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O labirinto em cruz elevado é um dos aparatos experimentais mais utilizados em avaliações neurobiológicas de ansiedade e defesa de ratos e camundongos. Estudamos aqui o uso de redes neurais artificiais otimizadas por algoritmos genéticos para investigar o comportamento de ratos nesse labirinto. Ao contrário dos demais modelos já propostos, a construção da trajetória do agente virtual independe de dados experimentais conhecidos a priori. Mostramos que, ao utilizar um agente desenvolvido a partir da otimização de uma função de avaliação inspirada no conflito de medo e ansiedade, o modelo pode simular inclusive o efeito causado pela introdução de drogas ansiolíticas e ansiogênicas em ratos (clordiazepóxido 5 mg/kg e semicarbazida 20, 40 e 80 mg/kg). Os resultados das simulações do agente virtual estão de acordo com dados experimentais, revelando que a exploração de braços abertos é reduzida em relação a dos braços fechados, especialmente sob inserção de drogas ansiogênicas, que intensificam o medo do animal. Drogas ansiolíticas, ao contrário, estimulam a exploração. Para finalizar, foi realizada uma investigação aprofundada das trajetórias e redes neurais artificiais dos melhores ratos controle virtuais (que simulam ratos sem efeito de drogas). Conforme sugerem os resultados, a função de avaliação proposta pode conter as características mais relevantes envolvidas no comportamento do rato no labirinto em cruz elevado. / The elevated plus-maze is one of the most used experimental apparatus for neurobiological evaluations of anxiety and defense of rats and mice. We investigate here the use of artificial neural networks otimized by genetic algorithms to nvestigate the behavior of rats in this maze. Unlike other proposed models, the development of the virtual agent\'s trajectory is independent of prior known experimental data. We show that, when using a agent developed from the optimization of a function inspired by the anxiety and fear conflict, the model can even simulate the effect caused by the introduction of anxiolytic and axiogenic drugs in rats (chlordiazepoxide 5 mg/kg and semicarbazide 20, 40 and 80 mg/kg). The results of simulations of the virtual agent agree with experimental data, in which the exploration of open arms is reduced compared to the exploration of enclosed arms, especially under effects of anxiogenic drugs, which enhance the animal fear. Anxiolytic drugs, on the other hand, stimulate exploration. Finally, a detailed investigation of trajectories and artificial neural networks of the best virtual control rats (that simulate rats without drugs) was performed. As the results suggest, the proposed fitness function may contain the most relevant features involved in the behavior of rats in the elevated plus-maze.

A mastite é uma das principais doenças enfrentadas por produtores de leite do mundo todo. Um dos indicadores que está diretamente relacionado com a doença no rebanho é a contagem de células somáticas (CCS). Estudos recentes mostram que um dos fatores de risco associados à mastite é o homem. Isto é, fatores relacionados às práticas de manejo, gestão da propriedade e às características pessoais do produtor, como personalidade, atitude, crenças, intenções, habilidades, conhecimentos e outras são importantes, além do engajamento dos funcionários. Dessa forma, entender a influência do homem é fundamental para o controle e a prevenção da mastite. O objetivo deste trabalho foi i) verificar se as motivações e barreiras percebidas pelo produtor rural podem explicar a variação da (CCS) do tanque em fazendas de leite, ii) avaliar a mentalidade do produtor de leite com relação ao futuro do próprio negócio e, iii) se as necessidades dos funcionários de fazendas produtoras de leite estão sendo atendidas. Para isso, um estudo foi conduzido em 75 propriedades de leite da região sul do Brasil. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de entrevistas com os produtores e funcionários, utilizando um questionário composto por perguntas abertas e com respostas na escala Likert. Todos os questionários foram aplicados pelo mesmo pesquisador. Para o estudo da mentalidade do produtor foi utilizado o Modelo Comportamental Fogg (MCF) e, para o estudo do engajamento dos funcionários, foi utilizada a Teoria de Motivação de Maslow. Na análise estatística foram utilizados os modelos de equações estruturais e análises descritivas. Pelos resultados encontrados é possível concluir que a variação da CCS do tanque é explicada pelas motivações e barreiras percebidas pelos produtores, ou ainda, que o Modelo Comportamental Fogg (MCF) pode ser usado para explicar a influência do homem sobre a mastite. Além disso, é possível concluir que os produtores de leite não possuem mentalidade positiva com relação ao futuro do negócio e estão desmotivados com a atividade leiteira. Com relação aos funcionários, estes não estão engajados e existe uma grande barreira de comunicação entre produtor e funcionário, pois o produtor de leite não sabe o que o seu funcionário valoriza. Por fim, este estudo permite concluir que, empresas de consultoria que trabalham com a melhoria da qualidade do leite, deveriam focar também no fator humano através do estudo da mentalidade do produtor e do engajamento dos funcionários. / Mastitis is a major disease faced by dairy farmers worldwide. One of the indicators directly related to the prevalence of the disease in the herd is the bulk tank somatic cell count (BTSCC). Recent studies showed that one of the risk factors associated with mastitis is the human factor. That is, factors related to management practices, farm management and personal characteristics of the farmer, such as personality, attitude, beliefs, intentions, skills, knowledge and others are important, besides to employee\'s engagement. Therefore, to understand the influence of humans is fundamental to control and prevent the disease. The main goal of this study was i) to determine whether the motivations and barriers perceived by farmers can explain the variation in the BTSCC, ii) to evaluate the farmer mindset about the business future and, iii) if the needs of dairy farms employees are being met. Thus, a study was conducted at 75 dairy farms in southern Brazil. Data collection was conducted through interviews with farmers end employees using a survey based on open questions and Likert scale answers. All surveys were given by the same researcher. Fogg Behavioral Model (FBM) was used to study the farmer mindset and Maslow\'s Motivation Theory was used to study employee\'s engagement. In statistical analysis, structural equation models and descriptive analyzes were used. Through the results found is possible to conclude that variations in BTSCC can be explained by the motivations and barriers perceived by farmers and that the Fogg Behavioral Model (FBM) used in this study can be used to explain the influence of human behaviors towards mastitis control. In addition, it is possible to conclude that dairy farmers in the study area have no positive mindset regarding the company\'s future and are unmotivated with the dairy business. Regarding the employees, they are unmotivated and there is a barrier of communication between the farmer and the employee, because the farmer does not know what her or his employees most valorize. Finally, this study showed that consulting companies focused on improving the milk quality should also pay attention to the human factor through the study of farmer mindset and employee\'s engagement.

A mastite é uma das principais doenças enfrentadas por produtores de leite do mundo todo. Um dos indicadores que está diretamente relacionado com a doença no rebanho é a contagem de células somáticas (CCS). Estudos recentes mostram que um dos fatores de risco associados à mastite é o homem. Isto é, fatores relacionados às práticas de manejo, gestão da propriedade e às características pessoais do produtor, como personalidade, atitude, crenças, intenções, habilidades, conhecimentos e outras são importantes, além do engajamento dos funcionários. Dessa forma, entender a influência do homem é fundamental para o controle e a prevenção da mastite. O objetivo deste trabalho foi i) verificar se as motivações e barreiras percebidas pelo produtor rural podem explicar a variação da (CCS) do tanque em fazendas de leite, ii) avaliar a mentalidade do produtor de leite com relação ao futuro do próprio negócio e, iii) se as necessidades dos funcionários de fazendas produtoras de leite estão sendo atendidas. Para isso, um estudo foi conduzido em 75 propriedades de leite da região sul do Brasil. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de entrevistas com os produtores e funcionários, utilizando um questionário composto por perguntas abertas e com respostas na escala Likert. Todos os questionários foram aplicados pelo mesmo pesquisador. Para o estudo da mentalidade do produtor foi utilizado o Modelo Comportamental Fogg (MCF) e, para o estudo do engajamento dos funcionários, foi utilizada a Teoria de Motivação de Maslow. Na análise estatística foram utilizados os modelos de equações estruturais e análises descritivas. Pelos resultados encontrados é possível concluir que a variação da CCS do tanque é explicada pelas motivações e barreiras percebidas pelos produtores, ou ainda, que o Modelo Comportamental Fogg (MCF) pode ser usado para explicar a influência do homem sobre a mastite. Além disso, é possível concluir que os produtores de leite não possuem mentalidade positiva com relação ao futuro do negócio e estão desmotivados com a atividade leiteira. Com relação aos funcionários, estes não estão engajados e existe uma grande barreira de comunicação entre produtor e funcionário, pois o produtor de leite não sabe o que o seu funcionário valoriza. Por fim, este estudo permite concluir que, empresas de consultoria que trabalham com a melhoria da qualidade do leite, deveriam focar também no fator humano através do estudo da mentalidade do produtor e do engajamento