Municipalities In Colombia Research Articles

Particulate Matter 2.5 and Severe Periodontitis Among Colombian Adults

ABSTRACTAimsThe primary aim was to determine the association between particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) concentration at municipality‐level and severe periodontitis among adults. A second aim was to evaluate contemporaneous versus lagged effects of exposure to municipality‐level PM2.5 concentration on severe periodontitis.MethodsWe linked individual‐level data from the latest National Oral Health Survey (ENSAB‐IV) with satellite‐based estimates of annual PM2.5 concentrations at the surface level for municipalities in Colombia. Annual PM2.5 concentrations were averaged over 3, 5 and 10 years to capture contemporaneous and lagged effects, respectively. Severe periodontitis was defined using three common case definitions. The association between municipality‐level PM2.5 concentration and severe periodontitis was tested in multilevel logistic regression models adjusting for covariates.ResultsData from 9111 adults in 197 municipalities and 33 departments were analyzed. The prevalence of severe periodontitis varied from 10.4% to 29.8% depending on the case definition used. The mean PM2.5 concentration was 18.5 (SD = 2.9), 19.1 (3.0) and 18.9 (2.8) μg/m3 over the past 3, 5 and 10 years. The municipality‐level PM2.5 concentration was not associated with severe periodontitis, irrespective of the assessment period for PM2.5 concentration (3, 5, or 10 years) or the case definition of periodontitis used.ConclusionsThis study found no association between municipality‐level PM2.5 concentration and severe periodontitis among Colombian adults. No evidence of lagged effects was found either.

Exploring the link between foresight and artificial intelligence methods to strengthen collective future-building in contexts of social instability

Purpose The study explores the connection between foresight and Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods in a community within an environment of social instability in Colombia. It aims to contribute to research on aligning these methods for future-shaping, with the goal of enhancing shared governance, peer learning and collective learning among traditional decision-makers and local communities in emerging countries. The study seeks to foster a community of social actors who are likely to engage constructively in strategic dialogues. To enhancing shared governance and learning a hybrid model is synthesized, combining foresight and computational intelligence. Design/methodology/approach The case study explores the integration of computational intelligence and foresight through Gaston Bachelard's (Bachelard, 1936) phenomenology concept of ante-perception. The mathematical representation of the cone of scenarios provides a structured way to explore multiple future pathways, allowing communities to visualize and compare different trajectories and make informed decisions amid uncertainty. The model facilitates critical reflections on present assumptions, deepening insights into future scenarios. Ante-perception challenges traditional approaches to foresight by encouraging a break from established experiences, allowing for novel insights into possible futures. When enriched by computational intelligence, this reflective process is further strengthened by quantitative approach scenario modeling. Findings This research develops and tests a proposal that includes the logic and methods for constructing a mathematical representation of the cone of scenarios. This process, which is interactive and deliberative, is driven by anticipation and combines qualitative and quantitative approaches within a context of high uncertainty. By combining the critical reflection facilitated by ante-perception with the predictive power of computational intelligence, the model allows communities to transcend established thought patterns and explore innovative future possibilities. This integrative approach helps them envision and work toward social self-transformation. Research limitations/implications The article aims to identify the creation of scenarios in contexts of high uncertainty, to respond to the needs of communities in emerging countries to manage change. Practical implications This article explores a novel approach to using foresight for address collective intelligence by developing a shared future vision in high-uncertainty contexts within local communities in emerging countries. The application of the hybrid model demonstrates that foresight is a key innovative social tool for developing long-term strategic reflection and planning for territories. Social implications In developing long-term reflective processes, explaining phenomena, mechanisms and correlations requires the use of value judgments. This set of value judgments requires a representation that facilitates their treatment, helps to account for their behavior during the inference process to form a shared future vision. Consequently, ensuring the recognition of the opinions of local communities through participatory discussion spaces and their subsequent refinement, from a technical perspective, aims to illustrate the development of this social construction process. While similarities exist, differences add value through a transfer process, often subconscious. This process stimulates collective learning and builds capacities as knowledge is developed through inquiry, evaluation, interpretation and generalization. Originality/value This research provides a unique hybrid model that fosters collective learning and engagement by integrating local community perspectives with advanced computational intelligence methods. By facilitating both reflective and quantitative approach future-shaping, it offers a practical framework for addressing uncertainty while empowering communities to shape their own futures. It underscores the importance of recognizing local community views through bottom-up participatory discussions, thereby widening the stakeholder community to active engagement in addressing broader societal issues. The case study focuses on community collaboration in Puerto Gaitán, a Colombian municipality.

