Rozprawy doktorskie na temat „ECG BEATS”

A brief overview of electrocardiogram (ECG) properties and the characteristics of various cardiac conditions is given. Two different models are used to generate synthetic ECG signals. Domain knowledge is used to create synthetic examples of 16 different heart beat types with these models. Other techniques for synthesizing ECG signals are explored. Various machine learning models with different combinations of real and synthetic data are used to classify individual heart beats. The performance of the different methods and models are compared, and synthetic data is shown to be useful in beat classification.

The brain is a highly complex network of nonlinear systems with internal dynamic states that are not easily quantified. As a result, it is essential to understand the properties of the connectivity network linking disparate parts of the brain used in complex cognitive processes, such as working memory. Working memory is the system in control of temporary retention and online organization of thoughts for successful goal directed behavior. Individuals exhibit a typically small capacity limit on the number of items that can be simultaneously retained in working memory. To modify network connections and thereby augment working memory capacity, researchers have targeted brain areas using a variety of noninvasive stimulation interventions. However, few existing methods take advantage of the brain's own structure to actively generate and entrain internal oscillatory modulations in locations deep within the auditory pathways. One technique is known as binaural beats, which arises from the brain's interpretation of two pure tones, with a small frequency mismatch, delivered independently to each ear. The mismatch between these tones is perceived as a so-called beat frequency which can be used to modulate behavioral performance and cortical connectivity. Currently, all binaural stimulation therapeutic systems are open-loop "one-size-fits-all" approaches. However, these methods can prove not as effective because each person's brain responds slightly differently to exogenous stimuli. Therefore, the driving motivation for developing a closed-loop stimulation system is to help populations with large individual variability. One such example is persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which causes cognitive impairments beyond those expected based on age. Therefore, applying a closed-loop binaural beat control system to increase the cognitive load level to people with MCI could potentially maintain their quality of life. In this dissertation, I will present a comparison of algorithms to determine brain connectivity, results of open-loop based binaural stimulation, the development of a closed-loop brain network simulation platform, and finally an experimental study to determine the effectiveness of closed-loop control to modulate brain networks hence influencing cognitive abilities.
Ph. D.

Orientador: Antonio Carlos Maringoni
Banca: Silvania Helena Furlan de Oliveira
Banca: Marta Helena Vechiato
Resumo: Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (Sacc. & Magn.) Scrib. e o agente causal da antracnose do feijoeiro (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), doenca fungica de grande importancia para a cultura, pois pode causar perdas de ate 100% na producao, quando sao utilizadas cultivares suscetiveis e sementes infectadas, sob condicoes ambientais favoraveis ao desenvolvimento de epidemias. O presente trabalho objetivou avaliar a sensibilidade in vitro de 20 isolados de Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, provenientes de diferentes regioes do pais, a cinco fungicidas de diferentes principios ativos e algumas misturas (carbendazin, chlorothalonil, tiofanato metilico, chlorothalonil + tiofanato metilico, trifloxystrobin, propiconazol, trifloxystrobin + propiconazol), em cinco diferentes concentracoes (0, 1, 10, 100 e 1000 -Êg.mL-1) adicionados em meio de cultura batata-dextrose-agar (BDA). Os isolados cresceram por sete dias a 25 -C no meio de cultura BDA e apos esse periodo, discos de 0,5 cm de micelio do fungo, foram transferidos para placas de Petri com o meio BDA contendo as diferentes concentracoes de fungicidas. As placas foram incubadas por sete dias a 25 -C, avaliado o crescimento medio do diametro das colonias (em cm) e calculado os valores de porcentagem de inibicao do crescimento micelial dos isolados em relacao ao tratamento testemunha. Os resultados mostraram que para os fungicidas carbendazin e tiofanato metilico, 11 isolados fungicos foram totalmente ou parcialmente inibidos na concentracao de 1 ou 10 -Êg.mL-1. Chlorothalonil mostrou-se menos eficiente que os demais produtos pelo fato de inibir o crescimento micelial de apenas tres isolados na concentracao de 1000 -Êg.mL-1. A mistura de chlorothalonil e tiofanato metilico mostrou a inibicao total do crescimento micelial de quatro isolados a 1 -Êg.mL-1, e, a 1000 -Êg.mL-1, oito isolados mostraram-se sensiveis a mistura desses produtos... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)
Abstract: Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (Sacc. & Magn.) Scrib. is the causal agent of anthracnose in bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). This fungal disease has great importance in the crop, since it may cause yield losses of up to 100% when susceptible cultivars and infected seeds are used under environmental conditions that favor the development of epidemics. The aim of this work was to evaluate the in vitro sensitivity of 20 isolates of Colletotrichum lindemuthianum from different regions of the country, to five fungicides with different active principles and some mixtures (carbendazim, chlorothalonil, methyl thyophanate, chlorothalonil + methyl thyophanate, trifloxystrobin, propiconazole, trifloxystrobin + propiconazole), at five different concentrations (0, 1, 10, 100, and 1000 ìg.mL-1), added to potato-dextrose-agar (PDA) culture medium. The isolates were cultured for seven days at 25 °C in PDA medium, after which 0.5 cm disks of fungal mycelium were transferred to Petri dishes containing PDA medium and the various concentrations of fungicides. The Petri dishes were incubated for seven days at 25 °C. We evaluated the mean growth in diameter of the colonies (in cm) and calculated percentage values for mycelial growth inhibition of the isolates in relation to the control treatment. The results showed that 11 fungal isolates were completely or partially inhibited by the fungicides carbendazim and methyl thyophanate at concentrations of 1 or 10 ìg.mL-1. Chlorothalonil proved less effective than the other products, as it inhibited mycelial growth in only three isolates, at the concentration of 1000 ìg.mL-1. The chlorothalonil and methyl thyophanate mixture showed complete mycelial growth inhibition in four isolates at 1 ìg.mL-1, while eight isolates were sensitive to the mixture of these products at 1000 ìg.mL-1. The propiconazole and trifloxystrobin mixture was the most effective and inhibited growth... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)
Mestre

Orientador: Ruy de Oliveira Andrade Filho
Banca: Ivan Esperança Rocha
Banca: Giulia Crippa
Banca: Ana Paula Tavares Magalhães
Banca: Leila Rodrigues da Silva
Resumo: Nosso trabalho procura investigar como o universo simbólico ligado à literatura apocalíptica cristã - mais especificamente as idéias de Juízo Final e Salvação - foi apropriado pelo Beato de Liébana na Alta Idade Média hispânica para compor seu Comentário ao Apocalipse e como, a partir desta obra, ele foi utilizado no processo de construção e divulgação de um referencial - representação - cristão de visão de mundo. Nossa pesquisa volta-se, portanto, para a relação entre o "mundo dos leitores" e o "mundo do livro", ou seja, para as práticas da leitura e da escrita que permearam a produção, a circulação e a leitura do C Ap. Coube a nos pensarmos como uma cultura que privilegiava a oralidade, como aquela da Alta Idade Média, apoiou-se neste texto escrito para, em face dele, produzir um sentido e construir uma normatização cristã do universo sócio-religioso. Por conseguinte, nosso intuito esteve em buscar os vestígios das práticas de leitura que acompanharam os destinatários do C Ap e dos indícios que eles podem nos dar da atuação deste texto enquanto discurso (processo), revelando-nos pontos de sua coerência (interação com o leitor) e sua intenção (efeito de sentido)
Abstract: Our research applies on an investigation about how the universe linked to the apocalyptic Christian - more specifically the concepts the concepts on Revelations and the Gospel of Salvation - were appropriated by the Beatus of Liébana in the Hispanic High Middle Ages to write his Commentary of Revelations and how, from this masterpiece, the ideas were used in the process of creation e dissemination of a Christian referent - representation - concerned to point of view. So, we focuses the relation between "the world of readers" and "the word of the book", that is, we highlight the reading and writing practices that permeated the production, distribution and reading of the Beatus Apocalypse. It was our duty to think how a culture that used to privilege oral records, like that one in the High Middle Ages, was supported by that written text to, before it, produce a meaning and build a Christian standardization of the social-religious universe. Consequently, our objective was regarded in looking for the traces of the reading habit that accompanied the destinations of Beatus Apocalypse and in the evidences that the revelations may give us in order to comprehend such manuscripts as speech (process), showing points of its coherence (interaction with the reader) and its intention (meaning effect)
Doutor

Orientador: José Antônio Matthiesen
Banca: José Luiz Pinheiro Melges
Banca: Antonio Alves Dias
Resumo: As pontes mistas com vigas de madeira e tabuleiro de concreto, que constituem uma técnica já bastante estudada pelo meio acadêmico brasileiro, vêm ganhando cada vez mais espaço entre os projetistas e construtores de pontes em estradas vicinais do interior do Brasil. Entretanto, o vão dessas pontes é limitado pelo comprimento das peças de madeira, cujos valores máximos, em geral, ficam em torno de 6 metros para vigas serradas e 12 metros para vigas roliças. Neste contexto, a presente pesquisa propõe um novo sistema estrutural de pontes mistas para vencer vãos da ordem de 15 a 20 metros, constituído por vigas treliçadas de madeira que suportam a laje de concreto armado. O tabuleiro do sistema proposto pode ser executado utilizando, como pré-laje, painéis treliçados pré-moldados auto-portantes, evitando-se escoramentos e, conseqüentemente, reduzindo o tempo e os custos de construção. A laje final é solidarizada às treliças de madeira por intermédio de pinos metálicos de cisalhamento, que fazem com que ambos os materiais trabalhem solidariamente na resistência aos esforços solicitantes, buscando, portanto, a otimização do uso estrutural desses materiais. A principal abordagem desta pesquisa é experimental, com a construção e análise de um modelo físico reduzido na escala 1:4... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)
Abstract: Timber-concrete composite structures - TCCS - constitute a technique well studied by the Brazilian academy and have been each time more present among the designers and constructors of bridges in secondary roads in the interior of Brazil. However, the span of these bridges is limited by the length of the timber beams, whose maximum values, in general, are around 6 meters for sawed beams and 12 meters for round beams. In this context, the present research suggests a new structural system of composite bridges, to overcome spans from 15 to 20 meters, built by trussed timber beams that support a reinforced concrete deck. The deck of the system can be executed using precast self-supported trussed panels, preventing props and, consequently, reducing time and costs of construction. The final slab is connected to the trussed beams by metallic shear bolts, which make that both the materials (timber and concrete) work together in the resistance to the requesting efforts, aiming the optimization of the structural use of these materials. This research was based on an experimental approach, with the construction and analysis of a reduced physical model in the scale 1:4, based on a bridge design classified as 30t with a free span of 16 meters. The model was instrumented with strain gauges and... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)
Mestre

