Understanding the neural processes underlying motor learning in humans is important to facilitate the acquisition of new motor skills and to aid the relearning of skills lost after neurologic injury. Although it is known that the learning of a new movement is guided by the error feedback received after each repeated attempt to produce the movement, how the central nervous system (CNS) processes individual errors and how it modulates its learning rate in response to the history of errors experienced are issues that remain to be elucidated. To address these issues we studied the generalization of learning and learning decay – the transfer of what has been learned, or unlearned, in a particular movement condition to new movement conditions. Generalization offers a window into the process of error credit assignment during motor learning, since it allows us to measure which actions benefit the most in terms of learning after experiencing an error. We found that the distributions that describe generalization after learning are unimodal and biased towards the motion directions experienced during training, a finding that suggests that the credit for the learning experienced after a particular trial is assigned to the actual motion (motion-referenced learning) and not to the planned motion (plan-referenced learning) as it had previously been assumed in the motor learning literature. In addition, after training the same action along multiple directions, we found that the pattern of learning decay has two distinct components: one that is time-dependent and affects all trained directions, and one that is trial-dependent and affects mostly the direction where decay was induced, generalizing narrowly with a unimodal pattern similar to the one observed for learning generalization. We finally studied the effect that the consistency of the error perturbations in the training environment has on the learning rate adopted by the CNS. We found that learning rate increases when the perturbations experienced in training are consistent, and decreases when these perturbations are inconsistent. Besides increasing our understanding of the mechanisms underlying motor learning, the findings described in the present dissertation will enable the principled design of skill training and rehabilitation protocols that accelerate learning. / Engineering and Applied Sciences

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether a self-evaluation procedure paired with a token economy would be effective in reducing the off-task and talk-out behavior of behaviorally disordered and learning disabled high school students in a resource classroom. The study also examined the effects of the seIf-evaluation procedures when monitored by regular education peers on target students' behavior in their regular education English class. In addition to improving classroom behavior, another purpose of the study was to examine the effective ness of the self-evaluation procedures when paired with an academic goal-setting component on academic variables in both the resource and regular education classrooms. The results revealed that student behavior generally improved after self-evaluation procedures were taught in the resource room and that improved behavior generalized to the regular class once peers implemented the matching component of the self-management procedures. As a group, students' average rate of off-task behavior decreased 17% in the resource room and 35% in the regular class. Averages rates of talk-outs for the group were reduced by 6% in the resource room and 24% in the regular class. Gains in academic performance were observed in both the special and regular classrooms. An increase in the number of assignments completed was observed following the implementation of the self-management procedures across all subjects in the special education class, as was an increase in the overall percentage of those assignments that were correct. Similarly, the percent complete on assignments in the regular class increased on the average 20% while the percent correct increased 24% following the implementation of the matching procedures.

