Follow-up is a natural component of both project management and projects which, curiously enough, the research community has not previously addressed. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of the follow-up process in project management. The follow-up process is defined as a process where execution and implementation is improved through the exertion of continuous control. The method used was a multiple-case study, building on data from four organizations actively implementing follow-up processes. The data comprised interviews with project managers from the case organizations, company documentation, annual reports, publicly available information and presentations. The sectors the case organizations operated in were IT services, manufacturing, event organization, and a governmental administrative authority. Five themes emerged from an analysis of the empirical data which were found to influence the follow-up process in projects. The five themes are Documentation, Standardization, Accountability, Learning and Risk Assessment. With insights from the five themes, the research community and project managers can gain a strong understanding of what the follow-up process looks like and its role in project management. The implications for project managers include a better appreciation of the follow-up process and knowledge of the aspects to consider when setting up a new project process. With this paper the authors hope to contribute to the improvement of project management research and practice through a heightened awareness and understanding of the follow-up process.

Detta examensarbete undersöker vad som utgör effektiv visuell kommunikation. Litteraturstudier om kommunikation och designprinciper har utförts. För att få fördjupad kunskap har ett säljmaterial i form av en broschyr tagits fram åt ett företag där kunskap om effektiv visuell kommunikation applicerats. Detta har utgjort examensarbetets praktiska del. Arbetet har utförts efter Petterssons (2002) modell och resulterat i en broschyr med pop up- funktioner. Att utgå från en kommunikationsteori för att sätta sig in i mottagarens situation och de eventuella störningsmoment som kan ske vid överförandet av ett meddelande har visat sig varit mycket användbart. Även förståelse för vanligt förekommande kommunikationshinder och hur människans perception fungerar anses vara till fördel att inkludera i arbetet. Kunskap om designprinciper ökar chanserna att lyckas utforma effektiv visuell kommunikation. / This thesis examines the foundation of efficient visual communication. Literary studies of communication and design principals have been executed. To gain thorough knowledge a sales material in the form of a brochure has been produced for a company where knowledge of effective visual communication has been applied. The brochure has been the practical part of the thesis. The work has been executed based on Petterssons (2002) model and has resulted in a brochure with pop up-functions. To proceed from a communication theory in understanding the receiver’s situation and the eventual disturbances that can occur during the transmission of a message has proven very useful. Also, the understanding of frequently occurring communication impediments and how the human perception works is seen as an advantage to include in the produce. Knowledge of design principles increases the chances to create effective visual communication.

Denna studie är av kvalitativ art och syftar till att undersöka huruvida crowdfunding kan överbrygga ett eventuellt finansiellt gap för svenska företag och entreprenörer. Undersökningen fokuserar på tre typer av respondenter, vilka är representerade av företag som brukar crowdfunding som finansieringsform, bolag som fungerar likt ombud för att förmedla kapital med hjälp av finansieringsformen samt respondenter vilka opererar likt investerare i projekten. Studien teoretiska referensram är uppdelad i två sektioner, varav den första avser att beskriva crowdfunding utifrån generiska teorier, vilka utgörs av the Pecking Order Theory samt the Agency Principal Theory. Den andra sektionen ämnar mer specifikt beskriva crowdfunding samt belysa dess revenyer och brister och utgörs av tidigare forskning inom området. Studien mynnar ut i en slutsats att crowdfunding, genom dess tre former, kan utgöra en lösning i form av att metoden kan fungera likt ett komplement för att åter balansera det finansiella vakuum nyföretagare upplever i samband med erhållande av kapital. / This is a qualitative study which aims to investigate whether crowdfunding can fill up a financial gap for Swedish companies. The survey focuses on three types of respondents, which are represented by companies who uses crowdfunding as financing, companies that acts like an agent for providing capital through crowdfunding and respondents which operates as investors in crowdfunding projects. The study’s theoretical framework is divided into two sections, the first of which relates to describe crowdfunding based on generic theories, which consists of the Pecking Order Theory and the Agency Principal Theory. The second section intends to, more specifically, describe crowdfunding and highlight its shortcomings as well as its advantages and consists of previous research within the field. The study culminates in a conclusion that crowdfunding, through its three forms, can be a solution in sense that the method can be used as a complement to rebalance the financial vacuum new enterprises experience in relation to obtaining capital.

Det finns två typer av goodwill, den första typen är internt upparbetad goodwill och den andra typen är goodwill som uppkommer vid förvärv av företag. Fokus i denna uppsats kommer att ligga på den förvärvade goodwill, som kan upplevas som en svart låda då det kan vara oklart vad posten faktiskt består av. Förvärvad goodwill kan definieras på olika sätt av företagen, i den akademiska världen har främst två perspektiv identifierats, top-downperspektivet och bottom-upperspektivet. Ur den första synvinkeln ses goodwill som en restpost och ur den andra synvinkeln kan goodwill ses som en summa av de komponenter som posten består av. Genom att betrakta dessa perspektiv är tanken att få en inblick i hur företagen väljer att redovisa sin goodwill. Det kan vara lättare sagt än gjort, teori och praktik går inte alltid hand i hand. Det finns ett glapp mellan hur praktiker jobbar med goodwill och teoretikers åsikt om posten. Varför det finns meningsskiljaktigheter växer successivt fram under studiens gång. Det finns än så länge bara ett fåtal studier som behandlar själva begreppet goodwill och dess olika perspektiv samt hur företagen ser på goodwill. För att försöka bidra till ökad förståelse på detta område, har vi i denna uppsats undersökt om teorin och praktiken kommit varandra närmare. Det främsta syftet med studien är att ta reda på om företag inom bemanningsbranschen definierar sin goodwill olika i sina årsredovisningar. För att undersöka detta på ett begripligt sätt har tre professionella respondenter intervjuats i ett försök att klargöra komplexiteten av posten.   Slutsatsen är att det inte går att identifiera vilket perspektiv som används i en årsredovisning på grund av att dessa är väldigt standardiserade, vilket gör att det blir svårt för intressenten att utläsa särskilt mycket information om goodwillposten.  Det alternativ som kändes mest relevant att använda och som skulle hjälpa oss att kunna få klarhet i vår frågeställning, var att vända sig till en urvalsgrupp av representanter på området. Den analys som efterföljde resulterade i att vi kunde konstatera att samtliga svarande på det praktiska området såg goodwillposten mer eller mindre som en restpost. Ingen värdering eller starkare reflektion gjordes kring det andra teoretiska perspektivet. Sammanfattningsvis vågar vi påstå att det inte skett någon märkbar förändring som gjort att teori och praktik närmat sig varandra. / There is two ways to understand goodwill. Number one, internally generated goodwill and number two, acquired purchase goodwill. The main topic for this research is acquired purchase goodwill. Many people believe that goodwill is a sort of black box.  It is unclear what goodwill actually is. There is no limit on how you can define acquired purchase goodwill. In academia we talk about two perspectives, top-down perspective and bottom-up perspective. The first perspective sees goodwill as a residual and the second perspective sees goodwill as a sum of its components. When you put on these two glasses, the idea is that you may be able to see how businesses account for their goodwill. It is easier said than done, many times theory and practice does not get along. There is a big space between the theories on how you work with goodwill in the reality. Only a few have studied the definition of goodwill. Because of that we really wanted to investigate this phenomenon. We have analyzed if the gap between theory and reality has been reduced. The purpose of this study is to investigate if the staffing companies define goodwill different in their annual reports. The tool we have used is to interview professional accountants to get their opinion. The conclusion is that the annual report is quite standardized which means it is difficult to understand what goodwill actually is. Everybody we interviewed have the same opinion, that goodwill is a residual. They made no reflections or additions on that subject. In summary, we know now that after our study, no big change has been made between theory and practice.

The polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is an electrochemical device used for the production of power, which is a key for the transition towards green and renewable power delivery devices for mobile, stationary and back-up power applications. PEMFCs consume hydrogen and oxygen to produce power, water and heat. The transient start-up from sub-zero freezing temperature conditions is a problem for the successful, undamaged and unhindered operation. The generation and presence of water in the PEMFC stack in such an environment leads to the formation of ice that hinders the flow of gases, causes morphological changes in the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) leading to reversible and irreversible degradation of stack performance. Start-up performance is highly dependent on start-up operational conditions and procedures. The previous state of the stack will influence the ability to perform upon the next start-up and operation. Water generated during normal operation is vital and improves performance when properly managed. Liquid water present at shut-down can form ice and cause unwanted start-up effects. This phase change may cause damage to the MEA and gas diffusion media due to volume expansion. Removal of high water content at shutdown decreases proton conductivity which can delay start-up times. The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has established a set of criteria that will make fuel cell technology viable when attained. As specified by DOE, an 80 kWe fuel cell will be required by 2015 to reach 50% power in 30 seconds from start-up at an ambient temperature of -20°C. This work investigates freeze start-up in a multi-kilowatt stack approaching both shut-down conditioning and start-up operations to improve performance, moderate fuel cell damage and determine the limits of current stack technology. The investigation involved a Hydrogenics Corporation 5 kW 506 series fuel cell stack. The investigation is completed through conditioning the fuel cell start-up performance at various temperatures ranging from -5°C to below -20°C. The control of system start-up temperature is achieved with an environmental chamber that maintains the desired set point during dwell time and start-up. The supply gases for the experiment are conditioned at ambient stack temperature to create a realistic environment that could be experienced in colder weather climates. Temperature controls aim to maintain steady ambient temperatures during progressive start-up in order to best simulate ambient conditions. The control and operation of the fuel cell is maintained by the use of a fuel cell automated test station (FCATS™). FCATS supplies gas feeds, coolant medium and can control temperature and reactant humidity in reactants according to a prescribed procedure for continuous operation. The iv collection of data occurs by the same system recording cell voltage, temperatures, pressures, flow rates and current densities. A procedural start-up and characterization are conducted in order improve start-of performance and examine reactant flows, coolant activation time, stack conditioning and the effects by freezing temperatures. The resulting degradation is investigated by polarization curves and various ex-situ measurements. In this work, it was found that freeze start-up of a fuel cell stack can be aided and managed by conditioning the stack at shut-down and applying a procedure to successfully start-up and mitigate the damage that freezing can cause.

Das Projekt Links-up, welches von der Europäischen Kommission ko-finanziert wird, baut auf bestehenden Erfahrungen und Ergebnissen aus dem Bereich der E-Inklusion auf und versucht Synergien und Zusammenarbeit zwischen Initiativen und vielfach isolierten Pilotprojekten herzustellen. Dabei werden aktuelle pädagogische Herangehensweisen auf ihre Übertragbarkeit hinsichtlich einer inklusiven und lebenslangen Pädagogik untersucht und Empfehlungen für die Entwicklung neuer Initiativen und Projekte sowie Empfehlungen für politische Entscheidungsträger abgegeben. In diesem Beitrag soll das Projekt in Kürze vorgestellt und darin entstandenen Ergebnisse beschrieben werden.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O picoplâncton (0,2 - 2,0 m) e ultraplâncton (> 2,0 - 5,0 m) despertam interesse por utilizarem ativamente a matéria orgânica dissolvida, estabelecendo a alça microbiana. Responsáveis por 50-80% da produção primária em águas oligotróficas, essas frações apresentam elevadas eficiência luminosa e razão superfície/volume que as permitem alcançar alto desenvolvimento mesmo sob baixas luminosidade e disponibilidade de nutrientes. Buscando relacionar a distribuição espacial e composição da comunidade pico e ultraplanctônica aos controles bottom-up na plataforma continental e talude ao largo dos Estados do Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo (22S a 26S), foram coletadas amostras de água em 39 estações oceanográficas e utilizadas as imagens dos sensores MODIS Terra e Aqua, bem como dados de hidrografia, para a descrição dos fenômenos oceanográficos de mesoescala. A abundância total de ambas as frações de tamanho, assim como a dominância do picoplâncton, reduziu em função do distanciamento da costa. Os organismos autotróficos foram em média (102 cél.mL-1 a 104 cél.mL-1 ) majoritariamente uma ordem de grandeza inferiores aos heterotróficos (103 cél.mL-1 a 105 cél.mL-1). A Água Central do Atlântico Sul (ACAS) e as plumas das baías de Guanabara e Sepetiba (RJ) permaneceram na plataforma interna favorecendo o aumento na concentração dos macronutrientes e refletindo na mudança da estrutura da comunidade através do aumento da contribuição de autótrofos no centro da plataforma, principalmente do ultraplâncton à superfície (cerca de 21%) e na profundidade do máximo de clorofila (44%). O transporte de águas costeiras carreadas por uma corrente de origem sul gerou o vórtice de plataforma identificado nas imagens de satélite para a região da plataforma interna de Ubatuba (SP), onde concentrações mais elevadas de amônio (0,28 M) e fosfato (9,64 M) a partir dos 50 m sustentaram maior densidade do ultra autótrofo (2,89 x 103 cél.mL-1) que superou a densidade de heterótrofos (2,50 x 103 cél.mL-1) no máximo de clorofila. Os resultados destacaram um forte gradiente nerítico-oceânico na distribuição dos organismos. Sugerem ainda a predominância do metabolismo heterotrófico na maior parte das águas oligotróficas da plataforma e talude entre o Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo, bem como a presença de caráter autotrófico naquelas regiões influenciadas por feições de mesoescala, como plumas estuarinas e vórtices de plataforma. / The picoplankton (0.2 2.0 m) and ultraplankton (>2.0 5.0 m) arouse interest because they actively use the dissolved organic matter and establishe the microbial loop. Responsible for 50-80% of primary production in oligotrophic waters, these fractions have high luminous efficiency and high surface/volume ratio that enable them to achieve high development even under low light and low nutrient availability. Seeking to relate the spatial distribution and composition of pico and ultraplanktonic community to the bottom-up control and mesoscale oceanographic features in the Brazilian continental shelf and slope off Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (22S to 26S), water samples were taken in 39 oceanographic stations and images of MODIS Terra and Aqua sensors, toghether with hidrography, were employed to decribe the mesoscale oceanographic features.The total abundance of both size fractions, as well as the dominance of picoplankton, decreased as a function of distance from the coast. Autotrophic organisms were, predominantly, on average (102 cell.mL-1 to 104 cell.mL-1) one order of magnitude lower than the heterotrophic (103 cell.mL-1 to 105 cell.mL-1). The South Atlantic Central Water (SACW) and the plumes of Guanabara and Sepetiba bays (RJ) remained in the inner shelf favoring an increase in macronutrients concentration and reflecting changes in community structure by the increase of autotrophs contribution, especially in the central portion of the shelf, mainly ultraplankton at surface (21%) and in maximum chlorophyll depth (44%). The transport of coastal waters carried by a current from south caused the shelf eddy identified by water colour/chlorophyll images for the region of Ubatuba inner shelf (SP), where high concentrations of ammonium (0,28 M) and phosphate (9,64 M) near the depth of 50 m supported higher density of autotrophic ultraplankton (2.89 x 103 cells.mL-1) which exceeded the density of heterotrophs at the chlorophyll maximum (2.19 x 103 cells.mL-1). Our results highlighted a strong neritic-oceanic gradient in the distribution of these organisms. They also suggest the predominance of the heterotrophic metabolism in the majority of the oligotrophic waters of the shelf and slope between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, as well as the presence of an autotrophic nature in those regions influenced by mesoscale features, such as estuarine plumes and shelf eddies.

Background: Start-ups’ contributions to shaping the economic landscape of the modern world are multifold as they are for example a source of productivity and economic growth or they are the source of net job creation. Yet, up to half of them fail during the first 3 to 4 years of their lives. As such, their founders face notable uncertainties whether their start-ups will survive or not. Many different factors have an impact on the likelihood of start-up survival, particularly social capital appears to play an important role in it. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to understand the role of founders' social capital in the survival of tech start-ups. We approach the survival from the perspective of challenges start-ups face in the early start-up and business development stage, and we look into how social capital contributes to overcoming them. Method: Our research was conducted from social constructionist view. We conducted a multiple case study with 16 start-up founders, who we interviewed in the Czech Republic. Conclusion: We offer three conclusions - firstly, social capital plays an important role in the early start-up phase most significantly by helping founders form the right teams, which then help the founders better address the other challenges such as acquiring customers or managing financing. Secondly, social capital helps the founders establish legitimacy and it connects them with more experienced people who help them avoid fatal mistakes in the business development phase. Thirdly, founders’ openness to network and awareness of their own limits resulting in reaching out for helpis also crucial for start-up survival.

L'optimisation des procédés utilisant un substrat bon marché et abondant est considéré comme un facteur affectant le prix de production du 2,3-BD. Les valeurs optimales du pH, du taux d'aération, de la vitesse d'agitation, et de la concentration en substrat (maltodextrine) pour la production de 2,3-BD à partir de maltodextrines par la souche génétiquement modifiée Klebsiella oxytoca KMS005 ont été déterminées par une méthode conventionnellefacteur par facteur ainsi que par l’utilisation de la méthode des surfaces de réponse avec un plan d’expériences de Box-Behnken. Les résultats ont montré que les valeurs optimales de pH, taux d'aération, vitesse d'agitation, et concentration en substrat (maltodextrine) ont été respectivement de 6,0, 0,8 wm, 400tr/min et 150 g/L. Les surfaces de réponses ont permis de montrer que la vitesse d'agitation était le paramètre le plus influent pour la production de 2,3-BD. La mise en oeuvre d’un procédé fed-batch a permis d’obtenir en 78 h une concentration en 2,3-BD de 88,1±0,2 g/L avec un rendement de 0,412±0,001 g/g et une productivité de 1,13±0,01 g/L/h. L’influence des conditions de micro-aération sur la croissance des microorganismes et sur la production de 2,3-BD a été étudiée. En bioréacteurs batch, le transfert d’oxygène a été caractérisé via la mesure kLa en faisant varier le débit d'air et la vitesse d'agitation. La quantité optimale d'oxygène fournie aété évaluée à 9,5 g correspondant à un kLa de 25,2 h-1. Ensuite, un Ensuite, un procédé fed-batch a été étudié avec différentes stratégies de débit d'alimentation en glucose. Les meilleurs résultats ont été obtenus pour un débit d'alimentation constant en glucose de 2 g/h après une phase batch de croissance de 48 heures, et suivie d'une phase batch finale de 40 heures. Il en est résulté une concentration finale de 2,3-BD de 74,7 g/L avec une productivité de 0,64 g/L/h et peu de sous-produits formés (environ 3 g/L d’acide succinique, acétate et éthanol). D’autre part, les résultats issus des expérimentations en bioréacteur de 2 L ont été mis en oeuvre à l’échelle pilote. La production de 2,3-BD de maltodextrine a été réalisée dans des bioréacteurs de 10, 90 et 300 L pour différentes vitessesd’agitation et un taux d'aération fixé à 0,8 vvm.). Une concentration de 2,3- BD de 53,8 g/L et un rendement de 0,40 g/g de sucre consommé en 48 hont été obtenus avec une vitesse d’agitation constante de 295 tr/min en réacteur de 10 L. Pour le réacteur de 90 L, une concentration en 2,3-BD de52,53 g/L et un rendement de 0,43 g/g de sucre consommé ont été atteints en 72 h pour une vitesse d’agitation constante à 130 tr/min. Les meilleuresconditions d’inoculation ont été obtenues pour les précultures en phase exponentielle de croissance (12 h d’incubation) et une DO550 égale à 4 avant transfert dans le bioréacteur de 90 L. Pour le réacteur de 300 L, la concentration en 2,3-BD était de 45,02 g/L pour un rendement de 0,43 g/g de sucre consommé, obtenusaprès 72 h. / An optimization process with a cheap and abundant substrate is considered one of the factors affecting the price of commercial 2,3-Butanediol (2,3-BD) production. The optimized levels of pH, aeration rate, agitation speed, and substrate concentration (maltodextrin)were optimized by a conventional method and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with Box-Behnken design in which metabolically engineered Klebsiell oxytoca KMS005 utilized maltodextrin to produce 2,3-BD. Results revealed that pH, aeration rate, agitation speed,and maltodextrin concentration at levels of 6.0, 0.8 vvm, 400 rpm, and 150 g/L, respectively, were the optimal conditions. RSM indicated that the agitation speed was the most influential parameter when either agitation and aeration interaction or agitation and substrate concentrationinteraction played important roles for 2,3-BD production. Under interim fedbatch fermentation, 2,3-BD concentration, yield, and productivitywere obtained at 88.1±0.2 g/L, 0.412±0.001 g/g sugar supplied, and 1.13±0.01 g/L/h, respectively, within 78 h. The influence of micro-aerobicconditions on microbial growth and 2,3-BD production was also studied. In batch bioreactors, air flow rate and agitation rate characterized through kLa measurement were tested. The optimal amount of oxygen supply was evaluated at 9.5 g corresponding to a kLa of 25.2 h-1 for cell growth and 2,3-BD production. Then, a fed-batch process was investigated by different glucose feeding rate strategies. Fedbatch with a glucose feeding rate of 2 g/h starting at the end of the growth phase during 48 h, followed by a final batch phase of 40 h was found satisfactory. It resulted in a final 2,3- BD concentration of 74.7 g/L with a productivity of 0.64 g/L/h but few byproducts formed (about 3 g/L including succinate, acetate and ethanol). Validated information in the 2 L bioreactor was further applied in a larger scale production of 2,3-BD with series of bioreactors from 10, 90 and 300 L vessels. Batch experiments were conducted based on various agitation speeds with the fixedaeration rate at 0.8 vvm. As a result, 2,3-BD concentration, and yield were achieved at 53.8 g/L, and 0.40 g/g sugar supplied within 48 h, respectively, under the constant tip speed at 295 rpm using a 10 L vessel. Its concentration of 52.53 g/L and yield of 0.43 g/g sugar consumedwithin 72 h were attained under the condition of the constant tip speed at 130 rpm using a 90 L fermenter. An appropriate seed inoculum condition was found with an optical cell density (OD550) around 4 at the log phase (12 h incubation) prior to transferring of the inoculum into the 90 L fermenter. Under the constant tip speed at 70 rpm, 2,3-BD concentration and yield were obtained at 45.02 g/L and 0.43 g/g sugar consumed in the pilot scale of 300 L bioreactor after 72 h incubation.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O picoplâncton (0,2 - 2,0 m) e ultraplâncton (> 2,0 - 5,0 m) despertam interesse por utilizarem ativamente a matéria orgânica dissolvida, estabelecendo a alça microbiana. Responsáveis por 50-80% da produção primária em águas oligotróficas, essas frações apresentam elevadas eficiência luminosa e razão superfície/volume que as permitem alcançar alto desenvolvimento mesmo sob baixas luminosidade e disponibilidade de nutrientes. Buscando relacionar a distribuição espacial e composição da comunidade pico e ultraplanctônica aos controles bottom-up na plataforma continental e talude ao largo dos Estados do Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo (22S a 26S), foram coletadas amostras de água em 39 estações oceanográficas e utilizadas as imagens dos sensores MODIS Terra e Aqua, bem como dados de hidrografia, para a descrição dos fenômenos oceanográficos de mesoescala. A abundância total de ambas as frações de tamanho, assim como a dominância do picoplâncton, reduziu em função do distanciamento da costa. Os organismos autotróficos foram em média (102 cél.mL-1 a 104 cél.mL-1 ) majoritariamente uma ordem de grandeza inferiores aos heterotróficos (103 cél.mL-1 a 105 cél.mL-1). A Água Central do Atlântico Sul (ACAS) e as plumas das baías de Guanabara e Sepetiba (RJ) permaneceram na plataforma interna favorecendo o aumento na concentração dos macronutrientes e refletindo na mudança da estrutura da comunidade através do aumento da contribuição de autótrofos no centro da plataforma, principalmente do ultraplâncton à superfície (cerca de 21%) e na profundidade do máximo de clorofila (44%). O transporte de águas costeiras carreadas por uma corrente de origem sul gerou o vórtice de plataforma identificado nas imagens de satélite para a região da plataforma interna de Ubatuba (SP), onde concentrações mais elevadas de amônio (0,28 M) e fosfato (9,64 M) a partir dos 50 m sustentaram maior densidade do ultra autótrofo (2,89 x 103 cél.mL-1) que superou a densidade de heterótrofos (2,50 x 103 cél.mL-1) no máximo de clorofila. Os resultados destacaram um forte gradiente nerítico-oceânico na distribuição dos organismos. Sugerem ainda a predominância do metabolismo heterotrófico na maior parte das águas oligotróficas da plataforma e talude entre o Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo, bem como a presença de caráter autotrófico naquelas regiões influenciadas por feições de mesoescala, como plumas estuarinas e vórtices de plataforma. / The picoplankton (0.2 2.0 m) and ultraplankton (>2.0 5.0 m) arouse interest because they actively use the dissolved organic matter and establishe the microbial loop. Responsible for 50-80% of primary production in oligotrophic waters, these fractions have high luminous efficiency and high surface/volume ratio that enable them to achieve high development even under low light and low nutrient availability. Seeking to relate the spatial distribution and composition of pico and ultraplanktonic community to the bottom-up control and mesoscale oceanographic features in the Brazilian continental shelf and slope off Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (22S to 26S), water samples were taken in 39 oceanographic stations and images of MODIS Terra and Aqua sensors, toghether with hidrography, were employed to decribe the mesoscale oceanographic features.The total abundance of both size fractions, as well as the dominance of picoplankton, decreased as a function of distance from the coast. Autotrophic organisms were, predominantly, on average (102 cell.mL-1 to 104 cell.mL-1) one order of magnitude lower than the heterotrophic (103 cell.mL-1 to 105 cell.mL-1). The South Atlantic Central Water (SACW) and the plumes of Guanabara and Sepetiba bays (RJ) remained in the inner shelf favoring an increase in macronutrients concentration and reflecting changes in community structure by the increase of autotrophs contribution, especially in the central portion of the shelf, mainly ultraplankton at surface (21%) and in maximum chlorophyll depth (44%). The transport of coastal waters carried by a current from south caused the shelf eddy identified by water colour/chlorophyll images for the region of Ubatuba inner shelf (SP), where high concentrations of ammonium (0,28 M) and phosphate (9,64 M) near the depth of 50 m supported higher density of autotrophic ultraplankton (2.89 x 103 cells.mL-1) which exceeded the density of heterotrophs at the chlorophyll maximum (2.19 x 103 cells.mL-1). Our results highlighted a strong neritic-oceanic gradient in the distribution of these organisms. They also suggest the predominance of the heterotrophic metabolism in the majority of the oligotrophic waters of the shelf and slope between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, as well as the presence of an autotrophic nature in those regions influenced by mesoscale features, such as estuarine plumes and shelf eddies.