scholarly journals U.S. Military Investments in Autonomy and AI: A Strategic Assessment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarita Konaev
Keyword(s):  
Military Readiness ◽  
Strategic Assessment

This brief examines how the Pentagon’s investments in autonomy and AI may affect its military capabilities and strategic interests. It proposes that DOD invest in improving its understanding of trust in human-machine teams and leverage existing AI technologies to enhance military readiness and endurance. In the long term, investments in reliable, trustworthy, and resilient AI systems are critical for ensuring sustained military, technological, and strategic advantages.

scholarly journals Electrification of Madrid Fleet Public Transport Company (EMT-Madrid): Strategic Analysis and Implementation

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
J. García Hernanz ◽  
G. Morales-Alonso ◽  
G. Fernández Sánchez ◽  
E. Pilkington González ◽  
T. Sánchez Chaparro
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Strategic Plan ◽  
Urban Pollution ◽  
City Council ◽  
The Public ◽  
City Councils ◽  
Strategic Assessment

Madrid Public Transport Company (EMT-Madrid) is a property of the Madrid City Council, and it provides the public buses service in the whole city. Madrid, as most of the big cities in the world, is facing problems related to high levels of urban pollution, which directly affects the health and life quality of their inhabitants. EMT, having a fleet of around 2000 buses, has an impact in the mentioned problem and in the global warming. With the Strategic Plan 2017-2020, many new buses will be acquired, resulting in a fleet of natural gas, hybrid and electric vehicles by the end of 2020. The present study has the goal of being the cornerstone of a future strategic plan of the company. To this end, both external and internal analyses of the company have been conducted, which support that the electrification of the whole fleet is the best option in the long term. Furthermore, a Benchmarking of the state of the public transport in other 25 cities and the technology used in them has been conducted. Last, a model that allows replicability of this strategic assessment is proposed, in order to help other Transport Companies and City Councils to decide which transport fleet is the best to implement in their cities depending on their necessities and resources.

scholarly journals Emerging Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance (EIDAR)

2019 ◽  
Vol 184 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 59-65
Author(s):  
Charlotte Lanteri ◽  
Katrin Mende ◽  
Mark Kortepeter
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Clinical Research ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Us Military ◽  
Military Readiness ◽  
Military Populations

Abstract Introduction The Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program’s (IDCRP) Emerging Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance (EIDAR) Research Area is a Department of Defense (DoD) clinical research capability that is responsive and adaptive to emerging infectious disease (EID) threats to US military readiness. Among active-duty and other Military Health System (MHS) beneficiaries, EIDAR research is largely focused on evaluating the incidence, risk factors, and acute- and long-term health effects of military-relevant EIDs, especially those caused by high-consequence pathogens or are responsible for outbreaks among US military populations. The EIDAR efforts also address Force Health Protection concerns associated with antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial stewardship practices within the MHS. Methods The EIDAR studies utilize the approach of: (1) Preparing for emergent conditions to systematically collect clinical specimens and data and conduct clinical trials to assist the military with a scientifically appropriate response; and (2) Evaluating burden of emergent military-relevant infectious diseases and assessing risks for exposure and development of post-infectious complications and overall impact on military readiness. Results In response to the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, the IDCRP partnered with the National Institutes of Health in developing a multicenter, randomized safety and efficacy study of investigational therapeutics in Ebola patients. Subsequently, the EIDAR team developed a protocol to serve as a contingency plan (EpICC-EID) to allow clinical research activities to occur during future outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fever and severe acute respiratory infections among MHS patients. The EIDAR portfolio recently expanded to include studies to understand exposure risks and impact on military readiness for a diversity of EIDs, such as seroincidence of non-Lyme disease borreliosis and Coccidioides fungal infections among high-risk military populations. The team also launched a new prospective study in response to the recent Zika epidemic to conduct surveillance for Zika and other related viruses among MHS beneficiaries in Puerto Rico. Another new study will prospectively follow U.S. Marines via an online health assessment survey to assess long-term health effects following the largest DoD Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli outbreak at the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot-San Diego. In cooperation with the Trauma-Related Infections Research Area, the EIDAR Research Area is also involved with the Multidrug-Resistant and Virulent Organisms Trauma Infections Initiative, which is a collaborative effort across DoD laboratories to characterize bacterial and fungal isolates infecting combat-related extremity wounds and link lab findings to clinical outcomes. Furthermore, the EIDAR team has developed an Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship Collaborative Clinical Research Consortium, comprised of Infectious Disease and Pharmacy specialists. Conclusions The EIDAR Research Area is responsive to military-relevant infectious disease threats that are also frequently global public health concerns. Several new EIDAR efforts are underway that will provide Combatant Command Surgeons, Infectious Diseases Service Chiefs, and other Force Health Protection stakeholders with epidemiological information to mitigate the impact of EIDs and antimicrobial resistance on the health of U.S. military service members and their dependents.

