Award Data

EMISSION OF SULFUR OXIDES (SOX) AND NITROGEN OXIDES (NOX) IN FLUE GASES IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF AIR POLLUTION AND ACID RAIN. CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR SOX REMOVAL ARE EXPENSIVE AND CUMBERSOME. SULFUR DIOXIDE IS CONVERTED TO SULFURIC ACID, WHICH IS VERY CORROSIVE AND DIFFICULT TO STORE AND TRANSPORT. REMOVAL OF NOX IS ACCOMPLISHED BY CATALYTIC CONVERSION USING PLATINUM CATALYSTS. PLATINUM CATALYSTS ARE ...

A SMALLER, LIGHTER, MORE EFFICIENT, AND MORE RELIABLE CLINICAL GAS ANALYZER FOR RESPIRATORY AND ANESTHETIC GAS MONITORING IS NEEDED. EXISTING LASER RAMAN-BASED INSTRUMENTATION USES A LARGE, HEAVY, AND EXTREMELY INEFFICIENT (0.1 PERCENT) ARGON ION LASER WITH AN INTRACAVITY GAS CELL. THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDYIS TO IMPLEMENT A SOLID-STATE ALTERNATIVE TO THE EXISTING ION LASER. SUCH A LASE ...

REAL TIME ON-LINE ANALYSIS OF STACK GASSES IS NECESSARY TO MONITOR EFFLUENTS AND TO PERMIT FEEDBACK CONTROL OF COMBUSTION PROCESS AND DOWN STREAM SCRUBBER SYSTEMS. MULTIMEDIA POLLUTION ANALYSIS REQUIRES MULTIPLE SENSOR TECHNOLOGY WITH PRESENT COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE INSTRUMENTATION. CURRENTLY, COMPLEX ANALYTICAL SYSTEMS MUSTBE ASSEMBLED THAT ARE EXPENSIVE, PRONE TO DRIFT, AND DIFFICULT TO OPERATE A ...

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THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO DEVELOP QUANTITATIVE IMAGING METHODS FOR TISSUE BIOENERGETIC STUDIES. TOWARD THIS END, IT IS PROPOSED TO CONSTRUCT AND EVALUATE AN INSTRUMENT THAT WILL IMAGE THE RESPONSE OF MITOCHONDRIAL METABOLITES TO ISCHEMIA AND HYPOXIA IN RABBIT HEARTS IN SITU. INSTRUMENT OPERATION IS BASED ON FLUORESCENCE EMISSION FROM MITOCHONDRIAL NADH IN HEART EPICARDIUM. THESE CH ...

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THIS PROJECT WILL TAKE AN IMPORTANT STEP TOWARD THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTELLIGENT GENERAL PURPOSE ROBOTIC SYSTEMCAPABLE OF OBJECT LOCATION, IDENTIFICATION, AND MANIPULATIONTHROUGH THE JUDICIAL USE OF NON-VISUAL SENSING MODALITIES. CURRENTLY, ROBOTIC APPLICATIONS IN MANUFACTURING REQUIRE A HIGHLY STRUCTURED ENVIRONMENT SO THAT POSITION CONTROL OF THE ROBOT IS SATISFACTORY FOR THE TASK (E.G., PAINT ...

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SYNTHETIC HYDROGELS ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO SERVE IN MANY THERAPEUTIC AND PROSTHETIC APPLICATIONS. ONE POTENTIAL WAY OF INCREASING THEIR STRENGTH, BUT WITHOUT SERIOUSLY REDUCINGTHEIR WATER UPTAKE, IS TO FORM THE GEL NETWORK FROM TWO POLYMER SPECIES. ONE POLYMER COMPONENT WOULD BE CHOSEN TO GIVE GOOD WATER UPTAKE PROPERTIES, WHILE THE OTHER WOULD BE CHOSEN TO PROVIDE GOOD MECHANICAL STRENGTH. IN P ...