Whilst the anthropology of mining has been quite critical to the consequences of mineral extraction, the anthropology of finance has overlooked the consequences of mineral attraction. This dissertation explores how the World Gold Council (WGC), an umbrella organization for the global development of the gold market, makes such market attractive to investors by disconnecting gold financial value from gold mining conflicts. It introduces the concept of ‘resource attraction’, which brings together ethical regimes, affective relationships and global aspirations. It proposes to understand the problem of natural resources from the perspective of the demand mostly located in the global north, and not from the offer often located in the global south. Resumen: Mientras que la antropología de la minería ha sido muy crítica de las consecuencias de la extracción de minerales, la antropología de las finanzas ha ignorado las consecuencias de la atracción del mineral. Esta tesis explora cómo el Consejo Mundial del Oro (WGC, por sus siglas en inglés), una organización para el desarrollo global del mercado del oro, hace atractivo dicho mercado frente a los ojos de los inversionistas, desconectando el valor financiero del oro de los conflictos generados durante su extracción. Introduzco el concepto de “atracción de los recursos”, a través del marco conceptual que une regímenes éticos, relaciones afectivas y aspiraciones globales. Propone que el problema de los recursos naturales sea entendido desde la perspectiva de la demanda, por lo general ubicada en el Norte Global, y no solo desde la oferta, ubicada normalmente en el Sur Global.

Architecture in a City Without Architects is the dissertation thesis for the Master in Sustainable and Resilient Architecture, in the framework on continuity and identity, which aims to cooperate with Nepal’s government in the reconstruction process after the devastating earthquakes of 2015 that affected that country. Focusing in Kathmandu’s city since it is the most populated and the most affected by the temblor as well as urban issues, this document presents an analysis with the main goal is to understand the current life’s conditions of this city; economical limitations, social concerns, isolated location and indochinese mentality. Therefore, a better approach to local perspective is achieved, questioning some paradigms from western mind. Translating this research to architectural and urban matters the investigation focuses on the accelerated and unplanified densification that affects the city specially in the center where oldest and more traditional neighbourhoods are located. And, the possible role of architecture on a system grounded in self-construction and non-regulations, out of reach of local authorities. Finally the understanding in consideration with architectural potential is apply to a specific case generating a proposal that aims to advocate for incorporate self -construction as economical support in order to add technical expertise that contribute in problems such as supplies lack, city’s ventilation, and gentrification. The specific strategy is the incorporation of high technology applied by bottom-up methods in order to get a passive system of oxygenation that use the current typology of narrow courtyards forced by the densification.

This research presents an analysis of the behaviour of pile curtain walls (non-secant) founded in the porous clay of Brasilia. The objective was the evaluation of the soil response by means of saturated and unsaturated tests of shear strength, porosimetry, mineralogy, water retention and microscopic structure. The curtain was instrumented to obtain data of the displacements and stresses acting in the anchors, in order to have the global behaviour of the structure during the construction process, allowing the numerical simulation of the unsaturated response of the soil, using a hypoplastic constitutive model implemented for these research and inserted in a FEM program (Plaxis 2D) with the User Defined Soil Models (UDSM) option. The parameters of the model were calibrated using element tests supported in unsaturated lab tests carried out in Charles University (Prague). The computational model used considers variables related to the environmental-soil interaction, i.e. rain loads were imposed in the model to observe the behaviour of the retaining structure where changes in the suction along the stratigraphic profile. Besides of the main studied case, the reference constitutive model was also validated considering another curtain wall in the DF, with similar characteristics for the purpose of evaluate the overall soil conditions. Resumen: Esta investigación presenta un análisis del comportamiento de muros cortina de pilotes (no secantes) fundados en arcilla porosa de Brasilia. El objetivo consistió en evaluar la respuesta del suelo mediante ensayos saturados y no saturados de resistencia al corte, porosimetría, mineralogía, retención de agua y estructura microscópica. La cortina fue instrumentada para obtener datos de desplazamientos y esfuerzos que actúan en los anclajes, con el fin de tener el comportamiento global de la estructura durante el proceso de construcción, permitiendo la simulación numérica de la respuesta no saturada del suelo. Utilizando un modelo constitutivo hipoplástico, implementado para esta investigación e insertado en un programa FEM (Plaxis 2D) con la opción UDSM. Los parámetros del modelo se calibraron utilizando programas Element Test respaldadas en ensayos de laboratorio no saturados realizados en Charles University (Praga). El modelo computacional utilizado considera variables relacionadas con la interacción atmosfera-suelo, es decir, se impusieron cargas de lluvia en el modelo para observar el comportamiento de la estructura de retención y los cambios en la succión a lo largo del perfil estratigráfico. Además del caso principal estudiado, el modelo constitutivo de referencia también fue validado considerando otro muro cortina en el DF, con características similares con el fin de evaluar las condiciones generales del suelo.

