W stronę radykalnego pluralizmu religijnego

Książka stanowi poszerzoną i uzupełnioną wersję pracy magisterskiej, napisanej pod kierunkiem prof. Tadeusza Buksińskiego w Instytucie Filozofii im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu.

INVESTIGATING THE POSTWAR DECLINE OF RACE IN SCIENCE

Race as a biological category has a long and troubling history as a central ordering concept in the life and human sciences. The mid-twentieth century has been marked as the point where biological concepts of race began to disappear from science. However, biological definitions of race continue to penetrate scientific understandings and uses of racial concepts. Using the theoretical frameworks of critical race theory and science and technology studies and an in-depth case study of the discipline of immunology, this dissertation explores the appearance of a mid-century decline of concepts of biological race in science. I argue that biological concepts of race did not disappear in the middle of the twentieth century but were reconfigured into genetic language. In this dissertation I offer a periodization of biological concepts of race. Focusing on continuities and the effects of contingent events, I compare how biological concepts of race articulate with racisms in each period. The discipline of immunology serves as a case study that demonstrates how biological concepts of race did not decline in the postwar era, but were translated into the language of genetics and populations. I argue that the appearance of a decline was due to events both internal and external to the science of immunology. By framing the mid-twentieth century disappearance of race in science as the triumph of an antiracist racial project of science, it allows us to more clearly see the more recent resurgence of race in science as a recycling of older themes and tactics from the racist science projects of the past.

O conetivismo e as suas implicações nas noções de aprendizagem e conhecimento

Esta dissertação aborda, de um ponto de vista crítico, a teoria do Conetivismo à luz dos seus princípios e das respetivas implicações na visão tradicional de aprendizagem e de conhecimento. A tese foi desenvolvida tendo em conta uma metodologia de revisão bibliográfica das publicações mais relevantes da autoria dos principais representantes do Conetivismo, nomeadamente George Siemens e Stephen Downes, estando sempre subjacente a preocupação em não apresentar apenas mais um estudo sintetizador da teoria, mas simultaneamente uma visão crítica do Conetivismo. Enquanto teoria de aprendizagem para uns, mera perspetiva epistemológica para outros, o Conetivismo tem assumido um papel crescente no debate acerca daquilo que entendemos por aprendizagem em rede e das suas implicações nos estatutos tradicionais do conhecimento e da aprendizagem e até do papel dos educadores e dos alunos. Alvo de reconhecimento para uns, de críticas para outros, o Conetivismo está ainda a dar os primeiros passos no desenvolvimento de uma visão epistemológica inovadora, principalmente no que diz respeito à partilha em rede, à aprendizagem centrada em comunidades online, regidas por interesses e objetivos comuns, onde a auto-aprendizagem é fundamental. Mas que consequências traz esta nova forma de encarar a aprendizagem? Até que ponto o Conetivismo é uma teoria que vai mais além das teorias de aprendizagem anteriores? Passaremos a encarar o conhecimento de modo diferente a partir daqui? Qual o verdadeiro alcance dos MOOC, cada vez mais em voga?

Many-body approach to the BCS-BEC crossover for an imbalanced ultra-cold Fermi gas

The aim of this thesis is the study of the normal phase of a mass imbalanced and polarized ultra-cold Fermi gas in the context of the BCS-BEC crossover, using a diagrammatic approach known as t-matrix approximation. More specifically, the calculations are implemented using the fully self-consistent t-matrix (or Luttinger- Ward) approach, which is already experimentally and numerically validated for the balanced case. An imbalance (polarization) between the two spin populations works against pairing and superfluidity. For sufficiently large polarization (and not too strong attraction) the system remains in the normal phase even at zero temperature. This phase is expected to be well described by the Landau’s Fermi liquid theory. By reducing the spin polarization, a critical imbalance is reached where a quantum phase transition towards a superfluid phase occurs and the Fermi liquid description breaks down. Depending on the strength of the interaction, the exotic superfluid phase at the quantum critical point (QCP) can be either a FFLO phase (Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov) or a Sarma phase. In this regard, the presence of mass imbalance can strongly influence the nature of the QCP, by favouring one of these two exotic types of pairing over the other, depending on whether the majority of the two species is heavier or lighter than the minority. The analysis of the system is made by focusing on the temperature-coupling-polarization phase diagram for different mass ratios of the two components and on the study of different thermodynamic quantities at finite temperature. The evolution towards a non-Fermi liquid behavior at the QCP is investigated by calculating the fermionic quasi-particle residues, the effective masses and the self-energies at zero temperature.

Beam Energy Dependence Of Moments Of The Net-charge Multiplicity Distributions In Au+au Collisions At Rhic.

