This paper investigates whether fertility decisions influence political attitudes in Germany. For this purpose, I estimate a model that observes the political attitudes during the transition into parenthood. I use the data from the GSOEP to capture the political views of people and the parenthood status over a comprehensive time span and construct a scale for the intensity of support to right-wing parties. The estimates point out three main results: i) Parents and non-parents do not seem to differ in the support for any political party, that is, both groups are equally likely to lean towards a political party, ii) mothers experience a drop in the intensity of support to right-wing parties, locating them for the first eight years after birth between supporting a left party in a moderate and strong level, iii) Men do not seem to be affected by the transition into fatherhood, which supports the hypothesis of women being the most affected by children. A possible explanation of the results is that women tend to face most of the contextual changes due to children, which makes them more aware of the weaknesses in the prevailing family policies and educational system. Este trabajo investiga si las decisiones de fertilidad influencian las actitudes políticas en Alemania. Con este fin, estimo un modelo que considera las actitudes políticas durante la transición a la paternidad. Uso datos del Panel Socioeconómico Alemán, GSOEP por sus siglas en inglés, para capturar las visiones políticas de las personas y el estatus de padres sobre un tiempo considerable y construyo una escala para medir la intensidad de apoyo a partidos de derecha. Las estimaciones sugieren tres resultados principales: i) Los padres y no padres no parecen diferir en el apoyo a partidos políticos, lo que implica que ambos grupos tienen la misma probabilidad de apoyar a los partidos políticos existentes, ii) las madres experimentan una caída en la intensidad de apoyo a partidos de derecha, localizando sus visiones durante los primeros ocho años después del nacimiento del primer hijo, entre apoyar a partidos de izquierda de manera moderada y fuerte, iii)Los hombres parecen no estar afectados por la transición a la paternidad. Una explicación de los resultados es que las mujeres tienden a enfrentar los mayores cambios de contexto debido a la presencia de niños, lo cual hace que estén conscientes sobre las debilidades de las existentes políticas de familia y del sistema educativo.

The intention of this thesis is to determine the warning signals and prevent actions to conduct successfully FARC DDR’s process. Although, Colombia has experienced multiple DDR processes during its recent history, the political violence continues to be rage with the country. After each process, Colombia notes the mutation of criminal structures, which have deployed their tentacles to other Latin American countries. Understanding the salient issues that led to the success or failure of DDR processes will aid the Government of Colombia (GOC) to faces the process with FARC. The main argument of this thesis is that, GOC; in order to carry out successfully DDR of the FARC must take into account DDR “best practices”, and experiences not only in Colombia but also in other countries. El Salvador and South Africa are the selected countries, due to some similarities that present their DDR’s experiences with some features of the Colombian conflict. This thesis also will cover past Colombian experiences in DDR from the end of La Violencia to most recent AUC’s DDR, as well as the “individual demobilization” programs for insurgents. In other words, an analysis of these cases will provide the best approaches to conduct a successful DDR process.

This research aims to provide empirical evidence on the relationship between the legal status and the activity sector of temporary migrants. The case of the Mexico-Guatemala border is analyzed due to its large migration flows, the characteristics of its migration regulation and the existence of a widely unexploited databased. The results suggest, on one side, that Guatemalans who entered lawfully to Mexico and are authorized to work are more likely to participate in the agricultural sector than undocumented migrants. On the other side, Guatemalans who entered lawfully to Mexico but are not authorized to work are more likely to participate in the nonagricultural sector than undocumented migrants, carrying out informal activities such as street sales, construction, and domestic services. Resumen Esta investigación tiene como objetivo proveer información empírica sobre la relación entre el estado de legalidad y el sector de actividad de los migrantes temporales. Se analiza el caso de la frontera México-Guatemala debido a sus grandes flujos migratorios, las características de su regulación migratoria y la existencia de una amplia base de datos poco explorada. Los resultados sugieren, de una parte, que los guatemaltecos que ingresan legalmente a México y están autorizados para trabajar tienen más probabilidad de participar en el sector agrícola que los migrantes indocumentados. De otra parte, se evidencia que los guatemaltecos que ingresan legalmente a México pero no están autorizados para trabajar tienen más probabilidad de participar en el sector no agrícola que los migrantes indocumentados, los cuales se dedican a actividades informales tales como las ventas callejeras, la construcción, y los servicios domésticos.

