Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-05-15T13:45:59Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Mariana Rodrigues Feitosa Ramos - 2015.pdf: 5145646 bytes, checksum: 488fb72c7846f0fe96bae9cbfed74b2a (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-05-15T13:46:24Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Mariana Rodrigues Feitosa Ramos - 2015.pdf: 5145646 bytes, checksum: 488fb72c7846f0fe96bae9cbfed74b2a (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-15T13:46:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Mariana Rodrigues Feitosa Ramos - 2015.pdf: 5145646 bytes, checksum: 488fb72c7846f0fe96bae9cbfed74b2a (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-09-15 / The success of plant breeding programs depends on the choice of progenitors capable of producing progeny with desired characteristics, which are the raw material for the genetic selection. This study aimed to evaluate the combining ability of two groups of genitors, composed of 12 genotypes of rice, selected based on the high grain yield performance in each location (Goiania and Boa Vista), and their respective crosses, through complete diallel cross scheme without reciprocals, in two generations (F2 and F7). The experimental design was a randomized blocks, and it were evaluated the traits grain yield (PG) and days to flowering (DF), and estimated the varietal effect ( ̂), the average heterosis, varietal heterosis ( ̂ ) and specific heterosis ( ̂ in every generation, and for each group, the general combining ability ( ̂ ) of the parents. Significant differences were detected among the parents of both groups, for both traits, and were considered the most promising for the selection of new inbred lines, the combinations involving genitors with the highest values and positive effects of ̂ For PG trait in Goiânia, it were identified Canela Curta, Maninjau, Epagri 108 and Diamante, and in Boa Vista, the best genotypes were BRS Jaburu, BG90-2, Mearim, BRS Biguá and Chililica. For the DF trait in Goiânia, the genitors showing a decrease in the number of days to flowering and increased ̂ were Araguaia, CT11632, IRAT 122, Pratinha Branco and TOx 503, while for Boa Vista it were TOx 514, BRS Jaburu, Itaqui , BG90-2, BRS Biguá and IR54R. The use of SSR markers to infer the potential success of a certain hybrid combination, both in F2 and F7 generation, has not been indicated for the group of genitors evaluated. / O sucesso de programas de melhoramento de plantas autógamas depende da escolha de genitores capazes de produzir progênies com características desejadas. Dessa forma, este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o potencial de dois grupos, de Goiânia e Boa Vista, com 12 genitores de arroz, e seus respectivos cruzamentos, por meio de cruzamentos dialélico completo sem os recíprocos, em duas gerações (F2 e F7), quanto às características agronômicas, em delineamento em blocos ao acaso. Para a os caracteres produção de grãos (PG) e dias até o florescimento (DF), foram avaliados: o efeito varietal ( ̂), a heterose média, a heterose varietal ( ̂ ) e a heterose específica ( ̂ em cada geração, e para cada grupo, obteve a estimativa da capacidade geral de combinação (gi) dos genitores. Foram detectadas diferenças significativas entre os genitores, de ambos os grupos, quanto às características agronômicas avaliadas, e foram consideradas mais promissoras, para a seleção de novas linhagens, as combinações envolvendo os genitores com as maiores magnitudes e efeitos positivos de ̂ para o caráter PG, em Goiânia foram Canela Curta, Maninjau, Epagri 108 e Diamante, além de serem os genitores mais produtivos. Para o caráter DF, os genitores que apresentaram as estimativas no sentido de diminuir o caráter, isto é, os mais precoces foram Araguaia, CT11632, IRAT 122, Pratinha Branco e TOx 503. Para o dialelo de Boa Vista teve como destaque os genitores BRS Jaburu, BG90-2, Mearim, BRS Biguá e Chililica, os quais apresentaram maiores magnitudes ̂ e efeitos positivos para o caráter PG. Quanto ao efeito ̂ para o caráter DF, os genitores TOx 514, BRS Jaburu, Itaqui, BG90-2, BRS Biguá e IR54R apresentaram efeitos negativos, reduzindo o caráter

Submitted by Divisão de Documentação/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2016-11-30T15:17:06Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese - Juan D. V. Fajardo.pdf: 1097421 bytes, checksum: 1917d39a17d14e35ca1fed4547529859 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Divisão de Documentação/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2016-11-30T15:17:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese - Juan D. V. Fajardo.pdf: 1097421 bytes, checksum: 1917d39a17d14e35ca1fed4547529859 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Divisão de Documentação/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2016-11-30T15:17:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese - Juan D. V. Fajardo.pdf: 1097421 bytes, checksum: 1917d39a17d14e35ca1fed4547529859 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-30T15:17:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese - Juan D. V. Fajardo.pdf: 1097421 bytes, checksum: 1917d39a17d14e35ca1fed4547529859 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-26 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The guaraná (Paullinia cupana var. Sorbilis (Mart.) Ducke) is a native plant valued by Amazonian peoples, especially by Sateré-Maue tribe in northern Amazon region on the border with the state of Pará. Research shows that guaraná has stimulating and therapeutic properties that make it an important input for chemical refrigerants, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics. The aim of the study was to evaluate genetic, estimate variance components for morphological characteristics, and production of guaraná progenies. In the experiment conducted in the city of Maués-Am / EMBRAPA were evaluated 36 progenies brothers guaraná means in experimental design of randomized blocks with two replications and six plants per plot for agronomic characters and fruit yield (g.plant-1.year-1) arranged in two rows of three plants, spaced 5 m x 5 m. The analysis of quantitative character production (g.plant-1.year-1) was based on the average production over six years. The average of the best individual production was 28,355 g.plant-1.year-1, which is ten times higher than the state average productivity. Progenies have enough genetic diversity for selection of progeny and senior individuals with controlled crossings or intercross could generate a base population with high productivity and sufficient genetic diversity increases the likelihood of recovery of superior genotypes. / O guaranazeiro (Paullinia cupana var. sorbilis (Mart.) Ducke) é uma planta nativa valorizada pelos povos Amazônicos, especialmente pela tribo Sateré- Maué no norte da região Amazônica, na fronteira com o estado do Pará. As pesquisas mostram que o guaraná tem propriedades estimulantes e terapêuticas o que o tornam um importante insumo para as indústrias químicas de refrigerantes, farmacêuticas, e cosméticos. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar valores genéticos, estimar componentes de variância para caracteres morfoagronômicos, e da produção de progênies de guaranazeiro. No experimento conduzido na cidade de Maués-Am/EMBRAPA, foram avaliadas 36 progênies de meios irmãos de guaranazeiro em delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso com duas repetições e seis plantas por parcela para os caracteres agronômicos e produção de frutos (g.planta-1.ano-1) dispostas em duas fileiras de três plantas, no espaçamento de 5 m x 5 m. A análise do caráter quantitativo Produção (g.planta-1.ano-1) foi baseado na média da produção ao longo de seis anos. A média da produção do melhor indivíduo foi de 28.355 g.planta-1.ano-1, que é dez vezes maior do que a produtividade média estadual. As progênies apresentam diversidade genética suficiente para a seleção de progênies e de indivíduos superiores que com cruzamentos controlados ou intercruzamentos poderiam gerar uma população base com alta produtividade e diversidade genética suficiente aumentando a probabilidade de recuperação de genótipos superiores.

