People generally want to engage in a healthy lifestyle, to live in harmony with the environment, to contribute to social causes, and to avoid behaviours that are harmful for themselves and others. However, people often find it difficult to motivate themselves to engage in these beneficial behaviours. Even adopting a healthy lifestyle, such as healthy eating, physical activity, or smoking cessation, is hard despite being aware of the benefits. The increasing adoption and integration of technologies into our daily lives present unique opportunities to assist individuals to adopt healthy behaviours using technology. As a result, research on how to use technology to motivate health behaviour change has attracted the attention of both researchers and health practitioners. Technology designed for the purpose of bringing about desirable behaviour and attitude changes is referred to as Persuasive Technology (PT). Over the past decade, several PTs have been developed to motivate healthy behaviour, including helping people with addictive behaviour such as substance abuse, assisting individuals to achieve personal wellness, helping people manage diseases, and engaging people in preventive behaviours. Most of these PTs take a one-size-fits-all design approach. However, people differ in their motivation and beliefs about health and what constitutes a healthy life. A technology that motivates one type of person to change her behaviour may actually deter behaviour change for another type of person. As a result, existing PTs that are based on the one-size-fits-all approach may not be effective for promoting healthy behaviour change for most people. Because of the motivational pull that games offer, many PTs deliver their intervention in the form of games. This type of game-based PTs are referred to as persuasive games. Considering the increasing interest in delivering PT as a game, this dissertation uses persuasive games as a case study to illustrate the danger of applying the one-size-fits-all approach, the value and importance of tailoring PT, and to propose an approach for tailoring PTs to increase their efficacy. To address the problem that most existing PTs employ the one-size-fits-all design approach, I developed the Model-driven Persuasive Technology (MPT) design approach for tailoring PTs to various user types. The MPT is based on studying and modelling user’s behaviour with respect to their motivations. I developed the MPT approach in two preliminary studies (N = 221, N = 554) that model the determinants of healthy eating for people from different cultures, of different ages, and of both genders. I then applied the MPT approach in two large-scale studies to develop models for tailoring persuasive games to various gamer types. In the first study (N = 642), I examine eating behaviours and associated determinants, using the Health Belief Model. Using data from the study, I modelled the determinants of healthy eating behaviour for various gamer types. In the second study (N = 1108), I examined the persuasiveness of PT design strategies and developed models for tailoring the strategies to various gamer types. Behavioural determinants and PT design strategies are the two fundamental building blocks that drive PT interventions. The models revealed that some strategies were more effective for particular gamer types, thus, providing guidelines for tailoring persuasive games to various gamer types. To show the feasibility of the MPT design approach, I applied the model to design and develop two versions of a Model-driven Persuasive Game (MPG) targeting two distinct gamer types. To demonstrate the importance of tailoring persuasive games using the MPG approach, I conducted a large-scale evaluation (N = 802) of the two versions of the game and compared the efficacy of the tailored, contra-tailored, and the one-size-fits-all persuasive games condition with respect to their ability to promote positive changes in attitude, self-efficacy, and intention. To also demonstrate that the tailored MPG games inspire better play experience than the one-size-fits-all and the contra-tailored persuasive games, I measure the gamers’ perceived enjoyment and competence under the different game conditions. The results of the evaluation showed that while PTs can be effective for promoting healthy behaviour in terms of attitude, self-efficacy, and intention, the effectiveness of persuasion depends on using the right choice of persuasive strategy for each gamer type. The results showed that one size does not fit all and answered my overarching research question of whether there is a value in tailoring PT to an individual or group. The answer is that persuasive health interventions are more effective if they are tailored to the user types under consideration and that not tailoring PTs could be detrimental to behaviour change.