Automated map generalization is a necessary technique for the construction of multi-scale vector map databases that are crucial components in spatial data infrastructure of cities, provinces, and countries. Nevertheless, this is still a dream because many algorithms for map feature generalization are not parameter-free and therefore need human’s interference. One of the major reasons is that map generalization is a process of spatial similarity transformation in multi-scale map spaces; however, no theory can be found to support such kind of transformation. This thesis focuses on the theory of spatial similarity relations in multi-scale map spaces, aiming at proposing the approaches and models that can be used to automate some relevant algorithms in map generalization. After a systematic review of existing achievements including the definitions and features of similarity in various communities, a classification system of spatial similarity relations, and the calculation models of similarity relations in the communities of psychology, computer science, music, and geography, as well as a number of raster-based approaches for calculating similarity degrees between images, the thesis achieves the following innovative contributions. First, the fundamental issues of spatial similarity relations are explored, i.e. (1) a classification system is proposed that classifies the objects processed by map generalization algorithms into ten categories; (2) the Set Theory-based definitions of similarity, spatial similarity, and spatial similarity relation in multi-scale map spaces are given; (3) mathematical language-based descriptions of the features of spatial similarity relations in multi-scale map spaces are addressed; (4) the factors that affect human’s judgments of spatial similarity relations are proposed, and their weights are also obtained by psychological experiments; and (5) a classification system for spatial similarity relations in multi-scale map spaces is proposed. Second, the models that can calculate spatial similarity degrees for the ten types of objects in multi-scale map spaces are proposed, and their validity is tested by psychological experiments. If a map (or an individual object, or an object group) and its generalized counterpart are given, the models can be used to calculate the spatial similarity degrees between them. Third, the proposed models are used to solve problems in map generalization: (1) ten formulae are constructed that can calculate spatial similarity degrees by map scale changes in map generalization; (2) an approach based on spatial similarity degree is proposed that can determine when to terminate a map generalization system or an algorithm when it is executed to generalize objects on maps, which may fully automate some relevant algorithms and therefore improve the efficiency of map generalization; and (3) an approach is proposed to calculate the distance tolerance of the Douglas-Peucker Algorithm so that the Douglas-Peucker Algorithm may become fully automatic. Nevertheless, the theory and the approaches proposed in this study possess two limitations and needs further exploration. • More experiments should be done to improve the accuracy and adaptability of the proposed models and formulae. The new experiments should select more typical maps and map objects as samples, and find more subjects with different cultural backgrounds. • Whether it is feasible to integrate the ten models/formulae for calculating spatial similarity degrees into an identical model/formula needs further investigation. In addition, it is important to find out the other algorithms, like the Douglas-Peucker Algorithm, that are not parameter-free and closely related to spatial similarity relation, and explore the approaches to calculating the parameters used in these algorithms with the help of the models and formulae proposed in this thesis.

The current trauma literature lacks adequate differentiation between the effects of sexual versus non-sexual trauma on stimuli responses as well as analyses of the college campus as a uniquely challenging environment for rape survivors. In the first study, 66 adults (22 with sexual trauma experience, 22 with non-sexual trauma experience, and 22 with no significant trauma experience) will be exposed to vignettes with threat-generalized, rape-related or neutral stimuli and their arousal rates in response to these cues will be recorded using Galvanic Skin Response and Heart Rate. It is expected that individuals who have experienced sexual assault will show more arousal in response to the rape-related stimuli than the threat-generalized stimuli. In the second study, 44 college age females who have been sexually assaulted (22 living on a college campus, 22 living off of a college campus) will be exposed to the same vignette conditions as in the first study. These women will also be asked to rate their daily/weekly exposure to certain situations or objects representative of the college environment. It is expected that individuals with a higher exposure to rape culture score will be more aroused by the rape-related stimuli. Mowrer’s two-factor theory of learning (1956) along with the shame (Feldner et al., 2010) accompanying sexual trauma suggests that sexually assaulted individuals will exhibit higher levels of arousal to the rape-related stimuli rather than the threat-generalized stimuli, as other trauma victims might.

