Waveform distortions of finite amplitude sound wave in a locally reacting tube

When sound propagates in a tube of rubber-like material, the wall yields to the internal pressure, and the consequent vibration of the wall results in the substantial generation of geometrical dispersion and inevitable sound energy dissipation. In particular, if the sound frequency coincides with the resonance frequency the wave energy is strongly absorbed. The present research describes the propagation of finite amplitude sound waves in such yielding tubes. Due to the nonlinearity of air, the initial waves generate plenty of harmonics and distort their waveforms. Since these harmonics, however, propagate with each corresponding speed, the resultant distortions might be seen in a different way from those that take place in an acoustically rigid tube, where the dissipation is negligibly weak.In the theory the assumption is made that only plane waves without any higher modes are propagating in a cylindrical tube. We also assume emphatically that the wall moves locally in response to the…Moreinternal pressure and the small displacement in radial direction is linearly modeled as a single freedom of resonator which consists of a series of three mechanical elements; compliance, mass and mechanical resistance. At relatively high frequencies, the visco-elastic motion of wall propagating in the tube shell decays more fast by the internal friction for rubber materials, so the assumption of local reaction would be resonable, although not be rigorously satisfied. The nonlinear wave equation is derived from the basic governing equations for an inviscid gas. The energy dissipations due to the on wall effect and the classical and relaxational losses of sound are included in an ad hoc manner. Since it is difficult to solve the nonlinear wave equation analytically, the numerical calculation technique according to an ordinary finite difference scheme is used for giving insight into the evolution of the time domain waveform at various space points. In the case of low frequency excitation much below the resonance frequency, the wave equation is reduced to the Burgers- Korteweg-de Vries(BKdV) equation, which is known in the propagation of pressure disturnances in a relaxing medium and in a gas-liquid mixture.Less


Reception of Wagner's sacred stage festival music drama>"Parsifal< in the North American Continent of the early 20th century

This research aimed to reconstruct precisely and concretely the whole contents of The Metropolitan Opera's 1903 North American premiere of "Parsifal" and its subsequent tour up to 1905 , as well as the English Grand Opera Company's attempt to perform the same piece in English 224 times in 46 North American cities in 1904 and the following year, by the investigations the extensive news paper articles archived in the website “The Historical Newspapers”.  The articles cover the pros and cons of performing the work outside of Bayreuth against the composer's will, the controversy over the religious nature of the work, a comparison of the two opera companies' performances themselves, and a comparison and verification of the pricing and audience demographics. The study attempted to shed light on the reality of the "Parsifal Fever" that engulfed many Americans at the beginning of the 20th century.

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)


A phase I/II trial of silymarin for chronic liver diseases


Image-guided irreversible electroporation directed CAR T-cell delivery to solid tumors

PROJECT NARRATIVE Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are essential to successful solid tumor immunotherapy. Herein, we propose to promote TILs in solid tumors through image-guided irreversible electroporation and adoptive transfer of genetically modified CAR T cells, thus further augmenting CAR T-cell function by T-cell-sparing repeat IRE.


QUANTATIVE TUNNELING SPECTRO- SCOPY OF NANOCRYSTALS

OFFICE OF SCIENCE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM


TESTING SUSTAINING SOCIAL INFLUENCE MODEL RURAL SCHOOL


Tendo por tema geral -  ""População, Governança e Bem-Estar"", o XIX Encontro Nacional de Estudos Populacionais será uma reunião científica, de caráter nacional, voltada à discussão e divulgação da produção brasileira mais recente da Demografia e dos Estudos de População. Desta reunião participarão cientistas nacionais e internacionais tanto das áreas centrais (D&EP) quanto das áreas afins (Ciências Sociais, Saúde, Geografia, Planejamento Urbano e Regional, Matemática, Estatística). Estarão também presentes técnicos e gestores governamentais e representantes da sociedade civil interessados na produção demográfica como elemento importante para o conhecimento da sociedade brasileira e para o desenho e implementação de programas e políticas. A programação científica compreende três sessões plenárias, oito mesas redondas, 57 sessões temáticas envolvendo 228 exposições e apresentação de 234 pôsteres. (AU)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Auxílio Organização - Reunião Científica

Associação Brasileira de Estudos Populacionais (ABEP)


Development of MRI based bio-markers for the potential use in personalized therapy for brain injury patients

The outcome of conventional physical therapy after brain injury varies greatly among patients. We would like to predict this variability and develop personalized therapy which is customized to each patient’s condition. The purpose of the present study is to develop non-invasive biomarkers, using MRI, which have the potential to predict the variability of therapy-effect and elucidate its mechanism. So far the study found that cortical volumes of motor-related areas measured by MRI correlated with the ability to control Brain-Machine Interfaces. In addition, by using resting-state functional MRI we found that motor skill learning enhanced the functional connectivity between Substantia Nigra and Thalamus. These results suggest that MRI based bio-markers might be of great value in the development of personalized therapy options for patients who suffered from brain injury.

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University


Transformative Methods for the Solid Phase Synthesis of Oligosaccharides  Matthew Brichacek, Department of Chemistry, University of Maine PROJECT NARRATIVE  Glycans play an integral role in cell signaling, immune response, microbial pathogenesis, tumor metastasis, and modulation of protein activity. However, the systematic study of all glycan structures in a cell has been impeded by limitations associated with accessing carbohydrates of the desired sequence, length, stereochemistry, and branching pattern. The development of a transformative methodology for the solid-phase production of oligosaccharides would provide ample quantities of well-defined samples facilitating breakthroughs in glycobiology and drug discovery.


REGULATION OF PROTEOLYSIS IN LUNG TISSUE


Polycystic Liver Disease and ER Quality Control


PROTEIN KINASE B PATHWAY IN CELL TRANSFORMATION


A GRADUATE PROGRAM IN CRITICAL CARE NURSING


脳小胞体のチトクローム b_5 還元酵素の構造-肝臓および赤血球の酵素との比較

Principal Investigator：田村 実, Project Period (FY)：1985, Research Category：Grant-in-Aid for Encouragement of Young Scientists (A), Research Field：物質生物化学


Keine Zusammenfassung vorhanden


Mathematics and Numerics of Infinite Quantum Systems

The purpose of the project is to study linear and nonlinear models arising in quantum mechanics and which are used to describe
matter at the microscopic and nanoscopic scales. The project focuses on physically-oriented questions (rigorous derivation of a
given model from first principles), analytic problems (existence and properties of bound states, study of solutions to timedependent
equations) and numerical issues (development of reliable algorithmic strategies). Most of the models are nonlinear and
describe physical systems possessing an infinite number of quantum particles, leading to specific difficulties.
The first part of the project is devoted to the study of relativistic atoms and molecules, while taking into account quantum
electrodynamics effects like the polarization of the vacuum. The models are all based on the Dirac operator.
The second part is focused on the study of quantum crystals. The goal is to develop new strategies for describing their behavior in
the presence of defects and local deformations. Both insulators, semiconductors and metals are considered (including graphene).
In the third part, attractive systems are considered (like stars or a few nucleons interacting via strong forces in a nucleus). The
project aims at rigorously understanding some of their specific properties, like Cooper pairing or the possible dynamical collapse of
massive gravitational objects.
Finally, the last part is devoted to general properties of infinite quantum systems, in particular the proof of the existence of the
thermodynamic limit

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS


Neuropsychological and Thyroid Effects of PBDEs


Psychobiology of Corticotropin-releasing Factor


BIOPSYCHOLOGY OF MOTHER-YOUNG INTERACTIONS


Perceived barriers to physical activity among obese women.

According to the World Health Organization, the global prevalence of obesity has more than doubled since 1980. Currently, one quarter of Canadian adults are obese with an increasing proportion of adults, especially women, with severe obesity. Canadian women are twice as likely to be morbidly obese compared to men, are more likely to be sedentary and are at increased risk for various chronic health conditions. There is a critical demand for effective strategies to help women reduce and maintain their weight over long-term. Bariatric surgery is a last resort option for weight loss that produces rapid reductions in body weight and is arguably the most successful and cost-effective medical treatment available today. Despite significant initial weight loss, a large number of patients experience weight regain over time. A vast majority of patients who seek bariatric surgery are women and comprise 73% of the patient population at our center. Physical inactivity is strongly related to weight regain after weight loss. An active lifestyle is one of the strongest predictors of successful long-term weight loss management among individuals who have lost substantial amounts of weight. However, reasons for sedentary living among obese women are not well understood. Therefore, the aim of this study is to conduct a series of focus groups with seriously obese women before and after surgery to explore perceived barriers associated with engaging in physical activity as well as preferences regarding exercise mode, location, and approach. The findings of this study will provide information for health-care professionals to begin tailoring exercise programs to help obese women manage their weight and maximize health improvements.

Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships


Flexible working hours and their effect on health, well-being and job related outcomes: a win-win situation för both employers and employees?

Forskningsrådet om Hälsa, Arbetsliv och Välfärd


PNEUMOCYSTIS INFECTION IN AIDS: BIOLOGY AND PATHOGENESIS


Reinforcement of research potential for the realisation of a complete drug development scheme from natural compounds

"The aim of NatPharma is the growth and the strengthening of the RTD potential of NeaNat, a multidisciplinary research group based in Campania, one of the EU’s convergence regions. NeaNat brings together the experience and the skills of two groups with a proven expertise in the fields of isolation and identification of natural compounds (NeaMARINE) and of computer aided drug design (NeaCADD). Both groups work in the same department (Dipartimento di Chimica delle Sostanze Naturali, University of Naples ""Federico II"").  The aim of NatPharma is to improve the effective capacities and research potential of NeaNat, granting the group the capacities for the successful realisation of a complete drug development scheme from natural sources to optimized drugs, including the identification, the clarification of the mechanism of action, the optimization and the biotechnological production of bioactive compounds from marine sources.  Albeit our worldwide scientific excellence in the fields of research we are involved, we need new expertise in the fields of: i) biotechnology for the identification of genes involved in the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds and ii) quantum-mechanical calculations (ab-initio methods) for the investigation of the interactions occurring between organic molecules (drug candidates) and biological targets containing metals. NatPharma will address these aims by means of i) two-way secondment of staff researchers, ii) recruitment of expert researchers, iii) participation at workshops and courses, iv) organization of seminars. These actions will be integrated by the upgrading of the research equipment. Moreover, the twinning with other EU-based institutes, and the promotional activities planned will also foster a better integration of NeaNat at the European level, and will therefore foster the participation of our group in European excellence networks."

