Abstract: In this work, we study the annihilation of a pair of ‘t Hooft-Polyakov monopoles due to confinement by a string. We analyze the regime in which the scales of monopoles and strings are comparable. We compute the spectrum of the emitted gravitational waves and find it to agree with the previously calculated pointlike case for wavelengths longer than the system width and before the collision. However, we observe that in a head-on collision, monopoles are never recreated. Correspondingly, not even once the string oscillates. Instead, the system decays into waves of Higgs and gauge fields. We explain this phenomenon by the loss of coherence in the annihilation process. Due to this, the entropy suppression makes the recreation of a monopole pair highly improbable. We argue that in a similar regime, analogous behavior is expected for the heavy quarks connected by a QCD string. There too, instead of restretching a long string after the first collapse, the system hadronizes and decays in a high multiplicity of mesons and glueballs. We discuss the implications of our results.

Abstract: Black holes are considered exceptional due to their time evolution and information processing. However, it was proposed recently that these properties are generic for objects, the so-called saturons, that attain the maximal entropy permitted by unitarity. The present paper verifies this connection within a renormalizable SU(N) invariant theory. We show that the spectrum of the theory contains a tower of bubbles representing bound states of SU(N) Goldstones. Despite the absence of gravity, a saturated bound state exhibits a striking correspondence with a black hole: Its entropy is given by the Bekenstein-Hawking formula; semiclassically, the bubble evaporates at a thermal rate with a temperature equal to its inverse radius; the information retrieval time is equal to Page’s time. The correspondence goes through a trans-theoretic entity of the Poincaré Goldstone. The black hole–saturon correspondence has important implications for black hole physics, both fundamental and observational.

Abstract: In the Colombian armed conflict, women represented between 40% and 50% of guerrilla ranks. Since 1999 until 2017 the DDR program in charge of the rehabilitation and reintegration for children lead by ICBF has attended around 1720 girls that disengaged from non-stated armed groups, from which 60% came from FARC. Keeping in mind that in 2016, the peace agreement between the government of Colombia and FARC was signed, the analysis of challenges in the reintegration processes of these girls, obtain relevance. Considering that the gender inequalities in the Colombian Society represent a structural violence that in many cases are the root causes that push girls to join the guerrilla groups, this research addresses to what extent the DDR Program for children lead by ICBF, managed to break the perpetuation of the sex/gender cultural system, based on the life trajectories of six former Colombian child combatants that were in the guerrilla groups and today have finished the ICBF program. The study will be grounded in ideas of post-conflict peacebuilding and DDR as a practice tool to peacebuilding. Also, insights of feminist theories such as the sex/gender system, intersectionality, gender stereotyping among others will be discussed to delimit the understanding of the structural violence based on gender to analyze the life-stories of the disengaged people.

Abstract: Vorticity has recently been suggested to be a property of highly-spinning black holes. The connection between vorticity and limiting spin represents a universal feature shared by objects of maximal microstate entropy, so-called saturons. Using QQ-ball-like saturons as a laboratory for black holes, we study the collision of two such objects and find that vorticity can have a large impact on the emitted radiation as well as on the charge and angular momentum of the final configuration. As black holes belong to the class of saturons, we expect that the formation of vortices can cause similar effects in black hole mergers, leading to macroscopic deviations in gravitational radiation. This could leave unique signatures detectable with upcoming gravitational-wave searches, which can thereby serve as a portal to macroscopic quantum effects in black holes. Note: ancillary video at https://youtu.be/t29WUvZM-io

Abstract: The interaction of defects can lead to a phenomenon of erasure. During this process, a lower-dimensional object gets absorbed and dissolved by a higher-dimensional one. The phenomenon is very general and has a wide range of cosmological and fundamental implications. In particular, all types of strings, such as cosmic strings, QCD flux tubes, or fundamental strings, get erased when encountering a defect, either solitonic or a D-brane that deconfines their fluxes. This leads to a novel mechanism of cosmic string breakup, accompanied by gravitational and electromagnetic radiations. The arguments based on loss of coherence and the entropy count suggest that the erasure probability is very close to one, and strings never make it through the deconfining layer. We confirm this by a numerical simulation of the system, which effectively captures the essence of the phenomenon: a 2+1- dimensional problem of interaction between a Nielsen-Olesen vortex of a U(1) Higgs model and a domain wall, inside which the U(1) gauge group is un-Higgsed, and the magnetic flux is deconfined. In accordance with the entropy argument, in our simulation, the vortex never makes it across the wall.

