Master of Science in Veterinary Science / A investigation into soil nutrient and the change soil physical properties was carried out for three pasture systems for dairy cows; the complementary forage rotation (CFR) which comprised of brassica (Brassica napus )/clover (Trifolium resupinatum ) and maize (Zea mays) capable of achieving more than 40 t/ha, the typical intensive pasture (PI) with kikuyu grass (Penisetum clandestinum) over-sown with ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum ) and the extensive system (PE); on two soil types (brown chromosol and black vertisol) . The study demonstrated that the CFR system was capable of doubling its yield by using similar fertilizers (N, P and K) and water inputs compared to these of the PI system resulting of greater nutrients (N and K) and water use efficiencies. Overall, the nutrient lost through runoff water was very limited for two intensive systems and nearly nil for PE system. Also similar trends were observed for soil physical properties in the intensive systems except for the topsoil (0-10 cm) where light acidification (P= 0.04) was recorded in the CFR probably due to the soil works before the maize sowing.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agricultural Economics / Jeffery R. Williams / Over the last few decades there has been a shift in electricity production in the U.S. Renewable energy sources are becoming more widely used. In addition, electric generation plants that use coal inputs are more heavily regulated than a couple decades ago. This shift in electricity production was brought on by changes in federal policy – a desire for electricity produced in the U.S. which led to policies being adopted that encourage the use of renewable energy. The change in production practices due to policies may have led to changes in the productivity of electric generation plants. Multiple studies have examined the most efficient electric generation plants using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach. This study builds on past research to answer three questions: 1) Does the level of aggregation of fuel input variables affect the plant efficiency scores and how does the efficiency of renewable energy input compare to nonrenewable energy inputs; 2) Are policies geared toward directly or indirectly reducing greenhouse gas emissions affecting the production efficiencies of greenhouse gas emitting electric generation plants; and 3) Do renewable energy policies and the use of intermittent energy sources (i.e. wind and solar) affect the productivity growth of electric generation plants. All three analysis, presented in three essays, use U.S. plant level data obtained from the Energy Information Administration to answer these questions. The first two essays use DEA to determine the pure technical, overall technical, and scale efficiencies of electric generation plants. The third essay uses DEA within the Malmquist index to assess the change in productivity over time. Results indicate that the level of aggregation does matter particularly for scale efficiency. This implies that valuable information is likely lost when fuel inputs are aggregated together. Policies directly focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions may improve the production efficiencies of greenhouse gas emitting electric generation plants. However, renewable energy policies do not have an effect on productivity growth. Renewable energy inputs are found to be as efficient if not more efficient than traditional energy sources.

This research paper studies the extent of how microinteractions are utilized in Microsoft Teams and the impact that they have on workflow efficiencies, specifically in the creative industry. In a novel time where Covid-19 virus has increased the demand of digital platforms, the importance of research within remote meeting utilization, and the interaction possibilities within, is of utter importance. Also, since we are missing out on the spontaneous interactions that occur when meeting face-to-face, the microinteractions within digital meeting platforms now carry a heavier weight when interactions are solely occuring remotely. The data collection was achieved through a qualitative approach consisting of participant observations and semi-structured interviews. The results of this research proved that microinteractions are used frequently within digital meetings in Microsoft Teams, but in different contexts and in different constellations. The results also identified that microinteractions, which hold the right conditions, can streamline workflows in certain scenarios. This study concluded in interesting data that answered the research questions but also opened up for further research due to the topic being of a novel field and in a special time, in this case referring to the pandemic and Covid-19.

