La elaboración del Plan de negocios Charcutería Blue, permitió mediante los diferentes análisis, evaluar la factibilidad del proyecto con la producción y venta de chorizos y tortillas, cuya característica diferenciadora es la utilización de especias en la preparación y sin conservantes, todo de origen natural y de excelente calidad, con propuestas que superen las expectativas del cliente y consumidores. Comercializar productos alimenticios generando experiencias de servicio únicas a través de un punto de venta próximo al hogar y ambientado para generar cercania a la marca. Uno de los elementos principales del proyecto es la innovación en los productos, experiencias y servicio, ofrecer alternativas de productos cárnicos por precio, por productos complementarios, porciones adaptadas a los cambios de consumo, ritmo de vida y gustos de los clientes. Es una oportunidad de negocio para desarrollarla en el sector, la cual traería beneficios para todas las partes interesadas y de ofrecer productos cárnicos con ingredientes naturales y sin conservantes. haciendo que el cliente viva una experiencia única, saludable e innovadora y como punto de partida la introducción de nuevos conceptos de alimentos en el mercado.

In the last years Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) has received an increasing attention in academic research due to its ability to achieve optimal process operation of nonlinear processes. NMPC has been applied to several pilot plants; however major obstacles like plant model mismatch and disturbances have to be overcome in order to allow industrial applications. Multi-stage NMPC (MSNMPC) is a robust NMPC approach which achieves optimal process operation under uncertainties of the process model. A complete workflow from simulation studies to real application of MSNMPC has been developed to overcome the mentioned obstacles. However, explicit knowledge from the fields of mathematics, optimization theory, and process control is required. Therefore, efficient methods for evaluation of MSNMPC that support the transition from simulation to application in the real process are required. In this master thesis a module that applies several evaluation methods to offline simulations of MSNMPC is developed. The effectiveness of the module is shown in the case study of an industrial batch polymerization reactor.

Youth suicidality is a worldwide major concern; even more, if a specific population of youth, as young people in the child welfare system, are likely to be at higher risk. Therefore, emerge the need to identify particular characteristics that may be predictors of these suicidal behaviors in order to provide better prevention and intervention programs. Portugal is a country that does not have information regarding youth suicide in care. Seeking to contribute to this matter this study aims to make a profile of young Portuguese people (of 16- and 17- years old) in residential care with suicide attempts, identifying the relation between suicidality and sociodemographic variables, type of placement and maltreatment, mental health problems and risk behaviors. Comparisons of the data gathered were made on adolescents in residential care with suicide attempts and adolescents without it, bivariate analyzes were carried out to identify the difference between samples. Results supported a statistical relationship with physical neglect as a type of maltreatment, and alcohol and drugs abuse as factors that may increase the risk of suicide attempts. Regarding mental health, treatments do not cover the whole population with suicide attempts, with lightly less of half of the adolescents with suicidality not receiving psychiatric treatment. Further analysis is needed to identify if more rigorous mental health treatment might reduce suicidality. Resúmen: La tendencia suicida en los jóvenes es una preocupación importante a nivel mundial; aún más, si una población específica, como aquellos quienes están en el sistema de bienestar, tienen probabilidades de tener riesgos mayores. Por esta razón, surge la necesidad de identificar características particulares de los jóvenes en el sistema de bienestar que puedan predecir comportamientos suicidas con el fin de proporcionar mejores programas de prevención e intervención. Portugal es un país que no tiene información sobre el suicidio juvenil en el sistema de bienestar. Buscando contribuir a esta área, el siguiente estudio pretende hacer un perfil de jóvenes portugueses (de 16 y 17 años) en acogimiento residencial con intentos de suicidio, identificando la relación entre la variable tendencias suicidas y variables sociodemográficas, perfil del acogimiento y tipo de maltrato, problemas de salud mental y comportamientos de riesgo. Se compararon los datos de adolescentes en acogimiento residenciales con intentos de suicidio y adolescentes sin intentos, llevando a cabo análisis bivariados para identificar la diferencia entre las muestras. Los resultados revelaron una relación estadística entre negligencia física como un tipo de maltrato, y abuso de alcohol y drogas como factores que pueden aumentar el riesgo de intentos suicidas. En cuanto a la salud mental, se identificó que los tratamientos no cubren a todos los jóvenes con intentos de suicidio, hallando que no reciben tratamiento psiquiátrico un poco menos de la mitad de los adolescentes con tendencias suicidas. Por esta razón, se considera necesario realizar más análisis para identificar si un tratamiento de salud mental más riguroso podría reducir las tendencias suicidas.