Resumo: O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a quantidade e qualidade da deposição da calda de pulverização em plantas de feijão, Bidens pilosa L. e de Brachiaria plantaginea (Link) Hitch, presentes na linha e entrelinha da cultura, além da deposição no solo, em aplicações de pós-emergência. Foi utilizado como traçador o corante Azul Brilhante FDC -1 na concentração de 500 ppm. Os tratamentos constituíram de 3 modelos de ponta de pulverização, jato plano (XR 110015 VS e XR 11002 VS), jato plano duplo (TJ60 11002 VS) e jato cônico (TXVS 6 e TXVS 8); e dois volumes de aplicação 150 e 200 L ha-1, respectivamente. Utilizou-se o delineamento em blocos ao acaso, com 4 repetições. Os resultados dos dados quantitativos de deposição foram analisados nos seguintes esquemas em fatorial: para os depósitos em plantas de feijão foi utilizado o esquema 3 x 2 (3 modelos de pontas de pulverização x 2 volumes de aplicação); para as plantas daninhas presentes na linha e na entrelinha da cultura do feijão, o esquema foi 3 x 2 x 2 (3 modelos de pontas de pulverização x 2 volumes de aplicação x 2 espécies de plantas daninhas); para as estimativas de deposição no solo, o esquema foi 3 x 2 x 2 (3 modelos de pontas de pulverização x 2 posições (linha e entrelinha) x 2 volumes de aplicação). Foram amostradas 25 plantas por repetição em cada parcela, tanto para as plantas de feijão quanto para as plantas daninhas presentes na linha e na entrelinha da cultura. Após a aplicação, as plantas foram imediatamente coletadas, e em seguida foram lavadas em 100 mL de água destilada para posterior quantificação do traçador em espectrofotômetro. Para as analises qualitativa, cada planta selecionada ao acaso dentro da faixa de aplicação da barra foi considerada uma repetição, o que representou um total de 100 repetições. Os dados obtidos foram... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)
Abstract: The present work had as objective to evaluate the amount and deposition quality of spray solution in common bean plants, Bidens pilosa L. and Brachiaria plantaginea (Link) Hitch, current in the crop row and spacing row, beyond the deposition in soil, in applications of post-emergency. It was used the brilliant blue FDC - 1 as tracer solution, with 500 ppm. The treatments had constituted of 3 models of spray nozzles, flat fan nozzle (XR 110015 VS and XR 11002 VS), double flat fan nozzle (TJ60 11002 VS) and cone nozzle (TXVS 6 and TXVS 8); and two application volumes 150 and 200 L ha-1, respectively. It was used a randomized blocks design, with four replications. Being that, the results of the quantitative data of deposition had been analyzed in following factorial schemes: for the deposits in common bean plants was used 3 x 2 factorial scheme (3 models of spray nozzle x 2 application volumes); for the weeds in the common bean crop row and spacing row, the factorial scheme was 3 x 2 x 2 (3 models of spray nozzle x 2 application volumes x 2 weed species); for the soil deposition estimates, the factorial scheme was 3 x 2 x 2 (3 models of spray nozzle x 2 positions (row and spacing row) x 2 application volumes). Were sampled 25 plants for replication in each plot, as much for the common bean plants as current weeds in crop row and spacing row. After application, the plants were immediately collected, and after they had been washed in 100 mL of distilled water for posterior tracer quantification in spectrophotometer. For the quantitative analysis, each random selected plant inside of boom application stripe bar was considered a replication, representing a total of 100 replications. The obtained data had been adjusted a regression curve for Gompertz model. The results had evidenced that: (i) the biggest deposits of spray solution in soil had occurred in the crop spacing row, independent of the... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)
Orientador: Dagoberto Martins
Coorientador: Fernando Tadeu de Carvalho
Banca: Carlos Gilberto Raetano
Banca: Mario Sergio Tomazela
Mestre

Resumo: Objetivou-se avaliar o efeito de suplementos lipídicos disponíveis em diferentes formas (soja em grão moído, óleo de soja, e sais de cálcio - SC) no consumo de matéria seca total; comportamento ingestivo; desempenho corporal; parâmetros de fermentação ruminal; características de carcaça; desenvolvimento e composição corporal; e na qualidade da carne de novilhas mantidas em pastagens de Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu suplementadas em duas frequências (diária ou segunda, quarta e sexta - SQS). O experimento foi realizado nos meses de julho a novembro de 2007. Foram utilizadas novilhas mestiças (1/4 Nelore x 1/4 Santa Gertrudis x 1/2 Braunvieh), alimentadas com três suplementos lipídicos na quantidade de 0,75% do peso corporal. Os dados foram analisados em delineamento inteiramente casualisados com os tratamentos em arranjo fatorial (3x2 - três suplementos lipídicos e duas frequências alimentares). O consumo de matéria seca total foi maior nos meses de agosto e outubro em relação ao mês novembro. Houve efeito das formas de fornecimento da fonte lipídica sobre o consumo em kg de matéria seca total, forragem e nutrientes. Durante o período seco e início das águas os animais obtiveram ganhos médios totais de 0,577g dia-1, que não foram influenciados pelas suplementos lipídicos e frequências de suplementação utilizadas. A redução na frequência de suplementação alterou o tempo de pastejo em função dos suplementos lipídicos. Não houve influência dos suplementos lipídicos e das frequências de suplementação sobre o balanço de compostos nitrogenados, na síntese e eficiência de proteína microbiana. Houve influência das formas de fornecimento dos suplementos lipídicos sobre os valores de pH ruminal. A menor frequência de suplementação proporcionou diferenças nas concentrações de nitrogênio amoniacal ruminal... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)
Abstract: This research aimed to evaluate total dry matter intake, feeding behavior, growth performance, rumen fermentation parameters; carcass characteristics, development and body composition, and meat quality responses of steers grazing Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu supplemented at two frequencies (daily or Monday, Wednesday and Friday - MWF), under different forms of lipid supplements (soybean grain, soybean oil, and calcium salts - CS). This research was conducted throughout a four month period during the dry season (July to November 2007). Crossbred heifers were used (1/4 Nellore x 1/4 Santa Gertrudis x 1/2 Braunvieh) fed with three lipid supplements in the amount of 0.75% of body weight. The experiment was completely random, using a 3x2 factorial arrangement (3 supplements and 2 supplementation frequencies). The total dry matter intake was higher in August and October compared to November. There was effect of the lipids forms supplied on total dry matter, forage and nutrients intake. During the dry season and beginning of the wet season the animals showed average daily gain of 0.577 g day-1, which were not affected by dietary lipid supplementation and frequencies used. The kind of lipid diet under reduction on the frequency of supplementation alter grazing time. There was no influence of diet lipid and frequencies supplementation on nitrogenous compounds, in the synthesis and efficiency of microbial protein. There was influence of the lipids forms diets on values of rumen pH. Supplementation provided under frequency differences in the concentrations of ammonia in the rumen. There was influence of the lipids forms diets on weight hot carcass, and weight and dress percentage. Supplementation with dietary lipids under different forms and frequencies does not provide differences in body composition... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)
Orientadora: Telma Teresinha Berchielli
Coorientador: Ricardo Andrade Reis
Banca: Alexandre Amstalden Moraes Sampaio
Banca: Ana Cláudia Ruggieri
Banca: Marco Antonio Alvares Balsalobre
Banca: Juliano José de Resende Fernandes
Doutor

The resume of this master´s thesis is to introduce reader into principal component analysis (PCA), namely, the use of PCA for analysis of ECG. This method allows to reduce quantity of the data without loss of useful information. That is why PCA is widespread for preprocessing of the data for further classification, which this thesis also deals. Data available at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Technology in Brno were used in this work. All the methods were realized using Matlab.

Orientador: Ana Maria Rodrigues Cassiolato
Banca: Arnaldo Colozzi Filho
Banca: Luiz Malcolm Mano de Mello
Resumo: Vem sendo adotado no cerrado, cada vez mais, sistemas de manejos conservacionistas, como o plantio direto ou cultivo mínimo, que auxiliam na recuperação e na busca da sustentabilidade do agrossistema. Estes sistemas favorecem numerosos processos bioquímicos que ocorrem no solo devido à atividade microbiana, com efeitos sobre as propriedades físicas e químicas do solo e reflexos sobre o desenvolvimento das plantas, a produtividade agrícola e a qualidade do ambiente. Com isso, o objetivo deste trabalho foi quantificar o carbono da biomassa microbiana (CBM), o carbono do CO2 (C-CO2) liberado e a micorrização em função da calagem e do manejo do solo, em uma área de 20 anos de plantio direto, nas culturas de feijão (cultura de inverno) e milho (cultura de verão). O experimento foi conduzido na Fazenda de Ensino e Pesquisa da Faculdade de Engenharia, UNESP, Campus de Ilha Solteira, localizada no município de Selvíria-MS. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos ao acaso, com parcelas subdivididas, constituídas de 2 tratamentos (principais), 2 doses de calcário e 4 repetições cada. Os tratamentos foram: T1 - Plantio direto - calcário na superfície, sem incorporação; e T2 - Cultivo Mínimo - incorporação de calcário com o escarificador; e as doses de calcários foram: D1 - Testemunha (sem calcário) e D2 - 2000 kg ha-1 de calcário. O solo foi reclassificado como LATOSSOLO VERMELHO distrófico. Após amostragem (de 0 - 0,10 m de profundidade), o solo foi seco, peneirado (2 mm) e enviado para análise das características químicas. O CBM foi avaliado pelo método de fumigação-extração e a atividade respiratória foi verificada pela quantificação do C-CO2 liberado. Para as avaliações da porcentagem de segmentos de raízes colonizadas por fungos micorrízicos arbusculares as raízes foram clareadas, acidificadas, coloridas com azul de... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo).
Abstract: There is a steady increase in the employment of conservation management systems such as no-tillage or minimum-tillage in the Brazilian 'cerrado', which help in the recovery and maintenance of the agrosystem sustainability. These systems benefits several biochemical processes that take place in the soil due to microbial activity, which impact its physical and chemical properties and reflect on the development of plants, agricultural yield and the environment quality. The objective of this research was to quantify the microbial biomas-C, the C-CO2 evaluated and the mycorrhization in relation to limestone application and soil management, in a site under no-tillage for 20 years. The experiment was deployed at the Teaching and Research Farm (Selvíria, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil) of the College of Engineering of Ilha Solteira, UNESP. The experimental design was a split plot, with two managements (main) and two levels of limestone, with four replications each. Treatments were T1 - No-tillage: surface limestone application, with no incorporation and T2 - Minimum-tillage: limestone incorporation with chisel plowing, while limestone levels were D1 - control (no limestone) and D2 - 2,000 kg ha-1 limestone. The soil was reclassified as a red 'latossol' (oxisol). After sampling the soil was dried, sieved (2 mm mesh) and analyzed for its chemical properties. The microbial biomass-C was estimated by the fumigation-extraction method and respiratory activity was estimated by the quantification of the C-CO2 evaluated. Roots were clarified, acidified, stained with 0.05 trypan blue and preserved in lactoglycerol in order to estimate the percentage of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The assessment of mycorrhizal colonization was performed in 40 segments (one cm long), for each replication and treatment, under a... (Complete abstract, click electronic address below).
Mestre

Orientador: Rogério de Oliveira Rodrigues
Banca: Jefferson Sidney Camacho
Banca: Rodrigo Piernas Andolfato
Resumo: A Engenharia de Estruturas é uma área de grande importância na construção civil, uma vez que sua essência é a otimização de projetos. Para atender essa necessidade, os métodos numéricos são excelentes ferramentas, que auxiliam os profissionais a obterem, com maior agilidade, projetos de alta qualidade, diminuindo custos e prazos. Além disso, a alvenaria estrutural é um sistema que satisfaz essa procura por projetos otimizados, devido à agilidade na construção, com projetos modulados, equipe e equipamentos especializados, que garantem rapidez e diminuição de custos. Nesse cenário, o presente trabalho aborda um procedimento numérico para análise do comportamento não-linear de dois modelos de vigas de alvenaria estrutural submetidos à flexão simples. Um formado somente por blocos canaleta de concreto, sobrepostos em duas fiadas; e outro, composto pela fiada inferior de blocos-canaleta e a superior, por blocos vazados, ambos os modelos grauteados. As vigas foram discretizadas com o elemento finito prismático regular linear, sendo que, para o bloco, a argamassa e o graute, se utilizou o Critério Mohr-Coulomb, para prever a ruptura e os redutores de rigidez baseados na diminuição do módulo de elasticidade. Ao final, foram comparados os resultados numéricos, obtidos com presença e ausência dos redutores de rigidez, com os observados em modelos experimentais desenvolvidos no Núcleo de Ensino e Pesquisa da Alvenaria Estrutural (NEPAE) da Faculdade de Engenharia, Campus de Ilha Solteira, UNESP. As análises numéricas realizadas produziram resultados satisfatórios para os dois modelos de vigas abordados, sendo também possível observar o aumento de rigidez da viga com blocos-canaleta e blocos vazados.
Abstract: The Structural Engineering is a very important area in civil construction, since its essence is the optimization of designs. To attend the actual necessities, the numerical methods come to be excellent tools, which help professionals to obtain, with more agility, high quality designs, reducing the costs and deadlines. Besides, that structural masonry is a system that satisfies the searching for optimized projects, due to its agility in constructions, with modulated designs, specialized staff and equipments that warrant fast and low costs. In this scenario, this paper deals with numerical proceeding for analyzing the nonlinear behavior of two models of structural masonry beams subjected to bending. One, formed only for "U" blocks of concrete overlapping in two rows; and another, composed of channel blocks in the bottom row and the upper row made of hollow blocks, both models entirely grouted. The beams were discretized with linear regular prismatic finite element, and for the block, mortar and grout it was used the Mohr- Coulomb Criteria, to expect the rupture and reducers of rigidity based on the decreasing of strain modulus. In the end, the obtained numerical results with the presence and absence of reducers of rigidity were compared, with those observed in experimental models developed at the Structural Masonry Study and Research Center, Faculty of Engineering Ilha Solteira Campus, UNESP. The accomplished numerical analys produced satisfactory results for the two beam models, and it has been also possible to observe the increase of rigidity in the beam with channel and hollow blocks.
Mestre