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI FEDERICO II


Development of water retentive porous concrete utilizing Moso bamboo

本研究では、鹿児島県の未利用資源の孟宗竹の新たな利用用途として舗装材料への適用を想定しており、孟宗竹を活用した繊維補強型保水性多孔質材料に関する研究開発に取り組むことで、生活環境の昇温緩和対策に貢献する技術開発を行う。具体的には、孟宗竹材料の使用状態が繊維補強ポーラスコンクリートおよびセメント系充填材の施工性、硬化物性および昇温緩和効果に与える影響を明らかにした上で配合設計法の確立を目指すものである。本研究で得られる成果によって、年間360万トンの未利用木質バイオマスをコンクリート材料に有効活用する技術への応用が可能となり、高吸水素材とコンクリートの融合を図る技術基盤となる。

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists

Osaka Sangyo University(2020-2021)Kagoshima National College of Technology(2019)


GENETICS OF FLAGELLAR SPECIFIC EXPORT IN S TYPHI


Narrative: The discovery that new neurons are born in the adult brain, also known as adult neurogenesis, has opened a promising area of research because of its therapeutic potential for rebuilding new circuits in neurodegenerative diseases as well as in aging. Among the cells that exhibit adult neurogenesis are the inhibitory granule cells of the olfactory bulb. These neurons are continuously born throughout life, providing an excellent neuronal model for the study of both developmental and adult neurogenesis. Throughout life, newly born granule cells perform the remarkable task of survival and proper integration into their new environment. As with granule cells born during development, the cells born in the adult must establish functional connections with existing neuronal components of the bulb. Among these components are the fibers of the noradrenergic system, an important neuromodulatory system in the bulb. Thus, the study of granule cell function in relation to the noradrenergic system also has medical implications. This system has extensive projections through the entire brain and plays an important role in neuronal excitability in physiological states such as attention, anxiety and emotions.


RABIES SEROGROUP VIRUS INFECTIONS:  IMMUNOPATHOLOGY


Pathophysiological Roles of AdipoR1/AdipoR2 in the Prevention of Atherosclerosis

The adipocyte-derived hormone adiponectin has been proposed to play the central roles as antidiabetic and antiatherogenic adipokine. However, whether adiponectin receptors AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 have the protective roles against atherosclerosis in vivo are still undetermined.Therefore, in this study we investigated the in vivo roles of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 on atherosclerosis using conventional or tissue-specific AdipoR1 and/or AdipoR2 knockout or transgenic mice as well as transplantation of bone marrow from AdipoR knockout mice.This study provides the direct evidence that AdipoR2 in endothelial cells and AdipoR1 in macrophages play protective roles against atherosclerosis in vivo.


Community Action to Promote Healthy Environments

PROJECT NARRATIVE Academic researchers, community-based organizations, health care providers, and state and local government officials will work together to implement recommendations from a scientifically-grounded, community-informed Public Health Action Plan to reduce air pollution and its adverse health effects, and strengthen and support sustained, equitable and effective community engagement in translation of research to action to promote environmental public health. Poor environmental quality and associated health impacts are social and environmental justice issues in Michigan and elsewhere. This project aims to enhance health and environmental equity.


ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY OF CANNABINOID ACTION ON RAT BEHAVIORS


Prospective memory across the adult lifespan

No summary - Aucun sommaire

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada


A study on "Tokunoka" : Inter-area comparison of their characteristics and social roles

This research could point out two important characteristics of "Tokunoka"(Motivated farmer) by fieldworks.1) Multiexperience of "Tokunoka" ; Before starting agricultural practice, "Tokunoka" have expériences in several kinds of working and migrating expériences. These expériences lead "Tokunoka" to the innovator not only agricuktural sense, but also social standing point and their way of thinking.2) Alterity of "Tokunoka" ; Due to their multiexperience, "Tokunoka" don't banded by local conventional way. This alterity often make "Tokunoka" as innovators of agricultural technics and social-cultural change.

Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research

Research Institute for Humanity and Nature


HENRY M. JACKSON FDN FOR THE ADV MIL/MED


ROLE, REGULATION AND SUBSTRATES OF SYK-FAMILY PTKS


MEASUREMENTS OF ICE THICKNESS, VELOCITY AND ELEVATION ARE CRITICAL TO OBSERVE AND UNDERSTAND THE EVOLUTION OF COASTAL SECTORS OF ICE SHEETS IN GREENL

National Aeronautics and Space Administration


データドリブン計算代数幾何

本研究では、代数幾何・計算代数で発展してきた非線形な数学をデータドリブンな計算代数幾何として刷新した新たな学問領域を立ち上げ、機械学習をはじめとした現代の応用情報科学の「観測からの学習」というフレームワークに応用可能にします。データドリブン計算代数幾何では従来の記号的計算は排除され、データ上での振る舞いに着目した効率的な数値計算で代数計算が実現されます。

戦略的な研究開発の推進/戦略的創造研究推進事業/ACT-X 数理・情報のフロンティア


Development of a mathematical model of metabolism in pancreatic beta cells

No summary - Aucun sommaire

University Undergraduate Student Research Awards


A prospective examination of stimulant diversion and related risk factors for young adults with childhood- or adult-diagnosed ADHD

Narrative Non-prescribed use, for cognitive enhancement (e.g., while studying) or recreation (e.g., partying), of stimulant medications by young adults is a prevalent problem; this Schedule II controlled medication is usually obtained from peers with prescriptions, yet little data are available to explain this diversion behavior. Efforts to prevent stimulant misuse are therefore missing key information. The proposed research will study diversion behavior among young adults with ADHD and its longitudinal predictors to improve the prevention of stimulant misuse and its associated adverse medical and legal consequences.


EAPSI: Carbon Limitation, Algal Ecology, and Greenhouse Gases: Can Algal Blooms Fight Climate Change?

The increasing frequency and magnitude of harmful algal blooms (HABs) is a global problem, exacerbated by rising temperatures and cultural eutrophication, and is most severe in regions experiencing rapid urbanization and agricultural development. The Taihu basin, China, is a poster child of this type of region and frequently experiences severe HABs, often dominated by the neurotoxin producing cyanobacteria of the genera Microcystis. While the overall duration and size of a bloom is limited by the supply of nitrogen and phosphorus, there is growing evidence that carbon (C) availability may also limit growth in some cases. The proposed research is a collaborative project with Prof. Guangwei Zhu (Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology) investigating the potential for C limitation, the role it may play in phytoplankton ecology, and possible implications for global C cycling. A diverse suite of tools, including stable isotopes, diagnostic photopigments, and other biogeochemical indicators will be used to better constrain the aforementioned processes. The proposed research will advance our understanding of the Taihu system, one that is a model for other heavily impacted ecosystems worldwide. HABs, like those common to Taihu, are complex events with diverse biogeochemical drivers and the potential for numerous environmental feedbacks, many of which are poorly understood. Results from this study will help determine the degree to which one of these drivers, C limitation, may affect the bloom size and dominance of potentially toxic HAB species in this environmentally and economically vital lake.

Inorganic C fixation during dense phytoplankton blooms can reach extremely high rates, removing dissolved CO2 faster than can be supplied by air-sea exchange and respiration. Species capable of assimilating inorganic C as bicarbonate (H2CO3) such as the toxin-producing Microcystis will therefore be at a competitive advantage when CO2 becomes limiting. In the proposed research, ?Ý13C of phytoplankton will be used as an indicator of C sources and acquisition strategies, while an analysis of photopigments by HPLC will be used to investigate the effects of C availability on phytoplankton ecology during the progression of a bloom in the hypereutrophic lake Taihu, China.

This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology.

VanDam                  Bryce          R


Collaborative Research:  Production Fluxes and Physicochemical Properties of Nascent Marine Aerosols:  Implications for the Atmosphere and Upper Ocean

Production of primary marine aerosol at the ocean surface is a major process in the earth?s climate system, with important implications for the physicochemical evolution of the troposphere and feedbacks on upper ocean biogeochemistry. Newly formed marine aerosol are number-dominated by sub-ìm diameter, hygroscopic, organic-rich particles that scatter solar radiation and serve as condensation nuclei. Photolysis of the associated marine-derived organic matter (OM) produces reactive oxygen species and other oxidized species. The nature, magnitude, and consequences of the production and evolution of marine aerosol are highly uncertain, precluding development of a reliable predictive capability for associated influences on tropospheric chemistry, upper ocean biogeochemistry, and climate.

To address some of these uncertainties, an interdisciplinary research team from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the University of Virginia, and the Scripps Institute of Oceanography will participate on a multidisciplinary research cruise from the US to Bermuda in the summer of 2012 to study fluxes of marine aerosols as a function of seawater characteristics.  In particular they will characterize size- and composition-resolved marine aerosols by comparison of measurements made with their own custom-designed UVA aerosol generator with parallel measurements with the NOAA SeaSweep aerosol generator and eddy covariance techniques.  Comparative studies will be carried out at two or three optically distinct stations with seawater characteristics that are compositionally distinct.  These results will also be compared with similar data already in-hand to yield a more thorough synthesis and to serve as the basis for developing numerical models of the aerosol transport system.  An important outcome of this project will be a thorough characterization of the aerosol material generated by the UVA instrument for future aerosol work at sea.

Broader Impacts: Results of the proposed research are expected to advance further study of the influences of the surface ocean on the size-resolved organic and inorganic composition and flux of nascent and ambient marine aerosol, and the related influences of these aerosol in the multiphase chemical and physical evolution of the marine boundary layer, surface ocean biogeochemistry, and Earth's radiation balance.  The project will also provide for the training and support of one or more graduate and undergraduate students.

University of California-San Diego Scripps Inst of Oceanography


Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of Business Cycles in Japanese and U.S. Economies

The purpose of this project was to develop theoreical models of business cycles with micro-foundations and econometric methods for empirical studies of business cycles , and to test alternative models by using Japan and D.S. data.Our research results are the follwing:(1) By constructing a theoretical model , growth and fluctuation patterns of economies with imperfect competion are clarified;(2) By constructing and testing empirically models of asset price, important role of asset price fluctuation in business cycles is clarified;(3) By constructing theoretical model of international policy coordination, desirirable rules of monetary policy coordination are clarified;(4) In framework of OLG model, optimal rules of monetary policy are clarified.

