Power conversion systems are becoming fundamental with the increasing power generation from renewable energy sources due to global warming and energy security concerns. In particular, wind energy systems require advance power converter devices to be able to supply power to the electric network or remote isolated areas in an effective way. A practical approach to these devices is required to fully comprehend their principles of operation and how they are integrated with the expanding renewable electricity production. This thesis describes the design and construction process of an inverter and a DC-DC converter, part of the AC-DC-AC link required to connect a laboratory model of a variable speed wind power system to the grid or to an isolated load.

This paper discusses risk management tools for unemployment risk in Colombia and the necessity to implement an extensive social insurance program for this exposure. Particularly, it analyzes the determinants for the use of severance payments in low-income households to decrease vulnerability in spells of unemployment sells. Using the 2011 GEIH survey I found that only a small percentage of the low-income households use the severance payments with this purpose. Moreover, through a Heteroskedastic Probit methodology, I show that the determinants for the use of severance payments to deal with unemployment risk are: household income, financial literacy, indefinite formal labor contracts, length of employment spells, public service and household size. From the results, two public policy recommendations arise: i) severance payments are not used in the desired way suggesting a different scheme that should be implemented; ii) financial education is crucial to reduce vulnerability through optimal risk management.

Given the large drop in the US monetary policy interest rate during the past decade, a significative spillover effect was reflected over Colombia as it had to lower its own policy rate considerably to avoid a further currency appreciation. Its impact on the real exchange rate misalignment is assessed using a Vector Error Correction Model with fundamentals such as the real interest rates differential, net foreign assets, terms of trade, the Balassa Samuelson effect, which reflects the productivity growth differential and the government expenditure employing quarterly data. In order to contrast the importance of this effect two periods were analyzed, one from 1996q1 to 2005q4 and another from 2006q1 to 2014q4. Results show that although the impact of the real interest rate differential does not have a large contribution to the determination of the real exchange rate it has changed its effect sign and now seems to explain a larger proportion of the forecast error variance in longer horizons. Other fundamentals, such as the net foreign assets, the terms of trade and the Balassa Samuelson effect are found to be key determinants for the long run equilibrium.

Natural disturbances are important drivers of ecosystem change in the boreal forest and new approaches to sustainable forest management draw on natural disturbance patterns as a template for harvesting. The main premise for such approach is that species have evolved and adapted to stand-replacing natural disturbances and thus are more likely to be maintained on landscapes managed to preserve spatial patterns of natural disturbance. I used spiders – one of the most important, diverse and ubiquitous groups of terrestrial predatory invertebrates – as a model for assessing the impacts of variable retention harvesting practices on biodiversity in the mixedwood boreal forest. Spiders were collected from the Ecosystem Management Emulating Natural Disturbance (EMEND) project landbase over a period of five years from different harvest treatments and forest-types. Results for 249 species in 18 families are included in this study. Changes in composition of spider assemblages clearly followed the disturbance gradient from clear-cut to uncut treatments and these changes were linked to habitat and forest structure. Ground-dwelling assemblages were mostly affected by harvesting, whereas canopy assemblages were less influenced when stand connectivity remained. Low tree retention (i.e., 10-20%, which is the range currently applied by the forestry industry) showed some ability to mitigate adverse effects of clear-cutting; yet, higher retention levels are needed to maintain forest specialist species, especially in late successional seres (e.g., conifer dominated). A “life-boating” effect of aggregated retention was evident, and was more effective when applied in combination with dispersed retention. The application of different harvesting practices alone is unlikely to entirely emulate the effects and processes caused by major disturbances on the landscape. Thus, keeping in mind that fire is an important component in the boreal forest, this type of disturbance cannot be excluded from management if the goal is to preserve a natural range of biodiversity. In conclusion, to sustain rich and diverse spider assemblages, management of the boreal mixedwood should aim towards maintaining landscape heterogeneity. Consequently, no single practice is effective to emulate natural post-disturbance patterns and to adapt harvesting to effectively imitate the processes of a disturbance driven system, a combination of prescriptions is recommended.

