Bactérias da microbiota entérica de avestruzes foram isoladas e fermentadas (produto experimental denominado de ECOS). Em seguida, foram utilizadas na exclusão competitiva de Salmonella Typhimurium em pintinhos (\"Gallus gallus\") e em avestruzes recém nascidas (\"Struthio camelus\"). Os pintinhos e as avestruzes foram desafiados por via oral com a concentração de 1x104 UFC/ ave e 1x105 UFC/ ave, respectivamente. O ECOS reduziu significativamente a excreção de Salmonella Typhimurium em pintinhos e avestruzes recém nascidos infectados experimentalmente. O ECOS também reduziu significativamente os casos de enterites associadas à mortalidade em avestruzes, em testes de campo. Outros aspectos observados em avestruzes tratados a campo foram a redução do tempo de absorção do saco vitelínico e o aumento do ganho de peso. O ECOS mostrou ser uma importante ferramenta na melhoraria dos índices zootécnicos em estrutiocultura. / Bacterias of ostrich enteric microbiota were isolated and fermented (product called ECOS). Afterwards, they were used into a competitive exclusion of Salmonella Typhimurium in chicks (\"Gallus gallus\") and in ostriches chicks (\"Struthio camelus\"). The chicks and the ostriches were challenged by oral administration by 1x104 UFC/ chick e 1x105 UFC/ chick, respectively. ECOS reduced the excretion of Salmonella Typhimurium in chicks and ostriches chicks experimentaly infected. ECOS reduced, as well, cases of enteric diseases associated to ostrich mortality, in field tests. Another aspect observed in field treated ostrich, was the reduction of yolk sac absorption time and the increase of weight gain. ECOS showed to be an important tool to increase the zootecnical standards in ostrich farming.

This research examines the relationship between places and firms and how this contributes to competitive advantage. This is a vitally important topic at present, as businesses are adjusting to the dislocations of Brexit, trade wars, nationalism and other reactions to globalisation. Firms need a place strategy more than ever. How should resources be located in relation to markets, suppliers, skilled workers, laws, incentives, infrastructure, quality of life and the myriad other factors affecting business? Global connectivity presents so many options but also so many threats. Despite its importance, this is a subject that is relatively poorly served by existing literature and theory. A review of strategic management work relating to competitive advantage, including reflections on Chandler, Ansoff, Porter, Barney, Mintzberg, and many other authors, reveals an emphasis on management and organisation but a virtual blindness to the role of place. A review of economic geography literature related to competitive advantage, including consideration of work from Marshall to Maskell, Storper, Sassen, Glaeser, Florida and many others, shows an emphasis on place but a relative neglect, with only a few significant exceptions, for the view from the firm and the role of individuality in organisation and management. The two disciplines show a striking complementarity in their omissions. This interdisciplinary study draws on the wide range of existing material to build a new and comprehensive model of the place-firm relationship (the PFR) that brings convergence to the thinking around competitive advantage. This model is then tested and adjusted through empirical research leading to recommendations for firm strategy, government policy, academic theory and future research. The empirical study is based on the most important business sector in the UK in terms of size, growth and impact, namely financial services, and is set in the top two centres of activity in the UK for this sector outside London, namely Edinburgh and Glasgow. At the heart of the work is a series of 29 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with senior executives in these cities investigating how firms see the contribution of place to their competitive advantage, a necessarily qualitative methodology to unravel the complexity and contradictions inherent in the existing theory. The interviews have been transcribed and coded and analysis of the feedback has been used to both refine the new model and to derive insights about how it works in practice. The results of the application of the model show that the PFR is highly complex but also that it can be rigorously assessed and the key factors contributing to competitive advantage can be identified and prioritised. These factors can be grouped under the main themes of the ease of doing business, talent, quality of life, local networks and legacy. It is clear that every business enjoys a unique PFR but that the individual organisational profiles can be aggregated in line with the main themes to show agglomeration and cluster effects around places, industry sectors, types of business and other groupings. In the case of the financial services businesses tested here, the availability of talent stands out as the most important contribution to competitive advantage firms receive from places, but this is closely linked to other factors in a web of connections. Also evident is the pragmatic co-existence of competition and collaboration in firm strategies and practice and the emergence of different but overlapping cluster types, particularly one underpinned by legacy in Edinburgh and the other underpinned by government intervention in Glasgow. This research gives business managers a tool and methodology with which to assess and compare how place contributes to their competitive advantage. It thus gives an added vital dimension to most strategic decisions and particularly to considerations about relocation, expansion, off-shoring, and geographical dispersal and diversification. The agility necessary for businesses to respond to the current turbulent political and economic environment must extend to managing place and place-firm relationships in the more systematic way proposed in this work in order to maintain and extend competitive advantage. This model can also help development agencies and national and local government to interpret the competitive advantages of places as seen by firms and to make comparisons with other places. It can give an informed basis for discussion with businesses and point to where improvements can be made in line with the place objectives and overall development plans. The new model gives a common framework for different parties to reconcile their objectives to mutual benefit. Last but not least, the research presents academics with possibilities for more interdisciplinary work to address gaps in theory about one of the most pressing issues of the day. The model opens the door to new research opportunities to test its applicability in different combinations of places, businesses and industry sectors, for different types of agglomeration and cluster formation. This is an opportunity for the academic research community to furnish the objective, sound and informed view necessary to support potentially controversial decision making in these uncertain times.

