Topics in enriched category theory

Category theory grew as a foundational language for many part of pure mathematics and was capable of expressing similarities and connections between different areas, in particular between geometric and algebraic areas of mathematics. At its simplest a category consists of things called objects and for each pair of objects, say A and B, a set of things going from A to B, where these things could be an enormous variety of things such as functions or paths, with the proviso that if you have something going from A to B and something going from B to C then you can combine them to form something going from A to C. These seemingly simple idea gives a very rich theory which manifest itself in lots of areas including logic and theoretical computer science. More recently, it was realised then a generalized notion, that of "enriched" category was even more useful and pervasive. For instance, the supervisor on this project has been recently working on the idea that many structures used in the area of optimization fit as neatly into enriched category theory as structures in topology do.

It is very common in practice to find enriched categories combining together to form categorical structure themselves, for instance enriched profuctor double categories are particularly pervasive in many areas. The project will look deeper into such structures.

Aims and objectives
Guided by both abstract principals and wide-ranging examples, the student will deepen the knowledge of the low dimensional categorical structures formed by enriched categories.

Potential applications and benefits
This is blue sky research that is looking at deep structures that pervade areas of mathematics, so it is not easy to say what potential applications are, however, it is worth mentioning that work in a related area, "magnitude", has gone on to inform measurement of biodiversity and to help measure effects in machine learning.

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council


Mechanisms of acute lung injury from blood transfusions.

Project Narrative Blood transfusions may acutely injure the lungs in a process termed transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI). Using a mouse model of TRALI, we have discovered that neutrophils and platelets are responsible for this injury. In this proposal, we will determine how neutrophils and platelets interact with each other in the lung microcirculation to ultimately produce lung injury.


UC Irvine Multidisciplinary Exercise Sciences Training Program


Regulation of TSLP-Mediated Skin Inflammation

Project Narrative Atopic dermatitis (AD) and allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) are common inflammatory disease of the skin that are characterized by intense pruritus and chronic eczematous plaques that are often associated with a personal or family history of atopy. The etiology and pathogenesis of these diseases remain poorly characterized. The proposed experiments will help define the role of a novel cytokine, TSLP, in the induction and progression of AD and ACD. This in turn will help guide efforts to develop new interventions for these and other skin inflammatory diseases that directly or indirectly target TSLP.

BENAROYA RESEARCH INST AT VIRGINIA MASON


Brain Metabolic Imaging in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Narrative Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease of motor neurons, and its cause is undetermined. Detecting ALS is complicated by the fact that currently there is no definitive biochemical or radiological test available. This project seeks to identify potential biochemical and imaging markers for detecting ALS.


Combinatorial Approaches to Overcoming Resistance to BRAF(V600E) Targeted Thera

RELEVANCE (See instructions):  The melanoma field has seen significant therapeutic progress, but little durable benefit (cure) from the  new, targeted drugs. This Project seeks to improve melanoma therapy by identifying drug combinations and  incorporation of immune modulation, which we believe may profoundly enhance the ability to kill melanoma  cells upon suppression of BRAF(V600E). Successful implementation of this work will lead to molecular  predictors of treatment efficacy and new lead-combinations for clinical development in man.


Photosynthesis and carbon dynamics in northern forests

No summary - Aucun sommaire

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada


MAXIMIZING THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM CALIFORNIA SENATE BILL 27

On January 1, 2018, California enacted Senate Bill 27 (SB27), first-of-its- kind and potentially precedent-setting legislation, which will require a veterinarian’s prescription for use of antimicrobial drugs and ban non- therapeutic antimicrobial uses for routine disease prevention and growth promotion in livestock. To assess the effectiveness of this important legislation at reducing antimicrobial resistant bacterial infections in humans, we propose the following specific aims: Aim 1. Quantify the effect of SB27 on E. coli, Campylobacter and Salmonella resistance rates from retail meat. Aim 2. Estimate the proportion of human Campylobacter, Salmonella, and extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli infections caused by strains of food-animal origin in California. Aim 3. Characterize the effect of SB27 on the antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter, Salmonella, and extraintestinal E. coli infections caused by strains of food-animal origin in California. Implementation of SB27 provides a unique natural experiment to assess the effectiveness of restrictive agricultural antimicrobial-use policies at reducing antimicrobial-resistant human infections. The proposed research will have a positive impact by prospectively measuring the effect of this policy on the antimicrobial susceptibility of E. coli (an important colonizing opportunistic pathogen) and Campylobacter and Salmonella (two frank foodborne pathogens) and thereby maximizing the information gained from this singular opportunity


Implementing Tobacco Control in Dental Practice


Providing Imaging Expertise and Training for Researchers

to help increase the interactions between biologists and technology experts and to improve imaging tools for the scientific community


Interdepartmental Training in Pharmacological Sciences

The goal of the University of Michigan (U-M) Pharmacological Sciences Training Program (PSTP) is to develop a diverse pool of well-trained biomedical scientists who have the technical, operational and professional skills required to conduct pharmacological research in an ethically responsible and rigorous manner, and to enter diverse careers in the biomedical research workforce. The competency-based PSTP curriculum is designed to provide trainees with a strong foundational understanding of the pharmacological sciences, to provide training in the performance of rigorous and reproducible research, and to provide career development, teamwork, and leadership training, all under the direction of well-trained and dedicated faculty mentors. Although U-M has individual graduate programs in the Departments associated with this training program, the PSTP is the only program at U-M that draws upon the expertise of faculty, alumni, the Michigan Drug Discovery Institute, and the enthusiasm of students across these units to fertilize interdisciplinary education, collaborative research, career development, and team-based approaches to innovation and translation in target discovery and development of experimental therapeutics.


Complex sound analysis in normal and impaired ears

The relevance of this project to public health is that it advances our understanding of everyday listening difficulties experienced by people with hearing loss, as well as by people whose hearing is otherwise deemed to be good - especially those who are older. The project also provides new insights into objective tests of hearing that are gaining in popularity. Overall, the findings will be relevant to the public health challenge of the burgeoning communication difficulties experienced by an increasingly aging population.


SLOAN-KETTERING INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RES


GRATEFUL MED SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE SUPPOR


Makromodellierung der Entfestigung von bindigen und nichtbindigen Böden

Das ursprüngliche Arbeitsprogramm des Antrages sah auf der experimentellen Seite zunächst die Herstellung künstlicher Tonproben vor, um damit Triaxial- und Torsionsödometerversuche bei unterschiedlichen Spannungsniveaus durchzuführen. Im Vordergrund sollten die Kalibrierung der Modellierung anhand von Triaxialversuchen an Ton und die anschließende Überprüfung mit Scherversuchen im Torsionsödometer stehen. In einem Schreiben präzisiert die DFG die Sperrung der Mittel für die experimentellen Arbeiten. Demnach bemängelt die Gutachtergruppe, daß die Versuche mit dem Torsionsödometer für die Verifizierung und Kalibrierung der numerischen Ergebnisse der anderen Teilprojekte dieser Forschergruppe nicht ausreichend seien. Um den von der Gutachtergruppe eingebrachten Forderungen nachzukommen, entschloß sich der Antragsteller neben den bereits beantragten Triaxial- und Torsionsödometerversuchen zusätzlich Biaxialversuche einschließlich Stereophotogrammetrieauswertungstechnik durchzuführen. Durch diese Neugestaltung der experimentellen Arbeiten und insbesondere die geplante Zusammenarbeit mit dem Laboratoire 3S in Grenoble bietet es sich an, den Mergel aus Beaucaire als Versuchsmaterial zu verwenden. Eine ausführliche Begründung für die Verwendung von Beaucaire Mergel befindet sich in dem bereits erwähnten Schreiben an die DFG vom Oktober.


Poetik der Isolation in der englischen Literatur (17.21. Jahrhundert)

Dieses Projekt setzt sich zum Ziel, den hochaktuellen Themenkomplex der Isolation in seiner historischen und diskursiven Vielfalt aufzufächern. Dies geschieht anhand der Sichtung, Analyse und Interpretation von lyrischen, dramatischen und epischen Texte aus der englischen Literatur des 17.-21. Jahrhunderts wie sie etwa mit Burtons Anatomy of Melancholy (1621) über Defoes Robinson Crusoe (1719) und der sog. Retirement Poetry des 18. Jhs. bis hin zu den Dramen der Nachkriegszeit und der Verhandlung von Isolation als ‚social epidemic‘ und schließlich ‚pandemic‘ in zeitgenössischen Texten vorliegen. Eine Diskussion von einschlägiger zeitgenössischer Literatur zu Isolationsphänomenen im Zusammenhang mit Covid-19 und dem Brexit schließt die Analyse ab.  Die literarischen Verhandlungen von Isolationsphänomenen werden im Dialog mit religiösen, medizinischen, philosophischen und sozial-politischen Diskursen der jeweiligen Zeit erörtert. Auf der methodischen Grundlage der kulturwissenschaftlichen Narratologie werden unter Einbeziehung von Konzepten aus der kulturwissenschaftlichen Raumtheorie, den Medical Humanities und aus aktuellen Formdiskursen folgende fünf Forschungsziele avisiert: (1) einen literaturhistorisch und kulturwissenschaftlich fundierten Beitrag zur begrifflichen Schärfung des ambivalenten und vielschichtigen Begriffs der Isolation zu entwickeln, (2) ein Modell für die diachrone Analyse literarischer Isolationsszenarien zu erarbeiten, (3) auf der Basis dieses Modells eine diachrone Studie ausgewählter literarischer Texte im Hinblick auf räumliche, soziale, psychopathologische und geopolitische Verhandlungen von Isolationsphänomenen zu unternehmen. Es gilt (4) zu erforschen, mithilfe welcher literarischen Verfahren die Isolation dargestellt, erfahrbar gemacht und auch (neu)verhandelt wird. Darüber hinaus soll (5) eruiert werden, inwieweit Isolation als Topos, als Metapher und als kulturelles Narrativ unsere Wahrnehmung und unsere Wertzuschreibungen (unbewusst) reguliert.


The role of the transcriptional repressor ZEB2 in human neural crest cell formation and craniofacial pathology

Project Narrative The multipotent neural crest cell population contributes to a wide range of derivatives including most of the craniofacial skeleton and dental tissue, and their aberrant development results in numerous human congenital defects including Mowat-Wilson Syndrome. These experiments will demonstrate precisely how ZEB2 regulates human neural crest cell formation, differentiation, and the Mowat-Wilson Syndrome pathology by coupling pluripotent stem cells with the development of a novel organoid model of human tooth formation. This project is relevant to the mission of NIDCR because the expected results will advance our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of this understudied pathology, and provide a unique platform from which to further explore molecular and environmental influences on human craniofacial and dental development.


