Diseño Flexible como Oportunidad de Adquisición

Navies around the world adopt different ways of acquiring ships. Using a single large prime contractor, placing individual contracts for design, build and integration, or employing a state-owned shipyard with external support are all procurement options that we see today.‘Flexibility’ in warship design is normally perceived as provision of extra empty space, weight and power, which could be filled with new equipment at some point in the future. However, this idea can be extended to describe a design that achieves true flexibility by exploiting the synergy with different acquisition strategies, adaptability allowing a choice of balanced capability and options for incremental acquisition to control cost and risk profiles. This leads to a design that will deliver a class of warships able to meet the evolving roles and threats throughout its life, whilst not introducing additional risk and cost into the programmes of any modern Navy around the world which adopts it.To achieve this flexibility BMT have created a single base design with multiple configurations; a warship with a functional arrangement that is able to be tailored to meet the specific requirements and budget of each Navy, minimising the initial cost penalty in a programme, and maximising commonality. It also allows for modular construction techniques which not only apply to single yard construction, including small and medium shipyards, but enables blocks to be built in several shipyards.This paper will describe the underlying considerations behind this flexibility, including incremental acquisition as a cost mitigation in procurement programmes, and the different potential partnership models between shipyard, designer and integrator in effective acquisition programmes which work to the strengths of each party.Las armadas nacionales alrededor del mundo adoptan diferentes maneras de adquirir barcos. El uso de un solo contratista principal de gran tamaño, la asignación de contratos individuales para el diseño, la construcción y la integración, o el empleo de un astillero de propiedad estatal con apoyo externo son todas opciones de adquisición que vemos hoy en día.La "flexibilidad" en el diseño de buques de guerra se percibe normalmente como la provisión de espacios vacíos, peso y potencia adicionales, que podrían ser utilizados con nuevo equipo en algún momento en el futuro. Sin embargo, esta idea puede ampliarse con el fin describir un diseño que logre una verdadera flexibilidad  al explotar la sinergia entre diferentes estrategias de adquisición y adaptabilidad permitiendo la posibilidad de una capacidad equilibrada y opciones para la adquisición incremental con el fin de controlar los perfiles de costos y riesgos. Esto conduce a un diseño que ofrecerá un tipo de buques de guerra capaces de cumplir con los cambiantes roles y amenazas a lo largo de su vida útil, sin generar riesgos y costos adicionales en los programas de cualquier Marina moderna alrededor del mundo que los adopte.Con el fin lograr esta flexibilidad, BMT ha creado un diseño de base única con múltiples configuraciones; un buque de guerra con un arreglo funcional que puede ser adaptado para cumplir con los requisitos específicos y el presupuesto de cada Armada, minimizando la penalización del costo inicial en un programa y maximizando la homogeneidad. También permite las técnicas de construcción modular que no sólo se aplican a la construcción de astilleros únicos, incluidos los astilleros pequeños y medianos, sino que permite la construcción de bloques en varios astilleros.Este documento describirá las consideraciones subyacentes detrás de esta flexibilidad, incluyendo la adquisición incremental como una forma de mitigar costos en los programas de adquisición y los diferentes modelos potenciales de asociación entre astillero, diseñador e integrador en programas efectivos de adquisición que trabajen enfocándose en las fortalezas de cada parte

Flight of the dragonflies and damselflies

This work is a synthesis of our current understanding of the mechanics, aerodynamics and visually mediated control of dragonfly and damselfly flight, with the addition of new experimental and computational data in several key areas. These are: the diversity of dragonfly wing morphologies, the aerodynamics of gliding flight, force generation in flapping flight, aerodynamic efficiency, comparative flight performance and pursuit strategies during predatory and territorial flights. New data are set in context by brief reviews covering anatomy at several scales, insect aerodynamics, neuromechanics and behaviour. We achieve a new perspective by means of a diverse range of techniques, including laser-line mapping of wing topographies, computational fluid dynamics simulations of finely detailed wing geometries, quantitative imaging using particle image velocimetry of on-wing and wake flow patterns, classical aerodynamic theory, photography in the field, infrared motion capture and multi-camera optical tracking of free flight trajectories in laboratory environments. Our comprehensive approach enables a novel synthesis of datasets and subfields that integrates many aspects of flight from the neurobiology of the compound eye, through the aeromechanical interface with the surrounding fluid, to flight performance under cruising and higher-energy behavioural modes

Human–Black Bear Conflicts: A Review of Common Management Practices

The objective of this monograph is to provide wildlife professionals, who respond to human–bear conflicts, with an appraisal of the most common techniques used for mitigating conflicts as well as the benefits and challenges of each technique in a single document. Most human–black bear conflict occurs when people make anthropogenic foods like garbage, dog food, domestic poultry, or fruit trees available to bears. Bears change their behavior to take advantage of these resources and may damage property or cause public safety concerns in the process. Managers and the public need to understand the available tools to stop human–bear conflict and reduce effects on bear populations.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/hwi_monographs/1002/thumbnail.jp

Group versus individual treatment: what is the best modality for treating sexual offenders?

This paper reviews the different treatment modalities used for treating sexual offenders. We provide an overview of the literature comparing group therapy with individual treatment and summarise the main advantages and disadvantages of both treatment modalities. Group treatment appears to be at least as effective as individual treatment, and there are several clinical advantages obtained through group processes which helpfully address the particular criminogenic needs of the sexual offender population and which are less easily obtained in individual therapy. In addition, we also address the debate about the advantages of open-ended versus closed-group formats. Openended groups seem to offer more clinical advantages than closed groups, and in particular allow for treatment to be more responsive to individual needs, although there have been no direct comparisons of the two approaches with sexual offenders. We conclude by identifying the next steps for research

The effect of discrete vs. continuous-valued ratings on reputation and ranking systems

When users rate objects, a sophisticated algorithm that takes into account ability or reputation may produce a fairer or more accurate aggregation of ratings than the straightforward arithmetic average. Recently a number of authors have proposed different co-determination algorithms where estimates of user and object reputation are refined iteratively together, permitting accurate measures of both to be derived directly from the rating data. However, simulations demonstrating these methods' efficacy assumed a continuum of rating values, consistent with typical physical modelling practice, whereas in most actual rating systems only a limited range of discrete values (such as a 5-star system) is employed. We perform a comparative test of several co-determination algorithms with different scales of discrete ratings and show that this seemingly minor modification in fact has a significant impact on algorithms' performance. Paradoxically, where rating resolution is low, increased noise in users' ratings may even improve the overall performance of the system.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Methods for Managing Human–Deer Conflicts in Urban, Suburban, and Exurban Areas

This monograph identifies challenges and benefits associated with many human–deer conflict mitigation actions as well as methods to monitor the response of deer populations to management actions. Deer exploit urban, suburban, and exurban areas where human populations provide anthropogenic attractants, either intentionally or inadvertently, which often leads to human–deer conflicts. Mitigating actions have varying degrees of efficacy and may not be effective or accepted in every situation. Wildlife and municipal managers must work together to seek methods to reduce attractants, mitigate conflicts, and perpetuate the conservation of wildlife species that adds to the appreciation of nature in our lives.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/hwi_monographs/1001/thumbnail.jp

Analysis and modelling of muscles motion during whole body vibration

The aim of the study is to characterize the local muscles motion in individuals undergoing whole body mechanical stimulation. In this study we aim also to evaluate how subject positioning modifies vibration dumping, altering local mechanical stimulus. Vibrations were delivered to subjects by the use of a vibrating platform, while stimulation frequency was increased linearly from 15 to 60Hz. Two different subject postures were here analysed. Platform and muscles motion were monitored using tiny MEMS accelerometers; a contra lateral analysis was also presented. Muscle motion analysis revealed typical displacement trajectories: motion components were found not to be purely sinusoidal neither in phase to each other. Results also revealed a mechanical resonant-like behaviour at some muscles, similar to a second-order system response. Resonance frequencies and dumping factors depended on subject and his positioning. Proper mechanical stimulation can maximize muscle spindle solicitation, which may produce a more effective muscle activation

DOCK6 Mutations Are Responsible for a Distinct Autosomal-Recessive Variant of Adams-Oliver Syndrome Associated with Brain and Eye Anomalies

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Diagnosis of lethal or prenatal-onset autosomal recessive disorders by parental exome sequencing.

OBJECTIVE: Rare genetic disorders resulting in prenatal or neonatal death are genetically heterogeneous, but testing is often limited by the availability of fetal DNA, leaving couples without a potential prenatal test for future pregnancies. We describe our novel strategy of exome sequencing parental DNA samples to diagnose recessive monogenic disorders in an audit of the first 50 couples referred. METHOD: Exome sequencing was carried out in a consecutive series of 50 couples who had 1 or more pregnancies affected with a lethal or prenatal-onset disorder. In all cases, there was insufficient DNA for exome sequencing of the affected fetus. Heterozygous rare variants (MAF < 0.001) in the same gene in both parents were selected for analysis. Likely, disease-causing variants were tested in fetal DNA to confirm co-segregation. RESULTS: Parental exome analysis identified heterozygous pathogenic (or likely pathogenic) variants in 24 different genes in 26/50 couples (52%). Where 2 or more fetuses were affected, a genetic diagnosis was obtained in 18/29 cases (62%). In most cases, the clinical features were typical of the disorder, but in others, they result from a hypomorphic variant or represent the most severe form of a variable phenotypic spectrum. CONCLUSION: We conclude that exome sequencing of parental samples is a powerful strategy with high clinical utility for the genetic diagnosis of lethal or prenatal-onset recessive disorders. © 2017 The Authors Prenatal Diagnosis published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd