Abstract: This thesis proposes an update to the NS-047 technical standard of the aqueduct and sewerage company of Bogota for storm drain design, introducing the comprehensive and modern UPC methodology. The research addresses the limitations of the current standard, emphasizing the importance of critical parameters such as flow depth and velocities for pedestrian and vehicle safety during storms. By considering a wide range of hydrologic and hydraulic factors, the UPC method provides a realistic representation of stormwater behavior and enables better system understanding and optimization. The adoption of UPC is expected to enhance stormwater management, promoting safety and sustainability in urban flood control. The application of the UPC methodology to a real-life case study, the CASU road project in Bogotá, demonstrates its effectiveness in optimizing storm drain design. The analysis identified areas for improvement, resulting in a revised approach with strategically located storm drains that effectively controlled runoff while reducing the number of structures. This optimization not only saves costs but also minimizes risks for road users. The comparison between EAAB and UPC methodologies highlights the superiority of the UPC method in terms of its comprehensive approach, graphical outputs, and ability to incorporate multiple roadways. To further improve storm drains designs, experimentation is recommended to determine capture coefficients for different structures, especially in low points critical for drainage efficiency and flood prevention. Obtaining accurate capture coefficients through real-world experiments will enhance the overall stormwater management performance and inform design decisions. By complementing the EAAB standard with the UPC methodology and conducting experimentation for capture coefficients, this research aims to provide a clearer, practical, and more effective storm drain design approach for infrastructure projects in Bogotá and other areas in Colombia.

Abstract: Not having an environmental liabilities regime in Colombia has created a complex contamination scenario that poses a risk to its biodiversity. Even if environmental authorities and the judiciary try their best to hold parties accountable and thus carry out the liabilities cleanup process, the lack of a binding regulation renders these efforts null and void. A solution to this complicated issue could be replicating in the Colombian context some of the provisions included in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act applicable in the United States. Resumen: No contar con un régimen de pasivos ambientales en Colombia ha creado un escenario de contaminación complejo que pone en riesgo su biodiversidad. Incluso si las autoridades ambientales y el poder judicial hacen todo lo posible para responsabilizar a las partes y así llevar a cabo el proceso de limpieza de pasivos, la falta de una regulación vinculante hace que estos esfuerzos sean nulos y sin efecto. Una solución a este complicado tema podría ser replicar en el contexto colombiano algunas de las disposiciones incluidas en la Ley de Respuesta, Compensación y Responsabilidad Ambiental Integral aplicable en Estados Unidos.

Abstract: This paper synthesizes a Cooperative Inquiry conducted in collaboration with Colombian Deaf women to question mainstream and monolithic definitions of Inclusion. Through facilitated dialogues and creative methodologies, the study aimed to explore alternatives and new understandings of inclusion that recognises different experiences of gender, disability, and Deafhood. Throughout six chapters, it addresses the question of how the notion of inclusion can better recognize and embrace the experiences of these Deaf women, delving simultaneously into unexpected findings concerning methodological considerations while conducting action research (AR) with this population. Overall, this process sheds light on experiences of intersectional exclusion and inclusion, while also discussing the effectiveness of AR methods employed to foster conscientisation within this population. Resumen: Este artículo sintetiza una Investigación Cooperativa llevada a cabo en colaboración con mujeres Sordas colombianas con el propósito de cuestionar definiciones convencionales y monolíticas de inclusión. A través de diálogos facilitados y metodologías creativas, este estudio tuvo como objetivo explorar concepciones nuevas y alternativas de la inclusión que reconozcan diversas experiencias de género, discapacidad y Sordedad. A lo largo de seis capítulos, aborda la pregunta de cómo la noción de inclusión puede reconocer y abrazar mejor las vivencias de estas mujeres, adentrándose al mismo tiempo en hallazgos inesperados relacionados con consideraciones metodológicas del llevar a cabo investigación-acción participativa (IAP) con esta población. Este proceso, resalta experiencias de exclusión e inclusión interseccional, a la vez que discute la efectividad de los métodos IAP empleados para fomentar la concientización dentro de esta población.

Abstract: This MA thesis researches collective memory and the way it is archived. Starting from the idea of Colombia as a country without memory, the inquiry questions history as a discipline that linearly presents events, leaving important realities aside, and explores folklore as a more complete alternative to remembering past knowledge. As a timeless, anonymous, and non-institutionalized form of cultural expression, folklore can be seen as a living archive of beliefs and memories. Its form of archiving knowledge and memory is presented as an embodied tool to access and keep passing on the history of a nation. Resumen: Esta tesis de maestría investiga la memoria colectiva y la forma en que es archivada. Partiendo de la idea de Colombia como un país sin memoria, en esta investigación se cuestiona la Historia como una disciplina que presenta linealmente los acontecimientos, dejando de lado realidades importantes, y explora el folclore como una alternativa más completa de reconocer conocimientos del pasado. Como forma de expresión cultural atemporal, anónima y no institucionalizada, el folclore puede verse como un archivo vivo de creencias y recuerdos. Su forma de recolectar y traspasar conocimiento y memoria se presenta como una herramienta encarnada para acceder y transmitir la historia de una nación.

