Predicting the potential for zoonotic transmission and host associations for novel viruses.

Host-virus associations have co-evolved under ecological and evolutionary selection pressures that shape cross-species transmission and spillover to humans. Observed virus-host associations provide relevant context for newly discovered wildlife viruses to assess knowledge gaps in host-range and estimate pathways for potential human infection. Using models to predict virus-host networks, we predicted the likelihood of humans as hosts for 513 newly discovered viruses detected by large-scale wildlife surveillance at high-risk animal-human interfaces in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Predictions indicated that novel coronaviruses are likely to infect a greater number of host species than viruses from other families. Our models further characterize novel viruses through prioritization scores and directly inform surveillance targets to identify host ranges for newly discovered viruses.

Awareness, Accessibility, And Use: A Model to Improve The Naval Special Warfare Lessons Learned Program

Naval Special Warfare (NSW) seeks to improve their Lessons Learned Program (LLP) to better transfer and conserve knowledge within the community and maintain a competitive advantage over adversaries. What actions are needed to improve the program so that the knowledge created is easily transferred and conserved for future use? This thesis explores the existing LLP, identifies shortfalls, and determines what, if any, technology should be applied to improve the program. Specifically, it applies organizational design, information science theory, and user interviews to analyze the LLP, and then presents the interview findings and develops a conceptual model for program improvement. This research finds that NSW should apply the Awareness, Accessibility, and Use (AAU) model to address the three most prominent human-centric shortfalls within the LLP before applying any new technology. Addressing the lack of awareness, poor accessibility, and low use that exists within the program is a first step toward building a solid foundation that will better support the emerging technology that NSW wants to leverage in the future.