Processing of visual stimuli in the vertebrate retina is complex and diverse. The retinal output to the higher centres of the nervous system, mediated by ganglion cells, consists of several different channels. Neurons in these channels can have very distinct response properties, which originate in different retinal pathways. In this work, the retinal origins and possible functional implications of the segregation of visual pathways will be investigated with a detailed, biologically realistic computational model of the retina. This investigation will focus on the two main retino-cortical pathways in the mammalian retina, the parvocellular and magnocellular systems, which are crucial for conscious visual perception. These pathways differ in two important aspects. The parvocellular system has a high spatial, but low temporal resolution. Conversely, the magnocellular system has a high temporal fidelity, spatial sampling however is less dense than for parvocellular cells. Additionally, the responses of magnocellular ganglion cells can show pronounced nonlinearities, while the parvocellular system is essentially linear. The origin of magnocellular nonlinearities is unknown and will be investigated in the first part of this work. As their main source, the results suggest specific properties of the photoreceptor response and a specialised amacrine cell circuit in the inner retina. The results further show that their effect combines in a multiplicative way. The model is then used to examine the influence of nonlinearities on the responses of ganglion cells in the presence of involuntary fixational eye movements. Two different stimulus conditions will be considered: visual hyperacuity and motion induced illusions. In both cases, it is possible to directly compare properties of the ganglion cell population response with psychophysical data, which allows for an analysis of the influence of different components of the retinal circuitry. The simulation results suggest an important role for nonlinearities in the magnocellular stream for visual perception in both cases. First, it will be shown how nonlinearities, triggered by fixational eye movements, can strongly enhance the spatial precision of magnocellular ganglion cells. As a result, their performance in a hyperacuity task can be equal to or even surpass that of the parvocellular system. Second, the simulations imply that the origin of some of the illusory percepts elicited by fixational eye movements could be traced back to the nonlinear properties of magnocellular ganglion cells. As these activity patterns strongly differ from those in the parvocellular system, it appears that the magnocellular system can strongly dominate visual perception in certain conditions. Taken together, the results of this theoretical study suggest that retinal nonlinearities may be important for and strongly influence visual perception. The model makes several experimentally verifiable predictions to further test and quantify these findings. Furthermore, models investigating higher visual processing stages may benefit from this work, which could provide the basis to produce realistic afferent input.

The objective of this PhD research program is to develop an accurate and efficient heterogeneous three-dimensional computational model for simulating the drying of wood at temperatures below the boiling point of water. The complex macroscopic drying equations comprise a coupled and highly nonlinear system of physical laws for liquid and energy conservation. Due to the heterogeneous nature of wood, the physical model parameters strongly depend upon the local pore structure, wood density variation within growth rings and variations in primary and secondary system variables. In order to provide a realistic representation of this behaviour, a set of previously determined parameters derived using sophisticated image analysis methods and homogenisation techniques is embedded within the model. From the literature it is noted that current three-dimensional computational models for wood drying do not take into consideration the heterogeneities of the medium. A significant advance made by the research conducted in this thesis is the development of a three - dimensional computational model that takes into account the heterogeneous board material properties which vary within the transverse plane with respect to the pith position that defines the radial and tangential directions. The development of an accurate and efficient computational model requires the consideration of a number of significant numerical issues, including the virtual board description, an effective mesh design based on triangular prismatic elements, the control volume finite element discretisation process for the cou- pled conservation laws, the derivation of an accurate dux expression based on gradient approximations together with flux limiting, and finally the solution of a large, coupled, nonlinear system using an inexact Newton method with a suitably preconditioned iterative linear solver for computing the Newton correction. This thesis addresses all of these issues for the case of low temperature drying of softwood. Specific case studies are presented that highlight the efficiency of the proposed numerical techniques and illustrate the complex heat and mass transport processes that evolve throughout drying.