O complexo Drosophila buzzatii (grupo repleta) compreende 13 espécies, divididas em três clusters, de acordo com o bandeamento observado nos cromossomos politênicos: cluster D. stalkeri, incluindo D. richardsoni e D. stalkeri, restrito às ilhas do Caribe e Flórida; cluster D. martensis, incluindo D. martensis, D. uniseta, D. venezolana e D. starmeri, encontrado em áreas desérticas da Colômbia e Venezuela; e cluster D. buzzatii, incluindo D. buzzatii, D. koepferae, D. antonietae, D. serido, D. gouveai, D. borborema e D. seriema, habitando regiões sazonalmente secas ao longo da diagonal de vegetação aberta da América do Sul. O presente estudo teve como objetivo inferir as relações filogenéticas entre as espécies do complexo D. buzzatii, dando ênfase ao cluster D. buzzatii, por meio de análises multilocus de genes mitocondriais (COI e COII) e nucleares (EF-1F1, transformer e period). Nas hipóteses filogenéticas estabelecidas, as espécies do complexo D. buzzatii constituíram um grupo monofilético, composto por dois subgrupos monofiléticos, os clusters D. martensis e D. buzzatii, e um parafilético, o cluster D. stalkeri. As relações de parentesco entre as espécies do cluster D. buzzatii foram estabelecidas. Drosophila buzzatii ocupou a posição mais basal dentro do cluster D. buzzatii, estando proximamente relacionada à espécie D. koepferae. Drosophila antonietae ocupou uma posição intermediária em relação às espécies D. koepferae e D. serido, que representa o táxon irmão do ramo formado por D. gouveai, D. borborema e D. seriema, com D. gouveai ocupando uma posição mais basal em relação às espécies irmãs D. borborema e D. seriema. Foi detectada seleção purificadora como a principal força dirigindo a evolução dos genes nucleares transformer e period, para as espécies do complexo D. buzzatii. O gene mitocondrial COI, por sua vez, foi utilizado para estimar os tempos de divergência para as espécies do cluster D. buzzatii, revelando que o processo de diversificação do grupo iniciou-se no período Plioceno, provavelmente em decorrência de eventos de vicariância associados à elevação dos Andes, sendo também influenciado pelo avanço e retração da vegetação xerófita, nas flutuações climáticas do Pleistoceno. / Drosophila buzzatii complex (repleta group) consists of 13 species, divided into three clusters according to the banding seen in polytene chromosomes: D. stalkeri cluster, including D. richardsoni and D. stalkeri, restricted to the Caribbean Islands and Florida; D. martensis cluster, including D. martensis, D. uniseta, D. venezuelana and D. starmeri, found in desert areas of Colombia and Venezuela, and D. buzzatii cluster, including D. buzzatii, D. koepferae, D. antonietae, D.gouveai, D. borborema and D. seriema, that inhabit seasonally dry regions along the open vegetation diagonal in South America. This study aimed to infer the phylogenetic relationships among the D. buzzatii species complex, emphasizing the D. buzzatii cluster, by multilocus analysis of mitochondrial (COI and COII) and nuclear (EF-1F1, transformer and period) genes. In established phylogenetic hypotheises, the species of the D. buzzatii complex formed a monophyletic group, composed of two monophyletic subgroups, the D. martensis and D. buzzatii clusters, and a paraphyletic one, the D. stalkeri cluster. The relationships among the D. buzzatii species cluster were established. Drosophila buzzatii occupied the most basal position within the D. buzzatii cluster and is closely related to D. koepferae. D. antonietae occupied an intermediate position in relation to the D. koepferae and D. serido species. D. serido represents the sister taxon of the branch formed by the D. gouveai, D. borborema and D. seriema species, with D. gouveai occupying a basal position in relation to the sister species D. borborema and D. seriema. It was detected that purifying selection is the main force driving the evolution of transformer and period nuclear genes for the species of the D. buzzatii complex. The divergence time of the D. buzzatii species cluster was estimated by the COI gene analysis, revealing that the process of diversification of the group began in the Pliocene period, probably due to vicariant events associated with the uplift phase of the Andes, and it was also influenced by the advance and retraction of xerophytic vegetation in Pleistocene climatic fluctuations.

Immigration is arguably among the most divisive global and national issues at present. In the U.S., undocumented persons (the DREAMers) who arrived to the U.S. as children have been the central focus of legislation and debate. As of 2013, the undocumented population has increased from less than a million in 1980, then reaching 12.2 million in 2006, to an estimated population of 11.3 million (Passel, Cohn, Krogstand, & Gonzalez-Barerra, 2014) just a few short years ago. For the numerous undocumented students who have excelled academically and socially, and make positive contributions to their communities, the goal of obtaining a college degree is naturally the next step after high school. While undocumented students face intractable challenges in the areas of residency/citizenship, the college admission process, and financing their education, many still find their way on college campuses seeking degree completion. Academic advisors are uniquely positioned to support the persistence and graduation of students, especially undocumented students. Therefore, this research examined perspectives and behaviors of advisors concerning their interactions with undocumented students in public universities utilizing the framework of Michael Lipsky’s (1980) understanding of street-level bureaucracy to determine the discretionary behaviors exercised by academic advisors who advise undocumented students. Study participants included college advisors located in the middle southern and western regions of the United States, where undocumented populations are highest. A qualitative methodology with a case study research design was used in this phenomenological guided research to determine two major study findings: (a) academic advisors are exercising discretionary behavior in advising undocumented students and general population students and (b) the academic advising needs of undocumented students differ from other students. This study has contributed to public administration and higher education advising literature by providing insight into how advisors understand their roles, implement policy, and participate in divergence to meet the needs of students.