The present study reports results from the evaluation of the environmental conditions of an orphanage in Managua, Nicaragua and their associations with the children’s development while they were still in the orphanage. The observational measures were obtained by trained assessors (Caregiver Child Socioemotional Relationship Scale or CCSERS and the physical environment measures ITERS and ECERS ).The analysis was conducted at the unit level of the ward, an approached not taken in previous research. The results support the crucial role of the caregiving environment in the development of institutional children. The results of the present study show a positive and strong relationship between the caregiving environment (behavioral environment measured with CCSERRS) and the development of children (measured with BDI) in one Latino orphanage. The changes in the developmental outcomes of the institutionalized children at the post intervention period are not only a product of changes in the physical environment of the wards (e.g., the relationship between the Total ITERS - ECERS score and the total Battelle was positive but non-significant). These changes are more related to the improvement of the caregiver child interactions (the behavioral environment) in the wards. However, the environmental scales (ITERS-ECERS) and the CCERRSS have a positive but not strong association indicating that the physical aspects of environment are associated with the quality of caregiver-child interactions at the level of the wards. Thus both, physical and behavioral environment must be improved in orphanages, but socio-emotional aspects are more influential in the proper development of children. Previous studies had established the relationship between the environment and the development of children but the present study offers evidence at the ward versus the institutional level.

Following Zoller, Akar and Donohue there has been much debate about the possibility of claiming damages for breach of a JA under the common law system. The debate has also been extended to the question of whether a claim on damages may be an alternative under the framework of Brussels Regulations I, particularly in the present context where the European Court of Justice has expressly precluded the use of traditional common law tools to enforce JAs. In this essay I intent to identify, from the existing common law cases, what conditions are required to ground a claim on damages for breach of a JA and if such claim would be compatible with the Brussels Regulation I. For this purpose I will also consider the work of different authors in the subject. However Briggs’ work will be central to my study as it is one of the most complete works on damages for breach of JAs. I will also briefly examine if the reforms introduced by the Re-Cast EC1215/2012 change the conclusion reached in respect of the current Brussels Regulation I.

After many years of violence and economic isolation, Colombia’s image has shifted. Several international treaties have been signed and Colombia has been targeted by new travelers and powerful international investors. A forbidden destination less than a decade ago, Colombia welcomes now more than 2 million visitors per year. This rapid economic and touristic boom provides good opportunities for growth but is having dramatic consequences for urban communities and its surrounding ecosystems. The Caribbean region of Colombia is one of the most visited regions in the country. Unfortunately, cities in the region don’t have the tools or the criteria to expand in a sustainable way in terms of competitiveness, social inclusion and urban quality. The perception of the Caribbean coast in Colombia is the one of a line. Development has occurred ignoring the immediate context, trying to imitate the image of the internationally sold Caribbean paradise, disregarding and threatening a unique environment. Along this coast, there are five natural parks. It is one of the most biodiverse spots in the globe. Half of the tourists coming to the country will visit one or two of these natural parks. Nonetheless, tourism, urban expansion and uncontrolled growth are jeopardizing the uniqueness of this region, ruining its diverse natural assets. The Caribbean coast is one of the fastest growing regions in Colombia, with an overall growth rate that will double the population by 2050. Recent growth trends suggest that new development has been rapidly taking over the coast with gated apartment towers, hotels and exclusive resorts up on the coast interrupting public access to the beach. Meanwhile, informality sprawls in the back drop, creeping up the hills, into the marshes, dangerously close to protected areas. A linear wall-city parallel to the coast is being created by these trends for short-term profits, undermining environments, increasing flood risk, promoting social instability and finally.

Colombia internal conflict between paramilitary armies and the central government is a topic that has been studied widely from different perspectives, including, but not limited to, studies on forced disappearance, internal displacement, the war on drugs, and the incidence of United States in Colombian internal warfare (Richani, 2013; Acemoglu et al., 2013; Aviléz, 2006; Dube & Naidu, 2015). By contrast, 2005 peace process between Colombian government and illegal paramilitary armies grouped under the umbrella organization named United Self-defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), has not been addressed with the same dedication. The objective of the present research is to analyze the 2005 Colombian peace-settlement through the scope of jus post bellum theory, aiming to see the possible deviations of the peace process from a just war theory moral perspective. According to jus post bellum theorist, a just peace-settlement can help to avoid repetition, while an unjust one can derive into new confrontation (Bell, 2013; Turner Johnson, 2012; Philpott, 2010). By achieving this goal this project intends to provide an ethical reflection on the course of action followed in Colombia to finish war with the self-defense armies, and to enrich Colombian debate about peace policy making in a time when the government is now negotiating a new peace settlement with FARC guerrilla.

