Universidad de Medellín

Building pathologies may result from structural deficiencies or unfavourable geotechnical conditions. When unstable ground affects diverse structures across wide areas, slow surface deformation often produces minor, unnoticed damage, commonly misattributed to poor construction in low-income districts. This study uses multitechnique Interferometric SAR (InSAR) to reveal large unstable sectors in Medellín, Colombia, disentangling structural from geomorphological drivers of damage hotspots. We integrated Sentinel-1 Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) and persistent scatterer interferometry (PSI) processing, automated active deformation area (ADA) extraction, detailed geomorphological interpretation, and city-wide structural damage reports from the municipal risk management agency. Multiple ADAs with line-of-sight velocities exceeding −70 mm/yr were identified, focusing on three sectors (“Doce de Octubre”, “Manrique”, and “Villa Hermosa”). InSAR-detected deformation coincided with gravitational landforms, suggesting reactivation of large, slow-moving deep-seated mass movements and a previously unrecognized deep-seated gravitational slope deformation system in the Aburrá Valley hillslopes. Statistical analyses showed no relationship between building type and ground motion, but strong spatial clustering and overlap between ADAs and neighbourhood-level damage densities, especially in the northeast. Recent 2025 landslides occurred within preidentified zones, validating the instability mapping. A detailed geomorphological assessment based on high-resolution digital elevation models and historical aerial photographs supports the hypothesis that extensive sectors of the city are affected by slow-moving, deep-seated landslides. This finding challenges the prevailing assumption that building damage hotspots in Medellín are primarily caused by construction deficiencies and underscores the need to incorporate slow-moving landslide processes into urban hazard management strategies.

Growing environmental concerns have promoted the adoption of sustainable practices in pavement engineering, including the incorporation of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) into asphalt mixtures. RAP, obtained from existing asphalt pavements that have reached the end of their service life, allows the reuse of valuable materials, reducing both the consumption of natural resources and production costs. However, its influence on the fracture performance of asphalt mixtures remains a critical issue, particularly at high RAP contents. This study evaluated the applicability of the Flexibility Index Test (FIT), according to the AASHTO TP 124-20 standard, to characterize the cracking resistance of MDC-19 dense hot-mix asphalt containing 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% RAP. The load-displacement response obtained from the FIT was used to determine fracture energy and the Flexibility Index (FI). The results revealed a clear relationship between RAP content and fractured performance. The mixture containing 25% RAP exhibited the highest fracture energy and the greatest average Flexibility Index (25.53), indicating superior resistance to crack initiation and propagation compared with the control mixture (FI = 13.84). In contrast, RAP contents above 50% produced a marked reduction in both fracture energy and FI, with average FI values close to 3, reflecting a transition toward a more brittle mechanical behavior caused by the increased stiffness of the aged asphalt binder. These findings demonstrate that moderate RAP incorporation can enhance cracking resistance without the use of additives or rejuvenators, whereas high RAP contents significantly reduce the energy dissipation capacity and flexibility of the mixtures. The study supports the implementation of the Flexibility Index Test as a reliable tool for evaluating recycled asphalt mixtures in pavement design and quality control.

In this work we investigate theorically the influence of thermal ionization of donor impurities in a δ-doped layer and a transverse electric field on the energy levels and intersubband absorption in a Si double quantum well with Si₀.₈Ge₀.₂ barriers. Charge redistribution modifies the potential profile, altering the energies and spacing of size-quantization levels and, consequently, the absorption spectra. Compared with a single quantum well, the double quantum well exhibits better-resolved absorption peaks. These results demonstrate an effective approach for tuning the optical response and frequency of silicon-based terahertz optoelectronic devices.

Esta investigación analiza cómo el estilo visual de Arca influye en la identidad queer de la generación Z. A partir de una metodología cualitativa, se aplicaron entrevistas semiestructuradas y cartas proyectivas a cinco personas con identidades de género diversas.

The economic reincorporation of women signatories of the Peace Agreement has been shaped in an intersectional manner by gender, ethnicity, social class, geographic location, among others. This triggers risk factors such as an increase in the inequality gap and the low sustainability of their productive initiatives. This article aims to explore, from an intersectional perspective, the multiple dimensions of identity present in the experiences of economic reincorporation, and in particular, in the enterprises led by women signatories of the Peace Agreement. The AETCR1. Anorí and the NAR2 of San José de León in Mutatá are taken as case studies. For this purpose, information derived from in-depth interviews, a questionnaire on educational level, participant observation and participatory workshops with women signatories in the two selected cases will be used, all contextualised with a descriptive statistical analysis of the Data Integration Matrix of the Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization. The importance of the intersectional approach in economic reincorporation processes is highlighted, in order to embrace the complexities of the experiences and needs of women signatories and make it more inclusive and equitable.