Abstract: Housework and care have historically been associated with women, the feminine, and have been considered unproductive tasks despite its demanding and inexhaustible nature. It is not by chance that, within the framework of the modern-colonial gender system, these jobs are carried out by migrant and precarious women. This dissertation comprises an investigation about the life stories of migrant women of diverse origins, analyzing the intersection of our life experiences, tightening the thread of power relations that cross us, and exploring how closeness is woven from conversation and company. Through an approach to the embodied knowledge of domestic workers in Spain, it accounts for the creation of a shared intimacy, in a search to challenge the power dynamics that situate us and put the hierarchy between productive, reproductive, and even unproductive jobs in tension. At the same time, it seeks to give birth to an artistic practice that allows the female life experience to be captured under a horizontal logic, conversation, and mutual care. Resumen: Los trabajos de cuidado en el espacio doméstico han estado asociados históricamente con las mujeres, lo femenino, y se han considerado tareas improductivas a pesar de su naturaleza demandante e inagotable. No es casualidad que, en el marco del sistema moderno-colonial de género, estos trabajos sean llevados a cabo por mujeres migrantes y precarizadas. La presente tesina comprende una investigación acerca de historias de vida de mujeres migrantes de orígenes diversos analizando la intersección de nuestras experiencias de vida, tensando el hilo de las relaciones de poder que nos atraviesan y explorando cómo se teje confidencia a partir de la conversación y la compañía. Mediante una aproximación a los saberes encarnados de trabajadoras del hogar en España, da cuenta de la creación de una intimidad compartida, en una búsqueda por desafíar las dinámicas de poder que nos sitúan y poner en tensión la jerarquía entre trabajos productivos, reproductivos e incluso improductivos. A su vez, busca dar a luz una práctica artística que permita plasmar la experiencia de vida femenina bajo una lógica horizontal, de conversación y de cuidado mutuo.

Abstract: The master thesis, ""Exploring the Colombian Constitutional Jurisprudence through Bibliometric Analysis and Large Language Models: An Application in Legal Research,"" represents a groundbreaking fusion of statistics, data science, and legal research, poised to revolutionize the Colombian legal landscape. The study addresses a critical gap in the Colombian Constitutional Court's search capabilities in a digital era where legal information retrieval is evolving. The research uses cutting-edge statistical techniques and data science methodologies to introduce a novel similarity metric for legal documents, seamlessly integrating co-citation, bibliographic coupling, and advanced natural language processing (NLP) techniques. The exciting journey begins by recognizing the transformative potential of information and communication technology (ICT) in legal practice. The thesis challenges the status quo, proposing a semantic search engine that goes beyond keyword based queries. It's not just about finding documents; it's about understanding their context, a gamechanger for legal professionals, students, and the public navigating the rich tapestry of Colombian jurisprudence. The heartbeat of the thesis is the innovative application of large language models (LLMs) and the Word2Vec algorithm to the intricacies of Colombian law. The research isn't merely about technology; it's about fine-tuning these models to the nuances of legal language. The results? A powerful semantic search engine that doesn't just retrieve information but empowers users with a deeper understanding of legal concepts and principles. The thesis doesn't stop at technological advancements. It envisions a societal impact that resonates across economic, social, and legal dimensions. This isn't just about efficiency gains; it's about access to justice, legal literacy, and transparency. The proposed tools promise to be a catalyst for change, fostering a legal system that's inclusive, efficient, fair, and responsive to the needs of individuals. In the realm of data science competitions, this thesis stands out as a beacon of innovation with a clear path to real-world application. The fusion of statistics, data science, and legal expertise isn't just theoretical; it's a roadmap for tangible impact. As the research unfolds, it reveals the potential for winning a competition and the promise of transforming the way legal decisions are made, accessed, and understood in Colombia. This thesis isn't just a contender; it's a champion in the making, poised to leave an indelible mark on the future of legal research and data-driven decision-making in Colombia.