Composting as a Cleaner Production Strategy for the Soil Resource of Potato Crops in Choconta, Colombia

Choconta is the municipality in Colombia with the greatest prevalence of potato planting, representing 70.90% of the total territory. However, this crop has been affected by the presence of pests, diseases, and chemical contaminants from pesticides and chemical fertilizers that deteriorate the soil and, therefore, the quality of the final product. Compost (organic waste with specific characteristics and made from waste generated in Choconta) was studied as a sustainable production strategy to increase soil quality and thereby the quality of the local potato crop. For this purpose, a 3 × 2 experiment design was implemented with three treatments (0%, 25%, and 50% compost) and two variables (young potato and mature potato) in duplicate for 4 months. In this experiment, the use of compost led to an improved final product, which went from a floury texture to a dense and creamy texture. The use of compost also reduced the levels of heavy metals, such as lead, with a higher removal in treatment 3 (50% composting). The estimated direct cost of the composting process was USD 280.85, slightly lower than that of the application of fertilizers at USD 294.48. The use of fertilizers has a higher environmental impact due to the use of chemical products that have environmental and health implications. Using compost did not influence tuber harvest time but had a positive impact on tuber texture quality and on soil resources through the reduction in heavy metals, especially lead (16.40–18.03 ppm for treatment 1, 17.96–18.49 ppm for treatment 2, and 15.67–17.88 ppm for treatment 3). Using compost could be environmentally and economically beneficial for local farmers, and it promotes the circular economy and sustainable communities.

Urban growth and waste services: exploring scenarios in an inter-municipal cooperative framework in Sogamoso city, Colombia

ABSTRACT The spatial dimensions of city expansion in Latin America reveal the emergence of new urban agglomeration and metropolization phenomena. In this context, the goal is to implement a predictive model of land use change between 1976 and 2047 in the city of Sogamoso and neighboring municipalities in Colombia and to apply its results to a proposal for inter-municipal cooperation in the collection of solid household waste. The methodology used is based on a spatially explicit models using the CA_Markov model in Idrisi Selva software that incorporates Markov chains, multi-criteria evaluation, and cellular automata to identify future areas of urban expansion. The model forecasts urban growth from 2,420 ha in 2021 to 5,278 ha in 2047. The spatial distribution of the new urban areas implies collection routes that are ever farther away from the main urban centers. There is thus a vital need for new regional planning practices (such as inter-municipal cooperation).

The relationship between homicides from armed conflict and efficiency of educational quality in Colombia

This study analyzes the relationship between homicides due to the armed conflict and educational efficiency in 912 municipalities in Colombia between 2014 and 2018, through the Saber 11 standardized test and school pass rates. The main objective is to calculate the potential loss of efficiency in the municipalities due to the armed conflict; to do this, a conditional robust non-parametric approach is applied, incorporating armed conflict as an environmental variable. Results show, primarily, that armed conflict deaths in the municipality are associated with lower educational efficiency; additionally, conflict in both local and neighboring municipalities is found to be significantly correlated with level of educational inefficiency.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices about air pollution and its health effects in 6th to 11th-grade students in Colombia: a cross-sectional study.

