Mathematical modelling problems are embedded in written, representational, and graphic text. For students to actively engage in the mathematical-modelling process, they require literacy. Of critical importance is the comprehension of the problems' text information, data, and goals. This design-research study investigated the application of top-level structuring; a literary, organisational, structuring strategy, to mathematical-modelling problems. The research documents how students' mathematical modelling was changed when two classes of Year 4 students were shown, through a series of lessons, how to apply top-level structure to two scientifically-based, mathematical-modelling problems. The methodology used a design-based research approach, which included five phases. During Phase One, consultations took place with the principal and participant teachers. As well, information on student numeracy and literacy skills was gathered from the Queensland Year 3 'Aspects of Numeracy' and 'Aspects of Literacy' tests. Phase Two was the initial implementation of top-level structure with one class of students. In Phase Three, the first mathematical-modelling problem was implemented with the two Year 4 classes. Data was collected through video and audio taping, student work samples, teacher and researcher observations, and student presentations. During Phase Four, the top-level structure strategy was implemented with the second Year 4 class. In Phase Five, the second mathematical-modelling problem was investigated by both classes, and data was again collected through video and audio taping, student work samples, teacher and researcher observations, and student presentations. The key finding was that top-level structure had a positive impact on students' mathematical modelling. Students were more focussed on mathematising, acquired key mathematical knowledge, and used high-level, mathematically-based peer questioning and responses after top-level structure instruction. This research is timely and pertinent to the needs of mathematics education today because of its recognition of the need for mathematical literacy. It reflects international concerns on the need for more research in problem solving. It is applicable to real-world problem solving because mathematical-modelling problems are focussed in real-world situations. Finally, it investigates the role literacy plays in the problem-solving process.

In 1997, the first human case of avian influenza infection was reported in Hong Kong. Since then, avian influenza has become more and more hazardous for both animal and human health. Scientists believed that it would not take long until the virus mutates to become contagious from human to human. In this thesis, we construct avian influenza with possible mutation situations in bird-human systems. Also, possible control measures for humans are introduced in the systems. We compare the analytical and numerical results and try to find the most efficient control measures to prevent the disease.

This thesis details the development of a model of driver behaviour at railway level crossings that allows the probability of an accident under different conditions and interventions to be calculated. A method for classifying different crossings according to their individual risk levels is also described.

Στην παρούσα διατριβή μελετάται η εξέλιξη του φαινομένου της εξάτμισης σταγονιδίου που βρίσκεται πάνω σε στερεό επίπεδο υπόστρωμα, καθώς, και η διεργασία απόθεσης των αιωρούμενων σωματιδίων κατά την εξάτμιση υγρών σωμάτων με κυλινδρική γεωμετρία που αποτελούνται από κολλοειδή αιωρήματα. Παρουσιάζεται η μοντελοποίηση της διεργασίας εξάτμισης μικροσταγονιδίων πάνω σε στερεά υποστρώματα. Υπολογίζεται αναλυτικά το πεδίο ροής στο εσωτερικό διδιάστατων σταγονιδίων κατά την εξάτμισή τους από επίπεδα υποστρώματα για τις περιπτώσεις δυναμικής και έρπουσας ροής. Εξετάζεται η επίδραση του μηχανισμού που ελέγχει την εξάτμιση (αλλαγή φάσης, διάχυση ατμών), καθώς, και ο ρόλος των γραμμών επαφής (σταθερές γραμμές επαφής, σταθερή γωνία επαφής). Η διεργασία απόθεσης των αιωρούμενων σωματιδίων προσομοιώνεται με τη μέθοδο τροχιών σωματιδίων και τη μέθοδο συναγωγής-διάχυσης δικτύου Boltzmann. Τα σωματίδια κινούνται υπό την επίδραση του πεδίου ροής και της θερμικής κίνησής τους. Μελετάται η επίδραση του υποστρώματος στη διάχυση των σωματιδίων και η αλληλεπίδραση των σωματιδίων με την ελεύθερη επιφάνεια του σταγονιδίου. Παρουσιάζονται αποτελέσματα προσομοιώσεων για διάφορους αριθμούς Peclet, τόσο για υδρόφιλα όσο και για ισχυρά υδρόφοβα υποστρώματα και εξάγονται συμπεράσματα για τις συνθήκες δημιουργίας ομοιόμορφων αποθέσεων. / In this thesis the evaporation of droplets lying on substrates and the deposition process during the evaporation of colloidal liquid lines are investigated. The evaporation process has been mathematically modeled. The flow field inside an evaporating two dimensional microdroplet has been analytically calculated for the cases of potential and creeping flow. The effect of the evaporation controlling mechanism (phase change, vapor diffusion) and the behavior of the contact lines (pinned contact lines, depinned contact lines with constant contact angle) have been investigated. The deposition process of the suspended particles is simulated using the method of particle trajectories as well as the lattice Boltzmann convection-diffusion method. The particles move due to the flow field and their Brownian motion. The effect of solid substrate on the diffusivity, as well as, the particles interactions with the free surface of the droplet have been, also, investigated. Simulations results are presented for different Peclet numbers for hydrophilic and strongly hydrophobic substrates and useful conclusions have been arrived about the conditions that favor the formation of uniform deposits.