scholarly journals Mining and biodiversity: key issues and research needs in conservation science

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1892) ◽  
pp. 20181926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura J. Sonter ◽  
Saleem H. Ali ◽  
James E. M. Watson
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Conservation Science ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Strategic Assessment ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Conservation Organizations

Mining poses serious and highly specific threats to biodiversity. However, mining can also be a means for financing alternative livelihood paths that, over the long-term, may prevent biodiversity loss. Complex and controversial issues associated with mining and biodiversity conservation are often simplified within a narrow frame oriented towards the negative impacts of mining at the site of extraction, rather than posed as a series of challenges for the conservation science community to embrace. Here, we synthesize core issues that, if better understood, may ensure coexistence between mining and conservation agendas. We illustrate how mining impacts biodiversity through diverse pathways and across spatial scales. We argue that traditional, site-based conservation approaches will have limited effect in preventing biodiversity loss against an increasing mining footprint, but opportunities to improve outcomes (e.g. through long-term strategic assessment and planning) do exist. While future mineral supply is uncertain, projections suggest demand will grow for many metals and shift mining operations towards more dispersed and biodiverse areas. Initiating dialogue between mining companies, policy-makers and conservation organizations is urgent, given the suite of international agendas simultaneously requiring more minerals but less biodiversity loss.

scholarly journals APPROACHES TO STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT OF THE PROSPECTS OF AFRICAN ELECTRICITY MARKETS FOR RUSSIAN COMPANIES

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 64-69
Author(s):  
A. O. Mamonov ◽  
I, V. Tarasov
Keyword(s):  
Electricity Markets ◽  
Energy Markets ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Strategic Assessment ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Quantitative Indicators

This article is devoted to development of methodological approaches to evalution of African energy markets’ strategic opportunities for Russian companies. The main research method in this paper is in-depth case study, which allows to test proposed approaches. The subject of case study is one of the largest African countries – Nigeria. A comprehensive analysis of nigerian energy market from the standpoint of quantitative indicators, technological and financial prospects, as well as the difficulties associated with entering the market, and the possibilities of overcoming them, is carried out. The long-term prospect of the feasibility of entering the energy markets within African countries has been identified.

STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Al-Khafaji ◽  
Seshadri Guha ◽  
Laith Al-Khafaji
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Green Economy ◽  
Tax Base ◽  
Healthy Environment ◽  
Strategic Assessment ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Downward Spiral ◽  
And Migration

The Peoria Sustainability Commission (PSC) was formed in late 2008 with the mission “to transform Peoria into a community that promotes social equity, green economy, and a healthy environment.” Planning for sustainable development in Peoria required a strategic assessment and analysis of the prior work of similar commissions and interests of various stakeholders. Multiple meetings of diverse sets of stakeholders were held to identify critical issues, gaps, barriers, and drivers of success, and to coalesce around central themes to formulate key strategies for sustainable development in Peoria. These meetings revealed that a lack of focus and interdependencies between initiatives led to fragmentation and limited the opportunities for success. For example, the competition for school districts with higher-quality education led to increased sprawl and migration of population from downtown areas to the suburbs. The concomitant shrinking of the urban tax base in turn reduced the resources available for investment and improvement, resulting in a potential downward spiral in many cities, including Peoria. The long-term strategy of the PSC to address critical issues, barriers, drivers of success, and develop key strategies for the Peoria region is presented here.

