Organizational Change Considerations for Implementation of Performance-Based Logistics Contracts

Excerpt from the Proceedings of the Nineteenth Annual Acquisition Research SymposiumPerformance-Based Logistics (PBL) administrators have long struggled with developing contracts that result in a win-win relationship for both the contractor and the customer in terms of costs under dynamic conditions, contract length, and sustained performance. These inefficiencies lead to a perpetual cycle of reexamining outdated data, due to current data unavailability, or lack of publications. Thus, outdated practices or cost barriers can often plague outcome-based contracts (OBC). This research entailed seeking out other industries that utilize OBC in asset maintenance. In particular, several state Department of Transportation agencies adopted and successfully implemented Performance-Based Maintenance Contracts (PBMC). In both the qualitative and quantitative spheres, three areas of concern were identified: internal resistance towards performance-based procurement, ineffective relationships between the contractor and customer, and misalignment between contractor performance and scope complexity. After examining 75 contract performance scorecards and conducting interviews with Department of Defense personnel, this research determined that the organizational change required to tackle these specific challenges suggest a paradigm shift in how PBL contracts are implemented and administered.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Effects of Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices on the Literacy Learning of Latino Students

Raising scholastic achievement of diverse and struggling students as well as narrowing the academic achievement gap between students from mainstream and diverse backgrounds seems to be essentially dependent on educators’ personal knowledge, perspectives, and definitions regarding the terms multicultural education and equity pedagogy. Research studies confirm that addressing student’s culture, language, and social status with appreciation, inclusion, and sensitivity increases their academic successes. In classrooms, negative perceptions often maintained by educators about students perpetuate the false belief that diverse learners are unable to or struggle to grasp new learning. This ten-week qualitative study examined teachers’ perceptions as well as implementations of multicultural education and culturally responsive instructional practices as a means of addressing the literacy learning needs of diverse and struggling students in two primary classrooms in an urban Southeastern elementary school. Reading instruction observations provided insight into teachers’ self-descriptive beliefs and attitudes of multicultural education, how their perceptions of multicultural education differ from observed culturally responsive instructional practices, and how observed culturally responsive pedagogy align with multicultural education theories outlined by prominent researchers. All teachers and students come to school with personal backgrounds, languages, and attitudes concerning cultures and ethnicities. Their perceptions are formed by family members, prior experiences, and mainstream society. Frequently, teachers do not realize that personal and institutionalized perceptions, expectations, pedagogies, learning environments, curriculum and materials, grouping strategies, and assessment methods are at odds with learning needs of many students from diverse backgrounds. Findings of this study suggest that educators’ academic goals are often at odds with instructional policies and practices, as demonstrated by the persistent academic achievement gap. Tragically, many students perceive that learning struggles and failures are their fault. They may experience marginalization and develop feelings of inadequacy. Consequently, many students from diverse backgrounds express feelings of anger and frustration that may be exhibited by undesirable behavior. They may give up, drop out, abandon opportunities for citizenship participation and responsibility, or surrender to jobs in adulthood that are less than those they dreamt of. Finally, study findings suggest that teachers’ lack of cultural awareness, understanding of multicultural education, and knowledge of equity pedagogy prevent them from recognizing several negative personal perceptions and biases. As a result, they implement self-selected, school, and district policies and practices completely unaware that they are unintentionally posing learning obstructions and academic success limitations as well as fostering students’ frustrations. Demographics indicate that the predominantly Caucasian middle-class teaching population requires high levels of cultural awareness and extensive knowledge concerning multicultural education, equity pedagogy, and cultural awareness in order to address the literacy-learning needs of the increasingly diverse student population effectively

Organically Deposited Metallic Films for Device Fabrication

Advances in integrated circuit density, speed and complexity are dependent on lower resistance, finer line width on-chip interconnections. Methods for incorporating copper interconnects into IC fabrication processes have been developed which accomplish this objective but most of these methods use some form of blanket metal deposition that requires mechanical and/or chemical removal of excess material. To date, investigations into the selective deposition of conductor materials for device fabrication have met with limited success. A new process for selectively depositing metallic conductors using inexpensive, organic-based chemical solutions could potentially force a paradigm shift in the deposition of metals for microelectronic applications. Reversing the process currently used for selectively removing impurities from metal bearing waste streams, electrochemically controlled deposition of metals from electrically non-conducting organic solutions on submicron feature sizes is possible. A description of the fundamental electrochemical processes involved and parameter space available to engineer the solution chemistry will be presented along with experimental results from model systems. A discussion of the technology in light of ULSI issues and applications will be included

Maskless, Direct Deposition of Copper Onto Aluminum Bond Pads for Flip Chip Applications

Flip chip interconnection of integrated circuits (IC) for packaging applications such as direct chip attachment use Pb-Sn solders as the connection between the die and the substrate. Under bump metallization is typically used to transition from the non-solderable Al bond pad on the IC to a solderable surface such as copper using traditional blanket metal deposition, photolithography and etching procedures. In this study, we report for the first time the use of a novel process for selectively depositing adherent copper directly onto aluminum thin films, eliminating the need for adhesion promoting transition layers and additional patterning steps. Utilizing copper bearing organic solutions and standard electroless and electrolytic copper plating baths, as-deposited and annealed sputter deposited Al-x%Cu (x = 0 to 2) thin films were coated with metallic copper. An increase in the organically deposited copper nucleation site density was observed with increasing copper concentration in the sputtered aluminum/copper thin films. Preliminary results using focused ion beam microscopy indicated that dissolution of the aluminum oxide surface and subsequent deposition of copper by cementation occurs in the non-conducting organic solution at sub-micron reaction lengths. Qualitative adhesion testing of samples resulted in the majority of films passing the tape test. Demonstration of the process using 50-micron diameter vias in BCB coated flip chip test vehicles from MCNC will be presented

Vitamin D Status and its Association with Morbidity including Wasting and Opportunistic Illnesses in HIV-Infected Women in Tanzania.

Vitamin D has a potential role in preventing HIV-related complications, based on its extensive involvement in immune and metabolic function, including preventing osteoporosis and premature cardiovascular disease. However, this association has not been examined in large studies or in resource-limited settings. Vitamin D levels were assessed in 884 HIV-infected pregnant women at enrollment in a trial of multivitamin supplementation (excluding vitamin D) in Tanzania. Information on HIV related complications was recorded during follow-up (median, 70 months). Proportional hazards models and generalized estimating equations were used to assess the relationship of vitamin D status with these outcomes. Women with low vitamin D status (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D<32 ng/mL) had 43% higher risk of reaching a body mass index (BMI) less than 18 kg/m(2) during the first 2 years of follow-up, compared to women with adequate vitamin D levels (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.43; 95% confidence intervals: [1.03-1.99]). The relationship between continuous vitamin D levels and risk of BMI less than 18 kg/m(2) during follow-up was inverse and linear (p=0.03). Women with low vitamin D levels had significantly higher incidence of acute upper respiratory infections (HR: 1.27 [1.04-1.54]) and thrush (HR: 2.74 [1.29-5.83]) diagnosed during the first 2 years of follow-up. Low vitamin D status was a significant risk factor for wasting and HIV-related complications such as thrush during follow-up in this prospective cohort in Tanzania. If these protective associations are confirmed in randomized trials, vitamin D supplementation could represent a simple and inexpensive method to improve health and quality of life of HIV-infected patients, particularly in resource-limited settings

The role of vitamin D in pulmonary disease: COPD, asthma, infection, and cancer

The role of vitamin D (VitD) in calcium and bone homeostasis is well described. In the last years, it has been recognized that in addition to this classical function, VitD modulates a variety of processes and regulatory systems including host defense, inflammation, immunity, and repair. VitD deficiency appears to be frequent in industrialized countries. Especially patients with lung diseases have often low VitD serum levels. Epidemiological data indicate that low levels of serum VitD is associated with impaired pulmonary function, increased incidence of inflammatory, infectious or neoplastic diseases. Several lung diseases, all inflammatory in nature, may be related to activities of VitD including asthma, COPD and cancer. The exact mechanisms underlying these data are unknown, however, VitD appears to impact on the function of inflammatory and structural cells, including dendritic cells, lymphocytes, monocytes, and epithelial cells. This review summarizes the knowledge on the classical and newly discovered functions of VitD, the molecular and cellular mechanism of action and the available data on the relationship between lung disease and VitD status

PRECURSORS OF TEACHERS’ SENSE OF EFFICACY TO ADDRESS THE LITERACY LEARNING OF DIVERSE STUDENTS

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore through the lens of culturally responsive instruction (CRI) the development of teachers’ sense of efficacy, as defined by Bandura (1995), to address the literacy learning of diverse first, second, or third grade (i.e., primary grade level) students. In this process, I purposively selected the location and the participants because answering my research questions required that I conduct the investigation within learning settings where culturally and linguistically diverse students in the primary grade levels (i.e., first, second, or third grade) receive literacy instruction. My time in the field and my comprehensive focus on the participants and their teaching practices allowed me to gather rich descriptive data concerning the participants’ perspectives, experiences, and teaching practices through multiple traditional case study data collection means. Four overarching themes emerged from within, between, and across case analysis as significant in the development of teachers’ sense of efficacy to address the literacy learning of their pluralistic student populations in a culturally responsive manner. The themes include: (1) Perspectives shaping literacy instruction provision, (2) Understanding what constitutes CRI, (3) The impact of establishing a collaborative teaching community on the development of teachers’ sense of efficacy, and (4) Foundations of culturally responsive teachers’ sense of efficacy. I base my recommendations for the development of inservice teachers’ sense of efficacy to address the literacy learning of their students using CRI and my recommendations for future research on my study findings