Tesis para optar al grado de Magíster en Finanzas / El objetivo del presente trabajo es obtener una valoración económica de la compañía Forus S.A. con fecha 30 de septiembre de 2014. La metodología utilizada es la de Flujos de Caja Descontados, en donde primero se determina la tasa de costo de capital descontable para la empresa (WACC), considerando la estructura de capital objetivo como promedio histórico de los últimos cinco años. Asimismo, se proyecta tanto el Estado de Resultados de la compañía como el Estado de Flujo de Caja hasta el año 2018. Como resultado del ejercicio de valoración se obtiene un precio de la acción de $1.963 al 30 de septiembre de 2014, el que se compara con el precio de cierre en la misma fecha de $2.528, resultando en un potencial downside de 22,35%.

Yes / The Patient Safety Huddle (PSH) is a brief multidisciplinary daily meeting held to discuss threats to patient safety and actions to mitigate risk. Despite growing interest and application of huddles as a mechanism for improving safety, evidence of their impact remains limited. There is also variation in how huddles are conceived and implemented with insufficient focus on their fidelity (the extent to which delivered as planned) and potential ways in which they might influence outcomes. The Huddle Up for Safer Healthcare (HUSH) project attempted to scale up the implementation of patient safety huddles (PSHs) in five hospitals - 92 wards - across three UK NHS Trusts. This paper aims to assess their fidelity, time to embed, and impact on teamwork and safety culture. A multi-method Developmental Evaluation was conducted. The Stages of Implementation Checklist (SIC) was used to determine time taken to embed PSHs. Observations were used to check embedded status and fidelity of PSH. A Teamwork and Safety Climate survey (TSC) was administered at two time-points: pre- and post-embedding. Changes in TSC scores were calculated for Trusts, job role and clinical speciality. Observations confirmed PSHs were embedded in 64 wards. Mean fidelity score was 4.9/9. PSHs frequently demonstrated a 'fear free' space while Statistical Process Control charts and historical harms were routinely omitted. Analysis showed a positive change for the majority (26/27) of TSC questions and the overall safety grade of the ward. PSHs are feasible and effective for improving teamwork and safety culture, especially for nurses. PSH fidelity criteria may need adjusting to include factors deemed most useful by frontline staff. Future work should examine inter-disciplinary and role-based differences in TSC outcomes. / The Health Foundation’s Scaling Up Improvement Programme: Round One (2015)

Few African American males do not have at least one memory of a barbershop. The barbershop is a space that finds a home in virtually every community in which you find Black males. To some degree, virtually all genres and periods of African American literary expression have situated the barbershop as a mediating space in the formulation of a Black masculine identity. The barbershop as mediating space allows Black males the opportunity to view themselves and also critique the ways in which they are gazed upon by the literary imagination. African American authors, through the use of the barbershop, bring to the center the construction of this space in Black masculinity identity formation. ¬ Although a common presence in African American literature, the barbershop has not received any serious, i.e. book length examinations in literary analysis. I argue that the historical portrayal of the barbershop as mediating space problematizes the intersections of ancestor, culture, history, memory and literary imagination to reveal the intricate relationship between Black males and the space. I seek to address the gap in coverage of the literary treatment of the African American barbershop as mediating structure in the formulation of a black masculine identity. My research will show that we cannot fully understand the literary formation of Black masculine identity unless we attend to the barbershop as a formative mediating space.

The Sound and the Fury is a noisy book. Through the audible, the barely audible, and the silence, William Faulkner supports his narrative design with sound beyond dialog to inform and inflect the destabilizing narrative voices. This essay explores Faulkner's use of the sound and noise of the novel as another narrative voice. Faulkner's rich use of sound as a recurring motif, almost a persona or narrator itself, functions not merely to animate the action, the characters, and the title; it also speaks in the "hush" and the freighted "stiffly sibilant" whispers of those who dare not speak, or are "trying to say," while simultaneously running as a voiceless current beneath the disjunctive narrative. The range and quality of sound wavers throughout, from the musical to the "indescribable," as the past and present repeatedly segue forward and back to this soundtrack. Like the otherworldly racket of Macbeth, the noise of the novel plays beneath the surface, begging to be heard. Much scholarship has been devoted to exploring Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury, yet the text continues to reveal layers of meaning and resonance to yet another generation. This study seeks to interrogate the nature, function, and musicality of the sound, noise, and silence of the text as adumbrated in the rhetoric of Reverend Shegog's Easter sermon, Luster's valiant attempts to play on the saw the "inaudible tune," the ubiquitous bells, and Dilsey's determination through it all to sing. This study hopes to enter into the conversation on Faulkner's enduring work by listening to what the text is "trying to say."

