Universidad Politecnica del Golfo de México

Oxygenated compounds methane derivates like formaldehyde and methanol have become important primary chemicals in the manufacturing of various consumer products and chemical intermediates used in the petrochemical sector. This study investigates the catalytic conversion of methane over bimetallic particles supported on mordenite and alumina. Various catalyst compositions, including Pt‐Ru, Pd‐Ru, and Cu‐Ru, were synthesized and characterized using techniques such as X‐ray diffraction, nitrogen physisorption, and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. The catalytic performance of these catalysts was evaluated in methane oxidation reactions at different temperatures. Results indicate that temperature strongly influences methane conversion and selectivity toward desired products such as methanol and formaldehyde, mainly the Pt‐Ru combination based on mordenite and alumina which obtained 45% and 78% of formaldehyde selectivity respectively, furthermore, the highest methane conversion was performed by this combination for both supports. Catalysts with specific crystal structures exhibit higher selectivity toward formaldehyde, highlighting the importance of catalyst design. Additionally, a trade‐off between methane conversion and selectivity toward methanol and formaldehyde was observed. Overall, this study provides insights into optimizing catalytic systems for methane conversion, with implications for the development of efficient and selective catalysts for practical applications.

Background Trypanosoma cruzi is mainly transmitted to mammals by vectors, but other transmission routes exist. For example, opossums can harbor the infectious form of the parasite in their anal glands, underscoring their potential role in non-vectorial transmission. T. cruzi has been detected in the anal gland secretions of various opossum species, and their infectivity has been confirmed in Didelphis marsupialis and D. albiventris. Vertical transmission has also been proposed in D. virginiana. However, if this occurs in opossums, it remains unclear whether it happens during pregnancy or lactation. In Mexico, Didelphis virginiana and D. marsupialis are the main opossum species. Our objective was to investigate the possible contribution of urban opossums to non-vectorial transmission of T. cruzi in the metropolitan area of Merida, Yucatan, in southeastern Mexico. Methodology/principal findings Blood, anal gland secretions, and milk were collected from opossums captured in Merida, Mexico, all identified as D. virginiana using taxonomic keys and Cytb sequencing. By PCR, T. cruzi was detected in 16/102 opossums (15.69%) in at least one type of sample. The prevalence was 14.71% (15/102) in blood and 0.98% (1/102) in anal gland secretions. 1/22 milk samples (4.55%) tested positive. Blood of 37 offspring from T. cruzi-positive mothers was collected and tested negative. qPCR revealed that females with offspring tended to have lower parasite load in blood compared to females without offspring and males. Genotyping of the parasite through multiplex PCR revealed only the DTU TcI. Conclusions/significance This study agrees with previous works where D. virginiana was the most abundant opossum species in urban areas in southeastern Mexico and confirms that it is associated with TcI. Detection of T. cruzi in a sample of anal gland secretions underscores the potential risk represented by D. virginiana in non-vectorial transmission in urban areas of southeastern Mexico. Detection in the milk of a lactating female, along with the observed tendency towards a lower parasite load in females with offspring, highlight the importance of further investigating vertical transmission in D. virginiana.

Vertical farming (VF) refers to systems of agriculture where crops are grown in trays stacked vertically by exposing them to artificial light and using sensing technology to improve product quality and yield. In this work, we propose an advanced filtering scheme based on recurrent neural networks (RNNs) and deep learning to enable efficient control strategies for VF applications. We demonstrate that the best RNN model incorporates five neuron layers, with the first and second containing 90 long short‐term memory neurons. The third layer implements one gated recurrent units neuron. The fourth segment incorporates one RNN network, while the output layer is designed by using a single neuron exhibiting a rectified linear activation function. By utilizing this RNN digital filter, we introduce two variations: (1) a scaled RNN model to tune the filter to the signal of interest, and (2) a moving average filter to eliminate harmonic oscillations of the output waveforms. The RNN models are contrasted with conventional digital Butterworth, Chebyshev I, Chebyshev II, and elliptic infinite impulse response (IIR) configurations. The RNN digital filtering schemes avoid introducing unwanted oscillations, which makes them more suitable for VF than their IIR counterparts. Finally, by utilizing the advanced features of scaling of the RNN model, we demonstrate that the RNN digital filter can be pH selective, as opposed to conventional IIR filters.

