Physics of Electric Guitars :: physics music guitar

Electric guitars play a very important role in today's music. Without it, we would be stuck with the acoustic guitar, which has limited volume, and a narrow range of sounds it can produce. Understanding just exactly how the electric guitar works isn't as intuitive as with the acoustic. With this website, I attempt to brighten the knowledge people have on the physics behind the electric guitar, since one cannot appreciate something, truly, until he knows how it works. The Acoustic guitar, originating from Spain, has been around since the 1500s. It wasn't till the 1920's with the advent of swing and big band music that musicians needed louder instruments. The acoustic guitar, even with steel strings, was simply too quiet. At this time, Los Angeles musicians, George Beauchamp and John Dopyera started working on figuring out how to make the acoustic guitar louder. After a few failures, Dopyera came up with the idea to put aluminum disks onto the body of the acoustic guitar. These disks would then resonate and increase the volume about 3 to 5 times. In 1927, the two founded the National String Instrument Co., which patented this resonator design. Due to internal problems, Dopyera fired Beauchamp in 1930 and then eventually even sold the company, patenting the resonator with his brother under a new company named "Dobro". Beauchamp, a bit unhappy about being fired, set out to figure out a different way to increase the volume of the guitar. Even before, as early as 1925, he had been experimenting with phonograph needles and produced a single string electric guitar that would "pick up" the vibration in the string and turn it into sound. He then started experimenting with ways to pick-up the vibration of all 6 strings, each string seperately. After months of experimentation he and Paul Barth developed a working pick-up made of 2 horse-shoe magnets and 6 coils of wire with electric current running through them. With this new pick-up, Beauchamp had Harry Watson carve a body for his first electric guitar. They called this the "Frying Pan" due to its similar shape. This was the first guitar fitted with an electric pick-up. Around the same time, Llyod Loar, acoustical engineer for Gibson, had started marketing a new Spanish style acoustic electric guitar. Loar, famous for the mandolin, headed the subdivision of Gibson responsible for producing these guitars, named Vivi-Tone. This guitar actually failed, but had left the idea that acoustic guitars with electric pickups were the way to go for Gibson.

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ Essay -- New Testament, Matthew 1:2-17

The New Testament includes four Gospels that encompass a variety of narrative accounts relating to Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Matthew; is sequentially placed as the first book within the New Testament. Furthermore, it is a canonical account of the life of Jesus, and is recognized as one of the synoptic Gospels. These accounts are divided into twenty eight chapters that appear in the form of a parable, proverb, law, or miracle story found within modern day poetry, letters, or literary tracts. Moreover, each narrative account possesses influential and intellectual material that attracts readers to examine it further. However, out of the four Gospels, Matthew’s is the one that encompasses the most amount of text that bestows an array of narrative accounts of Jesus to observe. In Matthew’s scriptures he takes Jesus’ fulfillments of the Jewish prophecies into consideration and uses it to refute the Jewish belief that Jesus of Nazareth is not the Messiah. This paper will explore the pericope found in Matthew 1:2-17 that illustrates the genealogy of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the passage is to demonstrate that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, which is a dominant theme throughout this particular Gospel. The above passage was chosen to obtain a greater perspective on the genealogy of Jesus Christ, through further examining Matthew’s tactic of incorporating Jesus into various Jewish traditions and prophecies. This passage is particularly interesting because Matthew functions as a bridge between the two Testaments, by showing how prophetic â€Å"fulfillment citations† from the Hebrew Bible were fulfilled, in the person of Jesus therefore proving he is the Messiah .The book of Matthew is a complicated Gospel; as a result, it is vital for its ... ...s view Jesus as the Messiah and continue to worship him as the foundation of Christianity. As a result, it is evident that Christianity and Judaism possess different beliefs. Perhaps over time the two faiths will fuse together and allow the people to become unified and share the same beliefs towards the true Messiah. Bibliography Batten Alicia, Introduction to the New Testament. Sudbury: University of Sudbury, 2011. David S.Ariel â€Å"The Messiah† from What Do Jews Believe. New York: Schocken Books, 1996. Coogan, Michael D. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. New York: Oxford, 2007. Filson ,V. Floyd The Gospel According to St. Matthew. London: A. and C. Black Limited, 1960. Keener, Craig S. A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 1999. Print. Saldarini, Anthony Commentary On The Bible. Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans: 2003. The Genealogy of Jesus Christ Essay -- New Testament, Matthew 1:2-17 The New Testament includes four Gospels that encompass a variety of narrative accounts relating to Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Matthew; is sequentially placed as the first book within the New Testament. Furthermore, it is a canonical account of the life of Jesus, and is recognized as one of the synoptic Gospels. These accounts are divided into twenty eight chapters that appear in the form of a parable, proverb, law, or miracle story found within modern day poetry, letters, or literary tracts. Moreover, each narrative account possesses influential and intellectual material that attracts readers to examine it further. However, out of the four Gospels, Matthew’s is the one that encompasses the most amount of text that bestows an array of narrative accounts of Jesus to observe. In Matthew’s scriptures he takes Jesus’ fulfillments of the Jewish prophecies into consideration and uses it to refute the Jewish belief that Jesus of Nazareth is not the Messiah. This paper will explore the pericope found in Matthew 1:2-17 that illustrates the genealogy of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the passage is to demonstrate that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, which is a dominant theme throughout this particular Gospel. The above passage was chosen to obtain a greater perspective on the genealogy of Jesus Christ, through further examining Matthew’s tactic of incorporating Jesus into various Jewish traditions and prophecies. This passage is particularly interesting because Matthew functions as a bridge between the two Testaments, by showing how prophetic â€Å"fulfillment citations† from the Hebrew Bible were fulfilled, in the person of Jesus therefore proving he is the Messiah .The book of Matthew is a complicated Gospel; as a result, it is vital for its ... ...s view Jesus as the Messiah and continue to worship him as the foundation of Christianity. As a result, it is evident that Christianity and Judaism possess different beliefs. Perhaps over time the two faiths will fuse together and allow the people to become unified and share the same beliefs towards the true Messiah. Bibliography Batten Alicia, Introduction to the New Testament. Sudbury: University of Sudbury, 2011. David S.Ariel â€Å"The Messiah† from What Do Jews Believe. New York: Schocken Books, 1996. Coogan, Michael D. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. New York: Oxford, 2007. Filson ,V. Floyd The Gospel According to St. Matthew. London: A. and C. Black Limited, 1960. Keener, Craig S. A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 1999. Print. Saldarini, Anthony Commentary On The Bible. Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans: 2003.

Nano Chemistry Essay

1.1 Definition Nanochemistry is concerned with generating and altering chemical systems, which develop special and often new effects as a result of the laws of the nanoworld. The bases for these are chemically active nanometric units such as supramolecules or nanocrystals. Nanochemistry looks set to make a great deal of progress for a large number of industry sectors. Nanotechnology exists in the realm where many scientific disciplines meet. Achievements in physics are getting progressively smaller – from valves to electronics, down to microelectronics and quantum computing. It mirrors the downsizing in focus in the biological sciences, from cells to genomics. Conversely, achievements in chemistry have been converging into the nanometre range from below – from atoms and molecules to supramolecular chemistry. Nanochemisty focuses on the unique properties of materials in the 1–100 nm scale. The physical, chemical, electrical, optical and magnetic properties of these materialsare all significantly different from both the properties of the individual building blocks (individual atoms or molecules), and also from the bulk materials.Nanochemistry is a truly multidisciplinary field, forming a bridge between nanotechnology and biotechnology, spanning the physical and life sciences. The Nanochemistry Research Institute (NRI) at Curtin carries out world-class research to provide innovative solutions to – energy and resources – materials and manufacturing – electronics – agricultural – environmental management, and – health and medical industries Nanochemistry applications in the materials, resources and energy sectors range from the design of crystalline catalysts and the control of crystal size, morphology, phase and purity, to the design and use of additives to control crystallization and inhibit scale formation. In the biological field, control of chemistry at the supramolecular level can lead to the development of a wide variety of new and improved biomaterials, such as artificial bones and tissues, as well as new pharmaceuticals and improved methods of drug delivery.1 ENGINEERING, SCIENCE ‘‘We are like dwarfs on the shoulders of giants, so that we can see more than they.’’ Bernard of Chartres, 12th century with nanoscience being the discipline concerned with making, manipulating and imaging materials having at least one spatial dimension in the size range 1–1000 nm and nanotechnology being a device or machine, product or process, based upon individual or multiple integrated nanoscale components, then what is nanochemistry? In its broadest terms, the de.ning feature of nanochemistry is the utilization of synthetic chemistry to make nanoscale building blocks of different size and shape, composition and surface structure, charge and functionality. These building blocks may be useful in their own right. Or in a self-assembly construction process, spontaneous, directed by templates or guided by chemically or lithographically de.ned surface patterns, they may form architectures that perform an intelligent function and portend a particular use.2 1.2 Objective of nanochemistry – Creating nanoparticles – Allowing properties of nanosystems to evolve, manipulating and controlling them – Encapsulating and transporting materials (e.g. deodorant with nanodroplets)4 1.3 Nanochemistry used in: – – Cosmetics, e.g. sunscreen, toothpaste, skincare products – Sanitary ware – Built-in ovens and baking trays – Gas-tight packaging – Screens, photographic films – Separating technology for waste water treatment and food production – Catalysers for chemical reactions – Exhaust purification5 It is also used in formation of :- – Commercialization of nanochemicals – Nanooxides of precious, ferromagnetic, rare metals (Ti, Zr etc.) Nanopolymers and membranes – Nanomaterials (cement, fertilizers) – Nanopowders in chemical applications – Nanogreen chemistry – Nano energy applications – Environmental applications of nanotechnology When thinking about self-assembly of a targeted structure from the spontaneous organization of building blocks with dimensions that are beyond the sub-nanometer scale of most molecules or macromolecules, there are five prominent principles that need to be taken into consideration. These are: (i) building blocks, scale, shape, surface structure, (ii) attractive and repulsive interactions between building blocks, equilibrium separation, (iii) reversible association–dissociation and/or adaptable motion of building blocks in assembly, lowest energy structure, (iv) building block interactions with solvents, interfaces, templates, (v) building-blocks dynamics, mass transport and agitation. A challenge for perfecting structures made by this kind of self-assembly chemistry is to .nd ways of synthesizing (bottom-up) or fabricating (top-down) building blocks not only with the right composition but also having the same size and shape. No matter which way building blocks are made they are never truly monodisperse, nless they happen to be single atoms or molecules. There always exists a degree of polydispersity in their size and shape, which is manifest in the achievable degree of structural perfection of the assembly and the nature and population of defects in the assembled system. Equally demanding is to make building blocks with a particular surface structure, charge and functionality. Surface properties will control the interactions between building blocks as well as with their environment, which ultimately determines the geometry and distances at which building blocks come to equilibrium in a self-assembled system. Relative motion between building blocks facilitates collisions between them, whilst energetically allowed aggregation deaggregation processes and corrective movements of the self-assembled structure will allow it to attain the most stable form. 6 Providing the building blocks are not too strongly bound in the assembly it will be able to adjust to an orderly structure. If on the other hand the building blocks in the assembly are too strongly interacting, they will be unable to adjust their relative positions within the assembly and a less 1 ordered structure will result. Dynamic effects involving building blocks and assemblies can occur in the liquid phase, at an air/liquid or liquid/liquid interface, on the surface of a substrate or within a template co-assembly. As this text describes, building blocks can be made out of most known organic, inorganic, polymeric, and hybrid materials. Creative ways of making spheres and cubes, sheets and discs, wires and tubes, rings and spirals, with nm to cm dimensions, abound in the materials self-assembly literature. They provide the basic construction modules for materials self-assembly over all scales, a new way of synthesizing electronic, optical, photonic, magnetic materials with hierarchical structures and complex form, which is the central theme running throughout this chapter. A .owchart describing these main ideas is shown in igure 1. Nano-, a pre.x denoting a factor, its origin in the Greek nanos, meaning dwarf. The term is often associated with the time interval of a nanosecond, a billionth of a second, and the length scale of a nanometer, a billionth of a meter or 10 A  ° . In its broadest terms, nanoscience and nanotechnology congers up visions of making, imaging, manipulating and utilizing things really small. Feynman’s prescient nano world ‘‘on the head of a pin’’ inspires scientists and technologists to venture into this uncharted nano-terrain to do something big with something small.7 1.4 Large and Small Nanomaterials It was not so long ago in the world of molecules and materials that 1 nm (1 nm  ¼ 10 A  ° ) was considered large in chemistry while 1 m m (1 m m  ¼ 1000 nm  ¼ 10,000 A  ° ) was considered small in engineering physics. Matter residing in the ‘‘fuzzy interface’’ between these large and small extremes of length scales emerged as the science of nanoscale materials and has grown into one of the most exciting and vibrant fields of endeavor, showing all the signs of having a revolutionary impact on materials as we know them today. In our time, ‘‘nano’’ has left the science reservation and entered the industrial technology consciousness and public and political perception. Indeed, bulk materials can be remodeled through bottom-up synthetic chemistry and top-down engineering physics strategies as nanomaterials in two main ways, the first by reducing one or more of their physical dimensions to the nanoscale and the second by providing them with nanoscale porosity. When talking about finely divided and porous forms of nanostructured matter, it is found that ‘‘nanomaterials characteristically exhibits physical and chemical properties different from the bulk as a consequence of having at least one spatial dimension in the size range of 1–1000 nm’’.

The Airline Industry

One of the major industries affected by the September 11 attacks had been the airline industry. Aside from security improvements were put in place as a response to the hijacking of four commercial aircraft, the industry as a whole lost a total of $42 billion from 2001 to 2005.The president of the Air Transport Association has called the current situation of the airline industry as a â€Å"perfect storm of adversity†. Two of the largest commercial carriers are currently under bankruptcy protection and two others have gone in and out of bankruptcy court in the years after 9/11.These losses could be attributed to lower passenger traffic in the wake of the terrorist attacks. The price for jet fuel has also been rising since 2001 which adds to the costs incurred by the carriers.   Jet fuel price in 2006 was up 168% from pre-2001 levels (Isidore, 2006).While the US air industry is slowing down, there has been an increase in global air passenger numbers. Most of these increases are coming from developing economies in Asia and Europe.Airlines in Asia grew at a rate of 20% annually while airlines in the middle east grew 11%. Similarly, air routes linking the US with Asia and Europe are also expected to see an increase in passengers (Shriner, 1994).Demand and Supply ElasticityWhile these changes could be directly attributed to the 2001 attacks and their repercussions, some changes in the airline industry has emanated from the industry itself. The older legacy airlines had to face numerous new entries in the form of low cost, low frills carriers.These new low cost carriers have kept the price of airlines travel low over the past few years. Passengers now had more choices and as a result, total air traffic had been increasing while average fares have not kept pace. Legacy airlines with larger operational costs could not compete with the lower fares.As a result, they had to streamline their operations by cutting excess manpower and retiring older, less fuel efficie nt aircraft in their fleets. The fleets of the legacy carriers have shrunk by 23% since 2001 and their workforce has dropped 38% during the same amount of time (Isidore, 2006).The proliferation of low cost carriers since 2001 has essentially increased the price elasticity of demand for air travel. While all airlines serve the same purpose – air travel – each airline can still be differentiated from one another.Low cost carriers may not offer the same kind of quality service found in legacy carriers. In effect, when passengers book a flight, they are choosing between goods from airline A, airline B etc. Since passengers have more choices due to the introduction of low cost carriers, their substitution between airlines has become easier.This relatively high elasticity is reflected in the increasing passenger counts at a relatively constant fare (price) schedule.Externalities of the Airline IndustryAirlines, whether legacy or low cost are now keen on improving their fuel efficiency due to the rising costs of jet fuel. Fuel costs account for 10-12% of annual airline operating costs. One way that airlines are trying to improve fuel efficiency is by retiring older aircraft with poor fuel efficiency (May, 2003).One industry that is intrinsically linked with the airline industry is the aircraft manufacturing industry. The US is a world leader in aircraft manufacturing with US aircraft manufacturers delivering 71% of new aircraft in the early years of the 1990s.Even with the boom in airline travel in the developing world, US airlines still account for roughly 25% of aircraft orders from US aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and McDonnell Douglas   (Shriner, 1994). Clearly, an increase in income by the airline industry will translate to more orders of aircraft. In that case, the airline industry exerts positive externalities on the aircraft manufacturing industry.The positive externalities do not end with increased production by US jet manufacturers. As airlines keep pushing for more fuel efficient and modern aircraft, they are providing an incentive for technology development in the aircraft sector.The increasing prices for jet fuel are even pushing this new technology development even further in the direction of making air travel more fuel efficient. An example of such technology development is in the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft which is due to enter service next year.Being made out of composite materials, it is much lighter and thus uses up 20% less fuel than similarly sized jets. An offshoot of using composite materials is a more comfortable flight experience as the cabin air does not need to be so dry (humidity causes metal to corrode) and the air pressure can be made much higher in order to make breathing easier.The use of metal precluded using higher cabin pressure as it may accelerate metal fatigue (The Economist, 2007). It is important to note that this externality does not end at Boeing. Advances that Boeing are ma king are sometimes tied to and sometimes preceded by fundamental R&D performed at universities (Shriner, 1994).We can therefore see how the airline industry promotes R&D and helps maintain the dominance of the US in aircraft technology.Even though new aircraft like the Dreamliner might reduce fuel consumption, it still does not change the fact that the airline industry has a huge externality in the form of pollution. Aviation is responsible for 2% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide production. Aircraft also release other noxious gases such as nitrogen oxides, soot and water vapor.However, the polluting effects of airlines are magnified since these gases are released directly into the upper atmosphere where they form condensation trails and cirrus clouds. The fact that air pollution from aircraft is released at a high altitude may have the effect of double the same amount of carbon dioxide released at ground level (The Economist, 2007).

Current Strategy

CURRENT STRATEGY SUMMARY FOR INFRASTRUCTURE OPERATIONS SUPPORT SERVICES (IOSS) JOINT BASE POWELL, CA This document was compiled by the IOSS project office and summarizes how many of the Joint Base Powell Infrastructure, Operations, and Support Services (IOSS) requirements listed in the draft PWS were acquired in the past. Each service area is briefly covered by providing information about any current initiatives/contracts, current performance problems, and stakeholder comments about any changes in projected requirements.This document is intended to help the integrated acquisition project team 1) understand and consider the implications of how the various IOSS services requirements were procured in the past and/or are currently being procured; 2) identify potential risks involved in fulfilling the new requirements; and 3) contemplate the extent to which any existing policies and enterprise sourcing strategies might shape the acquisition strategy for this consolidated IOSS requirement. OVERVIEWThe requested IOSS requirement for Joint Base Powell includes 10 service areas. Some of the requirements in these service areas have been fulfilled through an expiring IOSS contract and a number of the services have been fulfilled through a multitude of individual services contracts. The following table summarizes the primary past sources for each of the 10 service areas in the IOSS requirement. Service Area| Previous Source| Contract Type| Housing | Previous IOSS Contract| CPIF/FFP|Transportation / Motor Pool Management | Previous IOSS Contract| CPIF/FFP| Engineering| Multiple Large and Small Businesses| Various| Janitorial/Custodial| AbilityOne & Small Businesses| FFP| Grounds Keeping / Landscaping | Multiple Small Businesses| FFP| Personnel Management and Support| Large Business| FFP| Security Protection | Large Business| Various| Financial Management| Large Business| FFP| Airfield Management| Previous IOSS Contract| CPIF/FFP| Port Support| Previous IOSS Contract| CPIF/F FP| CURRENT/EXPIRING IOSS CONTRACTFour of the service areas envisioned as part of the new IOSS contract are currently being fulfilled by the expiring IOSS contract with SIP, Inc. : transportation / motor pool management, housing, airfield operations, and port operations. The current contract is a 5-year (1 base year and 4 option years) CPIF/FFP contract, and the final option year is due to expire in a little over 12 months. Contract:| Infrastructure, Operations, Service and Support (IOSS)| Contractor:| SIP, Inc. (large business)| NAICS Code:| 561210  |Total Value:| $97. 5M| Type:| CPIF/FFP| Period of Performance:| 5 years (1-year base with 4 option years)| Below is a high-level breakdown of the cost of this contract by FY. Appropriation| FY 20X0| FY 20X1| FY 20X2| FY 20X3| FY 20X4| Total| O&M| 18. 5M| $18. 9M| $19. 3M| $19. 7M| $21. 1M| $97. 5M| Housing Services The existing IOSS contract covers the following types of Housing Management Services: * Housing programming and personne l placement * Housing application management * Housing design and renovation Cost estimation, budgeting, and reporting * Pre-occupancy, pre-departure, and post-departure inspections Transportation / Motor Pool Management Services The existing IOSS contract covers the following Transportation / Motor Pool Management Services: * Operate, maintain, and manage all other services for the installation’s motor vehicle pool * Basic passenger and cargo transportation, loading, and unloading services (as needed) Airfield Management Services The existing IOSS contract covers the following types of Airfield Management Services: Airfield operations staffing * Airfield management and oversight * Airfield inspections (daily, monthly, yearly) and reporting * Airfield use planning, scheduling, and management * Coordinating with all local flying units * Flight planning support Port Support The existing IOSS contract covers the following types of Port Support Services: * Support for biannual tr ansfers of authority * Port maintenance and service planning * Port signage maintenance * Fire support services * Troop support services (laundry, food, etc. * Port operational support services (fueling/defueling, vehicle maintenance and recovery, supply, etc. ) Supplier Information Strategic Infrastructure Professionals (SIP), Inc. is a large business known for their extensive work with the federal government, including working as service/capability integrators. They are one of the few companies large enough to pull together and manage the various teaming partners and subcontractors required to fulfill the various requirements for an IOSS contract. Current PerformanceHousing Among other performance requirements, the current contract specifies that the contractor will: * Place 98% of personnel in appropriate housing within the threshold time period * Process 95% of housing applications within the threshold time period * Complete all housing design and renovation projects no more tha n 8% over the established baseline cost or schedule * Respond to 100% of customer service requests within the threshold time period * Complete 95% of all required inspections on scheduleThough performing well overall under these requirements, SIP has had trouble meeting the application processing (threshold time) and customer service request (threshold response time) requirements during some performance review periods. SIP attributes these issues to subcontractor mismanagement (which it takes responsibility for) and unrealistic estimates of volume fluctuations. SIP has also raised some concerns about its ability to accurately estimate its costs given those same volume fluctuations. Transportation / Motor PoolThe transportation / motor pool management services requirements also specify that the contractor is required to maintain the motor pool at a threshold average availability of 97%, as well as respond to transportation requests for cargo within all routine and emergency service c alls within the specified time limits 100% of the time. SIP has had trouble meeting the transportation availability and response time requirements. SIP attributes these issues to unrealistic expectations of an aging motor pool.Airfield Management The airfield management services requirements specify that the contractor is required to maintain threshold staffing levels, complete 98% of all required inspections on schedule, submit 95% of all required reports on schedule, receive no more than five validated complaints from local flying units per reporting period, and resolve all scheduling conflicts within threshold SLAs. SIP has been exemplary in its performance of the Airfield Management services. Port SupportThe port support requirements specify that the contractor is required to support biannual transfers of authority with no validated complaints per transfer, complete 98% of all required service on schedule, complete 98% of all required inspections on schedule, submit 95% of all r equired reports on schedule, and receive no more than five validated complaints regarding troop support and port operational support services per reporting period. SIP has been exemplary in its performance of the Port Support services.Stakeholder Comments on Projected Requirements The recent BRAC decisions to move personnel and organizations to Joint Base Powell will present some residential facilities maintenance challenges, as personnel will be relocating to the installation from different locations on different timetables. Facilities requirements and lead times can vary as much as 30% from estimates during these planned relocations, which specify only a five-year window. Complying with the â€Å"Better Buying Power† memorandum and its myriad efficiency initiatives are a top priority.The Pentagon program element monitor communicated that a 5-10% reduction in O&M funding over the next 3-4 years is a realistic possibility. Stakeholders for this contract will be looking for si gnificant cost savings and more granular insight into program costs. There is also some concern about the organizational infrastructure and support for a contract of this size and scope. The program manager and the installation Commander are in separate chains of command from the contracting organization, which may create some challenges.In addition, the program office for this new IOSS contract will be different than the program office for the existing IOSS contract. Some institutional knowledge may be lost, and there will certainly be a learning curve when it comes to contract administration. ENGINEERING SERVICES Many base tenants and independently funded programs at Joint Base Powell pursue their own contracts for general engineering services. Most of these engineering services requirements are for recurring engineering advisory & assistance services (A&AS), but support is frequently needed for specific and discrete engineering projects as well.Current Initiatives/Contracts An en terprise contract for engineering A&AS is in place that individual program offices use to fulfill many of their needs for engineering services. Contract:| General Engineering Support Services (GESS)| Contractors:| ManTech (large business)| | TEDCO (large business)| | Littlefield & Chang (small business)| | MECC, Inc. (large business)| | AnCal Consulting (small business)| NAICS Code:| 541330  | Total Value:| $17. 3M| Type:| IDIQ| Period of Performance:| One year base with four option years|Below is a high-level breakdown of the past and projected funding for this contract by FY. Appropriation| FY 20X0| FY 20X1| FY 20X2| FY 20X3| FY 20X4| Total| O&M / R&D| $3. 0M| $3. 3M| $3. 6M| $3. 7M| 3. 7M| $17. 3M| Current Performance Now in the middle of the second option year (four months remaining), there have been few issues with the contractors’ services to date. Each task order released under the contract specifies its own performance requirements, but in general the tasks are eith er FFP or incentivize the contractor to meet cost and schedule targets.Most of the issues that have arisen in this service area stem from variability in volume and conditions—the impact of an influx of personnel from BRAC on requirements scope and scheduling, for example, or the impact of severe weather on development or construction management. Stakeholder Comments on Projected Requirements We’re looking for engineering services, including comprehensive planning, project programming, project management, design and construction management, technical assistance and evaluations, engineering support, and warranty service management.However, there has been a lot of discussion about this service area in particular. Not all functional stakeholders want these services to be combined. Most like developing their own engineering contracts. Some additional comments: * The requirements in this service area are likely to be impacted by local environmental regulations. * Given the a mount of change orders involved in typical engineering services tasks, the contractor will bear an increased management burden for this service area * We need to retain cost viability, but some of the engineering services might be best suited as task orders on an IDIQ vehicle. The evaluation standards and criteria will have to be written very clearly to allow for an accurate value judgment in this services area; the current lack of clarity around some of the future requirements in this area may be an issue, as we will want to give the team room to trade off past performance and skill level against cost. JANITORIAL/CUSTODIAL SERVICES Currently, a few local small businesses and personnel supplied under the AbilityOne program provide janitorial services for the installation.Although janitorial services aren’t very complex, they’re essential to maintain the installation’s exemplary appearance and comply with local, state, and federal laws. Janitorial services my see m like an insignificant commodity, but the personnel at the installation support a variety of critical missions and DoD functions, and the quality of the janitorial services provided affect their working environment and their ability to do their jobs. Current Contract InformationThe AbilityOne program is a Federal initiative to help people who are blind or have other significant disabilities find employment by working within a national network of over 600 Nonprofit Agencies that sell products and services to the U. S. government. The program is administered by the Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled. AbilityOne offers numerous products for immediate purchase through a catalog, some items on the Federal Supply Schedule, and thousands of services nationwide.The National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and NISH-Creating Employment Opportunities for People with Significant Disabilities support AbilityOne, and contracting officers wishing to work with Abi lityOne can provide a Statement of Work (SOW) to NIB or NISH for a price proposal. In addition to the AbilityOne program, the Installation awarded a contract nearly five years ago for custodial services. Contract:| Installation Custodial Services (ICS)| Contractors:| Apex Maintenance, Inc. local veteran owned small business)| | Thompson Windows & Floors (local small business)| | A1C Professionals (local small business)| NAICS Code:| 561720  | Total Value:| $2,939,500| Type:| Firm Fixed Price (Multiple Award)| Period of Performance:| Five year base with five option years| Below is a high-level breakdown of the cost of this contract by FY. Appropriation| FY 20X8| FY 20X9| FY 20X0| FY 20X1| FY 20X2| Total| O&M| $565,000| $589,000| $592,000| $592,500| $601,000| $2. 939,500| Service RequirementsUnder this contract—which was competed as a small business set aside—Apex, Thompson, and A1C provide standard custodial services (interior building cleaning, restroom cleaning and deodorizing, window cleaning, carpet cleaning, etc. ) for the installation. They’re nearing the end of a five-year base period of performance (four months remaining), and there are five option years remaining on the contract. Current Performance The combination of suppliers on the ICS contract and support from the AbilityOne program has met the installation’s custodial services requirements satisfactorily during the base period of performance.In both cases, the SOW specifies a performance threshold for each individual service of no more than five validated customer complaints per month. The number of validated customer complaints per month has only exceeded the threshold 3 times in over 50 months on the ICS contract, and has never exceeded the threshold for the AbilityOne program. There are no significant performance issues outstanding with any of the service providers. There are two buildings being renovated and one under construction that will need to be factored int o the next contract.Currently, the Installation furnishes 1800-square feet of office space (three offices) to serve as administrative offices for the ICS contractors, as well as supply closets distributed throughout the installation’s facilities at the facility managers’ discretion. Stakeholder Comments on Projected Requirements We currently project no significant changes to the installations custodial requirements. Since these are commercial services, the risk of competing them seems low, with the biggest concern being avoiding gaps in service during the transition.It’s unknown whether Apex, Thompson, and A1C would be willing to team with a new prime contractor. There is some political pressure to support local small businesses in the current economic climate, and we do have to consider the possibility of protests from offerors who don’t win the award. We also have to consider the recent emphasis on unbundling contracts to promote small business growth a nd participation in local markets. We will need to conduct an analysis to determine the impact that bundling these services together will have on local small businesses.GROUNDS KEEPING/LANDSCAPING SERVICES Local small businesses also provide all the grounds keeping and landscaping services the installation requires. Much like janitorial services, grounds keeping and landscaping seem trivial or simple, but the quality and appearance of the landscaping and grounds can directly affect installation personnel and shape visitors’ lasting impressions of the installation. In other words, we take it for granted until it impacts us. The contractor will be expected to promote and maintain the appearance of all exterior areas of the installation.Current Contract Information Two contracts currently provide this service for the installation. The first, seven months into its first option year, was awarded to Ted’s Tree Service, a Service-disabled Veteran Owned Small Business. Contrac t:| Tree Trimming| Contractor:| Ted’s Tree Service, Inc. | Number of Employees:| 15| NAICS Codes| 561730  | Total Value:| $360,000| Type:| FFP| Period of Performance:| 3 years (1-year base with 2 option years)| Below is a high-level breakdown of the cost of this contract by FY. Appropriation| FY 20X1| FY 20X2| Total|O&M| $125,000| $117,000| $242,000| The second, five months into its first option year, is a multiple-award contract for all other lawn services. Contract:| Grounds Keeping and Landscaping| Contractors:| LocalGreen (small business)| | YLC, Inc. (small disadvantaged business)| NAICS Code:| 561730  | Total Value:| $1,256,000| Type:| Firm Fixed Price (Multiple Award)| Period of Performance:| 2 years (1-year base with 1 option year)| Below is a high-level breakdown of the cost of this contract by FY. Appropriation| FY 20X1| FY 20X2| Total| $623,000| $633,000| $1,256,000| Service Requirements Under these contracts, Ted’s provides year-round tree trimming, pru ning, removal, and maintenance and arborist consulting services, and LocalGreen and YLC provide all grounds keeping and landscaping services (lawn care, planting, walkways, patios, fertilizing, etc. ) except snow removal. Current Performance Both contracts are being executed satisfactorily, and all performance thresholds have been met so far in both cases. Both contracts are in the middle of their first option years.Ted’s performance thresholds for tree trimming specify response times and maximum number of customer complaints. YLC and LocalGreen are also beholden to response time and customer complaint thresholds. None of the three has had a customer complaint in the last twelve months. Stakeholder Comments on Projected Requirements As you know, we have many new residents moving onto the installation due to the BRAC initiative. This will generally impact any contract or service area on base, but especially those that pertain directly to facilities maintenance or maintenance t o the traffic areas.As with janitorial/custodial services, we currently project no significant changes to the installations grounds keeping requirements. With janitorial/custodial services, it’s unknown whether YLC, LocalGreen, and Ted’s would be willing to team with a new prime contractor. We will have to include this service area in our analysis on the impact to local small businesses of bundling these services in the next contract. PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT SERVICES A large business, Jankell Corporation, currently provide our personnel management and support.While our stakeholders are satisfied with Jankell’s performance in this service area, personnel management and support services fit within the IOSS construct and could easily be combined with the other services in an omnibus contract. Current Contract Information The Joint Base Powell’s existing contract with Jankell Corporation is due to expire in May 20X1, several months prior to the expec ted award date for the new IOSS omnibus contract. Service Requirements Jankell Corp. provides the following types of Personnel Management and Support Services: Human resources staff management * Personnel records maintenance and systems management * Establishing position descriptions and job qualifications * Customer service * Education and training * Counseling services * Awards programs While overall the stakeholder’s are satisfied, there have been some complaints. For example, complaints include the difficulty involved in getting approval to change, update, or add position descriptions. Stakeholder Comments on Projected RequirementsWhile the other services being discussed are critical for the Joint Base Powell and its operations, Personnel Management and Support services typically impact the morale and of the workforce more so than the other services and, as such, they need to be carefully considered in terms of who is selected to perform these critical duties. Efficiency and cost savings should not replace value when deciding on a contractor to provide these services. SECURITY PROTECTION SERVICES We have been meeting our security/protection services requirements through a large business, AlliedPro, Inc.While AlliedPro has been successfully performing typical commercial security protection services, we would like to streamline this approach, centralizing all Joint Base Powell security protection service requirements under the new IOSS contract. Current Contract Information Three years ago we awarded a contract for security/protection services to AlliedPro, Inc. , a large security and consulting services provider with offices in the area. Contract:| Security/Protection| Contractor:| AlliedPro, Inc. | Number of Employees:| 9250| NAICS Codes:| 561612  | Total Value:| $15. 2M| Type:| FFP|Period of Performance:| 5 years (1-year base with 4 option years)| Below is a high-level breakdown of the cost of this contract by FY. Appropriation| FY 20X9| FY 20X0| FY 20X1| FY 20X2| FY 20X3| Total| O&M| $2. 9M| $3. 0M| $3. 0M| $3. 1M| $3. 2M| $15. 2M| AlliedPro provides 45 full-time security personnel for the base; the Government provides an additional 20. There are two months remaining in the second option year. Service Requirements AlliedPro security personnel (45 full-time employees) provide the following types of security protection services under this contract: * Conduct routine patrols and manage dispatch Protect property and facilities * Control access to the base * Maintain/administer cyber security systems * Conduct background checks and process security clearance applications * Issue visitor and base personnel identification cards Government security personnel (20 full-time employees) provide the following types of security protection services: * Threat response * Protection for national security operations * Protection for vital equipment * Protection for sensitive and classified information The estimated cost of the work performed by the uniformed personnel is approximately $1. 0M annually. Current PerformanceAmong other performance requirements, AlliedPro is expected to: * Respond to 100% of incidents within the threshold time specified * Conduct 100% of routine patrols on schedule * Process 95% of background checks and security clearance applications within the threshold time specified * Maintain required training certifications and verify minimum qualifications for 100% of personnel on the contract * Ensure the rate of physical security incidents is below the threshold during at least 95% of the monitoring periods * Ensure the rate of cyber security incidents is below the threshold during at least 98% of the monitoring periodsCurrently, we are not satisfied with AlliedPro’s personnel management. In the last twelve months there have been some issues with personal appearance, physical fitness, timeliness, and some customer complaints. AlliedPro manages a large and diverse workforce and works with man y large clients and government agencies. Sometimes we feel these issues aren’t getting the attention they should be, and that AlliedPro’s internal hiring standards are not as rigorous as they appear on paper.Stakeholder Comments on Projected Requirements Our business case analysis shows that transferring the current military support of some base security services will be cost effective, but we want to ensure that consolidation does not impact service quality in this critical service area. We’re concerned with consolidating all our security/protection services under one prime, given our current situation with AlliedPro.We’re also concerned with the new contractor’s learning curve during the transition period, as they take over protection of vital assets and classified information from military personnel. Another thing to consider: we try to maintain a threshold number of security personnel per capita on base, the population of which increase measura bly due to BRAC over the next few years. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES Currently financial management services are handled by Largo, Inc. , a large business.While there is no reason to indicate that Largo is not successfully performing and that the costs are unreasonable, our business case highlights that rolling these services into the future IOSS omnibus contract will inevitably yield cost savings and related process efficiencies. Current Contract Information The Joint Base Powell contract with Largo for financial management services is in its third of four possible option years, which fortunately align with the fiscal year (the same as the targeted award date for the future IOSS contract).Estimated Annual Cost/Savings While specific savings for this specific service area have not been forecasted, market research reveals that combining these requirements with the IOSS contract will yield manpower savings, OH reductions, and a more affordable profit rate, all of which have the pote ntial of saving the command significant money and personnel oversight in this tightly constrained budgetary environment. Service Requirements Financial management services currently include: Funds control * Resource allocation * Budget execution * Funds status reports * Cost performance analysis * Funds reconciliation * Labor/payroll support * Review and reconciliation of reimbursable customer accounts Current Performance Largo, Inc. currently offers the following services and performance targets/levels: * Process payroll on time 100% of the pay periods * Process payroll with 98% accuracy during all pay periods * Process all financial transactions with 98% accuracy Conduct 95% of all required audits on schedule * Submit 100% of budgets on time * Ensure compliance with generally accepted accounting principles Stakeholder Comments on Projected Requirements While never popular to displace a contractor that is performing well (unless Largo competes and wins the IOSS contract), the proje cted cost savings and process efficiencies that the pending IOSS contract offers justifies the transition costs and change management that will inevitably be required to implement this new approach.

The Definition and Knowledge on Youth Culture Research Paper

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Systems of Power, Expertise and Their Relation to Listening in The Essay

Systems of Power, Expertise and Their Relation to Listening in The 1991 Film The Doctor - Essay Example The opening scene of the movie provides a case study for one extreme form of listening – that in the operating room, which has definite needs and interesting power imbalances which stem from several distinct sources of responsibility and power which operate in the room. A close examination of the opening scene of The Doctor can demonstrate an extreme setting and system of listening, which creates a significant power imbalance and could be rectified through small changes in environment and participation. One of the most commonly analyzed listening environments is the listener-focused on. This kind of listening environment focuses heavily on the listener’s perspective and opinion of the interaction (Brownell 40). This kind of environment features such things as school presentations, speeches, business presentations or marriage proposals. The opening scene of The Doctor features the polar opposite of this listening environment – rather than focusing on what the list ener hears, this scene nearly entirely concentrates on what the speaker says significantly discounting other voices or perceptions. The opening scene takes place in an operating room, where there is essentially only one speaker who completely dominates the speaking and listening environment. The main surgeon controls everything about the environment – frequently changing what kind of ambient noise is occurring (telling others to turn music on and off, for instance) and communicating based solely on his own perceptions of need. The listeners in this environment are supposed to be completely passive in terms of communication, and simply react silently to orders barked by the main surgeon – in the only instance when someone tries to make him the listener, by telling him that he has a time limit, the doctor fails to respond, or acknowledge that he has heard what is being said. This pattern continues in doctor-everyone else relations throughout the entire course of the movi e, and one of the most interesting aspects of the film is the shift the main character, Jack MacKee, experiences the shift from being solely a doctor to also being a patient with cancer.