Organelle Dysfunction and Apoptosis in Liver Epithelia

The application examines the cellular mechanisms by which TRAIL, a natural protein, causes cell death. We propose that TRAIL induces cell death by disrupting a key cellular organelle referred to as the lysosome. Lysosome disruption results in the release of toxic compounds into the cell culminating in cellular demise. The results of these studies are germane to mechanisms of liver injury in a variety of human diseases.


Verification of residual stresses after electron beam welding of thick sheets of Ti-4Al-6V (TiWeld)

Purpose and goal:
The project was done in collaboration between RISE, GKN and Swerim to verify stresses from electron beam welding of thick plates of Ti-6Al-4V. The project intended to verify FE-models by non-destructive measurements of the stresses with neutron diffraction (ND) at ISIS Engin-X ISIS which is unique for this type of measurement. The industry-relevant sample really tested the capability/limitation with ND and resulted in limited amount of data to be analyzed. The verification was also done with other techniques and the basis for future ND experiments was produced.

Expected results and effects:
EB welding enables a new production for GKN and is therefore important to verify. The simulations showed high tensile stresses which need to be verified. However, the ND measurements were limited as the geometry of the sample was thick. Supplementary destructive measurements in combination with tthe ND data verified the FE simulations. The project gained increased competence for the involved manufacturing process and  valuable knowledge of opportunities with neutron diffraction measurements for future tests.

Approach and implementation:
The measurements were performed remotely at ISIS Engin-X in close collaboration with engieer at the experiment station. The selected station is unique for measuring residual stresses in large and thick parts. The ND measurements were performed with adapted strategies to improve data aquestion for sample thickness. Eventough, limited amount of elongation data was obtained. Some comparison of strains could be made but not correct calculation of stresses which requires strain data in 3 directions. However, the measurements provided a good basis for future LSRI measurements.


Produktivitätseffekte von Erfindermobilität in Agglomerationen und in Teams

Das vorgeschlagene Projekt soll einen Beitrag zum besseren Verständnis von Wissensproduktion durch Erfinder in Teams sowie in Agglomerationen leisten. In diesem Kontext soll vor allem die Rolle von Mobilität über den Arbeitsmarkt erforscht werden, welche in der Literatur zu Wissenstransfer und erfolgreichen Innovationsprozessen besondere Beachtung erfahren hat. Im ersten Teilprojekt wird untersucht ob Mobilität von Erfindern im räumlichen Kontext von Agglomerationen Einfluss auf die Erfinderproduktivität hat. Dabei soll gezeigt werden, in welchem Maße Wissensproduktion auf der Mikroebene von Agglomerationseffekten profitiert. Im zweiten Teilprojekt wird die Dynamik von Erfinderteams untersucht und dabei insbesondere welchen Effekt strukturelle Änderungen in Form von Erfindermobilität bzw. Co-Mobilität eines ganzen Teams auf die erfinderische Produktivität haben. Hierbei soll auch der Einfluss von teamspezifischem Kapital auf Produktivität identifiziert werden. In beiden Teilprojekten sollen jeweils die kausalen Effekte von Mobilität auf Produktivität, gemessen anhand von Patenten, identifiziert und erstmalig für den Arbeitsmarkt und das Innovationssystem in Deutschland vertieft erforscht werden. Zur Beantwortung der Forschungsfragen stehen derzeit keine adäquaten Daten zur Verfügung. Aus diesem Grund ist die Erstellung eines neuartigen Biografiedatensatzes zu deutschen Erfindern ein integraler Teil des beantragten Projektes. Die geplanten Arbeiten bauen auf umfangreichen Vorarbeiten der Antragsteller und Kooperationspartner auf, in deren Verlauf Erfahrungen mit Patentregisterdaten und administrativen Daten aus dem System der Sozialversicherung gesammelt wurden. Zudem kann auf Erfahrungen mit Record Linkage Methoden zur Datenverknüpfung zurückgegriffen werden. Der im Projekt entstehende verknüpfte Erfinderbiografiedatensatz kombiniert Registerinformationen zu allen Patenten sowie Arbeitsmarktbiografien aus Daten der Sozialversicherung zu einer Großzahl von in Deutschland tätigen Erfindern. Die Datenbasis ist geeignet, um alternative Identifikationsstrategien empirisch zu implementieren und um anspruchsvolle mikro-ökonometrische Methoden einzusetzen. Die Forschungsdaten sollen nach Projektende über das Forschungsdatenzentrum der BA im IAB für die Wissenschaftsgemeinschaft zur Verfügung gestellt werden.


Development of a non-opioid chemogenetic therapy for chronic neuropathic pain

Narrative CODA Biotherapeutics is developing a paradigm-shifting gene therapy approach by deploying a chemogenetic strategy for treating neuropathic pain sensations at their origin. Our novel treatment employs modulation of the neurons where pain arises via AAV-mediated delivery of an engineered receptor that is designed to specifically respond to a novel orally bioavailable small-molecule agonist. We expect this treatment will produce substantially improved and durable pain relief while avoiding many of the substantial off-target/adverse effects of currently available treatments.


Arbeitseinkommenrisiko und Arbeitsmarktreform: Eine makroökonomische Analyse

Dieses Projekt zielt auf eine umfassende ökonomische Analyse von Arbeitsmarktreformen ab, wobei der Schwerpunkt des Projekts in der Berücksichtigung von individuellen Einkommensrisiken und makroökonomischen Rückwirkungseffekten liegt. Das Projekt wird eine umfassende empirische Analyse des Arbeitsmarkrisikos in Deutschland durchführen und ein neuartiges makroökonomisches Modell mit heterogenen Agenten und individuellen Einkommensrisiken entwickeln. Mit Hilfe des kalibrierten/geschätzten makroökonomischen Modelles sollen dann die Auswirkungen verschiedener Arbeitsmarktreformen auf das Wohlergehen einzelner Haushalte analysiert werden.


Foraging behavior is a critical aspect of animal survival.  Its interactions with the environment are complex and multi-dimensional.  Computer simulation holds the promise of helping laboratory biologists and field ecologists gain insights into behavioral mechanisms as well as theoretical models of foraging.  The use of simulation in research on foraging behavior is in its infancy; there is great potential for its use in representation and interpretation of actual and simulated experiments.    Phase I research resulted in a proof-of-concept foraging-behavior simulation model for personal computers.  The goal of Phase II is to investigate simulation techniques for a range of behaviors, models, and theories that represent the scope of research on foraging behavior.  The approach is to evaluate simulation techniques for such foraging concepts as learning, motivation, utility, herbivory, predation, risk-preference/aversion, and fitness.  The work will include development of a user-friendly interface that includes on-line help for setting up biologically valid simulations.  This project will require original research on the question of how to reconcile diverse approaches to foraging behavior.


Collaborative Research: Leading Indicators of Regime Shift - an Ecosystem Experiment

Non-Technical Abstract

Word count:  242

Many changes in nature are slow and gradual, but sometimes extensive changes happen fast. Droughts, losses of production from rangelands, collapse of fisheries, toxic algae blooms, and outbreaks of disease or invasive species can occur rapidly, with significant impacts on living resources and large costs to society. Such big changes are difficult to forecast. Recent theoretical advances suggest that certain indicators can help foresee and manage big changes in resources before they occur. Like leading economic indicators, these leading ecological indicators can be observed before a big shift. So far these theories have not been tested in the field. This project will test potential indicators by experimentally inducing massive changes in the food chain of a lake, while monitoring the lake before, during and after the changes using modern sensor and signal processing technology. The research will evaluate the sensitivity of the indicators and whether they can be used to detect a large change in advance.

The project will assess leading indicators that could potentially be used to manage a wide range of living resources, while at the same time testing new theory about rapid extensive changes in nature. We will present a workshop and field trip on rapid environmental change for journalists at the Society of Environmental Journalists meeting in Madison in fall 2009. The project will train graduate and undergraduate students and contribute teaching materials for courses at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies, St. Norbert College, and University of Wisconsin-Madison.


Preclinical Development and Optimization of Small Molecules for the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

The heart has four chambers, with two ventricles and two atria. The two atria are located above the ventricles and are responsible for pumping blood to the ventricles. The ventricles are then responsible for pumping blood to either the lungs or the rest of the body. Electrical signals coordinate the pumping of blood through these chambers so that there is an organized flow of blood through the heart, to the lungs to get oxygen and then back to the heart to pump the oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. These electrical signals are vital to the optimal performance of the heart. However, certain conditions can lead to these electrical signals becoming disorganized, thus causing either the atria or the ventricles to pump at inappropriate times or to pump in a rapid, uncontrolled and irregular way. When this occurs in the atria, it is called atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of electrical disturbance in the heart and, with an aging population, is expected to affect 30 million North Americans and Europeans by 2050. Risk factors include age, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and existing heart disease. Disturbingly, people with atrial fibrillation are five times more likely to have a stroke that may lead to death or permanent disability in over half. Despite the increasing number of people expected to get atrial fibrillation, current drugs to prevent this either don't work well or have undesirable side effects. As such, we have designed a new drug and have shown it to be effective in a large animal model of atrial fibrillation. However, when taken orally this new drug is poorly absorbed and rapidly cleared from the body. Therefore, the purpose of the studies outlined in this application is to improve on this drug by making slight chemical modifications to it so that the drug is better absorbed and lasts longer in the blood stream so that it can then be used as an oral medication to treat people with atrial fibrillation.


Proteomic characterization of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cell growth

Human embryonic stem cells (hESC), derived from pre-implanted embryos, are stable cell lines that can proliferate indefinitely in culture, and potentially form almost any type of tissue. These cell types and their derivatives have shown huge clinical potential in cell replacement therapies and regenerative medicine. Unfortunately, little is known with respect to the signals that control their proliferation, or differentiation into different tissue types. Furthermore, much of what is known about hESC has proven to be in contrary to previous discoveries made using similar cells from mice. Knowledge of these fundamental mechanisms will be essential in order to effectively proliferate and differentiate hESC into specific tissues for future therapeutic use. Using mass spectrometry and protein chemistry we plan to catalogue secreted proteins provided to the hESC by feeder cells, and at the same time identify corresponding receptors on the surface of hESCs. By comparing secreted proteins with cell surface protein receptors, combined with the systematic depletion of growth factors candidates, we hope to better characterize how hESC maintain their characteristics in culture as well as orchestrate the transition into cells of different tissue types.

Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships


Enhancing adaptation to loading with PTH in osteoporosis

Project Narrative Postmenopausal estrogen deficiency reduces bone mass and leads to fractures in women. This project focuses on the combined action of two agents that individually enhance bone mass, in vivo mechanical loading and parathyroid hormone treatment. The proposed studies will identify the underlying mechanisms that contribute to the synergy of these two therapies to increase their effectiveness.


