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The study investigated the educational preparedness of prospective mathematics teachers in Barranquilla and Cartagena, Colombia, by examining the socio-demographic characteristics and educational experiences of 57 participants enrolled in three distinct undergraduate teaching programs. The research employed a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey design, utilizing structured questionnaires to assess participants' perceptions of their readiness across various domains, including school mathematics, advanced mathematics, pedagogy, and math didactics. The study aimed to uncover nuanced differences in the educational trajectories and perceived preparedness of future educators within the context of the Caribbean region. The hypothesis guiding the research posited that exploring the educational environment (EE) provided to pre-service teachers could offer valuable insights into how regional teacher education institutions approach the development and competency of mathematics educators. The study sought to validate this hypothesis by conducting a comparative analysis of knowledge domains and educational methods between the two cities. Statistical analyses revealed notable variations in knowledge domains between Barranquilla and Cartagena. Consistent disparities were observed in Fundamental Mathematics, with Barranquilla participants scoring significantly higher (M = 3.8, SD = 0.6) compared to their Cartagena counterparts (M = 3.2, SD = 0.5), p = 0.012. Similar trends were found in Higher Mathematics and Educational Methods, with p-values of 0.027 and 0.041, respectively. These findings contribute to the broader discourse on the effectiveness of teacher education programs in the Caribbean region, highlighting the need for targeted interventions and enhancements in teacher training programs to address the observed disparities and improve mathematics education in urban areas.

This article presents the results of the first phase of the project "Design, development and evaluation of an App to promote the development of Intercultural Competence and ICT Competence in teachers of Higher Education" that was carried out in the Department of Antioquia in Colombia. The main objective of the first phase of the study was to analyze the perceptions of higher education teachers about their Intercultural Competence "Culturally Appropriate Pedagogical Strategies" in Virtual Learning Environments. The study has a quantitative approach, with a descriptive and non-experimental design that allows observing and analyzing the phenomena of the study. To identify participants' perceptions, a survey was conducted in which 69 teachers from various educational institutions in the Department of Antioquia in Colombia participated voluntarily.

The purpose of this research was to determine the relevance of the media in the prevention, education and contextual management of COVID-19. Methodology: descriptive non-experimental transectional research. An international survey validated by experts was applied, surveying 1082 people during a month. The countries with the highest participation were Peru, Colombia, Mexico, the United States and Russia. The data was processed using SPSS version 25. 64.7% of the respondents affirmed that the means were decisive in preventing the pandemic; 59.1% recognized the importance of the media for awareness and prevention of the pandemic, and 64% valued the importance of the media for the contextual management of the pandemic; demonstrating a significant relationship between the variables. Contributions: the need for strategic, prudent, ethical and socially responsible communication that benefits citizens in a pandemic situation is highlighted.

The purpose of this research was to identify how the knowledge creation process (KCP) takes place among Suyusama, an organization that carries out specific extension functions and advisory services, and the rural communities in Nariño, Colombia. Specifically, the study determined how new knowledge was created, disseminated, and materialized into products, services or systems. Colombia, as a country emerging from conflict, faces considerable challenges to improve rural livelihoods in its agricultural sector. To gain productivity and food security within a sustainable management of natural resources requires a conceptual framework for planning and implementing programs to strengthen agricultural extension and advisory systems. Grounded Theory Methodology was employed in order to create theory from the systematic analysis of data, obtained from field observations and in-depth interviews with members of the local community organizations. The result was a theoretical explanation of the KCP that occurs from the autonomous work of the community with the accompaniment of a mentor organization in a multicultural and diverse meeting scenario, where the dialogue of knowledge and cooperation is promoted by integrating traditional and contemporary knowledge. This work is also an academic contribution to exemplify the distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge and the interorganizational ontological dimension in which a knowledge-creation spiral takes place in a rural context.

We report on an action research project aimed at developing oral communication in first-graders, using songs as a strategy for young learners to use and enjoy English. It was developed at a Colombian public school over three months. The teacher-researchers attempted to encourage students using simple and amusing songs to help them learn new vocabulary in English and develop oral skills from the very moment they began their literacy process. In this article, we attempt to share our findings obtained from data collected through direct observation, field notes, video recordings, and interviews that show the process followed by very young learners to acquire vocabulary by singing.

Aim/Purpose: This study aimed at recognizing and analyzing the trends of ICT use (hardware, software, and digital educational resources) by higher education professors in the Antioquia region (Colombia), and characterizing this population according to their context. Background: The inexorable growth of ICT and the convergence of networks have produced great changes in human culture, and particularly in the educational environment. As a result, the development of appropriate technological competencies and the study of the trends of ICT use to meet this requirement become necessary. Methodology: The study follows a quantitative approach, with a non-experimental and correlational design. The sample consisted of 97 professors from different universities of the Antioquia region (Colombia), age between 21 and 60 years old, selected in a non-aleatory way, to fill in an online survey. Contribution: A contribution is the identification and characterizing of an active population in higher education and the trends in use of digital resources in the classroom from the professors' perception that allows recognizing the pedagogical potential of these resources to enrich the process of social and educational appropriation of ICT in higher education institutions (HEI). Findings: Findings show the level of use (low and high) of ICT (hardware, software, and digital educational resources) by university professors, identifying those that still maintain a predominant use (e.g., desktop PC); those that are innovative (e.g., laptop, smartphone), and those that appear with low frequency (e.g., apps, digital blackboard, clickers). These results show some factors that may influence the development of these trends, such as technological infrastructure, HEI support, teachers' training, the accessibility and availability of resources, and preference for digital open resources. Recommendations for Practitioners: According to the results, universities should provide technological resources and suitable connectivity necessary for educational innovation to professors. Besides, it is suggested to strengthen the pedagogical use of ICT by training according to the trends of use and professors' competency levels. Recommendation for Researchers: This study made evident professors' great preference of using storage, display, and sound devices, among them the desktop PC and the laptop continue being the key tools to boost the educational process, in contrast to the low use of tools to detect plagiarism, social networks, and apps to boost activities with emergent technologies. Considering the potential and richness these tools may offer in the educational processes, it should be interesting to carry out studies on factors or motivations that influence the little inclination to use them. Impact on Society: The analysis of the trends of ICT use from the perspective of university professors about hardware, software, and digital educational resources may suggest greater attention to the permanent training to take advantage of the pedagogical and technological potential of these tools. Future Research: This study allows thinking of other ways and lines of research that are the base to develop future proposals exploring the reality of new generations of professors. It also could be the base to carry out comparative studies in other regional contexts, which permit to compare, contrast and enrich professors' diversity. On the other hand, this research also shows the importance of carrying out mixed studies that offer a greater level of comprehension, analysis, and reflection about the target population and the trends of use of ICT.

One of the greatest advantages of augmented reality (AR) in education is that AR increases student motivation. Nevertheless, there is a gap between the research on student motivation in AR and the definition of frameworks to inform and guide the design and development of AR applications that effectively support student motivation. In this paper, we attempt to bridge that gap as we introduce and evaluate a framework for designing motivational AR applications. Our framework has been built upon three theoretical foundations: motivational design, universal design for learning and co-creation. The evaluation study was conducted with 58 chemistry students enrolled in the vocational education and training (VET) program for Laboratory Operations, and we found that the framework not only effectively supports the four dimensions of Keller's (2010) ARCS (attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction) model of motivation, but also demonstrates exceptional results in the Attention and Confidence dimensions of motivation.

The management of the technical reserve in Empresas Promotoras de Salud (EPS) in Colombia demonstrates adequate financial capacity to ensure the effective delivery of healthcare services. Nevertheless, the reserve's inherent nature and the unpredictability it engenders in planning engender financial risks that impair the long-term viability of such companies. The study aims to examine how filed invoices, unsubmitted authorizations, and estimated unknown debts affect the technical reserve of EPSs in Colombia from 2016 to 2021 using statistical methods like Online Linguistic Support, Autoregressive Moving Average, Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity, and Vector Autoregression. A descriptive and correlational study was conducted, considering current regulatory policies and the health insurance industry. Time series data were analyzed and revealed an inverse correlation between the explanatory and response variables. The method permits the assessment of two variables that impact technical reserve management: an increase in filed invoices and undetected claims results in decreased reserves, and filed authorizations have the opposite effect. Technical term abbreviations are explained upon their initial use in the text. Citations follow a consistent footnote style and formatting features. Similarly, we forecasted the impulse response function for the effect of technical reserves and suggested developing a predictive methodology to manage, regulate, or eradicate financial management vulnerabilities linked to HPC in Colombia. We emphasize the significance of precise authorizations for medical services since undiscovered debts may lead to financial losses for health care providers. A systematic approach is necessary to adhere to applicable regulations, including Law 100 of 1993 and associated resolutions and decrees. Healthcare providers can enhance their financial performance by ensuring accurate authorization and billing practices, thereby avoiding financial penalties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of EURE is the property of Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Two experiments examined pictorial humor as an unusual but legitimate way to approach the study of children's representational activity and the transition from implicit to explicit knowledge. In both experiments, the participants were 3- and 4-year-old children. Experiment 1 studied the understanding of two pictorial jokes using two conditions, choice and verbal production. Experiment 2 compared the results of Experiment 1 with the comprehension that children had of two versions of three pictorial jokes presented in two different sessions. The results showed three levels of comprehension. Changes in level were analyzed. The data suggest a tendency to stay at the same level, although a few children either descended or ascended. These changes occur within a short period of time, and provide support for a particular conceptualization of cognitive development. Implications for illustrated mechanisms of change and representational redescriptions in young children are discussed. (Contains 1 table and 8 figures.)

The objective of the study is to determine the relationship between teaching styles and learning styles in university students; through a correlational study, in a population of 40 professors and 170 university students (Case of Universidad de la Costa – Colombia). For learning styles, Kolb's learning styles instrument was used; and for teaching styles, the Teaching Styles Questionnaire was used, a standardized test designed under the methodology of the Evidence-Based Model and oriented to monitor the development of critical reading, written communication, citizenship competencies, quantitative reasoning and English. The resulting data were organized in a spreadsheet and processed using Statgraphics and R. The results show that the gender of the participants is not significant in the study; the predominant learning style of the students is the Accommodator, which is characterized by a better performance in concrete experience and active experimentation. As for the correspondence between learning styles and teaching styles, there is a strong relationship between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since there is no consensus in the previous literature on the factors that affect innovation capability in the context of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the objective of the article is to analyze the variables that affect this capability in industrial MSMEs in Colombia's Atlántico Department. For this, we develop a positivist, explanatory, and non-experimental cross-sectional study, using a survey applied to 400 industrial MSMEs. The results show that organizational learning, intellectual capital, and knowledge management directly and statistically significantly affect innovation capability. We concluded that in this type of company flexibility, informality, and control style, favor the development of strategies that allow the organization to face the environment´s demands, based on innovative and sustainable solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Saúde e Sociedade is the property of Universidade de Sao Paulo, Faculdade de Saude Publica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Having accurate data on the number of beach users is vital for planning services and managing overcrowding at high-demand tourist destinations. Obtaining this data has traditionally been a time-consuming task. This study proposes a novel approach to automating the counting process based on computer vision and artificial intelligence. Three HIKVISION PTZ ("Point, Tilt, Zoom") surveillance cameras were installed on the roofs of the strategic buildings of El Rodadero, Santa Marta, D.T.C.H. Colombia. This observation system provided more than 150 000 observations spanning more than a year (September 2022–October 2023). An algorithm based on the YOLOv5 architecture was trained using a dataset containing over 50 000 labels of people at the beach or in water backgrounds. Applied to surveillance camera images in El Rodadero, Santa Marta, D.T.C.H. Colombia., this algorithm had the ability to identify individuals with high spatiotemporal detail. Beach users were detected over water and on the beach with true positive rates of 81% and 89%, respectively. The counts of beach users made by the model were highly correlated with counts verified by humans with an R 2 of 91%. When compared to these expected numbers, the model counted an average of 2–18% fewer people, with a lower error on the beach than on the water. Adjusting for that underestimation the average occupancy at El Rodadero was 125 132 m2 per person, but during peak times, such as long weekends, this number decreased to less than 3 m2 per person. This information is critical for authorities to make informed decisions and for visitors to choose less crowded beaches, avoiding overcrowding. To facilitate access to this information, an automated web system had been created that displayed updated results and allowed downloads for registered users. • At one of Colombia's popular tourist beaches, beach occupancy and attendance were estimated by a fully automated system • Surveillance cameras capture thousands of images and an AI algorithm accurately identified and counted beachgoers. • The first year of data is described and ready for planning public service deployment and preventing beach overcrowding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: According to the World Health Organization, overweight and obesity occur due to an abnormal or excessive accumulation of body fat that is harmful to health. During childhood and adolescence, risk factors such as dyslipidemia or obesity are detected, the maintenance of which in the adult stage has been verified, indicating that detection should be started as early as possible. It is necessary to carry out an anthropometric <- nutritional evaluation to detect a deficit or excess weight in time. A study on the topic of chronic non-communicable diseases in Colombia indicated that in 2014 more than 100,000 people died with ischemic and hemorrhagic cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs), cancer, DM and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), by being able to carry out early detections that will allow adequate prevention of secondary complications. Methodology: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out with a population - sample of 36 university students of both sexes. After informed consent, those who met the inclusion criteria demanded by Bioimpedance included: weight, height, visceral fat, body fat, In addition to abdominal or waist circumference, hip and lipid profile: total cholesterol (CT), triglycerides (TG), HDLc, VLDLc. LDLc. Results: Overweight and obesity in the results of (BMI, Gf and FV)), found in young male and female sex with prevalence in the male sex group, and hyperlipidemias mainly in the female sex studied. Conclusion: High prevalence of CVD risk factors such as overweight, obesity, and hyperlipidemia in the female sex group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats have a major functional role in wetlands; understanding how functional traits of bats depend on environmental characteristics can facilitate management of ecosystems and their services. In this study, we investigated how bat functional diversity has been affected by different anthropogenic impacts in wetlands of the Trans-Andean tropical dry forest of Colombia. Specifically, we analyzed how different functional traits responded to changing environmental conditions and land use and land cover patterns. We sampled six wetlands during the dry periods of the hydrological cycle from 2014 to 2018 and modeled the functional diversity as a function of environmental variables. To understand the association of bat community structure with environmental variables and biotic factors, we combined the RLQ analysis and the fourth-corner approach to relate environmental characteristics and species traits. The percentages of water surface area and pasture land were found to be associated with the general traits of bats when analyzed using the relative abundance of species. In addition, changes in functional diversity appeared to be driven mainly by larger species (e.g., Phyllostomus hastatus, Artibeus lituratus), whose presence was primarily associated with heterogeneous areas. The fourth-corner analysis revealed that the greatest length of skull is the trait that best describes the presence of bats in landscapes of pastures, water bodies, and high abundance of the shrubs Vismia sp. and Cecropia sp. These results suggest that combinations of specific features are important drivers of variation in functional diversity between wetlands. Considering the high vulnerability of Colombian wetlands, our findings provide fundamental information for the development of strategies for monitoring wetland biodiversity. The results can help identify priority conservation sites and improve environmental decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biomédica: Revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud is the property of Instituto Nacional de Salud of Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Palobra is the property of Universidad de Cartagena and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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Copyright of Investigaciones ANDINA is the property of Fundacion Universitaria del Area Andina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Investigaciones ANDINA is the property of Fundacion Universitaria del Area Andina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Salud Uninorte is the property of Fundacion Universidad del Norte and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Economía del Caribe is the property of Fundacion Universidad del Norte and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is the neurological disease that causes more disability and institutionalization. Its high survival is not even a full recovery, since until ninety percent suffer consequences, creating a demand for care and the presence of a caregiver to perform the basic activities. These caregivers are exposed to suffer changes in their lives that affect different roles, making them a vulnerable population that requires care from health services. Objective: Identify the skills of care from care givers of patients with sequelae of CVA in Cartagena. Method: Descriptive study, made to 152 caregivers of patients with sequelae of CVA in the city of Cartagena. It was used two instruments, Characterization of the care givers and Inventory Caregiver's Ability to Care, an instrument that measures the ability of care in the dimensions knowledge, courage and patience. Results: Caregivers are mostly women in adulthood, younger than the subject of care, homemakers. They have more than 37 months devoted to the care, generally there are more carers, they have first degree of consanguinity (51.3%), and average ability to care. The dimensions of caring ability, knowledge (75.7%) patience (87.5%) and courage (2.6%) were in the high category. Conclusions: Caregivers of people with ACV, do not have the skills necessary to establish the relationship of care, interventions are needed to reduce the risks of the caregiver role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Salud Uninorte is the property of Fundacion Universidad del Norte and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Salud Uninorte is the property of Fundacion Universidad del Norte and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatria is the property of Asociacion Colombiana de Psiquiatria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Salud Uninorte is the property of Fundacion Universidad del Norte and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Salud Uninorte is the property of Fundacion Universidad del Norte and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Several studies have shown that fish assemblages are structured by habitat features, most of them have proposed that there is a positive relationship between habitat structural complexity and species diversity. In this study, we aimed to test this positive-relationship idea in three habitats types (creeks, oxbow lakes and river sandbanks) distributed along the Bita River Basin in South America. Standardized surveys were conducted during January and February of 2016 (low water period) in 30 sites distributed along the entire basin. We recorded 23,092 individuals representing 191 species. To investigate possible relationships between habitat structural complexity and species diversity, we calculated the first three Hill's numbers, and performed a Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS), a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and a Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). Our results showed that river sandbanks and creeks had the highest species richness. Results from the NMDS analysis (stress = 0.19) showed that fish community composition was different in the assessed habitats (ANOSIM < p = 0.001). According to the results of the principal component analysis, sand percentage, dissolved oxygen, and vegetation width separated river sandbanks from the other habitats. Results from the Hill's numbers, forward selection procedure, and canonical correspondence analysis suggested that species composition and diversity were significantly influenced by the habitat structural complexity index and conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This article aims to assess the contribution of genomic ancestry and socioeconomic status to obesity in a sample of admixed Latin Americans., Methods: The study comprised 6776 adult volunteers from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. Each volunteer completed a questionnaire about socioeconomic variables. Anthropometric variables such as weight, height, waist, and hip circumference were measured to calculate body indices: body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Genetic data were extracted from blood samples, and ancestry was estimated using chip genotypes. Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate the relationship between the indices and ancestry, educational level, and economic well-being. The body indices were dichotomized to obesity indices by using appropriate thresholds. Odds ratios were calculated for each obesity index., Results: The sample showed high percentages of obesity by all measurements. However, indices did not overlap consistently when classifying obesity. WHtR resulted in the highest prevalence of obesity. Overall, women with low education level and men with high economic wellness were more likely to be obese. American ancestry was statistically associated with obesity indices, although to a lesser extent than socioeconomic variables., Conclusions: The proportion of obesity was heavily dependent on the index and the population. Genomic ancestry has a significant influence on the anthropometric measurements, especially on central adiposity. As a whole, we detected a large interpopulation variation that suggests that better approaches to overweight and obesity phenotypes are needed in order to obtain more precise reference values., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Mesotherapy is an increasingly used technique which is currently causing several mycobacterial infections owing to contaminated substances being injected, and also to poor aseptic measures being held by nonprofessional practitioners., Patients and Methods: We collected 15 cases of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection after mesotherapy in a 6-month period., Results: All patients were female with ages ranging from 19 to 52 years; the main substances injected were procaine and lecithin, and the time between mesotherapy and the appearance of the lesions varied between 1 and 12 weeks. Clinical lesions were mostly nodules and abscesses, which were localized in the abdomen and buttocks in the majority of cases. The main patient complaint was local pain but some presented with systemic symptoms such as fever and malaise. Biopsies reported granulomatous chronic inflammation in the majority of cases. Skin cultures were positive for NTM and Mycobacterium chelonae., Discussion and Conclusions: Mesotherapy not performed with quality controlled substances can be a predisposing factor for NTM infection.