Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Sonenshine, Daniel

Summary Description:

Protecting livestock from ticks is a major concern of the agriculture industry. Ticks cause infection and the spread of disease. They cause multi-million dollar loss each year in the US cattle industry.

In 1989, Dr. Dan Sonenshine and his co-inventors were granted U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,361 (12/5/89) for a decoy mimicking a female tick, which can be impregnated with a sex attraction pheromone (i.e. 2,6-dichlorophenol, 2,6-DCP) secreted by mature females, a mounting pheromone and a pesticide. This design takes advantage of the feeding and mating characteristics of many ticks. The benefit that comes from using pheromone-assisted tick control technology is that the ticks are attracted to the lethal containers, thereby greatly reducing the amount of poisonous chemicals required to kill them.

There are hard and soft ticks. Dr. Sonenshine co-invented U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,526 (9/2/92), which describes a decoy, designed specifically for Ixodid (hard) ticks containing the sex attractant pheromone 2,6-DCP and one or several cholesteryl esters constituting the mounting sex pheromone. It was found that male ticks exhibit the probing and mounting mating behavior when exposed to hexane extrants of female tick cuticle (cuticular lipids). These compounds induce mating behavior in male ticks and disrupt their normal mating routine. This results in a subsequent reduction in the Ixodid (hard) tick population.

There is also U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,227 (3/22/94) that describes a decoy designed specifically for a type of Ixodid tick known as "bont ticksand." Bont ticks are commonly found in Africa and the Caribbean and are known to spread the fatal Heartwater Disease. This decoy can be used to attract hungry bont ticks to a location where they can be eliminated. The decoy can be attached to an animal's tail, hair or fur.

These decoys have compounds impregnated in PVC plastic which slowly releases the pheromones and a substance lethal to ticks (an aracicide) over time. These decoys are a great alternative to the use of environmentally hazardous pesticides.

The most recent U.S. Patent is 6,331,297 that describes an attractant device for another type of hard tick, the deer tick (or Ixodes scapularis). Ixodes ticks are vectors of Lyme disease. Again, the addition of the tick's natural pheromone boosts the efficacy of the tick-killing devices tremendously. Moreover, these attractant devices can be used to kill Ixodes ticks before they bite animals or people.

Dr. Sonenshine is currently developing a means to prevent the spread of tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever by modifying the tick's biological blueprint. Since dog ticks do not infect humans with Lyme disease like deer ticks do, Sonenshine's team is developing a way to change the immune system response in deer ticks to mirror that of dog ticks. Changing the immune system response in ticks is another alternative to the use of harmful pesticides.

Status:

Co-owned with the University of Florida.

Related Patent(s):

U.S. Patent 4,884,361

U.S. Patent 5,149,526

U.S. Patent 5,296,227

U.S. Patent 6,331,297

Tech No.(s):

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Schoenbach, Karl

Summary Description:

Teamed with Dr. Stephen Beebe of the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS), Professor Schoenbach sought to define the mechanisms that result in the manipulation of subcellular structures. They have determined that electric pulses may be used to safely kill tumor cells, reduce fat cell numbers and remodel bone and cartilage for medical and cosmetic purposes. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted a patent to this technology.

Their research is geared toward determining the electric pulse parameters that promote cell growth and/or prevent the degeneration of diseased or injured cells, tissues and organs. In addition, they hope to enhance gene therapy by defining the electric pulse parameters that maximize electroporation by providing specific or selective delivery of molecules to the cell nucleus.

Status:

Co-owned with EVMS

Related Patent(s):

U.S. patent 6,326,177

Tech No.:

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Xu, Nancy

Summary Description:

Professor Nancy Xu, and her graduate assistants, Sophia Kyriacou and Robert Jeffers, have discovered that a commercially available cell label may be capable of inhibiting the cell growth of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This bacterium causes disease and is resistant to antibiotics. This bacterium often causes the respiratory tract infection of cystic fibrosis patients and causes cancer and burn patients to suffer from serious infections. Since the bacterium is very resistant to antibiotics, it is widely studied by scientists and is the major interest of pharmaceutical companies, not only because of its ability to cause disease and to resist antibiotics, but also its metabolic capability and environmental versatility.

