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With great satisfaction, we present the third issue of the thirtheen year of the ALCONPAT Journal.

The objective of Revista ALCONPAT (RA) is the publication of citable production (basic or applied research, and reviews), documentary research and case studies, related to the topics of our association, that is, quality control, pathology, and recovery of the constructions.

This V13 N3 edition begins with a work from Brazil, where Gabriela Legramanti and colleagues present the identification of defects as a routine activity in Pavement Management Systems (SGP) for decision-making regarding Maintenance and Rehabilitation (M&R). Traditional methods can be time consuming, disrupt traffic and cause accidents. In this study, pathologies on asphalt pavements were evaluated using three methods: walking, manual classification of images from a Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) and supervised classification. The manual classification resulted in an accuracy of 93.1%, compared to 32.7% for the supervised one. It is concluded that the RPA is adequate to evaluate pathologies in asphalt pavements, saving time and safety.

In the second work, from Argentina, Alberto Guzmán presents a work in which he evaluates how the variation in the water/cement ratio, the type of cement selected (CPP and CPF) influence the electrical resistivity of concrete, and the incorporation of a water repellent Cylindrical specimens were made on which the resistivity was evaluated using the Wenner probe method. Comparing the results obtained with the threshold values indicated in the literature, it is possible to understand the importance of limiting the maximum w/c ratio to 0.45 in the face of this degradation mechanism. On the other hand, the CPP cement turned out to be the one with the best performance, giving rise to higher resistivity results, while the incorporation of the water repellent had a null or counterproductive effect on said parameter.

The third paper in this issue is from Brazil, where Julia Giordani Berton, Luiz Carlos Pinto da Silva Filho, and colleagues present a procedure to promote internal curing as one of the strategies to reduce the shrinkage process of low-ratio high-strength concrete. water/cement. Various materials have been used as curing agents, such as porous materials, which must meet the minimum requirements defined by ASTM C1761. This research sought to contribute to the development of new ways to inhibit the degradation of reinforced concrete structures through the use of ceramic shell and expanded clay, used as internal curing agent in concrete subjected to the action of chlorides. Based on the results found, it is possible to verify that the selected aggregates, mainly the ceramic shell, contributed to the improvement of the mechanical properties and durability of the concretes under the evaluated conditions.

The fourth article, by Martin González Sandoval and María de la Luz Pérez Rea, comes from Mexico and shows an analysis of an expansive soil of Residencial Santa Fe, in the eastern zone of the city of Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico, in order to determine the annual period in which it is most convenient to start the self-construction of a social interest home. The mechanical properties of the soil (expansion pressure, angle of friction and cohesion) are determined by geotechnical tests to know the possible differential movements of the ground and thus avoid the short-term deficiencies that these houses suffer in our country, obtaining that the ideal period for construction it is October-March, otherwise, in the April-September period it is critical, so the foundations increase in cost.

The article that closes the issue is by José Manuel Mendoza Rangel and J. H. Díaz Aguilera from Mexico, who present conventional production models in the cement and concrete industry (ICC) in which they associate important environmental problems; on the other hand, there are emerging technologies that could reduce them. However, the multidimensional approach of the circular economy is required to guide sustainable development in a lasting manner, modeling the life cycle from design to final disposal to optimize the value-environmental impact relationship, since only a circular industrial economy, resilient and proactive it can meet the sustainable development goals of the 2030 agenda (UN) or the goal of zero emissions. This work presents general concepts of circular economy, as well as an analysis of alternatives and applicability in order to raise awareness among ICC actors in Latin America.

It is important to mention that the ONCyTS of Brazil and Mexico have kept Revista Alconpat in their indexes of Quality Scientific Journals. In particular, in Mexico, the Alconpat Journal has been consolidated at an international level and the National System of Researchers (SNI) already considers it as a valid product for the promotion and permanence of its members. This has been a great achievement, the product of everyone's efforts, authors, reviewers and editorial committee. Similarly, it is important to mention that Revista Alconpat already belongs to the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), which is a definitive step to apply to new indexes. Alconpat is also making a significant financial investment so that all its issues are being marked in XML-Jats so that it can be evaluated in more prestigious indexes. Congratulations and our thanks to all.

We are sure that the articles in this issue will constitute an important reference for those readers involved with questions of evaluation and characterization of materials, elements and structures. We thank the authors participating in this issue for their willingness and effort to present quality articles and meet the established deadlines.

We invite you to collaborate by submitting articles for our next special issue (RA V14 N1): “Combined binders for sustainable and durable concrete”, where Dr. Ravindra Gettu (India) and Dr. Yuvaraj Dhandapani (England) will be the Guest Editors.

At the close of issue V13 N3, 2023, 13 years after having started operations, our performance as Alconpat Journal was finally rewarded with our inclusion in one of the two best indexes for journals such as Elsevier's Scopus. Our Scopus membership has its historic beginning on December 29, 2022, the date on which we received approval from Elsevier. This is one more reason for celebration for our community that has made a scientific investment in our journal waiting for moments like this. Congratulations to all.

On behalf of the Editorial Board

Pedro Castro Borges

Editor in Chief