Abstract: The election of right-wing politicians in several Latin American countries in recent years seems to present a break from the left-wing governments previously in power across the subcontinent. However, Colombia is distinct from these trends in that it has consistently been dominated by centre-right or right-wing politics. The absence of political space for left-wing politics in Colombia has allowed different governments to portray protests and protestors as subversive and criminal. Despite the high risks of mobilization, protests have continued to take place, even in periods during which armed conflict has escalated. Since mid-2008, right-wing movements have embraced, supported and used protest as a tactic; undertaking, calling for, and giving political support to different protests across the country. This has had an unexpected consequence: the use of protests by right-wing politicians has “normalized” protests in the country in the eyes of the political right, government institutions, and some sectors within the security and defence forces that now see protests as valid and normal. This article argues that the normalization of protest movements in Colombia has taken place due in part to right-wing and populist politicians’ support of protests. To discuss this, a brief historical analysis of the protests in Colombia since 1948 is presented, with the period from 2002 onwards discussed in greater detail.

Abstract: The prediction of polypharmacy side effects is crucial to reduce the mortality and morbidity of patients suffering from complex diseases. However, its experimental prediction is unfeasible due to the many possible drug combinations, leaving in silico tools as the most promising way of addressing this problem. This thesis improves the performance and robustness of a state-of-the-art graph convolutional network designed to predict polypharmacy side effects, by feeding it with complexity properties of the drug-protein network. The modifications also involve the creation of a direct pipeline to reproduce the results and test it with different datasets. Resumen: La predicción de los efectos secundarios en tratamientos con múltiples medicamentos es fundamental para reducir la mortalidad y la morbilidad de los pacientes que padecen enfermedades complejas. Sin embargo, su predicción experimental es inviable debido a las múltiples combinaciones posibles de fármacos, dejando las herramientas computacionales como la forma más prometedora de abordar este problema. Esta tesis mejora el rendimiento y la solidez de una red convolucional en grafos de última generación diseñada para predecir los efectos secundarios estos tratamientos, al alimentarla con propiedades de complejidad de la red fármaco-proteína. Las modificaciones también implican la creación de una canalización directa para reproducir los resultados y probarlos con diferentes conjuntos de datos.

Abstract: The VARX(1) model expressed in Vector Error Correction terms (VEC) is implemented to predict the corn futures price. To test its accuracy and performance, the results are compared to the real price and the projections obtained using an Autoregressive model (AR). The comparison contributes to the debate if multi-variate, multi-equations models outperformed simple Autoregressive models. Since immediate or contemporaneous relationships were found between the explanatory variables and the corn price, a contemporaneous model was developed as a second benchmark to test the VARX(1) model accuracy. As the third benchmark, a similar model found in the literature was used to test the results. One month-ahead, out-of-sample forecasting, is used to project the corn futures price. The results suggest that the VARX (1) outperformed the Autoregressive model, but the lagged effects of the own corn price still presented high explanatory power. The model present similar results when compared to other similar models found in the literature but underperform when compared to the contemporaneous model. Finally, the contemporaneous model developed here present important predictability and practical use for decision making in the agri-food industry.

Abstract: This project presents three-dimensional conceptual and numerical flow models of a gascondensate field in the foothills region of the Eastern Llanos Basin in Colombia. The Eastern Llanos Basin has been the subject of diverse studies for hydrocarbon exploitation. Over the past decade, this region has been assessed for its geothermal potential in currently exploited oil & gas fields. A gas-condensate field located in the foothills of the basin represents a promising opportunity to produce geothermal energy. The conceptual and numerical models integrate geological, geophysical, geochemical and well data to enhance the understanding of the geothermal system in a sedimentary environment. The Leapfrog Geothermal model shows that the gas-condensate field presents a structurally complex architecture, where hydrocarbons and water accumulate in an relatively permeable reservoir. Well data exhibit a constant geothermal gradient, indicating conductive heat transfer. Based on geochemical data and hydrological analyses, it is identified that meteoric recharge occurs in the Andean orogenic belt and fluid flows from NW to SE. TOUGH2 numerical simulations are developed to generate a natural state model and geothermal production scenarios, which give an estimation of water extraction in the field. The thermal and hydraulic parameters were extracted from published experimental and well data. In order to simplify this first geotermal model, and reduce the number of parameters, it is assumed that the field is completely saturated with water. The natural state model temperature field is concordant with measured well data and simulated mass flow direction confirm expected patterns. Production scenarios demonstrate that it is possible to extract water at more than 90 °C without termal breakthrough during the 30 years simulation. Thermal power calculations yield two optimistic scenarios with more than 30 MWth of heat production, and a conservative scenario with approximately 6 MWth. The conservative scenario provides a better approach to reality with current water production. Thus, this project presents the basis for further studies on geothermal development in actively exploited hydrocarbon fields.