The Passivhaus Standard is a construction concept based on affordably achieving the best indoor conditions with the lowest energy demand. If adopted, it could contribute to fulfil the lack of regulations in energy and comfort performance in Colombian dwellings that the current sustainability laws mandate. The Standard has been applied in warm regions mostly throughout the Mediterranean.This work intended to study its applicability for social housing in tropical climates, specifically four Colombian cities with different average energy demands and number of occupants per household and diverse climatic conditions. The work identified and described a reference building based on an average ‘good practice’ social housing project product of the current Building Regulations. It was modelled in the Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP) to analyse its performance in the four cities. The results showed that the thermal performance of the building envelope is better than expected due to favourable climatic conditions in most of the cities, although it needs improvements. Even if primary energy demand is lower in the four cities than the maximum allowed by the Standard, it would be considerably high for dwellings without mechanical heating or cooling. The improved models showed that adopting passive strategies according to local climates reduced daily temperature swings and increased indoor comfort. Applying energy efficiency measures such as solar thermal DHW and more efficient fridges and lighting decreased primary energy demand significantly to less than a half of the maximum allowed. The Standard would be applicable in tropical climates even within the budget limitations for social housing in Colombia, although not exactly in the same way as in central Europe. Local circumstances and passive strategies must be taken into account to feasibly achieve the Passivhaus Standard in Colombian social housing.

The growing problem of maintaining socio-economic sustainability in a changing climate has focused attention of a wide range of stakeholders on devising and delivering adaptive responses. A series of IPCC reports have emphasised that the economies of developing countries and particularly the poor would bear the brunt of climate change impacts. Farmers are highly vulnerable because of their high and direct dependency on natural resources, climate-sensitive livelihoods and lack of access to resources that they could rely on to respond successfully to shocks. Microfinance has become an increasingly used and effective tool to respond to major global challenges at the local level, including poverty and climate change. This thesis seeks to analyze the effects that the level of climate change risk and impact has on the willingness of Colombian farmers to invest, through microfinances, in strategies to adapt anticipatively to climate change. The methodology combines experimental economic games, surveys and interviews with farmers who cultivate three different crops: coffee, cocoa and citrus. The findings demonstrate that adaptation decisions depend on climate variability, the cost to implement an adaptation strategy and its benefits to cope with current hazards. Some farmers are risk takers as they prefer to face the risk of losing the harvest rather than pay the adaptation costs. Integrated pest management and beekeeping were strategies preferred under any level of climate variability, while farmers invested in crop diversification and solar dehydrators when facing higher risk of climate change. They were willing to obtain individual and associative microcredits. Microcredits awarded to small farmers in a short period of time enable them to accumulate and manage assets that make them less vulnerable. Microfinance can be more effective when combined with training and bottom-up strategies such as social networks, establishment of partnerships, collective lands and social learning that help farmers to increase their earnings, improve land productivity and promote food security.