Status:

Work supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Related Patent(s):

Pending

Tech No.(s):

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Swanson, R. James

Summary Description:

Teamed with Howard Jones, KeWen Dong and Frank Castora at the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS), Professor James Swanson has co-invented a way to turn the eggs of women 35 years old and older into younger eggs by injecting young mitochondria from blood cells into the egg.

Status:

Co-owned with EVMS.

Related Patent(s):

Tech No.:

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Williams, Roy and Elliott, Mark

Summary Description:

Relatively high levels of the isoflavonoid phytoestrogens known as daidzein and genistein have been found in various soybean products. The presence of these compounds in the traditional Japanese diet has been linked to the low levels of prostate cancer and breast cancer in the Japanese population. In view of these potential positive health benefits, Professors Roy Williams and Mark Elliott began a study to confirm the presence of isoflavonoid phytoestrogens in grape seeds as well as wine. These professors research the positive health benefits of anti-oxidant and anti-cancer activity.

Using a procedure developed for the analysis of soybean isoflavonoid content, this team successfully established a suitable high-pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the identification of such phytoestrogens as genistin, daidzein, genistein and biochanin from soy. This procedure used an ethanol/aqueous HCl extraction of ground soybeans at room temperature. Using this extraction scheme, it seemed that the major iosflavonoid present in the soy samples was genistein. Significant amounts of genistin and daidzein were also identified. However, when this procedure was applied to ground chardonnay grape seeds it failed to provide an effective separation scheme for the desired phytoestrogens. Alternatively, the use of ethanol/water as an extraction medium also was not effective in providing evidence for the presence of these phytoestrogens in grape seeds.

In view of the relative nonpolar nature of the phytoestrogens, compared to the flavonoids and flavanols such as (+)-catechin, less polar extraction solvents were used in the search for the phytoestrogens in grape seeds and wine. Following a procedure developed for the analysis isoflavonoids in beer, Lapeik et al., 1998, the team successfully demonstrated the presence of several of the more important phytoestrogens in both grape seeds and wine.

In 2000, the professors were able to develop a soy-enriched beer with high levels of daidzein and genistein which are associated with anti-cancer activity.

Status:

Related Patent(s):

Pending

Tech No.:

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Brown, Ken

Summary Description:

Engine combustion is never complete. Catalytic converters clean engine exhaust gas by reducing pollutants into harmless substances.

CO + HC + NOx changes into CO² + H₂O + N.

Catalysts inside the converter cause these chemical changes without being a part of the chemical reaction. Oxidizing catalysts such as platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd) encourage HC to unite with O₂ to become H₂O and CO₂. The CO unites with oxygen to become CO_2. A reducing catalyst such as metal rhodium reduces NOx into N and O.

High-pulsed energy lasers are capable of launching micro-satellites into orbit. Laser propulsion can occur when beamed laser energy strategically strikes a spacecraft and thrusts it upward. Laser-propulsion is expected to dramatically reduce the cost of putting spacecraft into orbit. In conjunction with the Langley Research Center, Professor Ken Brown and his team developed catalysts for long-life, highly power-pulsed carbon dioxide lasers to be incorporated in a Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS) satellite used to measure wind velocity on a worldwide basis.

Status:

Work supported by NASA.

Related Patent(s):

U.S. Patent 4,839,330

U.S. Patent 4,829,035

U.S. Patent 4,912,082

U.S. Patent 6,132,694

Tech No.:

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Cooper, John

Summary Description:

An octane number represents the resistance of gas to premature detonation when exposed to heat and pressure in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. Premature detonation wastes energy and can potentially damage the engine. This is more commonly known as engine knocking. Knocking can be reduced or eliminated by using a gas with a higher octane number.