Globally, air pollution is the leading environmental cause of disease and premature death. Raising awareness through environmental education and adequate communication on air quality could reduce the adverse effects. We aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding air pollution and health and determine the factors associated with these KAP in children and adolescents. In 2019-2020, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 6th-11th grade high school students in five municipalities in Colombia. Variables collected included: age, sex, private or public school, any medical history, emergency room visits due to respiratory symptoms in the last year, and whether students played sports. The main exposure was the School Environmental Project. The outcomes were the KAP scale [0% (the lowest score) to 100% (the highest score)]. The factors associated with KAP levels were evaluated with independent mixed regressions due to the multilevel structure of the study (level 1: student; level 2: school), and the exponential coefficients (95% confidence interval-CI) were reported. Among 1,676 students included, 53.8% were females. The median knowledge score about air pollution and its health effects was 33.8% (IQR: 24.0-44.9), 38.6% knew the air quality index, 30.9% knew the air quality alerts that occurred twice a year in these municipalities and 5.3% had high self-perceived knowledge. Positive attitudes, pro-environmental practices, being female, grade level, attending a private school, having respiratory diseases, and the school environmental project importance were associated with higher knowledge scores. The median attitudes score was 78.6% (IQR: 71.4-92.9). Pro-environmental attitudes were associated with knowledge-increasing, being female, attending a private school, and the school environmental project. The median pro-environmental practices score was 28.6% (IQR: 28.6-42.9). During air quality alerts, 11.6% had worn masks, 19% had reduced the opening time of windows and 15.9% avoided leaving home. Pro-environmental practices were associated with knowledge-increasing and attitudes-increasing, and lower practices with higher grade levels, visiting a doctor in the last year, and practicing sports. Children and adolescents have low knowledge scores and inadequate pro-environmental practices scores regarding air pollution. However, they demonstrate positive attitudes towards alternative solutions and express important concerns about the planet's future.

A multimodal framework for extraction and fusion of satellite images and public health data

In low- and middle-income countries, the substantial costs associated with traditional data collection pose an obstacle to facilitating decision-making in the field of public health. Satellite imagery offers a potential solution, but the image extraction and analysis can be costly and requires specialized expertise. We introduce SatelliteBench, a scalable framework for satellite image extraction and vector embeddings generation. We also propose a novel multimodal fusion pipeline that utilizes a series of satellite imagery and metadata. The framework was evaluated generating a dataset with a collection of 12,636 images and embeddings accompanied by comprehensive metadata, from 81 municipalities in Colombia between 2016 and 2018. The dataset was then evaluated in 3 tasks: including dengue case prediction, poverty assessment, and access to education. The performance showcases the versatility and practicality of SatelliteBench, offering a reproducible, accessible and open tool to enhance decision-making in public health.

HPR113 Equity in Antenatal Care Quality: An Analysis of 11.382 Cases from 23 Municipalities in Colombia

HPR113 Equity in Antenatal Care Quality: An Analysis of 11.382 Cases from 23 Municipalities in Colombia

Caminos, trazos y líneas: un aporte a la (de)construcción de la educación en contextos de ruralidad

This article of reflection arises from experiences lived as a teacher and researcher of an educational institution located in a rural context, as secretary of education of a Colombian municipality classified as sixth category and from the results that emerged in the development of my research work on master's degree. This is how tensions, challenges, realities, and opportunities are made known, to think and (re)think what education is today in the context of rurality, taking as its axis the municipality of Venecia - Southwest Antioqueño Colombiano, which It allowed me to get closer and make known those educational realities that teachers, students, families, teaching directors and the community in general face every day. The objective of this reflective article is to go in search of proposing lines of deterritorialization, in the sense that is addressed by the philosophers Guilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, for the staging of the existence of other ways of seeing, living and being in the country school. Thus, by assuming cartography as a methodological route, some facts are revealed that complement the present reflection, and that will be that starting point to show experiences, paths and paths towards other ways of feeling, knowing, constructing and (in)build the rural school, based on their identities, traditions and cosmogonies.