Dans cette thèse, nous proposons et évaluons des algorithmes pour résoudre des problèmes d’ordonnancement en ligne. Pendant des décennies, les études en ordonnancement considèrent des modèles déterministes où toutes les informations nécessaires pour la définition du problème sont supposées connues à l’avance. Cette hypothèse n'est généralement pas réaliste. Ceci a motivé les études sur l’ordonnancement en ligne. Dans un problème d’ordonnancement en ligne, un algorithme doit prendre des décisions sans connaissance du futur. L’analyse compétitive est généralement la méthode utilisée pour évaluer les performances de tels algorithmes. Dans cette analyse, la performance d'un algorithme en ligne est mesurée par le ratio compétitif qui est le ratio dans le pire cas entre la performance de la solution obtenue et celle d’une solution optimale hors ligne. Nous considérons principalement deux paradigmes en ligne: celui où les tâches se présentent dans la liste et celui où les tâches arrivent au fur et à mesure. Sur la base de ces deux paradigmes, nous considérons différents modèles : une seule machine, deux machines identiques parallèles, deux machines uniformes parallèles, batch machines et open shop. Pour chacun des problèmes, nous démontrons une borne inférieure de ratios compétitifs et proposons des algorithmes en ligne. Ensuite, nous évaluons la performance de ces algorithmes à l’aide de l’analyse compétitive. Pour certains problèmes, nous montrons que les algorithmes proposés sont optimaux dans le sens où le ratio compétitif est égal à la borne inférieure. / This thesis proposes and evaluates some online algorithms for machine scheduling problems. Deterministic scheduling models have been extensively studied in the literature. One of the basic assumptions of these models is that all the information is known in advance. However, this assumption is usually not realistic. This observation promotes the emergence of online scheduling. In online scheduling problems, an online algorithm has to make decisions without future information. Competitive analysis is a method invented for analyzing online algorithms, in which the performance of an online algorithm (which must satisfy an unpredictable sequence of requests, completing each request without being able to see the future) is compared with the performance of an a posteriori optimal solution where the sequence of requests is known. In the framework of competitive analysis, the performance of an online algorithm is measured by its competitive ratio. We mainly deal with two online paradigms: the one where jobs arrive over list and the one where jobs arrive over time. Based on these two paradigms, we consider different models: single machine, two identical parallel machines, two uniform parallel machines, batch processing machine and open shop. For each of the problems, we prove a lower bound of competitive ratios and propose online algorithms. Then we further measure the worst case performance of these algorithms. For some problems, we can show that the algorithms we proposed are optimal in the sense that their competitive ratios match the lower bounds.

During the last two decades, Utah's market milk industry has changed from one of local processing and distribution by small-scale plants to one of state-wide distribution by large-scale dairies. At presnt, four large producer cooperatives control most of the state's market milk and six large processing plants accounts for more than 80 percent of the state's fluid milk sales. Along with centralized processing and distribution has also come some centralization of production. Statistics recently published by Utah State University show that in 1957, 56 percent of the market milk produced in the state came from the five counties of Cache, Utah, Weber, Salt Lake, and Summit (13, p. 8)*. These same five counties accounted for over 50 percent of the increase in total production of market milk between 1948 and 1957 (13, p.9).

