Colombian Cities Research Articles

Colombian City Pioneers Path to “Early Warnings for All”

Medell�n alerts citizens to floods, landslides, fires, lightning, and poor air quality.

Hybrid prediction of infections and deaths due to COVID-19 in two Colombian data series.

The prediction of the number of infected and dead due to COVID-19 has challenged scientists and government bodies, prompting them to formulate public policies to control the virus' spread and public health emergency worldwide. In this sense, we propose a hybrid method that combines the SIRD mathematical model, whose parameters are estimated via Bayesian inference with a seasonal ARIMA model. Our approach considers that notifications of both, infections and deaths are realizations of a time series process, so that components such as non-stationarity, trend, autocorrelation and/or stochastic seasonal patterns, among others, must be taken into account in the fitting of any mathematical model. The method is applied to data from two Colombian cities, and as hypothesized, the prediction outperforms the obtained with the fit of only the SIRD model. In addition, a simulation study is presented to assess the quality of the estimators of SIRD model in the inverse problem solution.

Illuminating the threat: a decade-long analysis of light pollanálisis de una década de contaminacio´n lumínica en los principales centros urbanos de Colombia mediante imágenes satelitalesution in Colombian main urban centers through satellite imagery

Light pollution is a form of environmental degradation present throughout the world that affects the natural environment, flora, fauna, and various aspects of human life. Despite the growing concern about this problem, its study in Colombia is still minimal. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of the expansion of artificial nighttime lighting in the main Colombian cities between 2012 and 2022. According to the analysis, light pollution levels in the urban areas of Bogotá, Barranquilla, and Cartagena increased, while in Medellín, Cali, and Bucaramanga, they decreased. However, all the cities evaluated experienced an expansion in the coverage of illuminated areas revealing an evident spatial increase of the problem. In the case of Bogotá, the phenomenon was studied at the locality level. Additionally, we used external data to analyze the relationship between increased light pollution and the installation of new luminaires, the change to LED technologies, and the growing population density and gross domestic product (GDP) in the city. Our results provide valuable information on the threat of light pollution in Colombia and the need to take measures to help control the associated environmental degradation.

Urban PM2.5 concentrations in a small Colombian city and the impact associated with particle emissions generated by small-scale lime production

The stricter guidelines for fine particles PM2.5 recently published by the World Health Organization also motivate smaller cities to assess the exposure levels. In this study, PM2.5 was assessed in the municipality of Vijes, an important lime production center in the Cauca River Valley, Colombia. The main objective was to determine PM2.5 concentration levels in the urban background of the city and to estimate the contribution from industrial sources located west of the urbanized area. The assessment of PM2.5 concentrations in a city without fixed air quality monitors, meteorological stations, and information on emission sources, was designed to be expedient and possible to perform with a very restricted budget. Four low-cost optical sensors and one low-cost meteorological station were installed during two separate campaigns, each three to four months long. The PM2.5 measurements were analyzed with the support of meteorological data and dispersion modeling. Mean levels of PM2.5 in the urban background were found to be below the Colombian limit value of 25 µg m–3, in the range of 14 to 19 µg m–3, and with lower levels in the city center. The monitor located in the westernmost urban area, closest to the industrial plants, registered a high 24-h mean level close to the national limit value. The industrial contribution to long-term PM2.5 concentrations in the urban background of Vijes was estimated to be within a maximum of 6 µg m–3, i.e., a minor fraction of the monitored PM2.5 mean levels in the urban background. The dominating part of the PM2.5 concentrations could be attributed to other anthropogenic sources within or east of Vijes, as well as originating from the regional background concentration characterizing the Cauca River Valley to the east of Vijes, where pre-harvest sugar cane burning is common.

Waste Pickers’ Formalisation from Bogotá to Cartagena de Indias: Dispossession and Socio-Economic Enclosures in Two Colombian Cities

Colombia is considered a pioneer in inclusive recycling in Latin America and the state-led formalisation policies are considered a referent for the socio-economic inclusion of waste pickers beyond the region. Nevertheless, more than 60,000 waste pickers in Colombia are struggling to remain in place despite these inclusive recycling and formalisation policies. This paper examines the implementation of formalisation policies and their consequences for the population of waste pickers by comparing evidence from two Colombian cities: Bogotá and Cartagena de Indias. The paper draws on extensive qualitative community-based research methodology with waste pickers in both cities guided by an interdisciplinary epistemological position to support Colombian waste pickers’ political struggle for recognition from a theoretical reflection. This paper shows how formalisation policies became a mechanism of manifold dispossessions in both cities. This paper categorises three forms of enclosures faced by waste pickers: (a) material and socio-economic; (b) bodily and spatial; and (c) political and organisational. Finally, this paper concludes by urging to consider the situated social, political, and cultural facets of waste pickers’ labour to enhance grassroots reflections on how to achieve greater levels of social justice and inclusion.