Excess Child Mortality Associated With Colombia’s Armed Conflict, 1998-2019

Armed conflicts are directly and indirectly associated with morbidity and mortality due to destruction of health infrastructure and diversion of resources, forced displacement, environmental damage, and erosion of social and economic security. Colombia's conflict began in the 1940s and has been uniquely long-lasting and geographically dynamic. To estimate the proportion of infant and child mortality associated with armed conflict exposure from 1998 to 2019 in Colombia. This ecological cohort study includes data from all 1122 municipalities in Colombia from 1998 to 2019. Statistical analysis was conducted from February 2022 to June 2023. Armed conflict exposure was measured dichotomously by the occurrence of conflict-related events in each municipality-year, enumerated and reported by the Colombian National Center for Historic Memory. Deaths among children younger than 5 years and deaths among infants younger than 1 year, offset by the number of births in that municipality-year, enumerated by Colombia's national vital statistics. The analytical sample included 24 157 municipality-years and 223 101 conflict events covering the period from 1998 to 2019. Overall, the presence of armed conflict in a municipality was associated with a 52% increased risk of death for children younger than 5 years of age (relative risk, 1.52 [95% CI, 1.34-1.72]), with similar results for 1- and 5-year lagged analyses. Armed conflict was associated with a 61% increased risk in infant (aged <1 year) death (relative risk, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.43-1.82]). On the absolute scale, this translates to a risk difference of 3.7 excess child deaths per 1000 births (95% CI, 2.7-4.7 per 1000 births) and 3.0 excess infant deaths per 1000 births (95% CI, 2.3-3.6 per 1000 births) per year, beyond what would be expected in the absence of armed conflict. Across the 22-year study period, the population attributable risk was 31.7% (95% CI, 23.5%-39.1%) for child deaths and 35.3% (95% CI, 27.8%-42.0%) for infant deaths. This ecological cohort study of Colombia's spatiotemporally dynamic armed conflict suggests that municipal exposure to armed conflict was associated with excess child and infant deaths. With a record number of children living near active conflict zones in 2020, policy makers and health professionals should understand the magnitude of and manner in which armed conflicts directly and indirectly undermine child health.

Supercritical CO2 extraction of carotenoids from high Andean forest bee pollen

An oily bee pollen extract was obtained using the supercritical fluid technique (SFE) using CO2 as a solvent and conditions of pressure: 28 MPa, temperature: 60°C, gas flow: 5 L/min, and duration: 6 h. Initially, pollen samples were collected from different municipalities of Colombia, selected, and analyzed according to the content of total carotenoids (CCT) and yield of the extraction process. The results show CCT between 119 and 2140 µg β-carotene/g of sample, with yield percentages in obtaining oily extracts between 3 – 5%. For CCT in the oily extract, 385–6942 µg β-carotene/g of extract were obtained, where Guatavita pollen was the one with the highest content. According to the investigation, the authors derived that the technique of SFE positively affected the exine layer, shown in the observations by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).

Living without a partner, a risk factor in self-perceived health? Pilot cross-sectional study with a small group of adults in a municipality in Colombia

Objetivos: La autopercepción en salud es definida como la apreciación del propio estado de salud. Este es un fenómeno multidimensional en el que actúan variables como la salud psicológica, el capital social y algunos factores sociodemográficos. Su estimación ha tomado relevancia en salud pública, ya que predice indicadores como morbilidad, mortalidad y uso de servicios sanitarios. El objetivo fue realizar una medición de la salud psicológica, el capital social y diversos factores sociodemográficos y establecer su probable asociación con la autopercepción en salud. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio transversal entre septiembre y octubre de 2021. Se aplicó un instrumento con 52 preguntas sobre autopercepción en salud, capital social, salud psicológica y algunos factores sociodemográficos, y se realizó un análisis bivariado y multivariado en el programa CIETmap para identificar las variables que tuvieron mayor influencia en la autopercepción en salud. Resultados: En la muestra, el 80 % de las personas consideró su estado de salud como bueno o muy bueno, mientras que 17 % afirmó que su estado de salud es regular; el 17 % del total de la muestra tiene un alto riesgo de sufrir trastornos emocionales, y 58 % de los encuestados cuenta con buenas redes de apoyo. Por último, se estimó que la medida de asociación que mayor riesgo presentó en la autopercepción en salud fue vivir sin pareja (OR=5.90). Conclusiones: En la población estudiada, los factores asociados al capital social y al bienestar psicológico están relacionados con la autopercepción en salud, y vivir sin pareja fue un factor relevante.

Density of Aedes aegypti and dengue virus transmission risk in two municipalities of Northwestern Antioquia, Colombia.

