Award Data

Development of an optical water level sensor is proposed to solve some of the problems and limitations of current sounding tube/protective well acoustic sensors. By using light instead of sound, temperature gradient effects on the measurement are obviated. Furthermore, the proposed system eliminates the need for a sounding tube, protective well and associated temperature sensors, and does not requ ...

Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) causes an economically significant, untreatabledisease in salmonid fish. Immunization appears to be the most promising control method, butcommercial vaccines are not readily available. We have previously developed and tested arecombinant IPNV vaccine in rainbow trout and brook trout fry. Although the vaccinesignificantly reduced fish mortality, it di ...

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The near-field scanning optical microscope can supply information on the shape and electrical properties of surfaces with nanometer resolution. The quantitative interpretation of images is difficult because of the difficulty of electromagnetic field solutions in the near-field limit. We propose to supply software to aid in this analysis. The finite-element programs generate two and three-dimension ...

A growing number of fire fighters are suffering third degree burns; this has led to questions about the adequacy of thermal protective performance (TPP) measurements for protective clothing. A new heat flux sensor, whose response approximates that of skin, will be developed to provide better measurements of heat transfer in TPP tests. This sensor will be used with nonlinear parameter estimation an ...

Over the next decade there will be a renewed emphasis on the production of chemicals and liquid fuels from biomass, the use of agricultural wastes as feedstocks, and the development of crops and farming techniques optimized for fuel production. In view of the tremendous diversity of biomass feedstocks, a great need exists for a robust, comprehensive model that could be utilized to predict yields, ...

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The purpose of the VMIS is to allow manufacturers the luxury of testing and perfecting manufacturing plans long before a single machine tool is turned on and resources are committed. The VMIS will allow the user to select an available machine tool and an available inspection device, specify a proposed inspection plan and a dimensional analysis procedure, and then build and inspect hundreds (or ev ...

Measurement and real-time telemetry of tsunami wave runup height data provides an important component of the overall threat estimate at tsunami warning centers. However, there are no commercially available devices which could furnish this information. Thus, the proposed is an R&D program aimed at the development of an inexpensive, "intelligent", accurate water level data transmitter based on the ...

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