TEACHING INNOVATION: DESIGNING A CURRICULUM TO CHANGE THE MILITARY

The United States Department of Defense’s relationship with innovation has changed from the Cold War–era paradigm of large defense contractors and government think tanks undertaking the lion’s share of the responsibility to improve our products and processes. Commercial companies are developing the most advanced technologies, not for the military, but for the individual consumer. The responsibility to innovate has shifted to the military, and it is falling behind. To bring our force up to the level required to remain the world’s most advanced fighting force, we need to educate our personnel on how to innovate for themselves. This paper identifies the structure and the content of a curriculum designed to teach innovation. Through research of current programs and innovation theory, a successful innovation curriculum is one that is designed around project-based learning, bridges military organizations with the commercial and academic realm, and teaches the fundamentals of innovation. These fundamentals are centered around an understanding of the current innovation ecosystem, complex problem analysis, innovation diffusion and adoption, and design thinking. Utilizing this curriculum, the Department of Defense can receive an immediate return on its investment through completed student projects and a means to change the culture of innovation throughout the organization toward more self-reliance.Major, United States Air ForceApproved for public release. distribution is unlimite

Characteristics of proton velocity distribution functions in the near-lunar wake from Chandrayaan-1/SWIM observations

Due to the high absorption of solar wind plasma on the lunar dayside, a large scale wake structure is formed downstream of the Moon. However, recent in-situ observations have revealed the presence of protons in the near-lunar wake (100 km to 200 km from the surface). The solar wind, either directly or after interaction with the lunar surface (including magnetic anomalies), is the source of these protons in the near-wake region. Using the entire data from the SWIM sensor of the SARA experiment onboard Chandrayaan-1, we analysed the velocity distribution of the protons observed in the near-lunar wake. The average velocity distribution functions, computed in the solar wind rest frame, were further separated based on the angle between the upstream solar wind velocity and the IMF. Several proton populations were identified from the velocity distribution and their possible entry mechanism were inferred based on the characteristics of the velocity distribution. These entry mechanisms include (i) diffusion of solar wind protons into the wake along IMF, (ii) the solar wind protons with finite gyro-radii that are aided by the wake boundary electric field, (iii) solar wind protons with gyro-radii larger than lunar radii from the tail of the solar wind velocity distribution, and (iv) scattering of solar wind protons from the dayside lunar surface or from magnetic anomalies. In order to gain more insight into the entry mechanisms associated with different populations, backtracing is carried out for each of these populations. For most of the populations, the source of the protons obtained from backtracing is found to be in agreement with that inferred from the velocity distribution. There are few populations that could not be explained by the known mechanisms and remain unknown.Comment: 8 figures, paper accepted in Icarus (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2016.01.03

Studying the Lunar-Solar Wind Interaction with the SARA Experiment aboard the Indian Lunar Mission Chandrayaan-1

The first Indian lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 was launched on 22 October 2008. The Sub-keV Atom Reflecting Analyzer (SARA) instrument onboard Chandrayaan-1 consists of an energetic neutral atom (ENA) imaging mass analyzer called CENA (Chandrayaan-1 Energetic Neutrals Analyzer), and an ion-mass analyzer called SWIM (Solar wind Monitor). CENA performed the first ever experiment to study the solar wind-planetary surface interaction via detection of sputtered neutral atoms and neutralized backscattered solar wind protons in the energy range ~0.01-3.0 keV. SWIM measures solar wind ions, magnetosheath and magnetotail ions, as well as ions scattered from lunar surface in the ~0.01-15 keV energy range. The neutral atom sensor uses conversion of the incoming neutrals to positive ions, which are then analyzed via surface interaction technique. The ion mass analyzer is based on similar principle. This paper presents the SARA instrument and the first results obtained by the SWIM and CENA sensors. SARA observations suggest that about 20% of the incident solar wind protons are backscattered as neutral hydrogen and ~1% as protons from the lunar surface. These findings have important implications for other airless bodies in the solar system.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure

Ovarian cancer in Switzerland : incidence and treatment according to hospital registry data

Objective: The methods used to diagnose and classify ovarian cancer have changed over the past decade. We used hospital registry data to assess the incidence, treatment durations and hospital costs of ovarian cancer in Switzerland. Methods: We carried out a retrospective analysis of a hospital registry covering all inpatient care episodes in Switzerland between 1998 and 2012. Ovarian cancer incidence was assessed by identifying patients with a first ovarian cancer diagnosis as the main reason for hospital stay after an event-free period. We assessed the duration and cost of ovarian cancer treatment sequences as well as the evolution of hospital patient volume over time. Results: The average age-adjusted incidence rate was 14.6 per 100,000 women per year between 2004 and 2012. This rate is substantially higher (+35.5%) than the corresponding rate published by the National Institute for Cancer Epidemiology and Registration (NICER). Hospital patient volume was low in most cases, with more than 40% of patients treated in hospitals with fewer than 20 cases per year. However, the share of patients treated in hospitals with more than 30 cases per year has increased substantially since 2009. Conclusions: We found a substantial difference between the ovarian cancer incidence estimate based on hospital registry data and the corresponding estimate by NICER. The reasons for this substantial difference should be carefully explored. A case-wise comparison could determine whether the difference is due to over- or under-reporting in one of the two registries. The low ovarian cancer patient volume in many hospitals is in conflict with the numbers required for certified specialised cancer centres. The recent increase in patient volume in specialised cancer centres, however, might reflect a growing understanding of the needs and requirements of comprehensive cancer care

Protons in the near-lunar wake observed by the Sub-keV Atom Reflection Analyzer on board Chandrayaan-1

Significant proton fluxes were detected in the near wake region of the Moon by an ion mass spectrometer on board Chandrayaan-1. The energy of these nightside protons is slightly higher than the energy of the solar wind protons. The protons are detected close to the lunar equatorial plane at a $140^{\circ}$ solar zenith angle, i.e., ~50$^{\circ}$ behind the terminator at a height of 100 km. The protons come from just above the local horizon, and move along the magnetic field in the solar wind reference frame. We compared the observed proton flux with the predictions from analytical models of an electrostatic plasma expansion into a vacuum. The observed velocity was higher than the velocity predicted by analytical models by a factor of 2 to 3. The simple analytical models cannot explain the observed ion dynamics along the magnetic field in the vicinity of the Moon.Comment: 28 pages, 7 figure

One size does not fit all: European integration by differentiation. Bruegel POLICY BRIEF ISSUE 3 | SEPTEMBER 2018

The need for reform of the EU is increasingly urgent. The authors of this policy brief suggest a new governance model, combining a bare-bones EU with a 'Europe of clubs'. Such reform would offer scope for broad membership without stalling the process of integration for those that wish to pursue it