Οι κρυπτογραφικές συναρτήσεις κατακερματισμού αποτελούν στις μέρες μας ένα από τα δημοφιλέστερα συστατικά των κρυπτογραφικών συστημάτων, λόγω των ιδιαίτερων ιδιοτήτων τους. Λαμβάνοντας υπόψη τη συνεχή αύξηση του όγκου δεδομένων και των ταχυτήτων επικοινωνίας, η χρήση μιας συνάρτησης κατακερματισμού με χαμηλή ρυθμοαπόδοση μπορεί να επιβραδύνει το συνολικό ψηφιακό τηλεπικοινωνιακό σύστημα. Ο σχεδιασμός ενός δεδομένου αλγορίθμου κατακερματισμού ώστε να έχει τη βέλτιστη ρυθμοαπόδοση αποτελεί ζήτημα μεγάλης σημασίας. Στη συγκεκριμένη διπλωματική εργασία παρουσιάζεται μια μεθοδολογία σχεδιασμού με στόχο τη βέλτιστη ρυθμοαπόδοση κρυπτογραφικών αλγορίθμων που βασίζονται σε συγκεκριμένη επαναληπτική μορφή. Για το σκοπό αυτό αναπτύχθηκε ένα λογισμικό, που συνδυάζει δύο τεχνικές, τον επαναχρονισμό και την ξεδίπλωση, παράγοντας το βέλτιστο σχεδιαστικό αποτέλεσμα. Η μεθοδολογία εφαρμόστηκε σε δύο δημοφιλείς συναρτήσεις κατακερματισμού, τις SHA-1 και SHA-256. Οι μετασχηματισμένοι αλγόριθμοι συνθέθηκαν και υλοποιήθηκαν σε FPGA, επιβεβαιώνοντας την αποτελεσματικότητα της μεθόδου. / Nowadays, cryptographic hash functions are one of the most popular primitive components in the cryptographic systems, due to their key features. Considering that data sizes and communication speeds are increasing every year, the use of a hash algorithm with low throughput can be a bottle neck in the digital communication system. Designing a given hash algorithm to be throughput optimum is a critical issue. In this diploma thesis a design methodology is presented which oprimizes the throughput of cryptographic hash functions that rely on a specific iterative structure. For this purpose, a software was designed combining two techniques, retiming and unfolding, that generates the optimal throughput design. The methodology was applied to two popular hash algorithms, SHA-1 and SHA-256. The transformed algorithms were synthesized and implemented in a FPGA device, confirming its effectiveness.

Chapter1 gives an overview of the basic principles of electrochemistry. A rigorous electrochemical study on the solution phase and solid phase cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPC) is presented in chapter2. The formof CoPC on carbon electrodes was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The use of CoPC modified edge plane pyrolytic graphite (CoPC-EPPG) for sensing nitrite (NO₂⁻) was also investigated. It was found that the claimed mediator CoPC has no influence on the process. A bare glassy carbon (GC) electrode was successfully applied for the quantitative determination of nitrite as a simple alternative to the modified electrodes reported in the literature (chapter3). Chapter4 compares the voltammetric responses of an edge plane pyrolytic graphite electrode covalently modifed with 2-anthraquinonyl groups (EPPG-AQ2) and solution phase anthraquinone monosulphonate (AQMS) in the presence of a limited concentration of protons. The solution phase and surface bound species show analogous responses resulting in split waves. Digisim™ simulation of the AQMS voltammetry have shown that the pH adjacent to the electrode may be altered by up to 5-6 pH units in low buffered solutions; this is caused by the consumption of protons during the electrochemical reaction. Chapters5 and 6 compare the electrochemical properties of 2-anthraquinonyl groups covalently attached to an edge plane pyrolytic graphite (EPPG) and to a gold electrode. In both cases simulations using newly developedMarcus-Hush-Chidsey theory for a 2e⁻ process assuming a uniform surface did not achieve a good agreement between theory and experiment. Subsequently two models of surface inhomogeneity were investigated: a distribution of formal potentials, E^Ө, and a distribution of electron tunneling distances, r₀. For both EPPG-AQ2 and Au-AQ2 modified electrodes the simulation involving E^Ө distribution turned out to be the most adequate. This is the first time that Marcus-Hush-Chidsey theory has been applied to a 2e⁻ system. Chapter7 briefly summarizes the obtained results.

