Award Data

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Over 5 million word recognition tests are administered annually by audiologists in the United States with an associated cost of more than $100 million. These tests are currently performed manually by highly trained audiologists. This application describes the Phase II development of automated clinical speech recognition tests using clinical test recordings and ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project seeks to develop an earphone for diagnostic audiometry with features that will significantly increase the efficiency and decrease the cost of routine hearing testing. The most-often used earphones emply a supra-aural design that has several undesirable characteristics, including 1) an "occlusion effect", an artificial increase in sensitivity to bon ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this proposal is to provide proof-of-concept that a novel therapy that prevents complement activation could be effective in reducing ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) in transplanted organs. Complement activation after IRI in transplanted organs is a well-known phenomenon that may be responsible for delayed graft function and the hastening of ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goal of the Internet-Based Savvy Caregiver (IBSC) program is to develop and bring to market an Internet-based psycho-educational program designed to provide persons caring for relatives who have dementing disorders the knowledge, skills, and outlook they need to undertake and succeed in the caregiving role they have assumed. The IBSC program is comp ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Intraoperative bleeding can be a serious problem in parenchymal organ surgery and is generally difficult to manage during laparoscopic procedures. Our long-term goal is to develop a novel internal chitosan hemostatic device that can be deployed laparoscopically to control severe bleeding. External chitosan based hemostatic dressings have been applied success ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A rapid detection system can be readily developed to prevent bacterial contamination in platelet concentrates that are intended for transfusion. Bacteria contamination of platelet concentrates intended for transfusion, represents the most frequent transfusion-associated infectious risk. Bacterial contamination levels as low as 102 to 103 CFU/ml have been ass ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The number of patients treated with antiplatelet agents increases annually. It is reported that over 20 million people in the U.S. alone take aspirin daily to induce some level of platelets inhibition. Clinical data shows that not all patients receive the full benefits of aspirin, and that a large patient to patient variability exists in aspirin induced platele ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): HAART is an effective treatment for HIV infection but can cause serious metabolic complications including lacticacidemia, lipodystrophy, peripheral neuropathies, and cardiomyopathies. There is considerable evidence that the metabolic complications are the result of unintended mitochondrial toxicity of HAART. Because these complications can limit treatment, ther ...

We will address the requirement for fault identification and isolation in fiber optic data links by incorporating an optical time domain reflectance (OTDR) functionality into the transceiver module. Our approach is to monolithically integrate a high speed photodetector that will sense reflections from discontinuities in the optical channel, with the 850nm VCSEL which transmits the signal.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Smallpox and monkeypox represent two dangerous orthopoxviruses that can cause high morbidity and mortality - as well as widespread fear in unvaccinated populations. Although the last case of natural smallpox infection occurred in 1977, it was weaponized by the former Soviet Union and remains a significant concern due to the potential that stocks of this highly ...