O padrão respiratório é formado por 3 fases: inspiração, pós-inspiração, e expiração ativa. Os mecanismos neurais de controle respiratório são organizados por um sistema de neurônios localizados no bulbo. Evidências sugerem o envolvimento dos neurônios quimiossensíveis do núcleo retrotrapezóide (RTN) no controle da expiração ativa. Portanto, o objetivo desta dissertação foi esclarecer a existência de uma projeção do RTN para o a região que contém os neurônios pré-motores do grupamento respiratório ventrolateral caudal (cVRG), o fenótipo dos neurônios e os neurotransmissores envolvidos nessa projeção. Utilizaram-se ratos Wistar adultos, submetidos a procedimentos imunoistoquímicos e eletrofisiológicos. Os resultados mostraram evidências anatomofuncionais de projeções excitatórias da região do RTN para o cVRG. Esta projeção está ativa durante uma situação de hipercapnia, mas não envolve neurônios serotoninérgicos da rafe e tem pouco envolvimento dos neurônios quimiossensíveis do RTN. / The eupnoeic pattern of respiration consists of three phases: inspiration, post-inspiration and stage 2 of expiration (E2). The neural mechanisms for respiratory control are carefully organized by neuron system localized into the medulla oblongata and this system is highly sensitive to CO2. Evidences suggest the involvement of chemosensitive neurons of the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) in the control of expiratory activity of the caudal ventral respiratory group (cVRG) (Janczewski e Feldman, 2006a). In this study, investigate the existence of a projection the RTN from cVRG, the phenotype of the neurons and the neurotransmitters involved in this projection. The experiments were performed in adult male Wistar rats, submitted to immunohistochemical and electrophysiological approaches. The results showed anatomofunctional evidences of excitatory projections from RTN to caudal ventral respiratory group region. This pathway is active during hypercapnia, has minimal involvement of Phox2b neurons of RTN and do not involve serotonergic neurons of raphe.

La bio-inspiration applique des principes et des stratégies issus de systèmes biologiques afin de faciliter la conception technologique. Doté d’un fort potentiel pour l’Innovation, la biomimétique, son pendant méthodologique, est en passe d’évoluer vers un processus clé pour les entreprises. Un certain nombre de freins demeurent cependant à lever afin que la conception bio-inspirée s’apparente à une démarche robuste et répétable. Les travaux réalisés abordent cette diffusion de la conception bio-inspirée selon deux axes distincts. Ils s’efforcent tout d’abord d’harmoniser champs conceptuels relatifs à la bio-inspiration et modèles de processus biomimétiques, en vue de rendre possible l’évaluation des outils supportant cette démarche de conception. Cette évaluation méthodologique, couverte selon l’angle objectif et subjectif, aboutit à la formalisation d’un modèle structurant, un arbre de classification, à même de guider les concepteurs biomimétiques à travers le processus biomimétique. En parallèle de l’établissement de ce cadre de référence méthodologique, les travaux s’évertuent à explorer un autre verrou inhérent à la démarche : l’interaction entre biologie et ingénierie. Les travaux tendent ainsi, par le développement d’un outil, à réduire l’une des barrières d’entrée de ce type d’approche, en proposant un modèle décrivant fonctionnellement les systèmes biologiques sans prérequis d’expertise biologique. La concaténation de ces réalisations aborde directement l’enjeu principal de ce champs disciplinaire : son essor par la dissémination de son application à l’innovation industrielle, en vue de favoriser l’émergence de « produits biomimétiques » au détriment des « accidents bio-inspirées ». / Biomimetics applies principles and strategies which stem from biological systems in order to facilitate technological design. Providing a high innovation potential, biomimetics could become a key process for various business. However, there are still a few challenges to overcome in order for the bioinspired design to become a sustainable approach. The work which has been carried out addresses this bioinspired design diffusion with two distinct focuses. First of all, they tend to standardize conceptual fields for bio-inspiration and biomimetic process models to enable the evaluation of tools supporting said design process. This methodological assessment, addressed from an objective and subjective point of view, results in the formalization of a structuring model, a classification tree which guides designers through the biomimetic process. Alongside the development of this methodological reference framework establishment, the work tends to overcome another obstacle of the bioinspired design implementation which is the interaction between biology and engineering. By developing a specific tool, the research studies offer a model which functionally describes biological systems without biological expertise prerequisites. The concatenation of these accomplishments addresses the main issue of these disciplinary fields: its development through the dissemination of its application to industrial innovation, in order to encourage the emergence of “biomimetic products” at the expense of “bio-inspired accidents”.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka var grundskole- och gymnasielever samt högskolestudenter musicerat utanför grundskolan. Olika motivationsteorier, en studie om påverkansfaktorer för elevers studieresultat och ett kulturpsykologiskt perspektiv har legat som grund för arbetet. En kvantitativ forskningsmetod har använts och en webbenkät har skickats ut till en grundskola, ett gymnasium och Kungl. Musikhögskolan där sammanlagt 97 personer deltagit. Studien visar hur olika åldersgrupper ser på musikämnet samt deras erfarenheter av musik i och utanför klassrummet. Resultatet visar var deltagarna kunnat musicera där majoriteten har lärt sig musicera i hemmet och skolan. Vidare visar även resultatet att alla deltagare som studerar på Kung. Musikhögskolan hade haft tillgång till att musicera utanför skolans musikundervisning före högskolestudierna. Sedan diskuteras resultatet och kopplas till tidigare forskning och teoretiska perspektiv.

Cette thèse a visé à comprendre et à recréer artificiellement un mécanisme d'auto-assemblage présent dans la soie d'araignée. Les gouttes de glue microniques qui existent sur la soie d'araignée dîte de capture servent à fournir à la toile ses propriétés adhésives. Ces gouttes jouent pourtant un autre rôle : elles améliorent grandement les propriétés mécaniques de la soie, et permettent de préserver l'intégrité structurelle de la toile. La localisation de l'instabilité de flambage au sein des gouttes de glue, site de surcompression par les ménisques capillaire, implique que ce système de gouttes sur fibre se comporte sous compression comme un liquide, alors que sous tension il possède un régime solide. Les araignées ont donc trouvé un moyen de créer des hybrides mécaniques liquide-solide.La première partie de ma thèse fut dédiée à la caractérisation d'échantillons naturels, qui a permis dans la seconde partie de construire un système entièrement artificiel qui reproduit la soie d'araignée de capture, grâce à des microfibres flexibles longues de plusieurs centimètres. Une simple goutte de liquide mouillant permet la création efficace d'un système semblable aux échantillons naturels. La caractérisation fine de ces systèmes de gouttes sur fibre enroulables a mené à un très bon accord entre les résultats expérimentaux, les simulations numériques et une analogie avec les transitions de phase, notamment pour des propriétés telles que le seuil d'activation, l'existence d'une hystérésis ou encore la morphologie de l'enroulement. Ces résultats ont permis la conception de techniques non conventionnelles dans des domaines tels que les méta-matériaux et la micro-fabrication. / This PhD work aimed to understand and recreate artificially a self-assembling mechanism involving capillarity and elasticity present in spider silk. The primary function of the micronic glue droplets that exist on spider capture silk is to provide the spider web with adhesive properties. These droplets play yet another role: the dramatic enhancement of silk mechanical properties, as well as the preservation of the integrity of the web structure. The localization of the buckling instability within the glue droplets, site of over-compression due to the capillary meniscii implies that under compression this special drop-on-fibre system behaves like a liquid, whereas under tension it has a classical elastic spring regime. Spiders have thus found a way to create liquid-solid mechanical hybrids.The first part of my thesis aimed to the characterization of natural samples, which allowed in the second part to build a completely artificial system that mimics the natural samples, through fabrication of centimeter-long micronic soft fibres. The simple addition of a wetting liquid droplet made for an effective system with mechanical properties quantitatively close to that of spider capture silk.Fine characterization of the created drop-on-coilable-fibre systems yielded very good agreement between experimental results and predictions from numerical simulations and a analogy with phase transition, especially for properties such as the threshold for activation, the existence of an hysteresis and the coiling morphology. All those results added up to the design of unconventional techniques in field such as metamaterials and micro-fabrication.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur, när och varför barn i förskolan tycker att de vuxna ska involvera sig i leken. Detta undersöks med hjälp av kvalitativa intervjuer av barn. Lek ses här dels som något som ingår som ett karakteristiskt drag i barns beteende och som är viktigt för barns utveckling och välbefinnande men kanske främst som ett grundläggande mänskligt kultur- och meningsskapande fenomen som också är nära kopplat till lärande. Resultatet visar att barnen gärna vill att de vuxna ska involveras sig i eller delta i leken – eller i lekfullt samspel. Barnen i studien menar att de vuxna inte gör det i den utsträckning som de önskar – barnen verkar uppfatta det som att det i första hand beror på att de vuxna inte har tid för samspel genom lek. Att de vuxna i förskolan bara sällan involverar sig i leken stämmer överens med tidigare forskning som beskriver att det ofta finns en rädsla att störa leken och en oförmåga att tacka ja till lekfulla inbjudningar från barnen – bland annat för att detta faller utanför den traditionella lärarrollen. Under leken intar enligt tidigare forskning de vuxna ofta av en observerande roll och i samspelet med barnen under leken fungerar de vuxna som en sorts serviceperson som sällan deltar i leken. Med utgångspunkt i det som barnen här ger uttryck för finns anledningar för de vuxna i förskolan att fundera över om och hur de oftare kan delta i – eller i alla fall involvera sig i – barnens lek. Som argument för ökad involvering ger barnen att leken skulle bli roligare, tryggare och att relationerna mellan vuxna och barn skulle stärkas. Barnen uttrycker också att de vuxna kan ha egenskaper eller kunskaper som kan vara användbara i leken och att de vuxna kan vara bra på att låtsas och hitta på. Vuxnas deltagande i leken kan enligt barnen också bekräfta barnens kompetens och minska risken för att hamna utanför eller känna sig ensam. Frivillighet och turtagande i initiativ är förhållningssätt som barnen menar är viktiga för leken och som de vuxna måste förhålla sig till. De vuxnas deltagande verkar vara allra mest efterfrågat vid utomhusvistelse och vid regellekar men barnen önskar de vuxnas deltagande och lekfulla samspel även vid många andra lekaktiviteter.

