L'objectif général de cette thèse est de préciser le niveau de traitement auquel la syllabe intervient au cours de la production écrite de mots, le rôle qu'elle joue, ainsi que la dynamique de mobilisation de cette unité. Dans le premier chapitre expérimental nous explorons les relations entre l'activation des syllabes et les traitements graphomoteurs. L'activation syllabique apparaît dissociée des traitements graphomoteurs (Expériences 1a et 1b), et la dynamique d'activation des syllabes est sous l'influence des contraintes qui pèsent sur ces traitements graphomoteurs uniquement quand les contraintes sont très fortes (Expériences 2a, 2b, 2c). Les relations entre l'activation des syllabes et le traitement orthographique font l'objet du deuxième chapitre expérimental. Nos résultats montrent que les deux processus semblent dissociés (Expérience 3a et contrôle), et que la dynamique d'activation des syllabes apparaît modifiée en fonction des contraintes orthographiques, étudiée ici à travers la fréquence lexicale (Expérience 3b). L'ensemble de nos données tend à confirmer l'idée selon laquelle les syllabes sont des unités mobilisées à l'interface des traitements orthographiques et graphomoteurs, i.e., dans le buffer graphémique. Ces résultats sont discutés dans le cadre d'un modèle en cascade de la production écrite, auquel il semble que nous ajoutons un niveau de traitement spécifique à la syllabe. / This research aims at specifying the processing level at which the syllable is involved during handwriting, the role that it plays, as well as the dynamics of its activation. In the first experimental chapter, we explore about relations between syllable activation and graphomotor processing. Our results show that syllable activation and graphomotor processing appear to be distinct (Experiments 1a and 1b), and that the dynamics of syllable activation vary as function of graphomotor constraints when these constraints are very strong. The relations between syllable activation and spelling are addressed is the second experimental chapter. The results show that both processes are distinct (Experiment 3a and control), and that the dynamics of syllable activation change according to spelling constraints, studied here via lexical frequency (Experiment 3b). Taken together, all these data support the assumption that syllables are activated between spelling and graphomotor processing, i.e., in the graphemic buffer. These results are discussed in a cascade model of handwriting, in which might be integrated a specific level of processing devoted to the syllable.

A regulação e supervisão do sistema financeiro sempre foram motivos de apreensão por parte das principais autoridades econômicas mundiais. A globalização, o processo de liberalização financeira e a consequente interconexão econômica entre países maximizaram o risco sistêmico, aumentando a necessidade de marco regulatório e fiscalização mais eficientes. Assim, com a eclosão da crise norte-americana em 2008, o G-20 começou a atuar de forma mais ativa em prol da manutenção da higidez do sistema financeiro mundial. Para os bancos, o G-20 instruiu as principais instituições reguladoras como o Fundo Monetário Internacional, o Conselho de Estabilidade Financeira e o Comitê de Basileia (BCBS) a desenvolverem recomendações a fim de se solucionar o considerado principal problema da regulação dos mercados, o fato destes atualmente serem pró-cíclicos. Diante de tal cenário, em dezembro de 2009, o Comitê publicou um documento que considerou uma série de medidas a fim de solucionar tal problema, entre estas estava a inclusão do buffer de capital contracíclicodo novo marco regulatório proposto pelo Comitê, o Basileia III. O intuito do presente estudo é estudar esse buffer e analisar sua aplicabilidade no sistema bancário brasileiro e, porventura, sugerir metodologias alternativas de cálculo. / The regulation and supervision of the financial system have always been cause for concern on the part of major global economic authorities. Globalization, the process of financial liberalization and consequent economic interconnection between countries maximized systemic risk, increasing the need for a more efficient regulation. Thus, with the outbreak of the American crisis in 2008, the G-20 began to act more actively in favor of maintaining the health of the global financial system. For banks, the G-20 instructed the main regulatory institutions like the International Monetary Fund, the Financial Stability Board and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) to develop recommendations to be considered to solve the main problem of market regulation, the fact these currently being pro-cyclical. Faced with this scenario, in December 2009, the Committee published a document which considered a number of measures in order to solve this problem, among these was the inclusion of the counter-cyclical capital buffer of the new regulatory framework proposed by the Committee, the Basel III. The aim of this study is to study this buffer and analyze their applicability in the Brazilian banking system and perhaps suggest alternative methods of calculation.

O modelo de memória visuoespacial de Logie integra de forma coerente uma grande quantidade de dados experimentais, contudo tem dificuldades em explicar os efeitos de informações visuais irrelevantes, tal como o Ruído Visual Dinâmico (RVD). O RVD interfere em memórias criadas a partir de imagens mentais, mas tem efeito menos consistente nas tarefas de memória visual. Uma das suposições para a ausência do efeito do RVD em tarefas de memória visual é que os estímulos visuais são codificados inicialmente, por um curto intervalo de tempo, em uma memória visual pré-semântica e, em seguida, armazenados em uma memória semântica mais estável, não acessível à informação visual irrelevante. Neste estudo avaliamos o efeito do RVD sobre o desempenho em tarefas de memória com estímulos com diferentes níveis de nomeabilidade. Nossa suposição era que estímulos mais facilmente nomeáveis seriam mais rapidamente codificados em termos semânticos, e portanto ficariam menos tempo expostos aos efeitos do RVD. Matrizes do Visual Patterns Test, classificadas em função da nomeabilidade, foram utilizadas como estímulos em tarefas de memória de reconhecimento (Exp. 1), de recordação (Exp. 2) e de recordação baseada em dicas verbais (Exp.3). O efeito do RVD foi contrastado com o efeito de um Ruído Visual Estático (RVE) no Exp. 1 e com uma situação sem ruído nos Exp. 2 e 3. A carga de memória, estimada pela complexidade das matrizes memorizadas, foi manipulada nos Exps. 1 e 2. No Exp. 1 o RVD prejudica o desempenho apenas dos estímulos de baixa nomeabilidade. No Exp. 2 a presença do ruído é mais prejudicial nas provas com estímulo de baixa nomeabilidade, sendo que o desempenho é o mesmo nas provas com RVD e com o RVE. A interação entre o tipo de interferência e a carga de memória mostra que a presença do ruído interfere mais nas provas com maior carga de memória. No experimento 3, a recordação baseada em dicas não foi afetada pela presença da interferência visual. Nossos resultados sugerem, em termos metodológicos, que as técnicas de interferência visual irrelevante, tanto o RVD como o RVE, embora úteis no estudo da memória visuoespacial, apresentam algumas questões que permanecem por serem melhor determinadas, assim como o papel da nomeabilidade dos estímulos visuais. Em termos da estrutura da memória de trabalho visuoespacial nossos resultados sugerem a necessidade de um componente no qual estímulos visuais são codificados em uma memória visual pré-semântica acessível a estímulos do ambiente, portanto a necessidade de um visual buffer. / Logies visuospatial memory model coherently integrates a large amount of experimental data, however, it has difficulties explaining the effects of irrelevant visual information, such as Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN). DVN interferes with memories created from mental images, but has less consistent effects on visual memory tasks. One assumption for the lack of DVN effect on visual memory is that the visual stimuli are initially coded, for a short time, at a pre-semantic visual memory and then stored in a semantic memory more stable, not accessible to irrelevant visual information. We evaluated DVN effect on performance in memory tasks using stimuli with different nameability levels. Our assumption was that most readily nameable stimuli would be faster encoded in semantic terms, and therefore would be less time exposed to the DVN effects. Visual Patterns Test matrices, classified according to nameability, were used as stimuli in recognition (Exp. 1), recall (Exp. 2) and recall based on verbal cues (Exp.3) memory tasks. DVN effect was contrasted with Static Visual Noise (SVN) effect in Exp. 1 and to a situation without noise in Exps. 2 and 3. Memory load, estimated by the complexity of stored matrices, was manipulated in Exps. 1 and 2. In Exp. 1 DVN impairs performance only with low nameability stimuli. At Exp. 2 the noise is more damaging with low nameability stimulus and the performance is the same in trials with DVN and SVN. The interaction between interference type and memory load shows that the noise interferes more in trials with greater memory load. Our results suggest, in methodological terms, that irrelevant visual interference techniques, both DVN and SVN, although useful in visuospatial memory study, have some issues that remain to be better determined, as well as the role of visual stimuli nameability. In terms of visuospatial working memory structure our results suggest the need for a component in which visual stimuli are encoded in a pre-semantic visual memory accessible to environmental stimuli, thus the need for a visual buffer.

[pt] Este trabalho consiste na criação de uma ferramenta provedora de dados para o BLAST, denominada BioProvider. Esta é usada para prover dados realizando um gerenciamento de buffer eficiente para o BLAST, controlando também o escalonamento dos processos do mesmo. A comunicação entre o BioProvider e os processos do BLAST, assim como o controle de concorrência e bloqueios, é feita por meio de um driver, que substitui as chamadas a funções de leitura e escrita de arquivos do banco de dados. Deste modo, o código do BLAST não precisa ser modificado para ser realizar a comunicação com o BioProvider e este pode ser usado para diferentes versões do BLAST. O desenvolvimento do BioProvider é a primeira etapa para a criação de uma solução aplicável também a outras ferramentas de Bioinformática. Por ser transparente aos programas, a ferramenta desenvolvida é facilmente extensível, podendo ser futuramente modificada para prover dados para outros aplicativos, usar outras estratégias de gerência de buffer ou prover dados armazenados em formatos diferentes dos lidos por processos clientes, convertendo-os em tempo de execução. O BioProvider foi testado com a versão recente do NCBI BLAST, obtendo consideráveis melhoras de desempenho, e seu funcionamento foi verificado também com a versão do WU-BLAST com código aberto. Foram realizadas análises de variações no algoritmo de gerenciamento de buffer e dos fatores que influenciam o desempenho dos processos BLAST. / [en] This work consists on the creation of a tool named BioProvider to provide data to BLAST. The tool provides the data using buffer management techniques that are efficient for BLAST and controls process scheduling. The communication between BioProvider and the BLAST processes, as well as the concurrency and blocking control, is done through a device driver that substitutes the read and write function calls to the database files. By this means, the application code can remain unchanged and BioProvider can be used with different versions of BLAST. The development of BioProvider was the first stage to the creation of a solution that can be applied as well to other Bioinformatics tools. Due to its transparency in the view of other applications, BioProvider can be easily extended in the future to provide data to other applications, to use other buffer management techniques or to provide data stored in different formats of those read by the client processes, converting the data in runtime. BioProvider has been tested with the most recent version of NCBI BLAST and considerable improvement has been verified. The tool has been shown to work as well with the open source version of WU-BLAST. Some variations on the buffer management algorithm were studied, as well as the different factors that influence the performance of BLAST processes.

Simplification of contour lines in flat areas The diploma thesis is focused on the cartographic generalization of contour lines derived from dense point clouds in flat territories, where the original contour lines tend to oscillate. The main aim is to propose, develop and test a new algorithm for the contour simplification preserving the given vertical error and reflecting the cartographic rules. Three methods designed for large scale maps (1 : 10 000 and larger) are presented: the weighted average, modified Douglas-Peucker and potential-based approach. The most promising method is based on the repeated simplification of contour line segments by calculating the generalization potential of its vertices. The algorithm is implemented in Python 2.7 with the use of Arcpy library was tested on DMR5G data, the simplified contour lines were compared with the result created by a professional cartographer. Achieved results are presented on attached topographic maps. Keywords: contours, cartographic generalization, digital cartography, vertical buffer, smoothing, GIS

We tested the adequacy of standard 30 m riparian buffers for semi-aquatic vertebrate species, using the boreal toad (Bufo boreas boreas) as an example. We monitored toad populations in south-central Utah using radio telemetry during the summers of 2003 and 2004. We found 30 m buffers inadequate for protecting boreal toads and suggest this is likely true for other species as well. Managers must consider several factors when constructing buffers: (1) Buffer requirements may vary by time of year. While we located toads most often in wet habitats, toads commonly utilized upland habitats in late summer, occasionally at distances greater than 100 m from water. (2) A single year's observation may not be sufficient to establish adequate buffers. Toads moved into upland habitats more often and at greater distances from water (> or = 30 m) during the wetter, cooler weather conditions of 2004 than in 2003. (3) Buffer requirements may differ by sex. Male toads appeared to have stronger selection for wetland habitats than females. Females moved greater distances from water than males, often outside of buffer areas. (4) Buffer requirements may differ by location. 30 m buffers contained 82.4% of all observations, though results varied between 50.0 and 97.2%, depending on breeding location. Finally (5) All habitat requirements should be considered when establishing buffers. Many small, unmapped streams and seeps utilized by toads for hibernation were located outside buffer zones. After ground truthing and extending 30 m buffers around these habitats, the percentage of all observations within 30 m buffers increased to 92.4%. Managers need to be aware of the accuracy of digital and other mapping sources used in creating buffers and to incorporated all critical habitats in conservation buffers. Our boreal toad example suggests that ground truthing may be the most important factor in establishing effective buffer zones.

Les Transistors Bipolaires à Hétérojonction fonctionnent à hautes fréquences sous des tensions d'environ 5V, en particulier dans le système de matériaux InP/InGaAs. Il est souhaitable d'obtenir ces performances non pas sur InP mais sur GaAs, substrat plus robuste, disponible en taille supérieure et préféré en industrie. Un buffer métamorphique GaAs → InP est alors requis pour relaxer la contrainte due au désaccord de paramètre de maille. Cette thèse porte sur la croissance par Epitaxie par Jets Moléculaires de tels buffers et de TBH InP/InGaAs à base fortement dopée au béryllium. Les buffers sont évalués via un protocole expérimental dédié au TBH, associant des caractérisations «matériaux» (photoluminescence, Double Diffraction des rayons X, microscopies optique et à force atomique AFM) et électriques (diodes métamorphiques). Nous comparons ainsi les deux processus de relaxation possibles : avec introduction progressive de la contrainte sur buffer graduel In(Ga)AlAs, abrupte sur buffer uniforme InP. Le rôle de la cinétique des adatomes III en front de croissance sur le processus graduel est démontré. Les performances des TBH métamorphiques InP/InGaAs épitaxiés sur GaAs via un buffer graduel InGaAlAs sont au final proches de celles des TBH de référence sur InP.

Cette thèse, réalisée en collaboration avec le Groupe Renault dans le cadre d’un projet d’automatisation du kitting, s’intéresse à l’optimisation du processus de kitting en termes de maximisation du temps de cycle. Pour cela, nous étudions différentes configurations de système de kitting hybride avec robots(s) et opérateur(s) travaillant en série et séparés par un stock de découplage. Le(s) robot(s) commence(nt) la préparation des kits de pièces puis le(s) opérateur(s) se trouvant dans la partie manuelle du kitting récupère(nt) cette préparation et la complète(nt) avec les pièces affectées à cette zone.Notre objectif est de développer un outil d’aide à la décision permettant d’évaluer la performance d’un kitting hybride et de simuler son fonctionnement dans une configuration donnée (layout, politique de picking, etc.) avant son déploiement physique.Tout d’abord, à travers une modélisation des opérationsélémentaires de kitting effectuées par des robots et des opérateurs (prise et dépose, déplacement, etc.), nous proposons un modèle de temps de cycle permettant d’évaluer la performance du système hybride en termes de temps de cycle. Ensuite, nous développons un modèle d’affectation de pièces (PLMNE) permettant de les répartir entre kitting robotisé et manuel. L’objectif est de minimiser les temps de cycle et d’équilibrer la charge de travail entre les deux modes de kitting. Le modèle est appliqué à deux études de cas pratiques issues d’une usine Renault. Les résultats permettent d’identifier les paramètres qui impactent le plus les temps de cycle et le choix d’affectation des pièces entre kitting automatisé et manuel. Enfin, nous développons un modèle de simulation afin de calculer la taille optimale du stock de découplage entre kitting automatisé et manuel dans le but de maximiser la cadence du système hybride de kitting. / In this thesis, conducted with Renault in the context of a kitting automation project, we are interested in the optimisation of kitting processes in terms of cycle time maximisation. To do so, we study different configurations of hybrid robot-operator kitting systems where robots (two types of robots considered) and operators are connected in series by an intermediate buffer (to decouple their activities). The robotic kitting area starts the preparation of kits then the operators in the manual kitting area retrieve the preparation of robots and complete with the remaining parts.Our objective is to develop a decision-making tool that assesses the hybrid system performance in a given configuration (layout, picking policy, etc.).First, through a modelling of elementary kitting operations performed by robots and operators (pick and place, travel, etc.), we develop a cycle time model to assess the performance of hybrid kitting systems. Then, we develop an assignment model that assigns parts (formulated as a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) problem) either to robotic or manual kitting areas with the objective of minimising cycle times and balancing workload between them. The model is applied to two case studies pertaining to a Renault plant. This analysis identifies the parameters that influence cycle times and the choice between robotic and manual kitting. Finally, we develop a simulation model to find the optimal buffer size between robotic and manual kitting so that throughput is maximised.

Work deals with design and implementation a tutorial for demonstration deferred shading technique and its possibilities. It explains lighting and shading principles in intuitive and interactive way. Deferred shading is a technique which determines pixel color after the geometry rasterization of the entire scene. In other words the processing of geometry does not interfere with the shading process.

Leitões desmamados em sistema comercial passam por um intenso estresse devido a separação materna, alteração brusca na alimentação e reagrupamento de leitegadas, exacerbado pelas intensas interações agonísticas. Nós investigamos se a presença de um suíno mais velho na baia da creche, logo após o desmame, seria capaz de diminuir as interações agonísticas e a concentração de cortisol, tornando os leitões mais adaptados para lidar com o desafio imposto. Noventa e seis leitões de 21 dias de vida foram desmamados e divididos em 8 baias, das quais, 4 tinham um suíno mais velho. Foram feitas coletas de saliva em 48 animais (24 de cada tratamento), filmagem de comportamentos para posterior análise de interações agonísticas (48 animais, sendo 24 de cada tratamento), contagem total de lesão (96 animais) e um desafio de LPS e coleta de sangue para testar a hipótese. A presença do suíno mais velho diminuiu interações agressivas (p = 0,0419), porcentagem de tempo total gasto em interações agonísticas (p = 0,0289) e quantidade de lesões ( p = 0,0001). Não houve diferença na concentração de cortisol na saliva nem no soro sanguíneo, em resposta ao desafio de LPS entre os tratamentos. O suíno mais velho diminuiu a quantidade de interações agoníticas e a somatória de lesões, podendo ter melhorado a adaptação dos leitões ao momento de desmame / Piglets weaned under commercial systems experience an intense stress due to maternal separation, abrupt changes in the diet and mixing of litters, exacerbated by intensive agonistic interactions. We investigated whether the presence of an older swine in the nursery pen, after weaning, would be able to reduce agonistic interactions and the concentration of cortisol, making the piglets most adapted to deal with the challenge. Ninety-six 21 days old piglets were weaned and housed into 8 pens, of which 4 had an older swine. Saliva samples were taken from 48 animals (24 per treatment), vídeo for analysis of agonistic interactions (48 animals, 24 of each treatment), total count of lesion (96 animals) and a challenge of LPS and collection of blood was carried to test the hypothesis. The presence of the older swine decreased aggressive interactions (p = 0.0419), percentage of total time spent in fights (p = 0.0289) and number of lesions (p = 0.0001). There was no difference in the concentration of cortisol in saliva or in serum in response to LPS challenge. The older swine decreased the amount of agonistics interactions and the amount of lesions, thus it may have improved adaptation of piglet at weaning