An evaluation of indirect cost rate determination at the Naval Postgraduate School

MBA Professional ReportSince its inception, faculty of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) have conducted research and development for the United States Navy, its sister military services, and other various agencies spread across the federal government. For its support of research efforts, NPS is reimbursed for actual costs incurred in association with providing research and development. Over the past several years the school has experienced a significant increase in the amount of reimbursable program dollars coming into the school. Recently, school administrators questioned whether reimbursement rates charged to research customers accurately reflected the actual cost incurred in providing the service. In 2003, NPS commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a professional consulting firm, to study the current rate structure and make recommendations as to what rates NPS should charge for reimbursable research and education. PwC's final report was submitted to the school in the spring of 2004. The purpose of this research project is to analyze their final report to understand the methodology and procedures PwC used to determine rates, and determine if the rate structure proposed by PwC is appropriate for implementation at NPS.http://archive.org/details/anevaluationofin109459890Captain, United States Air ForceApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

BMI transitions in Australian women: amount and causes of weight change associated with progression from healthy to unhealthy BMI over 16 years

Introduction and Aims: Progression from healthy weight to overweight or obesity is associated with numerous health problems in young adult women. The aims were to track BMI over 16 years in women who had a healthy BMI in 1996 (when they were 18-23), to calculate rates of weight change associated with maintenance and/or change in BMI, and to examine the determinants of these changes

γ-Hydroxybutyrate accumulation in Arabidopsis and tobacco plants is a general response to abiotic stress: putative regulation by redox balance and glyoxylate reductase isoforms

Enzymes that reduce the aldehyde chemical grouping (i.e. H-C=O) to its corresponding alcohol are probably crucial in maintaining plant health during stress. Succinic semialdehyde (SSA) is a mitochondrially-generated intermediate in the metabolism of γ-aminobutyrate (GABA), which accumulates in response to a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses. SSA can be reduced to γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) under oxygen deficiency and high light conditions. Recent evidence indicates that distinct cytosolic and plastidial glyoxylate reductase isoforms from Arabidopsis (designated hereinafter as AtGR1 and AtGR2, respectively) catalyse the in vitro conversion of SSA to GHB, as well as glyoxylate to glycolate, via NADPH-dependent reactions. In the present report, the responses of GHB and related amino acids, as well as NADP+ and NADPH, were monitored in leaves from Arabidopsis or tobacco plants subjected to various abiotic stresses (i.e. Arabidopsis during exposure to salinity, drought, submergence, cold, or heat; tobacco during exposure to, and recovery from, submergence). Time-course experiments revealed that GHB accumulated in both Arabidopsis and tobacco plants subjected to stress, and that this accumulation was generally accompanied by higher GABA and alanine levels, higher NADPH/NADP+ ratio, and lower glutamate levels. Furthermore, the analysis of gene expression in Arabidopsis revealed that the relative abundance of GR1 (salinity, drought, submergence, cold, and heat) and GR2 (cold and heat) transcripts was enhanced by the stress tested. Thus, GHB accumulation in plants is a general response to abiotic stress and appears to be regulated by both biochemical and transcriptional processes

Is emergency endovascular aneurysm repair associated with higher secondary intervention risk at mid-term follow-up?

