NOVEL USE OF ZEBRAFISH FOR APOPTOSIS ASSAY

Not Available It has long been known that batteries can be pressure compensated, i.e., modified to operate at depth [e.g., Work, 1968]. Unfortunately, these modifications bring along severe restrictions on vehicle handling as well as increased maintenance requirements, neither of which is acceptable for the new generation of small, low-cost, AUVs. Recent advances in polymer-electrolyte and all-solid-electrolyte lithium ion cells open the possibility of pressure-tolerant batteries, i.e., batteries that are intrinsically capable of withstanding the pressure with negligible modification. In this proposal we will demonstrate how such pressure-tolerant batteries can increase an AUV's energy capacity by 50% or more, with no reduction in vehicle payload and no increase in vehicle size. To get a corresponding increase in capacity through better electrochemistry or cell manufacturing would require many millions of dollars and many years of R&D effort, with no guarantee of success. For this Phase I effort we propose to perform the key tests required to demonstrate the feasibility of such pressure-tolerant batteries.