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.

Relationship between the social networks and the family dynamics of low‐income working women

Abstract: This article presents the results of research conducted on social networks and family dynamics of poor women in the city of Barranquilla, Colombia. The social networks that develop among working women living in the city's poor neighborhoods are identified within a survival-needs perspective. Additionally, the relationships that develop from such family dynamics are also analyzed. The study was conducted within a single-group ex post facto design, with 200 families of working women from impoverished neighborhoods. These families were studied using structured interviews, that allowed for descriptive analysis of the collected data to identify the social networks and the family dynamics. The relationships that were found between these two variables are discussed. The research findings clearly suggest the usefulness of social networks as an alternative means for social exchange, and within family interactions such as parent–child communication, the exercise of parental authority, affective relationship, and dealing with family conflicts. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

A hypothesis: autonomic rhythms are reflected in growth lines of teeth in humans and extinct archosaurs.

Abstract: A major determinant of tooth architecture is the arrangement of lines in dentin and in the enamel following the contour of the surface. Since the original description of these lines in the 19th century, they have been attributed to recurring events during tooth development. They have also attracted the attention of dental scientists and anthropologists; however, to date, studies of these structures have been largely theoretical and microscopic. We show here that the statistical properties of the spacing between the lines are similar in teeth from both ancient and modern humans and from extinct archosaurs, reptiles that lived tens or hundreds of millions of years ago-they also resemble heart rate variability of living humans. We propose that the deposition of these recurring structures is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. This control accounts for their regularity and recurrent nature and implies that the lines are an expression of a biologic rhythm which has been conserved throughout evolution. Details of the rhythms give clues to life styles in ancient civilizations and to the physiology of extinct archosaurs.

Spatio-temporal dynamics of Plasmodium falciparum transmission within a spatial unit on the Colombian Pacific Coast

Abstract: As malaria control programmes concentrate their efforts towards malaria elimination a better understanding of malaria transmission patterns at fine spatial resolution units becomes necessary. Defining spatial units that consider transmission heterogeneity, human movement and migration will help to set up achievable malaria elimination milestones and guide the creation of efficient operational administrative control units. Using a combination of genetic and epidemiological data we defined a malaria transmission unit as the area contributing 95% of malaria cases diagnosed at the catchment facility located in the town of Guapi in the South Pacific Coast of Colombia. We provide data showing that P. falciparum malaria transmission is heterogeneous in time and space and analysed, using topological data analysis, the spatial connectivity, at the micro epidemiological level, between parasite populations circulating within the unit. To illustrate the necessity to evaluate the efficacy of malaria control measures within the transmission unit in order to increase the efficiency of the malaria control effort, we provide information on the size of the asymptomatic reservoir, the nature of parasite genotypes associated with drug resistance as well as the frequency of the Pfhrp2/3 deletion associated with false negatives when using Rapid Diagnostic Tests.

A novel approach to include sustainability concepts in classical DFMA methodology for sheet metal enclosure devices

Abstract: Nowadays sustainable design is a mandatory requirement in the product development process. For this reason, design methodologies are addressed to establish a close relationship between environmental, social and economic impact indicators and product features from early design stages, especially in those features related to its manufacturing. In this paper, the design for manufacturing and assembly—DFMA methodology is adapted to sheet metal enclosure devices, integrating functional and component relationships to minimize particular sustainability indicators such as energy consumption, carbon footprint, number of parts, required amount of material, assembly time and manufacturing costs. Savings with the proposed method are achieved following specific sub-tasks oriented to define new simplified product components, considering changes in manufacturing processes and re-defining mechanical connections between parts. Traditional DFMA approaches consider manufacturing and assembly issues related to a reduction of product complexity and economic savings. The proposed method aims to examine the benefits in life cycle stages such as raw material consumption, service, maintenance, upgrading and end of life—EOL. The methodology is validated through a redesign of a sheet metal industrial clock, in which the sustainability impacts are calculated from a comparison of an existent product vs. a new product development. The implementation of the method in the case study demonstrate reductions of more than 25% in product mass, consumed energy and CO2 footprint, and more than 50% in theoretical assembly time and product complexity. Sustainability indicators of the proposed method are selected from literature analysis and taking into account attributes of sheet metal enclosure devices.

Teachers’ Beliefs and the Integration of Technology in the EFL Class

Abstract: Over the past few decades, information and communication technologies have been integrated into the language teaching and learning scenario with relatively great success. Accordingly, teachers’ role in this process is fundamental in order to make this integration really relevant for students’ learning. This paper reports the results obtained in a study that was addressed to examine what teachers believe about the effectiveness of using technology in an English program at university level and how these beliefs affect the use of these types of tools in their classes. The research conducted was a qualitative study and the analysis of data revealed that the use of technology-based activities in the English classroom is twofold: reinforcing already studied topics in class and promoting motivation.