Mean sea level rise exposes coasts to increasing risks. For the Caribbean Sea, the regional and local sea-level behaviour is not well known. This study has investigated the sea level behavior in the region at different frequencies during the last century, to provide updated, accurate and useful information to implement coastal adaptation responses to sea-level hazards. Time series from 28 tide-gauges, 18 years of altimetry and various atmospheric and oceanographic climatologies have been used. Several new results have been found. The small Caribbean tides have significant long-term modulations. The net effect of the low frequency modulation of the tidal signal can change the maximum tidal range up to 23.5%. The seasonal sea level cycle is characterized by large spatial and temporal variability. The amplitude of the coastal annual harmonic ranges from 2 cm to 9 cm, peaking between August and October. The amplitude of the semi-annual harmonic has maximum amplitude of 6 cm but it is not significant at all stations. The barometric effect dominates the coastal semi-annual cycle, but it is insignificant in all the other sea level frequencies at the tide-gauges. The seasonal sea level cycle from altimetry confirms the results obtained from the tide-gauges and allows the identification of some dominant sea level forcing parameters such as the Panama-Colombia gyre driven by the wind stress curl and the Caribbean Low Level Jet modulating the sea level in the northern coast of South America and linked to the local upwelling. The basin average mean sea level rise from altimetry is 1.7±1.3 mm yr-1 for the period 1993-2010. Wind forcing changes causes the trends in the southern part of the basin, modulating the sea level through changes in the ocean circulation. Significant spatial and decadal variability of the trends is found. Secular coastal sea-level trends range from 1.3±0.2 mm yr-1 in Magueyes, where the steric contribution dominates, to 5.3±0.3 mm yr-1 in Cartagena, where other contributors including local vertical land movements are significant. Temporal changes in the sea level extremes are significant but in line with mean sea-level trends at each tide gauge. With the annual mean sea level removed, extremes range between 36 cm and 79 cm, the later recorded in Port Spain and caused by the largest tidal signal. The largest nontidal residual is 76 cm found in Magueyes, forced by a hurricane induced storm surge, however larger surges can occur in the basin. The interannual sea level signal and nontidal extremes correlate with El Niño-Southern Oscillation at different time and spatial scales. No correlation with the North Atlantic Oscillation is found at any frequency. The largest sea flooding probability in the Caribbean coasts is around October, when the different sea level contributors’ maximums interact. These sea flooding events are going to became more frequent in the future due to the secular mean sea level rise affecting the basin.

Despite the large amount of research on aid effectiveness, there is still no consensus about the impact of international aid on economic growth, especially of the World Bank assistance. Empirical studies are characterised to be limited on its methodology and present diverse conclusions. Moreover, the World Bank’s contribution to economic growth in developing countries has been questioned to the point to rethink its role as a source for development. Colombia is not external to these contradictions; however, this situation arises from perception surveys and national figures. This research evaluates the impact of the World Bank’s lending on Colombia’s economic growth by estimating a model using as a reference the Solow’s model, extended to include a World Bank lending variable. It is expected a positive relationship between the World Bank disbursements and Colombia’s economic growth, which highlights the importance of updating the borrowing strategy with the World Bank in order to take the best advantage of this multilateral finance source.

This thesis considers the most current knowledge of the importance of investing in early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs with a focus on the economic benefits: higher rate of returns to education, higher productivity, lower crime rates, higher government savings and breaking up intergenerational poverty. Although the evidence suggests significant short-term effects in terms of educational benefits (e.g. lower repetition rates and special education), the empirical evidence for the economic benefits is still not as significant as it is desirable for their generalization. Therefore, it shows the need for more reliable information to construct a stronger argument leading governments to decide ipso facto increasing the educational expenditures in early childhood education programs.

