Ut-battelle, Inc.

Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation

The University of Tennessee Research Foundation

Jefferson Solence Ass. LLC

Michael J Paulus

Michael Leon Simpson

Gary S Sayler

Clarence E Thomas

Bruce Michael Applegate

Steven Ripp

Edgar Voelkl

Larry R Baylor

Douglas H Lowndes

John B Wilgen

Shaun S Gleason

Hamed Sari-Sarraf

John Whealton

John C Whitson

Stanislaw Majewski

Charles L Britton, Jr

Andrew G Weisenberger

Gerald A Tuskan

James Anthony Moore

Kenneth William Tobin, Jr

John T Mihalczo

James Allen Mullens

Rupert Wimmer

Darrell C West

An integrated microluminometer includes an integrated circuit chip having at least one n-well/p-substrate junction photodetector for converting light received into a photocurrent, and a detector on the chip for processing the photocurrent. A distributed electrode configuration including a plurality of spaced apart electrodes disposed on an active region of the photodetector is preferably used to raise efficiency.

Microluminometer chip and method to measure bioluminescence

A novel functional imaging system for use in the imaging of unrestrained and non-anesthetized small animals or other subjects and a method for acquiring such images and further registering them with anatomical X-ray images previously or subsequently acquired. The apparatus comprises a combination of an IR laser profilometry system and gamma, PET and/or SPECT, imaging system, all mounted on a rotating gantry, that permits simultaneous acquisition of positional and orientational information and functional images of an unrestrained subject that are registered, i.e. integrated, using image processing software to produce a functional image of the subject without the use of restraints or anesthesia. The functional image thus obtained can be registered with a previously or subsequently obtained X-ray CT image of the subject. The use of the system described herein permits functional imaging of a subject in an unrestrained/non-anesthetized condition thereby reducing the stress on the subject and eliminating any potential interference with the functional testing that such stress might induce.

Anatomic and functional imaging of tagged molecules in animals

Monolithic bioelectronic devices for the detection of ammonia includes a microorganism that metabolizes ammonia and which harbors a lux gene fused with a heterologous promoter gene stably incorporated into the chromosome of the microorganism and an Optical Application Specific Integrated Circuit (OASIC). The microorganism is generally a bacterium.

Bioluminescent bioreporter integrated circuit devices and methods for detecting ammonia

Bioelectronic devices for the detection of estrogen include a collection of eukaryotic cells which harbor a recombinant lux gene from a high temperature microorganism wherein the gene is operably linked with a heterologous promoter gene. A detectable light-emitting lux gene product is expressed in the presence of the estrogen and detected by the device.

Bioluminescent bioreporter integrated circuit devices and methods for detecting estrogen

Systems and method are described for addressable field emission array (AFEA) chips. A plurality of individually addressable cathodes are integrated with an electrostatic focusing stack and/or a plurality of detectors on the addressable field emission array. The systems and methods provide advantages including the avoidance of space-charge blow-up.

Individually addressable cathodes with integrated focusing stack or detectors

Disclosed are monolithic bioelectronic devices comprising a bioreporter and an OASIC. These bioluminescent bioreporter integrated circuit are useful in detecting substances such as pollutants, explosives, and heavy-metals residing in inhospitable areas such as groundwater, industrial process vessels, and battlefields. Also disclosed are methods and apparatus for detection of particular analytes, including ammonia and estrogen compounds.

Bioluminescent bioreporter integrated circuit detection methods

A method for obtaining wood-cell attributes from cellulose containing samples includes the steps of radiating a cellulose containing sample with a beam of radiation. Radiation attenuation information is collected from radiation which passes through the sample. The source is rotated relative to the sample and the radiation and collecting steps repeated. A projected image of the sample is formed from the collected radiation attenuation information, the projected image including resolvable features of the cellulose containing sample. Cell wall thickness, cell diameter (length) and cell vacoule diameter can be determined. A system for obtaining physical measures from cellulose containing samples includes a radiation source, a radiation detector, and structure for rotating the source relative to said sample. The system forms an image of the sample from the radiation attenuation information, the image including resolvable features of the sample.

Measurement of wood/plant cell or composite material attributes with computer assisted tomography

Systems and methods are described for addressable field emission array (AFEA) chips. A method of operating an addressable field-emission array, includes: generating a plurality of electron beams from a pluralitly of emitters that compose the addressable field-emission array; and focusing at least one of the plurality of electron beams with an on-chip electrostatic focusing stack. The systems and methods provide advantages including the avoidance of space-charge blow-up.

