Orientadores: José Wilson Magalhães Bassani, Pedro Xavier de Oliveira / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Elétrica e de Computação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-21T21:15:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FimNeto_Arnaldo_M.pdf: 1424780 bytes, checksum: 73cab0ac057a4075313d76ce8e26bbbf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: O vaso dorsal de insetos tem sido proposto como um modelo mais simples para estudar o desempenho do coração em diferentes condições. O vaso dorsal apresenta características semelhantes às encontradas no coração de vertebrados (e.g. atividades cronotrópica e inotrópica dependentes do ambiente iônico e da ação de neurotransmissores), mas os mecanismos envolvidos na sua atividade inotrópica estão pouco explorados. Neste trabalho, desenvolvemos instrumentação e métodos com o objetivo de estudar aspectos da atividade inotrópica in situ do vaso dorsal do coleóptero T. molitor. Foram desenvolvidos dois métodos para estimar a redução do diâmetro luminal do vaso dorsal durante as contrações. Um foi baseado na detecção da "quantidade de luz" emitida por um conjunto de pixels de uma imagem de vídeo do centro do lúmen do vaso, e o outro, na medição do diâmetro do lúmen, como visto na imagem de vídeo. Os métodos se mostraram aplicáveis, mas o último foi menos sensível a variações das condições experimentais. O diâmetro diastólico luminal foi 148,70 ± 5,09 ?m, consistente com dados da literatura. Com a instrumentação desenvolvida, e a partir do controle da frequência de contrações por meio de estimulação elétrica, foi possível estudar o efeito de intervenções inotrópicas. A relação entre a redução de diâmetro (amplitude da contração) e frequência foi negativa (p< 0,05 na faixa de 1,0-2,5 Hz). A incubação do coração com cafeína, que tipicamente depleta a carga de Ca2+ do reticulo sarcoplasmático (RS), produziu um efeito inotrópico negativo, diminuindo a redução sistólica do diâmetro luminal de 56,32 ± 4,85 para 35,05 ± 3,86 % (n = 7, p< 0,05), o que sugere um papel funcional do RS na atividade inotrópica. O aumento da concentração externa de Ca2+ ([Ca2+]o) na faixa de 0,5 a 8,0 mM, durante estimulação elétrica a 1,5 Hz, aumentou significativamente a amplitude das contrações de 43,23 ± 2,51 para 66,60 ± 3,31% do diâmetro luminal (n=7, p< 0,05). Os resultados mostram que ambos [Ca2+]o e carga de Ca2+ do RS são fatores regulatórios importantes da atividade contrátil do vaso dorsal do T. molitor, além de afetar a atividade cronotrópica, como demonstrada previamente no nosso laboratório / Abstract: The dorsal vessel of insects has been proposed as a simplified model to study the performance of the heart. The dorsal vessel shares important features with the vertebrate heart (e.g. chronotropic and inotropic activities affected by the ionic environment and neurotransmitters), but the mechanisms involved in its inotropic activity are not clear yet. In this work, we developed instrumentation and methods aiming at studying the contractile activity of the in situ dorsal vessel of the coleopterum T. molitor. Two methods were developed to estimate the decrease in the dorsal vessel lumen during contractions. One was based on the detection of the "amount of light" emitted by a set of pixels at the center of the dorsal vessel video image, and the other, on the measurement of the luminal width in the dorsal vessel image. The methods were shown to be applicable, but the latter was less sensitive to variations in the experimental conditions. The measured diastolic diameter of the dorsal vessel was 148.70 ± 5.09 ?m, which was consistent with the values in the literature. With the developed instrumentation, and by controlling the beating rate by electrical stimulation, it was possible to study the effect of inotropic interventions. The relationship between contraction amplitude and stimulation rate was negative (p< 0.05 in the range of 1.0-2.5 Hz). Incubation of the heart with caffeine, which typically depletes the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ load, produced a negative inotropic effect, decreasing the systolic reduction of luminal diameter from 56.32 ± 4.85 to 35.05 ± 3.86 % (n = 7, p< 0.05), which is suggestive of a functional participation of the SR in the inotropic activity. Increasing the extracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]o) in the range of 0.5 - 8.0 mM during electrical stimulation at 1.5 Hz significantly increased contraction amplitude from 43.23 ± 2.51 to 66.60 ± 3.31% of the luminal diameter; (n=7, p< 0.05). The present results show that both [Ca2+]o and the SR Ca2+ load are important factors in the regulation of the contractile activity of the T. molitor dorsal vessel, in addition to their influence on the chronotropic activity, as previously observed in this laboratory / Mestrado / Engenharia Biomedica / Mestre em Engenharia Elétrica