scholarly journals Gene expression associated with disease resistance and long-term growth in a reef-building coral

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma R. Kelley ◽  
Robin S. Sleith ◽  
Mikhail V. Matz ◽  
Rachel M. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Disease Resistance ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Pathogen Resistance ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Strategic Assessment ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Coral Health

Rampant coral disease, exacerbated by climate change and other anthropogenic stressors, threatens reefs worldwide, especially in the Caribbean. Physically isolated yet genetically connected reefs such as Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) may serve as potential refugia for degraded Caribbean reefs. However, little is known about the mechanisms and trade-offs of pathogen resistance in reef-building corals. Here, we measure pathogen resistance in Montastraea cavernosa from FGBNMS. We identified individual colonies that demonstrated resistance or susceptibility to Vibrio spp. in a controlled laboratory environment. Long-term growth patterns suggest no trade-off between disease resistance and calcification. Predictive (pre-exposure) gene expression highlights subtle differences between resistant and susceptible genets, encouraging future coral disease studies to investigate associations between resistance and replicative age and immune cell populations. Predictive gene expression associated with long-term growth underscores the role of transmembrane proteins involved in cell adhesion and cell–cell interactions, contributing to the growing body of knowledge surrounding genes that influence calcification in reef-building corals. Together these results demonstrate that coral genets from isolated sanctuaries such as FGBNMS can withstand pathogen challenges and potentially aid restoration efforts in degraded reefs. Furthermore, gene expression signatures associated with resistance and long-term growth help inform strategic assessment of coral health parameters.

Repurposing of the epidermal growth factor

1969 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernesto L Mola ◽  
José A Buxadó ◽  
Luis Herrera
Keyword(s):  
Growth Factor ◽  
Epidermal Growth Factor ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Strategic Intent ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Strategic Assessment ◽  
Potential Market ◽  
Epidermal Growth ◽  
Unexpected Findings

This article deals with repurposing of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) to the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) grades III and IV, according to the Wagner scale. The design of a repurposing commercial strategy is described in this document as a contribution to a body of knowledge with high uncertainty and lack of methodology for decision-makers. An analysis of the potential market suggested a significant impact of the product Heberprot-P® on costs associated to DFU treatment. Unexpected findings, obtained from a study of the competence, are reported here. The feasibility of a repurposing strategy containing short-, medium- and long-term action plans, without mutual interferences, and adopting strategic intent, strategic assessment and strategic choice as fundamental concepts is demonstrated in this work.

scholarly journals Gene expression associated with disease resistance and long-term growth in a reef-building coral

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma R. Kelley ◽  
Robin S. Sleith ◽  
Mikhail V. Matz ◽  
Rachel M. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Disease Resistance ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Pathogen Resistance ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Strategic Assessment ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Coral Health

ABSTRACTRampant coral disease, exacerbated by climate change and other anthropogenic stressors, threatens reefs worldwide, especially in the Caribbean. Physically isolated yet genetically connected reefs such as Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) may serve as potential refugia for degraded Caribbean reefs. However, little is known about the mechanisms and trade-offs of pathogen resistance in reef-building corals. Here we measure pathogen resistance in Montastraea cavernosa from FGBNMS. We identified individual colonies that demonstrated resistance or susceptibility to Vibrio spp. in a controlled laboratory environment. Long-term growth patterns suggest no trade-off between disease resistance and calcification. Predictive (pre-exposure) gene expression highlights subtle differences between resistant and susceptible genets, encouraging future coral disease studies to investigate associations between resistance and replicative age and immune cell populations. Predictive gene expression associated with long-term growth underscores the role of cation transporters and extracellular matrix remodelers, contributing to the growing body of knowledge surrounding genes that influence calcification in reef-building corals. Together these results demonstrate that coral genets from isolated sanctuaries such as FGBNMS can withstand pathogen challenges and potentially aid restoration efforts in degraded reefs. Furthermore, gene expression signatures associated with resistance and long-term growth help inform strategic assessment of coral health parameters.

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