Increase in Hippocampal Theta Oscillations during Spatial Decision Making

The processing of spatial and mnemonic information is believed to depend on hippocampal theta oscillations (5–12 Hz). However, in rats both the power and the frequency of the theta rhythm are modulated by locomotor activity, which is a major confounding factor when estimating its cognitive correlates. Previous studies have suggested that hippocampal theta oscillations support decision-making processes. In this study, we investigated to what extent spatial decision making modulates hippocampal theta oscillations when controlling for variations in locomotion speed. We recorded local field potentials from the CA1 region of rats while animals had to choose one arm to enter for reward (goal) in a four-arm radial maze. We observed prominent theta oscillations during the decision-making period of the task, which occurred in the center of the maze before animals deliberately ran through an arm toward goal location. In speed-controlled analyses, theta power and frequency were higher during the decision period when compared to either an intertrial delay period (also at the maze center), or to the period of running toward goal location. In addition, theta activity was higher during decision periods preceding correct choices than during decision periods preceding incorrect choices. Altogether, our data support a cognitive function for the hippocampal theta rhythm in spatial decision making

Increase in Hippocampal Theta Oscillations during Spatial Decision Making

The processing of spatial and mnemonic information is believed to depend on hippocampal theta oscillations (5–12 Hz). However, in rats both the power and the frequency of the theta rhythm are modulated by locomotor activity, which is a major confounding factor when estimating its cognitive correlates. Previous studies have suggested that hippocampal theta oscillations support decision-making processes. In this study, we investigated to what extent spatial decision making modulates hippocampal theta oscillations when controlling for variations in locomotion speed. We recorded local field potentials from the CA1 region of rats while animals had to choose one arm to enter for reward (goal) in a four-arm radial maze. We observed prominent theta oscillations during the decision-making period of the task, which occurred in the center of the maze before animals deliberately ran through an arm toward goal location. In speed-controlled analyses, theta power and frequency were higher during the decision period when compared to either an intertrial delay period (also at the maze center), or to the period of running toward goal location. In addition, theta activity was higher during decision periods preceding correct choices than during decision periods preceding incorrect choices. Altogether, our data support a cognitive function for the hippocampal theta rhythm in spatial decision making

Oscilações Teta no hipocampo do rato durante tarefa de tomada de decisão espacial

The processing of spatial and episodic information during memory tasks depends on hippocampal theta oscillations. In the present study, I investigated the relationship between theta power and choice selection during spatial decision-making. I recorded local field potentials from the CA1 region of rats retrieving reward locations in a 4-arm maze. In trained but not in naïve animals, I observed a significant increase in theta power during decision-making, which could not be explained by changes in locomotion speed. Furthermore, a Bayesian decoder based on theta power predicted choice outcomes in speed-matched trials. The decoding time course revealed that performance increased above chance before the decision moment exclusively for theta power, remaining flat for other frequency bands. These results occurred for trained animals, but no significant prediction could be made for naïve animals. Altogether, the data support a mnemonic function of theta rhythm during spatial decision-making, indicating that these oscillations correlate with the retrieval of memories required for successful decisions

Gestao tecnologia: um estudo de caso no setor sucroalcooleiro

PEDRO, Edilson da Silva Pedro. Gestão tecnológica: um estudo de caso no setor sucroalcooleiro. 2004. 145f. Dissertaçao (Mestrado em Engenharia de Producao) - Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, 2004.