Orientador: Mônica Pinto Barbosa
Banca: Tulio Nogueira Bittencourt
Banca: Rogério de Oliveira Rodrigues
Resumo: Apresenta-se como objeto desta pesquisa o estudo numérico não-linear da ductilidade de vigas de concreto armado convencional e de alto desempenho. Toda a análise numérica é efetuada no código de cálculo baseado no método dos elementos finitos CASTEM 2000, que utiliza o modelo reológico elastoplástico perfeito para o aço, o modelo de Drucker-Prager para o concreto e o método de Newton-Raphson para a solução de sistemas não-lineares. O núcleo deste trabalho concentra-se na obtenção de curvas força - deslocamento e momento - curvatura com a finalidade de quantificar respectivamente os índices de ductilidade global e local das vigas analisadas. De início, confrontam-se as respostas numéricas obtidas com resultados experimentais fornecidos pela literatura a fim de garantir confiabilidade à análise numérica realizada. Posteriormente, efetua-se a determinação da capacidade de deformação inelástica do elemento estrutural em questão, variando-se a resistência à compressão do concreto, a taxa geométrica de armadura longitudinal de tração, a tensão de escoamento das armaduras, o espaçamento entre estribos, a base da seção transversal do elemento estrutural e o efeito escala. Estes parâmetros foram avaliados para dois casos de solicitação: flexão simples tipo I e flexão simples tipo II. O primeiro caso caracteriza-se pela ação de forças simétricas aplicadas à 1/3 e 2/3 do vão e a segunda por uma força centrada no meio do vão. A linha de tendência geral observada foi de uma maior ductilização das vigas sujeitas à flexão simples tipo II, em detrimento às solicitadas por flexão simples tipo I. Quanto ao efeito escala observa-se que a ductilização das vigas é inversamente proporcional à esbeltez das mesmas.
Abstract: The objective of this thesis is the study of the ductility of high and conventional strength reinforced concrete beams by non-linear numerical simulations. The numerical analysis is based on the finite element method implemented in CASTEM 2000. This program uses the constitutive elastoplastic perfect model for the steel, the Drucker-Prager model for the concrete and the Newton-Raphson for the solution of non-linear systems. This work concentrates on the determination of force - displacement and moment - curvature curves with the purpose of quantifying the global and local ductility indexes of the beams. First, the numeric responses are confronted with experimental results found in the literature in order to check the reliability of the numerical analyses. Later, a parametric study is carried on. The inelastic deformation capacity of the structural element is investigated by varying the concrete compressive strength, the longitudinal reinforcement ratio, the yield stress of the reinforcement, the spacing between stirrups, the member section dimensions and the element size. These parameters have been analyzed for two cases: simple type I and simple type II bending. The first case is characterized by the action of applied symmetrical forces to the 1/3 and 2/3 of the beam size and second for a force centered in the middle of the beam size. The general tendency observed points to a high ductilization of the beams subjected to simple type II bending in comparison to the ones subjected to simple type I bending. With respect to the element size, it is noticed that the ductility of the beams is inversely proportional to their slendernesses.
Mestre

El temps és un component estructural de la música. A cada cultura, els sons de la música es produeixen i es perceben com patrons rítmics que posseeixen una pulsació isocrònica subjacent. Aquesta pulsació isocrònica s'organitza mitjançant el compàs en patrons que jerarquitzen posicions fortes i febles. Ambdós, la pulsació isocrònica i el compàs, són constructes cognitius que funcionen com a punts de referència temporal per categoritzar i predir esdeveniments, fet que permet sincronitzar moviments (entre altres coses). Aquesta tesi pretén explorar les bases biològiques de la pulsació isocrònica i del compàs jeràrquic des d'un enfocament neurofisiològic i comparatiu. Els estudis electrofisiològics amb humans han revelat que les poblacions neuronals poden sincronitzar-se amb estímuls periòdics visuals i auditius; i amb el compàs ternari, sigui imaginat en la modalitat visual o marcada per característiques auditives espacials. A més, la formació musical i l'atenció interaccionen amb el processament del ritme i reforcen la sincronia neural amb les periodicitats de la pulsació i el compàs. Els estudis conductuals amb rates han revelat que altres animals són capaços de reconèixer l'estructura rítmica subjacent a una cançó familiar i que poden detectar isocronia en seqüències auditives presentades a diversos tempos, independentment de la durada absoluta dels tons. A diferència dels humans, les rates no tenen habilitats d'aprenentatge vocal, les quals semblen no ser necessàries per processar aquests dos components temporals del ritme. En conjunt, aquestes troballes assenyalen que alguns aspectes rítmics de la música van més enllà de la modalitat auditiva en els humans i que els seus orígens es poden trobar en altres espècies.

Orientador: Marco Eustaquio de Sa
Banca: Orivaldo Arf
Banca: Salatiér Buzetti
Banca: Ceci Castilho Custódio
Banca: Charline Zaratin Alves
Resumo: Plantas de cobertura são espécies utilizadas com objetivo de produzir fitomassa, sendo os resíduos mantidos na superfície do solo para formação de cobertura morta, contribuindo para aumentar a eficiência do sistema plantio direto. Este experimento avaliou a capacidade das plantas de cobertura quanto à produção de biomassa e ciclagem de nutrientes ao solo para o sistema plantio direto, também analisou a resposta do cultivar Pérola à aplicação de níveis de nitrogênio em cobertura nos estádios V4-3 e V4-6 do desenvolvimento vegetativo sobre os componentes produtivos, produtividade e qualidade fisiológica das sementes de feijoeiro, sendo conduzido na Fazenda Experimental da Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira, UNESP, em Selvíria-MS. No verão de 2008 foram implantadas as plantas de cobertura: milheto, braquiária, braquiária+feijão-de-porco, milho, milheto+feijão-de-porco, braquiária+crotalária, milheto+crotalária, milho+feijão-de-porco, milho+crotalária, sendo o consórcio gramínea/leguminosa com linhas alternadas. Após o manejo das plantas de cobertura foi semeado o feijoeiro no outono/inverno, subdivididas para níveis de N (0, 60, 120 e 180 kg ha-1 de N) em dois estádios do desenvolvimento vegetativo (V4-3 e V4-6), sendo utilizado o delineamento experimental em blocos casualizados, com quatro repetições. Concluiu-se que, (i) As plantas de cobertura cultivadas de forma solteira ou em consórcio se mostraram como opções viáveis para o cultivo do feijoeiro em implantação do sistema plantio direto; (ii) A época mais adequada para a aplicação de N no feijoeiro é V4-3, pois permite maior absorção de nutrientes e maiores produtividades do feijoeiro cv. Pérola; (iii) Devido ao elevado retorno de nutrientes pelas plantas de cobertura não se recomenda a aplicação de N em cobertura; (iv) As sementes... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)
Abstract: Covering plants species are used in order to produce biomass, and the straw are kept on the soil surface to form mulching, improving the efficiency of no- tillage system. This research analyzed the ability of cover plants for producing biomass and nutrients return to the soil in no-tillage system, also evaluated the response of the Perola cultivar for application of nitrogen levels in the V4-3 and V4-6 sub phases on the vegetative development under productive components, productivity and physiological quality. The experiments were conducted experimental of the Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira, Universidade Estadual Paulista, in Selvíria-MS. In the summer of 2008 were implemented cover plants: millet, Brachiaria brizanta, maize plants, millet+jack bean, sunn hemp+millet, Brachiaria brizanta+jack bean, Brachiaria brizanta+sunn hemp , maize plants+jack bean, maize+sunn hemp , being the consortium grass/legume in alternating rows. After the management of cover crops were sown common beans seeds in the fall / winter, divided to levels of N (0, 60, 120 and 180 kg N ha -1) in two seasons of N application, and used a randomized block design with four repetitions. Concluding that: (i) The cover plants used as a good options of mulching for use in no- tillage with high levels and good potential of nutrients return; (ii) The most appropriate period for application in common bean is V4 -3 , as it allows greater absorption of nutrients and higher productivity of cv. Pérola; (iii) Due to the high return of nutrients by the cover plant is not recommended to apply of nitrogen; (iv) The seed presented high quality regardless of the type of plant, or stadium of N application
Doutor

Orientador: Roger Darros Barbosa
Banca: Maria Aparecida Mauro
Banca: Fernando Antonio Cabral
Resumo: A presente pesquisa propõe como alternativa melhorar o processo de extração da cafeína dos grãos de café de variedade arábica utilizando água como solvente com auxílio de ultrassom de alta intensidade. Na primeira etapa da pesquisa foram avaliadas propriedades físicas do grão no processo de hidratação e a proposição da solução analítica para a semiesfera da equação de Fick. Na segunda etapa foi avaliado o coeficiente de difusão da cafeína no processo de extração com água em diferentes temperaturas (30, 40, 50 e 60 °C). Na terceira etapa foi empregado um delineamento composto central rotacional para avaliar a porcentagem de recuperação e o coeficiente de difusão de cafeína nos grãos de café, para os tempos de 15, 30 e 60 minutos sob a influência do ultrassom de alta intensidade (30, 45, 65, 85 e 100% da amplitude da potência) em diferentes ciclos de aplicação (30, 45, 65, 85 e 100%) e em função da temperatura de extração (30, 36, 45, 53 e 60 °C). O modelo matemático para geometria semiesférica apresentou melhor ajuste aos dados experimentais, tanto para a difusão de água nos grãos de café no processo de hidratação, como para o processo de extração de cafeína em meio aquoso. O coeficiente de difusão de água no grão de café no processo de hidratação variou de 6,901 .10-11 m2 s-1 a 30 °C até 3,119 .10-10 m2 s-1 a 60 °C, com energia de ativação de 41,243 kJ mol-1. Para a difusão da cafeína, o modelo matemático para semiesfera também resultou ser ligeiramente superior na maioria dos casos, onde o coeficiente de difusão variou de 1,026 .10-11 m2 s-1 a 30 °C até 9,004 .10-11 m2 s-1 a 60 °C com uma energia de ativação de 59,933 kJ mol-1. Na aplicação de ultrassom de alta intensidade, os fatores de potência de ultrassom e a temperatura... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)
Abstract: This research proposes as an alternative to improve the process of extracting caffeine from coffee beans, arabica variety, using water as solvent, assisted by high-intensity ultrasound. In the first stage of the research, physical properties of the grain were evaluated in the hydration process and the proposition of an analytical solution for the semi-sphere of the Fick equation. In the second stage, it was determined the diffusion coefficient of caffeine in the extraction process with water at different temperatures (30, 40, 50 and 60 °C). In the third stage, a central composite rotational design was used to assess the percentage of recovery and the diffusion coefficient of caffeine in coffee beans, for caffeine extraction upon different treatment times (15, 30 and 60 minutes) under the influence of high-intensity ultrasound (30, 45, 65, 85 and 100% of the power amplitude), different application cycles (30, 45, 65, 85 and 100%), as a function of the temperature (30, 36, 45, 53 and 60 °C). The mathematical model presented by the semispherical geometry showed the best fit to the experimental data, in comparison to Fick's sphere geometry approach, both for the diffusion of water in the coffee beans in the hydration process, and for the extraction process of caffeine in aqueous media. The diffusion coefficient of water in the coffee bean in the hydration process ranged from 6.901 ×10-11 m2 s-1 at 30°C to 3.119 ×10-10 m2 s-1 at 60°C, with and activation energy of 41.243 kJ mol-1. For the diffusion of caffeine in the grain, the semi-sphere mathematical model also resulted slightly better fitting in most cases, with a diffusion coefficient ranged from 1.026 ×10-11 m2 s-1 at 30°C to 9.004 10-11 m2 s-1 at 60°C, and an activation energy of 59.933 kJ mol-1. In the high-intensity ultrasound assisted extraction process, the ultrasound... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)
Mestre

Orientador: José Antônio Matthiesen
Banca: Renato Bertolino Junior
Banca: Antonio Alves Dias
Resumo: O estudo em estruturas mistas é dedicado ao emprego do material madeira-concreto em estruturas de pontes, mais precisamente no seu tabuleiro. No entanto, a aplicação desse material no Brasil não está regulamentada por normas que permitam ao engenheiro civil fazer sua aplicação nas estruturas correntes. Com a proposta de viabilizar o uso desse material madeira-concreto esse estudo vem contribuir com um melhor entendimento do comportamento físico da ligação entre os materiais madeira e concreto. O estudo dessa ligação foi realizado quantificando o módulo de deslizamento em corpos-de-prova do tipo "push-out", vigas T e tabuleiro de madeira-concreto. Os resultados experimentais do módulo de deslizamento obtidos por esses três tipos de ensaios foram comparados com os resultados obtidos teoricamente pelo Eurocode 5 (1993). Também, no seguinte estudo foi feito uma simulação numérica do tabuleiro de madeira-concreto usando um programa para análise estrutural baseado no Método dos Elementos Finitos (MEF). Na conclusão dessa pesquisa verificou-se que o comportamento estrutural desse material misto pode-ser calculado usando o Eurocode 5 (1993) e o Método dos Elementos Finitos (MEF).
Abstract: The study of mixed structures is dedicated to the use of timber-concrete material in bridges' structures, more precisely in its tray. However, the application of this material in Brazil is not regulated by standards that allow the civil engineer to make its application in the current structures. With the proposal to make possible the use of this timber-concrete material this study contributes to understand better the physical behavior of the linking between wood and concrete. The study of this connection was carried through quantifying the slip's module in specimens of "push-out" type, T beams and timber-concrete's tray. The experimental results of the slip's module from these three kinds of tests had been compared with the results obtained theoretically for Eurocode 5 (1993). Also, in the following study it was made a mathematical simulation of the wood-concrete's tray using a numerical analysis' program based on the Finite Elements' Method (MEF). In the conclusion of this research it was verified that the structural behavior of this mixed material can to be calculated using Eurocode 5 (1993) and the Method of the Finite Elements (MEF).
Mestre

Orientador: Geraldo de Freitas Maciel
Banca: Carlos Roberto Minussi
Banca: Luiz Edival Souza
Resumo: Este trabalho dá continuidade e aperfeiçoa um modelo automatizado para estimativa de altura de ondas geradas em lagos de barragens, a partir dos dados característicos de vento. Infere sobre a climatologia dos ventos, a fim de determinar as maiores alturas de ondas e identificar pontos críticos, tanto para a segurança à navegação, quanto para as margens do reservatório. Lagos de barragens, foco desta dissertação são, em sua maioria, dotados de vegetação aquática. Dentro dessa temática, uma busca por modelos capazes de qualificar e quantificar o quão as ondas geradas pelo vento reagem ao atravessar esses obstáculos naturais em termos de oscilação das plantas, presentes nas margens, foi também discutida. Para os propósitos aqui expostos, um aplicativo computacional foi utilizado para a previsão de ondas e estruturado de maneira que pudesse fornecer resultados gráficos de forma automatizada com maior precisão e no menor tempo possível. O software, fruto do desenvolvimento dos estudos da equipe de pesquisa e mais recentemente aprimorado no presente trabalho, batizado de OndisaCAD, integra-se dentro de ambientes CADs, precisamente no AutoCAD da Autodesk, possibilitando, assim, a geração de ótimas interfaces e resultados gráficos. No que tange à dissipação de energia através da vegetação existente nos lagos e suas margens, o aspecto dinâmico associado à própria movimentação da vegetação foi comparado ao comportamento do movimento de vigas engastadas em sua parte inferior, o que permitiu prescrever a movimentação dos organismos vivos (plantas) frente a uma excitação provocada pela passagem de onda
Abstract: This work continues and perfects an automated model for estimating the height of waves generated in lakes dams, entering the characteristic data of the wind. It follows on the climatology of the winds to determine the largest wave heights and identify critical points, for the safety of navigation and margin of the reservoir. Lakes dams, focus of this dissertation are mostly equipped with aquatic vegetation. Inside this subject, a search for models able to qualify and quantify how the waves generated by winds respond to cross these natural barriers in terms of oscillation of plants, present on the margin, was also discussed. For the purposes set out here, a software was used for predicting waves and structured so that could provide automated graphics results with more accurately and with a shortest possible time. The software, due to the development of studies of the research team and more recently extended in the present work, called OndisaCAD, works within CADs environments, specifically in AutoCAD of Autodesk's, allowing the generation of great interfaces and graphical results. With respect to the dissipating energy through the vegetation in the lakes and their margins, the dynamic aspect associated with their movement of the vegetation was compared to the behavior of the movement of beams embedded in its bottom, which allowed to prescribe the movement of living organisms (plants) front of an excitement caused by the passage of a wave
Mestre

Many research studies have analyzed the effect that whole-body vibration (WBV) has on sleep, and some have sought to use vibration to treat sleep disorders such as insomnia. It has been shown that low frequencies (f < 2Hz) are generally sleep inducing, but oscillations of this frequency are typically difficult to achieve using electromagnetic vibration drives. In the research that has been performed, optimal vibration parameters have not been determined, and the effects of multiple vibration sources vibrating at different frequencies to induce a low frequency traveling wave have not been explored. Insomnia affects millions of people worldwide, and non-pharmacological treatment options are limited. A bed excited with multiple vibration sources was used to explore beat frequency vibration as a non-pharmacological treatment for insomnia. A repeated measures design pilot study of 14 participants with mild-moderate insomnia symptom severity was conducted to determine the effects of beat frequency vibration, and traditional standing wave vibration on sleep latency and quality. Participants were monitored using high-density electroencephalography (HD-EEG). Sleep latency was compared between treatment conditions. Trends of a decrease in sleep latency due to beat frequency vibration were found (p ≤ 0.181 for AASM latency, and p ≤ 0.068 for unequivocal sleep latency). Neural complexity during wake, N1, and N2 stages were compared using Multi-Scale Sample Entropy (MSE), which demonstrated significantly lower MSE between wake and N2 stages (p ≤ 0.002). Lower MSE was found in the transition from wake to N1 stage sleep but did not reach significance (p ≤ 0.300). During N2 sleep, beat frequency vibration shows lower MSE than the control session in the left frontoparietal region. This indicates that beat frequency vibration may lead to a decrease of conscious awareness during deeper stages of sleep. Standing wave vibration caused reduced Alpha activity and increased Delta activity during wake. Beat frequency vibration caused increased Delta activity during N2 sleep. These preliminary results suggest that beat frequency vibration may help individuals with insomnia symptoms by decreasing sleep latency, by reducing their conscious awareness, and by increasing sleep drive expression during deeper stages of sleep. Standing wave vibration may be beneficial for decreasing expression of arousal and increasing expression of sleep drive during wake, implying that a dynamic vibration treatment may be beneficial. The application of vibration treatment as part of a heuristic sleep model is discussed.

Ventricular premature beats are ectopic changes in the ECG signal. Detection of ventricular extrasystoles on 12leads ECG was created in MATLAB. At first my work involves whether the ventricular premature beats comes from the right or the left ventricle. Another algorithm evaluates the incidence outflow tract of the chamber. If the previous algorithm shows signs of indecision, another algorithm is used for detection of ventricular extrasystoles at another location in the left ventricle. The last step is to narrow the area of detection which makes it easier to find the place of origin.

According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the main cause of death worldwide. An Estimated 17.5 million people died from CVD in 2012, 31% of all Representing Global deaths. The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a core tool for the pre-diagnosis of heart diseases. Many advances on ECG arrhythmia classification have Been developed in the last century; however, there is still research to identify malignant ECG waveforms on beats. The SVC complexes are known to be associated ventricular arrhythmias with malignant and in sudden cardiac death (SCD) cases. This Kind of detecting arrhythmia has been crucial in clinical applications. In this work, we extracted from 108,653 , 80 different features of the ECG beats classified MIT-BIH database in order to classify the Normal, SVC and other kind of ECG beats. with the help of supervised machine learning technique. In particular, we used supervised learning technique like Logistic Regression, Neural Network, KNN, Support vector machine, Random forest, Decision Tree. With the help of proposed method, we easily classify the ECG beat. From these algorithm Decision tree has the highest accuracy as 86.60%.

A huge amount of biomedical data such as Electrocardiography (ECG) and Electroencephalography (EEG) signals are recorded daily from human body to assess and monitor human performance and physiological condition. The analysis of these signals is important for research as well as for medical diagnosis and treatment. Although ECG and EEG signals provide useful information about the heart and brain, the classification of these signals has not been well developed. Even now these signals are often examined manually by physicians. Hence, there is a need for developing automatic classification techniques that evaluate and assess these signals. This thesis presents enhanced methods for the classification of ECG and EEG signals in three areas: the detection of premature ventricular contraction (PVC), the identification of epileptic seizure, and the recognition of motor imagery (MI) tasks in Brain-Computer Interface (BCI).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1998.
Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-50).

碩士
國立交通大學
電信工程研究所
102
Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a pictorial representation of the electrical activity of the heart. ECG beat classification plays an important role in the clinical diagnosis of cardiac diseases, which can prevent potential patients from physical dangers at the early stage by immediate and accurate classification of beat types. This study focuses on the extraction of morphological and dynamic features of ECG signals. Specifically, discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and principal component analysis (PCA) are applied consecutively to each heart beat to extract morphological features. In addition, RR interval information is computed to provide dynamic features. These two different types of features are concatenated and a probabilistic neural network (PNN) classifier is utilized for the classification of heart beats into one of 13 classes. The proposed method is validated on the baseline MIT-BIH arrhythmia database and it yields an overall accuracy of 98.3%, sensitivity of 91.5%, and specificity of 99.9%.

碩士
國立中正大學
電機工程研究所
102
An ECG signal processor with real-time beat detection and beat classification is proposed. This system consists of a decimation filter and an ECG signal processor, which can analyze the incoming ECG in real time and provide a long term monitor and record. The decimation filter of the system with a decimation rate of 128 is implemented with multi-stages to optimize the power consumption and area. The algorithm of the system is based on the wavelet transform. In the beat detection part, the system first defines a detection region, and then compares the local maximum in each region to find the time of a heartbeat appearing. In the beat classification part, the system can refer to doctors’ options to generate the parameters of the classification, and doctors check if the symptoms meet their diagnoses, so that the system can win doctors’ confidence and reduce the loading in the clinical diagnoses. The algorithm of the system which is verified with data from MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database can definitely achieve an accuracy of 90% or more. The proposed system is implemented in TSMC 0.18 μm CMOS technology. The operation frequency is 1 MHz and the supply voltage is 1.8 V. And the total power consumption of proposed system is 0.77 mW. The resolution of the decimation filter is 12 bits. The accuracy of beat detection can achieve over 90%.In the beat classification part, the accuracy is 94% with non-tuning symptom pattern.

