Award Data

A DNA sequencer for biometric applications will be developed. The system will enable rapid and low-cost identification of individuals and kinship verification using a self-contained and portable device. All process steps from DNA extraction to DNA sequencing will be automatically performed within the disposable single-use cartridge. This high-level of functional integration is made possible by Adv ...

The recent emergence of the Silicon Drift detector (SDD), for use in energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (EDS), has made possible x-ray event streams with count rates as high as 1-10 Mcps. A problem with existing digital signal processing, as applied to SDDs, is the significant presence of coincidence peaks above the x-ray background. These coincidence peaks occur with amplitudes comparable to lo ...

The crude oil will be depleted within 40 years, alternative fuels have to be developed to drive our transportation systems, and biodiesel appears to be the most promising fuel of the future. Biodiesel is renewable, non-toxic, and biodegradable, it can be used in existing diesel engines without modifying the engin, and can be blended in at any ratio with petroleum diesel. However, the development o ...

Weeds reduce the productivity of vegetable crops. Noxious weeds like nutsedge can contaminate a field in one and a half years. To remediate the weed cost, $7,000 to $11,000 for plastic, fumigant and hand weeding is necessary in strawberries. In southern California, 10 to 20 percent of the farmland has a high-density infestation of nutsedge. Methyl bromide applied at high levels is partially effect ...

Woody biomass is a very important feedstock for the future bioeconomy for the rural US for its availability in large quantities, ease in storage, and low cost for transportation. However, woody biomass, especially softwood, is the most difficult to convert biochemically to fermentable sugars due to its strong physical integrity and chemical recalcitrance. The goal of this project is to develop a c ...

We will conduct a study to explore current diagnostic imaging technologies, a search for novel technologies, or combinations of known technologies in innovative and novel packaging that can potentially meet the sophisticated diagnostic imaging needs of the bomb technician. We will analyze novel and futuristic potential techniques to provide decision making via a ranking of the impact and effective ...

Fugitive emissions of VOCs from gasoline marketing facilities are an energy, safety and environmental issue. All new vehicles made after the year 2000 must have an Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery System (ORVR) which increase fugitive emissions of refueling stations because of interface between ORVR vehicles and gasoline station underground storage systems (UST). The increase of VOCs is attributed ...

Vegetable oil is commonly extracted from oil seeds using hexane. Separation of oil and solvent (hexane) from this extracted mixture (known as miscella) is usually carried out by solvent evaporation or distillation. Solvent recovery from miscella consumes about 50% of the total energy required for the edible oil production. Solvent evaporation is an energy intensive operation and explosive vapors i ...

The Department of Homeland Security's charter has a fundamental requirement to collaborate with other government agencies. Secure collaboration on this scale requires strong identity management which can "vouch for" DHS personnel working with other agencies, and makes it possible to provide DHS resources to individuals in other agencies whose work requires it. We propose the development of a reu ...

The USDA has established research on renewable energy as a high priority. Cellulosic ethanol from perennial grasses has the potential to become an important component of America's effort to reduce its dependence on foreign oil and alleviate the buildup of greenhouse gases. For energy crops to become viable biofuels, they must become cost-competitive with foreign oil and provide environmental benef ...