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: 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: 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: With growing traffic demands and structural degradation accelerated by climate change, there is a critical need for continued advancement of concrete repair and strengthening technologies to enable extended bridge service life. Specifically, transitioning to cost-effective reinforced concrete (RC) retrofit strategies that further enhance durability under service loading conditions and minimize damage development under extreme hazard conditions, which are more probable to occur in longer-lasting concrete structures, are key elements of next-generation concrete bridges. This thesis explores the use of iron-based shape memory alloys (Fe-SMAs) as an active shear retrofit strategy for RC components. SMAs are a class of smart materials with the unique property of the shape memory effect, allowing them to fully recover plastic deformations when subsequently heated. By installing prestrained Fe-SMA strips and activating the shape memory effect, an active pressure can be introduced to help close cracks and apply a confining stress in the concrete. The primary objective is to evaluate the performance and practicality of Fe-SMA as an active shear strengthening technique in comparison to traditional methods such as external steel reinforcement and fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. The experimental phase of this study involved conducting push-off tests on RC specimens retrofitted with pre-deformed Fe-SMA strips. The goal was to assess the efficiency of active shear retrofitting. Additionally, finite element analysis (FEA) simulations were employed to model Fe SMA-retrofitted RC structures and investigate their behaviour under shear loading conditions. Key findings indicate that Fe-SMA retrofits, through transverse prestressing as part of the active retrofit strategy, contributed to notable improvements in the stiffness and strength of damaged RC components. Similar to passive retrofit methods, increased shear capacity was observed with higher levels of transverse reinforcement. Notably, combinations of substantial shear reinforcement ratios and elevated transverse prestressing provided the most significant gains in shear strength. Furthermore, the addition of prestressed Fe-SMA retrofits was found to effectively reduce shear crack widths and mitigate the progression of subsequent shear crack width growth. This study not only demonstrates the potential of Fe-SMA as a promising solution for active shear strengthening but also contributes to the development of future field-scale tests. The presence of Fe-SMA in damaged structures offers the prospect of multiple improvements, marking a significant advancement in the field of shear retrofitting.

Resumen: El estudio resalta la oportunidad para fortalecer la biodiversidad, especialmente a través de la enseñanza de las ciencias ambientales y biociencias con un impacto esperado en el aumento en los niveles de alfabetización científica y su relación bidireccional con la educación y la cultura ambiental en la sociedad colombiana, con foco de estudio e impacto en la población estudiantil de ciencias naturales, biología y educación ambiental en los tres niveles educativos, así como la comunidad académica de las áreas de bioeconomía, ecosistemas naturales y territorios sostenibles. Se realizó una revisión y selección de la literatura científica bajo criterios de inclusión y exclusión como el año de publicación, los idiomas, los países de publicación y/o ejecución del estudio y las bases de datos utilizadas. Así, se tuvieron en cuenta autores que publicaran trabajos de investigación cualitativa y cuantitativa tanto aplicada como no aplicada tales como Boff, Caamaño, Calixto Flores, García & Rodríguez, González González y López & Sánchez. Se encontraron numerosas tendencias, tensiones y limitaciones en la integración de los conceptos de educación ambiental, biodiversidad y alfabetización científica, que se presentan como desafíos en el qué, el para qué y la estructura de la educación ambiental; las definiciones y la enseñanza en la alfabetización científica y la complejidad y relevancia en la comprensión de la biodiversidad. Se hallaron herramientas y conceptualizaciones con un impacto positivo para la conservación de los ecosistemas naturales estratégicos del país como la transversalización de la educación ambiental en el currículo; y el uso sostenible de los recursos por parte de las comunidades y la resignificación y apropiación del ambiente dentro de la cultura de las regiones como las necesidades ambientales contextuales de las poblaciones alfabetizadas. Se resalta el abordaje amplio y complejo de la biodiversidad dentro de un planteamiento nuevo hacia una pedagogía ambiental.