Ischaemic stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Cerebral autoregulation, which can be impaired during acute stroke, and collateral flow to brain tissue through the circle of Willis, both play a role in preventing tissue infarction. The configuration of the arterial circle varies between individuals. Thus, personalised modelling of the cerebral arterial network, to determine the potential for collateral flow, can be of significant value in the clinical context of stroke. The interaction between autoregulation and collateral flow remains poorly understood. In this study, steady-state physiological models of the cerebral arterial network, including several common variants of the circle of Willis, were coupled to a spatially variable mathematical representation of cerebral autoregulation. The resulting model was used to simulate various arterial occlusions, as well as bilateral and unilateral impairment of autoregulation, in each structural variant. The work identified few circle of Willis variants that present either particularly high-risk or particularly low-risk of cerebral ischaemia. Instead it was found that most variants are dependent upon the bilateral function of autoregulation to facilitate collateral flow and preserve cerebral blood flows. When autoregulation was impaired unilaterally, downstream of an occlusion, blood flows in the contralateral hemisphere were preserved at the expense of the ipsilateral tissue at risk. Arterial network models have in the past been personalised using structural, rather than functional, angiography measurements. This thesis presents a novel model-based method for absolute blood volume flow rate quantification in short arterial segments using dynamic magnetic resonance angiography data. The work also investigated the additional information that can be obtained from such functional angiography. The flow quantification technique was found to accurately estimate flows in shorter arterial segments than an existing technique. However, improvements to noise performance, and strategies for rejection of contaminating signals from overlapping vessels within the imaging plane, are required before the technique can be applied to personalised cerebral arterial network modelling.

Submitted by Sanderson Manoel Da Conceição (enders83@yahoo.com.br) on 2018-08-24T00:09:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseDR_Sanderson.pdf: 5806318 bytes, checksum: 51410134afd7ae86d0783074d6012e88 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Cristina Alexandra de Godoy null (cristina@adm.feis.unesp.br) on 2018-08-24T17:09:49Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 conceicao_sm_dr_ilha.pdf: 5957405 bytes, checksum: 16cab2d9c84f81cd3cd4ff0b9fa36219 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T17:09:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 conceicao_sm_dr_ilha.pdf: 5957405 bytes, checksum: 16cab2d9c84f81cd3cd4ff0b9fa36219 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-20 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A ideia central deste trabalho é utilizar o método dos Elementos Espectrais (SEM, do inglês Spectral Element Method) para aplicações de controle ativo de vibrações e monitoramento da integridade estrutural (SHM, do inglês Structural Health Monitoring). Diversos trabalhos têm abordado estes tópicos de forma independente. No entanto, para aplicações reais de engenharia, utilizar os mesmos atuadores, sensores e sistemas de aquisição de dados para controle e monitoramento pode reduzir investimentos e simplificar processos. Por esta motivação, este trabalho apresenta um estudo de modelos espectrais para estruturas do tipo viga