This research explores the potential for power generation from solution gas in Alberta, seeking to meet an increasing energy demand, contribute to the coal phase-out, and reduce flaring. Estimation of this potential is based on the analysis of technical and economic challenges associated with power generation, including volumes of solution gas available, its variability of production and quality for combustion, as well as available technologies and market conditions. The results of this study show that there is a potential for 127 MW power generation from the solution gas that is flared in the province and that gas production variability and quality do not limit its development. Current electricity pool price does not favor the implementation of the project but it still represents an economic alternative for flaring reduction when there is on-site demand or displacement of other fuels. Finally, 684 thousand tonnes of CO2equivalent can be offset by flaring reduction. Resumen Esta investigación explora el potencial de generación de energía a partir del gas solución en Alberta, con la intención de satisfacer una demanda creciente de energía, contribuir a la eliminación de generación a partir de carbón y reducir la quema de gas. La estimación de este potencial se basa en el análisis de los desafíos técnicos y económicos asociados con la generación de energía, incluyendo los volúmenes de gas solución disponibles, su variabilidad de producción y la calidad de la combustión, así como las tecnologías disponibles y las condiciones del mercado. Los resultados de este estudio muestran que existe un potencial para la generación de energía de 127 MW a partir del gas solución que se quema en la provincia y que la variabilidad y la calidad de la producción de gas no limitan su desarrollo. El precio actual de la electricidad no favorece la implementación del proyecto, pero aún representa una alternativa económica para la reducción de la quema cuando hay demanda en el sitio de producción o cuando desplaza otros combustibles. Finalmente, 684 mil toneladas de CO2 equivalente pueden ser reducidas por la reducción de la quema.

Background: Functional Somatic Symptoms (FSS) are symptoms for which an underlying pathology cannot be found. High negative affect (NA) has been linked to the etiology of FSS, but little is known about the role of Positive Affect (PA). PA has been related to a lower risk for the onset of certain chronic diseases and it has been linked to healthier behaviors, which could mediate the association with FSS. Objectives: 1) To test if PA is related to current FSS and if it can predict longitudinal changes in FSS. 2) To test the role of health behaviors (alcohol consumption, smoking, and physical activity) as mediators. 3) To test if NA and sex modify the effect of PA on FSS. Methods: Data from the ‘TRacking adolescents’ individual lives’ survey’ (TRAILS) cohort were used (N=1247 cases). PA was measured with the PANAS schedule and FSS with the physical complaints subscale from the ASR. Regression analyses with bootstrapping were performed to explore the relationship between PA and FSS, and the interactions in moderation analysis. Mediation analyses were performed to estimate the indirect effect of PA on FSS through health behaviors. A PCA was performed on the physical complaints subscale of ASR, and secondary analyses were performed for the identified components. Results: PA had a negative significant association with current FSS when adjusted for covariates [B = - 0.004; BCa 95% CI = ( - 0.006 ; - 0.002)]. The association was not significant longitudinally when adjusted for covariates. No mediation or interaction was found. Two components of the physical complaints subscale were identified on the PCA. In the secondary analysis, PA was significantly related to the component “general physical symptoms” [B= - 0.019; BCa 95% CI = ( - 0.0028 ; - 0.011)] but not to the component “gastrointestinal symptoms”. Conclusion: High PA was significantly related to current lower levels of FSS, but the effect was small. Health behaviors did not mediate the association. The results of this study elucidate the need to further research individual variations, and day-to-day fluctuations on affect to obtain more insight on the etiology of FSS. The relevance of the results is theoretical rather than clinical. Introducción: Los Síntomas Somáticos Funcionales (SSF) son síntomas cuya patología subyacente no ha sido encontrada. Altos niveles de Afecto Negativo (AN) se ha relacionado con la etiología de los SSF, pero existe poca información sobre el rol del Afecto Positivo (AP). El AP se ha relacionado con un menor riesgo de aparición de enfermedades crónicas y se ha relacionado con la adopción conductas más sanas, las cuales podrían mediar la asociación entre el AP y los SSF. Objetivos: 1) Examinar si el AP está relacionado con SSF, transversal y longitudinalmente. 2) Evaluar el papel de los comportamientos de salud (consumo de alcohol, fumar y actividad física) como mediadores de la relación entre AP y SSF. 3) Explorar si el AN y el sexo modifican el efecto del AP en los FSS. Métodos: Se utilizó una muestra tomada del estudio de cohorte ‘TRacking adolescents’ individual lives’ survey’ (TRAILS) (N = 1247 casos). El AP se midió con el cuestionario PANAS y los SSF con la subescala de síntomas físicos del cuestionario “Adult Self Report” (ASR). Se realizaron análisis de regresión con método de bootstrapping para explorar la relación entre AP y SSF, y las interacciones entre AP y AN, y AP y sexo en el análisis de moderación. Se realizaron análisis de mediación para estimar el efecto indirecto del AP sobre los SSF a través de comportamientos de salud. Se realizó un Análisis de Componentes Principales (ACP) en la subescala de síntomas físicos del cuestionario ASR y se realizaron análisis secundarios para los componentes identificados. Resultados: El AP tuvo una asociación significativa negativa con los SSF transversalmente cuando incluyeron las covariables en el modelo [B = - 0.004; BCa 95% CI = (- 0.006; - 0.002)]. Longitudinalmente, la asociación no fue significativa cuando se incluyeron las covariables. No se encontró mediación o interacción. Dos componentes de la subescala de quejas físicas se identificaron en la ACP. En el análisis secundario, el AP se relacionó significativamente con el componente "síntomas físicos generales" [B = - 0.019; BCa 95% CI = (- 0.0028; - 0.011)] pero no con el componente "síntomas gastrointestinales". Conclusión: Altos niveles de AP están relacionados significativamente con bajos niveles de SSF, pero tienen un efecto pequeño. Los comportamientos de salud no median esta relación. Los resultados de este estudio muestran la necesidad de investigar más las variaciones individuales y las fluctuaciones diarias en el afecto para obtener más información sobre la etiología de los SSF. La relevancia de los resultados es teórica más que clínica.

