Abstract: This thesis analyzes how former Colombian Presidents Laureano Gómez Castro and Álvaro Uribe Vélez utilized their speeches to advance autocratic agendas under the guise of protecting democracy and pluralism. This research employed Discourse Analysis as proposed by Teun Van Dijk, aiming to detail symbolic violence through speeches that, although seemingly promoting democracy, concealed attacks on their opponents. It was discovered that both leaders, through their rhetoric and actions, persuaded the political space towards an exclusive regime, promoting a state that, under promises of inclusion and democracy, fostered exclusion and weakened democratic institutions. The results also suggest that while in power, the 3 former presidents moderated their speeches to include the opposition, a practice not observed while they were in opposition, where they were more visceral in their attacks. The analysis of the information was conducted on two levels. First, the concepts that appear most frequently in each one's speeches were recovered to explain their existence. Then, the information was classified according to the categories proposed by the researcher to understand how they used their speeches for two main purposes: first, to empathize with most of the population, and second, to create an internal enemy to attack. When referring to the former, they depict a plural country where everyone can participate, and when discussing the latter, which grouped the opponents of their mandate, their eradication was justified because they opposed the democratic regime. In creating their nemesis, both knew how to use the population's fears: communists, in the case of Gómez; and terrorists, in the case of Uribe. Resumen: La presente tesis analiza cómo los expresidentes de Colombia, Laureano Gómez Castro y Álvaro Uribe Vélez, utilizaron sus discursos para avanzar en agendas autocráticas bajo la apariencia de proteger la democracia y el pluralismo. Esta investigación usó el Análisis de Discurso como lo planteó Teun Van Dijk y buscó detallar la violencia simbólica, a través de discursos que, aunque parecían promover la democracia, escondían ataques a sus opositores. Se descubre que ambos líderes, a través de su retórica y sus acciones, persuadían el espacio político hacia un régimen excluyente, promoviendo un estado que, bajo promesas de inclusión y democracia, fomentaba la exclusión y debilitaba las instituciones democráticas. Los resultados también sugieren que mientras estuvieron en el poder, los expresidentes moderaron sus discursos para incluir a la oposición, lo que no ocurrió mientras estuvieron en la oposición, en la que fueron más viscerales en sus ataques. El análisis de la información se hizo en dos niveles. Primero, se recuperaron los conceptos que más aparecen en los discursos de cada uno para explicar la existencia de estos. Después, se clasificó la información de acuerdo con las categorías propuestas por el investigador para entender cómo utilizaron sus discursos con dos fines principales: primero, para empatizar con el grueso de la población, y segundo para crear un enemigo interno al que atacar. Cuando se refieren al primero, muestran un país plural en donde todos pueden participar, y cuando hablan del segundo, que agrupaba a los opositores de su mandato, se justificaba su erradicación porque se oponían al régimen democrático. En la creación de su némesis, ambos supieron usar los miedos de la población: los comunistas, en el caso de Gómez; y los terroristas, en el caso de Uribe.

Abstract: Peace education, pivotal in shaping national identities particularly in post-conflict settings, fosters mutual understanding, dialogue, and reconciliation. In Colombia, the 2016 Peace Agreement represented a major milestone in ending decades of violence, leading to the establishment of the ‘Cátedra de Paz’ in 2015. This initiative mandates its inclusion in the curricula of all educational institutions to instill peace values in youth and promote a culture of engagement among new generations. Despite the progress, this study identifies persistent challenges in program implementation, such as inadequate teacher training, excessive teacher workloads, and insufficient resources, alongside cultural barriers like resistance to change. Semi-structured interviews emphasize the necessity for significant restructuring and enhanced institutional support to effectively incorporate peace education into the national curriculum. Recommendations from participants include specialized teacher training, student-centered pedagogical approaches, rigorous program monitoring, and inclusive educational resources, particularly for marginalized communities. There is widespread agreement on the importance of equipping educators with the skills needed to handle sensitive topics and encourage critical thinking. Although challenges persist, participants concur that ‘Cátedra de Paz’ promotes dialogue and empathy, enabling students to contribute to more peaceful societies. Continued effort and comprehensive strategies involving all stakeholders, from educators to community members, are crucial for achieving post-conflict harmony and equity in Colombia.

