Award Data

Aflatoxins are a paradigm among fungal produced mycotoxins that are present in food supplies and are strongly associated with increased risk forthe development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently, there are no known countermeasures that can selectively mitigate aflatoxin toxicity andthe available options are only symptomatic treatments. To meet this challenge, we propose to harness the microbio ...

Surgical simulations aiming to support surgeon practices and medical education have attracted enormous research effort over the last two decades. However, the physical reality, especially on simulating aggregated tissue interaction, is still unsatisfactory. In this proposed work, an open source surgery simulation framework, SoFMIS, will be utilized and enhanced with tissue interaction models to a ...

Environmental DNA from three extreme samples will be isolated, cloned into a fosmid library (5760 clones) for sequencing. The sequencing datawill cover ~ 240 Megabases and will be assembled into contigs long enough (~ 40 Kilobases) to represent potential biosynthetic gene clusters(BGCs). This data will be compared to BGC databases looking for homology to antibiotic targets of DoD interest and with ...

Typical procedures for respirator masks sizing and protective fit test are time-consuming and user intensive, requiring taking anthropometric measurements of the wearer, sampling the wearers breathing zone and the use of specialized tools and equipment. The proposed software app aims to quickly, accurately and automatically perform respirator mask sizing and predict protective fit using only 2D im ...

The DOD is investing in mobile computing, information and warrior health systems to support network-centric military capabilities. Computerized health records, telemedicine, wearable monitoring, mHealth have the potential to reduce costs, promote health, ensure soldier fitness. The goal of this project is to design, develop, demonstrate, deploy a Warfighter Health Avatar (WHA), a simulation framew ...

Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in the United States. Left untreated, iron stores continue to deplete, resulting in iron deficiency anemia. Women undergoing basic military training are particularly susceptible to reduced iron stores. To date, there are no comprehensive point-of-care instruments for accurate determination of iron status. We propose to develop a no ...

Vascular trauma is the leading cause of death in military environments and hemorrhage is the major preventable cause of mortality among trauma patients. Recent experience from Iraq and Afghanistan has demonstrated improved 24-h and 30-day survival in combat casualties requiring early massive transfusion. Unlike plasma and erythrocytes, which can be cold stored for longer time periods, platelets ca ...

The modern warfighter faces the constant threat of endemic infections, multi-drug resistant bacteria and Biological Warfare Agents. In order to provide accurate front-line treatment that will curtail the overuse of antibiotics, a rapid and robust molecula

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 ...