Bogota Research Articles

City as Flux: Interrogating the Changing Nature of Urban Change

What do we mean by the changing nature of urban change? First of all, in the 20th and 21st centuries, cities have been changing in different and dramatic ways, whether through grassroots mobilizations, through technological leaps, or through profit-driven speculations. Second, our understanding of how cities change has also been evolving, in particularly through empirical work that challenges the broad-brush universalizations of conventional thinking. The authors of the six selected articles take us through an around-the-world tour of cities and regions that range from Mulhouse in France to Dakar in Senegal to Las Vegas in the United States to Bogota in Colombia and beyond. Each author carefully examines the nature of urban change and how planners, developers, and citizens are either dealing with that change or even shaping it. Together, what the articles suggest is that we need a more fine-grained understanding of the city as flux in order to obtain better theoretical insights as well as urban practices that can better manage and ultimately shape urban change to benefit citizens, especially those who are marginalized.

Extraction and Analysis of Social Networks Data to Detect Traffic Accidents

Traffic accident detection is an important strategy governments can use to implement policies intended to reduce accidents. They usually use techniques such as image processing, RFID devices, among others. Social network mining has emerged as a low-cost alternative. However, social networks come with several challenges such as informal language and misspellings. This paper proposes a method to extract traffic accident data from Twitter in Spanish. The method consists of four phases. The first phase establishes the data collection mechanisms. The second consists of vectorially representing the messages and classifying them as accidents or non-accidents. The third phase uses named entity recognition techniques to detect the location. In the fourth phase, locations pass through a geocoder that returns their geographic coordinates. This method was applied to Bogota city and the data on Twitter were compared with the official traffic information source; comparisons showed some influence of Twitter on the commercial and industrial area of the city. The results reveal how effective the information on accidents reported on Twitter can be. It should therefore be considered as a source of information that may complement existing detection methods.

Survival Outcomes of Patients With Mediastinal Germ Cell Tumors: Experience of a Cancer Center in South America.

PurposeMediastinal germ cell tumors (GCT) are rare neoplasms associated with poor survival prognosis. Due to their low incidence, limited information is available about this disease in South America. The objective of this study is to report the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with mediastinal GCT in a cancer center in Colombia.Materials and MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with mediastinal GCT treated at the National Cancer Institute at Bogota (Colombia) between 2008 and 2020. Survival curves were presented using the Kaplan–Meier method. Chi-square and Cox proportional hazard model tests were used for data analysis.ResultsSixty-one patients were included in the study. Of them, 60 were male and 51 (83.6%) of whom had non-seminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCT). Twenty-nine patients (47.5%) presented with superior vena cava syndrome, and 18 (29.5%) patients had extrapulmonary metastatic involvement. The three-year overall survival (OS) of NSGCT patients was 26%. The 3-year OS of NSGCT patients who underwent surgical resection of residual mediastinal mass after chemotherapy was 59%. Non-surgical management after first-line chemotherapy was associated with a worse survival prognosis in NSGCT patients (p = 0.002). Ten patients with mediastinal seminomatous germ cell tumors (SCGT) achieved a 3-year OS of 100%.ConclusionMediastinal NSGCT had poor outcomes. Surgery of the residual mass after first-line chemotherapy seems to improve the outcome of NSGCT patients. Advanced disease at presentation may reflect inadequate access to reference cancer centers in Colombia and potentially explain poor survival outcomes in this cohort. On the other hand, mediastinal SCGT is a biologically different disease; most patients will achieve disease remission and long-term survival with first-line chemotherapy.

