Does Computer Based Training Impact Maintenance Costs and Actions? An Empirical Analysis of the US Navy's AN/SQQ-89(v) Sonar System

A Symposium PresentationSymposium PresentationNaval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Progra

A New Paradigm to Address Bid Protests

Sponsored Report (for Acquisition Research Program)distribution unlimited.The goal of this study is to offer senior decision-makers a useful framework to evaluate, articulate, and recommend modifications of the government''s bid protest policy to improve procurement outcomes. Most countries allow disappointed bidders to protest public procurement decisions as an oversight mechanism to minimize fraud and errors by procurement officials. The expectation is that allowing bid protests increases transparency and accountability and encourages competition, reducing the cost of public purchases. A key contribution of this study is to add an economics dimension to a bid protest process that is mostly thought of in legal terms. The economics approach suggests firms are likely to use the protest process strategically to improve their competitive bargaining position and will be equally strategic in their decision to protest an award. The conclusion is that a firm''s responsibility to its shareholders can lead it to undertake protests for reasons substantially different from, and fundamentally opposed to, the government''s objectives. The economics approach suggests minimizing the risk of protests that result in cost overruns, schedule delays, and performance gaps, while preserving the benefits offered by protests to promote competition and ensure the integrity, transparency, and accountability of the procurement process. Adopting an economics perspective reveals two other crucial insights: firms can exploit protests to extract concessions (Fed Mail), and risk-averse officials can overreact in attempts to achieve protest-proof procurements (Buy-offs). In recognizing costs as well as benefits of a protest system, the economics approach invites a review of alternative portfolios of governance mechanisms that complement bid protests (internal audits, external audits, independent investigations, alternative dispute resolution, increased training and incentives, etc.), to improve procurement outcomes.Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research ProgramApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Application of Transaction Cost Economics to Capabilities-based Acquisition: Exploring Single Service vs. Joint Service Programs and Single Systems vs. System-of-Systems

Proceedings Paper (for Acquisition Research Program)The US Department of Defense (DoD) is in the process of radical transformation'' to a national security strategy predicated on joint Service purchases and complex System-of-Systems (SoS) capabilities. This paper contributes to a broader study that eventually needs to be conducted to evaluate the benefits and costs of increased reliance on joint Service SoS programs.Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research ProgramApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Trielectrode plasma reactor for water treatment

Water pollution due to emerging organic pollutants, such as agrochemicals, has become a topic of growing interest worldwide. The increase of pollutants in aquatic systems stimulated the development of new strategies for water remediation. Plasma technology is an advanced oxidation process which has proved to be an efficient method for organic matter degradation. In this work, a novel design of a trielectrode plasma reactor based on a dielectric barrier discharge extended to a third electrode operated in ambient air is presented. The water to be treated flows through a gutter with low impedance and far from the electrodes connected to the voltage sources. The reactor operates in ambient air, and it does not rely on the use of expensive inert gases. The design of the reactor is easily scalable. The performance of the reactor, in terms of the removal efficiency and the energy yield, was tested in an aqueous solution of the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), one of the most widely used around the world. The reactor presents a good efficiency in the removal of the herbicide 2,4-D and values of energy yield of about 240 mg/kW h.Fil: Giuliani, Leandro Estanislao. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física del Plasma. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física del Plasma; ArgentinaFil: De Angelis, L.. Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Díaz Bukvic, Gema. Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Zanini, Matías. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física del Plasma. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física del Plasma; ArgentinaFil: Minotti, Fernando Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física del Plasma. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física del Plasma; ArgentinaFil: Errea, María Inés. Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Grondona, Diana Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física del Plasma. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física del Plasma; Argentin

Documento final : políticas regionales de innovación en el MERCOSUR; obstáculos y oportunidades

El MERCOSUR puede ser visto como una institución estratégica en términos de desarrollo, principalmente dada su potencialidad para la generación de sinergias y complementariedades en el plano productivo, científico y tecnológico. En este sentido, el presente documento busca contribuir con un análisis del estado de situación en la región, la identificación de especificidades y complementariedades y el desarrollo, presentación y discusión de una propuesta de política regional de innovación. Se evidencia una fuerte necesidad de coordinar las acciones nacionales en un plano regional e internacional y la existencia de sectores estratégicos, con fuertes potencialidades, que demandan de acciones concretas en el corto y mediano plazo si se pretende maximizar su impacto en el bienestar social

Management of hepatitis B virus prophylaxis in patients treated with disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis: a multicentric Italian retrospective study

Background: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) often receive disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that can expose them to reactivation of potential occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (pOBI). We aimed to evaluate the MS Centers behavior regarding HBV screening and prophylaxis in a large cohort of MS patients receiving anti-CD20 or cladribine. Methods: Retrospective, multicentric study recruiting Italian MS patients treated with rituximab, ocrelizumab and cladribine. Results: We included 931 MS patients from 15 centers. All but 38 patients performed a complete HBV screening. Patients' age > 50 years was significantly associated with no history of vaccination and HBsAb titres < 100 mIU at baseline (p < 0.001). No significant correlation was found between post-vaccination HBsAb titres and type of treatment (p = 0.5), pre-or post-therapy vaccination (p = 0.2) and number of previous DMTs (p = 0.2). Among pOBI patients (n = 53), 21 received antiviral prophylaxis, while only 13 had HBV DNA monitoring and 19 patients neither monitored HBV DNA nor received prophylaxis. Conclusions: Baseline HBV screening in patients receiving anti-CD20 and cladribine is a consolidated practice. Nonetheless, HBV vaccination coverage is still lacking in such population and age is a significant factor associated with low HBV protection. Rituximab, ocrelizumab and cladribine did not impair HBV vaccine response. Almost 35% of pOBI patients fail to receive HBVr prevention. Management of HBV prophylaxis could be improved in MS patients and further prospective studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of prophylactic strategies in such patients

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) reduces the intensity of pancreatic amyloid fibrils in human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) transgenic mice

The formation of amyloid fibrils by human islet amyloid polypeptide protein (hIAPP) has been implicated in pancreas dysfunction and diabetes. However, efficient treatment options to reduce amyloid fibrils in vivo are still lacking. Therefore, we tested the effect of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on fibril formation in vitro and in vivo. To determine the binding of hIAPP and EGCG, in vitro interaction studies were performed. To inhibit amyloid plaque formation in vivo, homozygous (tg/tg), hemizygous (wt/tg), and control mice (wt/wt) were treated with EGCG. EGCG bound to hIAPP in vitro and induced formation of amorphous aggregates instead of amyloid fibrils. Amyloid fibrils were detected in the pancreatic islets of tg/tg mice, which was associated with disrupted islet structure and diabetes. Although pancreatic amyloid fibrils could be detected in wt/tg mice, these animals were non-diabetic. EGCG application decreased amyloid fibril intensity in wt/tg mice, however it was ineffective in tg/tg animals. Our data indicate that EGCG inhibits amyloid fibril formation in vitro and reduces fibril intensity in non-diabetic wt/tg mice. These results demonstrate a possible in vivo effectiveness of EGCG on amyloid formation and suggest an early therapeutical application