Uranus, Cronus and Zeus: Greek mythology and its differents conceptions about time

Reality of Time is an abstract and intuitive concept. Temporality can be experienced and understood, but cannot be felt. Even the experience of Time becomes ambiguous if we think in natural time (as eternal and unchanging) and human time (as changeable and finite) as two distinct instances of a common reality. Depending on this perception, Time is simultaneously, as defined by Mircea Eliade, “sacred” and “profane”: eternal and recoverable, historical and irreducible. In this article, we intend to examine briefly the figures of Uranus, Cronus and Zeus as symbolic representatives of these two different conceptions of Time in the ancient Hellenic imagination

Uranos, Cronos e Zeus : a mitologia grega e suas distintas percepções do tempo

A realidade do tempo é uma noção asbtrata e intuitiva. A temporalidade pode ser experienciada e compreendida, mas não sentida. Emesmo a experiência do tempo se torna ambígua, se pensarmos no tempo natural (eterno e imutável) e no tempo humano (mutável e finito) como duas instâncias distintas de uma realidade comum. Consoante tal percepção, o tempo é simultaneamente, como define Mircea Eliade, "sagrado" e "profano": eterno e recuperável, histórico e irredutível. É neste sentido que pretendemos analisar brevemente as figuras de Úranos, Cronos e Zeus como representantes simbólicos dessas duas diferentes concepções do tempo no antigo imaginário helênico.Reality of Time is an abstract and intuitive concept. Temporality can be experienced and understood, but cannot be felt. Even the experience of Time becomes ambiguous if we think in natural time (as eternal and unchanging) and human time (as changeable and finite) as two distinct instances of a common reality. Depending on this perception, Time is simultaneously, as defined by Mircea Eliade, "sacred" and "profane": eternal and recoverable, historical and irreducible. In this article, we intend to examine briefly the figures of Uranus, Cronus and Zeus as symbolic representatives of these two different conceptions of Time in the ancient Hellenic imagination

Innovating to improve – An experience in a computer engineering programme

This paper presents a pedagogical experience carried out in a course unit of a master’s programme in Computer Engineering at the University of Minho. The course unit, Numerical Methods and Nonlinear Optimization, is placed in the first semester of the third year and the experience took place with 184 students in the academic year 2020-2021. Until then, it had been taught in a traditional way, with theoretical lectures and practical classes for solving exercises. There were several reasons to innovate, namely the need to move to online teaching due to COVID-19, which was an opportunity to introduce new methodologies and technologies, but also the need to foster students’ engagement and performance. A b-learning approach was implemented through a combination of strategies and resources, aiming to enhance motivation, interaction and participation in learning. Assessment was more diversified and distributed over time to foster ongoing study and progress. It included mini-tests and two MatLab projects carried out in teams with the main challenge of finding a real-world phenomenon for the application of a course concept, which implied connecting conceptual learning with reality and creating bridges with other areas of knowledge. The experience was evaluated on the basis of students’ assessment results and their perceptions collected in a survey. The new approach resulted in high levels of student engagement and satisfaction, promoting cooperation and the personal construction of knowledge, which are essential competences for lifelong learning. Nevertheless, the development of MatLab projects requires further improvements, not only as regards support to students but also the evaluation of their impact on learning.This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020

Engaging with real-world phenomena through Matlab programming projects

This presentation aims to report a pedagogical experience carried out in a course unit of a graduate programme in Computer Engineering at the University of Minho. The course unit, Numerical Methods and NonLinear Optimization (NMNO), integrates the first semester of the third year. The experience took place in 2021-2022 with 146 students, and it was supported by Centre IDEA-UMinho within the project 2Be-Learning. The classes were taught face-to-face (theoretical lectures and lab practice) and several strategies were implemented to support learning: ARS, padlet, videos, storytelling, and projects. Assessment was diversified and distributed over time to foster ongoing study and progress. It included two face-to-face written tests, four online multiple choice mini-tests (one per month, lasting about 10 minutes, based on extensive question banks), and one Matlab project. The focus of the presentation is on the impact of Matlab projects in the learning process. The projects were carried out by teams of 4 students. Each team could choose one of five proposed topics. The main challenge was to search for and select a real-world phenomenon where the chosen topic could be applied and solve a problem that should have an adequate level of complexity. The experience was evaluated on the basis of the quality of projects, students’ grades and their perceptions collected in a survey at the end of the course unit. Results show that students developed their creativity through building bridges with other scientific areas and solving problems in innovative ways. Projects promoted their involvement in learning, autonomy, cooperation and the personal construction of knowledge, which are essential competences for lifelong learning. Overall, it can be considered that engaging with real-world phenomena creates conditions for students to connect course-based learning with authentic situations, analyse and solve problems from a multidisciplinary perspective, mediated by digital technologies, and become pro-active learners.This work has been supported the Centre IDEA-UMinho and by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020. The authors are grateful to the reviewers for their valuable comment