Levels of heavy metals. Urban gardens in Bogota Colombia

Levels of heavy metals. Urban gardens in Bogota Colombia

Characterization and Evaluation of the Visual Impact of Mobile Communication Base Stations in the Urban Environment

Besides the increase of mobile communication services and providers in Peru, base stations (BS) have grown greatly without considering their visual impact. The characterization and evaluation of the visual impact from base stations to urban landscapes was carried out in the district of San Miguel, located in Lima, Peru. This district has a number of base stations suitable to conduct a pilot study. National and international regulations in force were reviewed, and the Manual for Camouflage of Radio Stations from Bogota DC, Colombia, was chosen as the basis for the visual impact evaluation. Then, a field study of mobile base stations located in the district of San Miguel was accomplished. After that, the matrices for evaluating the visual impact to each of the BS were applied. According to the evaluation, 12 BS (20.3 %) have a low visual impact, 42 BS (71.2 %) have a medium visual impact, and 5 BS (8.5 %) have a high visual impact. So, more than 90 % of the BS in San Miguel has low or medium visual impact.

Book Review

Alexander L. Fattal (2018), Guerrilla Marketing: Counterinsurgency and Capitalism in Colombia (Chicago: University of Chicago Press).

P.G12C KRAS mutation prevalence in non-small cell lung cancer: Contribution from interregional variability and population substructures among Hispanics

BackgroundThe KRAS exon 2 p. G12C mutation in patients with lung adenocarcinoma has been increasing in relevance due to the development and effectiveness of new treatment medications. Studies around different populations indicate that regional variability between ethnic groups and ancestries could play an essential role in developing this molecular alteration within lung cancer. MethodsIn a prospective and retrospective cohort study on samples from lung adenocarcinoma from 1000 patients from different administrative regions in Colombia were tested for the KRAS p.G12C mutation. An analysis of STR populations markers was conducted to identify substructure contributions to mutation prevalence. ResultsIncluded were 979 patients with a national mean frequency for the KRAS exon 2 p.G12C mutation of 7.97% (95%CI 6.27–9.66%). Variation between regions was also identified with Antioquia reaching a positivity value of 12.7% (95%CI 9.1–16.3%) in contrast to other regions such as Bogota DC (Capital region) with 5.4% (2.7–8.2%) and Bolivar with 2.4% (95%CI 0–7.2%) (p-value = 0.00262). Furthermore, Short tandem repeat population substructures were found for eight markers that strongly yielded association with KRAS exon 2 p.G12C frequency reaching an adjusted R2 of 0.945 and a p-value of < 0.0001. ConclusionsWidespread identification of KRAS exon 2 p.G12C mutations, especially in cases where NGS is not easily achieved is feasible at a population based level that can characterize regional and national patterns of mutation status. Furthermore, this type of mutation prevalence follows a population substructure pattern that can be easily determined by population and ancestral markers such as STR.

VP31.17: Prevalence of SARS‐CoV‐2 in asymptomatic patients

Describe the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among asymptomatic patients admitted for delivery. This is a prospective cohort study based on data collected at the University Hospital Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota between 2020 and 2021, in asymptomatic pregnant patients admitted for delivery. All patients without a prior diagnosis of COVID-19 underwent the nasopharyngeal swab SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Patients scheduled for a Caesarean delivery were examined and evaluated at preoperative visits. Hospital policies recommended the use of universal masks and N95 masks in clinical units by physicians, patients, and support persons, and limited each visitor to 1 childbirth assistance visitor. Universal tests of patients already diagnosed with COVID-19 and patients not admitted for delivery were excluded. 1275 patients who presented for delivery were examined. The average age was 34 years with a standard deviation of (±) 6 years, the average gestational age at delivery was 37.5 weeks (±) 2.1 weeks. Regarding the obstetric history, 695 patients (55%) were multiparous women, 822 (64%) were considered to be of high obstetric risk. In 946 (74%) is the Caesarean birth, 1232 (97%) babies had an APGAR> 7 until the first minute and the mean birth weight was 2921 grams (±) 432 grams. Only 21 (< 1%) patient was positive for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR, showing a prevalence of less than < 1% of SARS-CoV-2 in this cohort of asymptomatic pregnant women. No healthcare worker in obstetric units was removed from work due to exposure to SARS-CoV-2 or transmission disease from known or possible contact with a patient. These results are limited to a hospital setting and a single geographic region. These findings found a low (< 1%) prevalence of positive SARS-CoV-2 test results among asymptomatic patients in a pregnant population, until June 2021, the city of Bogotá, Colombia, was considered a highly endemic region.

