Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Cue competition'

The mechanisms responsible for cue competition were investigated. In Chapter 1, an overview of the literature that led to and originated from the discovery of cue competition effects (Kamin, 1969 Wagner, Logan, Haberlandt & Price, 1968) attested the diversity of theoretical accounts available to explain these phenomena. The subsequent empirical chapters focused on the predictions made by two rather distinct classes of theory: the Comparator Hypothesis (Miller & Matzel, 1988 Denniston, Savastano & Miller, 2001) and the attentional theory of Mackintosh (1975). Throughout the thesis, their predictions were contrasted to those derived from Standard Associative Theory e.g. Rescorla- Wagner(1972) model . The experiments contained in Chapters 2 and 3 used a Pavlovian appetitive procedure with rats to examine a number of predictions made by the Comparator Hypothesis. In Chapter 2, Experiment 1 tested the prediction that a conditioned inhibitor should have no influence on the excitatory status of the CS in which presence it is trained. Experiment 2 examined whether single-phase blocking disappears with asymptotic training. Further analysis of the Comparator Hypothesis was provided in the two experiments contained in Chapter 3. Experiments 3 and 4 assessed the prediction that adding a stimulus to a continuously trained CS should deteriorate conditioned responding to the latter. The experiments in Chapters 4 and 5, which used an autoshaping procedure in pigeons, were concerned with the attentional theory of Mackintosh (1975). In Chapter 4, Experiments 5 and 6 tested a novel behavioural technique intended to measure associability changes. Evidence of associability changes was found when visual patterns, but not colours, were compared. Experiment 7 explored the locus central or peripheral of the mechanism responsible for these changes. Drawing from the results in Chapter 4, Experiment 8 (Chapter 5) examined whether associability changes can provide a complete account of the relative validity effect in pigeons. Overall, the results challenge the accounts of cue competition advanced by both the Comparator Hypothesis (Miller & Matzel, 1988, Denniston et al., 2001) and the attentional theory of Mackintosh (1975). Without necessarily validating it, the results are mostly compatible with the analysis provided by the Rescorla-Wagner (1972) model.

In many species, including humans the basic ability to move to a goal is essential to survival. Central to understanding how this ability operates in the cognitive systems of humans and other animals is whether learning about spatial relationships follows the same principles as learning about other kinds of contingent relationships between events. In non-spatial contingent relationships, learning about one stimulus can influence learning about other stimuli. For example, in blocking, learning that cue-A predicts an outcome can reduce learning about a subsequently added cue-B that is paired with cue-A when both cues predict the same outcome (Kamin, 1969). To the extent that spatial learning operates according to similar principles to other forms of contingency learning, spatial cues that can be used to locate a goal should also compete with each other. Failure to find blocking between spatial cues that can be used to locate a goal would be consistent with an alternative account of how spatial knowledge is acquired and used: one that assumes a quite different learning mechanism. For example, the hypothesis of locale learning assumes that a cognitive map of the environmental layout is automatically updated when cues are added or removed from the environment (O'Keefe and Nadel, 1978). Automatic updating implies that added or removed cues will be processed irrespective of what is learned about other cues, rather than competing with or otherwise interacting with those other cues. A second, related, hypothesis is that the geometric properties of the environment are processed in an independent module that is impervious to cue competition from non-geometric features (Cheng, 1986; Gallistel, 1990). This hypothesis implies that geometric cues within the module are also immune to competition from each other. In the current experiments, evidence for blocking of goal location learning was investigated in virtual environments (VEs) in which the presence or absence of large-scale structures can be manipulated. Experiment 1 found that an irregular-shaped flat-walled enclosure blocked learning about a landmark subsequently placed within its boundaries, providing preliminary evidence that shape may not be processed in a specialised module. However, many participants appeared not to be using shape to locate the goal. In the remaining experiments, spatial cues were large-scale 2D shapes presented on the ground which ensured that participants perceived overall shape. Experiments 2 and 3 found no evidence of blocking between shapes when these stimuli were presented in the context of minimal "auxiliary" cues. When additional auxiliary stimuli were presented throughout learning in Experiment 4, a direction consistent with blocking was found, but the effect was not statistically significant. In Experiments 5 and 6 a clear blocking effect was found under circumstances that suggested that the critical variable to finding blocking was the number of irrelevant shapes present either during training or at test. Experiment 7 confirmed that, rather than the test conditions, the presence or absence of stimuli during one or both training phases was the crucial variable in promoting blocking. Experiment 8 investigated the hypothesis that an initial process of learning to ignore irrelevant shapes in phase 1 is a requirement for blocking of learning. In the absence of auxiliary cues in phase 1, blocking was not found. The implications of these outcomes are discussed in relation to the hypothesis of specialised geometric processing, changes in attention, and the conditions of discrimination learning.

Learning and timing models have developed along different trajectories within psychology; however, more recent theorising has speculated that both of these phenomena might be modelled within a single theoretical model. While such an approach has merit, the majority of studies into how learning and timing interact have employed nonhuman subjects. Consequently, little is known about how these core psychological processes might interact in humans; this body of experiments was, conducted in order to investigate this issue. Experiments were run to test the hypothesis that cue competition attenuates the ability of participants to estimate a stimulus’ temporal parameters. By studying whether temporal estimates differed between cues in conditions in which blocking and overshadowing was predicted to be weaker or stronger, it could be determined whether time and association were encoded together. In a series of causal learning experiments participants were trained with a cue competition paradigm. On test both cue competition and temporal estimates were examined. The results showed that participant instructions influenced cue competition and that cue properties could influence blocking and overshadowing in specific cases. Temporal estimates made by participants were influenced by cue properties: less accurate estimates of target cue duration were made in several experiments, and temporal estimates between groups varied when blocking and overshadowing were constant. Existing associative learning theories could predict blocking and overshadowing, but could not predict the temporal results. Timing models, for example, the SET model, failed to predict temporal results. To conclude, the results suggest that timing is not encoded as part of the association.

