El Acuerdo del Pacífico, un Nuevo Horizonte para la Integración Americana

Carlos Alfonso Macías Valadez Elias 부산외국어대학교 이베로아메리카연구소 2011 이베로아메리카 Vol.13 No.2

Several attempts aimed at integrating the Americas have emerged since the independence movements in this continent until these current times. Nevertheless, these efforts have been, somehow, scarce and fruitless. Thus, nowadays the integration level in the American Continent is, relatively, meager if it is taken into account the outstanding evolution of the European amalgamation. Undoubtedly, in this current globalization dynamic, the economic integration has been the most viable, pragmatic and convenient kind of integration for the nations around the world. Due to the previously stated, it has been pursued by most of the countries in recent decades. In this regard, it could be argued that this kind of alliances has been successfully achieved at a sub-regional level in the Americas, mentioning blocs such as: Andean Community of Nations, MERCOSUR and NAFTA. Notwithstanding, the proposals aimed at achieving a hemispherical economic integration, such as ALCA or ALBA, have been unsuccessful. However, finally after a tough evolutionary process, it has emerged an encouraging agreement that will change the course of history in the Americas: Acuerdo del Pacífico. This aforementioned treatment, signed on 28th April 2011, not only establishes a common market among Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru; but also, at the same time, traces a new path for the American integration. Throughout this academic research, the origins and development of Acuerdo del Pacífico shall be deeply analyzed, as well as the existing connections and implications among this agreement, ALBA and ALCA.

Handmade virtual messages to promote foreign fashion brands in Instagram

Macías-Mañas María Dolores,Vila-López Natalia,Küster-Boluda Inés 한국마케팅과학회 2024 Journal of Global Fashion Marketing Vol.15 No.2

The purpose of this paper is to assess whether a handmade message communicated on the social media network can enhance brand love to a handmade fashion brand and how brand love can lead to different consumer responses including enhanced perceived country of origin image of the brand, higher social media engagement and increased purchase intention towards the brand. An experimental online design was used to measure the effect of handmade product descriptor cues in an Instagram post, which generated 287 valid responses. The data was analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS). The results mainly support the model by confirming that positive attitudes to handmade fashion products enhances brand love. The study’s findings also suggest positive associations between brand love and macro- country image, social media engagement and purchase intention. Social media engagement and micro-country image were also found as antecedents of purchase intention. This research adds further insights in the study of brand love towards international fashion brands considering the role that social media and the use of handmade product descriptor cues play in the international promotion of Spanish Fashion Small Medium Enterprises.

A home-based exercise program for temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis: pain, functionality, and joint structure

Salvador Israel Macías-Hernández,Juan Daniel Morones-Alba,Irene Tapia-Ferrusco,Oscar Benjamín Vélez-Gutiérrez,Cristina Hernández-Diaz,Tania Inés Nava-Bringas,Eva Cruz-Medina,Lya Contreras-del Toro,Ma. 대한구강악안면외과학회 2022 대한구강악안면외과학회지 Vol.48 No.1

Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent and disabling joint disease in the world. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) exercise is a widely used treatment and could be a beneficial and long-term tool for treating TMJ OA. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of therapeutic exercise in the conservative treatment of TMJ OA. Materials and Methods: A single-group experimental pre-post test was performed. We included patients who met the diagnostic criteria for TMJ OA. Outcome variables were pain intensity (visual analogue scale), functionality (Helkimo index), and structural changes (ultrasound). Follow-up peri-ods were at months 1, 3, and 6. The intervention included a home-based program with thermotherapy, manual therapy, and therapeutic exercise during the entire follow-up period. Results: We included 15 patients and 26 joints, all women with a median age of 57 years (range, 49-62 years). Median change in pain intensity on joint palpation, mouth opening, and at rest at the first month was 47.5 mm, 51 mm, and 60 mm, respectively, and 48 mm, 49.5 mm, and 42.5 mm, at six months (P=0.001). The Helkimo index showed significant improvement in medians from baseline severe dysfunction (17 points) to minimal dys-function at three and six months (2 points) (P=0.001). Ultrasound showed improved disc position. Conclusion: This study demonstrated significant improvements in pain, function, and joint disc position and represents a valuable tool for the long-term treatment of patients with TMJ OA.