The objective of the research is to describe the behavior of enrollment in Mexico from the school year 2010-2011 to 2021-2022 divided by area of knowledge in the eight regions of the country. A quantitative approach was used, with a non-experimental type and an exploratory-descriptive scope in an evolutionary way, taking information from the ANUIES about public higher education institutions, and schooling modality. Throughout the country, from the 2010-2011 cycle there was an enrollment were 1,933,907 to 2021-2022 with 3,493,562 students. The areas with the highest enrollment are Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction; Social Sciences and Law; along with Administration and Business. In the last twelve years, enrollment in Mexico has increased by 44.64%; being the area of Services the one that grew the most with 63.94% along with that of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics with 58.7%. The one that had a decrease was the Area of Education Sciences with -52.24%; and Information and Communication Sciences with just 5.12% growth. In the last school year 2021-2022 with respect to the previous one; the ones that grew the most were Education Sciences (10.49%) and Information and Communication Technologies (12.23%).

La formación permanente del profesorado es fundamental para mejorar la calidad educativa, de ahí que sea crucial identificar áreas de mejora y diseñar planes de capacitación adecuados. Por ende, el objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar las necesidades de formación continua de los profesores de educación media superior en el Estado de México con el fin de mejorar su desempeño docente. El estudio, de naturaleza descriptiva y transversal con un enfoque cualitativo, se llevó a cabo con la participación de 48 docentes de tres instituciones públicas de dicho nivel educativo. La selección de los participantes se realizó de manera intencional a través de un muestreo no probabilístico, y su participación fue voluntaria. Los resultados revelaron que más del 50 % de los profesores de estas instituciones necesitan cursos de formación continua, dado que su formación inicial no está directamente relacionada con la enseñanza, lo cual afecta su capacidad para liderar el proceso educativo. Además, expresaron preferencia por cursos en modalidad mixta, impartidos por facilitadores externos a sus instituciones. Las áreas donde los docentes manifestaron mayores necesidades de capacitación fueron ofimática básica, educación socioemocional y estrategias didácticas. Ante la creciente presencia de tecnologías digitales en el ámbito educativo, se recomienda adoptar enfoques flexibles e innovadores para la capacitación.

La producción de miel tiene vestigios ancestrales, considerando a Apis como la más domesticada y comercializada. Por otro lado, las abejas meliponinos, que tienen vestigios precolombinos han sido poco estudiadas y tiene propiedades fisicoquímicas importantes y de gran valor para ser usadas en el área agrícola. El cultivo del mango, del cual dependen una variedad de familias por ser un soporte socioeconómico, además de lo anterior, se le invierte bastante para sostenerlo con un buen manejo agronómico, donde hay insuficiente herramientas biológicas que permitan dar una producción menos dañina al ambiente. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar la acción elicitora de metabolitos de defensa y de la inducción de crecimiento de los frutos de mango al aplicar miel. El estudio se llevó a cabo en el rancho San Juan, en el municipio de Tapachula, Chiapas. Se establecieron 4 tratamientos en campo, considerando las etapas de producción del fruto de mango. Se encontró diferencias significativas entre las concentraciones de fenoles totales analizadas en hojas y entre todos los tratamientos, observando que es mejor realizar la aplicación de miel después de la floración y durante el crecimiento del fruto de mango. No importa la concentración de miel utilizada, ambas estimulan el crecimiento del fruto de mango. Se encontró una relación significativa entre las concentraciones de fenoles, tiempo de aplicación y crecimiento del fruto de mango, con miel de M. beecheii.