NATURE OF THE SPECIFICITY IN THE  COMPLEMENTATION OF HEAVY AND LIGHT CHAINS OF ANTIBODY TO GIVE INTACT  ANTIBODY


The Role of Dentists in Addressing Childhood Obesity


Environmental Health Policy Committee at the annual ASTHO Policy Summit

Environmental Health Policy Committee Meeting The Environmental Health Policy Committee (EHPC) Meeting, which takes place at the annual ASTHO Policy Summit, serves as an excellent opportunity to discuss policy strategies for capacity building and to tackle priority environmental health issues within regions and across the nation. The EHPC serves as a unifying voice; it provides long- term strategic vision, develops policy, and offers the policy analyses needed to guide and direct the efforts of ASTHO’s food safety program. The combined expertise of ASTHO members, the State and Territorial Health Officials (STHOs), Senior Deputies, Affiliates, and alumni places ASTHO in a unique position to formulate and influence sound public health policy that assures excellence in state-based, public health and food safety practices.

ASSOCIATION OF STATE/TERR HLTH OFFICIALS


転写因子STAT3を標的とした子宮体癌に対する新規治療法の開発

400症例以上の多様な組織型を含む子宮体癌組織マイクロアレイ（TMA）を用いてSTAT3の発現と臨床病理学的因子（病期、組織型、無増悪生存期間、全生存期間など）との関連を解析し、患者由来細胞を用いたSTAT3阻害剤YHO-1701投与による細胞障害性を評価し、新規治療薬の開発につなげる。

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists


LEUKEMIA VIRUS ALTERATIONS OF EPOR FUNCTION


Organic cation transporter 3: a novel molecular target to treat amphetamine abuse

Medications to treat addiction exist for many drugs of abuse, but not for amphetamine-type stimulants, which include amphetamine, methamphetamine and the increasingly popular new psychoactive substances such as synthetic cathinones, also knowns as “bath salts” and “legal highs”. Amphetamine-type stimulants are among the most commonly abused, afflicting approximately 56 million people between the ages of 15 and 64 worldwide, creating a major public health burden, and underscoring a vital need to find effective treatments. The proposed studies will explore a previously unknown mechanism of action of amphetamine-type drugs, with the goal to investigate this mechanism as a novel target for the development of effective treatments for amphetamine-type drug abuse.


Valuable product recovery from sewage sludge

Our company, UTB Envirotec Zrt., is one of the regional market leaders in engineering services for wastewater treatment. In the past few years, we have developed a technology for sustainable valorisation of sewage sludge. The treatment of this sludge represents one of the biggest problems for small and medium sized wastewater treatment plants. In our reNEW process the sewage sludge is biologically transformed into volatile fatty acids (VFA) and valuable nutrients (NPK), which are recovered. These products represent important market value: VFA as raw material for eco labelled cleaning agents, and NPK as fertilizer. In this proposal we aim to develop a detailed commercialization and business plan for our products as well as to prepare a design for upscaling our application. Our final aim is to roll-out the technology and widely implement it all over Europe, enabling the growth of our company. This initiative was previously submitted three times under Horizon 2020 SME Instrument, passing all thresholds, receiving Seal of Excellence grades. We have since further discussed this proposal with our clients, technical partners and the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN). These discussions have reassured us regarding its merit, and helped us to further improve our business concept and the proposal.

UTB ENVIROTEC KORNYEZETTECHNOLOGIAIZARTKORUEN MUKODO RT


The effect of Apo CIII over-expression on VLDL assembly


REGULATION OF CARTILAGE REPAIR-SPECIFIC GENE EXPRESSION


3D Interpretation von Tensor CSRMT Daten mittels neuer hochfrequenter Quellen unter Berücksichtigung von Verschiebungsströmen und Anisotropie

Elektromagnetische und elektrische Methoden der angewandten Geophysik werden häufig verwendet, um die Leitfähigkeitsstruktur des flachen Untergrunds zu untersuchen. In den letzten Jahrzehnten hat die Radiomagnetotellurik-Methode (RMT) an Popularität gewonnen und wurde erfolgreich auf verschiedene Explorationsprobleme angewendet. Das herkömmliche RMT-Verfahren verwendet militärische und zivile Radiosender, die im Frequenzbereich zwischen 10 kHz und 1 MHz senden. Ein wesentlicher Nachteil der herkömmlichen RMT-Methode ist das Fehlen robuster Hochfrequenzquellen in abgelegenen Gebieten. Ein weiterer Nachteil ist, dass es keine Radiosender gibt, die bei Frequenzen unter 10 kHz senden, was die Eindringtiefe begrenzt. Um diese Einschränkungen zu überwinden, können aktive Quellen verwendet werden (CSRMT-Methode, 1 kHz - 1 MHz).In einigen Studien wurde die CSRMT-Methode erfolgreich für die Flachexploration angewendet. Es wurden sowohl horizontale, magnetische (HMD) als auch horizontale, elektrische Dipole (HED) verwendet. Neben logistischen und technischen Vor- und Nachteilen erzeugen diese Quellen unterschiedliche Stromsysteme im Boden und haben unterschiedliche räumlich-zeitliche Formen, die zu unterschiedlichen Empfindlichkeitsmustern führen. Infolgedessen weisen verschiedene Quellen ein unterschiedliches Auflösungsvermögen der unterirdischen Leitfähigkeitsstrukturen auf und können zur Verbesserung von anisotropen Modellen des Untergrundes verwendet werden.Derzeit gibt es keine systematischen und detaillierten Vergleichsstudien solcher CSRMT-Quellen für das Frequenzband von 1 kHz - 1 MHz, einschließlich numerischer 3D-Modellierung und fortgeschrittener Feldexperimente. Um diese Lücke in der EM-Exploration zu schließen, schlagen wir die folgenden Ziele vor: (1) Entwicklung von Quellfeldstrategien für eine optimale CSRMT-Vermessung; Weiterentwicklung unserer bewährten HED-Quelle zu VMD und HMD; (2) Eine neuartige 3D-CSRMT-Modellierung und -Inversion wird auf der Grundlage des bewährten ModEMM-Pakets auf alle Quellen ausgeweitet, um verbesserte unterirdische Modelle abzuleiten; (3) Der quasi-statische ModEMM-Code wird weiterentwickelt um die Verschiebungsströme und (4) die Anisotropie zu berücksichtigen; (5) Zur Validierung der neuen Quellen werden an zwei ausgewählten Standorten in Russland neuartige Feldexperimente durchgeführt. Mit analytischen und numerischen Simulationen sollen Vermessungsstrategien optimiert und das Auflösungsvermögen verschiedener Quellen untersucht werden. Bestehende robuste Tensor-CSRMT-Analysesoftware wird verwendet, um Impedanztensor- und Tipper-Übertragungsfunktionen abzuleiten. Anschließend werden die Felddaten unter Verwendung der vorgeschlagenen Verbesserungen und Implementierungen im ModEMM-Algorithmus in 3D invertiert. Begleitende Sensitivitätsstudien validieren das Auflösungsvermögen der betrachteten Quellen und quantifizieren die Verbesserungen der Modelle, insbesondere im Hinblick auf die Anisotropie.


Mechanisms of cocaine-induced increase in mu opioid receptor expression in PC12 cells

Mechanisms of cocaine-induced increase in opioid receptors It has been reported that cocaine increases the expression of the mu opioid receptor (MOR), a subtype of the opioid receptor family, in the brain. This alteration occurs in areas of the brain linked with typical substance abuse behaviors and plays a critical role in addiction and relapse. However, the exact mechanism by which cocaine induces this increase in MOR expression is unknown. Hence, the objective of the proposed study is to identify possible mechanisms through which cocaine regulates the expression of the MOR. This study will investigate the interaction between cocaine and the dopamine transporter (DAT) as a hypothesized mechanism. Cocaine is known to produce its acute behavioral effects by inhibiting the DAT, thereby increasing dopamine (DA) levels in the brain. This binding of cocaine to the DAT may also initiate signals for the brain to increase MOR production. Thus, cells will be treated with cocaine and a synthetic drug that selectively inhibits the DAT. Following treatment, the MOR expression levels will be analyzed. If the hypothesis is correct, treatment with the synthetic DAT inhibitor and cocaine will result in equivalent increases in MOR expression. Subsequently, the relationship between the various DA receptor subtypes and MOR expression levels will be examined in order to clarify if it is the binding of cocaine to the DAT or the resultant increase in DA brain levels that is responsible for the signal initiation. This study will provide novel evidence for the cellular effects of cocaine abuse and may indicate potential new targets for effective therapies of cocaine addiction.

Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships


Growth Regulation of the Normal &Malignant Endometrium


Egg Competition and Cryptic Male Choice in a Pipefish

Lay summary for proposal number 0315937
Egg competition and cryptic male choice in a pipefish:

	The growing synergy between molecular biology and animal behavior has opened new doors in the study of behavioral ecology.  In particular, genetic markers have great potential to provide insights into sperm competition and cryptic female choice, a process by which females affect the fate of sperm within their reproductive tracts.  These processes are important, because our interpretation of patterns of mating depends upon the details of events that happen at the level of sperm and eggs after mating.  This project is designed to contribute to our knowledge of the important phenomenon of cryptic gamete choice.  A system in which gametes are large and easily observable eliminates many of the barriers to progress in the study of gamete competition, and the broad-nosed pipefish, Syngnathus typhle, in which males become pregnant, provides such a system.  This project will address two major questions.  First, is egg competition or choice a major source of variation in success during mating in pipefish?  Second, is the outcome of egg competition determined primarily by males or females?  These studies, facilitated by well-tested genetic markers and laboratory-based breeding experiments, will definitively resolve whether or not cryptic male choice appears to be an important mechanism in this species.


Multiplexed imaging of chromatin folding and RNA profiles in cancer

Project Narrative Each of our cells usually contains about 2 meters (6 feet) of genomic DNA compactly folded into the cell nucleus. It is known that DNA folding is altered in cancer, but how folding varies between different cancer cells – some more malignant than others in the same tumor – and how it affects gene expression are largely unknown. The advanced technological development and validation here will establish an imaging-based method to address these important questions and may lead to new diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment approaches for cancer.