Racial Differences in Phosphorus Metabolism in Health and in Kidney Disease


EAGER: Continuous, Catalyzed Thermopower Wave Generators Powered by Renewable Biofuels: A New Fuel Cell Concept

Abstract

#1239073
Strano, Michael S.

Technical Basis

Portable energy storage and delivery is the cornerstone of modern transportation systems and the of the proliferation of portable electronic devices and is a rapidly growing field. Additionally, the development of the newest autonomous and mobile sensors, robots, and off-grid wireless networks, particularly at the micro- and nanoscale, is often hampered today by the lack of high power density energy systems of similar size. Each of todays portable energy technologies has its distinct shortcomings. Batteries are the most familiar form of electrical energy storage, but electrochemical energy density is fundamentally limited compared to storing energy in the chemical bonds of fuels. In addition, batteries slowly lose their charge over years, making them less desirable for long-term energy storage. Supercapacitors offer substantially higher power density (in weight and volume terms), but at the expense of energy density. Moreover, they cannot hold their charge even as long as batteries. Fuel cells and engines can use the large energy density of chemical fuels but are more complicated to fabricate at the small scale, so their power density has been limited so far. Professor Michael Strano of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has performed some initial studies on an alternative energy device that offers the possibility of supplanting these existing devices.Thermopower wave based energy devices may dramatically increase the energy density of portable power devices more than a factor of 10, with other advantages such as zero storage losses and charge decay.

High-conductivity scaffolds, like carbon nanotubes (CNTs), direct a hot chemical reaction wave along their length; the wave also pushes charge carriers to create a high-power pulse of electricity. This fast wave means that thermopower waves can often outperform conventional thermoelectrics using static thermal gradients in terms of power density and may not have the same limits on efficiency (usually about 1-5%)according to Strano. The concept to be tested is whether thermopower fuel cells can be created, which could be operated to generate power continuously; previous devices could only make electrical pulses shorter than a second. This project introduces the new aspect of the addition of metal catalyst nanoparticles to the CNT thermoelectric conduits. By focusing on fuels like formic acid and methanol that can be biologically derived, these generators can use renewable energy sources.

This is an ideal EAGER project in that several high risk aspects must be successfully demonstrated. First, wave propagation using formic acid and alternatively methanol must be demonstrated using low- to medium-activity catalytic materials for their decomposition along the length of thermal conduit materials, including carbon nanotube fibers, inorganic nanowires, or grapheme films. Advances in theoretical understanding of these waves will accompany this effort. The choice of catalyst(s) must optimize the activation energy; too low and the fuel will react spontaneously without being controlled by the nanotubes, too high and the required initiation energy will be too large, sapping the efficiency. For liquid-fueled-TWGs to be practical, more common metals like Au, Fe, or Cu must be the active catalyst metal. Beyond this, a target would be to fabricate a working device and demonstrate extended operating life. This is clearly the high risk-high potential return project envisioned for EAGER awards.

Broader Impacts

For this project, the PI intends to utilize undergraduate and graduate researchers, as a means of fostering diversity in Engineering. The PI notes that the experiments that make up this project seem to be well suited for undergraduates, who adapt and learn quickly how to prepare thermopower wave substrates, and learn how to use the instrumentation. The PI has extensively worked with a large body of undergraduate students in the past, many of whom are gender and racial minorities. It is difficult to develop these aspects in a short EAGER project, so the PI is to be commended for making this effort.


Histological assessment of fasting induced hepatic lipidosis in mink

No summary - Aucun sommaire

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

University Undergraduate Student Research Awards


Combination Therapy that Targets Glutamate Signaling in Melanoma

We have discovered what appears to be an important component of the process that leads to the formation of melanoma. This component, the expression of GRM1, appears to be important in the growth and proliferation of human melanoma. We have performed basic science experiments that show that GRM1 expression by melanomas is important for growth and proliferation and we have performed animal experiments that demonstrate that an oral medication, Riluzole, which targets GRM1 signaling in melanoma cells, can stop the growth of human melanomas. We have also now performed a preliminary trial in humans with melanoma (a Phase 0 trial) that demonstrates that oral Riluzole can positively affect melanoma tumors in patients with melanoma. Data from the first Specific Aim of our R01 grant suggests that the actions of Riluzole resemble a PI3K/AKT inhibitor in melanoma. Screening experiments have shown that the combination of Riluzole and the kinase-inhibitor Sorafenib, are synergistic in vitro and in vivo in human melanoma. The current proposal is designed to determine if Riluzole, in combination with Sorafenib, is a potentially effective therapy for patients with melanoma.


RCT on preventing pressure ulcers with seat cushions


Integrated monitoring system for stress changes in rock

We have developed the integrated method to detect ultra-small changes in crustal stress, which is composed of simultaneous and precise measurements of Δ Vp (changes in velocity of ultrasonic-frequency P-wave), Δ R/R (changes in earth resistivity and Δ ε (changes in crustal strain). Using this integrated system, we have monitored the change in crustal stress at three distinctive sites, Mozumi Fault Observation Tunnel site, Aburatsubo Bay site, and Nojima Fault site.The results of long-term observations are summarized as follows ;1. Mozumi Fault Observation Tunnel site. Δ R/R is very sensitive to the environments in tunnel, and we must reinstall electrode into boreholes. The long-term build-up of stress was successfully detected via Δ Vp.2. Aburatsubo Bay site. Both Δ R/R and Δ Vp can precisely sense the daily-changes in stress produced by ocean tide.3. Nojima Fault site. In this site, we have injected pressurized water into borehole in the vicinity of fault. In order to monitor the stress changes produced in surrounding rocks via earth resistivity, we have developed new system (GPS synchronized ac-based system) adapted for dipole-dipole electrode configuration. On starting water injection, the resistivity immediately increased by about 2%, and was constant during water injection, and recovered the initial value at the reduction of pressure. The rectangular pulse-like increase in resistivity clearly suggests that the increase is not caused by the extension of water but by stress change in host rock.

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)


Ocular Formulation Development of Innovative Novel Compounds with superior ocular

Project Narrative Eye pain: By far the most the most frequent cause of serious eye pain in infants and children (up to the age of 17) is trauma, caused by a variety of (age-correlated) situations. Remarkably, there are no good ways to manage eye pain today, a situation that can be literally excruciating to children with eye injury and their often frantic parents. The Sarentis small-molecule-based pharmaceuticals described below represent a completely new approach to ophthalmic pain relief that can be used to manage pain associated with pediatric eye emergencies and routine injuries. In contrast, conventional analgesic drugs given by mouth or by IV are largely ineffective for treating severe corneal pain, as the cornea is avascular and equilibrates slowly and inefficiently with compounds in circulation. Existing topical (local) anesthetics like lidocaine are highly effective in eliminating pain. However, and unfortunately, they are highly toxic to corneal cells and can be used only briefly during surgery or emergency care. Consequently, there are no truly successful acute or long-term therapies for eye pain currently available. In fact, there is not one word on the topic in  1 the AMA Pediatric Pain Management CME document . The patented Sarentis neuropeptides are novel molecular entities and consist of a small number of partially altered amino acids. Animal studies indicate that such peptides are 5 times as potent as morphine in the cornea, with single applications providing hours of relief. They are structurally unrelated to lidocaine, codeine or morphine, steroids (like hydrocortisone), or pain-relievers like aspirin or ibuprofen. Importantly, and unlike other agents, the Sarentis peptides applied topically do not impair the healing process. Impaired healing can lead to delayed wound closure, infections, scarring, hazing in the corneal, inflammation and potential loss of vision. Because of their lack of toxicity, the Sarentis peptides can be applied repeatedly to provide extended periods of pain control. This potential to relieve human (and animal) suffering and the lack of existing commercial alternatives suggest that Sarentis is well positioned to successfully address an unmet, significant, global need. Substantial basic and preclinical data support the potential utility of the neuropeptide approach. The next essential step is to develop appropriate formulations and delivery vehicles to take these compounds ahead to definitive toxicology and Phase I clinical trials.


INTERFERON, ANIMAL VIRUSES AND PROTEIN SYNTHESIS


わが国の獣医学教育における獣医生理学および生理化学の役割と新しい研究体制

Principal Investigator：今道 友則, Project Period (FY)：1976, Research Category：Grant-in-Aid for Co-operative Research (B)


Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance


Planning Conference for an I/UCR Center for Thin Films and  Interfaces

The Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy of                 the National Academies of Science and Engineering and the                       Institute of Medicine identified the field of Thin Films and                    Interfaces as a "high leverage research opportunity that is ripe                for discovery."  Industrial interests, which cover the wide range               of industries, appears to be very high and opens the possibility                that an I/UCRC on Thin Films & Interfaces maybe visible and                     viable.                                                                              This award is funding an Industry Planning Meeting to study                the feasibility and viability of an I/UCR Center on Thin Films and              Interfaces to be operated by Brown University and the University                of Rhode Island.  The universities have drafted a prospectus for                the centers research and operations that will provide a basis of                study at the September 28 and 29, 1987 meeting.  The co-principal               investigator and their colleagues are recognized experts in their               fields and have the necessary industrial interaction to run this                meeting.                                                                             This award has been coordinated with Dr. Ranga Komanduri,                  Division of Mechanics, Structures, and Materials Engineering.                        The Program Manager recommends that Brown University (along                with the University of Rhode Island) be awarded a $12,000 grant                 for one year for an Industry Planning Meeting for an I/UCR Center               for Thin Films and Interfaces.  Future funding will be based on a               new proposal.