Thyroid carcinoma is the most prevalent endocrine neoplasm. The most recurrent mutation in thyroid cancer (TC) is the V600E substitution in BRAF, which induces the over-activation of the MAPK pathway. The interaction between this pathway and the deregulation of genes that facilitate tumorigenesis such as CLDN1 could be useful for decision-making related to surgical removal and the degree of initial resection; however, there is a lack of information on the association of CLDN1 expression with BRAF V600E. Objective. Evaluate the gene expression of CLDN1 in BRAF-mutated and BRAF-unmutated thyroid nodules. Methods. RT-qPCR was performed to assess BRAF genotyping (rs113488022) and CLDN1 expression in 94 thyroid nodule biopsy samples (TC=48). Clinicopathological data was retrieved to establish further associations. Results. Mutated BRAF thyroid nodules were found to be 7.14 ± 0.293 times more expressed than those without the mutation (p &lt 0.001, N=94). BRAF V600E mutation was identified in patients with TC exclusively. CLDN1 expression was 41.315 ± 0.554 times greater in patients with TC than in those without TC (p &lt 0.001). Heterozygous patients had a change factor of 6.8, whereas mutated homozygotes had a change factor of 7.5 (p &lt 0.001, N=94). CLDN1 mean expression is significantly higher in A allele carriers compared to normal homozygotes (p &lt 0.001). When analyzing just within the TC group, the behavior is maintained, suggesting a potential association between the mutated allele and the expression of these genes. Conclusion. CLDN1 is significantly upregulated in TC patients carrying the BRAF V600E mutation. BRAF V600E is only observed in patients with TC, implying a biological connection between them, which can be explained via MAPK; subsequent studies are needed to confirm the correlations. Citation Format: Andrea Ross Orozco, Eliakym Arámbula Meraz, Anette Roxana Gastelum Quiroz, Fred Luque Ortega, Edith Eunice García Alvarez, Marco Álvarez Arrazola, Karla Lizbeth Morales Hernández, Noemí García Magallanes. BRAF V600E is associated with the upregulation of CLDN1 in thyroid cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 2 (Late-Breaking, Clinical Trial, and Invited Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(7_Suppl):Abstract nr LB050.

Iodine (I) is a crucial micronutrient for human health, as its insufficient intake can lead to various health problems, such as thyroid dysfunction. Although not essential for terrestrial plants, I can act as a biostimulant at appropriate concentrations, promoting good crop productivity and metabolism changes. This study aimed to investigate the effects of foliar spray of I on melon yield, antioxidant compounds, and their accumulation in fruits. The experiment involved applying different doses of I (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 µM/L) every 15 days after transplanting. Results showed that low doses of I (5 µM/L) improved melon yield and commercial quality, while high doses (20 µM/L) decreased yield and commercial quality, but increased the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds and I on the fruits. Therefore, plant biofortification is an important technique to increase I concentrations in crops and produce functional foods with potential health benefits. Keywords: Cucumis melo; antioxidants; biostimulation; crop productivity; foliar fertilization

La caoba y el cedro son especies nativas de América Tropical y se consideran maderas preciosas tropicales más valiosas del mundo. Por lo que se han establecido plantaciones forestales a escala comercial, dándole un manejo silvícola sustentable, siendo la fertilización una de las prácticas más importantes. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el efecto de cuatro dosis de fertilización sobre el crecimiento de caoba y cedro en fase temprana en un suelo ácido de sabana, así como determinar la demanda nutrimental de NPK de cada especie. En el experimento se probaron ocho tratamientos de fertilización en las dos especies. Las variables estudiadas fueron altura total y diámetro del tallo, realizándose mediciones durante 10 meses. Para estimar la demanda nutrimental, se muestrearon cuatro árboles completos; y se determinó su concentración NPK en cada tejido (hoja, tallo y raíz). Los resultados muestran que el cedro presentó mayor crecimiento en altura y diámetro. La variable altura en la especie cedro, fue la que mostró diferencias estadísticas significativas, siendo el tratamiento 17-17-60 con las cantidades de 35 y 50 g con un incremento de 177 cm. La cantidad de nutriente de NPK que demandan ambas especies presentan una relación en el orden siguiente N>K>P. La mayor extracción de N, P y K la realiza el tallo y en menor cantidad la raíz. Y en el caso de la mayor concentración de nutriente se encuentra en las hojas. El cedro mostró mayor demanda nutrimental y mejor exploración de la rizósfera que la caoba.