As relações de poder na gestão da Escola Estadual Presidente Kennedy em Natal/RN: as ações decisórias dos órgãos colegiados - o conselho de escola e o caixa escolar

The present study examined the relations of power in the management of the Escola Estadual Presidente Kennedy, including the deliberate decisions on the School Council and School Fund, which guided the organization of the school. We sought to understand the management models that influenced the school organization, promoting contradictions in the decision making process. The school management is intensely marked by management models from the business logics as in the case of managerialism of bureaucracy. The formulation of educational policies based on managerialism has proposed a school-centered management with intense accountability of the school community in planning and monitoring the public services. The influences of these models subsidize hierarchical power relations that undermine the actions of decision-making of the collegiate bodies for the democratization of school management. To develop a research on the power, the investigation was based on studies of Bourdieu and Foucault. These authors understand the power in a relational system in a double sense, both in terms of discipline and the possibility of resistance. A theoreticalmethodological matrix was developed focusing on literature review, document analysis, structured interviews with twelve representatives of the segments belonging to the School Council and School Fund, as well as observations in meetings with the production of field notes. It was found that power relations experienced in the organization and activities of the school boards are marked by changes in public management over the years, promoting the contradictions between the concepts of corporate management originated in the business logics and the perspective of democratic management subsidized by official legislative documents at the national and state levels. The observations in meetings and analysis of the records showed that representatives related to management (president and manager of the school) have a privileged position with regard to exposure of their propositions, and are more likely to take a position in the political game of the collegiate bodies of work. It was also seen that the irregularity of meetings, particularly of the School Fund meetings, limits the experience of operation of the representatives in discussions concerning the planning and monitoring the actions of school management. Reports from representatives of the School Council showed that certain segments related to the management recognize their power of decision, however others have little interfere in the decision-making process in order to expound the desires of those who are represented by them. In the School Fund, the analysis of the records and interviews showed restricted moments of the meeting of representatives, and these only being aimed at choice or approval of the implementation plan prepared by the school management. The results showed no indications of moments of reflection to study the best chance for applicability of resources. This collegiate body (School Fund) has a questionable action when planning and monitoring the applicability of the financial resources of the School. To sum up, it was found that the Escola Estadual Presidente Kennedy still lives hierarchical power relations that undermine the institutionalization of democratic management in the various representative segments may take place in the game of political decision-making processes necessary for the organization of the school

Aplicação do método de análise hierárquica na tomada de decisão para adoção de computação em nuvem: um estudo de caso na federação das indústrias do RN

The progresses of the Internet and telecommunications have been changing the concepts of Information Technology IT, especially with regard to outsourcing services, where organizations seek cost-cutting and a better focus on the business. Along with the development of that outsourcing, a new model named Cloud Computing (CC) evolved. It proposes to migrate to the Internet both data processing and information storing. Among the key points of Cloud Computing are included cost-cutting, benefits, risks and the IT paradigms changes. Nonetheless, the adoption of that model brings forth some difficulties to decision-making, by IT managers, mainly with regard to which solutions may go to the cloud, and which service providers are more appropriate to the Organization s reality. The research has as its overall aim to apply the AHP Method (Analytic Hierarchic Process) to decision-making in Cloud Computing. There to, the utilized methodology was the exploratory kind and a study of case applied to a nationwide organization (Federation of Industries of RN). The data collection was performed through two structured questionnaires answered electronically by IT technicians, and the company s Board of Directors. The analysis of the data was carried out in a qualitative and comparative way, and we utilized the software to AHP method called Web-Hipre. The results we obtained found the importance of applying the AHP method in decision-making towards the adoption of Cloud Computing, mainly because on the occasion the research was carried out the studied company already showed interest and necessity in adopting CC, considering the internal problems with infrastructure and availability of information that the company faces nowadays. The organization sought to adopt CC, however, it had doubt regarding the cloud model and which service provider would better meet their real necessities. The application of the AHP, then, worked as a guiding tool to the choice of the best alternative, which points out the Hybrid Cloud as the ideal choice to start off in Cloud Computing. Considering the following aspects: the layer of Infrastructure as a Service IaaS (Processing and Storage) must stay partly on the Public Cloud and partly in the Private Cloud; the layer of Platform as a Service PaaS (Software Developing and Testing) had preference for the Private Cloud, and the layer of Software as a Service - SaaS (Emails/Applications) divided into emails to the Public Cloud and applications to the Private Cloud. The research also identified the important factors to hiring a Cloud Computing provider

