SBIR Phase I: Ultrasonic Assessment of Bone Mineral Density of the Bottlenose Dolphin: A Proposed Method for Monitoring Dolphin and Ecosystem Health

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的长期目标是开发一种便携式和非侵入性的“海洋就绪”超声波设备，用于测量海豚的骨密度(BMD)，作为评估和监测海豚和生态系统健康的一种手段。目前，还没有办法评估管理或自由放养种群中海豚的骨骼健康状况。该项目的具体目标是(I)根据性别和其他个体特有的形态特征，确定一系列地理上不同种群的搁浅宽吻海豚的大量存档骨骼样本的骨密度，并获得一套标准的骨密度随年龄的曲线；(Ii)确定年龄与骨密度和其他个体特有特征之间的函数关系；以及(Iii)开发能够准确估计海豚骨密度的超声波方法和实验室系统。X射线密度测量将被用来确定海豚半径的骨密度，计算机模拟和体外超声测量将被用来确定一组超声参数。将建立基于超声波的BMD估计，以及BMD和形态测量可以估计海豚年龄的程度(了解海豚/海洋生态系统健康的关键方面)。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力在于其管理和处理生态系统变化的潜力，例如气候变化和暴露于污染物。因此，拟议的技术有可能极大地扩大科学界不仅评估海豚而且评估整个海洋生态系统健康的能力。此外，超声波测定的骨密度值可进一步用于估计海豚的年龄，这将在全球范围内具有重大和额外的商业价值。这一价值将通过营销商业超声产品和向海洋生态系统健康评估小组提供商业服务来实现。该项目将开发的超声波技术对海豚和生态系统健康的了解可能会在多大程度上产生积极影响，这一点不可低估。正如已经指出的，关于海豚的骨骼特性，它们如何随着时间的推移而变化，以及它们如何反映不断变化的气候和海洋中的污染物，目前几乎没有人知道。这项研究也可能对海狮和鲸鱼等其他水生哺乳动物的健康评估产生类似的重大影响。此外，本项目研发的基于USB的便携式超声技术在无损检测领域也应具有较大的商业价值。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project has as its long range objective development of a portable and non-invasive 'ocean-ready' ultrasound device for measuring dolphin bone mineral density (BMD), as a means for assessing and monitoring dolphin and ecosystem health. At present there is no way to assess bone health in dolphins in managed or in free-ranging populations. The specific objectives of this project are (i) to determine the BMD associated with an extensive set of archived skeletal samples from stranded bottlenose dolphins across a range of geographically distinct populations and obtain a set of normative BMD curves versus age, according to gender and other individual-specific morphometric features; (ii) to determine a functional relationship between age and BMD and other individual-specific features; and (iii) to develop an ultrasound method and laboratory system capable of accurately estimating dolphin BMD. X-ray densitometry will be used to determine the BMD of the dolphin radii, and computer simulated and in vitro ultrasound measurements will be used to determine a set of ultrasound parameters. An ultrasound based-estimate of BMD will be established, and the degree to which BMD and morphometric measurements can estimate dolphin age (a key aspect of understanding dolphin/marine ecosystem health) will be established.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is in its potential for managing and dealing with changes in the ecosystem such as through climate change and from exposure to contaminants. The proposed technology therefore has the potential for significantly expanding the ability of the scientific community to assess not only dolphin but overall marine ecosystem health. In addition, an ultrasonically determined value of BMD that could further be used to estimate dolphin age would have significant and additional commercial value worldwide. This value will be realized by marketing a commercial ultrasound product and by offering a commercial service to marine ecosystem health assessment groups. The degree to which the understanding of dolphin and ecosystem health may be positively impacted by the ultrasound technology to be developed in this project cannot be understated. As already noted, there is virtually little if anything presently known about bone properties of dolphins, how they may change over time, and how they may reflect changing climates and contaminants in the oceans. This research may also have analogous significant impacts on the health assessments of other aquatic mammals, such as sea lions and whales. In addition, the USB-based portable ultrasound technology developed in this project should also have large commercial value in the field of non-destructive testing.