We demonstrate a path to hitherto unachievable differential photometric precisions from the ground, both in the optical and near-infrared (NIR), using custom-fabricated beam-shaping diffusers produced using specialized nanofabrication techniques. Such diffusers mold the focal plane image of a star into a broad and stable top-hat shape, minimizing photometric errors due to non-uniform pixel response, atmospheric seeing effects, imperfect guiding, and telescope-induced variable aberrations seen in defocusing. This PSF reshaping significantly increases the achievable dynamic range of our observations, increasing our observing efficiency and thus better averages over scintillation. Diffusers work in both collimated and converging beams. We present diffuser-assisted optical observations demonstrating 62(-16)(+26) ppm precision in 30 minute bins on a nearby bright star 16 Cygni A (V = 5.95) using the ARC 3.5 m telescope-within a factor of similar to 2 of Kepler's photometric precision on the same star. We also show a transit of WASP-85-Ab (V = 11.2) and TRES-3b (V = 12.4), where the residuals bin down to 180(-41)(+66) ppm in 30 minute bins for WASP-85-Ab-a factor of similar to 4 of the precision achieved by the K2 mission on this target-and to 101 ppm for TRES-3b. In the NIR, where diffusers may provide even more significant improvements over the current state of the art, our preliminary tests demonstrated 137(-36)(+64) ppm precision for a K-S = 10.8 star on the 200 inch. Hale Telescope. These photometric precisions match or surpass the expected photometric precisions of TESS for the same magnitude range. This technology is inexpensive, scalable, easily adaptable, and can have an important and immediate impact on the observations of transits and secondary eclipses of exoplanets.

As the embedded devices has become more and more generalized and as their product cycles keeps shrinking the field has opened up for the Application Specific Instruction set Processor. A mix between the classic generalized microcontroller and the specialized ASIC the ASIP keeps a set of general processing instructions for executing embedded software but combines that with a set of heavily specialized instructions for speeding up the data intense application core algorithms. One important aspect of the ASIP design flow research is cutting design time and cost. One way of that is automation of the instruction set design. In order to do so a process is needed where the algorithm to be ASIPed is analyzed and critical operations are found and exposed so that they can be implemented in special hardware. This process is called profiling. This thesis describes an implementation of a fine grained source code profiler for use in an ASIP design flow. The profiler software is based on a static-dynamic workflow where data is assembled from both static analysis and dynamic execution of the program and then analyzed together in an specially made analysis software.

Le travail développé se place dans le contexte de l'identification thermique et du contrôle non destructif des systèmes. L'objectif est de décrire le comportement de milieux stables ou lentement évolutifs par une approche d'identification des paramètres thermophysiques. Le démarche adoptée consiste d'abord à établir le modèle théorique du système expérimenté dans la base "explicative" qui est généralement le temps puis, à partir de résultats expérimentaux, à déterminer par optimisation les paramètres recherchés. Le système étudié est caractérisé par ses focntions de réponses (fonction de transfert, impédance,...).Dans ces fonctions, le milieu est caractérisé par des paramètres globaux ou apparents. Notre analyse se place dans le domaine fréquentiel dans lequel le produit de convolution, qui existe dans l'espace du temps, se transforme en produit simple. Le système est alors caractérisé par sa fonction de transfert. L'étude des relations flux-température dans un plan conduit à introduire la notion d'impédance thermique. Les développements et applications effectués dans ce travail sont relatifs à la caractérisation thermique du béton en laboratoire et in situ ainsi qu'à la détection de défauts suffisamment contrastés positionnés à différentes profondeurs. L'objectif final est d'être capable d'utiliser les sollicitations naturelles pour l'identification des systèmes. La difficulté réside dans l'exploitation de données naturelles donc aléatoires, dans un processus de traitement situé dans le domaine fréquentiel. Les mesures de flux et de température sont effectuées sur une seule face d'accès, celle qui est en contact avec l'environnement microclimatique extérieur. / The work developed is located in the context of thermal identification and non-destructive testing of systems. The objective is to describe the behavior of stable or slowly progressive approach by identifying thermophysical parameters. The approach is to first establish the theoretical model of the system tested in the basic "explanation" which is usually the time and, from experimental results to be determined by optimizing the parameters sought. The system studied is characterized by its response function (transfer function, impedance,...). In these functions, the medium is characterized by global parameters or apparent. Our analysis is placed in the frequency domain where the convolution product, which exists in the space of time, turns into a single product. The system is then characterized by its transfer function. The study of flow-temperature relationships in a plane leads to introduce the concept of thermal impedance. Developments and applications made in this work are related to the thermal characterization of concrete in the laboratory and in situ and the detection of defects adequately contrasted positioned at different depths. The ultimate goal is to be able to use the solicitation for the identification of natural systems. The difficulty lies in the exploitation of natural data so random in a process located in the frequency domain. Flux measurements and temperature are performed on one side of access, which is in contact with the outside microclimatic environment.

