Award Data

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this proposal is to produce a fully characterized polyurethane heart valve prosthesis that will be ready for clinical evaluation. Existing replacement valves suffer from several shortcomings. Specifically, biological tissue fixation and methods used to mount the tissue to the supporting stent of bioprostheses cause time dependent structural changes ...

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Realizing the promise of nuclear fusion depends in part on effective plasma facing components (PFCs) that can withstand the intense heat loads, forces, and neutron bombardment of long-pulse high-power reactor operation. A single reactor such as ITER will require thousands of PFCs. Because imperfections in the joints of just one PFC could have disastrous consequences for reactor operation, joint ...

Many military missions involve the use of equipment that requires small batteries for power where AC grid power is unavailable. Also, there is a need for a high quality power output device that conditions a power input to make it suitable to power sensitive communications equipment. The weight of this equipment is also a factor which affects Its usefullness in quick moving military situations. M ...

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are one of the most efficient and cleanest power generating systems being developed. A key component is the cathode air heat exchanger, or recuperator, which ensures that the cathode air, and thereby the cells, are at sufficient temperature to permit ion mobility ¿ and thereby improve overall SOFC system efficiency. At present, commercially available metallic recu ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and causes delays in patient care during and immediately after dialysis. It remains one of the most vexing problems associated with dialysis therapy, occurring in approximately 25% of all dialysis treatments, affecting 75,000 patients and twelve million hemodialysis sessions pe ...

Helium plays several critical rolls in spacecraft propulsion. High pressure helium is commonly used to pressurize propellant fuel tanks. Helium cryocoolers can be used to sub-cool and thereby densify cryogenic propellants such as liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LO2). The use of densified cryogenic propellants can reduce the gross payload weight of a launch vehicle by up to 20%, or incr ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This competing continuation SBIR application proposes to complete a regulatory approvals program on a set of next-generation sleep disorder monitoring sensors. Advanced Medical Electronics (AME) completed in June of 2005 a phase II NIMH SBIR developing sleep sensors with embedded wireless links. AME completed on this phase II program the development of a set of ...

A wireless system to alert peope who are deaf of critical sounds and events in their environment, utilizing a new consumer product called a Bluetooth wristwatch, a wireless, wrist worn computer interface and display

A device which performs optimal face recognition in a miniature unobtrusive device that is built around a common aperture imaging camera with a convenient visible light camera.