A multilevel approach to understanding the relationship between entrepreneurship and the urban environment

This document explores the relationship between the structure of cities and entrepreneurial intention EI, supporting empirical evidence of the incidence of exogenous regional factors on business activities. From a sample of Master Business Administration (MBA) students in fourteen cities in Colombia, EI is studied in an urban setting using a two-level binary logistic regression with random intercepts. The purpose of this document is to show empirical evidence for Colombia of the influence of the urban structure on entrepreneurial intention EI, disaggregating hard and soft factors and controlling the initial endowments of a sample of MBA students. At the individual level, EI is driven by gender, age and the presence of family entrepreneurs. In relation to the educational level of the fathers, the EI of the students is not being influenced by the academic training of the mothers. In the same way, our results suggest that the approximate urban structure of cities through hard and soft amenities stimulates EI in MBA students. Our results suppose systematic evidence in order to adapt the business ecosystem to the form and urban conditions of the main cities in Colombia.

Social Representations of Gender: A Contextual Construction in Schools

Social representations of gender (SR), namely, beliefs, values, attitudes, and symbolic content about gender affect people’s behavior and relations to others in social life. Gender representations help explain gender violence among the adolescent population. A qualitative study was conducted to explore the gender SR of teachers and students from two cities in Colombia: Bogotá and Ibagué. Multimethod data collection was performed using a word-association task with 37 teachers and a collaborative cartoon construction task with 284 students from both cities. Thematic analysis and triangulation were performed on this data. Knowledge and informational sources were explored in-depth among students and teachers. The analysis of gender representations revealed rather traditional views: binary representations of gender roles, gender relations, physical characteristics, and behavioral expectations for men and women. The study also found differences between the two educational contexts, scarce references to sexual diversity, and a nuance of tragedy in female gender roles and relations.

The Genesis of an Urban Flora: New Plants, Their Conflicts and Regulations in Colombian Cities

Abstract This paper addresses the nineteenth-century genesis of the urban flora in Bogotá and Medellín. Using historical evidence, it explores how these two Colombian cities turned into floristic islands different from their nearby environments. This study shows how the uniqueness of the urban flora responds to a historical accumulation of species followed by an increase of the botanical repertoire of the cities. This enrichment of plants was accompanied with new human-plant interactions based on disciplined behaviours implemented by the emergent urban elite. Through organisations such as the Embellishment Society of Bogotá, these elites established mechanisms of green proselytising to solve conflict between people and plants that unfolded in the recently opened parks and gardens. By opening a dialogue between urban, landscape and ethnobotanical studies, this paper explores an integrative approach towards the plants in cities, showing how the urban nature in highly biodiverse cities is a historical process not free of conflicts and negotiations between humans and photosynthetic organisms.

Health professionals’ preferences with the use of pegfilgrastim on-body injector at oncology centers in 8 cities in Colombia

BackgroundFebrile neutropenia associated with some chemotherapy regimens can lead to potentially fatal complications and high health care costs. Administration of pegfilgrastim using an On-Body Injector (OBI) may be more convenient for cancer patients and physicians in countries with limited access to high-complexity healthcare. This study aims to describe physician and nurse preferences regarding different options for administration of pegfilgrastim at cancer centers, the chemotherapy schemes for which pegfilgrastim is most frequently prescribed and how healthcare providers prioritize certain administration schemes according to patients’ access to healthcare services.MethodsObservational, descriptive, cross-sectional study and survey, conducted between 2019 and 2020, to describe physician and nurse preferences regarding options for administration of pegfilgrastim at cancer centers, the demographics of the study population and characteristics of participating cancer centers. It included 60 healthcare professionals practicing at oncology centers from 8 cities in Colombia who were contacted and surveyed via telephone. Quantitative continuous variables were summarized using central tendency and dispersion measures.ResultsIt was found that 35% of participants are haemato-oncologists, oncologists or hematologists, 30% are general practitioners, and 35% are other healthcare professionals (i.e., nurse, oncology nurse and head nurse). Our study shows that 48% of physicians prefer the use of OBI, particularly in the scheme of 24 h after myelosuppressive chemotherapy administrations. Regardless of patient frailty and travel time to the clinic, over 90% of healthcare providers (HCPs) prefer to prioritize preventing the patient from having to return to the clinic for pegfilgrastim administration as well as to increase healthcare staff availability through the use of OBI.ConclusionsThe present study is the first one in Colombia that sought the reasons behind HCPs’ choice to use OBI pegfilgrastim. Our results indicate that most professionals prefer to avoid the patient having to re-enter the care center for pegfilgrastim administration to facilitate access to healthcare for patients; patient characteristics and ease of transport are determining factors for respondents when choosing an option for drug administration. We found OBI is the preferred alternative by most HCPs and a good resource optimization strategy in the context of cancer patients’ health care in Colombia.

Impact of oxygenated fuels on atmospheric emissions in major Colombian cities

The use of oxygenated gasolines has increased in Latin America over the past several years with the goal to reduce oil dependence, improve gasoline combustion and emit fewer pollutants to the atmosphere. Countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, and Peru blend their gasoline with ethanol in different proportions. In Colombia, the regulation establishes a 10% vol of ethanol in gasoline (E10). Ethers are also used to oxygenate gasolines. MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether) is blended in gasoline primarily in Mexico, Venezuela, and Chile, while ETBE (ethyl tertiary-butyl ether) is used in Argentina. The U.S. EPA Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES) model was adapted to Colombia to evaluate gasoline blends with two renewable oxygenates (ethanol and ETBE) on the emission of criteria pollutants (PM2.5, CO, NOx, SO2), Total Gaseous Hydrocarbons (TGH), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and toxic compounds. We followed the same approach used to build MOVES-Mexico and assess fuel specifications changes on vehicle emissions.The MOVES-Colombia model finds that E10 increases fuel volatility, VOCs, NOx, PM2.5, and SO2 emissions, and decreases CO relative to the unoxygenated base gasoline (E0). The impact of E10 consumption on air quality is due not only to primary pollutants, but also to the emission of ozone and PM2.5 precursors. Compared to E10 and E0, the ETBE blends reduce fuel volatility and emissions of VOCs, TGH, CO, NOx, PM2.5, and SO2. The introduction of ETBE could help major urban areas to meet air quality standards even with their current vehicle fleets. This work highlights that the effect of new fuel specifications needs to be properly assessed in terms of air quality before they are put in place. The development of modeling tools, such as MOVES-Colombia, facilitates the study of fuel quality and vehicle technology on pollutant emissions.

Arbovirus Transmission Predictions Are Affected by Both Temperature Data Source and Modeling Methodologies across Cities in Colombia.

Weather variables has been described as major drivers of vector proliferation and arbovirus transmission. Among them, temperature has consistently been found to be impactful in transmission dynamics, and models that incorporate temperature have been widely used to evaluate and forecast transmission or arboviruses like dengue, zika, or chikungunya virus. Further, there is growing evidence of the importance of micro-environmental temperatures in driving transmission of Aedes aegypti-borne viruses, as these mosquitoes tend to live within domiciles. Yet there is still a considerable gap in our understanding of how accounting for micro-environmental temperatures in models varies from the use of other widely-used, macro-level temperature measures. This effort combines field-collected data of both indoor and outdoor household associated temperatures and weather station temperature data from three Colombian cities to describe the relationship between the measures representing temperature at the micro- and macro-levels. These data indicate that weather station data may not accurately capture the temperature profiles of indoor micro-environments. However, using these data sources, the basic reproductive number for arboviruses was calculated by means of three modeling efforts to investigate whether temperature measure differences translated to differential transmission predictions. Across all three cities, it was determined that the modeling method was more often impactful rather than the temperature data-source, though no consistent pattern was immediately clear. This suggests that temperature data sources and modeling methods are important for precision in arbovirus transmission predictions, and more studies are needed to parse out this complex interaction.

The subjective perception of the happiness of older adult residents in Colombia.