considerando aplicações de controle de vibrações e monitoramento da integridade estrutural. Na modelagem são considerados os modelos de vigas de Euler-Bernoulli e Timoshenko, além de transdutores piezelétricos acoplados. A técnica de controle clássico PID (Proporcional, Integral, Derivativo) é explorada e uma nova modelagem é proposta para se considerar técnicas modernas de controle por realimentação de estados na formulação espectral. Em particular, discute-se o controlador LQR (do inglês, Linear Quadratic Regulator), no entanto, a metodologia permite se considerar outras técnicas de controle por realimentação baseada na representação no espaço de estados. Também, especificamente para monitoramento estrutural, no presente trabalho de tese apresenta-se uma discussão sobre índices de detecção de danos. Índices de detecção calculados a partir de sinais experimentais têm sido amplamente utilizados em trabalhos da literatura de SHM. No entanto, pouco tem sido esclarecido sobre seus comportamentos em função das características estruturais e dos danos. Neste sentido, o presente trabalho apresenta uma discussão do comportamento de índices baseados na norma H2, norma H∞ e no CCDM (Correlation coefficient deviation metric), para duas faixas de frequência, em função da severidade do dano e quantidade de amortecimento no sistema. Os resultados obtidos indicam que a formulação por Elementos Espectrais é adequada para viabilizar os projetos simultâneos de um controlador de vibrações e um sistema de monitoramento estrutural utilizando os mesmos equipamentos e simplificando análises ao se utilizar um único modelo dinâmico do sistema. / The main idea of this thesis is to use the Spectral Element Method (SEM), in applications of Active Vibration Control (AVC) and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). These two topics have been approached in several works, but in an independent way. However, for real engineering applications, to use the same actuators, sensors and data acquisition systems to active control and structural monitoring can reduce the costs and simplify processes. For this reason, this thesis presents a study of spectral models for beam-like structures considering applications of vibration control and structural health monitoring. The Euler-Bernoulli and Timoshenko beam theories are used in the spectral modelling and the piezelectric transducers bonded in the structures are also considered. A classical control technique, PID (Proportional, Integral, Derivative) is explored and a new modelling approach to consider modern control methods of state feedback is proposed in spectral formulation. In particular, the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) is discussed, however, this methodology allows for any other state feedback control techniques based in state space representation. Also, specifically for structural monitoring, is presented a discussion about damage detection indices. Detection indices computed from experimental data have been widely used in SHM studies. However, little has been clarified about their behaviours due to structural characteristics and damages. In this context, this work presents a discussion of the behaviour of indices based in the H2 norm, H∞ norm and CCDM (Correlation coefficient deviation metric), for two frequency ranges, depending on the severity of damage and amount of damping in the system. The obtained results indicate that the spectral element formulation is suited to enable the simultaneous design of a vibration controller and a structural monitoring system using the same data acquisition systems and simplifying analysis when using just one dynamic model of the system.

