Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:52:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5768.pdf: 1096909 bytes, checksum: 724fa8e622698b1b18979ac73b4dbbfd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-18 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / One witness a world in which a company, to survive in a increasingly competitive market, needs to lauch new products in a dwindling time. To reach this, the company needs to acquire technologies, knowledge, skills and abilities through the innovation in both products and processes. In this context, there are the technology parks, that are physical spaces where it happens technology, innovation and information sharing. A technology park works as a mechanism for business: there are technology-based companies, business incubators, universities, research institutions, higher education institutions and research laboratories. Thus, it creats a propitios environment so that there are relationships between companies and universities, or, in other words, academic knowledge becomes a part of the daily business and it develops itself in innovation that can be marketed. So that the park can achieve it goals and develop and disseminate technological processes it needs to establish strong links with government institutions, compnies that complies with its objective and universities that are able to provide academic knowledge. This study aims to determine whether the presence of a technology park encourages the creation and development of academic spin-offs in São Carlos city (SP). It was a multi case study in São Carlos Science Park and Parque Eco Tecnológico Damha-São Carlos. As the mainly results, it was possible to note that having two technology parks in the city was not enough to stimulate the creation of academic spin-offs, but it is enough to maintain and develop the spin-offs that already been created. Besides, it was possible to note that the entrepreneurs miss the incentive from the university to create academic spin-offs and to create links with incubators and technology parks. / Presencia-se um mundo no qual uma empresa, para sobreviver em um mercado cada vez mais competitivo, precisa lançar produtos novos em um espaço de tempo cada vez menor. Para que consiga isso, a empresa precisa adquirir tecnologias, conhecimento, habilidades e competências por meio da inovação, tanto em seus produtos quando em seus processos. Neste contexto, aparecem os parques tecnológicos, definidos como espaços físicos aonde acontece o compartilhamento de tecnologia, inovação e informação. Um parque tecnológico funciona como um mecanismo de negócios: nele estão empresas de base tecnológica, incubadoras de empresas, universidades, institutos de pesquisa e de ensino superior e laboratórios de pesquisa. Desta forma, cria-se um ambiente propício para que haja relações entre empresas e universidades, ou seja, o conhecimento acadêmico passa a integrar o cotidiano das empresas e se desenvolve em inovação que pode ser comercializada. Para que o parque tecnológico consiga atingir seus objetivos e desenvolver e difundir os processos tecnológicos, ele precisa estabelecer relações fortes com instituições governamentais, empresas que estejam de acordo com seus objetivos e universidades que forneçam o conhecimento acadêmico. Este trabalho teve como objetivo verificar como a presença de um parque tecnológico estimula a criação e o desenvolvimento de spin-offs acadêmicos na cidade de São Carlos - SP. Foi feito um estudo multicaso no São Carlos Science Park e no Parque Eco Tecnológico Damha-São Carlos, além de seis empresas do tipo spin-off acadêmico localizadas na Fundação ParqTec, que é uma incubadora de empresas, em São Carlos. Como resultados principais, foi possível observar que a presença de Parques Tecnológicos não é suficiente para se estimular a criação de spin-offs acadêmicos, mas é necessária para manter e desenvolver os que existem. Além disso, foi possível notar que os empreendedores sentem falta do incentivo da universidade para criação de spin-offs e para o estabelecimento de relações destas com incubadoras e parques tecnológicos.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:52:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 6739.pdf: 3515889 bytes, checksum: 9736920a79f9dfa524e4b73ca41e7759 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-26 / Spin-off companies can be defined as firms founded to exploit intellectual property or specific capabilities developed at universities and research institutes. In this context, the main goal of this work was to understand from the perspective of Transaction Costs Theory which are the main factors responsible for the creation of such companies in universities and research institutes of southeastern Brazil. In order to do so, a survey was conducted with the Technology Transfer Offices directors of 102 universities and research institutes of this region. Through a literature review in academic entrepreneurship, creation of spin-offs, Transaction Costs Theory and Brazilian innovation system it was possible to develop a theoretical and conceptual model for the creation of spin-off companies. This model indicates that the likelihood of spin-offs creation increases with: (1) low information seeking costs; (2) low bargaining costs; (3) high degree of interaction between researchers