Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1981. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1982. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-79). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin, 1959. / Cover title. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 26).

In this thesis we study at a concrete practical level how computation with action potentials (spikes) can be performed. We address the problem of pro- gramming a dynamical system modeled as a neural network and considering both, hardware and software implementations. For this, we use a discrete- time spiking neuron model, which has been introduced in Soula et al. (2006), and called BMS in the sequel, whose dynamics is rather rich (see section 1.2.4). On one hand, we propose an efficient method to properly estimate the parameters (delayed synaptic weights) of a neural network from the observa- tion of its spiking dynamics. The idea is to avoid the underlying NP-complete problem (when both weights and inter-neural transmission delays are con- sidered in the parameters estimation). So far, our method defines a Linear Programming (LP) system to perform the parameters estimation. Another aspect considered in this part of the work is the fact that we include a reser- voir computing mechanism (hidden network), which permits us, as we show, to increase the computational power and to add robustness in the system. Furthermore these ideas are applied to implement input-output transforma- tions, with a method learning the implicit parameters of the corresponding transfer function. On the other hand we have worked on the development of numerical implementations permitting us to validate our algorithms. We also made contributions to code methods for spike trains statistics analysis and simu- lations of spiking neural networks. Thus, we co-develop a C++ library, called EnaS, which is distributed under the CeCILL-C free license. This library is also compatible with other simulators and could be used as a plugin. Finally we consider the emergent field of bio-inspired hardware im- plementations, where FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) technologies are studied. In this sense, we evalu- ate the hardware implementations of the proposed neuron models (gIF-type neuron models) under periodic and chaotic activity regimes. The FPGA- based implementation has been achieved using a precision analysis and its performance compared with that based on GPU.

This thesis studies the gradient system that forms spatial patterns such that the minimum distances of pairs among various points are maximized in the end. As this problem innately involves singularity issues, an extended system of the gradient system is proposed. Motivated by the spatial pattern suggested by a numerical example, this extended system is applied to a three-point problem and then to a two-point problem in a quotient space of R2 modulo a lattice.

For years track and field athletes have worn spiked shoes to enhance performance. This study was conducted to determine the effect of track spikes on hip, knee, and ankle peak joint moments (PJM) in collegiate and elite athletes while running. To measure differences in joint moments, ten intercollegiate and post graduate male distance runners from Brigham Young University ran at a four-minute-mile pace (6.7 m/s) across a force plate synched with infrared cameras tracking body positioning in each shoe condition. Repeated measures ANOVA (p < 0.05) revealed no significant peak joint differences between running shoes and track spikes. The minimum hip and peak knee PJM approached significance (F = 3.221, P = 0.116 and F = 2.875, P = 0.134 respectively). The high variability of joint moments between trials made it difficult to detect differences between conditions. The variability may be explained by any number of factors including: biomechanical differences in running form, running at high speeds, type of subjects, and potentially other factors.

No description available.

Em um dos estágios do processamento visual da mosca - a placa lobular, uma para cada hemisfério da cabeça da mosca - nós encontramos neurônios dedicados à detecção e processamento do auto-movimento. Um destes neurônios, chamado HI, detecta o movi-mento de trás para frente na horizontal e os dois neurônios de cada lado da cabeça interagem, melhorando a extração da informação sobre o estímulo gerado pelo ambiente. Neste trabalho nós apresentamos uma instalação experimental de registro simultâneo dos dois neurônios HI, discutimos as dificuldades associadas com este esforço e os dados preliminares obtidos. Os spikes gerados pelos neurônios HI são registrados extracelularmente com elétrodos de tungstênio, alimentam um head-stage, um pré-amplificador e um discriminador, todos dispositivos eletrônicos analógicos, para serem processados em um digital, a fim de registar os tempos de chegada dos spikes com precisão de microssegundos. O hardware analógico e o digital são controlados pelo software Linux RealTime, baseados em RTLinux. O sistema de aquisição dos spike- times possui três canais de entrada e um de saída: uma entrada para cada HI e um para sincronização e uma saída para o envio\' do estímulo com 16 bits de resolução, que consiste no movimento horizontal de uma tela fixa. Nós discutiremos as dificuldades encontradas durante os testes/eliminação dos erros do equipamento. Estas têm sua origem em ter que controlar o \"wetware\" biológico e no hard/software eletrônicos. / In one of the fiy\'s optical processing stages - the lobula plate, one for each hemisphere of he fly\'s head -, we find neurons dedicated to the detection and processing of self-¬motion. One of these neurons, called H1, detects horizontal back-to-front motion and the two neurons of each side of the head interact, improving the extraction of information about the stimulus generated by the environment. In this work we present an experimental setup to record simultaneously from the two H1 neurons, discuss the difficulties associated with this endeavour and preliminary data obtained. The spikes generated by the H1 neurons are picked up extracellularly with Tungsten electrodes, are feed via a head-stage, a preamplifier and a discriminator, all electronic analog devices, to be processed from here on digitally, in arder to register the spike arrival times with microsecond precision. The analog and the digital hardware, based on RTLinux, are controlled by Linux RealTime software. The spike-time acquisition system has three input and one output channel: one input for each H1 and one for sinchronization and one output for delivering the stimulus with 16 bits resolution, consisting of the horizontal positions of a rigidly moving picture. We discuss the difficulties encountered during the testing/debugging of the equipment. These have their origin both having to control the biological \"wetware\" and the electric hard/soft-ware.

Estudo quase experimental, com grupo de intervenção avaliado antes e após o procedimento, com o objetivo de capacitar os profissionais da saúde para as situações de comunicação de más notícias aos pacientes e aos seus familiares, por meio de um curso de difusão gratuito, com duração de cinco horas. Participaram 79 profissionais da saúde, entre enfermeiros, estudantes de enfermagem, biólogos, farmacêuticos, estudantes de medicina, psicólogos, assistentes sociais e terapeutas ocupacionais. Foram utilizados como instrumentos de pesquisas: 1) o questionário Breaking Bad News sobre o protocolo SPIKES, que possui 13 questões objetivas. Este questionário foi analisado pela distribuição da porcentagem de respostas para cada questão; 2) o questionário de avaliação do curso de más notícias composto por 43 questões objetivas. Para a análise das variáveis quantitativas foram utilizadas as médias e as medianas para resumir as informações, e os desvios-padrão, mínimo e máximo, para indicar a variabilidade dos dados, além da porcentagem. A comparação entre as pontuações dos participantes na primeira e na segunda avaliação de habilidades de comunicação foi realizada pelo teste estatístico de McNemar. O teste estatístico não paramétrico Mann-Whitney foi utilizado para comparar a relação entre a idade dos participantes e as respostas do questionário de avaliação do curso de más notícias. A comparação entre a idade e a pontuação total dos participantes na avaliação de conteúdo do curso foi feita pelo coeficiente de correlação de Spearman. Para todos os testes assumiu-se o nível de significância em 5%. A idade dos participantes variou entre 18 e 55 anos, sendo a maioria do sexo feminino (83,5%) e da área da enfermagem (53,2% profissionais e 24,1% estudantes). Ademais, 57% dos participantes nunca tiveram qualquer formação sobre transmissão de más notícias, porém mesmo após este curso, oito pessoas continuaram afirmando que não tiveram formação alguma. A autoavaliação da capacidade de informar uma má notícia no pré-teste foi considerada boa por 18,2%; 20,8% consideraram-se ruins e 6,5%, péssimos, enquanto que o pós-teste 42,8% consideraram-se bons, 11,7%, ruins e 2,6%, péssimos. O conforto do profissional neste momento variou de 21,8% para 7,7% no item absolutamente desconfortável, e de 6,4% para 14,1% no item confortável. Após o conhecimento sobre o protocolo SPIKES, 92,3% acreditam em sua aplicabilidade na prática clínica.Quanto à estratégia utilizada pelos entrevistados em sua prática clínica, o item mostrou que \"um plano ou estratégia consistente\" apresentou frequências de 21,9% no pré-teste e 51,56% no pós-teste. Os elementos do protocolo SPIKES apontados como de maiores facilidades entre os participantes no pré-teste foi o local da notícia e a verificação da compreensão de tudo o que foi dito, 30,6% e 28,6%, ao passo que no pós-teste o item mais escolhido foi a escolha do ambiente (53,06%). A relação entre idade e conhecimento do protocolo SPIKES teve apenas um item que apresentou significância. Concluiu-se, portanto, que o treinamento de habilidades de comunicação de más notícias atingiu seus objetivos melhorando o conhecimento e a aptidão dos profissionais da saúde. Evidenciou-se também que a educação em comunicação na área da saúde mantém-se falha, bem como é escassa a difusão de protocolos que abarquem esta difícil tarefa destinada aos profissionais da saúde. O pós-teste mostrar-se-ia mais eficaz caso fosse aplicado após o retorno dos profissionais aos seus pacientes e o uso das técnicas apreendidas. Sugerimos a adoção de educação permanente aos atuantes na área da saúde / A quasi-experimental study with an intervention group evaluated before and after the procedure, in order to enable health professionals to communicate bad news to patients and their families through a free course of five hours duration. We evaluated 79 health professionals, including nurses, nursing students, biologists, pharmacists, medical students, psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists. The following research tools were used: 1) the Breaking Bad News questionnaire about the SPIKES protocol, which has 13 objective questions. This questionnaire was analyzed by the distribution of the percentage of answers for each question; 2) the evaluation questionnaire of the course of bad news composed by 43 objective questions. For the quantitative analysis we used the means and the medians to summarize the information, and the standard deviations, minimum and maximum to indicate the variability of the data, besides the percentage. The comparison between the scores of participants in the first and second evaluation of communication skills was performed by the McNemar statistical test. The Mann-Whitney non-parametric statistical test was used to compare the relationship between the age of the participants and the responses of the evaluation questionnaire of the course of bad news. The comparison between the age and the total score of the participants in the evaluation of course content was made by the Spearman correlation coefficient. For all tests, the level of significance was set at 5%. The participants\' ages ranged from 18 to 55 years old, with most females (83.5%) and nursing (53.2% professionals and 24.1% students). In addition, 57% of the participants never had any training on the transmission of bad news, but even after this course, eight people continued to claim that they had no training. The self-reported ability to report bad news in the pre-test was considered good by 18.2%; 20.8% were considered bad and 6.5% were poor, while the post-test 42.8% were considered good, 11.7%, bad and 2.6% Lousy. The comfort of the professional at the time ranged from 21.8% to 7.7% on the uncomfortable item and from 6.4% to 14.1% on the comfortable item. After knowing about the SPIKES protocol, 92.3% believe in its applicability in clinical practice. Regarding the strategy used by the interviewees in their clinical practice, the item showed that \"a consistent plan or strategy\" presented frequencies of 21.9% in the pre-test and 51.56% in the post-test. The elements of the SPIKES protocol identified as greatest facilities among participants in the pre-test were the news site and the verification of the understanding of all that was said 30.6% and 28.6%, while in the post-test the most chosen item was the choice of the environment (53.06%). The relationship between age and knowledge of the SPIKES protocol had only one item that presented significance. It was concluded, therefore, that communication education in the health area remains flawed, as well as the dissemination of protocols that cover this difficult task for health professionals. The post-test would be more effective if it were applied after the return of the professionals to their patients and the use of the seized techniques. We suggest the adoption of permanent education to those in the health area

Em um dos estágios do processamento visual da mosca - a placa lobular, uma para cada hemisfério da cabeça da mosca - nós encontramos neurônios dedicados à detecção e processamento do auto-movimento. Um destes neurônios, chamado HI, detecta o movi-mento de trás para frente na horizontal e os dois neurônios de cada lado da cabeça interagem, melhorando a extração da informação sobre o estímulo gerado pelo ambiente. Neste trabalho nós apresentamos uma instalação experimental de registro simultâneo dos dois neurônios HI, discutimos as dificuldades associadas com este esforço e os dados preliminares obtidos. Os spikes gerados pelos neurônios HI são registrados extracelularmente com elétrodos de tungstênio, alimentam um head-stage, um pré-amplificador e um discriminador, todos dispositivos eletrônicos analógicos, para serem processados em um digital, a fim de registar os tempos de chegada dos spikes com precisão de microssegundos. O hardware analógico e o digital são controlados pelo software Linux RealTime, baseados em RTLinux. O sistema de aquisição dos spike- times possui três canais de entrada e um de saída: uma entrada para cada HI e um para sincronização e uma saída para o envio\' do estímulo com 16 bits de resolução, que consiste no movimento horizontal de uma tela fixa. Nós discutiremos as dificuldades encontradas durante os testes/eliminação dos erros do equipamento. Estas têm sua origem em ter que controlar o \"wetware\" biológico e no hard/software eletrônicos. / In one of the fiy\'s optical processing stages - the lobula plate, one for each hemisphere of he fly\'s head -, we find neurons dedicated to the detection and processing of self-¬motion. One of these neurons, called H1, detects horizontal back-to-front motion and the two neurons of each side of the head interact, improving the extraction of information about the stimulus generated by the environment. In this work we present an experimental setup to record simultaneously from the two H1 neurons, discuss the difficulties associated with this endeavour and preliminary data obtained. The spikes generated by the H1 neurons are picked up extracellularly with Tungsten electrodes, are feed via a head-stage, a preamplifier and a discriminator, all electronic analog devices, to be processed from here on digitally, in arder to register the spike arrival times with microsecond precision. The analog and the digital hardware, based on RTLinux, are controlled by Linux RealTime software. The spike-time acquisition system has three input and one output channel: one input for each H1 and one for sinchronization and one output for delivering the stimulus with 16 bits resolution, consisting of the horizontal positions of a rigidly moving picture. We discuss the difficulties encountered during the testing/debugging of the equipment. These have their origin both having to control the biological \"wetware\" and the electric hard/soft-ware.