Direct observation of melting in a 2-D superconducting vortex lattice

Topological defects such as dislocations and disclinations are predicted to determine the twodimensional (2-D) melting transition. In 2-D superconducting vortex lattices, macroscopic measurements evidence melting close to the transition to the normal state. However, the direct observation at the scale of individual vortices of the melting sequence has never been performed. Here we provide step by step imaging through scanning tunneling spectroscopy of a 2-D system of vortices up to the melting transition in a focused-ion-beam nanodeposited W-based superconducting thin film. We show directly the transition into an isotropic liquid below the superconducting critical temperature. Before that, we find a hexatic phase, characterized by the appearance of free dislocations, and a smectic-like phase, possibly originated through partial disclination unbinding. These results represent a significant step in the understanding of melting of 2-D systems, with impact across several research fields, such as liquid crystal molecules, or lipids in membranes.Comment: Submitted to Nature Physic

Determination of airborne nanoparticles from welding operations

The aim of this study is to assess the levels of airborne ultrafine particles emitted in welding processes (tungsten inert gas [TIG], metal active gas [MAG] of carbon steel, and friction stir welding [FSW] of aluminum) in terms of deposited area in pulmonary alveolar tract using a nanoparticle surface area monitor (NSAM) analyzer. The obtained results showed the dependence of process parameters on emitted ultrafine particles and demonstrated the presence of ultrafine particles compared to background levels. Data indicated that the process that resulted in the lowest levels of alveolar deposited surface area (ADSA) was FSW, followed by TIG and MAG. However, all tested processes resulted in significant concentrations of ultrafine particles being deposited in humans lungs of exposed workers

Superconducting density of states at the border of an amorphous thin film grown by focused-ion-beam

We present very low temperature Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy (STM/S) measurements of a W based amorphous thin film grown with focused-ion-beam. In particular, we address the superconducting properties close to the border, where the thickness of the superconducting film decreases, and the Au substrate emerges. When approaching the Au substrate, the superconducting tunneling conductance strongly increases around the Fermi level, and the quasiparticle peaks do not significantly change its position. Under magnetic fields, the vortex lattice is observed, with vortices positioned very close to the Au substrate.Comment: To appear in Journal of Physics: Conference serie

Direct observation of stress accumulation and relaxation in small bundles of superconducting vortices in tungsten thin-films

We study the behavior of bundles of superconducting vortices when increasing the magnetic field using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/S) at 100 mK. Pinning centers are given by features on the surface corrugation. We find strong net vortex motion in a bundle towards a well defined direction. We observe continuos changes of the vortex arrangements, and identify small displacements, which stress and deform the vortex bundle, separated by larger re-arrangements or avalanches, which release accumulated stress.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, and 2 EPAPS figure

Anti-thyroid antibodies: methodological aspects and diagnostic significance

Since the first publication, more than 40 years ago, laboratory tests for the presence of antibodies (Ab) to thyroid antigens (Ag) have played a pivotal position in the diagnosis of thyroid diseases. Thyroid is a common target for autoimmune diseases, hence the interest in the definition of the thyroid Ag that could be involved in the process. The first Ag to be recognized was thyroglobulin, followed by the microsomal Ag, later identified with thyroid peroxidase, the TSH receptor and, more recently, other Ag like the sodium/iodide symporter (NIS). The methodologies employed evolved from the initial hemaglutination assays, to the present use of recombinant Ag, alternative labels and transfected cells. Today the clinical uses of a test to detect the presence of Ab against thyroid Ag are very well defined. The most useful test is the detection of anti-peroxidase Ab, the test with greatest sensitivity and specificity for the presence of autoimmune thyroid diseases. The anti-thyroglobulin test is mandatory as a complement for the measurement of thyroglobulin in the follow-up of patients with differentiated thyroid cancers. The anti-TSH receptor test has its main use in the definition of the presence of Graves disease. Tests for the presence of Ab against other thyroid Ag have no clear indication at the moment. The continuous methodological developments will certainly increase the utility of tests for anti-thyroid Ab.Desde sua descrição, há mais de 40 anos, a pesquisa de anticorpos (Ac) contra antígenos (Ag) tiroideanos tem tido papel importante no diagnóstico da patologia tiroideana. A tiróide é freqüentemente acometida por doenças autoimunes, daí o interesse pela definição dos Ag tiroideanos que podem estar envolvidos no processo. O primeiro Ag reconhecido foi a tireoglobulina, seguido do fator microssomal, mais tarde identificado como a peroxidase tiroideana, o receptor de TSH e mais recentemente outros Ag como o cotransportador de sódio e iodo (sodium/iodide symporter, NIS). As metodologias evoluíram dos ensaios iniciais por hemaglutinação até o emprego atual de Ag recombinantes, marcadores alternativos e células transfectadas. Atualmente as indicações clínicas da pesquisa de Ac anti-tiroideanos são bem definidas, sendo o de maior aplicação a pesquisa de Ac anti-peroxidase, que é o que apresenta maior especificidade e sensibilidade para a definição da presença de doença autoimune tiroideana. A pesquisa de Ac anti-tireoglobulina é fundamental como complemento da dosagem de tireoglobulina no acompanhamento de pacientes com carcinoma diferenciado de tiróide. Já a pesquisa de Ac anti-receptor de TSH tem indicação precisa na definição da presença de doença de Graves. As indicações de pesquisa de Ac contra outros Ag tiroideanos não têm, atualmente, indicações comprovadas. A contínua evolução metodológica deverá aumentar ainda mais as indicações e utilidades da pesquisa de Ac contra Ag tiroideanos.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) EPM Departamento de MedicinaUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de MedicinaSciEL