Submission of proposals
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| PHASE I: Phase I of this SBIR project shall focus on the assessments, combinations, and extensions of currently available optimal energy and time allocation as well as optimal admission control policies that will maximize mean data throughput and minimize mean delay in a general continuous-time mobile communication network.
PHASE II: In Phase II, the following shall be done: a. Design of computational algorithms in terms of temporal and spatial discretization schemes and establishment of its convergence for the results obtained in Phase I. b. Analyses of error bounds and convergence rates for the computational algorithms. c. Computer coding in the form of software for the algorithms obtained in this project. d. Demonstration of feasibility and practicality of the prototype software developed for available commercial communication networks.
1) Altman, E. and Kushner, H. J. (2002) “Control of polling in the presence of vacations in heavy traffic with applications to satellite and mobile radio systems”, SIAM J. Control and Optimization, 41:217-252. 2) Bertsekas, D. P. (1986) Dynamic Programming: Deterministic and Stochastic Models, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. 3) Buche, R. and Kushner, H. J. (2002) “Stability and control of mobile communications systems with time varying channels”, IEEE Conference on Communication, 2002, New York City. 4) Buche, R. and Kushner, H. J. (2002) “Control of mobile communications with time-varying channels in heavy traffic”, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 47:992-1003. 5) Fu, A., Modiano, E., and Tsitsiklis, J. (2002) “Optimal energy allocation and admission control for communications satellites”, IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, June 2002. 6) Fu, A., Modiano, E., and Tsitsiklis, J. (2002) “Transmission scheduling over a fading channel with energy and deadline constraints” in Conference on Information Sciences and Systems 2002. (Princeton, NJ, March 20-22, 2002). 7) Hanly, S. V. and Tse, D. H. C. (1998) “Multiaccess fading channels-part I: polymatroid structure, optimal resource allocation and throughput capacities”, IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, 44:2796-2815. KEYWORDS: mobile communications systems, heavy traffic, dynamic programming, optimal energy and time allocation, admission control A03-051 TITLE: Mixed-Feed Direct Methanol Fuel Cell TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Electronics ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PM Soldier Systems OBJECTIVE: Develop a compact 20-W direct methanol fuel cell system that utilizes mixed-reactant feed of air + methanol (aqueous) to one or both electrodes of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. The system should include all balance-of-plant auxiliaries, such as fluid moving equipment, heat exchangers, and storage vessels. The power system should be compact (> 1 kW/L and >1 kW/kg), energy dense (> 1kWh/kg), and supply 1 kWh of energy. DESCRIPTION: The Army has need for high-energy, lightweight power sources for the solider. Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEM FCs) are candidates to fill these needs. Such FCs may be powered by direct electrochemical oxidation of methanol, a so-called direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). In state-of-art DMFCs, an aqueous solution of methanol fuel is fed separately to the anode compartment of the FC and air (oxidizer) is fed to the cathode compartment. The two compartments are physically separated by the PEM, which is a barrier to bulk movement of liquid or gas in addition to its function as the electrolyte. In this cell configuration, a minimum of two fluid-motive devices are required (blower and pump), and heavy (and bulky) bipolar plates are used in the cell stack to prevent intermixing of the two reactant feeds. Recently, it was reported that a mixed-reactant feed of an aqueous basic solution of methanol and air fed to a cell without separator yielded polarization characteristics similar to that when the two reactant streams are not purposely mixed (1). It has also been reported that the performance of a single-cell PEM DMFC is enhanced by mixed-feed of air and aqueous methanol solution fed to the anode compartment (2). The efficacy of using innovative modes for mixed-reactant feed to a PEM DMFC stack is unexplored, and the system implications on requisite auxiliary components is unresolved. Examination of these issues is the focus of this SBIR topic. PHASE I: Design, construct, and characterize a 20-W fuel cell stack that uses mixed-reactant feed of air + methanol (aqueous) to one or both electrodes of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell that operates nominally at atmospheric pressure. Report voltage and power density as a function of current density at operating temperature. Define, explore, and discuss system concepts to be addressed in a Phase II effort with emphasis on those that are unique to mixed-reactant feed. PHASE II: Using results from the Phase I effort and the Objectives stated above, design, construct, and evaluate a 20-W direct methanol fuel cell system based on mixed-reactant feed to the fuel cell stack. PHASE III DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: Developments in fuel cell power sources will have immediate impact on a wide range of commercial power sources from computer power to emergency medical power supplies to recreational power uses. REFERENCES: 1) Priestnall et al., “Compact mixed-reactant fuel cells,” J. Power Sources, 106 (2002) 21-30. 2) Shukla et al., “A solid-polymer electrolyte direct methanol fuel cell with a mixed reactant and air anode,” J. Power Sources, 111 (2002) 43-51.
A03-052 TITLE: Self-Decontaminating Coatings TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Chemical/Bio Defense OBJECTIVE: Identify and explore innovative paints or paint additives capable of detoxifying chemical and biological molecules on surfaces on a long term, sustained basis. Such a paint or paint additive must also meet present military specifications for coatings. The coating will preferentially reduce or eliminate the need for any additional decontamination procedures, and reduce or eliminate the risk of introducing additional pollutants into the environment. The coating will however be compatible with all presently used or contemplated chemical decontamination treatments. Such a paint or paint additive will weather with present military repainting schedules. It will have the potential to address as many threat agents as possible. DESCRIPTION: Certain paints presently utilized by the U.S. Military address the problem of chemical agent contamination by using veneers that either shed or enhance removal of agent from surfaces. Decontamination procedures require additional manpower and materials, and in worst case scenarios actually introduce additional pollutants into the environment. Other surfaces painted by the armed services without the benefit of chemical agent shedding veneers, such as buildings, electronic equipment, etc. do not address chemical agent decontamination in any regard. The interiors of aircraft and vehicles are key areas where a reactive coating could be immediately used. Cost effective paints that decontaminate chemical agents and their residues on a wide range of surfaces painted by the military are needed. The references to this topic contain information on possible simulants for the chemical warfare agents. Decontamination contact exposure levels on the coating should be reduced at minimum to the following: Nerve-G, <16.7 mg/m2; Nerve-V, <0.78mg/m2; Blister-H, <100mg/m2. PHASE I: Identify and demonstrate the ability of a coating or paint additive to detoxify a range of simulants of chemical warfare agents and toxic chemical and determine the capacity of that coating. Relatively toxic additives/catalysts are less desirable for a coating. This part of the effort should provide evidence that their concept is viable. PHASE II: Conduct testing to demonstrate real-world utility of the coatings on different surfaces and equipment and their effectiveness against chemical agent simulants and if possible live chemical agents. Characterize the new coatings with respect to traditional means of evaluations for example durability, gloss, and flex among other tests. PHASE III DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: A simple to use and apply protective coating has numerous applications in the military and domestic preparedness community. A reactive coating can be used for protection in the event of a domestic terror attack with chemical agents or for protection in an industrial accident. Public buildings, monuments, and military facilities could use the coatings in a preemptive nature to protect national assets. Demonstrations of live agent capabilities in operational settings in phase III is appropriate. REFERENCES: 1) Yu-Chu Yang, James A. Baker, and J. Richard Ward "Decontamination of Chemical Warfare Agents", Chem.Rev. 1992, 92, 1729-1743. 2) Yu-Chu Yang "Chemical Detoxification of Nerve Agent VX" Acc.Chem.Res. 1999, 32, 109-115.
A03-053 TITLE: Detection of Drugs/Narcotics and Processing Components Using “Sniffing” Devices TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Chemical/Bio Defense, Sensors OBJECTIVE: Develop innovative “sniffing” sensor devices for the detection of drug/narcotics or the compounds used to render them, characterize specific chemical compounds, time-stamp the detection, and perform some elementary function to identify the occurrence. The envisaged devices are small, lightweight, and operate under no power or their own on-board low power (e.g., small battery). They can be easily inconspicuously placed in the field or can be hidden. The sensor suite will be combined initially with a readout system that permits on-site inspection of the device. Later versions of the system will be able to transmit needed information to a command center in near real time through adverse environmental conditions, such as triple canopy tropical foliage. DESCRIPTION: Sniffing technologies have demonstrated potential for locating the existence of “out gassing” explosive chemical compounds and these technologies have the potential to be extended to develop “sniffers” for other chemicals. This innovative and creative approach has the potential to establish and validate a suite of sensors and their characterizing algorithms to detect, analyze, and report movement of drugs and drug rendering chemicals as part of point and area surveillance programs. The system may be based upon multiple integrated or single detector elements and/or chemical reaction devices. Sensors should be inconspicuous and initially deployed by hand. A mission life of no less than 180 days is desirable, and the system should allow for retrieval. The sensor suite should require no power or carry it’s own power, be self-organizing and provide continued operation in the event that an individual detector becomes inoperable. Sensors/algorithms and communications should be transferable to allied foreign entities for emplacement and monitoring. PHASE I: Demonstrate a laboratory prototype sensor mix and algorithms to detect the presence of specific chemical compounds associated with drug/drug producing compounds. The prototype shall demonstrate the ability of the final product to meet the requirements of small size, light weight, operation without an external power source and the capability to detect the chemical(s) of interest. Identify path for optimization in potential follow-on work and show expected probability of detection versus false alarms. Also, identify a device “reading” capability, or communication system – sensor combination that permits transmission to a command center in near real time under adverse environmental conditions. PHASE II: Optimize, assemble, and test a sensor suite that is lightweight, inconspicuous and meets conditions of deployability, self-configuration, and does not require an external power source. The system should have high probability of detection with low false alarms. At end of Phase II, system should be available for testing by DOD personnel. Investigators may assess and analyze the effectiveness of single, and multi-technology devices for detecting and characterizing nearby chemical signatures. PHASE III DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Phase III work would involve development of ruggedized sensors for actual deployment. Different sensor suites may be developed to allow for changing scenarios. Intelligence and homeland defense applications could directly benefit from having a standoff detection device for counterdrug activities as well as terrorist movements along land and water lines of communications in both the US and allied nations. OPERATING AND SUPPORT (O&S) COST REDUCTION (OSCR): Optimized sensors will be more reliable and will have a faster response time, and provide a substantial force multiplication factor by using machines instead of humans to monitor water borne activities REFERENCES: 1) Catalytic buffers enable positive-response inhibition-based sensing of nerve agents, Alan J. Russell, Markus Erbeldinger, Joseph J. DeFrank, Joel Kaar, Geraldine Drevon Biotechnology and Bioengineering Volume: 77, Issue: 3, Date: 5 February 2002, Pages: 352-357. 2) Fluorescent Porous Polymer Films as TNT Chemosensors: Electrnoic and Structural Effects, Y-S Yan and T.M Swager, J. Am.Chem.Soc. 1998, 120, 11864-11873. KEYWORDS: Surveillance, algorithms, networked sensors, drugs, narcotics, drug laboratory, infrared, olfactory A03-054 TITLE: Large Scale Biomaterial Production TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes OBJECTIVE: The objective of this SBIR is to develop and exploit technologies for the very large-scale production of transgenic protein fibers in a cost-effective robust plant, microbial or animal system. Suitable quantities would be produced for manufacturing protective clothing, body armor, surface coatings, wound healing protectants, bioartificial grafts, or other applications requiring large quantities of material. DESCRIPTION: Biological materials have evolved very specialized roles as a consequence of four billion years of natural selection and adaptive mechanical