Historical literacy and consciousness

A ideia de literacia histórica - enquanto conjunto de competências de interpretação e compreensão do passado - surge associada à proposta de desenvolvimento da consciência histórica, tal como defende Peter Lee. Esta necessidade de orientação temporal exige identificações múltiplas, a várias escalas (do local ao global), e a consideração de pontos de vista diversificados, apresentados quer por historiadores quer por outras fontes para a História. Assumindo a relevância desta problemática para a formação da consciência histórica, é pertinente interrogarmo-nos acerca de como desenvolvem os alunos universitários (futuros professores de História) as suas competências de literacia histórica. No âmbito da disciplina de Metodologia do Ensino da História, no 4º ano da Licenciatura em Ensino de História (Universidade do Minho), explorararam-se as seguintes questões de investigação: 1) Que critérios utilizam os futuros professores de História quando decidem entre versões históricas diferentes? 2) Como é que estes futuros professores fundamentam os seus argumentos a favor ou contra uma determinada versão? Aos dezoito alunos do curso participantes neste estudo, foi proposta uma tarefa de avaliação de dois textos históricos, um de Luís de Albuquerque, historiador português, outro de Sanjay Subrahmanyam, historiador indiano, sobre a primeira viagem marítima dos portugueses à Índia (com suporte em várias fontes, nomeadamente um excerto do diário de viagem de Gama). Conjugando-se as dimensões de interpretação substantiva das mensagens com a de uso de critérios históricos, os dados sugeriram uma categorização global constituída por cinco níveis de ideias. Os padrões mais observados ligam-se a noções de viés (a validade histórica depende de uma maior ou menor neutralidade) ou de influência do contexto de produção nos historiadores. A aceitação da validade de versões diferentes, enquanto algo genuíno no conhecimento histórico, emergiu entre alguns poucos alunos universitários. Esta tipologia coincide com os níveis de idéias observados em adolescentes e crianças portuguesas, em estudos anteriores, embora os níveis mais elaborados apareçam mais frequentemente entre os alunos universitários.The idea of historical literacy - as a set of competences of historical interpretation and understanding - is emerging as linked to the proposal of developing historical consciousness, as Peter Lee argues. This need for temporal orientation demands multiple identifications at several scales (from the local up to the global scale) as well as the consideration of diversified points of view, given either by historians or many other sources of history. Assuming the relevance of this issue, it is pertinent to question about the way university students (preservice history teachers) are developing their own competences of historical literacy. In the context of the Methodology of History Teaching subject, at year 4 of the Teaching of History Graduate Course (University of Minho), the following research questions were explored: 1) What criteria do the preservice history teachers employ when deciding about different historical versions? 2) How those preservice history teachers support their arguments for or against a given version? An assessment task of two historical texts, one written by Luís de Albuquerque, Portuguese historian, another by Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Indian historian, was accomplished by the 18 participants of this study. The historical texts focussed on the first Portuguese maritime voyage to India (and they were grounded on several evidence, namely an excerpt of the Gama trip log). Combining the dimensions of substantive interpretation of messages and use of historical criteria, data suggested a global categorization with five levels of ideas. The most observed patterns are related to notions of bias (historical validity depends on neutrality) or notions of influence of the historical production context). The recognition of validity of different versions as a genuine element of the historical knowledge emerged just among a few university students. Such a tipology matches with the levels of ideas observed among Portuguese children and adolescents in former studies, although the most elaborate levels appear more frequently among the university students

The STAR Time Projection Chamber: A Unique Tool for Studying High Multiplicity Events at RHIC

The STAR Time Projection Chamber (TPC) is used to record collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The TPC is the central element in a suite of detectors that surrounds the interaction vertex. The TPC provides complete coverage around the beam-line, and provides complete tracking for charged particles within +- 1.8 units of pseudo-rapidity of the center-of-mass frame. Charged particles with momenta greater than 100 MeV/c are recorded. Multiplicities in excess of 3,000 tracks per event are routinely reconstructed in the software. The TPC measures 4 m in diameter by 4.2 m long, making it the largest TPC in the world.Comment: 28 pages, 11 figure

Measurements of Dihadron Correlations Relative to the Event Plane in Au+Au Collisions at sNN=200\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200 GeV

Dihadron azimuthal correlations containing a high transverse momentum (\pt) trigger particle are sensitive to the properties of the nuclear medium created at RHIC through the strong interactions occurring between the traversing parton and the medium, i.e. jet-quenching. Previous measurements revealed a strong modification to dihadron azimuthal correlations in Au+Au collisions with respect to \pp\ and \dAu\ collisions. The modification increases with the collision centrality, suggesting a path-length dependence to the jet-quenching effect. This paper reports STAR measurements of dihadron azimuthal correlations in mid-central (20-60\%) Au+Au collisions at \snn=200~GeV as a function of the trigger particle's azimuthal angle relative to the event plane, \phis=|\phit-\psiEP|. The azimuthal correlation is studied as a function of both the trigger and associated particle \pt. The subtractions of the combinatorial background and anisotropic flow, assuming Zero Yield At Minimum (\zyam), are described. The away-side correlation is strongly modified, and the modification varies with \phis, which is expected to be related to the path-length that the away-side parton traverses. The pseudo-rapidity (\deta) dependence of the near-side correlation, sensitive to long range \deta correlations (the ridge), is also investigated. The ridge and jet-like components of the near-side correlation are studied as a function of \phis. The ridge appears to drop with increasing \phis while the jet-like component remains approximately constant. ...Comment: 50 pages, 39 figures, 6 table