The aim of this work is to increase the dependability of automation systems through the use of a tool for automatic generating and executing conformance tests. The developed tool calledGungnir uses formalmodels to performits actions,whose standard used is the formalism of Timed Automata (TA). The control systems consists of programmable logic controllers (PLC) and are often developed with Ladder and Function Block Diagram (FBD) languages. The Gugnir s key activity is to verify if the implementation of the control system developed in Ladder is compatible with the specification defined using the ISA 5.2 standard. To do so we used translation tools (from Ladder and ISA 5.2. to TA models), define coverages criteria and heuristics to ensure that the model was well tested / Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Alagoas / Oobjetivo neste trabalho é aumentar a confiança no funcionamento de sistemas da automação através do uso de uma ferramenta de geração e execução automática de testes de conformidade. A ferramenta desenvolvida chama-se Gungnir e utiliza modelos formais, cujo padrão utilizado é o formalismo de Autômato Temporizado (AT). Os sistemas de controle são constituídos por Controladores Lógicos Programáveis (CLP) e normalmente são desenvolvidos nas linguagens Ladder e Function Block Diagram (FBD). A atividade da Gungnir é verificar se a implementação do sistema de controle desenvolvida na linguagem Ladder é compatível com a especificação modelada utilizando o padrão ISA 5.2. Para isso são utilizadas ferramentas de tradução de programas Ladder e diagramas ISA 5.2 para modelos de AT, definidos critérios de cobertura e criadas heurísticas as quais asseguraram menor custo computacional durante a execução dos testes

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A comunidade científica tem conhecimento de que uma das etapas mais relevantes no projeto de estruturas de aço e mistas, diz respeito a uma avaliação precisa sobre os modelos estruturais que representam o comportamento real das ligações viga-coluna. Este assunto tem sido objeto de vários trabalhos de pesquisa nas ultimas décadas. Na prática corrente do projeto de estruturas de aço, a grande maioria das ligações viga-coluna é representada por modelos flexíveis (rótulas) ou rígidos (engastes). Contudo, na maior parte dos casos práticos, essas ligações assumem um comportamento intermediário, ou seja, semi-rígido. Um outro ponto importante acerca do assunto diz respeito à avaliação da resposta dinâmica de estruturas de aço com a consideração pertinente do efeito das ligações, especialmente, no que tange as semi-rígidas, já que a maioria dos trabalhos de pesquisa concentra-se apenas no estudo da resposta estática dos modelos. Assim sendo, esta investigação apresenta uma contribuição inicial no que tange ao emprego de elementos que representem mais fielmente os efeitos das ligações estruturais na análise dinâmica de estruturas de aço, evidentemente, com a consideração do efeito de semi-rigidez dessas ligações. Desta forma, este trabalho de pesquisa propõe o uso de um modelo mecânico com elementos de mola rotacionais não-lineares, objetivando simular adequadamente o efeito das ligações viga-coluna especificamente em pórticos de aço. Inicialmente, foi feita uma calibração do modelo computacional desenvolvido, comparando os resultados obtidos mediante o uso do modelo de mola rotacional com os dados obtidos na literatura técnica sobre o assunto. Na seqüência, desenvolve-se uma analise paramétrica extensa, com a inclusão de todos os efeitos mencionados no parágrafo anterior, de forma a avaliar mais detalhadamente a resposta dinâmica dos pórticos de aço, deslocamentos e esforços, com base no estudo de um edifício residencial de quatro pavimentos. / The scientific community has realized that one of the most relevant stages in the design of steel and composite structures concerns to an accurate evaluation about the structural models that represent the actual behaviour of the beam-to-column connections. This issue has been the subject of many studies over the last decade. In the current design of steel structures, most of the beam-to-column connections are represented by pinned or rigid models. However, in most of the current cases, the connections have an intermediate behaviour between these two cases. Another important issue about the correct evaluation of the dynamic response of steel structures its about the consideration of the effects of the joints, especially of the semi-rigid joints, since most of the studies consider only a static analysis of the models. Therefore, this dissertation has proposed the use of a mechanical model of rotational springs with a nonlinear behaviour, objectifying a proper simulation of the beam-to-column effects in steel frames. The numeric results were obtained along the present study, and calibrated based on many computer models available on the literature. On the sequence, a large parametric analysis is developed, including all the effects mentioned before, objectifying evaluate more precisely the dynamic response of the steel frames (displacements and forces), based on the static and dynamic response of a four storey edifice.