Abstract: According to Mason and Harrison, business angels are high net worth individuals, who invest their own money, with or without someone else support maintaining a completely unbiased position and no familial ties, these investments normally take the form of equity with the intent of an important return. The common approach is to support new or early-stage projects, which are normally the kind of projects a normal venture capitalist would not support due to high risks to liaison with this type of amateur entrepreneurs entails. The object of this thesis is compacted from their early beginnings to the year 2014, tries to portray the growth of business angels' business, what they did to become the number one option for entrepreneurs, what pushed them to become publicly known and how they managed to be different from venture capitalists. It shows how different entities, mostly the government, has supported them by creating networks and incentives, throughout the years, to helped them broaden their target. After this, is shown who is the regular business angel, what entails to be one. From, their background, their gender, the number of investments, experiences and others that have shaped them into what they are today. Resumen: Según Mason y Harrison, los business angels son individuos con un alto patrimonio neto, que invierten su propio dinero, con o sin el apoyo de alguien más, manteniendo una posición completamente imparcial y sin lazos familiares. Estas inversiones normalmente toman la forma de capital con la intención de obtener un retorno importante. El enfoque común es apoyar proyectos nuevos o en etapas tempranas, que normalmente son el tipo de proyectos que un capitalista de riesgo común no apoyaría debido a los altos riesgos que conlleva asociarse con este tipo de emprendedores aficionados. El objetivo de esta tesis, que abarca desde sus inicios hasta el año 2014, es retratar el crecimiento del negocio de los business angels, lo que hicieron para convertirse en la opción número uno para los emprendedores, qué los impulsó a hacerse conocidos públicamente y cómo lograron diferenciarse de los capitalistas de riesgo. Se muestra cómo diferentes entidades, principalmente el gobierno, los han apoyado creando redes e incentivos a lo largo de los años, ayudándoles a ampliar su objetivo. Después de esto, se presenta quién es el business angel regular, qué implica ser uno. Desde su formación, su género, el número de inversiones, experiencias y otros factores que los han moldeado en lo que son hoy.

Abstract: This study examines the financing choices made by Colombia's private sector, with a special emphasis on bonds and loans. It points out the critical role that a strong financial sector plays in promoting economic progress, a point that academics around the world have stressed. International data highlights the significance of creating financial institutions to draw investment and promote the expansion of the private sector. Despite its potential, Colombia's capital market has encountered difficulties such as strict rules, corruption, and security concerns. The financial industry has been strengthened by recent regulatory changes, which have made it possible to examine how Colombia's private debt market has changed over the previous five years. Analysis is done on the variables that affect funding decisions, such as the size of the organization, the risk profile, and the regulatory landscape. Market activity is investigated, with an emphasis on global and Colombian debt market habits. Private bond issuance has increased globally, headed by Europe and the US. In Colombia, despite previous obstacles, the bond market has showed tremendous development, driven by regulatory improvements and increased demand from institutional investors. The Colombian bond market has experienced significant changes in the last five years. Evidence suggests that private sector enterprises are now using bond emissions rather than the loan market to finance their operations. To understand the elements impacting this decision-making process, a study was done utilizing data from the most active corporations in the bond market between 2005 and 2010. Employing a Tobit Model estimation, variables such as corporate assets, profits, debt amount, Analysis results suggest that in the Colombian context, the development of the bond market reflects a growing dependence on and trust in the banking system. Larger companies with higher credit ratings tend to favor accessing the loan market over the bond market, potentially due to market characteristics. However, ongoing growth and evolution in the market are indicated, necessitating further investigation into the complex dynamics at play. The investigation highlights the growth of Colombia's corporate bond market, particularly in the real sector, driven by factors such as improved regulation and investor confidence. The increasing preference for corporate bonds over bank loans, attributed to lower costs and longer-term financing options, is noted. Sectors such as infrastructure and finance are identified as major contributors to bond issuance. The document encompasses a literature review focusing on the importance of capital markets, the ongoing dilemma between bond and loan funding, and the specific experience of the Colombian bond market. This contextual background provides a comprehensive understanding of the broader economic and financial landscape within which the study operates. Overall, the research suggests parallels between the growth of Colombia's corporate bond market and Chile's experience in the 1980s, indicating positive prospects for the private sector and the economy's future development.