P70.01 KRAS G12C Mutations Among NSCLC Patients Present With a High Intrerregional Variation, Indicating a Population Substructure

Molecular profiles of Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients differ regarding sex, ethnic background, age, and exposure to tobacco smoke, among others. By extensively characterizing specific NSCLC populations, resource allocation and new molecular target exploration become more feasible. KRAS G12C mutations have become treatable in the last months, warranting a large-scale estimation of mutation prevalence and identifying possible interregional variability in its positivity, as observed in other molecular targets To determine geographical discrepancy with regards to KRAS G12C mutation status, patients with advanced/metastatic NSCLC, previously identified as EGFR (-) and ALK (-), were evaluated. Samples were collected from across the national territory of Colombia, warranting representation of several administrative regions. Mutational status was determined by ddPCR on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue. A total of 1,002 KRAS G12C evaluations were conducted across 26 of the 32 administrative regions, identifying 80 positive samples, yielding a national prevalence of 8%. (95%CI 6.3-9.7%) By excluding regions without a representative number of individuals, 979 samples across 18 administrative regions were included in the analyses. National positivity reached 7.97% (95%CI 6.27-9.66%). Three administrative regions presented with prevalence’s that differed from the national average. Bolivar (41 samples) had a 4.19% of positivity (95%CI 0-7.2%), similar to Bogota DC (Capital Region) with 259 samples and 5.4% of mutation prevalence (95%CI 2.7-8.2%). On the other hand, Antioquia (338 samples) debuted with 12.7% of KRAS G12C mutated samples (95%CI 9.1-16.3%) with a statistically significant difference among the first two and the last (p-value = 0.00262). Among NSCLC patients, interregional variability regarding KRAS G12C mutation frequencies indicates a distribution substructure, indicating that population composition and ethnicity could lead to varying prevalence in the same nation.

Influence of an extensive green roof in the non-linear structural behavior of self - construction households

In recent years, ideas such as green roofs gained importance as an alternative for environmental adaptation of society to new ambient conditions. In Bogota city, the roofs at popular neighborhood represent a potential area for their implementation. This present research discusses how the weight of a green roof impacts a self-construction dwelling unit from a structural capacity demand point of view. Green roof weight is a random variable whose normality was investigated through the Shapiro-Wilk goodness of fit. The magnification factors for this dead-like load come from the Nowak-Collins method using the confidence intervals on the mean weight value. The ATC-40 pushover methodology helped in finding the non-linear behavior of a controlled but similar structure as those found in the popular neighborhoods of Bogota city. According to this methodology, damage caused on these structures due to seismic demand increases by the green roof incorporation. However, damage increase is a function of local soil conditions.

Social Responsibility: a look to the challenges faced by an university and a leather goods company, in Bogota, Colombia.

The objective of this research is to give a perception from social responsibility in two economic sectors: business and education, in terms of the challenges presented by leather companies and universities in the city of Bogota Colombia, relating both, corporate social responsibility and education. The following research was carried out using a qualitative method, based on a theoretical design, with an in-depth interview technique and sampling for convenience. For the analysis of qualitative data, the tool used was the Atlas ti software, where the categories of analysis and semantic networks emerge. The analysis units studied were: a nationally and internationally recognized leather company and the University. As a result, the two analysis units highlight the importance that CSR and RSU should have in the actions towards people, students, society and the environment

Clustering Proposal Support for the COVID-19 Making Decision Process in a Data Demanding Scenario

The COVID-19 disease surprised the world in the last months due to the number of infections and deaths have been increased in an exponential way. Since the pandemic was established by the World Health Organization, different strategies have been proposed for dealing diverse problems in cities that the coronavirus affected. This work presents a method to decision making support processes, specifically in environment with few data and variables to be considered. Thus, artificial neural networks architectures were employed to cluster the information available in the Bogota city, and provide a tool that allows generating additional findings in a simultaneous mode, and expressed as a visual map. The present proposal reached sensitivity measures around 75%, obtaining 100% for the best cases.