On average, 44% of total water abstraction in Europe is used in agriculture. Evidence of water scarcity in Europe is borne out by research that shows increasing strain on water resources in 30% of EU member states. Current research seems to validate the view that wastewater treatment and reuse is a technical opportunity to address the imbalances between agricultural water demand and European water resources in the long term. Currently, just 2.4% of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents are reused, and thus the water reuse potential in Europe remains high. This document reports on and analyses the performance of a prototype-scale plant installed to treat real wastewater in rural Spain using a Treat & Reuse Membrane Bioreactor (T&R MBR). It shows that the T&R MBR is an improvement on MBR operations due to the fact that it produced a solids-free, nutrient rich and high-quality permeate in which Escherichia Coli was removed to values < 1 ufc/100ml. Furthermore, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Turbidity and Suspended Solids (SS) were typically lowered to concentrations below the legal limit established in countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyprus and Portugal. Additionally, the system was able to extract nutrients from the wastewater inflow and to retain them in the permeate at 80% and 60% of the Nitrogen (once transformed to Nitrates) and Phosphorous, respectively. These results, combined with the continuing reduction of capital and operating costs for the T&R MBRs, suggest that they are an increasingly cost-effective technology for producing treated effluents suitable for water reuse in agriculture. This study also suggests possible limitations regarding the fate of micro-pollutants during treatment. Nevertheless, the system works efficiently so long as the wastewater input meets the typical composition of raw municipal wastewater with minor contributions of industrial wastewater. This would imply low concentration of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) and Heavy Metals, as well as slight to moderate salinity (i.e. 0.7-3.0 dS/m). In spite of the fact that the T&R MBR technology can reduce the fresh water and fertilizer consumption of the agriculture sector, this system cannot be implemented in countries where the legislation restricts the reuse of effluents with significant concentrations of Nitrates and Phosphorous (e.g., Germany). Therefore, the present document suggests a set of technical criteria addressing the European challenges regarding water reuse in agriculture.

Tesis de Nicolás Osorio para optar al título de Doctor en Medicina, en la Facultad de Medicina de París, en 1865. A lo largo del documento, escrito en francés, Osorio analiza el comportamiento de los tumores que obstruyen el líquido cefalorraquídeo.

Adaptable Morphodynamics addresses the development of complex high density urban systems over space and time. Building morphologies can be conceived as living organisms that change in form, shape and structure through the interaction of physical, informational and geometrical processes. This research focuses on density, environmental quality and spatial identity. These studies are extended to present-day Hong Kong and addresses a design system that aims to reinterpret spatial logics, connected with local socio-cultural attributes, into a set of rules and code for an “intelligent densification”. From the data gathered, two strategies are developed in parallel and as they become more defined, they begin to inform one another until a holistic urban approach is developed. Urban porosity and Urban growth at different scales (neighbourhood, plot and building) become the key design tools to achieve environmental performance, in terms of urban ventilation, housing public programmes, and maximizing pedestrian and bicycle accessibility for all people through a fluid mobility network at ground and multiple layers of connectivity. Existing building morphologies are transformed computationally into porous organisms and are used to construct accurate models of growth for regaining the lost demographic pressure. Multi-objective evolutionary algorithms are employed to generate a complex urban design model. This is characterized by the emergence of public green areas, integration of socio-cultural amenities within the existing building morphologies and by generation of a comfortable outdoor microclimate, at different operational scales. The improvement of the well-being of the urban population could be achieved through a spatial approach based on principles of social inclusion, especially in the most deprived areas of the patch, characterized by illegal and informal settlements, known as “rooftop villages or sky-slums”. The main target, in the long term, will be to develop an “urban intelligence” that takes into account the mutual relation between demographic demand, site constraints and the potentialities and limitations of the architectural targets.

Recent projections estimate that the Netherlands needs circa 33 GW of offshore wind capacity in the North Sea to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. To this end, the Dutch government has very ambitious plans to create new wind sites far from shore and integrate that power generation to the high-voltage power grid in the next years. Due to the challenges of connecting future massive amounts of offshore wind power into the grid TenneT operates it becomes urgent to investigate new alternatives for this purpose. A grid topology with transmission capacities above 1 GW connecting offshore wind farms at distances close to 100 km in a standardized, modular, and cost-efficient manner is the focus of this thesis. With eight point-to-point HVDC links in operation in Germany and more expected in near future, TenneT TSO is analysing new offshore grid connection concepts to achieve a reliable and secure operation of the infrastructure connecting wind energy both in Germany and the Netherlands. A solution is presented in this thesis report in which new wind farms are connected with 66-kV cables to a centralised platform with a connection capacity of 1050 MW. This platform will utilise HVDC technology based on VSC conversion techniques and MMC topology. It is expected that the 66-kV cables will not be connected to a single busbar through paralleled converter transformer, but that this will be done with at least three converter transformers connected to each other on the valve side but not connected on the 66-kV side. A dynamic performance study of a test network with the novel connection topology developed in PSCAD has been done. Each component of the system was studied to obtain a complete overview and understanding of the overall behaviour. All the associated control loops for the MMC terminals and wind turbines were modelled in detail. Through several simulations based on eight cases and scenarios the performance of the offshore 66-kV ac grid and the MMC-HVDC link using the control schemes of MMC converters as in a typical grid connection topology for OWFs was assessed. Proyecciones recientes estiman que los Países Bajos necesitan alrededor de 33 GW de capacidad eólica marina en el Mar del Norte para cumplir los objetivos del Acuerdo de París. Para este fin, el gobierno holandés tiene planes muy ambiciosos de crear nuevas plantas eólicas lejos de la costa e integrar esa generación de energía a la red eléctrica de alto voltaje en los próximos años. Debido a los desafíos de conectar cantidades masivas de energía eólica marina a la red que opera TenneT en el futuro, es urgente investigar nuevas alternativas para este propósito. El objetivo de esta tesis es estudiar una nueva topología de red con capacidades de transmisión por encima de 1 GW que conecte parques eólicos marinos a distancias cercanas a 100 km de manera estandarizada, modular y rentable. Con ocho enlaces HVDC punto a punto en operación en Alemania y más esperados en el futuro cercano, TenneT TSO está analizando nuevos conceptos de conexión a la red en el mar para lograr una operación confiable y segura de la infraestructura que conecta la energía eólica tanto en Alemania como en los Países Bajos. En este reporte de tesis se presenta una solución en la que los nuevos parques eólicos están conectados con cables de 66 kV a una plataforma centralizada con una capacidad de conexión de 1050 MW. Esta plataforma utilizará tecnología HVDC basada en las técnicas de conversión VSC con topología MMC. Se espera que los cables de 66 kV no se conecten a un solo punto eléctrico a través de transformadores convertidores en paralelo, sino que esto se hará con al menos tres transformadores convertidores conectados entre sí en el lado del convertidor, pero no en el lado de 66 kV. En este documento se presentan los resultados de un estudio dinámico de una red de prueba con la nueva topología de conexión desarrollada en PSCAD. Cada componente del sistema se estudió para obtener una visión general completa y una comprensión del comportamiento de toda la red. Todos los lazos de control de las estaciones convertidoras MMC y las turbinas eólicas se modelaron en detalle. A través de varias simulaciones basadas en ocho casos y escenarios se evaluó el comportamiento de la red de ac de 66 kV en alta mar y el enlace MMC-HVDC utilizando los esquemas actuales de control de los convertidores MMC de las topologías típicas de conexión de red para granjas eólicas marinas.