In some species, including humans, red blood cells (RBCs) under low shear stress tend to clump together and form into regular stacks called rouleaux. These stacks are not static, and constantly move and break apart. This phenomenon is referred to as red blood cell aggregation and disaggregation. When modelled as a single liquid, blood behaves as a non-Newtonian fluid. Its viscosity varies, mainly due to the aggregation of RBCs. The aim of this research is to develop a mesoscale computational model for the simulation of RBCs in plasma. This model considers RBC interaction and aggregation to predict blood-flow characteristics such as viscosity, rouleaux size and velocity distribution. In this work, the population-balance modelling (PBM) approach is utilized to model the RBC aggregation process. The PBM approach is a known method that is used for modelling agglomeration and breakage in two-phase flow fluid mechanics to find aggregate size. The PBM model is coupled to the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations for the plasma. Both models are numerically solved simultaneously. The population-balance equation has been used previously in a more restricted form, the Smoluchowski equation, to model blood viscosity, but it has never been fully coupled with the Navier-Stokes equation directly for the numerical modelling of blood flow. This approach results in a comprehensive model which aims to predict RBC aggregate size and their velocities for different flow configurations, as well as their effects on the apparent macro-scale viscosity. The PBM approach does not treat the microscopic physics of aggregation directly but rather uses experimental correlations for aggregation and disaggregation rates to account for the effects of aggregation on the bulk. To find the aggregation rate, a series of experiments on RBC sedimentation due to gravity is designed. In these tests, aggregated RBCs (rouleaux) tend to settle faster than single RBCs and, due to low shear stresses, disaggregation is very low and can be neglected. A high-speed camera is used to acquire video-microscopic pictures of the process. The size of the aggregates and their velocities are extracted using image processing techniques. For image processing, a general Matlab program is developed which can analyze all the images and report the velocity and size distribution of rouleaux. An experimental correlation for disaggregation rate is found using results from a previous steady-state Couette flow experiment. Aggregation and disaggregation rates from these experiments are used to complete the PBM model. Pressure-driven channel flow experiments are then used for the final validation of the model. Comparisons of the apparent viscosity of whole blood in previous experiments show reasonable agreement with the developed model. This model fills a gap between micro-scale and macro-scale treatments and should be more accurate than traditional macro-scale models while being cheaper than direct treatment of RBCs at the micro-scale.

Submitted by Johnny Rodrigues (johnnyrodrigues@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-07-10T17:54:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 JAMILSON RAMOS CAMPOS - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGMAT 2006..pdf: 6748825 bytes, checksum: 592fc0c2a05c38766aae5d672c3c4708 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-10T17:54:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JAMILSON RAMOS CAMPOS - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGMAT 2006..pdf: 6748825 bytes, checksum: 592fc0c2a05c38766aae5d672c3c4708 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-12 / Este trabalho apresenta um estudo de dois modelos computacionais deformáveis aplicados à simulação de tecidos, ambos modelos de mecânica de partículas fisicamente embasados, contemplando algoritmos, um para cada modelo, para o tratamento de colisões. Estudamos um modelos de malha retangular (clássico e pouco robusto) e um baseado em malha triangular (moderno e robusto) através da implementação, simulações e uma análise qualitativa simples entre os resultados visuais obtidos com ambos. Nenhum destes modelos apresenta relações entre deformações tangenciais e normais e portanto, não geram rugas e/ou dobras espontaneamente. Para torná-los mais realísticos, em nossa implementação, propomos o uso de uma força de acoplamento entre as deformações tangenciais normais. / This work presents a study of two deformable computational models applied to the simulation of cloths, both physically based models of particle mechanics, contemplating one per model, collision treatment algorithms. We study a rectangular grid model (classic and not very robust one) and a triangular mesh based model (modern and robust one) throught implementation, simulations and a simple qualitative analysis between visual results reached with them. Neither of these models presents a relationship with tangent and normal deformations therefore don't build folds and/or wrinkles spontaneously. to turn then more realistic, in our implementation, we propose to make use of a coupling force between tangent and normal deformations.

