Current sustainability models rely on the triple line approach, in which economic growth, environmental sustainability and social are fundamental pivots. In recent years, the model of Biomimicry has emerged as a sustainable option of production, challenging the industrial revolution in which resource depletion and maximization of profits are key .At present , economic growth and environmental benefits has been well documented, however little is known about how social justice can be impacted by this biomimicry production systems. In the present study, a framework has been created with the purpose of assessing biomimicry production systems (BPS) in terms of social justice. In specific, an approach of poverty that has been gaining attention in the past decades and which represent poverty as a result of social relations has been used for its construction. The framework has then been done to understand the extent to which BPS can disrupt relational poverty (RP). As a study case, the polyculture quinoa production systems in the South America altiplano is presented. Evidence shows that these ancient farming systems have disruption effects on RP mechanisms with different intensities. This model of production rivals monocroping areas in areas like the Peruvian coast in terms of the avoidance relations that perpetrate poverty and of diversity, a fundamental aspect of Biomimicry. Other beneficial relations relate to moral economy were found as opportunities for these BPS’s. The framework generated here can be used to analyse other BPS in terms of social justice, it is robust and covers much of the aspects involved in power relations, agency and empowerment.

Alguna vez, recostado en el umbral de la puerta del aula de clase, me preguntaba por el sentido de lo que hacía, justo después de que un hecho inusitado me hubiera dejado retumbando la cabeza. Una estudiante que estaba haciendo un juego de creación escénica a partir del monólogo de Darío Fo La violación , encontró un espacio y el tiempo para contar su propia historia. La ví llorar en escena y no por aquello que en teatro se llama verdad escénica sino porque, en verdad, le había ocurrido un hecho traumático desde los siete hasta los nueve años, había sido violada sistemáticamente. Al ver en escena aquello, encontré que el lugar de la clase de arte era para eso, para dar cuenta de verdades profundas.

Este trabajo expone el proceso y los resultados de una investigación-creación que tiene como objetivo la descripción de los cuerpos que transitan en el sistema de transporte bogotano: Transmilenio. Basado en microrelatos de usuarios, en un diario de campo, fuentes teóricas, registro visual, construcción de categorías, lo análogo y metafórico de un proceso de creación artística desde las artes escénicas, se proponen descripciones sobre las sensaciones, emociones y acciones que realiza el cuerpo que transita, gracias a su relación estésica y estética que tiene con este medio de transporte. Igualmente, se realiza una presentación del proceso y los resultados de la creación y por último como conclusiones, se proponen varios dilemas que debe soslayar este cuerpo en su diario vivir. Planteándose como una de las soluciones para mejorar la calidad de vida en este medio de transporte, el concebir el cuerpo como metáfora de transformación gracias al concepto de poder cotidiano, capaz de construir un lugar de tránsito también en un lugar para habitar.

Informe general de la economía departamental de Quindío para el segundo semestre del año 2004. A lo largo del documento se mencionan variaciones en los índices de desempleo, exportaciones e importaciones, actividades financieras, construcción de infraestructura y sacrificio de ganado con respecto al periodo anterior.

