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研發支出之會計處理，一直以來，因著研究發展之特性，始終有著相當分歧的看法。由於研究發展支出具有長期性及未來的經濟效益，有人主張將其以「資本化」方式處理；亦由於研究發展支出具有高度的風險與不確定性，有人主張將其以「費用化」方式處理。 Shi(2003)認為研究發展支出資本化與費用化之爭論，正反映了研發支出未來效益及其風險間之抵換關係(trade-off)，亦即，若研發支出之未來效益大於其風險，則較傾向將其資本化，其會計處理同於一般的無形資產；相反地，若研發之風險大於其未來效益，則較傾向將其以費用化方式處理，於發生當期即以費用入帳。 本研究以台灣債券市場為研究對象，探討研發支出未來效益與風險間之抵換關係，文中檢視「債券風險衡量因子」(bond risk measures)與「研究發展支出」之相關性，並以「債信評等等級」與「債券風險溢酬」為債券風險衡量因子，決定平均數效果(預期未來效益)與變異數效果(風險)於債券的評價上何者較為顯著。 一般而言，以債券投資者的角度觀之，若「債券風險衡量因子」與「研究發展支出」兩者呈現負相關，亦即平均數效果較強，則代表研究發展之未來預期效益大於研究發展之風險；若此兩者呈現正相關，亦即變異數效果較強，則代表研究發展之風險大於研究發展之未來預期效益。本研究之實證結果與發現如下： 1.對全體樣本而言，研發支出與債信評等等級呈顯著之正相關(本研究採用TCRI為債信評等衡量變數，等級愈高，風險愈大)，代表研發支出之風險大於其未來效益。然研發支出與債券風險溢酬之關係未達統計顯著水準，無法再次驗證上述結果。 2.對電子業樣本而言，與上述對全體樣本之結論相同。 3.對非電子業樣本而言，研發支出與債券風險溢酬為顯著之負相關，代表研發支出之未來效益大於其風險。然研發支出與債信評等等級之關係未達統計顯著水準，無法再次驗證上述結果。 4.在全體樣本、電子業樣本、及非電子業樣本中，將研發支出以費用化或資本化方式予以衡量，兩者之實證結果並無不同，顯示兩者對研發支出未來效益與風險間之抵換關係並無顯著差異存在。 5.電子業與非電子業所獲之結論不同，再次驗證產業別對於研發支出之效果確實有其差異性。 6.針對電子業而言，本研究之實證結果較傾向以費用化之方式處理其研發支出；然針對非電子業而言，較傾向以資本化之方式處理之。 / The debate about the alternative accounting treatments of R&D expenditures reflects trade-offs between the future benefits of R&D and its risk. In general, if the uncertainty regarding future benefits is not so high that it disqualifies the measurability criterion of asset recognition, then one may argue in favor of capitalizing R&D expenditures (as is typical for intangible investment). Conversely, if future outcomes are risky and unpredictable, the expensing treatment may be warranted. This is study examines the associations among bond risk measures (bond rating and risk premium) and R&D expenditures to determine whether their mean effect (expected future benefits) or their variance effect (risk) is more significant in pricing bonds. In general, from the perspective of bondholders, a negative correlation between bond risk parameter and R&D expenditures would indicate a stronger mean effect; that is, the expected future benefits of R&D expenditures are more than enough to compensate for the added risk of R&D. Conversely, a positive correlation would imply a stronger variance effect that swamps the mean effect of future benefits from R&D expenditures. The empirical results indicate follows: (1) For all samples, R&D expenditures are significantly positively associated with bond rating. The evidence suggests that, from the perspective of bondholders, the risk and uncertainties of R&D appear to dominate its expected future benefits. However, R&D expenditures have no significant effect on risk premium. (2) For electronic industry samples, the empirical results are the same with all samples. (3) For nonelectronic industry samples, R&D expenditures are significantly negatively associated with risk premium. The evidence suggests that, from the perspective of bondholders, the expected future benefits of R&D appear to dominate its risk. However R&D expenditures have no significant effect on bond rating. (4) The interpretation of this issue are not significant different through the expensing and capitalizing of R&D expenditures. (5) The industry effect is supported by the empirical results that show different effects of R&D on the bond risk measures between electronic industry and the nonelectronic industry. (6) The results indicate that it may be in favor of expensing R&D expenditures for electronic industry and capitalizing R&D expenditures for nonelectronic industry.