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This qualitative research study examined the ways those who identify themselves as theistic scientists and scholars experience inspiration, as defined as divine guidance or influence, in their scientific scholarship and discovery. It also explored participants' beliefs about how scientists and scholars can seek and prepare to receive inspiration in their work. Open-ended surveys of 450 participants from the behavioral and natural sciences and from a variety of religious backgrounds were analyzed for content themes in the areas of experiences with inspiration, preparing to receive inspiration, and further thoughts on inspiration in science. The themes extracted indicated that these scientists and scholars have experienced inspiration throughout all stages of the research process. They also believe that certain practices and virtues, such as openness to inspiration and nurturing a relationship with God, can help scientists and scholars be more prepared to receive inspiration in their work.

Jellyfish have inhabited this planet for millions of years and are the oldest known metazoans that swim using muscles. They are found in freshwater sources and in oceans all over the world. Over millions of years of evolution, they have adapted to survive in a given environment. They are considered as one of the most energy efficient swimmers. Owing to these characteristics, jellyfish has attracted a lot of attention for developing energy efficient unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs). The goal of this thesis is to provide understanding of the different physical mechanisms that jellyfish employs to achieve efficient swimming by using analytical and computational models. The models were validated by using the experimental data from literature. Based upon these models refinements and changes to engineering vehicles was proposed that could lead to significant enhancement in propulsion efficiency. In addition to the propulsion, the thesis addresses the practical aspects of deploying a jellyfish-inspired robotic vehicle by providing insights into buoyancy control and energy generation. The thesis is structured in a manner such that propulsive and structural models inspired from the natural animal were systematically combined with the practical aspects related to ionic diffusion driven buoyancy control system and thermal -- magnetic energy harvesting system. Jellyfish morphology, swimming mechanism and muscle architecture were critically reviewed to accurately describe the natural behavior and material properties. We provide full understanding of mesoglea, which plays most significant role towards swimming performance, in terms of composition, mechanical properties and nonlinear dynamics. Different jellyfish species exhibit different microstructure of mesoglea and thus there is a wide variety of soft materials. Mechanical properties of collagen fibers that form the main constituent toward imparting elasticity to mesoglea were reviewed and analyzed. The thesis discusses the theoretical models describing the role of structure of mesoglea towards its mechanical properties and explains the variation occurring in stiffness under given experimental environment. Muscle architecture found in jellyfish, nerve nets and its interconnection with the muscles were investigated to develop comprehensive understanding of jellyfish propulsion and its reaction to external stimuli. Different muscle arrangements were studied including radial, coronal muscle, and coronal-muscles-with-breaks in-between them as observed in Cyanea capillata. We modeled these muscle arrangements through finite element modeling (FEM) to determine their deformation and stroke characteristics and their overall role in bell contraction. We found that location and arrangement of coronal muscle rings plays an important role in determining their efficient utilization. Once the understanding of natural jellyfish was achieved, we translated the findings onto artificial jellyfish vehicle designed using Bio-inspired Shape Memory Alloy Composite (BISMAC) actuators. Detailed structural modeling was conducted to demonstrate deformation similar to that of jellyfish bell. FEM model incorporated hyperelastic behavior of artificial mesoglea (Ecoflex-0010 RTV, room temperature vulcanizing silicone with shore hardness (0010)), experimentally measured SMA temperature transformation, gravity and buoyancy forces. The model uses the actual control cycle that was optimized for driving the artificial jellyfish vehicle "robojelly". Using a comparative analysis approach, fundamental understanding of the jellyfish bell deformation, thrust generation, and mechanical efficiency were provided. Meeting energy needs of artificial vehicle is of prime importance for the UUVs. Some jellyfish species are known to use photosynthesis process indirectly by growing algae on their exumbrella and thereby utilizing the sunlight to generate energy. Inspired by this concept, an extensive model was developed for harvesting solar energy in underwater environment from the jellyfish bell structure. Three different species were modeled for solar energy harvesting, namely A.aurita, C.capillata and Mastigia sp., using the amorphous silicon solar cell and taking into account effect of fineness ratio, bell diameter, turbidity, depth in water and incidence angle. The models shows that in shallow water with low turbidity a large diameter vehicle may actually generate enough energy as required for meeting the demand of low duty cycle propulsion. In future, when the solar energy harvesting technology based upon artificial photosynthesis, referred to as "dye-sensitized solar cells", matures the model presented here can be easily extended to determine its performance in underwater conditions. In order to supplement the energy demand, a novel concept of thermal -- magnetic energy harvesting was developed and extensively modeled. The proposed harvester design allows capturing of even small temperature differences which are difficult for the thermoelectrics.  