Abstract: The objective of this thesis is to demonstrate that resilience is not a neutral and apolitical concept. For this, I focus on deconstructing the representations, values, meanings, rationalities, and references of desire embedded in discourses, images and development projects promoting resilience in the Cauca, Colombia. Based on ethnographic evidence, I argue that resilience is a discursive mechanism attached to a cultural project - modernity/coloniality- that seeks to maintain structures of power through the reproduction of colonial sociocultural hierarchies between those who are resilient, located in ‘developed’ countries, and those who are vulnerable, living in the poor periphery. Although the promotion of resilience capacities has been enhanced by the increasing feeling of risk exposure, I found that the Misak and Nasa communities have Other forms of understanding and facing crises. Based on their own cosmologies and worldviews, these communities developed the concept of pervivencia aiming to recognise their capacity and right to construct the conditions and strategies to face uncertainties and risks outside modern Eurocentric epistemology. Ignoring the existence of Other forms of thinking and being has lead development organisations to misinterpret how people face uncertainties and crises in rural areas of the Cauca. It is for this reason that I suggest that the concept of resilience does not offer the best analytical tool to analyse Misak and Nasa practices for facing risks as it cannot incorporate Other possible worlds and logics. Resumen: El objetivo de esta tesis es demostrar que la resiliencia no es un concepto neutro y apolítico. Para ello, me centro en deconstruir las representaciones, valores, significados, racionalidades y referentes del deseo incrustados en discursos, imágenes y proyectos de desarrollo que promueven la resiliencia en el Cauca, Colombia. Con base en evidencia etnográfica, sostengo que la resiliencia es un mecanismo discursivo adscrito a un proyecto cultural -modernidad/colonialidad- que busca mantener estructuras de poder a través de la reproducción de jerarquías socioculturales coloniales entre quienes son resilientes, ubicados en países ""desarrollados"", y quienes son vulnerables, que viven en la periferia pobre. Aunque la promoción de las capacidades de resiliencia se ha visto reforzada por la creciente sensación de exposición al riesgo, descubrí que las comunidades misak y nasa tienen otras formas de entender y afrontar las crisis. Basándose en sus propias cosmologías y cosmovisiones, estas comunidades desarrollaron el concepto de pervivencia con el objetivo de reconocer su capacidad y derecho a construir las condiciones y estrategias para afrontar las incertidumbres y los riesgos al margen de la epistemología eurocéntrica moderna. Ignorar la existencia de Otras formas de pensar y de ser ha llevado a las organizaciones de desarrollo a malinterpretar la forma como la gente enfrenta las incertidumbres y las crisis en las zonas rurales del Cauca. Es por esta razón que sugiero que el concepto de resiliencia no ofrece la mejor herramienta analítica para analizar las prácticas Misak y Nasa para enfrentar los riesgos, ya que no puede incorporar Otros mundos y lógicas posibles.

