Abstract: This dissertation explores how three applications of AI, namely classifiers, natural language processing and generative AI, have contributed and might contribute to the realisation of Richard Susskind’s predictions for the future of legal practice, as set in his 2023 book ‘Tomorrow’s Lawyers’. Besides reviewing Susskind’s predictions, it proposes a model to describe how lawyers work and uses it to identify existing uses of technology in the legal field. Also, it provides a general and non-technical approach to AI and its history and main features. With this context, it delves into the selected AI applications and explores how they work, their early legal applications, and their challenges. The research’s conclusion highlights the selected AI applications as powerful enablers for Susskind’s predictions. Moreover, how generative AI has the potential to disrupt the market of legal services and outperform lawyers in multiple tasks. A key insight refers to the latent market of underserved individuals, communities, and small and medium enterprises and how it offers an unbeatable opportunity for online-embedded generative AI-based legal services, which would improve access to legal services. Finally, this dissertation suggests an unavoidable shift in the general comprehension of the abbreviations ‘LL.M’ and ‘LLM’ within the legal field.

Abstract: The author sets out a strategy for the sustainable development of a geothermal resource park within the geo-thermoelectric field Domo San Pedro (DSP), Nayarit, Mexico. The DSP project is owned by Grupo Dragón (GD), which it is the first private geothermal project within the country. The resource park is a pioneer initiative for sustainable large-scale geothermal direct-use development in the country. Currently, initiatives toward the development of geothermal direct-use projects, using the excess heat of the electricity generation, are being taken at the location. A fish farming project and a greenhouse are being developed under the Social Responsibility area, and a fruit drying pilot project is taking place in collaboration with the Engineering Institute of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). A coordinated long-term value proposal is recommended to achieve resource allocation efficiency and stakeholder engagement through the process. The DSP RP strategy looks for a holistic sustainable, efficient and inclusive way of using the geothermal resource, implicating directuse development, socioeconomic benefits for the local community of San Pedro Lagunillas and an environmental industrial solution for all the parties involved. A symbiotic relationship among parties is proposed, fostering the sustainable development of geothermal low enthalpy projects in Mexico. The author presents a background analysis that will define the DSP Resource Park proposal, as well as a development strategy that will ensure the long-term success of the park. Resumen: La autora plantea una estrategia para el desarrollo sostenible de un parque de recursos geotérmicos dentro del campo geotermoeléctrico Domo San Pedro (DSP), Nayarit, México. El proyecto DSP es propiedad del Grupo Dragón (GD), siendo el primer desarrollo geotérmico privado del país. El parque de recursos es una iniciativa pionera para el desarrollo sostenible de los recursos geotérmicos de uso directo en México. Se han venido desarrollando iniciativas para el desarrollo de proyectos de uso directo geotérmico asociados a la planta, aprovechando el exceso de calor de la generación eléctrica. El departamento de Responsabilidad Social desarrolla un proyecto de piscicultura y un invernadero, así como un proyecto piloto de secado de frutas en colaboración con el Instituto de Ingeniería de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). La tesis plantea una propuesta de valor coordinada a largo plazo para lograr la eficiencia en la asignación de recursos y la participación de las partes interesadas a lo largo del proceso de establecimiento del parque de recursos. La estrategia busca una forma holística sostenible, eficiente e inclusiva de utilizar el recurso geotérmico, implicando el desarrollo de usos directos, beneficios socioeconómicos para la comunidad local de San Pedro Lagunillas y una solución ambiental industrial para todas las partes involucradas. Se propone una relación simbiótica entre las partes, fomentando el desarrollo sustentable de proyectos geotérmicos de baja entalpía en México. Así, la autora presenta un análisis de antecedentes que definirá la propuesta del parque de recursos, así como una estrategia de desarrollo que asegurará el éxito a largo plazo de la iniciativa.

Abstract: Risk analysis techniques help to identify threats, problems and anomalies in processes and systems that may affect the health and safety of employees, the environment, equipment reliability and normative compliance. In this thesis, a stochastic risk analysis with Monte Carlo simulation applied to FMECA (Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis) was performed for a specific model of wind turbine located in the Alpha Ventus offshore wind Park. Monte Carlo simulations provide the decisionmaker with a range of possible outcomes and the probabilities of occurrences of these results, that are derived mainly from the uncertainty associated to the subjectivity of judgement from a group of experts. As a supplementary method to the stochastic FMECA, Risk Assessments Matrix (RAM) was also used for bivariate distributions of Severity and Occurrence of the identified failure modes. The results obtained were compared to the results that would be normally obtained with a conventional FMECA and RAM and will serve in future steps to develop Risk-Based Inspection plans for this model of wind turbine in this offshore wind park.

Abstract: Material Adverse Change clauses (MAC clauses) are contractual provisions that are usually incorporated within M&A and debt finance transactions. However, the low number of disputes that have arisen regarding the interpretation and application of such provisions have raised concerns given the uncertainty of its application and construction by the courts. Although the doctrine of good faith has been regarded as alien to English Contract Law, in this dissertation that claim is challenged by exploring other dimensions of such principle through two Civil Law jurisdictions and two recent judgements in English Law concerning MAC clauses in the context of Loan Agreements. Resumen: Las cláusulas de Cambio Adverso Sustancial (MAC, por sus siglas en inglés) son disposiciones contractuales que generalmente se incorporan en transacciones de fusiones y adquisiciones, así como en transacciones de financiamiento de deuda. Sin embargo, la baja cantidad de disputas que han surgido respecto a la interpretación y aplicación de tales disposiciones ha generado preocupación dada la incertidumbre en su aplicación y construcción por parte de los tribunales. Aunque la doctrina de la buena fe ha sido considerada ajena al Derecho de Contratos inglés, en esta tesis se cuestiona esa afirmación al explorar otras dimensiones de dicho principio a través de dos jurisdicciones de Derecho Civil y dos sentencias recientes en el Derecho inglés relacionadas con cláusulas MAC en el contexto de Acuerdos de Préstamo.

Abstract: The research explores the role of regional Planning in fostering sustainable development in Colombia's diverse Pacific economic, social, and environmentally challenging context. Regional Planning is a traditional process that aims to enhance competitiveness, infrastructure connectivity between territories, and economic growth while addressing contemporary priorities like sustainable development. In response to these challenges, the Administrative and Planning Region (RAP Pacífico) in 2016 was created as a cooperative entity encompassing Pacific departments. This initiative seeks to stimulate economic and social development while overcoming financial, technical, and capacity related constraints. RAP Pacífico, through its Regional Strategic Plan, approved in 2021, departs from conventional approaches by adopting a collaborative and multidimensional strategy involving local authorities, private enterprises, and civil society. This research examines its innovative design strategies under the social innovation theory and its alignment with sustainable development goals. Moreover, the analysis sheds light on the potential of incorporating innovative elements in Planning exercises addressing complex societal challenges and aiming for regional sustainable development within the public management context, particularly in developing nations.

Abstract: This study investigates the association between individual characteristics, normative beliefs about aggression, and involvement in antisocial and illegal activities among Colombian adolescents. The research explores temperament traits, such as effortful control, anger/frustration, and callous unemotional, and examines how these relationships differ between individuals engaged in antisocial acts and those who are not. Two groups of adolescents, one within the juvenile justice system and one outside, were analyzed. The results partially support the hypotheses based on the literature. The internal consistency of the scales used to measure individual characteristics and normative beliefs was confirmed partially. Effortful control and anger/frustration did not reach acceptable reliability levels, while normative belief scales showed good reliability. The study confirmed hypothesized relationships between aggression beliefs and levels of effortful control and anger/frustration. However, the hypothesized association between callous unemotional traits and beliefs was not confirmed. Comparing the two groups, higher levels of anger/frustration were associated with greater perceived normativity of aggressive behavior in both offenders and non-offenders. Higher levels of effortful control were associated with lower perceived normativity of aggressive behavior in offenders. Surprisingly, no significant association was found between callous unemotional traits and normativity of aggressive behavior in both groups. Predictive analysis indicated that higher levels of anger/frustration and callous unemotional traits significantly increased the risk of belonging to the offender group. However, normative belief in aggressive behavior emerged as a stronger predictor of vulnerability to antisocial behavior. The study concludes that while the internal consistency of the administered questionnaire was not entirely satisfactory, it provides valuable insights into individual characteristics and their association with maladaptive developmental outcomes, such as adolescent delinquency. The findings suggest a potential adaptive temperamental pattern that could be further investigated for its protective factors, especially within the Colombian juvenile justice system. The study recommends future research using scales adapted specifically to the Colombian context and suggests a more detailed analysis considering additional variables like the type of crime, punishment received, and recidivism. The lack of predictive value of social stratum implies that becoming an adolescent offender is not influenced by the family's economic status. The results regarding anger/frustration and callous unemotional traits highlight their significance in predicting adolescent offender status, while the perceived normativity of aggressive behavior stands out as a crucial predictor of vulnerability to antisocial behavior.

