168 research outputs found
Las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones en la enseñanza superior española: factores explicativos del uso del campus virtual
En este trabajo se aborda el estudio empírico
de los factores que afectan al uso del campus virtual
por parte de los estudiantes de Administración y
Dirección de Empresas de la Universidad Católica San
Antonio.
Para el análisis nos hemos basado en el modelo de
aceptación de tecnología de Davis (1989). Los resultados
obtenidos confirman lo que dicho modelo propone:
la utilidad y la facilidad de uso percibida afectan positivamente
a la actitud hacia esta herramienta tecnológica.
Además, la actitud y la obligatoriedad percibida
influyen de manera positiva en el uso de la misma.
Se ha comprobado también la influencia que tienen en
el uso del campus virtual algunas variables de carácter
socioeconómico. Nuestro estudio nos permite concluir que el sexo, la edad y la situación laboral dan lugar a
cambios en los factores determinantes de la conducta
analizada.
Las conclusiones del trabajo permiten no solo conocer
de una forma más completa qué factores afectan a la
percepción, actitudes y comportamientos de los estudiantes
universitarios hacia el campus virtual, sino que
permiten también plantear propuestas para conseguir
una implantación más efectiva de esta herramienta
tecnológica en la universidad
High-Temperature Superconducting Level Meter for Liquid Argon Detectors
Capacitive devices are customarily used as probes to measure the level of
noble liquids in detectors operated for neutrino studies and dark matter
searches. In this work we describe the use of a high-temperature
superconducting material as an alternative to control the level of a cryogenic
noble liquid. Lab measurements indicate that the superconductor shows a linear
behaviour, a high degree of stability and offers a very accurate determination
of the liquid volume. This device is therefore a competitive instrument and
shows several advantages over conventional level meters.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in JINS
Diodos orgánicos emisores de luz: estrategias para la optimización de dispositivos y la obtención de un oled blanco
III Encuentro sobre Nanociencia y Nanotecnología de Investigadores y Tecnólogos Andaluce
Critical behavior of O(2)xO(N) symmetric models
We investigate the controversial issue of the existence of universality
classes describing critical phenomena in three-dimensional statistical systems
characterized by a matrix order parameter with symmetry O(2)xO(N) and
symmetry-breaking pattern O(2)xO(N) -> O(2)xO(N-2). Physical realizations of
these systems are, for example, frustrated spin models with noncollinear order.
Starting from the field-theoretical Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson Hamiltonian, we
consider the massless critical theory and the minimal-subtraction scheme
without epsilon expansion. The three-dimensional analysis of the corresponding
five-loop expansions shows the existence of a stable fixed point for N=2 and
N=3, confirming recent field-theoretical results based on a six-loop expansion
in the alternative zero-momentum renormalization scheme defined in the massive
disordered phase.
In addition, we report numerical Monte Carlo simulations of a class of
three-dimensional O(2)xO(2)-symmetric lattice models. The results provide
further support to the existence of the O(2)xO(2) universality class predicted
by the field-theoretical analyses.Comment: 45 pages, 20 figs, some additions, Phys.Rev.B in pres
Frequency-dependent magnetotransport and particle dynamics in magnetic modulation systems
We analyze the dynamics of a charged particle moving in the presence of
spatially-modulated magnetic fields. From Poincare surfaces of section and
Liapunov exponents for characteristic trajectories we find that the fraction of
pinned and runaway quasiperiodic orbits {\em vs}. chaotic orbits depends
strongly on the ratio of cyclotron radius to the structure parameters, as well
as on the amplitude of the modulated field. We present a complete
characterization of the dynamical behavior of such structures, and investigate
the contribution to the magnetoconductivity from all different orbits using a
classical Kubo formula. Although the DC conductivity of the system depends
strongly on the pinned and runaway trajectories, the frequency response
reflects the topology of all different orbits, and even their unusual temporal
behavior.Comment: Submitted to PRB - 14 figure files - REVTEX tex
RNAi-mediated serotonin transporter suppression rapidly increases serotonergic neurotransmission and hippocampal neurogenesis
Current antidepressants, which inhibit the serotonin transporter (SERT), display limited efficacy and slow onset of action. Here, we show that partial reduction of SERT expression by small interference RNA (SERT-siRNA) decreased immobility in the tail suspension test, displaying an antidepressant potential. Moreover, short-term SERT-siRNA treatment modified mouse brain variables considered to be key markers of antidepressant action: reduced expression and function of 5-HT(1A)-autoreceptors, elevated extracellular serotonin in forebrain and increased neurogenesis and expression of plasticity-related genes (BDNF, VEGF, Arc) in hippocampus. Remarkably, these effects occurred much earlier and were of greater magnitude than those evoked by long-term fluoxetine treatment. These findings highlight the critical role of SERT in serotonergic function and show that the reduction of SERT expression regulates serotonergic neurotransmission more potently than pharmacological blockade of SERT. The use of siRNA-targeting genes in serotonin neurons (SERT, 5-HT(1A)-autoreceptor) may be a novel therapeutic strategy to develop fast-acting antidepressants
Effects of the field modulation on the Hofstadter's spectrum
We study the effect of spatially modulated magnetic fields on the energy
spectrum of a two-dimensional (2D) Bloch electron. Taking into account four
kinds of modulated fields and using the method of direct diagonalization of the
Hamiltonian matrix, we calculate energy spectra with varying system parameters
(i.e., the kind of the modulation, the relative strength of the modulated field
to the uniform background field, and the period of the modulation) to elucidate
that the energy band structure sensitively depends on such parameters:
Inclusion of spatially modulated fields into a uniform field leads occurrence
of gap opening, gap closing, band crossing, and band broadening, resulting
distinctive energy band structure from the Hofstadter's spectrum. We also
discuss the effect of the field modulation on the symmetries appeared in the
Hofstadter's spectrum in detail.Comment: 7 pages (in two-column), 10 figures (including 2 tables
On the nature of the finite-temperature transition in QCD
We discuss the nature of the finite-temperature transition in QCD with N_f
massless flavors. Universality arguments show that a continuous (second-order)
transition must be related to a 3-D universality class characterized by a
complex N_f X N_f matrix order parameter and by the symmetry-breaking pattern
[SU(N_f)_L X SU(N_f)_R]/Z(N_f)_V -> SU(N_f)_V/Z(N_f)_V, or [U(N_f)_L X
U(N_f)_R]/U(1)_V -> U(N_f)_V/U(1)_V if the U(1)_A symmetry is effectively
restored at T_c. The existence of any of these universality classes requires
the presence of a stable fixed point in the corresponding 3-D Phi^4 theory with
the expected symmetry-breaking pattern. Otherwise, the transition is of first
order. In order to search for stable fixed points in these Phi^4 theories, we
exploit a 3-D perturbative approach in which physical quantities are expanded
in powers of appropriate renormalized quartic couplings. We compute the
corresponding Callan-Symanzik beta-functions to six loops. We also determine
the large-order behavior to further constrain the analysis. No stable fixed
point is found, except for N_f=2, corresponding to the symmetry-breaking
pattern [SU(2)_L X SU(2)_R]/Z(2)_V -> SU(2)_V/Z(2)_V equivalent to O(4) ->
O(3). Our results confirm and put on a firmer ground earlier analyses performed
close to four dimensions, based on first-order calculations in the framework of
the epsilon=4-d expansion. These results indicate that the finite-temperature
phase transition in QCD is of first order for N_f>2. A continuous transition is
allowed only for N_f=2. But, since the theory with symmetry-breaking pattern
[U(2)_L X U(2)_R]/U(1)_V -> U(2)_V/U(1)_V does not have stable fixed points,
the transition can be continuous only if the effective breaking of the U(1)_A
symmetry is sufficiently large.Comment: 30 pages, 3 figs, minor correction
- …