ANO10 mutations cause ataxia and coenzyme Q(10) deficiency

Inherited ataxias are heterogeneous disorders affecting both children and adults, with over 40 different causative genes, making molecular genetic diagnosis challenging. Although recent advances in next-generation sequencing have significantly improved mutation detection, few treatments exist for patients with inherited ataxia. In two patients with adult-onset cerebellar ataxia and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) deficiency in muscle, whole exome sequencing revealed mutations in ANO10, which encodes anoctamin 10, a member of a family of putative calcium-activated chloride channels, and the causative gene for autosomal recessive spinocerebellar ataxia-10 (SCAR10). Both patients presented with slowly progressive ataxia and dysarthria leading to severe disability in the sixth decade. Epilepsy and learning difficulties were also present in one patient, while retinal degeneration and cataract were present in the other. The detection of mutations in ANO10 in our patients indicate that ANO10 defects cause secondary low CoQ10 and SCAR10 patients may benefit from CoQ10 supplementation

System size and energy dependence of near-side di-hadron correlations

Two-particle azimuthal ($\Delta\phi$) and pseudorapidity ($\Delta\eta$) correlations using a trigger particle with large transverse momentum ($p_T$) in $d$+Au, Cu+Cu and Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{{NN}}}$ =\xspace 62.4 GeV and 200~GeV from the STAR experiment at RHIC are presented. The \ns correlation is separated into a jet-like component, narrow in both $\Delta\phi$ and $\Delta\eta$, and the ridge, narrow in $\Delta\phi$ but broad in $\Delta\eta$. Both components are studied as a function of collision centrality, and the jet-like correlation is studied as a function of the trigger and associated $p_T$. The behavior of the jet-like component is remarkably consistent for different collision systems, suggesting it is produced by fragmentation. The width of the jet-like correlation is found to increase with the system size. The ridge, previously observed in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{{NN}}}$ = 200 GeV, is also found in Cu+Cu collisions and in collisions at $\sqrt{s_{{NN}}}$ =\xspace 62.4 GeV, but is found to be substantially smaller at $\sqrt{s_{{NN}}}$ =\xspace 62.4 GeV than at $\sqrt{s_{{NN}}}$ = 200 GeV for the same average number of participants ($\langle N_{\mathrm{part}}\rangle$). Measurements of the ridge are compared to models.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Measurements of D0D^{0} and D∗D^{*} Production in pp + pp Collisions at s\sqrt{s} = 200 GeV

We report measurements of charmed-hadron ($D^{0}$, $D^{*}$) production cross sections at mid-rapidity in $p$ + $p$ collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 200 GeV by the STAR experiment. Charmed hadrons were reconstructed via the hadronic decays $D^{0}\rightarrow K^{-}\pi^{+}$, $D^{*+}\rightarrow D^{0}\pi^{+}\rightarrow K^{-}\pi^{+}\pi^{+}$ and their charge conjugates, covering the $p_T$ range of 0.6$-$2.0 GeV/$c$ and 2.0$-$6.0 GeV/$c$ for $D^{0}$ and $D^{*+}$, respectively. From this analysis, the charm-pair production cross section at mid-rapidity is $d\sigma/dy|_{y=0}^{c\bar{c}}$ = 170 $\pm$ 45 (stat.) $^{+38}_{-59}$ (sys.) $\mu$b. The extracted charm-pair cross section is compared to perturbative QCD calculations. The transverse momentum differential cross section is found to be consistent with the upper bound of a Fixed-Order Next-to-Leading Logarithm calculation.Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures. Revised version submitted to Phys. Rev.

Longitudinal Spin Transfer to Λ\Lambda and Λˉ\bar{\Lambda} Hyperons in Polarized Proton-Proton Collisions at s\sqrt{s} = 200 GeV

The longitudinal spin transfer, $D_{LL}$, from high energy polarized protons to $\Lambda$ and $\bar{\Lambda}$ hyperons has been measured for the first time in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 200 \mathrm{GeV}$ with the STAR detector at RHIC. The measurements cover pseudorapidity, $\eta$, in the range $|\eta| < 1.2$ and transverse momenta, $p_\mathrm{T}$, up to $4 \mathrm{GeV}/c$. The longitudinal spin transfer is found to be $D_{LL}= -0.03\pm 0.13(\mathrm{stat}) \pm 0.04(\mathrm{syst})$ for inclusive $\Lambda$ and $D_{LL} = -0.12 \pm 0.08(\mathrm{stat}) \pm 0.03(\mathrm{syst})$ for inclusive $\bar{\Lambda}$ hyperons with $= 0.5$ and $= 3.7 \mathrm{GeV}/c$. The dependence on $\eta$ and $p_\mathrm{T}$ is presented.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure