economic status (SES). Symptoms of "loose or separating teeth" and "pus in your tooth" were associated with dental caries by low SES participants, while "bleeding while brushing, flossing or eating hard food" and "mild to sharp pain when eating or drinking something sweet, hot or cold" were related more to higher SES. Perceptions of caries were related to socioeconomic status. Interventions to promote health literacy in order to improve the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic oral health information could increase an early detection of caries.

<b>Genome-wide association study using the Bayes C method for important traits in dairy yield in Colombian Holstein Cattle

The objective of this study was to determine the genome association between markers of bovine LD BeadChip with dairy important traits. Information of breeding program of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia was used. BLUP-EBVs were used for dairy yield (DY), fat percentage (FP), protein percentage (PP) and somatic cell score (SCS). 150 animals were selected for blood or semen DNA extraction and genotyping with BovineLD BeadChip (Illumina). Autosomal information was retained and the editing information was performed using Plink v1.07 software. The effects of SNPs were determined by Bayes C with GS3 software. The minor allele frequency for most of the markers on the bead chip was high, which increases the probability of finding important loci segregating in the population. Estimations of fraction markers with an effect were close to zero in almost all cases. The most important markers were mapped by trait using ENSEMBL. A total of 6,510 autosomal SNPs were retained, out of which only a proportion with effect was taken from the mixed function of Bayes C. Important genes as ANKS1B, CLCN1, NMBR and CTSD, were found for each trait for AL, FP, PP and SCS respectively. Finally, Bayes C estimation allowed to identify specific SNPs possibly associated with QTLs.

‘Tactics Rebounding’ in the Colombian Defence of Seed Freedom

This article investigates the Red de Semillas Libres de Colombia [Colombian Network of Free Seeds] movement, since its inception to date (2013-2016). The study, developed within the framework of green criminology and with a focus on environmental justice, draws on ethnographic observations of Red de Semillas and semi-structured interviews with group members. I explore processes of repertoire appropriation developed by social movements. The main argument advanced is that the Red de Semillas experienced a case of ‘tactics rebound’, in which tactics deployed at the global level shaped local tactics, bringing a set of problematic consequences. The article starts by summarising key explorations of repertoires of contention and connecting them with framing theory propositions. My interest is to locate processes of tactic appropriation in the context of collective action frames. I situate this theory in a study of the organisation and the tactics it used to elucidate how the concept of ‘collective action frame hierarchies’ can be used to explain instances of ‘tactics rebounding’.

Using Information Communication Technologies to Foster the Communicative Competence in Undergraduate Students at the UPTC

This research article describes the results of implementing activities through Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in order to foster the communicative competence in a group of students at Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, a public University in Sogamoso, Boyacá. After an exploration in which it was determined that students prefer activities with ICTs to learn English, contents and activities were adapted so they could fit students’ interests. The results are shown in three categories: ICTs as a tool to foster oral production, ICTs to build vocabulary, and ICTs as a motivator to learn and interact in the target language.

Percepciones de los estudiantes sobre el uso de los laboratorios virtuales en mecánica de suelos

Este artículo muestra los resultados de adoptar laboratorios virtuales en la asignatura de mecánica de suelos en los pregrados de ingeniería civil e ingeniería agrícola en la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Desde la perspectiva de los estudiantes, presenta de qué manera los laboratorios contribuyen a la comprensión y aplicación de conceptos en la solución de problemas relacionados con la mecánica de suelos. Se exploraron los resultados de la percepción de autoeficacia de los estudiantes así como de su percepción sobre los laboratorios virtuales en relación con las características socio-demográficas de los estudiantes. La evidencia recolectada sugiere que los estudiantes encuentran que los laboratorios contribuyen a potenciar sus habilidades de investigación, de análisis y conocimientos en mecánica de suelos. Los estudiantes que dedicaron mayor tiempo a la asignatura consideran que los laboratorios virtuales permiten desarrollar conceptos y habilidad de análisis y evalúan positivamente el trabajo con estos laboratorios.

