The National Technological Institute of Mexico (in Spanish: Tecnológico Nacional de México, TNM) is a Mexican public university system created on 23 July 2014 by presidential decree. At the time of its foundation, the Institute incorporated the 263 former Institutes of Technology that had been created since 1948; first under the patronage of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) and, since 1959, directly dependent of the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP).
Low-temperature direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs) represent a pivotal shift toward clean and sustainable mobile power for portable electronics, yet the widespread adoption of current commercial Platinum-based electrodes remains hindered by prohibitive costs and the persistent challenge of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, particularly during the Methanol Oxidation Reaction (MOR). While alkaline media can improve kinetics, performance is often limited by slow OH- adsorption and intermediate accumulation. This study evaluates an innovative, green synthesis of Pt, Pd, and PtxPd(10-x) nanomaterials supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), using amphiphilic lignin extracted from corn cob waste as a stabilizer, and compares it with a conventional stabilizer, such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The results confirm the formation of a face-centered cubic (fcc) solid solution. Lignin-stabilized catalysts achieved small average particle sizes (2.40 +/- 0.6 nm and 3.40 +/- 0.6 nm), with the Pt3Pd7-lignin/MWCNTs system exhibiting smaller particles and a higher electrochemical surface area (ECSA) of 151.91 m2 g(-1) compared to its counterparts. Additionally, it displayed a higher mass activity (881.20 mAmg(-1)PtPd) than the Pt7Pd3-lignin/MWCNTs system (860.18 mAmg(PtPd)(1)). Electrochemical tests demonstrate that the Pt3Pd7-lignin system offers superior catalytic activity and poisoning tolerance, attributed to the hydroxyl groups in lignin facilitating methanol access to active sites. Ultimately, these results confirm that repurposing lignin as a stabilizer is not only a sustainable green chemistry solution but a highperformance pathway for developing next-generation electrode materials for methanol electro-oxidation.
Cyclone separators (CySep) receive special attention due to the collection of powder matter that benefits different industries by preventing loss of product and pollution, where the food industry represents an outstanding case. A tangential-descendent-ascendent flow pattern characterizes the internal flow that suffers a high swirl behavior, secondary flows, and considerable turbulence effects. These elements affect the powder collection efficiency of CySep and depend on their geometric design. Thus, the research of CySep has pretended to predict the flow patterns in order to enhance the powder collection efficiency for a wide range of particle sizes. This study describes the remarkable experimental and theoretical approaches, such as the application of CFD, to improve the efficiency of CySep and motivate its application in foods.
In this work, we develop a three-dimensional thermoelectric (TE) numerical model of a commercial 127-thermocouple TEG, incorporating the temperature-dependent Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity, and thermal conductivity. The model is validated against manufacturer data, achieving average errors below 5% in internal resistance, voltage, current, and power output. Using this validated model, we propose a hybrid TEG composed of Bi2Te3, PbTe, and skutterudite legs electrically connected in series. This multi-material configuration enables each leg to operate near its optimal hot-side temperature, extending the usable temperature range beyond that of conventional Bi2Te3 modules. Multiple uniform and non-uniform hot-side thermal boundary configurations are examined, including diagonal, rectangular, and cavity-inspired arched thermal regions. Under uniform hot-side temperatures (200 degrees C and 230 degrees C), the commercial Bi2Te3 module outperforms the hybrid material design. However, when non-uniform hot-side boundary conditions align with the material-specific optimal temperature ranges, the hybrid TEG delivers up to 17.37 W (Case F), representing a 135.3% increase in power relative to the commercial module. The highest-temperature cases exceed the thermal operating limits of Bi2Te3 modules, demonstrating the advantage of hybrid material TEGs.
Bone scaffolds must provide mechanical stability while maintaining an optimized porous structure. In this study, the mechanical performance of polymeric scaffolds designed for additive manufacturing was evaluated using FEM, combined with a multifactorial design. Three-dimensional scaffolds designed from polymers, ABS, PLA UHMWPE, and PEEK, were analyzed considering scaffold length (5–6 mm) and pore diameter (0.4–0.8 mm) under a compressive load of 750 N. Statistical analysis showed that pore diameter significantly influenced displacement and strain. The regression models exhibited high predictive capability. The configuration of 6 mm length and 0.4 mm pore diameter provided the highest mechanical stability.
The conversion of tropical forests into anthropogenic habitats changes the environmental quality, affecting the structure of ecological assemblages. By the assessment of alpha taxonomic diversity, key information on ecosystem stability and resilience can be provided regarding the conversion of natural habitats to anthropogenic ones. This study analyzed the effects of land use change in agricultural landscapes on dung beetle assemblages in the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico). The species composition (species distribution and its abundances) and taxonomic diversity (Hill numbers) of dung beetles were estimated in five habitats: seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF), tree plantation, moringa, banana, and mango plantations. A total of 5,607 dung beetles belonging to 17 species were recorded. The species richness did not differ among the habitat types, however SDTF had a lower number of abundant species compared to tree and mango plantations. Also, SDTF and mango plantations had fewer dominant species compared to the other habitats. The high dung beetle diversity in all studied habitats indicates that the plantations and conserved SDTF may be acting synergistically to sustain dung beetle gamma diversity.