Resumo: O objetivo desta pesquisa consiste na elaboração de mapas áudio-dinâmicos em múltiplas escalas automáticas, para um Sistema de Navegação e Guia de Rota em Automóvel (SINGRA). O projeto das representações cartográficas foi dividido em duas fases: projeto de composição geral e projeto áudio-gráfico. Os mapas visuais dinâmicos foram elaborados com base nos princípios da comunicação cartográfica e da percepção visual, com ênfase nas operações de generalização. A área de estudo apresenta uma malha urbana com diferentes tipos de vias, cruzamentos e limites de velocidade. Os mapas foram projetados para serem exibidos em um monitor de pequeno formato (sete polegadas), com alta resolução, e um total de quatro escalas de representação foi determinado: 1/10.000, 1/5.000, 1/2.500 e 1/1.000. Tais escalas foram definidas em função do tamanho da mídia de apresentação e do tipo de tarefa tática. Os mapas generalizados foram obtidos pela aplicação das operações de simplificação, exagero e deslocamento, sobre uma base cartográfica na escala 1/1.000. As representações áudio-dinâmicas foram produzidas a partir de variáveis áudio-dinâmicas. As mensagens de voz foram pré-gravadas na voz feminina, executadas em sincronia com as informações visuais. O projeto foi implementado em um SINGRA disponível na FCT-UNESP, a partir do compilador Visual Basic e da biblioteca MapObjects. Ao comparar o sistema de múltiplas escalas com o de escala única, observa-se que os novos mapas adaptados ao contexto de direção do motorista, podem permitir que o usuário receba a informação de acordo com a tarefa de navegação desenvolvida ao longo da rota ... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The aim of this research is to design and implement an automatics multi-scale and audio-dynamic map for an In-Car Route Guidance and Navigation System (RGNS). The design was organized in two stages: general composition and auditory-graphic design. The visual-dynamic maps were designed based on cartographic communication principles and visual perception, especially on the generalization operators. The area of study presents an urban network with different types of roads, nodes, and speed limits. The maps were designed for a small-screen display, and a total of four different scales were employed: 1:10.000, 1:5.000, 1:2.500 and 1:1.000. These scales were chosen according to the media size and type of tactical task. The maps were derived from an accurate cartographic database at scale of 1:1000, by applying generalization techniques, such as simplification, displacement, and enhancement. The audio-dynamic representations were produced by taking account a set of audio-dynamic variables. The voice messages were recorded in a female voice, and they were presented with visual information, simultaneously. The design was implemented in a navigation system, which is available in the Faculty of Sciences and Technology, by using Visual Basic compiler and MapObjects library. The results of comparison between the automatic multiple-scale and single scale system show that the new system, enhanced driver's context, can allow the user receiving information according to the tasks performed along of the route. From the employment of generalization technique it was possible to present in a properly way the amount of information in the display, in which it can contribute for reducing navigational errors and visual demand, when compared with single-scale map ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Orientador: Mônica Modesta Santos Decanini / Coorientador: Edmur Azevedo Pugliesi / Banca: Claudia Robbi Sluter / Banca: Milton Hirokazu Shimabukuro / Mestre

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This research aims at applying and testing the Multiple Oppositions Approach (Williams, 2000a) of children of Brazilian Portuguese speakers with degrees of phonological disorder. The studied group was composed by 5 subjects, 2 males and 3 females, with average age in the beginning of treatment 6:1. It was carried out phonological and complementary assessments. The speech data were collected and analyzed through the phonological assessment before and after the treatment. After the assessment, the subjects were submitted to the therapy using the Multiple Oppositions Approach (Williams, 2000a) during 25 sessions. It was analyzed the therapeutic progress when referring to the phonetic inventory and phonological, to the distinctive features focused during the therapy by the target sound, as well as changes in the percentage of consonants correct-revised (PCC-R) and kinds of generalization (to lexical items non used during treatment, to another position of the word, inside a sound class and to other sound class). It was verified a statistically significant increase on the number of sounds in the phonetic inventory, on the acquired phonemes in the phonological inventory, with a statistically significant decrease in the number of changed distinctive features. There was a statistically significant difference to the PCC-R and some kinds of generalization (to lexical items none used during treatment, to another position of the word and to other sound class). There was no statistically significant difference inside a sound class; however it was observed an increase in the final assessment percentage. Thus, it was concluded that the Multiple Oppositions Approach was effective for the treatment of subjects of Brazilian Portuguese speakers because the model provided changes in the number of sounds in the phonetic inventory, of acquired phonemes in the phonological inventory, one increase no PCC-R and all the kind of generalizations (to lexical items non used during treatment, to another position of the word, inside a sound class and to other sound class). The subjects who added more phonemes to their phonological inventory were the ones who had a decrease in the number of changed distinctive features. / Este estudo teve como objetivo aplicar e testar o Modelo de Oposições Múltiplas (Williams, 2000a) em crianças falantes do português brasileiro com diferentes gravidades do desvio fonológico. O grupo pesquisado foi constituído por 5 sujeitos: 2 do sexo masculino e 3 do feminino, com idade média de 6:1 no início do tratamento. O diagnóstico de desvio fonológico foi determinado pelas avaliações fonoaudiológicas e exames complementares. Os dados da fala dos sujeitos foram coletados e analisados por meio da avaliação fonológica antes e depois do tratamento. Após as avaliações, os sujeitos foram submetidos à fonoterapia pelo Modelo de Oposições Múltiplas (Williams, 2000a) durante 25 sessões. Analisou-se o progresso terapêutico no que se refere aos inventários fonético e fonológico, aos traços distintivos enfocados na terapia a partir dos sons-alvo, bem como as mudanças quanto ao Percentual de Consoantes Corretas-Revisado (PCC-R) e os tipos de generalizações obtidas (a itens lexicais não utilizados no tratamento, para outra posição na palavra, dentro de uma classe de sons, para outras classes de sons). Verificou-se um aumento estatisticamente significativo do número de sons no inventário fonético, de fonemas no inventário fonológico, assim como uma diminuição, estatisticamente significativa, do número de traços distintivos alterados. Houve diferença estatisticamente significativa no PCC-R e em alguns tipos de generalização (a itens lexicais não utilizados no tratamento, para outra posição da palavra e para outras classes de sons). Não houve diferença estatística para a generalização dentro de uma classe de sons, porém observou-se um aumento do percentual na avaliação final. Assim, pôde-se concluir que o Modelo de Oposições Múltiplas foi efetivo para o tratamento de sujeitos falantes do português brasileiro, pois aquele proporcionou aquisições de sons nos inventários fonético e de fonemas no inventário fonológico, um aumento no PCC-R e em todos os tipos de generalizações (a itens lexicais não utilizados no tratamento, para outra posição na palavra, dentro de uma classe de sons, para outras classes de sons). Os sujeitos, cujos sons-alvo contemplavam o trabalho com a maioria dos traços alterados e com sons mais complexos na hierarquia, apresentaram maior número de aquisições em seus inventários fonológicos.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Approximately between 4 or 5 years of age, the child has already acquired all the phonemes of the adult phonological system. However, this process does not always occur according to expectations, being noted separations/deviations in the acquisition of speech sounds. In order to the speech to take place properly, it is necessary the minimal of structural development from the vocal tract and motor skills, and it is important that phonetic-articulatory and praxis issues are always investigated. This study aimed to verify the evolution of phonological, praxis and generalization of children with phonological deviation submitted to phonological therapy associated with the stimulation of oral praxis skills. The sample was composed of six subjects (three girls and three boys) aged