Award Data

Pressed wood products, such as furniture and cabinetry, are typically made with formaldehyde-based resins. These resins present two significant drawbacks - 1)there is significant concern about the health effects of formaldehyde and 2)formaldehyde resins are made from petroleum-derived products, a naturally limited resource that contributes to carbon output. There is also a growing global concern a ...

Organophosphorus chemical warfare nerve agents (OP-CWA) are attractive to terrorist groups and rogue states as an inexpensive and accessible technology for chemical warfare. OP-CWA and organophosphate pesticides cause severe neurological symptoms and death by inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE); the resulting excess acetylcholine accumulates and overstimulates the human or animal bo ...

Organophosphorus chemical warfare nerve agents (OP-CWA) are attractive to terrorist groups and rogue states as an inexpensive and accessible technology for chemical warfare. OP-CWA and organophosphate pesticides cause severe neurological symptoms and death by inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE); the resulting excess acetylcholine accumulates and overstimulates the human or animal bo ...

This Phase 2 project targets the completion of the development of an improved system for the broadcasting of the WWVB signal, as a direct continuation of the Phase 1 project, which successfully validated the proposed approach through a feasibility study and analyses. Objectives of this project include the design of the new modulation scheme and protocol, the development of a new time-code generato ...

Plants are under almost constant attack by fungal pathogens in the environment and economic losses are a frequent consequence of this assault. To avoid or reduce economic loss, synthetic chemical fungicides have been traditionally used to keep the development of disease in check. However, the impact of chemical pesticides on the environment and human health can be harmful; this impact has been wel ...

700 million gallons of biodiesel were produced by 144 biodiesel plants in the U.S. in 2008, representing only a tiny fraction of the roughly 40 billion gallons of petroleum diesel used for on-road transportation. Batch process biodiesel production plants are commonly used for biodiesel production. However, the upper average overall volumetric throughput of a batch reactor is relatively low; conseq ...

The development of a greatly enhanced receiver for the WWVB signal is targeted, as well as possible modifications in the transmitted signal, which would both offer significant improvements in its effective coverage. This is to be achieved while allowing the replacement of the bulky, expensive, ferrite-based antenna, commonly used in the receiver, with a novel lower-cost antenna. Furthermore, the p ...

The citrus leafminer (CLM) is an important pest of citrus originally found in Florida in 1993 and in Texas in 1994; currently, CLM has spread through most citrus growing regions of the US. Larval-stage feeding results in serious damage to leaves and predisposes trees to citrus canker. Female CLM release their pheromone to attract males for mating. Alpha Scents Phase I research has proved the techn ...

A shift from conventional petrochemical feedstocks towards biomass-based feedstocks is of both environmental and economical importance for the future production of commodity chemicals. 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a versatile biomass-derived platform compound that can be used to synthesize a broad range of chemicals currently derived from petroleum, such as furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid (FDA). A ...

Dysphagia is a disruption in the normal ability to chew and swallow food and drink beverages. This condition is commonly caused by stroke, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's diseases, or radiation therapy due to cancer. For those with medical conditions that cause dysphagia, they are unable to break down, manipulate, collect, and swallow the food that is in their mouth. For most of these patients, all foo ...