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This article describes the results of a survey carried out during the years 2003-2004 to determine compliance with requisites to receive the Ministry of Social Protection's certification as decentralized in health in a representative sample of Colombian municipalities. The results are used to evaluate the validity of certification status as an indicator of decentralization and to construct an alternative decentralization scale. The study finds that despite being certified, municipalities do not meet all certification criteria. Although the number of fulfilled requisites seems to be related to certification status, there are no clear cut differences between certified and non certified municipalities in the type of requisites that are met. The proposed scale seems to capture both quantitative and qualitative differences in met requisites. The findings of the survey question whether certification status itself can be used as an indicator that adequately reflects the degree of health decentralization in municipalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern microscopy studies are capable of revealing ultra-fine particles (UFPs) and nanoparticles (NPs) that are produced in the processes related to traffic vehicular, industrial, metropolitan, and marine aerosol dry deposition in the coastal zones. Especially, secondary aerosol passages complexes categories of NPs and UFPs, which can be accumulated on construction compounds and by dry deposition, encourages multiples monuments deterioration routes. The advanced electron microscopies method is one of the most utilized in environmental studies. Between the different industrial areas in the world, the Caribbean area is the most relevant symbols of air quality due to climatic conditions with strong winds, but this study shows that regionally the most industrialized region does not have an adequate air quality. In the present work, electron microscopy analyses are used to describe of the extent of ultra-fine particle and nanoparticles in walls in contact to weathering. Numerous phases were recognized by advanced mineralogy methods. Thanks to the new analytical procedure it was feasible to understand NPs and UFPs; the occurrence of potential hazardous elements (PHEs), most of them as minerals but also combined in multiple accumulations with Al-Cr-Fe-K-Mg-Pb-Si-Ti-Zn amorphous; and carbonaceous phases., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)