Water-based Tai Chi : theoretical benefits in musculoskeletal diseases. Current evidence

Salvador Israel Macías-Hernández,Lucio Vázquez-Torres,Juan Daniel Morones-Alba,Roberto Coronado-Zarco,María de los Angeles Soria-Bastida,Eva Cruz-Medina,Tania Inés Nava-Bringas 한국운동재활학회 2015 JER Vol.11 No.3

“Sin maíz, no hay país” - Una falacia del campo mexicano

Carlos Alfonso Macías Valadez Elias 한국외국어대학교 중남미연구소 2011 중남미연구 Vol.30 No.2

Undoubtedly, throughout the ages, the corn has been present in the development of the Mexican society. In this regard, the cultivation of this product has had a special importance due to the fact that it is the base of the alimentary diet of this nation since its origins, just as in these modern times. Due to the previously stated argument, the farming of this cereal has been determining for the development of the Mexican agricultural sector. Unfortunately, during the last decade, the farmers of this country began to realize that they were immersed in a deep crisis. The poverty, the low productivity and the poor profitability of the sector, gradually and inevitably, started to be disclosed. The farmers’ situation was worsening progressively. They did not expect that the future could be worse until they found out that one of their biggest fears was about to come: the free entrance of the American corn. In this regard, they know that it is impossible to compete against the American corn producers due to their huge production systems, high quality and low costs. According to what was originally stipulated in the NAFTA, on 1st January 2008, the agricultural tariffs of basic products, such as corn, bean, cane sugar and milk, would be removed, allowing the free trade of them among Canada, Mexico and the United States. The Mexican farmers firmly opposed to this measure arguing that without corn production in the country, the national agricultural sector would be seriously affected. Due to this reason, on that date, thousands of Mexican agriculturists throughout the whole country demonstrated against the abovementioned implementation of NAFTA under the slogan “without corn, there is no country.” Throughout this research the aforementioned statement shall be deeply examined in order to determine objectively its veracity.

Proposal and Evaluation of a Telerehabilitation Platform Designed for Patients With Partial Rotator Cuff Tears: A Preliminary Study

Salvador Israel Macías-Hernández,Diana Sureima Vásquez-Sotelo,Marco Vinicio Ferruzca-Navarro,Susana Hazel Badillo Sánchez,Josefina Gutiérrez-Martínez,Marco Antonio Núñez-Gaona,Heriberto Aguirre-Menese 대한재활의학회 2016 Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine Vol.40 No.4

Objective To propose and evaluate the effectiveness of a telerehabilitation platform designed for patients with rotator cuff (RC) tears. Methods During the first study phase, a virtual service platform that included information on RC tear pathology, joint care, and a series of instructions regarding therapeutic exercise was designed and created. Subsequently, in the clinical phase, a quasi-experimental study was performed. The platform was tested on patients and evaluated at baseline and at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months with respect to their pain levels and functionality on the Constant-Murley (CM) scale. Results Eleven patients were included, 5 women and 6 men, with a median age of 55 years (range, 42–68 years). Pain diminished from a baseline value of 64 mm (range, 40–80 mm) to 16 mm (range, 0–30 mm) at 6 months (p<0.001). Points on the CM scale rose from a baseline value of 54 points (range, 51–66 points) to 85 points (range, 70–100 points) at 6 months (p=0.001). Functionality in daily living and work activities, movement, and strength exhibited significant changes at 6 months (p<0.05). Conclusion Significant changes were observed in pain and functionality in this group of participants who used a telerehabilitation platform. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that included a specific program for RC tears.

Development of Optimal Nanocrystalline Absorption Layer for Thin Film Silicon Solar Cell Applications

C. Álvarez-Macías,J. D. Escobar-Carrasquilla,A. Dutt,E. Mon-Pérez,L. González,G. Santana 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2017 NANO Vol.12 No.11

To obtain an optimum absorption layer based on hydrogenated polymorphous and nanocrystalline silicon thin films in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, radio frequency (RF) power was varied from 25W to 100W using a mixture of dichlorosilane and hydrogen. By Raman spectroscopy, the crystalline fraction was found to be varied from 7% to 69%, and RF power value of 75W was found to be suitable with an appropriate mixture of amorphous and crystalline phases, respectively. Thickness measurements performed by profilometry were cross-checked with the value obtained from the cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy micrographs. Micrographs obtained using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of silicon nanocrystals in the range of 2–5 nm with a strong probability of confinement effect. B and gap value of 1.55 eV at 75W upheld the suitability of this particular RF power for active absorption layer, which has also shown maximum photosensitivity.

