Universidad del Norte, Colombia

About: Universidad del Norte, Colombia is a education organization based out in Barranquilla, Colombia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 3562 authors who have published 4355 publications receiving 37861 citations. The organization is also known as: University of the North, Colombia & Uninorte.

A framework to evaluate particulate matter emissions in bulk material ports: case study of Colombian coal terminals

Abstract: The objective of this work is to provide a framework for the evaluation of dust pollution as a result of bulk cargo terminal (BCT) operations. This comprises the formulation of a simplified but comprehensive model of BCT operation, which will be used as a base for dust emissions estimation. An implementation of the methodology is presented by performing the evaluation of dust emission in typical coal terminals located at the Caribbean Region of Colombia. In this context, a classification for coal export terminals is proposed to evaluate the relation between operation parameter and particulate matter emissions.

Analysis on the determinants of shipment size and type-of-truck choices using a discrete-continuous hybrid model

Abstract: When modelling freight demand, a common assumption is that decision makers decide on the commercial vehicle that best suits their transportation needs. Even though the discrete choice of vehicle type depends on the shipment size, which is a continuous variable, vehicle type choice models usually do not include any shipment size factor. The origin and destination of the cargo, the type of product, attributes related to the level of service (e.g., travel time and cost), trucking operational patterns and shipper's characteristics are also factors that determinate both choices. This paper proposes a joint estimation procedure for the discrete-continuous model based on the integrated choice and latent variable model. Our approach explicitly includes the shipment size as a continuous latent variable within the discrete type-of-truck choice. The application of the model in the Colombian context highlights the importance of considering the interrelationship between freight mode and shipment size decisions. Modelling results also suggest the presence of unobserved common factors influencing both decisions. The model was used to evaluate policies oriented to promote cargo consolidation. The evaluation suggests that increasing the tolls for small vehicles is feasible because of their higher cost sensitivity.

Characterising the Personality of the Public Safety Offender and Non-offender using Decision Trees: The Case of Colombia

Abstract: The aim of this paper was to create a decision tree (DT) to identify personality profiles of offenders against public safety. A technique meeting this requirement was proposed that uses the C4.5 algorithm to derive decision rules for personality profiling of public safety offenders. The Mini-Mult test was used to measure the personality profiles of 238 individuals. With the test results as our database, a C4.5 DT was applied to construct rules that classify each profile into one of two groups, those without and those with records of offences against public safety. The model correctly classified 80% of the personality profiles and delivered a set of decision rules for distinguishing the profiles by group, and the principal personality profiles were interpreted. We conclude that DTs are a promising technique for analysing personality profiles by their offender or non-offender status. Finally, we believe that the development of a classifying model using DT may have practical applications in the Colombian prison system. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mapping violent land orders: armed conflict, moral economies, and the trajectories of land occupation and dispossession in the Colombian Caribbean

Abstract: In Colombia, armed conflict intersected with land politics in complex ways. Throughout conjunctures of guerrilla and paramilitary domination, the moral economies that sustained hierarchical land or...