Electrostatically focused addressable field emission array chips (AFEA's) for high-speed massively parallel maskless digital E-beam direct write lithography and scanning electron microscopy

A method for ultra-high resolution computed tomography imaging, comprising the steps of: focusing a high energy particle beam, for example x-rays or gamma-rays, onto a target object; acquiring a 2-dimensional projection data set representative of the target object; generating a corrected projection data set by applying a deconvolution algorithm, having an experimentally determined a transfer function, to the 2-dimensional data set; storing the corrected projection data set; incrementally rotating the target object through an angle of approximately 180&deg;, and after each the incremental rotation, repeating the radiating, acquiring, generating and storing steps; and, after the rotating step, applying a cone-beam algorithm, for example a modified tomographic reconstruction algorithm, to the corrected projection data sets to generate a 3-dimensional image. The size of the spot focus of the beam is reduced to not greater than approximately 1 micron, and even to not greater than approximately 0.5 microns.

Ultra-high resolution computed tomography imaging

A method for simultaneous transmission x-ray computed tomography (CT) and single photon emission tomography (SPECT) comprises the steps of: injecting a subject with a tracer compound tagged with a &ggr;-ray emitting nuclide; directing an x-ray source toward the subject; rotating the x-ray source around the subject; emitting x-rays during the rotating step; rotating a cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) two-sided detector on an opposite side of the subject from the source; simultaneously detecting the position and energy of each pulsed x-ray and each emitted &ggr;-ray captured by the CZT detector; recording data for each position and each energy of each the captured x-ray and &ggr;-ray; and, creating CT and SPECT images from the recorded data. The transmitted energy levels of the x-rays lower are biased lower than energy levels of the &ggr;-rays. The x-ray source is operated in a continuous mode. The method can be implemented at ambient temperatures.

Simultaneous CT and SPECT tomography using CZT detectors

At least two linear arrays of x-ray detectors are placed below a conveyor belt in a poultry processing plant. Multiple-energy x-ray sources illuminate the poultry and are detected by the detectors. Laser profilometry is used to measure the poultry thickness as the x-ray data is acquired. The detector readout is processed in real time to detect the presence of small highly attenuating fragments in the poultry, i.e., bone, metal, and cartilage.

Automatic detection of bone fragments in poultry using multi-energy x-rays

Disclosed are monolithic bioelectronic devices comprising a bioreporter and an OASIC. These bioluminescent bioreporter integrated circuit are useful in detecting substances such as pollutants, explosives, and heavy-metals residing in inhospitable areas such as groundwater, industrial process vessels, and battlefields. Also disclosed are methods and apparatus for environmental pollutant detection, oil exploration, drug discovery, industrial process control, and hazardous chemical monitoring.

Bioluminescent bioreporter integrated circuit

A digital pulse delay system comprises: a counter incremented responsive to a succession of input pulses and generating a plurality of successive gating signals; a plurality of gates, each having a first input for receiving said input pulses and a second input the receiving a different one of said gating signals; a plurality of pulse delay circuits providing uniform time delays, each receiving an output pulse from a different one of said gates; and, an output circuit combining said uniformly delayed pulses from all of said delay circuits into a single output signal representing a uniformly delayed version of said succession of input pulses. A method for digitally delaying a signal of spaced pulses comprises the steps of: digitally generating a control sequence responsive to said spaced pulses; successively and uniformly digitally delaying successive ones of said spaced pulses in parallel, responsive to said control sequence; and, digitally combining said uniformly delayed pulses into a single output signal representing a uniformly delayed version of said digital signal.

Apparatus and method for digital delays without dead time

Systems and methods for direct-to-digital holography are described. An apparatus includes a laser; a beamsplitter optically coupled to the laser; a reference beam mirror optically coupled to the beamsplitter; an object optically coupled to the beamsplitter, a focusing lens optically coupled to both the reference beam mirror and the object; and a digital recorder optically coupled to the focusing lens. A reference beam is incident upon the reference beam mirror at a non-normal angle, and the reference beam and an object beam are focused by the focusing lens at a focal plane of the digital recorder to form an image. The systems and methods provide advantages in that computer assisted holographic measurements can be made.

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Knoxville, TN, United States of America

Michael J Paulus