El objetivo de esta tesis se centra en el estudio de la transferencia de electrones (ET), una de las reacciones más simples y cruciales en bioquímica. Para dichos procesos, obtener información directa de los factores que lo promueves, asi como del camino de transferencia electronica, no es una tarea trivial. Dicha información a un nivel de conocimiento detallado atómico y electrónico, sin embargo, es muy valiosa en términos de una mejor comprensión del ciclo enzimático, que podría conducir, por ejemplo, a un diseño más eficaz de inhibidores. El objetivo principal de esta tesis es el desarrollo de una metodología para el estudio cuantitativo de la ET en los sistemas biológicos. En este sentido, hemos desarrollado un nuevo método para obtener el camino de transferencia electrónico, llamado QM/MM e-­‐ Pathway, que se puede aplicar en sistemas complejos con ET de largo alcance. El método se basa en una búsqueda sucesiva de residuos importantes para la ET, utilizando la modificación de la región quantica en métodos mixtos QM/MM, y siguiendo la evolución de la densidad de espín dentro de la zona de transferencia. Hemos demostrado la utilidad y la aplicabilidad del algoritmo en el complejo P450cam/Pdx, identificando el papel clave de la Arg112 (en P450cam) y del Asp48 (en Pdx), ambos conocidos en la literatura. Además de obtener caminos de ET, hemos cuantificado su importancia en términos del acoplamiento electrónico entre el dador y aceptor para los diferentes caminos. En este sentido, se realizaron dos estudios de la influencia del solvente y de la temperatura en el acoplamiento electrónico para sistemas modelo oligopéptidos. Ambos estudios revelaron que los valores del acoplamiento electrónico fluctúan fuertemente a lo largo de las trayectorias de dinámica molecular obtenidas, y el mecanismo de transferencia de electrones se ve ampliamente afectado por el espacio conformacional del sistema. La combinación del QM/MM e-­‐pathway y de los cálculos de acoplamiento electronico fueron utilizados finalmente para investigar la ET en el complejo CCP/Cytc. Nuestros hallazgos indican el papel fundamental del Trp191 en localizar un estadio intermedio para la transferencia electronica, así como el camino ET principal que incluye Ala194, Ala193, Gly192 y Trp191. Ambos hallazgos fueron confirmados a través de la literatura. Los resultados obtenidos para el muestro de manios de ET, junto con su evaluación a través de cálculos de acoplamiento electrónico, sugieren un enfoque sencillo y prometedor para investigar ET de largo alcance en proteínas. / The focus of this PhD thesis lies on electron transfer (ET) processes, belonging to the simplest but most crucial reactions in biochemistry. Getting direct information of the forces driving the process and the actual electron pathway is not a trivial task. Such atomic and electronic detailed information, however, is very valuable in terms of a better understanding of the enzymatic cycle, which might lead, for example, to more efficient protein inhibitor design. The main objective of this thesis was the development of a methodology for the quantitative study of ET in biological systems. In this regard, we developed a novel approach to map long-­‐range electron transfer pathways, called QM/MM e-­‐Pathway. The method is based on a successive search for important ET residues in terms of modifying the QM region following the evolution of the spin density of the electron (hole) within a given transfer region. We proved the usefulness and applicability of the algorithm on the P450cam/Pdx complex, indicating the key role of Arg112 of P450cam and Asp48 of Pdx for its ET pathway, both being known to be important from the literature. Besides only identifying the ET pathways, we further quantified their importance in terms of electronic coupling of donor and acceptor incorporating the particular pathway residues. Within this regard, we performed two systematic evaluations of the underlying reasons for the influence of solvent and temperature onto electronic coupling in oligopeptide model systems. Both studies revealed that electronic coupling values strongly fluctuate throughout the molecular dynamics trajectories obtained, and the mechanism of electron transfer is affected by the conformational space the system is able to occupy. Combining both ET mapping and electronic coupling calculations, we finally investigated the electron transfer in the CcP/Cytc complex. Our findings indicate the key role of Trp191 being the bridge-­‐localized state of the ET as well as the main pathway consisting of Ala194, Ala193, Gly192 and Trp191 between CcP and Cytc. Both findings were confirmed through the literature. Moreover, our calculations on several snapshots state a nongated ET mechanism in this protein complex. The methodology developed along this thesis, mapping ET pathways together with their evaluation through electronic coupling calculations, suggests a straightforward and promising approach to investigate long-­‐range ET in proteins.

Ce travail de recherche a pour objectif d’analyser les différentes initiatives de partenariat liant les pays méditerranéens avec l’UE, ainsi que l’élucidation des différents degrés d’engagement et d'implication de ces pays et sous-groupements régionaux dans ces initiatives. Il vise également à dévoiler les différents atouts et faiblesses qui caractérisent les relations Euro-méditerranéennes. La finalité de ce travail de recherche consiste à éclaircir les enjeux de ces relations et la justification de l’utilité de rapprochement entre les pays Sud-méditerranéens avec l’UE dans un espace géographique restreint et dans un cadre historique limité. Ainsi, cette analyse s’est focalisée sur les différents atouts politiques, économiques et sociaux ayant marqué les relations euro-méditerranéennes, durant la période allant de la Chute du Mur de Berlin (1989) jusqu'à l'échec du Printemps Arabe (2013). A l’issue de cette thèse, plusieurs alternatives et pistes de réflexion ont été suggérées, dans la perspective d’éviter les raisons d’échecs déjà constatées et afin de contribuer à l’édification de fondements solides susceptibles de concourir à la réussite des futurs partenariats et initiatives de coopérations euro-méditerranéennes. / This thesis is attempting to analyze the various partnership initiatives between the Mediterranean countries and the EU, as well as the different degrees of commitment and involvement of these countries and sub-regional groupings in these initiatives.It also aims at revealing the different strengths and weaknesses that characterize the Euro-Mediterranean relations.The purpose of this research work is to analyze the issues of the Euromed relationships and the size of building links between the Mediterranean countries and the EU in geographically restricted space and during a limited historical period. This analysis has focused on the different political assets, economic and social issues which characterized the Euro-Mediterranean relationships, especially in the period from the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) until the failure of the Arab Spring (2013). Following this work, several alternatives and ideas have been suggested, with a view to avoiding the failure of stakes already recognized.The objective is to contribute to analysis of creating new strong frameworks which may contribute to the success of the future partnerships and initiatives in relation to the euro- Mediterranean cooperation.

This diploma thesis thematically follows up one of subgenres of young adult popular literature - paranormal romance. Its main aim is to create a comprehensive definition of this subgenre on the basis of interpretation of representative sagas - Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn), Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (Hush, Hush, Crescendo, Silence, Finale), Nightshade by Andrea R. Cremer (Nightshade, Wolfsbane, Bloodrose, Snakeroot), Wings by Aprilynne Pike (Wings, Spells, Illusions, Destined) and Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (Anna Dressed in Blood, Girl of Nightmares). The thesis was divided into eight chapters. In the first chapter we have outlined the historical development of paranormal romance, in the second part we focused on its genre characteristic. In the third and fourth chapters we tried to create a prototype of heroine and hero of this subgenre. The fifth part is about the steady plot schemes in paranormal romances. In the sixth chapter we have tried to determine a model form of relationship main pair of lovers in the analyzed subgenre. In the seventh part we discussed conflict between everyday reality and the supernatural and the social hierarchy in the fiction world of paranormal romances and we introduced supernatural species and races that...

Είναι ευρέως αποδεκτό ότι η ασφάλεια δεδομένων έχει ήδη ξεκινήσει να διαδραματίζει κεντρικό ρόλο στον σχεδιασμό μελλοντικών συστημάτων τεχνολογίας πληροφορίας (IT – Information Technology). Μέχρι πριν από λίγα χρόνια, ο υπολογιστής αποτελούσε την κινητήρια δύναμη της ψηφιακής επικοινωνίας. Πρόσφατα, ωστόσο, έχει γίνει μια μετατόπιση προς τις εφαρμογές τεχνολογίας πληροφορίας που υλοποιούνται σαν ενσωματωμένα συστήματα. Πολλές από αυτές τις εφαρμογές στηρίζονται σε μεγάλο βαθμό σε μηχανισμούς ασφαλείας, περιλαμβάνοντας την ασφάλειας για ασύρματα τηλέφωνα, φαξ, φορητούς υπολογιστές, συνδρομητική τηλεόραση, καθώς και συστήματα προστασίας από αντιγραφή για audio / video καταναλωτικά προϊόντα και ψηφιακούς κινηματογράφους. Το γεγονός ότι ένα μεγάλο μέρος των ενσωματωμένων εφαρμογών είναι ασύρματο, καθιστά το κανάλι επικοινωνίας ιδιαίτερα ευάλωτο και φέρνει στο προσκήνιο την ανάγκη για ακόμη μεγαλύτερη ασφάλεια. Παράλληλα με τα ενσωματωμένα συστήματα, η εκρηκτική ανάπτυξη των ψηφιακών επικοινωνιών έχει επιφέρει πρόσθετες προκλήσεις για την ασφάλεια. Εκατομμύρια ηλεκτρονικές συναλλαγές πραγματοποιούνται κάθε μέρα, και η ταχεία ανάπτυξη του ηλεκτρονικού εμπορίου κατέστησε την ασφάλεια ένα θέμα ζωτικής σημασίας για πολλές καταναλωτές. Πολύτιμες επιχειρηματικές ευκαιρίες , καθώς επίσης και πολλές υπηρεσίες πραγματοποιούνται κάθε μέρα μέσω του Διαδικτύου και πλήθος ευαίσθητων δεδομένων μεταφέρονται από ανασφαλή κανάλια επικοινωνίας σε όλο τον κόσμο. Η επιτακτική ανάγκη για την αντιμετώπιση αυτών των προβλημάτων, κατέστησε πολύ σημαντική την συμβολή της κρυπτογραφίας, και δημιούργησε μια πολύ υποσχόμενη λύση, με την οποία ενσωματωμένα συστήματα σε συνδυασμό με κρυπτογραφικά πρωτόκολλα, θα μπορούσαν να μας οδηγήσουν στην εξασφάλιση των επιθυμητών αποτελεσμάτων. Στην παρούσα εργασία, παρουσιάζουμε την υλοποίηση ενός ενσωματωμένου συστήματος, εμπλουτισμένο με κρυπτογραφικά πρωτόκολλα, που ουσιαστικά μεταμορφώνει έναν κοινό ηλεκτρονικό υπολογιστή σε ένα ισχυρό Crypto System PC, και έχει σαν κύρια αρμοδιότητα να μπορεί να επικοινωνεί με ένα υπολογιστικό σύστημα και να στέλνει πληροφορίες για την κατάσταση του μέσω ασφαλούς σύνδεσης διαδικτύου σε κάποιον απομακρυσμένο υπολογιστή ελέγχου/καταγραφής συμβάντων σε ώρες που δεν είναι εφικτή η παρουσία εξειδικευμένου προσωπικού για τον έλεγχο του. Αξιολογούμε την απόδοση του και την λειτουργία του με την εκτέλεση διάφορων πειραμάτων, ενώ επίσης προτείνουμε λύσεις για πιο ιδανικές και αποδοτικές συνθήκες λειτουργίας για μελλοντικές εφαρμογές. / It is widely recognized that data security already plays a central role in the design of future IT systems.Until a few years ago, the PC had been the major driver of the digital economy. Recently, however, there has been a shift towards IT applications realized as embedded systems.Many of those applications rely heavily on security mechanisms, including security for wireless phones, faxes, wireless computing, pay-TV, and copy protection schemes for audio/video consumer products and digital cinemas. Note that a large share of those embedded applications will be wireless, which makes the communication channel especially vulnerable and the need for security even more obvious. In addition to embedded devices, the explosive growth of digital communications also brings additional security challenges. Millions of electronic transactions are completed each day, and the rapid growth of eCommerce has made security a vital issue for many consumers. Valuable business opportunities are realized over the Internet and megabytes of sensitive data are transferred and moved over insecure communication channels around the world. The urgent need to face these problems has made the contribution of cryptography very important , and created a very promising solution, in which embedded systems in combination with cryptographic protocols, could lead us to obtain the desired results. In this paper, we present the implementation of an embedded system, enriched with cryptographic protocols, which turns a common computer into a powerful Crypto System PC, and has as its primary responsibility to be able to communicate with a computer system and send information for its situation through secure internet connections to a remote computer which is responsible for recording of events, when there is not qualified staff to control the computer system. We evalauate its performance and operation, by executing various experiments and we also suggest solutions for more optimal and efficient operating conditions for future applications.