ObjectiveThe study assessed mid-term outcome of emergency endovascular repair for acute infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms, with special attention to secondary interventions.MethodsBetween May 1998 and August 2005, 56 patients underwent emergent endovascular repair for a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (n = 34) or an acute nonruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (n = 22). During the same period, 322 consecutive patients underwent elective endovascular aneurysm repair and were used as control group. Five types of stent grafts were used: Vanguard, Talent, Excluder, Zenith, and Quantum. Follow-up included abdominal radiograph, duplex ultrasound scanning, and computed tomographic angiography. Outcome measures included all-cause and aneurysm-related mortality, complications, and secondary interventions.ResultsMortality at 30 days was 18%, 5%, and 1% in the ruptured, acute nonruptured, and elective aneurysm groups, respectively. Overall mean follow-up was 38 ± 26 months. In the ruptured aneurysm group, survival was 67.8% ± 8.6% at 1 year and 62.1% ± 9.5% at 2 and 3 years. Seven secondary interventions (4 early and 3 late) were required in five patients (15%), with a cumulative risk of 9.2% ± 5.1% at 1 year and 16.2% ± 8.2% at 2 and 3 years. In the acute nonruptured aneurysm group, survival was 90.9% ± 6.1% at 1 year, 84.8% ± 8.2% at 2 years, and 76.4% ± 10.9% at 3 years. Four secondary interventions (1 early and 3 late) were required in four patients (18%), with a cumulative risk of 9.6% ± 6.5% at 1 and 2 years and 20.9% ± 12.0% at 3 years. In the elective aneurysm (control) group, survival was 95.2% ± 1.2% at 1 year, 89.9% ± 1.8% at 2 years, and 86.2% ± 2.1% at 3 years. A total of 51 secondary interventions (4 early, 47 late) were required in 38 patients (12%), with a cumulative risk of 4.2% ± 1.1% at 1 year, 7.6% ± 1.6% at 2 years, and 12.9% ± 2.2% at 3 years.ConclusionsTo our surprise, emergency endovascular aneurysm repair did not present with higher secondary intervention rate at mid-term follow-up

A hard day’s night: time use in shift workers

Background Differences in how shift workers accumulate physical activity (PA) while at work and in leisure time, on days when they are working at night, during the day, or on non-work days, are largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to improve understanding of physical activity patterns in two groups of shift workers, and to measure variations according to their shift schedules. Methods This pragmatic pilot study was conducted in two workplaces. Employees in Workplace 1 (n = 10) were required to drive for most of their shift. Workplace 2 was a manufacturing company where most of the employees’ (n = 30) occupational tasks were completed while standing. Use of time was assessed using the adult version of the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adults (MARCA) administered by telephone interview. Three MARCA interviews were conducted with each participant, in order to capture a typical profile of a day-shift day, a night-shift day and a non-work day, using a two-day recall for each interview. Participants were asked to wear the activPAL3™ activity monitor, for 7 consecutive days. Paired and independent t-tests were used to compute significant differences between day-shift, night-shift and non-work days within and between workplaces. Results The total number of days quantified for the MARCA data was 192 days (64 day-shift, 60 night-shift and 68 non-work days). Workplace 2 participants reported more physical activity and less sedentary behaviour on day-shift and night shift days than on non-work days. Time spent in sedentary behaviour was similar on day-shift, night-shift and non-work days in Workplace 1. Workplace 1 participants were more sedentary (p = 0.003) and engaged in more light intensity PA (p = 0.031) on day-shift and night-shift workdays, than those from Workplace 2. Sleep times were lowest on day-shift days. Conclusion As the occupational tasks for participants in Workplace 2 involved physical activities, the findings do not support the conventional view that shift workers are more sedentary than those who only work during the day. Rather occupational tasks appear to be a more important determinant of physical activity patterns both on work and non-work days than varying shift patterns

Targeting CD83 in mantle cell lymphoma with anti-human CD83 antibody

Objectives: Effective antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) provide potent targeted cancer therapies. CD83 is expressed on activated immune cells including B cells and is a therapeutic target for Hodgkin lymphoma. Our objective was to determine CD83 expression on non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and its therapeutic potential to treat mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) which is currently an incurable NHL. Methods: We analysed CD83 expression on MCL cell lines and the lymph node/bone marrow biopsies of MCL patients. We tested the killing effect of CD83 ADC in vitro and in an in vivo xenograft MCL mouse model. Results: CD83 is expressed on MCL, and its upregulation is correlated with the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) activation. CD83 ADC kills MCL in vitro and in vivo. Doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (CP), which are included in the current treatment regimen for MCL, enhance the NF-κB activity and increase CD83 expression on MCL cell lines. The combination of CD83 ADC with doxorubicin and CP has synergistic killing effect of MCL. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that a novel immunotherapeutic agent CD83 ADC, in combination with chemotherapy, has the potential to enhance the efficacy of current treatments for MCL

Effects of Intermediate Ethanol Blends on Legacy Vehicles and Small Non‑Road Engines, Report 1 - Updated

In summer 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) initiated a test program to evaluate the potential impacts of intermediate ethanol blends on legacy vehicles and other engines. The purpose of the test program is to assess the viability of using intermediate blends as a contributor to meeting national goals in the use of renewable fuels. Through a wide range of experimental activities, DOE is evaluating the effects of E15 and E20--gasoline blended with 15 and 20% ethanol--on tailpipe and evaporative emissions, catalyst and engine durability, vehicle driveability, engine operability, and vehicle and engine materials. This first report provides the results available to date from the first stages of a much larger overall test program. Results from additional projects that are currently underway or in the planning stages are not included in this first report. The purpose of this initial study was to quickly investigate the effects of adding up to 20% ethanol to gasoline on the following: (1) Regulated tailpipe emissions for 13 popular late model vehicles on a drive cycle similar to real-world driving and 28 small non-road engines (SNREs) under certification or typical in use procedures. (2) Exhaust and catalyst temperatures of the same vehicles under more severe conditions. (3) Temperature of key engine components of the same SNREs under certification or typical in-use conditions. (4) Observable operational issues with either the vehicles or SNREs during the course of testing. As discussed in the concluding section of this report, a wide range of additional studies are underway or planned to consider the effects of intermediate ethanol blends on materials, emissions, durability, and driveability of vehicles, as well as impacts on a wider range of nonautomotive engines, including marine applications, snowmobiles, and motorcycles. Section 1 (Introduction) gives background on the test program and describes collaborations with industry and agencies to date. Section 2 (Experimental Setup) provides details concerning test fuels, vehicle and SNRE selection, and test methods used to conduct the studies presented in this report. Section 3 (Results and Discussion) summarizes the vehicle and SNRE studies and presents data from testing completed to date. Section 4 (Next Steps) describes planned future activities. The appendixes provide test procedure details, vehicle and SNRE emissions standards, analysis details, and additional data and tables from vehicle and SNRE tests

Sedentary time in older men and women: an international consensus statement and research priorities

Sedentary time is a modifiable determinant of poor health, and in older adults, reducing sedentary time may be an important first step in adopting and maintaining a more active lifestyle. The primary purpose of this consensus statement is to provide an integrated perspective on current knowledge and expert opinion pertaining to sedentary behaviour in older adults on the topics of measurement, associations with health outcomes, and interventions. A secondary yet equally important purpose is to suggest priorities for future research and knowledge translation based on gaps identified. A five-step Delphi consensus process was used. Experts in the area of sedentary behaviour and older adults (n=15) participated in three surveys, an in-person consensus meeting, and a validation process. The surveys specifically probed measurement, health outcomes, interventions, and research priorities. The meeting was informed by a literature review and conference symposium, and it was used to create statements on each of the areas addressed in this document. Knowledge users (n=3) also participated in the consensus meeting. Statements were then sent to the experts for validation. It was agreed that self-report tools need to be developed for understanding the context in which sedentary time is accumulated. For health outcomes, it was agreed that the focus of sedentary time research in older adults needs to include geriatric-relevant health outcomes, that there is insufficient evidence to quantify the dose-response relationship, that there is a lack of evidence on sedentary time from older adults in assisted facilities, and that evidence on the association between sedentary time and sleep is lacking. For interventions, research is needed to assess the impact that reducing sedentary time, or breaking up prolonged bouts of sedentary time has on geriatric-relevant health outcomes. Research priorities listed for each of these areas should be considered by researchers and funding agencies