between 5:4 and 7:0 at the beginning of therapy. The subjects were divided in three groups, all receiving phonological therapy, being that in one group was added praxis stimulation of face and tongue (GFoLFa), and tongue praxis stimulation (GFoL) in another, the third group was submitted only to phonological therapy (GFo). All were evaluated before and after therapy regarding: phonological system (Yavas, Hernandorena and Lamprecht, 1991); Orofacial Praxis Test (Bearzotti, Tavano e Fabbro, 2007) and Bucofacial Articulatory Praxis test (Hage, 2000). The results were analyzed descriptively by comparing the three groups. The results evidenced that all groups presented evolution in the phonetic inventory, the GFoLFa obtained bigger evolution in the PCC-R, in the oral praxis skills and a larger number of generalizations (in the four analyzed types). Still, GFoL achieved considerable developments regarding oral praxis skills within a class of sounds, and GFo presented generalization to another class of sounds. This way, new ways of study applying this model are suggested, so that these results can be confirmed. / No Português Brasileiro, aproximadamente entre 4 ou 5 anos de idade, a criança já adquiriu todos os fonemas do sistema fonológico adulto. Porém, este processo nem sempre ocorre de acordo com o esperado, verificando-se afastamentos/desvios na aquisição dos sons da fala. Para que a fala aconteça de maneira adequada, é necessário o mínimo de desenvolvimento estrutural do aparelho fonador e de habilidades motoras, e é importante que sempre sejam investigadas questões fonéticas-articulatórias e práxicas. Este estudo teve como objetivo verificar a evolução fonológica, das habilidades práxicas orofaciais e as generalizações de crianças com desvio fonológico submetidos à terapia fonológica associada ou não a estimulação de habilidades práxicas de língua e de face. A amostra foi composta por seis sujeitos (três meninas e três meninos), com idades entre 5:4 e 7:0 no início da terapia. Os sujeitos foram divididos em três grupos, recebendo todos terapia fonológica, sendo os do grupo estudo tratados com estimulação de habilidades práxicas de face e língua (GFoLFa), e com exercícios de habilidades práxicas de língua (GFoL), e o grupo controle submetido apenas à terapia fonológica (GFo). Todos foram avaliados pré e pós-terapia quanto ao sistema fonológico (Yavas, Hernandorena e Lamprecht, 1991); ao Teste de Praxias Orofaciais (Berzoatti, Tavano e Fabbro, 2007); e ao Teste de Praxias Articulatórias e Bucofaciais (Hage, 2000). Os resultados foram analisados e descritos comparando os três grupos. Os resultados obtidos evidenciaram que todos os grupos apresentaram evoluções no inventário fonético, o GFoLFa obteve evoluções maiores no PCC-R, nas habilidades práxicas orofaciais e um maior número de generalizações fonológicas, considerando os quatro tipos analisados. O GFoL apresentou evoluções quanto as habilidades práxicas orofaciais e importante número de generalizações dentro de uma classe de sons; e GFo apresentou generalização para outra classe de sons. Conclui-se que os grupos que receberam intervenção práxica obtiveram maiores evoluções, porém, sugerem-se novos estudos aplicando este modelo, para que possam ser confirmados esses resultados, com outras amostras.

Uma generalização dos modelos de Toda bidimensionais pela inclusão de campos de Dirac é estudada através de métodos algébricos que possibilitam a construção de cargas e soluções para o modelo. Após desenvolver o formalismo matemático necessário, as cargas conservadas do modelo em questão são determinadas para soluções sóliton, a partir da órbita do vácuo. Uma comparação direta com o modelo de sine-Gordon revela que o mesmo processo de interação entre os sólitons ocorre em ambas as teorias, indicando a possibilidade deste modelo ser utilizado para analisar a equivalência entre esse modelo e os de sine-Gordon e Thirring. / A generalization of two dimensional Toda models by the inclusion of Dirac fields is studied through algebraic methods that allow the construction of charges and solutions. After developing the necessary mathematical formalism, the conserved charges of such model are determined forsoliton solutions belonging to the orbits of the vacuum. A direct comparison between Toda model coupled to matter fields and sine-Gordon model shows that the same interaction process among solitons occurs in both theories, indicating the possibility of this model to be used to analyze the equivalence between sine-Gordon and Thirring models.