The octane number is determined by an ASTM engine knock method. First, gas is burned under controlled conditions (such as specific spark timing, compression, engine speed, load, etc.). Then, the test engine is operated on a fuel blended from an iso-octane (which is very resistant to knocking), and a heptane (which knocks easily). This is done until a blend is found that duplicates the knocking intensity of the test sample. The percentage of iso-octane in the blended sample is the octane number.

John Cooper and his co-inventors were granted U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,228 in 1999 for a novel way of using Raman spectroscopy to determine octane numbers. Cooper's team uses partial least square regression analysis to correlate Raman spectra of the fuels with experimentally obtained octane numbers. Regression models are then built to predict octane numbers for fuels. Also, experimentally determined Reid vapor pressure is correlated with the Raman spectra and can be predicted.

Raman spectroscopy involves the use of laser beams. A laser beam is made up of electromagnetic energy waves, all of one single frequency. Lasers use a process of stimulated emission of perfectly coordinated photons that create a beam. When an electromagnetic wave is passed through a suitable highly excited material (albeit gas, solid, or liquid), it stimulates the emission of more waves. This results in radiation that is in phase with the energy source. This laser action results in a high intensity, amplified beam of light.

In Raman spectroscopy, NIR lasers (such as the Nd: YAG laser) are used as an excitation source. First, a laser beam is directed onto a sample. This results in scattering of the radiation from the sample. The scattered radiation is collected and its intensity is measured as function of wavelength. The measured radiation is characterized by a strong component known as the y Raleigh scattering (at the wavelength of the laser) and weaker Raman scattering. Thus, Raman spectra of fuel samples can be collected and analyzed. The Raman scattering occurs at unique wavelengths for specific chemicals and chemical groups and its intensity is proportional to the concentrations of these specific chemicals and chemical groups.

This method is less time consuming than conventional methods of determining fuel characteristics such as determining total aromatics and olefins via gas chromatography, determining octane numbers via the ASTM knock engine methods, or determining vapor pressure via the Grabner method.

Status:

Marathon Ashland has a non-exclusive license to this technology.

Related Patent(s):

U.S. Patent 5,892,228

Tech No.(s):

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Cooper, John

Summary Description:

In May 2000, Professor John Cooper was granted U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,134 for having co-invented a Modulated Fourier Transform (FT) Raman Spectroscopy method used to monitor the high temperature curing of high performance polymers. This is a way of collecting information on how polymers cure.

Raman spectroscopy involves the use of laser beams as an excitation source. A laser beam is made up of electromagnetic energy waves, all of one single frequency. Lasers use a process of stimulated emission of perfectly coordinated photons that create a beam or signal. When an electromagnetic wave is passed through a suitable highly excited material (albeit gas, solid, or liquid), it stimulates the emission of more waves. This results in radiation that is in phase with the energy source. This laser action results in a high intensity, amplified beam of light.

First, a laser beam is directed onto a sample. This results in scattering of the radiation from the sample. The scattered radiation is collected and its intensity is measured as function of wavelength. The measured radiation is characterized by a strong component known as the Raleigh scattering (at the wavelength of the laser) and weaker Raman scattering. Thus, Raman spectra of fuel samples can be collected and analyzed. The Raman scattering occurs at unique wavelengths for specific chemicals and chemical groups and its intensity is proportional to the concentrations of these specific chemicals and chemical groups.

When using a pulsed laser, the sample gives off heat (e.g., in autoclaves). This background heat can be so large that you could not see anything. Professor Cooper developed a method to collect data by getting rid of the heat background by using modulation.

A rotating optical chopper modulates the continuous wave of a laser's electromagnetic radiation into pulses to eliminate thermal backgrounds in the FT Raman spectra by increasing the signal to noise ratio of the FT Raman spectrometer. A fiber optic probe transmits the pulsed radiation onto the sample back to the spectrometer.

Status:

Related Patent(s):

U.S. Patent 6,061,134

Tech No.:

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Cooper, John

Summary Description:

Teamed with APS Technology, Inc. inventors William Edward Turner and Denis Biglin Dr. Cooper and his graduate assistant Jeffery Aust, have invented a Remote Fiber-Optic Down-Hole Fluid Analyzer Sensor.

Status:

Licensed exclusively to APS Technology, Inc.

Related Patent(s):

Pending

Tech No.:

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Schoenbach, Karl

Summary Description:

Excimer lamps are light sources that can be operated over a wide range of wavelengths in the ultraviolet. Different excimer gases correspond to different wavelengths for the emission of light. Xenon and argon are excimer gases that are environmentally friendly and have strong emission in the vacuum ultraviolet region of the spectrum. At high operating pressures, excimer lamps are very efficient. Further, excimer lamps produce no infrared radiation.

Professor Karl Schoenbach, teamed with Wojciech Byszewski, Frank Peterkin, and Amin Dharamsi, have been granted three patents to their micro hollow array discharge device that can be used as a fluorescent lamp, excimer lamp, flat fluorescent light source or a miniature gas laser. Ultraviolet radiation has a frequency greater than that of visible light. Visible light has wavelengths in the range of 350 nanometers (nm) to 800nm. Schoenbach's excimer lamp emits radiation in a wavelength of about 80-200 nm.

The device includes an anode and a cathode that has micro holes. Each small hole has dimensions that are specially selected to produce a micro hollow discharge at a prescribed pressure. The cross-sectional dimension of each hole is on the order of the mean free path of electrons in the gas. Electrical energy is coupled to the cathode and the anode at a voltage and current that produces micro hollow discharges.

Current limitations on discharge devices may restrict light output. Prior to Schoenbach's discovery, hollow cathode configurations were not suitable for use in subminiature fluorescent lamps because of their relatively large sizes and because of the relatively high pressures utilized in subminiature fluorescent lamps. The buffer gas pressure in subminiature fluorescent lamps is often on the order of 100 torr in order to limit electron loss to the lamp wall. By contrast, conventional fluorescent lamps typically utilize pressures on the order of 0.5-2.0 torr.

Two trends have produced a need for improved cathode configurations. First, environmental concerns have necessitated the investigation of lamp fill materials other than mercury. In mercury-free fluorescent lamps, radiation is often produced by excimers of inert gases, such as neon, argon, and xenon. Different fluorescent lamps operate under very different discharge conditions. In order to form excimers, a gas pressure of approximately 100 torr is required. Secondly, the small size of subminiature fluorescent lamps may not allow for hot cathode operation. Therefore, efficient cold cathode emitters must be used. In subminiature fluorescent lamps utilizing cold cathodes, the operating life may be limited by sputtering.

Status:

Osram Sylvania, Inc. has a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to Lighting Products producing visual, infrared or UV spectral outputs used in industrial processes, such as product heating, chemical curing, fluid or mash sterilization, and semiconductor photolithography produced during the course of a joint research program between Osram and Old Dominion University.

Related Patent(s):

U.S. Patent 5,686,789

U.S. Patent 5,939,829

U.S. Patent 6,072,273

Tech No.(s):

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Schoenbach, Karl

Summary Description:

Professor Karl Schoenbach co-invented a micro hollow array discharge, excimer laser device to be used by the semiconductor industry for photolithography.

Status:

Co-owned with the Stevens Institute of Technology; work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Related Patent(s):

Pending

Tech No.(s):

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Schoenbach, Karl

Summary Description:

Teamed with Professor William Nunnally, currently at the University of Missouri, Professor Karl Schoenbach has been granted two patents to their field controlled plasma discharge device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,348 describes a device that includes an anode and a cathode that define a discharge cell. A low-pressure mix of an ionizable, inert, noble gas is maintained between the electrodes. When a sufficient potential is applied between these electrodes, current flows between them forming a plasma discharge in the cell that has energized electrons. These electrons collide with and ionize the gas. The ionized gas emits a wide spectrum of radiation in the form of photons of light.

In addition to the anode and cathode, there is a field control electrode that generates a control electric field for distorting the shape of the discharge electric field and affecting the intensity of the plasma discharge. Varying the strength of the control electric field effectuates proportionate changes in the intensity of the plasma discharge current.

These professors were also granted U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,073 that describes a printing device that modulated the plasma discharge device in accordance with an image to be printed. The modulated output is scanned across a photoconductive surface to produce a latent image on the photoconductive surface.

Status:

Laser Light Technologies has an exclusive license to this technology.

Related Patent(s):

U.S. Patent 5,561,348

U.S. Patent 5,765,073

Tech No.(s):

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Laroussi, Mounir

Summary Description:

Excimers are excited molecules with no stable ground state. They are unstable and decay within a few nanoseconds, yielding incoherent radiation in the ultra-violet (UV) and vacuum-UV range. Rare gas such as Argon, Kr, and Xe is put in a tubular chamber under high pressure. The high molecular collision rates form excimer lamps. Various combinations of these rare gases achieve different UV wavelengths. A discharge is generated between two electrodes insulated by a dielectric material and powered by a resonant frequency source. The outer electrode is typically a perforated metal or metallic mesh. Unfortunately, this mesh blocks a substantial portion of the UV light, preventing the light from propagating outside the lamp's walls.

While at the University of Tennessee, Dr. Mounir Laroussi co-invented a high pressure plasma discharge that is electrode-less internally. Instead, ring electrodes are placed outside of a gas chamber. His research has focused on the potential for UV light to kill bacteria in liquids. Since joining Old Dominion University, Dr. Laroussi has focused on studying the various combinations of these rare gases and how they achieve different UV wavelengths. To this end, Dr. Laroussi has devised a new excimer lamp.

Status:

Work supported by the Air Force (AFOSR).

Related Patent(s):

Pending

Tech No.(s):

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Vuskovic, Leposava

Summary Description:

A microwave is an electromagnetic wave having a frequency range from 1,000 megahertz (MHz) to 300,000 MHz, corresponding to a wavelength range of 300 mm (about 12 in.) to 1 mm (about 0.04 in.). Like light waves, microwaves travel essentially in straight lines. In microwave ovens a magnetron is used to produce microwaves. The microwaves cause water molecules in food to vibrate, producing heat, which is distributed through the food by induction and diffusion.

In microwave ovens, the magnetron converts electrical power input to microwave power output. The magnetron is a vacuum tube oscillator that generates high-power electromagnetic signals in the microwave frequency range. Its operation is based on the combined action of a magnetic field applied externally and the electric field between its electrodes. The external magnetic field forces the cathode-emitted electrons to assume a curved path and thus creates a rotating electron cloud about the tube axis.

Professor Vuskovic's team has developed a method for curing the curved surfaces of polymers using a pulsed microwave discharge. In the manufacture of curved surfaces, the low thermal conductivity of most polymers and the exothermic nature of the curing process combine to create complex temperature distributions within the section. These thermal gradients result in non-uniform curing and high residual stresses.

Microwaves deliver energy to materials through the interaction of electromagnetic fields with surrounding gas at a molecular level. The gas becomes ionized and radiates uniformly at the polymer surface. The result is volumetric heating that can reduce thermal gradients, decrease processing times and save energy due to the more efficient transfer of energy. Thus, microwave processing using the surface discharge is a desirable technique for the curing of curved polymer sections.

Status:

Related Patent(s):

Pending

Tech No.:

Technology:

Fiber Optic Radiation Sensor (FORS)

Associated Faculty Member:

Albin, Sacharia

Summary Description:

Dr. Albin has invented a fiber optic sensor that is capable of measuring radiation dose, dose rate and the location of radiation leaks. This Fiber Optic Radiation Sensor (FORS) includes a specially doped optical fiber, combined with commercially available infrared semiconductor laser and signal detection/ processing electronics.

Status:

Related Patent(s):

Pending

Tech No.:

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Zahorian, Stephen

Summary Description:

Professor Stephen Zahorian co-invented a passive fetal heart rate monitoring sensor for acquiring and outputting acoustic signals emitted from a fetus. The fetal monitor has a signal-processing device with receivers, amplifiers and filters for outputting a plurality of processed signals in response to the sensor signals. The monitor also has a means for detecting fetal heart beats for determining and outputting a fetal heart rate. This fetal heart rate monitor can determine fetal heart rates within a noise-contaminated signal.