Abstract: Pharmaceutical Compounds (PCs), are synthetic substances intensively consumed by humans and continuously released into the urban wastewater. Often, the removal of PCs from wastewater is found to be insufficient, or even absent if population is not connected to the sewage system and wastewater is directly emitted into the environment. In the last decades, the PCs have aroused special attention because they have been found in surface water at concentrations that can cause negative effects on the aquatic biota and environment. Studies employing PCs monitoring and modelling techniques on surface waters have been mainly conducted in developed countries, while studies in developing countries are still scarce. Attempting to fill this gap, this work focused specifically in Colombia, where the occurrence of PCs has not been thoroughly studied and monitoring plans are barely done due to high costs. This work employed the Exposure to Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (ePiE), a spatially distributed model only implemented and used in Europe, to predict concentrations of PCs in rivers and lakes by considering their consumption, fate and transport. So, it aimed to create a new ePiE model network taking as a case of study the prediction of Naproxen and Paracetamol in the Upper Catchment of the Cauca River, Colombia, an area with a different socio-economic and climatic conditions with respect to the European continent. The methodological approach included: a) data collection on PCs’ consumption, physicochemical properties and removal in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs); b) consolidation of geodata of the study area such as hydrology, hydrography, urban agglomeration and WWTPs location; c) model building by using the open-source software environment R; d) analysis of the model sensitivity to input parameters; e) model validation. The results showed that all concentration predictions deviate within a range of only one order of magnitude from measurements which is a remarkable result when dealing with such high uncertainties. In terms of magnitude prediction, for the worst-case scenario, Naproxen and Paracetamol were found to exceed the environmental standards thresholds in 9% and 1% of the model river network nodes respectively. Overall, this research aimed to assess the applicability of the ePiE model in estimating the presence of PCs in a subregion of Colombia, demonstrating that it is feasible to expand ePiE to other areas and giving insights about the spatial distribution of pharmaceuticals substances so hotspots can be identified and several scenarios can be built in future works.

Resumen: En este trabajo de fin de máster, se utiliza el edificio Lake Shore Drive Apartments de Mies Van der Rohe como punto de partida para desarrollar un proyecto básico y de ejecución de un edificio de 208 viviendas con garajes y trasteros el cual cumpla con las especificaciones del Código Técnico de la Edificación. Se aplican los conocimientos adquiridos durante el máster en Construcción y Tecnología Arquitectónicas para explorar sistemas estructurales más eficientes y lograr que el edificio sea sostenible, con un consumo de energía casi nulo. Esto se logra a través del acondicionamiento pasivo de su envolvente, así como de la implementación de las instalaciones necesarias para el correcto funcionamiento de la edificación. Además, se implementan sistemas que garanticen su comportamiento frente al fuego. De igual manera, se elabora un presupuesto que permita conocer la viabilidad de la construcción, así como su mantenimiento durante su ciclo de vida.

Abstract: Bogotá Social Backbone proposes the development of a backbone of social infrastructure for the most needed people in Bogota, those who usually do not have access to the professional services of an architect. I selected three ""free"", abandoned, and problematic spaces along the Caracas Avenue in Bogotá, and three clients who inhabit them; a drug addict who was displaced from El Bronx, a prostitute from Santafé neighborhood and a recycler from Caracas 59. Social architecture is proposed with the objective of being a platform for these people to reintegrate into society with dignity, providing minimal housing, as well as places for training and for the development of a life project. Resumen: Bogotá Social Backbone propone el desarrollo de una columna vertebral de infraestructura social para las personas más necesitadas de Bogotá, aquellas que normalmente no tienen acceso a los servicios profesionales de un arquitecto. Seleccioné tres espacios ""libres"", abandonados y problemáticos a lo largo de la Avenida Caracas en Bogotá y tres clientes que los habitan; un drogadicto desplazado de El Bronx, una prostituta del barrio Santafé y un reciclador de la Caracas con 59. La arquitectura social se propone con el objetivo de ser una plataforma para que estas personas se reintegren dignamente a la sociedad, proporcionándoles una vivienda mínima, así como lugares para la formación y para el desarrollo de un proyecto de vida.