It is well documented in the literature that bilingual speakers simultaneously activate both languages during spoken language processing (e.g., Marian & Spivey, 2003). However, parallel activation can lead to competition between the two languages (e.g., Blumenfield & Marian, 2013; Freeman, Shook, & Marian, 2016). The Unified Competition model (UCM) provides a theory as to how bilingual speakers navigate through two languages while different linguistic cues are competing (MacWhinney, 2005). The UCM proposes that cues are used to process language, based on cue validity (the product of how reliable and available a cue is), which is determined by cue strength (a measure based on conflict reliability; how reliable a cue is when it directly conflicts with others). Two likely cues bilingual speakers use while processing a novel spoken word are linguistic environment (the language being spoken around them) and phonotactic probability (the probability of the sounds making up a novel word). Applying the theory of the UCM this study sets to answer the following general question: How do Spanish/English bilingual adults assign language membership to nonwords when linguistic environment and phonotactic cues are competing? The current study consisted of twenty-two Spanish/English adults who listened to 96 nonwords that corresponded to three different groups based on phonotactic probability: Language Exclusive (the phonotactics of the nonwords designated them as either Spanish only or English only), High-Low (the nonwords had high phonotactic probability in one language and low probability in the other), and Ambiguous (the nonowords had similar phonotactic probability in both languages). The participants were tested in one of two linguistic environments (primarily English with some Spanish code-switching or primarily Spanish with some English code-switching) and partook in a two-alternative forced choice listening test (participants determined if each nonword was either Spanish or English). The language membership decision was measured via verbal response and eye-tracking using EyeLink 1000 Plus measuring eye gaze, number of fixations and switches. In general, results indicated that Spanish/English bilingual adults relied only on phonotactic probability when making language membership decisions, but not as strongly as may be suggested by the UCM. The results of this study suggest that environmental cues are not strong enough to impact spoken language processing in Spanish/English bilingual adults and that phonotactic probability is likely a more easily accessible (and therefore more commonly used) cue.

Conditioning theory and research have contributed substantially to a more complete understanding of a variety of social processes including attitude formation, consumer behavior, and interpersonal attraction. The goal of this thesis was to illuminate further another frequently investigated social process, voting behavior.

The evolution of nonreproductive castes is a defining characteristic of eusociality. The function and developmental regulation of the altruistic worker and soldier caste is the central element contributing to major advantages of eusociality over solitary animals. The soldier caste is the first evolved sterile caste in termites. Their primary function is believed to be colony defense. However, the function and development of termite soldiers remains largely unknown. Because of their apparent morphological adaptation for fighting and their limited behavior repertoire, our understanding of colony defense by termite soldiers is limited to their physical defense. In addition, we know little about the molecular mechanisms mediating soldier development. In Chapters 2 and 3 I discuss the role of the soldier caste under competition risk. By exposing the Eastern subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes to cues of a competitor termite species, I found that exposure to competitor cues reduced feeding, compromised growth and survival of R. flavipes workers. The presence of R. flavipes soldiers largely ameliorated these negative impacts. At the transcriptional level, R. flavipes soldiers can counteract the effects of competitor cues on worker head gene expression. This counteracting effect seems to be associated with genes in metabolism and immunity. These studies demonstrate that competition can affect a termite colony’s fitness by either competitors physically invading the colony and causing damage or cues from competitors inducing a stress response in termite colony members. More importantly, soldiers can contribute to colony fitness by physically engaging in combat, but also by enhancing colony members’ survival under competitor-cue exposure. In Chapter 4, I describe the molecular mechanism mediating soldier-caste differentiation. I cloned the full length cDNA sequence of the R. flavipes Methoprene-tolerance (Met) gene, a gene encoding a putative receptor for juvenile hormones. Using RNA interference, I studied the function of Met and found that this gene essentially mediates the JH-dependent soldier-caste differentiation in termites.

Today's consumer attitude and behaviour are increasingly driven by quality, safety and health consciousnessF. rom the producer viewpoint, quality control has evolved from an efficiency challenge to a tremendous opportunity by building competitive advantages through pursuing relationships based on an integrated chain approach with quality guarantees. To succeed in today's competitive agri-food marketplace, two options are available: organise production more efficiently and work more consumeroriented in order to meet consumer requirements. During recent years, several concepts like Organic and PDO/PGI labels, and the ISO and HACCP schemes, embodied into the wider Supply Chain Management, or Total Quality Management initiatives, have been introduced. All these concepts share the objectives of adding value to the entire chain, of releasing competitive advantages and a better performance of the chain through increasedr esponsivenessto consumern eeds,w ants and demands. The research at hand addresses questions related to collecting valuable information at consumer level, since this is the prerequisite for the practical application of the aforementioned concepts by industries such as the olive oil industry. The work focuses on assessing both the quality perception of olive oil and the attitude of consumers to olive oil quality assurance schemes. The central theme of the study is the domestic consumer as an alternative source of profit and competitiveness for the high quality olive oil firms. This is be achieved through the identification of a quality and healthconscious urban segment and the explanation of its purchasing motives and behaviour by relating quality olive oil attributes to its personal values. Instead of following a "positivistic" way of clearly presenting the research hypotheses, a description of the wider environment surrounding the quality-conscious consumer internationally is chosen. In this mostly "phenomenological" way, ideas about the quality consumer are implied through induction from data. The methodological nature of the study is two-dimensional. The horizontal "conjoint analysis" dimension is used to quantitatively prove the findings of the vertical "laddering method" qualitative dimension, which develops quality consumers' psychographic profile and predicts purchase behaviour.

Vietnam implemented the Doi Moi (or Renovation) policy in 1986. This policy involved the introduction of many structural reforms in an attempt to move Vietnam towards a market economy. As part of Doi Moi, Vietnam’s two ongoing microeconomic reform programs aimed at domestic enterprises are of particular significance, including state-owned enterprise (SOE) reforms and the private sector development (PSD) policy. This thesis develops a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of Vietnam (referred to as VNGEM) with twenty four industries, six labour groups based on educational qualifications and one representative household, which aims to assess the likely effects of these reform programs on Vietnam’s national economic outcomes and industries.These reform programs are found to be pro-growth as reflected in their contribution to increasing aggregate output in both short and long run. This output increase is largely the result of export expansion and local market expansion due to relatively lower domestic price levels. Hence, Vietnam experiences an expansion in aggregate employment and a trade surplus in the short run. Likewise, these reform programs generate positive welfare effects on household consumption in the long run as real wages and labour incomes rise. In terms of industry winners and losers, the most favourably affected industries in the short run include steel, electrical, and textile, clothing and footwear (TCF), while the least favourably affected industries include construction and public administration. These least favourably affected industries are either non-traded or inward-oriented. Hence, they do not benefit much from trade expansion.Similarly, the most favourably affected industries in the long run include electrical, steel and other manufacturing, while the least favourably affected industries include rice and paddy, and oil, gas and petroleum (OGP). These industries are least favourably affected because of rising labour cost and an increasing land rental rate, which significantly hamper their economic activities.The findings in this thesis suggest that promoting the private sector and, at the same time, reducing or removing the preferential treatment by the government of the SOE sector can solve Vietnam’s employment problem. Export-oriented industries such as the TCF industry are well positioned to absorb Vietnam’s labour force. To reduce trade deficits, domestic import-substituting producers need to improve their product quality and prices that are comparable to foreign goods in the medium and long term. Besides providing vocational training for workers, the government need to improve domestic human capital through education, and research and development(R&D) in order to acquire a sufficient number of high-skilled personnel to work with new technologies, machinery and equipment. Finally, to achieve greater reform outcomes, SOE reforms should be extended to include medium to large SOEs across all industries.Some areas of improvement include: (i) managing and utilising the compensation funds more wisely; (ii) unleashing the private sector and encouraging its participation in the equitisation process; (iii) improving the fairness and transparency of the equitisation process; (iv) improving the asset valuation method and strictly governing activities related to management buyouts and bankruptcy; (v) establishing a new structure of corporate governance to provide checks and balances in an enterprise; and (vi) reducing the government’s political influence on SOEs and equitised SOEs.

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Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
This study has the objective of analyzing the significations constituted by the Physical Education Coaches of a Centro Educacional Unificado (CEU), about the scholar competitive sports. The competitive scholar sports is considered, as much to the interviewed as to the literature, a potential didactical resource, making it necessary to comprehend use of this resource by the public politics and the coaches, considering the cultural mediators of the school, the sport, the community and the professional itself. The present research has the proposition of analyzing the senses and meanings constituted by the coaches about the competitive sports in school, considering that they are the ones that coordinate and insert the activities and training for the competitive sports in the school institution. Through the study of the meanings of the Coaches about competitive sports in school, we believe it is possible to know aspects of the competitive sports activities in school which enables a better comprehension of the professional in the educational field, the competition, the sport and its educational proposal in school. The scholar institution that this research was realized has pedagogical purposes for the competitive sports and educational programs and physical installations required for its execution. In the first moment, it was send to all the Coaches of the Centro Educacional Unificado a survey questionnaire made eight open questions, divided in three parts: the first one about their formation and professional activities, the second one about competitive sports in school and the third one with a blank space for free writing of the coach about the theme (competition, sports, education and school). After gathering the data, interviews were made with three coaches for the enrichment and deepening of the data brought up in the surveys. This research, based on the Social-Historical Psychology, used the procedure of the Meaning Core as described by Aguiar and Ozella (2006) for the analysis of the data obtained. It was concluded that the competitive sport in school must be directed according to the pedagogical planning for the sports activity. The competitive sport in school also presents risks in case it doesn t have a leadership concerned with the plain development of the students, being necessary to consider that the scholar competitive sports is mediated by a many elements that composes the totality of the theme, like the perception of the school administrators about the educational possibilities of the sport; the pedagogical planning adopted by the coach/trainer responsible for the activity; the story of the sport in the scholar institution and its insertion in the Brazilian history; the professional formations enabled and the influence of the media in the meaning of the sports for the population, making it essential the critical perception of the competitive sports in school and the possibility of continuous formation for the professionals responsible for these activities
Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar as significações constituídas pelos Técnicos de Educação Física de um Centro Educacional Unificado (CEU), sobre o esporte competitivo escolar. A competição desportiva escolar é considerada, tanto pelos entrevistados quanto pela literatura, um recurso potencialmente didático, sendo necessário compreender a utilização e o direcionamento das políticas públicas e dos técnicos deste recurso, considerando os mediadores socioculturais da escola, do esporte, da comunidade e do próprio profissional. A presente pesquisa tem a proposta de analisar os sentidos e significados constituídos pelos técnicos sobre o esporte competitivo escolar, visto que são eles que coordenam e inserem as atividades e treinamento para as competições esportivas na instituição escolar. Por meio do estudo das significações destes profissionais, acreditamos ser possível conhecer aspectos da atividade esportiva competitiva escolar que possibilitem uma melhor compreensão do profissional da educação, da competição, do esporte e sua proposta educacional escolar. A instituição escolar pública em que está sendo realizada a pesquisa possui propostas pedagógicas para a competição esportiva além de dispositivos e instalações adequadas para sua execução. Num primeiro momento, foi enviado a todos os Técnicos de Educação Física do Centro Educacional Unificado um questionário elaborado com perguntas abertas, dividido em três partes: a primeira sobre a formação e atividade profissional dos entrevistados, a segunda sobre a competição esportiva escolar e a terceira com um espaço de preenchimento livre do técnico sobre o tema competição, esporte, educação e escola. Após o recolhimento dos dados foram efetuadas entrevistas com três desses técnicos para o enriquecimento e a aprofundamento das questões levantadas na literatura e nos questionários. O trabalho, baseado na Psicologia Sócio-Histórica, utilizou o procedimento dos Núcleos de Significação conforme descrito por Aguiar e Ozella (2006) para a análise dos dados obtidos. Concluiu-se que o esporte competitivo escolar possui diversos benefícios possíveis ao processo de desenvolvimento do aluno, desde que direcionado por adultos responsáveis que zelem prioritariamente pelo bem estar discente e de acordo com um planejamento pedagógico da atividade esportiva. O esporte competitivo escolar também apresenta riscos caso não possua uma liderança preocupada com o pleno desenvolvimento dos alunos, sendo necessário considerar que o esporte competitivo escolar é mediado por uma série de elementos que compõe a totalidade sobre o tema, como a percepção da direção escolar sobre as possibilidades educativas do esporte; o projeto pedagógico adotado pelo técnico/professor responsável pela atividade; a história do esporte na instituição escolar e sua inserção no Brasil; as formações iniciais e continuadas dos profissionais e a influência dos meios de comunicação nas significações do esporte para a população, tornando essencial a percepção crítica do esporte esportivo escolar e trabalhos de formação continuada para os profissionais responsáveis por estas atividades

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics
CRE strategies have proved to contribute to the creation of competitive advantages by integrating corporate value and the organizational culture across multi-locations. CRE strategies also facilitate attracting and retaining best talent. Through a qualitative research method of case study, this paper examines the impact of changes in the CRE strategies of McDonald’s and Hewlett Packard, both companies being multinational firms that represent the two main segments of CRE: retail and offices. Findings indicate that the changed strategies have provided for increased revenue and higher shareholder value in the case of McDonald’s and enhanced space utilization, comfortable working environment and a global design standard for all offices and workstations of HP. The study also analyzes the option of selling and leasing back CRE assets against owning them.