Le travail réalisé durant cette thèse a eu pour objectif de développer un modèle théorique spécifiquement dédié au contexte du développement tumoral tel qu'il peut être observé sous une fenêtre dorsale implantée sur une souris. Le modèle développé est un modèle hybride multi-physique et multi-échelle qui couple deux modules principaux. Le premier module modélise la croissance tumorale par un automate cellulaire qui permet de différencier l'état de chaque cellule en fonction de son histoire (cycle cellulaire), et de son environnement (espace disponible pour proliférer, présence d'oxygène). Le second module modélise le réseau vasculaire et le flux sanguin et rend compte de l'angiogenèse (apparition de nouveaux vaisseaux) et de l'adaptation du diamètre des vaisseaux, en fonction de l'évolution des contraintes hémodynamiques, nettement visible sous la fenêtre dorsale. L'ensemble des processus diffusifs (diffusion de l'oxygène et des facteurs de croissance vasculaire) sont décrits par des équations aux dérivées partielles, couplées à des automates cellulaires qui permettent de localiser à chaque instant pour chaque équation les termes sources (production) et les termes puits (consommation) pour chaque entité diffusive. Les simulations numériques réalisées montrent dans quelle mesure il est possible de rendre compte des observations expérimentales sur le plan qualitatif, qui nécessite la neutralisation des biais numériques ; et sur le plan quantitatif, pour reproduire la cinétique de croissance tumorale et l'évolution de la densité vasculaire. Le modèle numérique de l'évolution tumorale sous fenêtre dorsale est ensuite utilisé pour tester les effets de deux types de molécules : cytotoxiques et anti-vasculaires. Les simulations numériques de ces deux types de traitement explorent différents protocoles, définis par le mode d'action de la molécule, la dose administrée et la fréquence d'administration. Les résultats montrent comment il est alors possible de définir un protocole optimum pour une tumeur donnée en direction d'une individualisation de la thérapie. Ce modèle intégré a permis de poser de façon satisfaisante les bases d'un clone numérique du modèle expérimental d'évolution tumorale sous fenêtre dorsale même si certains aspects nécessitent encore quelques améliorations. La validation des aspects thérapeutiques restera encore à accomplir avant de pouvoir envisager à terme le remplacement (au moins partiel) de l'animal par l'ordinateur. / The work realised during this thesis had for objective to develop a theoretical model dedicated to the context of tumour development as observed on a dorsal skinfold chamber on a mouse. The model developed is hybrid, multi-physic and multi-scale, and associate two main modules. The first module model tumour growth with a cellular automaton which permit to differentiate the state of each cell regarding its history (cell cycle), its environment (available space to proliferate, oxygen availability). The second module model vascular network and blood flow, and accounts for angiogenesis (apparition of new vessels) and diameter adaptation of vessels, regarding hemodynamical constraints evolution which is distinctly visible on dorsal chamber. The diffusive processes (oxygen diffusion and vascular growth factors) are described by partiel differential equations, coupled with cellular automata which permit to localize at each time for each equation the source terms (production) and the well terms (consumption) for each diffusive entity. The numerical simulations realised show in which regard it is possible to accounts for the experimental observations on the qualitative basis, which require numerical bias neutralisation; and on the quantitative basis, to reproduce tumour growth kinetic and evolution of vascular density. The numerical model of tumour evolution on dorsal chamber is then used to test the effects of two types of molecules: cytotoxic and anti-vascular. Numerical simulation of these two types of treatment explore different protocols, defined by the action mode of the molecule, the dose administrated, and the administration frequency. Results show how it is possible to define an optimum protocol for a given tumour in direction of therapy individualisation. This integrated model has permitted to put in place in a satisfactory way the bases of a numerical clone of the experimental model of tumour growth on dorsal chamber, even if several aspects still necessitate some improvements. The validation of these theoretical aspects has yet to be accomplished before considering in term the replacement (at least partiallly) of animals by computers.

