Weed infestation, mainly with red rice (Oryza spp.), is the most important factor limiting yield increase in paddy rice in Rio Grande do Sul state. Chemical red rice control is the most used tool in this area. But, its use can originate herbicide residue in water and soil that can cause carry-over to rotational crops and environmental contamination. To assess these possible problems it was carry a two year experiment with the objective of: 1) to evaluate the efficiency of two alternatives (Clearfield system and the use of clomazone with seed protector) on red rice control; and 2) to evaluate imazethapyr and clomazone field persistence in water and soil and 3) evaluate the herbicides carry over to non-tolerant crop. In the first year (2004/05) IRGA 422 CL rice cultivar was drill seeded in the experimental area located in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, to evaluate red rice control by seven treatments including rates and timing of (imazethapyr + imazapic) and clomazone aplication. After rice harvest, burndown herbicide was applied, and it was planted riegrass in winter 2005, and non-tolerant rice was seeded in 2005/06 growing season, aiming to evaluate the carry over effects of herbicides. The results showed that the Clearfield system is more efficient in red rice control than clomazone. The application of 0,7 L ha-1 (imazethapyr + imazapic) PRE followed by the same rate at POS, promoted 100% red rice control, withou reducing rice grain yield (cultivar IRGA 422 CL). The experiment showed also that, between the evaluated treatments, the split application of (imazethapyr + imazapic), was the most persistent in rice paddy water. It was observed carryover effects of (imazethapyr + imazapic) in the non-tolerant rice, causing yield reduction in IRGA 417 variety seeded one year after herbicide application. Clomazone did not have carryover effects one year after the application. Ryegrass did not showed injury to the herbicide residues in soil. / A infestação de plantas daninhas, principalmente da espécie arroz-vermelho (Oryza spp.), é um fator limitante para o aumento da produtividade na lavoura orizícola gaúcha. Diante dessas infestações, o controle químico tem sido a ferramenta mais empregada pelos agricultores. Contudo, sua utilização pode originar resíduos de agroquímicos na água e no solo, ocasionando danos na cultura em rotação e contaminação ambiental. Diante disso, desenvolveram-se dois anos de experimentos com os objetivos de: 1) avaliar a eficiência de duas alternativas (Sistema Clearfield e utilização de Gamit (clomazone) e protetor de sementes) no controle do arroz-vermelho; 2) identificar e quantificar a persistência dos herbicidas imazethapyr e clomazone na lâmina da água e no solo da lavoura de arroz-irrigado e 3) verificiar o efeito dos herbicidas em culturas semeadas em sucessão. No primeiro ano de ensaio, na safra 2004/05, a cultivar IRGA 422 CL foi semeada em campo experimental do Departamento de Fitotecnia da UFSM, para a avaliação do controle de arroz-vermelho em sete tratamentos contendo diferentes doses e épocas de aplicação dos herbicidas Only (imazethapyr + imazapic) e clomazone. Colhido o arroz, a área foi dessecada e, nela, foram semeadas as culturas de azevém, no inverno de 2005, e de arroz não-tolerante à aplicação de (imazethapyr + imazapic) e clomazone, na safra 2005/06, visando à avaliação do efeito residual desses herbicidas aplicados na cultura de arroz tolerante sobre culturas suscetíveis. Os resultados das análises demonstram que a utilização do Sistema Clearfield é mais eficiente no controle do arroz-vermelho que a aplicação de clomazone com uso de protetor de sementes. A aplicação de 0,7 L ha-1 de (imazethapyr + imazapic) em pré-emergência, seguida da mesma dose em pós-emergência, apresentou controle de 100% da planta daninha, sem causar prejuízos ao estande de plantas e à produtividade de grãos da cultivar IRGA 422 CL. Além disso, o experimento evidenciou que a aplicação seqüencial de (imazethapyr + imazapic), dentre os tratamentos avaliados, persiste mais tempo na lâmina d água da lavoura de arroz. Observou-se ainda a existência de residual no solo de (imazethapyr + imazapic) um ano após a sua aplicação, sendo que esses resíduos ocasionaram redução na produtividade de grãos da cultivar não-tolerante IRGA 417. Quanto ao clomazone, as análises evidenciaram ausência de residual após um ano de sua aplicação nas doses de 3 e 6 L ha-1. Para o azevém, não foram observados efeitos negativos do residual dos herbicidas no solo.