Resumen: En esta disertación se contextualiza el short squeeze de GameStop ocurrido entre diciembre de 2020, enero y febrero de 2021, donde usuarios del subreddit WallStreetBet logran disparar el precio de la empresa de videojuegos GameStop, mediante la compra de acciones a través de aplicaciones de bolsa minorista como Robinhood, que hacen accesible a cualquier persona participar en el mercado de valores, y acción que sólo era llevada a cabo por fondos de cobertura. Las pequeñas inversiones se convirtieron en un movimiento a gran escala y único en su género que llevó a la quiebra a reputados fondos de alto riesgo y sacudió el sistema de Wall Street. Además, este análisis pretende comprender cuál era la razón de ser del movimiento, las estrategias discursivas para convencer a millones de usuarios de que se unieran al movimiento, aunque tuvieran que asumir el riesgo de invertir su propio capital en lo que también se conoce como ""meme stock"", que al final es una aventura impredecible. El método utilizado para servir a este propósito fue hacer una lectura cercana y un análisis del discurso de los posts y comentarios más y menos populares en el subreddit WallStreetBet con respecto a GameStop entre diciembre de 2020, enero y febrero de 2021, para identificar los patrones y los términos vernáculos apropiados por la comunidad, esto también mediante la participación en discusiones más amplias sobre la participación digital, las acciones conectivas y la gamificación de la economía. Los hallazgos incluyen, por un lado, la importancia de la máscara en la cultura vernácula de Reddit, que da a los usuarios un sentido de posibilidad, libertad y unión como miembros de una comunidad más grande, y por otro lado, la importancia de la ""máscara"" o construir una ""persona"" o una nueva identidad en la cultura vernácula de Reddit, que le da al usuario la sensación de posibilidad mas allá de su cotidiano, libertad y unión como miembros de una comunidad mayor, por otro lado, también demuestra el poder del enjambre y las acciones conectivas.

Abstract: Patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at an increased risk of developing chronic neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), an association thought to be related to several factors, including altered production and clearance of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) and amyloid-? (A?). We previously reported decreased CSF expression of proteins related to cholesterol metabolism in patients with ABI, which may potentially lead to reduced neuro-steroid production, increased risk of neurodegenerative disease, and worse functional outcomes. In this post hoc analysis, ApoE (ApoEelisa), amyloid beta 1–40 (A?1–40), and amyloid beta 1–42 (A?1–42) concentrations were measured in vCSF taken from an external ventricular drain on Days 1–5 after non-traumatic ABI. The vCSF concentrations of ApoE were measured using a commercial enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test . The vCSF concentrations of A?1–40 and A?1–42 were also measured using a commercial ELISA test, with 50 ?l/patient (robotic pipette) per sample in duplicate using A?1–40 and A?1–42 monoclonal antibody, respectively. Day 1 ApoEelisa concentrations were significantly lower (p < 0.01) in patients with non-traumatic ABI than in control patients. vCSF A?1–40 (p < 0.001) and A?1–42 (p < 0.001) concentrations were also lower in the ABI patients. Day 1–5 ApoEswath protein expressions were significantly lower in patients with nontraumatic ABI than in controls (p < 0.0001). APLP1 values, but not those of APP or APLP2, were also significantly lower in non-traumatic ABI (p < 0.0001) throughout the 5-day period. These findings suggest that specific precursors of neurotoxic A? may be expressed in the early phase of nontraumatic ABI, such as that caused by vascular injury after ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes. Resumen: Los pacientes con lesión cerebral traumática (LCA traumática) tienen un mayor riesgo de desarrollar enfermedades neurodegenerativas crónicas, incluida la enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA), una asociación que se cree que está relacionada con varios factores, incluida la producción alterada y la eliminación de la apolipoproteína E (ApoE). y ?-amiloide (A?). Anteriormente informamos una disminución de la expresión en el LCR de proteínas relacionadas con el metabolismo del colesterol en pacientes con LCA, lo que potencialmente puede conducir a una reducción de la producción de neuroesteroides, un mayor riesgo de enfermedades neurodegenerativas y peores resultados funcionales. En este análisis post hoc, se midieron las concentraciones de ApoE (ApoEelisa), beta amiloide 1–40 (A?1–40) y beta amiloide 1–42 (A?1–42) en vCSF extraído de un drenaje ventricular externo en los días 1 a 5 después LCA no traumática. Las concentraciones de ApoE en vCSF se midieron utilizando una prueba comercial de ensayo inmunoabsorbente ligado a enzimas (ELISA). Las concentraciones de vCSF de A?1–40 y A?1–42 también se midieron utilizando una prueba ELISA comercial, con 50 ?l/paciente (pipeta robótica) por muestra por duplicado utilizando los anticuerpos monoclonales A?1–40 y A?1–42, respectivamente. Las concentraciones de ApoEelisa en el día 1 fueron significativamente más bajas (p <0,01) en pacientes con LCA no traumática que en pacientes de control. Las concentraciones de vCSF A?1–40 (p <0,001) y A?1–42 (p <0,001) también fueron más bajas en los pacientes con LCA. Las expresiones de la proteína ApoEswath de los días 1 a 5 fueron significativamente menores en pacientes con LCA no traumática que en los controles (p <0,0001). Los valores de APLP1, pero no los de APP o APLP2, también fueron significativamente más bajos en la LCA no traumática (p <0,0001) durante el período de 5 días. Estos hallazgos sugieren que precursores específicos de A? neurotóxico pueden expresarse en la fase temprana de una LCA no traumática, como la causada por una lesión vascular después de un accidente cerebrovascular isquémico o hemorrágico.