En dehors de toute consideration de couts et de demande, l'etude du prix a la production du porc en europe releve de deux champs d'analyse : les effets de la politique agricole commune (pac) et les strategies des exportateurs. Apres avoir decrit les principaux aspects de la pac, les montants compensatoires monetaires (mcm) sont etudies au moyen de la theorie des externalites afin de mettre en evidence des distorsions de concurrence. Un modele de "cobweb" sur des marches lies permet de montrer comment le systeme des restitutions (subventions a l'exportation) risque de desequilibrer le marche communautaire. Dans une seconde partie, les transmissions de prix sur de courtes periodes entre les marches nationaux europeens sont analyses grace a la theorie de la causalite, plus particulierement en utilisant les tests de granger et de pierce-haugh. On calcule ainsi des multiplicateurs dynamiques. Cela permet d'exprimer le role particulier des prix allemands et bretons. Les prix allemands sont les plus importants en raison des fortes quantites importees en allemagne. Les prix bretons fournissent une information sur l'evolution de court terme en raison de leur sensibilite aux variations de l'offre dans la cee. Enfin, les prix neerlandais ont une influence sur les autres prix communautaires dans la mesure ou les exportateurs neerlandais essaient d'arbitrer entre les differents marches de la cee
Without regard to costs and demand considerations, the study of european hog production price depends on two analytic fields : the effects of the common agricultural policy (cap) and the strategies of exporters. After describing the main aspects of the cap, the monetary compensatory amounts (mca) are studied through a model of externalities to show the existence of distortions. A cobweb model of linked markets is used to show how the system of restitutions (export subsidies) can throw the eec market out of equilibrium. In second part, the short term transmissions of prices between european national markets are analyzed with the theory of causality, and in particular with granger and pierce-haugh tests. Dynamic multipliers are computed. This study shows the particular role of german and breton prices. German prices are the more fundamental because quantities purchased by germany are the largest among eec partners. Prices in britanny give the most information about the neart term because of their sensivity to changes in supply conditions in the eec countries. Last, dutch prices have an influence on the other eec prices when dutch exporters try to bring about trade-offs between different eec markets

The paper deals with the issue of contemporary flat-tax reforms in Eastern Europe and aims to account for the different approaches that various European countries adopted towards the idea of a flat-tax. Empirically, the work is based on detailed studies of Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany. The analysis considers three factors being decisive for the flat-tax feasibility: 1./ party system institutionalization, 2./ coalition/opposition cohesiveness, 3./ labor union institutionalization. First, the study is concerned with each of the factor's influence on the political decision-making process in the three country cases. Secondly, on country paired comparisons the findings for each of the countries are mutually contrasted. Although all identified factors seem to be at play with regard to flat-tax feasibility, I argue that it is either the strength or the weakness of labor unions' institutionalization and welfare identity that underlie the political decision-making in the East and the West and as a result determine the flat-tax (un-)feasibility. The absence of welfare identity in the East allows for higher coalition cohesion in favor and weaker opposition against the flattax adoption in contrast to the West.
Series: Discussion Papers SFB International Tax Coordination

Secure and efficient authenticated encryption (AE) constructions are important for protecting modern electronic information systems, providing confidentiality and integrity assurance services. The recent CAESAR competition aims to select the best AE algorithms based on public scrutiny. This thesis provides an in-depth security analysis of three AE proposals in the CAESAR competition: ACORN, Tiaoxin-346 and MORUS. Structures in these algorithms are examined and their resistance to both cryptanalytic and side-channel attacks are determined. These were the first published detailed security analyses of these algorithms. This is important both for evaluating these CAESAR algorithms and guiding the design of future AE algorithms.

Background: Some brands have reached popularity much because of their origin and the "made-in" label can possibly generate a positive differentiating effect to the brand. Adequate examples are the British Burberry or the Italian Gucci, the French Chanel or the American Apple. All these brands strategically communicate their origin as part of their brand and the inspiration for this thesis arose form the Country-of-Origin phenomenon in international marketing (COO). This refers to that brands use cues related to their origin as a component of their brand message. Even the Swedish origin can be a competitive advantage and more companies could perhaps benefit from turning to a COO strategy, as there is a current trend of being local in a global context. This would promote the using of firms' Swedishness to succeed in establishments on foreign markets. The authors of this thesis believe that if more Swedish companies would clearly distinguish as Swedish this could perhaps also enhance the positive image of Sweden. Therefore, this thesis is exploring to what extent some Swedish fashion apparel brands work with their origin as part of their international marketing. Research Question: How do companies exploit their Country-of-Origin as part of their brand in their international marketing communication? Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore the exploitation of a Country-of-Origin effect in Swedish fashion apparel brands' international marketing. Methodology: The study ha taken a primarily qualitative research design, which has included two research techniques. A pre-study was conducted, that consisted of a focus group interview where the following issues were discussed: the general view of Sweden, Swedish brands and companies, and their examination with the Country-of-Origin label. The pre-study gave important insights that were used in the main study - semi structured interviews with Swedish companies working in the fashion apparel industry. From the whole population of companies in the Swedish fashion industry, a first sample of 57 companies was made. From this sample a second sample of 11 companies was drawn, that represented approximately 20 percent that was argued to be a fair number of respondents to be able to see some patterns. The data from the interviews were analyzed and interpreted in a qualitative analysis procedure that focused on the finding of keywords and patterns. Results: The results showed that a clear majority of the random interviewed companies, 9 of 11 use their COO in their brand and 8 companies said it is a more or less explicit strategy. The exploitation of their COO was made by using country-related cues in their marketing. The reason why these companies have turned to a COO strategy was that it could give them competitive advantages, since there was a positive match between associations of their brand and Sweden. The general conclusion that could be made was that the benefits from using a COO strategy differ with the product and the country. It can also be assumed that more Swedish companies could benefit from realizing  the potential in using a COO strategy.