Opportunities for city carbon footprint reductions through imports source shifting: The case of Bogota

Achieving the Paris Agreement goals calls for higher ambition across actors. In this article, we address the carbon emission responsibility of the city of Bogota from a consumption-based perspective, by assessing the carbon footprint for the whole city. We use an environmentally extended multiregional input-output model where a survey-based input-output table of Bogota is nested, avoiding the downside of using assumptions regarding the production and trade structure of the city. We identify city's emissions hotspots across the globe, mainly in China and the United States, proving that consumption-based accounting is required when highly open systems as cities are under analysis, to finally propose source shifting scenarios as mitigation strategies. Our results indicate that Bogota is a net importer of CO2 emissions and, the city's carbon footprint almost double direct emissions generated within its territory. China, the rest of Colombia, and the United States are heavily affected by Bogota's carbon footprint as those three regions bear 38% of the city's footprint. The main drivers of those emissions are Electrical equipment, Computers, Vehicles and Machinery, goods that are imported and consumed by Bogota's residents. Important opportunities for emission reductions arise when sourcing changes from China to the US and Latin American countries, which provide fresh evidence for national and local authorities to improve their efforts on reducing emissions.

Quantitative microbial risk assessment to estimate the public health risk from exposure to enterotoxigenic E. coli in drinking water in the rural area of Villapinzon, Colombia

The consumption of contaminated water is a major cause of acute diarrheal disease (ADD), particularly in rural areas where treatment and control are limited. The aim of this study was to characterize the epidemiological situation and microbiological risk linked to water consumption in the rural area near the capital of Colombia. A cross-sectional study was carried out using secondary data analysis about water quality records and survey information. We described the epidemiological situation of ADD in the municipality and we estimated the risk of ADD by enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) from drinking water in that region using Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA). During the study period, 1318 cases of ADD were reported, with 33% in children under 5. For all zones evaluated the risk exceeds commonly used acceptable risk levels. Inadequate protocols for thermal treatment and subsequent storage increase the risk of illness. The study highlights the need to strengthen intersectoral work, improve water infrastructure, and implement protocols and education about the management of drinking water to reduce health risks.

Síntomas conductuales y emocionales de adolescentes que consultan a un programa especializado de trastornos de la conducta alimentaria

IntroductionEating disorders (EDs) are complex conditions of multifactorial origin. Their main characteristic is excessive concern about body weight and shape, which causes great discomfort and physical problems and leads to a decrease in quality of life and alterations in the patient's functionality social environment. The objective of this study is to describe the emotional and behavioural symptoms of adolescents who consult a specialised ED programme in the city of Bogota. MethodsObservational, descriptive, cross-sectional study, for which patients between 11 and 19 years old with an ED diagnosis were recruited. ResultsForty patients with an ED diagnosis were included, of which 92% were female. The mean age of the patients was 16.6±1.9 years; 57% of patients live in a two-parent home and 30% in a single-parent home; 72% of the sample had excellent academic performance; 50% were moderately ill; 60% received pharmacological management with SSRIs; 65% of patients met clinical criteria for anxiety disorder, 30% for depressive disorder; 22.5% had aggression problems; 17.5% criminal behaviour; 72.5% of the sample met clinical criteria for internalising symptoms and 42.5% for externalising symptoms, the majority being patients with a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa. ConclusionsPatients with bulimia nervosa obtained higher scores in the different emotional and behavioural symptoms than those with other eating disorders. This condition is associated with greater psychopathology, which must be examined rigorously at the time of clinical care, seeking to reduce the functional impact that these symptoms generate on the individual.