ゼニゴケにおける遺伝子破壊系の開発

Principal Investigator：山岡 尚平, Project Period (FY)：2000 – 2001, Research Category：Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows, Section：国内, Research Field：Applied molecular and cellular biology


It would seem that recent neuroscientific research into the 'moral brain” is already demonstrating that a person’s moral agency can be pharmaceutically improved, if only in limited laboratory settings. Yet it is a matter of ongoing (moral) disagreement if pharmacological or other biotechnological methods can, and should, ever replace or complement traditional (i.e. non-biotechnological) attempts at moral (self-) education. Whereas advocates of a “morality pill” appeal to the desirability, if not duty, of exploring (putatively) more effective strategies for improving individual moral behavior and society at large, opponents worry that either the (assumed) deterministic workings of biotechnologies, or advocate's emphasis on pro-social aspects of morality, or both, pose a considerable threat to individual freedom.In view of this debate on so-called “(neuro-) enhancement of morality”, I address three challenges that link to the age-old question of if, and how, the (morally) good or right life can be (self-) taught or bioengineered, for that matter. In particular, I investigate the conditions of determining the (1) goal of (moral) improvement in light of (moral) disagreement and uncertainty. Since advocates as well as opponents of a “morality pill” rely on relatively substantial, mainly Humean, Kantian, or Aristotelian, notions of (biological) morality and freedom, their positions are equally objectionable on grounds of circularity. I clarify the relationship between moral and free agency and, in doing so, conclude that the minimally necessary standard of (moral) improvement is the (epistemic) autonomy of the (biological) agent. Thus, though prominently defended in Kantian (moral) theorizing, I show how the minimal conditions of (epistemic) autonomy are indispensable for both moral and non-moral as well as theoretical and practical agency and, in this sense, presupposed by any type of theory of the (morally) good or right. Proceeding from the conditions of minimal (epistemic) autonomy, I examine the dynamics or (2) process of (moral) improvement with regards to the types of changes that would qualify as increasing or maximizing the (epistemic) autonomy of the (biological) agent. And finally, I address the (3) method of (moral) improvement by identifying possible differences between biotechnological and non-biotechnological attempts at improving (epistemic) autonomy.

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung


Développement d'un drone minier autonome


University of Oxford - to reduce infant deaths from infectious diseases in low-resource settings by applying metagenomic analyses to samples of patients with suspected in...

to reduce infant deaths from infectious diseases in low-resource settings by applying metagenomic analyses to samples of patients with suspected infectious diseases to identify the causative pathogens for optimizing treatment


Erforschung des FunktionsMechanismus einer Molekularen Maschine durch die Entwicklung eines Lichtschaltbaren Group II Chaperonins

Group II Chaperonine sind molekulare Maschinen, die die Energie der ATP-Hydrolyse zur Unterstützung der Faltung von Proteinen in Eukaryonten und Archaeen durch einen noch immer größtenteils unerforschten Funktions-Mechanismus verwenden. Ich schlage vor den Chaperonin-Mechanismus mittels eines Bioengineering-Ansatzes aufzuklären, der 2 zueinander in Wechselbeziehung stehende Ziele verfolgt: Erstens der Test von Funktions-Hypothesen, die aus kürzlich veröffentlichten hochauflösenden Strukturen von Group II Chaperoninen in unterschiedlichen Konformationen abgeleitet wurden. Zweitens die Konversion des biochemisch beherrschbaren archaelen Mm-cpn von einer ATP- in eine Licht-getriebene Maschine. Methodisch werde ich aus der Robotik stammende computergestützte Designmethoden zur Modellierung von Konformations-Änderungen von Protein-Maschinen, von unseren Kooperationspartnern entwickelte Chaperonin-Biochemie und -Strukturanalyse und chemische Biologie kombinieren um eine Licht-gesteuerte Proteinfunktion zu entwickeln. Azobenzol ändert seine Länge reversibel, wenn es mit Licht unterschiedlicher Wellenlänge bestahlt werden. Ich werde einen thiol-reaktiven Azobenzol-Crosslinker an in Mm-cpn eingeführte Cysteine binden, die sich in für die Konformations-Änderung kritischen Stellen des Proteins befinden. Bei Erfolg wird die Kontrolle von Schlüsselschritten des Konformationszyklus mittels der zeitlichen Präzision von Licht neue, bis dahin unerreichbare Einsichten in die Funktionsweise von Chaperoninen liefern. Beides, die Analyse des Mechanismus unter Zuhilfenahme solcher Mittel, als auch die Entwicklung einer Licht-getriebenen Protein-Maschine stellen ein Novum dar.


Toward Understanding the Role of the Polycomb Complex in Skin Control

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The skin epithelium is an essential organ that protects the body against infection and dehydration. It is established and maintained by a pool of embryonic epidermal progenitor cells that both self renew and differentiate into different skin appendages, such as the epidermis, hair follicles and Merkel cells. The research in this proposal is focused on uncovering the molecular mechanisms that control embryonic epidermal progenitor cell maintenance and differentiation to multiple lineages.


フレンドウイルスによるラット骨髄性白血病

Principal Investigator：足立 昭夫, Project Period (FY)：1984, Research Category：Grant-in-Aid for Encouragement of Young Scientists (A), Research Field：Virology


SIMULTANEOUS OBSERVATION OF THE IN CLOUD  ELECTRICAL CHARGE ON IONS, CLOUD DROPLETS AND RAINDROPS


NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES AND DIGESTIVE AND KIDNEY DISEASES


How do mutations in Muc2 affect the copper homeostasis in mice


Research on the long-term influence of archaeological excavation on local communities

考古学は、ある場所で発掘調査を行うことによって、その地域社会に変化をもたらす。そこには調査期間中の環境の変化のような物理的なものから、考古学者が当地で活動することによって生じる地域住民の行動の変容、調査結果に基づいて考古学者が紡ぐ過去のナラティブが誘発する地域アイデンティティの再形成、観光業を含めた新たな商活動の創出など、多様な変化が含まれる。本研究では、東京大学を中心とした調査団が2002年から実施するイタリアのソンマ・ヴェスヴィアーナの町にある「アウグストゥスの別荘」遺跡の発掘調査に即して社会科学的なデータ収集と分析を行い、20年超にわたって発掘調査が地域社会に及ぼしてきた変化を検証する。

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)


Centre for Neuro-Behavioral Monitoring Using Advanced Technologies


Novel delivery of phytochemicals for sustainable crop protection

New solutions for managing insect pests are urgently needed due to evolution of resistance to current insecticides. Insect pests cause annual losses of US$17.7 billion to the Brazilian economy. Our project focuses on development and bioactivity testing of nanotech and metallic coordination complexes as novel delivery mechanisms for bioactive phytochemcials, to provide new options for crop protection. By using defensive non-host phytochemicals, outside the metabolome of inbred crops, we can deliver phytochemcials that crop pests have not evolved with. UK-Brazil collaboration provides an ideal opportunity to share expertise and strengthen this new and promising area of research.

The Stage 1 (pump-priming) project has successfully shown that nanoformulation and complexing of phytochemicals can solve low solubility issues, improve longevity of release and alleviate phytotoxicity; three major issues that have impeded the development of botanical insecticides to date. Furthermore, our early (proof of concept) phytochemical treatments have good efficacy, causing > 80% mortality of four major insecticide resistant pest species that are plaguing Brazilian agriculture (whitefly, Bemisia tabaci; fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda; Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, and peach-potato aphid, Myzus persicae). Treatments were also shown to strongly and significantly inhibit aphid reproduction (near complete shutdown) and had highly significant repellent activity. Stage 1 established a new collaboration between Biologists at Keele University (UK) and Chemists at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar, Brazil), which was further strengthened by inclusion of crop protection expertise at São Paulo State University (UNESP, Brazil). The project has benefited from Keele Nanoceutics expertise, allowing low cost nanotech technologies from medical research to be translated into the agricultural field. Investment in Stage 1 has thus provided a solid foundation for future research.

The Stage 2 project will use the collaboration established in Stage 1 to move towards generating new commercially viable phytochemical treatments. Workshops and exchange visits will be held to allow research groups to share expertise and work together. We have three workshops planned: UNESP (June 2019), Keele (Jan 2020) and UFSCar (Jan 2021). Experimental work will focus on three main areas: 1) Development and optimisation of phytochemical delivery using nanoformulation and complexing techniques. Treatments will be scaled up from leaf discs to whole plants with detailed investigation of two promising routes for application: sprayable formulations and systemic uptake via root drench treatments. 2) Testing bioactivity of formulations against economically important Brazilian crop pest targets. Antibiotic, antifeedant and repellent activity will be tested for using established methods we have developed for the four species. 3) Environmental and target specificity assessment. Most of the phytochemicals and formulations we are testing are already widely used as food ingredients, in medicine or in aromatherapy. However, we will obtain evidence in order to make the case for subsequent commercialisation of treatments. Breakdown of new biodegradable formulations will be measured. Non-target effects will be assessed with mammalian cell lines, an egg parasitoid wasp Trichogramma pretiosum (a beneficial natural enemy), and the honeybee, Apis mellifera.

We have shown cross-fertilisation between the disciplines involved in the project, allowing Agriculture to advance by using approaches already developed in Chemistry and Medicine. Our hypothesis is that our novel formulations could provide a means to "outsource", for crop protection, defensive phytochemicals from plants that crop pests have not evolved with and therefore are susceptible to. The Stage 2 project has considerable potential to generate much needed new tools for managing crop pests.

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council


AI in the Sky: Proactive Interference Monitoring for the Ovzon Satellite Network (ASIMOV)

Purpose and goal:
One of the main purposes of the project, to develop and evaluate an efficient machine learning algorithm in order to assess how well machine learning can be used in Overhorison´s spectrum monitoring, has been fulfilled. This is an important prerequisite for Overhorizon to develop and implement such an application. A successful exchange of knowledge in machine learning and satellite communication between RISE and Overhorizon was established through two workshops. All project goals have been achieved within the time frame of the project.

Expected results and effects:
The project resulted in a machine learning algorithm that efficiently identifies interference in spectrum data, and in a successful exchange of knowledge in machine learning and satellite communication between the project partners. The project has lead to an increased knowledge of how well different machine learning methods work for this type of spectrum data and for Overhorizon a good prerequisite for implementing an application that monitors spectrum. The project has also resulted in the identification of new potential applications for AI in Overhorizon´s satellite service.

Approach and implementation:
The project implementation has well corresponded to the project plan. The analysis and preparation of data was more extensive than anticipated, but also contributed to an important insight into how an application for interference identification can be developed. Knowledge was transferred partly through two workshops exploring the basics of machine learning and problem-specific methods and by RISE developing and sharing a program containing the steps needed to train a machine learning algorithm on Overhorizon´s data.


T Lymphocyte Activation, Differentiation and Death


Transportverhalten und Strukturbildung granularer Materie auf Schwingförderern

Das Verständnis der Grundlagen des Transportverhaltens granularer Partikel auf schwingenden Unterlagen wie z.B. Schwingförderern, Siebmaschinen und Vibrationsgeräten und die daraus resultierende Fragestellung der Optimierung des Transports stellt eine wesentliche Herausforderung der modernen Verfahrenstechnik dar. Darüber hinaus ist die entsprechende Dynamik granularer Partikel als realistisches und experimentell detektierbares Beispiel komplexer, nichtlinearer Bewegung von Makroteilchen mit dissipativer Wechselwirkung unter externem Antrieb ein höchst interessantes, jedoch nur in Ansätzen verstandenes Paradigma eines Nichtgleichgewichtssystems, das mit modernen Methoden der Nichtlinearen Dynamik und Strukturbildung behandelbar ist.Ziel dieses interdisziplinären Projekts, das die Methodiken und Expertisen der Verfahrenstechnik sowie der experimenellen und theoretischen Physik vereinigen, verzahnen und ergänzen soll, sind (1) die detaillierte experimentelle Untersuchung (auf labortechnischen wie auch auf technologisch relevanten Längenskalen) des Transportverhaltens und der Strukturbildung granularer Teilchen in Schwingrinnen, die in verschiedenen Antriebsmoden wie z.B. als Kreis-, Linear- oder Ellipsenschwinger betrieben werden, (2) die detaillierte mathematisch/physikalische Modellierung der Teilchendynamik (unter Berücksichtigung von Inelastizität, Roll- und Rutschfreiheitsgraden, Rauhigkeit bzw. vorgegebener Form der Unterlage) und ihre theoretisch/numerische Analyse und (3) die detaillierte Validierung der Modellierung an den gewonnenen experimentellen Daten.


RUI:  Neurobiology of Insect Circadian Rhythms

The PI has discovered a unique protein that appears to be                  essential to the biologic clock which determines daily rythms                   controlled by the brain.  The discovery of the protein came out                 of work she did at Harvard on the molecular biology of the                      "period" gene in the Drosophila and its influence on biological                 rhythms.  From this lowly fly brain an exciting generalization                  has come because the proteins which the Drosophila genes express                in neurons are also expressed in the hypothalamus of vertebrate                 animals.  This indicates the vital importance of the gene to                    brain function as it has been conserved for millions of years.                  Dr. Siwicki will study the neurons in the brain by applying an                  antibody she has produced to the protein produced by the gene and               study the electrophysiology of the identified neurons to test the               biological consequence of neurons containing the protein.  This                 should clarify if cells that produce the product are rythm                      generators which keep the brain "on time" to coordinate brain                   function.


A stereospecific chemosensory model suited to analyze nicotine perception, "liking" and sensory induced craving

Nicotine not only represents the main addictive component of smoking but it also greatly contributes to the sensory properties of tobacco. A human stereospecific sensory model for nicotine dependency was developed based on the fact that (1) smokers experience the sensory properties of S-(-)-nicotine during smoking, but both - smokers and non-smokers - are naive to the sensory properties of R-(+)-nicotine and based on the fact that (2) stereoisomers have identical physicochemical properties. Thus, the stereospecificity of nicotine provides unique possibilities to investigate the influence of smoking history and former experienced nicotine consumption on nicotine perception, liking and on stimulus induced craving. Furthermore it provides an excellent tool to investigate the effects of conditioning processes during the process of smoking. Thus, the aims of our research applications are the identification of relevant central components of nicotine perception, liking, stimulus induced craving and conditioning mechanisms. It employs differential analysis of standard fMRI (bold effect), event-related-responses following chemical stimulation with nicotine enantiomers and fMRI guided MR-spectroscopy. Differences following sensory stimulation with R-(+)- and S-(-)-nicotine in non-smokers and in smokers will be analysed. Peripheral sensory blocking with mecamylamine will be used in order to investigate the role of trigeminal nicotinic input. fMRI guided MR-spectroscopy and the recording of sensory event-related-responses will be employed in order to compare different neural states - smoker, nicotine withdrawal, non-smoker - at the level of brain metabolites (MR-spectroscopy) and at the functional cortical level (event-related potentials). It is expected that a multi-center-study with a specific focus on the genetics of nicotine dependence (initiated by Winterer and Batra) will provide novel candidate genes in the near future. The functional characterization of carriers of such genetic variations could represent a specific goal for the second funding period.


IMMUNE MEDIATORS OF ACUTE CARDIAC ALLOGRAFT DYSFUNCTION


Improving Outcomes of Adolescents in Residential Substance use Treatment via a Technology-Assisted Parenting Intervention

Narrative Adolescents in residential substance use treatment have high risk of relapse after discharge, but it is extremely difficult to engage these adolescents and their parents in continuing care. This study aims to improve the outcomes of adolescents following discharge from residential substance use treatment by offering their parents a novel technology-assisted intervention. Technology-assisted interventions have the potential for marked public health impact by extending the reach, duration, and scalability of evidence-based care.


1/2 NCCU-DUKE Cancer Disparities Translational Research Partnership

This NCI P20 collaborative partnership, “North Carolina Central University–Duke Cancer Institute Cancer Disparities Translational Research Program” (NCCU-DCI CDTRP), is relevant to cancer health disparities research, education and training. Regarding research, this application’s Pilot Projects focus on understanding and modulating molecular pathways in human tumors that contribute to the increased lethality of prostate cancer and inflammatory breast cancer in African Americans. Elucidating these pathways will contribute to better prevention, detection and treatment of these cancers. The Administrative Core and aforementioned Pilot Projects will be done by DCI, a NCI- designated Cancer Center, and NCCU, an Institution Serving Underserved health disparity Populations and underrepresented Students, in collaboration. Finally, a bi-directional Cancer Research Education Program is integrated to train the next generation of underserved and minority graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and early stage faculty investigators in leading edge translational cancer health disparities research.


重症心身障がい児の看護ケアに伴う生体反応を非接触で測定できるデバイスの開発

重症心身障がい児（以後、重症児）の意思疎通の問題は、臨床における看護ケアの評価や、最適な看護ケアの思考においてしばしば議論となる。重症児の看護ケアの効果を評価することは非常に重要であるにも関わらず、児の表情や動作で判断せざるを得なく、経験を頼りにしている現状がある。そのため、十分な経験を有しない看護師や初学者にとって適切な看護ケアの実施は非常に困難であり、時として児の負担となることが問題となる。本研究課題では、重症心身障がい児を対象に、看護ケアに伴う生体反応を非接触な状態で測定できるデバイスを開発し、看護ケアに伴う生体反応のフィードバックによって看護ケアが改善するかについて検討することとした。

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science


3alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 3 as a modulator of human adipose tissue function and distribution

Excess accumulation of fat inside the abdomen, termed visceral obesity, is generally predominant in men but it is also found in women. The presence of those large visceral fat stores has been closely linked to metabolic abnormalities which lead to diabetes and heart disease. Would it be possible to reduce fat storage in adipose tissue located inside the abdominal cavity and favor accumulation of fat tissues located under the skin, or subcutaneous fat? If so, this could delay the onset of diseases in individuals with abdominal obesity. Our main postulate is that this can be done by changing the amount of hormone dihydrotestosterone specifically in visceral fat. We have evidence that adipose tissues can generate a portion of their own dihydrotestosterone from other hormones such as adrenal androgen precursors or testosterone and also inactivate this hormone. We wish to prove that blocking the enzyme responsible for dihydrotestosterone inactivation will change the availability of the hormone in each fat compartment and will direct excess dietary lipids away from the visceral fat stores. To reach this goal, we will use cultures of adipose cells or explants obtained from various fat compartments in men and women. We will prove that the enzyme involved in dihydrotestosterone inactivation plays a significant role in the modulation of fat distribution patterns in humans by studying its impact on adipose tissue, its hormonal regulation and its genetic variation. We postulate that studying androgen inactivation in fat will contribute to identify new targets for the remodeling of adipose tissue distribution in humans.


Converging molecular mechanisms in axon degeneration and astrocyte morphogenesis

PROJECT NARRATIVE The highly elaborate morphology of astrocytes is evolutionarily conserved and tied to their many functions in the CNS, though our understanding of how this morphology is regulated is incomplete. Here, we propose to investigate how astrocyte morphology is regulated by the Sarm1-WNK-NAD+-Axed signaling axis, a canonical molecular pathway most known for its involvement in axon degeneration. By using pharmacology, genetics, and in vivo imaging in the larval zebrafish, our work will uncover new molecules crucial for astrocyte morphogenesis and provide new insights into the Sarm1 signaling pathway.


Analysis of mitochondrial fusion and fission in mammals

Because they generate energy for human cells, mitochondria are particularly important for muscle and nerve function. Our proposal will lead to fundamental knowledge about how the fusion and division of mitochondria regulate their function. This knowledge has important health implications because the major neurodegenerative diseases - including Parkinson's, Huntington's, and Alzheimer's diseases - involve mitochondrial dysfunction and may be alleviated by control of mitochondrial dynamics.


'Klimawandel' aus der Sicht der Medienrezipienten: Zu Wahrnehmung und Deutung eines Wissenschaftsthemas im Prozess öffentlicher Kommunikation. Klimakommunikation in OnlineÖffentlichkeitsarenen und deren Wirkung.

Im Fokus steht die Perspektive der Mediennutzer mit Laienstatus auf das Phänomen Klimawandel. Trotz wissenschaftlichem Konsens zum Grundphänomen anthropogener globaler Erwärmung bleiben die Befunde im Hinblick auf andere Aspekte sowie Folgen fragil und konfligierend. Dem Thema Klimawandel kommt dabei hohe Aufmerksamkeit in den Medien und damit in der Öffentlichkeit zu. Das in der ersten Untersuchungsphase entwickelte multikausale Wirkungsmodell der Medienerfahrungen zu einer komplexen Wissensdomäne mit den wesentlichen Komponenten des zeitlich dynamischen und des sozial transaktionalen Verlaufs bildet auch in der zweiten Phase die Grundlage der empirischen Untersuchung. Nachdem der Zusammenhang zwischen der Mediennutzung und dem Wissen, der affektiven Einstellung und der klimabezogenen Handlungsbereitschaft den Schwerpunkt der ersten Phase bildete, sollen nun die Deutungsweisen im Prozess der Medienaneignung des Themas Klimawandel im Mittelpunkt stehen. Das Mehr-Methoden-Design besteht aus drei Modulen: 1) explorative Studie mit Leitfadeninterviews zur Rekonstruktion medienbiographischer Erfahrungen sowie Deutung aktueller Klimaberichterstattung; 2) explorative Studie zur Analyse der Deutungsmuster zu Klimathemen mittels Diskussionen im Internet; 3) Untersuchungsphase 1 vertiefende repräsentative Panelbefragung in drei Wellen zur Analyse dynamischer Medienwirkungen auf Klimawandel-Einstellungen.