Real Estate Industry is a strategic element in urban competitiveness, economic growth and development, as it facilitates the articulation between economic activities, local assets and flows of capital. Furthermore, even tough the perception is that it is a local business, with the globalization many of the largest developers and consumers of corporate real estate have become global (Bardhan & Kroll 2007). The foregoing has made the industry acquire a cross-border dynamic and makes the attraction of foreign investment into real estate development a key approach for improving the position of countries and cities in the global economic network. This work aims to explore the geographical structure and trends of the international Real Estate cluster, and then recognize the correlation of the Foreign Real Estate Investments –FREI– inward flows with competitiveness and real estate market factors of host countries and cities. The analysis shows that despite the globalization influence, FREI holds the concept of real estate as “local” business in a broader scale: 62% of the links happen within countries of the same region, evidencing that there are opportunities of complement with the surrounding economies. Likewise, the research demonstrates that the cluster involves primarily economies in second and third stage of development, exposing that the market is still reliant on low-risk assets in a stable environment and that there has not been established an active industry in developing countries. Additionally, the instability experienced over the last seven years in the sector is evidenced. The 2007 international financial crisis had a deep impact on Foreign Real Estate Investments, corroborating the interdependence between financial market and real estate.  This study demonstrates that location factors related to market size, labor market, financial market and connectivity are essential for attracting inward investments. The results of the model show that a variety of forces rule FREI, evidencing the need of having a comprehensive approach that surpasses the notion of real estate as property and involves other clusters. To conclude, the country and city analyses showed the diverse drivers for MNC at different territorial scales. Without neglecting the usual national purview of the policy framework for attracting FDI, it is important to acknowledge the relevance of local and urban scale in the broader picture of globalization. Beyond the macroeconomic and institutional determinants, the position of the urban nodes in the global networks matters for captivating FREI.

This investigation seeks to compare the legal frameworks developed in the 1990-2010 period in Colombia, Peru and Mexico to prevent and tackle informal artisanal/small scale mining. It does so by assessing the impact on the levels of informality of: (i) the incentives provided to miners to operate within legality; and (ii) the mechanisms devised to compensate such miners’ disadvantageous position vis-à-vis large scale mining companies. For such assessment a thorough examination of the countries’ mining codes is carried out. Concurrently, information extracted from semi-structured interviews with experts and triangulated with secondary sources is used to evaluate the codes’ impact on informality. The analysis supports the hypothesis that simple inexpensive mine title acquisition procedures, granting long lasting property rights, as well as guaranteeing technical and financial assistance, are key drivers of formalization. The impact of such incentives is, however, more complex: firstly, as the Mexican case illustrates, the absence of incentives combined with strong police persecution, can reduce informal mining by rendering it an unattractive activity with no prospective of future formalization. Secondly, the Colombian and Peruvian case exemplify how entry barriers also encourage miners to create associations which, in turn, are able to better access information, can comply with formal requirements more easily and can play an important role in influencing policy design. Furthermore, considering the incentives of large scale companies also proved crucial to reduce informality, given that a significant share of mining areas are already under concession. This means that the number of mine titles informal miners could potentially obtain is limited. Therefore, as the Colombian and Peruvian case exemplify, formalizing is to a large degree dependent on the willingness of these companies to voluntarily engage in associative contracts with informal miners. However, so far none of the observed countries has managed to prompt strong alliances between small and large scale miners to fruitfully implement such collaborative models. With regard to the compensation mechanisms, this study supports the hypothesis that granting political voice to small scale miners is of utmost importance to guarantee that differentiated costs, procedures and requirements are contemplated in the law. All in all, such policies have been innocuous and even counterproductive when not accompanied by measures that enhance access to information as well as local bureaucratic competences. In a context of scarce local bureaucratic resources, promissory formalization schemes generate a demand for mine titles that surpasses mining authorities’ capacity and, thereby, potentially incites more informality and social unrest. As observed in Peru, in such cases formalization processes can, paradoxically, induce higher levels of informal mining. In light of these findings, the study recommends the partner institution -Transparency International- to: (i) support the implementation of informational campaigns that explain the benefits of operating in formality and of doing so by means of associating; (ii) encourage policy dialogue spaces in order to prompt mutual monitoring and align the different stakeholders’ incentives; (iii) support capacity building programs targeting local mining authorities; (iv) support monitoring mechanisms in the mine title distribution and contracting processes.