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

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


In-Service Institute in Physics and Mathematics


DOD SUPPLEMENTAL IMPACT AID

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE IMPACT AID (SUPPLEMENT, CWSD, BRAC)


Sustainable rural development - for or by the people?

The aim of this project is to explore the causes and consequences of the emerging governance arrangements framed as the new rural paradigm as a response to the challenge of sustainable rural development. The project thus moves beyond the questions of mechanisms of governance to the consideration of how this new kinds of power relations affect rural development. The project, which is based both on qualitative as well as quantitative methods, addresses the following questions; i) how is partnerships between the government and rural populations realized within the different policy domains biodiversity, wildlife and water governance?, ii) what are the effects of such partnerships on the design and delivery of rural policies? What types of conflicts arise between various actor groups, and how have different actors influenced outcomes? iii) comparing across domains, what are the prospects for enhanced rural sustainable development within these three domains? The funding will be used to strengthen a newly established interdisciplinary research group through the recruitment of young researchers (4 postdocs, 1 PhD) thereby contributing to the development of national research skills and the internationalization of Swedish research on sustainable rural development. The project have a high relevance for society, and the project gives attention to new knowledge on rural sustainable development and how to deal with conflicts over land use an land use change in rural areas.


PGRN Administrative Coordination Hub, ACH (PGRN)

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The Administrative Coordination Hub (ACHPGRN) will promote research collaboration among investigators in the new pharmacogenomics research network, PGRN. The ACHPGRN will establish an interactive website and use internet based technologies such as apps to enhance scientific collaborations. The ACHPGRN will build an environment to encourage collaborations among members of the new PGRN and scientific, medical and patient communities.


Childhood Leukemia:  Oxidative Stress, Cognitive Changes & Academic Outcomes

Acute leukemia is the most common cancer among children in the United States. Curative therapy requires treating the brain with chemotherapy which frequently results in devastating effects on learning, academic abilities and employment opportunities for leukemia survivors. This study will increase knowledge about how chemotherapy damages normal brain tissue, and determine if this damage leads to the cognitive and academic problems experienced by children with leukemia.


Assessing the Validity of Forensic Decisions Through Interrater Reliability

This project will investigate the reliability and validity of forensic decision making in the context of the technique of fired cartridge case comparison. It does so by examining whether inconclusive forensic decisions result from truly ambiguous physical evidence or from non-evidentiary factors. The project additionally will study whether pattern evidence produced by two different sources is sufficiently distinct to be consistently detected by forensic examiners.

The project will employ an experimental approach to test the validity of forensic analyses of fired cartridge cases. Through interrater reliability, the research will assess the tendency for multiple forensic examiners to reach similar conclusions when evaluating the same evidence. The project also will ascertain whether the toolmarks left on fired cartridge cases by two discrete weapons are sufficiently distinct to be detected by different examiners. These comparisons will enable the project to test the validity of pattern matching forensic techniques that necessarily rely on subjective human judgments. As this research addresses issues relevant to a multitude of forensic techniques, it will significantly advance knowledge about the probative value of decision making throughout the forensic sciences.

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.


Clinical Center for Cholestatic Liver Disease in Children

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: We propose to become a member of the Childhood Liver Disease Research and Education Network (ChiLDREN) and to be a key contributor to the strong infrastructure to facilitate clinical sciences research and clinical trials in children with biliary atresia, cholestatic syndromes, mitochondrial hepatopathies, and cystic fibrosis. In addition, we will pursue ancillary studies to develop biomarkers of disease in biliary atresia and genetic basis of mitochondrial hepatopathies, and will seek to enroll subjects into innovative clinical trials to improve the outcome of children with liver diseases.


NOVEL HYDROPHILIC PROLACTIN INHIBITING DOPAMINE AGONISTS


The interdisciplinary researches between museology and accounting on the paradox preservation and measurement of cultural heritage

会計は企業を対象とし発達したため、資産は利潤を生みだすために効率的に「活用」する手段という考え方で成り立っている。このことから、文化遺産にとって最も大事な「保存」を表現する手段を持ち合わせていない。広義の文化遺産について保存を含む文化的な価値と監査に伴う会計的価値との間で、例えば企業会計基準を博物館にまで適用したオーストラリアをはじめ各国では深刻な軋轢をかかえている。この前提のもとに、博物館学者と会計学者とが<標本・会計資料交差調査法>というオリジナル手法を使用することによって「人類にとっての文化遺産とは何か?会計とは何か?」を明らかにする。

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)


Suicide - Symptom of Desease or Signature of Freedom? An Inquiry into Medical Ethics

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung


Gas Separations Via Novel Transition Metal Complexes

This program is designed to investigate the possibility of                      synthesizing a new class of materials (known as transition metal                complexes, with a structure called zeolitic structure) for rapid                absorption and desorption of gases.  It is proposed to use these                new materials for selectively absorbing oxygen from air so that                 the oxygen can be desorbed subsequently to provide a source of                  highly pure oxygen.  The presently-available devices absorb                     nitrogen from air to produce a left-over gas stream with                        predominant oxygen content.  However, this leads to impure                      oxygen, with a substantial amount of argon, carbon dioxide and                  moisture.  Successful completion of the proposed work promises to               provide an economic source of pure oxygen for medical use and for               welding and metal cutting.  Additional applications are also                    possible.                                                                                The PI, Dr. Neil Hendricks, ahs very good training in the                       background areas needed for this work, and his employer, Maxdem                 Inc., has good facilities for conducting this Phase I work under                the Small Business Innovation Research Program.                                                                                An award for $40,000 for six months is recommended.


High-Resolution Protein and Nucleic Acid Footprinting


Rock-ice avalanches: a systematic investigation of the influence of ice

During the last decades, several rock-ice avalanche events have shown their disastrous potential if they occur close to populated regions. In terms of the ongoing climate change and the supposed intensification of mass movement processes in mountainous regions, the question of the possible consequences of a large rock-ice avalanche close to populated areas as in the European Alps raises. The study consists of 3 main components: (1) numerical modelling of large rock-ice avalanches, (2) physical modelling of rock-ice mixtures in a vertically rotating drum in Vienna and Berkeley, and (3) event documentation of the most important large rock-ice avalanches around the world. The goal is to draw a coherent picture of the dynamic characteristics of such events and to quantify the effect of ice on the friction and hence on the runout distance.


Collisions atomique, structure nucléaire et violation CP


Statistical and Computational Methods for Gene Expression Microarrays


Spectroscopy of hot stars in the galatic halo.iii. analysis of a large  sample of field horizontal-branch and other a type stars.

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Auxílio à Pesquisa - Publicações científicas - Artigo

Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG)


Behavioral Activation for Smoking Cessation and the Prevention of Post-Cessation Weight Gain

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Post-cessation weight gain (PCWG) can deter a quit attempt and precipitate smoking relapse. Treatment to prevent PCWG has yielded modest success. Novel theory-driven behavioral interventions that consider the reward-related mechanisms common to both smoking and eating may lessen smoking cessation-induced increases in eating and smoking relapse due to PCWG.


P.I: Pierre T. Kabamba, Department of Aerospace Engineering
Co P.I: Semyon M. Meerkov, Department of Electrical Engineering and
Computer Science
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Proposal Number:  0073302
Title:  Rejection of Disturbances with Uncertain Spectra: Theory and
Applications
Project Abstract
The objectives of this project are to develop novel, specialized analytical tools for analysis and design of control systems that are robust with respect to disturbance model uncertainty, and to demonstrate their applicability in industrial situations.  Disturbance rejection is a pervasive problem in control systems engineering, and our previous work has highlighted the importance of uncertainty in disturbance models.  Among others, the following problems will be addressed:
1.	Rejection of disturbances with uncertain spectra in systems with saturated actuators.
2.	Investigation of performance measures other than variance (e.g., l-infinity norm) and disturbance models other than colored noise (e.g., a train of delta-functions with uncertain inter-arrival time).
3.	Application of the results obtained to analysis and design of controllers in the aerospace (in co-operation with Boeing) and automotive (in co-operation with Ford) industries.

The approach of the research is based on (a) a functional equation, that could be viewed as converse of the standard spectral factorization Lemma and (b) the method of stochastic linearization, that allows analysis and design of nonlinear systems driven by random inputs.
The work is planned as follows: Problem 1 will be addressed the first year, problem 2 during the second and third year, and problem 3 will be underlying our work throughout.
The impact of the research is in providing the control engineer with an analytical methodology for analysis and design of controllers that are robust with respect to uncertainties in the disturbance model. While such analysis is typically carried out today by simulations, the availability of the analytical tools to be developed will provide a useful alternative.

Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor


A Highly Parallelizable Long Time Dynamical Simulation      Algorithm Applied to Proteins

9309883  Rabitz  We propose a highly parallelizable molecular dynamics (MD)  approach for the study of the long time dynamics of condensed  phase systems.  We intend to apply our method to protein  dynamics, where the long time behavior is of great interest, and  the proposed methods can be used to their full advantage.  The  method constrains high frequency motions of the fully coupled  system, thus greatly reducing the dimensionality of the problem  while simultaneously permitting the use of a very large  integration time step.  The approach is to use a periodically  updated subspace of the low frequency real and imaginary normal  modes of the system as a reduced basis for numerical integration  of the dynamics.


Rational development of anti-Trypanosoma cruzi drugs

The proposed research will help develop new treatments for Chagas disease, a parasitic disease common in Latin America that also infects >300,000 individuals in the USA. The existing drugs are limited by poor efficacy and toxicity. New drugs are desperately needed to help prevent deaths from damage to the heart and intestinal system caused by the etiologic agent of Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi).


Acute Kidney Injury with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Beta-Lactam Antibiotics

PROJECT NARRATIVE Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are a revolutionary highly effective anti-cancer treatment and are associated with immune mediated acute kidney injury (AKI) through unclear mechanisms. ICI mediated immune system activation may lead to excessive immune responses to medications such as beta-lactam antibiotics, which themselves cause AKI via acute interstitial nephritis. This study aims to estimate the comparative risk and treatment effect heterogeneity of AKI in patients on ICIs concomitantly exposed to beta-lactam versus fluroquinolone antibiotics, which are widely used alternatives to beta-lactams.


Immunology of Infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Gonorrhea is a major public health problem worldwide that adversely affects the reproductive health of women. Gonococcal isolates that are resistant to almost every antibiotic in clinical use have heralded an era of untreatable gonorrhea - the CDC has conferred "superbug" status to Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Vaccines and novel treatments for this disease are badly needed. Using the knowledge that we have gained from our studies on complement interactions with N. gonorrhoeae, we have designed a vaccine candidate and an immunotherapeutic against gonorrhea. Studies in this application seek to understand how this vaccine and immunotherapeutic work in animal models. We also aim to define the fundamental host response that clears gonococcal infection (in this instance a mouse model, as a prelude to human studies), which will inform rational vaccine design and evaluation


The role of exercise intensity in skeletal muscle mitochondrial adaptations to exercise

exercise physiology, skeletal muscle fibre type, mitochondrial biogenesis, exercise intensity, sex-based differences, mitochondrial density, exercise adaptation, molecular biology, signalling pathways, reactive oxygen species

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships - Doctoral


Neonatal electronic lung ventilator with high-frequency ventilation

A ventilação mecânica foi um dos grandes marcos na redução da mortalidade neonatal. O suporte ventilatório neonatal é uma substituição parcial do trabalho respiratório do recém-nascido. O projeto de pesquisa, aqui proposto, é uma inovação no projeto de ventiladores pulmonares neonatal. Além da pesquisa com o objetivo de melhorar as modalidades ventilatórias tradicionais tais com: ventilação a volume controlado e ventilação a pressão controlada que geralmente são uma adaptação das modalidades aplicada a adultos, ou seja, não otimizados para uso em neonatalogia objetiva-se pesquisar e implementar no ventilador, a ventilação de alta frequência. A ventilação de alta frequência é a aplicação de pequeno volume corrente em padrão oscilatório usando frequência respiratória para manter troca gasosa adequada que ocorre por difusão. A frequência respiratória em Hz pode chegar a 20, ou seja, 1200 respirações por minuto. A principal vantagem da ventilação de alta frequência é diminuição das lesões pulmonares mecânicas provocadas por pressões elevadas usadas na ventilação mecânica convencional. Os ventiladores pulmonares neonatais existentes no mercado nacional que possuem recursos da ventilação de alta frequência são importados, portanto de acesso restrito devido ao seu alto custo. A maioria dos ventiladores de alta frequência é baseada em pistão eletromagnético, similar aos de alto falante, motivo pelo qual o torna excessivamente grande para um ventilador neonatal. Espera-se obter, como resultado desta pesquisa, o desenvolvimento de um equipamento que possa ser comercializado por um preço acessível, trazendo benefícios a toda faixa de níveis sociais, e com recursos e performance superiores aos equipamentos similares importados. (AU)

Auxílio à Pesquisa - Pesquisa Inovativa em Pequenas Empresas - PIPE


The relevance of this proposal for public health is the improvement of the surgical evaluation of TSC patients who are considered for resective surgery of epileptogenic brain tubers. Moreover, these studies will provide important mechanistic information which will likely translate into novel pharmacological approaches for epilepsy.


Inhibitory effects of melatonin on the onset of puberty examined by kisspeptin expression analysis

多くの動物において外界の光周期についての情報は、松果体から分泌されるホルモン、メラトニンにより伝達される。メラトニンは哺乳類の思春期の開始を遅らせると報告されており、幼若期に生殖機能の抑制に働いていると考えられている。しかしながら、メラトニン、すなわち光周期の情報がどのようなメカニズムによって思春期の開始のタイミングに関わるのかは明らかでない。本研究では哺乳類の思春期の開始に必須の神経ペプチドであるキスペプチンの発現におけるメラトニンの影響を解明することを目指す。

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science


enHanced Interference Alignment Techniques\nfor Unprecedented Spectral Efficiency

High spectral efficiency is the holy grail of wireless networks due to the well-known scarcity of radio spectrum. The successive introduction of advanced communication techniques enabled by the massive increases in processing power over the last few decades has enabled a progressive rise in link spectral efficiency, which in emerging systems seems to be approaching its limits.<br/>It is becoming increasingly clear that major new improvements in spectral efficiency of wireless networks will have to entail addressing inter-cell interference. While up to recently there seemed to be no way out of the apparent end of the road in spectral efficiency growth, the emerging approach of Interference Alignment (IA)  – coming out of a very recent DARPA-funded project in the US – has cast new light in the spectral efficiency prospects of wireless networks: it promises new degrees of freedom that allow more parallel transmissions to take place within the same spectrum and free of interference from each other. The HIATUS proposal constitutes probably Europe's first collaborative effort to explore the true potential of this approach in wireless networks, with the goal of making it a strong enabler for ultra-efficient wireless communications in Europe and beyond. The main objectives / challenges of HIATUS will be 1) to unveil the available degrees of freedom in a number of relevant wireless networking paradigms; 2) to explore ways to overcome the need of perfect channel state information (CSI) of all participating users; 3) to identify realistic network architectures / transmission methodologies that offer unprecedented spectral efficiency gains and 4) to provide a proof-of-concept demonstration that will convincingly show the value of the new approach, paving the way for ultra-spectrally-efficient future wireless networks.


IND-enabling preclinical development of a sustained-release Pritelivir intravaginal ring for the treatment and prophylaxis of Genital Herpes in women

NARRATIVE The broad, long-term goal of this project is to develop a pritelivir intravaginal ring for the treatment and pre- exposure prophylaxis of genital herpes, a common problem that affects more than 50 million Americans. On average, recurrences occur 4 times a year, and infection is life-long. Pritelivir is a promising α-helicase inhibitor that proved superior to existing therapies in Phase 2 clinical testing, but whose clinical development as a systemic therapy has been arrested because of toxicity. Local therapy is therefore, of special interest. We have developed a ring technology platform and have successfully delivered other antiviral agents at therapeutic levels in animal models and in clinical trials. Based on this platform, in a Phase I SBIR grant, we formulated pritelivir rings, and demonstrated safety and clinically relevant pharmacokinetics in an FDA-approved sheep model. We, therefore, propose a Phase II SBIR proposal to perform FDA-mandated Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC), pre-clinical in vivo studies and protocol development in order to enable an Investigational New Drug (IND) approval. Successful completion of this work will lead to first-in-human clinical trial in a follow- on Phase IIB SBIR proposal.


The function of membrane tethering in plant intercellular communication

Intercellular communication is critical for multicellularity. It coordinates the activities within individual cells to support the function of an organism as a whole. Plants have developed remarkable cellular machines -the Plasmodesmata (PD) pores- which interconnect every single cell within the plant body, establishing direct membrane and cytoplasmic continuity, a situation unique to plants. PD are indispensable for plant life. They control the flux of molecules between cells and are decisive for development, environmental adaptation and defence signalling. However, how PD integrate signalling to coordinate responses at a multicellular level remains unclear.
A striking feature of PD organisation, setting them apart from animal cell junctions, is a strand of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) running through the pore, tethered extremely tight (~10nm) to the plasma membrane (PM) by unidentified “spokes”. To date, the function of ER-PM contacts at PD remains a complete enigma. We don’t know how and why the two organelles come together at PD cellular junctions.
I recently proposed that ER-PM tethering is in fact central to PD function. In this project I will investigate the question of how integrated cellular responses benefit from organelle cross-talk at PD. The project integrates proteomic/bioinformatic approaches, biophysical/modelling methods and ultra-high resolution 3D imaging into molecular cell biology of plant cell-to-cell communication and will, for the first time, directly address the mechanism and function of ER-PM contacts at PD. We will pursue three complementary objectives to attain our goal: 1) Identify the mechanisms of PD membrane-tethering at the molecular level 2) Elucidate the dynamics and 3D architecture of ER-PM contact sites at PD 3) Uncover the function of ER-PM apposition for plant intercellular communication. Overall, the project will pioneer a radically new perspective on PD-mediated cell-to-cell communication, a fundamental aspect of plant biology


BRIEF INTERVENTIONS FOR BINGE DRINKING COLLEGE STUDENTS


Development and regulation of stem cell lineages in skin


Ischemia Induced Plasticity - Implications for Therapy


ELECTRON MONOCHROMATOR TIME-OF-FIGHT MASS SPECTROMETER


CYTOLOGIC DIAGNOSIS OF CARCINOMA CELLS IN EFFUSIONS USING MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES


Evaluation of cultural behavior of Allied POOWs and Japanese soldiers using oral history methodology

In this research we archived both documents and oral resource on JSPs, POWs camp guards, the local memory of the Dutch Civilian internees and clarified the Indonesian local incident in WWII for the cross-cultural analysis of the behavior.


MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF DIKETONE NEUROTOXICITY


Characterization of schizophrenia susceptibility genes by identifacation of mutations affecting dopamine receptors gene expression and SCZD4 locus

Since the recognition that adult patients with velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS) show frequent psychotic symptoms, the 22q11.2 deletion has been proposed as one of the most common genetic syn- drome associated with schizophrenia. In studies of schizophrenic populations, deletions have been de- tected in more than 1% of schizophrenics, indicating the existence of many patients in whom this dele- tion has not been dianosed. In this study, we devised a PCR-based screening method for detecting 22q11.2 deletions, which involves a homozygous gene quantitative amplification of the KRAB-A region of the ZNF74 gene in the common 3-Mb deletion region of VCFS and its counterpart in X chromosome. By applying it to screen for deletions in genomic DNA from 300 schizophrenics and 300 controls, a woman with schizophrenia was detected to have the 22q11.2 deletion, which was thereafter confirmed by FISH.The patient was mildly retarded but did not have characteristic craniofacial, palatal or cardiac malfor…Moremations. The present study supports the hypothesis that 22q 11.2 deletions increase the suscepti- bility for schizophrenia. The screening method described here help diagnose unremarkable patients with 22q11 deletions and delineate their clinical features irrespective of ascertainment strategies.The human dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) is an important candidate gene for schizophrenia. We identified a novel -521 C>T polymorphism in the 5'-promoter region of DRD4. A transient expres- sion method revealed that the T allele of this polymorphism reduces the transcriptional efficiency by 40% compared with the C allele. This polymorphism is of interest because of reported elevation of D4- like sites and DRD4 mRNA in the post-mortem schizophrenic brain. The C allele frequency was signifi- cantly higher in 252 Japanese schizophrenics (0.48) than in 269 Japanese controls (0.41) (p = 0.02) [odds ratio = 1.35 (95% confidence interval 1.05 - 1.72)]. Although the association is weak and should be considered tentative until other studies replicate it, this polymorphism provides a tool with the potential to examine whether DRD4 is related to susceptibility to and neuroleptic response in schizophrenia.Less


VESTIBULOSPINAL CONTROL OF CERVICAL MOTORNEURONS


Software for Meta-Analysis of Diagnostic Tests


Properties of quantum turbulence and dynamics of atomic Bose-Einstein Condensates

When a fluid moves faster than a critical speed the flow breaks down into a chaotic tangle of eddies and whirlpools known as turbulence. Developing an understanding of turbulence is an outstanding fundamental problem in physics. Turbulence is also a feature of superfluids, which are ultra-low temperature fluids that can flow without resistance. However, quantum turbulence is simpler to understand as the whirlpools have well defined quantum cores. This proposal will explore there properties of quantum turbulence in a new state of matter known as a Bose-Einstein condensate. An understanding of turbulence in Bose-Einstein Condensates will provide insight into what ways it behaves like classical turbulence in the world around us, such as the turbulence found in water and air. The project will also seek to establish some properties of quantum turbulence are unique to turbulence in superfluids. The results from the proposal will motivate future experiments in Bose-Einstein Condensates as well as provide insight into recent experiments that have explored superfluid turbulence.

