Detection of infectious bronchitis virus in experimentally infected chickens by an antigen-competitive ELISA

An antigen-competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Ag-C-ELISA) was developed for the detection of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) antigens, M41 strain, in tissues from experimentally infected chickens, or in allantoic fluid harvested from inoculated embryonated eggs. The detection limit of IBV in the Ag-C-ELISA was 104.1 median embryo infective doses (EID50)/well. Tracheal and lung samples from chickens vaccinated with 102.5 EID50 of live attenuated infectious bronchitis (H120) vaccine were negative in the direct detection Ag-C-ELISA. The results indicate that the Ag-C-ELISA has the potential to detect IBV, either directly in tissue samples or when combined with the passage of material in embryonated eggs, thereby constituting an alternative method for the diagnosis of IBV.

Video target tracking by using competitive neural networks

A target tracking algorithm able to identify the position and to pursuit moving targets in video digital sequences is proposed in this paper. The proposed approach aims to track moving targets inside the vision field of a digital camera. The position and trajectory of the target are identified by using a neural network presenting competitive learning technique. The winning neuron is trained to approximate to the target and, then, pursuit it. A digital camera provides a sequence of images and the algorithm process those frames in real time tracking the moving target. The algorithm is performed both with black and white and multi-colored images to simulate real world situations. Results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, since the neurons tracked the moving targets even if there is no pre-processing image analysis. Single and multiple moving targets are followed in real time.

Optimal contract pricing of distributed generation under a competitive framework

A bilevel programming approach for the optimal contract pricing of distributed generation (DG) in distribution networks is presented. The outer optimization problem corresponds to the owner of the DG who must decide the contract price that would maximize his profits. The inner optimization problem corresponds to the distribution company (DisCo), which procures the minimization of the payments incurred in attending the expected demand while satisfying network constraints. The meet the expected demand the DisCo can purchase energy either form the transmission network through the substations or form the DG units within its network. The inner optimization problem is substituted by its Karush- Kuhn-Tucker optimality conditions, turning the bilevel programming problem into an equivalent single-level nonlinear programming problem which is solved using commercially available software. © 2010 IEEE.

The competitive challenge for Brazilian industry

Includes bibliography

Foreign investment and competitive development in Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

Developing competitive advantages: successful export SMEs in Argentina, Chile and Colombia

Includes bibliography

The competitive real exchange-rate regime, inflation and monetary policy

Includes bibliography

The footwear industry in Vale do Sinos (Brazil): competitive adjustment in a labour-intensive sector

Includes bibliography

Impact of the oil crisis on the competitive position of jute and hard fibres

Includes bibliography

CAN: Análisis de la Competitividad de los Países: programa computacional para evaluar y describir el medio competitivo internacional, versión 2.0, manual de uso = Competitive Analysis of Nations: software to evaluate and describe the international competitive environment, version 2.0, user's manual

Incluye Bibliografía

Corporate social responsibility: a competitive advantage for business

This edition of the FAL Bulletin is about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), as a new approach to business that offers competitive advantage for companies in the transport and logistics sector.

Shipping costs: a rising challenge to the region's competitive development

This issue of the FAL Bulletin examines the impact of shipping costs on the exports of five Latin American and Caribbean countries by analysing the difference between the unit value of goods at the port of origin and at the port of destination, in three of the region's main external markets.

Latin America’s competitive position in knowledge-intensive services trade

This study presents a dynamic analysis of Latin America's competitiveness in trade in knowledge-intensive services. The methodology used to undertake this analysis is based on the Tradecan approach developed by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which provides a means of assessing different countries' competitiveness by looking at their exports to the fastest-growing markets. (In the past, it has usually been applied primarily to exports of goods.) The results suggest that, although some Latin American countries have made inroads in knowledge-intensive service segments and have comparative advantages in them, the percentage of "rising stars" (dynamic sectors in which a country or region is gaining in market share) is still low, while there is a high percentage of "missed opportunities" (dynamic sectors in which a country or region is losing market share). This points up the existence of areas in which the region's competitive position is weak and in which policies are needed to leverage its competitive advantages and remove the obstacles that are holding it back from establishing a more advantageous position in knowledge-intensive service markets.