No summary - Aucun sommaire

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Industrial Undergraduate Student Research Awards


GENETIC STUDIES WITH ZEBRA FISH (BRACHYDANIO RERIO)


Tectonic and Volcanic History of Western Grand Canyon Region


Study on the regulation of feeding behavior by intestinal fatty acid ethanolamides

腸管に存在する栄養素センサーが栄養素を感知すると、シグナル伝達経路が活性化されて代謝や摂食を調節するためのホルモン分泌や神経活性が起こる。関連するシグナルの一つとして脂肪酸エタノールアミド情報伝達系が挙げられ、栄養素を感知するとそれらのシグナルが絶妙に変動して食欲を調節する。複雑な神経系を持つ腸管ではそれらのシグナルを介して、食欲だけでなく、食嗜好や食依存といったこれまで中枢の機能とされていた高度な食行動の調節に主体的に関わっている可能性がある。そこで本研究では、脂肪酸エタノールアミドシグナルに起因する食嗜好や食依存を含めた食行動調節機構について動物モデルや分析技術を駆使して明らかにする。

Southen Tohoku Research Institute for Neuroscience(2021-2022)Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology(2020)


EPIDEMIOLOGY &PREVENTION OF ALCOHOL ABUSE &ALCOHOLISM


Novel sustainable multifunctional products for the conservation of built heritage made of carbonate stones


Cancer epidemiology cohorts in Shanghai and Singapore

We are requesting infrastructure support for two established, population-based cancer epidemiology cohorts  among Chinese men and women. The unique exposures and cancer risk profiles of the Asian cohorts have  been essential to identifying the protective effect of specific dietary factors on cancer risk. These important  findings have been used as a rationale for conducting cancer chemoprevention trials in U.S. populations.


REDOX AND ELECTRON-TRANSFER PROPERTIES OF FLAVODOXINS


Proposal Abstract
SES 0217508
Population Science and the Making of China's One-Child-Per-Couple Policy, 1975-2000
Susan Greenhalgh, University of California-Irvine

The development of modern science and technology has played a crucial part in China's post-Mao economic and global ascent.  Important political dimensions of Chinese science have been studied, but key issues in science studies--in particular, how scientific knowledge is created, and how science shapes public policy and society--remain largely unexplored in the Chinese context.   China's controversial one-child-per-couple policy, introduced in 1979-80, provides a striking case of the impact of science on policy and society. In the U.S., both scholarly and popular thinking associates the policy with China's (repressive) politics, not its (weak) science. Yet interviews with Chinese insiders suggest that, behind the scenes, Chinese population scientists, borrowing heavily from western science (especially the limits- to- growth models of the 1970s), played a critical role in the making (and later unmaking) of the one-child policy. Today that role remains shrouded in mystery. This project seeks to open the black box, "Chinese population science" to see how its central notions of "population crisis" and the one-child policy as "the only solution" were constructed, how they evolved over 25 years, and how they produced their extraordinary political and social effects.

Taking seriously the "science" in the social sciences, the project draws on science studies, histories of numbers, and governmentality studies to develop a science studies approach to population science (or demography) and its role in population governance. The approach seeks to problematize the term "population" by showing how "population" is actively constituted as a domain of science and governance, and how "population problems" such as "crises" and their "optimal policy solutions" are humanly constructed by historically situated actors operating in highly consequential political and cultural contexts. This project is the first to theorize the science of population and its connections to population governance in a non-Western context. The China work should underscore the unappreciated power of population science and make clear the stakes involved in how we view the human sciences.

The project involves interviewing influential Chinese scientists and policymakers (as well as selected foreign scholars and practitioners); visiting policy pilot projects; and conducting archival research on the history of population science- and policy-making.   During ten years as anthropologist and policy analyst at the Population Council , a nonprofit research organization, the PI built up a large personal network in Chinese demographic and policymaking circles, acquired an extensive specialist vocabulary, and gained a reputation as a "friend of China." This familiarity with China's population field helps ease problems of access to interviewees and material.


Legal Foundation of Washington - To provide general operating support.

To provide general operating support.


Elucidating Molecular Drivers of Aging and Alzheimer's Disease via Multimodal Imaging Mass Spectrometry

PROJECT NARRATIVE: This application proposes to map cellular and molecular alterations associated with normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease in brain tissue using imaging mass spectrometry in tandem with various forms of microscopy, multiomic spatial profiling, and machine learning. We hypothesize that comprehensive multimodal molecular imaging and analysis of brain tissues will provide a deeper mechanistic understanding of understudied neuropathologies, contributing to the complexity and heterogeneity of Alzheimer’s disease, including cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), dystrophic neurites, neuropil threads, granulovacuolar degenerating bodies, and gliosis . This work will generate high spatial resolution and comprehensive molecular atlases of normal aging and Alzheimer’s human brains and our advanced data analysis strategies will further reveal disease state/transition/class-specific molecular signatures, provide insight into key molecular pathways along with changes or disruption across tissue regions of interest, and identify potential disease subgroups.


Chronic pain affects up to 20% of the general population and can cause serious side effects such as sleep disturbance and depression, while affecting work performance and the ability to socialize with family and friends. Patients with prostate and bladder pain often experience moderate to severe pain, but do not always have a good understanding of why the pain is occurring and how they can minimize their symptoms. The Prostatitis and Interstitial Cystitis Clinics at Kingston General Hospital are the only two clinics dedicated to the study and management of urologic pelvic pain conditions in Canada. Many of the over 1,000 patients we follow locally have expressed a strong interest in learning more about their medical problem. Our Cafe Scientifique will provide the perfect opportunity to disseminate that information. Using the informal approach of the Cafe, men and women with pelvic pain will be able to discuss their medical condition and learn more about treatments in a comfortable and informative setting. The Cafe will discuss the specific conditions of interstitial cystitis (painful bladder syndrome which occurs primarily in women) and prostatitis (chronic pelvic pain syndrome in men), explore the concept and basic science behind the condition and describe what clinicians and researchers are doing to improve treatment for patients. At the end of the Cafe, we believe that patients and their significant others will have a good understanding of chronic pelvic pain and how to manage their symptoms. They will also know that they are not alone, and that ongoing research is unlocking some of the mysteries surrounding their medical problem, providing hope for better pain and symptom control.


Retrofitting of Unreinforced Masonry Walls for Out-of-Plane Bending

9421950  Ehsani  Recent earthquakes have  demonstrated the life safety hazard  posed by unreinforced masonry (URM)  wall structures.  It is proposed to  strengthen the URM walls by fiber  composites. The flexibility, light  weight and high tensile strength of  composites makes them an ideal  material for strengthening masonry  structures.  A recent study has  demonstrated that significant  increases in strength and ductility  could be achieved for static  loading.  The primary objective of  this research project will be to  study the out-of-plane cyclic  behavior of unreinforced masonry  (URM) walls strengthened with fiber  composites and to develop analysis  and design procedures or seismic  strengthening of existing URM  structures.  Six wall specimens,  each approximately 8 ft wide and 10  ft tall, will be tested.  Two  different height to thickness  ratios (h/t = 14 and 28)  constructed of one or two wythes of  bricks will be examined.  Composite  fabrics epoxied to the wall will  either fully cover both faces of  the wall, or will be applied as  vertical strips spaced apart and  staggered on the opposite faces of  the wall.  Test results will be  used to develop design guidelines  for retrofitting of URM structures.  The proposed research will be  closely coordinated with a parallel  research investigating the in-plane  cyclic behavior of fiber reinforced  URM wall at the University of  Michigan.  ***


Recent Advances in Hodge Theory:  Period Domains, Algebraic Cycles, and Arithmetic

A summer school and conference on Hodge theory will be held at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) from June 10-20, 2013. This award will support 30 US participants at various stages of their careers. The 24 invited speakers are leading experts in aspects of complex and arithmetic geometry, algebraic cycles, and representation theory, which are in the early stages of a synthesis around the study of period mappings and generalized period domains. The conference will accelerate this process and give graduate students and recent Ph.D.'s an opportunity to enter an emerging discipline.

In its simplest form, Hodge theory is the study of periods -- integrals of algebraic differential forms which arise in the study of complex geometry, number theory and physics.  Its difficulty and richness arise in part from the non-algebraicity of these integrals.  What algebraic structure they do have is recorded by symmetry groups called Mumford-Tate groups, and according to the Hodge conjecture (and its variants) should be explained by the presence of objects called algebraic cycles.  The conference will serve to disseminate recent progress on both of these fronts, create new interdisciplinary collaborations, and train the next generation of Hodge theorists.

The web site for the conference is
http://www.pims.math.ca/scientific-event/130610-rahtpdaca


超臨界噴出法による微粒子コーティングプロセスの開発

超臨界溶媒に溶質を溶かした溶液を微細な口径のノズルから大気中に噴出すると、溶液は断熱膨張しその圧力、温度は急激に低下し、それに伴い溶媒の溶解力が激減し溶質が析出する。この原理を利用した超臨界噴出法は、微粒子や薄膜などを容易に生成させることができる。この超臨界噴出法を応用して、コーティング物質を超臨界溶液に溶解され、これを核粒子を充填した噴流層内に噴出して核粒子表面に膜あるいは微粒子を生成させて核粒子表面をコーティングする新しい流動層粒子コーティングを行うプロセスを提案した。特に、従来の流動層コーティングでは、粒子凝集が過大となるため200〜250μm以下の粒子はコーティングが困難であるのに対し、このプロセスでは容易に微粒子のコーティングが可能となる。本年度は、内部ノズル付き循環流動層を用いて微粒子コーティングを試み、得られたコーティング粒子を調べ、コーティング効率、コーティング速度、コーティングの均一性などを求め、以下を明らかにした。1)従来は困難であった数十μmの微粒子をコーティングすることができた。2)核粒子の造粒および凝集は起こらず、安定なコーティングが可能であった。3)コーティング効率はコーティング剤濃度およびガス空塔速度が大きいほど向上した。超臨界噴出法による流動層コーティング法は、微粒子のコーティングが可能であるのみならず、残存溶媒の問題がない、比較的低温でコーティングできるなど優れた特色を有し、広範な分野での工業的応用が期待できる。

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas


Identifying The Human Calcineurin Signaling Network

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project will identify new substrates and functions of calcineurin, which regulates many processes in humans by mediating Ca2+-dependent changes in protein phosphorylation. Misregulation of calcineurin underlies immune disorders, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and schizophrenia. This research studies calcineurin function at a biochemical and structural level, and will provide new insights into its actions in healthy and diseased cells, thus uncovering new therapeutic approaches to control its activities selectively.


