Long Island University

LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY'S CARES ACT REQUEST INSTITUTIONAL

LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY'S CARES ACT REQUEST

PREDOMINANTLY BLACK INSTITUTIONS (GRADUATE)

THE LONG ISLAND MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL EXPANSION PROJECT

DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL METAP2 INHIBITORS AS POTENTIAL THERAPEUTICS FOR MICROSPORIDIOSIS

THE POWER OF PATRIOTISM: EDUCATOR AND STUDENT SEMINARS IN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CIVICS—HONORING THE SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL

TRIO - STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES - STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

UNDERSTANDING INTERVENTION THAT BROADEN PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH CAREERS

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

ADAPTIVE STATISTICAL METHODS FOR CATEGORY SPECIFIC RELEASE TESTING OF DRUG PRODUCTS

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

TRANSITION TO TEACHING PROGRAM -- LOCAL

HPSL - VETERINARY MEDICINE - NEW

LONG ISLAND MATHEMATICS AND TEACHER EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY- BROOKLYN MBRS- RISE PROGRAM

NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SECURITY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

SCHOLARSHIP AND EXCELLENCE IN SECONDARY SCIENCE EDUCATION (SESSE)

CANCERS IN OLDER MINORITY POPULATIONS: CARIBBEAN AMERIC*

LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR COMMUNITY INCLUSION; APPLICATION MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE PROFESSIONAL DEMONSTRATION GRANT PROGRAM

PREDOMINANTLY BLACK INSITUTIONS AND SCHOOLS

ROC NATION EARLY SCHOLARS

DISCRETIONARY

THE IMPACT ACADEMY: A HIGH IMPACT PRACTICES ACADEMY FOR STEM AND HEALTH CAREERS

ELUCIDATING FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF DERMAL PHARMACOKINETICS VIA MICRODIALYSIS

CULTIVATING ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN COMPUTING -THIS PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE NATIONAL NEED FOR WELL-EDUCATED SCIENTISTS, MATHEMATICIANS, ENGINEERS, AND TECHNICIANS BY SUPPORTING THE RETENTION AND GRADUATION OF HIGH-ACHIEVING, LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED AT LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY (LIU) IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. OVER ITS SIX-YEAR DURATION, THIS PROJECT WILL FUND SCHOLARSHIPS TO 13 UNIQUE FULL-TIME STUDENTS WHO ARE PURSUING BACHELOR?S DEGREES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE. THREE COHORTS OF STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE UP TO FOUR YEARS OF SCHOLARSHIPS. SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS, ALONG WITH OTHER STUDENTS IN THEIR COHORT, WILL BE OFFERED COMPREHENSIVE MENTORING AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PLANS INVOLVING INDUSTRY PARTNERS, ALL WITH THE AIM OF HELPING STUDENTS BUILD A STEM IDENTITY AND IMPROVE THEIR COHESION TO THE DISCIPLINE AND WITHIN PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS. THE PROJECT WILL HELP LIU AND SIMILAR URBAN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS BETTER UNDERSTAND AND IMPLEMENT EFFECTIVE SUPPORT STRATEGIES FOR TALENTED, LOW-INCOME COMPUTER SCIENCE STUDENTS. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO INCREASE STEM DEGREE COMPLETION OF LOW-INCOME, HIGH-ACHIEVING UNDERGRADUATES WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED. IT AIMS TO BUILD AND IMPROVE THE CAPACITY OF THE LIU BROOKLYN DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE TO SERVE LOW-INCOME STUDENTS IN ITS COMPUTING PROGRAMS, AND SPECIFICALLY TO INCREASE RETENTION AND GRADUATION RATES AMONG STUDENTS WHO QUALIFY FOR PELL GRANTS. CHALLENGES LEADING TO LOW COMPUTER SCIENCE GRADUATION RATES IN THIS POPULATION INCLUDE FINANCIAL STRAIN, BUT ALSO THE LACK OF COHESION THAT FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS AND STUDENTS FROM UNDER-REPRESENTED GROUPS OFTEN FEEL WITH THE INSTITUTION, THE DISCIPLINE, AND PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS. THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE, MULTIDIMENSIONAL MENTORING INVOLVING TRADITIONAL CAMPUS ADVISING, COMPUTER SCIENCE FACULTY, INDUSTRY PARTNERS, AND NEAR-PEER MENTORS. IT AIMS TO HELP STUDENTS DEVELOP THEIR STEM IDENTITY, ACCESS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES, AND ULTIMATELY ACHIEVE MEANINGFUL PLACEMENT IN THE COMPUTING INDUSTRY OR GRADUATE SCHOOL. THE PROJECT EXPECTS TO IMPROVE THE FOUR-YEAR GRADUATION RATE FOR ALL PELL-ELIGIBLE COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJORS (NOT JUST THOSE RECEIVING NSF SCHOLARSHIPS), AND TO BUILD AND SUSTAIN LIU?S CAPACITY TO SUPPORT FUTURE STUDENTS. THE PROJECT INCLUDES A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION PLAN THAT BUILDS ON LIU?S ASSESSMENT TOOLS AND EXPERTISE, AND WILL ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HOW LIU BROOKLYN AND SIMILAR URBAN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS CAN MORE EFFECTIVELY SUPPORT ACADEMICALLY TALENTED, LOW-INCOME STEM STUDENTS. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY NSF?S SCHOLARSHIPS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS PROGRAM, WHICH SEEKS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF LOW-INCOME ACADEMICALLY TALENTED STUDENTS WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED WHO EARN DEGREES IN STEM FIELDS. IT ALSO AIMS TO IMPROVE THE EDUCATION OF FUTURE STEM WORKERS, AND TO GENERATE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ACADEMIC SUCCESS, RETENTION, TRANSFER, GRADUATION, AND ACADEMIC/CAREER PATHWAYS OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS. 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.