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council


DNA Replication, Bacteria Cell Cycle, and Cell Growth

The goal of this project is to understand how initiation of DNA                 replication is coupled to growth rate.  To understand how the                   frequency of the initiation event is determined, the mechanisms                 that regulate the expression of the DnaA protein must be                        understood.  Both genetics and biochemistry are being used to                   elucidate the regulatory circuits controlling expression of the                 dnaA operon promoters.  The growth rate regulator and alarmone,                 guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp), inhibits transcription from the               dnaA P2 promoter.  The molecular basis of this inhibition is being              characterized in vitro. Mutants defective in the inhibitory                     response to ppGpp will be examined for growth rate regulation and               precise timing of initiation of DNA replication in the cell cycle.              We will determine whether the dnaA gene is still under growth rate              control in cells that lack ppGpp - is there a growth rate                       regulation mechanism other than ppGpp that controls the expression              of DnaA protein?  We will investigate DnaA protein-DNA interactions             by isolation and characterization of DnaA mutant proteins with                  altered DNA-binding specificities.  We will construct a chromosomal             mutation with genes on either side of oriC deleted, and the                     resulting mutant will be examined for loss of precise timing in the             cell cycle.                                                                     %%%                                                                             This research studies the control of a key step in cell divison and             should provide significant insights into a basic question in                    biology, as well as abberant conditions suchs as uncontrolled cell              mutiplication.


The Effects of Anesthetics aid Drugs on Elicitation of Ischemic Tolerance - relevance of immediate early gene and protein -

1) The effects of cortical spreading depression (CSD) and anesthetics on the induction of ischemic tolerance were investigated. Non-fasted male Wistar rats were used. Volatile anesthetics, halothane, isoflurane and sevoflurane induced suppression of CSD elicitaion in a dose dependent manner. With increasing concentrations of each volatile anesthetic, there was dose-related reduction in CSD frequency but not in CSD amplitude. However, volatile anesthetics isoflurane and sevoflurane did not have any effect on the signal transduction pathways that lead to c-fos expression.2) Using the optical recording techniques with voltage sensitive dyes, we investigated the functional integrity of the hippocampus in gerbils that had undergone ischemic preconditioning with that in gerbils that were not preconditioned. Non-fasted male Mongolian gerbils were used. In the ischemia group, both carotid arteries were occluded for 5 min. In the tolerance group, forebrain ischemia was produced for 2 min (ische…Moremic preconditioning).The animals were then subjected to forebrain ischemia for a period of 5 min 24 h after ischemic preconditioning.Hippocampal slices were prepared 1 day, Sweeks and 6 months after 5 min ischemia. In these slices, the propagation of membrane depolarization across the hippocampus in response to electrical stimulation of CA1 was monitored. In the control group, electrical stimulation of the stratum radiatum resulted in a rapid depolarization of the tissue at the site of stimulation. This depolarization then spread across the hippocampus, leading to the depolarization of the stratum oriens. In*the ischemia group, propagation and duration of the depolarization was significantly depressed and shorter with all recovery times than control. In the tolerance group, both the extent of propagation and the duration of depolarization were reduced slightly in comparison to control slices. These findings were observed 1 day and 8 weeks after ischemia. They were still evident 6 months after ischemia. These results suggest that neurons that had undergone ischemic preconditioning preserve propagation of membrane depolarization for long recovery period.Less

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science


Probing fundamental properties of the neutrino at the SNO+ Experiment

I propose a comprehensive programme of research on SNO+, a multi-purpose
neutrino experiment that has the capacity to push forward the frontier of our knowledge in both neutrino and solar physics by addressing a wide range of physics topics. There are three main goals:
A) To extend our understanding of neutrino oscillations by studying the suppression of low energy solar electron neutrino flux components.
B) To address discrepancies in solar models by publishing the world's first measurement of neutrino fluxes from the CNO-cycle interactions in the Sun.
And C) To contribute to the search for neutrino-less double beta decay, the so-called 'golden channel' for testing the fundamental nature of the neutrino and the absolute neutrino mass scale.

The neutrino survival probabilities and CNO spectra will be extracted simultaneously in a novel approach to the solar analysis that will capitalize on theoretical correlations between the different flux components. Similar techniques will be applied to the double beta analysis allowing for a fully correlated treatment of all backgrounds and systematic uncertainties.

Given the huge potential impact of these measurements, it is imperative that we maximise the physics reach of the SNO+ experiment and ensure the credibility of all results through detailed calibration and modelling to attain a complete understanding of the detector response to both the neutrino signals and inevitable background contributions. In addition to the above analysis goals, this proposal focuses on two key areas - a detailed charcterisation of the detector optical response through calibration measurements and detailed simulations and the development of an electron calibration source to confirm our
understanding of the detector response to electron signals across a broad energy range. Both of these unique contributions should significantly enhance the accuracy and credibility of all SNO+ physics measurements.


Examining the Role of the Pallidostriatal Microcircuit in Modulating Beta Oscillations in Parkinson's Disease

Project Narrative  The strength of β oscillations in the basal ganglia of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients are strongly predictive of their motor symptom severity; however, the mechanism by which β oscillations are generated and amplified in PD remains unclear. This study aims to test how the pallidostriatal circuit’s propensity to resonate at β frequencies affects β synchrony and interacts with other pathologically oscillating nuclei in PD. This investigation will add in the understanding of neural dysfunction in PD and may illuminate new targets and interventions to treat PD in human patients.


Therapeutic Interventions for Stones of the Ureter (TISU): a multicentre randomised controlled trial of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, as first treatment option, compared with direct progression to ureteroscopic retrieval, for ureteric stones.

1.8 million adults in the UK are affected by urinary stones. In some patients the stone travels and becomes lodged in the tube (ureter) between the kidney and bladder. This leads to excruciating pain in the abdomen and back (ureteric colic) that requires strong painkillers and often leads to emergency hospital admission. In most people the stones will pass in the urine within a few days but in 25% the stones need to be physically removed using the standard treatment options of either ureteroscopy or extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). Ureteroscopy involves putting a telescope into the ureter and using a laser to break up the stone. ESWL breaks the stone into smaller pieces using a machine that passes shock-waves through the body. Both treatments are effective at getting rid of stones but have advantages and disadvantages. We are uncertain which of these standard treatments is best at getting rid of the stone in the most efficient way for the patients and the NHS.

Our study involves giving either ESWL or ureteroscopy to 1000 people with stones in the ureter that need removal, who agree to take part. They will be randomly allocated to have either ESWL or ureteroscopy to remove their stones. The study will include a network of UK hospitals over 60 months with each participant being studied for 6 months. We will measure whether any additional treatments are needed and what they are, the impact of the treatments on the health of the participants and pain experienced, any complications arising and which treatment represents best value for money.  This information will be collected by asking the participants to complete 5 questionnaires over the 6 months and by staff at the study hospital completing case report forms.

We will start the study in at least three hospitals to assess whether we can recruit the necessary number of participants and deliver the intervention as expected.

Our research team is made up of specialists (urologists) who perform the procedures, a lay expert and experts in the design, performance and analysis of clinical trials. The study will be managed by a Clinical Trials Unit which is very experienced at running large multicentre randomised controlled trials within the NHS. We also have the support of the national organisation of doctors who treat ureteric stones. We will convene a Trial Steering Committee and Data Monitoring Committee which will meet annually to oversee the trial progress.

The study will last 66 months.  This includes 5 months to set up the study; 47 months to set up the centres, recruit participants and deliver the interventions, a further 8 months to complete the follow up on all participants and 6 months to analyse, write up and close down the study.

National Institute for Health and Care Research

University of Aberdeen

Award does not have an ODA Downstream Partner


Extracellular Granzyme B Activity in Photoaging

Aging is influenced by genetics and by the environment. Age-related disease is a growing problem, in part due to the increasing average age of the western population. Enzymes that breakdown proteins (known as proteases), contribute to the aging process. Granzyme B (GrB) is one such protease which is responsible for causing cell death in tissue. In addition, GrB can also breakdown structural proteins known as extracellular matrix (ECM). ECM stabilizes tissue and acts as a framework for supporting cells. Breakdown of ECM by proteases is damaging to tissue and can contribute to the aging process. In this proposal we examine the role of GrB in ECM breakdown using a UV-induced model of skin aging. UV light is responsible for 90% of visible skin aging and the skin contains a high proportion of ECM. This makes the skin an ideal organ for studying ECM changes in aging. The results of this work will provide insight into the role of GrB in aging and is applicable to the study of aging in other organs.

