The Power and Politics of Art in Postrevolutionary Mexico

In the first sentence of her acknowledgements, Stephanie J. Smith admits that Power and Politics of Art in Postrevolutionary Mexico was the book she always wanted to write. Her compelling way of storytelling highlights her devotion and passion for this book, and she brings to life the interweaving of art and politics from the standpoint of members of Mexico’s Communist Party (PCM). Despite their small membership numbers, Smith argues that the artists and intellectuals that made up the organization were responsible in helping to influence Mexico’s political culture and cultural production from its founding in 191

Characterization of Triggerable Quinones for the Development of Enzyme-Responsive Liposomes

For decades, there has been a lot of focus on the development of new carriers for drug delivery applications. From all of the carriers, stimuli-responsive liposomes have been studied extensively, but only a handful have been enzyme-responsive liposomes. Therefore, the field of endogenous proteins as activators of liposomes is a fertile field worthy of exploration. The research described in this dissertation involves how structural changes on the quinone moiety altered their electronic properties, as well as their behavior toward the human enzyme NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase type-1 (hNQO1, over expressed in certain tumor tissues), thus yielding a series of triggerable quinones to be used in the formation of enzyme-activated liposomes. The step-wise process to achieve the ultimate research objective includes: (1) measurement by cyclic voltammetry of–the electronic properties of naked, propionic acid quinones and those attached to an ethanolamine handle, (2) detailed kinetics (Michaelis constant (Km), maximum velocity (Vmax), catalytic constant (kcat), enzyme efficiency (kcat/Km)) and computational docking studies for a series of quinone derivatives against hNQO1, and (3) preparation of quinone-based liposomes and evaluation in the presence of the different components included in an hNQO1 assay. Structural alterations on the quinone ring had an effect on their reduction behavior. Electrochemical studies exposed a trend in reduction potential; quinones with electron-withdrawing groups were easy to be reduced and the opposite happens to quinones with electron- donating groups. Enzyme and docking studies showed the different quinone responses obtained from the interaction of hNQO1 with structural-altered quinones. Liposome experiments provided all the obstacles that need to be overcome when designing an enzyme-responsive liposome system. The inclusion of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) or cholesterol decreased the leakage of contents from the liposome systems. Gathering all this information provided me a strong background on the fundamentals of structure-reactivity relationships between quinones and hNQO1 and their importance toward the design of a triggerable drug delivery system

Technical and economic feasibility of gradual concentric chambers reactor for sewage treatment in developing countries

A major challenge in developing countries concerning domestic wastewaters is to decrease their treatment costs. In the present study, a new cost-effective reactor called gradual concentric chambers (GCC) was designed and evaluated at lab-scale. The effluent quality of the GCC reactor was compared with that of an upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor. Both reactors showed organic matter removal efficiencies of 90%; however, the elimination of nitrogen was higher in the GCC reactor. The amount of biogas recovered in the GCC and the UASB systems was 50% and 75% of the theoretical amount expected, respectively, and both reactors showed a slightly higher methane production when the feed was supplemented with an additive based on vitamins and minerals. Overall, the economical analysis, the simplicity of design and the performance results revealed that the GCC technology can be of particular interest for sewage treatment in developing countries

Using Queer of Color Theory to Analyze Latinidad

Queer of Color Theory (QOCT) has emerged as a new field of study with the rise of LGBTQ+ visibility in the modern day political landscape. QOCT is an extended analysis of queer theory that explicitly and intentionally takes into account race, imperialism, and colonialism. Queer of color theory can be used to create or expand upon an already existing theory, and has roots in Black feminism. Using queer of color theory as a method of analysis, this essay discusses the black and indigenous erasure within the Latinidad movement and seeks to examine those who have been systemically left out of Latinidad narratives. Further, this essay speaks to the works of feminist scholar and author, Gloria Anzaldúa, hoping to both critique and build off of her ideas with regards to Latinidad and Mestizaje

Critical Phenomena in the Gravitational Collapse of Electromagnetic Dipole and Quadrupole Waves

We report on critical phenomena in the gravitational collapse of electromagnetic waves. Generalizing earlier results that focused on dipole electromagnetic waves, we here compare with quadrupole waves in axisymmetry. We perform numerical simulations of dipole and quadrupole wave initial data, fine-tuning both sets of data to the onset of black hole formation in order to study the critical solution and related critical phenomena. We observe that different multipole moments have different symmetries, indicating that the critical solution for electromagnetic waves cannot be unique, at least not globally. This is confirmed in our numerical simulations: while dipole data lead to a single center of collapse, at the center of symmetry, quadrupole data feature two separate centers of collapse on the symmetry axis, above and below the center of symmetry -- reminiscent of similar findings reported for critical collapse of vacuum gravitational waves. While the critical solution for neither the dipole nor the quadrupole data is exactly self-similar, we find that their approximate echoing periods appear to differ, as do the critical exponents. We discuss whether the centers of collapse found for dipole and quadrupole data might all have the same properties, which would suggest a ``local uniqueness of the critical solution. Instead, we provide some evidence -- including the differing echoing periods and critical exponents -- suggesting that the critical solutions are distinct even locally. We speculate on the implications of our findings for critical phenomena in the collapse of vacuum gravitational waves, which share with electromagnetic waves the absence of a spherically symmetric critical solution

Avances en Sistemas y Computación

Después de dos décadas de publicación masiva de contenidos digitales en la Web, ahora la comunidad científica se enfrenta al reto de aprovechar de forma fácil y eficiente toda la información valiosa disponible. Para ello entre otras estrategias se ha centralizado la producción académica en repositorios abiertos, los cuales representan la fuente de información de mejor calidad para el desarrollo de la educación y de la investigación científica pues en ellos se almacena todo tipo de documentos académicos sobre cualquier tema del conocimiento humano. En este trabajo se describe el software de licencia libre que permite la implementación de estos repositorios, haciendo un análisis comparativo de las herramientas de desarrollo disponibles, posteriormente se describe la situación actual de los repositorios abiertos en el mundo y finalmente se describe la situación de estos repositorios en Méxic

Competitividad local de la agricultura ornamental en México

Se muestran las características socioeconómicas y técnicas de la agricultura ornamental en las localidades de San Felipe y Buenavista, en el Estado de México, bajo un escenario de competencia y de libre mercado, además de analizar las cualidades y la influencia de esta actividad en el desarrollo local de la región.La floricultura es considerada como una actividad competitiva y vinculada con la economía global. Su práctica se limita a ciertas regiones, entre ellas el municipio de Villa Guerrero, Estado de México, cuyo potencial florícola radica en las características de los recursos naturales, así como en las condiciones sociales. Estas cualidades han favorecido la participación de las unidades de producción familiar en el mercado nacional y la ampliación de la oferta de empleo local y regional, así como el mejoramiento de los ingresos. Este trabajo muestra las características socioeconómicas y técnicas de la agricultura ornamental en las localidades de San Felipe y Buenavista, en el escenario económico de la competencia y del libre mercado

Nordic Built Cities Challenge Awards

FinalistaPostprint (published version