A systematic step-by-step model of thermo-magnetic energy harvester was presented and validated against the experimental data available in literature. The multi-physics model incorporates heat transfer, magnetostatic forces, mechanical vibrations, interface contact behavior, and piezoelectric based energy converter. We estimated natural frequency of the harvester, operating temperature regimes, and electromechanical efficiency as a function of dimensional and physical variables. The model provided limit cycle operation regimes which can be tuned using physical variables to meet the specific environment. Buoyancy control is used in aquatic animals in order to maintain their vertical trajectory and travel in water column with minimum energy expense. Some crustaceans employ selective ion replacement of heavy or lighter ions in their dorsal carapace. A model of a buoyancy chamber was developed to achieve similar buoyancy control using electro-osmosis. The model captures all the essential ionic transport and electrochemistry to provide practical operating cycle for the buoyancy engine in the ocean environment. / Ph. D.

Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) is a hallmark of asthma where constriction of airway smooth muscle (ASM) causes excessive airway narrowing. Asthmatics, unlike healthy subjects, cannot prevent or reverse this narrowing by stretching their airways with a deep inspiration (DI). Since stretching of isolated ASM causes dramatic reductions in force generation and asthmatics tend to have stiffer airways, researchers hypothesize that reduced ASM stretching during breathing and DIs results in hyperreactive airways. However, counterintuitively, excised measurement on intact airways show narrowing is minimally reversed by pressure oscillations simulating breathing and DIs. We hypothesized that AHR does not result from reduced capacity to stretch the airways; furthermore, each constituent of the airway wall experiences different strain magnitude during breathing and DIs. To test this, we used an intact airway system which controls transmural pressure (Ptm) to simulate breathing while measuring luminal diameter in response to ASM agonists. An ultrasound system and automated segmentation algorithm were implemented to quantify and compare the ability of Ptm fluctuations to reverse and prevent narrowing in larger (diameter=5.72±0.52mm) relative to smaller airways (diameter=2.92±0.29mm). We found the ability of Ptm oscillations to reverse airway narrowing was proportional to strain imposed on the airway wall. Further, tidal-like breathing Ptm oscillations (5-15cmH2O) after constriction imposed 196% more strain in smaller compared to larger airways (14.6% vs. 5.58%), resulting in 76% greater reversal of narrowing (41.2% vs. 23.4%). However, Ptm oscillations applied before and during constriction resulted in the same steady-state diameter as when Ptm oscillations were applied only after constriction. To better understand these results, we optimized an ultrasound elastography technique utilizing finite element-based image registration to estimate spatial distributions of displacements, strains, and material properties throughout an airway wall during breathing and bronchoconstriction. This required we formulate and solve an inverse elasticity problem to reconstruct the distribution of nonlinear material properties. Strains and material properties were radially and longitudinally heterogeneous, and patterns and magnitudes changed significantly after induced narrowing. Taken together, these data show AHR likely does not emerge due to reduced straining of airways prior to challenge, but remodeling that stiffens airway walls might serve to sustain constriction during an asthmatic-like attack.

Intricate Maneuvers is a series of musical works that were composed using movement as a model for compositional processes and forms. This essay presents in-depth analyses of three works from the series; Fidget, Sway: The Mildest Form of Falling, and Swerve for Chamber Ensemble. The analysis of each work highlights correlations between the musical characteristics of that work and the temporal, spatial, contextual, and psychological implications of the motion after which it was modeled. The third chapter also demonstrates the ways in which the creation of Sway was influenced by materials and processes taken from Ruth Crawford's String Quartet 1931. In order to investigate the question of how life experiences can function as models for compositional processes, the essay examines precedents for the compositional modeling of extra-musical ideas and images in the works of Bed?ich Smetana, Elliott Carter and Roger Reynolds. It also discusses approaches to modeling movement in music created for dance. Throughout the Intricate Maneuvers series, movement is modeled not merely to create an association between a musical work and a particular movement pattern, but rather to infuse the compositions with the dynamism that defines a particular kinetic experience.