Submitted by (ana.araujo@ufrpe.br) on 2016-06-28T14:27:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniele Loureiro Roges.pdf: 678963 bytes, checksum: 0dbfd6df9d81303105780529eb0021cb (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-28T14:27:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniele Loureiro Roges.pdf: 678963 bytes, checksum: 0dbfd6df9d81303105780529eb0021cb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-25 / The Generalized InverseWeibull distribution (WIG), proposed by Gusmão et al. (2009), which has the ability to model hazard function with unimodal shape, which are quite common in biological and reliability studies, is generalized by a beta. It has, as proposed, the Beta Generalized Inverse Weibull distribution (BGIW) with five parameters and failure rate decreasing and unimodal. The distribution BWIG has WIG as a particular case. A comprehensive treatment of mathematical properties of BWIG is provided, and found the expressions for their generating functions of moments and the certain generalized r-th moment. There was also a discussion of maximum likelihood estimation and the expressions for the elements of observed information matrix. The distribution of Log-Beta Generalized Inverse Weibull and its respective regression also been developed. Also were found the Entropy of Shanonn and the Order Statistics of the distribution BWIG. A comparison of the results provided by the WIG and BWIG distributions was performed by modeling a data set agrarian. / A distribuicão Weibull Inversa Generalizada (WIG), proposta por Gusmão et al. (2009), que tem a habilidade de modelar funções de risco com forma unimodal, questões bastante comuns em estudos biológicos e de confiabilidade, é generalizada por uma beta. Daí tem-se, como proposta, a distribuição Beta Weibull Inversa Generalizada (BWIG) com cinco parâmetros e taxa de falha decrescente e unimodal. A BWIG tem a distribuição WIG como um caso particular. Um compreensivo tratamento das propriedades matemáticas da BWIG é provido, sendo encontradas as expressões para suas funções geradoras de momentos e determinado o r-ésimo momento generalizado. Também foi realizada uma discussão sobre a estimação da máxima verossimilhança e as expressões para os elementos da matriz de informação observada. A distribuição Log-Beta Weibull Inversa Generalizada e sua respectiva regressão também foram desenvolvidas. Ainda foram encontradas a Entropia de Shanonn e a Estatística de Ordem da distribuição BWIG. Um comparativo sobre os resultados fornecidos pelas distribuições WIG e BWIG foi realizado a partir da modelagem de um conjunto de dados agrários.

Submitted by (ana.araujo@ufrpe.br) on 2016-08-17T12:42:21Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Vanessa Kelly dos Santos.pdf: 364306 bytes, checksum: 6c79d0925f6821655f91bcd3c8eb64af (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-17T12:42:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Vanessa Kelly dos Santos.pdf: 364306 bytes, checksum: 6c79d0925f6821655f91bcd3c8eb64af (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-03-23 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Diversity as a concept was first introduced by Williams in Fisher et al. (1943). Later, Good (1953, 1982) proposed a generalized index that included as special cases both Shannon’s and Simpson’s indices. Baczkowski et al. (1997, 1998) generalized the proposed generalization deriving the first four moments and then obtaining a distribution prior to the general index for Good (BACZKOWSKI et al., 2000). Therefore, is proposed a new generalization that, in addition to the indices the Shannon and Simpson as special cases, includes more general indices such as the unfamiliar (PATIL & TAILIIE, 1982). The moments of h(a,b,d) presented here extend the results presented in Baczkowski et al. and Bowman et al. for a class of diversity indices of more general and it is concluded then that while the distribution of index Shannon can be approximated by a Gaussian distribution, if any difference between abundance of species, to more general values of (a,b,d), it is suggested a distribution of type I as the most appropriated. The results are also consistent with those presented for real populations, as in Heip & Engels (1974), especially when it examines the index of Shannon. / A diversidade como um conceito foi inicialmente introduzida por Williams em Fisher et al. (1943). Mais tarde, Good (1953, 1982) propôs um índice generalizado que incluía como casos especiais os índices de Shannon e o de Simpson. Baczkowski et al. (1997, 1998) propuseram generalizar essa generalização derivando os quatro primeiros momentos e obtendo assim uma distribuição para o índice antes generalizado por Good (BACZKOWSKI et al., 2000). Sendo assim, apresenta-se uma nova generalização que, além de ter os índices de Shannon e Simpson como casos especiais, engloba índices mais gerais como o não familiar (PATIL & TAILIIE, 1982). Os momentos de h(a,b,d) aqui apresentados estendem os resultados apresentados em Baczkowski et al. e Bowman et al. para uma classe de índices de diversidade mais geral, concluindo-se então que enquanto a distribuição do índice de Shannon pode ser aproximado por uma distribuição Gaussiana, caso haja diferença entre abundância de espécies, para valores mais gerais de (a,b,d), sugere-se uma distribuição do tipo I como sendo a mais apropriada. Os resultados obtidos são tão consistentes quanto os de trabalhos que lidam com populações reais como em Heip & Engels (1974), principalmente quando examina-se o índice de Shannon.