The dissertation investigates asymptotic theory of decentralized sequential hypothesis testing problems as well as asymptotic behaviors of the Sequential Minimum Energy Design (SMED). The main results are summarized as follows. 1.We develop the first-order asymptotic optimality theory for decentralized sequential multi-hypothesis testing under a Bayes framework. Asymptotically optimal tests are obtained from the class of "two-stage" procedures and the optimal local quantizers are shown to be the "maximin" quantizers that are characterized as a randomization of at most M-1 Unambiguous Likelihood Quantizers (ULQ) when testing M >= 2 hypotheses. 2. We generalize the classical Kullback-Leibler inequality to investigate the quantization effects on the second-order and other general-order moments of log-likelihood ratios. It is shown that a quantization may increase these quantities, but such an increase is bounded by a universal constant that depends on the order of the moment. This result provides a simpler sufficient condition for asymptotic theory of decentralized sequential detection. 3. We propose a class of multi-stage tests for decentralized sequential multi-hypothesis testing problems, and show that with suitably chosen thresholds at different stages, it can hold the second-order asymptotic optimality properties when the hypotheses testing problem is "asymmetric." 4. We characterize the asymptotic behaviors of SMED algorithm, particularly the denseness and distributions of the design points. In addition, we propose a simplified version of SMED that is computationally more efficient.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The present study was developed with the objective of evaluate if the frequency of roughage and supplement supply and/or animal category affect performance and behavior of feedlot cattle. Sixteen heifers and sixteen cows were used, with average initial age of 20 and 66 months and average initial weight of 338 and 462 kg, respectively. The frequencies of roughage and supplement supply were: 2 V/C roughage and supplement 2 times per day; 1 V/C roughage and supplement 1 time per day; 1 V/2 C roughage 1 time per day and supplement 2 times per day; 1 V/3 C roughage 1 time per day and supplement 3 times per day. Each food supply was offered to cows and heifers. The supplied diet was composed by 60% of maize silage and 40% of concentrate, on dry matter base (DM). The process of obtaining performance parameters was by animal weighting and attribution of body condition, weighting of the supplied food and it s respective orts, chemical analysis of diet ingredients and orts. Behavior parameters were obtained by register of animal activities at each 5 minutes, beyond counting chews per ruminated bolus and it s duration. The complete randomized experimental design was used, with a 4 x 2 factorial arrangement. No significant interaction was observed (P>.05) between supply frequencies and animal category for performance variables. For ingestive behavior, was observed interaction between supply and animal category for rumination (RT) and idle (IDT) times, efficiencies of dry matter rumination (EDMR) and neutral detergent fiber rumination (ENDFR), number of daily bolus and daily time of chews (DTC). Supply frequencies did not influence (P>.05) average daily weight gain (ADWG). Dry matter intake (DMI) per animal was superior for animal of 1 V/2 C or 1 V/3 C treatments. The DMI and digestible energy intake per animal and per metabolic size were higher for cows, however ADWG was similar (1.330 vs. 1.378, respectively), resulting on worst food conversion for cows in relation to heifers (9.4 vs. 7.4 kg, respectively). Heifers showed higher (P<.05) IDT and DTC when compared with cows that received food once in a day. Time of food intake (TFI) did not vary (P>.05) with supply frequencies. Ingestion rate (IR) was higher (P<.05) for animals that received 1 V/3 C, and did not differ from the ones that received 1 V/2 C in relation to 1 V/C and 2 V/C supply frequencies (2.89; 2.72; 2.43 and 2.48 kg of DM/hour of intake, respectively). Cows were higher for TFI and IR in relation to heifers (4.38 vs. 4.09 hours, 2.91 vs. 2.35 kg of DM/hour of intake, respectively). The frequencies supply of one, two or three times per day stimulates animals to intensify ingestion on the moment of the supply, but this don t alter time of food intake during the day and animals weight gain. / O presente estudo foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de avaliar se a freqüência do fornecimento do volumoso e concentrado e/ou a categoria animal afetam o desempenho e o comportamento de bovinos confinados. Foram utilizadas 16 novilhas e 16 vacas, com idade média inicial de 20 e 66 meses e peso médio inicial de 338 e 432 kg, respectivamente. As freqüências do fornecimento do volumoso e concentrado foram as seguintes: 2 V/C volumoso e concentrado 2 vezes ao dia; 1 V/C volumoso e concentrado 1 vez ao dia; 1 V/2 C volumoso 1 vez ao dia e o concentrado 2 vezes ao dia; 1 V/3 C