The aim of this report is to demonstrate and explore how the vernacular architecture and crafts of the Andean region of Colombia could inspire the creation of an interior installation that is designed to convey a personal interpretation of the tensions associated with the current internal conflict in Colombia and a sincere aspiration for sustainable peace. To approach this hypothesis, the perspectives of experts in those matters were imperative and guided the further research of alternative secondary methods that included books, journals, and official publications. The main structure of the report attempts to address three principal chapters. The first chapter intends to recognise and highlight the importance of Guadua to the vernacular architecture and crafts associated with the Andean region of Colombia. The second chapter focuses on the investigation of the current trends and science behind narrative design and the infinite possibilities of storytelling in exhibitions and set design. Finally, the third chapter explores the current internal conflict between the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and Colombia’s National Government, which in theory is being tried to be resolved from the study of peace agreements and new possibilities for both parts achieving justice and repair.Findings obtained throughout the research and analytical process show that Guadua’s characteristics as a construction material represent a new insight in the scenario of a sustainable world. Furthermore, Colombia’s ongoing conflict, although it depends on many factors, should be acknowledged globally and has the potential to be tackled from a new artistic perspective, where an interior installation encodes a sincere aspiration for sustainable peace.

La compilación de imágenes y “dibujos” propuesta en este documento, corresponde a escenografías tanto de puestas en escena teatrales como las denominadas Re- creadas, desarrolladas bajo una reflexión sobre los bordes del espacio urbano de Barcelona, el valor de la vida pública entre los edificios, y su rol como una actividad social que determina el lenguaje y el carácter de una ciudad, de sus habitantes y por tanto de su cultura. La propuesta recoge veinte espacios urbanos que se han catalogado en cinco tipos de escenografías, todas ellas resultado de clasificar, inventariar, segregar, seleccionar, poner sobre la tela negra para recogerlas o abandonarlas en el camino, pasear, correr, caminar, vivir e imaginar, para darles sentido; por lo que existen algunas que se han omitido por resultar repetitivas, y seguramente existen muchas otras que no están aquí por desconocimiento. Todas están inspiradas por los lugares construidos en las puestas en escena teatrales, que a mi juicio ponen en valor el acontecimiento, el hecho de que alguien les use para un fin necesario o social, y sobre todo en el constructo arquitectónico de los escenarios construidos en un recinto cerrado, que muta y se relaciona directamente con la imagen y el lenguaje de la ciudad, por tanto con los espacios reales. Para representarlas se ha recurrido a la construcción de unas escenografías propias en «maquetas de papel» para quince casos, que han terminado por revelar aquellos elementos y condiciones arquitectónicas que tienen que ver con la direccionalidad, la proporción, la contención, la perspectiva, la reducción de la forma arquitectónica, la cantidad de gente que albergan, modificando la percepción del espacio de la ciudad si se reconoce como escenario. Por tanto se busca poner en evidencia como las fachadas, aquellas envolventes que a veces damos por sentadas, constituyen el screen o telón de fondo, el lenguaje y la identidad de un lugar. El catalogo ha pasado de las escenografías delimitables que se reconocen bajo un perímetro materialmente constitutivo, a otras menos concretas en términos de límites, pues sus bordes resultan efímeros, virtuales e intercambiables, reconociendo en cierto sentido la proyección de las ciudades contemporáneas. Por esta razón, en el último tipo escenografías re-creadas la representación ha sido otra, usando fotografías que buscan poner en evidencia los diferentes escenarios simultáneos que pueden tener un solo espacio urbano de Barcelona, y las fachadas virtuales que proyectan algunos objetos. Finalmente, las maquetas se han registrado en este documento con dos imágenes. Una que corresponde a la tira de papel extendida, poniendo en evidencia el despliegue necesario y continuo de la superficie que construye el espacio escenográfico, mostrando simultáneamente la planta y el alzado [en muchos de los casos con volumen] de las plazas, las calles, los parques o los las estructuras lineales y un tanto escultóricas de los cuales fueron objeto. La otra imagen alude a la acción de levantar y re-crear la escenografía, en donde se unen las piezas del puzle, adosándose y articulándose para dar pie a la imagen del escenario urbano.