Abstract: This thesis addresses the numerical optimization of the design and scheduling of a biomethane plant integrated with a reversible solid oxide cell, amongst other technologies, that allow the processing of biogas coming from OFMSW anaerobic digestion as to maximize profitability on a yearly basis under different circumstances. The optimization model is carried out through a mixed integer linear program as to obtain the adequate sizes of the different technologies that compose the integrated energy plant whilst taking advantage of the energy and material stream interactions to reach optimal financial feasibility. The inclusion of a reversible oxide fuel cell allows the system to work in different modes as in Power-to-gas and Gas-to-power, generating interest on to the different services that the system can provide to the gas and electricity grids and most importantly to a future decarbonized energy scenario. Furthermore, inclusion of linear models for an amine scrubbing section for biomethane upgrading, a photovoltaic solar field, gas and heat storage units, a battery energy storage system and a biogas boiler into the MILP is carried out as they are part of the technologies in study for the integrated energy plant. The seasonal variability for gas and electricity prices, part load performances, size effects, weather related data, and technological modelling of components are all part of the challenges to be tackled as to obtain a MILP able to compute accurate, adequate and optimal solutions for the design and scheduling problem whilst subjected to technological, environmental and operational constraints. Resumen: Esta tesis se centra en la optimización numérica del diseño y operación de una planta de biometano integrada con una celda de hidrogeno reversible, entre otras tecnologías, que permiten el procesamiento de biogás proveniente de la digestión anaeróbica de material orgánico con el objetivo de maximizar las ganancias en temporalidad anual ante diferentes circunstancias. El modelo de optimización se lleva a cabo con un algoritmo de programación lineal de entornos mixtos para obtener los tamaños de diseño adecuados de las diferentes tecnologías que componen a la planta integrada de energía mientras se toma ventaja de las interacciones entre cada flujo de energía y/o materia para obtener la mas óptima viabilidad económica. La inclusión de una celda reversible de hidrógeno permite al sistema trabajar en diferentes modos como electricidad a gas o gas a electricidad, generando interés en los distintos servicios que el sistema puede proveer a las redes de gas y electricidad y aun más importante a un futuro escenario mundial de energético descarbonizado. Mas aún, la inclusión de modelos lineales como un sistema de mejora de la calidad del biometano mediante absorción con aminas, un campo de energía solar fotovoltaica, unidades de almacenamiento de gas y calor, un sistema de almacenamiento de energías mediante baterías y una caldera de biogás en el modelo de programación lineal es llevado a cabo pues son parte de las tecnologías en estudio para la planta energética integrada. La variación estacional por los precios de gas y electricidad, desempeño a cargas parciales, efectos de tamaños, data ambiental, y el modelado tecnológico de los componentes son parte de los retos a ser resueltos para poder obtener un MILP capaz de computar precisas, adecuadas y optimas soluciones para el problema de diseño y operación mientras se encuentra sujeto a restricciones tecnológicas, ambientales y operacionales.

Resumen: El turismo está directamente relacionado con la pobreza en los Centros Históricos, debido a que, en función de su participación en las dinámicas globales de desarrollo, el turismo resulta promoviendo la generación de inequidad y segregación sociocultural. Por lo tanto, es imprescindible que el turismo como actividad en crecimiento contribuya a generar procesos de integración territorial y a facilitar dinámicas económicas que mejoren la calidad de vida de los habitantes locales, así como el fortalecimiento de su desarrollo humano. De esta necesidad deriva la importancia que los distintos actores sociales deben otorgarle a la planificación turística en una territorialidad como la del Centro Histórico de La Candelaria, en Bogotá, D.C., procurando aportar a la superación de las condiciones estructurales de segregación y exclusión que han afectado al Centro Histórico de la ciudad.