Cette thèse tente de mettre en exergue les difficultés que soulèvent les relations du droit de la concurrence avec la Convention européenne des droits de l’Homme.Tous les acteurs du droit de la concurrence s’accordent à dire que le comportement concurrentiel des entreprises sur le marché doit être encadré. Le maintien d’une concurrence saine et efficace dépend, entre autres, des pouvoirs des autorités de concurrence, de l’effectivité des procédures visant les comportements anticoncurrentiels et des sanctions infligées aux entreprises auteurs d’infractions. Néanmoins, la pratique révèle une forte carence de l'application des droits de la défense résultant de la Convention européenne des droits de l’Homme. Cette défaillance peut s’expliquer en partie par le caractère relativement récent et mouvant du droit de la concurrence. Plus préoccupées par le maintien d’une concurrence effective que par le respect des droits de la défense des entreprises, les autorités ont relégué au second plan la Convention européenne des droits de l’Homme. Pourtant, cette dernière est profondément ancrée dans notre système juridique et les droits de la défense qui en découlent constituent de surcroît le fondement d’un Etat de droit.Face aux incessantes critiques de praticiens et d’universitaires, les autorités et juridictions ont commencé à accorder plus d’importance au respect des droits de la défense. Par ailleurs, un certain nombre de mesures a été mis en place afin de permettre un respect accru de la Convention européenne des droits de l’Homme en droit de la concurrence. La réalité démontre que toutes ces mesures ne peuvent suffire à assurer le respect satisfaisant des droits de la défense des entreprises mises en cause par les autorités de concurrence. Néanmoins, même timide, cette évolution mérite d’être approuvée et encouragée
This thesis tries to highlight the difficulties that may occur as a result of the correlations between competition law and the European Convention on Human Rights. All the actors of competition law agree to say that the competitive behavior of companies in the market must be framed. The preservation of a healthy and effective competition depends on many factors. Among them, the focus can be given on the powers of competition authorities and the effectiveness of the procedures aiming at a better competitive behavior. Furthermore, it can be added the role of the penalties imposed on companies breaching the rules of antitrust law. However, the practice shows that this goal is often pursued to the detriment of the rights of defense resulting from the European Convention on Human Rights.Nevertheless, the fundamental rights are profoundly anchored in our legal system and besides, improve the respect of the rule of law. Unlike other law areas, the youth of competition law might explain the reason why the authorities of competition have a more flexible approach of the European Convention on Human Rights. Entitled by the preservation of an effective competition, the authorities have pushed aside the European Convention on Human Rights.Coping with the constant critics of practitioners and academics, the authorities and the jurisdictions have gradually begun to pay attention to the violations of the defense rights. Moreover, measures have been set up to enforce a greater respect for the European Convention on Human Rights in the sphere of competition law. There is no doubt that all these measures cannot be enough to assure respect for the rights of defense of companies questioned by the authorities of competition. Nevertheless, it can be considered as a first step

Il progetto di tesi si occupa della definizione di un Action Plan, mediante l'applicazione del BPR, volto all'aumento dell'efficacia commerciale dei servizi di post-vendita di ACMA spa, azienda produttrice di macchine automatiche a media-alta velocità nel settore del packaging. Attraverso l'analisi delle performance misurate in termini di tasso di conversione da valore offerto a ordinato per le variabili rilevanti del mercato e l'analisi di correlazione tra di esse con il software Rapidminer, si è mappato il processo d'offerta scomponendolo in tutte le attività che lo compongono, rilevandone le criticità ed identificandone la causa-radice. Da qui la definizione delle azioni necessarie alla riprogettazione del processo in un ottica proattiva, secondo l'odierno orientamento del mercato di tipo customer-oriented, per la costruzione di una Value Proposition personalizzata al cliente: sviluppo del marketing relazionale, formazione, integrazione strategica del software CRM, ridefinizione della strategia d'offerta e sistematizzazione della metodologia di lavoro Si valuta infine il possibile impatto economico e organizzativo che l'implementazione dell'Action Plan apporterà al processo d'offerta sul lungo periodo.

La communication chimique (ou olfactive) est la forme de communication la plus répandue dans le règne animal et joue un rôle essentiel dans la médiation des comportements sociaux et reproductifs. Mon travail de thèse a consisté à étudier le rôle que pouvait avoir la communication chimique chez une espèce sociale, la marmotte Alpine (Marmota marmota). Je me suis d'abord intéressée au rôle de l'olfaction dans un contexte de sélection sexuelle. La marmotte Alpine est une espèce à reproduction coopérative et seuls les dominants peuvent se reproduire ce qui génère une compétition intrasexuelle très forte pour l'accès à la reproduction. En analysant les sécrétions de glandes anales de 154 individus par chromatographie en phase gazeuse et spectrométrie de masse, j'ai pu mettre en évidence que les sécrétions chimiques informaient sur le statut de maturité sexuelle, le statut social ainsi que sur le sexe des individus. Ces informations pourraient être impliquées dans la compétition intrasexuelle chez cette espèce. De plus, bien qu'étant socialement monogame, la marmotte Alpine cocufie parfois son partenaire social avec des mâles présentant une meilleure compatibilité génétique (apparentement et génotype au Complexe Majeur d'Histocompatibilité). En analysant les sécrétions de glandes anales de 63 marmottes sexuellement matures, j'ai pu mettre en évidence une concordance entre les distances chimiques et l'apparentement ce qui pourrait permettre aux femelles d'évaluer la compatibilité génétique des partenaires potentiels. Pour finir, la marmotte Alpine étant une espèce territoriale je me suis intéressée au rôle de l'olfaction dans les relations intergroupes. Pour cela, j'ai testé l'hypothèse du « dear enemy phenomenon » et mis en évidence que n'importe quel étranger au groupe social est considéré comme un ennemi du groupe. Pour conclure, mes résultats montrent que la communication chimique semble jouer un rôle essentiel dans les interactions sociales et reproductives chez la marmotte Alpine
Chemical communication (or olfaction) is the most common form of communication in the animal kingdom and plays an essential role in mediating social and reproductive behaviour. During my Ph.D. thesis, I study the role of chemical communication in a social species, the Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota). I was first interested in the role of olfaction in sexual selection context. The Alpine marmot is a cooperative breeder and only the dominant pair access to the reproduction, generating an intense intra-sexual competition for access to reproduction. By analysing anal gland secretions of 154 individuals with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, I found that anal gland secretions could inform on sexual maturity, social status and sex. This information may be involved in intra-sexual competition in this species. Furthermore, although being a socially monogamous species, extra-pair paternity occurs in the Alpine marmot. Females choose males with an optimal genetic compatibility (relatedness and genotype to the Major Histocompatibility Complex). By analysing anal gland secretions of 63 sexually mature marmots, I found a significant concordance between chemical distance and relatedness, allowing females to assess the genetic compatibility of the potential partners. Finally, the Alpine marmot as being a territorial species, I was interested in the role of olfaction in relations between groups. For this, I tested the "dear enemy" hypothesis and I highlighted that any stranger to the social group is considered as an enemy of the group. To conclude, chemical communication plays an essential role in social and reproductive interactions in social species

