Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios

This article aims to evaluate the impact of cluster characteristics, including cooperation and information sources, on the innovative performance of companies in the health sector in Colombia. It analyzes how collaboration and knowledge exchange within clusters affect innovation outcomes and provides information on their role as mechanisms to foster competitiveness and enhance innovation in the health sector. An ordered multinomial logit model was used, where the dependent variable was the innovative performance of companies in the health sector, classified into four categories: intention to innovate, initiation and abandonment of the innovation process, and innovation for the national and international market. Explanatory variables included aspects of cooperation and sources of information. The Survey of Development and Technological Innovation EDIT VI, conducted by the National Administrative Department of Statistics of Colombia, was used to collect data from 408 companies in the health sector in Colombia during the period 2016 to 2017. The research findings suggest a positive relationship between cluster formation and companies’ innovative performance in Colombia’s health sector, observed in business cooperation and sources of information. In addition, these characteristics of the cluster promote innovation at different levels, from the initial intention to the achievement of innovations for national and international markets. This article contributes to the literature by generating knowledge about the role of dual causality variables as mediators between effort and innovative success in health service companies. It will also have managerial and social implications, serving as an input for strategic decision-making and the design of public policies promoting sustainable innovation.

Policymakers face the challenge of delivering business training programs that are high-quality, scalable, and cost-effective. This paper examines the impact of Exper-tienda, a free, smartphone-based business training application designed for Colom-bian microentrepreneurs. Using a randomised controlled trial (RCT) and leveraging local promoters from nearby universities, we evaluated the program's uptake and its effects on business practices, financial inclusion, and formalization. The study involved 994 microentrepreneurs across 10 Colombian cities, with data collected through administrative records and follow-up surveys one year after the intervention. The intervention increased app take-up by 3.97 percentage points, with no evidence of spillover effects across geographical boundaries. However, usage data reveals that the program struggled to engage users, as evidenced by low levels of interaction with the course. Moreover, we found no significant impacts on financial inclusion, formalization, business practices, or other key business outcomes. A high and unexpected attrition rate limited our ability to detect small effects, which are likely given the low levels of interaction with the app. This study is among the first to evaluate a mobile-based training intervention aimed at established microentrepreneurs who lack direct connections to the implementing organisation, providing important insights for the design and implementation of scalable digital training solutions.

Colombia ha implementado regulaciones para promover la salud pública a través del etiquetado de alimentos y bebidas. La Resolución 2492 de 2022 exige la inclusión de sellos de advertencia en productos con altos contenidos de sodio, grasas, azúcares y edulcorantes. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar cómo el diseño y la comunicación visual en el etiquetado de productos influyen en la percepción del consumidor y su decisión de compra, incluso en presencia de sellos de advertencia. Se utilizó una metodología de investigación documental integradora para evaluar el impacto de las normativas en el diseño de etiquetas y empaques, revisando fuentes sobre diseño de packaging, tipografía, teoría del color y construcción de identidad visual. Los nuevos sellos de advertencia negros, octagonales y proporcionales al diseño del empaque pueden modificar la percepción del consumidor. No obstante, las estrategias creativas de comunicación visual son cruciales para promover productos de manera efectiva, minimizando el efecto negativo de los sellos. La elección tipográfica, la teoría del color y el diseño del empaque son fundamentales para influir positivamente en la percepción del consumidor. La implementación de la Resolución 2492 es un paso importante hacia mejores hábitos alimenticios y la salud pública, donde el diseño juega un papel clave en el éxito de la iniciativa.

This study aimed to analyze the perceptions of students with disabilities regarding the barriers to inclusion in higher education institutions in northeastern Colombia. Employing a mixed-methods approach, data were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with 28 students with disabilities, focusing on socio-demographic data and their personal university experiences. The findings revealed that physical and visual impairments were the most common (34.6% each) and the primary barriers were insufficient pedagogical strategies. An association between the type of disability and perceived support was identified. In conclusion, this study enabled the development of a comprehensive model for university inclusion in the northeastern region.

Statistical studies performed mainly in the U.S. have depicted that students with disabilities (SWDs) are excluded from the educational process and are prone to several gaps and barriers in terms of special accommodations, learning opportunities, and socio-emotional support in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)-Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics (STEAM) education. To clarify this, we conducted a systematic literature review focused on interventions and strategies in STEM and STEAM education for SWDs based on 263 studies retrieved from the databases SCOPUS, Web of Science (WoS), and ERIC from 2013–2024. The studies cover proposals from early childhood to tertiary education. After the screening and appraisal stages, 39 interventions with 21 strategies were identified. The outcomes mostly reveal the following: (1) The studies are mainly focused on the U.S. and in students with autism, learning disabilities, or behavioral disorders between low and medium severity levels. (2) Interventions for autistic students use robotics and coding to foster cognitive, social, and communicative skills. (3) Interventions for deaf or hard-of-hearing students focus on creating a science identity and the issues with non-standardized STEM concepts in American sign language (ASL); in contrast, visually impaired students focus on assistive technologies and the accessibility of educational materials. (4) Little attention has been paid to other disabilities apart from autism, intellectual or learning ones, as well as the perspective of educators to support SWDs in classrooms. And (5) New machine learning, metaverse, and AI models are being used to assess the cognitive-emotional states of the SWDs. The conclusions and insights derived from this study can help educators and researchers to create new methodologies or strategies that sustain SWDs in STEM-STEAM education.

Since the release of diverse generative AI (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, DALL·E, and GitHub Copilot, there has been much debate around the impacts and implications of these tools on education. Currently, extant literature remarks on the affordances, challenges, and opportunities of GenAI, but few studies report and analyze empirical studies and educational practices coming up by GenAI usage in learning settings. Then, in this Scoping Review (ScR) based on 146 studies retrieved from the databases SCOPUS, Web of Science (WoS), and ERIC, we analyzed the implications of integrating GenAI in engineering and computing education from K-12 to tertiary levels. We adopted an approach starting from the bibliometric features of the studies in terms of authors, cites, years, or cluster topics, and navigating to the identification of methodologies, strategies, AI literacy instruments and guidelines, learning outcomes, and students’ and teachers’ perceptions, among other features. We advocate that current educational practices in engineering and computing with GenAI can indicate to us a roadmap of its potentialities, uses, and risks from the standpoint of both teachers and students, and this could help us to create more reflexive methodologies that enhance the teaching-learning process based on the evidence. Our purpose with the outcomes and conclusions of this scoping review is to support educators, faculty members, and other stakeholders in engineering and computing education to co-create educational methodologies that articulate GenAI with curricula, AI literacy, and prompt engineering encompassing students’ learning domains such as cognitive, affective, or behavioral.

This academic inquiry examines the efficacy of virtual reality (VR)-based pedagogy for higher learning, specifically analyzing immersive digital instruction for rural agriculture undergraduates studying soil science in Colombia. The investigation tests two hypotheses: first, simulated learning situations improve academic achievement and student investment compared to conventional in-person lectures; and second, modern modalities cultivate affirmative perspectives of the material. Employing a meticulous investigative blueprint across three Colombian university campuses situated in pastoral communities, the assessment involved 89 volunteers separated into experimental and control groups over 14 weeks analyzing soil nutrient administration. Scholastic aptitude, student absorption, and viewpoint appraisals were conducted before and after the module. Statistical calculations including independent sample examinations, variance examinations, effect magnitude, and association analyses were utilized to validate the hypotheses. The results endorse both hypotheses, evidencing augmented academic performance, student engagement, and affirmative attitudes toward soil science among participants experiencing VR-based coursework. This inspection lends valuable discernment into advanced technology’s potential to address rural student challenges, elevating educational outcomes and furthering constructive pedagogical encounters in the developing world.

Based on a non-experimental descriptive quantitative methodological design and theoretical principles associated with the development of historical thinking expressed in an analytical matrix, the written narrative productions of 648 Spanish students and 764 Colombian students are studied, around the historical process of the Conquest and Colonization of America by Spain. The study of the explanations presented in the narratives about this controversial and difficult history, which is a constitutive part of the core historical identity of these young people's countries (N=1412), shows a series of difficulties and limitations not only in the level of knowledge that students have about this historical process, but also in its ability to problematize it as a controversial phenomenon. In this sense, it demonstrates the survival of traditional historical perspectives that prevent new generations from recognizing the complexity of the sensitive pasts on which their collective identity is based. Keywords: historical thinking; controversial pasts; narratives; conquest and colonization of America; young people

Este trabajo propone una metodología para aplicar el enfoque de paridad de riesgo (PR) como una alternativa al enfoque tradicional media-varianza (MV) de Markowitz. Para ello, se exploran los fundamentos del enfoque de PR, basado en la noción de contribución al riesgo, donde se busca que cada activo contribuya de manera igualitaria al riesgo total del portafolio, garantizando así una diversificación óptima del portafolio de inversión. Este enfoque se contrasta con el modelo MV, cuyo rendimiento se ve afectado por problemas de concentración y errores en la estimación de los parámetros, que pueden llevar a un riesgo excesivo. Para llevar a cabo su implementación, se construyen dos portafolios diferentes: uno en el mercado de valores estadounidense y otro internacional que incluye este mercado desarrollado y emergentes, como México y Brasil. Además, se utilizan métricas de concentración, como el índice de Herfindahl-Hirschman (HHI), para demostrar que los portafolios basados en PR son más consistentes y requieren menos rebalanceo. Finalmente, se señalan algunas limitaciones del enfoque PR y recomendaciones para su implementación.

Introduction: Third-generation therapies (TGTs) have been shown to be effective in the treatment of substance use behaviors in college-aged adolescents. These therapies are based on acceptance, mindfulness and psychological flexibility, which enable young people to change their Psychoactive Substance Use (PSU)-related behaviours, develop coping skills to manage difficult emotions and thoughts, reduce experiential avoidance and maintain long-term abstinence. Objective: To explore the implementation and potential benefits of third-generation therapies, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Mindfulness, for the treatment of PSU in college youth. This review includes articles within a 5-year window. Method: A scoping, observational and retrospective review was conducted using the PRISMA method in SCOPUS, PUBMED and Web of Science. Results: eight studies were found, six based on mindfulness, one on dialectical behaviour therapy and one on acceptance and commitment therapy. The results of the studies are promising and emerging for the intervention of the problem. Conclusion: The interventions used show evidence of reducing PSU and other mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress. In addition, they allowed patients to increase their well-being and mindfulness.

This article presents the one‐sided intellectual influence of Economics on Urban Studies & Planning, the case of two social science disciplines with different epistemologies and approaches to policy advice. Subsequently, it presents the emergence of the so‐called evidence based policy (EBP) approach in Economics, comprising experimental (randomized control trial) and quasi‐experimental (difference‐in‐differences and propensity score matching) methods. The article shows that even though EBP claims to be exempt from normative/political, and even theoretical, considerations, it builds upon two features of neoclassical economics: sufficiency and separability. These conditions comprise its normative neoclassical theory background. We discuss the neoliberal turn in development narratives and their influence on urban planning, which coincides with the emergence of EBP. We analyze some EBP examples in the urban planning scholarship.

En el contexto de la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible dispuesto por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU), el Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible 4 (ODS4), propone garantizar una educación integral, justa y de calidad, así como el avance de las posibilidades de aprendizaje continuo para cada individuo. En este sentido, la integración de los estudiantes con discapacidades en el marco educativo desempeña un papel fundamental en el alcance de ODS4. El presente artículo pretende evaluar la inclusión de estudiantes con discapacidad en dos instituciones educativas, empleando el Índice de Inclusión de la UNESCO en sus tres dimensiones, para su desarrollo, se planteó un muestreo no probabilístico por conveniencia, en donde se convocaron a todos los docentes de las diferentes jornadas de manera voluntaria; se logró una muestra de 200 profesores, quienes diligenciaron el cuestionario de Índice Inclusivo (UNESCO), los datos se procesaron y se analizaron mediante programa de análisis estadístico SPSS versión 25, dentro de los hallazgos más relevantes se encontró que existe un compromiso sólido en las instituciones en garantizar el aprendizaje de estudiantes con discapacidad, reflejado en ajustes razonables en el plan de estudios y los principios de no discriminación. A su vez se concluye, la importancia de promover una cultura escolar inclusiva, la colaboración entre docentes y el compromiso con la igualdad para garantizar una educación efectiva y equitativa para todos los estudiantes, incluidos aquellos con discapacidad.

Background: Solubility is one of the most important parameters in the research and development processes of the pharmaceutical industry. In this context, cosolubility is one of the most used strategies to improve the solubility of poorly soluble drugs, besides allowing to identify some factors involved in the dissolution process. The aim of this research is to evaluate the solubility of sulfamethazine in acetotinitrile + 1-propanol cosolvent mixtures at 9 temperatures (278.15, 283.15, 288.15, 293.15, 298.15, 303.15, 308.15, 313.15, and 318.15 K); a drug used in human and veterinary therapy and two solvents of great chemical–pharmaceutical interest. Methods: The determination was carried out by the shaking flask method and the drug was quantified by UV/Vis spectrophotometry. Results: The solubility of sulfamethazine increases from pure 1-propanol (solvent in which it reaches its lowest solubility at 278.15 K) to pure acetonitrile (solvent in which it reaches its maximum solubility at 318.15 K), behaving in a logarithmic-linear fashion. Conclusions: The increase in solubility is related to the acid/base character of the cosolvent mixtures and not to the solubility parameter of the mixtures. The dissolution process is endothermic and favored by the solution entropy, and also shows a strong entropic compensation.

Background: The squat exercise has been shown to improve athletic performance. However, the use of the deep squat has been questioned due to claims that it may cause knee joint injuries. Therefore, the purpose of this scoping review was to synthesize existing literature concerning the impact of deep squats on knee osteoarticular health in resistance-trained individuals. Methods: This study adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. The original protocol was prospectively registered in Figshare (https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24945033.v1). A systematic and exhaustive search was conducted in different databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus. Additional searches were performed in Google Scholar and PEDro. The main inclusion criteria were the following: (1) Articles of experimental, observational, or theoretical nature, including randomized controlled trials, longitudinal studies, case reports, integrative reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses(Primary studies were required to have a minimum follow-up duration of 6 weeks, whereas secondary studies were expected to adhere to PRISMA or COCHRANE guidelines or be registered with PROSPERO; (2) Peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2024; (3) Publications written in English, Spanish and Portuguese; (4) Studies reporting the effects of deep half, parallel or quarter squats on the knee or evaluating squats as a predictor of injury. Results: The keyword search resulted in 2,274 studies, out of which 15 met all inclusion criteria. These 15 studies comprised 5 cohort studies, 3 randomized controlled trials, 4 literature or narrative reviews, 1 case study, and 2 systematic reviews, one including a meta-analysis. Overall, the risk of bias (ROB) across these studies was generally low. It is worth noting that only one study, a case study, associated deep squats with an increased risk of injury, the remaining 14 studies showed no negative impact of deep squats on knee joint health. Conclusion: The deep squat appears to be a safe exercise for knee joint health and could be included in resistance training programs without risk, provided that proper technique is maintained. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2024.1477796/full?utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field&journalName=Frontiers_in_Sports_and_Active_Living&id=1477796

Sulfamerazine (SMR) is a drug used as an antibacterial agent in the treatment of some pathologies, such as bronchitis, prostatitis and urinary tract infections. Although this drug was developed in 1945 and, due to its toxicity, was partially displaced by penicillin, due to the current problem of bacterial resistance, compounds such as SMR have regained validity. In this context, the thermodynamic study of SMR in cosolvent mixtures of acetonitrile (MeCN) + ethanol (EtOH) at nine temperatures (278.15–318.15 K) is presented. The solubility of SMR was determined by UV–Vis spectrophotometry, following the guidelines of the shake-flask method. The solubility process was endothermic in all cases; thus, the minimum solubility was reached in pure EtOH at 278.15 K, and the maximum solubility was reached in pure MeCN at 318.15 K. Both the solution process and the mixing process were entropy-driven. On the other hand, the solubility data were modeled by using the van’t Hoff–Yalkowsky–Roseman model, obtaining an overall average relative deviation of 3.9%. In general terms, it can be concluded that the solution process of SMR in {MeCN (1) + EtOH (2)} mixtures is thermodependent, favored by the entropy of the solution and mixture; additionally, the van’t Hoff–Yalkowsky–Roseman model allows very good approximations to be obtained and is a simple model that starts from only four experimental data.

Background: Armed conflict in Colombia has severely affectedthe mental health of individuals and communities. Factors such as poverty, inequality and social exclusion have exacerbated consequences such as depression and posttraumaticstress disorder. However, a perspective that transcends the mental deficit paradigm in addressing the social determinants of health in these contexts allows us to recognize how political and social conditions determine people's physical and mental health and the need to strengthen their skills and capacities. The Colectivo Tejiendo Memoria, composed of older adult victims of the conflict, is a remarkable example of the capacity for organization and psychosocial recovery through collective memory and civil resistance in the province of Sonsón, Antioquia. Methods: A qualitative approach based on the action without harm (ASD) methodological framework was used to implement photo elucidation workshops and mediate group interviews to capture the memories and experiences of the participants. The contentanalysis allowed codifying the actions, agents and knowledge generated by the group around psychosocial recovery and community agency. Results: This study reveals that the collective has played a crucial role in the preservation of historical memory, the promotion of emotional well-being and the generation of social agency; its actions have allowed the creation of safe spaces for psychosocial recovery through rituals, commemorations and the visibility of the victims. This promoted their consolidation as political actors who manage and sustain memory and reparation in their community. Conclusions: The experience of the Colectivo Tejiendo Memoria offers an innovative approach to the social determinants of mental health in the context of armed conflict, highlighting the capacity of communities to manage their own recovery through practices of resistance and solidarity.