Abstract: “Green extractivism” refers to the way in which decarbonisation and the transition to green energy as part of the sustainable development policies of the Global North have increased the commodification of nature and expanded the extraction of minerals. Many of these minerals are located in the Global South, and within the territory of peasant and Indigenous communities. One example is the case of Chile, which has some of the largest reserves of lithium in the world; a mineral used for the production of batteries key to renewable energy technologies. In this dissertation, using a political ecology approach, I examine lithium mining in the Salar de Atacama (“the Salar”) in Chile, and the dynamics between the State, extractive companies, and Atacameña Indigenous communities. With the results obtained through a literature review and document analysis, I demonstrate how green extractivism perpetuates asymmetric local relations, and how this is related to the socio-environmental effects faced by Indigenous Atacameña communities due to the exploitation of lithium mining in their territories. Relying on an original analysis of legal and policy documents, I argue that green extractivism highlights the structural deficiencies of lithium mining regulation and Chile's neoextractivist system. These in turn contribute to the unequal and unfair distribution of the socioenvironmental costs of lithium exploitation in the Salar de Atacama. The dissertation shows that mining companies operating in the Salar benefit from the commodification of nature and transfer externalities to local communities to bear the costs of the green economy policies of the Global North. Nevertheless, I explain that the Atacameña Indigenous communities, despite being in an asymmetric relationship, have assumed an active role, through legal and political mechanisms, in defending their rights and demanding that companies and the State recognise their obligations to protect the Salar’s ecology. The dissertation concludes by contemplating possible political changes through a new constitution in Chile in the next few years and what this may mean for the dominance of green extractivism, especially for the Salar.

Abstract: This thesis examines the modeling of inorganic behavior on Twitter and its implications for media dynamics. Three approaches —userbased, activity-based, and text-based detection— are combined to gain insights that benefit journalism and civil organizations. Resumen: Esta tesis examina el modelado del comportamiento inorgánico en Twitter y sus implicaciones para las dinámicas mediáticas. Se combinan tres enfoques (detección basada en características del usuario, basada en su actividad y basada en el contenido textual que publica o con el que interactúa), para encontrar patrones que ayuden a periodistas y organizaciones civiles a entender el fenómeno. Esta es una primera valoración positiva del uso del Inteligencia Artificial para explorar relaciones complejas que tienen significancia cualitativa en el estudio del comportamiento inorgánico en Twitter más allá de la detección.

Abstract: Claystone degradation under the effect of freezing and thaw cycles represents a key aspect in the production of erodible material in mountain ranges. Erosion processes have numerous potential consequences such as dam filling, increment in slope instability, increase of badlands, among others. Due to the possible effects related to erosion, numerous research processes have been carried out following primarily experimental approaches based on both soil physical characteristics and mechanical properties. However, these have been based on a macroscopic scale. This document presents the development of a research process based on the implementation of numerical models aimed at representing the processes involved in freezing and thawing phenomena on porous media and their effect on potential changes in soil microfabric. A calibration and validation process of the proposed numerical models was carried out based on experimental measurements of the thermal behavior of soil samples subjected to freezing and thawing cycles. Using the numerical relationships found, a methodology for determining the soil water retention curve (SWRC) was established (as a first approximation) based on a quick and relatively simple freezing and thawing test under undrained conditions. Simultaneously, and following the main objective of the research, the microfabric state during cyclic freezing and thawing was established following the relationship between SWRC and pore size distribution (PSD), as well as the possible hysteresis between freezing and thawing processes. The significant effect of these thermodynamic processes on the state of the terrain, was identified particularly in regard to increased erodibility. One possible cause for particle detachment necessary for erosion processes to occur lies in the development of macroporosity along with the existence of gaps between pore families in the PSD. This behavior was observed through the developed numerical processes. The combined effect of freezing and thawing cycles leads to an increase in soil erodibility. Finally, though a constitutive model-based approach, the cryogenic suction paths associated with freezing and thawing processes under the modification of the soil’s microstructure were established. A final perspective to soil's mechanical degradation is presented in terms of the hydraulic work associated with the cryogenic suction paths developed within the soil mass. Both the progressive evolution of the microstructure (through PSD) and the values of hydraulic work associated with each cycle show an attenuation in the incremental change as the cycles continue. Due to the numerical nature of the approximations and the trends found, further cyclical laboratory tests should be carried out. However, these represent a novel approach to the degradation phenomenon as well as the effects associated with the soil water retention curve.

Obsesión Bauhaus. Celebramos los 100 años de la escuela que marcó el rumbo del mundo creativo. Poder latino. Desembarcamos en América del Sur para dirigir los reflectores hacia un diseño local.