ETHANOL EFFECTS ON LIVER RECEPTOR-MEDIATED ENDOCYTOSIS


Virtual Frontline Program - Virtually Simulated Learning Environment for Covid-19 and Epidemic Healthcare

Covid-19 urgently requires us to find a solution to delivering and assessing learners online who require a vocational approach to nursing. Learners could range from student nurses to medical staff from other medical disciplines. Currently there is no online vocational delivery at a key time when they are needed to qualify and work on the frontline.

Our innovative approach is the collaboration of our experienced tutors and the expertise of our technology partner -- mXreality Ltd (mXr) to develop a Virtual Frontline Program. The program uses a Virtual Environment (VE) and Augmented Reality (AR) to cover multiple areas of nursing (including respiratory and Covid-19 infection). This will be a game-change for the educational and healthcare sectors.

The program will allow learners to gain the knowledge and confidence safely and correctly using a range of learning methods including online interactive learning modules combined with an Augmented Reality app, as well as interactive scenario-based assessments. All of which will be easily accessible using the learner's own digital devices at home.

Having swift access to our Virtual Frontline Program will be a great benefit to the healthcare services as staff will be adequately trained. This in turn will further reduce the risk of overwhelming the capacity of services and ultimately saving lives, and reducing the negative impacts on societies and the economy.


Sequentially consistent reads at wire speed

Modern data-storage systems are fundamentally inefficient. The main reason for this inefficiency is the data-consistency mechanism that ensures that read operations return the value written by the last successful write operation.  Although every data item is replicated on multiple storage nodes, for any data item, only a single node is used to serve read requests, limiting the system's performance, efficiency, and scalability for supporting popular data.

The goal of this project is to explore new designs for a highly efficient and performant consensus protocol that can utilize all replicas for serving read requests. The main enablers for the new protocol are recent advances in networking technology that introduced programmable switching devices. The new protocol will leverage this new network programmability to monitor every read and write request, determine when a write is completed and which subset of replicas acknowledged it, and detect node and switch failures. The new protocol will be able to not only utilize multiple replicas for serving read requests but also load balance read requests and avoid failed nodes.

This innovative project will have a potentially wide influence on technology, including on many Canadian companies that build KV stores (e.g., Huawei, NetApp, Ericsson, and IBM) and the more than 150 Canadian data centers that use these systems. Finally, this program will provide an invaluable opportunity for training highly qualified personnel on cutting-edge networking and storage technology.

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Collaborative Research and Development Grants


The design of extensible normalizers and simplifiers for algebraic formulae

No summary - Aucun sommaire


Post-Synthesis Modification of Functional Porous Ionic Crystals

Ionic crystals are normally non-porous because of the isotropic and long-range Coulomb interactions. However, the use of molecular ions with appropriate elements, charges, sizes, shapes, or ligands enables the formation of pores. Polyoxometalates (POMs) are nano-sized metal-oxide macroanions, and have stimulated research in broad fields of science. Since POMs bear negative charges, they are potentially useful as building blocks of porous crystals in combination with appropriate macrocations. In this work, selective Cs+ uptake from aqueous solutions by an porous ionic crystal, and synthesis of mesoporous ionic crystals and with high proton conductivity and acid catalysis are reported.

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)


Fermi Surface Cross-Sectional Images from Photoelectron     Angular Distributions

Recent interest in areas such as thin-film magnetics and high              temperature superconductivity have underscored the need for                     detailed measurements of Fermi surfaces. This proposal addresses                the problem by using a newly developed technique using                          photoelectron spectroscopy to determine Fermi surfaces. The                     technique is generally applicable to a wide range of materials and              will provide information on both bulk and surface systems. It is                sensitive to the structure of the Fermi surface in regions of low               symmetry and studies can be performed at elevated temperatures                  where phase transitions may be important.                                            Measurements will be made using a novel display-type electron              energy analyzer that will produce energy resolved two dimensional               images of photoemission intensity versus emission angle. The work               will be conducted at the LSU Center for Advanced Microstructure and             Devices (CAMD) synchrotron light source. The initial investigations             will involve noble metals which are well-understood from previous               studies and will later be extended to metals with heavily nested                Fermi surfaces. Some of these materials undergo magnetic phase                  transitions where the topology of the Fermi surface can change                  substantially; such experiments will support further theoretical                progress. These techniques will also be applied to high temperature             superconductors where the nature of the bands intercepting the                  Fermi surface will be investigated. Since the method samples large              regions of k-space, these materials will be surveyed for unexpected             features and will provide the rapid overviews of electronic                     structure. Conventional instrumentation will be used for high-                  resolution studies when appropriate. The work will be done in                   collaboration with researchers at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory,                the National Institute of Standards and Technology at other                     universities.                                                                   %%%                                                                                As new classes of materials are developed, techniques for                  characterizing their relevant properties must improve. This need                will be addressed in the development of a new display-type electron             energy analyzer, to perform photoelectron spectroscopy in an                    imaging mode. The measurements rely on synchrotron radiation to                 eject electrons from surfaces of the material of interest; this                 radiation will be provided by the LSU Center for Advanced                       Microstructure and Devices (CAMD) storage ring. By imaging the                  directions of the emission, the detailed nature of the material's               Fermi surface can be explored. This provides information that is                valuable for a theoretical understanding  of material behavior and              gives feedback for improvements in materials processing.                             Initially, the method will be applied to metallic systems that             are well understood by other techniques. The approach will refined              to study materials with more complicated Fermi surfaces that can be             altered by coercing them to undergo magnetic phase transitions and              will be used to demonstrate the flexibility of the methodology.                 Finally, this advanced instrumentation will be applied to high                  temperature superconductors as the origin of superconductivity in               the cuprate oxides remains elusive. The project provides a new                  method for characterizing the electronic states at the Fermi                    surface and will result in an improved understanding of fundamental             electronic properties. As the measurements rely on the highest                  quality materials, collaboration with researchers at the Lawrence               Livermore Laboratory, the National Institute of Standards, and at               other universities will be undertaken.//


Deafness Induced Brain Reorganization: a research program to examine how deafness modifies cortical functions and affects compensatory vision and auditory performance following cochlear implantation

With this research program, we aim at understanding why cochlear implant (CI) is more efficient for some deaf individuals (DI). More specifically, we want to identify deafness induced brain changes that could impact sensory performances following auditory rehabilitation with CI. Indeed, previous research has established that deafness leads to brain changes at the structural (e.g. area volume) and functional (e.g. area response) levels. For example, in DI, an area typically dedicated to the processing of sounds might process visual information instead. The impact these changes have on rehabilitation is yet to be fully understood. The CI is the most effective method to re-establish audition. However, auditory performance with a CI can, in some cases, remain fairly poor. Thus, we want to study the brain changes in DI and predict performances with a CI. This way, patients and professionals could be better equipped to make decisions regarding eligibility to this surgery. In past projects, we have demonstrated that changes in visual and auditory areas during deafness can lead to better performances in visual tasks but reduced ones in auditory tasks. Today, we want to examine if the changes in the auditory areas of DI will influence auditory performance with CI in general or for voice and/or word recognition in particular. To answer these questions, we will combine behavioral, electrophysiological and brain imaging tasks. This array of techniques will allow us to 1) determine whether the anatomical differences in DI influence future rehabilitation with a CI; 2) examine the structural and functional connections between brain sensory areas, and 3) evaluate behavioral performances linked to modified brain activity before and after CI implantation. We believe the proposed project will permit a better understanding of the brain changes underlying the sensory performance variability with a CI and could allow professionals to offer better adapted rehabilitation strategies.


Behavioral Analysis of the Somatic Cortex


Playing and redesigning culturally-relevant tabletop games: Sustaining cultural and linguistic pluralism in public learning environments

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada


Collaborative Research: RNA Processing in Trypanosome Mitochondria

This project will study a distinctive mechanism of gene expression in ancient single-celled parasites called trypanosomes. In most organisms, RNA is copied from DNA and directs protein synthesis without changes in the code. However, in trypanosomal mitochondria (the ‘powerhouse’ of cells), RNA is edited extensively by addition or removal of specific nucleotides. In their complex life cycle, trypanosomes alternate between two very different hosts: humans (and other animals) and insects, which are the vectors of tranmission. The dramatically different environments that the parasites face in humans and insects demand rapid and large-scale metabolic and physiological changes, including in RNA editing. The crucial question of how the RNA editing mechanism is precisely regulated during parasite development remains unanswered and is the focus of this research. The project will have broad educational impact by providing interdisciplinary training opportunities for postdoctoral, graduate, undergraduate, and high school students, with a focus on groups traditionally underrepresented in the STEM disciplines.

This project focuses on Trypanosoma brucei mRNA editing regulation and the key role of the REH2C complex that controls editing fidelity in editosomes. The research can shed new light on a question that has remained a mystery for decades: how is mRNA editing differentially controlled across the T. brucei life-cycle? Objective 1 will test the “partial-editing control” (PEC) model of exploiting partial editing to differentially inhibit mRNA maturation in two developmental forms of T. brucei. A recently developed pipeline for RNA-seq/bioinformatic analysis of edited RNAs will be employed for this purpose. Objective 2 will address the source of substrate specificity in editing, specifically to define the role of a rare DEAH-box helicase cofactor and its individual zinc fingers in the mechanism. Objective 3 will examine dynamic interactions of editing components and remodeling by the REH2C complex by elucidating the general organization of editosomes using genetic, biochemical (proximity labeling), and chemical (crosslinking-mass spectrometry) approaches. Overall, these studies will reveal new aspects of editing regulation in two life-cycle stages of the parasite, including editing fidelity, substrate specificity determinants, and editosome interactions.

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.


