Award Data

Until now gamma radiation detection has required large single crystals of sensitive materials that are difficult to produce consistently on an industrial scale. In collaboration with a research group at the University of Texas at Arlington, Agiltron proposes to develop a new class of nanocomposite scintillator materials. The radiation detection characteristics of the synthetic nanoparticles in the ...

High-resolution scintillation crystals and crystal arrays are important components of current and future handheld and arrayed detectors (used for DOD/DTRA applications), and scintillation spectrometers (routinely used in high energy physics research, medical imaging, diffraction, homeland security, nuclear waste clean-up, nuclear treaty verification and safeguards, and geological exploration). Un ...

Biofuels have a strategic value in reducing our dependence on foreign oil and the ability to increase our energy security. Growing and processing oil-rich biomass into biofuel in the U.S. would contribute to reduce this dependence. The objective of this project is to evaluate the conversion of oilseeds that could be grown in the U.S. and U.S. territories into a substitute of hydrocarbon fuel. One ...

"Situation or Problem" Immersion frying is a popular food preparation method. U.S. Consumers enjoy billions of pounds of low cost and taste appealing fried foods annually. Sensorial properties include golden color, crunchy crust, tender-moist core, and pleasing flavors. Unfortunately, immersion-fried foods have high caloric content due to their high oil content and are considered to have a negativ ...

Forest insect pests cause significant economic and ecological damage every year. Dramatically increased pest activity in recent years suggests that changing climate conditions will inflate the uncertainty associated with pest risk assessments. Advances in forest pest risk analysis methodology are needed to allow managers to better explore the consequences and value of alternative management scenar ...

This sensitive insect sensor will run 24 hours per day, every day that cargo is in transit, attracting insects to a containment surface where they remain for immediate detection and identification when inspectors gain entry to the container. Flying insects will be waiting, ready to be counted on arrival, rather than hidden within the cargo. An increase in the availability, timeliness, accuracy and ...

This proposal seeks to develop a simple, and sensitive molecular diagnostic assay for the detection of Streptococcus equi; the causative agent of strangles. Outbreaks of this disease at racetracks and training establishments caused major disruptions, and economic losses to owners, and trainers in the United States in recent years. The control of the spread of strangles relies on a combination of d ...

A new type of compact induction accelerator currently under development at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) promises to increase the average accelerating gradient by at least an order of magnitude over that of existing induction machines. The machine is based on the use of high gradient vacuum insulators and advanced dielectric materials and switches. The system, called the Diel ...

MilkBot(R) will provide enabling technology for a wide variety of methods applicable to dairy research and management. Increasing the sensitivity of our ability to detect changes in milk production may lower the sample size needed for research projects, or improve the ability to detect a response. In field situations the same tools will help in detection and quantification of response to intention ...

Almost all citrus is harvested by hand. The resulting high cost in the U.S. is burden to growers and positions them at a disadvantage to overseas competitors with low labor costs. Automated methods are needed to ensure the long-term viability and prosperity of the U.S. citrus industry. Past attempts at automated harvesting have largely focused on either bulk removal without extensive sensing and c ...