拡散的に結合した非線形振動子の振動停止現象の解析と制御

遅延拡散結合された自励発振器の振動停止現象(delayed induced amplitude death)の検討を行い,停止現象が生じない十分条件を導出した.この条件は,発振器の平衡点でのヤコビ行列が,奇数個の正の実固有値(離散力学系の場合:1を超える奇数個の実固有値)を有するというものである,本研究では,任意の個数の発振器をリング状に結合した場合でも,この十分条件が有効であることを解析的に示した.この条件は,発振器の個数,結合強度,遅延時間,結合変数に依存していない.したがって,各発振器がこの十分条件を満足していれば,いかなる発振器の個数,結合強度,遅延時間,結合変数であっても,停止現象は発生しない.本研究では,十分条件を満足していない各発振器にフィードバック制御を施すことで,各発振器が十分条件を満足する方法を提案した.このフィードバック制御は簡単な手順で設計でき,複雑な計算を要しない.これら解析的な結果はすべて数値実験で検証し,その有効性を確認している.これらの研究成果をまとめ,国際ジャーナルに投稿し,現在査読中である.また,振動停止現象の過渡現象を調べるため,リング状に結合したカオス制御システムに生じる過渡的な振る舞いを調べた,過渡現象を3つのクラスに分け,超過渡現象が生じないクラスI,IIを実現する結合強度の条件を導出した.この成果は,国際会議(NOLTA'06)で口頭発表している.

Osaka Prefecture University(2006)Future University-Hakodate(2005)


An investigation into the ecophysiology of Haematococcus pluvialis and Chlorella sorokiniana grown in continuous photobioreactors

Microalgae are promising resources for new products with applications in the food, cosmetic, pharmacy and biofuel industries. Nevertheless, just few species are grown in large scale and, among these, the culture options that prevail are open raceway tanks. This is because open tanks are cheaper and of easier operation and maintainance when compared with closed photobioreactors. However, due to the high contamination potential and low physiological control of the microalgae in open tanks, its use for the production of pure compounds for the pharmacy and/or food industries is not recommended. In such cases, closed continuous photobioreactors are prefered because they offer physiological control of the algae cells and cultures are less prone to contamination. The biochemical manipulation of microalgae requires stable and controlable ecophysiological conditions that continuous cultures offer, in contrast to batch systems operated in the open tanks. In the present proposal we aim the construction of 3 photobioreactors to be operated in continuous systems, two of which with 3 L capacity and one with 30 L capacity to grow phytoplankton cells with high ecophysiological control. This will lead to precise manipulation of the biochemical composition of the algae. Our research will be supported by algae physiology through the determination of photosynthetic efficiency (modulated fluorescence, PhytoPAM) associated with the application of environmental stresses (different phosphate and copper concentrations) for oriented biomolecules synthesis. The biochemical composition of the cells include the determination of total carbohydrates and proteins concentrations, and lipid class analysis (TLC/FID, Iatroscan). Thermal analysis (calorimetry, thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis) will also be performed in the biomass. Two freshwater green algae known to have comercial interest, Haematococcus pluvialis (astaxantin producer) and Chlorella sorokiniana (protein source in aquaculture) will be investigated in this study. The microalgae will be used as food source for zooplankton, which have high nutritional value for fish larvae in aquaculture. This research inovates in two important aspects, first it associates the photosynthetic monitoring with variables that can induce the synthesis of biochemical compounds of interest and, secondly, the use of culture systems that offer highly controlled physiological conditions aiming higher yield and microalgae production. (AU)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS)


Biophysical and Computational Investigation of the Rhodopsin Activation Mechanism


ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY USING TRANSGENIC MOUSE MODELS


WHAT CONTROLS THE STRUCTURE AND STABILITY OF THE OCEAN MERIDONAL OVERTURNING CIRCULATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE?

OFFICE OF SCIENCE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM


DEVELOPMENT OF PET RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS TARGETING GRPR

At the conclusion of this research we expect to have developed a 64Cu-labeled BN analog and a 68Ga-labeled BN analog for PET imaging of GRPR that represents a significant improvement over the existing BN analogs that are used for PET imaging. These analogs should be useful for the clinical detection and staging of cancers that express GRPR.


Photochemical Synthesis of Naturally  Occurring Phenolic Pigments


微量化学物質に対する肺細胞の反応機構の研究

Principal Investigator：横山 栄二, Project Period (FY)：1975, Research Category：Grant-in-Aid for Special Project Research


Collaborative research: Cascadia2020: Investigating subduction zone segmentation with a 3D high-resolution Vp model

The Cascadia subduction zone is known to generate infrequent (every ~500 years) but potentially very large (up to magnitude 9) earthquakes. The most recent such earthquake occurred on January 26th, 1700, and GPS data acquired during the last two decades suggest that strain is accumulating across the subduction zone fault in preparation for a future earthquake. However, there is considerable uncertainty about how the geologic structure of the subduction zone will impact strain release during a Cascadia earthquake. Different plausible earthquake scenarios result in quite different predicted ground shaking, which in turn influences building codes and emergency response plans. This project will image the structure of the crust in the region where large Cascadia earthquakes are thought to occur. The objective is to understand three-dimensional variations in seismic velocity in order to provide insights into the factors that control segmentation of slip during earthquakes and the resulting amplitude of ground shaking in populated areas and sedimentary basins. With its large footprint and involvement of many field hands, this project will provide student research experiences and opportunities for public outreach and education about geohazards in the Pacific Northwest. This project is a collaboration between Oregon State University, University of Oregon, Eugene, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and the U.S. Geological Survey.

This project has the ultimate goal of generating a high-resolution model of an active subduction system that will span the Cascadia plate boundary, including the transition between major along-strike segments, and cross the transition from the nominally locked zone down-dip to depths where plate motion is accommodated by episodic tremor and slip. A dense network of temporary short-period seismometers along the coast of the Pacific Northwest will extend high resolution imaging of the structure of the overlying and down-going plates, as well as the thickness and characteristics of material within the plate interface zone, to depths that are critical for understanding earthquake processes. The array design includes a single deployment of three-component instruments at 1-km intervals along the onshore extension of dip lines embedded within a sparser grid of seismometers spaced 7-10 km apart for a total of ~700 three-component seismic stations. To tie results from the seismogenic part of the plate boundary to larger-scale forearc and arc structure, two profiles will extend across the forearc. All stations will record natural sources as well as man-made sources for the duration of the deployment. The seismic data from this experiment will be made immediately available to the community. The resulting high-resolution 3D Vp model will also be made accessible and is critical for constraining analyses of seismic noise, magnetotelluric and potential field data, as well as for improving predictions of earthquake ground shaking and tsunami generation in the Pacific Northwest.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.


SMART CORE-SHELL NANOWIRE ARCHITECTURES FOR MULTIFUNCTIONAL NANOSCALE DEVICES


HEMOSIDEROSIS IN MARMOSETS--A POTENTIAL ANIMAL MODEL FOR HUMAN IRON OVERLOAD


Screening Assays for Small Molecules Targeting Oncogenic eIF4E Expression

The objective of this project is to develop an innovative screening assay for use in discovery of therapeutic agents targeting eIF4E - a protein commonly overexpressed in human cancers. Ultimately, completion of the proposed research will lead to the development of novel cancer therapies, and thereby benefit millions of people afflicted with cancer.


床及び屋根に立体トラスを用い,任意の増改築を可能にする構法の開発に関する研究

従来のトラス構造物、特に立体トラスのように、弦材にパイプを用いボールジョイントにより構成されるトラス構造物は構造計算の際ジョイント部をピン支点として置き換え計算している。しかしながら、実際の接合部はある大きさをもったボールにボルトを介してパイプと接合されており、弦材またはボールに曲げモーメントが働くと、この力は他の部材に影響を与える。例えば、立体トラスに屋根を架ける場合はボール上に2次部材を渡しその上に屋根材を葺くことになりボールにある程度の曲げモーメントが働いている。このように従来の立体トラス架構は計算上(理論上)では接合点にはモーメントがかからず弦材にかかる応力は軸力のみであるとしてきた。だが、本研究では、そのテーマである床架構として立体トラスを用いることや、柱の取り付け取り外しが自由なシステムという点から弦材やボールに曲げ力をかけることが必要条件となった。それにより、柱を水平支持材で固定しキャンチレバーの柱にする形式や、床や屋根に2次部材を用いず、直接上弦材にパネル等を敷くシステムを開発した。次に、これらのシステムの可能性を実証するために強度実験を行なった。これはボールに曲げモーメントが生じた時に周囲のボルトやパイプにどのような影響を与えるか、また、パイプ=ボルト=ボールが一体となった時のボルトの曲げ強度の測定が目的である。一方、柱をブレース形式とし、屋根-柱-床を一体のトラス架構としたシステムを開発し、実際に事務所・工場・研究所の平面計画を行ない、それらのプランに従い柱を配置し、大型計算機を用いて構造解析を行ない柱の配置計画における指針を得た。以上の過程を踏まえてサブシステムの設計を行ない立体トラスを用いた従来にないフレキシビリティのある構法の開発を行なった。

Grant-in-Aid for Developmental Scientific Research


Creation of active nano-space by kinetic control

In this work, I clarified the formation of active nano spaces using copper cubane type cluster and Td symmetrical ligands. I succeeded in creating highly emissive coordination networks by heating kinetically assembled porous coordination networks. Furthermore, I revealed the possibility as adsorbents for radioactive iodine using a flexible ligand.


Genetics of Type 2 Diabetes in indigenous Australians


抗MLCレセプター単クローン抗体の作製とその腎移植への応用

Principal Investigator：柏木 登, Project Period (FY)：1982, Research Category：Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C), Research Field：General surgery


No summary - Aucun sommaire

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada


Mechanism of Glycosylase Enzymes in DNA Repair and Demethylation

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This proposal seeks to elaborate how repair enzymes protect against DNA mutations caused by damage to 5- methylcytosine, an abundant modified base in DNA. A large percentage of point mutations in cancer and genetic disease are attributable to 5-methylcytosine deamination. The proposed studies will advance understanding of how repair enzymes counter this threat and why these mutations are nevertheless prevalent in human DNA. The studies will also advance understanding about how these enzymes contribute to regulating DNA methylation, which is important because aberrant DNA methylation is implicated in diseases including cancer and in ageing.


9th National Meeting of Forensic Chemistry (ENQFor) / 6th Meeting of the Brazilian Society of Forensic Sciences (SBCF) / 19th Latin American Regional Congress of Forensic Toxicology (TIAFT)

A programação será estruturada por meio de conferências, palestras, sessões coordenadas, mesas redondas, workshops, minicursos, apresentação de trabalhos na forma de pôster e oral, englobando três eventos: 9º Encontro Nacional de Química Forense, a 6ª Reunião da Sociedade Brasileira de Ciências Forenses e o 19º Congresso Regional Latino-Americano de Toxicologia Forense (TIAFT), tendo como temática central ""Novas fronteiras em Ciências Forenses: um olhar para o futuro"". Serão abordados, por profissionais de referência nacional e internacional, temas centrais para a expansão e o desenvolvimento das Ciências Forenses no Brasil, que busca explorar as perspectivas mais avançadas e promissoras no campo das Ciências Forenses, convidando estudantes, professores, pesquisadores e peritos a direcionar seu olhar para o horizonte, examinando as inovações tecnológicas, as mudanças nas práticas forenses e as tendências emergentes que estão moldando o futuro das investigações e da Justiça. Com um foco renovado na vanguarda das ciências forenses, este congresso integrado visa inspirar discussões críticas, fomentar colaborações interdisciplinares e preparar os participantes para os desafios e oportunidades que aguardam a comunidade forense nos próximos anos, no qual serão enfocadas as seguintes trilhas: Química e Toxicologia Forenses; Perícia em Locais de Crime; Medicina Legal e Balística Forense; Documentoscopia; Criminologia e Psicologia Forense; Computação e Multimídia Forenses; Genética Forense, entre outras. (AU)

Auxílio Organização - Reunião Científica

Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP)


AGE-ASSOCIATED ALTERATIONS IN HUMAN NK CELL SYSTEM


BRUCE and ROSA go to Coney Island - interactive robotic fish join the New York Aquarium

This CRPA award will engage public audiences in a robotic experience that will help them better understand live fish, aquatic environments, engineering and marine science. The issue addressed by this project deals with enhancing the aquarium experience and learning several new concepts in biology and animal behavior. Each engaged youngster can control a robot fish or even a school of fish to experiment with how fish function and perhaps to mimic what he or she has observed in the big tank of live fish. One special App that is downloadable to i-devices allows the viewer to see what the fish sees and can control that fish.

This activity is an aquarium exhibit containing robotic fish. It is engineered so that external devices can keep the fish energized, but the key is that observers can actually control the movements of the fish remotely using the exhibit controls or their own i-device such as an i-Phone. This exhibit will be at the New York aquarium on the Boardwalk of Brooklyn where large numbers of people visit. Many of these individuals are from under-served groups.

This is a cooperative venture between Polytechnic University of New York, New York University and the New York Aquarium.


Development and Application of an Operator Vision Assistance System for Enhanced Direct Process Control in Foundrie

Purpose and goal:
Proper slag control is a challenge to steel foundries as it is difficult to visually distinguish steel and slag at high temperature, even for skilled operators. The main purpose of the project was to address this challenge by enhancing the vision of the foundry operators by developing and testing a vision assistance system, thereby giving a direct online control over the metallurgical process. A protoype of such a system was developed and was tested  in the Österby Gjuteri.

Expected results and effects:
The tests of the prototype system showed promising application of OViAs in slag control. It is estimated that with OViAs, the use of slag binder can be optimised, i.e., slag binder can be added at right locations on melt surface and in right amounts. This is believed to reduce the cost of buying slag binder by 5-10%. Moreover, slag binder optimisation will reduce quality defects, caused by slag inclusions. This is expected to reduce the production cost by 5-10%.

Approach and implementation:
The project was split into different work packages. The intital work packages focussed on setting up  OViAs demonstrator. This demonstrator was tested at foundry in the subsequent work packages. Simultaneously, emissivity tests were carried out on liquid slag and liquid steel, as part of OViAs calibration. In the final work packages, improvements were made to setup the OViAs protoype. This protoype was tested by operators at foundry to identify the technical and economical benefits.


DEFENSE & STATE MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT - COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

STATE MEMO OF AGREEMENT PROGRAM FOR THE REIMBURSEMENT OF TECHNICAL SERVS


Integrating Longitudinal Data to Examine Directional, Synergistic and Differential Effects of Tobacco Control Policies on Smoking

Project Narrative State and local tobacco control policies have contributed to the decline in overall tobacco use over the last half century, but further policy progress has recently stalled, and socioeconomic disparities in smoking remain strong. Whether policy-related gains can be maintained during periods of policy retrenchment, the most effective combinations of tobacco control policies, and whether tobacco policies can shrink socioeconomic smoking disparities remains unclear. In the proposed project, we aim to integrate individual smoking information from a national longitudinal dataset currently under-utilized in tobacco research with state and local measures of tobacco control policies, in order to estimate directional, synergistic and differential policy effects on smoking.


Experimental Optimisation of Synthetic Jet Actuators for Flow Separation Control onboard More-Electric and Future Net-Zero Aircraft

The push to achieve the Aviation Industry's Net-Zero goals by 2050 has led to the rapid development of alternative propulsion methods such as electric, hybrid, and potentially hydrogen powered solutions. The success of such methods will be impacted by improvements in aerodynamic efficiency, capable of reducing energy consumption and increasing the flight range of future designs. Pulsed Jet Actuation (PJA) has been recognised as a promising method of flow control with a reduced mass input requirement compared to an actuator blowing continuously, as demonstrated in the University of Nottingham's WINGPULSE project. However, current limitations involve sourcing the compressed air required for fluidic jet actuation. Increases in the total system weight associated with electrical compressors and piping negate the benefits of this technology when scaled for adoption on existing aircraft.
Synthetic Jet Actuators (SJA) are piezo-electric devices with the ability to generate airflows without requiring an air supply. SJAs make use of a rapidly oscillating diaphragm to generate a pulsed jet, drawing power from either an electric power supply or mechanical vibrations. Research into SJAs at UoN to-date has achieved state-of-the-art SJA performance with regards to actuator authority and power conversion efficiency. However, further experimental and computational research is required to assess the performance of such devices in a wind-on environment in the University's closed return wind tunnel, and determine the ability to optimise SJAs for specific wing applications.

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council


The Process of Group Therapy for Cocaine Dependence


No summary - Aucun sommaire


The 40th Southeastern-Atlantic Regional Conference on Differential Equations (SEARCDE) will bring together leading experts and junior researchers working in differential equations and related fields. The conference, to be held at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, NC, on November 12-13, 2022, facilitates access for junior researchers in the Southeastern-Atlantic region. It provides a unique experience for the region due to its research focus, size, and location, as well as its strong commitment to building regional research networks and mentoring the next generation of mathematicians who work in differential equations. This conference aims to support the participation of 150 regional researchers, the majority of whom will be graduate students. SEARCDE at NCSU serves a significant educational purpose, by helping to train the scholars of tomorrow in order to increase their future impact as scientists. Moreover, building connections at all levels and across the Southeastern-Atlantic region is crucial for increasing diversity in future hires in academia. The 40th SEARCDE is committed to inclusion and diversity. This year the conference will be held in cooperation with the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM).

The 40th SEARCDE will be focused on the following themes: (1) Applications of differential equations, especially to problems in life sciences, (2) Mathematical control and related topics, and (3) Applied analysis of differential equations. The focus on timely, applied topics, such as life sciences, aligns the work of the conference with significant societal needs of broad interest and impact. More information about the conference can be found at https://wp.math.ncsu.edu/searcde2022/

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.


Analysis of inhibitory derivatives for parathyroid gland hormone secretion

Over half patients with renal failure suffer hyperparathyroidism(HPT). HPT leads to severe osteoporotic state. Recently, a CaR agonist, cinacalcet has been developed to suppress parathyroid gland. In contrast, aKlotho and FGF23 are both essential for regulating PTH secretion. We addressed the principle that aKlotho contributes to PTH secretion and then surveyed the inhibitory chemicals. Screening study revealed estron glucuronide and its derivatives are candidates for suppression of PTH secretion. These data would be seeds for PTH inhibitory drugs based on aKlotho structure.

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research

Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation


Elucidating the role of new RasGAP tumor suppressors in cancer

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The Ras pathway is one of the most commonly deregulated pathways in human cancer. However, RAS mutations are conspicuously absent in tumors such as breast cancer despite the fact that the pathway is hyperactivated. This grant aims to investigate two new human tumor suppressors in breast cancer, that function by regulating Ras and converging signaling pathways.


Intimate Partner Violence and Dementia Risk: Applying Lifecourse and Gender Analysis

PROJECT NARRATIVE By 2060, the burden of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in the U.S. is expected to double with women being overrepresented among cases, but many powerful and highly prevalent aspects of women’s lives–including exposure to gender-based violence–have received almost no attention in ADRD research. Thus, we propose to investigate the relationship between experiences of intimate partner violence and cognitive decline among cis-gender women. This work may suggest new strategies for ADRD prevention, reveal how lifecourse social experiences of women influence ADRD risk, and elucidate potential mechanisms of ADRD development.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH


On the origin of sex differences in gene regulation

Animals and humans have different traits depending on sex, such as manes present only in male lions. Many sex differences are not visible, such as in internal organs. All human organs display robust sex differences in molecular profiles, but the reason for these differences is not known. To determine whether sex differences arise due to differing sex chromosomes or differing hormones, the team developed a highly innovative rat model that can answer this. This project will elucidate which factors, sex chromosomes or hormones, drive sex differences in molecular regulators across multiple tissues, and during development, revolutionising the fundamental understanding of the origin of sex differences in mammals.


Oxidative Stress and Vascular Function in Chronic Kidney Disease


Acquisition of a Sensitive and Cost-Effective 2G Enterprises 755R Superconducting Rock Magnetometer System for Paleomagnetic and Rock-Magnetic Studies

9909577
King

This grant provides partial support for the acquisition of a 2-G Enterprises 755R superconducting rock magnetometer system (SRM) for the Paleomagnetics Laboratory at the University of Rhode Island - Graduate School of Oceanography.  The addition of a SRM equipped with an automated u-channel sample introduction system will allow rapid, high-resolution analysis of weakly magnetized sediment cores and samples.  It will primarily be used for studies of global climate change and of the temporal variation in the behavior of the Earth's magnetic field.  Drilling and coring programs that require rapid analysis of many samples will be emphasized.  The magnetometer will be housed in a large shielded room along with a large access 2-G Enterprises SRM.  The URI Paleomagnetics Laboratory will be operated as a cost recovery center and will be open for collaborative studies by researchers and students from other institutions.  Support for this grant is shared between the Earth Sciences Instrumentation and Facilities Program (EAR/IF), the Division of Ocean Sciences, Marine Geology and Geophysics Program (OCE/MGG), Ocean Drilling Program (OCE/ODP) and the Atmospheric Sciences, Paleoclimatology Program (ATM/PC).