Resumen: Las relaciones entre el patrimonio y el turismo no siempre han sido caracterizadas por la existencia de equilibrio y armonía. En el presente artículo se plantean algunos elementos a tener en cuenta para emprender acciones políticas, jurídicas y sociales coherentes con procesos de desarrollo patrimonial y turístico en condiciones de sostenibilidad, cooperatividad, equidad, inclusión e integración social.

Resumen: En la coyuntura histórica de Bogotá a principios de 1998, el rasgo fundamental fue el de la sacralización del nuevo marco constitucional y jurídico que le otorgaba facultades a los dirigentes urbanos para interpretar las normas de acuerdo con una filosofía radical, la cual configuró un imperio y una ideología de la ley en torno a la cuestión del espacio público en la ciudad, orientada a privilegiar unos intereses particulares y unas tendencias ideológicas específicas afines a las condiciones hegemónicas existentes en la actual modernidad global. Esto alteró de forma sustancial las dinámicas socioculturales que se habían venido produciendo en la Plaza de San Victorino y el antiguo barrio de Santa Inés durante, al menos, la segunda mitad del siglo XX. Esta situación dio lugar a la reconfiguración de los fenómenos de informalidad y marginalidad presentes en el sector que no desaparecieron sino que, por el contrario, cobraron otras formas y readaptaron sus prácticas a las nuevas condiciones del espacio urbano en este sector de Bogotá.

The genus Sarcocystis and the species Toxoplasma gondii are the most prevalent sarcocystid organisms found in birds. Molecular phylogenies based on the first internal transcribed spacer of the ribosomal coding DNA (ITS1) have been widely used to identify them. Here, pectoral muscles from 400 wild birds from Brazil were screened by means of molecular methods using nested PCR, and Sanger sequencing yielded amplicons. A pan-sarcocystid ITS1-directed nested PCR revealed 28 birds infected by Sarcocystis falcatula (ten Piciformes, eight Psittaciformes, five Columbiformes, two Accipitriformes, one Anseriformes, one Passeriformes and one Strigiformes); one infected by Sarcocystis halieti (one Accipitriformes); nine infected by unknown or undescribed Sarcocystis (six Passeriformes, one Piciformes, one Cathartiformes and one Cuculiformes); and six harboring Toxoplasma gondii DNA (three Pelecaniformes, two Falconiformes and one Columbiformes). Samples harboring S. falcatula-related ITS1 sequences were further characterized by means of PCR and sequencing of genetic sequences of three surface antigen coding genes (SAGs). From this, 10 new allelic combinations of SAGs (SAG2, SAG3 and SAG4) were identified, in addition to 11 SAG allelic combinations already found in Brazil. Samples with S. falcatula-unrelated ITS1 sequences were further characterized by means of PCR and sequencing of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I coding sequences (CO1) and 18S ribosomal DNA gene (18S rDNA). This study was the first extensive survey of wild birds in Brazil for Sarcocystidae species. It provides the first molecular evidence of natural S. falcatula infection in 14 species, including in the order Piciformes, and shows the high genetic diversity of S. falcatula in intermediate hosts in South America. Evidence of occurrence of at least three non-described species of Sarcocystis was also presented in this study. This survey corroborated the ubiquity of T. gondii infection but revealed surprisingly low prevalence of this parasite (1.5%).

Resumen: El artículo científico trata de los problemas que tiene la interpretación de los derechos y la creación de los mismos en el escenario de los jueces. Presenta una nueva teoría para superar el asunto. Dada su importancia, fue publicado en la Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Jurisprudencia. La Academia es la asociación de juristas más importantes de Colombia, fundada en 1894 y sirve de Consultora del Estado colombiano, el gobierno y las altas cortes.