Orientador: Vicente Lopes Junior / Resumo: A ideia central deste trabalho é utilizar o método dos Elementos Espectrais (SEM, do inglês Spectral Element Method) para aplicações de controle ativo de vibrações e monitoramento da integridade estrutural (SHM, do inglês Structural Health Monitoring). Diversos trabalhos têm abordado estes tópicos de forma independente. No entanto, para aplicações reais de engenharia, utilizar os mesmos atuadores, sensores e sistemas de aquisição de dados para controle e monitoramento pode reduzir investimentos e simplificar processos. Por esta motivação, este trabalho apresenta um estudo de modelos espectrais para estruturas do tipo viga considerando aplicações de controle de vibrações e monitoramento da integridade estrutural. Na modelagem são considerados os modelos de vigas de Euler-Bernoulli e Timoshenko, além de transdutores piezelétricos acoplados. A técnica de controle clássico PID (Proporcional, Integral, Derivativo) é explorada e uma nova modelagem é proposta para se considerar técnicas modernas de controle por realimentação de estados na formulação espectral. Em particular, discute-se o controlador LQR (do inglês, Linear Quadratic Regulator), no entanto, a metodologia permite se considerar outras técnicas de controle por realimentação baseada na representação no espaço de estados. Também, especificamente para monitoramento estrutural, no presente trabalho de tese apresenta-se uma discussão sobre índices de detecção de danos. Índices de detecção calculados a partir de sinais experimen... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The main idea of this thesis is to use the Spectral Element Method (SEM), in applications of Active Vibration Control (AVC) and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). These two topics have been approached in several works, but in an independent way. However, for real engineering applications, to use the same actuators, sensors and data acquisition systems to active control and structural monitoring can reduce the costs and simplify processes. For this reason, this thesis presents a study of spectral models for beam-like structures considering applications of vibration control and structural health monitoring. The Euler-Bernoulli and Timoshenko beam theories are used in the spectral modelling and the piezelectric transducers bonded in the structures are also considered. A classical control technique, PID (Proportional, Integral, Derivative) is explored and a new modelling approach to consider modern control methods of state feedback is proposed in spectral formulation. In particular, the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) is discussed, however, this methodology allows for any other state feedback control techniques based in state space representation. Also, specifically for structural monitoring, is presented a discussion about damage detection indices. Detection indices computed from experimental data have been widely used in SHM studies. However, little has been clarified about their behaviours due to structural characteristics and damages. In this context, this work presents a d... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

The underlying causes of variability in the electrical activity of hearts from individuals of the same species are not well understood. Understanding this variability is important to enable prediction of the response of individual hearts to diseases and therapies. Current experimental and computational methods for investigating the behaviour of the heart do not incorporate biological variation between individuals. In experimental studies, experimental results are averaged together to control errors and determine the average behaviour of the studied organism. In computational studies, averaged experimental data is usually used to develop models, and these models therefore represent a 'typical' organism, with all information on variability within the species having been lost. In this thesis we develop a methodology for modelling variability between individuals of the same species in cardiac cellular electrophysiology, motivated by the inability of traditional computational modelling approaches to capture experimental variability. A first study is conducted using traditional modelling approaches to investigate potentially pro-arrhythmic abnormalities in rabbit Purkinje fibres. A comparison with experimental recordings highlights their wide variability and the inability of existing computer modelling approaches to capture it. This leads to the development of a novel methodology that integrates the variability observed in experimental data with computational modelling and simulation, by building experimentally-calibrated populations of computational models, that collectively span the variability seen in experimental data. We apply this methodology to construct a population of rabbit Purkinje cell models. We show that our population of models can quantitatively predict the range of responses, not just the average response, to application of the potassium channel blocking drug dofetilide. This demonstrates an important potential application of our methodology, for predicting pro-arrhythmic drug effects in safety pharmacology. We then analyse a data set of experimental recordings from human ventricular tissue preparations, and use this data to develop a population of human ventricular cell models. We apply this population to study how variability between individuals alters the susceptibility of cardiac cells to developing drug-induced repolarisation abnormalities. These abnormalities can increase the chance of fatal arrhythmias, but the mechanisms that determine individual susceptibility are not well-understood.