volumoso 1 vez ao dia e o concentrado 3 vezes ao dia. Cada fornecimento alimentar foi ofertado nas categorias vaca e novilha. A dieta fornecida aos animais foi composta de 60% de silagem de milho e 40% de concentrado com base na matéria seca (MS). A obtenção das variáveis de desempenho ocorreu pela pesagem e atribuição de escore corporal aos animais, pesagem do alimento fornecido e respectivas sobras, análise bromatológica dos ingredientes da dieta e das sobras. As variáveis de comportamento foram avaliadas através do registro de atividades dos animais a cada 5 minutos, além da contagem de mastigações por bolo ruminado e sua duração. O delineamento experimental adotado foi inteiramente casualizado em arranjo fatorial 4 x 2 (fornecimentos x categoria animal). Não houve interação significativa (P>0,05) entre freqüência de fornecimento e categoria animal para as variáveis de desempenho. Para o comportamento ingestivo, foi observada interação entre o fornecimento e a categoria animal para o tempo de ruminação (TR) e ócio (TO), eficiência de ruminação da matéria seca (ERMS) e da fibra detergente neutro (ERFDN), número de bolos diário e tempo de mastigação diário (TMD). As freqüências do fornecimento não influenciaram (P>0,05) o ganho de peso médio diário (GMD). O consumo de matéria seca (CMS) por animal foi superior para os animais alimentados 1 V/2 C ou 1 V/3 C. O CMS e o consumo de energia digestível por animal e por tamanho metabólico foram superiores para as vacas em relação às novilhas, porém, o GMD foi semelhante (1,330 vs 1,378 kg, respectivamente), resultando em pior conversão alimentar (9,4 vs 7,4 kg, respectivamente). As novilhas apresentaram maiores (P<0,05) TO e TMD em relação às vacas quando receberam a alimentação uma vez ao dia. O tempo de consumo de alimento (TCA) não teve variação (P>0,05) conforme a freqüência do fornecimento da dieta. A taxa de ingestão (TI) foi superior (P<0,05) para os animais que receberam 1 V/3 C, e esta não diferiu dos que receberam 1 V/2 C em relação aos fornecimentos de 1 V/C e 2 V/C (2,89; 2,72; 2,43 e 2,48 kg de MS/hora de consumo, respectivamente). As vacas permaneceram mais TCA e apresentaram maiores TI em comparação às novilhas (4,38 vs 4,09 horas; 2,91 vs 2,35 kg de MS/hora de consumo, respectivamente). A freqüência do fornecimento do alimento aos animais em uma, duas ou três vezes ao dia estimula estes a intensificar a ingestão no momento do fornecimento, mas isso não altera o tempo de ingestão do alimento ao longo do dia e o ganho de peso dos animais.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:03:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MiltonBV.pdf: 1188933 bytes, checksum: 0027ba3da37c2c26ef04d16c288622a2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-11-30 / Waste stabilization ponds are the main technology in use for domestic sewage treatment in Rio Grande do Norte State (RN), northeast Brazil. The are around 80 systems, constructed mainly by municipal city halls, being series comprised by a primary facultative pond followed by two maturation ponds the most used configuration. Due to problems related with the production and destination of sludge and generation of bad odors, the designers have avoided the use of anaerobic lagoons. The majority of systems are rarely monitored to verify their efficiencies and to get new project parameters for future designing. This work has as purpose to make a diagnosis of efficiency of three series of waste stabilization pond series (WSPS) of Jardim Lola 1, Jardim Lola 2 and Beira Rio, located in the North Zone of the city of the Natal/RN, treating domestic raw sewage, on the removal of organic matter and thermotolerant coliform, comparing the operational conditions of the systems this inside of the bands foreseen in the project, through parameters BOD5, QOD, thermotolerant coliforms, dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, ammoniac nitrogen, total and suspended solids. The work was carried through in the WSPS, all constituted by a primary facultative pond followed by two maturation ponds. Socioeconomic characteristics of population are predominantly low and all the plants are very near of the contributing basins. The series were monitored from of May the November of 2002, totalizing 20 collections of grab samples of raw sewage and ponds effluents between 8:00 and 9:50 h. The main aspect to be detached by the results was the great concentration of organic matter (BOD and COD) and microorganisms the raw sewage which were around two times more concentrated than those values foreseen one in project. Considering all series the highest removals of organic matter were observed in system Beira Rio (84 and 78% of BOD and COD, respectively), which presented high hydraulic detention time (TDH = 89 days). On the other hand, Jardim Lola 1 and Jardim Lola 2 presented a much lower values of HDT (36 days and 18 days respectively) and their removals of BOD and COD were the same (76% and 60%, respectively). The Beira Rio WSPS, was the most efficient verified