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The focus of this meeting was to discuss the suitability of using bacteriophages as alternative antimicrobials in the agrifood sector. Following a One Health approach, the workshop explored the possibilities of implementing phage application strategies in the agriculture, animal husbandry, aquaculture, and food production sectors. Therefore, the meeting had gathered phage researchers, representatives of the agrifood industry, and policymakers to debate the advantages and potential shortcomings of using bacteriophages as alternatives to traditional antimicrobials and chemical pesticides. Industry delegates showed the latest objectives and demands from consumers. Representatives of regulatory agencies (European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS)) presented an update of new regulatory aspects that will impact and support the approval and implementation of phage application strategies across the different sectors.

The focus of this meeting was to discuss the suitability of using bacteriophages as alternative antimicrobials in the agrifood sector. Following a One Health approach, the workshop explored the possibilities of implementing phage application strategies in the agriculture, animal husbandry, aquaculture, and food production sectors. Therefore, the meeting had gathered phage researchers, representatives of the agrifood industry, and policymakers to debate the advantages and potential shortcomings of using bacteriophages as alternatives to traditional antimicrobials and chemical pesticides. Industry delegates showed the latest objectives and demands from consumers. Representatives of regulatory agencies (European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS)) presented an update of new regulatory aspects that will impact and support the approval and implementation of phage application strategies across the different sectors.

Many of the goods and services furnished by the government are contracted to private firms. The general consensus is that competition between suppliers makes contracting for products and services less costly than government- provided services. Although contracting for services by governments may yield lower costs than services provided directly by governments, it is the author's contention that significant barriers exist to achieving least-cost provision of goods and services. These barriers are protectionism, equity programs, inefficient risk allocation, post-award opportunism, collusion, lack of access to capital markets, and incumbency. The methodology for testing the hypothesis consisted of quantitative analysis and anecdotal discussion. The case study is the contracting for dredging services by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Only one of the constraints supported the thesis; the rest did not. The analyses of protectionism showed that it raised the cost of contracted dredging between 7 and 29 percent. The analysis of the other constraints did not support the thesis--either because the effect of the constraints appeared to be neutral or because the anecdotal evidence available was insufficient to render a verdict. For example, the analysis of the effect of equity programs on dredging services showed that small business set-asides had no effect on dredging costs to the government. The analysis of the potential lack of access to capital markets revealed no such constraint. The analyses of incumbency, inefficient risk allocation, post-award opportunism, and collusion did not reveal information which could directly determine the effect of each on contracted dredging costs. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that inefficient risk allocation, post-award opportunism, and collusion have the potential for increasing costs.

This report presents results of a monitoring program designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a prototype void and sand-sealing operation. The Port Everglades south jetty is a rubble stone structure with large 'man sized' voids. Beach Fills place south of the structure eroded at an extremely high rate, indicating that material was being lost through the structure into the entrance channel, where it was thought to be a contributing factor to navigation channel shoaling. Sealing of the structure with sodium silicate-cement for filling void cavities and with sodium silicate-diacetin for stabilizing sand- filled voids within the structure formed a barrier to sediment infiltration. Four site visits were performed as part of the monitoring program: (a) reconnaissance trip, (b) preconstruction experiment, (c) during construction inspection and observation, and (d) postconstruction experiment. The transmission of dye and current meters in structure voids indicated net flow through the structure before and after construction sealing. The tests indicated that the structure was less transmissible in the postconstruction condition. Keywords: Rock/gravel/structures; Earth fills; Sediment transport; Breakwaters/ permeability; Grout; Channel/waterways; Channel dredging.

Many breakwaters and jetties have become permeable to sand transport and wave transmission, a condition that results in increased operations and maintenance dredging costs and increased risks and delays to navigation. First-cost savings could be realized by applying grouting techniques and sealing procedures developed for closing voids and fractures, instead of the more expensive method of applying layers of chinking and armor stone to the existing structure. The longevity of such grouts and sealants placed in voids of rubble-mound structures exposed to wave and current conditions is not well known. The term 'sealant' is used here to describe any material that closes voids and include grouts and very stiff, aggregate-containing cementitious and asphalt materials. This problem was separated into two parts; an evaluation of the effectiveness of materials already being used the development of guidance on sealant hole drilling, quantities to inject, techniques of injection, and knowledge of material properties to effectively create the barrier.