Suppléments aux bourses de 1er cycle du CRSNG / Académique - BPCA : Été 2025


御茶屋の建築史的研究―主として庭園建築としての御茶屋について―

Principal Investigator：藤岡 通夫, Project Period (FY)：1967, Research Category：Particular Research


Fehleranalyse und reduktion bei der präzisen Bahnbestimmung von Altimetriesatelliten (MEPODAS)

Veränderungen des globalen und regionalen Meeresspiegels sind eine der Hauptindikatoren für den globalen Klimawandel im Erdsystem. Die Satellitenradaraltimetrie bietet die Möglichkeit, diese Veränderungen hochgenau und nahezu global zu vermessen. Diese Methode hängt jedoch direkt von der Genauigkeit der Positionsbestimmung der Höhenmesser an Bord der Satelliten ab, von denen aus die Entfernung zur Meeresoberfläche gemessen wird, und daher von der Genauigkeit der Satellitenpositionen, insbesondere in radialer Richtung. Obwohl in den letzten Jahrzehnten erhebliche Fortschritte bei der präzisen Umlaufbahnbestimmung (POD) von Altimetriesatelliten erzielt wurden, sind die Nutzeranforderungen für die Genauigkeit regionaler Meeresspiegeltrends noch nicht erreicht. Unsicherheiten in der Umlaufbahn bleiben ein wesentlicher Beitrag zum Fehlerbudget des Meeresspiegels. Daher ist die Untersuchung und Minderung dieser Fehler weiterhin notwendig und sehr wichtig für eine zuverlässige Bestimmung des globalen und insbesondere des regionalen Meeresspiegels, sowie deren langzeitlichen Trends und deren Vorhersage. Diese Informationen sind für Wissenschaftler und auch für Entscheidungsträger in der Klimapolitik sehr wichtig, da die zuverlässigen Quantifizierung globaler und regionaler Meeresspiegelschwankungen Grundlage aller Analysen und Entscheidungen sein sollte.Das Ziel dieses Projekts ist es, die derzeit verbleibenden POD-Fehler von Altimetriesatelliten zu untersuchen und zu reduzieren. Die Hauptaufgaben des Projekts sind folgende:- eine detaillierte Überprüfung verschiedener aktueller Modelle durchzuführen, die momentan in der POD von Altimetriesatelliten verwendet werden,- den Einfluss dieser Modelle auf die Qualität der Bahnbestimmung der Satelliten und Altimetrieprodukte auf der Grundlage dieser Umlaufbahnen zu untersuchen,- mögliche Ursachen für die derzeit verbleibenden Fehler in der POD dieser Satelliten zu finden,- Möglichkeiten zur weiteren Verbesserung der Umlaufbahnqualität für diese Satelliten zu finden,- Minderung der derzeit verbleibenden POD-Fehler und damit Verbesserung der Umlaufbahnqualität für diese Satelliten.Durch die Verwendung neuer Modelle, neue Referenzrahmenrealisierungen, verbesserter Korrekturen und Algorithmen werden die Fehler, die sich aus den Mängeln der folgenden Komponenten ergeben, untersucht und gemindert: (i) Messkorrekturen und Datenverarbeitungsalgorithmen, (ii) gravitative- und nichtgravitative Kräfte, die auf Altimetriesatelliten wirken, und (iii) Realisierungen von terrestrischen Referenzrahmen und Korrekturen an Stationspositionen. Weitere Fehlerquellen werden untersucht, falls sie sich während der Projektlaufzeit als relevant erweisen.Mit diesen Untersuchungen soll ein Beitrag zur Verbesserung der Qualität der Altimetriesatellitenumlaufbahnen geleistet werden, die die Grundvoraussetzung für die zuverlässliche Bestimmung von Meeresspiegeländerungen sind.


Pathways to optimising antibiotic use in Anhui: Identifying key determinants in community and clinical settings

Widespread antibiotic use is considered to be a major contributor to the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance in many countries, but there is a lack of evidence regarding its key drivers in China, particularly in rural settings and outside hospitals, and whether these differ from those found elsewhere. This evidence is essential for identifying the health system, behavioural and policy interventions that have most potential for limiting the spread of antibiotic resistance in China, while ensuring equitable access to antibiotics for essential treatment of bacterial infections. This innovative interdisciplinary project aims to acquire greater understanding of key social, economic, cultural, systemic and other influences on antibiotic use by investigating and quantifying current use of both prescribed and non-prescribed antibiotics and other forms of care to treat common infections in rural parts of Anhui Province. Our study will document treatment-seeking practices for selected common infections from all sources (including informal, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), folk, home-based, private and government medical care) among patients at local health facilities and in the general population. We will gather information on testing, clinical diagnosis and antibiotic treatment procedures at lower levels of the health system and on over-the-counter purchasing of antibiotics from pharmacies and medicine shops. We will ascertain the annual incidence of common respiratory tract infections in the population of Anhui Province and assess the effects of the different forms of treatment they use, including antibiotics, on reported severity and duration of illness. We will also ascertain the feasibility of assessing clinical diagnostic accuracy, relationship between patient-reported symptoms and clinical diagnosis, and burden of antibiotic resistance in non-hospitalised patients, and investigate possible population biases in existing laboratory data through microbiological sampling. This range of evidence will enable us to formulate recommendations for appropriate interventions to optimise the use of antibiotics in Anhui Province and other regions of China.


『北野文叢』（北野天満宮蔵）のデジタルアーカイブと資料化に関する総合的研究

本研究は、天神信仰研究の根本テキストである宗淵編『北野文叢』をデジタルデータとして収集し、天神縁起研究の新たなテキストして提供することを目的としている。従来、中世神道研究は、文学・思想史・歴史の分野に跨って展開してきた。ここでは伊勢神道をはじめ、八幡、祇園、吉田、日吉山王など数々の祭神を中核として生成された諸テキスト群からそれぞれの信仰の性質が析出されてきた。しかしこのような動きの中、まだまだ天神信仰への分析は弱い。それは分析対象とするテキストの発掘が不足していることが大きな要因であることは間違いない。本研究の遂行はこのような中世神道研究における課題へもアプローチするものであると考える。

Grant-in-Aid for Encouragement of Scientists


Uridylation of miRNAs by ZCCHC6 Regulates IL-6 Expression in Arthritis

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Public Health Relevance Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and major cause of physical disability among the elderly population worldwide. Studies in this application are focused on understanding how the cytokine expression is dysregulated in chondrocytes and contributes to OA pathogenesis. Results of these studies may help in the design of therapeutic agents that target novel mechanisms involved in cartilage catabolism in OA.


Novel wound healing method using electrolyzed water and low temperature plasma

傷の治癒において、生体機能が正常に機能するよう損傷個所の環境を整えることは重要となり、細菌による感染が発症すると膿瘍、蜂巣炎などの症状が発現する。創部の細菌感染は、治癒過程において影響を及ぼすとされ創傷環境の改善が望まれる。本研究は酸性電解水と低温プラズマ照射により、創面環境を整えることを目標として、創傷治癒に繋がる化学と工学技術の融合による新たな治療技術の基礎研究を行うものである。さらに、薬剤アレルギーをもつ患者に対しても本技術で処置できるようになることを将来展望としている。


Giving Safety A Competitive Advantage: Increasing PFD Use Among Lobster Fishermen

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE:  The rates of commercial fishing fatalities are estimated to be 31 times higher than the average industrial fatality rate. The proposed research seeks to address falls overboard, which are the second most frequent cause of death in the U.S. commercial fishing industry and the most prominent cause of death for lobster fishermen in the Northeast. Activities will focus on improving personal floatation device (PFD) designs, distribution channels and the social acceptability of these devices to increase PFD use in the Northeast lobster commercial fishing industry.


Cibler le KCC2 pour restaurer l’inhibition, stopper la neurodégénerescence et améliorer les fonctions motrices dans la sclérose latérale amyotrophique

La sclérose latérale amyotrophique (SLA) est une maladie neurodégénérative qui affecte les motoneurones du système nerveux central (SNC). Durant la phase pré-symptomatique de la maladie, on observe une hyperexcitabilité neuronale caractéristique de cette maladie. Alors que les causes de cette hyperexcitabilité peuvent être multiples, des études récentes ont identifié un co-transporteur potassium-chlore spécifique au SNC, le KCC2, comme acteur de cette augmentation d’excitabilité. En effet, chez les patients atteints de la forme sporadique de la SLA, on observe une diminution de l’expression du gène SCL12A5, qui encode KCC2. Au niveau cellulaire, KCC2 est responsable du maintien d’une faible concentration de chlore, cruciale pour assurer l’efficacité de l’inhibition. De plus, toujours chez les patients pré-symptomatiques, une diminution de l’inhibition intracorticale précède la phase d’hyperexcitabilité neuronale, confirmant une dysrégulation de l’inhibition. Enfin, nos résultats préliminaires montrent une diminution de l’expression membranaire de KCC2 dans le cortex moteur primaire du modèle de souris SOD1*G93A de la SLA. Le groupe du Dr De Koninck a identifié des composés  activateurs du KCC2 (CLP257 et CLP290) pouvant restaurer l’homéostasie du chlore en conditions pathologiques avec un minimum d’effets secondaires. Ils ont montré qu’il était non-seulement possible de prévenir le développement de l’hyperexcitabilité, mais de la renverser une fois établie. Ainsi l’objectif principal de mon projet est de tester directement si la restauration de l’activité de KCC2 au niveau spinal et cortical peut prévenir la dégénérescence neuronale et les déficits moteurs associés à la SLA, à la fois dans la phase pré-symptomatique et symptomatique de la maladie. Les résultats de ces expériences nous permettront de connaitre le potentiel thérapeutique de cibler l’activité de KCC2 pour contrer l’évolution des changements neuronaux associés au développement de la SLA et ainsi d’identifier une nouvelle approche pour le traitement de cette maladie.


Seattle/King County Peer Recovery Services Network


Molecular and Genetic Analysis of Chromatin Structure

Narrative    Boundary elements subdivided eukaryotes chromosomes into functionally and structurally autonomous  domains.  The major aims of this proposal are to learn more about the role of boundaries in development and  elucidate the mechanisms that enable boundaries to establish independent units of genetic activity.


Central glutamate signaling in postoperative pain regulation

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Postoperative pain is a major public health issue, and affective pain symptoms such as depressed mood and respiratory suppression induced by opioid analgesics impair recovery. The proposed research is relevant to the NIH's mission because it will establish glutamate signaling in the brain circuit connecting the prefrontal cortex to the nucleus accumbens as a novel mechanism for the regulation of acute and persistent postoperative pain. This discovery will identify a potential anatomic target for neuromodulation therapies, and it can establish AMPAkines, enhancers of glutamate signaling, as a new class of postoperative analgesics that treat both sensory and affective symptoms of pain while supporting the respiratory drive.