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue analizar el alcance de la certificación del idioma Inglés EnglishScore del British Council en estudiantes de nivel superior de una institución pública del estado de Tabasco. El análisis realizado a través del proceso de certificación demuestra que la obtención de una certificación enfocada en la empleabilidad sirve para evaluar los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje obtenidos en la asignatura Inglés de los programas educativos de la institución académica. Asimismo, optimiza el proceso de empleabilidad del estudiante en sus áreas profesionales al dominar una segunda lengua y tener un documento aprobatorio de esta. De la misma forma, demuestra que el uso de la inteligencia artificial en certificaciones de idiomas a través de dispositivos móviles es efectivo y garantiza la fiabilidad de los resultados de acuerdo con los protocolos de monitoreo de seguridad remota que se emplean en la aplicación del instrumento de evaluación.

Purpose Evaluate the structural damage and the changes in the photosynthesis and transpiration rates of aquatic lirium leaves caused by ultrasound (US) irradiation in search of environmentally friendly methodologies for the control of this weed. Materials and methods Aquatic lirium plants were extracted from Xochimilco water canals in Mexico City. A part of the group of plants was selected for irradiation, and the rest formed the control group. The irradiation plants group was exposed to US irradiation of 17 kHz frequency and 30 W × 4 output power for 2 h, at noon and 25 °C room temperature. The structural analysis was done with a MOTICAM 1 digital camera, 800 × 600 pixels, incorporated into the MOTIC PSM-1000 optical microscope and edited with Motic Images Plus 2.0 ML software. The total stomata density and the damaged stomata density were determined by dividing the numbers of total and damaged stomata by the visual field area (67,917 mm2), respectively. The leaves’ photosynthesis and transpiration rates were measured using an LI-6400XT Portable Photosynthesis System. Results Significant damage was observed in the stomata and epidermal cells, finding that the average ratio between the damaged and total stomata densities as a function of time (days) showed an exponential increase described by a Box–Lucas equation with a saturation value near unity and a maximum rate of change of the density of damaged stomata on zero-day (immediately after irradiation), decreasing as the days go by. The transpiration rate showed a sudden increase during the first hour after irradiation, reaching a maximum of 36% of its value before irradiation. It then quickly fell during the next 6 days and more slowly until the 21st day, decreasing 79.9% of its value before irradiation. The photosynthetic rate showed similar behavior with a 37.7% maximum increment and a 73.6% minimum decrease of its value before irradiation. Conclusions The results of structural stomata damage on the ultrasound-irradiated aquatic lirium leaves are consistent with an excessive ultrasound stimulation on stomata’s mechanical operation by guard cells that produce the measured significant increase of the photosynthetic and transpiration rates during the first hour after irradiation. The initial high evaporation could alter the water potential gradient, with a possible generation of tensions in the xylem that could cause embolism in their conduits. The loss of xylem conductivity or hydraulic failure would be consistent with the observed significant fall in the photosynthesis and transpiration rates of the aquatic lirium leaves after its sudden rise in the first hour after irradiation.

