Award Data

Current bioaerosol monitoring strategies rely on inertia-based sampling and suffer from high power consumption and low efficiency limitations. In contrast, our overall objective is to design and demonstrate a novel electrostatic sampler that provides dramatic improvements including low power requirement (90% for 1-10mm), high viability (>80%), scalability for varying threat scenarios, low noise, a ...

The Bush Administration recently proposed a 90 percent reduction of air pollution emissions from off-road diesel equipment. The Administration indicated that diesel emissions are responsible for large amounts of particulate and NOx emissions from off-road construction, farm, mining, and locomotive and marine engines. A primary approach used to reduce NOx emissions is exhaust gas recirculation (E ...

Algal blooms, caused by cyanobacteria, are increasing in frequency, duration, geographic extent, and severity in the coastal and freshwater ecosystems of the United States and other countries. One-third of the 50 genera of cyanobacteria can produce toxins and approximately 60 percent of these are toxic. Because these toxins represent a significant hazard to humans, livestock, and wildlife, it is ...

The worldwide ocean going freight transportation infrastructure, known as the Marine Transportation System (¿MTS¿) is the cornerstone of the global economic well-being. Approximately ninety percent of all cargo moves via the MTS. However, one need only look to the open movement of containerized cargo to find simple, effective, and efficient means of large-scale economic damage. The result is a c ...

Special Operation Forces personnel require a rugged, miniature receiver that is capable of monitoring RF energy while deployed on a mission. The RF receiver will give a better picture of the electromagnetic threat environment enabling a heightened situational awareness, yet the device must be small enough that it does not hamper the SOF warfighter during missions requiring stealth and rapid mobil ...

This project is designed to test a novel receptor scaffold/sensor combination for the selective and direct measurement of antigens and to compare direct electric detection of antigens against the corresponding antibody based ELISA method. The scaffold concept combines a robust nucleic acid receptor (aptamer) coupled to a low cost CMOS FET and AlGaN MODFET transducer. Aptamers are short nucleic aci ...

We propose a Marine Asset Tag Tracking System (MATTS) using a breakthrough wireless tracking technology called near field electromagnetic ranging (NFER¿). The primary objective of Phase I is to validate that NFER¿ technology is the best RF solution for tracking containers on ships and in ports. Phase I will also (1) develop an overall architecture for the MATTS; (2) design the container tag; ...

VOC Technologies (VOCTEC) has developed patent-pending new technology for analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) by compressing an air sample to high pressure before injecting it into a specially designed gas chromatograph. This GC is constructed entirely

The risk of biological terrorism is significant because of the high potency, widespread availability, and ease of dissemination of some biological threat agents. The earliest recognition of a bioterrorist attack may be indicated only by the clinical manifestation of the intended disease which, in some cases, can take days to weeks to present itself. Furthermore, laboratory confirmation of the diag ...

Most of the 6 billion pounds of adhesives used in the United States each year are derived from petrochemicals; many still contain volatile organic compounds. Montana Biotech SE, Inc., has developed a process for producing a natural polymer with excellent adhesive properties. Tensile strength on bare aluminum is up to 10.3 MPa (1,500 psi). Made from a renewable resource, biodegradable, and safe ...