Una propuesta de aula invertida en la asignatura de señales y sistemas de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia

La estrategia de aula invertida ha tomado fuerza durante la última década debido a la integración de nuevas tecnologías en el ámbito educativo, facilitando el desarrollo de procesos de aprendizaje auto-regulado y de aprendizaje activo en las aulas. Teniendo en cuenta las ventajas de esta metodología, se diseñó una estrategia basada en el aula invertida para abordar el tema de “convolución” en la asignatura de Señales y Sistemas I de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. La estrategia fue implementada con 90 estudiantes, quienes reportaron sus percepciones acerca de la estrategia propuesta a través de una encuesta. Los resultados muestran una percepción positiva en relación a la metodología y los recursos educativos propuestos. No obstante, se identificaron en algunos casos sugerencias de mejora asociadas a los recursos educativos y aspectos operativos.

Effects of Changing Double Angles Configuration Used as Braces in Seismic Resisting Systems

Seismic resisting systems consisting of double angles are used in many parts of the world. Generally, these double angles are arranged in the shape of a T, with a very small distance between them. However, sometimes these angles are distanced and faced in order to improve their mechanical characteristics about the axis of symmetry. In the past, their design was made in the same way as the double angles arranged in a T shape, that is, considering the limit states of flexural buckling and buckling by flexural-torsional, but ignoring the properties of the connectors and their effect on the modified slenderness ratio, as well as the fact that in this case the warping constant is not negligible. These parameters are taken into account in this research in order to study the effects of increasing the distance between the connectors and their possible use as braces in seismic resisting systems. The theoretical results were compared with the experimental results of fifty-seven specimens tested in the laboratory of structures of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia – Sede Manizales. The models were classified according to the main angles, the connectors, the total lengths, and the width of separation. All of them were subjected to axial compressive stress, with free rotation at both ends. Three identical specimens of each model were constructed. The flexural buckling length about x-axis was limited to two meters in all specimens tested whereas the flexural bucking length about y-axis and flexural-torsional buckling length were not limited, i.e. these lengths are equivalent to the total length of each specimen tested. This in order that the critical limit state was to be the flexural-torsional buckling as a function of the torsional buckling term in Z, except in the models of class 2 in which this induced condition was not reached. This was proposed to better evaluate the torsional buckling term in Z. The experimental results show that the nominal compressive strength for the flexural-torsional buckling limit state, when it is governed by torsion, is undervalued. A new methodology is proposed for the calculation of the nominal compressive strength for the flexural-torsional buckling limit state, when it is governed by torsion.

Theorizing Business and Local Peacebuilding Through the “Footprints of Peace” Coffee Project in Rural Colombia

Despite emerging study of business initiatives that attempt to support local peace and development, we still have significant knowledge gaps on their effectiveness and efficiency. This article builds theory on business engagements for peace through exploration of the Footprints for Peace (FOP) peacebuilding project by the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (FNC). FOP was a business-peace initiative that attempted to improve the lives of vulnerable populations in conflict-affected regions. Through 70 stakeholder interviews, we show how FOP operationalized local peace and development in four conflict-affected departments of Colombia, and examine FNC’s motivations for and effectiveness of its peacebuilding activities. Our main finding is that FOP’s success supported several existing theories on business engagement in peace both in terms of peacebuilding by business and for local economic and societal development, providing evidence in support of development–business collaborations and local peacebuilding by business under certain targeted circumstances. We relate these findings to existing literature, highlighting where existing business-peace theory is supported, where FOP challenged assumptions, and where it illuminated new research gaps. These findings serve to take business-peace theory forward and improve our understandings of what can constitute success for business-peace initiatives in Colombia and possibly other conflict-affected regions.