Abstract: Colombia is a country whose economy is largely driven by SMEs companies, but with the advance of technology, their production and growth is stagnating. Only companies that have under- stood the importance of innovation and have applied technologies framed in the DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION are making progress. One of the most critical reasons why these companies have not yet begun to go through this change of ideology is due to the lack of knowledge and support. The information is abundant but it is not compiled in a single digital site, where any- one can find it. Companies will continue to invest in technology to support the shift towards remote work and automation, but that is no longer enough. One of the most relevant findings when talking to various stakeholders, has been to understand that in the collective imagination of entrepreneurs, there are misconceptions about what DT means. It is common that this concept is framed in a series of myths that confuse and are transferred from voice to voice, creating a panorama of misinformation. That is why, I took on the challenge of creating a digital strategy that brings together in one place the dimensions that are part of the DT. The objective is to demystify the preconceived ideas of entrepreneurs so they can understand that their perception of digital reality has been created under ideas that do not correspond to the truth. Therefore, to achieve this change of mentality, a common and direct language will be used in order to make people feel identified with their false ideas about the concept and as a result, they will experience a desire to explore further. Resumen: Colombia es un país cuya economía está en gran medida impulsada por empresas pymes, pero con el avance de la tecnología, su producción y crecimiento se están estancando. Solo las empresas que han comprendido la importancia de la innovación y han aplicado tecnologías enmarcadas en la TRANSFORMACIÓN DIGITAL están progresando. Una de las razones más críticas por las cuales estas empresas aún no han comenzado a pasar por este cambio de ideología se debe a la falta de conocimiento y apoyo. La información es abundante, pero no está recopilada en un solo espacio digital, donde cualquiera pueda encontrarla. Las empresas continúan invirtiendo en tecnología para respaldar el cambio hacia el trabajo remoto y la automatización, pero eso ya no es suficiente. Uno de los hallazgos más relevantes al hablar con diversos interesados ha sido comprender que en la imaginación colectiva de los empresarios, hay conceptos erróneos sobre lo que significa la Transformación Digital. Es común que este concepto se enmarque en una serie de mitos que confunden y se transmiten voz a voz, creando un panorama de desinformación. Por eso, asumí el desafío de crear una estrategia digital que reúna en un solo lugar las dimensiones que forman parte de la TD. El objetivo es desmitificar las ideas preconcebidas de los empresarios para que puedan entender que su percepción de la realidad digital se ha creado bajo ideas que no corresponden a la verdad. Por lo tanto, para lograr este cambio de mentalidad, se utilizará un lenguaje común y directo con el fin de que las personas se sientan identificadas con sus ideas falsas sobre el concepto y, como resultado, experimenten el deseo de explorar más a fondo. Dentro de esta estrategia y como artefacto final, desarrollé un sitio web llamado ""Mitos Digitales"", los empresarios podrán comprender el concepto, sus componentes, beneficios, la tecnología más usada, historias de éxito y una recopilación de mitos desarticulados. Finalmente, podrán encontrar algunos recursos en términos de formación y ayuda financiera que el gobierno y las organizaciones privadas en Colombia están proporcionando para apoyar y fortalecer el crecimiento y desarrollo tecnológico de las pymes.

Abstract: Reservoir models of deep-water channels rely upon low-resolution but spatially extensive seismic data, high vertical resolution but spatially sparse well log data and geomodeling methods. The results cannot predict architecture below seismic resolution or between well logs. Usually, the data and interpretations that provide constraints for modeling workflows do not capture sub-seismic scale architecture. Therefore, standard modeling methods do not generate models that include details that can impact hydrocarbon flow and recovery. Constraining models to well and seismic data is problematic. Employing measured sections in the Tres Pasos Fm. (Magallanes Basin, Chile) is feasible to predict deep-water channel architecture, specifically channel stacking patterns with 1D information analogous to well data. This research performed near-wellbore modeling to generate multiple scenarios of channel stacking patterns constrained by machine learning-derived probabilities using (i) conditional Monte Carlo simulation with soft probabilities per channel element within the measured section choosing the highest probabilities for each element (ii) conditional Monte Carlo simulation of channel stacking, (iii) template-based modeling, (iv) forward modeling with Markov transition probabilities without matching to thickness and (v) conditional Monte Carlo simulation constrained to measured section thickness. Machine learning workflows generate channel position probabilities (i.e., axis, off-axis, margin) within a measured section given the interpreted top/bases of channel elements. These probabilities constitute the input for Monte Carlo simulations capturing channel element stacking patterns at the measured section locations. The most likely 2D channel stacking pattern scenarios defined channel centerline points, and volumes of the individual channel elements can be generated connecting them. Surface-based modeling offers a way to depict reservoirs of hydrocarbons, water or low-enthalpy geothermal systems in which small-scale heterogeneity needs to be captured explicitly by bounding surfaces because it impacts fluid flow, improving our forecasts of resource exploitation. Furthermore, predicting heterogeneity controlled by depositional architecture is critical for transport and storage capacity in CO2 reservoirs. The dataset provided and the advent of these flexible and accurate methods to depict the subsurface offer the opportunity to overcome the historical limitations of grid-based models and allow us to assess multiscale architecture that controls fluid flow. This research aims to show the results of modeling deepwater channels, including a 1D identification of architectural positions and a 2D arrangement of channel stacking patterns.