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Biological Networks: The Pertubation of Genetic and Metabolomic Circuits in Response to and Environmental Contaminant
Principal Investigators: J. Kenneth Wickiser, Ph.D. and COL Leon Robert, Ph.D.
At its most fundamental level, Biology is the control and interplay between a vast number coupled chemical reactions. These chemical reactions control the basic processes of life as well as providing rapid response mechanisms to counter a plethora of environmental changes. Our group is working to elucidate the genetic and metabolomic circuits perturbed by the exposure of trace amounts of military explosives. In order to analyze the dynamic relationships between the vast number of biological reactants that may respond to the presence of an environmental contaminant of military interest, powerful techniques must be developed. The United States Army is committed to understanding the biological impact of high explosive ordinance contamination on military ranges. The tools for analyzing these complicated and dynamic networks are evolving but are restricted to the known relationships to the measured values of the gene products and metabolites. New algorithms designed to elucidate heretofore unknown relationships between these measured quantities. We are turning to Network Science techniques to analyze these enormous and complicated data sets.
Biological Networks (1 Page Summary)
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Flowing Valued Information
Principal Investigator: COL Kevin Huggins, Ph.D., John James, Ph.D, and Frank Mabry, Ph.D.
The project estimates the value of information to efficiently (optimally) move and store information in the appropriate location – the right information at the right time. The goal of the work is to use the Commander’s Intent to set values and data content. The Army has been focused for several years on building next-generation combat systems which depend heavily upon increasing the quality of information available at the combat crew level (trading information for armor). Recent changes emphasizing that future combat vehicles become more effective in counterinsurgency (COIN) operations only increase the need for achieving information dominance. Our project is a long-range effort to create the science to enable building predictive models of the relative value of information available at the lowest tactical levels and enable movement of that information to the right place at the right time.
Flowing Valued Information (1 Page Summary)
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Frontier Markets: Network Analysis of Capital Markets in Developing Nations
Principal Investigators: Daniel Evans and LTC Scott Nestler, Ph.D.
We seek to advance basic research in human network structure of social, communication, and cognitive branches of Network Science in the context of Frontier Markets. Frontier Markets are the equity markets of developing nations typically in Southern and Southwest Asia, Africa, South America and Eastern Europe with the minimal requirements for global investment. The United States military finds itself engaged in these regions due to high instability induced by a lack of transparent global investment processes. Our research will enable military decision-makers to better understand ‘Economics’ leg of the DIME approach to Full-Spectrum Operations (Diplomatic, Infrastructure, Military, and Economic). When combined with future research and applications, this project will allow policy makers to enhance economic power projection to traditional diplomacy and military action as a foreign policy option. In an undeveloped nation, achievement of Frontier Market status is the first step for access to global investment. Global investment encouraged by the presence of an open market system can stabilize a region and reduce the potential for military intervention or shorten the requirement for military presence. Through a network based understanding of Frontier Market development and stability, we will discover underlying metrics that describe market state. Through large scale quasi-experiments we will model how Frontier Markets succeed or fail. This research will be the foundational tools for senior military and diplomatic leaders engaged in shaping economic power projection operations and course of action development.
Frontier Markets (1 Page Summary)
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IkeNet: Social Network Analysis of USMA Cadets and Officers
Principal Investigators: LTC John Graham, Ph.D. and MAJ Ian McCulloh, Ph.D.
The United States Army Research Institute (ARL) is sponsoring a Basic Research project to examine how officers’ organizational networks change over time using Dynamic Network Analysis (DNA). This project investigates the feasibility of using email and cellular phone data within a military organization to study social networks and provide new management tools for the information age. In addition, new methods are developed to statistically detect changes in social networks in real time to provide early warning and inform organizational policy. Prior to organizations successfully carrying out some activity or event, there exists a change in the social network of the organization as members plan and resource the activity. Social network change detection may allow an analyst to detect the network change prior to the event, allowing a commander to get inside the decision cycle and influence the outcome. These methods also can be used by intelligence agencies to monitor terrorist and drug organizations for significant changes in behavior in real time. Social scientists will use these methods to identify organizational change when investigating social network evolution and organizational dynamics.
IkeNet (1 Page Summary)
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Statistical Changes: Actor Oriented Models to Detect Significant Behavioral and Social Changes Over Time
Principal Investigators: MAJ Ian McCulloh, Ph.D. and Kate Coronges, Ph.D.
Our research strives to develop statistical methods to model longitudinal networks, detect change over time, and measure the impact of ergodicity on longitudinal network analysis. Detecting dynamic changes over time from an SNA perspective, may signal an underlying change within an organization. Prior to an organization conducting any operation, whether terrorist or friendly, experiences a fundamental change in their organizational behavior and communication as they plan and resource the operation. Rapid change detection may offer analysts the ability to detect the organizational change prior to the operation reaching successful culmination. In other words, this research has the potential to alert the military to enemy or terrorist activity prior to the successful completion of an attack. It can also alert military commanders to potential challenges in friendly command and control structures in time to positively influence the outcomes. Finally the statistical methods developed will make broader contributions to the field of network science.
Longitudinal Changes (1 Page Summary)
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The Network Science Center research is supported by many sources, private and public funding, grants, and collaborative academc departments and programs. Please contact the center for more information about getting involved with our research projects.
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