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In Colombia, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed on 6 March 2020. On 13 March 2023, Colombia registered 6,360,780 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, representing 12.18% of the total population. The National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) in Colombia published in 2020 a COVID-19 vulnerability index, which estimates the vulnerability (per city block) of being infected with COVID-19. Unfortunately, DANE did not consider multiple factors that could increase the risk of COVID-19 (in addition to demographic and health), such as environmental and mobility data (found in the related literature). The proposed multidimensional index considers variables of different types (unemployment rate, gross domestic product, citizens' mobility, vaccination data, and climatological and spatial information) in which the incidence of COVID-19 is calculated and compared with the incidence of the COVID-19 vulnerability index provided by DANE. The collection, data preparation, modeling, and evaluation phases of the Cross-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining methodology (CRISP-DM) were considered for constructing the index. The multidimensional index was evaluated using multiple machine learning models to calculate the incidence of COVID-19 cases in the main cities of Colombia. The results showed that the best-performing model to predict the incidence of COVID-19 in Colombia is the Extra Trees Regressor algorithm, obtaining an R-squared of 0.829. This work is the first step toward a multidimensional analysis of COVID-19 risk factors, which has the potential to support decision making in public health programs. The results are also relevant for calculating vulnerability indexes for other viral diseases, such as dengue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colombia has a high death rate due to traffic accidents, compared to the world reference. In particular, intermediate cities of the country have a very high death rate due to traffic accidents, much higher than the national rate and large cities rate. Municipalities and mobility secretariats have tried to solve these problems through the development of technological services, within the framework of the so-called Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). However, in most cases, these services are not based on an adequate ITS architecture, therefore, interoperability and integration of services is not feasible, generates high costs and its implementation is complex to carry out. The development of the services is not based on ITS architecture, due to the fact that this architecture has not been developed. Although there are works related to regional ITS architectural design methodologies, there is no methodology that considers diverse sources of reference and the particular context of the city. To encourage the development of mobility services, using an appropriate ITS architecture, we develop a methodology to design itinan intermediate city of a developing country. To formulate the methodology, we review the related documentation; we identify best practices; we consider the scope and context; and finally, we defined a logical process that was easy to implement. The present article details design methodology that we elaborate and presents the results obtained when applying the methodology in a particular case. Methodology obtained allowed the design of an ITS architecture for city oí Popayán, in addition we consider that it serves as a tool for development of ITS architectures in similar contexts. ITS architecture designed will allow to plan and implement the mobility services ofthe city in an appropriate way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study evaluated the reproductive compatibility of the crosses between adult ticks of the following three geographically different populations of Amblyomma cajennense: State of São Paulo (SP), southeastern Brazil; State of Rondônia (RO), northern Brazil; and Colombia (CO). In addition, crosses between A. cajennense ticks from Argentina (AR) and SP ticks were also performed. The Argentinean population (AR) was compatible with SP because their crosses resulted in high % egg hatching (mean values ranging from 71.5 to 93.5%), similarly to all homologous (intrapopulational) crosses. In contrast, the tick populations SP, RO, and CO were shown to be incompatible with each other, since their heterologous (interpopulational) crosses always resulted in very low % egg hatching (range: 0-5%). The F(1) larval offspring derived from some of these females that yielded 5% egg hatching were reared until the F(1) adult stage. In all cases, only adult females molted from engorged nymphs. These F(1) females were likely to be a product of thelytokous parthenogenesis of the SP, RO, and CO females that were used in the heterologous crosses. Reproductive incompatibility is not expected to occur between different populations of a single species. Thus, our results suggest that the taxon A. cajennense might be represented by a complex of different species, whereas SP and AR ticks might represent a single species. Further populational genetic studies, coupled with extensive morphological analyses, are needed to clarify and determine a possible complex of valid species that might have been classified under the taxon A. cajennense.