This dissertation provides a journey into the world of beliefs and values of Saudi Arabia’s organisations, people and society at large, and how these influence and shape HRM practices and the employment relationship in the country. Designed as a single country case study, the dissertation uses a multi-case research design where two large companies operating in Saudi Arabia (an indigenous and a foreign multinational corporation) are explored and compared through methodological triangulation in data collection methods (interviews, surveys and focus group). The main findings identify that institutional pressures (regulatory and normative) are strong catalysts facilitating the impact of Islamic teachings on the workplace in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The regulative forces represent the organisations’ rules, regulatory constraints (forced by regulatory bodies) and penalties for violations. They are a result of the KSA’s legal system and its political culture. The normative forces identify values and social behavioural norms which define how things should be done within the organisation. They are a result of the wider Saudi culture. Apart from its contribution to knowledge of the HRM practices of Saudi Arabia at micro- and meta- level, the dissertation also provides an analysis at two additional levels. it contributes firstly to the growing knowledge on the influence of Islamic beliefs in the workplace, and secondly, to the enlargement of theory on the subject of religion and its impact in the workplace. Moreover, the dissertation makes a contribution to the literature on HRM practices and approaches in Saudi Arabia. This extends to other countries of the Arab Gulf, holding strong potential to become a source of knowledge and reference for foreign organisations which operate and wish to operate in that region.

The evolution of isolating mechanisms within a species population impedes gene flow. This allows isolated populations to diverge along different trajectories, which may ultimately lead to the formation of new species. Our attempts to understand the evolution of isolating barriers have benefited enormously from studies of divergent populations that are still recognized as members of the same species. The co-occurrence of five acoustically distinct populations of the bushcricket Mecopoda elongata in south India provided us with the opportunity to study one such divergence of sympatric populations of a single species. In sympatric populations that share identical ecology, sexual selection has the potential to play a prominent role in the maintenance of reproductive isolation. Based on a previous traditional morphometric study, Mecopoda elongata in India were thought to be a morphologically indistinguishable cryptic species complex. The lack of morphological divergence suggests a less significant role of ecology in the divergence of the group. One possibility is that songtypes may be maintained by the preference of Mecopoda elongate females for mating with a specific songtype. In this thesis I show that female phonotaxis to their ‘own’ call has the potential to contribute to behavioural isolation among the songtypes and in particular between two songtypes with overlapping temporal call parameters. This finding is supported by an independent no-choice mating experiment utilizing the same two songtypes. To investigate the cues other than song that Mecopoda elongata females’ may use to exercise preference for their own type, I examined the composition of cuticular lipids in the cuticle and the detailed structure of secondary sexual characters. I was able to differentiate all Mecopoda elongata songtypes with high probability based on CHC profiles and geometric morphometrics of the sub genital plate and cerci. My study reveals that divergence in sexual traits other than acoustic signals, although dramatically less obvious in nature, is present among Mecopoda elongata populations. This provides potential mechanisms for premating isolation among Mecopoda elongata songtypes in the wild suggesting that reproductive isolation is maintained by female preferences for male sexual signals. Additionally, I discovered a parasitoid Tachinid fly responsible for infecting three different songtypes of Mecopoda elongata, namely Double Chirper, Two Part and Helicopter. This Tachinid fly appears to have specialized hearing organ to track down calling Mecopoda elongata males throwing light on potential selection pressure and possible mechanism for Mecopoda elongata song divergence.

This thesis deals with the system of human resource management in international companies. The theoretical part is focused on the concept of international human resource management basic methods and trends and techniques of human resource management in international corporations. The practical part is devoted to analyze the current state of human resources management in ADP Employer Services Ceska republika a.s. the daughter company of international organization ADP Inc. Based on my practical research: employees survey and personal interview with the local HR Business Partner Lead I will evaluate the current state of human resource management system in the company and make series of recommendations that will help to improve the system of human resources for ADPs branch in Czech Republic which is the main contribution of this thesis.

Phytophagous insects make up over one quarter of described species on Earth, and this incredible diversity seems directly linked to feeding on plants. Comparative studies of sister groups have shown shifts to herbivory are consistently associated with increased species diversity in insects, but the reasons for this diversification remain unclear. While other explanations, such as decreased extinction rates or influences on population structure, exist, one prominent hypothesis suggests shifts and subsequent adaptation to novel host plants can lead to the evolution of reproductive barriers. Given their extreme specialization on host plants in the genus Pinus and intimate, life-long association with their host plants, divergent host use has been suspected to drive speciation in the conifer sawfly genus Neodiprion. Previous work showed host shifts coincide with speciation events in the genus; but could not determine if these host shifts initiated speciation or if they occurred after other reproductive barriers arose. Determining the contribution and timing of host shifts relative to speciation will require examination of populations at the earliest stages of divergence, before post-speciation changes amass. If host shifts frequently drive speciation in the genus, there will likely be evidence of host-driven divergence within species occurring on a wide range of host plants. The goal of this dissertation is to examine populations of the red-headed pine sawfly, Neodiprion lecontei, an abundant, well-studied pest species that occurs on multiple hosts throughout its range, for evidence of host-driven divergence. Using a combination of reduced representation genomic sequencing, population genomics, and ecological assays, I specifically look for evidence of 1) genetic differentiation between populations utilizing different host plants, 2) ecological divergence in female oviposition preference, larval performance, and ovipositor morphology between populations on different hosts, and 3) ecologically-driven reproductive isolation between genetically and ecologically divergent populations. Each chapter of this dissertation examines the role of host use in driving ecological, genetic, and/or reproductive divergence within N. lecontei at a different spatial scale. First, I surveyed range-wide patterns of diversity. I identified three genetic clusters, dated the divergence of these clusters to the late Pleistocene, and found evidence that both dispersal limitation (geography) and host use contribute to genetic differentiation within N. lecontei. Next, I looked within one of these genetic clusters for additional evidence of the role of host in driving divergence. Sawflies in this cluster primarily utilize two hosts which differ significantly in needle architecture. Although I found no evidence of neutral genetic differentiation between hosts exists, I did detect spatial and temporal differences in host use, and host-specific differences in ovipositor morphology, a performance-related trait. Finally, I examine a single site where N. lecontei utilizes three structurally divergent species of pine. Although there was little genetic structure, no sexual isolation, and no distinct host preferences, the host types were partially temporally isolated and varied in ovipositor morphology and larval performance across on the three hosts. Overall, although divergent host use consistently resulted in divergent ovipositor morphology, a reduction in gene flow via temporal or geographic isolation may be required before additional forms of ecological and genetic differentiation can develop. Together these results suggest host shifts alone may not be enough to drive population divergence and speciation in Neodiprion.