dos funcionários. / Mastitis is a major disease faced by dairy farmers worldwide. One of the indicators directly related to the prevalence of the disease in the herd is the bulk tank somatic cell count (BTSCC). Recent studies showed that one of the risk factors associated with mastitis is the human factor. That is, factors related to management practices, farm management and personal characteristics of the farmer, such as personality, attitude, beliefs, intentions, skills, knowledge and others are important, besides to employee\'s engagement. Therefore, to understand the influence of humans is fundamental to control and prevent the disease. The main goal of this study was i) to determine whether the motivations and barriers perceived by farmers can explain the variation in the BTSCC, ii) to evaluate the farmer mindset about the business future and, iii) if the needs of dairy farms employees are being met. Thus, a study was conducted at 75 dairy farms in southern Brazil. Data collection was conducted through interviews with farmers end employees using a survey based on open questions and Likert scale answers. All surveys were given by the same researcher. Fogg Behavioral Model (FBM) was used to study the farmer mindset and Maslow\'s Motivation Theory was used to study employee\'s engagement. In statistical analysis, structural equation models and descriptive analyzes were used. Through the results found is possible to conclude that variations in BTSCC can be explained by the motivations and barriers perceived by farmers and that the Fogg Behavioral Model (FBM) used in this study can be used to explain the influence of human behaviors towards mastitis control. In addition, it is possible to conclude that dairy farmers in the study area have no positive mindset regarding the company\'s future and are unmotivated with the dairy business. Regarding the employees, they are unmotivated and there is a barrier of communication between the farmer and the employee, because the farmer does not know what her or his employees most valorize. Finally, this study showed that consulting companies focused on improving the milk quality should also pay attention to the human factor through the study of farmer mindset and employee\'s engagement.

O labirinto em cruz elevado é um dos aparatos experimentais mais utilizados em avaliações neurobiológicas de ansiedade e defesa de ratos e camundongos. Estudamos aqui o uso de redes neurais artificiais otimizadas por algoritmos genéticos para investigar o comportamento de ratos nesse labirinto. Ao contrário dos demais modelos já propostos, a construção da trajetória do agente virtual independe de dados experimentais conhecidos a priori. Mostramos que, ao utilizar um agente desenvolvido a partir da otimização de uma função de avaliação inspirada no conflito de medo e ansiedade, o modelo pode simular inclusive o efeito causado pela introdução de drogas ansiolíticas e ansiogênicas em ratos (clordiazepóxido 5 mg/kg e semicarbazida 20, 40 e 80 mg/kg). Os resultados das simulações do agente virtual estão de acordo com dados experimentais, revelando que a exploração de braços abertos é reduzida em relação a dos braços fechados, especialmente sob inserção de drogas ansiogênicas, que intensificam o medo do animal. Drogas ansiolíticas, ao contrário, estimulam a exploração. Para finalizar, foi realizada uma investigação aprofundada das trajetórias e redes neurais artificiais dos melhores ratos controle virtuais (que simulam ratos sem efeito de drogas). Conforme sugerem os resultados, a função de avaliação proposta pode conter as características mais relevantes envolvidas no comportamento do rato no labirinto em cruz elevado. / The elevated plus-maze is one of the most used experimental apparatus for neurobiological evaluations of anxiety and defense of rats and mice. We investigate here the use of artificial neural networks otimized by genetic algorithms to nvestigate the behavior of rats in this maze. Unlike other proposed models, the development of the virtual agent\'s trajectory is independent of prior known experimental data. We show that, when using a agent developed from the optimization of a function inspired by the anxiety and fear conflict, the model can even simulate the effect caused by the introduction of anxiolytic and axiogenic drugs in rats (chlordiazepoxide 5 mg/kg and semicarbazide 20, 40 and 80 mg/kg). The results of simulations of the virtual agent agree with experimental data, in which the exploration of open arms is reduced compared to the exploration of enclosed arms, especially under effects of anxiogenic drugs, which enhance the animal fear. Anxiolytic drugs, on the other hand, stimulate exploration. Finally, a detailed investigation of trajectories and artificial neural networks of the best virtual control rats (that simulate rats without drugs) was performed. As the results suggest, the proposed fitness function may contain the most relevant features involved in the behavior of rats in the elevated plus-maze.