O gênero Hypericum (Guttiferae = Clusiaceae) compreende 494 espécies acomodadas em 36 seções taxonômicas. Os representantes americanos pertencem, sobretudo, às seções Brathys e Trigynobrathys, as duas maiores com 87 e 52 espécies, respectivamente. Popularmente, estas plantas são utilizadas como antissépticos, diuréticos, digestivos e agentes de cicatrização. Quimicamente, apresentam tendência em acumular floroglucinóis diméricos, além de benzofenonas, benzopiranos, flavonoides e ácidos fenólicos, metabólitos cuja atividade antidepressiva, antinociceptiva, antimicrobiana, antiproliferativa e antioxidante são descritas. Considerando o potencial terapêutico, este trabalho objetivou a determinação dos principais compostos fenólicos presente nas flores de espécies Hypericum nativas do Sul do Brasil (H. campestre, H. caprifoliatum, H. carinatum, H. connatum, H. linoides, H. myrianthum, H. polyanthemum e H. salvadorense) e dos Páramos peruanos (H. andinum e H. laricifolium); a extração e análise dos compostos fenólicos de H. carinatum obtidos com CO2 supercrítico e a investigação da atividade antifúngica e antiquimiotática dos extratos lipofílicos de H. caprifoliatum, H. carinatum, H. linoides, H. myrianthum e H. polyanthemum. Para os experimentos, foram coletadas (2008 - 2010) as partes aéreas das plantas em floração. Todas as coletas foram autorizadas pelos órgãos de proteção ambiental. Os métodos extrativos incluem maceração estática, ultrassom e CO2 supercrítico (temperatura = 40, 50 ou 60ºC; pressão = 90, 120, 150 ou 200 bar). As análises por CLAE foram realizadas em coluna de fase reversa (C18), sistemas isocráticos compostos por acetonitrila, água e ácido trifluroacético e detecção ultravioleta (220, 270 ou 254 nm); Os picos foram identificados pela comparação dos tempos de retenção/co-injeção com padrões e quantificados pela curva de calibração dos compostos. Os ensaios antifúngico e antiquimiotático foram realizados pelo método de microdiluição em caldo e inibição da migração de neutrófilos, respectivamente. O floroglucinol dimérico uliginosina B (0,008 – 0,188%) e o flavonoide hiperosídeo (0,057 – 5,987%) foram os principais metabólitos detectados nas flores das espécies investigadas. Hypericum caprifoliatum e H. andinum apresentaram o maior rendimento destes compostos, respectivamente. Sete espécies apresentaram japonicina A em concentrações de 0,003 a 0,087% (H. myrianthum). O rendimento de hiperbrasilol B variou de 0,006% em H. laricifolium a 0,011% em H. caprifoliatum. Os benzopiranos (HP1 = 0,200%, HP2 = 0,225% e HP3 = 0,327%) e as benzofenonas (carifenona A = 0,309% e carifenona B = 0,062%) ocorreram exclusivamente em H. polyanthemum e H. carinatum. As máximas quantidades de ácido clorogênico, isoquercitrina, quercitrina e guaijaverina foram observadas, respectivamente, em H. campestre (1,458%), H. andinum (1,161%), H. carinatum (0,231%) e H. laricifolium (0,404%). Tais resultados fornecem suporte adicional para o significado quimiotaxonômico dos derivados diméricos de floroglucinol. Temperatura (40°C = 3,04%, 50°C = 2,21% e 60°C = 1,05%) e pressão (90 bar = 0,95%, 150 bar = 0,97% e 200 bar = 1,89%) afetaram de modo distinto o rendimento do extrato supercrítico de H. carinatum. Apesar do menor rendimento em comparação ao extrato n-hexano (6,09%), a extração com CO2 supercrítico provou ser mais seletiva que a maceração. Nas condições ideais (40°C, 90 bar e 180 minutos), a máxima recuperação de uliginosina B, carifenona A e carifenona B foi, respectivamente, 162,83, 376,33 e 48,79%. O modelo matemático empregado para simular o processo de extração foi apropriadamente correlacionado aos dados experimentais. Considerando as atividades biológicas, todas as espécies investigadas apresentaram um amplo espectro de ação antifúngica, assim como reduziram a migração dos neutrófilos. Os extratos de H. carinatum, H. linoides e H. myrianthum apresentaram os mais baixos valores de concentração inibitória mínima contra Cryptococcus neoformans (CIM £ 15,6 μg/mL), Rhodotorula mucilaginosa (CIM £ 62,5 μg/mL), Candida glabrata e C. tropicalis (CIM = 1,9-250 μg/mL). Para estas plantas, o efeito antiquimiotático variou entre 60 - 100% nas concentrações de 0,31 a 10 μg/mL. Os extratos mais ativos apresentaram elevada concentração de uliginosina B, japonicina A e hiperbrasilol B. Assim, as espécies de Hypericum nativas do sul do Brasil apresentam potencial como fonte de novos antifúngicos e anti-inflamatórios. / The genus Hypericum (Guttiferae = Clusiaceae) comprises 494 species placed in 36 taxonomic sections. The representatives of Central and South America belong primarily to sections Brathys and Trigynobrathys, the two largest sections with 87 and 52 species, respectively. In traditional medicine, these plants are used as antiseptic, diuretic, digestive and as healing agents. Such species have a strong tendency to accumulate dimeric phloroglucinol, besides benzophenones, benzopyrans, flavonoids and phenolic acids, metabolites whose antidepressant, antinociceptive, antimicrobial, antiproliferative and antioxidant activities are described. In view of the therapeutic potential, this work aimed to determine the main phenolic compounds present in flowers of Hypericum species native to southern Brazil (H. campestre, H. caprifoliatum, H. carinatum, H. connatum, H. linoides, H. myrianthum, H. polyanthemum and H. salvadorense) and to Peruvian Páramos (H. andinum and H. laricifolium); the supercritical CO2 extraction and analysis of the phenolic compounds of H. carinatum; the antifungal and antichemotactic activities of the lipophilic extracts from H. caprifoliatum, H. carinatum, H. linoides, H. myrianthum and H. polyanthemum. For the experiments, aerial parts in blossom were harvested (2008 - 2010). All collections were authorized by competent agencies of environmental protection. The extraction methods employed were static maceration, ultrasonic bath or supercritical CO2 (temperature = 40, 50 or 60ºC; pressure = 90, 120, 150 or 200 bar). HPLC analyses were carried out in reverse phase column (C18), isocratic system composed of acetonitrile, water and trifluoroacetic acid, and ultraviolet detection (220, 270 or 254 nm). Peaks were identified by comparison of retention times / co-injection with standards and quantified by calibration curve of the compounds. Antifungal and antichemotactic tests were performed using the broth microdilution assay and neutrophils migration inhibition method. The dimeric phloroglucinol uliginosin B (0.008 - 0.188%) and the flavonoid hyperoside (0.057 - 5.987%) were the main metabolite detected in flowers of the investigated species. Hypericum caprifoliatum and H. andinum displayed higher yields of these compounds, respectively. Japonicin A was found in seven species studied at concentrations that varied from 0.003 to 0.087% (H. myrianthum). The yield of hyperbrasilol B ranged from 0.006% in H. laricifolium to 0.011% in H. caprifoliatum. The benzopyrans (HP1 = 0.200%, HP2 = 0.225% and HP3 = 0.327%) and benzophenones (cariphenone A = 0.309% and cariphenone B = 0.062%) occurred exclusively in H. polyanthemum and H. carinatum. Maximum amounts of chlorogenic acid, isoquercitrin, quercitrin and guaijaverin were observed, respectively, in H. campestre (1.458%), H. andinum (1.161%), H. carinatum (0.231%) and H. laricifolium (0.404%). Such results provide a further support for the chemotaxonomic significance of the dimeric phloroglucinols. Temperature (40°C = 3.04%, 50°C = 2.21% and 60°C = 1.05%) and pressure (90 bar = 0.95%, 150 bar = 0.97% and 200 bar = 1.89%) critical did affect differently the yield of supercritical extract of H. carinatum. Despite lower yield in comparison to n-hexane extract (6.09%), supercritical CO2 extraction proved to be more selective than maceration. In optimal conditions (40°C, 90 bar and 180 minutes), the maximum amount of uliginosin B, cariphenone A and cariphenone B was, respectively, 162.83, 376.33 and 48.79%. Lastly, the mathematical model used in the process of supercritical extraction was properly correlated to the experimental data. Regarding the biological activities, all investigated species exhibited a broad spectrum of antifungal action as well as reduced neutrophils migration. Hypericum carinatum, H. linoides and H. myrianthum extracts presented the lowest value of minimum inhibitory concentration against Cryptococcus neoformans (MIC ≤ 15.6 μg/mL), Rhodotorula mucilaginosa (MIC ≤ 62.5 μg/mL), Candida glabrata and C. tropicalis (MIC range = 1.9 - 250 μg/mL). For these plants, the antichemotactic effect varied from 60-100% at concentrations of 0.31 to 10 μg/mL. The most active extracts were that presented high amounts of uliginosin B, japonicin A and hyperbrasilol B. Thus, the Hypericum species native to Southern Brazil show potential as source of new anti-infectives and anti-inflammatory drugs.