Incidental records of mammals from Leguízamo, Putumayo, Amazon region at the southern border of Colombia

Between February and September of 2015, we visited different sites along the Leguízamo jurisdiction, as part of an ornithological survey and education project (Acevedo-Charry et al. unpublished data). During fieldwork, some mammals were recorded, not systematically, through direct observation, tracks and incidental captures in mist-nets, which served as evidence and were used for taxonomic confirmation. Specimens collected were deposited in the “Alberto Cadena García” mammal collection of the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá (Appendix 1 in Supporting Information). In addition, some species were recognized from informal interviews with local people and were included as potentially present but acknowledging the need for further confirmation. Our aim is to present these incidental mammal records as a contribution and support of the ongoing research in the Amazon region of Colombia.

Estudio comparativo técnico y económico del sistema de perforación horizontal “ramming” y el sistema convencional, estudio de caso

Introducción: el artículo es el resultado de la investigación “Estudio comparativo técnico y económico del sistema de perforación horizontal “ramming” y el sistema convencional, estudio de caso”, desarrollada en la Universidad Católica de Colombia durante el 2016.Objetivo: realizar una comparación técnica y económica al tomar como referencia una obra ubicada en el municipio de Tocancipá, mediante la cual se identifiquen cantidades de obra, costos, procesos constructivos, impacto ambiental, equipos y mano de obra en obras de instalación de redes subterráneas.Metodología: consistió en recopilación de información bibliográfica sobre el tema, adquisición y análisis de datos de campo y presentar conclusiones ordenadas y claras con el fin de cumplir el propósito principal del proyecto.Resultados: a partir de los datos de campo se obtuvieron otros que permitieron realizar la comparación económica de los costos directos e indirectos; de igual forma, en los aspectos técnicos de ambas tecnologías de intervención.Conclusiones: se logró hallar los costos directos e indirectos en los que se evidencia cómo para los costos directos el sistema de excavación a cielo abierto es más económico que el sistema de excavación ramming, y para los costos indirectos sucedió lo contrario.Originalidad: el proyecto tiene un aporte de originalidad y de interés en la ingeniería civil dado que fue posible realizar un estudio completo en una obra con dos técnicas de cruce de tuberías y se ha entregado un insumo importante para desarrollar futuras investigaciones.Limitaciones: escaza información sobre la utilización e investigación publicada de nuevas tecnologías de construcción de cruces de tuberías en Colombia.

Estudio de la colaboración en publicaciones científicas. Facultad de Ciencias -UPTC, 2002-2014

Las dinámicas de colaboración científica visualizan la relación entre investigadores, instituciones y países, determinando estructuras de comunidades científicas. El estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar las dinámicas de publicación a través de indicadores de colaboración a partir de datos obtenidos de los docentesinvestigadores de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia reportados en bases de alto impacto, que permiten caracterizar su perfil investigativo. Se aplican técnicas bibliométricas y análisis de redes. Se encontró que las dinámicas de colaboración fueron crecientes desde el 2008, con coautoría predominante internacional, y que existe correlación entre colaboración y productividad. Los resultados proporcionan a la comunidad académica un referente analítico para otros estudios, en otras universidades, tanto por los aspectos metodológicos como de sus resultados, potencializando la toma de decisiones en políticas institucionales en cuanto a investigación científica.

Transitional Justice and the Colombian Peace Processs

textabstractThis introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book begins with a brief history of the conflict and of previous peace processes, making the case that the current peace process is best understood in relation to the wider historical process of state consolidation and successive peace attempts in Colombia. The book discusses in detail the agreements between the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia—Ejercito del Pueblo (FARC—EP) and the Colombian Government and its transitional justice component. The book focuses on identifying the challenges facing the implementation of the objectives of the transitional justice component of the peace agreement between the FARC—EP and the Colombian Government. It examines the challenges encountered in relation to policies regarding land and its restitution in Colombia. The Colombian Government has implemented and experimented with a diversity of measures in pursuit of justice and transitional justice in Colombia.

Evaluation of the need for specialists in oncology, Bogota, Colombia, 2015

To evaluate the need of oncologists for cancer care in Bogotá. The Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia (SISPRO) consultation report of malignant neoplasms is compared to a model of four treatment consultations and two of controls per year, according to the estimation of incidence and prevalence. Based on these data, the need for oncologists is calculated and compared with the registry that this ministry has of independent professionals (private practice in the office) and public and private health care institutions. When comparing the consultations made with those estimated for the care, it Is found that the indispensable consultations are not met with notable exception in lymphomas and leukemias, with more consultations than expected, and in ovary cancers, thyroid, cancers in other body parts and unspecified. The productivity of professionals in relation to the number of independent professionals is low, with excess supply in surgical oncology specialties except for urology; and there is a deficit in hematology oncology, clinical oncology and radiotherapy. But in this last situation, when including other sources, it is not found that the number of these specialists is lower than required. The oncological surgical specialties have an oversupply in Bogotá except for urology, while clinical oncology and radiotherapy, that have a number under the register of independent professionals, are supplemented by physicians from public and / or private health care institutions.

Methodological proposal for the assessment of environmental aspects in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)

This work proposes a methodology specially aimed at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The methodology is based on the use of quantitative and qualitative indicators that allow diminishing the assessment’s subjectivity and the uncertainty of the results. This proposal was designed within the implementation of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) according to the ISO standard 14.001/2015, so it can be applied by any kind of organization interested in improving its environmental performance by identifying its environmental aspects, as well as assessing and preventing its environmental impacts. The methodological proposal assesses standard criteria like the affected area and the frequency of the activities that generate the environmental aspects. This analysis is complemented by innovative indicators such as the danger of the substances related to the environmental aspect, the time of exposure and the effects on human health. Additionally, some indicators that allow measuring the magnitude of the harm generated by the identified aspects are also included. The proposed approach has two main advantages: first, it allows integrating the environmental analysis with other management systems, such as the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS 18001), quality (ISO 9001) and general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories (ISO 17025), among others; and second, it establishes an indicators system whose frequent assessment allows following up the environmental aspects and evaluate the effectiveness of its management measures. The application of this methodology in the main seat of Universidad Nacional de Colombia revealed that the most significant environmental aspects were: generation of ordinary solid waste, consumption of potable water, consumption of electric power, generation of recyclable solid waste, and wastewater discharge.

Pázala, el juego para saber construir paz

Colombia is currently immersed in a relevant moment in its history, where the possibility of overcoming an armed conflict with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - FARC is evident, and which has built a culture around violence. As for this process, SENA has a main role since it is the institution called to perform Integral Professional Formation to the prior combatant and thus contribute to the reincorporation to the social society in a regular way. In order to succeed, it is necessary that the educative community from SENA, counts on the needed skills around the topic of Peace Culture and Construction. The current article is framed by the line of academy, society and institutions’ challenges and has as main objective: To promote a culture of peace among the educative SENA community and the society in general within the recognition of an individual as a person of rights, through the strengthening of citizenship skills facing the postfight agreement scenario. It is for this reason that a methodology called “PAZALA”, a dynamic game which helps construct peace, will be presented, where it is intended to generate several spaces of meeting and re-encountering in a soccer game, so that through conciliatory practices (coexistence principles) the minds and the way of being can be transformed in the frame of peace consolidation. In this document, you will be able to find all the conceptual and methodological support which looks for the strengthening of peace, where everybody is the main character.

Experimental Data and New Binary Interaction Parameters for Ethanol-Water VLE at Low Pressures Using NRTL and UNIQUAC

