Award Data

This project will design and deliver a high accuracy monitor for the photo-chemically coupled pollutants nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone using infrared absorption spectroscopy with quantum cascade (QC) lasers. The target molecules are monitored at air quality stations worldwide using instruments which require frequent calibration and are subject to significant chemical interferences (in t ...

In this NIST SBIR program Boston MicroSystems develops MEMS-based fluid viscosity-density sensors which can be installed in refrigerant system compressors to monitor, in real time, refrigerant system health. Such sensors will provide early detection of water contamination, lubricant degradation and other problems which can lead to catastrophic refrigerant system failure if left uncorrected. Such s ...

Upper atmospheric measurements of temperature, humidity and winds are required daily at hundreds of locations around the world. These critical measurements are primarily made by radiosondes carried aloft by balloons filled with helium and tracked by ground stations. Currently, the process of radiosonde setup and launch is performed manually by trained human operators, and no mechanism exists to ...

The goal of phase 1 was to create a channel electron multiplier that could be used in an array for configuration in the synchrotron beam application. In order to have little variance in first strike statistics contamination needed to be eliminated from the surface. This was accomplished with phase 1 research. During Phase 2 the primary objective is to manufacture a circular array of multipliers th ...

Rapid biofouling of aquaculture netting necessitates frequent cleaning. Cleaning by scrubbing or pressure washing can consume as much as 40% of total labor. Chemical methods of biofouling control are not approved for the aquaculture industry. Silicone elastomers that release biofouling have been developed. However, these ¿foul-release¿ coatings are often more expensive than the netting itsel ...

The use of thermal neutrons has been widespread over the past several decades in many investigations such as non-destructive testing (NDT), neutron radiography and macromolecular crystallography. For some applications such as crystallographic diffraction studies, neutrons are scattered over 4o in space and an ideal detector would be able to image the scattered radiation on a spherical surface. Cur ...

Current dropsondes (and radiosondes for that matter) are manufactured, using process and materials nearly 20 years old. The standard dropsonde is 16 inches long by 2.25 inches in diameter, weighing about one pound. YES proposes to significantly reduce size and weight of the current sensor package through innovative design and manufacture techniques. YES¿s ongoing research into chilled mirror ...

Polestar Technologies, Inc. proposes a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research project to demonstrate the feasibility of a compact optical monitor for continuous dissolved oxygen monitoring in areas at risk of eutrophication induced hypoxia and anoxia. The proposed monitor will facilitate the development of improved theoretical models by enabling better data collection with regard to spread an ...

There is a need for improved techniques for investigation of coral recruitment and survivorship. Fluorescence has the potential to be an enabling technology to extend the study of recruitment to smaller (more recently settled) specimens in natural habitats. Our objectives are to: create a novel, more versatile underwater light source for stimulating fluorescence; determine the capabilities and l ...

We propose developing a prototype of a GUI-based wizard that: ¿ Guides users through the steps that are needed to define their processes using PSL in a visual/textual manner. ¿ Checks for consistency/correctness according to PSL ontology. ¿ Generates the PSL description. We believe that VISI-PSL will facilitate the generation of PSL descriptions to the extent that it will be used by process ...