The high infestation of Aedes aegypti populations in Urabá, Antioquia, Colombia represents a risk factor for increased dengue morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to determine the risk of dengue transmission by estimating the population of Ae. aegypti using entomological indices, density of females per dwelling and inhabitant, and virological surveillance in two municipalities in Colombia. A cross-sectional study was conducted with quarterly entomological surveys in three neighborhoods of Apartadó and Turbo between 2021 and 2022. Aedes indices and vector density per dwelling and per inhabitant were calculated. The Kernel method was used for spatial analysis, and correlations between climatic variables and mosquito density were examined. Virus detection and serotyping in mosquitoes was performed using single-step reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The housing, reservoir, and Breteau indices were 48.9%, 29.5%, and 70.2%, respectively. The mean density of Ae. aegypti was 1.47 females / dwelling and 0.51 females / inhabitant. The overall visual analysis showed several critical points in the neighborhoods studied. There was significant correlation of vector density and relative humidity and precipitation in the neighborhoods 29 de noviembre and 24 de diciembre. Additionally, serotypes DENV-1 and DENV-2 were found. The overall indices for dwellings, reservoirs, and Breteau were lower than those recorded in 2014 in Urabá. The vector density results in this study were similar to those reported in other studies conducted in Latin America, and vector infection was detected. The Aedes and density indices are complementary, emphasizing the importance of continuous surveillance of Ae. aegypti to inform appropriate control strategies and prevent future dengue outbreaks in these municipalities.

A geologist per municipality initiative: Bridging geology and governance for sustainable development in Colombia

In Colombia, the unique and complex landscape, prone to natural hazards, as well as the wealth of natural resources, underscores the necessity for geologists in guiding sustainable development and mitigating risks. Recognizing this, there is a push for a law named "Un Geólogo por Municipio" (A Geologist per Municipality), which would ensure that each Colombian municipality has a geologist to oversee environmental and land-use matters, assess natural hazards, manage natural resources, and help in disaster planning and response. This initiative aims to improve the management of the country's geological resources, reduce disaster risks, and promote sustainable use of the environment. The proposed legislation is designed to make certain that every municipality can benefit from the specialized knowledge of geologists, thereby fostering informed decision-making for the welfare of the community and the country's development.

Risk Factors Associated With Bullying in Context of a Territory Exposed to Armed Conflict: A Cross-sectional Study.

School violence and bullying are current and problematic events during adolescence. They are likely to have a marked presence in places highly exposed to armed conflict and violent environments, representing a double public health problem. The study aims to estimate the prevalence of different types of school violence perpetrated and experienced by school adolescents in a community with a history of exposure to armed conflict. Two thousand one hundred eighty-five school adolescents from a municipality in Colombia (males = 54.1%, 14-16 years = 38.6%) participated in the study. Nine educational institutions were included. A systematic random sampling was designed, with a proportional allocation of 35% within each school year from sixth to eleventh grade. The School Coexistence and Circumstances Affecting it-ECECA survey was applied. The prevalence and risks of bully and bullying were estimated. RRa were calculated with the 95% confidence interval adjusted for the other confounding variables. Analyses were constructed from generalized linear models, under the Poisson family and a logarithmic link function. We found a 9.3% of bullying victimization and a 3.5% prevalence of bully. A higher risk of bully was found among males, persons between 10 and 14 years of age, residents of rural or urban dispersed areas, residents of violent neighborhoods, alcohol consumers at school, and victims of aggression in childhood (RRa > 1.0, p-values <.05). The risk of victimization of bullying was higher in students younger than 15 years old, as residents of urban areas, having a history of childhood aggression, suffering abuse by a close person, and as alcohol users at school. This study provides evidence of risk factors for aggression and bullying that have implications for possible prevention measures in multiple social domains, including the individual, the family, and the school environment.

Avoiding a natural resource curse? The impact of administrative efficiency on Colombian municipalities’ fiscal effort

ABSTRACT The term ‘paradox of the plenty’ was coined to describe an often-found inverse relationship between royalty revenue and economic development. The main causal mechanism is thought to be a substitution effect whereby governments use royalty revenue to lower taxes instead of investing in activities that promote long-term economic growth. However, the occurrence of a ‘natural resource curse’ differs widely both for countries and subnational jurisdictions. Based on a dataset that traces 1,078 municipalities in Colombia from 2006 to 2017 and utilising a policy reform in 2012 that reduced royalty revenue for producer municipalities, we argue and find that municipal fiscal effort is higher when producer municipalities have more-efficient administrations. Our findings have important implications for the design of policy that allocates royalty revenue across subnational jurisdictions, in particular for developing countries where administrative efficiency tends to vary widely between local governments.

Characterization of Dengue Virus Serotype 2 Cosmopolitan Genotype Circulating in Colombia.