Desarrollo comunitario de sitio ecoturístico en cascada de Tamul

Carlos Alfonso Macías Valadez Elias 한국외국어대학교 중남미연구소 2023 중남미연구 Vol.42 No.4

Ciertamente, el modelo de desarrollo capitalista produjo un rápido crecimiento económico del que solo unos pocos se beneficiaron. Sin embargo, por otro lado, también causó muchos problemas sociales y devastación ambiental. A fin de contrarrestar estos impactos negativos, en las últimas décadas se ha producido una transición de este modelo al desarrollo sostenible. El surgimiento de este nuevo paradigma ha fomentado el ecoturismo, el cual también promueve el equilibrio entre la economía, la sociedad y el medio ambiente. Dado lo anterior, los proyectos ecoturísticos están ganando relevancia mundial en la actualidad. Al respecto, uno de ellos ha sido identificado en un pequeño poblado rural mexicano donde la comunidad está tratando de desarrollar un atractivo ecoturístico en un salto de agua conocido como cascada de Tamul. Empero, debido a la evolución relativamente reciente de este proyecto y su falta de orientación profesional, no se ha desarrollado completamente. En esta línea, es necesario diseñar estrategias adecuadas para aprovechar su potencial de manera pragmática, de modo que se pueda garantizar su sustentabilidad en miras de lograr el progreso y el bienestar integral de la localidad. Este objetivo es el que marca el devenir del presente estudio. Certainly, the capitalist development model produced rapid economic growth from which only a few benefited. However, on the other hand, it also caused many social problems and environmental devastation. In order to counteract these negative impacts, in recent decades there has been a transition from this model to sustainable development. The rise of this new paradigm has fostered ecotourism, which also promotes a balance among the economy, the society and the environment. Due to the above, ecotourist projects are currently gaining global relevance. In this regard, one of them has been identified in a small Mexican rural town where the community is trying to develop an ecotourist attraction in a cascade known as Tamul waterfall. Nevertheless, due to relatively recent evolution of this project and its lack of professional direction, it has not been fully developed. In this line, it is necessary to design appropriate strategies to take advantage of its potential in a pragmatic way, so its sustainability can be guaranteed in order to achieve progress and comprehensive well-being in the locality. This aim leads the development of this study.

Implicaciones del Reconocimiento del Origen de Samsung y LG en México

Carlos Alfonso Macías Valadez Elias 한국외국어대학교 중남미연구소 2012 중남미연구 Vol.31 No.3

At this point of the current globalized era, the human being has been encircled from all sides by products and services coming from every corner of our planet. This fact has appeared as a result of globalization dynamics, which progressively have been interconnecting people all around the world opening frontiers, narrowing understanding among nations and strengthening human ties. Likewise, this globalized period has been fed by the contemporary fierce competition of multinational companies that look for opportunities in the global market to expand their business which, in turn, will allow them not only to develop and grow, but also to survive in this capitalist global economy engendered by liberalism. Nowadays, the global consumers’ decision‐making process has become more complex than before, taking into account the new variables added by this globalized times such as country of origin, brand, country image, etc. Every single detail matters for the delicate and exigent modern consumers; likewise a single detail could be either the key of success or the key of failure for every multinational enterprise. In this sense, marketing specialists have analyzed exhaustively in last decades the country of origin effect and the impact of brand perception on global consumers. Nevertheless, there is still too much to say about the influence in the global market of brand origin, which is closely related to the concept of country image. Thus, in order to deepen in this topic, the case of Samsung and LG in the Mexican market will be analyzed in this investigation. These Korean companies, related as it is well known to the production and trade of electronic devices, have successfully expanded their business in Mexico in recent decades. However, people of this country ignore the real origin of the abovementioned brands. Presumably, the Mexican consumers’ perception about Samsung and LG products and Korean electronics would change, in case this market realizes the genuine origin of these multinationals. Throughout this research these implications shall be deeply examined.

La Crisis del Sector Agrícola Mexicano - Una Realidad Señalada, Ignorada y Ocultada

Carlos Alfonso Macías Valadez Elias 한국외국어대학교 중남미연구소 2009 중남미연구 Vol.28 No.1

Nowadays, unquestionably, the Mexican agricultural sector is going through an unprecedented crisis. The factors that define the abovementioned crisis are: a decrease in the agricultural production per capita; a gradual increase in the alimentary dependency; poverty in the agricultural sector; farmers’ emigration; abandonment of agricultural lands; and low productivity. In this regard, some experts in the field have argued that this crisis has reached alarming levels in the country. Likewise, Mexican farmers are going through difficult times due to the fact that they have difficulties making a decent living out of the cultivation of their lands. Concurrently, the Mexican authorities do not recognize the seriousness of the problem, which impedes their action in taking the necessary measures to overcome the situation. In this sense, while the mentioned crisis becomes an ignored reality for some, it is pointed out by others and even hidden by a few. In the meantime the crisis is expanding gradually and the infertile and abandoned Mexican agricultural sector demands a structural reform to survive. However, above all the first step to overcome this crisis will be to recognize it.