Les échanges des informations confidentielles ou critiques dans un environnement public, et donc potentiellement hostile, nécessitent l'emploi de techniques cryptographiques (protocoles et primitives). Malheureusement, l'expérience montre qu'une mauvaise conception, ou une expression peu claire des propriétés et hypothèses de sécurité attendues conduisent à des attaques, et qu'il faut parfois des années avant que celles-ci soient découvertes et corrigées. D'où l'adoption croissante de la sécurité prouvable, où on donne une définition rigoureuse des objectifs de sécurité et des démonstrations mathématiques que ceux-ci sont remplis. Par ailleurs, la complexité et la diversité des systèmes cryptographiques croît également. Il est donc largement admis qu'il n'est plus viable d'écrire ou vérifier manuellement des démonstrations cryptographiques (Bellare& Rogaway 2004, Shoup 2004, Halevi 2005) et qu'il faut développer des méthodes de vérification des systèmes cryptographiques assistées par ordinateur. L'objectif de cette thèse est d'effectuer des progrès significatifs dans cette direction. Plus précisement on s'interesse à la preuve formelle de protocoles cryptographiques. Vérifier des protocoles cryptographiques requiert le développement d'un cadre théorique qui doit permettre: - une modélisation précise des protocoles cryptographiques et des propriétés de sécurité qu'on veut prouver dans le modèle calculatoire. - mise en place de stratégies d'automatisation de preuves. - prise en compte des modèles plus réalistes pour l'adversaire (canaux cachés, ressources de calcul). A la fin de la thèse on a obtenu un cadre formel et un ensemble de méthodes logicielles capable d'aider à la vérification des protocoles cryptographiques. / Critical and private information are exchanged on public environment. To protect it from dishonest users, we use cryptographic tools. Unfortunately, bad conception, poorly written security properties and required security hypothesis lead to attacks, and it may take years before one discover the attack and fix the security schemes involved. In this context, provable security provides formal definitions for security objectives and implied mathematical proofs that these objectives are fullfilled. On another hand, complexity and variety of cryptographic systems are increasing, and proofs by hand are too complicated to write and to verify (Bellare& Rogaway 2004, Shoup 2004, Halevi 2005). Thus, we need computer-assisted verification methods for cryptographic systems. The aim of this thesis is to progress in this direction. More precisely we want significant progress over formal proofs on cryptographic protocols. To verify cryptographic protocols we need to develop a theoritical framework providing: - a precise modelisation for cryptographic protocols and security properties we want to prove in the computationnal model, - designing tactics to automate proofs, - taking into account realistic models for adversary (side-channels...). By the end of the thesis we have enhanced a theoretical framework and computing tools helping verifying cryptographic protocols.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:53:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SauloTAD_DISSERT.pdf: 1587906 bytes, checksum: 2d163959ab0b72bafed179c3efb3b6c8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-07-04 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / Worldwide, the demand for transportation services for persons with disabilities, the elderly, and persons with reduced mobility have increased in recent years. The population is aging, governments need to adapt to this reality, and this fact could mean business opportunities for companies. Within this context is inserted the Programa de Acessibilidade Especial porta a porta PRAE, a door to door public transportation service from the city of Natal-RN in Brazil. The research presented in this dissertation seeks to develop a programming model which can assist the process of decision making of managers of the shuttle. To that end, it was created an algorithm based on methods of generating approximate solutions known as heuristics. The purpose of the model is to increase the number of people served by the PRAE, given the available fleet, generating optimized schedules routes. The PRAE is a problem of vehicle routing and scheduling of dial-a-ride - DARP, the most complex type among the routing problems. The validation of the method of resolution was made by comparing the results derived by the model and the currently programming method. It is expected that the model is able to increase the current capacity of the service requests of transport / Em todo o mundo, a demanda por servi?os de transporte para pessoas portadoras de necessidades especiais, idosos, e pessoas com mobilidade reduzida v?m crescendo nos ?ltimos anos. A popula??o est? envelhecendo, os governos precisam se adaptar a esta realidade, e este fato pode significar oportunidade de neg?cios para as companhias. Dentro deste contexto est? inserido o Programa de Acessibilidade Especial porta a porta PRAE do munic?pio de Natal-RN. A pesquisa presente neste trabalho procura desenvolver um modelo de programa??o capaz de auxiliar o processo de tomada de decis?o dos gestores deste servi?o de transporte. Para tanto, foi criado um algoritmo baseado em m?todos de gera??o de solu??es aproximativas conhecidas como heur?sticas. O objetivo do modelo ? incrementar o n?mero de pessoas atendidas pelo PRAE, dada a frota dispon?vel, gerando programa??es de roteiros otimizadas. O PRAE consiste em um problema de roteiriza??o e programa??o de ve?culos do tipo dial-a-ride DARP, o tipo mais complexo dentre os problemas de roteiriza??o. A valida??o do m?todo de resolu??o ser? feita mediante compara??o entre os resultados auferidos pelo modelo e a programa??o real. Espera-se que o modelo seja capaz de elevar a capacidade de solicita??es atual deste servi?o de transporte