This study examines high school student dropout and proposes a support tool that utilizes a neuro-fuzzy system to mitigate this issue. The system analyzes a student’s economic and social information through a human-machine interface, registering data to evaluate dropout risk levels. It is proposed as an innovative alternative and considered a development project that seeks to perform diagnostics without compromising current support mechanisms. The successful implementation of this proposal will result in tangible benefits, particularly when considering the student community in various regions of the State of Chiapas, specifically in vulnerable areas. The system yielded positive results, manifesting its stability and robustness in both design and implementation. This endeavor not only tackles the identified issue, but also functions as an efficacious and dependable mechanism for assessing and averting student attrition, thereby fortifying the education system in these locales.

The research that gave rise to this review article aimed to analyze the use of new technologies in SMEs as a consequence of the pandemic. For this, a narrative qualitative research was carried out the consequences within SMEs were observed from the confinement due to the pandemic and the use of digital technologies as a tool to innovate their operations, which led to the creation of entrepreneurship ecosystems and the change towards an innovative organizational culture willing to be at the level of Industry 4.0. It was concluded that, when an event occurs with a strong impact on entrepreneurs, information is really important; Those who investigated and took advantage of technological tools noticed incredible progress, as they managed to design more personalized services, reduced their costs, reached new markets and improved their competitiveness.

Bismuth titanate (BTO) nanoparticles were obtained by pulsed laser ablation in liquid media (PLAL). Distilled water, ethanol, isopropanol, and acetone were used as media for laser ablation experiments, in which the colloidal solutions were obtained. Laser ablation was carried out using the second harmonic and fundamental wavelength of a pulsed Nd:YAG laser (532 nm and 1064 nm, respectively) with laser fluences of 25 and 12 mJ/cm2, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy was utilized for morphological characterization. BTO nanoparticles obtained have spherical shapes with orthorhombic structure and the average size distribution depended on the liquid media nature. In alcohols, BTO NPs were spherical with a carbon layer around them. X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis absorption spectra, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to confirm the structural, optical, and elemental properties of the ablated products. The presented results show that PLAL is a viable technique for the synthesis of high-quality BTO nanoparticles with enhanced optical properties for possible applications in photocatalysis.

Tissue engineering has managed to revolutionize the transplantation and regenerative medicine, it is responsible for developing biomaterials to generate a promising approach for studying complex physiological processes in vitro. The design and application of biological systems evaluate a microfluidic platform based on organs physiology, modeling the nutrient distribution, and testing potential implants. The present investigation aims to design and characterize a biological system to simulate the microfluidic environment of the bone tissue. The system must provide the conditions for adequate cell regulation, to achieve this, adhesion, migration, proliferation, and differentiation are used, as well as the adequate delivery of bioactive factors such as growth and adhesion. A novel hydraulic circuit with radial flow and their components were designed in SolidWorks, then the pieces were calculated with the Navier-Stokes equations using ANSYS and COMSOL software, to have a laminar environment and their behavior using microfluidics and cells mimicking the bone structure. The components were generated by 3D printing and the additive stereolithography resin technique. According to the CFD simulations, it was found that the system had a media flow of 18.56 nl/s with the smallest pressure of 146.32 mPa our chamber is the optimum model for the bone cells. Our microfluidic system’s design shows the flow change can be used to follow the bone anatomy, which indicates an appropriate irrigation of nutrients for the cells. The proposed biological system has confirmed to be an adequate model for the bone tissue with a continuous irrigation of the media.

This work aims to contribute to studies on the geometric optimization of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) through a combination of the reduced variables technique and supervised machine learning. The architecture of the thermoelectric generators studied, one conventional and the other segmented, was determined by calculating the cross-sectional area and length of the legs, and applying reduced variables approximation. With the help of a supervised machine learning algorithm, the values of the thermoelectric properties were predicted, as were those of the maximum electrical power for the other temperature values. This characteristic was an advantage that allowed us to obtain approximate results for the electrical power, adjusting the design of the TEGs when experimental values were not known. The proposed method also made it possible to determine the optimal values of various parameters of the legs, which were the ratio of the cross-sectional areas (Ap/An), the length of the legs (l), and the space between the legs (H). Aspects such as temperature-dependent thermoelectric properties (Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity, and thermal conductivity) and the metallic bridge that connects the legs were considered in the calculations for the design of the TEGs, obtaining more realistic models. In the training phase, the algorithm received the parameter (H) and an operating temperature value as input data, to predict the corresponding value of the maximum power produced. This calculation was performed for conventional and segmented systems. Recent advances have opened up the possibility of applying an algorithm for designing conventional and segmented thermocouples based on the reduced variables approach and incorporating a supervised machine learning computational technique.