We report the first measurements of the moments--mean (M), variance (σ(2)), skewness (S), and kurtosis (κ)--of the net-charge multiplicity distributions at midrapidity in Au+Au collisions at seven energies, ranging from sqrt[sNN]=7.7 to 200 GeV, as a part of the Beam Energy Scan program at RHIC. The moments are related to the thermodynamic susceptibilities of net charge, and are sensitive to the location of the QCD critical point. We compare the products of the moments, σ(2)/M, Sσ, and κσ(2), with the expectations from Poisson and negative binomial distributions (NBDs). The Sσ values deviate from the Poisson baseline and are close to the NBD baseline, while the κσ(2) values tend to lie between the two. Within the present uncertainties, our data do not show nonmonotonic behavior as a function of collision energy. These measurements provide a valuable tool to extract the freeze-out parameters in heavy-ion collisions by comparing with theoretical models.

O desenvolvimento do texto dissertativo em crianças da 4ª série

This reaserch analysed the developmental stage of fourth grade (primary school) children in ability of writting argumentative texts joint with their context. The reason of this reaserch is the lack of new studies in linguistical area and high ratio of unable students to make this kind of text. It will be showed the analysis of making text by public schools children for three months. These data were analysed trying identify argumentative operators, the kinds of arguments used and the stage of the argumentative ability of these children. The study showed that the introduction of argumentative text in first grades give them more chances of succeed, preparing these pupils in their finishing high school. This fact obviously will make easier the development of their critical point of view, helping the students to think about their living social reality.

Maturação somática e desempenho físico em jovens futebolistas = : Somatic maturation and physical performance in young soccer players

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Influence of pulse repetition rate on temperature rise and working time during composite filling removal with the Er : YAG laser

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of Er:YAG laser energy for composite resin removal and the influence of pulse repetition rate on the thermal alterations occurring during laser ablation. Materials and Methods: Composite resin filling was placed in cavities (1.0 mm deep) prepared in bovine teeth and the specimens were randomly assigned to five groups according to the technique used for composite filling removal. In group I (controls), the restorations were removed using a high-speed diamond bur. In the other groups, the composite fillings were removed using an Er: YAG laser with different pulse repetition rates: group 2-2 Hz; group 3-4 Hz; group 4-6 Hz; and group 5-10 Hz. The time required for complete removal of the restorative material and the temperature changes were recorded. Results: Temperature rise during composite resin removal with the Er: YAG laser occurred in the substrate underneath the restoration and was directly proportional to the increase in pulse repetition rate. None of the groups had a temperature increase during composite filling removal of more than 5.6 degrees C, which is considered the critical point above which irreversible thermal damage to the pulp may result. Regarding the time for composite filling removal, all the laser-ablated groups (except for group 5 [10 Hz]) required more time than the control group for complete elimination of the material from the cavity walls. Conclusion: Under the tested conditions, Er: YAG laser irradiation was efficient for composite resin ablation and did not cause a temperature increase above the limit considered safe for the pulp. Among the tested pulse repetition rates, 6 Hz produced minimal temperature change compared to the control group (high-speed bur), and allowed composite filling removal within a time period that is acceptable for clinical conditions.

Minimal Nielsen Root Classes and Roots of Liftings

Given a continuous map f : K -> M from a 2-dimensional CW complex into a closed surface, the Nielsen root number N(f) and the minimal number of roots mu(f) of f satisfy N(f) <= mu(f). But, there is a number mu(C)(f) associated to each Nielsen root class of f, and an important problem is to know when mu(f) = mu(C)(f)N(f). In addition to investigate this problem, we determine a relationship between mu(f) and mu((f) over tilde), when (f) over tilde f is a lifting of f through a covering space, and we find a connection between this problems, with which we answer several questions related to them when the range of the maps is the projective plane.

Phase transitions and spatially ordered counterion association in ionic-lipid membranes: A statistical model

We propose a statistical model to account for the gel-fluid anomalous phase transitions in charged bilayer- or lamellae-forming ionic lipids. The model Hamiltonian comprises effective attractive interactions to describe neutral-lipid membranes as well as the effect of electrostatic repulsions of the discrete ionic charges on the lipid headgroups. The latter can be counterion dissociated (charged) or counterion associated (neutral), while the lipid acyl chains may be in gel (low-temperature or high-lateral-pressure) or fluid (high-temperature or low-lateral-pressure) states. The system is modeled as a lattice gas with two distinct particle types-each one associated, respectively, with the polar-headgroup and the acyl-chain states-which can be mapped onto an Ashkin-Teller model with the inclusion of cubic terms. The model displays a rich thermodynamic behavior in terms of the chemical potential of counterions (related to added salt concentration) and lateral pressure. In particular, we show the existence of semidissociated thermodynamic phases related to the onset of charge order in the system. This type of order stems from spatially ordered counterion association to the lipid headgroups, in which charged and neutral lipids alternate in a checkerboard-like order. Within the mean-field approximation, we predict that the acyl-chain order-disorder transition is discontinuous, with the first-order line ending at a critical point, as in the neutral case. Moreover, the charge order gives rise to continuous transitions, with the associated second-order lines joining the aforementioned first-order line at critical end points. We explore the thermodynamic behavior of some physical quantities, like the specific heat at constant lateral pressure and the degree of ionization, associated with the fraction of charged lipid headgroups.

