“Mexico half way of making”: Carlos Chávez and the foundation of the National Institute of Fine Arts (INBA) (1945-1947)

Ana Garduño (2023, [Artículo, Artículo])

I am focusing on the interaction between a cultural agent, Carlos Chávez, and the government elite, related to the circumstances of the enunciation of a public and official organism, INBA (The National Institute of Fine Arts), because I assume that political relations are fundamental to understand a process that endorsed the official culture as an appendage of politics. In spite of its relevance, this subject has not been studied. Based on archival documentation (at the National Archive of Mexico and the archive of INBA) I am examining the cultural policies derived from the foundation of INBA. Due to the current pandemic situation, it was not possible to consult other documental sources. I am formulating that the concept of “high culture” was at the core of a wider conflict between governmental interests and those of representative social actors, and I conclude that this obstacle would have conferred a major political and symbolical importance to the Institute, and consequently, would restrict its budget.

Carlos Chávez INBA Agentes culturales Políticas institucionales Centralización artística HUMANIDADES Y CIENCIAS DE LA CONDUCTA HUMANIDADES Y CIENCIAS DE LA CONDUCTA Foundation of the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico (INBA), Cultural agents Institutional policies Artistic centralization

Study of modal coupling in tapered optical fibers

LUIS ALEJANDRO HERRERA PIAD (2019, [Tesis de doctorado])

La comunicación por fibra óptica es una forma de transmitir información mediante el envío de pulsos de luz a través de una fibra óptica. Desarrollados por primera vez en la década de los 70s, los sistemas de comunicación de fibra óptica han revolucionado la industria debido a sus ventajas sobre la transmisión eléctrica. Las tecnologías de telecomunicaciones y láseres se han relacionado recientemente con fibras de pocos modos, de área modal grande y multimodo. Más específicamente, se han propuesto linternas fotónicas, combinadores de fuentes y fibras multimodo para láseres de alta potencia y comunicaciones. Otro dispositivo que se usa frecuentemente en los láseres, sensores y otras sistemas de comunicaciones es la fibra óptica cónica o estrechada. Fue necesario maximizar la potencia óptica recolectada en una guía de onda desde el campo de difracción de un láser semiconductor; por lo tanto, la técnica de mapeo permitió la remodelación del campo capturado en el modo fundamental de la guía de onda de salida. Además, los sensores de fibra estrechada son capaces de medir diversas variables como índice de refracción, tensión, campo magnético, temperatura y señales acústicas. En comparación con las estructuras de fibra convencionales, las fibras ópticas estrechadas pueden proporcionar una serie de características útiles como un gran campo evanescente, capacidad de confinamiento, diámetro a pequeña escala y generación de supercontinuo, entre muchas otras. En este trabajo se propone una investigación sobre la interacción modal en fibras ópticas estrechadas para observar este dispositivo bajo diversos cambios físicos con el objetivo de proponer la geometría óptima que se implementará en las aplicaciones de detección y láseres de nuestro laboratorio.

CIS- Doctorado en Ingeniería Eléctrica INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA Fibra óptica Óptica Física Tapered optical fibers Modal coupling

Farmers’ perspectives as determinants for adoption of conservation agriculture practices in Indo-Gangetic Plains of India

Ajay Kumar Mishra ML JAT (2022, [Artículo])

Understanding the farmer's perspective has traditionally been critical to influencing the adoption and out-scaling of CA-based climate-resilient practices. The objective of this study was to investigate the biophysical, socio-economic, and technical constraints in the adoption of CA by farmers in the Western- and Eastern-IGP, i.e., Karnal, Haryana, and Samastipur, Bihar, respectively. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was administered to 50 households practicing CA in Western- and Eastern-IGP. Smallholder farmers (<2 ha of landholding) in Karnal are 10% and Samastipur 66%. About 46% and 8% of households test soil periodically in Karnal and Samastipur, respectively. Results of PCA suggest economic profitability and soil health as core components from the farmer's motivational perspective in Karnal and Samastipur, respectively. Promotion and scaling up of CA technologies should be targeted per site-specific requirements, emphasizing biophysical resource availability, socio-economic constraints, and future impacts of such technology.

Smallholder Farmers Agents of Change Technology Diffusion Climate-Smart Practices CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA SMALLHOLDERS SOCIAL STRUCTURE IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE

Optimization of the alkali-silane treatment of agave lechuguilla fibers (ixtle) for potential reinforcement in polymeric composites

NOEMI JARDON MAXIMINO MARIAMNE DEHONOR GOMEZ Rolando Villa Moreno MARIA DOLORES BAEZA ALVARADO Luis Edmundo Lugo Uribe (2023, [Artículo])

Reinforced polymeric composites with natural fibers have garnered significant interest in recent years due to the need for biomass utilization and the requirements of various industries, such as automotive and construction. Among these natural fibers, Agave lechuguilla fiber, commonly known as ixtle (FIx) or Tampico fiber, exhibits important characteristics such as length, high strength, and durability. However, there is limited literature on its conditioning, functionalization, and utilization as a reinforcing material in polymeric composites (CP). This study presents the optimization of the alkali-silane treatment of FIx, identifying the most suitable reaction conditions to enhance their thermal stability, tensile strength, and silane coupling agent (ACSi) grafting on the fiber surface. The chemical treatment with ACSi proved highly effective, resulting in a significant grafting content, which was confirmed through FTIR and SEM–EDS analyses. The high level of functionalization did not compromise the mechanical performance of the fibers, suggesting that functionalized FIx holds great potential as a reinforcing material in CP. These findings open new paths for the sustainable use of Agave lechuguilla fibers, contributing to the development of environmentally friendly and high-performance polymeric composites in various industrial applications.

This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Fibers for Advanced Materials: Addressing Challenges).

Supplementary materials: The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/fib11100086/s1, Figure S1: Optical microscope image of ixtle fibers at a magnification of 50 (a) untreated and (b) alkaline treated (FIx-5); Table S1: FTIR signal assignment for alkaline treated FIx; Table S2: FTIR Signal assignment for silane treated FIx.

Author contributions: Conceptualization, N.J.-M. and L.E.L.U.; methodology, N.J.-M., M.D.G., R.V.M., M.D.B.-A. and L.E.L.U.; validation, N.J.-M. and L.E.L.U.; formal analysis, N.J.-M., M.D.G. and L.E.L.U.; investigation, N.J.-M. and L.E.L.U.; data curation, N.J.-M., M.D.G., R.V.M. and M.D.B.-A.; writing—original draft preparation, N.J.-M. and L.E.L.U.; writing—review and editing, N.J.-M., M.D.G., R.V.M., M.D.B.-A. and L.E.L.U.; visualization, N.J.-M., M.D.G. and L.E.L.U.; supervision, L.E.L.U.; project administration, N.J.-M. and L.E.L.U.; funding acquisition, N.J.-M. and L.E.L.U. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding: This research was funded by CONAHCYT, “Estancias postdoctorales por México”, grant umber CVU425480.

Data availability statement: Data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and upon request from the corresponding author.

Acknowledgments: The authors express their gratitude towards Rene Diaz Rebollar and Jazmin Gomez Sara for their technical assistance in conducting the chemical reactions presented in this current study. Additionally, the assistance provided by Luis Alberto Caceres Diaz in the execution of XRD analyses is also acknowledged. Furthermore, N.J.M. extends sincere recognition to CIATEQ A.C. for their provision of essential resources and infrastructure crucial to the advancement of this research. The support rendered by CONAHCYT through the “Estancias postdoctorales por México” program is also gratefully acknowledged, as it has contributed financial backing to the project. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Agave lechuguilla Natural fiber Silane coupling agent INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS ESPECIALIDADES TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS OTRAS