Abstract: Quantitative analysis of ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (vCSF) proteins following acute brain injury (ABI) may help identify pathophysiological pathways and potential biomarkers that can predict unfavorable outcome. In this prospective proteomic analysis study, consecutive patients with severe ABI expected to require intraventricular catheterization for intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring for at least 5 days and patients without ABI admitted for elective clipping of an unruptured cerebral aneurysm were included. vCSF samples were collected within the first 24 h after ABI and ventriculostomy insertion and then every 24 h for 5 days. Data-independent acquisition and sequential window acquisition of all theoretical spectra (SWATH) mass spectrometry were used to compare differences in protein expression in patients with ABI and patients without ABI and in patients with traumatic and nontraumatic ABI. We included 50 patients with ABI (SAH n = 23, TBI n = 15, intracranial hemorrhage n = 6, ischemic stroke n = 3, others n = 3) and 12 patients without ABI. There were significant differences in the expression of 255 proteins between patients with and without ABI (p < 0.01). There were intraday and interday differences in expression of seven proteins related to increased inflammation, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and cellular response to hypoxia and injury. Among these, glial fibrillary acidic protein expression was higher in patients with ABI with severe intracranial hypertension (ICH) (ICP ? 30 mm Hg) or death compared to those without (log 2 fold change: +2.4; p < 0.001), suggesting extensive primary astroglial injury or death. Dysregulated vCSF protein expression after ABI may be associated with an increased risk of severe ICH and death. Resumen: El análisis cuantitativo de las proteínas en el líquido cefalorraquídeo ventricular (vLCR) después de una lesión cerebral aguda (LCA) puede ayudar a identificar vías fisiopatológicas y posibles biomarcadores que pueden predecir un resultado desfavorable. En este estudio prospectivo de análisis proteómico, se incluyeron pacientes consecutivos con LCA grave que se esperaba que necesitaran cateterismo intraventricular cerebral para monitorizar la presión intracraneal (PIC) durante al menos 5 días y pacientes sin LCA ingresados para clipaje electivo de un aneurisma cerebral no roto. Las muestras de vCSF se recolectaron dentro de las primeras 24 h después de la inserción del ITB y la ventriculostomía y luego cada 24 h durante 5 días. Se utilizó la espectrometría de masas de adquisición independiente de datos y adquisición de ventana secuencial de todos los espectros teóricos (SWATH) para comparar las diferencias en la expresión de proteínas en pacientes con LCA y pacientes sin LCA y en pacientes con LCA traumática y no traumática. Se incluyeron 50 pacientes con LCA (HSA n = 23, TCE n = 15, hemorragia intracraneal n = 6, ictus isquémico n = 3, otros n = 3) y 12 pacientes sin LCA. Hubo diferencias significativas en la expresión de 255 proteínas entre pacientes con y sin LCA (p <0,01). Hubo diferencias intradía e interdía en la expresión de siete proteínas relacionadas con el aumento de la inflamación, la apoptosis, el estrés oxidativo y la respuesta celular a la hipoxia y las lesiones. Entre estos, la expresión de la proteína ácida fibrilar glial fue mayor en pacientes con LCA con hipertensión intracraneal (HIC) grave (PIC ? 30 mm Hg) o muerte en comparación con aquellos sin (cambio log 2 veces: + 2,4; p < 0,001), lo que sugiere una extensa Lesión astroglial primaria. La expresión desregulada de las proteínas en el vLCR después de una LCA puede estar asociada con un mayor riesgo de HIC grave y muerte.