Higher Moments of Net Proton Multiplicity Distributions at RHIC

200 GeV corresponding to baryon chemical potentials (mu(B)) between 200 and 20 MeV. Our measurements of the products kappa sigma(2) and S sigma, which can be related to theoretical calculations sensitive to baryon number susceptibilities and long-range correlations, are constant as functions of collision centrality. We compare these products with results from lattice QCD and various models without a critical point and study the root s(NN) dependence of kappa sigma(2). From the measurements at the three beam energies, we find no evidence for a critical point in the QCD phase diagram for mu(B) below 200 MeV.

Identified particle production, azimuthal anisotropy, and interferometry measurements in Au plus Au collisions at root s(NN)=9.2 GeV

We present the first measurements of identified hadron production, azimuthal anisotropy, and pion interferometry from Au + Au collisions below the nominal injection energy at the BNL Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) facility. The data were collected using the large acceptance solenoidal tracker at RHIC (STAR) detector at root s(NN) = 9.2 GeV from a test run of the collider in the year 2008. Midrapidity results on multiplicity density dN/dy in rapidity y, average transverse momentum < p(T)>, particle ratios, elliptic flow, and Hanbury-Brown-Twiss (HBT) radii are consistent with the corresponding results at similar root s(NN) from fixed-target experiments. Directed flow measurements are presented for both midrapidity and forward-rapidity regions. Furthermore the collision centrality dependence of identified particle dN/dy, < p(T)>, and particle ratios are discussed. These results also demonstrate that the capabilities of the STAR detector, although optimized for root s(NN) = 200 GeV, are suitable for the proposed QCD critical-point search and exploration of the QCD phase diagram at RHIC.

A Markovian model market-Akerlof`s lemons and the asymmetry of information

In this work we study an agent based model to investigate the role of asymmetric information degrees for market evolution. This model is quite simple and may be treated analytically since the consumers evaluate the quality of a certain good taking into account only the quality of the last good purchased plus her perceptive capacity beta. As a consequence, the system evolves according to a stationary Markov chain. The value of a good offered by the firms increases along with quality according to an exponent alpha, which is a measure of the technology. It incorporates all the technological capacity of the production systems such as education, scientific development and techniques that change the productivity rates. The technological level plays an important role to explain how the asymmetry of information may affect the market evolution in this model. We observe that, for high technological levels, the market can detect adverse selection. The model allows us to compute the maximum asymmetric information degree before the market collapses. Below this critical point the market evolves during a limited period of time and then dies out completely. When beta is closer to 1 (symmetric information), the market becomes more profitable for high quality goods, although high and low quality markets coexist. The maximum asymmetric information level is a consequence of an ergodicity breakdown in the process of quality evaluation. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The interaction between technologies and society: Lessons learnt from 160 evolutionary years of online news services

In mapping the evolutionary process of online news and the socio-cultural factors determining this development, this paper has a dual purpose. First, in reworking the definition of “online communication”, it argues that despite its seemingly sudden emergence in the 1990s, the history of online news started right in the early days of the telegraphs and spread throughout the development of the telephone and the fax machine before becoming computer-based in the 1980s and Web-based in the 1990s. Second, merging macro-perspectives on the dynamic of media evolution by DeFleur and Ball-Rokeach (1989) and Winston (1998), the paper consolidates a critical point for thinking about new media development: that something technically feasible does not always mean that it will be socially accepted and/or demanded. From a producer-centric perspective, the birth and development of pre-Web online news forms have been more or less generated by the traditional media’s sometimes excessive hype about the power of new technologies. However, placing such an emphasis on technological potentials at the expense of their social conditions not only can be misleading but also can be detrimental to the development of new media, including the potential of today’s online news.

Entanglement in a simple quantum phase transition

What entanglement is present in naturally occurring physical systems at thermal equilibrium? Most such systems are intractable and it is desirable to study simple but realistic systems that can be solved. An example of such a system is the one-dimensional infinite-lattice anisotropic XY model. This model is exactly solvable using the Jordan-Wigner transform, and it is possible to calculate the two-site reduced density matrix for all pairs of sites. Using the two-site density matrix, the entanglement of formation between any two sites is calculated for all parameter values and temperatures. We also study the entanglement in the transverse Ising model, a special case of the XY model, which exhibits a quantum phase transition. It is found that the next-nearest-neighbor entanglement (though not the nearest-neighbor entanglement) is a maximum at the critical point. Furthermore, we show that the critical point in the transverse Ising model corresponds to a transition in the behavior of the entanglement between a single site and the remainder of the lattice.