Award Data

The goal of this project is to investigate the feasability of a unique sampling method that will lead to the development of a reagentless infrared (IR) based BW agent detection system. The current JPBDS uses lateral flow immunoassay technology as the final step in detecting bioagents, and has a detection limit of 10^5 spores/ml[ref 1]. Preliminary data from our infrared approach indicates a mini ...

To properly measure (and understand) the performance of a standoff detector, properties of the challenge cloud must be known. Meteorological models, such as HPAC and VLSTRACK, have proven to be reasonably good tools for predicting cloud properties. However, a problem with these tools is that they deliver ensemble averages and may not describe a specific cloud to the detail required. The Dugway ...

In Phase I, Nomadics demonstrated that a novel chemical weapon indicating chromophore (CWIC) developed by Professor Tim Swager at MIT will allow equipment to be quickly and easily examined to show any areas of contamination, making targeted decontamination manageable. When exposed to CW agent simulants, CWICs react to become fluorescent under UV stimulation. In the first phase, we implemented a s ...

The primary objective of this effort is to design and develop a database management system (DBMS) and enable the integrated interpretation of the vast amounts of genomic and proteomic data in proper biological context. This DBMS will enable the development of diagnostic assays for human exposure to specific biological threat agents using an existing suite of systems biology tools. The DBMS design ...

Increases in amount and diversity of high-throughput data presents tremendous organizational and analysis challenges to researchers. Our objective in this effort is to address these challenges by designing and implementing a database management system (cipherDB) for the storage, management, analysis, and visualization of diverse biological data types. The Phase I design and implementation of ciphe ...

Vesicants have been used as chemical warfare agents since World War I and are still considered a major class of chemical threat agents both for the military and for homeland security. There are four different vesicating agents: impure sulfur mustard, distilled sulfur mustard, phosgene oxime, and lewisite. Among them, mustard is the most important militarily. The organs most commonly affected by ...

In this Phase II project Nomadics will novate our research to a spin-out company Nico Technologies. Nomadics will remain a subcontractor during this transition. The team proposes a new treatment for injuries from mustard gas based on biodegradable inverted colloidal crystal scaffolds impregnated with stem cells. Phase I results demonstrated excellent performance of these scaffolds for different ...

A personal air ventilation system (PAVS) has the potential to dramatically improve the environment inside chemical/biological protective clothing. However, existing air blowers that can produce the flow rate and pressure drop required for a PAVS are too heavy and inefficient for use in a man-portable system. We propose to develop an innovative blower that can provide the required flow rate and p ...

A personal air ventilation system (PAVS) can dramatically improve the environment inside chemical/biological protective clothing, protecting the health and safety of soldiers and enabling peak physical/mental performance for long periods. However, existing air blowers that can produce the flow rate and pressure drop needed for a PAVS are too heavy, inefficient, and noisy for a man-portable system ...

The current methodology for testing the penetration resistance of textile materials to various chemical agents has a number of drawbacks, including significant uncertainties in the resulting data, inefficiency and expense, risk to test personnel, and limited range of test conditions. The objective of the proposed work is to apply unique computer models for textiles with accompanying experimental ...