The Interaction of electromagnetic waves with dielectric bodies and metals has been extensively studied because of its importance to problems including propagation through rain or snow, scattering by and detection of air borne particles, coupling to missiles with plasma plumes or dielectric-filled apertures, performance of communication antennas in the presence of dielectric and magnetic inhomogeneities, and medical diagnostics and power absorption in biological bodies. Computational electromagnetics methods (CEM) offer and indispensable tool for calculating the electromagnetic scattering from an internal field distribution of arbitrarily shaped, inhomogeneous, dielectric bodies. The aim of this thesis is the study and simulation of a RF coils system design by developing a novel parallel fast Method of Moments (MoM) modeling approach suitable for the simulation of dielectric bodies and metals. The parallel fast MoM implementation uses volume and surface basis functions with special properties appropriate for the representation of flux current densities for perfect electric conductors (PEC) and dielectrics. The results obtained with our modeling method were confirmed by comparisons with analytical solutions and other commercial software results, yielding very good agreement. The RF coil is employed in high field Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to obtain high quality brain images. Among all the clinical imaging techniques, MRI stands as a noninvasive technique that provides accurate, detailed anatomic images, which has had a major impact in the diagnosis of human diseases. MRI is a widely use soft-tissue imaging modality that has involved over the past several years into a powerful and versatile medical diagnostic tool capable of providing in-vivo diagnostic images of human anatomy. Current research areas in MRI system design are driven by the need to obtain detailed high resolution images with improved image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at a given magnetic field strength. One of the most critical factor that influences the quality and resolution of the MRI is the homogeneity of the RF field. To this end, this requirement demands the development of high performance MRI radio frequency (RF) coils and a standard procedure for enhancing the uniformity of the field directly at the modeling stage of the RF Coil.

Socio economic reintegration of former combatants is one the most complicated stages in the aftermath of armed struggles and there is never a straightforward answer to its implementation. Although there has been theoretical and practical progress in these regards, ex-combatants often must face formal an informal constraints before regaining their citizenship. In these contexts, institutional interventions are crucial to facilitate the transition of this population into civilian life. This research analyses the role of the institutional framework and its impact in the proper economic reintegration of former politically motivated combatants in Colombia and Northern Ireland since 2000. Through a rigorous review of international examples, previous experiences in reintegration programmes, public policies and the examination of extensive literature, it was possible to identify punitive legislation, limited employment opportunities, discrimination, lack of skills and informal economies as main factors affecting the reintegration process. This overview was confronted with data collected through six semi-structured interviews with key actors in Colombia and Northern Ireland who have been deeply involved in conflict resolution matters. As a result of this triangulation, this exploration compares and concludes that the Colombian institutional framework is more advanced in terms of socio-economic reintegration of ex- combatants in comparison to the Irish case in which ex-prisoners’ role after the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement is not clear yet. In addition, this research identifies that former politically motivated combatants are still experiencing similar problems such as discrimination, exclusion and high levels of deprivation that official interventions have not been capable of addressing in both countries. Finally, two recommendations are stated in order to strengthen these programmes from a people-centred perspective and a sensitive approach that takes into account specificities of ex-combatants in terms of employment, self-employment and training.

En el campo de estudio de los Agentes Autónomos Inteligentes, uno de los retos más complejos de lograr es la simulación de los procesos cognitivos. Generalmente, la meta de integrar diversas micro-teorías en un solo modelo cognitivo que sea capaz de procesar ingentes cantidades de variables, las cuales cambian continuamente con una complejidad incremental, resulta ser una tarea intrincada cuyos frutos no siempre suelen reflejar las expectativas iniciales de sus diseñadores. En el área de la Cognición Artificial es posible distinguir tres grandes aproximaciones: la Cognitivista, basada en sistemas de representación simbólica y mecanismos de aprendizaje explícito; la Emergente, fundamentada en sistemas de representación sub-simbólica y procesos cognitivos de naturaleza implícita; y la Híbrida, que busca integrar lo mejor de cada aproximación. Esta última, a pesar de ser un enfoque conciliador que pretende compensar las debilidades y potenciar las fortalezas de cada aproximación, es un área de investigación muy reciente cuyos resultados son aún incipientes. En la presente tesis, se propone un modelo cognitivo híbrido y original, denominado Metáfora, cuyas aportaciones principales son: (1) la integración de teorías multi-disciplinares -- psicocognitivas, neurológicas, biológicas, de inteligencia artificial, etc. -- sobre la cognición; (2) un diseño arquitectónico basado en bloques de construcción cibernéticos, que adapta lo mejor de los modelos cognitivos más representativos -- diseño por capas, modular, multi-componente, descentralizado, y distribuido; (3) la fusión de los principios propuestos tanto por la aproximación cognitivista como por la aproximación emergente, y la definición de los mecanismos de integración y sincronización necesarios para comunicar estos dos niveles; y (4) un diseño innovador que articula tres niveles de auto-organización inspirados en principios de la biología evolutiva y del desarrollo: la epigénesis, la ontogénesis, y la filogénesis, a partir de los cuales emergen las diversas estructuras cognitivas de la arquitectura. En el nivel epigenético se define una capa cognitiva controlada por dos clases de máquinas autopoiéticas (i.e., los Sistemas Inmunes Artificiales y las Redes Neuronales Artificiales), cuya responsabilidad es crear las estructuras cognitivas de bajo nivel y dotar a la arquitectura con un grado significativo de plasticidad. En el nivel ontogenético, por un lado, se precisa un mecanismo atencional adaptativo el cual es capaz de orquestar los diversos comportamientos y procesos conscientes y subconscientes del agente, empleando para ello un modelo evolutivo de dispersión de energía de activación y, por otro, se define un mecanismo que evoluciona las estructuras cognitivas de orden superior. Por último, en el nivel filogenético, se propone un mecanismo basado en la ingeniería memética, encargado de co-evolucionar y trasmitir las estructuras cognitivas a través de la sociedad de agentes.

IMBOLIC is a collection of poems that was written for the Poetry 2 Assignment and for the final MA Dissertation. The work is divided into two sections: the first one, POETRYTMENT is a sequence of twelve poems where collage, verse, prose, lyricism and Spanish as a mother tongue work as a complete treatment to release pain and grab hope. In most of the pieces, there is a double reading that suggests a dialogue between a patient and some healers. Among them: Carol Watts, Mercedes Sosa (singer), William Butler Yeats, William Shakespeare, William Blake, Rosemary Tonks, Robert Frost, Alfonsina Storni, Sasha Moorsom and Pablo Neruda. The second one, THE SONG OF THE WOMB written for the final Dissertation addresses to transformation. It is a song that tunes with the voice of cycles, Nancy Gaffield, Patricia Debney, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, José Asunción Silva and Alfonsina Storni. In both pieces, there is a poetic product originated from some of the ideas that are registered as in Spanish as in English in “Truenos bajo la piel /Thunders under the skin” (http://claudiaorduz.blogspot.co.uk) since January 2014. For instance: Julio (Hide and Seek adaptation) and Invisible Stitches.

Population growth is currently one of the main challenges faced by all countries and their authorities. Problems generated by this trend include the formation of slums and their interaction with other elements of society, especially in developing countries where this phenomenon is significant. This situation is not new, even in Colombia. As a member of the United Nations Organization and as a developing country, this Latin American nation is supposed to conform to the Millennium Development Goals by 2020. With respect to the improvement of the condition of slums addressed in target 7d of goal number 7, a considerable number of measures have been adopted by authorities at different levels. Nevertheless, several cities and regional authorities have disregarded their obligation to reach the Millennium Development Goals.

The number of distributed resources into electrical network systems is increasing and it is challenging the way these systems are designed and operated. For traditional power systems, transmission and distribution networks play a passive role in voltage control. When distributed generation is presented these levels of the electrical network can play an important role in voltage regulation. The mini CHP technology is an interesting option for this active role. In this study, a voltage control strategy using mini CHP units is proposed. For this purpose a dynamic model of a mini CHP system using experimental data is developed and is represented in Matlab/Simulink for simulation. An electrical network for performing these studies is built in DIgSILENT PowerFactory and the mini CHP system model is integrated into the electrical network. The proposed voltage control operation mode is compared with a heat lead operation mode for determining advantages and disadvantages of both operations. The voltage control operation is an interesting option for regulating voltage in the distribution network when distributed resources are introduced. Further studies and developments are required to find a compromise between voltage regulation and thermal demand matching.