Effect of correlated building blockages on the ergodic capacity of mmWave systems in urban scenarios

The millimeter waves (mmWave) bands, considered to support the forthcoming generation of mobile communications technologies, have a well-known vulnerability to blockages. Recentworks in the literature analyze the blockage probability considering independence or correlation among the blocking elements of the different links. In this letter, we characterize the effect of blockages and their correlation on the ergodic capacity. We carry out the analysis for urban scenarios, where the considered blocking elements are buildings that are primarily parallel to the streets.We also present numerical simulations based on actual building features of the city of Chicago to validate the obtained expressions.This work was supported by Agencia Estatal De Investigación, Ministerio De Ciencia e Innovación, MCIN / AEI / 10.13039/501100011033 through the Project ROUTE56 - PID2019-104945GB-I00.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Disposición del alumnado de primaria y secundaria hacia la igualdad de género

Esta comunicación presenta resultados sobre la disposición del alumnado hacia la construcción de una cultura de género en la escuela. Esta investigación forma parte de un proyecto más amplio que desarrolla la herramienta informática Teón XXI para el diagnóstico de género en la escuela. El estudio, de tipo survey, se realiza mediante una escala de medida, válida y fiable, que nos permite clasificar al alumnado según su predisposición hacia la igualdad y la coeducación en los centros escolares. Participan en este estudio 728 alumnos y alumnas de Educación Primaria y Secundaria de la provincia de Sevilla. Los resultados muestran actitudes del alumnado favorables hacia la igualdad, aunque se observan diferencias entre chicos y chicas. Se identifican tres categorías de alumnado: sexista, adaptativo e igualitario; con distinto grado de presencia entre chicas y chicos. Se detecta mayor presencia masculina en la categoría sexista y adaptativa, siendo mayor la presencia femenina igualitaria. Los datos indican que el alumnado masculino presenta mayores déficits en el plano relacional

Retention modeling and resolution optimization for a group of N-phenylpyrazole derivatives in micellar electrokinetic chromatography using empirical and physicochemical models

The optimization of the separation resolution for a group of N-phenylpyrazole derivatives\ud in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) as a function of the separation\ud buffer composition (surfactant and organic modifier concentration) has been performed.\ud In order to achieve our purpose, the first step has been the prediction of the\ud migration times of the electroosmotic flow (t0) and micelles (tm), and the retention\ud factors of solutes (k), as a function of surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate) and alcohol\ud (n-propanol or n-butanol) concentrations, by means of empirical equations. Also, some\ud physicochemical models have been applied to relate the retention factors to the surfactant\ud and the organic modifier concentrations in order to optimize the separation\ud resolution and to increase our knowledge of the separation process. Finally, a comparison\ud of the resolution optimization through the use of the physicochemical and\ud empirical models selected has been made in order to obtain the optimum separation\ud buffer composition for the separation of a group of 17 N-phenylpyrazole derivatives\ud as test solutes.The authors thank the Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (Spain) for project PB98-0709 and\ud Dr. O. Jiménez thanks the Universidad de Alcalá (Madrid,Spain) for project E029/98

Tailoring magnetic anisotropy at will in 3d interconnected nanowire networks

The control of magnetic anisotropy has been the driving force for the development of magnetic applications in a wide range of technological fields from sensing to spintronics. In recent years, the possibility of tailoring the magnetic properties goes together with a need for new 3D materials to expand the applications to a new generation of devices. Herein, the possibility of designing the magnetic anisotropy of 3D magnetic nanowire networks is shown just by modifying the geometry of the structure or by composition. It is also shown that this is possible when the magnetic properties of the structure are governed by magnetostatic anisotropy. The present approach can guide systematic tuning of the magnetic easy axis and coercivity in the desired direction at the nanoscale. Importantly, this can be achieved on virtually any magnetic material, alloy, or multilayers that can be prepared inside porous alumina. These results are promising for engineering novel magnetic devices that exploit tailored magnetic anisotropy using metamaterials concept

Technologies for coeducation and equality : teachers assessement of an educational tool web

El propósito de este trabajo es presentar la valoración del profesorado sobre una herramienta web que sirve para el diagnóstico de la cultura de género en la escuela. Esta iniciativa se desarrolla a raíz de la puesta en marcha del I Plan de Igualdad entre Hombres y Mujeres en Educación de Andalucía. Este artículo presenta un estudio descriptivo basado en encuesta sobre la valoración del profesorado acerca de esta herramienta web. Participan en el estudio 185 profesores de centros educativos públicos. Los resultados muestran una valoración óptima de la herramienta, destacando su impacto positivo en el clima y prácticas escolares. Se observan diferencias en la valoración del profesorado según la experiencia de uso de la herramienta.The aim of this paper is to present the teachers assessment about a web tool which serves to assess a culture of gender equality in school. This initiative is carried out in the frame of the First Plan for Equal Opportunities between Men and Women in Education in Andalusia. This article presents a survey study whose purpose is to know the teachers’ assessment about this web tool. 185 teachers participate in this study. The results show a positive teachers’ assessment of the web tool, emphasizing its positive impacts into school climate and practices. The results reveal significant statistically differences in the teachers’ assessment according to their experience in the use of the web tool

Repercussions of Bisphenol A on the Physiology of Human Osteoblasts

(1) Background: Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor that is widely present in the environment and exerts adverse effects on various body tissues. The objective of this study was to determine its repercussions on bone tissue by examining its impact on selected functional parameters of human osteoblasts. (2) Methods: Three human osteoblast lines were treated with BPA at doses of 10(-5), 10(-6), or 10(-7) M. At 24 h post-treatment, a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth, alkaline phosphatase activity, and mineralization was observed. (4) Results: The expression of CD54 and CD80 antigens was increased at doses of 10(-5) and 10(-6) M, while the phagocytic capacity and the expression of osteogenic genes (ALP, COL-1, OSC, RUNX2, OSX, BMP-2, and BMP-7) were significantly and dose-dependently reduced in the presence of BPA. (5) Conclusions: According to these findings, BPA exerts adverse effects on osteoblasts by altering their differentiation/maturation and their proliferative and functional capacity, potentially affecting bone health. Given the widespread exposure to this contaminant, further human studies are warranted to determine the long-term risk to bone health posed by BPA

Decidualized human decidual stromal cells inhibit chemotaxis of activated T cells: a potential mechanism of maternal-fetal immune tolerance

Numerous lines of evidence confirm that decidual stromal cells (DSCs) play a key role in maternal–fetal immune tolerance. Under the influence of progesterone and other hormones, the DSCs go through a process of differentiation (decidualization) during normal pregnancy. In mice, DSCs inhibit the expression of chemokines that attract abortigenic Th1 and Tc cells to the decidua. We have studied this phenomenon in humans. Methods: We established human DSC lines and decidualized these cells in vitro with progesterone and cAMP. We determined the expression of the chemokines CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11, whose receptor CXCR3 is expressed by Th1 and Tc cells, in undifferentiated DSCs and decidualized DSCs by qRT-PCR. Activated CD3+CXCR3+ cells, including CD4+ Th1 cells and CD8+ Tc cells, were induced in vitro. The migration capacity of these activated lymphocytes was investigated in Transwell chambers with conditioned media from undifferentiated and decidualized DSCs. Results: We demonstrated that CXCL9 was not expressed by DSCs, whereas the expression of CXCL10 and CXCL11 was inhibited in decidualized cells. Conditioned media from decidualized cells significantly inhibited the migration of Th1 and Tc cells.Wefound that decidualized cells secrete factors ofMWless than 6000–8000 Da, which actively inhibit the chemotaxis of these lymphocytes. Discussion: These results confirm in humans that decidualization of DSCs inhibits the expression by these cells of chemokines that attract Th1 and Tc cells and induces the secretion by DSCs of factors that inhibit the chemotaxis of these lymphocytes, thus preventing the arrival of abortigenic T cells in the decidua.Financial support was provided by Proyectos de I+D+I through the Programa Operativo Feder Andalucı́a (Grant B-CTS-228-UGR20

Factors associated with condom use in vaginal intercourse among Spanish adults with intellectual disability: Proposal for an explanatory model

Background: The prevention of HIV or other STIs in people with intellectual disabilities (ID) is a rarely studied subject even though this population group is at the same risk of infection as the general population. Aims: The present study aims to conduct a descriptive analysis of sexual behaviours and condom use frequency in Spanish men and women with intellectual disabilities and identify the combi- nation of variables that best explain condom use in vaginal intercourse. Methods and procedures: The sample consisted of 253 people (56.1 % male and 43.9 % female) aged between 20 and 64 years (M = 38.52; SD = 10.48). Participants completed the Sexuality Questionnaire for People with Intellectual Disabilities and the Sexual Abuse Risk Screening Scale. Outcomes and results: The percentage of consistent condom use is 27.7 % for vaginal intercourse. Lack of knowledge about body boundaries constitutes a risk factor contributing to risky sexual behaviour. Knowledge of HIV-transmitting fluids and perceived self-efficacy are protective fac- tors. The proposed model explains between 35.5 % and 46.6 % of the variance. Conclusions and implications: The results highlight the importance of considering the judgements people make about their ability to perform preventive behaviour and the provision of information on sexuality adapted to cognitive abilities to minimise the engagement in risky behaviours

Determinants of cue-elicited alcohol craving and perceived realism in Virtual Reality environments among patients with alcohol use disorder

The identification of variables that can modulate the efficacy of cue exposure using virtual reality (VR) is crucial. This study aimed to explore determinant variables of cue-elicited alcohol craving and perceived realism (PR) of environments and alcoholic beverages during a VR cue-exposure session among alcohol use disorder (AUD) outpatients. A prospective cohort study was conducted amongst 72 outpatients with AUD from a clinical setting. Alcohol craving experienced during VR exposure and PR of virtual environments and alcoholic drinks were evaluated after a VR session of exposure to alcohol-related contexts and cues. Sociodemographic, psychological and consumption characteristics were examined as possible predicting variables. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that the AUD severity and PR of beverages were predictors of cue-elicited alcohol craving. Educational level, PR of beverages and age were predictors of the PR of VR environments. In relation to the PR of VR beverages, cue-elicited alcohol craving and the PR of environments were predictors. A simple mediational model was also performed to analyze the influence of the PR of beverages on the relationship between the AUD severity and alcohol craving experienced during VR exposure: an indirect or mediational effect was found. PR of alcoholic beverages was (1) a key predictor of the PR of VR environments (and vice versa) and the alcohol craving (and vice versa) experienced during VR cue-exposure sessions using ALCO-VR software among AUD patients and (2) a mediator between AUD severity and cue-elicited alcohol craving