Experiencias del Programa de acompañamiento al estudiante PAE frente a la permanencia estudiantil en la carrera de Fisioterapia de la Corporación Universitaria Iberoamericana.

SUMMARY Introduction: The PAE student accompaniment program of the Ibero-American University Corporation of the Physiotherapy program in Bogota Colombia, seeks to reduce student dropout and increase their permanence, generating different academic and psychosocial strategies, to improve the academic performance of students throughout his career. and allow for timely graduation. Objectives and Methods: It is intended to estimate the academic impact of the "PAE" student accompaniment program in users referred to this program in the last two years in the Physiotherapy program of the Ibero-American University Corporation and thus compile the strategies used, in order to generate a better practice of student accompaniment. A retrospective design study and a descriptive scope with a quantitative approach that will aim to analyze the academic behavior of 110 students referred to the PAE during the period from 2016-2 to 2019-1. Results: A student characterization was carried out, based on factors external to education and internal factors of the system that different authors have determined as responsible for student dropout, such as personal, socioeconomic, academic, and institutional factors. Where 92.8% of the students yielded results consistent with the factors described by the authors that caused the dropout and / or permanence, 17 of them have already graduated, 64 are still in progress and 29 were dropouts. Factors such as working at the same time as they study, working on rotating schedules, financial problems, a lot of time spent traveling from home to the university, not reconciling independent study time, poor study habits and techniques, difficulty in Oral and written expression. Academic behaviors based on averages, number of repetitions and accompaniment by teacher tutor were also analyzed, which showed the subjects that have historically been described as those with the highest academic mortality. Conclusions: It was possible to conclude that the actions that the PAE Program of Accompaniment to the student of the Faculty of health sciences, in the physiotherapy program has generated with the implementation of different lines of action to try to mitigate these recognized dropout phenomena and shown in the characterization survey, such as academic supports with academic, individual or group tutorials, learning rooms, which aim to provide the student with an extra-class meeting with the thematic expert teacher to resolve their doubts and concerns, reinforce the concepts, in addition of psychosocial supports such as educational psychology to reinforce study habits, Speech Therapy in the reinforcement of adequate oral and written expression, psychological counseling, have been of great benefit to students, they generated an impact, because they were able to enhance their skills and improve their academic performance. This suggests that the PAE should continue to work for the benefit of the students to be recognized by the entire academic community, as the first option to reduce student dropouts and offer a timely graduation.

Impact of operational constraints in city logistics pooling efficiency

ABSTRACT City logistics pooling seems to be a promising solution to optimise urban freight transportation. Pooling is a kind of resource sharing in which the ultimate objective is to share the available resources through the active collaboration of all involved stakeholders. Several articles propose VRP-type models and methods to optimise the routing with pooling. Nevertheless, few studies focus on the impact of operational constraints in front of pooling. The main aim of this study is to fill this gap. To this end, we first identify the operational constraints against the implementation of pooling in city logistics. We then use a two-step approach based on mathematical modelling to evaluate the scenarios defined according to the identified constraints. Finally, we set several new indicators to quantify the impacts of these constraints on pooling efficiency. The proposed approach has been tested using real data raised from the literature for the city of Bogota, Colombia.