Catalyst Grant: Pilot Projects in Aging - Biological & Clinical Aspects of Aging


Canadian banking investment in Barbados:  potential benefits and consequences for development policy

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships - Master's


PROTEIN KINASES--MOLECULAR ROLES IN PRODUCING BEHAVIOR


INTERSTITIAL DIFFUSION IN FERROMAGNETIC METALS AND  ALLOYS


NUCLEPAR – Specially manufactured nucleic acids marked nanoplastics for water technology applications using Electrohydrodynamic Atomization (EHDA)

Environmental nano- and micro-plastics (NMPs) are highly diverse. Accounting this diversity is one of the main challenges for a comprehensive understanding of NMPs, their detection, quantification, and risks. Tracking NMPs in environmental systems is currently limited to micron size particles due to the size detection limits of the available analytical techniques. Nuclepar proposes the use of EHDA to generate NMPs of different polymer types, sizes, and shapes which are coated with nucleic acid. Those specific NMPs can then be used for detection implementing PCR-LAMP technology. If proven possible, Nuclepar is a first step towards an easy NMPs detection tool.

Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek


Mechanism of Drug Transport in Lung Cancer Cells


Characterization of p53-independent ARF pathway


スライドレジスタ/ローテイトレジスタ割付問題の解析的研究

申請者らは1999年、「スライドレジスタ割付問題の厳密解法」(情報処理学会論文誌)において、スライドレジスタ割付問題が特殊な距離関数の巡回セールスチーム問題であることを論理的に証明した。巡回セールスチーム問題はNP困難な問題であり、厳密解を求めるためには非常に多くの計算時間を要するが、申請者は当該論文刊行後、スライドレジスタ割付問題の緩和問題が多項式時間で解決可能(すなわちクラスP問題)であるという着想を得た。平成14年度ではスライドレジスタ割付問題の特殊形であるローテイトレジスタ割付問題が多項式時間で解決可能であるという未出版の着想について、論文化のための準備を進めてきた。平成15年度は、(1)ローテイトレジスタ割付問題の多項式時間解決可能性(クラスP解放の存在性)について、計算量解析などの分野における専門学会であるオペレーション・リサーチ学会で証明を行うことができた。この学会における議論をもとに必要な修正を加え、引き続き論文化を進める予定である。(2)条件分岐を含むループのソフトウェア・パイプライニングにおいてローテイトレジスタ割付問題が同様にクラスPであるか否かの証明については、結論には至らなかった。その場合に行なうとしていた巡回セールスチーム問題の緩和問題を利用したクラスPの近似解法の実装からは、条件分岐を含むループのレジスタ割付が多項式時間解決可能であることを示唆し得る新たな制約条件を発見できた。完全な証明は(1)に比し困難を伴うと考えられるが,この性質はレジスタ改名機構の性質解明に大きく寄与すると考えられ、引き続き解析を進める予定である。証明の直接の効果ではないが、研究したアルゴリズムは、組み込みプロセッサにおけるソフトウェア・パイプライニングなど実際のコードにも役立てることができた。


Role of mechanically activated ion channels in somatosensation

TSRI Mechanical sensation is inextricably linked to inflammatory pain states caused by diseases such as Arthritis and Temperomandibular Disorders, where even minimal movement of joints (walking, chewing, and speaking) cause pain and lead to symptoms such as chronic headache and ringing in the ears. Therefore, a molecular understanding of thermal and mechanical sensation is important and relevant to the field of pain.


Uric Acid, Klotho and Salt Sensitivity in Young Adults Born Preterm

PROJECT NARRATIVE Premature birth is increasingly common and is an emerging risk factor for cardiovascular disease later in life. However, it is unclear how fetal and early life events predispose to cardiovascular disease among young adults who were born prematurely; one factor that may be particularly important in this group is salt sensitivity of blood pressure. We will compare the frequency of salt sensitivity of blood pressure in a cohort of young adults born preterm compared to term-born peers, and investigate the roles of uric acid, the renin-angiotensin system and klotho (an anti-aging protein) to inform the future development of novel therapies to reduce high blood pressure.


神経細胞コミュニティーに働く液性生存維持因子とその受容体クローニング

神経細胞の生存を維持する液性因子を神経細胞の上清中に見い出し、その同定および抗体作成を目的として研究を行った。胎生17日のラット大脳皮質より調製した神経細胞を低密度で蒔き無血清下で一日培養すると、ほとんどの細胞が死滅する。これに対し、高密度(低密度の5倍の密度)で培養した時、細胞の生存が維持された。高密度培養した時の培養上清を低密度培養系に加えても、同様に生存が維持された。これらのことより、培養上清中に液性生存維持因子(細胞死抑制因子)が存在していることが示唆された。上清中に含まれる生存因子の生存維持活性は、酸性下での熱処理や凍結融解により影響を受けなかったが、熱処理やProteinaseK処理により約60%減少した。このことから、生存維持因子の少なくとも一部は蛋白性であることが分かった。低密度培養系においてNGF、aFGF、bFGF、EGF、LamininあるいはFibronectinのような既存の生存維持因子は無効であった。さらに培養上清中の生存維持活性は、ゲルろ過クロマトグラフィーおよびSDS-PAGEにおいてそれぞれ分子量45kDaおよび20と22kDaのところに認められた。以上のことから、今回見い出された生存維持因子は、既知のものとは異なる新規物質の可能性が考えられる。これらの因子の大量精製を行い、現在一次構造を解析中である。さらに、これらのモノクロナール抗体の作成を進めている。特に中和抗体は、本因子の神経細胞コミュニティーにおける役割を調べる上で重要な鍵となると期待される。

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas


AMPA receptors: Common role in opiate withdrawal and pain sensitivity

Project Narrative The experiments proposed in this application will address the question of how drug-induced alterations in the hippocampus, spinal cord and primary afferents contribute to enhanced sensory sensitivity in opiate addicts. These results will enhance our understanding of the synaptic molecular and membrane mechanisms underlying this adverse effect of drug dependence and will help us to improve pain management in opiate addicts.


Quasispecies dynamics in arborvirus persistence, emergence and fitness


量子非局所性を用いた情報処理における不可逆性

量子情報理論の背後にある基本法則を明らかにする事により、量子論そのものへの深い理解が可能になると考えられます。本研究では、量子非局所性を用いた情報処理において生じる不可逆性を解明することにより、量子情報処理において、出来る事と出来ない事の境界線についての知見を増やすことを目指します。これにより、将来的には、操作に基づいた量子論の理解が進むと考えます。

戦略的な研究開発の推進/戦略的創造研究推進事業/さきがけ 量子と情報


An HIV Viral Load Assay for the Point-Of-Care

Project Narrative A simple point-of-care diagnostic for quantifying HIV viral load is vital for monitoring over 30 million individuals infected with HIV, as well as for accurately diagnosing infants born to HIV-infected mothers, particularly in low-resource settings in Africa. Current technologies are either too large and expensive for point-of-care use or are not quantitative or accurate enough for clinical use. We propose to adapt Daktari's viral protein detection technology to develop a sensitive, low-cost, rapid point-of-care HIV viral load test for use in global health settings worldwide.


Perovskite Photon Counting X-ray Detectors for Medical Imaging.

X-ray imaging is a crucial diagnostic tool in modern medicine, with 3.6B examinations performed annually. However, X-rays are carcinogenic and pose health risks if not carefully managed. Current detectors used in X-ray imaging and CT scanners prevent advances in image resolution and reduction in radiation dose, limiting screening programs and early disease detection.
Photon-counting CT (PCCT) systems, which have recently entered the market, offer significant health benefits and present a promising path toward more widespread preventative imaging. However, the adoption of PCCT technology has been slow, primarily due to the energy-intensive and complex fabrication processes of first-generation materials. There is an urgent need for next-generation photon-counting detectors (PCDs) that can reduce radiation dose, improve image resolution, and streamline manufacturing.
Clarity Sensors, a University of Cambridge spin-off, is developing advanced PCDs with halide perovskite semiconductors. Our patented monolithic integration process, combined with leading perovskite quality, positions Clarity Sensors to deliver industry-leading PCDs, targeting the highest image resolution and lowest effective dose, enabling 100 times more scans at the same radiation level.
Through projects such as our ERC Proof-of-Concept (PEROVSCI), we have demonstrated a stable, single-pixel halide perovskite PCD and filed key IP culminating in the fabrication of the first monolithic perovskite PCD on a multi-pixel ASIC. In PERFORM, we will further develop our technology and business operations to position Clarity Sensors for investment and joint development. This will include optimising our current PCD systems and developing our working demonstrator, PRISM-X, which will be validated against commercial technologies in clinical settings to reach TRL5. Additionally, we will expand our technical and commercial team, secure additional IP, engage target customers, and initiate joint-development agreements.

HORIZON EUROPE European Innovation Council


A study on the cognitive models of complex constructions: toward a multi-dimentional characterization of constructional categories

An in-depth research on complex constructions was conducted, mainly adopting a cognitive-functional framework. On the theoretical side, the traditional coordination-subordination dichotomy was critically examined and a more ramified and empirically viable model centering around the notion of clause integration was proposed. Fujio Minami's pioneering model of the hierarchical organization of complex constructions was reinterpreted in a more systematic fashion within the Role and Reference Grammar theory of clause linkage. At the same time, several data-oriented specific studies were carried out: (i) study of suspended clauses (aka insubordination), focusing on their grammaticalization paths; (ii) examination of reason expressions from a discourse-interactionist perspective; and (iii) studies in some key issues of cognitive semantics as an indispensable ground work for the project.

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)


Proposal  No:  0617219
Institution:  NBER
NSF Program:  ECONOMICS
Principal Investigator:  Ramey, Valerie
Title:  Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Long-Run Trends in Work and Leisure

ABSTRACT

Time use by economic agents is important to economist and policy makers as it has implications for human capital formation, labor supplies, home production, leisure, and economic outcomes generally.  Accounting for time use in this way gives another dimension of living standards.   However, most studies of time use by economic agents have relied on cross sectional data or short time series data that does not account for other forms of time use, such as home production.  This research project will measure trends in the allocation of time in the US over the last one hundred years. It also investigates the sources of those trends and studies the consequences of demographic and technical changes for economic fluctuations.  The first part of the project collects more accurate data of time use and finds that the claim of increasing leisure time over time in the US does not hold up.  The second part of the project will investigate the impact of demographic and technological changes on time use during the 20th century while the third part of the study will investigate the effects of demographic changes affect medium term economic fluctuation.  These are important issues that have not been investigated with a more comprehensive data set.