This dissertation is devoted to the modeling, analysis and development of solution approaches for some optimization-related problems encountered in industrial and manufacturing settings. We begin by introducing a special type of traveling salesman problem called "High Multiplicity Asymmetric Traveling Salesman Problem" (HMATSP). We propose a new formulation for this problem, which embraces a flow-based subtour elimination structure, and establish its validity for this problem. The model is, then, incorporated as a substructure in our formulation for a lot-sizing problem involving parallel machines and sequence-dependent setup costs, also known as the "Chesapeake Problem". Computational results are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of our modeling approach for both the generic HMATSP and its application within the context of the Chesapeake Problem. Next, we investigate an integrated lot-sizing and scheduling problem that is encountered in the primary manufacturing facility of pharmaceutical manufacturing. This problem entails determination of production lot sizes of multiple products and sequence in which to process the products on machines, which can process lots (batches) of a fixed size (due to limited capacity of containers) in the presence of sequence-dependent setup times/costs. We approach this problem via a two-stage optimization procedure. The lot-sizing decision is considered at stage 1 followed by the sequencing of production lots at stage 2. Our aim for the stage 1 problem is to allocate batches of products to time-periods in order to minimize the sum of the inventory and backordering costs subject to the available capacity in each period. The consideration of batches of final products, in addition to those for intermediate products, which comprise a final product, further complicates the lot-sizing problem. The objective for the stage 2 problem is to minimize sequence-dependent setup costs. We present a novel unifying model and a column generation-based optimization approach for this class of lot-sizing and sequencing problems. Computational experience is first provided by using randomly generated data sets to test the performances of several variants of our proposed approach. The efficacy of the best of these variants is further demonstrated by applying it to the real-life data collected with the collaboration of a pharmaceutical manufacturing company. Then, we address a single-lot, lot streaming problem for a two-stage assembly system. This assembly system is different from the traditional flow shop configuration. It consists of m parallel subassembly machines at stage 1, each of which is devoted to the production of a component. A single assembly machine at stage 2, then, assembles products after components (one each from the subassembly machines at the first stage) have been completed. Lot-detached setups are encountered on the machines at the first and second stages. Given a fixed number of transfer batches (or sublots) from each of the subassembly machines at stage 1 to the assembly machine at stage 2, our problem is to find sublot sizes so as to minimize the makespan. We develop optimality conditions to determine sublot sizes for the general problem, and present polynomial-time algorithms to determine optimal sublot sizes for the assembly system with two and three subassembly machines at stage 1. Finally, we extend the above single-lot, lot streaming problem for the two-stage assembly system to multiple lots, but still, for the objective of minimizing the makespan. Due to the presence of multiple lots, we need to address the issue of the sequencing of the lots along with lot-splitting, a fact which adds complexity to the problem. Some results derived for the single-lot version of this problem have successfully been generalized for this case. We develop a branch-and-bound-based methodology for this problem. It relies on effective lower bounds and dominance properties, which are also derived. Finally, we present results of computational experimentation to demonstrate the effectiveness of our branch-and-bound-based methodology. Because of the tightness of our upper and lower bounds, a vast majority of the problems can be solved to optimality at root node itself, while for others, the average gap between the upper and lower bounds computed at node zero is within 0.0001%. For a majority of these problems, our dominance properties, then, effectively truncate the branch-and-bound tree, and obtain optimal solution within 500 seconds. / Ph. D.

本論文主在以計量經濟的方法研究廣告費用與市場占有率的關係，廣告的延續效果(c arryover offect)及持續時間(duration interval) 為本文的研究重點。由此而衍伸 出的政策涵意則為本論文的最後目的。由敘述性(descriptive) 的了解事實真象到規 範性(normative) 的理智決策過程，即為本論文的貢獻所在。 論文架構分為下列章節：一、前言：包括研究目的、動機二、相關文獻探討：分為( 一) 事前模式(A Priori Model)( 二) 計量經濟模式(Econometric Model) 三、廣告 研究上的一些計量經濟方法四、汽水產業的實證研究：包括( 一) 模式的建立( 二) 模式的估計(三)模式的檢定，五、政策上的涵意六、建議事項，初步估計約三萬字。

Plants often occur aggregated into clusters and this spatial pattern is supposed to affect pollinator behaviour and pollen dispersal. Such pollinator reaction may influence reproductive success of zoogamous plant species both in terms of number of available mates and their genetic diversity (nearby growing plant individuals are also often closely related, especially in clonal plants). In the present thesis, I investigated the influence of plant spatial aggregation on pollinator behaviour and how this translates into pollen transfer. For that purpose, I carried three experiments. In the Experiment 1, I used potted plants placed into arrays and aggregated into four patches in order to track the pollen dispersal by means of a UV-dye pollen analogue. I manipulated distances between plants within clusters (dense × loose) and between clusters (near × far). I conducted this experiment for three plant species differing in their pollinator spectra. In the Experiment 2, I observed pollinator foraging sequences (sequences of visited plant individuals) under the same experimental design as for the first experiment, but I carried out this experiment for five plant species. In addition in one study species, Dianthus carthusianorum, I conducted the Experiment 3 to get better insight into pollination effectiveness...

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