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo principal utilizar a metodologia das análises multivariadas, modelagem matemática e redes neurais artificiais, na avaliação da eficiência produtiva de propriedades produtoras de suínos no Rio Grande do Sul. Os dados utilizados foram coletados em 47 municípios da região do Vale do Taquari, estado do Rio Grande do Sul, entre fevereiro e março de 2012, compreendendo o universo de 120 produtores. Utilizou-se um diagnóstico com perguntas estruturadas fechadas, em conjunto com os resultados produtivos de 494 abates realizados nos anos de 2010 e 2011. Analisou-se as variáveis produtivas na terminação de suínos criados em dois momentos climáticos anuais distintos, primavera/verão e outono/inverno, comparando as diferenças ocorridas nas variáveis de produtividade, o que resultou no capítulo 2, “Análise das variáveis produtivas de suínos na fase de terminação em duas estações climáticas”, no qual se identificou o perfil ideal para produtores terminadores de suínos através de um modelo matemático capaz de predizer quais as chances de o produtor obter um melhor desempenho na suinocultura, que resultou no capítulo 3, “Uso da otimização de desempenho interativo na identificação do perfil ideal de produtores terminadores de suínos”. Com o auxílio da Inteligência Artificial, uma tecnologia cada vez mais usada, na tentativa de avaliar com maior precisão quais os fatores que na criação de suínos podem contribuir significativamente para um aumento da produtividade, resultou no capítulo 4, “A utilização da Inteligência Artificial para a predição dos parâmetros produtivos da suinocultura”. Com esses resultados, pode-se dizer que: identificou-se quais as condições ambientais e climáticas impactaram sobre a eficiência produtiva dos suínos, observando-se maior peso médio vivo, ganho médio diário e taxa de mortalidade nos animais criados na estação outono/inverno. Já a Conversão Alimentar não apresentou efeito significativo da estação do ano. Ainda, identificou-se o perfil ideal para produtores terminadores de suínos através de um modelo matemático capaz de predizer quais as chances de o produtor obter um melhor desempenho na suinocultura e, por meio de predições geradas, a partir do auxílio das Redes Neurais Artificiais, obteve-se como principal resultado a condição de se afirmar que o uso da metodologia das Redes Neurais Artificiais pode predizer com reduzidas margens de erro, as variáveis produtivas, conversão alimentar, mortalidade e ganho médio diário. / The main objective of the present work2 is to use the methodology of multivariate analysis, mathematical modeling and artificial neural networks in the production evaluation efficiency of swine-producing farms in Rio Grande do Sul state. The data used were collected in 47 municipalities in the region of Vale do Taquari, between February and March 2012, covering the universe of 120 producers. There are used a diagnosis with structured questions, in conjunction with the productive results of 494 slaughterings carried out in the years 2010 and 2011. Productive variables examined in swine termination phase reared in two distinct annual weather moments, spring/ summer and autumn/winter, comparing the differences occurring in the productivity variables, which resulted in section 2, "Analysis of the productive variables of swine on termination phase in two climatic seasons", where it was identified the ideal profile for producers s through a mathematical model to predict the chances of the better performance in swine production, which resulted in section 3, "Using the interactive performance optimization in identifying the ideal profile of swine terminators phase producers", and with the aid of artificial intelligence, a technology increasingly used in an attempt to assess with greater precision what factors in swine breeding can contribute significantly to improved productivity, resulted in sector 4 "The use of artificial intelligence for prediction of swine productive parameters". With these results, it can be said that: what are the identified environmental and climatic conditions that impacted on the swine productive efficiency, observing a greater average weight, daily gain and mortality rate in animals reared in autumn/winter seasons. The feed conversion did not provide any significant effect . Still, although the ideal profile for terminators producers through a mathematical model to predict the chances of the producer better performance and, by generated predictions from the artificial neural networks, obtained as main result the condition to assert that this method can aid for the predictionm with reduced margins of error, productive variables, feed conversion ratio, mortality and average daily gain.