One of the major problems associated with an analysis of time use in the US is lack of appropriate data.  This project will collect a unique data set on time use that accounts for home production for both males and females over a very long period of time that will be useful to the other researchers.  In the last century, the introduction of time saving technologies, such as the washing machine, has had a major impact on labor force participation of women.  The research will help to answer important questions such as the effects of the diffusion of household appliances and immigration of household workers affect time use, questions that have come to center stage as a result of the recent immigration debate.  The research could also help answer the oft repeated argument that demographic changes cause medium term economic fluctuations.  Thus the research will provide some illumination on the macroeconomic impacts of demographic changes.  The results of this research project will have important labor policy impacts.  By answering these questions, this research project will contribute substantially to economic science as well as provide broader policy impacts.

National Bureau of Economic Research Inc


Effect of infant antibiotics on the development of the early-life airway and gut microbiome and risk of childhood asthma

PROJECT NARRATIVE The use of antibiotics in the first year of life has been recognized as a strong, consistent, and modifiable risk factor for the development of asthma in childhood in numerous individual studies and several meta-analyses. The goals of this proposal are 1) to determine the age when infants are most susceptible to the harmful consequences of antibiotics on childhood asthma risk, 2) to examine microbial pathways through which infant antibiotic exposure could lead to childhood asthma, and 3) to identify early-life upper respiratory tract and gut bacterial species, patterns, and/or products that could increase the resilience of these 2 microbial communities and be protective for childhood asthma onset after infant antibiotic exposure. By identifying a critical window of opportunity to intervene, the microbial pathways to target, and candidate probiotics and/or bacterial products, the ultimate goal of the planned studies is to inform the design of microbiome-based therapeutics that can help deliver antibiotics safely during early life and reduce the burden of childhood asthma.


Die arabischen Intellektuellen und der Holocaust: Zur Epistemologie arabischer Diskurskultur

Gegenstand des Projekts ist es, die für den arabischislamischen Raum signifikante Leugnung des Holocaust erkenntnistheoretisch zu deuten und zu erklären. „Erkenntnistheoretisch  heißt, einen Ansatz der Wahrnehmungsgeschichte zu wählen, um die Leugnung historisch zu entschlüsseln. Dies soll in der räumlichen und intellektuellen Überschneidungszone jener beiden unterschiedlichen Erfahrungskontexte - des arabisch-islamischen und des europäischen - geschehen, genauer gesagt anhand ausgewählter Beispielen des französischen Diskurses der 1950er und 1960er Jahre. Das Verhältnis beider Erfahrungsräume zueinander kann mit Ernst Bloch als Dialektik einer „Gleichzeitigkeit des Ungleichzeitigen  beschrieben werden. Dabei soll das vorliegende Projekt der Holocaust- Leugnung arabischer Intellektueller von zwei Thesen ausgehend argumentieren: Erstens soll die verschobene gegenseitige Wahrnehmung gedächtnisgeschichtlich analysiert werden, wobei der Fokus der Betrachtung auf den zweiten Weltkrieg gesetzt wird. Im Zentrum des Gedächtniskanons der europäischen Kultursphäre meißelte sich der Holocaust als neues Gründungsdatum eines durch den Nationalsozialismus von einem Zivilisationsbruch bedrohten Europas ein. Dagegen dominierte bei den arabischen Völkern die koloniale Erfahrung im Zentrum der kollektiven Erinnerung. Die Kollision beider Gedächtnisse, so die erste These, wirkt im arabischen Raum als ein Erinnerungsknoten und blockiert die Anerkennung des Holocaust aufgrund seiner Wahrnehmung als einer konkurrierenden Leidenserfahrung. Zweitens beruht die Leugnung des Holocaust auf einem gleichsam , erfahrungszivilisatorischen Fundament . Es stehen sich eine sakrale und eins profane Interpretationstradition gegenüber, die den arabisch-islamischen bzw. den europäisch-westlichen Kulturraum prägen. Im Vergleich zu anderen Katastrophen schöpft sich der Einzigartigkeitscharakter des Holocaust in der europäischen Sphäre aus einer Geschichtswahrnehmung, die die Vernichtung des europäischen Judentums als eine Negation der Aufklärungstradition interpretiert. Dies zu verinnerlichen setzt die Anerkennung und Geltung der Aufklärung voraus. Das Forschungsprojekt möchte zeigen, dass in einer sakralen Sphäre wie der arabischislamischen keine profanen Ereignisse als einzigartig angedeutet werden können. Daher bleibt die Rezeption des Holocaust durch die arabische Intellektualität in einem besonderen Maße eingeschränkt, gleichsam „blockiert  oder sogar in Abrede gestellt.


SOMATOSTATIN:  ENDOCRINE AND PARACRINE BIOSYNTHESIS


Axonal Transport Deficits during Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia

PROJECT NARRATIVE: Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) comprise a heterogeneous group of genetic diseases that lead to lower limb spasticity in affected patients. This clinical symptom hallmark results from dysfunction and dying back degeneration of upper motor neurons. Although HSP pathogenesis involves early alterations in axonal and synaptic function, specific mechanisms and molecular components involved in this pathogenic event remain elusive. Mutations in the SPG4 locus coding for the microtubule-severing protein spastin represent the most common cause of HSP. The mammalian spastin gene has two start codons, resulting in the production of two alternatively spliced spastin isoforms. Consistent with genetic data linking alterations in axonal transport to HSP, our recently published studies and data presented here indicate that pathogenic forms of spastin protein inhibit axonal transport through a mechanism involving the activity of casein kinase 2 (CK2). Moreover, the effects of pathogenic spastin are isoform-specific and occur independently of changes in gene transcription. Consistent with these observations, active CK2 dramatically inhibited axonal transport,. Together, our observations suggest that HSP pathogenesis might involve reductions in the delivery of axonal and synaptic proteins essential for neuronal function and survival. Experiments in this application will characterize alterations in axonal transport induced by pathogenic spastin, and evaluate underlying molecular mechanisms. The ultimate goal of this project is to define disease mechanisms and identify novel therapeutic targets in HSP.


Short Term Research Training for Medical Students


Rapid laboratory test for hepatic fibrosis (Keywords: immunoassay, PIIINP, chemiluminescence, liver fibrosis, methotrexate, psoriasis)

The accepted incidence of psoriasis in the UK is approximately 2%, of which many cases require methotrexate therapy. This carries the risk of liver damage (hepatic fibrosis) and so patients receiving this therapy must be monitored. Liver biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosis of but has several disadvantages, notably, it is highly invasive, carries the risk of morbidity and mortality to the patient and has significant resource and financial impact to the NHS over and above the cost of therapy. Recently it has been proposed that the measurement of concentrations of procollagen III N-terminal peptide (PIIINP) in a blood sample is useful in reducing the need for liver biopsy since high levels are associated with liver fibrosis. Unfortunately, the only tests routinely available for measurement of this marker are based on complex assays (generally relying on the use of radioisotopes) which must be undertaken in specialist laboratories.There is a clinical need for a rapid and convenient test for detecting the early stages of liver fibrosis since the disease is reversible when methotrexate administration is reduced or discontinued and thus early detection is advantageous. Use of liver biopsy is undesirable due to its invasive nature, the potential risk to the patient and its cost. Though current radioisotope tests for PIIINP reduce the requirement for liver biopsy, patient serum or plasma samples need to be sent to specialist laboratories for analysis with associated cost and time delays. Moreover, such tests suffer from poor performance in comparison to what is achievable using more advanced technologies.The tests to be developed use technology which offers superior levels of stability, convenience and performance. Whilst such methods have been demonstrated and are commercially available for several peptides, no such tests are available for PIIINP. A new test would be superior to existing methods and could be carried out locally obviating the need to send samples to specialist centres. The benefits would include mitigation of the number of liver biopsies required and more rapid and cost-effective availability of results which are advantageous to the patient and to the NHS.Key deliverables are 1) sourcing or producing antibodies specific for binding to the PIIINP biomarker and not unrelated molecules in the serum/plasma sample 2) configuring the antibody reagents to provide the basis of a convenient test format 3) demonstrating that the format is capable of yielding a test of sufficient sensitivity and specificity for reliable measurement of biomarker concentrations 4) demonstrate that the format is readily and reproducibly manufacturable to ensure cost-effectiveness of the method. The aim is to create a prototype test that can be readily manufactured and demonstrates a correlation between the test results and the extent of liver fibrosis. A further requirement will be to ensure that the test can be developed into a reagent kit which will be commercially attractive to manufacture by the industrial partner yet provide significant advantage to the NHS relative to the status quo in terms of cost-effectiveness and enhancing the quality of patient care.Possible risks of a technical nature will principally be the difficulty of acquisition of suitable antibodies to form the basis of the test reagents. It is anticipated that such risks will not be significant owing to the fact that the current state of technology enables antibodies to be created routinely for an enormous range of peptides and there are no structural elements to the proposed biomarker which are likely to cause difficulties for antibody production. Moreover, it has been demonstrated by the existence of radioactive-based test methods and other less-widely used methods reported in the academic literature that antibodies can indeed be produced. Risks anticipated in relation to configuring a suitable commercially viable test are mitigated

National Institute for Health and Care Research


EMOTIONAL ADJUSTMENT OF CHILDREN WITH A CHRONIC ILLNESS


Earlier Egyptian Inscriptions: Materiality, Locality, Landscape.

While ancient Egyptian inscriptions have commonly been exploited as source material for other domains of inquiry (historical, social, linguistic, etc.), the very practice of inscribing the stone has remained largely unquestioned. Bringing together established international scholars and PhD students, this exploratory workshop will be the first to address inscriptions as such, in earlier Egypt (4th – 2nd millennium BCE). The specific materiality and localized nature of inscriptions (writing and/or image) are essential dimensions in how inscriptions operate : to project meaning and communicate visually, to mark places and thereby make these places as such, and to bring about things in a performative manner. The workshop will consist in a keynote lecture by a linguist anthropologist  and in three panels, focusing on the inscription of the natural rock, inscriptions in landscapes (themselves inscribed), and social practices associated with inscriptions.

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung


Diversification and Retention: Creating New Paths of Success for STEM Scholars in Mechanical Engineering

This project at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) is providing an enhanced educational experience to economically disadvantaged and academically talented students, with emphasis on those from underrepresented groups and those who are transferring from local community colleges. In support of that goal, the program is awarding annual scholarships to sixteen students who are majoring in mechanical engineering, with an average scholarship amount of $7500. By expanding access to a course of study in this field, the project is helping to increase the overall pool of STEM-educated students ready to meet national workforce needs.