Happiness is understood as the perception of subjective well-being, it can be a quality, a result, or a state characterized by well-being or satisfaction that every person wants to achieve. In older adults, this satisfaction is a sum of lifelong achievements and triumphs; However, some factors influence this ideal. Analyze demographic, family, social, personal, and health factors associated with the subjective perception of happiness in older adults, using data from a study conducted in five cities in Colombia, in order to make a theoretical contribution in the search for improvement of their physical, mental and social health. A quantitative, cross-sectional, analytical study was carried out, using primary source information, obtained with 2,506 surveys from voluntary participants aged 60 and over, who had no cognitive impairment, and who reside in urban areas but not in long-term centers. The variable happiness (classified as high or moderate/low) was used for: (1) A univariate explorative characterization of older adult, (2) a bivariate estimation of the relationships with the factors studied, and (3) a multivariate construction of profiles through multiple correspondences. 67.2% reported high happiness levels, with differences by city: Bucaramanga (81.6%), Pereira (74.7%), Santa Marta (67.4), Medellín (64%), and Pereira (48.7%). Happiness was explained by the absence of risk of depression and little hopelessness, strengthened psychological well-being, a perception of high quality of life, and living in a functional family. This study provided an overview of possible factors that can be enhanced and strengthened with public policies (structural determinant), community empowerment, family strengthening (intermediate determinant), and educational programs (proximal determinant). These aspects are included in the essential functions of public health, in favor of mental and social health in older adults.

Barriers and facilitators to academia-government collaboration in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia: a qualitative study.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of strengthening collaborations between academia and government. The development and maintenance of these collaborative relationships is a complex and dynamic process, particularly during public health emergencies. This study was aimed at identifying and analyzing factors that acted as barriers and facilitators in the collaboration process between academia and government during the COVID-19 pandemic in the five largest cities in Colombia. The study used a qualitative approach based on the systematization of experiences. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted with local actors from government and academia during 2021. Participants identified a variety of situations that involved individual, institutional and relational factors that acted as barriers and facilitators, and which have been previously reported in other countries and contexts not related to pandemics. Based on participant reports, two additional factors emerged, one corresponding to situations related to the pandemic management process itself and another related to structural or systemic conditions that involved government processes and the Colombian health system. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the health emergency brought about shared feelings of local commitment and a willingness to work through interdisciplinary teams to address the pandemic with the least adverse effects on the community. Other facilitators of the collaborative process that were recognized were the importance of timely access to data and transparent analyses, as well as government decisions being informed by the perspectives of academics. The main barriers identified by both actors were excessive centralization of the pandemic's management and the need for rapid decision-making processes under high levels of uncertainty. In addition, the fragmentation of services in the health system posed a barrier to the interventions that were suggested by the collaborative work. Our results suggest that government-academia collaborations should be implemented as ongoing participatory processes integrating various sectors, actors and disciplines.

Associated factors for mortality in a COVID-19 colombian cohort: is the third wave relevant when Mu variant was predominant epidemiologically?

ObjectivesTo evaluate the association between Colombia's third wave when the Mu variant was predominant epidemiologically (until 75%) in Colombia and COVID-19 all-cause in-hospital mortality. MethodsIn this retrospective cohort, we included hospitalized patients ≥18 years with SARS-CoV-2 infection between March 2020 to September 2021 in ten hospitals from three cities in Colombia. Description analysis, survival, and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between the third epidemic wave and in-hospital mortality. ResultsA total of 25,371 patients were included. The age-stratified time-to-mortality curves showed differences according to epidemic waves in patients ≥75 years (log-rank test p = 0.012). In the multivariate Cox analysis, the third wave was not associated with increased mortality relative to the first wave (aHR 0.95; 95%CI 0.84–1.08), but there was an interaction between age ≥75 years and the third wave finding a lower HR for mortality (aHR 0.56, 95%CI 0.36–0.86). ConclusionsWe did not find an increase in in-hospital mortality during the third epidemic wave in which the Mu variant was predominant in Colombia. The reduced hazard in mortality in patients ≥75 years hospitalized in the third wave could be explained by the high coverage of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in this population and patients with underlying conditions.

Antenatal exposure to vehicular pollutants and association with preterm birth in Colombia.