Un corpus de recherches en sciences sociales et en santé publique menées principalement en Amérique du Nord depuis les années 1980 montre que l'absence de logement personnel a un effet délétère sur l'état de santé, physique et psychique des familles sans logement. En France, les études quantitatives sur la santé des femmes sans-domicile restaient exceptionnelles avant la réalisation de l'enquête ENFAMS conduite en Ile-de-France en 2013. A partir des données de cette enquête, nous avons montré que, bien qu’elles soient plus jeunes que les femmes en population générale, la santé des femmes sans logement est plus mauvaise, en particulier en ce qui concerne leur santé mentale et leur santé nutritionnelle. Malgré un état de santé plus mauvais, les femmes sans logement ont moins recours aux soins que les femmes en population générale. Cette thèse a permis de souligner l’importance du suivi gynécologique dans l’accès au dépistage des cancers féminins puisque la proportion de femmes dépistées du cancer du col de l’utérus est deux fois plus élevée chez les femmes avec un suivi que chez celles sans suivi. Nous avons aussi montré que dans le contexte français d’une couverture maladie universelle et de l’existence de filets de protection sociale, nous ne retrouvons pas les associations classiquement observées entre renoncement aux soins et ressources financières ou assurance maladie. Les professionnels en soins primaires doivent s’appuyer sur les fenêtres d’opportunité de dépistage qu’offre chacun de leur contact avec les services de soins. Les stratégies d’amélioration à l’accès aux soins de ces femmes ne doivent pas seulement viser à lever les obstacles financiers. / Social sciences and public health research conducted mainly in North America, since the 1980s, have shown that homelessness has a significant impact on health, physical conditions and psychological health of families without housing. In France, quantitative studies on homeless women were scarce until the realization of the ENFAMS survey in Paris region in 2013.Based on data from this survey, we showed that, although younger than women in the general population, the health of homeless women is worse, especially with regards to their mental health and nutritional status. Despite their poor health, homeless women have less access to health care than women in the general population. Our research has highlighted the importance of gynecological follow-up in accessing women's cancer screening since the proportion of women who were screened for cervical cancer was twice as high among women with follow-up than among women without follow-up. We have also shown that in the French context of universal health coverage and numerous social safety nets, we do not find the classic associations between unmet health care needs and financial resources or health insurance status.Primary care professionals need to rely on windows of opportunity provided by each of their contact with health care services to make them benefit from cancer screening. Strategies to improve the access to health care of these women must not only aim to remove financial barriers.

<div>Radio Frequency Power Amplifiers (PA) are essential components of wireless systems and nonlinear in a permanent way. So, high efficiency and linearity at a time are imperative for power amplifiers. However, it is hard to obtain because high efficiency Power Amplifiers are nonlinear and linear Power Amplifiers have poor efficiency. To meet both linearity and efficiency, the linearization techniques such as Digital Predistortion (DPD) has arrested the most attention in industrial and academic sectors due to provide a compromising data between efficiency and linearity. This thesis proposed on digital predistortion techniques to control nonlinear distortion in radio frequency transmitters. </div><div>By using predistortion technique, both linearity and efficiency can obtain. In this thesis a new generic Saleh model for use in memoryless nonlinear power amplifier (PA) behavioral modelling is used. The results are obtained by simulations through MATLAB and experiments. We explore the baseband 13.56 MHz Power Amplifier input and output relationships and reveal that they apparent differently when the Power Amplifier shows long-term, short-term or memory less effects. We derive a SIMULINK based static DPD design depend on a memory polynomial. A polynomial improves both the non-linearity and memory effects in the Power Amplifier. As PA characteristics differs from time to time and operating conditions, we developed a model to calculate the effectiveness of DPD. We extended our static DPD design model into an adaptive DPD test bench using Indirect Learning Architecture (ILA) to implement adaptive DPD which composed of DPD subsystem and DPD coefficient calculation. By this technique, the output of PA achieves linear, amplitude and phase distortions are eliminated, and spectral regrowth is prevented. </div><div>The advanced linearity performance executed through the strategies and methods evolved on this thesis can allow a higher usage of the capability overall performance of existing and emerging exceptionally performance PAs, and therefore an anticipated to have an effect in future wireless communication systems. </div>