in relation to solids and ammonia, proving the great influence of the operational variables such as HDT and applied surface organic loadings on the performance of pond series. Although the treatment plants have reached efficiencies of thermotolerant coliforms around 99,999%, the concentrations in the final effluent can be considered very high for launching in aquatic bodies, particularly those produced by Jardim Lola 1 and Jardim Lola 2 series / O sistema de lagoas estabiliza??o ? o tipo de tratamento de esgoto dom?stico mais utilizado no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, contando com 80 sistemas, constru?dos principalmente pelas prefeituras municipais, sendo o sistema de lagoas em s?rie constitu?das de lagoa facultativa prim?ria seguida de lagoas de matura??o um dos mais utilizados. Devido aos problemas relacionados com a produ??o e destino de lodo e gera??o de maus odores, os projetistas t?m evitado o uso de lagoas anaer?bias. Vale salientar que tais sistemas de lagoas comumente n?o s?o monitorados de forma adequada para verificar suas efici?ncias e obter dados para futuros projetos. Este trabalho tem como finalidade fazer um diagn?stico da efici?ncia de tr?s s?ries de lagoas de estabiliza??o na grande Natal, Jardim Lola 1, Jardim Lola 2 e Beira Rio, na remo??o de mat?ria org?nica e coliformes termotolerantes e, verificar se as condi??es operacionais dos sistemas esta dentro das faixas previstas no projeto, atrav?s dos par?metros DBO5, DQO, coliformes termotolerantes, oxig?nio dissolvido, pH, temperatura, nitrog?nio amoniacal, s?lidos totais e suspensos. Os sistemas estudados s?o constitu?dos por uma lagoa facultativa prim?ria seguida de duas lagoas de matura??o, que atendem a uma popula??o predominante de baixa renda a qual est? bem pr?xima da esta??o de tratamento de esgoto. As tr?s ETE s foram monitoradas no per?odo de maio a novembro de 2002, totalizando 20 coletas de amostras pontuais de esgoto bruto e efluentes das lagoas entre 8:00 e 9:50 h. Os principais aspectos a serem destacados no monitoramento foram a grande concentra??o de mat?ria org?nica e microrganismos nos esgoto brutos afluentes em rela??o ao previsto em projeto. Considerando toda a s?rie as maiores remo??es de mat?ria org?nica ocorreram no sistema Beira Rio (84 e 78% de DBO e DQO, respectivamente), que apresentava um TDH de 89 dias enquanto que os sistemas de Jardim Lola 1 e 2 eram de 36 dias e 18 dias respectivamente, foram determinadas remo??es semelhantes de DBO (76%) e de DQO em torno de 60%. O sistema Beira Rio tamb?m foi o mais eficiente na remo??o de s?lidos e de nitrog?nio amoniacal, comprovando a grande influ?ncia das vari?veis operacionais tais como tempo de deten??o hidr?ulica e carga org?nica aplicada, no desempenho dos sistemas de tratamento. Embora as esta??es de tratamento tenham atingido efici?ncias de coliformes termotolerantes em torno de 99,999%, as concentra??es nos efluentes finais podem ser consideradas muito elevadas para lan?amento em corpos aqu?ticos, particularmente as de Jardim Lola 1 e 2

Cette thèse de doctorat s’intéresse à deux thèmes distincts : la prise de décision en situation de risque et l’efficacité économique. Ces deux questions sont traitées dans un cadre empirique en utilisant des bases de données uniques. Le premier chapitre teste les modèles théoriques de décision en situation de risque sur des données réelles de paris hippiques pour identifier la théorie qui permet la meilleure description des choix des individus. Ce chapitre montre que les théories comportementales de la décision en situation de risque (théorie des perspectives cumulées et modèle de l’utilité dépendante du rang) sont mieux adaptées pour expliquer le comportement des parieurs observé dans les données que la théorie de l’utilité espérée. Le second chapitre estime l’effet d’une concentration entre deux grandes entreprises du secteur des transports urbains en France sur leurs coûts. Les résultats obtenus mettent en évidence que la fusion n’a pas entraîné de gains d’efficacité pour les parties à la fusion. Ce résultat s’explique notamment par le contexte dans lequel la fusion a été menée, en particulier les raisons du choix de la cible, la perception des clients et des employés de la fusion, les différences de culture entre les entreprises et la préparation opérationnelle de l’opération. Le troisième chapitre examine l’impact d’une plus grande discrétion dans les procédures d’appels d’offres sur la sélection des opérateurs, en particulier leur productivité. Le résultat principal est que la procédure qui accroît potentiellement le pouvoir discrétionnaire des acheteurs publics conduit à la sélection d’entreprises moins efficaces qu’une procédure n’impliquant pas ou peu de discrétion. Nos analyses complémentaires suggèrent que le résultat s’explique par l’effet d’une plus grande discrétion à l’étape de sélection des entreprises. / This doctoral thesis focuses on two distinct themes: decision-making in situations of risk and economic efficiency. These two questions are treated in an empirical framework using unique databases. The first chapter tests the theoretical models of decision under risk on bets on horseraces to identify the theory that allows the best description of individuals’ choices. This chapter shows that behavioral theories of decision under risk (cumulative prospect theory and rank-dependent utility) are better suited to explain the behavior of bettors observed in the data than the expected utility theory. The second chapter estimates the effect of a merger between two large companies in the urban transport sector in France on their costs. The results show that the merger did not result in efficiency gains for the merging parties. This result can be understood in light of the context in which the merger was conducted, in particular the reasons for the choice of the target, the perception of customers and employees of the merger, the differences in culture between the companies and the operational preparation of the merger. The third chapter examines the impact of greater discretion in tendering procedures on the selection of operators, particularly their productivity. The main result is that the procedure that potentially increases the discretion of public purchasers leads to the selection of less efficient companies than a procedure involving little or no discretion. Further analyzes suggest that the result is due to the effect of greater discretion at the screening stage.

Since the early 1990s lean manufacturing has been employed by companies looking to reduce costs, increase efficiencies and improve quality. Academic studies of the financial benefits of lean manufacturing are mixed in their results, where some show benefit and others do not. The objective of the current work was to confirm a financial benefit of lean manufacturing, while also establishing whether such a financial advantage was sustainable. Financial data was collected for a large number of companies in the manufacturing sector, over the period from 1990 to 2010. The data were used to show correlation between inventory turns and return on assets (ROA), where turns were a measure of the leanness of a firm or an industry. A positive correlation between turns and ROA showed evidence of financial benefit from lean implementation, confirming previous results from a smaller-scale study. It was then shown that about 45% of firms studied had a competitive advantage that could be attributed to their level of leanness. Firms with a competitive advantage were compared to peer companies and it was found that about 60% are able to sustain their competitive advantage for more than 10 years.

Europe is facing a climate and environmental crisis. To respond to this, the European Commission has launched several programmes, which aim to increase sustainability and environmental protection. This aim has been condensed into the policy document that is the European Green Deal. The European Green Deal sets out the aim of making the Union’s economy climate neutral, while improving environmental protection and protecting biodiversity. To this end, several different sectors of the economy need to be overhauled.  In EU Law, a key policy area is to protect free competition. Article 101 TFEU sets out that agreements between undertakings which have as their object or effect the prevention, restriction or distortion of competition are prohibited. Similarly, Article 102 TFEU prohibits abuse by an undertaking of a dominant position.  This thesis explores what happens when competition law thus intersects with the environmental policy of the Union. The thesis identifies two main situations  of interaction. Undertakings can invoke environmental protection to justify a restriction of competition. The Union may also rely on its antitrust provisions to enforce sustainability by holding unsustainable practices as restrictive agreements or abuses of dominant behaviour, respectively, and thus prohibited by the antitrust provisions.  Generally, the thesis concludes that there is not enough information on how the Commission and the CJEU will approach arguments relating to sustainability in its antitrust assessment. The Commission’s consumer welfare standard appears to limit environmental integration to points where a certain factor results affects the environment or sustainability on the one hand, and consumer welfare on the other. The lack of information, moreover, is in itself an issue as undertakings may abstain from environmental action if they believe they will come under scrutiny due to violations of the antitrust provisions. Therefore, a key conclusion in the thesis is that the Commission and the CJEU should set out clear guidelines for environmental action by undertakings, in relation to the antitrust provisions. Similarly, the Commission appears to be cautious to use antitrust as a tool against unsustainable practices. The Commission has, however, recently decided to open an investigation into agreements which limit sustainability, which shows that the picture may be changing.

The hydraulic and removal efficiencies of a Horizontal Flow Treatment Wetlands (HF TW) were investigated through an internal three dimensional grid of sampling ports. Tracer tests and regular monitoring of water quality parameters were performed. Results demonstrated that the HF TW has generally good hydraulic and volumetric efficiencies, with relatively low dead zones. The application of models developed by chemical engineering provided the number of tanks in series and the calculated detention times which were input as parameters in the multi flow with dispersion hydraulic model. This second model identified that water fluxes were not homogeneous with depth inside the TW and 60% of the flow was along the bottom layer of the bed. It also indicated the water flow velocities, which were faster on the bottom of the bed, and the axial dispersion, which was higher where flow velocity was lower. The reviewed inflow rate distribution allowed review for all layers of the nominal detention time and of the hydraulic indexes, which are developed by the chemical engineering theory, and based on the incorrect assumption of homogeneous systems. The P-k-C* degradation model was applied in order to define degradation k-rate values of BOD and COD and the frequency distribution profiles were developed. The degradation rate coefficients for BOD ranked from less than 10 m/yr to more than 300 m/yr. Significant higher degradation rates were observed for all the bottom layers and for the closest sampling line from the inlet. The results of COD were similar to those observed for BOD. Finally, the specific pollutants of nitrogen and phosphorus were analysed for total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). The global trend of the TN degradation coefficient values was a slow and regular decrease over length, having systematically higher degradation coefficients for the bottom layers. The saturation of the media sites for sorption capacity of TP was demonstrated being in progress. Les efficacités hydraulique et épuratoire du filtre planté à écoulement horizontal ont été mesurées grâce à un dispositif de prélèvement tridimensionnel dans un filtre en fonctionnement. Des essais de traçage ont été réalisés ainsi que des analyses régulières de la qualité de leau en tous les points déchantillonnage. Les résultats ont démontré que le filtre présente des efficacités hydraulique et volumétrique généralement bonnes, avec relativement peu de zones mortes. Lapplication des modèles mathématiques issus du génie chimique ont permis la détermination du nombre N de réservoirs en série et de calculer les temps de séjour ; ceux-ci ont ensuite été introduit dans le modèle hydraulique de dispersion multi-couches. Ce second modèle a identifié que les flux en eau nétaient pas homogènes avec la profondeur à lintérieur du système et que 60 % de lécoulement se concentraient dans la couche de fond du filtre. Il a également fournit les vitesses découlement par couche, qui se présentent comme plus rapides dans le fond du filtre, et la dispersion axiale, dont la valeur augmente en corrélation avec une diminution de la vitesse. La distribution du débit par horizon a pu être revue comme non homogène avec la profondeur et a permis de recalculer les index hydrauliques et les temps de séjour par horizon en évitant lhypothèse erronée des modèles du génie chimique de lhomogénéité du système. Le modèle de dégradation des polluants P-k-C* a été appliqué pour définir les valeurs des coefficients de dégradation de la DBO, la DCO et lazote total. Les profils de distribution de fréquence ont été dressés. Les différences de coefficients de dégradation de la DBO sont très hautement significatives avec la profondeur et la longueur, en ayant des valeurs plus importantes pour la couche de fond et pour la première ligne de prélèvement la plus proche de la zone de distribution de leffluent dans le filtre. Les résultats obtenus pour la DCO ont été semblables. Les coefficients de dégradation de lazote total ont montré une décroissance lente et régulière avec la longueur, et des valeurs systématiquement plus importantes avec la profondeur. Finalement, il a été démontré que les sites dadsorption du phosphore total sont en cours de saturation.