Abstract: The 2030 Agenda guides sustainable development. Colombia played a pivotal role in shaping the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs) as a global agenda by presenting the proposal alongside Guatemala at the 2012 UN Sustainable Development Conference (Pineda Escobar, 2019). While the SDGs receive praise for their holistic approach and well being indicators (Perea Hinestroza, 2019), they face criticism. Including their origins in promoting economic growth (Adelman, 2018), challenges in addressing environmental protection (Weber & Weber, 2020), and narratives portraying them as universally positive, despite corporate and political influences (Olwig, 2021). This paper employs a comprehensive methodology, encompassing critical analysis, historical context, literature review, theoretical frameworks, and case studies. It scrutinizes the SDGs through decolonial and post development perspectives, alongside the concept of the Pluriverse. The Pluriverse, inspired by the Zapatistas, emphasizes diverse practices and knowledge coexistence without imposing universality (Arora et al.,2020). The analysis delves into the concept of Colonial Modernity (CM) and its historical influence, particularly from Western Europe (Mignolo, 2017). It explores how non modern worlds in Colombia, including indigenous, Afro descendant, and peasant communities, challenge prevailing development paradigms and offer alternative sustainability pathways. It focuses on indigenous engagement with the S DGs. It highlights the alignment between indigenous values and the SDGs and the significance of recognizing historical marginalization and violence (Medina, 2019; Morales & Calvo, 2023). The paper concludes by reflecting on the contributions of these diverse perspectives to the discourse on sustainable development and ways of living. Resumen: La Agenda 2030 guía el desarrollo sostenible. Colombia desempeñó un papel fundamental en la configuración de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) como agenda mundial al presentar la propuesta junto con Guatemala en la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible de 2012 (Pineda Escobar, 2019). Si bien los ODS reciben elogios por su enfoque holístico y sus indicadores de bienestar (Perea Hinestroza, 2019), enfrentan críticas. Incluyendo sus orígenes en la promoción del crecimiento económico (Adelman, 2018), los desafíos para abordar la protección del medio ambiente (Weber & Weber, 2020), y las narrativas que los retratan como universalmente positivos, a pesar de las influencias corporativas y políticas (Olwig, 2021). Este documento emplea una metodología integral, que abarca el análisis crítico, el contexto histórico, la revisión de la literatura, los marcos teóricos y los estudios de caso. Analiza los ODS a través de perspectivas decoloniales y postdesarrollistas, junto con el concepto del Pluriverso. El Pluriverso, inspirado en los zapatistas, hace hincapié en la coexistencia de diversas prácticas y conocimientos sin imponer la universalidad (Arora et al., 2020). El análisis profundiza en el concepto de Modernidad Colonial (MC) y su influencia histórica, particularmente de Europa Occidental (Mignolo, 2017). Explora cómo los mundos no modernos en Colombia, incluidas las comunidades indígenas, afrodescendientes y campesinas, desafían los paradigmas de desarrollo imperantes y ofrecen vías alternativas de sostenibilidad. Se centra en el compromiso indígena con los ODS. Destaca la alineación entre los valores indígenas y los ODS y la importancia de reconocer la marginación histórica y la violencia (Medina, 2019; Morales & Calvo, 2023). El documento concluye reflexionando sobre las contribuciones de estas diversas perspectivas al discurso sobre el desarrollo sostenible y las formas de vida.

Abstract: The representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5 of the the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) indicates that if anthropogenic carbon emissions follow dramatic increasing trends, in the next ~200-300 years mean global temperatures can be ~5-10 ?C higher than today. This temperature increase may generate climate conditions similar to those of the late Paleoceneearly Eocene (~58-52 Ma), which recorded the highest temperatures in the last ~60 Ma. Late Paleocene-early Eocene climates were characterized by a series of light carbon injections that produced major global warming/ocean acidification events called hyperthermals, and other smaller carbon cycle perturbations. Although late Paleocene-early Eocene geological records offer a possibility to identify global warming impacts under the worst anthropogenic-driven climatic scenario, important aspects related to the triggers and environmental responses of late Paleocene-early Eocene carbon cycle perturbations remain elusive. Here, two major scientific problems of late Paleocene-early Eocene carbon cycle perturbations are addressed. Initially, new chemical datasets are presented to clarify the origins of the largest Paleocene-Eocene carbon cycle perturbation, the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). Early Eocene carbon cycle perturbations have been interpreted to be orbitally forced events; however, the influence of orbital controls on PETM triggering remains controversial. New probabilistic-based approaches are used to indicate that the PETM was at least partially triggered by an orbitally controlled mechanism, which contrasts with previous studies that restricted PETM triggering to volcanic activity. Secondly, probabilistic-based age models and statistical assessments are presented to refine poorly studied carbon sequestration timescales following Paleocene-Eocene light carbon injections. New temporal constraints reveal that carbon sequestration following Paleocene-Eocene light carbon injections was accelerated in proportion to the size of the initial perturbation. Optimized carbon removal was partially related to accelerated chemical weathering. This process also ended ocean acidification induced by Paleocene-Eocene carbon cycle perturbations, and reestablished predominant calcium carbonate sedimentation in the oceans. However, chemical weathering was not the only optimized carbon sequestration mechanism following Paleocene-Eocene light carbon injections. Temperature variations associated with Paleocene-Eocene carbon cycle perturbations exerted controls on oxygen levels. Reduced oxygen levels associated with higher temperatures may have accelerated export production and oceanic biological pump, which also promoted enhanced carbon removal. The findings presented in this thesis represent significant advances for our knowledge of origins and carbon cycle feedbacks associated with global warming events; furthermore, this thesis emphasizes that probabilistic-based approaches and statistical assessments can provide a better understanding of paleoclimate records.

