Cost analysis of U.S. Navy Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief missions

MBA Professional ReportIn the wake of rising costs and limited budgets, the U.S. Navy has been challenged to perform its missions while pursuing opportunities to reduce operating costs. One of those missions that has expanded recently is Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR). In 2007, the Navy officially added Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief as a core competency to its maritime strategy. From 1970 to 2000, the Navy diverted vessels 366 times for HA/DR operations, as opposed to 22 times for combat operations. With the ever-expanding role of the U.S. Navy in HA/DR operations, it is important to study how the Navy can perform its missions while saving costs. This report serves to provide Navy leadership with policy recommendations that will improve HA/DR mission capabiility while saving costs at the same time.http://archive.org/details/costnalysisofusn1094544620Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Asymmetric Synthesis of beta-Amino Acids

Summary Whereas the asymmetric synthesis of alpha-amino acids has received considerable attention 2 over the past two decades, there have been relatively few published investigations which deal with the asymmetric synthesis of beta-amino acids. 22-27 It was the aim of the work described in this thesis to devise an improved asymmetric synthesis of beta-amino acids involving the construction of heterocyclic intermediates in a diastereoselective manner, particularly by the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of chiral nitrones with suitably substituted alkenes. The Introduction reviews the natural occurrence of the more important beta-amino acids, previous asymmetric syntheses, and the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition chemistry of nitrones, including enantio- and diastereoselective processes. Chapter 1 describes the synthesis of a series of chiral and achiral nitrones and the first systematic investigation of the stereochemistry of aliphatic aldonitrones, involving analysis of N-benzyl nitrones (6-8) by Nuclear Overhauser Difference Spectroscopy (NOEDS). The results of this investigation demonstrate that (6-8) are formed exclusively in the Z configuration. Conversion of nitrone (6) into the isoxazolidines (29) and (30) provides the first evidence for the formation of diastereomeric dimers from a nitrone. beta-leucine (71) and beta-tyrosine methyl ether (80) are described in Chapter 2. They depend upon the reaction of chiral nitrones with vinyl acetate to yield isoxazolidines in which substituents have been placed in a regio-and stereoselective manner on the periphery of the five-membered ring, [Scheme I]. Subsequent hydrolysis of the acetate moiety affords a lactol which can be oxidised to the isoxazolidin-5-one system. Catalytic hydrogenolysis of these isoxazolidinones by N-O fission and deprotection of the nitrogen function leads to the free beta-amino acids. cycloadditions of nitrones with alkyl ketene acetals as a potentially new route to beta-amino acids. The chiral induction observed in the formation of isoxazolidines such as (101) from the chiral phenyl nitrone (21) and The asymmetric syntheses of beta-phenyl-beta-alanine (57), Chapter 3 describes an investigation of the 1,3-dipolar [o-xylyl]ketene acetal (85) is far superior to that observed with vinyl acetate, [Scheme II]. An alternative synthesis of the chiral isoxazolidin-5-ones (56), (70) and (79), is described in Chapter 4, entailing a one-pot reaction of hydroxylamine (15) and unsaturated esters ( 123-125), [Scheme III]

Using Sentiment Analysis to track reaction to the Global Game Jam Theme published in Proceedings of the International Conference on Game Jams, Hackathons, and Game Creation Events

In this paper, we examine the Global Game Jam Theme and the reaction of the 'jammers' to the release. The Theme is one of the main drivers for creative aspect of the Game Jam, it sets the tone of the games that are developed at the Jam. This paper introduces an experiment which uses 'sentiment analysis' to gauge the positive or negative reaction to the theme over the last 7 years of the Global Game Jam. The results of this study show that the 2012 theme had the the highest sentiment. Finally, we suggest that the 'sentiment analysis' or 'context analysis' could be used to gather data sets for other studies such as development practices

Threshold concepts: Impacts on teaching and learning at tertiary level

This project explored teaching and learning of hard-to-learn threshold concepts in first-year English, an electrical engineering course, leadership courses, and in doctoral writing. The project was envisioned to produce disciplinary case studies that lecturers could use to reflect on and refine their curriculum and pedagogy, thereby contributing to discussion about the relationship between theory and methodology in higher education research (Shay, Ashwin, & Case, 2009). A team of seven academics investigated lecturers’ awareness and emergent knowledge of threshold concepts and associated pedagogies and how such pedagogies can afford opportunities for learning. As part of this examination the lecturers also explored the role of threshold concept theory in designing curricula and sought to find the commonalities in threshold concepts and their teaching and learning across the four disciplines. The research highlights new ways of teaching threshold concepts to help students learn concepts that are fundamental to the disciplines they are studying and expand their educational experiences. Given that much of the international research in this field focuses on the identification of threshold concepts and debates their characteristics (Barradell, 2013; Flanagan, 2014; Knight, Callaghan, Baldock, & Meyer, 2013), our exploration of what happens when lecturers use threshold concept theory to re-envision their curriculum and teaching helps to address a gap within the field. By addressing an important theoretical and practical approach the project makes a considerable contribution to teaching and learning at the tertiary level in general and to each discipline in particular