The technical basis of this project lies in a formal cooperative relationship UMBC has with local community colleges to increase the number of students transferring to the four-year Mechanical Engineering program. Within its overall enrollment strategy the project is actively recruiting underrepresented minorities and women through a focus on the biomedical specialization within Mechanical Engineering. The S-STEM scholars receive multi-layered faculty mentoring, academic intervention, access to research opportunities, and career advice, and benefit from an institutional support infrastructure designed to increase retention and career success of all undergraduates.


SPEECH PRODUCTION STUDIES: ORAL-NASAL COMMUNICATION


Mathematical and Empirical Research in Human Information    Processing


CAREER: Incorporating Technology Scaling into the Design, Evaluation, and Implementation of Computer Architectures

ABSTRACT
PROPOSAL NUMBER: 9984336
TITLE: Incorporating Technology Scaling into the Design, Evaluation, and Implementation of Computer Architectures
PI: Stephen W. Keckler, University of Texas at Austin

The objectives for the research funded by this CAREER proposal are to investigate computer architectures that simultaneously address the challenges of deep-submicron technologies and meet the needs of modern dynamic applications.  The most significant technology challenges are the diverging speeds of transistors and wires, increased power consumption and heat generation in integrated circuits, and higher susceptibility to transient logic faults due to decreasing feature sizes.

This research includes three components. First, accurate technology models for future silicon fabrication technologies are developed. The focus is on communication delay, both along wires and within microarchitecture structures such as register files and ALUs and on the reliability of microprocessor components when subjected to external energy sources.  Second, these models are incorporated into the SimpleScalar toolset to evaluate existing architectures under these new technological constraints and provide a platform for evaluating future architectures.  Third, multiple processor cores on a chip are investigated as a means to construct a "server-on-a-chip" and to build a system that tolerates transient faults.  The necessary features of this multicore architecture are hardware and system software that dynamically schedule jobs to meet latency, throughput, and redundancy (for reliability) requirements of the workloads.


Machine vision for automation of operations at grain handling facilities

No summary - Aucun sommaire

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada


Task Order 4: The Interventional Agent Development Services Program


Molecular pathogenesis of GM2 gangliosidosis


PHASE I STUDY OF IL-3, GM-CSF, AND CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE IN ADVANCED CANCER PATIENTS


Effects of colonic hydrogen on microglial activation induced during depression

研究目的は、『「腸内細菌叢が食物繊維を基質として生成する水素は、うつ病などに見られる脳内ミクログリアの活性を軽減する」という仮説を証明し、腸内発酵を活性化させる食物の摂取によって社会的ストレスなどに起因する精神疾患の治療や発症予防に貢献する研究を行うこと』である。その端緒として本申請課題では、うつ病のモデルマウスとして心理社会ストレスモデルマウスを作出し、食物繊維としてフラクトオリゴ糖を摂取した状態のマウスの行動パターンの変化について分析を行い、さらに脳内ミクログリアの形態的な変化や脳内炎症性サイトカインの発現量などについて詳細な分析を行う。

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science


IMMUNOPATHOGENESIS OF EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGIC MYOSITIS


ASSESSMENT OF A POSSIBLE PARVOVIRAL COFACTOR IN AIDS


Structural health monitoring of bridges with high density smart sensor array

A vibration based Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is expected to be a key technique to improve structural safety. A smart sensor which is an electronic device using MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) has a potential to enable efficient vibration measurement because of its wireless communication function and on-board processing ability.In this study, vibration measurement experiments on real bridges were performed to establish the working knowledge of smart sensor system and the damage identification method which was proposed in this study. The experiments were performed on a damaged pedestrian bridge. From experimental results, mode shapes slightly changed through repair work though its natural frequencies did not change. The largest value of a proposed damage index was obtained at the sensor near the damaged point.


Analyses Of Data From The Collaborative Perinatal Project

EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT


PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON


Lay Summary The annual National MD/PhD Student Conference in Copper Mountain, CO is the only meeting held specifically for MD/PhD students. This 2 ½-day conference brings 5 featured Keynote speakers, many of who are Nobel Laureates, members of the National Academy of Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators, and from the National Institutes of Health, to interact with the ~190 student attendees who come from across the country. Students present their work in oral and poster sessions, with these renowned Keynote scientists providing critical review of their work, mentorship, and role models. Finally, the conference also incoporates career advising Break Out sessions, Career Panels, and PSTP/RiR Recruitment Fair to optimize the career outcomes of these MD/PhD trainees. Given the national concern regarding the paucity and risk of loss of the physician-scientist, we propose that supporting the MD/PhD students' conference is a valuable and durable investment.


Collaborative Research: Westerly Wind Bursts: El Nino Southern Oscillation's (ENSO) Driver or Slave?

Westerly wind burst (WWB) events are known to play an important role in El Nino Southern Oscillation's (ENSO) dynamics. The events are usually viewed as stochastic forcing that is independent of and external to the large scale ENSO dynamics. There are indications, however, that the occurrence of these events, and their characteristics, are influenced by the large scale SST structure, and hence by ENSO. This study will explore the dynamical consequences of the possibility that the timing and other characteristics of WWB events are partially regulated and controlled by the large scale SST distribution. That is, the study will examine the extreme possibility that these events occur only when the large scale SST structure is at a certain configuration. For example, when the warm pool is extended eastward beyond the dateline. In this scenario the WWB events will be treated as an inherent part of the deterministic ENSO dynamics rather than as external stochastic forcing.

The study will first analyze observations in order to try and establish the characteristics of such a possible regulation of the timing or characteristics of WWB events by the large scale SST field. Next, the implications of such regulated switching of WWB events by the large scale ENSO dynamics will be studied using a hierarchy of models. The model hierarchy will include a hybrid coupled model (ocean general circulation model coupled to a statistical atmosphere), an intermediate coupled model, and a conceptual delayed oscillator model.

Broader impacts of the research include possible improvement of ENSO's prediction skill, should the proposed research find a way to include a representation of WWB regulation by the large scale SST field in current ENSO prediction models. A graduate student (under Mark Cane) and a post-doc (under Eli Tziperman) will be educated, mentored and trained under this grant.


Collaborative Research:  Photosynthesis and Stomatal        Conductance During Periods of Variable Sunlight

The proposed research will examine basic physiological                     processes controlling plant growth and water use in native                      plants under conditions of fluctuating sunlight.  Most previous                 studies have been done under constant sunlight but both native                  and agricultural plants are more commonly exposed to variations                 in sunlight due to clouds or other plants shading each other.                   Basic knowledge of how plants respond to fluctuating levels of                  sunlight in terms of their growth and water use is crucial for                  our understanding of native plant and crop productivity.                             These studies will build upon patterns of responses already                documented and provide a mechanistic interpretation of them.                    Non-steady state plant responses to humidity, reduced water                     availability, and temperature will be completed.  Such a                        mechanistic understanding will be useful to basic ecologists as                 well as use in crops plants.  The use of three different                        ecosystems for study sites (subalpine, desert, tallgrass prairie)               will broaden the applicability of the results.


平和な社会を形成する力を育てるカリキュラム開発－広島と長崎の実践と評価を通して－

これまでの基盤となる調査研究の成果を踏まえ，被爆都市として教材化と平和学習を進めてきた広島市と長崎市の小，中，高校の教師による社会科等の研究授業と研究協議，その授業を受けた児童生徒によるワークシートと授業の評価，さらに教育委員会を含む平和教育関連施設の担当者からの評価を得て改善を重ね，児童生徒が，平和と安全保障に係る認識の発達に応じて，主体的，系統的で発展的な平和学習をするカリキュラム開発をする。


機能性セルロースの合成とその応用に関する研究

Principal Investigator：大野 泰雄, Project Period (FY)：1985, Research Category：Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C), Research Field：高分子合成


PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed expansion, improvement, and support of the IPUMS database are directly relevant to the central mission of the National Institutes of Health as the steward of medical and behavioral research for the nation. These data are advancing fundamental knowledge about the nature of human population dynamics, and they specifically address key priorities of the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch of NICHD. IPUMS Redesign will spark new health-related research on population growth and movement, fertility, mortality, nuptiality, and family demography, as well as the economic and social correlates of demographic behavior and the causes and consequences of demographic change.


CYTOCHALASIN &PROTEINS THAT AFFECT ENDS OF F-ACTIN


REGULATION OF THE GAS-EXCHANGE SURFACE IN THE LUNG


Time Lag as a Moderator of Parental Control and SES on Child Anxiety Outcomes

Project Narrative Parental control and socioeconomic status predict increased risk for anxiety problems across child development, yet the timing by which contextual influences lead to increases in childhood anxiety has been relatively ignored. The proposed study will test the role of temporal lag between assessments to evaluate the link between parental control and SES and anxiety across development (3-18 years). This work will provide an important basis for understanding the timing by which contextual influences come to impact anxiety development across childhood.


NOVEL ENDOGENEOUS REGULATORS OF SODIUM AND HYPERTENSION


Animal models to study the role of INK4b loss in human acute myeloid leukemia


Structure and Activation Mechanism of Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzymes


Industrial research into an Instrument to create Trust in Collaborative Childcare

Koru Kids brings the sharing economy to childcare, by making it much easier for parents to share nannies. Sharing nannies solves the problem faced by increasing numbers of parents who work part time or 'awkward' hours which traditional childcare fails to cover. Plus it's great for the children, who get a friend to play with, and it gives the nanny increased income. Most significantly, it makes great childcare more financially accessible for families. This allows women to go back to work; children to thrive; and families to stay solvent. Koru Kids' proposal is for a research study to create a Parenting Barometer, an instrument to measure parenting style, which helps create trust between families online -- the key thing needed in order for nanny share to occur. This is innovative in childcare and throughout the sharing economy. If feasible, it will not only help with Koru Kids family matching process but will also contribute to broader understanding of how to create trust online, which is a key feature of the 'sharing economy'. We sought funding for this project of £35,098. Return on investment for the project will be x10 over 2 years in terms of Koru Kids’ business -- plus even larger productivity gains for the UK economy as parents are helped to go back to work.The technology developed will be deployed first in London, then abroad; this will be a UK-based global tech company.


DEVELOPMENT AND NEURAL BASES OF WORDS AND RULES


Sleep Fragmentation and Attention in Alzheimer's Disease


PROVISION OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO STRENGTHEN HIV STRATEGIC INFORMATION ACTIVIT


Orange County Public Library - to expand public access to computers and the Internet