Resumen: La unidad de cuidado intensivo es considerada como uno de los servicios integradores de más importancia en las instituciones de salud. La gestión de la calidad en ellas ha sido un reto complejo de abordar al tener características sui generis en dependencia de la calidad de los pacientes que recibe en relación con las especialidades disponibles. Es por ello por lo que a través del Consenso Colombiano De Calidad En Cuidados Intensivos se ha buscado estructurar un plan de gestión que permita encontrar un marco común y sobre el estructurar las estrategias de control y mejora. Por medio de las estrategias de planificación estratégica y gestión estudiadas en el máster en Dirección y Gestión Sanitaria de la Universidad Internacional de la Rioja, se identificaron aspectos claves a mejorar en la clínica Medicentro Familiar IPS, ubicada en la localidad de Fontibón, de la ciudad de Bogotá, D.C. Se evidencio que a pesar de haber un cumplimiento de los estándares mínimos de calidad de la resolución 0256 de 201 del Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia, existen aspectos que merecen una atención: Estructural: no disponibilidad de los servicios de radiología intervencionista, hemodinamia y neurointervencionismo. Docente: ausencia de un plan de formación de residentes. Recursos humanos: tercerización del personal médico. Calidad: la falta de un sistema de reporte anónimo y temprano de actos inseguros y / o eventos adversos; problemas en el programa de optimización de antimicrobianos que favorecen la variabilidad en la selección e inicio de antibióticos. Abstract: The intensive care unit is considered one of the most important integrative services in health institutions. Quality management in them has been a complex challenge to address as they have sui generis characteristics depending on the quality of the patients they receive in relation to the available specialties. This is why, through the Colombian Consensus on Quality in Intensive Care, we have sought to structure a management plan that allows finding a common framework and structuring control and improvement strategies. Through the strategic planning and management strategies studied in the master's degree in Health Direction and Management at the International University of La Rioja, key aspects to improve were identified in the Medicentro Familiar IPS clinic, located in the town of Fontibón, in the city from Bogotá, D.C. It was evident that despite compliance with the minimum quality standards of resolution 0256 of 201 of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Colombia, there are aspects that deserve attention: Structural: non-availability of interventional radiology services, hemodynamics and neurointerventionism. Teacher: absence of a resident training plan. Human resources: outsourcing of medical personnel. Quality: the lack of an anonymous and early reporting system for unsafe acts and/or adverse events; problems in the antimicrobial optimization program that favor variability in the selection and initiation of antibiotics.

Abstract: The case studies of Sudan and Venezuela, in light of the existing literature on diasporas, provide an insight into the role diaspora organisations play in assisting their countries of origin during humanitarian crises. Through a comparative exercise it is shown how they collaborate, coordinate and distribute different types of resources in protracted situations where humanitarian aid is clearly needed but often limited. It is how the performed analysis makes it possible to establish both strengths and weaknesses of these diasporas’ involvement, something that should be carefully considered in terms of the impact on the overall well-being of affected and vulnerable communities in their homelands. Which, in turn, paves the way for more research to be done on diasporas as legitimate humanitarian actors in the international system, as well as highlights the necessity for establishing mutually beneficial relationships with traditional international actors.

Abstract: Irrigation plays a critical role in paddy rice cultivation. Water availability becomes a limiting factor when irrigation do not consider crop water requirements and the predominant edaphic properties. This study was conducted in five paddy rice fields cultivation subjected to different irrigation schedules in the UsoCoello irrigation district, Tolima region, Colombia. The aim of this research was to assess the effectiveness of geophysical data, specifically apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) collected by means of the EM38-MK2 device and multispectral data based on the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) from Sentinel-2A to delineate site- specific management zones (MZs). Prior to analysis, the collected variables underwent exploratory data analysis to identify and remove outliers and inliers. Further, geostatistical techniques were employed to describe the spatial variability of ECa measurements. To reduce dimensionality and account for spatial correlations in the data, a modified version of principal component analysis (PCA) known as MULTISPATI-PCA was applied. Fuzzy k-means was performed to categorize the MZ based on two sPC, where the optimal number of MZs was determined based on summary indices. Finally, each MZ was validated using Mixed Linear Models (MLM) considering spatial structures with random stratified sampling of rice yield and soil water content from TDR measurements. NDWI and ECa were poorly positively correlated (6% to 31% correlation) for most of the Plots to slightly higher negative correlation (3% to 46%) being statistically significant (Pr <0.05), while the multispectral bands showed strong correlation with the vegetation index, they presented the opposite effect (weak correlations) between ECa. Data pre-processing removed 9% (Plot 2) to 21% (Plot 1) of the total observations, lowering the coefficient of variation (CV). The spatial structure was analyzed by semivariograms, and fitted by spherical, gaussian and exponential models showing a high cross validation coefficient (CVC) of 91%, 97.5%, 76%, 70% and 90% for Plot 1 to Plot 5, respectively. Two MZs were selected and their means exhibited statistically significant (Pr<0.05) differences through Tukey’s test, providing further evidence of the effectiveness of integrating geophysical and multispectral data in delineating these zones. This methodology will be used as input for optimizing paddy rice cultivation by means of irrigation scheduling in the UsoCoello irrigation district, Tolima, Colombia.