Business Models for Innovation in a MOSA Environment

Symposium PresentationApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Open for Business: Business Models for Innovation with Modular Open Systems Approaches

Excerpt from the Proceedings of the Nineteenth Annual Acquisition Research SymposiumModular Open Systems Approaches (MOSA) build on techniques used in the commercial world to attempt to bring innovation, speed, and savings to Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition. However, while competition can be a powerful motivator, MOSA can be disruptive to those traditional defense industrial base business models that rely on the expectation of long-term production and sustainment revenue to make back corporate investments. This project undertook interviews and surveys to better understand how MOSA influences vendor incentives and what business models may best serve DoD needs going forward. MOSA’s promise of enabling faster technology refresh and bringing in new sources of innovation addresses technical and operational challenges associated with 21st century great power competition and longstanding DoD difficulties in accessing commercial technology. This project has identified three overarching challenges regarding MOSA adoption: communicating and demonstrating government commitment; developing a MOSA-enabled IP and data rights strategy; and establishing standards and interfaces. In addressing these three challenges, the government will need to employ its acquisition toolkit to take different approaches with different vendors. To better understand how to make this transition a success, this paper presents a framework for evaluating the DoD’s readiness for MOSA.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Micro-scale zonation patterns of a salt flat in the Port Curtis Region

Salt flats are an understudied feature of a mangrove estuary system, and the relationship between the mangroves and adjacent salt flats is not known. In the Port Curtis region of Queensland, Australia, salt flats are frequently destroyed, typically for commercial practices. The Port Curtis region of Gladstone is a highly industrial area, which is often characterised by effluent discharge. The influence of salt flats on the movement of chemicals and nutrients is also unknown. The goal of this study was to determine if the physical and chemical characteristics of a salt flat could be determined from aerial photographs, and if zones with different types of vegetation had different physical and chemical characteristics. The authors hypothesised that the zones without vegetation would have elevated conductivity, and that there would be a significant difference for all the physical and chemical characteristics between the three types of zones: Mixed vegetation, Algae, and Zones without vegetation. Grain size, porosity, conductivity, and organic carbon appear to be the abiotic factors that are the most differential between the three types of zones. The aerial photographs obtained of the study site were of low resolution, so it is unknown if the physical/chemical characteristics of an area can be determined by looking at such photographs

Distribution and Performance of the Nonnative Seagrass Zostera japonica across a Tidal Height Gradient on Shaw Island, Washington.

v. ill. 23 cm.QuarterlyIn the Northeast Pacific the nonnative seagrass Zostera japonica frequently exists at the same sites as the native seagrass Zostera marina. Although at some sites their vertical distributions overlap, at most sites in the Pacific Northwest there is a distinctive unvegetated zone between them. The objective of this study was to better understand why a gap between the lower limit of Z. japonica and the upper limit of Z. marina exists. To address this issue we carried out transplant experiments, conducted in situ monitoring of existing Z. japonica patches, and collected sediment samples at South Beach on Shaw Island, Washington, during the spring and summer of 2006. Transplant and in situ monitoring data indicate that survival and performance of Z. japonica are reduced lower in the intertidal zone. In addition, Z. japonica patches tended to be smaller and more spaced out at lower tidal heights. Although we found no Z. japonica seeds within or outside extant Z. japonica patches, high transplant mortality indicates that Z. japonica dispersal limitation is an unlikely cause of the unvegetated gap zone. Our field observations further suggest that herbivory, bioturbation, and epiphytes are unlikely causes of the gap pattern at our study site. Instead, we hypothesize that light limitation prevents Z. japonica from occurring lower in the intertidal. A review of published vertical distribution data for both Zostera species indicates that the lower limit of Z. japonica is relatively invariant among sites. In contrast, the upper limit of Z. marina is highly variable, ranging by more than 4 m within some subregions in Washington State. Consequently we hypothesize that intersite variability in the vertical distribution of Z. marina is the primary driver of spatial variability in the presence of the unvegetated gap

Behavioral Deficits at 18-22 Months of Age Are Associated with Early Cerebellar Injury and Cognitive and Language Performance in Children Born Extremely Preterm

To investigate associations in toddlers born extremely preterm (<28 weeks) between neonatal neuroimaging and 18- to 22-month developmental and behavioral outcomes. Cohort analysis from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network Surfactant Positive Airway Pressure and Pulse Oximetry Trial Neuroimaging and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Study of infants born extremely preterm. Subjects underwent cranial ultrasonography and near-term magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). At 18-22 months of corrected age, the assessment included the Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) Problem and Competence Scale scores and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III). The BITSEA Problem Scale assesses dysregulation; the Competence Scale assesses social-emotional competence. We examined associations of Problem and Competence scores and positive screen rates with cranial ultrasonography and near-term MRI. Mean BITSEA and Bayley-III scores were compared using ANOVA and positive screen rates with the χ2 test. We computed correlations between BITSEA and Bayley-III scores. Of the 397 children, positive BITSEA screens were found in 34% for the Problem score and 26% for the Competence score. Presence of lesions on near-term MRI that included cerebellar lesions were significantly associated with lower BITSEA Competence but not with Problem scores; Competence scores were inversely related to the presence/significance of lesions. Positive screens on Competence scores and on both Competence and Problem scores were significantly associated with Bayley-III cognitive and language scores <85 (P < .001). Social–emotional competence contributes to deficits in cognitive and language development. Presence of injury on near-term MRI that includes cerebellar lesions is associated with later social–emotional competence and may be a useful predictor to guide early assessment and intervention. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00063063 and NCT00233324

Growth Rates of Infants Randomized to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure or Intubation After Extremely Preterm Birth.

Objective To evaluate the effects of early treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on nutritional intake and in-hospital growth rates of extremely preterm (EPT) infants. Study design EPT infants (240/7-276/7 weeks of gestation) enrolled in the Surfactant Positive Airway Pressure and Pulse Oximetry Trial (SUPPORT) were included. EPT infants who died before 36 weeks of postmenstrual age (PMA) were excluded. The growth rates from birth to 36 weeks of PMA and follow-up outcomes at 18-22 months corrected age of EPT infants randomized at birth to either early CPAP (intervention group) or early intubation for surfactant administration (control group) were analyzed. Results Growth data were analyzed for 810 of 1316 infants enrolled in SUPPORT (414 in the intervention group, 396 in the control group). The median gestational age was 26 weeks, and the mean birth weight was 839 g. Baseline characteristics, total nutritional intake, and in-hospital comorbidities were not significantly different between the 2 groups. In a regression model, growth rates between birth and 36 weeks of PMA, as well as growth rates during multiple intervals from birth to day 7, days 7-14, days 14-21, days 21-28, day 28 to 32 weeks PMA, and 32-36 weeks PMA did not differ between treatment groups. Independent of treatment group, higher growth rates from day 21 to day 28 were associated with a lower risk of having a Bayley-III cognitive score Conclusions EPT infants randomized to early CPAP did not have higher in-hospital growth rates than infants randomized to early intubation