Conventional agricultural practices are often contrary to human health and environmental conservation. Use of and exposure to pesticides in agricultural communities in tropical countries is a pressing public health problem and an important facet of environmental degradation. This research project was undertaken by documenting use and exposure behaviors among agricultural communities in San Cristobal, Antioquia (Colombia). The research questions were: (1) What are the primary factors associated with the use of pesticides and do those factors differ between pesticide users and agroecological adherents? (2) How do campesino pesticide users and agroecological adherents(non-pesticide users) differ in their attitudes and beliefs with regards to pesticide use and exposure? and (3) How do these factors influence campesinos‟ behaviors associated with pesticide use and exposure? I implemented qualitative and quantitative methods in this investigation. The qualitative approach was based on community participatory ethnographic research. The latter involved participant observation, interviews, and focus groups aimed at existing pesticides users and agroecological adherents. The quantitative approach used questionnaires to derive demographic information, scale-based evaluations of attitudes and beliefs, pesticides decision making, perceived confidence, and perceived control. Findings showed that the most relevant factors related to pesticide use and their categories included: a) individual: beliefs, attitudes and knowledge; b) interpersonal: family support and cultural acceptance of pesticide use; c) economic: fear of living within financially unviable constraints, market conditions and lack of economic support from the government; d) cultural: collective acceptance or tolerance of pesticide use and exposure and onset of negative reactions when stopping pesticide use; e) political: deficient regulations for controlling pesticide use control and adequate utilization of protective equipment. Pesticide users experienced the most apprehension regarding stopping pesticide use as they often believed pesticides allow them to obtain better crop yields and, therefore, higher monetary gains. Pesticide users lacked a positive attitude toward personal protectionequipment, regardless of the risks to which they may be exposed. Pesticide training was deficient in this population showing a clear need to improve safety conditions and training to reduce occupational hazards. Future studies should explore with greater detail these attitudes and beliefs so as to promote mid- to long-term public health interventions that directly address the sense of food and income insecurity found among the population of pesticides users, which blocks their transition into a non-pesticide scenario for agricultural production. Over the short-term, public health programs should continue to educate the population of pesticide users on the immediate risks of exposure. The decision making process surrounding pesticide use in the studied population was influenced by a variety of factors. Campesinos who were prone to use pesticides for their crops often exhibited diminished degrees of knowledge about adverse effects of pesticides on human health, believed pesticides are necessary for their crops, had negative attitudes about stopping pesticide use, had a strong family influence toward the use of pesticides, experienced economic fear of stopping pesticide use, cultivated flowers as their main source of income, expressed strong social acceptance of pesticide use, experienced negative community reactions when attempting to stop pesticide use, received government subsidies for pesticide use, and had never received any training on the use of required protective equipment. Campesinos who showed more proclivities towards the use of pesticides were convinced that pesticides are necessary for their crops as they guarantee substantial yields and larger specimens of the different crop varieties. They also exhibited low perceived control, low perceived confidence, and a low perception of adverse pesticide effects on human health and the natural environment. Future studies are required to fully comprehend the unique occupational health and safety needs of these campesinos. Additionally, future studies should be aimed at designing and introducing long-term, well-structured public health interventions to increase awareness about the harmfulness of pesticides on human and environmental health so as to promote a well-established behavioral change in relation to pesticides use reduction among these communities.