***


Genetics of Suscptibility to Anthrax Toxin in vivo

UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT & ST AGRIC COLLEGE


Simulation Studies of Ground State Phases and Criticality in Correlated Quantum Matter

TECHNICAL EXPLANATION:
This award supports computational and theoretical research that aims to elucidate the nature of complex ground states and quantum phase transitions in strongly correlated electron systems. Research involves large-scale simulation studies of quantum spin models. These will use advanced quantum Monte Carlo methods, primarily those based on the stochastic series expansion (SSE) formulation of quantum statistical mechanics developed by the PI. The PI will continue to develop simulation algorithms. The specific models to be studied include a two-dimensional hard-core boson model with a ring-exchange term. An aim of this work is to accurately characterize the superfluid to valence-bond-solid transition, which has been proposed to be a "deconfined" quantum-critical point. A Heisenberg model will be studied with the aim of achieving an O(3)-symmetric antiferromagnetic to spin-liquid transition. Heisenberg models with strong disorder in the form of dilution will be investigated with the aim of characterizing the quantum phase transitions that are possible within this framework.
New SSE algorithms that will result from this work may impact research in other fields, for example lattice gauge theory and quantum information theory. Beyond training students in physics and advanced scientific computing, this award supports the construction of a web-site in which the SSE method is presented in a pedagogical manner and along with example programs for a various models.

NON-TECHNICAL EXPLANATION:
This award supports computational and theoretical research that engages issues at the heart of modern theoretical condensed matter physics that are inspired by the discovery of materials in which the electrons organize themselves to form unusual states of matter. High temperature superconductors and related compounds are among these materials. The PI will use advanced computational methods and streamlined models designed to strip away unnecessary detail and focus on the essential physics needed to understand these complex materials. The use of computational techniques aimed at ascertaining the exact solution to these models complements analytical theory efforts and provides insight that is not accessible to traditional experiments. The PI will further investigate a transformation among electronic phases that occurs at the absolute zero of temperature, and lies outside the standard theory of phase transitions. This new kind of phase transition advances our understanding of phase transitions and may be a key piece in the challenging puzzle of understanding high temperature superconductors and other strongly correlated materials. The understanding of this and other quantum phase transitions may have impact across physics and other fields. The proposal also supports an outreach activity to make the PI's computational methods more broadly accessible to the research community.


INTRODUCTION OF NEW GENES INTO LARGE ANIMALS


RNA Biology in Oxytricha: a Complex Unicellular Model

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE:      Genome rewiring events, through translocations, deletions, and even massive chromosomal rearrangements (chromothripsis), contribute to genome instability associated with many human diseases, including a significant portion of cancers and inherited or spontaneous diseases. Furthermore, many classes of small and long noncoding RNAs participate in genome remodeling pathways or the maintenance of genome integrity, while aberrantly spliced RNA products that can template DNA recombination could increase the frequency of genome rearrangements, resulting in either deletion of tumor-suppressing genes, formation of chimeric genes, or duplication and subsequent over-expression of genes that promote tumor stability. Because of its magnitude of RNA-regulated genome rewiring events, Oxytricha is unparalleled as a model system to shed light on the complex events that regulate genome stability and similar mechanisms that may contribute to cancer and genome instability in humans.


野菜類中ヒスタミンの生成経路解明と摂取減につながる調理法の検討

本研究では、比較的高いレベルでヒスタミンが蓄積することが報告されている野菜類について、そのヒスタミン生成のメカニズムを明らかにすること、さらにそのヒスタミンを除去する調理法について検討することを目的とした。野菜類でのヒスタミンの検出は過去に複数報告されているが、野菜類のヒスタミン生成能について調べた例はなく、学術的独自性が高い。動物および微生物のヒスタミン生成能については多く調べられており、まだ明らかではない植物のヒスタミン生成能が明確になれば、学術的なインパクトは大きいと考える。


Commercialization Readiness for Bone Filler Scaffold Device to Aid in Dental Applications and Reconstruction

Project Narrative Existing bone fillers for dental applications cannot match defect shape and volume, are weakly resorbed if at all, are not easily and quickly modifiable in size and shape during surgery, cannot promote early and enhanced healing; and are poorly suited for advanced reconstruction. Although pre-implant reconstructive surgeries are commonly performed, an estimated 7% of patients are unable to receive dental implants due to these limitations. The NuCress™ scaffold has shown it is a better alternative, boasting controllable shape and form, enhanced bone/neovascularization formation, shelf-life stability and tolerance over a range of storage conditions – once in place the scaffold swells to lock into the bone defect, eliminating need for special instruments, while the NIDCR-funded Fast Track SBIR results set the stage for performing FDA guided studies for subsequent FDA approval for use in humans to reduce costs and convalescent time to the benefit of millions of patients.


Immune suppressor mechanisms in patients with GI cancer


Striatal Neuroplasticity Mechanisms that Preserve Motor Behavior in a model of Parkinsonâs Disease

Narrative Parkinson’s disease is a debilitating condition in which dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta degenerate leading to motor impairments, such as tremor, rigidity and postural instability. Treatments for these motor impairments remain inadequate. Work described in this proposal will delineate synaptic and circuit-level mechanisms of a novel form of dopamine- mediated striatal plasticity that preserves motor function in a model of Parkinson’s disease and may lead to a new treatment strategies.


Unconsolidated loose sands of the Late Pleistocene Paleo-Tokyo Bay document the effects of important variables of depositional environment and provenance on framework composition. Fluvial sands include many lithic fragments, and are less quartzose and less feldspathic than shallow marine sands. Near shore sands are characterized by the most stable monocrystalline quartz grains but are less feldspathic than shoreface to offshore sands. Continual nearshore dyrnamic action may have caused abrasion and destruction of unstable lithic fragments and feldspar, overprinted by recydling of the older Paleo-Tokyo Bay sediments which were eroded away grom the coastal outcrops. shoreface and off shore sands are derived intermittently grom nearshore and/or river mouth environments by storm waves, accompanied by the influx of flood water, and are characterized by the intermediate composition between that of fluvial and nearshore sands.The relative amounts of contributed sediments from volvanic and sedimentary rock sources are largely represented by group compositions of ancient and recent fluvial channel sands in each province, which is further represented by unique combination of paleocurrents, topography and architecture of the Paleo-Tokyo Bay sediments, on the relative abundance of total lithic fragments to monocrystalline quartz grains, plotted against the relative abundance of volcanic rock fragments, refering to the geological composition of drainage areas of the recent fluvial systems which have been runing through the each province. The proximity of plutonic rock surce areas are also well documented by compositional variation of beach sands on the quartz grains plotted against the feldspar grains. The two components gradually increase towards the proximal provinces to the granitic rock sources.


11th International Symposium on Bordetella

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Pertussis or whooping cough is no longer a disease of infants and small children and in recent years, there have been numerous outbreaks in the US, resulting in the highest number of cases since the 1950's. This resurgence is likely multifactorial  in etiology, but is associated temporally with the transition from whole cell to acellular pertussi vaccines in the US and elsewhere. This international symposium is part of a series dating back to the 1960's and will provide an opportunity for physicians, scientists, regulatory and public health officials and vaccine manufacturers to address the pertussis problem collectively.


Von Übergangsscheiben bis zu Trümmerscheiben

Auf der Grundlage unseres derzeitigen physikalischen Verständnisses der Planetenbildung scheinen mehrere Prozesse das Wachstum zu größeren Körpern zu erschweren oder gar zu stoppen:(1) Kollisionswachstum ist oberhalb von Größen um einen Meter ineffizient,(2) schnelle radiale Drift entfernt Staubteilchen sehr schnell,(3) große Partikel müssen lokal angesammelt werden, um gravoturbulente Bildung von Planetesimalen zu ermöglichen, und(4) die radiale Drift von Teilchen macht das Wachstum von Planetesimalen per "Pebble-Accretion" ineffizient.Neuere Beobachtungen axi-symmetrischer Substrukturen in Scheiben zeigen, dass es offenbar Umgebungen gibt, in denen all diese Probleme gelöst werden können: das Einfangen und Wachstum von Staubteilchen in Druckmaximas kann die nötigen Überdichten an Teilchen liefern, welche darüberhinaus auch groß genug sind, um die Bildung von Planetesimalen auszulösen. Zudem driften die eingefangenen Teilchen nicht weg, was bedeutet, dass sie effizient auf wachsende Planetesimale akkretiert werden können.Trümmerscheiben (>= 10 Millionen Jahre alte, gasarme und optisch dünne Staubscheiben) sind die besten Laboratorien, um zu verstehen, wie und wo sich in den jüngeren, staub- und gasreichen Umgebungen der protoplanetaren Scheiben zuvor Planetesimale gebildet haben. Es ist jedoch noch unklar, wie junge Sterne vom Stadium der Planetenbildung in das Stadium der Trümmerscheiben übergehen, welche Rolle dabei die Substruktur spielt und wie das Auflösen der Gasscheiben zur Entstehung von Trümmerscheiben führt. Ziel dieses Projekts ist es, das Wachstum und das Einfangen von Festkörpern, die dadurch ermöglichte Planetesimalbildung und die Wechselwirkung zwischen Gas und Festkörpern in den ringförmigen Strukturen von jungen Scheiben zu untersuchen, um zu verstehen, wie sich in ihnen Planeten bilden können und wie daraus Trümmerscheiben hervor gehen.


VACCINE PRODUCING CATALYTIC ANTIBODIES AGAINST COCAINE

UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR


Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo


Planning IUCRC at LSU & Agricultural and Mechanical College:  Center for Innovations in Structural Integrity Assurance (CISIA)

Louisiana State University (LSU) and Louisiana Tech University (LA Tech) propose to establish the Center for Innovations in Structural Integrity Assurance (CISIA). Structural integrity and reliable life prediction of infrastructure and mechanical components have relevance in every public and private sector, ranging from oil & gas to aerospace to construction to energy processing industries. In addition to fundamental research for establishing linkages between material properties, infrastructure performance, and structural integrity ?which is beyond the scope of most industrial R&D organizations of today? the academic and industrial members of CISIA will work in concert to produce engineers who are trained in state-of-the-art facilities to utilize modern methods of structural health monitoring and analysis.  These engineers will join a highly-qualified and productive workforce that significantly enhances the global competitiveness of U.S. industries.

LSU site focuses on structural integrity and materials innovation, with emphasis on multiscale materials characterization/testing and multiscale physics-based modeling/simulation, to conduct research on component fatigue, wear, life-time assessment, and non-destructive accelerated testing. By integrating validated diagnostics, machine learning, and data-driven decision making, CISIA will be well-positioned to elucidate and translate the links between new materials, manufacturing processes, service histories, and their collective impact on reliability across all U.S. industrial sectors.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Louisiana State University and A&M College