Separation of ethanol from many sources, mainly renewable sources, is commonly achieved by atmospheric distillation. Even so, there is new technologies for ethanol separation and purification: pressure-swing distillation, extractive distillation, adsorption with molecular sieves and vacuum membrane distillation. The design, rating and optimization of these process technologies requires a reliable and universal thermodynamic modeling approach capable of represents the ethanol-water system properties, and in particular the vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) near the azeotropic point. This study resume experimental data of VLE for ethanol-water system at vacuum pressures (13.15-101.32 kPa) and its corresponding thermodynamic consistency test results using the Redlich-Kister method. The parameters and constants for the detailed thermodynamic modeling of the ethanol-water system using polar fluid Soave-Redlich-Kwong equation of state (polar-SRK) are resumed, as well as the standard binary interaction parameters for NRTL and UNIQUAC excess Gibbs energy models commonly used for the simulations involved in the chemical process engineering activities. This study contains the regression of new binary interaction parameters in a temperature dependent form compatible with the most process simulation software, for NRTL and UNIQUAC, and its validation using experimental data for azeotropic points at different low pressures with errors of less than 1% for temperature and ethanol molar fraction in vapor phase estimation. The new parameters were tested using isobaric experimental data for VLE at 3 under-atmospheric pressures obtaining correlation coefficient (R 2 ) values of about 1. The calculations were performed using python 3.4® codes developed and supplied by S&SE and Aspen properties® V8.6 provided by the Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Norma internacional de auditoría (NIA) 220: control de calidad para auditorías de información financiera histórica y el desempeño del auditor externo

En este artículo se aborda la Norma Internacional de Auditoría (NIA) 220 que hace relación al Control de Calidad de la Auditoría de Estados Financieros, mediante la cual se establecen las responsabilidades específicas del personal de la firma, respecto de procedimientos de control de calidad para auditorías de información financiera histórica. Su objetivo fue identificar el conocimiento que tienen los Contadores Públicos de la ciudad de Villavicencio, de la Norma Internacional de Auditoría (NIA) 220 que hace relación al Control de Calidad de la Auditoría de Estados Financieros. El método utilizado fue el cuantitativo, mediante el cual se analizó la información obtenida de Contadores Públicos de la Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Sede Villavicencio, obteniendo como resultados que existe desconocimiento por parte de los Contadores Públicos que ejercen como Auditores Externos especialmente en las responsabilidades que tiene el Socio de Trabajo dentro de su equipo, por lo que se concluye que este desconocimiento de la norma le impide asumir la responsabilidad de la calidad global de los trabajos que realiza su empresa.

EDITORIAL

The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia is pleased to present the first issue of Volume 36, 2018 of the Agronomia Colombiana journal. This issue is composed of 10 articles on various aspects of agricultural and food research, conducted particularly in the neotropics. The areas covered in this issue are: plant Breeding, Genetic Resources and Molecular Biology (with the highest number of papers), Crop protection, Soils, Fertilization and Water Management, physiology and postharvest Technology, Economics and Rural Development, and Food Science and Technology.

Aportes del Hospital San Juan de Dios a la medicina y a la educación

Introducción. El estudio de las contribuciones académicas y científicas del Conjunto Hospitalario San Juan de Dios (CHSJD) —Hospital San Juan de Dios, Instituto Materno Infantil e Instituto de Inmunología— durante el siglo XX es una base conceptual importante para impulsar el desarrollo de los hospitales universitarios en el país y el continente Objetivo. Presentar los aportes que el CHSJD ha traído a los distintos campos de la medicina, al desarrollo de la educación médica y a la construcción de escuela.Materiales y métodos. Se efectúa un análisis descriptivo, de corte cualitativo, centrado en los principales hitos ocurridos en el CHSJD entre 1866 y el momento de la suspensión de actividades. Se hace consulta de informadores clave, encuesta electrónica y revisión documental.Resultados. Gracias a su asociación con las diferentes facultades de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, el San Juan de Dios ha sido el hospital universitario pionero en Colombia. Sus múltiples aportes en diferentes disciplinas continúan vigentes y permiten que, a pesar de su cese de funciones, siga siendo reconocido como una de las fuentes más grandes de conocimiento científico del país.Conclusión. En el desarrollo de los hospitales universitarios, resulta esencial que el personal científico-docente asuma el reto de implementar y desarrollar innovaciones orientadas a la solución de los retos en salud.