Objective: To determine the association between preterm delivery and prenatal exposure of pregnant women to vehicular emissions of particulate matter smaller than 10 microns and carbon monoxide, in a city in Colombia, between July 2014 and July 2015. Methods: Relational, retrospective, case-control study at the Caldas Hospital in the city of Manizales; in women who attended delivery care. Exposure to vehicular emissions of particulate matter smaller than 10 microns and carbon monoxide was determined using previously published estimates for the city. The statistical analysis was carried out in the Jamovi – Stats Open Now application. It had the endorsement of the ethics committees of the institutions involved. Results: A total of 222 patients were analyzed, 74 presented preterm delivery (cases) and 148 term delivery (controls). No statistically significant association was found between the development of preterm labor and levels of particulate matter less than 10 microns or carbon monoxide; however, there could be an association between preterm delivery and health insurance, which could not be established due to the small sample size. The spatial pattern of cases of preterm delivery in the city was also obtained based on the habitual residence of the patients. Conclusion: Environmental pollutants such as particulate matter smaller than 10 microns and carbon monoxide may be involved in the presentation of preterm labor, however, more studies are required to analyze this association.

SUSTAINABILITY IN EDUCATION AND GAMIFICATION: STRATEGY TO STRENGTHEN READING COMPREHENSION IN COLOMBIA

Faced with the need to identify alternatives that allow the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and specifically SDG 4, it is necessary to plan strategies that strengthen access to inclusive, equitable and quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The objective of this research is to determine the effect of a pedagogical proposal based on gamification in improving reading comprehension. This study is qualitative, with research-action design. The population was made up of 19 students of grade 5 of primary school, in a city of Colombia, who were diagnosed through a pedagogical workshop that contained two entrance questionnaires housed in a Digital Educational Resource (RED), one of them identified the level of reading and the other allowed to establish their tastes and interests related to reading. Next, a proposal is designed taking into account the data obtained from the initial test, in which Ta-tum is established as a platform to host gamified activities. The application phase was carried out through 7 sessions that included the induction of access and recognition of the platform and 4 cases of gamified reading in which students had to solve the activities and accumulate points as literary detectives. The results show a significant improvement in the levels of literal and inferential reading, however, it is not possible to establish a demonstrative advance at the critical level.

Building a University City Brand: Colombian University Students’ Perceptions

Modern city brand trends aim to position cities according to the interests of their stakeholders; in the case of university students, it is necessary to identify the factors that determine their choice of a university city. Consequently, this study applied an exploratory model that allowed researchers to validate the factors and characteristics that influence this process in the major Colombian university cities. The partial least square statistical analysis methodology was used to collect 585 surveys from students from different cities in Colombia. The study found that the factors determining cities’ cognitive or affective image directly or indirectly influenced the university city brand. This paper’s contributions lie in exploring university city branding from students’ perceptions.

Some data regarding scientific research from Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas in Scopus database in 2023

This number of the Ingeniería journal explores the participation of the researchers from Bogotá City in Colombia that selects our journal to present their contributions in different research areas of Engineering, which includes Industrial, Electrical, Electronic, Civil, Environmental, Agricultural, and Mechanical Engineering, among others.

Identification of mcr-1 Genes and Characterization of Resistance Mechanisms to Colistin in Escherichia coli Isolates from Colombian Hospitals

We report the presence of the mcr-1 gene among 880 Escherichia coli clinical isolates collected in 13 hospitals from 12 Colombian cities between 2016 and 2019. Seven (0.8%) isolates were colistin resistant (MIC ≥ 4 µg/mL). These colistin-resistant isolates were screened for the presence of the mcr-1 gene; five carried the gene. These five isolates were subjected to whole genome sequencing (WGS) to identify additional resistomes and their ST. In addition, antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that all E. coli isolates carrying mcr-1 were susceptible to third generation-cephalosporin and carbapenems, except one, which carried an extended-spectrum β-lactamase (CTX-M-55), along with the fosfomycin resistance encoding gene, fosA. WGS indicated that these isolates belonged to four distinct sequence types (ST58, ST46, ST393, and a newly described ST14315) and to phylogroups B1, A, and D. In this geographic region, the spread of mcr-1 in E. coli is low and has not been inserted into high-risk clones such as ST131, which has been present in the country longer.

Institutional Development in Main Colombian Cities: What Is Its Relation to Subjective Poverty?

AbstractSince a peace treaty in 2016, Colombia has faced a significant challenge to reduce poverty and strengthen its institutions. A few studies have analyzed the relationship between institutions and subjective poverty, but none has demonstrated this influence in the Colombian context at a municipal level. This article estimated a logit regression including a cluster effect to evidence the influence of municipal institutions over perceptions of poverty by the inhabitants of twelve main cities in Colombia in 2016. Findings include that having a better rule of law and fiscal performance, reducing political fragmentation to have better governance, guaranteeing property rights, fostering the benefits of metropolitan areas, and improving citizen participation reduce the probability of feeling poor.