This work explores the novelty of achieving high photocatalytic efficiency and remarkable bactericidal activity with Al2O3-TiO2 coatings on perforated 304 stainless steel (SS) substrates, placed transversely along an airlift reactor of 0.980 L for wastewater treatment under visible light irradiation. The Al2O3-TiO2 coatings achieved methylene blue and total organic carbon (TOC) concentration reductions of 97.3 and 96.51%, respectively, in a wastewater sample with heterogeneous photocatalsis. The Al2O3-TiO2 coatings resulted in a 33.30% reduction in total and fecal coliforms and a remarkable 94.23% decrease in Salmonella spp. in the wastewater sample. XRD confirmed the TiO2 anatase–rutile phases and Al2O3 α-γ phases in the coating. The particle size distribution ranges from 100 to 500 nm, and the coating surface was homogeneous without cracks confirmed using SEM and AFM, respectively. The roughness and thickness of the coatings were 85 ± 5 nm and 250 ± 50 nm, respectively.

Objetivo: Analizar la competitividad del jitomate mexicano en el mercado de los Estados Unidos. Metodología: Se utilizó el índice de ventaja comparativa revelada normalizada, regresiones con estimadores robustos, se aplicó el filtro Hodrick-Prescott para extraer la tendencia y garantiza la no estacionalidad. Resultados: México mantiene la ventaja comparativa revelada en el mercado estadounidense, con una competitividad creciente y consistente a través del período analizado. Esta competitividad se ve fortalecida al pertenecer al Acuerdo comercial, al reforzar el proceso de exportación. Limitaciones: Se toma en cuenta un análisis bilateral México-Estados Unidos que, si bien da respuesta al objetivo de investigación planteado, propicia seguir indagando específicamente en la dinámica del mercado estadounidense debido a que se identifica una disminución en la proporción de mercado de a pesar del aumento sustancial de las exportaciones. Conclusiones: La estimación de la VCRN muestra que, para el período de estudio, el jitomate mexicano se ha posicionado en el mercado estadounidense, con una tendencia creciente; se aplicó el filtro Hodrick-Prescott para extraer la tendencia y asegurar la no estacionalidad de la VCRN, lo cual a su vez permitió un mejor ajuste en el modelo, la prueba F determinó que el modelo fue globalmente aceptado para explicar el fenómeno.

This article presents a technique to integrate two dynamical models, a four-wing spherical chaotic oscillator and the elliptical path described by the planet Earth during its translation movement around the sun. Four application cases are derived from the system by varying the dynamics of the chaotic oscillator and these can be applied in information encryption to transmit RGB and grayscale images modulated by CSK. Consequently, the three main contributions of this work are (1) the emulation of the trajectories of the planet Earth with chaotic interference, (2) the CSK modulation and image encryption in a master-slave synchronization topology, and (3) the CSK demodulation for decryption without loss of information with respect to the original information. The three contributions are based on VHDL code implementation. The results of the synchronization, encryption and decryption technique were verified by means of time series and the encrypted images showed a correlation less than − 0.000142 and − 0.0003439 for RGB and grayscale format, respectively, while the retrieved image shows a complete correlation with the image original. In this work, the co-simulations were performed between MATLAB/Simulink and Vivado, using the VHDL language on two FPGA boards from different manufacturers, namely, Xilinx Artix-7 AC701 and Intel Cyclone IV.