Award Data

Terrorist use of radioactive nuclear materials via nuclear and/or radiological dispersion devices (dirty bombs) is a serious threat. Therefore, it is critical to detect the proliferation of nuclear material. Critical challenges facing this objective include: (a) high sensitivity detection of signature emissions (e.g., gamma rays) from common radioactive isotopes behind shielding, and (b) cost-effe ...

Improving the effectiveness of counter-WMD operations requires improved understanding of weapon-target interaction. Specifically, time-resolved measurements of temperature and composition are required to allow temporal evolution of a detonation fireball. To address this need, SA Photonics will develop MONITOR, a laser-based temperature diagnostic that will enable wide dynamic range temperature mea ...

A novel diagnostic system based on the monolithic quantum cascade laser technology is proposed, enabling probing of points across the entire MIR absorption spectrum of CO for optimal temperature sensitivity across the entire 300 – 3000 K range with MHz time resolution. The proposing team has the capability to design QCL structures that provide strong output over the spectral range of interest in ...

Radiation effects in microelectronic components are a significant concern for the reliability of DoD systems that operate at high altitudes or in outer space. Typical characterization efforts focus on macroscale degradation signatures from electrical measurements at device terminals. However, a comprehensive analysis of radiation-induced physical defects is not possible based solely on terminal me ...

Through this STTR contract, we propose to evaluate the efficacy of our vaccine, FlowVax Marburg, in nonhuman primates (NHPs). This will be achieved through four Tasks. In Task 1, we will manufacture the vaccine in a quantity sufficient for the animal studies. In Task 2, we will perform MHC genotyping on a representative population of NHPs and, based on results, select a set of MHC-matched NHPs for ...

There are currently no vaccines or therapeutics available for Marburg Virus Disease (MVD). Given the specter of weaponization and the terrible morbidity and high mortality rate of MVD, this represents a critical threat to the operational readiness of the Warfighter. While traditional vaccines have contributed greatly to public health, they have some limitations especially in the context of operati ...

In resource limited settings, rapid and accurate diagnosis of infections is critical for managing potential exposures to highly virulent pathogens, whether occurring from an act of bioterrorism or a natural event. This is especially important for hard to detect intracellular bacterial and alphavirus infections, that overlap symptomatically and often treated empirically due to a lack of reliable an ...

Assays for accurate diagnosis of early stages of infection with biothreat agents, on the day of infection or within a few days of infection, will find wide use in both civilian and military applications These diagnostic assays, which are anticipated to be highly specific and sensitive, will add to the repertoire of tools of hospitals and clinics that serve our armed forces personnel deployed on th ...