Un des principaux résultats de l'étude scientifique de la conscience concerne l'existence de deux phases distinctes du traitement visuel. La première est caractérisée par une propagation antérograde de l'activité évoquée par le cortex visuel primaire et n'est pas typiquement associée à une perception consciente. La seconde, en revanche, est souvent citée comme un corrélat neuronal de la conscience, et implique une réactivation du cortex visuel précoce par le cortex parieto-frontal. Cette dichotomie soulève plusieurs questions : premièrement, quelle est l'origine de ce phénomène de feedback, et deuxièmement, qu'est-ce qui distingue un stimulus ayant subi ce traitement supplémentaire du stimulus n'ayant pas provoqué une telle réactivation ? Au jour d'aujourd'hui, deux grandes théories ont été proposées. La première, que nous appelons la théorie "précoce et locale" pose l'hypothèse que l'accès conscient émerge lorsque la boucle de réactivation sensorielle est établie. Ceci implique que seuls les stimuli présentant une qualité hautement saillante dès leur apparition peuvent accéder à un traitement conscient, et de ce fait, que le rapport subjectif d'un stimulus dépend uniquement de l'activité locale du cortex sensoriel. La théorie "tardive et globale", par contraste, propose que la perception consciente est le résultat d'un routage informationnel à travers un réseau cortico-cortical distribué appelé le Global Neuronal Workspace (GNW). Cette théorie suggère que l'information sensorielle provenant de diverses régions corticales accède à cette infrastructure de routage par le biais d'un processus sélectif : l'attention. En 2013, Sergent et collègues ont testé l'une des prédictions dérivées de cette seconde théorie : en principe, un stimulus dont l'observateur n'a pas pris conscience peut néanmoins accéder au GNW suite à un amorçage attentionnel. Afin de tester cette prédiction, des participants humains ont visionné un stimulus placé au seuil perceptif ainsi qu'une amorce attentionnelle qui pouvait soit attirer l'attention vers la position de la cible, soit du coté opposé. Ces participants discriminaient plus finement les caractéristiques de la cible au sein des essais pour lesquels l'amorce dirigeait l'attention vers la position préalable de la cible, ce qui suggère que l'intervention rétrospective de l'attention déclenche un accès conscient pour des faibles traces mnésiques qui ne seraient normalement pas traitées par le GNW. Nous présentons des données de modélisation psychophysique ainsi que des données d'imagerie fonctionnelle qui suggèrent que l'attention joue un rôle causal dans l'émergence d'un percept conscient, et qui offrent des indices quand à la structure des représentations perceptuelles au sein du cortex sensoriel primaire. / A major finding in the scientific study of conscious perception has been the existence of two temporally-distinct phases of visual processing. The first, characterized by the feed-forward propagation of evoked activity in early visual cortex, is not typically associated with conscious perception. The second phase involves a reactivation of early sensory cortex by downstream regions and is often cited as a correlate -- if not a proximal cause -- of consciousness. This raises a few crucial questions: firstly, what causes this feedback process to emerge, and secondly, what distinguishes a stimulus representation that has undergone such feedback processing from one that has not ? At the time of writing, two competing theories have been proposed. The first theory, hitherto referred to as "early-and-local", posits that conscious access emerges from the very emergence of a feedback loop between high-level sensory cortex and its primary counterpart, and that this cortical resonance is driven entirely by upstream activations along the feed-forward chain. This implies that only those stimuli that exhibit high salience from the onset can become conscious, and by extension, that the stimulus' reportability is governed entirely by early evoked activity in primary sensory cortex. "Late-and-global" theory, by contrast, posits that conscious perception is the direct result of routing of information through a distributed cortico-cortical network called the Global Neuronal Workspace (hereafter GNW). By this account, visual information in various local cortical regions is given access to routing infrastructure by some selective process, namely attention. In 2013, Sergent and colleagues tested a prediction derived from this second model: that an arbitrary sensory representation that has initially failed to become conscious can be hooked into the GNW by means of an attentional manipulation. To do this, a low threshold target Gabor patch was presented, followed by an extrinsic cue either at the location in which the Gabor had been presented, or on the opposite side of the screen. Subjects were better at discriminating the orientation of the Gabor in trials where the cue had been presented on the same side as the target, and also reported seeing the target more clearly, suggesting that the retrospective intervention of attention was enabling a weak signal to gain access to the global neuronal workspace. We present data from psychophysical modeling and functional magnetic resonance imaging that point to a causal role for attention in the emergence of a conscious percept, with implications for the structure of perceptual representations in early sensory cortex.