The work in this thesis deals with the ecology and evolution of adaptive individual variation. Ecologists have long used niche theory to describe the ecology of a species as a whole, treating conspecific individuals as ecological equivalent. During recent years, research about individual variation in diet and morphology has gained interest in adaptive radiations and ecological speciation. Such variation among individual niche use may have important conservation implications as well as ecological and evolutionary implications. However, up to date we know very little about the extension of this phenomenon in natural populations and the mechanisms behind it. The results in this thesis show that the extension of individual diet specialization is widely spread throughout the animal kingdom. The variation in diet is mainly correlated to morphological variation but not always. Furthermore, this variation in diet and morphology among individuals could be both genetically determined and environmentally induced and it mainly comes from trade-offs in foraging efficiency between different prey types. The results from a number of studies of perch also show that individual perch differ in morphology and diet depending on habitat, where littoral perch has a deeper body compared to pelagic perch. This difference in morphology corresponds to functional expectations and is related to foraging efficiency trade-offs between foraging in the littoral and pelagic zone of a lake. The variation in morphology in perch is mainly due to phenotypic plasticity but there are also small genetic differences between the littoral and pelagic perch. Two separate studies show that both predation and competition may be important mechanism for the variation in morphology and diet in perch. In conclusion, the results in this thesis show that individual variation in diet and habitat choice is a common phenomenon with lots of ecological and evolutionary implications. However, there are many mechanisms involved in this phenomenon on which we are just about to start learning more about, and only further research in this area will give us the full insight.

Les mutations sont à l'origine des nombreux "variants" présents dans les populations naturelles. Les variants adaptatifs sont propagés par sélection naturelle. Cependant, une mutation bénéfique sur un trait peut affecter négativement d’autres traits (coût sélectif): un compromis émerge alors entre les avantages et les coûts qu’elle induit. Cette thèse vise à comprendre comment des modifications de l’environnement peuvent affecter les compromis évolutifs de différents types de mutations adaptatives (substitutions, duplications hétérogènes, amplifications). Chez les moustiques, l’utilisation d’insecticides organophosphorés (OPs) et carbamates (CXs) a sélectionné trois réponses adaptatives majeures : une amplification de gènes au locus Ester (codant pour des enzymes détoxicantes), une substitution au locus ace-1 (codant pour la cible des insecticides), et des duplications associant une copie sensible et une copie résistante du locus ace-1. Un premier axe de ma thèse a été de mieux comprendre le rôle de ces duplications hétérogènes (qui associent deux copies divergentes d’un même gène) dans l’adaptation. En caractérisant leurs compromis évolutifs nous avons montré qu'elles confèrent un phénotype proche de celui d’hétérozygotes standards. Toutefois, l’étude de leur distribution mondiale et des analyses en laboratoire ont révélé que ces duplications, avantageuses à l’état hétérozygote, sont majoritairement sublétales à l’état homozygote. Le second axe de cette thèse a été l’étude de l’influence des variations de pression de sélection sur la dynamique des allèles adaptatifs. Une étude d’évolution expérimentale a montré que des pressions de sélection intermédiaires pouvaient générer des situations de superdominance au locus ace-1, favorables à la sélection de duplications hétérogènes. Par ailleurs, l’analyse d’échantillons montpelliérains récoltés sur une trentaine d’années nous a permis de relier quantitativement les variations de la pression de sélection et les variations de la valeur sélective des différents allèles du locus Ester. Enfin, l’étude de trois zones géographiques (Mayotte, Martinique, et Montpellier) a permis de montrer que les différentes adaptations ne répondaient pas de la même façon à une modification environnementale majeure liée au retrait de la pression de sélection (interdiction des OPs et CXs en 2007) : alors que les allèles de résistance du locus ace-1 tendent à disparaitre, ceux du locus Ester se maintiennent en fréquence non négligeable dans les populations naturelles. / Mutations are the origin of the many "variants" present in natural populations. Adaptive variants are propagated by natural selection. However a mutation beneficial for a trait can negatively affect other traits (selective cost): a trade-off thus emerges between the benefits and the costs it induces. This PhD aimed at understanding how environmental changes could affect the evolutionary trade-offs of various types of adaptive mutations (substitutions, heterogeneous duplications, amplifications). In mosquitoes, organophosphate (OPs) and carbamates (CXs) insecticides usage has selected three major adaptive responses: gene amplifications at the Ester locus (encoding detoxifying enzymes), a substitution at the ace-1 locus (encoding the target of the insecticides), and gene duplications pairing susceptible and resistance ace-1 copies. The first axis of my PhD aimed at understanding the role of these heterogeneous duplications (combining two different copies of the same gene) in adaptation. Characterizing their evolutionary trade-offs, we showed that they confer a phenotype similar to standard heterozygotes. However, the study of their worldwide distribution and laboratory analyzes showed that these duplications, advantageous at the heterozygous state, are mostly sublethal when homozygous. The second axis of this PhD was the study of the impact of selection pressure variations on the dynamics of adaptive alleles. An experimental evolution study showed that intermediate selective pressures could generate overdominance situations at the ace-1 locus, promoting the selection of heterogeneous duplications. Furthermore, analyzing Montpellier samples collected over a 27 years period allowed us establishing the quantitative relationship between selective pressure variations and fitness variations for the different Ester resistance alleles. Finally, by studying three different geographical areas (Mayotte and Martinique islands and Montpellier) we showed that the various adaptations were not responding similarly to a major environmental change resulting from the selection pressure withdrawal (OPs and CXs were banned in 2007): while the ace-1 locus resistance alleles tended to disappear, those of the Ester locus remained at a significant frequency in natural populations.

La conduite des politiques économiques a été mise en question après le déclenchement de la crise financière en 2007. Cette thèse analyse les faiblesses identifiées dans la réglementation existante avant la crise et propose des pistes d’amélioration. Le premier chapitre s’intéresse à l’existence du canal de la prise de risque en zone euro. Parle biais des mesures de causalité de long terme, nous démontrons que la politique monétaire a une influence sur le niveau de risque financier. Un autre constat tiré de cette analyse concerne l’absence des mesures de risque systémique.Par conséquent, le deuxième chapitre étudie les mesures proposées après la crise pour les institutions financières et les applique aux États membres de la zone euro. A l’aide de ces mesures, les autorités pourront imposer des règles plus strictes aux pays les plus risqués d’un point de vue systémique. Le chapitre trois envisage une première solution visant à atténuer l’effet des décisions monétaires sur le risque. Nous étudions, à travers un modèle DSGE, l’impact de la stratégie de “leaning against the wind” sur les cycles économiques et financiers. Les résultats montrent qu’unetelle approche n’est pas suffisante pour stabiliser l’économie et que des arbitrages entre objectifs apparaissent. Pour cette raison, le dernier chapitre porte plus en détail sur les arbitrages entre objectifs, et propose, comme une deuxième solution, l’intégration des mesures macroprudentielles dans l’analyse. En utilisant un modèle Néo-Keynésien sous forme réduite, nous trouvons que les fonds propres contracycliques aident à réduire la volatilité des cycles, mais que les trade-offs demeurent en cas de chocs financiers. Le rôle de la banque centrale dans le maintien de la stabilité financière s’avère aussi important, puisque l’utilisation du leaning against the wind semble améliorer la volatilité des cycles. / The conduct of economic policy has been called into question after the outbreak of the financial crisis in2007. This thesis analyzes the flaws identified in the regulation enforced before the crisis and offers suggestionsfor improvement. The first chapter focuses on the existence of the risk-taking channel in the Eurozone. Throughmeasures of long-term causality, we demonstrate that monetary policy influences the level of financial risk. Anotherconclusion drawn from this analysis is the absence of systemic risk measures. Therefore, the second chapter analyzesthe measures proposed after the crisis for financial institutions and applies them to members of the Eurozone. Basedon these measures, authorities may impose stricter rules on countries that prove to be systemically risky. Chapterthree considers a first solution to mitigate the effect of monetary policy decisions on risk. We study, through a DSGEmodel, the impact of the "leaning against the wind" strategy on economic and financial cycles. The results show thatthis approach is not sufficient to stabilize the economy and that it gives rise to trade-offs between objectives. For thisreason, the last chapter examines in more detail the trade-offs between objectives, and proposes as second solution,the integration of macroprudential measures in the analysis. Using a reduced form New-Keynesian model, we find thatcountercyclical capital helps to reduce the volatility of cycles, but trade-offs appear in case of financial shocks. Therole of the central bank in maintaining financial stability seems also important, as the use of leaning against the windimproves cycles’ volatility.

Submitted by Mariana Dornelles Vargas (marianadv) on 2015-05-05T17:02:23Z No. of bitstreams: 1 padroes_historias.pdf: 488314 bytes, checksum: 941fd4b4c3b3ef436c122f26fe6f483a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-05T17:02:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 padroes_historias.pdf: 488314 bytes, checksum: 941fd4b4c3b3ef436c122f26fe6f483a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Nenhuma / A história de vida das espécies pode ser contada através de suas características fenotípicas, pois elas são resultantes dos processos ocorridos ao longo do tempo evolutivo. Para definir padrões estruturais e de luminosidade entre as espécies arbóreas de uma Floresta com Araucária do Sul do Brasil, características importantes de história de vida foram utilizadas com o intuito de entender as relações existentes entre as espécies encontradas dentro deste ambiente. A filogenia também foi levada em conta e analisada através de um teste de Mantel entre as características de vida e as distâncias filogenéticas das espécies avaliadas. Os resultados revelaram as relações existentes entre as variáveis de história vida e os eixos da PCA que foram divididos em 7: retenção de tecidos, crescimento vertical, alcance luminoso, comprimento da semente, trade-off da dispersão zoocórica, crescimento rápido e trade-off da captura de luz. Já as correlações de Pearson com as posteriores correções através do método de Benjamini & Hochberg apontaram 6 correlações significativas envolvendo os regenerantes 1 e 2. A análise de agrupamento separou as espécies em quatro grupos diferentes: tolerantes à sombra, intermediárias zoocóricas, intermediárias preferencialmente não zoocóricas e espécies com alta intensidade de radiação solar (com destaque para Araucaria angustifolia). Este estudo possibilitou a compreensão das estratégias de vida adotadas pelas espécies arbóreas de uma Floresta com Araucária do Sul do Brasil, além de ser uma nova ferramenta para conservação e manejo destas espécies que poderá ser utilizada nos estudos posteriores. / The life history of species can be expressed by their phenotype features, because trait characteristics are determined by processes occurring in an evolutionary timescale. In this study I analyzed morphological and demographic traits to reveal life histories of Araucaria forest trees species. Possible influence of phylogeny in life history traits was taken into account by a Mantel test between traits and the phylogenetic distance. Trait patterns were then evaluated through ordination, classification and correlation analyses of species per trait matrixes. The Mantel test showed no significant influence of phylogeny in species traits. Principal Component Analysis showed seven life history axes, named as tissue retention, vertical growth, light range, seed length, zoochory trade-off, fast growth and light capture trade-off. Pearson correlations with Benjamini & Hochberg corrections resulted in 6 significant associations between regenerates 1 and 2. Cluster analysis separated the species in four different groups: shade tolerant, zoochoric intermediaries, non-zoochoric rather intermediaries and species with high intensity of solar radiation (especially to Araucaria angustifolia). This study enabled the comprehension of the strategies of life adopted by tree species in the Araucaria Forest, besides becoming a new means of conservation and management of these species.

<p>This thesis examines parental condition, how it is traded off against reproduction and how it is displayed in a secondary sexual trait. The studies were performed on nest-box breeding collared flycatchers Ficedula albicollis on the island of Gotland, in the Baltic Sea. Early breeding and high fitness were found to be associated with high levels of glycosylated haemoglobin possibly governed by migratory exertion and infectious disease. In order to test if immune function is expressed in secondary sexual traits and how it is traded off against reproductive effort a series of experiments were performed, in which birds were challenged with an antigen, via a vaccine containing neutralised paramyxovirus. The forehead patch of the male collared flycatcher serves as a badge of status and is under sexual selection. Good condition, as reflected in strong immune response and low levels of blood parasites was found to be associated with bigger patch size. Patch size was also found to vary in size within the same breeding season in a pattern predictable from immune response data. Immune response, in itself, was found to be costly in terms of reduced survival, confirming that trade-offs involving suppression of immune response may increase fitness. Mating effort was found to be traded off against immune function and moult. Experimental brood size manipulations revealed a trade-off females between number of offspring and immune function. Thus I suggest a set of parameters useful for condition estimation. I also show that immune response is costly and, second, that pathogen resistance probably plays an important role in the shaping of secondary sexual traits and life-history decisions.</p>

This thesis examines parental condition, how it is traded off against reproduction and how it is displayed in a secondary sexual trait. The studies were performed on nest-box breeding collared flycatchers Ficedula albicollis on the island of Gotland, in the Baltic Sea. Early breeding and high fitness were found to be associated with high levels of glycosylated haemoglobin possibly governed by migratory exertion and infectious disease. In order to test if immune function is expressed in secondary sexual traits and how it is traded off against reproductive effort a series of experiments were performed, in which birds were challenged with an antigen, via a vaccine containing neutralised paramyxovirus. The forehead patch of the male collared flycatcher serves as a badge of status and is under sexual selection. Good condition, as reflected in strong immune response and low levels of blood parasites was found to be associated with bigger patch size. Patch size was also found to vary in size within the same breeding season in a pattern predictable from immune response data. Immune response, in itself, was found to be costly in terms of reduced survival, confirming that trade-offs involving suppression of immune response may increase fitness. Mating effort was found to be traded off against immune function and moult. Experimental brood size manipulations revealed a trade-off females between number of offspring and immune function. Thus I suggest a set of parameters useful for condition estimation. I also show that immune response is costly and, second, that pathogen resistance probably plays an important role in the shaping of secondary sexual traits and life-history decisions.

This study investigated factors associated with two mortality events: avian botulism in waterfowl and mortality associated with hatching asynchrony in prefledgling Franklins gulls (Larus pipixcan). The initial focus of my research was on the spatiotemporal relationship between mortality of Franklins gulls and the onset of botulism outbreaks in waterfowl, and the suitability of gull carcasses for proliferation and toxigenesis of Clostridium botulinum. From 1999 to 2001, dead hatch-year Franklins gulls were by far the most abundant carcasses, and the only source of toxin-laden maggots found on transects prior to the occurrence of avian botulism in waterfowl. Nest density was a significant predictor of hatch-year gull carcass density. High density of toxic material from gull carcasses prior to the onset of botulism in waterfowl coincided with high densities of susceptible birds; hence, mortality of Franklins gulls has the potential to be a major initiating factor for botulism outbreaks at Eyebrow Lake, Saskatchewan. The causes of gull mortality were conditions or diseases associated with starvation, stress, or immunosuppression, and most mortality occurred in third-hatched chicks. To separate effects of laying order from effects of hatching asynchrony on prefledgling survival, a cross-fostering experiment was conducted to create clutches containing asynchronously hatching eggs of the same laying order, and of similar egg mass, egg volume, and female quality. Hatching order, independent of laying order, significantly affected survival to fledging, whereas laying order had no observable effect, indicating that intraclutch variation in egg quality does not predetermine the fate of prefledglings, and may be less important than hatching asynchrony for survival of prefledgling Franklins gulls. Relationships among hatching asynchrony, laying order, mass, corticosterone, immune function, growth, and survival at two stages of development were complex. Hatching asynchrony significantly affected early and late prefledgling survival, and was directly or indirectly associated with mass, corticosterone level, and cell-mediated immune responses at early and later stages of development. Both hatching asynchrony and mass appeared to play key roles in mediating life history trade-offs among cell-mediated immune function, growth, and survival. In contrast to cell-mediated immune responses, primary humoral immune response was not directly affected by hatching order or mass, nor was it associated with survival to fledging. Rather, it was associated with laying order, neonatal testosterone, corticosterone at 2 weeks, growth of leg length, and clutch initiation date, illustrating the importance of examining more than one branch of the immune system in studies of life history trade-offs. This study is a step toward using a multipronged and multidisciplinary approach to demonstrate interactions and trade-offs among life history traits, the physiological mechanisms that produce these relationships, and how these relationships may change depending on stage of development.

This study investigated factors associated with two mortality events: avian botulism in waterfowl and mortality associated with hatching asynchrony in prefledgling Franklins gulls (Larus pipixcan). The initial focus of my research was on the spatiotemporal relationship between mortality of Franklins gulls and the onset of botulism outbreaks in waterfowl, and the suitability of gull carcasses for proliferation and toxigenesis of Clostridium botulinum. From 1999 to 2001, dead hatch-year Franklins gulls were by far the most abundant carcasses, and the only source of toxin-laden maggots found on transects prior to the occurrence of avian botulism in waterfowl. Nest density was a significant predictor of hatch-year gull carcass density. High density of toxic material from gull carcasses prior to the onset of botulism in waterfowl coincided with high densities of susceptible birds; hence, mortality of Franklins gulls has the potential to be a major initiating factor for botulism outbreaks at Eyebrow Lake, Saskatchewan. The causes of gull mortality were conditions or diseases associated with starvation, stress, or immunosuppression, and most mortality occurred in third-hatched chicks. To separate effects of laying order from effects of hatching asynchrony on prefledgling survival, a cross-fostering experiment was conducted to create clutches containing asynchronously hatching eggs of the same laying order, and of similar egg mass, egg volume, and female quality. Hatching order, independent of laying order, significantly affected survival to fledging, whereas laying order had no observable effect, indicating that intraclutch variation in egg quality does not predetermine the fate of prefledglings, and may be less important than hatching asynchrony for survival of prefledgling Franklins gulls. Relationships among hatching asynchrony, laying order, mass, corticosterone, immune function, growth, and survival at two stages of development were complex. Hatching asynchrony significantly affected early and late prefledgling survival, and was directly or indirectly associated with mass, corticosterone level, and cell-mediated immune responses at early and later stages of development. Both hatching asynchrony and mass appeared to play key roles in mediating life history trade-offs among cell-mediated immune function, growth, and survival. In contrast to cell-mediated immune responses, primary humoral immune response was not directly affected by hatching order or mass, nor was it associated with survival to fledging. Rather, it was associated with laying order, neonatal testosterone, corticosterone at 2 weeks, growth of leg length, and clutch initiation date, illustrating the importance of examining more than one branch of the immune system in studies of life history trade-offs. This study is a step toward using a multipronged and multidisciplinary approach to demonstrate interactions and trade-offs among life history traits, the physiological mechanisms that produce these relationships, and how these relationships may change depending on stage of development.