Status:

Work supported by NASA.

Related Patent(s):

U.S. Patent 5,524,631

Tech No.:

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Zahorian, Stephen

Summary Description:

For more than two decades, Professor Zahorian, an electrical engineer, has researched speech learning and visual speech displays.

Professor Stephen Zahorian invented the vowel pronunciation helper that is a voice interactive learning tool that helps individuals learn the correct pronunciation of vowels. The helper uses signal processing and pattern recognition. Signals from sample sounds are analyzed to find frequency components.

The helper is a component of Syracuse Language Systems' AccentCoach software program that uses a game-based approach to learning foreign languages. AccentCoach uses an interactive vowel chart that responds to spoken vowels by highlighting visual targets evaluating the quality of the spoken vowels and identifying problem areas.

Status:

Sold to Syracuse Language Systems

Related Patent(s):

Tech No.:

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Zahorian, Stephen

Summary Description:

In a team effort with graduate students Neiyer Correal, Stefan Augerg, Xihong Wang, Benjamin Dai, Matt Zimmer, Lingyun Gu and Fansheng Meng, the visual speech training aid is a unique concatenation of advanced software and multimedia-enabled hardware that automatically analyzes sounds and words as they are spoken, monitors correct pronunciation and provides an ongoing means for speakers to improve their speech through self-correction.

As a language training device, the visual-speech system may be used to teach English as a second language. Also, it is estimated that there are 250,000 hearing-impaired individuals in the United States between the ages of 5 and 21 that can benefit from the visual speech training aid.

Professor Zahorian has compiled a database of spoken language from approximately 500 male and female adults and children. Each speaker was asked to pronounce vowels, vowel-consonant combinations and short consonant-vowel-consonant words. After software was used to capture, analyze and characterize the vocal signals, a computer-based neural network was developed. This neural network is modeled after the way the human brain processes and interprets new information.

This system has been tested in the Chesapeake, Virginia school system with promising results.

Status:

Related Patent(s):

Tech No.:

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Gupta, Mool

Summary Description:

Dr. Mool Gupta directs the Applied Research Center (ARC) which focuses on advanced semiconductor/electronic, aerospace, automotive, and medical devices manufacturing methods and products. His areas of expertise include:

• Advanced cutting and welding
• Surface processing
• Coatings
• Surface etching
• Patterning
• Material synthesis

Status:

Related Patent(s):

Tech No.:

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Maly, Kurt and Zubair, Mohammed

Summary Description:

Professor Kurt Maly has co-created a co-browsing architecture that allows a group of users to surf the web together. The architecture works with any graphical web browser that supports Java applets. Java is enabling Web applications to be richer and more interactive. It is now becoming feasible to build collaborative Web applications. This work focuses on a synchronous class of collaborative applications.

CoBrowser, a coordinated browsing system, allows a group of users to spontaneously "surf" the Web together without using plug-ins or proxy servers. In this environment, when a user in the group loads a new document from a site, the same document gets loaded on all the other users' Web browsers.

When a user resizes or scrolls in a browser window, so do the others' browsers windows. When a user points within a page, all other see the pointer. When a user wants to chat, she can enter group's chat room. Advantages are two-fold: in this approach it is not necessary for every user in the group to have the same browser, nor is the browser modified.

Status:

Source license owned by the "Ask Jeeves" web search-engine company.

Related Patent(s):

Tech No.:

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Maly, Kurt and Zubair, Mohammed

Summary Description:

Professor Kurt Maly has co-created Arc: the first federated searching service basedon the Open Archive Initiative (OAI) protocol. A recent standardization effort, the OAI defines a standard, open interface between data providers and serviceproviders to implement digital library interoperability based on the harvestingapproach. The usefulness of the many on-line journals and scientific digital librariesthat exist today is limited by the inability to federate these resources through a unified interface. The OAI is one major effort to address technical interoperability among distributed archives.