The purpose of the dissertation is to analyse the different legal issues that arise under the Canada -Colombia FTA after the Colombian Congress and the Constitutional Court banned mining activities within páramos. Special attention was placed on the question as to whether the decisions taken by the Colombian State, through the Congress and the Constitutional Court, implied a breach of the standard of Fair and Equitable Treatment enshrined in the FTA and particularly if: (i) it was against the stability, predictability and consistency of Colombia’s legal framework; (ii) if it thwarted the legitimate expectations of the contractors, if any; (iii) if the measures taken were adopted according to the proportionality principle, and finally (iv) if the measures constituted an indirect expropriation. The aim is to assess if the Colombian State could legally implement strict environmental protections over the páramo ecosystems without violating alleged rights or legitimate expectations of concessionaires, as well as the protection standards for investors and investments enshrined in the FTA. Resumen: El propósito de esta tesis es analizar los diferentes problemas legales que surgieron después de que el Congreso y la Corte Constitucional Colombiana prohibieron las actividades mineras en zonas de páramo. Especial atención fue puesta en si dicha decisión implicó una violación al estándar de protección de trato justo y equitativo consagrado en el tratado y, en particular, (i) si fue en contra de la estabilidad y consistencia del marco legal colombiano, (ii) si frustró expectativas de los concesionarios, si ellas existían, (iii) si la medida consultó el principio de proporcionalidad y (iv) si la medida constituyó una expropiación indirecta. El objetivo es evaluar si el Estado colombiano podía legalmente implementar una protección ambiental como la que implementó sin violar los presuntos derechos o expectativas legítimas de los concesionarios, así como lo estándares de protección consagrados en el tratado de libre comerio.

Acrocomia ssp. is a native palm tree in Latin America which grows wildly and produces rich oil-bearing fruits traditionally used as food and fodder. Oils from pulp and kernel have applications in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and bioenergy sectors. Husk, endocarp and pressed cakes are by-products with manifold applications. This multipurpose characteristic of Acrocomia suits the concept of bioeconomy. Agronomic aspects, cultivation, breeding, crop management and further applications are progressively studied. Paraguay is a natural habitat of Acrocomia, which gained economic importance by mid of the 20th century with the emergence of vegetable oil industry. It is considered as an alternative crop to diversify income sources for peasant and smallholder family farmers. They represent 90% of farms in Paraguay and increasingly face multiple challenges associated to agribusiness activities. Using the approach of biomass value web, this research aims to analyse the existing Acrocomia value chains in Paraguay, identifying opportunities and constraints for inclusive upgrading. Complementary, a bottom-up Acrocomia initiative in the region of San Pedro del Paraná (Itapúa) is studied, which focus on small-scale cultivation and processing of Acrocomia fruits.

Nature-based Solutions (NBS) offer unique opportunities for the private sector to innovate, from green walls to urban gardens, planting trees next to the roads or wetlands in the city. To understand, replicate and scale up successful NBS business models, it is imperative to analyze the existing business models. This master thesis analyzes the value flow of six business models related to Nature-based Solutions through an analysis of the value proposition, value creation and delivery, value capture, and value uncaptured. The latter is performed with a holistic approach that includes various stakeholders, including the environment and society and through the recognition of value destroyed, missed, surplus, and absence. This facilitates the identification of opportunities to innovate in the business model and strategies to fulfill the purpose of NBS. Nature-based Solutions aim to solve societal and environmental issues that cannot be fully addressed from the usual business model perspective, therefore an immersion in the specificities of the NBS business models provides unique possibilities to understand the relationship between environmental, social, and economic benefits and the different business models arisen from Nature-based solutions.

Changing the soundscape in a translation of a film is not a usual practice. The main reason why dubbing companies avoid modifying the soundscape is because the acoustic aspects of an audiovisual product can deeply affect how it is read and interpreted. From1960 until 2000, however, it was common for dubbing companies to hire a composer to re-score and localize (adapt the product to the local culture) the soundscapes of Japanese animations. Miyasaki’s film Majo No Takkyubin [Kiki’s Delivery Service] is an excellent case study of this phenomenon since it has an English dubbed version released by Disney in 1998 and another one released in 2010. The use of an interdisciplinary approach between translation studies, musicology and film studies in the analysis and comparison of the soundscapes of the original film and its dubs evidence the correlation between the norms and convention that dictated the localization of the script and the acoustic aspects of the soundscape (music cues and sound effects). The first section of the dissertation delves into theoretical concepts of translation studies and audiovisual translation studies while the following section explains the conventions and norms that influenced the translation of animes in the U.S. The last section applies the concepts explained in the previous sections to the analysis of the study case as an example of the benefits that introducing a translation framework can bring to the understanding of how extra-musical and extra-textual cultural conventions can influence the composing and recomposing of audiovisual soundscapes. Resumen:Modificar las bandas sonoras en las traducciones de las películas no es una práctica usual. La principal razón por la que las compañías de doblaje evitan modificar las bandas sonoras se debe a que los aspectos acústicos de un producto audiovisual pueden afectar profundamente su lectura e interpretación. Aun así, desde el año 1960 hasta el 2000 era usual que las compañías de doblaje contrataran nuevos compositores para que crearan una nueva banda sonora que localizara (adaptara el producto a la cultura local) las películas y series de animación japonesa. Un excelente ejemplo de esto es la película de Miyasaki "El servicio de entregas de Kiki" ya que Disney hizo un doblaje en inglés en 1998 y otro en el 2010. El uso de un acercamiento interdisciplinario entre estudios de traducción, musicología y estudios de audiovisuales en el análisis y comparación de las bandas sonoras de las version original y sus doblajes, evidencia la correlación entre las normas y convenciones usadas en la localización de la traducción del libreto y aquellas usadas para modificar los aspectos acústicos de la banda sonora (pistas musicales y efectos de sonido). La primera parte de esta tesis ahonda en los conceptos teóricos de los estudios de traducción y traducción de audiovisuales, mientras que la siguiente sección explica las convenciones y normas que influenciaron la traducción de los animes en Estados Unidos. La última sección aplica los conceptos explicados en la sección previa, en el análisis del caso de estudio como un ejemplo de los beneficios que la introducción del marco teórico de los estudios de traducción puede traer al proceso de entender como las convenciones culturales extra musicales y extratextuales pueden influenciar la composición y re-composición de bandas sonoras para audiovisuales.

Insulin hormone is produced by pancreatic beta-cells and its biosynthesis, secretion, and intracellular degradation is tightly regulated. Newly formed SGs are preferentially released upon glucose stimulation while aged SGs are less competitive to be released and are more prompt to degradation mainly within lysosomes. The most assumed mechanism leading aged SGs to lysosome is autophagy, a degradation system for altered proteins and damaged organelles. The autophagic marker LC3 has facilitated the detection of autophagy through LC3-based biochemical and microscopic assays, as well as the possibility to experimentally manipulate the autophagy pathway. Here, we intended to establish a model for the further study of mechanism that target aged Ins-SNAPTMR-Star+ SGs to GFP-LC3+ autophagosomes in INS-1 cells by using three different approaches. Our results show that in INS-1 cells, modulation of autophagy with chemical agents can be detected by western blot. Likewise, TIRF Microscopy allowed for the detection of positive GFP-LC3+ aged Ins-SNAPTMR-Star+ objects in the cortical region of INS-1 cells. Additionally, we implemented SIM microscopy to gain more detail in the morphological aspect of autophagosomes vesicles. Despite some hints about the autophagosomal structures were uncovered through these approaches, further experiments should be performed to complement and confirm our findings. Thus, establishment of a suitable model for the study of autophagy, will allow us to further study the mechanisms behind the targeting process of aged SGs and to better understand how impairment of autophagy contributes to deterioration of pancreatic beta-cell function and subsequent onset of type 2 diabetes.

This dissertation contends that social movements who advocate for Food Sovereignty (FS) can influence rural policy changes and counter the Corporate Food Regime by using strategic three-dimensional alliances with civil society, State and international actors to defend autonomous methods of production and bottom-up ways of knowing in front of agricultural neoliberal policies. The Agrarian Strike of 2013 in Colombia shows that these movements can have influence even in contexts of violence and historic neglect of peasants as political subjects. The FS advocacy around the world is composed of autonomous networks that undertake their own strategies of influence according to the political and historical context in which they live. The Agrarian Summit which resulted from the strike challenged Resolution 970 of 2010 because it was part of the failed development promise of the New Green Revolution, which ended up threatening farmers’ livelihoods and their autonomy over their own food production system. The implementation of the resolution was an opportunity as threat because it was the tipping point for the peasantry to revolt against the country’s development model and join other ethnic forces to pressure the government to recognise the peasant as an autonomous cultural category with differentiated rights. This case study shows that cultural recognition has the potential to advance FS ideas on domestic and international spaces of rural policy deliberation. Resumen: En esta tesis se argumenta que los movimientos sociales que luchan por la soberanía alimentaria pueden influenciar cambios en las políticas rurales y confrontar el régimen alimentario corporativo, por medio de alianzas tridimensionales con la sociedad civil, el Estado y actores internacionales, para defender métodos autónomos de producción y saberes desde la base, ante políticas neoliberales de agricultura. El Paro Nacional Agrario del 2013 en Colombia, muestra que estos movimientos pueden tener influencia, incluso en contextos de violencia y rechazo histórico hacia los campesinos como sujetos politicos. La lucha por la soberanía alimentaria alrededor del mundo se compone por redes autónomas que llevan a cabo sus propias estrategias de influencia, de acuerdo al contexto histórico y politico en el que viven. La Cumbre Agraria, que resultó del paro, retó la Resolución 970 del 2010, porque esta fue parte de la fallida promesa de desarrollo de la llamada Nueva Revolución Verde que terminó amenazando el sustento de vida y la autonomía de los campesinos sobre su propio sistema de producción de alimentos. La impelementación de la resolución terminó siendo una “oportunidad como amenaza” porque provocó que el campesinado colombiano se revelara en contra del modelo de desarrollo del país y convocaron diversas fuerzas étnicas para presionar a que el Gobierno reconociera al campesino como una categoría cultural con derechos diferenciados. Este estudio de caso muestra que el reconocimiento cultural tiene el potencial de avanzar las ideas de soberanía alimentaria en espacios locales e internacionales de deliberación de políticas rurales.

Public space is a crucial component of cities, both in its physical and social aspects, for it is where social cohesion is formed and where sense of belonging is born. For a public space to achieve these, it must foster social interactions or urban encounters between strangers in the city. Bogotá’s history of public space is interesting, for some of its initiatives have been innovative both in social and physical terms. It seems like the city has understood the importance of the public realm in society, yet not a lot of what is understood is applied to the measurement, design, and planning of the spaces themselves. This thesis has the purpose of showcasing how Bogota has failed to produce public spaces that foster interactions because the lens of analysis and design of these responds mostly to quantity and not quality. The five main components of the thesis are: understanding the importance of public space as a place for interaction; the various ways in which public space has been analyzed in terms of the physical and the social components; a review of how Bogota has understood, produced, and analyzed the “success” of public space; propose new methodologies Bogota should be applying to address public space; and analyze several public spaces in Bogota to showcase how these new methodologies can reveal insights into producing public space that encourages interactions and thus fosters social cohesion and sense of belonging to the city. Resumen: El espacio público es un componente crucial en las ciudades, tanto por sus aspectos físicos como sociales, es allí donde se genera cohesión social y donde se fortalece el sentido de pertenencia. Para que el espacio público tenga ese efecto, debe promover las interacciones sociales o los encuentros urbanos casuales entre ciudadanos. La historia urbanística de los espacios públicos de Bogotá es compleja e interesante ya que algunas de sus iniciativas han sido innovadoras incluso repetidas en la región. Aparentemente, existe la noción de la importancia del dominio público en la sociedad, pero esto no se ve reflejado al momento de medir, diseñar y planear los espacios mismos. El propósito de esta tesis es demostrar cómo Bogotá ha fallado al no producir espacios públicos que fomenten las interacciones como resultado de un enfoque cuantitativo y no cualitativo. Los cinco componentes principales de esta tesis son: comprender la importancia del espacio público como espacio de interacción; entender las diferentes formas en que se ha analizado el espacio público en términos de los componentes físicos y sociales; realizar una revisión de cómo Bogotá ha entendido, producido y analizado el “éxito” del espacio público; proponer nuevas metodologías mediante las cuales Bogotá debería abordar el espacio público; y analizar varios espacios públicos en Bogotá para demostrar cómo estas nuevas metodologías pueden revelar nuevas perspectivas para la producción de espacios públicos que potencien las interacciones y que por lo tanto fomenten la cohesión social y el sentido de pertenencia hacia la ciudad.