Intelligent Scene Sensing and Analysis in Underwater Environments

Reliable and detailed underwater scene sensing, and analysis has a fundamental role in numerous underwater activities drawing both scientific and economic interest. Computer vision and remote sensing have evolved impressively in the last decade, propelled also by advancements in deep learning, enabling unprecedented levels of robust and automatic information extraction from visual data. At the same time, there is increasing interest in visual based underwater sensing, however, deep learning methods are less explored in this domain. On the other hand, sensing modalities based on Single Photon Cameras (SPCs) and transient imaging are gradually maturing, having certain characteristics that allow sensing in challenging visibility conditions, as the ones of underwater environments.

iSEAu aims to significantly advance the state-of-the-art of underwater scene sensing by bridging the gap in the use of data-driven methods in underwater perception, and by combining the respective advantages of SPCs, multispectral and conventional cameras. Investing on intensive knowledge transfer, the goal is to bring together the fields of computer vision, machine learning and remote sensing for optimally addressing the underwater visual sensing challenges. The project objectives address these challenges in two levels. The first concerns the development of methods for “removing the water” from underwater images by harnessing the power of learning-based methods, and the development of methods based on SPC transient imaging for perception in challenging visibility conditions. The second level concerns the adaptation and enhancement to the underwater domain of state-of-the-art methods for image-based extraction of structural and semantic information, and their field-testing considering representative application scenarios. In summary, iSEAu will provide novel data-driven methodologies and technological solutions to researchers, scientists and users for underwater sensing of unmatched fidelity.


Motor cortical neuromodulation in women with Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome: reducing pain by improving brain and muscle activity

PROJECT NARRATIVE Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) is a common, chronic, and often debilitating condition. The cause of IC/BPS is not known, and there are no treatments that work well. In this project, we will test if non- invasive brain stimulation can reduce IC/BPS pain, and determine how the stimulation works to improve function in the body.


Perfusion MRI for multisite studies of brain function


Detection and analysis of a factor concerned with cell differentiation and growth during mouse molar tooth development by means of the grafting to a chick wing bud.

Tooth development involves reciprocal epithelio-mesenchymal interactions and complex morphogenetic events. Because these processes bear similarities to those occurring in the developing limb, we asked whether signaling mechanisms found in the limb also occur in the tooth. We grafted mouse embryonic tooth germs to the anterior margin of the host chick embryonic wing buds and determined whether the tooth tissues had polarizing activity. Indeed the grafted tooth germs induced the formation of the ectopic digits as a miller image as well as the surface structures. These activity of the molar tooth germ increased from bud to cap stage and reached at the maximum at late bell stage. With further development, the polarizing activity began to decrease, however, once it became the highest level at neonates. And then the activity decreased to undetectable level at 3-week old.In situ hybridization demonstrated that the tooth germ grafts induced expression of chick HoxD cluster genes prior to induction of ectopic digits. We concluded that the factors produced by the tooth germs were similar to those in the zone of polarizing activity in the limb development and might regulate morphogenesis and differentiation in the molar tooth development.

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)


Structural Dynamics of Presynaptic Membrane Fusion


Biological activity of proneurotrophin-3

No summary - Aucun sommaire

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada


Functional and Structural Dissection of Inflammasome Activation


PROCUREMENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

PROCUREMENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR BUSINESS FIRMS


Nutrient and Insulin Metabolic Actions in IUGR Fetal Liver

PROJECT NARRATIVE Pregnancies complicated by placental ischemic diseases and specifically placental insufficiency induced intrauterine growth restriction (PI-IUGR) expose the fetus to hypoxia which may lead to an increased risk for development of diabetes and metabolic disease later in life. This project will determine the early mechanisms for dysregulated hepatic glucose production and insulin resistance in the fetal liver in response to fetal hypoxia. These results will allow for development of targeted strategies to improve liver function in the fetus exposed to hypoxia and decrease risk for diabetes and metabolic disease later in life.


Control of Internal Radiation Exgooure Based on the Analysis of Relationships between the Chemical Form and the Fugacity of Radio-nuclides

1. Tritium-labeled compounds especially[ ^3H]thymidine stored in powdered form decomposed by 5% in 6 days, 20-30% in 170 days, and completely after 800 days.2. [ ^<35>S]Methionine with stabilizers in aqueous solution decomposed to produce several volatile radioactive compounds including methyl mercaptane, methyl ethyl sulfide and ethyl propyl sulfide which were all characterized by means of HPLC.3. For estimation of internal radiation exposure by tritium in the body, an improved collection method for THO in expiration was devised.4. Relative values of RBE for THO and tritiated thymidine were determined by examining their effects on the intestine cells. The value for tritiated thymidine was larger than that for THO.5. A tritium-contamination case was found for a radioisotope user and monitoring of his urine revealed that the chemical form of the intaken tritium was THO. It indicated that non-volatile tritium-labeled compounds may decompose to give THO and may be inhaled to cause internal radiation exposure.6. Rapid excretion methods of the inhaled iodine were examined and the effect of perchlorate ion was confirmed.7. Internal radiation exposure caused by positron emitters was estimated by a new method of out-of-body radiation measurement.8. A simultaneous activity-determination procedure was devised for a sample containing ^3H, ^<14>C, ^<32>P, ^<35>S, ^<51>Cr and ^<125>I by means of a newly devised combustion flask.

Grant-in-Aid for Co-operative Research (A)


Stability and precision in gene expression are necessary to generate and maintain structure and function in biology. To understand these fundamental problems requires novel technologies to detect and measure transcription from single genes in real time. We have therefore developed a novel technology to visualise the transcriptional behaviour of single genes in individual living cells. We demonstrated that transcription is stochastic, characterised by irregular pulses of gene activity. But how is stochastic behaviour compatible with spatiotemporal precision and stability of gene expression? To address how stochastic pulsing generates precise spatial patterns of gene expression, and to distinguish between direct and feedback models of cell response, we will study pulsing during formation of a precise embryonic gene expression boundary. To determine origins of temporally precise gene expression, we will measure and entrain transcriptional cycling in single cells. To address how st ability of gene expression is regulated, we will use long term imaging to determine the extent to which transcriptional firing is maintained in cell lineages. We will address the role of chromatin in transcriptional memory. To define the regulators of transcriptional stabilitywith unbiased approaches we will use FACS to purify mutants with high noise and low gene expression memory.


Point of care diagnostic and analytical metabolomic testing.

Blood and urine tests are the front line in screening and diagnosis of disease. For example they are used to help diagnose diabetes and to monitor its treatment (blood glucose testing). They are also used to identify people most likely to develop heart disease (cholesterol testing). The main purpose of this proposal is to develop new tests that would benefit two large groups of patients through more rapid and accurate diagnosis. Such tests could also save the Canadian health care system an enormous amount of money. The first test would provide rapid diagnosis of the 800,000 Canadians who visit hospitals every year with chest pain. There is no fast way to rule out heart attacks in the 90% of patients whose EKG's are inconclusive. A large fraction of them (typically 70%) are admitted to the hospital for tests that can take several hours or days to confirm a heart attack. More than half will ultimately be discharged with heart attack ruled out. The new test would quickly rule out heart attacks in these individuals and allow their rapid discharge from hospital. Cost savings would be $2,000 per patient, or $600,000,000 annually in Canada alone. Equally important would be faster treatment for those who require it, sparing the loss of heart function - or worse - associated with treatment delays or misdiagnosis. The second test would benefit patients with chronic kidney disease by forecasting the rate at which their disease would progress if untreated. The test result would be used to trigger aggressive preventive therapy for those patients who would otherwise deteriorate rapidly, and spare such interventions for those (the majority) who remain clinically stable. Discovery of such a test has been declared by the U.S. National Kidney Foundation to be the most urgent priority in chronic kidney disease research. The potential impact can be appreciated by estimates that up to 10% of the general population suffer from chronic kidney disease.


A Colonial and Conceptual History of Asymmetric Warfare and Security

War and terrorism feature prominently in popular, political and scholarly perceptions of Australia's colonial past and its geopolitical future. Our understanding of what constitutes war and terrorism emerged from a long colonial and conceptual history of Western international and political thought. The national and community benefits of this program of research derive precisely from its ability to link the uniqueness of Australia's colonial history to its global context, and to use both to provide new insight into current debates on terrorism and security that are integral to Australia's capacity to interpret itself to the rest of the world.


No summary - Aucun sommaire

University Undergraduate Student Research Awards


The construction and practical implementation of an outdoor experiential learning support system for education for sustainable development

In this study, we discussed educational content derived from observation, and exhibited teaching materials for promoting the learning through outdoor experience, etc. With regard to the discussion on an educational program of atmospheric observation, the basic data of the aerosol optical thickness from　are obtained in kanazawa area. For an educational program of snow pattern observation, a camera system for fixed-point observation was installed, to constantly take pictures of the remaining snow on the range of Mt. Hakusan, so that it would be possible to monitor the processes from the emergence of snow patterns in the spring to their dissipation on that mountain range. For an educational program of air temperature observation, the air temperature in Kanazawa area centered around Kenrokuen Garden was observed. In addition, we produced a three-dimensional model of air temperature fluctuations in one year, to express how considerably Kenrokuen Garden changes from season to season.

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)


Women and Infants Transmission Study (WITS)


Research on Gravitational Wave Detectors

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) consists of 4 km baseline interferometric gravitational wave detectors in Livingston, LA and Hanford, WA, and an additional 2 km detector in Hanford. The LIGO Science Collaboration, of which Louisiana State University (LSU) is a member, has begun taking data with the LIGO detectors, and analyzing it looking for gravitational waves from different kinds of astrophysical sources. The detectors are expected to achieve their design sensitivity in late 2004-early 2005, when science runs 6 months or longer will begin.

The PI's group at LSU will work on three different critical aspects of the final phase of the commissioning of the LIGO Observatories and the initial phase of data analysis activities of the LIGO Science Collaboration:
(1) diagnostics and control of angular degrees of freedom in the LIGO detectors;
(2) several detector characterization projects (studying statistical properties of the
noise, the presence of bicoherence in the gravitational wave signals, cataloging transients, improving calibration of the gravitational wave channel); and
(3) using the results of these studies as veto criteria in the data analysis effort for bursts and inspiral gravitational wave signals.

The group's results will contribute significantly to the improvement of the detectors' sensitivity, to the understanding of the quality and features of the data obtained, and to the data analysis looking for astrophysical signals. This project involves faculty, postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students doing research at the cutting edge of gravitational wave astrophysics. The work is a combination of hands-on experimental work, investigations of noise sources, and data analysis techniques that will provide a great learning experience for the undergraduate and graduate students in the project, who will be able to perform their research at the LIGO Livingston Observatory itself, only 30 miles from LSU.


Science Masters Program: Student Support to Enhance Graduate Programs in Systems and Software Engineering

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is developing a Science Masters Program (SMP) in Systems and Software Engineering to meet the regional workforce needs for employees who can build advanced, complex, robust, and reliable computer software systems for government and industry.  Software is a part of nearly every new product including systems designed for the transportation, consumer products, the military, homeland security, the government, and business and commercial sectors. Large software systems are some of the most complex products ever produced, and it is extremely difficult to ensure that software works appropriately in all situations.  The graduates of this program will be trained in engineering management and in techniques to ensure software behaves correctly.

This SMP is one of the first programs in the nation to use the internationally developed 2009 "Curriculum Guidelines for Graduate Degree Programs in Software Engineering."  The support provided by NSF will help increase the number of software engineers in the region who are U.S. citizens. Building on UTEP's history of working with minority students, the program is emphasizing recruitment of Hispanics and women. The successful completion of the project will lead to a better-trained and more diverse software engineering workforce for government and industry.


INVASIVE BEHAVIOR OF TUMOR CELLS PRODUCING COLLAGENASE


Vaccination and microglia in Alzheimer's mouse models


REGULATION OF PLATELET AND ENDOTHELIAL CELL FUNCTION


Mechanism-Informed Design of R3SiCF3 Reagents and Modulators

The project aim to identify new silicon reagents and modulators for selective release of CF3 or CF2; characterise the kinetics and mechanism to design faster release, and develop new methods to leverage the unique properties of the reagents at discovery or process chemistry scales. The project will contribute to the EPSRC priority areas of Sustainable Chemistry ("cleaner, more efficient, less consumptive and safer chemical processes") Catalysis (studies to understand the molecular mechanismsand development of new catalytic processes) and Chemical Reaction Dynamics and Mechanisms (Rates and mechanisms of chemical reactions in gas and solution phase and at surfaces, including kinetics and thermodynamics.)

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council


Using creative writing to investigate the impact on parents within the Youth Justice system.

The question of how parents are impacted when their child comes into conflict with the law, has been given minimal consideration in the academic and professional literature to date. Government guidance to youth justice practitioners in England and Wales is that a child's needs must be seen and assessed in the context of their place within their family, but this guidance does not extend to support for the family. Socio economic factors can make parenting difficult, and those most affected are often accused of sub-parenting, with this being deemed to be the cause of their children's misdemeanours. Such accusations can cause shame and stigma, which people learn to manage by employing strategies of identity management, such as creating internal stories of self. There are many positive examples of creative writing being used effectively within the criminal justice system with victims and perpetrators of crime, but few examples of how it can be used with the parents of young offenders.
The key research questions for this project are:
How do the self-reported experiences of parents/primary carers support or challenge prevailing narratives about parental responsibility for youth crime?
What are the implications of this, for services that work with young people and their families?
What can creative writing offer to these parents?
The aim of the project is to use creative writing as a means of interrogating and representing the answers to these questions. The outcome will be insight into parental experiences and how parental voice could be better embedded in youth justice. This will enable me to make recommendations as well as develop a radio drama which will bring the topic to a mainstream audience, raise public consciousness, and stimulate discussion about youth justice policy. The radio drama will also be suitable as a training tool for new youth justice practitioners. The creative writing workshops that form part of the data gathering for this project will be suitable for use by organisations, as a tool for supporting parents.


Defining MHC class I restricted antigen presentation to CD8 T cells in experimental AD and Tauopathy

NARRATIVE Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative conditions are characterized by heightened inflammation, neurodegeneration, and CNS vascular permeability, including microhemorrhage formation. In this proposal, we employ novel transgenic mice that enable critical dissection of CD8 T cell recognition of antigen during priming and effector states in the CNS. We will test our central hypothesis that clonally expanded CD8 T cells engage brain vasculature and migratory antigen presenting cells during infiltration which contributes to neuropathology and cognitive deficits in AD and Tauopathies.


液状家畜ふん尿の好気性発酵による堆肥化に関する研究

1.有効容積101の断熱発酵槽を用い,スラリーポンプ及びイジェクタによって攪拌曝気を行った。投入試料は7kg,曝気量0.7/min/D.M.とし曝気:休止=1:3の間欠曝気を行い,その間の溶存酸素濃度(DO)を連続測定した。曝気開始とともにDOは上昇するが曝気停止すると検出できない程度に急速に低下した。したがって曝気高率を向上させるためには間欠運転よりも,固形物濃度(TS)を最適化してDOを確保することが重要であると考えられた。そこで以下の実験を行った。2.乳牛ふんスラリーのとTSとDOとの関係を知る目的で、TSを3〜0.46%d.b.に調製したスラリー1.3kgに0.041/minの空気を30分間攪拌しながら曝気を行って,その間のDO値を連続測定した。スラリーの温度は20℃一定とした。得られた結果は以下の通りである。(1)曝気開始DO値は急激に上昇するが,10分後には安定し平衡に達した。(2)TSが3%以上では,DOは検出できなかった。(3)平衡に達したときのDOはTSの減少に伴って直線的に上昇した。3.実験1.で用いた発酵槽でTS濃度の異なるスラリーに96時間連続曝気を行って発行状態を測定した。有機物(VS)除去率,COD除去率などの測定値から,DOの検出されないTS濃度では,好気性発酵があまり進まず,TS濃度が2%程度のとき最も発酵が進行した。したがって、実用的には,TS濃度を2%程度となるように希釈することが望ましいと言える。

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Grant-in-Aid for Encouragement of Young Scientists (A)


The Role of Feature Diagnosticity in Semantic Memory


Quantitative evaluation of micro-environmental condition using Mortar thin plate specimen

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the local environmental condition of the concrete structure. The thin plate mortar specimens were exposed at each part of the structures. From the exposure test results, the degree of the deterioration environment of aerosol chloride condition, deicing salt condition and carbonation condition can be evaluated qualitatively. Moreover, the chloride concentration profile in concrete structure can be estimated from the amount of chloride penetration into thethin plate mortar specimen.

Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research


The INTervention Research Across Cities Team (INTERACT) was funded by CIHR in 2016, (1) to assess the impact of urban change on population level physical activity, social participation and well-being; and (2) to create and share methods that support urban health research, working with a multidisciplinary network of academics and knowledge users to guide future interventions for healthier and more equitable Canadian cities. This grant will help us plan the extension of the INTERACT framework towards a comprehensive National Healthy Cities Intervention Research Program. This extension will include concepts, tools and methods related to additional important environmental dimensions of healthy cities that are not yet part of the current INTERACT framework; for example, the impact of urban change on air quality, noise, and food environments, and on related health outcomes and health inequalities. We will also develop an online platform to deploy tools and methods within the 25 most populated cities in Canada. The built environment has been associated with various health behaviour including physical activity, social participation, and well-being. It is also related to air quality, noise and local food environments, which have been linked to various non-communicable diseases. The massive investments planned by the federal and provincial government in infrastructure and urban change projects, give us a unique opportunity to conduct natural experiments and generate robust new evidence that can guide future decisions to create healthy equitable cities. We plan to revise the INTERACT conceptual framework, reach out to key academic experts and knowledge users covering additional areas of expertise and consult with the larger Canadian community of researchers working on healthy cities, their network of knowledge users, and citizens to develop a comprehensive conceptual representation supporting a shared vision of a pan-Canadian healthy cities intervention research program.

IPPH Planning and Dissemination Grants- Institute/Initiative Community Support - Building Healthy Cities - General Pool


PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Temporal coordination of neuronal activity within and across brain regions is among the most fundamental neuronal operations and impairment of time management is an underlying mechanism of a variety of mental disorders. Our aim is to explain the role of different interneuron classes in the hippocampus in brain state dependent oscillations and the flexible formation of cell assemblies that support spatial navigation and memory. To achieve this goal we combine optogenetic and large-scale recording methods in behaving mice.


Portable Luminescent Sensor for Volatile Organic Compounds

The LUMIVOCS project will exploit the recently developed luminescent Guest@MOF composite materials, which exhibit unique phototunable properties to engineer a revolutionary sensor device to achieve low concentration ppm-level detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Such a compact VOC sensor could be deployed for toxic VOC detection in industry and sustainability applications, or, for use in diabetes diagnostics in the healthcare and biomedical sectors. Hitherto, none of the commercial VOC sensors in the market can fulfil the requirements of high sensitivity, high selectivity, and low cost all at once. The 18-month LUMIVOCS project will de-risk the proposed technology by delivering proof-of-concept data needed to move forward towards a commercial application. To this end, the major questions that will be addressed will encompass the following areas. (i) Engineering and prototyping of a compact VOC sensor device; (ii) Evaluation of detailed sensor performance; (iii) Assessment of sensor resilience against cross contamination and photobleaching; (iv) Manufacturability, sensor lifetime and mechanical resilience. The work will be conducted in collaboration with two industrial collaborators who will provide important technical input and will lend direction to the project to facilitate commercialisation.

THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD


Etiological Studies of Gastric Carcinoma

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The main cause of gastric cancer is infection of the stomach with a bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, which occurs in more than half of the people in the world, and is especially common in Latin America and represents a major concern in Hispanic immigrants to the United States. Population eradication of Helicobacter pylori with antibiotic treatment is not feasible, does not always eradicate the infection, does not sufficiently reduce cancer risk once stomach pathology reaches a pre-cancerous stage, and has been associated with the causation of other diseases; thus there is a pressing need for new approaches to this problem. This Program Project Grant will utilize optimized on-site research programs to study human subjects in Colombia and Central America and establish the molecular basis for predicting cancer risk, including the genetics of the human host and the infecting bacteria, the presence of other bacteria in the stomach and infection with parasites, and specific responses in the stomach that may lead to cancer, all with the goal of devising new interventions to prevent cancer in persons at the highest risk in the USA, Latin America, and around the world.


C-Reactive Protein in Human Mucosal Immunity


GRANTS FOR ADVANCED EDUCATION IN THE GENERAL PRACTICE OF

UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER


DIETARY OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS, GENE EXPRESSION AND GROWTH


Synthesis of Anticancer Pyran Natural Products

Project Narrative This research program aims to develop efficient synthesis of biologically active natural products possessing oxygenate heterocycles through the development and subsequent application of new tactics and methodologies for organic synthesis. Investigating the chemical reactivity and biological activity of anti-tumor natural products is vital to understanding their mechanism of action and developing new therapeutics for the treatment and/or prevention of cancer.


No summary - Aucun sommaire

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada


Repetitions in Words: Branching Out from Dejean's theorem

The proposed research is in a relatively new field of mathematics called combinatorics on words. A word is a sequence of letters taken from some finite alphabet. Relevant examples are the long binary strings read by computers, or the long sequences of DNA/RNA that are analysed by biologists. Broadly speaking, combinatorics on words is the study of patterns and structures in words. In recent years, computers have played an increasingly important role in the field, both for generating experimental evidence, and as tools for proving results. At the same time, the need to understand the structure of long words has become a key challenge with the rise of big data. This has led to several practical applications of results from combinatorics on words in diverse areas including bioinformatics, text and natural language processing, communication technology, and crystallography. The prototypical example of a pattern studied in combinatorics on words is the square. A square is a word of the form xx, where x is a nonempty word. For example, the English word murmur is a square. A word is square-free if it contains no squares as factors. For example, the English words apple and banana are not square-free, since they contain the squares pp and anan as factors, respectively, while the word cantaloupe is square-free. In the early twentieth century, Axel Thue established the surprising result that there are arbitrarily long square-free words over alphabets with just three letters. Squares fit into the more general theme of repetitions in words. Squares have exponent 2, since they are made up of a shorter word that is repeated exactly twice. The English word alfalfa has exponent 7/3, as it can be formed by repeating the shorter word alf exactly 7/3 times. While Thue showed that there are arbitrarily long square-free words over three letters, a stronger result is actually true - there are arbitrarily long words over three letters that contain no factor of exponent greater than 7/4. In fact, this is best possible, since every long enough word on three letters contains a factor of exponent at least 7/4. This says that the repetition threshold for three letters is 7/4. Dejean's theorem, which was proven through the work of many authors over approximately 40 years, gives the value of the repetition threshold for every possible alphabet size. In other words, over any fixed alphabet, Dejean's theorem describes exactly the repeitions that can be avoided, and the repetitions that must inevitably occur in long enough words.  The proposed research will make progress on several strengthenings and variations of Dejean's theorem through both theoretical and computational methods. This work will expand our knowledge of repetitions in words, and will lead to the development of new methods and techniques in combinatorics on words. This work has anticipated theoretical applications in game theory and graph theory, and the potential for practical applications.


Advanced Bearing Technologies to Increase Capabilities

The development of Very High Bypass Ratio (VHBR) engines is a promising engine concept to fulfil the major milestones of the Sustainable and Green Engines (SAGE) programme. The significant environmental benefits of this new engine are synonymous with an increased speed and loading capabilities.

In terms of engine performance and reliability, the design, sizing and capacities of the rolling element bearings, which are crucial components, can affect the whole engine architecture.
The aim of the ARCTIC project is thus: “to develop and demonstrate various rolling bearing technologies that overcome the current design rules of aero-engine bearings and allow developing a VHBR engine”.

The main activity is the development of a new corrosion resistant carburized steel grade with the associated surface technologies. Coupled with ceramic rolling elements, this novel material solution will demonstrate a 15% improvement in rolling contact stress capability and 25% increase in rotation speed if compared to the current baseline solutions and without any detrimental effect on reliability.

In parallel, powder metallurgical steel grades will be also developed to assess the potential of this breakthrough technology that will act as building blocks for a 30% increase in contact stress capabilities.

To demonstrate their enhanced performances, the proposed new bearing technologies will be tested in nominal and in degraded running conditions (from the elementary scale to the full- scale).
In addition, across-the-board action will aim to develop a new contact model to fully justify the experimental outputs: the gained theoretical knowledge will enable the transfer and exploitation of projects results to the industrial field by providing analysis tools and new design rules.

The ARCTIC consortium offers high-level engineering capabilities, performance test facilities and manufacturing units necessary to develop a European advanced bearing technology for future VHBR engines.


Measurement and Anaylsis of Vertical Profiles of the Electric Field  in Severe Storms During STEPS

The Severe Thunderstorm Electrification and Precipitation Study field program (STEPS), planned for the early summer of 2000 in western Kansas, will provide a wide range of observations in and around thunderstorms using aircraft, radar, and other observing systems.  As part of STEPS, Dr. MacGorman and his Co-PI Dr. David Rust will launch balloons that are equipped to measure and transmit back to ground the temperature, wind speed and direction, and electric field strength as the balloons ascend through thunderstorms.  Objectives of the research are (1) to examine the genesis of lightning flashes relative to the charge distribution of different types of severe storms; (2) to ascertain whether the relatively infrequent occurrence of positively charged cloud-to-ground lightning is associated with hail production and may be used as an indicator of storm severity; (3) to determine the electrical structure of thunderstorms in relation to the air motions and precipitation in the storms.  Analysis of the data will be closely coordinated with other NSF-supported STEPS projects, including the New Mexico Tech lightning mapper (ATM-9912073), the CHILL radar (ATM-9912051 and -9982030), and the South Dakota armored T-28 airplane (ATM-9981175).


NUCLEOSIDE TRANSPORT AND DIFFERENTIATION IN HL-60 CELLS


Controlling the Uncontrollable: The Impact of Reproductive Health Apps on Experiences of Pregnancy, Healthcare Professionals’ Work, and Data Privacy.

Digital smartphone applications for reproductive health (RHAs) are big business. Millions use them to track intimate data such as menstruation, fertile days or fetal developments. This has been called the “device-ification of mothering”; and indeed there are more apps available for pregnancy than for any other medical topic, conferring users a feeling of being able to ‘control the uncontrollable’.In comparison to traditional reproductive technologies, RHAs differ in three key ways: They are operated by patients themselves, are usually not approved by medical authorities, and harvest intimate data in opaque ways. Thereby, RHAs significantly transform patients’ experiences, impact healthcare professionals’ work routines and become part of challenging societal questions about data privacy. Yet, little is known about their effect on personal experiences of reproductive health.We ask: What role do RHAs play for users’ experiences of reproductive health? How do they affect healthcare professionals’ routines in interaction with patients? What norms do privately developed RHAs support regarding the treatment of intimate data? We answer these questions by following first-time pregnant couples throughout their pregnancies (regular interviews), by drawing on interviews with prenatal care nurses, and by investigating the governance of selected RHAs, both through systematic “app walkthroughs” (app design, usability, and governance analysis) and interviewing company spokespersons.


ACCRETION DISK OUTFLOWS IN CATACLYSMIC VARIABLES

National Aeronautics and Space Administration


THE PROPOSED WORK WILL RESULT IN THE CONTINUATION OF THE STRATOSPHERIC PROCESSES AND THEIR ROLE IN CLIMATE (SPARC) DATA CENTER (SPARC-DC). THE IMPORT


Autoregressive Conditional Duration, Arch, Common Features  and Cointegration

SBR-9422575  Robert Engle    As computers increase in power and memory it becomes feasible to collect and analyze data at higher and higher frequencies.  Data sets that record every transaction-- the highest frequency possible-- now exist for many financial data sets as well as microeconomic transactions such as telephone calls and credit card purchases that are recorded by computers.  The analysis of such data sets poses new and interesting econometric challenges, one of them being the choice of the proper interval of time within which to aggregate the data so as to generate a data set with observations spaced evenly apart.  The problem with fixed interval analysis is that it can leave the investigator with many uninformative data points or disguise the periods of most interest.  The PI proposes an alternative to fixed interval analysis which he calls autoregressive conditional duration.  Instead of selection a fixed interval for analyzing the data, it is proposed to let the interval between transactions be the random variable to be analyzed.  Thus the data set becomes a list of durations and characteristics of each transaction.  This procedure models the time intervals directly without using auxiliary data or imposing assumptions on the causes of the time flow.    The ACD model is used to analyze the price, volume and duration process for IBM stock transactions.  This research can help institutions forecast market liquidity and volatility on a high frequency basis.  It can also have implications for government interventions in financial markets either through transactions or through circuit breakers.    The research also includes a number of other projects.  One project examines non-linear business cycles.  The nature of the non-linearities is always difficult to extract because there are relatively few cycles in recent history.  However, if sectors and final goods categories regions of the country all participate in the business cycle, then the non-linearities ought to be common and easier to  detect.  An economic model is developed to motive these ideas.  Another project involves using ARCH models of volatility to produce a term structure of volatility forecasts.  These forecasts can be used to construct a portfolio whose value is unaffected by portfolio shocks.  Such portfolios provide a new dimension in which to examine the accuracy of volatility forecasts: Is the term structure of volatility adequate to reduce the variance of such multiple maturity portfolios?


Multi-regional neural circuit dynamics underlying short-term memory

Project Narrative Short-term memory is a core cognitive function that enables reasoning, decision-making, mental experience, and is disrupted in diseases such as schizophrenia. This project aims to develop an integrative approach to record, map, and perturb brain circuits using advanced technologies in theory-motivated experiments that will produce multi-regional models of short-term memory circuits. An understanding of the neural circuits that support short-term memory could be a starting point for understanding the neural dynamics underlying brain function and dysfunction.


DEMONSTRATION AND EDUCATION RESEARCH IN HEART HEALTH


成人脊柱変形患者に対するVR技術を用いたリハビリテーションの効果の検証と探索

成人脊柱変形(ASD)患者に対する脊椎を矯正する手術は侵襲をともない、合併症発生率は高く、再手術を呈する症例も多い。また、術後は脊椎の可動性が失われ、日常生活に難渋する症例も少なくない。このようなASD患者は、単純な運動機能の低下だけでなく、脳と筋との疎通性の低下が起こっている可能性がある。そこで、リハビリテーションにおけるVirtual reality（VR）技術の有効性が脳神経内科領域で利用が加速していることに着目した。VRリハビリテーションの導入によりASD患者の症状、歩行状態および脊柱アライメントが改善するかどうかを調査する。

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science


TAS::57 3600:: TAS (DURIP 15) "ACQUISITION OF A FEMTOSECOND LASER FOR FUNDAMNETAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ON MULTIFUNCTIONAL MATERIALS"

AIR FORCE DEFENSE RESEARCH SCIENCES PROGRAM


Genomic Determinants and Origin of Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma

Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is a rare gastrointestinal cancer, often diagnosed in advanced stage leading to poor outcomes. Recent evidence suggests a rising incidence without much improvement in survival outcomes. Given the lack of standard treatments, these patients are often treated similar to colon cancer. However, the outcomes are dramatically different with SBA having worst outcomes due to unique genomic differences between SBA and colon cancer. There remains a tremendous gap in our knowledge base about the risk factors and molecular characteristics of SBA.
We recently noted there is an underlying genetic susceptibility to SBA where first-degree relatives of patients with SBA are at eight times higher risk of developing SBA. In this study, we will investigate the role of genetic susceptibility in the etiology of SBA using high risk multigenerational pedigrees from the Utah Population Database (UPDB). We hypothesize that distantly related patients with SBA within a pedigree share a genetic susceptibility that has been inherited from a common ancestor. Confirmation of this genetic susceptibility is important in order for physicians to counsel families on genetic predisposition to this aggressive malignancy. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to identify genetic risk factors and elucidate the impact of frequent genomic alterations on tumor microenvironment and outcomes. The results from this study can assist in the future development of early diagnosis, better treatment strategies and improve overall patient outcomes.
This is a population-based study that utilizes resources from UPDB to identify high risk families and ascertain their germline DNA to assess any genetic causes for development of SBA.  Simultaneously, we will perform transcriptomic analysis and immune profiling to understand the complex interaction of genomics, transcriptomics and immune microenvironment to allow for development of newer targeted and immune therapy treatment options for these patients with rare tumors. Furthermore, these findings will provide opportunity to generate preliminary data for future NIH R01 funding to study multi-cancer phenotyping and develop targeted therapy clinical trials to improve the health care delivery and personalized medicine to the patients with SBA.


Identification of breast cancer-specific signatures in saliva metabolites using capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry

The aim of this study is to identify breast cancer-specific signatures in saliva metabolites to facilitate the early diagnosis of breast cancer.Comprehensive metabolite analysis of saliva was conducted using capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Saliva samples were obtained from 20 healthy controls and 90 breast cancer patients. Among 205 peaks identified from the salivary metabolites, 62 salivary biomarkers demonstrated significantly higher concentrations in breast cancer patients comparing with healthy individuals (p<0.05). Known markers such as N1-acetylspermidine, spermine, putrescine and N8-acetylspermidine were included in these 62 markers.These data suggested that quantitative information for salivary metabolites and their combinations could be promising biomarkers for the early diagnosis of breast cancer.


Populationsgenetischer Vergleich zweier Kontaktzonen von MausmakiArten in Südmadagaskar

Ziel des hier beantragten Projektes ist der populationsgenetische Vergleich zweier Kontaktzonen zwischen den Lemurenarten Microcebus griseorufus und M. murinus. In Kontaktzone A bilden Übergangswälder ausgedehnte intermediäre Habitate zwischen trockenem Dornbusch und feuchtem Küstenwald. In Kontaktzone B grenzen feuchte Galeriewälder scharf an umgebenden trockenen Dornbusch. Kontaktzone A haben wir bereits intensiv populationsgenetisch analysiert. Unsere Daten weisen auf eine mosaikartige Hybridzone mit ausgedehnter introgressiver Hybridisierung hin. Aus Kontaktzone B liegen erste genetische Daten vor, die darauf hinweisen, dass es nur vereinzelt zur Hybridisierung kommt. Dies führt zu der Hypothese, dass die beiden Arten abhängig von den herrschenden Umweltbedingungen in unterschiedlichem Ausmaß hybridisieren. Zusätzliches Probenmaterial aus Kontaktzone B bietet jetzt die Möglichkeit, durch eine intensive populationsgenetische Analyse diese Hypothese zu überprüfen. Damit möchten wir zum Verständnis der Faktoren beitragen, die die Verbreitung und Abundanz endemischer Arten in Madagaskar beeinflussen.


CHROMOSOMAL PROTEIN FUNCTION AND PHOSPHORYLATION


電磁型サーボダンパの開発

Principal Investigator：岡田 養二, Project Period (FY)：1974, Research Category：Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C), Research Field：機械力学・制御工学


Regulatory subunits of PP2A in neuronal function


Functional mapping of gut-brain neurocircuitry in health and obesity

Much of the global population now live in an obesogenic environment, characterised by ready availability of the ultra-processed, high-fat and high-sugar foods comprising the modern ‘Western diet’. This diet is a deleteriously effective trigger of the evolutionarily-conserved drive to maximise energy intake during periods of food abundance, leading to the chronic overconsumption driving the obesity epidemic. Overconsumption can be caused by impaired function in the neurobiologically-distinct processes of satiation and/or satiety. Satiation processes ultimately elicit meal termination, via a poorly-understood interaction of neuronal and hormonal gut-brain signalling pathways, respectively mediated by vagal afferent neurons, and blood-borne peptide hormones and endocannabinoid-like lipoamines. I will use the TRAP2 system for activity-dependent Cre-recombinase expression, combined with systems neuroscience techniques including chemogenetics and optogenetics, to map and selectively manipulate Western diet-recruited gut-brain neurocircuits in an unbiased manner. I will combine this model with single-nucleus transcriptomics, and targeted HPLC-MS/MS lipidomics, to functionally interrogate how neuronal and hormonal gut-brain neurocircuits recruited by Western diet interact to orchestrate meal termination at the cellular, molecular and behavioural levels in lean mice. I will then identify the molecular mechanisms driving dysfunction in this circuitry resulting from chronic Western diet consumption, to identify new approaches to prevent and treat obesity.


MAPPING ALTERATIONS CAUSED BY HYDROCARBON MICROSEEPAGES IN PATRICK DRAW AREA SOUTHWEST WYOMING USING IMAGE SPECTROSCOPY AND HYPERSPECTRAL REMOTE SENS


Changing Concepts of Liabilities and the Emergence of Measurement Problems

The results of my research during the period for which I received the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) are as follows :First, the determining factors in recognition of liabilities are (1) the division between the liability and capital, (2) on-balancing of off-balanced items.Problem (1) is whether accounting concepts are looked at from the point of assets/liabilities (balance sheet centered view) or the revenues/expenses (income statement view) in determining what accounting liability is. In case of the revenue/expense view, credit items which are excluded from periodical income determination must belong to liability category. Therefore, the liability category is likely to be seen as excess baggage. In case of asset/liability view, what belongs to the liability category is determined first (in this case, the capital category is likely to be seen as a secondary phenomenon). The main stream of recent accounting theory has changed from the revenue/expense view to the asset/liabilit…Morey view. As a result, the recognition of accounting liability has changed. Future accounting concepts should be refined based on the asset/liability view.Problem (2) is that what used to be off-balance has recently been being on-balnaced. The reasons for this change are both changes in the main stream of accounting theory as stated above and the changes in investors valuation of firms. When investors evaluate a firm as the object of investment, they tend to give value not only to return on investment, but also to future risk of the firm. Therefore, lease obligation, pension liability, post-retirement health care liability, and other obligations which used to be off-balance, became on-balanced. The more future events accounting infomation introduces, the more relevant it becomes, the less reliable. One solution that must this difficult problem would be to divide income into distributable income and investment index income, because distributable income is fixed and needs to be more reliable while investment index income is concerned about the future and needs to be more relevant.Less


New Ideas of What University Undergraduate Program Ought to Be and Curricular Reform in Special Reference to the Students Majoring Science and Technology

Purpose of this research is to obtain a guiding principle for university reform, particularly in science and technology, by studying the historical perspective of curricula as well as ideas how university education ought to be.(1) Ogasawara, the head investigator of this project, analyzed the processes of the reform in higher education in l990s in special reference to that of general education and proposed possible features of undergraduate and graduate education in 21st century in research universities. He also reported on the realities of education reform in some of the universities he visited in the US and Europe. (2) Nishimori investigated what was happening in classes of mathematics in Japanese universities and concluded that teachers had to make, to cope with the change of students' attitude, a great effort to teach interactively in their classes. (3) Kobayashi made comparative study of the reform of general education in Hokkaido University and Portland State University. (4) Hosokawa reported the perspective of the CAI software and its contents, and the urgent importance of the one based on Web to our university education. Imizu developed an online computer training courses specially focused on information literacy skills which provided students with learning opportunities that matched background and pace of the students.


AID変異体ノックインマウスを用いたAIDの生理病態機構解明

抗体産生応答においてAID(activation-induced cytidine deaminase)の2つの活性、すなわち体細胞突然変異とクラススイッチ組換えの両者が効率良く外敵を排除するために重要であるが、体細胞突然変異単独の寄与は動物モデルがなかったため明らかでなかった。そこで体細胞突然変異の生体内での重要性を検討するため、体細胞突然変異を特異的に消失するAIDのN末mutant(G23S)のノックインマウスを作製し、生体防御とくに腸管免疫における意義を検討した。G23SノックインマウスではIgG,IgA,また腸管内にIgAの分泌が認められ、クラススイッチはほぼ正常である一方、体細胞突然変異は有意に減少していた。AIDノックアウトマウスと類似の表現型、脾臓やパイエル板の胚中心の過形成が認められたが、その程度は常にノックアウトと野生型マウスの中間を示した。この過形成の原因は今まで報告されてきたようにクラススイッチの障害、IgAやIgGの欠失によるものであることを否定できないが、G23Sマウスの結果から体細胞突然変異の減少による寄与も重要であることがはじめて明らかになった。コレラ毒素に対する防御反応はG23Sノックインマウスで有意に低下していた。つまり体細胞突然変異の減少は病原体排除能の低下だけでなく、リンパ組織の過形成などの免疫異常にも寄与していることが明らかになった。これらの結果は現在論文投稿準備中である。


METABOLIC BASIS OF NIDDM--A SIB PAIR ANALYSIS


The exploration of neural circuits and molecular mechanisms involved in feeding regulation

我々の社会環境はストレスに溢れており、過食、拒食といった摂食行動の不調をきたすことが多々ある。ショウジョウバエを用いた摂食行動実験において刺激応答の受容体や神経との関係がよく研究されており、摂食行動の制御バランスの解明が期待される。本研究ではショウジョウバエにおける摂食行動実験を通してその傾向を解析し、摂食制御機構における関連分子群を解析し、それに伴う神経回路の解明を目指す。神経システムが摂食行動に与える影響を知ることは、多くのストレスを抱える現代人にとって極めて関心の高い事項であり、そのシステムの解明は、ストレスに対する医療行為の発展と健康で活動的な社会形成の根幹をなす重要な項目となりうる。