Approximately 52% of food and accommodation businesses survive 5 years or more. Small business restaurant owners face greater challenges in marketing and sustainability than larger and well-established chain restaurants. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the successful marketing strategies of small business restaurant owners who sustained their businesses 5 years or more. The population was small business restaurant owners in Eugene, Oregon. The conceptual framework for this study was Porter's 5 forces. Data collection included semistructured interviews with 4 business owners, and data analysis consisted of coding and thematically analyzing interview data and data collected from the business and marketing documents of research participants. Five themes emerged: adherence to fundamental restaurant marketing principles; migration of restaurant promotions to websites and social media; innovation and flexibility in marketing; diner loyalty, reputation, and relationship marketing; and marketing evolution from hospitality experience. Each research participant emphasized the importance of food and service quality, flexibility in marketing, budgeting, and relationships with diners as marketing strategies for sustainability. Each restaurateur recognized the prohibitive costs of traditional television, radio, and print marketing and disclosed how social media and word of mouth were effective promotional channels with minimal costs. Findings may be used by small business restaurateurs to increase opportunities for duplicable and predictable sustainability and to increase revenues, job growth, and funds for environmental and philanthropic programs.

Between 2010 and 2014 there was a 25% increase in international visitors to the United States, which signifies an opportunity for leaders and managers with a global mindset to take advantage of the opportunities derived from globalization to increase competitive advantage. However, some organizations have not prepared executives and managers to operate in a global environment, which can lead to business failure. The purpose of this multicase study was to gain an understanding of what global mindset strategies hotel executives developed to increase competitive advantage. The target population consisted of the general managers, directors of sales, and directors of catering from 3 full-service hotels at two international airports in the United States who have developed and deployed successful strategies reflecting a global mindset. Porter's 5 forces model served as the conceptual framework for this study. Data sources for this study included semistructured interviews, company websites, advertisements, franchise disclosure documents, and observations. Based on coding interview transcripts, creating mind maps using software, and methodological triangulation of the data, 3 themes emerged: leverage brand resources, personalize services, and leverage staff diversity for service delivery. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential to create a multiplier effect starting with increased staffing due to increased business volume and profits. The potential increase in competitive advantage may also help hotels prosper and help to ensure funds are available for the hotels to remain contributing businesses for local communities' tax revenues to benefit citizens.

Small business owners play a leading role in the United States economy by creating jobs. However, small businesses have a high failure rate, with approximately 50% going out of business during the first 5 years. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the competitive advantage strategies that owners of small businesses used to sustain their businesses longer than the first 5 years. A sample of 6 small service industry business owners in Houston, TX that have been in business for 5 years or more participated in semistructured interviews. Additional data were collected from company documents and the review of artifacts related to small business success and longevity. Entrepreneurship theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. Member checking enhanced the credibility of the interpretations of the participant responses. Data were analyzed using Yin's 5 stages of coding: compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding the data. From the data analysis, 3 themes were revealed: financial capital, marketing and competitive advantages, and great customer service. Findings of this study might help owners of small businesses to ensure business growth, increase revenues, and stimulate job creation.