Abordagem da ergonomia para análise da acessibilidade a hóspedes com deficiência visual em hotéis: soluções de inclusão de pessoas cegas e com baixa visão

This study evaluates the level of accessibility for people with visual impairment (blindness and low vision) hotels in the city of Natal-RN, Brazil, and provides principles, guidelines and means of projective make hotels accessible, to promote comfort, autonomy and security of these people. We used a qualitative research methodology and quantitative trait descriptive, analytical and interpretive. Was taken as a base for field studies Ergonomic Analysis of Work, beginning with a study of the demands of accessibility of hotels and analyzing the modeling activity in these establishments through the application of interactional and observational techniques, such as film, photographic records, conversational actions and observation protocols. A protocol was developed and applied to evaluate the compliance of accessibility of hotels in the face of Brazilian technical standard NBR 9050 (2004). We used methods of Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) associated with simulated activities to identify the processes of decision making and analyzing the observables of the activities performed by people with visual impairment (POS). Interviews were conducted with people who are blind and low vision in various cities in order to meet accessibility difficulties they faced in hotels and recommendations for improvement that they indicate. The mapping results showed that of 16 hotels 4 and 5 star studied in Natal-RN, reached only 7% of the 50 items of the protocol, while none of them reached 70% of the items. About the results obtained in simulated activities and analyzed from the ATC, we saw that the hotel where it was performed this step shows a need to adequately address the guests with visual impairments

Terceirização em tecnologia da informação sob os aspectos de estratégia, tomada de decisão e análise de investimentos :estudo de múltiplos casos em três organizações franqueadas da Coca-Cola do Brasil

Desde a criação da tecnologia e do seu uso pelas empresas, a relação custo e benefício nem sempre foi bem elucidada tanto para os responsáveis pela área de tecnologia quanto para a alta direção. Mas, apesar disto, cada vez mais as organizações investem maciçamente em tecnologia, esperando que esta seja a solução para diversos problemas. Por isto, esta questão tem se tornado crucial para o processo de tomada de decisões, visto que investimentos nesta área costumam ser dispendiosos e, na atual conjuntura, estas análises precisam ser extremamente criteriosas para que se miniminizem as possibilidades de insucesso dos projetos, principalmente numa economia estabilizada e de concorrência acirrada. Uma das alternativas que as empresas têm buscado para atingir o sucesso e correr menos riscos é a terceirização da área de TI. Partindo desta visão, a presente dissertação tem por objetivo realizar uma investigação sobre a terceirização dos serviços de TI em todos os seus aspectos, isto é, desde a sua motivação, serviços efetivamente terceirizados, vantagens, desvantagens e possíveis obstáculos, a visão do alinhamento estratégico da TI, os processos de gestão de contratos e formas de controle e, por fim, tendências futuras. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de múltiplos casos, envolvendo franquias do Sistema Coca-Cola no Brasil. O estudo apresenta uma pesquisa bibliográfica sobre o processo de tomada de decisão empresarial, a análise de investimentos, a gestão e a terceirização da TI, o que permitem definir as dimensões de análise da pesquisa. Na pesquisa de campo foram entrevistados os gerentes da área de TI, nas cidades de Brasília-DF, Goiânia-GO e Ribeirão Preto-SP. A pesquisa de campo permitiu identificar como as mesmas avaliam seus investimentos em TI, como esta área é gerenciada, o que as levou a optar pela terceirização e como os processos terceirizados afetam a organização. Por se tratar de uma pesquisa qualitativa, optou-se por analisar comparativamente as três organizações. Com a realização deste estudo, obtiveram-se, como principais resultados, que as organizações estão utilizando a terceirização em TI para focar no negócio principal e, mesmo encontrando diversas desvantagens, inclusive com relação a custos, acreditam que os benefícios justificam. Ainda identificaram-se alguns obstáculos internos para a terceirização, principalmente quanto ao receio de se perder a inteligência do negócio. O acompanhamento dessas atividades terceirizadas é realizado pela equipe interna e por critérios estruturados, onde se verificam os níveis de serviço