Les théories de supergravité sont des extensions supersymmetriques de la relativité générale (RG) d'Einstein. Leur comportement ultraviolet (UV) est meilleur que celui de la RG car les contributions bosoniques et fermioniques se compensent dans les diagrammes en boucles. La supergravité maximale a le meilleur comportement UV, toutefois les prédictions les plus précises venant aussi bien de la théorie des champs que de la théorie des cordes indiquent que la théorie devrait elle aussi souffrir de divergences UV, à partir de 7 boucles. Cette question ouverte constitue un cadre dans lequel peut être problématisés ma thèse. En général, l'approche que j'ai suivie consiste à étudier les amplitudes de diffusion en théorie des cordes dans la limite ou la longueur de la corde devient nulle; on s'attend ainsi à retrouver les amplitudes de diffusion de supergravité. Curieusement, on sait très peu de choses sur cette limite au délà d'une boucle. Une part importante de mon travail thèse a consisté à développer des outils mathématiques basés sur la géométrie tropicale pour décrire cette limite en genre deux et au délà. Afin de tester la précision des prédiction de la théorie des cordes, dans ma thèse j'ai aussi travaillé sur le comportement UV des théories de supergravité demi-maximale. Nous avons montré un théorème de non-renormalisation qui expliqué l'absence de divgerence à 3 boucles et en prédit une à 4 boucles. Enfin je me suis intéressé aux techniques utilisées en théorie des champs pour calculer ces amplitudes à haut nombre de boucles en théorie des champs, et notament à la "double copie BCJ", dont avons proposé la première analyse à une boucle depuis la théorie des cordes. / Supergravity theories are supersymmetric extensions of General Relativity (GR). They have a better ultraviolet (UV) behavior than GR, due to cancellations between bosons and fermions in loop diagrams. Maximal supergravity is a candidate for a UV finite point-like theory of quantum gravity. Nowadays, the most advanced understanding coming from field theory and string theory indicate that the theory should not be UV finite, and that the first UV divergences should appear at the 7-loop order. This open question constitutes a background in which my PhD thesis can be problematized.In this thesis, our approach consists in using string theory scattering amplitudes and study their point-like limit, in which supergravity amplitudes are expected to be recovered. Very little is known beyond one loop on this limit and in this manuscript I describe first how a recent field of mathematics, tropical geometry, may be used in this process, and mention some applications and open issues.Another way to cross-check the predictions of string theory on the UV behavior of maximal supergravity consists in performing the same analysis in theories of reduced supersymmetry.I discuss the case of half-maximal supergravity theories, and show a non-renormalization theorem in heterotic string which explains the vanishing of the 3-loop divergence of this theory and predicts a 4-loop divergence.The last aspect of my work is focused on a string theoretic understanding on the techniques used in field theory to compute higher loop amplitudes. I describe the first analysis of the so called BCJ double copy construction at one-loop from string theory, and partly explain the origin of the BCJ prescription.

Les MSG (pour « Message Sequence Graphs ») sont un formalisme bien connu et souvent utilisé pour décrire des ensembles de scénarios de manière visuelle dans le domaine des protocoles de communication. Nous nous intéressons dans la première partie de la thèse à la détection de la divergence, la vérification de la coopération globale ainsi que la vérification de propriétés d’accessibilité et de couverture. Notre première contribution consiste à utiliser des solveurs SAT afin de résoudre ces problèmes efficacement. Afin de munir le formalisme des MSG de compteurs, de timers et d’autres aspects, nous introduisons le modèle des PNS (pour « réseaux de Petri avec états ») et une sémantique de processus non-branchants. Ce modèle est non seulement plus expressif que les MSG, mais il permet également des spécifications plus concises. Nous nous intéressons à trois problèmes de vérification classiques sur l’ensemble des marquages accessibles par les préfixes des processus : le caractère borné, la couverture et l’accessibilité. Afin de considérer des systèmes paramétrés, nous introduisons également la notion de borne semi-structurelle. Cela consiste à fixer le marquage initial d’un sous-ensemble approprié de places, puis à vérifier que le système est borné, quelles que soient les valeurs des paramètres. Nous montrons comment un dépliage conduit à un problème plus simple à vérifier. Une caractéristique particulièrement attrayante des MSG et des PNS réside dans leur représentation graphique similaire à un automate. Il est donc intéressant de décrire les bugs de manière visuelle. Nous montrons comment calculer en temps polynomial une représentation simple et concise d’un bug. / Message Sequence Charts (MSCs) are a popular model often used for the docu- mentation of telecommunication protocols. In the first part of the thesis, we focus on detecting process divergence, checking global-cooperation and checking reachability properties. Our first contribution is to use SAT solvers to solve these problems effectively. In order to study MSC specifications with counters, timers and other features, we introduce the model of Petri nets with states together with a non-branching non-sequential process seman- tics. We obtain a framework that is more expressive and more concise than MSGs. We consider then three classical verification problems for the set of markings reached by prefixes of processes : boundedness, covering and reachability. We consider also the notion of semi-structural property in order to study parametrized sys- tems. In this way, only part of the places are provided with an initial marking. Unfolding such a system leads to a simpler problem in the form of a linear programme. A particularly attractive feature of MSG and PNS lies in their graphical representation similar to an automaton. So, it is interesting to describe the bugs visually. We show how to compute in polynomial time a simple and concise representation of a bug.