碩士
國立中正大學
電機工程研究所
99
In this thesis, we proposed an assistive diagnosis system for ECG beat recognition. The system aimed to establish a fundamental recognition system for beats, hoping to provide assistive diagnosis for the physician. Conventional methods for arrhythmia detection were usually based on standard resting ECG. However, it could only provide a snapshot of the patient’s cardiovalscular activity in time and was difficult to make reliable diagnosis for transient arrhythmias. Therefore, one of the possible solutions for the problem is to perform real-time diagnosis. The system consisted of five parts, including data acquisition, QRS detection, feature extraction, classification, and result display. To acquire ECG signals, we employed on NI DAQ card, which converted analog signal to digital signal for further data processing. QRS detection was a crucial part of the entire system, because the result of feature extraction was strongly affected by the locations of the QRS complexes . A sequence of processing steps include band-pass filters , which rejected 60Hz interference and baseline wander, fiducial mark localization, iterative thresholds computation, and adjustment of real QRS complexes . Using the MIT-BIH database for verification, the algorithm achieved the R-peak detection rate of 96.64% for offline analysis and 94.07% for a simplified version which is designed for the requirement of short detection time. Despite a slight decrease in the detection rate, the recognition time for the real-time algorithm was only 0.00038sec per beat, which met the requirement of the real-time system. The discrete wavelet transform was then employed to decompose the ECG signal in order to appropriately select subband components to increase noise rejection and improve beat discrimination. Due to its extremely short processing time in classifier testing, the feed-forward back-propagation neural network was exploited to perform beat classification. To elevate the sensitivity of arrhythmias which were of small training size, different profiles designated as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd profile were considered when training the weight of the FFBNN. When evaluating the proposed method, we designed three trials to compare the influence of different sample selection strategies. Finally, we developed two platforms, namely offline platform and real-time GUI platform, to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed system. Prior to the real-time GUI platform, offline platform was utilized to develop the initial prototype and adjust the weight of the neural network. This system achieved a recognition rate of 98.63% with the offline platform, and 98.34% for the real-time analysis. The outstanding performance demonstrates the effectiveness and efficiency for the system.

碩士
國立中正大學
電機工程研究所
100
In this thesis, a real-time ECG beat detection and classification DSP system has been implemented in digital integrated circuits and verified by FPGA prototyping. This system provides a smaller and cheap solution for ambulatory ECG recording and monitoring. Moreover, the system cuts down unnecessary data transfer to lower the power consumption of the chip for the requirement of long term usage and can also save cardiologist’s time during the work day by shorten ECG record with annotation on each heart beat which has been classified by the proposed DSP circuit. The classification algorithm based on wavelet theorem is universal to any waveform which means it does not limited to lead II signal only. This makes it to be possible on detecting heart disease more precisely, especially to those disease which are not easy to diagnose only in lead II ECG signal. With reconfigurable classification pattern and weighting make this system suitable to other applications, such as EEG or EMG classification. In this thesis, TSMC 0.18μm process was used to implement the integrated circuit. According to the simulation result with 1.8-V supply voltage, the total power consumption of the chip is 147 μW. The simulation and prototyping results show the default beat detection accuracy is 99.44 %. The accuracy of beat detection can achieve 100% with the reconfigurable parameter setting within this circuit design. The accuracy of beat classification is 97.25% with non-tuning symptom pattern. The symptom pattern for classification used in this system is also reconfigurable.

No
This paper presents analytical technique and simplified formulas for the calculations of cracking, yield and ultimate moments of different cases as well as deflections of ECC-concrete composite beams reinforced with steel bars. The technique is based on the simplified constitutive models of materials, strain compatibility, perforce bond of materials and equilibrium of internal forces and moment. Experimental testing of eleven ECC-concrete composite beams reinforced with steel bars is also presented. All beams tested had the same geometrical dimensions but different steel reinforcement strength and ECC thickness. The proposed formulas showed good agreement with the experimental results of various moment values and deflections. A parametric analysis shows that yield and ultimate moments increase with the increase of concrete strength in case of compression failure but, essentially, remain unchanged in case of tensile failure. With increasing the tensile resistance, for example by increasing ECC height replacement ratio, reinforcement ratio, strength of steel reinforcement and ECC, ultimate curvature and energy dissipation increase in case of tensile failure and decrease in case of compressive failure. On the other hand, ductility and energy dissipation ratio decrease with the increase of reinforcement ratio and strength, but, essentially, remain unchanged with increasing the height replacement ratio and strength of ECC.
National Natural Science Foundation of China (51678514, 51308490), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (BK20130450), Six Talent Peaks Project of Jiangsu Province (JZ-038, 2016), Graduate Practice Innovation Project of Jiangsu Province (SJCX17-0625) and the Jiangsu Government Scholarship for Overseas Studies.

碩士
逢甲大學
通訊工程學系
102
Physiological state of Human can be measured by instrument to obtain relative scientific data, analysing and generalizing those data to various physiological information. In this thesis, I will do further discussion for brainwave, and record those data as EEG files. In this thesis, I focus on changing the power distribution and enhancement conditions of each brainwave types. According to the difference of testers` brainwave power, observing max power-based frequency band of each brainwave type, and set different frequency of audio for testers to listen. Listening to the audio by using binaural frequency deviation is named binaural beats[6] which is familiar with double tuning forks resonance. Create the specific frequency band that designers want to enhance. Finally, observe the power changes of each brainwave type. In analysing part, I focus on the power changes of brainwave power and observe the changes of basic brainwave types：α、β、δ、θ. From the experiments result, if testers listening to the audio which is binaural frequency deviation and max power-based brainwave frequency band. Designers can enhance target brainwave type. For example, if designers want to enhance α wave which frequency band is 8Hz－13Hz, and tester`s max power-based frequency is 9Hz in this frequency band. designers can enhance the power of α wave by designing 9Hz audio which is binaural frequency deviation. Because four basic brainwave types represent different physiological significances, Changing the power of four brainwave types by listening to designing audio , can change physiological states of testers. By the way, generalize the audio mode which change physiological states. In this thesis, the success rate in enhancing β、δ waves are higher than in enhancing α、θ. Otherwise, when designers want to enhance target brainwave, the power of others brainwave types also enhance with target brainwave type. But the power growth are smaller than target brainwave type.

Yes
Experimental and theoretical investigations on the flexural performance of steel reinforced ECC-concrete composite beams subjected to freeze–thaw cycles are presented in this paper. Four groups of reinforced composite beams with different ECC height replacement ratios subject to 0, 50, 100 and 150 cycles of freeze–thaw were physically tested to failure. Experimental results show that the bending capacity decreases with the increase of freeze–thaw cycles regardless of ECC height replacement ratios. However, the ultimate moment, stiffness and durability of ECC specimens and ECC-concrete composite specimens are greater than those of traditional concrete specimens, owing to the excellent tensile performance of ECC materials. With the increase of ECC height, the crack width and average crack spacing gradually decrease. According to materials’ constitutive models, compatibility and equilibrium conditions, three failure modes with two boundary failure conditions are proposed. Simplified formulas for the moment capacity are also developed. The results predicted by the simplified formulas show good agreement with the experimental moment capacity and failure modes. A parametric analysis is conducted to study the influence of strength and height of ECC, amount of reinforcement, concrete strength and cycles of freeze–thaw on moment capacity and curvature ductility of ECC-concrete composite beams.

Yes
This paper aims to investigate the flexural behavior of engineered cementitious composite (ECC)-concrete hybrid composite beams reinforced with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars and steel bars. Thirty two hybrid reinforced composite beams having various ECC height replacement ratio and combinations of FRP and steel reinforcements were experimentally tested to failure in flexure. Test results showed that cracking, yield and ultimate moments as well as the stiffness of hybrid and ECC beams are improved compared with traditional concrete beams having the same reinforcement, owing to the excellent tensile properties of ECC materials. The average crack spacing and width decrease with the increase of ECC height replacement ratio. The ductility of hybrid reinforced composite beams is higher than that of traditional reinforced concrete beams while their practical reinforcement ratios are similar. Reinforced ECC beams show considerable energy dissipation capacity owing to ECC’s excellent deformation ability. Considering the constitutive models of materials, compatibility and equilibrium conditions, formulas for the prediction of cracking, yield and ultimate moments as well as deflections of hybrid reinforced ECC-concrete composite beams are developed. The proposed formulas are in good agreement with the experimental results. A comprehensive parametric analysis is, then, conducted to illustrate the effect of reinforcement, ECC and concrete properties on the moment capacity, curvature, ductility and energy dissipation of composite beams.
National Natural Science Foundation of China (51678514, 51308490), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (BK20130450), Six Talent Peaks Project of Jiangsu Province (JZ-038, 2016), Graduate Practice Innovation Project of Jiangsu Province (SJCX17-0625), the Jiangsu Government Scholarship for Overseas Studies and Top-level Talents Support Project of Yangzhou University

Yes
This paper presents test results of fifteen reinforced engineered cementitious composite (ECC)-concrete beams. The main parameters investigated were the amount and type of reinforcement, and ECC thickness. All reinforced ECC-concrete composite beams tested were classified into four groups according to the amount and type of main longitudinal reinforcement used; three groups were reinforced with FRP, steel and hybrid FRP/steel bars, respectively, having similar tensile capacity, whereas the fourth group had a larger amount of only FRP reinforcement. In each group, four height replacement ratios of ECC to concrete were studied. The test results showed that the moment capacity and stiffness of concrete beams are improved and the crack width can be well controlled when a concrete layer in the tension zone is replaced with an ECC layer of the same thickness. However, the improvement level of ECC-concrete composite beams was controlled by the type and amount of reinforcement used. Based on the simplified constitutive relationships of materials and plane section assumption, three failure modes and their discriminate formulas are developed. Furthermore, simplified formulas for moment capacity calculations are proposed, predicting good agreement with experimental results.
National Natural Science Foundation of China (51678514, 51308490), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (BK20130450), Six Talent Peaks Project of Jiangsu Province (JZ-038, 2016), Graduate Practice Innovation Project of Jiangsu Province (SJCX17-0625), the Jiangsu Government Scholarship for Overseas Studies and Top-level Talents Support Project of Yangzhou University.

