Effective Decision-Making Behaviors for Defense R&D: Accounting for Dynamic Competition

Research and Development (R&D) in the Department of Defense (DoD) is shaped by competition. Competition is a complex, interactive process that is difficult to predict and has significant effects on the value of R&D investments over time. Initially promising investments may ultimately result in little value, due to the actions of others in a competitive environment. This article models the interaction of competition with R&D decision-making and introduces a simulation-based methodology to determine effective decision-making behaviors for the distinctive competition dynamics of DoD applications. The approach is built on the insight that R&D decision-making can be optimized for the resulting Post-Competition Value (PCV) of opportunities, rather than for their initial value. The authors demonstrate the value of this approach in three diverse applications across the DoD, including a case of defense industry companies, government laboratories, and nonprofits. In all cases, optimized behaviors are identified that achieve significantly more average value than standard alternatives that do not account for competition. This creates an opportunity for DoD leaders to systematically account for competition in their decision-making and enhance the value of their R&D investments.

Effective Decision-Making Behaviors for Defense R&D: Accounting for Dynamic Competition

Research and Development (R&D) in the Department of Defense (DoD) is shaped by competition. Competition is a complex, interactive process that is difficult to predict and has significant effects on the value of R&D investments over time. Initially promising investments may ultimately result in little value, due to the actions of others in a competitive environment. This article models the interaction of competition with R&D decision-making and introduces a simulation-based methodology to determine effective decision-making behaviors for the distinctive competition dynamics of DoD applications. The approach is built on the insight that R&D decision-making can be optimized for the resulting Post-Competition Value (PCV) of opportunities, rather than for their initial value. The authors demonstrate the value of this approach in three diverse applications across the DoD, including a case of defense industry companies, government laboratories, and nonprofits. In all cases, optimized behaviors are identified that achieve significantly more average value than standard alternatives that do not account for competition. This creates an opportunity for DoD leaders to systematically account for competition in their decision-making and enhance the value of their R&D investments.

MOLECULAR SEQUANCING AND PHYLOGENIC ANALYSIS TO VIRULENCE nmuc-1 GENE IN VISCERAL LARVAE MIGRANCE

Toxocariasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by Toxocara canis infected egg. Larval stage of this parasite has ability to migrate through intestinal wall and invade all body organs causing a visceral larvae migrant (VLM) syndrome. Diagnosis of VLM is problematic; there were no accurate laboratory test that reveals the presence of larvae infection in paratenic hosts (human, ruminants or poultry). The eggs were isolated from adult T. canis uteri and cultured in 0.2M H2S04 solution for embryonation, mice were experimentally infected with emberyonated eggs. Many hisopathological changes detected in heart and kidney tissues of infected mice but it could not detected encysted larvae compared with molecular detection which confirmed infection within first three day post infection in tissue with accurate diagnosis for the first time in Iraq depend in detected virulence nmuc-1 gene. Phylogenic tree analyses mounted a low genetic variation (0.2) among Iraqi isolate and all other comparison isolates. In conclusion our result indicated that molecular method could diagnosis T. canis larvae infection in any meat or meat products of local or imported from inside or outside Iraq country and used as an accurate microbiological laboratory test used routinely in government laboratories.

The International Regulation and Governance of Time

The paper examines the system for the regulation and governance of time, both with respect to the time of day (i.e., clock readings), and calendar dates. Sub-topics of the two areas include the definition of Universal Time Coordinated (UTC), time zones, daylight saving time, and the International Date Line (IDL). The analysis begins, for both areas, by briefly sketching out the scientific background—without which the subsequent legal and institutional discussion would not be meaningful—and the historical development. It then goes on to describe the present-day mechanism for the regulation of both areas. This examination will reveal noteworthy differences: whereas the regulation of clock readings is based on a complex interplay between national statutes and government laboratories, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations, hardly any formal legal or institutional framework is in place for the regulation of calendars. An explanation for this discrepancy is suggested. The paper then proceeds to address questions of interpretation where international legal instruments make reference to time without specifying the relevant time reckoning system; a solution is proposed which builds on 19th-century domestic litigation, adapted to the context of public international law. A final paragraph draws more general conclusions and undertakes a brief outlook into the future.

Macromolecular Modeling and Design in Rosetta: New Methods and Frameworks

The Rosetta software suite for macromolecular modeling, docking, and design is widely used in pharmaceutical, industrial, academic, non-profit, and government laboratories. Despite its broad modeling capabilities, Rosetta remains consistently among leading software suites when compared to other methods created for highly specialized protein modeling and design tasks. Developed for over two decades by a global community of over 60 laboratories, Rosetta has undergone multiple refactorings, and now comprises over three million lines of code. Here we discuss methods developed in the last five years in Rosetta, involving the latest protocols for structure prediction; protein–protein and protein–small molecule docking; protein structure and interface design; loop modeling; the incorporation of various types of experimental data; modeling of peptides, antibodies and proteins in the immune system, nucleic acids, non-standard chemistries, carbohydrates, and membrane proteins. We briefly discuss improvements to the energy function, user interfaces, and usability of the ­­software. Rosetta is available at www.rosettacommons.org.

Identification of donkey meat in foods using species-specific PCR combined with lateral flow immunoassay

The developed species-specific polymerase chain reaction-lateral flow immunoassay (PCR-LFI) method allows the rapid, low-cost, highly sensitive and specific detection of donkey DNA for meat authentication, adopted by government laboratories.

Triaxial Testing’s 1/6th Rule: Particle-Continuum Analysis of Granular Stability during Compression

The 1/6th Rule of Triaxial Testing says that particles larger than 1/6th the diameter of the specimen will skew test results when not discarded. Although this rule is documented in the procedures of government laboratories, its origin is obscure. In this paper, the rule is derived as a corollary of granular stability. The stability derivation involves particle-continuum analysis. However, instead of a discrete element formulation or Cosserat mechanics, this paper uses the classical solution of Sokolovskii that is the modern basis of Terzaghi bearing capacity theory. Stability of a soil particle is addressed within the continuum by matching leading terms of series expansions, which is also known as the singular perturbation method. This finding is similar to previous derivations involving deformation of geosynthetic reinforced soil.