La soutenance de thèse proposée est une soutenance sur travaux qui portent sur des questions de droit comparé des sociétés, de droit européen des sociétés et de l'arbitrage international. Les travaux portant sur le droit des sociétés s'interrogent sur les développements récents en matière de liberté d'établissement des sociétés en Europe suite à la jurisprudence rendue par la Cour européenne de justice et sur l'opération des Limited liability company de droit anglais en Allemagne et des questions de droit international privé que cela soulève. Le travail sur le droit de l'arbitrage s'interroge sur le sort des traités bilatéraux d'investissement conclus entre Etats devenus Etats membres de l'Union européenne face à la politique menée par la Commission Européenne qui vise leur annulation
The papers submitted for the viva deal with various comparative company law, European company law and international arbitration related issues. The company law papers look at the recent developments in the freedom of establishment of companies in Europe resulting from the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and at the operation of English law limited liability companies in Germany and certain of the private international law questions that arise in that context. The paper on international arbitration discusses the future of bilateral investment treaties concluded between EU member states in light of the European Commission's hostile approach to such treaties aiming at obtaining their annulment

Cette thèse est issue d’un accord CIFRE entre le groupe de recherche EnCoV de l’Université Clermont Auvergne et la société Quantel Medical (www.quantel-medical.fr). Quantel Medical est une entreprise spécialisée dans le développement innovant des ultrasons et des produits laser en ophtalmologie. Cette thèse présente un travail de recherche visant à l’application du diagnostic assisté par ordinateur et du traitement des maladies de la rétine avec une utilisation du prototype industriel TrackScan développé par Quantel Medical. Plus précisément, elle contribue au problème du mosaicing précis de l’image de la lampe à fente (SLIM) et du recalage automatique et multimodal en utilisant les images SLIM avec l’angiographie par fluorescence (FA) pour aider à la photo coagulation pan-rétienne naviguée. Nous abordons trois problèmes différents.Le premier problème est lié à l’accumulation des erreurs du recalage en SLIM., il dérive de la mosaïque. Une approche commune pour obtenir la mosaïque consiste à calculer des transformations uniquement entre les images temporellement consécutives dans une séquence, puis à les combiner pour obtenir la transformation entre les vues non consécutives temporellement. Les nombreux algorithmes existants suivent cette approche. Malgré le faible coût de calcul et la simplicité de cette méthode, en raison de sa nature de ‘chaînage’, les erreurs d’alignement s’accumulent, ce qui entraîne une dérive des images dans la mosaïque. Nous proposons donc d’utilise les récents progrès réalisés dans les méthodes d’ajustement de faisceau et de présenter un cadre de réduction de la dérive spécialement conçu pour SLIM. Nous présentons aussi une nouvelle procédure de raffinement local.Deuxièmement, nous abordons le problème induit par divers types d’artefacts communs á l’imagerie SLIM. Ceus-sont liés à la lumière utilisée, qui dégrade considérablement la qualité géométrique et photométrique de la mosaïque. Les solutions existantes permettent de faire face aux blouissements forts qui corrompent entièrement le rendu de la rétine dans l’image tout en laissant de côté la correction des reflets spéculaires semi-transparents et reflets des lentilles. Cela introduit des images fantômes et des pertes d’information. En outre, les méthodes génériques ne produisent pas de résultats satisfaisants dans SLIM. Par conséquent, nous proposons une meilleure alternative en concevant une méthode basée sur une technique rapide en utilisant une seule image pour éliminer les éblouissements et la notion de feux spéculaires semi-transparents en utilisant les indications de mouvement pour la correction intelligente de reflet de lentille.Finalement, nous résolvons le problème du recalage multimodal automatique avec SLIM. Il existe une quantité importante de travaux sur le recalage multimodal de diverses modalités d’image rétinienne. Cependant, la majorité des méthodes existantes nécessitent une détection de points clés dans les deux modalités d’image, ce qui est une tâche très difficile. Dans le cas de SLIM et FA ils ne tiennent pas compte du recalage précis dans la zone maculaire - le repère prioritaire. En outre, personne n’a développé une solution entièrement automatique pour SLIM et FA. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons la première méthode capable de recolu ces deux modalités sans une saisie manuelle, en détectant les repères anatomiques uniquement sur une seule image pour assurer un recalage précis dans la zone maculaire. (...)
This thesis arises from an agreement Convention Industrielle de Formation par la REcherche (CIFRE) between the Endoscopy and Computer Vision (EnCoV) research group at Université Clermont Auvergne and the company Quantel Medical (www.quantel-medical.fr), which specializes in the development of innovative ultrasound and laser products in ophthalmology. It presents a research work directed at the application of computer-aided diagnosis and treatment of retinal diseases with a use of the TrackScan industrial prototype developed at Quantel Medical. More specifically, it contributes to the problem of precise Slit-Lamp Image Mosaicing (SLIM) and automatic multi-modal registration of SLIM with Fluorescein Angiography (FA) to assist navigated pan-retinal photocoagulation. We address three different problems.The first is a problem of accumulated registration errors in SLIM, namely the mosaicing drift.A common approach to image mosaicking is to compute transformations only between temporally consecutive images in a sequence and then to combine them to obtain the transformation between non-temporally consecutive views. Many existing algorithms follow this approach. Despite the low computational cost and the simplicity of such methods, due to its ‘chaining’ nature, alignment errors tend to accumulate, causing images to drift in the mosaic. We propose to use recent advances in key-frame Bundle Adjustment methods and present a drift reduction framework that is specifically designed for SLIM. We also introduce a new local refinement procedure.Secondly, we tackle the problem of various types of light-related imaging artifacts common in SLIM, which significantly degrade the geometric and photometric quality of the mosaic. Existing solutions manage to deal with strong glares which corrupt the retinal content entirely while leaving aside the correction of semi-transparent specular highlights and lens flare. This introduces ghosting and information loss. Moreover, related generic methods do not produce satisfactory results in SLIM. Therefore, we propose a better alternative by designing a method based on a fast single-image technique to remove glares and the notion of the type of semi-transparent specular highlights and motion cues for intelligent correction of lens flare.Finally, we solve the problem of automatic multi-modal registration of FA and SLIM. There exist a number of related works on multi-modal registration of various retinal image modalities. However, the majority of existing methods require a detection of feature points in both image modalities. This is a very difficult task for SLIM and FA. These methods do not account for the accurate registration in macula area - the priority landmark. Moreover, none has developed a fully automatic solution for SLIM and FA. In this thesis, we propose the first method that is able to register these two modalities without manual input by detecting retinal features only on one image and ensures an accurate registration in the macula area.The description of the extensive experiments that were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of each of the proposed methods is also provided. Our results show that (i) using our new local refinement procedure for drift reduction significantly ameliorates the to drift reduction allowing us to achieve an improvement in precision over the current solution employed in the TrackScan; (ii) the proposed methodology for correction of light-related artifacts exhibits a good efficiency, significantly outperforming related works in SLIM; and (iii) despite our solution for multi-modal registration builds on existing methods, with the various specific modifications made, it is fully automatic, effective and improves the baseline registration method currently used on the TrackScan