The objective of OAI is to develop a framework to facilitate the discovery of contentin distributed archives. OAI defines a standard, open interface between data providers and service providers to implement digital library interoperability based onthe harvesting approach. The intention of OAI is to support data providers (archives)that exist at an organizational level. A typical data provider is a digital library that has no constraints on how it implements its services with its own set of publishingtools and policies. However, to be part of OAI, a data provider needs to be "open" in as far as it needs to support the OAI metadata harvesting protocol.

Arc is a prototype system that harvests metadata from several OAI compliantarchives, normalizes them and stores them in a search service based on a relational database (MySQL or Oracle). At present, about 50 archives and over 1million records are available from various subject domain providers. An OAIlayer has been implemented over Arc, making hierarchical harvesting possible.

There are a number of ways a service provider can perform a resource discoveryservice across several data providers such as digital libraries. In the harvestingapproach, the service provider harvests the metadata of the digital libraries and uses them for unified resource discovery. The Kepler framework is based on OAI tosupport "personal data providers" or "archivelets." The objective of the Keplerframework is to satisfy the need for a user - who does not have access to corporate Internet resources - to publish results and disseminate them to a wide audiencequickly and conveniently.

There is a reference implementation for the Kepler framework that is called a digital library of many 'little' publishers. So far, an easy-to-use archivelet that isdownloadable and self-installing, an automated registration service to support tensof thousands of publishers, and a simple service provider to harvest metadata from archivelets have been implemented. The Kepler framework supports two types ofusers: individual publishers using the archivelet publishing tool and general users interested in retrieving published documents. The individual publishers interact with the publishing tool and the general users interact with a service provider and an OAI-compliant repository using a browser. In a way, the Kepler framework can betreated as a Peer-to-Peer network model. Typically, a user is both a data providerand a discovery user that accesses a service provider. Thus, the primary mode ofoperation might be construed as one of exchanging documents.

Status:

Open source code

Related Patent(s):

Tech No.:

Technology:

Associated Faculty Members:

Maly, Wild, Wahab, Overstreet & Gupta

Summary Description:

This computer software melds high-speed networking, television and computer technologies to allow for distance learning over the Internet. IRI features a comprehensive virtual classroom whereby students can participate in the same learning experience, independent of where they are physically located. The students are able to participate in discussions, classroom examinations, virtual blackboard demonstrations and much more.

Status:

Planned for open source code release

Related Patent(s):

Tech No.:

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Shuman, Deanne

Summary Description:

Dr. Deanne Shuman of the School of Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting designed the ODU 11/12, a dental instrument used for exploration. This tool has earned a reputation as an ideal tool for exploring the entire mouth, and is especially useful for detecting deposits in deep pockets. The ODU 11/12 is used widely throughout the field of dentistry. Many dental hygiene programs throughout the United States have mandated inclusion of the ODU 11/12 in the instrument packets that students are required to own and use.

Status:

Marketed by the Hu-Friedy Manufacturing Company.

Related Patent(s):

Tech No.(s):

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Meyer, Martin

Summary Description:

Vesicoureteral reflux is a congenital defect seen in children that causes them to be prone to febrile urinary tract infections. In vesicoureteral reflux, urine is propelled up the ureter toward and, most times, to the kidney by the increasing bladder pressure that precedes and accompanies urination. If left undiagnosed, this condition will lead to hypertension and/or kidney failure in severe cases.

With urologist Dr. Rob Mevorach, former ODU Professor Martin Meyer co-invented a method of detecting the presence or absence of vesicoureteral reflux in patients that does not require catheterization, exposure to ionizing radiation or expensive imaging hardware. The sound from a patient's abdomen is amplifiedand an audio signal characteristic of vesicoureteral reflux is detected.

Status:

License with Lucent Medical pending termination.

Related Patent(s):

U.S. Patent 6,063,043

Tech No.(s):

Technology:

Associated Faculty Member:

Drake, Lisa and Doblin, Martina

Summary Description:

Displays of photographic visual art images of microscopic marine organisms for the "Art in Science" project.

Status:

Related Patent(s):

Tech No.: