Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Mu opioid receptors (MORs) mediate the analgesic and rewarding effects of opioids. Most research has focused on MORs in GABAergic neurons; however, MORs are also in glutamatergic neurons and their role in opioid-related behaviors was unclear. Our lab previously showed that MORs inhibit glutamate transmission from vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (vGluT2)-expressing thalamostriatal synapses. The behavioral relevance of MORs in vGluT2-expressing neurons was unknown; therefore, I utilized a conditional MOR knockout mouse with MORs deleted in vGluT2-expressing neurons (MORflox-vGluT2cre). MORflox-vGluT2cre mice have disrupted opioid reward, locomotor stimulation, and withdrawal, compared to cre-recombinase negative littermate controls. However, other MOR-mediated behaviors, including opioid-induced antinociception, alcohol reward, and palatable substance consumption are intact. MORs are expressed in vGluT2 neurons in several reward-related brain regions, including the thalamus and lateral habenula (LHb). To determine whether MORs in these brain regions modulate opioid-related behaviors, an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector encoding cre-recombinase was stereotaxically injected into the thalamus or LHb of MORflox mice to specifically delete MORs in these brain regions. Opioid reward and locomotor stimulation remained intact in both thalamic and LHb MOR knockout mice; however, basal locomotor activity was increased in LHb MOR knockout mice. Sucrose consumption was also intact in LHb MOR knockout mice. Interestingly, in LHb MOR KO mice opioid withdrawal-induced paw shakes were increased, while withdrawal-induced jumping was completely ablated. Our lab previously showed that MORs inhibit glutamate transmission from the anterior insular cortex (AIC), which is disrupted by in vivo alcohol exposure. To determine the role of AIC MORs, AIC MORs were deleted with AAV vectors. AIC MOR knockout mice had intact opioid, sucrose, and alcohol reward, but had increased basal locomotor activity. MORs in glutamatergic neurons are critical mediators of opioid reward; however, the specific glutamatergic neurons mediating the rewarding effects of opioids remains to be determined.

<p>The growing demand for faster, more reliable wireless connectivity has brought about the development of the 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6/6E) amendment, which aims to satisfy the increasing need for seamless wireless connectivity and improved traffic handling. The 802.11ax amendment introduces noteworthy improvements to the 802.11 wireless standard that should greatly improve the efficiency of wireless networks. The body of existing research has seen several simulated 802.11ax environments and found great success, however, these additions remain largely untested in physical environments. This thesis undertakes the testing for 802.11ax MU-MIMO to determine if these simulated successes translate into real-world improvements. By using a classroom scenario, the study investigates the performance improvements purported by 802.11ax, specifically the updated and expanded DL and UL MU-MIMO in an environment with high client numbers and density. </p>

Yes / Beamforming in multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) systems is a vital part of modern wireless communication systems. Researchers looking for best operational performance normally optimize the problem and then solve for best weight solutions. The weight optimization problem contains variables in numerator and dominator: this leads to so-called variable coupling, making the problem hard to solve. Formulating the optimization in terms of the signal to leakage and noise ratio (SLNR) helps in decoupling the problem variables. In this paper we study the performance of the SLNR with variable numbers of users and handset antennas. The results show that there is an optimum and the capacity curve is a concave over these two parameters. The performances of two further variations of this method are also considered.

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Les automates cellulaires sont à la fois un modèle de calcul parallèle, un système complexe et un système dynamique. Ils fonctionnent de manière synchrone et en temps discret, leur particularité est que les fonctions qu'ils définissent sont issues de l'application simultanée, en tout point de l'espace, d'une règle d'évolution locale. L'ensemble limite est un objet classique des systèmes dynamiques, c'est l'ensemble des états que le système peut atteindre arbitrairement tard. Il a été très étudié dans le cadre des automates cellulaires, et les résultats sont nombreux. Parmi ces résultats, un théorème de Rice démontré par Jarkko Kari dit que toute propriété des ensembles limites est indécidable. Dans ce mémoire, on ne s'intéresse plus à l'ensemble limite traditionnel, mais à une variante pour laquelle on utilise une mesure sur l'espace des entrées, sélectionnant ainsi les comportements susceptibles d'apparaître arbitrairement tard et souvent. Ce nouvel ensemble, que l'on nomme ensemble mu-limite, a été introduit en 2000 par Petr Kurka et Alejandro Maass. La plupart des résultats sur les ensembles limites ne se transposent pas naturellement. On étudie la famille des ensembles mu-limites d'automates cellulaires. On montre que sous certaines contraintes sur la dynamique, l'ensemble mu-limite peut être entièrement décrit. On classe ainsi les automates en fonction de ces contraintes. Dans le cas général, on montre l'existence d'automates cellulaires ayant comme ensembles mu-limites un grand nombre d'ensembles complexes. On finit par montrer un théorème de Rice pour les ensembles mu-limites d'automates cellulaires: tout propriété non triviale de ces ensembles est indécidable. / Cellular automata are simultaneously a model of parallel computation, a complex system and a dynamical system. They are synchronous and time is discrete. The functions defined by their application is the result of the synchronous application of the same local rule everywhere. The limit set is a classical tool of dynamical systems theory, it is the set of states the system can reach arbitrarily late. It has been studied often in the particular case of cellular automata and there are numerous results. Amongst them, a Rice's theorem proved by Jarkko Kari states that any non-trivial property of limit sets of cellular automata is undecidable. In this thesis, we do not consider the classical limit set, as we add a measure on the space of states of the system. Thus, we get a set which contains behaviors that appear arbitrarily far and often. This set is named mu-limit set and was introduced in 2000 by Petr Kurka and Alejandro Maass. Most of the results on limit sets cannot be directly adapted for mu-limit sets. We study the family of all mu-limit sets of cellular automata. We show that under some constraints on the dynamics, the mu-limit set can be entirely described. We then produce a classification of cellular automata according to these constraints. In the general case, we prove the existence of cellular automata whose mu-limit sets are among a large set of complex sets. We finally prove Rice's theorem for mu-limit sets: any non-trivial property is undecidable.

As triazinas e sulfoniluréias tem sido muito empregadas, devido ao crescente aumento na produção agrícola e aplicação de herbicidas nas lavouras, podendo causar sérios riscos à saúde humana e ao meio ambiente. Uma problemática é a baixa concentração que estes analitos são encontrados, tornando-se necessário o emprego do preparo da amostra para a sua determinação. Com isso, a busca por técnicas de preparo de amostras miniaturizadas, simples, de baixo custo, com menores riscos de contaminações ambientais e baixo consome de solventes, tem grande predominância. Dentre as microtécnicas de preparo de amostra podemos destacar a microextração em dispositivos preenchidos com sorventes (MEPS, do inglês, Microextraction by Packed Sorbent) e a microextração adsortiva em barra (BA&mu;E, do inglês, Bar Adsorptive Microextraction). Outro aspecto desejado no preparo de amostras é a obtenção de uma maior seletividade quanto ao sorvente empregado, quando comparado àqueles convencionais como, por exemplo, sílica modificada (ex. C18), resinas Amberlite XAD, entre outros. Nesse âmbito, o presente trabalho apresenta a síntese de dois polímeros impressos molecularmente (MIP, do inglês, Molecularly Imprinted Polymers) e suas aplicações na adsorção seletiva de moléculas de triazinas e sulfoniluréias, com separação, identificação e quantificação feitas por LC-TOF-ESI e HPLC-DAD. A primeira metodologia desenvolvida foi a síntese dos polímeros impressos empregando o ácido metacrílico e o etileno glicol dimetacrilato. Após a síntese, os polímeros foram caracterizados através da espectroscopia de infravermelho e microscopia eletrônica de varredura. O coeficiente de seletividade para o MIP foi comparado com o coeficiente de seletividade do polímero não impresso (NIP, do inglês, non imprinted polymers) para misturas binárias de atrazina/picloram, atrazina/propanil, bensulfuron/betazon e bensulfuron/prometon onde os valores dos coeficientes de seletividade relativa (k\') obtidos foram de 17,2, 3,2, 10,6 e 8,5. A seguir, foram desenvolvidos dois métodos empregando MEPS para as triazinas e sulfoniluréias, respectivamente. Os métodos validados baseando-se nas recomendações da Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA) e com diretrizes da Comunidade Europeia, apresentaram linearidade, seletividade, precisão, exatidão e recuperação adequadas para as triazinas e sulfoniuréias. Os limites de quantificação obtidos foram da ordem de 5,0-10,0 &mu;g kg-1 para as triazinas e 2,5 &mu;g kg-1 para as sulfoniluréias. Ainda com propósito de determinar esses herbicidas em milho, dois novos métodos de preparo de amostra foram desenvolvidos, empregando a BA&mu;E. A BA&mu;E, foi desenvolvida recentemente e combinada com os polímeros molecularmente impressos, avaliou-se sua determinação para as triazinas e sulfoniluréias. As variáveis da técnica BA&mu;E foram otimizadas e, em seguida, validadas. Os limites de quantificação obtidos foram da ordem de 0,7 &mu;g kg-1 para as triazinas e 0,4 &mu;g kg-1 para as sulfoniluréias. Os métodos propostos foram aplicados com sucesso para determinação de triazinas em diferentes amostras de milho verde, com valores de recuperação satisfatórios na faixa de 80,0 -120,9%. / Triazines and sulfonylureas have been much used due to the growing in agricultural production and application of herbicides on crops, which may cause serious risks to human health and the environment. One problem is the low concentration found of these analytes, making it necessary the use of the sample preparation. Thus, the search for miniaturized sample preparation such as techniques simple, low cost, with less risk of environmental contamination and low solvent consumes has great predominance. Among the sample preparation microtechnology we can highlight the microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) and bar adsorptive microextraction (BA?E). Another desired aspect for sample preparation is to obtain a higher selectivity concerning the sorbent employed as compared to their conventional format; for example, modified silica (ex. 18), Amberlite XAD resins, and others. In this context, this paper presents the synthesis of two molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and their applications in the selective adsorption of triazines and sulfonylureas molecules being the separation, identification and quantification steps made by LC-TOF-ESI and HPLC-DAD. The first step developed was the synthesis of imprinted polymers using methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. After synthesizing, the polymers were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The MIP selectivity coefficient was compared with the NIP (non imprinted polymer) selectivity coefficient employing binary mixtures of atrazine / picloram, atrazine / propanil, bensulfuron / betazon and bensulfuron / prometon where the values of relative selectivity coefficients (k \') obtained were 17.2, 3.2, 10.6 and 8.5. Next, we developed two methods for MEPS triazines and sulfonylureas, respectively. The methods were validated based on the recommendations of the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) and the European Community directives, and presented linearity, selectivity, precision, accuracy and adequate recovery for the triazines and sulfoniuréias. The quantification limits were obtained in the range of 5.0-10.0 &mu;g kg-1 for triazines and 2.5 &mu;g kg-1 for sulfonylureas. Aiming determining these herbicides in corn samples, two new sample preparation methods were developed, using the BA&mu;E. The recently developed BA&mu;E, was combined with molecularly imprinted polymers to evaluate the determination to triazines and sulfonylureas. The BA&mu;E variables were optimized and validated. The quantification limits were obtained in the range of 0.7 &mu;g kg-1 for triazines and 0.4 &mu;g kg-1 for sulfonylureas. The proposed methods were successfully applied for the determination of triazines in different samples of corn, with satisfactory recovery values in the range of 80.0 -120.9%.

As triazinas e sulfoniluréias tem sido muito empregadas, devido ao crescente aumento na produção agrícola e aplicação de herbicidas nas lavouras, podendo causar sérios riscos à saúde humana e ao meio ambiente. Uma problemática é a baixa concentração que estes analitos são encontrados, tornando-se necessário o emprego do preparo da amostra para a sua determinação. Com isso, a busca por técnicas de preparo de amostras miniaturizadas, simples, de baixo custo, com menores riscos de contaminações ambientais e baixo consome de solventes, tem grande predominância. Dentre as microtécnicas de preparo de amostra podemos destacar a microextração em dispositivos preenchidos com sorventes (MEPS, do inglês, Microextraction by Packed Sorbent) e a microextração adsortiva em barra (BA&mu;E, do inglês, Bar Adsorptive Microextraction). Outro aspecto desejado no preparo de amostras é a obtenção de uma maior seletividade quanto ao sorvente empregado, quando comparado àqueles convencionais como, por exemplo, sílica modificada (ex. C18), resinas Amberlite XAD, entre outros. Nesse âmbito, o presente trabalho apresenta a síntese de dois polímeros impressos molecularmente (MIP, do inglês, Molecularly Imprinted Polymers) e suas aplicações na adsorção seletiva de moléculas de triazinas e sulfoniluréias, com separação, identificação e quantificação feitas por LC-TOF-ESI e HPLC-DAD. A primeira metodologia desenvolvida foi a síntese dos polímeros impressos empregando o ácido metacrílico e o etileno glicol dimetacrilato. Após a síntese, os polímeros foram caracterizados através da espectroscopia de infravermelho e microscopia eletrônica de varredura. O coeficiente de seletividade para o MIP foi comparado com o coeficiente de seletividade do polímero não impresso (NIP, do inglês, non imprinted polymers) para misturas binárias de atrazina/picloram, atrazina/propanil, bensulfuron/betazon e bensulfuron/prometon onde os valores dos coeficientes de seletividade relativa (k\') obtidos foram de 17,2, 3,2, 10,6 e 8,5. A seguir, foram desenvolvidos dois métodos empregando MEPS para as triazinas e sulfoniluréias, respectivamente. Os métodos validados baseando-se nas recomendações da Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA) e com diretrizes da Comunidade Europeia, apresentaram linearidade, seletividade, precisão, exatidão e recuperação adequadas para as triazinas e sulfoniuréias. Os limites de quantificação obtidos foram da ordem de 5,0-10,0 &mu;g kg-1 para as triazinas e 2,5 &mu;g kg-1 para as sulfoniluréias. Ainda com propósito de determinar esses herbicidas em milho, dois novos métodos de preparo de amostra foram desenvolvidos, empregando a BA&mu;E. A BA&mu;E, foi desenvolvida recentemente e combinada com os polímeros molecularmente impressos, avaliou-se sua determinação para as triazinas e sulfoniluréias. As variáveis da técnica BA&mu;E foram otimizadas e, em seguida, validadas. Os limites de quantificação obtidos foram da ordem de 0,7 &mu;g kg-1 para as triazinas e 0,4 &mu;g kg-1 para as sulfoniluréias. Os métodos propostos foram aplicados com sucesso para determinação de triazinas em diferentes amostras de milho verde, com valores de recuperação satisfatórios na faixa de 80,0 -120,9%. / Triazines and sulfonylureas have been much used due to the growing in agricultural production and application of herbicides on crops, which may cause serious risks to human health and the environment. One problem is the low concentration found of these analytes, making it necessary the use of the sample preparation. Thus, the search for miniaturized sample preparation such as techniques simple, low cost, with less risk of environmental contamination and low solvent consumes has great predominance. Among the sample preparation microtechnology we can highlight the microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) and bar adsorptive microextraction (BA?E). Another desired aspect for sample preparation is to obtain a higher selectivity concerning the sorbent employed as compared to their conventional format; for example, modified silica (ex. 18), Amberlite XAD resins, and others. In this context, this paper presents the synthesis of two molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and their applications in the selective adsorption of triazines and sulfonylureas molecules being the separation, identification and quantification steps made by LC-TOF-ESI and HPLC-DAD. The first step developed was the synthesis of imprinted polymers using methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. After synthesizing, the polymers were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The MIP selectivity coefficient was compared with the NIP (non imprinted polymer) selectivity coefficient employing binary mixtures of atrazine / picloram, atrazine / propanil, bensulfuron / betazon and bensulfuron / prometon where the values of relative selectivity coefficients (k \') obtained were 17.2, 3.2, 10.6 and 8.5. Next, we developed two methods for MEPS triazines and sulfonylureas, respectively. The methods were validated based on the recommendations of the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) and the European Community directives, and presented linearity, selectivity, precision, accuracy and adequate recovery for the triazines and sulfoniuréias. The quantification limits were obtained in the range of 5.0-10.0 &mu;g kg-1 for triazines and 2.5 &mu;g kg-1 for sulfonylureas. Aiming determining these herbicides in corn samples, two new sample preparation methods were developed, using the BA&mu;E. The recently developed BA&mu;E, was combined with molecularly imprinted polymers to evaluate the determination to triazines and sulfonylureas. The BA&mu;E variables were optimized and validated. The quantification limits were obtained in the range of 0.7 &mu;g kg-1 for triazines and 0.4 &mu;g kg-1 for sulfonylureas. The proposed methods were successfully applied for the determination of triazines in different samples of corn, with satisfactory recovery values in the range of 80.0 -120.9%.

Le système opioïde contrôle la douleur et la récompense, et le récepteur opioïde mu est la cible moléculaire de l’analgésie et de la dépendance aux opiacés. Dans la première partie de la thèse, nous avons montré que ce récepteur est également nécessaire au développement de l’hyperalgie se développant lors d’une administration chronique de morphine. Dans la seconde partie de thèse, nous avons étudié l’impact des interactions entre systèmes opioïde et cannabinoïde sur les effets associés à l’administration chronique de morphine. Nous avons exploré les effets d’un prétraitement avec un agoniste sélectif du récepteur cannabinoïde CB1, l’arachidonyl-2-chloroethylamide (ACEA) sur le développement de réponses nociceptives morphiniques, le sevrage, la récompense et des comportements naturels. L’étude comportementale a été complétée par des analyses transcriptionnelles et fonctionnelles afin d’identifier les processus neuroadaptatifs mis en jeu. Nos travaux montrent que l’activation des récepteurs CB1 et Mu présentent des effets bénéfiques sur les paramètres comportementaux associés à l’addiction, suggérant un intérêt thérapeutique potentiel à associer ces composés en clinique. / The opioid system controls pain and reward, and the Mu opioid receptor plays a central role in these effects. In the first part of the thesis, we showed that Mu receptor is also involved in the development of hyperalgesia induced by chronic opiate exposure. In the second part of the thesis, we studied the impact of opioid and cannabinoid interactions on effects associated to chronic morphine administration. We explored the effects of a pretreatment with a CB1 cannabinoid receptor selective agonist, arachidonyl-2-chloroethylamide (ACEA), on morphine-associated nociceptive, withdrawal, reward and naturalistic behaviors. To complete this behavioral study, we performed transcriptional and functional analyses to identify the neuroadaptative processes involved. Our study demonstrates that dual activation of CB1 and Mu receptors has a beneficial effect on behavioral parameters related to addiction, pointing to potential usefulness of combining both medications for therapeutic interventions.