Dengue virus (DENV) is the etiological agent of dengue fever (DF), which is among the most prevalent vector-borne diseases in the tropics. In 2022, the Colombian health surveillance system reported more than 69,000 cases of DF. As part of a hospital-based fever surveillance study, acute-phase sera were collected from 4,545 patients with suspected dengue between 2020 and 2023 in three municipalities of Colombia. Combined reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and antigen rapid testing confirmed that 376 patients (8.3%) had DF. The virus was isolated in cell culture from 166 of these patients (44.1%), and genome sequencing was performed successfully on 122 (73.5%). Three DENV serotypes (1, 2, and 3) were identified. Phylogenetic analyses of the DENV-2 sequences revealed that 42 of 50 of the isolates (84%) belonged to the DENV-2 cosmopolitan genotype lineage, clustering with sequences from Asia, Peru, and Brazil. We report the detection, isolation, and whole-genome sequencing (11 Kb) of the DENV-2 cosmopolitan genotype and its recent introduction to Colombia.

Time lag effect on malaria transmission dynamics in an Amazonian Colombian municipality and importance for early warning systems

Malaria remains a significant public health problem worldwide, particularly in low-income regions with limited access to healthcare. Despite the use of antimalarial drugs, transmission remains an issue in Colombia, especially among indigenous populations in remote areas. In this study, we used an SIR Ross MacDonald model that considered land use change, temperature, and precipitation to analyze eco epidemiological parameters and the impact of time lags on malaria transmission in La Pedrera—Amazonas municipality. We found changes in land use between 2007 and 2020, with increases in forested areas, urban infrastructure and water edges resulting in a constant increase in mosquito carrying capacity. Temperature and precipitation variables exhibited a fluctuating pattern that corresponded to rainy and dry seasons, respectively and a marked influence of the El Niño climatic phenomenon. Our findings suggest that elevated precipitation and temperature increase malaria infection risk in the following 2 months. The risk is influenced by the secondary vegetation and urban infrastructure near primary forest formation or water body edges. These results may help public health officials and policymakers develop effective malaria control strategies by monitoring precipitation, temperature, and land use variables to flag high-risk areas and critical periods, considering the time lag effect.

Border Jobs: The Business of Work on the Colombia/Venezuela Border

ABSTRACT This article explores the life and work of Venezuelan migrants in the Colombia/Venezuela border neighborhood of La Parada, in the Colombian municipality of Villa del Rosario, Department of Norte de Santander. We use ethnographic fieldwork, complemented with a simple survey we helped organize in the area, to show how border jobs are shaped and depend upon a variety of actors such as state institutions, non-governmental and other humanitarian organizations, members of guerrilla groups, and paramilitaries. All these actors have influence and control different aspects of the flow of goods and people across this busy border, where the distinction between legal and illegal transits is blurry in every sense. The overlapping territorialities that these actors shape through different practices articulate a particularly precarious life for migrants who must learn to read and respond to volatile and changing systems of border control. We discuss the perspectives of migrants themselves and show how they had to respond to the effects of the quarantine instated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suitable municipalities for biomass energy use in Colombia based on a multicriteria analysis from a sustainable development perspective

Using renewable energies is a global strategy to mitigate the acceleration of global warming generated by industrial processes and is a sustainable way to diversify the energy matrix in all countries. Biomass is a renewable energy source that produces biofuels and generates electricity and heat. The primary purpose of this work is to identify the municipalities in Colombia where agricultural, livestock, and urban residual biomass could be suitable for energy generation in a sustainable and renewable way. To that end, we carried out a Geostatistical Multi-Criteria Decision Methodology using Analytical Hierarchy Processes such as Rank-Sum and Weighted Linear Combination, as well as considering a set of sustainable development indicators applied to official Colombian data. Two scenarios are considered for comparison purposes. The first one is according to expert criteria, and the second one considers The Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations. Under both proposed scenarios, 127 municipalities were found to be suitable for agricultural-urban residual biomass and 162 for livestock-urban residual biomass for energy generation. One of the main limitations for the use of urban biomass is that municipalities need to have sufficient production potential to fulfill their own energy needs. An additional comparison with previous works to evaluate the performance of the Multi-Criteria Decision Methodologies MCDM is also proposed.