design. These "smart" products have properties of durability, strength, stiffness, toughness, reliability, resilience, self-assembly, and biodegradability. Such attributes can be modulated independently to achieve a distinctive biological function. Protein fibers, that have evolved to perform extraordinarily diverse structural and physiological functions, are synthesized from a pool of twenty low molecular weight renewable precursors, amino acids, in an aqueous environment at ambient temperatures. The high efficiency and unique functionalities of these fibers are achieved by the distinctive sequences of the amino acids in the assembled proteins. For military and civilian applications, advantage can be taken of the billions of years of natural selection that evolved proteins with unique structural, mechanical, or physical properties. By molecular biological manipulation of the amino acid sequences, proteins with altered characteristics can be produced. However, while these proteins can currently be produced in sufficient quantity for research and medical applications, the current production technologies are not economic enough to provide the tons of material necessary for widespread DoD and civilian use. The major impediment to exploiting these natural or genetically altered substances is the inability to economically produce the material on a large scale. This SBIR solicits the research and development of protein-producing systems that have the capability of generating very large quantities of specific transgenic proteins. Heretofore, most recombinant proteins have been produced in small, expensive bioreactors, producing relatively small quantities of the specific protein. The product often was deposited in inclusion bodies, making it difficult to purify and reconstitute to its native properties. The plant, microbial, or animal system that would be developed under this SBIR should be versatile, robust, and cost-effective. Properties of the system would include stability of the structural gene for the protein being produced, minimal toxic effects of the protein product on the host system, limited degradation or post-translational modification of the product, and easy recoverability of the product. The system also should be sufficiently versatile to be capable of being engineered to manufacture a diverse series of recombinant proteins. Examples of proteins that could be produced include, but are not limited to, collagens, glycoproteins, elastin, proteoglycans, keratins, viral capsid proteins, actin, tubulin, and various silks. These have applications in fabricating tendons for muscle repair, contractile proteins for unique mechanical properties, structural proteins with strength and resilience for protective clothing, smart proteins for self-assembly systems in producing complex protein composites, filamentous proteins for capture systems of high strength and durability, and the production of bioartificial grafts. The technology to be developed under this SBIR would have many advantages over most current systems in that a product would be produced in sufficient quantity and purity for high volume applications. Products, systems, or composites that exploit the native or genetically altered properties of the transgenic proteins could be produced to protect the warfighter, and in a multitude of military and civilian applications. In addition, sufficient materials could be produced to allow research in the development of innovative fibers such as: highly thermostable proteins; protein systems mediating oxidation:reduction processes or electronic conduction; proteins with unique and reversible adhesive properties, etc. PHASE I: The output of phase I will be a report summarizing the data on the flexibility, production capacity, and cost of the proposed bioproduction system, and a comparison of the merits of the proposed system relative to other bioproduction systems. PHASE II: The investigators will establish that the system is stable, specific, and reliable in producing large quantities of recombinant proteins by producing a large amount of a bioproduct. PHASE III: This technology could be licensed to other companies seeking to produce large volumes of biomaterials at low cost, to produce a variety of products that are currently uneconomical to produce. Potential products include: tendons for muscle repair, contractile proteins with unique mechanical properties, structural proteins with strength and resilience for protective clothing, smart proteins for self-assembly systems in producing complex protein composites, filamentous proteins for capture systems of high strength and durability, and materials for bioartificial grafts. REFERENCES: 1) Brink, M. F., M. D. Bishop, and F. R. Pieper. 2000. Developing efficient strategies for the generation of transgenic cattle which produce biopharmaceuticals in milk. Theriogenology 53, 139-48. 2) Butler, D. L., and H. A. Awad. 1999. Perspectives on cell and collagen composites for tendon repair. Clin. Orthop. 367, S324-32. 3) Currie, L. J., J. R. Sharpe, and R. Martin. 2001. The use of fibrin glue in skin grafts and tissue-engineered skin replacements: a review. Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 108, 1713-26. 4) Desai, U. A., G. Sur, S. Daunert, R. Babbit, and Q. Li. 2002. Expression and affinity purification of recombinant proteins from plants. Protein Expr. Purif. 25, 195-202. 5) Fernandez-Otero, T. 2000. Biomimicking materials with smart polymers. IN Structural Biological Materials,M. Elices, Ed., Pergamon. Pp. 187-220. 6) Franken, E., U. Teuschel, and R. Hain. 1997. Recombinant proteins from transgenic plants. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 8, 411-16. 7) Harvey, A. J., G. Speksnijder, L. R Baugh, J. A. Morris, and R. Ivarie. 2002. Expression of exogenous protein in the egg white of transgenic chickens. Nat. Biotechnol. 20, 396-9. 8) Hinman, M. B., J. A. Jones, and R. V. Lewis. 2000. Synthetic spider silk: a modular fiber. Trends Biotechnol. 18, 374-9. 9) Jeronimidis, G. 2000. Structure-property relationships in biological materials, and Design and function of structural biological materials. IN Structural Biological Materials, M. Elices, Ed., Pergamon. Pp. 1 ? 16 and 17 ? 29. 10) Lazaris, A., S. Arcidiacono, Y. Huang, J-F. Zhou, F. Duguay, N. Chretien, E. A. Welsh, J. W. Soares, and C. N. Karatzas. 2002. Spider silk fibers spun from soluble recombinant silk produced in mammalian cells. Science, 295, 472-6. 11) Phelps, D. K., B. Speelman, and C. B. Post. 2000. Theoretical studies of viral capsid proteins. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 10, 170-3. 12) Surrey, T., F. Nedelec, S. Leibler, and E. Karsenti. 2001. Physical properties determining self-organization of motors and microtubules. Science, 292, 1167-71.
A03-055 TITLE: Cross-Layer Wireless Networking for Low Energy Sensor Networks TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems, Sensors OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this SBIR is to develop an integrated cross layer wireless network protocol suite for low power, low duty cycle sensor radios. DESCRIPTION: One component of the Army’s Future Combat System (FCS) will be networks of sensors, with finite energy capacity and extended lifetime. For more detail on the vision this sensor web, see [1]. There will be a large number of low cost simple sensors (acoustic, seismic etc.), for which the data will need to be aggregated, compressed, and fused. Normally, there will be very little data required to be communicated between the sensors. However, when one sensor detects an event, many sensors will detect the same event and there will be a sudden flurry of activity in the network. The networking protocol should be independent of the sensor type, but should be optimized for small data packets such as from an acoustic, magnetic, or seismic sensor as opposed to the large bandwidths required for images (video, IR, radar, etc.). Conventional IP networking is highly inefficient and unnecessary for the sensor network; however, the sensor network must be able to interface with an Internet Protocol (IP) network. There may be some, but many fewer, more capable gateways within the network, able to assist with data fusion and the IP network interface. Similarly, TCP has been found to be inefficient in ad hoc networks and will be even worse in sensor networks. Therefore alternatives to TCP at the transport layer are required, with the possibility of some of the functionality being moved into the lower protocol layers. Routing protocols have been developed for ad hoc networks, but need to be revisited under the very low energy requirements of sensor networks. Also, medium access control and link layer protocols can be optimized under the sensor network paradigm. Although not a main objective of the program, some assumptions on the physical layer design must be made. (Two possible physical radios are described in [1] and [2].) Therefore a complete protocol suite is required from the data link layer to the transport layer. These protocols should be designed in a true cross layer manner, optimized to the specific application of the sensor web. In order to further reduce power, after network initialization, packets required for synchronization and net maintenance should be minimized or eliminated. Directory: osbp -> sbir -> solicitations solicitations -> Army sbir 09. 1 Proposal submission instructions dod small Business Innovation (sbir) Program solicitations -> Navy sbir fy09. 1 Proposal submission instructions solicitations -> Army 16. 3 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions solicitations -> Air force 12. 1 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions solicitations -> Army 14. 1 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions solicitations -> Navy small business innovation research program submitting Proposals on Navy Topics solicitations -> Navy small business innovation research program solicitations -> Armament research, development and engineering center solicitations -> Army 17. 1 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions solicitations -> Navy 11. 3 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions Download 1.85 Mb. Share with your friends:
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