Tese de mestrado integrado, Engenharia Biomédica e Biofísica (Sinais e Imagens Médicas) Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2021
Binaural beats (BBs) are auditory illusions created by the brain when two coherent sounds with slightly different frequencies are presented to both ears dichotically. For example, if the subject is presented a 256 Hz tone to the right ear and a 250 Hz to the left ear, the beat in this phenomenon is referred to as a 6 Hz theta binaural beat. Conversely, a mix of two sinusoids presented to the same ear is called acoustic beat (AB), resulting in a periodic amplitude fluctuation. Although BBs were shown to have positive effects on cognition, there are no sufficient studies on BBs and episodic memory. Furthermore, there is no agreement to explain the brain mechanism underlying the perception of BBs. The primary goal of this study is to investigate the influence of BBs on episodic memory and the effects of BB stimulation on brain rhythms, more concretely to examine whether they can change the power of specific EEG frequencies, comparatively to ABs. The secondary objective focuses on an exploratory study to measure cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) applying Muse, a consumer-grade EEG device used in this study, in order to assess its potential and the corresponding data quality. To meet the goals, two separate experiments were designed: a classic CAEP paradigm, with a total of 5 participants (3 male, 2 female; aged 22-25 years old); and an experiment with 32 subjects (19 male, 13 female; aged 20-28 years old), divided into two groups (depending on type of stimulation performed: 20 Hz beta or 6 Hz theta beats), each one with two stimuli conditions (BB or AB), received 15 minutes before the episodic memory task, during memory encoding phase and during the free recall test, across 2 sessions with an interval of 1 week. To quantify the power of brain oscillations during AB and BB stimulation, time-frequency analysis was performed using Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and Relative Wavelet Energy (RWE). Regarding CAEP paradigm, N1-P2 complex was detected in temporal regions with acceptable signal-to-noise ratio. Parametric and non-parametric paired t-tests showed several significant changes in RWE values within each group at different time points, frequency bands and channels during both sessions, between BB and AB conditions. Moreover, entrainment of brain activity with the frequency of the beat was detected within theta BB stimulation. Regarding the effects of BB stimulation on episodic memory performance, t-tests revealed significant differences in the memory scores between AB and BB conditions during the first session (t=−2.48, p=0.0133) and second session (t=−2.67, p=0.00914) in theta group, with higher scores observed after BB stimulation. In beta group, significant differences in the scores were observed between AB and BB conditions during first session (t=−2.40, p=0.0154), with higher scores registered in BB condition. Inter-group analysis demonstrated that beta group outperformed theta group in both AB (t=3.37, p=0.00244) and BB (t=3.58, p=0.00143) conditions during the second session. This study validates the use of Muse for neuroscientific research, demonstrating that is possible to rely on consumer-grade low-cost EEG systems. Furthermore, it demonstrates that 20 Hz beta and 6 Hz theta BBs have a positive influence on episodic memory performance. Based on findings of positive effects of BBs on cognition, these results were expected. Entrainment was observed during theta BB stimulation. In addition, it is suggested that BBs have a modulatory effect on brain frequencies, with involvement of dynamical processes.
Batimentos binaurais (BBs, do inglês Binaural beats) são ilusões auditivas criadas pelo cérebro quando dois sons coerentes com frequências ligeiramente diferentes são apresentados dicoticamente, isto é, cada ouvido é estimulado por frequências diferentes. Existem diferentes tipos de BBs, dependendo das frequências a partir das quais são criados e da diferença entre elas, o que determina a frequência do batimento. Por exemplo, se o sujeito é apresentado com um tom de 256 Hz no ouvido direito e 250 Hz no ouvido esquerdo, cria-se um batimento binaural de 6 Hz, na frequência do ritmo teta. Por outro lado, a mistura de duas sinusoides apresentadas ao mesmo ouvido possui o nome de batimento acústico (AB, do inglês acoustic beat) e as suas interferências são refletidas em flutuações periódicas em amplitude. Estudos demonstram que os BBs têm um efeito positivo na memória de trabalho, memória de longo prazo, capacidade de atenção e nos níveis de ansiedade e relaxamento. No entanto, existem relatos do seu efeito negativo na atenção e na memória de curto prazo. Para além disso, não existe um consenso na comunidade científica para explicar o mecanismo cerebral subjacente à perceção dos BBs. Tudo isto sublinha a necessidade de mais unificação na pesquisa. Apesar do efeito benéfico dos BBs nos diferentes tipos de memória, não existe um leque de estudos suficientemente grande relativamente à sua influência na memória episódica, um tipo de memória associado à codificação de eventos autobiográficos. Destaques na pesquisa sugerem que as oscilações teta estão associadas a um melhor desempenho na memória episódica. Presumindo que a estimulação auditiva com BBs teta possa ter um efeito modulador das frequências cerebrais por meio de resposta pós-frequência, mais especificamente no ritmo teta, é razoável supor que os BBs podem influenciar a memória episódica. O sistema de EEG usado neste estudo é o Muse, desenvolvido para ajudar em técnicas de meditação. Como não se trata de um aparelho de grau médico, é necessário entender se o material é viável para o estudo. O método para alcançar esta validação foi medir os potenciais evocados auditivos corticais, uma resposta cerebral já bem conhecida. Posto isto, a primeira parte desta tese foca-se num estudo exploratório para medir os potenciais evocados auditivos corticais usando o Muse, com o objetivo de avaliar o potencial do dispositivo e a qualidade dos dados correspondentes. A segunda parte e a meta principal deste estudo é investigar a influência do BBs na memória episódica e estudar o seu efeito nas oscilações cerebrais, em comparação com ABs. Para concretizar a primeira experiência deste estudo, um paradigma clássico foi desenhado para medir os potenciais evocados. Um total de 5 voluntários participaram neste estudo, com idades compreendidas entre 22 e 25 anos. Os participantes receberam um total de 180 estímulos, que consistiam em tons puros de 1000 Hz, com 500 ms de plateau, 10 ms de subida e descida e apresentados a cada 2 segundos. A aquisição do EEG e os marcadores de evento foram concretizados através do Lab Streaming Layer, uma ferramenta que permite criar redes de conexões entre vários dispositivos e programas. O pré-processamento e o processamento dos dados foram executados no EEGLAB, uma extensão do MATLAB que oferece uma interface gráfica para realizar a análise do EEG. Os resultados obtidos foram satisfatórios: o complexo N1-P2 foi identificado em todos os sujeitos e também nas curvas de grande média, com uma melhor relação entre o sinal e o ruído comparativamente às curvas individuais. Relativamente à segunda parte desta tese, a experiência consiste em 2 grupos de sujeitos, 2 blocos de tarefas, cada um com 2 condições de estímulo (AB ou BB), concretizada durante 2 sessões, separadas por uma semana. Um total de 32 voluntários foram recrutados, com idades compreendidas entre 20 e 28 anos. Os sujeitos foram divididos em 2 grupos: grupo teta, que recebeu estimulação com BBs e ABs teta na frequência dos 6 Hz, criados a partir de tons puros de 247 Hz e 253 Hz; grupo beta, que foi estimulado com BBs e ABs beta na frequência dos 20 Hz, gerados a partir de tons puros de 240 Hz e 260 Hz. A primeira parte do primeiro bloco consistia numa tarefa passiva em que os sujeitos de cada grupo ouviam ABs durante 15 minutos, ao mesmo tempo em que aquisição do EEG era realizada. Seguiu-se uma tarefa de memória episódica, em que os participantes tinham que decorar uma sequência de 30 imagens de objetos, cada uma com a duração de 3 segundos. De seguida, uma tarefa de distração foi realizada consistindo numa contagem em voz alta de 20 até 0. Por fim, foi feito um teste de recordação livre em que os sujeitos apontavam num papel os objetos que se lembravam de ver, cujo número seria contabilizado como pontuações de memória. O segundo bloco de tarefas é idêntico ao primeiro, exceto que imagens de objetos diferentes foram usadas e a estimulação durante os 15 minutos iniciais foi feita com BBs. Na segunda sessão, os mesmos procedimentos foram repetidos, exceto o uso de imagens de objetos diferentes em cada bloco. Para quantificar a energia de cada banda de frequência do EEG, recorreu-se à Transformada de Wavelet Discreta, que decompõe o sinal em vários níveis, cada um correspondendo a uma banda de frequência de ritmos cerebrais, e à Energia de Wavelet Relativa (RWE, de Relative Wavelet Energy). Mudanças na RWE dum determinado nível de decomposição refletem mudanças na atividade cerebral na banda de frequências correspondente. Dois tipos de análise foram concretizados: um tendo conta a evolução temporal da RWE ao longo de 13 segmentos de 1 minuto; o segundo implicou calcular a RWE média ao longo de um único segmento de EEG, colapsando a dimensão temporal. Os testes t paramétricos e não paramétricos revelaram várias diferenças entre os valores de RWE durante a estimulação com ABs e a estimulação com BBs, ao longo de diferentes instantes de tempo, bandas de frequências, canais e sessões da experiência. Relativamente ao grupo teta, os testes revelaram que a RWE na banda de frequência alfa no canal AF8 durante a primeira sessão aumentou de AB para BB (t=2.2701, p=0.01919). Durante a segunda sessão, foi observado um aumento dos valores de RWE na banda de frequências teta no canal TP10 da condição AB para BB (t=2.4509, p=0.0135). Relativamente ao grupo beta, as seguintes observações correspondem à primeira sessão, da condição AB para BB: uma diminuição significativa de RWE na banda de frequências beta no canal TP10 (t=-2.3364, p=0.0181) e um aumento significativo de RWE na banda delta no canal TP10 (t=4.3193, p=0.0004164) e no canal TP9 (t=2.7144, p=0.00885). Quanto aos efeitos dos BBs na performance de memória episódica, os testes t revelaram diferenças significativas nas pontuações entre as condições AB e BB durante a primeira sessão (t=-2.48, p=0.0133) e segunda sessão (t=-2.67, p=0.00914) no grupo teta, com pontuações mais altas observadas após a estimulação com BB. No grupo beta, diferenças significativas nas pontuações foram observadas entre as condições AB e BB durante a primeira sessão (t=-2.40, p=0.0154), com pontuações mais elevadas registadoa na condição BB. A análise entre os grupos demonstrou que o grupo beta superou o grupo teta em ambas as condições AB (t=3.37, p=0.00244) e BB (t=3.58, p=0.00143) durante a segunda sessão. Uma análise fatorial ANOVA II demonstrou que o efeito principal da condição foi significativo, sendo que os participantes que foram submetidos à estimulação com batimentos binaurais tiveram resultados mais altos (F(1,115)=5.49, p=0.0208). O efeito principal da sessão também foi significativo, com pontuações mais altas obtidas durante a segunda sessão (F(1,115)=9.206, p=0.00298). Houve interação significativa entre grupo e sessão (F(1,115)=5.11, p=0.0256). Para além disso, regressões lineares demonstraram que o aumento das pontuações de memória está associado ao aumento de RWE na banda de frequências beta (F(5,114) = 5.876, p < 0.0001). Este estudo mostra que é possível quantificar os potenciais evocados auditivos corticais usando um dispositivo de EEG de grau de consumidor. Foi demonstrado que os batimentos binaurais teta de 6 Hz e beta de 20 Hz têm efeito positivo no desempenho da memória episódica, comparativamente aos respetivos acoustic beats. Os participantes que foram estimulados com BBs beta tiveram melhores resultados nos testes de memória comparativamente aos que receberam estimulação com BBs teta, o que pode ser explicado pelo facto da atividade teta, característica da memória episódica, ter sido despertada durante a estimulação BB beta. No entanto, foi demonstrado que o aumento nas pontuações de memória episódica é explicado pelo aumento da RWE no ritmo beta. A resposta pós-frequência foi observada durante a exposição aos BBs teta, porém o mesmo não se verifica relativamente aos BBs beta. Para concluir, este estudo prova que os batimentos binaurais são moduladores neuronais, com envolvimento de respostas dinâmicas. Este efeito modulador da atividade cerebral pode ser a razão por trás da influência destes batimentos na memória episódica.

Tese de mestrado integrado, Engenharia Biomédica e Biofísica (Engenharia Clínica e Instrumentação Médica) Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2018
Todos os anos, mais de 95 mil recém-nascidos são admitidos nas Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatais (UCIN) do Reino Unido, devido principalmente a partos prematuros ou outras complicações que pudessem ter ocorrido, como é o caso da encefalopatia hipóxico-isquémica (EHI), que assume 3% de todas as admissões nas unidades referidas. EHI é o termo que define uma complicação inesperada durante o parto, que resulta em lesões neurológicas a longo prazo e até em morte neonatal, devido à privação de oxigénio e fluxo sanguíneo ao recém-nascido durante o nascimento. Estima-se que tenha uma incidência de um a seis casos por 1000 nascimentos. Nos países desenvolvidos, a hipotermia é utilizada como método preventivo-terapêutico para esta condição. No entanto, existem dois grandes obstáculos para a obtenção da neuroprotecção pretendida e totalmente benéfica, na prática clínica. Em primeiro lugar, esta técnica é eficaz se for iniciada dentro de seis horas após o parto. Visto que o estado clínico da encefalopatia neonatal evolui nos dias posteriores ao nascimento, a sua deteção precoce é um grande desafio. Tal situação pode levar a diversos erros nas UCIN, tal como indivíduos sujeitos à terapia de hipotermia desnecessariamente, ou ainda mais grave, casos em que recém-nascidos foram inicialmente considerados como saudáveis, não tendo sido submetidos à terapia referida, apresentarem sinais de EHI após seis horas de vida. A segunda questão prende-se com o facto de a neuroprotecção poder ser perdida se o bebé estiver stressado durante o tratamento. Para além disso, não existe nenhuma ferramenta válida para a avaliação da dor dos recém-nascidos submetidos a esta terapia. Os obstáculos frisados anteriormente demonstram duas necessidades ainda não correspondidas: a carência de um método não invasivo e largamente adaptável a diferentes cenários para uma correta identificação de recém-nascidos com maior probabilidade de HIE, dentro de uma margem de seis horas após o parto, mas também um método preciso de stress em tempo real, não invasivo, que possa orientar tanto pessoal médico, como pais, de modo a oferecer um tratamento mais responsável, célere e individualizado. Deste modo, a análise do ritmo cardíaco demostra um enorme potencial para ser um biomarcador de encefalopatia neonatal, bem como um medidor de stress, através da eletrocardiografia (ECG), visto que é um importante indicador de homeostase, mas também de possíveis condições que podem afetar o sistema nervoso autónomo e, consequentemente, o equilíbrio do corpo humano. É extremamente difícil a obtenção de um parâmetro fisiológico, sem a presença de artefactos, especialmente no caso de recém-nascidos admitidos nas UCIN. Tanto no caso da aquisição de ECGs, como de outros parâmetros, existe uma maior probabilidade de o sinal ser corrompido por artefactos, visto que são longas aquisições, normalmente dias, onde o bebé é submetido a diversas examinações médicas, está rodeado de equipamentos eletrónicos, entre outros. Artefactos são definidos como uma distorção do sinal, podendo ser causados por diversas fontes, fisiológicas ou não. A sua presença nos dados adquiridos influencia e dissimula as informações corretas e reais, podendo mesmo levar a diagnósticos e opções terapêuticas erradas e perigosas para o paciente. Apesar de existirem diversos algoritmos de identificação de artefactos adequados para o sinal cardíaco adulto, são poucos os que funcionam corretamente para o de recém-nascido. Para além disso, é necessário bastante tempo tanto para o staff clínico, como para os investigadores, para o processo de visualização e identificação de artefactos no eletrocardiograma manualmente. Deste modo, o projeto desenvolvido na presente dissertação propõe um novo algoritmo de identificação e marcação de artefactos no sinal cardíaco de recém-nascidos. Para tal, foi criado um modelo híbrido de um método que tem em consideração todas as relações matemáticas de batimento para batimento cardíaco, com outro que tem como objetivo a remoção de spikes no mesmo sinal. O algoritmo final para além de cumprir com o objetivo descrito acima, é também adaptável a diferentes tipos de artefactos presentes no sinal, permitindo ao utilizador, de uma forma bastante intuitiva, escolher o tipo de parâmetros e passos a aplicar, podendo ser facilmente utilizado por profissionais de diferentes áreas. Deste modo, este algoritmo é uma mais-valia quando aplicado no processamento de sinal pretendido, evitando assim uma avaliação visual demorada de todo o sinal. Para obter a melhor performance possível, durante o desenvolvimento do algoritmo foram sempre considerados os resultados de validação, tais como exatidão, sensibilidade, entre outros. Para tal, foram analisados e comparados eletrocardiogramas de 4 recém-nascidos saudáveis e 4 recém-nascidos com encefalopatia. Todos possuíam aproximadamente 5 horas de sinal cardíaco adquirido após o nascimento, com diferentes níveis de presença de artefactos. O algoritmo final, obteve uma taxa de sensibilidade de 96.2% (±2.4%) e uma taxa de exatidão de 92.6% (±3.2%). Como se pode verificar pelos valores obtidos, o algoritmo obteve percentagens altas nos vários parâmetros de classificação, o que significa uma deteção correta. A taxa de exatidão apresenta um valor mais baixo, comparativamente ao parâmetro da sensibilidade, pois em diversas situações, normalmente perto de artefactos, os batimentos normais são considerados como artefactos, pelo algoritmo. Contudo, essa taxa não é alarmante, tendo sido considerada uma taxa reduzida, pelo pessoal médico. Após o processamento do sinal cardíaco dos grupos mencionados acima, um estudo comparativo, utilizando parâmetros da variabilidade do ritmo cardíaco, foi realizado. Diferenças significativas foram encontradas entre os dois grupos, onde o saudável assumiu sempre valores maiores. SDNN e baixa frequência foram os parâmetros que traduziram uma diferença maior entre os dois grupos, com um p-value <0.01. De modo a corresponder ao segundo obstáculo referido nesta dissertação, outro objetivo desta tese foi a criação de um algoritmo que pudesse identificar e diferenciar uma situação de stress nesta faixa etária, com recurso ao ritmo cardíaco. Um estudo multidimensional foi aplicado aos diferentes métodos de entropia utilizados nesta tese (approximate entropy, sample entropy, multiscales entopy e fuzzy entropy) de modo a estudar como os diferentes métodos de entropia interagem entre si e quais são os resultados dessa relação, especialmente na distinção de estados normais e stressantes. Para tal, a utilização de clusters foi essencial. Dado que para todos os ECGs de bebés saudáveis analisados neste projeto foram registados todas as possíveis situações de stress, como é o caso de choro, examinações médicas, mudança de posição, entre outros, foram escolhidos 10 minutos do sinal do ritmo cardíaco adquirido, antes da situação, para análise. Infelizmente, associado a um evento stressante, na maioria dos casos encontra-se uma percentagem bastante alta do sinal corrompida por artefactos. No entanto, em alguns casos foi possível observar uma clara distinção de grupos de clusters, indicando que naquele período de tempo, houve uma mudança de estado. Foi também realizado um estudo intensivo de diversos métodos de entropia aplicados ao grupo de sujeitos apresentados nesta dissertação, onde foi provado que o método mais adequado a nível de diferenciação é a Fuzzy Entropy (p=0.0078). Ainda é possível sugerir alguns aspetos e apontar algumas limitações, no âmbito de poderem ser ultrapassadas no futuro. Em primeiro lugar, é necessária a aquisição de mais eletrocardiogramas, quer de recém-nascidos saudáveis, quer com encefalopatia hipóxico-isquémica, de modo a aumentar o tamanho da amostra e, deste modo diminuir os valores do desvio-padrão em todos os parâmetros calculados. Relativamente ao estudo do stress, seria interessante, com uma amostra maior, a definição de clusters, de modo a ter uma identificação precisa de situações stressantes. Para além disso, a transformação do software atualmente escrito em MATLAB para GUI (interface gráfica do utilizador), a fim de tornar mais acessível a sua utilização por profissionais de diversas áreas.
In Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the heart rate (HR) offers significant insight into the autonomic function of sick newborns, especially with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy condition (HIE). However, the intensity of clinical care and monitoring contributes to the electrocardiogram (ECG) to be often noisy and contaminated with artefacts from various sources. These artefacts, defined as any distortion of the signal caused by diverse sources, being physiological or non-physiological features, interfere with the characterization and subsequent evaluation of the heart rate, leading to grave consequences, both in diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. Besides, its manual inspection in the ECG trace is highly time-consuming, which is not feasible in clinical monitoring, especially in NICU. In this dissertation, it is proposed an algorithm capable of automatically detect and mark artefacts in neonatal ECG data, mainly dealing with mathematical aspects of the heart rate, starting from the raw signal. Also, it is proposed an adjacent algorithm, using complexity science applied to HR data, with the objective of identifying stress scenarios. Periods of 10-minute ECG were considered from 8 newborns (4 healthy and 4 HIE) to the identification of stress situations, whereas for the artefacts removal algorithm small portions varying in time length according to the amount of noise present in the originally 5 hours long samples were utilised. In this report it is also present several comparisons utilising heart rate parameters between healthy and HIE groups. Fuzzy Entropy was considered the best method to differentiate both groups (p=0.00078). In this report, substantial differences in heart rate variability were found between healthy and HIE groups, especially in SDNN and low frequency (p<0.01), confirming results of previous literature. For the final artefact removal algorithm, it is illustrated significant differences between raw and post-processed ECG signals. This method had a Recall rate of 96.2% (±2.4%) and a Precision Rate of 92.6% (±3.2%), demonstrating high efficiency in ECG noise removal. Regarding stress measures, associated with a stressful event, in most cases there is a high percentage of the signal corrupted by artefacts. However, in some cases it was possible to see a clear distinction between groups of clusters, indicating that in that period, there was a change of state. Not all the time segments from subjects demonstrated differences in stress stages, indicating that there is still room for improvement in the method developed.

Lysozyme is a natural antimicrobial agent that is effective against many food spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms by disintegrating their cell walls. Immobilization of lysozyme has attractive applications for use in the food industry: (1) The enzyme could be readily separated from treated foods and beverages and re-used while the foods could still be claimed additive-free; (2) It could impart stable antimicrobial capability to the surface of food packaging polymers. In this study, a novel method is described for the preparation of a highly active immobilized lysozyme system. The method addressed three key issues in the covalent attachment of a biological active protein to an insoluble support: 1.) The protein should be attached to the matrix by the fewest possible bonds to minimize conformational change; 2.) The binding site(s) on the enzyme to the supports should be located as far as practical from its active center and be nonessential for its tertiary structure; 3.) The binding method should minimize the steric interference between the support and the immobilized enzyme. Using polystyrene resin beads as support matrix, peptide spacers of various lengths composed of 6-aminocaproic acid were synthesized with the solid phase peptide synthesis method. Then the amino terminals of the spacers were derivatized with bromoacetyl bromide and coupled to the protein's only histidine residue (His-15) that is nonessential for its lytic activity. Immobilized lysozyme with a spacer composed of three 6-aminocaproic acid units displayed the best lytic result against lyophilized M. lysodeikticus cells: 2736 U/g resin with a protein load of 2.21 mg/ resin. Retained activity was 14.2% of that of the free enzyme. Preparations with longer spacers yielded higher protein load yet the retained activity remained at about 14% level. A control consisted of random coupling of lysozyme to polystyrene beads without spacer gave an activity of 158 U/G with a protein load of 1.24 mg/g resin and 1.4% of retained activity, Properties of the immobilized lysozyme system were studied, including stability, effect of pH, surface characteristics of the support. A kinetics study of the system using Eadie-Hofstee plot demonstrated strong external diffusion effects, which resulted in deviation from classic Michaelis-Menton kinetic behavior.
Graduation date: 2004

碩士
國防大學
運籌管理學系
107
Corporate social responsibility (also called CSR) emerged in the mid-20th century. In recent years, the concept of CSR has been promoting in full swing. However, previous studies on it often focused on the relationship between CSR and financial performance, and scant attention has been paid to the perspectives of decision-making, strategy choice, and stakeholders. This study hence was conducted by using a hybrid method design, aiming to examine influential factors of cause-related products driven by corporations. Targeting on eco-friendly Adzuki beans in Pxmart, the data was collected from the qualitative semi-structured interview, including its production, marketing, and academic research. In addition, from the interactive interview, the respondents’ experience, feelings, and perspectives were comprehended, analyzed, and summed up. In order to generalize the findings, the quantitative questionnaire survey was also adopted to confirm the relationship among brand identification, purchase intention, and the moderating effect of perceived price. The result of the qualitative research shows that there are seven important factors affecting the promotion of public goods, namely media strength, product concept, trademark establishment, policy cooperation, profitability, market trends and corporate attention. As to the quantitative research, the result confirms that consumers’ brand identification of Adzuki beans has a high, positive correlation to their purchase intention, and the price of Adzuki beans does not reduce consumers’ purchase intention.

BACKGROUND: A number of epilepsy syndromes are characterized by sleep-activated epileptiform discharges, however drivers of this process are not well understood. Previous research has found that thalamic injury in early life may increase the odds of sleep-activated spikes. Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is among the most common pediatric-onset epilepsy syndromes, characterized by sleep-potentiated spike activity, a focal sensorimotor seizure semiology, and deficits in language, attention, and behavioral functioning. Though ictal and interictal electro-clinical activity resolves during mid-adolescence, adverse psychosocial outcomes may persist. Previous findings from monozygotic twin and neuroimaging studies suggest a multifactorial pattern of disease and raise suspicion for structural changes in thalamocortical connectivity focal to the seizure onset zone, though this has not been explored. OBJECTIVE: This research aims to (1) assess white matter differences in focal thalamocortical connectivity between BECTS cases and healthy controls using validated probabilistic tractography methods, (2) assess the association between spike burden and white matter connectivity focal to the seizure onset zone, and (3) evaluate longitudinal changes in thalamocortical connectivity across four cases. METHODS: 42 subjects ages 6-15 years were recruited between November 2015 and February 2018, including 23 BECTS cases and 19 healthy controls. Subjects underwent 3 Tesla structural and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (2mm x 2mm x 2mm) with 64 gradient directions (b-value=2000) and 72 electrode sleep-deprived electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings. Seed and target regions of interest (ROIs) were created within each hemisphere using the Desikan-Killiany atlas, with the thalamus set as a seed ROI, and SOZ cortex and non-SOZ (NSOZ) cortex as target ROIs. Probabilistic tractography was executed using PROBTRACKX2 with 500 streamlines per seed voxel, 0.5 millimeter steps, and a curvature threshold of 0.2. All streamlines reaching the target ROI were summed and normalized by seed voxel count. Results for BECTS and healthy controls were plotted by age. The slope of thalamocortical connectivity versus age was computed for each group and compared between groups using nonparametric bootstrap analysis. Additionally, the association between SOZ connectivity and spike burden was assessed in a subgroup analysis using a linear regression model, controlling for age. RESULTS: A significant difference in the developmental trajectory of thalamocortical connectivity to the SOZ in BECTS cases compared to healthy controls was found (p=0.014), where the increase in connectivity with age observed in healthy controls was not present in BECTS children. These results did not extend to NSOZ thalamocortical connections (p=0.192). Longitudinal results support these observations, where all BECTS cases who underwent repeat imaging (N=4) showed a decrease in thalamocortical connectivity to the SOZ over the follow-up period. No relationship was found between thalamocortical connectivity and spike burden (p=0.840). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that children with BECTS show subtle alterations in thalamocortical white matter development focal to the seizure onset zone. Thalamocortical connectivity to the SOZ does not appear to directly mediate non-REM sleep spike potentiation in BECTS. Limitations of this study include the potential for selection bias and limited power to detect sample differences. Additional research is needed to further characterize thalamocortical network changes and electrographic and neuropsychological correlates.

The musical neo-matriarchy is linked to the growing popularity of Neo-Paganism. This pseudo-religious scene is based on romantic heritage, real or invented folk traditions and more or less serious historical, theological and anthropological studies of neo-matriarchy. In the focus of the scene stands the veneration of the Great Goddess and its worshipers are exclusively women. The main ideas of this eco-feminist movement are being conveyed also through (popular) music. My contribution encompasses the origins of the musical neo-matriarchy, the mythology it is based on, the message of the songs for the Great Goddess, the musical characteristics of the material collected, the use of typical instruments, and the dissemination of (musical) knowledge as the rather ‘modern’ way of distribution and consumption of the allegedly ‘archaic’ issues.

In the genus Fusarium are many important plant pathogens. The diversity of hosts the genus attacks, the number of pathogenic taxa and the range of habitats in which they cause disease are the greatest in plant pathology. One important species complex within the genus Fusarium is Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht. This species complex consists more than 80 pathogenic forma specialis and is particularly difficult to control. The fungi can survive in soil for decades as specialized spores, known as chlamydospores. Interestingly, however, this species complex also contains beneficial non-pathogenic forms that can be exploited to manage Fusarium wilt diseases. In this study, the ability of non-pathogenic F. oxysporum strains, Trichoderma harzianum Rifai Eco-T®, soluble silicon, and their combination was evaluated on two important crops, banana (Musa sp. L.) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), for their potential to suppress pathogenic strains of F. oxysporum. The ability of these crops to take up and accumulate silicon in their organs, and its effect on low temperature stress was also investigated. Several endophytic fungi, mainly Fusarium spp. and bacteria, were isolated from healthy mature banana plants. After preliminary and secondary in vivo screening tests against F. oxysporum f.sp. phaseoli on beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cv. Outeniqua, two non-pathogenic F. oxysporum strains were selected for further testing. These two non-pathogenic F. oxysporum strains were found to colonize banana (Musa sp.) cv. Cavendish Williams and bean plants, and to suppress Fusarium wilt of these crops. In order to improve the efficacy of these biocontrol fungi, soluble silicon was introduced. The relationship between plant mineral nutrition and plant diseases have been reported by several authors. Plants take up silicon equivalent to some macronutrients, although it is not widely recognized as an essential element. In this study, we established that roots, the target plant organ for soilborne plant pathogens, accumulated the greatest quantity of silicon of any plant organs when fertilized with high concentrations of silicon. On the other hand, the corm and stem accumulated the least silicon. Such observations contradict the concept of passive uptake of silicon via the transpiration stream in these plants as the only uptake mechanism. The prophylactic properties of silicon have been documented for many crops against a variety of diseases. In vitro bioassay tests of silicon against these wilt pathogens showed that silicon can be toxic to Fusarium wilt fungi at high concentrations (>7840 mg .-1), resulting in complete inhibition of hyphal growth, spore germination and sporulation. However, low concentrations of silicon (<490 mg .-1) encouraged hyphal growth. Silicon fertilization of banana and beans significantly reduced disease severity of these crops by reducing the impact of the Fusarium wilt pathogens on these crops. However, it could not prevent infection of plants from the wilt pathogens on its own. Synergistic responses were obtained from combined applications of silicon and non-pathogenic F. oxysporum strains against Fusarium wilt of banana. Combinations of silicon with the non-pathogenic F. oxysporum strains significantly suppressed disease severity of Fusarium wilt of banana, caused by F. oxysporum f.sp. cubense (E.F. Smith) Snyder & Hansen, better than applications of either control measure on their own. Banana production in the subtropical regions frequently suffer from chilling injury, and from extreme variations between night and day temperatures. Such stress predisposes banana plants to Fusarium wilt disease. Silicon, on the other hand, is emerging as important mineral in the physiology of many plants, ameliorating a variety of biotic and abiotic stress factors. We established that silicon fertilization of banana plants significantly reduced chilling injury of banana plants. Membrane permeability, lipid peroxidation (MDA level) and proline levels were higher in silicon-untreated plants than the treated ones, all of which demonstrated the stress alleviating effect of silicon. Low temperatures damage the cell membrane of susceptible plants and cause desiccation or dehydration of these cells. Levels of sucrose and raffinose, recognized as cryoprotectants, were significantly higher in silicon-amended banana plants than unamended plants.
Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

Percevoir et synchroniser ses mouvements à une pulsation régulière en musique est une capacité largement répandue chez l’Homme, et fondamentale aux comportements musicaux. La pulsation et la métrique en musique désignent généralement une organisation temporelle périodique perçue à partir de stimuli acoustiques complexes, et cette organisation perceptuelle implique souvent une mise en mouvement périodique spontanée du corps. Cependant, les mécanismes neuraux sous-tendant cette perception sont à l’heure actuelle encore méconnus. Le présent travail a donc eu pour objectif de développer une nouvelle approche expérimentale, inspirée par l’approche électrophysiologique des potentiels évoqués stationnaires, afin d’explorer les corrélats neuraux à la base de notre perception de la pulsation et de la métrique induite à l’écoute de rythmes musicaux. L’activité neurale évoquée en relation avec la perception d’une pulsation a été enregistrée par électroencéphalographie (EEG) chez des individus sains, dans divers contextes : (1) dans un contexte d’imagerie mentale d’une métrique appliquée de manière endogène sur un stimulus auditif, (2) dans un contexte d’induction spontanée d’une pulsation à l’écoute de patterns rythmiques musicaux, (3) dans un contexte d’interaction multisensorielle, et (4) dans un contexte de synchronisation sensorimotrice. Pris dans leur ensemble, les résultats de ces études corroborent l’hypothèse selon laquelle la perception de la pulsation en musique est sous-tendue par des processus de synchronisation et de résonance de l’activité neurale dans le cerveau humain. De plus, ces résultats suggèrent que l’approche développée dans le présent travail pourrait apporter un éclairage significatif pour comprendre les mécanismes neuraux de la perception de la pulsation et des rythmes musicaux, et, dans une perspective plus générale, pour explorer les mécanismes de synchronisation neurale.
The ability to perceive a regular beat in music and synchronize to it is a widespread human skill. Fundamental to musical behavior, beat and meter refer to the perception of periodicities while listening to musical rhythms, and usually involve spontaneous entrainment to move on these periodicities. However, the neural mechanisms underlying entrainment to beat and meter in Humans remain unclear. The present work tests a novel experimental approach, inspired by the steady-state evoked potential method, to explore the neural dynamics supporting the perception of rhythmic inputs. Using human electroencephalography (EEG), neural responses to beat and meter were recorded in various contexts: (1) mental imagery of meter, (2) spontaneous induction of a beat from rhythmic patterns, (3) multisensory integration, and (4) sensorimotor synchronization. Our results support the view that entrainment and resonance phenomena subtend the processing of musical rhythms in the human brain. Furthermore, our results suggest that this novel approach could help investigating the link between the phenomenology of musical beat and meter and neurophysiological evidence of a bias towards periodicities arising under certain circumstances in the nervous system. Hence, entrainment to music provides an original framework to explore general entrainment phenomena occurring at various levels, from the inter-neural to the inter-individual level.
Thèse de doctorat réalisé en cotutelle avec l'Université catholique de Louvain, Belgique (Faculté de médecine, Institut de Neuroscience)

Abstract This thesis illustrates the social engagement in the literary writings of Pier Vittorio Tondelli, an Italian gay author whose works have been described by many Catholic, Materialists, and gay critics as frivolous and disengaged. The dissertation summarizes the mutation of the Italian literary concept of impegno from Neorealism to Postmodernism, through a selection of the texts of Elio Vittorini, Italo Calvino, Franco Fortini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Leonardo Sciascia, and Umberto Eco. It shows how Tondelli’s interpretation of the role of the writer falls within the definitions given by Calvino and Eco. Moreover, the thesis demonstrates that Altri libertini and Pao Pao satisfy the characteristics of littérature mineure established by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, though Tondelli’s oeuvre is socially engaged instead of being politically engaged because of his lack of a political ideology. The dissertation highlights the core of Tondelli’s social commitment in his passionate defense of the outcasts in: Altri libertini where drug addicts, homosexuals, transsexuals, and bums are the protagonists; Pao Pao where a group of gay soldiers is described in its grotesque and camp attempt to “homosexualize” their barrack; Rimini where the Riviera Adriatica is portrayed as a place where everyone passes by and no one belongs; Camere separate through the love story of a gay couple in which one partner has to survive his lover’s death, due to an illness that is demonstrated in this thesis to be AIDS, while fighting against the homophobia of their families, institutions, society, and religion. Most of Tondelli’s socially excluded characters are introduced to the reader through an internal homodiegetic point of view. Another important component of Tondelli’s impegno is his open defense of both pop-culture and counter-cultures: gay, hippies, rockers, experimental theatre, street artists and alternative radio, which are central in all his writings.