Abstract: This research attempted to develop guidelines for improving the use of the Master Data Management in developing various topics like business ontology, service-oriented architecture, canonical model and knowledge best practices. This research proposal also sought to examine innovative technological solutions that would allow project management offices to collaborate with companies focused on digital transformation, a set of differentiated skills, complementary assets, organizational routines, and capacities that provide the basis for a firm’s competitive capacities in one or more businesses. The major feature of this research is the service-oriented architecture on a Canonical model, whereas the business ontology and the knowledge best practices are studied but are not the central part of the research.

Abstract: Technology, events, and sustainability are three interconnected concepts that play a key role in influencing our society and business landscape. Technology has changed various aspects of our lives and the events industry is no exception. The advent of advanced digital tools and platforms has transformed the way events are organized, conducted, and experienced. Events such as festivals, conferences and celebrations traditionally pose significant environmental problems due to their resource-intensive nature. The mass gatherings of people combined with excessive energy consumption, waste generation and greenhouse gas emissions have contributed to the global climate crisis. Faced with this problem, sustainability has become a key factor in event management. Sustainable development in the context of events refers to the adoption of practices that minimize negative environmental, social, and economic impacts. It encompasses a range of strategies including resource efficiency, waste reduction, carbon neutrality and promoting social responsibility. Incorporating sustainability principles into event management helps to take environmental concerns into account and aligns with the growing demand for responsible and ethical practices from consumers and stakeholders. The importance of this research lies in its potential to provide valued insights into how technology can be used to increase sustainability in the events industry. This study examines the intersection of these three concepts and aims to contribute to the development of innovative approaches and best practices for organizing green events. Additionally, understanding the sustainability perspectives and expectations of event attendees will provide valuable guidance to industry leaders in meeting changing market demands. At a time when the climate crisis requires urgent action and when consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of businesses and industries on the environment, it is important to seek innovative solutions that respond to these challenges.

Abstract: European Commission Regulation (2006) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (2012) legislation setting cadmium (Cd) human ingestion thresholds in food products is now affecting cacao bean (Theobroma cacao L.) production in Latin American countries via the rejection of food products exceeding maximum ingestion threshold levels. Cacao producers must be proactive and minimize Cd uptake by commodities and such strategies must be affordable for low income communities (or countries) where agricultural development is critical to stabilizing socio-political-economic systems. Two potential options for producers include: (a) the use of phytoextractor species, which can remediate some soil pollutants; and (b) metal immobilization via soil pH adjustment. We hypothesize that the use of a Cd phytoextractor species in an intercropping scheme, with the addition of dolomitic lime (to raise soil pH and decrease soil Cd availability), will decrease total Cd uptake in cacao and in spinach plants. The effectiveness of four phytoextractor species was evaluated: Helianthus annuus (sunflower), Brassica napus (oilseed rape), Chyrsopogon zizanioides (vetiver), and Heliconia psittacorum (heliconia). The efficacy of a combined phytoextraction and immobilization (per the use of dolomitic lime to raise soil pH) strategy was assessed. Resumen: El Reglamento de la Comisión Europea (2006) y la legislación de la Autoridad Europea de Seguridad Alimentaria (EFSA) (2012) que establecen umbrales de ingestión humana de cadmio (Cd) en productos alimenticios ahora están afectando la producción de granos de cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) en los países de América Latina a través del rechazo de alimentos. productos que superen los niveles umbrales máximos de ingestión. Los productores de cacao deben ser proactivos y minimizar la absorción de cadmio por parte de los productos básicos y dichas estrategias deben ser asequibles para las comunidades (o países) de bajos ingresos donde el desarrollo agrícola es fundamental para estabilizar los sistemas sociopolíticos y económicos. Dos opciones potenciales para los productores incluyen: (a) el uso de especies fitoextractoras, que pueden remediar algunos contaminantes del suelo; y (b) inmovilización de metales mediante el ajuste del pH del suelo. Nuestra hipótesis es que el uso de una especie fitoextractora de Cd en un esquema de cultivo asociado, con la adición de cal dolomítica (para elevar el pH del suelo y disminuir la disponibilidad de Cd en el suelo), disminuirá la absorción total de Cd en las plantas de cacao y espinaca. Se evaluó la efectividad de cuatro especies fitoextractoras: Helianthus annuus (girasol), Brassica napus (colza), Chyrsopogon zizanioides (vetiver) y Heliconia psittacorum (heliconia). Se evaluó la eficacia de una estrategia combinada de fitoextracción e inmovilización (mediante el uso de cal dolomítica para elevar el pH del suelo).

Abstract: Changes in demographics and epidemiology have made non-communicable diseases (NCDs) a global and highly relevant problem. Globally, oral diseases cause serious health and economic burdens, leading to a substantial reduction in quality of life for those affected. Oral diseases and other NCDs share modifiable risk factors, including tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diets, as well as the same socioeconomic determinants. The oral cavity provides valuable insights into overall health, as systemic diseases such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and autoimmune disorders often presents oral manifestations. However, in prison settings, where access to healthcare is limited and challenging as a human right, individuals experience exacerbated oral health outcomes and complications. Oral health status serves as a mirror of overall health, highlighting the interconnectedness between oral health and general well-being. The involvement of health authorities in prison settings plays a significant role in promoting and maintaining optimal oral health, which in turn has a profound impact on the physical and mental health of PLP. The World Health Organization's Oral Health Report of 2022 emphasizes the importance of addressing oral health inequalities as a crucial step in achieving fairness and implementing preventive interventions. Therefore, coherent and comprehensive regulation and legislation in oral health are needed to achieve social justice, ethical public health policies and professional practice. This study used a combination of methods with a focus on qualitative research. The first phase involved following the guidelines set out in “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA)” to conduct a comprehensive and systematic scoping review addressing the primary and secondary objectives of the study. The third objective was covered by semi structured interviews involving purposive sampling, identified by three target groups: dentist personnel working in prisons; prison health experts; harm reduction policymakers, to gain insight from global prison health experts on potential areas of improvement for oral health in prison. In the first phase of this study, scientific articles published between January and August 2022 were gathered and reviewed. Subsequently, in 2023, a series of interviews were conducted involving fifteen participants. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Ruprecht Karls Faculty of Medicine in Heidelberg (S 288/2023). The data collection instrument was carefully designed to accommodate the specific profiles of the participants, all owing for necessary adjustments to ensure the relevance and effectiveness of the study. Online in depth semi structured interviews were conducted via Zoom with relevant health prison experts. The combination of inductive and deductive approaches was used to design the study, collect and analyze data, and answer the research questions. The major findings of this study shed light on the persistent neglection of oral health into the health systems across different settings. Challenges and limitations in addressing oral health in prison, remains with a focus on the provision of emergency treatments and dental mutilations as services provided instead of conservatives approaches. Comprehensive and specialized dental care is necessary to avoid burdens on the health system, mostly from preventable oral disorders. Oral care and basic dental hygiene are still on the list of necessities in prison settings, as well as lack of resources, committed staff, and infrastructure to support the delivery of comprehensive dental services in prisons. In order to increase access to quality dental care, address oral health disparities, and promote the overall well-being of PLP, policy reforms, capacity building, and collaboration are necessary.

