Land suitability analysis using geographic information systems (GIS) is one of the most widely used method today. In this type of studies, GIS and geo-spatial statistical tools are used to evaluate land units and present the results in suitability maps. The present work aims to characterize the suitability of soils in the province of Catamarca for pecan nut production according to the variables: rockiness, salinity, risk of water-logging, depth, texture and drainage described in the Soil Map of Argentina at a scale of 1:500,000 published by the National Institute of Agricultural Technology. A classification of the suitability of the soil cartographic units was made according to crop requirements, applying the methodology proposed by FAO. The standardization of variables made by omega score and the calculation of the spatial classification score were carried out as a result of the synthesis of the spatial distribution of soil suitability. The applied methodology allowed obtaining the soil suitability map resulting in a total of 60,662 km² suitable for pecan nut production, which accounts for 59.8% of the total area of the province.

In this study, robust and defect-free thin film composite (TFC) forward osmosis (FO) membranes have been successfully fabricated using ceramic hollow fibers as the substrate. Polydopamine (PDA) coating under controlled conditions is effective in reducing the surface pores of the substrate and making the substrate smooth enough for interfacial polymerization. The pure water permeability (A), solute permeability (B), and structural parameter (S) of the resultant FO membrane are 0.854 L·m^–2·h⁻¹·bar⁻¹ (LMH/Bar), 0.186 L·m^–2·h⁻¹ (LMH), and 1720 µm, respectively. The water flux and reverse draw solute flux are measured using NaCl and proprietary ferric sodium citrate (FeNaCA) draw solutions at low and high osmotic pressure ranges. As the osmotic pressure increases, a higher water flux is obtained, but its increase is not directly proportional to the increase in the osmotic pressure. At the membrane surface, the effect of dilutive concentration polarization is much less serious for FeNaCA-draw solutions. At an osmotic pressure of 89.6 bar, the developed TFC membrane generates water fluxes of 11.5 and 30.0 LMH using NaCl and synthesized FeNaCA draw solutions. The corresponding reverse draw solute flux is 7.0 g·m^–2·h⁻¹ (gMH) for NaCl draw solution, but it is not detectable for FeNaCA draw solution. This means that the developed TFC FO membranes are defect-free and their surface pores are at the molecular level. The performance of the developed TFC FO membranes is also demonstrated for the enrichment of BSA protein.

The detection of urban expansion through digital processing of satellite images provides valuable information for understanding the dynamics of land use change and its spatial relationship with environmental factors. In order to apply or generate effective land-use planning policies, it is essential to have a historical record of the regional distribution of human settlements, an element that is practically non-existent in our country. For this reason, this text aims to determine the urban growth rate during the period 2000–2014 in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico, and to identify potential expansion zones from Landsat images. Six Landsat scenes were used for the spatial analysis of the state urban coverage and their relationship with the road influence area was evaluated. Two maps were obtained as cartographic products: one of urban coverage distribution and another of the municipalities with the greatest expansion, whose areas are located in the Valle del Mezquital region. However, Mineral de la Reforma, Tetepango, Tizayuca and Pachuca de Soto stand out for their growth rates during the study period: 183.44%, 102%, 94% and 68.5%, respectively. In total, the state urban area in-creased 72.3 km² from 2000 to 2014 with an average growth rate of 1.8% per year. Such growth was associated with the areas of influence of important road infrastructure, such as the Libramiento Arco Norte in Hidalgo. Therefore, the Mezquital Valley and the Mexico Basin are considered as potential regions for urban expansion in the state.

This work presents the evaluation of iron oxide nanoparticles obtained from the aqueous extract of Eucalyptus grandis. Twenty-three experiments were carried out where the synthesis of nanoparticles was performed by using the aqueous extract together with salts of iron (II) chloride tetrahydrate and iron (III) chloride hexahydrate. A characterization was carried out by IR, TEM and BET, where bands were presented at 3,440.77, 1,559.26 and 445.31 cm⁻¹, indicating the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles. A relatively high monodispersity was evidenced with particles around 9 nm. By means of BET analysis it was found to present a surface area of 131.897 m²/g. Obtaining nanoparticles by this green method presents yield values of 98%, with application in nanotechnology, biomedicine, environmental treatment, among others, making them highly versatile and their production cost is relatively low.

The purpose of this work is to present the model of a Parabolic Trough Solar Collector (PTC) using the Finite Element Method to predict the thermal behavior of the working fluid along the collector receiver tube. The thermal efficiency is estimated based on the governing equations involved in the heat transfer processes. To validate the model results, a thermal simulation of the fluid was performed using Solidworks software. The maximum error obtained from the comparison of the modeling with the simulation was 7.6% at a flow rate of 1 L/min. According to the results obtained from the statistical errors, the method can effectively predict the fluid temperature at high flow rates. The developed model can be useful as a design tool, in the optimization of the time spent in the simulations generated by the software and in the minimization of the manufacturing costs related to Parabolic Trough Solar Collectors.

This work evaluates the physical and physical-chemical parameters of the strawberry variety “Festival”, obtained in the soil and climate conditions of Humpata, Huila Province, Angola, following the transformation into sweet of adequate quality. The analyses made were: the mass determined on an analytical balance and the transversal and longitudinal diameters with a pachymeter. Other analyses were: total titratable acidity by volumetry, pH by potentiometry, total soluble solids by refractometry, moisture and ash by gravimetry. The study showed that the pH of the pulp was 3.41; and in the candy it was 3.31. The titratable acidity in the strawberry pulp had a value of 0.186 g/100 mL and in the jam 0.096 g/100 mL; the ascorbic acid content in the pulp was 18.60 mg∕100 g. The average soluble solids content in the pulp was 9.51 °Brix and for the jam 68.83 °Brix. These chemical characteristics of the pulp and jam provide information about their nutritional values.