In a set of 7 experiments, the author examined if cue-competition effects such as blocking and overshadowing reflect deficits in learning (e.g., Rescorla & Wagner, 1972) or deficits in performance (Miller & Schachtman, 1985). To this end, the author tested if the ability of a blocked and/or overshadowed stimulus was weakened in its ability to serve as a blocker or second-order reinforcer for a novel stimulus. It was assumed that the ability of a stimulus to serve as a blocker or second-order reinforcer depended on its associative status, and not on the performance it evoked. CS-evoked suppression of appetitively-motivated barpressing served as the dependent measure of conditioned performance. Experiment 1 found that an overshadowed CS was weakened in its ability to serve as a blocker. Experiment 2 replicated Experiment 1 and further showed that a blocked stimulus was also weakened in its ability to serve as a blocker. Experiment 3 showed that a blocked and overshadowed stimulus was weakened in its ability to serve as a second-order reinforcer. The results of Experiments 1, 2, and 3 were construed as supporting a learning-deficit as opposed to a performance-deficit interpretation of cue-competition effects. Performance-deficit theorists, however, might claim that the weakened ability of a blocked and/or overshadowed CS to serve as a blocker or second-order reinforcer was due to the presence of an intact A-US association (the association produced by the blocking and/or overshadowing CS). Experiments 4 to 7 addressed this issue, using various techniques, which might weaken the allegedly interfering A-US association. Experiments 4 and 5 showed that extinguishing the blocking and/or overshadowing stimulus did not facilitate performance to and blocking ability of a blocked and/or overshadowed stimulus (Experiment 4) or overshadowed stimulus (Experiment 5). Experiment 6 further showed that subjecting the blocking and/or overshadowing cue to a Pavlovian conditioned inhibition procedure also did not enhance performance to the blocked and/or overshadowed stimulus. Finally, Experiment 7 showed that extinguishing the overshadowing stimulus weakened performance to the overshadowed stimulus. Collectively, the results of Experiments 1 to 7 are consistent with learning-deficit interpretations of cue-competition effects (e.g., Rescorla & Wagner, 1972; Mackintosh, 1975).

Repeatedly retrieving information from memory can induce forgetting of related, un-retrieved information below baseline, an effect termed retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF; Anderson, Bjork & Bjork, 1994). The inhibitory account of RIF (e.g., Anderson, 2003) has received extensive support in the literature, especially through studies designed to empirically test inhibitory-based principles of RIF in adults. These principles include cue independence (RIF persists in the absence of the cue used during practice), interference/competition dependence (inhibition serves to resolve interference/competition between the cue and associated items during practice), strength independence (RIF is not strictly due to a target strengthening and competitor forgetting trade-off), retrieval-specificity (retrieval attempts are required to create the interference/ competition responsible for triggering inhibition), and output interference independence (RIF persists when output interference is controlled). However, competition-based explanations do not require an inhibitory component and can also account for many adult RIF findings. Very little RIF research has examined young children’s memory, whose immature memory systems might not be capable of demonstrating an inhibitory-driven effect. This dissertation filled this gap in the literature by thoroughly evaluating the inhibitory account of RIF in kindergartners (Ks). Two groups of Ks completed two RIF tasks that tested cue independence, competition/interference dependence, and strength independence in the first experiment, and retrieval-specificity, output interference independence, and strength-independence again in the second experiment. When a novel cue was used to test final memory (Experiment 1), and when a cue-free recognition test was used that controlled for output interference (Experiment 2), no RIF was found. These results, along with correlational evidence of strength dependence, favour a competition-based account of Ks’ RIF. Implications for inhibition theory and the potential development of RIF are discussed.

In some animal societies, access to breeding depends on the individual’s position in a hierarchy, which often depends on an individual’s size. In such societies, individuals may engage in competitive growth, trying to outgrow one another to attain a higher rank. This suggests that members of the hierarchy can track changes in the growth and size of potential competitors and respond accordingly. The clown anemonefish, Amphiprion percula, is one species known to exhibit competitive growth at the initiation of size hierarchies. Here, we use 5 combinations of sensory cues to determine which cues must be available to initiate competitive growth between size-matched individuals. Our results show that mechanosensory (pressure and/or touch) cues are used to assess size and initiate competitive growth. This study provides an understanding into the relationship between environment and phenotypic response in a social context.

博士
國立中正大學
國際經濟所
96
In this dissertation, I developed an integrated multiregional and multiregional computable general equilibrium (Multi-regional CGE) model with imperfect competition for Taiwan to study the economic impacts of the Ten New Major Construction Projects(TNCP) proposed by the DPP administration on Taiwan’s regional economy. This research found that the TNCP generate positive economic impacts on Taiwan’s north, central, south, and east regions. In the short run, gross regional product (GRP) in each region is increased significantly(increases by 3.2%,4.03%,4.96% and 13.68%). While in the long run, since labor are in full employment, the shocks of public investment projects result in significant inflation. The distribution of project funding among regions favors the east and the south region ,and therefore contributes to improved spatial income distribution. The 45 industries within each region experience different economic impacts. Industries that directly receive government expenditures(Construct, Housing, CommuPrd) or closely related to the TNCP(Nonmetallic, SteelIron, Machinery) are impacted to a greater extent. In the long run, the over-emphasis of public expenditures on construction and high-tech industries risks the costs of unbalanced economic development. The agricultural, textile, apparel, leather, chemical and fiber sector may be negatively impacted.