Abstract: One of the recurring problems in the construction industry is its recognised lack of productivity due to different factors, among which could be highlighted the fragmentation of the information flow between the different phases of the project life cycle and the difficulty in communication between the different stakeholders. To address this, the industry has reacted through the use of prefabrication and the implementation of new technologies such as Building Information Modelling. The aim is to improve both productivity, through mass customisation, and the flow of information between phases and stakeholders in the projects, through the use of software and platforms, which also give the possibility of automation with processes such as Generative Design. The dissertation investigates the use of these technologies in the area of prefabrication in construction, focusing on the current implementation of configurators and the associated automation that could be derived from their use for the development of projects. Taking a hybrid prefabrication system (wood and concrete) currently used by CASAIS company as a case study, the research seeks to develop a framework that exploits the modular characteristics of these systems, especially in the design phase. It is in this phase where it is possible to take advantage of the limited number of parameters of the prefabricated elements in automating the generation of design proposals and in obtaining information related to KPIs, which would, in turn, allow a more objective feasibility analysis during this first phase of the project. The indicated solution is, firstly, the proposal of a methodology to develop a configurator applied to the case study, which uses tools and/or platforms, that are currently present in the market related to BIM and the construction industry. Then the dissertation continues with the specific development of the section of the methodology corresponding to the generation of the computational model, and for this purpose visual programming is used, taking as initial information the relevant parameters and data to be obtained that are typical of the prefabrication system studied. The research seeks to make a contribution to the current progress in terms of productivity and information flow that has been developed in the construction industry with the implementation of prefabrication and BIM. With the use of configurators, associated with these new technologies, an incursion into automation methods is proposed, especially in the project gestation phases through Generative Design. Thus, by making use of the mass customisation possibilities offered by prefabrication systems and the integration of nonprofessional agents, (taking advantage of the ease of use of the configurators), a more integrated design process and a more objective decision-making process can be achieved, since it is based on more accurate data related to the feasibility of the projects.

Abstract: When lower-dimensional self-sustained objects encounter higher-dimensional ones, they can be dissolved and absorbed. We delve into this intriguing erasure phenomenon resulting from topological defects’ interaction. This general phenomenon has significant implications in cosmology and fundamental physics, which we discuss in the first part of the thesis. We start with the erasure of onedimensional objects. One key finding is that vortices or strings of all kinds, such as cosmic strings, QCD flux tubes, or fundamental strings, undergo erasure when encountering defects like domain walls, solitonic structures, or D-branes that deconfine their fluxes. Consequently, a new mechanism of cosmic string break-up emerges. We explain the erasure phenomenon by the loss of coherence in the annihilation process. Additionally, for the case of point-like objects immersed in three-dimensional objects, we explore the interactions between magnetic monopoles and domain walls formed by the same order parameter within an SU(2) gauge theory. As previously suggested, a collision between monopoles and a domain wall leads to their erasure. The monopoles unwind and spread their magnetic charge over the wall, with the erasure process consistently occurring due to the loss of coherence in the collision and the entropy suppression on the recreation of a monopole. This erasure phenomenon has significant cosmological implications, particularly in post-inflationary phase transitions. Furthermore, it sheds light on the nature of gauge theories with coexisting phases, such as confining and Higgs phases. The erasure phenomenon has significant imprints in cosmology and astrophysics as well. In particular, a new mechanism of cosmic string break-up emerges. Moreover, the monopole erasure may serve as a solution to the cosmological monopole problem. In another investigation of interactions of topological defects, we examine the annihilation of a pair of ’t Hooft-Polyakov monopoles confined by a string. We focus on scenarios where the scales of monopoles and strings are comparable. The emitted GW spectrum agrees with previous calculations for wavelengths longer than the system width and before the collision. However, in head-on collisions, the monopoles are never re-created. Instead, the system decays into waves of Higgs and gauge fields, and the recreation of a monopole pair becomes highly improbable due to the loss of coherence during the annihilation process. This behavior is expected to be analogous in systems involving heavy quarks connected by a QCD string. Thus, in a similar regime, the string does not re-stretch after the initial collapse, but the system hadronizes and decays into numerous mesons and glueballs. In the second part of the thesis, we changed our subject of study to another self-sustained objects. These objects attain the maximal entropy permitted by unitarity. They are called saturons, as they saturate unitarity and entropy bounds. Interestingly enough, they share many properties with black holes, for which they are considered exceptional. For instance, the time evolution and information-processing properties of BHs are also found in saturons. Thus, we suggest a “Black hole-Saturon” correspondence. Our work confirms this connection within a renormalizable SU(N) invariant theory. The theory’s spectrum contains a tower of non-topological defects of the Q-ball type, or vacuum bubbles, representing bound states of SU(N) Goldstones. Surprisingly, despite the absence of gravity, these saturated bound states exhibit striking similarities to BHs, displaying an information horizon, an entropy governed by the Bekenstein-Hawking formula, thermal evaporation at a rate corresponding to their inverse radius, and an information retrieval time equivalent to Page’s time. The BH-Saturon correspondence has profound implications for BH physics and saturated systems, both in fundamental theory and observational aspects.