and technology transfer offices; and (4) policies aimed to the reduction of transaction costs within the creation process of these companies. The results were investigated through a descriptive analysis and using two separate regression techniques. The first technique used was a logistic regression, which related the (non) existence of spin-offs to the independent variables proposed by the theoretical and conceptual model. The second technique, in turn, was a linear regression using as dependent variable the number of spin-off companies at the investigated institutions per thousand researchers. The data analysis indicated there were signs that lower information seeking costs, high degree of interaction between researchers and technology transfer offices, as well as the existence of policies aimed to reduce transaction costs in the spin-off creation process are favorable for the generation of these companies. Though, there was no evidence that suggest bargaining costs influence the likelihood of the creation of spin-offs at universities and research institutes. / Empresas do tipo spin-off podem ser definidas como negócios fundados com o intuito de explorar propriedade intelectual ou competências específicas desenvolvidas em universidades e institutos de pesquisa. Nesse contexto, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi entender, sob a ótica de Teoria dos Custos de Transação, quais são os fatores determinantes para a criação dessas empresas em universidades e institutos de pesquisa da região sudeste do Brasil. Para tanto, foi realizado um levantamento do tipo survey juntamente aos dirigentes dos Núcleos de Inovação Tecnológica NIT de 102 universidades e institutos de pesquisa dessa região. Por meio de uma revisão bibliográfica em empreendedorismo acadêmico, criação de spin-offs, Teoria dos Custos de Transação e sistema de inovação brasileiro, foi possível a elaboração de um modelo teórico-conceitual para a criação de spin-offs. Esse modelo indica que a propensão de criação de spin-offs aumenta com: (1) baixos custos de busca de informações; (2) baixos custos de negociação; (3) alto grau de interação entre pesquisadores e escritórios de transferência de tecnologia; e (4) políticas direcionadas à diminuição dos custos de transação no processo de criação dessas empresas. Os resultados encontrados foram investigados por meio de uma análise descritiva e de duas técnicas de regressão distintas. A primeira técnica utilizada foi uma regressão logística, que relacionou a existência de spin-offs às variáveis independentes propostas no modelos teórico-conceitual. A segunda técnica, por sua vez, foi uma regressão linear que teve como variável dependente a quantidade de spin-offs criadas nas instituições investigadas a cada mil pesquisadores. A análise dos dados indicou que houve sinais de que baixos custos de busca de informações, alto grau de interação entre pesquisadores e escritórios de transferência de tecnologia, assim como a existência de políticas que diminuam os custos de transação no processo de criação de spin-offs são favoráveis para a geração dessas empresas. Não houve indícios de que os custos de negociações tenham influência na propensão de criação de spin-offs. Empresas do tipo spin-off podem ser definidas como negócios fundados com o intuito de explorar propriedade intelectual ou competências específicas desenvolvidas em universidades e institutos de pesquisa. Nesse contexto, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi entender, sob a ótica de Teoria dos Custos de Transação, quais são os fatores determinantes para a criação dessas empresas em universidades e institutos de pesquisa da região sudeste do Brasil. Para tanto, foi realizado um levantamento do tipo survey juntamente aos dirigentes dos Núcleos de Inovação Tecnológica NIT de 102 universidades e institutos de pesquisa dessa região. Por meio de uma revisão bibliográfica em empreendedorismo acadêmico, criação de spin-offs, Teoria dos Custos de Transação e sistema de inovação brasileiro, foi possível a elaboração de um modelo teórico-conceitual para a criação de spin-offs. Esse modelo indica que a propensão de criação de spin-offs aumenta com: (1) baixos custos de busca de informações; (2) baixos custos de negociação; (3) alto grau de interação entre pesquisadores e escritórios de transferência de tecnologia; e (4) políticas direcionadas à diminuição dos custos de transação no processo de criação dessas empresas. Os resultados encontrados foram investigados por meio de uma análise descritiva e de duas técnicas de regressão distintas. A primeira técnica utilizada foi uma regressão logística, que relacionou a existência de spin-offs às variáveis independentes propostas no modelos teórico-conceitual. A segunda técnica, por sua vez, foi uma regressão linear que teve como variável dependente a quantidade de spin-offs criadas nas instituições investigadas a cada mil pesquisadores. A análise dos dados indicou que houve sinais de que baixos custos de busca de informações, alto grau de interação entre pesquisadores e escritórios de transferência de tecnologia, assim como a existência de políticas que diminuam os custos de transação no processo de criação de spin-offs são favoráveis para a geração dessas empresas. Não houve indícios de que os custos de negociações tenham influência na propensão de criação de spin-offs.

Les systèmes d’élevage répondant aux principes de l’agroécologie doivent pouvoir s’adapter aux variations de leur environnement, en particulier parce qu’ils sont pensés pour maximiser l’utilisation des ressources locales et minimiser l’utilisation d’intrants. La composante animale des systèmes d’élevage peut dans ce contexte représenter un levier d’adaptation aux perturbations de l’environnement et contribuer à la pérennité des systèmes. Ainsi, produire des connaissances qui permettront de sélectionner des animaux robustes c’est-à-dire capables de se maintenir et de maintenir leurs performances dans un environnement changeant est actuellement un objectif prioritaire de la recherche en zootechnie. Peu de méthodes d’évaluation scientifique de la robustesse des animaux d’élevage ont été développées, et la seule méthode opérationnelle à ce jour, basée sur l’étude statique d’une seule fonction (l’approche norme de réaction) est remise en question. L’objectif de cette thèse est de proposer un cadre d’évaluation opérationnel de la robustesse, c’est-à-dire utilisable en élevage. Dans ce but, nous nous sommes focalisés sur le modèle vache laitière et avons mené deux démarches complémentaires, l’une basée sur l’analyse de données issues de fermes expérimentales de l’INRA et visant à évaluer les aptitudes biologiques des vaches à gérer les compromis (trade-offs) entre fonctions biologiques (lactation, reproduction et survie) en environnement stable puis perturbé. La seconde démarche est basée sur des enquêtes auprès d’éleveurs laitiers en vue de caractériser les stratégies de conduite (objectifs et seuils de performances) qui relèvent de la recherche d’adéquation animal-système et contribue à la robustesse des animaux. Enfin un travail de synthèse a permis d’intégrer les contributions respectives des deux approches dans la conception du cadre d’évaluation de la robustesse, ceci afin qu’il puisse être manipulable par l’ensemble des acteurs de la recherche, du terrain et du développement. Ce cadre opérationnel propose que la robustesse des vaches laitières soit évaluée en confrontant les aptitudes biologiques des animaux exprimées dans un environnement donné, aux stratégies de conduite des éleveurs. Pour ce faire, il convient 1/ de caractériser les trajectoires productives des vaches laitières sur la base de l’expression des compromis entre fonctions biologiques en situation stable et perturbée, 2/ de les confronter aux objectifs et les seuils de performances des éleveurs, 3/ d’analyser l’adéquation entre les profils de performances exprimés par l’animal et les profils de priorisation des performances des éleveurs, 4/ de prendre en compte les complémentarités entre animaux pour passer au niveau troupeau. Des indicateurs de fitness des animaux (longévité, nombre de descendants dans le troupeau) permettent de valider cette analyse. / Agroecological livestock farming systems have to be able to adapt to environmental variability because they are designed to maximize the use of local resources and minimize the use of inputs. The animal component of livestock farming systems could represent a lever to adapt to environmental disturbances and contribute to systems durability. Thus, producing scientific knowledge allowing the selection of robust animals, able to maintain and maintain their performances in a fluctuating environment is one main stake for farming system research. Few methods have been developed to assess robustness in farm animals, and the only operational measurement (reaction norm) that relies only on the analysis of one function at a given time is currently turned into question. This thesis objective is to propose an operational assessment framework of robustness, that is to say, usable on the field. To that end, we focused on the dairy cow model and carried two complementary approaches, one based on the analysis of data collected from INRA experimental units, aiming at assessing biological aptitudes of dairy cows to manage trade-offs between function (lactation, reproduction and survival) in stable and disturbed environments. The second approach is based on data collected during interviews with dairy farmers in order to characterize their management strategies (objectives and performance thresholds) associated with the search of the animal-system balance contributing to animals’ robustness. Finally, a synthesis integrated the respective inputs of the two approaches in the assessment framework of robustness, in order to make it usable by actors from research, farms and development. This operational framework suggests that robustness of dairy cows should be assessed by comparing biological aptitudes of the animals expressed in a given environment, with the management strategies of farmers. It requires, 1/ to characterized productive trajectories of dairy cows including trade-offs between function in stable and disturbed environment, 2/ to compare them with performance objective and thresholds of farmers, 3/ to analyze the balance between the performances profiles expressed by the animal and the profiles of performances prioritization of farmers, 4/ account for complementarities between animals to step up to the herd level. Animals’ fitness indicators (longevity, number of descendants) are used to validate the analysis

Ecological communities along gradients of environmental stress are thought to be structured by trade-offs between resisting biotic interactions in physically benign habitats and successfully exploiting physically stressful habitats. However, these trade-offs are likely to be affected by the predictability of abiotic stressors, and variation in the strength of biotic interactions. I investigated community assembly and food web interactions in ponds across an unpredictable gradient of water inundation (pond permanence) in Canterbury, New Zealand. Pond community composition and species richness were strongly influenced by pond permanence. However, species in temporary ponds were a nested subset of generalists that were also found in permanent ponds, rather than a unique assemblage of temporary pond specialists. Subsequent experiments indicated predator impact decreased with pond permanence, partially due to the foraging suppression of predatory invertebrates in permanent ponds by fish. Weak predation in permanent ponds combined with unpredictable drying regimes likely selected for generalist traits, and resulted in community assembly being driven by a gradient of drying stress rather than trade-offs between biotic interactions and drying. Furthermore, predator impact increased over time in temporary ponds. In predictable snow-melt ponds in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, seasonal windows of weak predation were exploited by vulnerable species, leading to increased diversity within habitats. However in unpredictable systems like Canterbury, temporal increases in predation risk that depend on drying history are likely to increase variability in the spatial arrangement of suitable habitats for particular species. This should further favour the evolution of generalist traits and reduce the importance of trade-offs between predation and drying in the assembly of communities. Considering the predictability of disturbance regimes and the spatial and temporal variation in biotic interactions will greatly enhance understanding and management of communities in heterogeneous landscapes.

Oxidative stress has recently been highlighted as a potential physiological mechanism underpinning life-history trade-offs in animals. While the role of oxidative stress in mediating such trade-offs is receiving increasing attention, its importance in wild populations remains poorly understood. In this thesis, I use a wild population of cooperatively breeding white-browed sparrow weavers (Plocepasser mahali) to investigate the role that oxidative stress plays in mediating the costs of reproduction and immune defence. Cooperative animal societies offer a unique opportunity to investigate the costs of reproduction, because dominants frequently monopolise breeding opportunities (exhibiting higher reproductive effort than subordinates), and subordinate cooperative contributions frequently lighten reproductive workloads. My findings reveal, first, that dominants’ reproductive monopolies do not arise because they exhibit superior oxidative balance, as no such rank-related differences in oxidative state exist prior to breeding (Chapter 2). However, the higher reproductive effort of dominant females may underpin their differential declines in antioxidant protection after the breeding season (Chapter 2). Second, experimental manipulation of reproductive effort reveals marked oxidative damage and body mass costs incurred during reproduction. However, these costs are entirely mitigated in large social groups, suggesting that the cooperative contributions of helpers may offset the costs of reproduction for all group members (Chapter 3). While this represents rare evidence of an oxidative stress cost of reproduction in the wild, longitudinal data suggests that these costs do not endure after the breeding season (Chapter 4), highlighting that circulating markers of oxidative balance are unlikely to mediate long-term costs of reproduction. Finally, an immune activation experiment reveals that, while mounting an immune response causes no net change in oxidative balance, the scale of the response can be adjusted according to baseline antioxidant protection in an oxidative-condition-dependent manner (Chapter 5). Together my results provide support for the role of oxidative stress in shaping life histories in the wild. Furthermore, evidence of rank-related disparities in oxidative balance and the avoidance of reproductive costs in large social groups may have important implications for our understanding of both the evolution of cooperative breeding and the patterns of health and ageing in societies.

Effective visualization of graphs is a powerful tool to help understand the relationships among the graph's underlying objects and to interact with them. Several styles for drawing graphs have emerged over the last three decades. Polyline drawing is a widely used style for drawing graphs, where each node is mapped to a distinct point in the plane and each edge is mapped to a polygonal chain between their corresponding nodes. Some common optimization criteria for such a drawing are defined in terms of area requirement, number of bends per edge, angular resolution, number of distinct line segments, edge crossings, and number of planar layers. In this thesis we develop algorithms for drawing graphs that optimize different aesthetic qualities of the drawing. Our algorithms seek to simultaneously optimize multiple drawing aesthetics, reveal potential trade-offs among them, and improve many previous graph drawing algorithms. We start by exploring probable trade-offs in the context of planar graphs. We prove that every $n$-vertex planar triangulation $G$ with maximum degree $\Delta$ can be drawn with at most $2n+t-3$ segments and $O(8^t \cdot \Delta^{2t})$ area, where $t$ is the number of leaves in a Schnyder tree of $G$. We then show that one can improve the area by allowing the edges to have bends. Since compact drawings often suffer from bad angular resolution, we seek to compute polyline drawings with better angular resolution. We develop a polyline drawing algorithm that is simple and intuitive, yet implies significant improvement over known results. At this point we move our attention to drawing nonplanar graphs. We prove that every thickness-$t$ graph can be drawn on $t$ planar layers with $\min\{O(2^{t/2} \cdot n^{1-1/\beta}), 2.25n +O(1)\}$ bends per edge, where $\beta = 2^{\lceil (t-2)/2 \rceil }$. Previously, the bend complexity, i.e., the number of bends per edge, was not known to be sublinear for $t>2$. We then examine the case when the number of available layers is restricted. The layers may now contain edge crossings. We develop a technique to draw complete graphs on two layers, which improves previous upper bounds on the number of edge crossings in such drawings. / October 2016

A presente dissertação teve como objetivo investigar se padrões presentes nas comunidades arbóreas adultas podem ser gerados por diferenças em aspectos relacionados ao nicho de regeneração das espécies. Nosso modelo de estudo foram duas florestas de restinga localizadas na Ilha do Cardoso, litoral sul do estado de São Paulo. A floresta de restinga alta (RA) é uma formação geologicamente mais antiga e possui dossel mais fechado que a floresta de restinga baixa (RB). No Capítulo 1, investigamos se as inversões de abundância das árvores adultas entre RA e RB podem ser geradas devido ao desempenho diferenciado destas espécies ainda na fase de plântula, devido à atuação do filtro ambiental luminosidade. Hipotetizamos que as espécies apresentem pior desempenho no estágio de plântula na floresta em que são menos abundantes como adultos, devido a uma demanda conflitante entre crescimento e sobrevivência. Esperávamos também que a mortalidade por patógenos fosse a principal causa de mortalidade das plântulas na floresta mais sombreada. Realizamos um experimento manipulativo em campo com seis espécies arbóreas, no qual plântulas com um mês após a germinação foram transplantadas nas duas florestas e no viveiro. Acompanhamos o desempenho destas plântulas durante nove meses. Não houve diferenças no desempenho das espécies entre as duas florestas estudadas, exceto na sobrevivência de Clusia criuva (no sentido esperado) e de Tapirira guianensis (sentido oposto ao esperado). Diferente do esperado, a principal causa de mortalidade de todas as espécies foi a herbivoria severa e não foi observado um conflito entre crescimento e sobrevivência. No Capítulo 2 investigamos se as diferenças de tamanho de semente entre as espécies arbóreas zoocóricas podem gerar diferenças nos padrões da comunidade adulta e essas diferenças ocorrem devido à atuação do filtro ambiental da luminosidade ou apenas devido às diferenças de capacidade de dispersão das espécies. Acompanhamos a chuva de sementes das espécies zoocóricas arbóreas durante quatro anos nas duas florestas e verficamos que a capacidade de dispersão ativa está negativamente relacionada ao tamanho de sementes, como é previsto por ambas as hipóteses (filtro ambiental e capacidade dispersão). Além disso, a relação entre a produção média de sementes e o tamanho de sementes apresentou um padrão triangular, de modo que as espécies de sementes grandes apresentam sempre baixas produções. Comparamos os tamanhos médios de sementes e a amplitude de tamanhos de sementes dos indivíduos e espécies estabelecidos como adultos nas duas florestas (DAP>= 5cm). Verificamos que a RA apresenta tamanho médio de semente e amplitude de tamanhos de sementes maiores que a RB. Além disso, a composição florística da RB está aninhada na composição da RA. Assim, hipotetiamos que as diferenças na capacidade de dispersão das espécies, aliadas às diferenças de idade das florestas são responsáveis pela distribuição de tamanho de sementes dos adultos estabelecidos nas duas florestas. Por fim, no capítulo 3, realizamos uma revisão bibliográfica sobre o papel dos microorganismos do solo no nicho de regeneração das espécies arbóreas tropicais. Foram encontrados estudos que abordam apenas a atuação de fungos, seja em interações positivas (fungos micorrízicos) ou negativas (fungos patogênicos). Discutimos os principais fatores e características associadas à mortalidade por patógenos do solo, bem como relações levantadas pelos estudos pioneiros que não foram corroboradas ou testadas / The objective of the current research was to investigate if the existing patterns in the adult tree communities can be generated by differences in the aspect related to the regeneration niche of species. Our model of study were two restinga\'s forests located at the Cardoso Island, on the South coast of São Paulo state. The tall resting forest (TRF) is an older formation, geologically speaking, and it hás closer canopies than the short resting forest (SRF). In the first chapter, we investigated if the abundance inversions of adult trees existing between the TRF and the SRF could be generated due to the differentiated performances of these species at the stage of the seedling, due to the action of the environmental light filter. We assumed as a hypothesis that the species show a worst performance in the stage of seedling in the forest where they are less abundant as adult, due to a trade-off between growth and survival. We expected that the mortality by pathogens was the main cause for the mortality of plants in the more shaded forest. We achieved a manipulative experiment in field with six tree species, in which one-month-old seedlings after germination were transplanted in the two forests and in the nursery. We followed the performance of the species in the two studied forests for nine months. There were no differences in the performance of the two species, except the survival of the Clusia criuva (in the expected way) and of the Tapirira guianensis (opposite to the expected way).Different from what was expected, the main cause of the mortality of all the species was the severe herbivory, and it was not possible to observe a conflict between the growth and the survival of them. In the second chapter, we investigated if the differences in the size of the seeds among the zoochoric tree species can generate differences in the patterns of the adult community and if those differences occur due to an action of the environment lighting filter or only by the differences of the dispersion capacity of the species. We followed the seed rain of the zoochoric tree species for four years in both forests and we could check that the active dispersion capacity of them is negatively related to the size of the seeds, as it can be predicted by both the hypothesis (environmental filter and dispersion capacity). Besides, the relationship between the average production of seeds and the size of the seeds presented a triangular pattern, as species with big seeds always provide low productions. We compared the seeds average sizes and the range of the seeds sizes of the individual plants and of the adult species in both forests (DAP_> 5 cm. We could verify that the TRF presents average size of seeds and range of the seeds\'s sizes that were bigger than in SRF. Furthermore, the SRF floristic composition is nested in the TRF composition. Therefore, we assumed as a hypothesis that the differences in the dispersal capacity of species, plus the age differences of the forests, are responsible for the distribution of the seeds sizes of the adult plants present in both forests. Finally, in chapter 3, we made a literature review about the role of the soil microorganisms in the specific site of the regeneration of the tropical tree species. We found studies that focus only on the action of the fungi as far in positive interactions (mycorrhizal fungi) as in negative ones (pathogenic fungi). We discussed the main factors and the characteristics associated to the mortality caused by the soil pathogens, as well as the relationship proposed by the pioneer studies which were not confirmed nor tested

The immune system provides protection against parasites and is crucial for survival, but mounting, maintaining and controlling an immune response is expensive. Under limited resources these costs can lead to investment trade-offs between life history traits in order to maximize an individual's fitness. Understanding how these trade-offs relate to immunity can be important in understanding individual variation in fitness and the broader ecological implications that this may have in a population. In the wild there is evidence of trade-offs between life history traits and immunity, but there are relatively few studies which have measured specific aspects of the immune system under natural parasitic exposure. Using reagents developed in domestic sheep, I measured an unusually broad range of immune markers in a wild population of Soay sheep on the island of Hirta, St Kilda, Scotland. These include: T cell subsets (CD4+, CD8+, CD4+ & CD8+ naïve, gamma delta and Foxp3), anti-T.circumcincta (T. circ) antibody isotopes, (IgA, IgE, IgG), leukocyte subtypes (neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio & eosinophils), and leukocyte telomere length (LTL). I found that, in a year under high selection pressure for survival, anti-T. circ IgG positively predicted survival across all ages and for both sexes. Additionally, females had higher proportions of naïve T cells than males; a previously unreported sex difference in a wild mammal. In chapter 2, analysis of lambs in early life found higher growth rates associated with low antibody measures, while lower growth rates related to low antibody measures and high levels of inflammatory marker. I also found that male lambs with high anti-T. circ IgE and IgG were less likely to survive over-winter, contrary to the findings across all ages in chapter 1. In chapter 3, I detected an increase in LTL attrition with age in males >3 years, but this was not significant in females or in younger animals. In male lambs, high investment in horn growth was related to reduced LTL. Changes in LTL were independent of variation in leukocyte cell populations. The data in this thesis demonstrate the complexity of immune variation in the wild, and highlight the value of multiple ecologically relevant markers to understanding the evolutionary implications of resource trade-offs.

Syfte: Uppsatsens huvudsyfte är att kartlägga och beskriva hur modebranschen förhåller sig till fenomenet kopiering. Genom att kategorisera olika attityder gentemot kopiering samt de aktörer som står bakom attityderna, analyseras även varför vilka aktörer har specifika attityder kopplat till fenomenet.Design/Metod/Ansats: Uppsatsen presenterar, med hjälp av kategorier, de attityder och aktörer som är representerade i debatten om kopiering. Ett urval har gjorts i fråga om vilka media och texter som ska analyseras i ramen för studien. Dessa texter har sedan analyserats så till vida att kategorier av attityder kunnat identifieras i texterna. I ett andra steg har de aktörer som står bakom de identifierade attityderna kategoriserats. Slutligen har en analys gjorts gällande varför vissa attityder kan sammankopplas med vissa aktörer. Resultat: Studiens referensram och uppsatsens empiriska studies resultat har vid analys kunnat visa på vilka attityder gentemot kopiering som finns representerade i modebranschen, samt på vilka aspekter som påverkar hur, och förklarar varför, en aktör resonerar och förhåller sig till kopiering på det sätt som görs.Originalitet/Värde: Uppsatsen belyser nya typer av kopiering som är aktuella idag och kompletterar på så vis tidigare forsking inom området, vilken framför allt behandlat piratkopiering. Dessutom fokuseras modebranschens interna och professionella aktörer istället för konsumenter, vilket också syftar till att belysa ämnet kopiering utifrån en nytt perspektiv.Objective: The main objective of this paper is to identify and describe how the fashion industry is related to the phenomenon of copying. By categorizing different attitudes toward copying, and the actors behind the attitudes, analysis is made as to why the actors have specific attitudes associated with the phenomenon. Design/Methodology/Approach: The thesis presents, using categories, the attitudes and actors that are represented in the debate on copying. A selection has been made on what media and texts are to be analyzed in the study. These texts were then analyzed in the sense that the categories of attitudes were identified in the texts. In a second step, the actors behind the identified attitudes also were categorized. Finally, an analysis is made as to why certain attitudes are associated with certain actors.Results: When analyzed, the study of reference and the thesis empirical study results, show the attitudes toward copying that are represented in the fashion industry. The analysis also present the aspects that affect how, and explains why an actor think and relate to copying in the manner set out.Originality/Value: The thesis highlights new types of copying that are relevant today and the thesis is therefore complementary to previous research in the area, which has mainly focused on piracy. Furthermore, the thesis is focused on the fashion industry's professional actors rather than consumers, which also serves to illustrate the subject of copying from a new perspective. / Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

Accounting for goodwill and identifiable intangibles is one of the most controversial issues in financial reporting. It has been on the agenda of the Australian Accounting Standards Board, the US, UK, and the International Accounting Standards Boards, and the Full High Court of Australia. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has also placed accounting for intangibles in its Media Releases directed at specific companies. Evidence suggests that the materiality of goodwill and identifiable intangible assets in corporate statements of financial position for a large number of companies is the reason for the considerable attention given to goodwill and identifiable intangibles. The present study has two objectives. First, it analyses the Australian market perception of goodwill and identifiable intangibles as assets in the determination of the market valuation of companies. Second, it investigates whether the market perceives goodwill and identifiable intangibles as wasting resources when valuing Australian firms. In order to achieve these objectives, the analysis initially develops and estimates a model (the asset-based model) that uses financial position statement items to explain the market value of companies' equity. This model examines the association between reported goodwill and identifiable intangible asset values and companies' market values. Given Ohlson's (1993) argument that companies' market value might be better explained by a model that includes a stock concept of value and a flow concept of earnings, a second model (the asset and income-based model) that incorporates an income variable into the initial model, is then developed and estimated. This model examines the association between the goodwill and identifiable intangible amortisation expense and companies' market values. Evidence suggests that there is a statistically significant negative association between equity market values and write-offs of goodwill, confirming the market perception of write-offs of goodwill as a wasting resource when valuing companies. Evidence also suggests that there is a statistically significant negative association between equity market values and write-offs of identifiable intangibles, at least for the total sample of the present study, providing limited evidence of the market perception of identifiable intangibles as wasting resources when valuing companies. However, the negative and inconsistently significant association between equity market values and write-offs of identifiable intangibles on an annual basis suggests that the relationship may be more complex than traditionally analysed / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)