Award Data

This Phase I proposal determines the feasibility of growing multiple species of macroalgae in commercial marine aquafarm environments. Marine aquaculture is a logical outgrowth of successful wild harvest seaweed businesses over the last several years. Developing a marine aquaculture prototype will foster the science of sea farming. Extending growing seasons for multi-species would provide year ...

Toyon proposes development of a system which performs automated analysis of images for fish population monitoring and fishing regulation enforcement applications. The proposed system is capable of processing images collected from aircraft, including unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as images collected using boat-mounted or handheld cameras used to observe fish catches landed on the decks of vess ...

A preliminary design of a mobile receiver system for intra-cloud lightning detection, mapping, and tracking was completed and analyzed during the Phase I program. The direction-finding (DF) receiver design is small enough for use on small UAVs and utilizes the full VHF spectrum. The lightning Mapping Unmanned Sensor (LITMUS) design will be finalized, fabricated, assembled, and demonstrated durin ...

We propose to develop a system that can automatically detect, track, measure, and classify fish seen in video collected by stationary underwater cameras. Our approach makes use of a novel method for detecting motion that can mitigate false alarms due to swaying underwater vegetation. We propose a novel technique for tracking the fish in three spatial dimensions allowing for improved knowledge of ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The ultimate goal of research into the biology of aging is to identify pharmaceutical interventions to increase both lifespan and healthspan of humans. The natural product rapamycin has been shown to significantly extend the lifespans of all model organisms tested including fungi, flies, worms, and mice. However, chronic treatment with rapamycin also causes unw ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Osteoporosis affects 10 million Americans over the age of 50 and leads to 1.5 million bone fractures per year, primarily in women. For senior citizens who suffer fractures of the hip, 20% will die within one year. Unfortunately, pharmacological treatments for osteoporosis have been met with resistance due to significant adverse side effects. This project aims ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Over 5 million Americans are currently believed to have Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia. This number could reach 16 million by 2050. AD is a terminal, progressive brain disorder with no knowncause or cure. AD leads to memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, personality changes, disorientation, and the inability to communicate. ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project is collaboration between Systems Technology, Inc. (STI) and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMass) both with extensive driving simulator experience and research with older drivers. It is proposedto develop an assessment and training system with a simulator to mediate the traffic safety problems of older drivers. The simulation software is ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the United States in 2013, 5.2 million people are estimated to suffer from Alzheimer's disease, with as many as 50% being undiagnosed [Alzheimer's Association 2013]. Current diagnostic technologies for Alzheimer's disease are based on the levels of total soluble amyloid beta (Abeta) peptide in plasma and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), levels of ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Since substantial neuronal loss has already occurred by the time Alzheimer's Disease (AD) manifests clinically, considerable research has been directed towards developing biomarkers for the reliable diagnosis of mild ADand the prodromal stage of mild cognitive impairment. The best studied biomarkers, A1-42 peptide and tau/P-tau, can distinguish cohorts of ...