Orientador: Maria do Carmo Bittencourt de Oliveira / Banca: Orlando Necchi Junior / Banca: Daniel Scherer de Moura / Resumo: Florações de cianobactérias tóxicas são atualmente um problema mundial devido a produção de toxinas. A microcistina é uma hepatotoxina comumente encontrada em corpos d'água e é produzida principalmente pelo gênero Microcystis. Recentemente a identificação, clonagem e seqüenciamento do agrupamento de genes responsáveis pela codificação da sintetase de microcistina (MS) tornaram possível a abordagem molecular na detecção de populações tóxicas baseada na técnica de PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). A técnica de PCR tornou-se viável e útil pelo fato do agrupamento de genes da sintetase de microcistina estar presente apenas em organismos tóxicos e pela ausência de diferenças morfológicas entre aqueles tóxicos e não tóxicos. Este estudo objetivou desenvolver e avaliar a técnica de PCR competitiva para quantificação de células de Microcystis tóxicas e não tóxicas utilizando os genes cpcBA e mcyB envolvidos respectivamente, na formação da ficocianina e biossíntese da MS. Testou-se a hipótese de que a PCR competitiva pode ser utilizada como metodologia de quantificação de células tóxicas e não tóxicas de Microcystis em substituição a contagem direta de células por microscopia óptica para atender a Portaria do Ministério da Saúde 518/2004. Para obtenção de DNA competidores foram realizadas amplificações seqüenciais de "células DNA equivalente" das linhagens tóxica (BCCUSP18) e não tóxica (BCCUSP03) de Microcystis spp. utilizando primers descritos na literatura, bem como aqueles desenhados para este estudo. Avaliaram-se os DNA competidores amplificando-os com células DNA equivalente das linhagens. Após determinada a quantidade mais próxima de DNA competidores para quantificar 2,0 x 104 células, realizou-se a PCR competitiva com células DNA equivalente de uma amostra ambiental (reservatório de Duas Unas, PE)... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Blooms of microcystin-producing cyanobacteria are a problem worldwide. Mycrocystin is a liver hepatotoxin commonly found in bodies of water and is produced mainly by the genus Microcystis. The recent identification, cloning and sequencing of the genes responsible for coding microcystin synthetase (MS) has allowed a molecular approach to the detection of micocystin-producing populations based on the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. Considering the lack of morphological differences between microcystin-producing and non-microcystin-producing organisms, PCR is viable and useful, as the cluster of microcystin synthetase genes is found in only microcystinproducing organisms. The aim of the present study was to develop and assess an competitive PCR method for the quantification of toxic and non-toxic Microcystis cells using the cpcBA and mcyB genes, which are respectively involved in the formation of phycocyanin and biosynthesis of MS. The hypothesis was that competitive PCR could be used as a quantification method for toxic and non-toxic Microcystis cells, replacing the direct cell count under an optical microscope, while fulfilling Brazilian Ministry of Health Ordinance 518/2004. For the acquisition of competitor DNA, sequences amplifications were carried out of the "cell DNA equivalent" of microcystin-producing (BCCUSP18) and non-microcystin-producing (BCCUSP03) strains of Microcystis spp. using primers described in the literature as well as others designed for the present study. Competitor DNA was assessed by amplifying "cells DNA equivalent" of the strains. After determining the quantity closest to the competitor DNA for quantifying 2.0 x 104 cells, competitive PCR was carried out with "cells DNA equivalent" from an environmental sample (Duas Unas Reservoir, PE, Brazil). The constructed competitor cpcBA quantified 1.45 x 104 cells (R2= 0.989)... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Biomass, tiller numbers, flowering, and genet survival were accessed for the rhizomatous Elymus lanceolatus ssp. lanceolatus and caespitose E. l. ssp. wawawaiensis growing in mixtures with a range of densities of each taxon. Models of aboveground biomass of each taxon as a function of mixed densities were used to calculate competition indices. Tiller numbers and biomass of ssp. lanceolatus were higher than those of the caespitose taxon in the first year, but declined in the second year, while biomass and tiller numbers of ssp. wawawaiensis changed little. All tillers of ssp. wawawaiensis emerged in autumn; tillers of ssp. lanceolatus emerged from autumn through late spring. The rhizomatous taxon better exploited open resources in the first year; ssp. wawawaiensishad slower growth, but its production of many tillers early in the season may allow it to quickly exploit seasonally variable conditions of semiarid environments. Decline in flowering at higher densities and in the second year was more pronounced than that of biomass and tiller numbers. Genet survival was high and similar for both taxa. Substitution rates indicated ssp. lanceolatus was the better competitor in both years. In the second year, the two taxa differed somewhat less in substitution rates. A greater overlap in resources used by the two taxa was indicated. Subspecies lanceolatus experienced greater intensity of competition. Substitution rates and relative efficiency index indicated ssp. lanceolatus was the greater competitor between early and late spring, when overlap in resource use was greater. Another experiment addressed advantages of clonal foraging of ssp. lanceolatus in exploiting soil nutrient patches. A foraging response was found in the rhizomatous taxon, with greater numbers of closely spaced tillers in high-nutrient patches adjacent to the main clone, but root biomass in these patches, and aboveground biomass of the clones, indicated that both taxa accessed nutrients in the patches, but ssp. wawawaiens is used only root growth. The taxa were similar in their tolerance of low levels of soil nutrients. No difference among genets in degree of foraging response, and no relationship between degree of foraging response and fitness when nutrients are patchy were found. Subspecies lanceolatus did not show such a foraging response to high neighbor densities in mixed-density plots. Instead, rhizome lengths were reduced by higher neighbor densities and in the second year, by reduced resources overall.

Le cycle de l‟information, de la collecte à la dissémination, est central en intelligence économique. D‟autre part, depuis quelques années, le web 2.0, le web inscriptible a modifié la face d‟internet. Nos travaux ont pour sujet l‟étude de l‟impact que ce fameux web 2.0 a sur le cycle en question et nous proposons des méthodes et outils afin de tirer parti de ce nouveau paradigme, et ce, pour chaque étape du cycle / The information cycle, from collection to dissemination is a cornerstone in competitive intelligence. On the other hand, in recent years, web 2.0, writable web, changed the face of the Internet. Our work is to study about the impact that web 2.0 has on the famous cycle and propose methods and tools to take advantage of this new paradigm, and this for each stage of the cycle