Bell's inequalities impose an upper limit on correlations between measurements of two-photon states under the assumption that the photons play by a set of local rules rather than by quantum mechanics. Quantum theory and decades of experiments both violate this limit. Recent theoretical work in quantum foundations has demonstrated that a local realist model can explain the non-local correlations observed in experimental tests of Bell's inequality if the underlying probability distribution of the local hidden variable depends on the choice of measurement basis, or ``setting choice''. By using setting choices determined by astrophysical events in the distant past, it is possible to asymptotically guarantee that the setting choice is independent of local hidden variables which come into play around the time of the experiment, closing this ``freedom-of-choice'' loophole. Here, I report on a novel experimental test of Bell's inequality which addresses the freedom-of-choice assumption more conclusively than any other experiment to date. In this first experiment in Vienna, custom astronomical instrumentation allowed setting choices to be determined by photon emission events occurring six hundred years ago at Milky Way stars. For this experiment, I selected the stars used to maximize the extent over which any hidden influence needed to be coordinated. In addition, I characterized the group's custom instrumentation, allowing us to conclude a violation of local realism by $7$ and $11$ standard deviations. These results are published in Handsteiner et. al. (\textit{Phys. Rev. Lett.} 118:060401, 2017). I also describe my design, construction, and experimental characterization of a next-generation ``astronomical random number generator'', with improved capabilities and design choices that result in an improvement on the original instrumentation by an order of magnitude. Through the 1-meter telescope at the NASA/JPL Table Mountain Observatory, I observed and generated random bits from thirteen quasars with redshifts ranging from $z = 0.1-3.9$. With physical and information-theoretic analyses, I quantify the fraction of the generated bits which are predictable by a local realist mechanism, and identify two pairs of quasars suitable for use as extragalactic sources of randomness in the next cosmic Bell test. I also propose two additional applications of such a device. The first is an experimental realization of a delayed-choice quantum eraser experiment, enabling a foundational test of wave-particle complementarity. The second is a test of the Weak Equivalence Principle, using our instrument's sub-nanosecond time resolution to observe the Crab pulsar at optical and near-infrared wavelengths. Using my data from the Crab Pulsar, I report a bound on violations of Einstein's Weak Equivalence Principle complementary to recent results in the literature. Most of these results appear in Leung et. al. (arXiv:1706.02276, submitted to \textit{Physical Review X}).

Astronomical instruments dedicated to the study of Cosmic Microwave Background polarization are in need of optics with very low systematic effects such as beam shape and cross-polarization in an optical configuration. With the demand for millimetre wave larger focal planes comprising thousands of pixels, these systematic effects have to be minimal across the whole focal surface. In order to reach the instrument requirements such as resolution, cross-polarization and beam ellipticity, new optical configurations with well-understood components have to be studied. Refractive configurations are of great importance amongst the potential candidates. The aim is to bring the required technology to the same level of maturity that has been achieved with well-understood existing ones. This thesis is focused on the study of such optical components for the W-band spectral domain. Using optical modelling with various software packages, combined with the manufacture and accurate experimental characterization of some prototype components, a better understanding of their performance has been reached. To do so, several test set-ups have been developed. Thanks to these new results, full Radio-Frequency refractive systems can be more reliably conceived.

O preparo mecânico tem por objetivo a modelagem dos canais radiculares e redução de microrganismos nele presentes. Para sua execução foram utilizados instrumentos endodônticos confeccionados em aço inoxidável ou ligas de níquel-titânio. Esse estudo tem como objetivo avaliar a eficácia de três sistemas de preparo mecânico na redução da contagem de Enterococcus faecalis no interior de canais radiculares. Para isso foram utilizados 24 dentes humanos unirradiculares, divididos em três grupos: G1 - instrumentação com o sistema ProTaper rotatório, G2 - com sistema ProTaper manual e G3 - com limas tipo Kerr manuais. Os canais radiculares foram contaminados com Enterococcus faecalis, e após formação de biofilme, submetidas ao preparo mecânico. As unidades formadoras de colônia foram contadas antes e depois da instrumentação e a porcentagem de redução calculada. Os resultados demonstraram que todos os sistemas reduziram significantemente a quantidade de microrganismos dentro do canal radicular. Contudo, quando se comparou a redução promovida pelos sistemas entre si não houve diferença significativa. O estudo confirmou a eficácia do preparo mecânico, entretanto nenhum dos sistemas avaliados foi superior ao outro na redução do número de Enterococcus faecalis no interior dos canais radiculares. / The objects of mechanical preparation are to model root canals and reduce the number of microorganisms present in them. For this purpose, endodontic instruments made of stainless steel or nickel-titanium alloys are used. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of three systems of mechanical preparation for reducing the counting of Enterococcus faecalis inside root canals. To do this, 24 single rooted human teeth were used, divided into three groups: G1 instrumentation with the ProTaper rotary system, G2 with the manual ProTaper system and G3 manual Kerr type files. The root canals were contaminated with Enterococcus faecalis, and after biofilm had formed, they were submitted to mechanical preparation. The colony forming units were counted before and after instrumentation and the percentage of reduction was calculated. The results demonstrated that all the systems significantly reduced the number of microorganisms inside the root canal. However, when the reduction promoted by the systems was compared among them, there was no significant difference. The study confirmed the efficacy of mechanical preparation, however, none of the assessed systems was superior to the other for reducing the number of microorganisms inside root canals.

Cette thèse analyse la manière dont l'émergence d'un nouvel objet de science, le Soleil, entraîne une réorganisation des champs disciplinaires ainsi que la transformation des pratiques scientifiques et leurs interactions. Ce travail couvre une période suffisamment longue afin de mieux restituer cette évolution complexe, allant de 1820 à 1930. Il ressort qu'une véritable physique du Soleil n'a pu émerger qu'avec la constitution de la thermodynamique. Elle rend ainsi possible de penser physiquement le Soleil. Avant cela, les sciences étaient encore séparés selon leurs objets et leur méthode. Mais ce nouvel objet se trouve avec un statut hybride, suspendu entre le domaine des sciences d'observation et des sciences d'expérimentation. La physique solaire se développe néanmoins à partir du milieu du XIXe siècle selon le rythme des découvertes et des innovations techniques. Dans les années 1860, Hervé Faye et Angelo Secchi proposent de vastes synthèses, représentatives d'un style typiquement humboldtien. Cependant, ces théories globales et qualitatives montrent leur limite au début du XXe siècle. Les progrès théoriques et instrumentaux, notamment avec la mise au point du bolomètre de Samuel Langley, aboutissent à l'apparition de la notion de modèle mathématique chez Eddington, et signe l'émergence d'une nouvelle approche théorique en astrophysique, et conjointement dans d'autres secteurs comme la cosmologie. Cette nouvelle approche fait plus que légitimer l'extrapolation des lois physiques aux astres, elle en fait de véritables laboratoires naturelles. Ainsi, au terme de cette période, nous passons du Soleil hors du laboratoire au Soleil comme laboratoire. / This thesis provides an analysis of the processes that led to the emergence of a new scientific object, the Sun. It underscores, over a long period from 1820 to 1930, how these processes led to a reorganization of scientific disciplines and to the corresponding transformation of scientific practices. We argue that thermodynamics provided the first theoretical framework in which a genuine solar physics could be developed. Before that, the status of this new scientific object remained ill-defined, suspended between experimental sciences and observational sciences, due to the division of scientific disciplines according to their objects and their method. On the basis of many observational and experimental techniques developed in the first part of the century, Hervé Faye and Angelo Secchi respectively offered, in the 1860s, the first rational syntheses about the physical constitution of the Sun. These holist and qualitative theories, representative of a Humboldtian style, soon appeared to lead to a dead-end. Progress in instrumentation, especially with the work of Samuel Langley and his bolometer, pursued in the laboratory through the physics of black body, led Arthur Eddington to a new approach based on mathematical model. His work gave the impetus to a new branch of theoretical astrophysics. At this time, this new approach not only legitimated the extrapolation of the laws of physics to the stars, but also transformed the stars into genuine natural laboratories. Thus, through the complex history, we follow how the Sun, once thought as being outside of the laboratory's reach, became itself construed as a laboratory.

TSDC (thermally stimulated depolarization current) is one of the most important and popular technique for investigating electret materials. TSDC technique can indicate the magnitude of polarization and depolarization, relaxation time, charge-storage, glass transition, and activation energy. To fully investigate polarization and relaxation for pure epoxy and filled epoxy materials, a TSDC system was built and verified by the research. The article describes the building processes and verification of the TSDC system. TSDC, TSPC, and TWC tests data for epoxy and filled epoxy samples are presented in the article. To compare TSDC technique with other related techniques, DEA (dielectric analysis), DMA (dynamic mechanical analysis), and DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) tests are introduced.

As software projects become larger and more complex, software optimization at that scale is only feasible through automated means. One such component of software optimization is alias analysis, which attempts to determine which variables in a program refer to the same area in memory, and is used to relocate instructions to improve performance without interfering with program execution. Several alias analyses have been proposed over the past few decades, with varying degrees of precision and time and space complexity, but few studies have been conducted to compare these techniques with one another, nor to measure with program data to confirm their accuracy. Normally, this is out of the scope of alias analyses because these processes are static, and can only rely upon the input source code. We address these limitations by instrumenting several benchmarks and combining their data with commonly used alias analyses to objectively measure the accuracy of those analyses. Additionally, we also gather additional program statistics to further determine which programs are the most suitable for evaluating subsequent alias analysis techniques.