Safety of early discharge in patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy in a high complexity center in Bogotá, Colombia, 2013 - 2019. Historical cohort

RESUMENObjetivo: Describir la seguridad del alta en las primeras 12 horas del posoperatorio en mujeres cometidas histerectomía por laparoscopia por patología benigna de útero.Materiales y métodos: Estudio de cohorte histórica descriptiva. Se incluyeron todas las mujeres llevadas a histerectomía laparoscópica por patología benigna, quienes fueron dadas de alta después de 12 horas del procedimiento en un hospital de alta complejidad en Bogotá, Colombia, entre enero del 2013 y abril del 2019. Se excluyeron pacientes con comorbilidades (diabetes, enfermedad cardiovascular y pulmonar obstructiva crónica), limitaciones para la movilización y aquellas que presentaron complicaciones intraoperatorias. Se realizó un muestreo consecutivo. Se evaluaron variables demográficas, y como variables de seguridad, el reingreso por urgencias y complicaciones clasificadas según la escala de Dindo a los 15 días del postoperatorio. Se hace análisis descriptivo.Resultados: Durante el período de estudio se realizaron 860 histerectomías por laparoscopia, de estas, 67 (7,8%) cumplieron con los criterios de selección. Once pacientes (16,4%) reingresaron por el servicio de urgencias, de las cuales, siete (63,6%) acudieron por dolor, una (9%) por sangrado activo, una (9%) por fiebre, y dos (18%) por síntomas urinarios. Se presentaron seis (8,9%) complicaciones postoperatorias de las cuales dos pacientes (2,9%) tuvieron hematoma de cúpula vaginal, dos (2,9%) hemoperitoneo, una (1,4%) infección urinaria y una (1,4%) lesión ureteral; cuatro pacientes (5,9%) requirieron hospitalización, estas últimas se clasificaron en el estadio IIIb de Dindo.Conclusiones: El alta temprana surge como alternativa al cuidado hospitalario para este tipo de población. Se requieren estudios con grupo control y asignación aleatoria para aportar mejor evidencia respecto a este manejo.

Measuring Tourists’ Stress in Colombia

This research aims to examine vacationers’ perceived stress in Colombia. Based on the literature review, the following dimensions are examined: (1) transportation at the destination –including the variables lack of control, insecurity, cleanness, noise, temperature and space; (2) the conditions of the accommodation –including the variables lack of sleep, insecurity, distance to sightseeing, cleanness and the perceived quality of the room, the services and the food; and (3) the behavior and culture of the locals at the destination –including the variables language proximity, insecurity, the way the locals prepare the good, litter and noise. A quantitative research was performed, based on 651 foreign travelers in the capital of Colombia. The results show that a second-order model, which includes nine factors and three dimensions, presents the highest goodness-of-fit indices. As a part of the conclusions, this paper presents the theoretical and managerial implications of the model obtained in this research to measure tourists’ stress in Colombia.

The phenology of the endangered Nogal (Juglans neotropica Diels) in Bogota and its conservation implications in the urban forest

Nogal, Juglans neotropica Diels is an endangered woody angiosperm of tropical origin. Several trees of this species have been planted in Bogota City, Colombia. The field of study is urban tree phenology. The research question of the current work is when do phenological changes occur throughout the year in urban nogal trees in the northern portion of Bogota, Colombia? The main research objective was to characterize the phenological changes of nogal according to the German (Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und CHemische Industrie) scale. The study area was located between 137 to 152 streets and along a major avenue on the northern portion of Bogota. Selected sites and tree sampling criteria were based on tree density (number of trees per site), tree height (three to seven meters in height), healthy individuals, and phenological stage. We selected a total of 19 trees. Vegetative flushes, flowering, fruiting, and leaf abscission occur once yearly. Nogal is a deciduous tree species that abscises its leaves on portions of the canopy and initiates new vegetative flushes at the same time. Nogal is protandrous, bearing both catkins and pistillate flowers. The scale can be used for in situ conservation of the species as a non-destructive, and consistent tool to manage nogal populations. BBCH also can be used to monitor the phenological stages of nogal and for future research studies within the city and elsewhere. We observed birds such as Thurdus fuscater, Zonotrichia capensis and Zenaida spp perching on the branches of this tree. The city is an important sanctuary for nogal conservation. The BBCH scale is an effective and non-destructive tool to monitor the precise timing of phenological events.