Critérios na tomada de decisão estratégica em projetos de co-geração a gás natural: um estudo em hospitais

This thesis deals with analyzing the actual perception of the brazilian hospital managers about natural gas fired cogeneration. An study of case is developed to obtain information about the viability of the investments in cogeneration technolgies in four hospitals. These studies are made using a questionnaire, to know and to obtain necessaries data of the managers. The main results shows that the investors have a bad feeling about to invest in a different activity. In other hand, the results show that the investors have a good impression about the configuration of the project that uses the project finance like way of financing

Método Fuzzy para auxílio ao diagnóstico de câncer de mama em ambiente inteligente de telediagnóstico colaborativo para apoio à tomada de decisão

Breast cancer, despite being one of the leading causes of death among women worldwide is a disease that can be cured if diagnosed early. One of the main techniques used in the detection of breast cancer is the Fine Needle Aspirate FNA (aspiration puncture by thin needle) which, depending on the clinical case, requires the analysis of several medical specialists for the diagnosis development. However, such diagnosis and second opinions have been hampered by geographical dispersion of physicians and/or the difficulty in reconciling time to undertake work together. Within this reality, this PhD thesis uses computational intelligence in medical decision-making support for remote diagnosis. For that purpose, it presents a fuzzy method to assist the diagnosis of breast cancer, able to process and sort data extracted from breast tissue obtained by FNA. This method is integrated into a virtual environment for collaborative remote diagnosis, whose model was developed providing for the incorporation of prerequisite Modules for Pre Diagnosis to support medical decision. On the fuzzy Method Development, the process of knowledge acquisition was carried out by extraction and analysis of numerical data in gold standard data base and by interviews and discussions with medical experts. The method has been tested and validated with real cases and, according to the sensitivity and specificity achieved (correct diagnosis of tumors, malignant and benign respectively), the results obtained were satisfactory, considering the opinions of doctors and the quality standards for diagnosis of breast cancer and comparing them with other studies involving breast cancer diagnosis by FNA.

Tomada de decisão de Psicólogos em avaliação Psicologica

Psychological assessment is a procedure that is inserted in all areas of a psychologist s professional field of work. When starting any psychological intervention, it is necessary to carry an analysis of how individual operate in order to identify and define their demands to adequately meet them. It is important to study this practice because the choice of instruments, techniques and procedures to be employed influences the efficiency and effectiveness of the work and the image of the profession towards society in general, also impacting the scientific community. This study aimed to identify, in the subjects, the percentage of professionals in psychology who make use of the Psychological Assessment in the Northeastern region of Brazil; another objectives were to analyze the profile of these professionals in terms of gender, time after graduation, additional training in PA, the state of the country where he/she works; to check how psychologists do their planning when using PA as well as to identify which differences can be observed in terms of time from graduation and additional training in the process of planning the assessment different extents. The instrument used was an online questionnaire and the sample was by adhesion to the application. The attendance was of 159 professionals and most of them were females with a specialist degree. It was found that the majority of the professionals perform the planning of the PA, establishing a method and choosing the most appropriate strategies to be used. It was also verified that most of the subjects fulfill the steps of the whole process, and when planning the techniques of data collection, integrating database from different sources, reporting the results and returning the information, the professional demonstrates his/her goals to understand their demands and accomplish the decision making and/or proposed intervention for individuals assessed. It was found that the undergraduate degree may not have produced a more complete effect in the professional qualification and therefore, of the quality of the actions in PA, and that there is a need for training and continuing education

A utilização da informação contábil na atividade pecuária do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte: um enfoque nos demonstrativos gerados para tomada de decisão

This work deals with the cattle raising activity in Brasil, it´s importance for the stete of Rio Grande do Norte. A conceptual review is done regarding accounting information and considering it as an essencial input for economical and finantial decision making, related to the state cattle rainsing environment. It also aims to expose visions related to the role and the importance of Accounting as system that colects, treats and supplies managerial information. A brief historic of Accounting is done, emphasizing the Accounting Demonstration Structure and its use in the decision making process, as well as the contribution it has node for the cattle raising activity in Brazil. The research´s results show that accounting information is used partially in the finantial decision making process, and it is pointed out that the Inventory was the most relevant tool with 95,% of the cases, followed by the Income and Outlay reports with 85.0%,Production with 82,0% and Cost reports with 80,0%, the Demonstrative of the Cash Flow (DFC) with 82.5%, the Patrimonial Balance (PB) with 22.5%, and the Demonstrative of the Exercise Result (DER) with 20.0% of use. The research concludes that Accounting information is not throughly used in the economic and finantial decision making of the managers of cattle raising in the Rio Grande do Norte State, although, 95% of the sample consider then important. This may imply that there are diffilculties in measurement of the managerial decisions as well as the business whole

Gestao tecnologia: um estudo de caso no setor sucroalcooleiro

PEDRO, Edilson da Silva Pedro. Gestão tecnológica: um estudo de caso no setor sucroalcooleiro. 2004. 145f. Dissertaçao (Mestrado em Engenharia de Producao) - Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, 2004.

Mudanças nos modelos de gestão: a política educacional e dos (des)acertos da experiência no Rio Grande do Norte (1995-1999)

This work focuses on the educational policies, on the necessity of adopting new models of administration of the education, as well as the implementation of reforms in this filed during the 1990 s. It analyzes the strategies of decentralization of the education in Rio Grande do Norte, disclosing practices conceived in the governmental plans and programs. It also aims to evidence the aspects of the decentralization proposed in the educational system management model, adopted by the Department of Education and Culture of Rio Grande do Norte from 1995 to 1999. Bibliographic researches and documental analysis were used as sources and semi-structured interviews were held in order to collect data. This work also highlights the concepts of participation, autonomy and democratic management intrinsic to the process of decentralization in the education field. It is clear that decentralization, as the vector of democracy, requires not only certain conditions that assure the universal access to the necessary information, but also that all segments of the institution have a voice in the collegiates and that the management and decision-making processes be transparent. This analysis reveals the importance of creating means to promote autonomy, participation and democratic management in order to consolidate a decentralized system. It is also clear that these mechanisms have been proposed in a vague way by the governmental guidelines, which makes it harder to consolidate a democratic management model. Having this perspective as a parameter, it is possible to realize that the adoption of a management model prompted by the law hasn t established effective means of participation that, consequently, should provide decision centralizers which opposed to the democratic actions

Fatores influenciadores da participação pública na tomada de decisão ambiental :o caso do programa de combate ao caramujo gigante (Achatina fulica) em Parnamirim/RN

The aim of this work is to investigate the factors which influence people s participation in the enviromental decision, in Parnamirim, Rio Grande do Norte, from the vision of the residents of that area, approaching the Plan of Control/Eradication of the African s Huge Snail (Achatina Fulica),with the jointly work of IBAMA and Municipal Town Hall of Parnamirim .The applied methodology consists of a research (Survey kind) including 395 interviews by people who live in that county, with minimum age of 18, within an universe of 124.690 residents. The choice of the county was due to a detection (made by IBAMA technicians and reported in a Technical Report) -which showed that the dangerous Snail is already spreading in 14 of 17 districts of the county-, as well as the support given by Parnamirim s Town Hall, with the implementation of the Plan Control/Eradication of the African s Huge Snail, widely known as Day C . The research tools used in that research consists of questionnaires with all sorts of questions. The results show us that most of the residents were feeling threatened by the presence of the animal as well as having had a little participation in the fight against the animal. It also shows us that residents believe that organizations (Town Hall, IBAMA and Local Community) involved are able to solve the problem and believe that the amounts which organization are supposed to take 89,4 %, 87,6% and 80,8%, in that order. As we check the results, we notice in 95%, the variety of threaten and frequency reunion and participation level