碩士
淡江大學
國際貿易學系
88
In recent years, sales promotion becomes more important to retailers because too many retail firms enter into the market. Using reference price to affect consumer evaluation of reference price advertisements is one of the retailers'' favorite promotional strategies. Although consumers often are exposed to reference price advertisements from a retail merchant concurrently with price informant for rival brands, there is hardly any research on how other competitor price information may influence consumers'' judgment of a reference advertisement. With the basis of the plausibility of reference price, the objective of this study is to examine the effects of reference price, other competitor brand price information and semantic cues on consumer evaluation of reference price advertisement. This paper''s framework is based on the study of Biswas et al. in 1999. This study used a 3 (Advertised Reference Price Levels) ×2 (Semantic Cue Type) ×2 (Other Price Information Present or Absent) between-subjects experimental design. The three advertised reference price levels used in this study were (1) plausible reference price, (2) high, plausible reference price, and (3) exaggerated reference price. Semantic cues in the focal reference price advertisement were manipulated as concrete or abstract. Other price information was varied at two levels, present or absent. In the information-present cells, the subjects were given external price information for a rival brand. The first part of the pretest was conducted to select advertised products in the study. The second part of the pretest was designed to determine levels of advertised reference prices. The methods of data analysis include: MANOVA and T-test. The major conclusions of this research are as follows: 1.Consistent with findings of previous reference pricing studies, although consumers tend to discount advertised price claims, a more implausible advertised reference price resulted in significantly higher consumer evaluation of reference price advertisements. 2.The present of information on the other rival brand''s price (there are close to or exceed the advertised reference price) has a positive effect on consumer evaluation of the target advertisement. 3.The traditional effects of reference prices were probably to found in the present of the competitor''s price information. This finding is not consistent with the result of previous study of Biswas et al. in 1999. 4.When the advertised product is jeans, the positive effect of the competitive brand''s price on consumer evaluation will be greater for an abstract than a concrete semantic cue.

碩士
國立成功大學
企業管理學系
88
Consumers are embraced in an environment full of advertising messages. To minimize the competition from competitors, companies focus on developing attention-drawing advertisements and attempt to place their advertisement in an advantageous order. Brand familiarity also influence viewers’ attention toward the advertisements. Hence, the primary purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of order effect, brand familiarity, retrieval cues and involvement with advertisement on competitive clutter in advertisement. A 2 (brand familiarity of target ad) × 2 (brand familiarity of competitive ad) × 2 (ad order) factorial design with 2 control groups (with non- competition) was used to test the hypotheses. The experimental advertisements were designed by the researcher to prevent the interference of subjects’ pre-exposure to the existing advertisements. The results of this study include the followings: 1. The appearance of competitive advertisement does restraint the recall of the target advertisement, and the relationship is moderated by level of involvement with advertisement. 2. Regardless of the order (proactive or retroactive interference), the competitive advertisement does interfere the recall of target advertisement. 3. The impact of competitive advertisement on the target advertisement decreases as the brand familiarity of the target advertisement increases. Besides, the strongest competitive clutter is found where both competitive and target advertisement are low in brand familiarity. 4. The use of retrieval cues can decrease the competitive clutter effectively. 5. High involvement with advertisement can strengthen the association between messages in memory, which could be useful to decrease competitive advertising clutter. 6. The attitudes toward advertisement and brand have positive effects on decreasing competitive advertising clutter. Since students were used as the sample in this study, the applications of this study need to be cautious. The results of this study provide insights to practitioners in enhancing the effectiveness of advertisements while developing programs for new product launch, advertisement strategies, and promotions.

Sexual selection can influence the mating system of an organism through multiple mechanisms. These mechanisms result in variation in reproductive success among individuals, and include scramble competition, endurance rivalries, contests, mate choice and cryptic choice, and sperm competition. Understanding the mating system of a species requires the identification of which processes are occurring, and to what degree. In this thesis, I explored the influence of mate choice mechanisms on the mating system of the terrestrial red-legged salamander, Plethodon shermani. I also documented the potential for post-copulatory processes (such as sperm competition and cryptic choice) to influence mating system dynamics. The evolution of mate choice requires (among other factors) variation in the reproductive value of potential mates. This variation is made apparent to choosy individuals through cues. Most animals use multiples cues incorporating many modalities to assess the reproductive quality of potential mates. In Chapter 2, I tested the contribution of two cues (chemical and visual) to mate choice by female P. shermani. I found that a male visual cue ("foot-dancing") increased courtship success. In contrast, delivery of non-volatile pheromones during courtship did not influence courtship success in the laboratory setting, but did affect the duration of one of the courtship stages. In Chapter 4, I identified a tactile cue that was significantly correlated with male reproductive success. Thus, P. shermani females could use at least three modalities to assess the reproductive quality of potential mates. Mate choice can also evolve in males. In Chapter 3, I tested this possibility in P. shermani. I found that males vary the reproductive effort they invest in a particular courtship based on the reproductive value of their partner, indicating male mate choice is occurring. A male invested most when paired with a female with large, well developed ova, and invested less with females that were non-gravid or had small ova. In addition to documenting male mate choice, I showed that the male visual display ("foot-dancing") that affected female mate choice was correlated with male condition, implying foot-dancing may be an honest indicator of male quality. Finally, in Chapter 5, I explored the potential for post-copulatory processes to influence the P. shermani mating system. The opportunity for sperm from multiple males to overlap in the female reproductive tract (i.e., the opportunity for females to mate multiply) is necessary for post-copulatory processes such as cryptic choice and sperm competition. The capacity for long-term sperm storage by females can increase the likelihood that this overlap in sperm from multiple males will occur. I found that females can store viable sperm for at least 9 months and in some cases beyond oviposition. In addition, I documented one female with sperm in her sperm storage organ from a mating that occurred 17 months earlier. Such lengthy sperm storage allows the possibility of sperm from one breeding season to interact with sperm from a subsequent season. Thus, the potential for post-copulatory sexual selection within this salamander system is high.
Graduation date: 2012