BENCHMARK OF DERMIS MICRODIALYSIS TO ASSESS BIOEQUIVALENCE OF DERMATOLOGICAL TOPICAL PRODUCTS.

EARMARKS

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** METRITIS IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON DISEASES IN DAIRY COWS CAUSED BY INFECTION OF THE UTERUS WITH MULTIPLE BACTERIA AFTER GIVING BIRTH. AN AVERAGE INCIDENCE OF BOVINE METRITIS IS ABOUT 20% IN A HERD, AND IT CAN REACH UP TO 47%. TO TREAT METRITIS, ANTIBIOTICS HAVE LONG BEEN USED IN US DAIRY FARMS, DESPITE GROWING CONCERNS ABOUT ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE AND THE FACT THAT THE SUCCESS RATE FOR ANTIBIOTIC THERAPY IS LESS THAN 75%. THEREFORE, DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES FOR BOVINE METRITIS IS URGENTLY NEEDED. OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO DEVELOP A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE TO ANTIBIOTICS FOR THE TREATMENT OF BOVINE METRITIS. OUR HYPOTHESIS IS THAT CHITOSAN MICROPARTICLES ENGINEERED IN THIS WORK WILL EFFECTIVELY TARGET THE INFECTED UTERUS, LEADING TO RESOLUTION OF METRITIS. TO ATTAIN OUR GOAL, OUR SPECIFIC AIMS ARE TO (1) DEVELOP CHITOSAN MICROPARTICLES THAT SPECIFICALLY ELIMINATE UTERINE PATHOGENS AND REGULATE INFLAMMATION, AND (2) DETERMINE EFFECTIVENESS OF CHITOSAN MICROPARTICLES FOR TREATMENT OF METRITIS IN THE LABORATORY AS WELL AS FIELD APPLICATION. UPON COMPLETION OF THESE AIMS, WE EXPECT OUR CONTRIBUTION TO BE THE DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVES FOR TREATMENT OF BOVINE METRITIS AND A PATENT APPLICATION. THESE RESULTS ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE POSITIVE IMPACTS ON ANIMALS BY IMPROVING THEIR HEALTH AND WELFARE, ON STAKEHOLDERS BY INCREASING CURE RATE AND FARM PROFITABILITY, AND ON THE PUBLIC BY REDUCING USE OF ANTIBIOTICS AND IMPROVING FOOD SAFETY.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** BOVINE RESPIRATORY DISEASE (BRD) IS THE MOST COSTLY DISEASE AFFECTING NORTH AMERICAN BEEF CATTLE, AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR 40-50% OF THE MORTALITY AND 70-80% OF THE MORBIDITY IN THESE ANIMALS, RESULTING IN OVER $3 BILLION/YEAR IN LOSSES TO THE CATTLE INDUSTRY. DECREASED WEIGHT GAIN AND PERFORMANCE AFFECTS AN ADDITIONAL 10% OF THESE ANIMALS. BRD IN PRE-WEANED CALVES ALONE COSTS THE US BEEF COW-CALF INDUSTRY ~$165 MILLION ANNUALLY. BRD IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IN U.S. FEEDLOT AND STOCKER CATTLE AND THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF LOSS IN DAIRY CALVES. THE PRIMARY BACTERIAL AGENTS RESPONSIBLE FOR BRD ARE H. SOMNI, MANNHEIMIA HAEMOLYTICA, PASTEURELLA MULTOCIDA, AND MYCOPLASMA BOVIS. HOWEVER, H. SOMNI CAN ALSO CAUSE A WIDE RANGE OF INFECTIONS OTHER THAN BRD, AND IS THEREFORE THE TARGET BACTERIUM FOR THIS INVESTIGATION. CURRENT COMMERICAL VACCINES CONSISTING OF KILLED BACTERIA THAT HAVE BEEN GROWN IN VITRO ARE NOT ADEQUATELY EFFECTIVE AT PREVENTING BRD AND SOME OTHER SYSTEMIC INFECTIONS. WE AND OTHERS HAVE SHOWN THAT OPPORTUNISTIC BACTERIA EXPRESS NOVEL PROTEINS IN THEHOST IN ORDER TO SEQUESTER IRON THAT IS BOUND TO HOST PROTEINS, SUCH AS TRANSFERRIN AND HEMIN. THESE PROTEINS ARE NOT PRODUCED IN VITRO WHERE ADEQUTE IRON IS AVAILABLE. FURTHERMORE, DURING CHRONIC INFECTIONS BACTERIA PERSIST IN THE HOST IN THEFORM OF A BIOFILM. WE HAVE SHOWN THAT HALF OF THE BACTERIAL GENOME IS DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED WHEN THE BACTERIA ARE IN A BIOFILM, COMPARED TO WHEN GROWN SHAKING OR IN A FERMENTOR, AND THAT MANY NOVEL PROTEINS ARE PRESENT WHEN THE BACTERIA ARE IN A BIOFILM. IN ADDITIION, H. SOMNIAND OTHER BACTERIA MAY BE ABLE TO PRESIST IN PHAGOCYTIC OR OTHER CELLS AND AVOID RECOGNITION BY ANTIBODIES. THEREFORE, MANY POTENTIALLY PROTECTIVE ANTIBODIES ARE NOT PRODUCEDOR ABLE TO REACH THE BACTERIA, AND AN IMPORTANT CELLULAR IMMUNE RESPONSE IS LACKING.H. SOMNIAND OTHER GRAM-NEGATIVE PATHOGENS ALSO PRODUCE ENDOTOXIN, WHICH RESULTS IN SERIOUS SIDE-EFFECTS IN SOME IMMUNIZED ANIMALS. AS A RESULT OF THE DEFICIENCIES IN CURRENT VACCINES, WE WILL PRODUCE A VACCINE THAT INCLUDES THE COMPONENTS OF THE BACTERIA THAT ARE EXPRESSED IN THE HOST (IRON BINDING PROTEINS AND BIOFILM MATRIX COMPONENTS) IN THE FORM OF OUTER MEMBRANE VESSICLES (OMV), WHICH ARE RELATIVELY SIMPLE TO PREPARE, COMBINED WITHTHE BIOFILM MATRIX ANDA NOVEL VACCINE THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO GREATLY STIMULATE BOTH THE HUMORAL AND CELLULAR IMMUNE RESPONSES OF THE HOST TO DESIRED ANTIGENIC COMPONENTS. TO PRODUCE A SAFE VACCINE WE WILL GENERATE A MUTANT THAT LACKS ONLY ENDOTOXIC ACTIVITY THROUGH THE MUTATION OF ONE GENE BY AN ESTABLISHED ALLELIC EXCHANGE METHOD. OMV FROM THE MUTANT BACTERIA WILL BE GROWN TO PRODUCE IRON-BINDING PROTEINS AND OTHER OURTER MEMBRANE PROTEINS, WHICH ARE COMBINED WITH BIOFILM MATRIX AND THE ADJUVANT. THOROUGH GENETIC AND BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MUTANT WILL BE CARRIED OUT. THE OPTIMAL CONCENTRATIONOF ALL COMPONENTS WILL FIRST BE DETERMINED IN HOLSTEIN CALVES FOR IMMU,NE EFFICACY AND SAFETY, AND COMPARED TO COMMERCIAL BACTERINS. ONCE OPTIMIZED, ADDITIONAL SAFETY DATA WILL BE COLLECTED ON A LARGE NUMBER OF COMMERCIAL BEEF CALVES IN COMPARISON TO COMMERCIAL VACCINES. APPROVED STATISTICAL ANALYSES WILL BE USED FOR ALL DATA ANALYSIS.

EF: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MTM 2: MARINE INVERTEBRATE MICROBIOME ASSEMBLY, DIVERSIFICATION, AND COEVOLUTION

CHILD CARE ACCESS MEANS PARENTS IN SCHOOL PROGRAM

PTEROSTILBENE, A POTENT ANALOG OF RESVERATROL, A THERAPEUTIC AGENT IN PROSTATE CANCER: EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OF ACTION

NURSING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** METRITIS IS AN INFLAMMATORY UTERINE DISEASE CAUSED BY ANAEROBIC BACTERIA AND AFFECTS ≥20% OF POSTPARTUM DAIRY COWS. THIS DISEASE DECREASES MILK YIELD AND FERTILITY AND INCREASES MANAGEMENT COSTS FOR DAIRY HERDS. OVER-GROWTH OF 3 SPECIFIC ANAEROBIC BACTERIA (FUSOBACTERIUM NECROPHORUM, BACTEROIDES PYOGENES, AND PORPHYROMONAS LEVII), WHICH ARE NORMALLY FOUND IN THE UTERUS OF HEALTHY DAIRY COWS, HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CAUSING METRITIS. HOWEVER, IT IS UNCLEAR WHY THEY INCREASE IN THE UTERUS AND BECOME HARMFUL. OUR HYPOTHESIS IS THAT THESE 3 BACTERIAL SPECIES PRODUCE METABOLITES, WHICH MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THE BACTERIA TO MULTIPLY AND CAUSE INFLAMMATION. OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO DEVELOP SOLUTIONS FOR MAINTAINING UTERINE HEALTH THROUGH THE REGULATION OF BACTERIAL PRODUCTS. AIM 1 WILL DETERMINE IF THESE 3 BACTERIAL SPECIES INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER FOR ENHANCING GROWTH AND VIRULENCE. AIM 2 WILL IDENTIFY BACTERIAL PRODUCTS CREATED BY THE 3 BACTERIAL SPECIES DURING INFECTION OF HOST CELLS. AIM 3 WILL INVESTIGATE HOW BACTERIAL INTERACTIONS AND THEIR BACTERIAL PRODUCTS AFFECT HOST CELLS. OUR APPROACH FOR STUDYING INTERACTIONS OF ANAEROBIC BACTERIA WITH THE HOST USING A 3-D TISSUE CULTURE OF BOVINE ENDOMETRIUM WILL ILLUMINATE HOW THESE 3 BACTERIAL SPECIES INCREASE IN THE UTERUS AND CAUSE METRITIS IN DAIRY COWS. WE ANTICIPATE FINDING BACTERIAL PRODUCTS THAT AFFECT BACTERIAL PROLIFERATION AND HOST IMMUNE RESPONSE, WHICH CAN BE TRANSLATED INTO THERAPIES FOR PREVENTING AND TREATING METRITIS.

LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY-BROOKLYN MBRS SCORE PROGRAM

OUR HYPOTHESIS IS THAT CHRONIC BOVINE RESPIRATORY DISEASE (BRD) IS A BACTERIAL BIOFILM DISEASE, WHICH MAKES THE BACTERIAL PATHOGENS ASSOCIATED WITH BRD MORE RESISTANT TO ANTIBIOTICS AND HOST IMMUNE DEFENSES. A BIOFILM IS AN ORGANIZED STRUCTURE OF BACTERIAL CELLS THAT ARE ENCASED IN A NETWORK OF POLYSACCHARIDE, NUCLEIC ACIDS, AND PROTEINS. THIS MATRIX MATERIAL CONTAINS WATER CHANNELS TO PROVIDE NUTRIENTS TO CELLS DEEP WITHIN THE BIOFILM, BUT THE CELLS THEMSELVES, THOUGH VIABLE, GROW VERY SLOWLY. AS A RESULT, BACTERIA WITHIN A BIOFILM ARE MORE RESISTANT TO ANTIBIOTICS AND HOST IMMUNE FACTORS DUE TO INACCESSIBILITY AND THE SLOW GROWTH OF THE BACTERIA (ANTIBIOTICS USUALLY ONLY KILL ACTIVLY GROWING CELLS). THE PRIMARY BACTERIAL PATHOGENS ASSOCIATED WITH BRD ARE HISTOPHILUS SOMNI, PASTEURELLA MULTOCIDA, MANNHEIMIA HAEMOLYTICA, AND MYCOPLASMA SPP., AND THEY MAY OCCUR ALONE, IN COMBINATION WITH EACH OTHER, OR WITH VIRAL AGENTS. THIS PROJECT FOCUSES ON THE RELATED BACTERIA H. SOMNI, P. MULTOCIDA, AND M. HAEMOLYTICA. THESE ORGANISMS RESIDE ONLY IN HOST MUCOSAL SITES, AND H. SOMNI AND M. HAEMOLYTICA RESIDE ONLY IN RUMINANTS (PRIMARILY BOVINES AND SHEEP). WE AND OTHERS HAVE ESTABLISHED THAT EACH OF THESE OPPORTUNISTIC PATHOGENS ARE CAPABLE OF FORMING BIOFILMS ON COVER SLIPS, TUBES, CULTURE PLATE WELLS, AND IN THEIR NATURAL HOST. WE HAVE ALSO SHOWN THAT H. SOMNI AND P. MULTOCIDA FORM A POLY-MICROBIAL BIOFILM TOGETHER IN LABORATORY VESSELS AND IN HOST TISSUES. HOWEVER, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO UNDERSTAND IF ALL 3 BACTERIA INTERACT TO FORM A BIOFILM TOGETHER, AND HOW SINGLE- AND POLY-MICROBIAL BIOFILMS DEVELOP AND BECOME ESTABLISHED IN THE HOST. ALTHOUGH CURRENT VACCINES DO INDUCE ANTIBODIES TO THESE BACTERIA, THAT ARE NOT ADEQUATELY EFFECTIVE AGAINST BRD. ANTIMICROBIALS ARE EXPENSIVE, AND EVEN IF EFFECTIVE, REQUIRE LONG PERIODS OF TREATMENT. WE PROPOSE THAT THE INEFFECTIVENESS OF CURRENT VACCINES AND ANTIMICROBIALS IS BECAUSE THE BACTERIA HAVE BECOME ESTABLISHED IN A BIOFILM, BUT THERE IS A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THESE BIOFILMS DEVELOP IN HOST TISSUES, AND HOW TO ELIMINATE OR REDUCE THE BIOFILM. THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO FILL SOME OF THOSE GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE, AND IDENTIFY COMPOUNDS THAT MAY ENHANCE THE EFFICACY OF VACCINES AND ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS.WE WILL FIRST DETERMINE IF ALL 3 OF THE BACTERIAL PATHOGENS MENTIONED ABOVE FORM A POLY-MICROBIAL BIOFILM TOGETHER (OUR FIRST AIM), AND THEN HOW THIS BIOFILM BECOMES ESTABLISHED AND DEVELOPS IN THE HOST THROUGH THE USE OF 3-D TISSUE CULTURE USING BOVINE RESPIRATORY EPITHELIAL CELLS (OUR SECOND AIM). THIS TYPE OF CELL CULTURE CAN MOST CLOSELY APPROXIMATE WHAT OCCURS IN THE BOVINE USING A MODEL THAT CAN BE OBSERVED ON AN HOURLY OR DAILY BASIS. WE WILL ALSO SCREEN AN EXTENSIVE LIBRARY OF THOUSANDS OF COMPOUNDS FOR THEIR CAPABILITY TO BREAK UP A SINGLE OR POLY-MICROBIAL BIOFILM, AND THOSE COMPOUNDSTHAT ARE DETERMINED TO BE SAFE FOR USE IN ANIMALS WILL BE FURTHER TESTED TO BREAK UP THE BIOFILM IN THE 3-D TISSUE CULTURE MODEL.,THEREAFTER, USING AN ANTIMICROBIAL BIOFILM DEVICE ASSAY, WE WILL DETERMINE IF THE BACTERIA WITHIN A BIOFILM ARE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO A COMBINATION OF THE ANTIMICROBIAL AND THE ANTI-BIOFILM COMPOUND, THAN THE ANTIMICROBIAL ALONE (OUR THIRD AIM). IF SO, FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THESE COMPOUNDS WILL BE EXPLORED WITH PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES.IF SUCCESSFUL, THIS WORK WILL HAVE BENEFITS TO SOCIETY THATEXTEND MUCH FARTHER THAN ONLY TO IMPROVED TREATMENT OF BRD. BIOFILMS ARE COMMON IN MANY BACTERIAL DISEASES OF ANIMALS AND HUMANS, INCLUDING SWINE ATROPHIC RHINITIS, HUMAN CYSTIC FIBROSIS, ENDOCARDITIS, OSTEOMYELITIS, AND OTHERS. WE HOPE THAT THIS WORK WILL LEAD TO TREATMENT AND REMOVAL OF THE BIOFILM TO OBTAIN IMPROVED RESOLUTION OF CHRONIC BACTERIAL INFECTIONS.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

RECEPTOR SPECIFIC RETINOIDS PROBES TO STUDY THE BRAIN DAMAGE CAUSED BYDEVELOPMENTAL ALCOHOL EXPOSURE

MTA1- TARGETED STRATEGIES FOR PROSTATE CANCER MANAGEMENT

TARGETING INTESTINAL STEM CELLS TO AUGMENT THE REPAIR OF EPITHELIAL BARRIER

HISTOPHILUS SOMNI CAUSES RESPIRATORY AND MANY OTHER DISEASES IN CATTLE. HOWEVER, THESE BACTERIA ALSO LIVE NORMALLY IN HOST MUCOSAL SITES, SUCH AS THE UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT OR GENITAL TRACT, WITHOUT CAUSING DISEASE. H. SOMNI IS KNOWN AS AN OPPORTUNISTIC PATHOGEN, OR ONE THAT CAUSES DISEASE WHEN THE HOST IS STRESSED, WEAKENED, OR IS SUFFERING FROM ANOTHER INFECTION. BACTERIAL FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO DISEASE (VIRULENCE FACTORS) ENABLE H. SOMNI TO RESIST HOST DEFENSES, AND MOST OR ALL OF THESE FACTORS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. FORMATION OF AN H. SOMNI BIOFILM, A LARGE COMMUNITY OF BACTERIA LIVING WITHIN A MATRIX OF MATERIAL COMPOSED OF POLYSACCHARIDES, DNA, AND PROTEINS, IS KNOWN TO OCCUR IN HOST TISSUES. THE GENES THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING THESE VIRULENCE FACTORS HAVE ALSO BEEN IDENTIFIED. HOWEVER, IT IS NOW WELL ESTABLISHED THAT DIFFERENT FACTORS ARE PRODUCED ON THE BACTERIA DEPENDING ON WHERE IN THE HOST THE BACTERIA ARE RESIDING: THE LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT, THE UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT, THE BLOODSTREAM, JOINTS, ETC. SELECTIVE EXPRESSION OF DIFFERENT FACTORS AT DIFFERENT TIMES OR IN DIFFERENT HOST SITES INDICATES THAT EXPRESSION OF THE GENES FOR THESE VIRULENCE FACTORS IS HIGHLY REGULATED; IN OTHER WORDS THE EXPRESSION (MANUFACTURING) OF THESE FACTORS CA BE TURNED ON OR OFF. HOWEVER, NO WORK HAS BEEN REPORTED ON GENE REGULATION IN H. SOMNI. SMALL, NON-CODING (DO NOT PRODUCE A FUNCTIONAL PROTEIN) RNAS (SRNA) AND THE SRNA CHAPERONE HFQ (MUST BIN TO SRNA TO MAKE THEM FUNCTION) ARE GLOBAL REGULATORS; H. SOMNI HAS AT LEAST 94 SRNA AND HFQ. OUR HYPOTHESIS IS THAT SRNA AND HFQ REGULATE EXPRESSION OF MANY CRITICAL VIRULENCE FACTORS IN H. SOMNI. IDENTIFYING THESE SRNA, THE GENES THEY REGULATE, AND GENERATING MUTANT STRAINS LACKING OR OVER-EXPRESSING ONE OR MORE OF THESE FACTORS WILL ENABLE THE DESIGN OF IMPROVED VACCINES AND THERAPEUTICS. OUR AIMS ARE TO: 1) IDENTIFY H. SOMNI SRNA THAT BIND TO HFQ BY CAPTURING HFQ WITH ANTIBODIES TO HFQ AND DETERMINING WHICH SRNA ARE PRESENT BY SEQUENCING; 2) MUTATE HFQ IN A VIRULENT STRAIN OF H. SOMNI AND DETERMINE HOW THE VIRULENCE FACTORS HAVE CHANGED, AND IF THE MUTANT IS NO LONGER ABLE TO CAUSE DISEASE IN A BOVINE MODEL OF RESPIRATORY DISEASE; 3) OVER-EXPRESS SRNAS IN A VIRULENT H. SOMNI STRAIN TO DETERMINE WHETHER THIS MUTANT MAKES MORE OR LESS OF SEVERAL VIRULENCE FACTORS, INCLUDING BIOFILM, AND IF THEY CAN CAUSE MORE OR LESS DISEASE IN CATTLE. THIS PROJECT IS HIGHLY RELEVANT BECAUSE THE RESULTING INFORMATION AND/OR MUTANTS GENERATED MAY RESULT IN AN IMPROVED VACCINE OR THERAPEUTICS, WHICH CAN PREVENT PRODUCTION OF IMPORTANT VIRULENCE FACTORS RATHER THAN USE OF ANTIBIOTICS.

CHILD CARE

FAMILY UNIVERSITY (FUN) PROGRAM AT LIU BROOKLYN - AN EDUCATIONAL AND NURTURING AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM WITH HOURS THAT ACCOMMODATE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED WORKING PARENT-STUDENTS.

LIBRARIANS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SECURITY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

ASTHMA EDUCATION, COUNSELING AND PREVENTION PROGRAM

THE USE OF POLYAMINES IN TREATMENT OF MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT GRAM-NEGATIVE PATHOGENS

REU SITE: THE INTERSECTION OF LINGUISTICS, LANGUAGE, AND CULTURE

RUI: CAS: NOVEL CARBON NANOSPHERE ENCAPSULATED BIMETALLIC CATALYSTS AND METAL-CEO2 INTERFACES FOR CO2 CONVERSION TO VALUE-ADDED CHEMICALS -WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE CHEMICAL CATALYSIS PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY, CHENG ZHANG OF LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY (POST) IS DEVELOPING NEW CATALYSTS FOR CO2 CONVERSION TO USEFUL PRODUCTS. AS A GREENHOUSE GAS, CO2 AT ELEVATED LEVELS CAN GIVE RISE TO SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES. THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO MITIGATE CO2 EMISSIONS TO ALLEVIATE THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF ELEVATED GREENHOUSE GAS LEVELS ON OUR PLANET. AS SUCH, EFFICIENT CAPTURE AND UTILIZATION OF CO2 TO PRODUCE VALUE-ADDED CHEMICALS IS HIGHLY DESIRABLE. THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO CONVERT CO2 BY CATALYTIC HYDROGENATION TO VALUABLE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR POLYMERS AND PLASTICS THAT ARE CURRENTLY PRODUCED PRIMARILY FROM FOSSIL CARBON SOURCES. A KEY SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO IDENTIFY TRENDS AND DOMINANT FACTORS THAT CAN BE UTILIZED TO DESIGN EFFICIENT CATALYSTS FOR CO2 CONVERSION. NEW DISCOVERIES FROM THIS WORK MAY ENABLE THE TUNABLE CONTROL OF CATALYST PROPERTIES FOR THE SYSTEMS UNDER STUDY, AND FACILITATE THE DISCOVERY OF NEW CATALYSTS FOR CO2 CONVERSION. DR. ZHANG WILL INCORPORATE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION AS A SIGNIFICANT COMPONENT OF THIS NSF-FUNDED PROJECT. DR. ZHANG?S LAB INCLUDES STUDENTS OF VARIOUS ETHNICITY AND MAJORS. INVOLVING UNDERGRADUATES IN RESEARCH IS A CRUCIAL ELEMENT OF THEIR EDUCATION, NOT ONLY TO HONE THEIR QUANTITATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS BUT ALSO TO BUILD THEIR PRACTICAL APPRECIATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF HOW SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IS CONDUCTED. THROUGH THEIR WORK ON THIS SCIENTIFIC PROJECT, STUDENTS WILL EXPERIENCE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF TAKING RESPONSIBILITY, PROBLEM-SOLVING, PERSISTENCE, THOROUGHNESS, TEAMWORK, COMMITMENT AND PATIENCE, ALL USEFUL TRAITS FOR THE RESEARCH SCIENTIST. UNDER THIS PROJECT, THE GROUP OF CHENG ZHANG AT LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY IS WORKING TO UNDERSTAND THE REACTION MECHANISM AND DOMINANT FACTORS AFFECTING CO2 HYDROGENATION TO LIGHT OLEFINS AS CATALYZED BY ENCAPSULATED TRANSITION METALS AND METAL OXIDES WITHIN THE CONFINES OF CARBON NANOSPHERES (CNS). THE GOAL IS TO BE ABLE TO USE THESE PARAMETERS TO TUNE CATALYST FUNCTIONALITY FOR EFFICIENT CO2 CONVERSION. SPECIFICALLY, THE ZHANG TEAM WILL PROBE THE EFFECTS OF METAL AND/OR METAL CARBIDE PARTICLE SIZE, METAL ALLOY FORMATION, METAL-METAL OXIDE INTERACTION AND CONFINEMENT EFFECTS ON THE CATALYST ACTIVITY, SELECTIVITY, AND STABILITY FOR CO2 CONVERSION TO VALUE-ADDED CHEMICALS. CATALYTIC PERFORMANCE WILL BE EXAMINED IN LIGHT OF STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION AND IN VIEW OF DENSITY FUNCTIONAL THEORY (DFT) CALCULATIONS TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT. PARTICULAR GOALS OF THESE INVESTIGATIONS ARE (I) TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CONFINEMENT OF THE CNS TO PROTECT FE-M NANOPARTICLES FROM AGGLOMERATION AND RETAIN THEIR REDUCED STATE, (II) TO EXPLOIT THE ABUNDANT OXYGEN VACANCIES ON CEO2, (III) TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE HYDROPHOBIC AND GRAPHITIC NATURE OF CNS WITH DEFECT SITES, AND (IV) TO USE THE SHORT DIFFUSION LENGTH INSIDE THE CNS PORES TO MINIMIZE UNDESIRED OLEFIN SECONDARY REACTIONS. THE INTEGRATION OF SYNTHESIS, EVALUATION, ADVANCED CHARACTERIZATION, AND DFT CALCULATIONS IS CRITICAL FOR THE SUCCESS OF THIS SCIENCE AND HIGHLIGHTS THE MULTI-FACETED NATURE OF THE STUDY. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: WELL-DESIGNED NANOFIBER-ENCAPSULATED BIMETALLIC CATALYSTS FOR CO2 CONVERSION: ADDRESSING CATALYST DEACTIVATION CHALLENGES -WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE CHEMICAL CATALYSIS PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY, PROFESSOR PING LU OF ROWAN UNIVERSITY AND PROFESSOR CHENG ZHANG OF LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY ARE STUDYING INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO CREATE LONG-LASTING AND HIGHLY EFFICIENT CATALYSTS FOR CRITICAL INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL PROCESSES. CATALYSTS ARE ESSENTIAL MATERIALS THAT ACCELERATE CHEMICAL REACTIONS, ENABLING THE PRODUCTION OF FUELS, CHEMICALS, AND OTHER VITAL PRODUCTS. HOWEVER, UNDER THE HARSH CONDITIONS OF INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENTS, CATALYSTS OFTEN DEGRADE, LOSING THEIR EFFECTIVENESS AND REQUIRING FREQUENT REPLACEMENT, WHICH INCREASES COSTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. THIS PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON DEVELOPING ADVANCED CATALYSTS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND THESE CHALLENGING CONDITIONS WHILE MAINTAINING SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE. BY IMPROVING CATALYST DURABILITY AND EFFICIENCY, PARTICULARLY FOR PROCESSES THAT CONVERT CARBON DIOXIDE INTO VALUABLE PRODUCTS LIKE FUELS AND CHEMICALS, THIS RESEARCH WILL PAVE THE WAY FOR CLEANER ENERGY PRODUCTION AND MORE SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIAL PRACTICES. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROJECT WILL ENGAGE STUDENTS IN HANDS-ON RESEARCH, PROVIDING THEM WITH VALUABLE TRAINING IN STATE-OF-THE-ART SCIENTIFIC TECHNIQUES. THROUGH A COLLABORATIVE SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM, STUDENTS WILL GAIN PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE, DEVELOP PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, AND PREPARE FOR CAREERS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. THIS INITIATIVE WILL FOSTER PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN ROWAN UNIVERSITY AND LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY, PROMOTING INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION AND EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS TO CONTRIBUTE TO IMPACTFUL SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES. WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE CHEMICAL CATALYSIS PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY, PROFESSOR PING LU OF ROWAN UNIVERSITY AND PROFESSOR CHENG ZHANG OF LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY ARE STUDYING THE DESIGN, FABRICATION, SYNTHESIS, AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NANOFIBER-ENCAPSULATED BIMETALLIC CATALYSTS TO OVERCOME THE PERSISTENT CHALLENGE OF CATALYST DEACTIVATION IN GAS-PHASE REACTIONS. THE PROJECT WILL ADDRESS CATALYST DEACTIVATION BY DEVELOPING CATALYSTS WITH ENHANCED STABILITY AND ACTIVITY THROUGH TWO INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES: FIRST, ENCAPSULATING ACTIVE METAL SITES WITHIN POROUS NANOFIBER MATRICES TO CREATE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL BARRIERS THAT PREVENT SINTERING, A PROCESS WHERE METAL PARTICLES AGGREGATE AND LOSE EFFECTIVENESS; AND SECOND, INTRODUCING SPATIALLY DEFINED GRADIENTS IN METAL COMPOSITION AND LOADING TO SUPPRESS COKE FORMATION, A CARBON BUILDUP THAT CLOGS CATALYTIC SITES. THE RESEARCH WILL LEVERAGE CUTTING-EDGE TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS PROGRAMMABLE TRIAXIAL ELECTROSPINNING, TO PRECISELY CONTROL CATALYST STRUCTURE, ALONGSIDE A COMPREHENSIVE SUITE OF CHARACTERIZATION METHODS, INCLUDING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY, X-RAY DIFFRACTION, AND SPECTROSCOPY, TO PROBE ATOMIC INTERACTIONS AND ELECTRONIC STRUCTURES. THESE EFFORTS WILL PROVIDE MOLECULAR-LEVEL INSIGHTS INTO DEACTIVATION PATHWAYS AND CATALYST BEHAVIOR UNDER REACTION CONDITIONS. THE PROJECT WILL YIELD MORE ROBUST AND EFFICIENT CATALYSTS FOR CARBON DIOXIDE CONVERSION PROCESSES, SUCH AS HYDROGENATION AND DRY REFORMING OF METHANE, WHICH ARE CRITICAL FOR SUSTAINABLE CHEMICAL PRODUCTION. BY ADVANCING THE FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF CATALYST STABILIZATION, THE RESEARCH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF GREENER CATALYTIC TECHNOLOGIES, WITH POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS IN THE ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SECTORS. THE OUTCOMES WILL ALSO STRENGTHEN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY?S KNOWLEDGE BASE, INFLUENCING FUTURE CATALYST DESIGNS AND FOSTERING INTERDISCIPLINARY ADVANCEMENTS IN CATALYSIS SCIENCE. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

ARRA - SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

TILLES CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS -ARTS EDUCATION/SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS

EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH PRE- AND STAG

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR PROFESSIONALS AND PARAPROFESSIONALS

RUI: CAS: CARBON DIOXIDE HYDROGENATION TO LIGHT OLEFINS OVER CARBON NANOSPHERE ENCAPSULATED METAL/METAL CARBIDE CORE-SHELL CATALYSTS

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

DEVELOPING AN OPEN SOURCE, GPU-ENABLED CODE FOR MULTI-MESSENGER COMPACT MERGERS -GRAVITATIONAL WAVE OBSERVATIONS FROM THE LIGO-VIRGO-KAGRA (LVK) COLLABORATION ARE DRIVING A SURGE IN ASTRONOMICAL UNDERSTANDING AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. THIS PROGRESS RELIES ON CONTINUED THEORETICAL AND NUMERICAL WORK STUDYING THE MERGERS OF COMPACT OBJECTS (BLACK HOLES AND NEUTRON STARS) WHICH CONNECTS UNDERLYING PHYSICAL PROCESSES TO GRAVITATIONAL, ELECTROMAGNETIC, AND NEUTRINO OBSERVABLES. THIS AWARD SUPPORTS STUDIES OF THE HIGH ENERGY DISRUPTION OF NEUTRON STARS IN SUCH MERGERS WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART NEUTRINO TRANSPORT VIA THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN OPEN-SOURCE CODE THAT LEVERAGES THE TREMENDOUS COMPUTATIONAL POWER OF GPU COMPUTING. THIS EFFORT SEEKS TO ADVANCE MULTIMESSENGER SCIENCE BY DEVELOPING AN OPEN-SOURCE, GPU-ENABLED, GENERAL RELATIVISTIC, MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS CODE WITH NEUTRINO TRANSPORT AND USING IT TO STUDY BINARY NEUTRON STAR AND BLACK HOLE--NEUTRON STAR MERGERS. THE DEMANDS ON NUMERICAL SOLUTIONS INCREASE AS OBSERVATIONS PROGRESS: HIGHER PHASE ACCURACY, LONGER SIMULATIONS, MULTI-SCALE PHYSICS WITH MAGNETIC AND NEUTRINO EFFECTS, AND WIDER EXPLORATION OF THE LARGE PARAMETER SPACE. TO SATISFY SUCH DEMANDS, THIS AWARD WORKS TO DEVELOP AN OPEN-SOURCE, STATE-OF-THE-ART CODE TO MODEL COMPACT OBJECT MERGERS WITH THE FULL PANOPLY OF PHYSICS THAT RUNS ON THE POWER-EFFICIENT, LARGE GPU-ENABLED SUPERCOMPUTERS BEING BUILT TODAY AND DESIGNED FOR TOMORROW. STUDIES OF BNS AND BH-NS MERGERS WILL HELP BUILD WAVE TEMPLATES, STEER DESIGNS AND UPGRADES OF FUTURE GRAVITATIONAL WAVE DETECTORS, AND EXTRACT SCIENCE FROM LVK OBSERVATIONS AND THOSE OF FUTURE DETECTORS. SUCH MODELS MAY HELP DIRECT THE BEST OBSERVATIONAL RESOURCES WITH CONCURRENT AND COORDINATED SEARCHES AMONG MULTI-MESSENGER DETECTORS. THE WORK WILL HELP: CONSTRAIN THE NUCLEAR EQUATION OF STATE, CONSTRAIN FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS, ELUCIDATE DETAILS ABOUT THE SOURCE OF R-PROCESS ELEMENTS AND THE CONDITIONS NEEDED FOR A KILONOVA, AND IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ENGINE UNDERLYING SGRBS. THIS WORK WILL HELP TO UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE MOST ENERGETIC AND INTRIGUING PROCESSES IN THE UNIVERSE ATTRACTING INTEREST FROM THE WIDER PUBLIC. THIS WORK WILL PROMOTE THE TRAINING OF STUDENTS IN STEM, INCLUDING HIGH SCHOOL AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

IMPACT OF MATERNAL METHAMPHETAMINE ABUSE ON NEONATAL IMMUNITY

WOU-MMA: ASPECTS OF COMPACT OBJECT MERGERS

IDENTIFYING RISK PROFILES FOR ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT INJURY AMONG FEMALE ATHL

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

SYNTHESES OF HIGHLY SUBSTITUTED PRYOCATECHOLS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LOUD, BRIGHT, AND HOT COMPACT BINARY MERGERS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: COMPACT BINARY MERGERS IN THE ADVANCED LIGO ERA

THE NEW DEAL ERA'S FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT: HISTORY, POLITICS, AND LEGACY

ADVANCE

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: WELL-DESIGNED NANOFIBER-ENCAPSULATED BIMETALLIC CATALYSTS FOR CO2 CONVERSION: ADDRESSING CATALYST DEACTIVATION CHALLENGES -WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE CHEMICAL CATALYSIS PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY, PROFESSOR PING LU OF ROWAN UNIVERSITY AND PROFESSOR CHENG ZHANG OF LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY ARE STUDYING INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO CREATE LONG-LASTING AND HIGHLY EFFICIENT CATALYSTS FOR CRITICAL INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL PROCESSES. CATALYSTS ARE ESSENTIAL MATERIALS THAT ACCELERATE CHEMICAL REACTIONS, ENABLING THE PRODUCTION OF FUELS, CHEMICALS, AND OTHER VITAL PRODUCTS. HOWEVER, UNDER THE HARSH CONDITIONS OF INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENTS, CATALYSTS OFTEN DEGRADE, LOSING THEIR EFFECTIVENESS AND REQUIRING FREQUENT REPLACEMENT, WHICH INCREASES COSTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. THIS PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON DEVELOPING ADVANCED CATALYSTS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND THESE CHALLENGING CONDITIONS WHILE MAINTAINING SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE. BY IMPROVING CATALYST DURABILITY AND EFFICIENCY, PARTICULARLY FOR PROCESSES THAT CONVERT CARBON DIOXIDE INTO VALUABLE PRODUCTS LIKE FUELS AND CHEMICALS, THIS RESEARCH WILL PAVE THE WAY FOR CLEANER ENERGY PRODUCTION AND MORE SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIAL PRACTICES. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROJECT WILL ENGAGE STUDENTS IN HANDS-ON RESEARCH, PROVIDING THEM WITH VALUABLE TRAINING IN STATE-OF-THE-ART SCIENTIFIC TECHNIQUES. THROUGH A COLLABORATIVE SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM, STUDENTS WILL GAIN PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE, DEVELOP PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, AND PREPARE FOR CAREERS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. THIS INITIATIVE WILL FOSTER PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN ROWAN UNIVERSITY AND LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY, PROMOTING INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION AND EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS TO CONTRIBUTE TO IMPACTFUL SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES. WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE CHEMICAL CATALYSIS PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY, PROFESSOR PING LU OF ROWAN UNIVERSITY AND PROFESSOR CHENG ZHANG OF LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY ARE STUDYING THE DESIGN, FABRICATION, SYNTHESIS, AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NANOFIBER-ENCAPSULATED BIMETALLIC CATALYSTS TO OVERCOME THE PERSISTENT CHALLENGE OF CATALYST DEACTIVATION IN GAS-PHASE REACTIONS. THE PROJECT WILL ADDRESS CATALYST DEACTIVATION BY DEVELOPING CATALYSTS WITH ENHANCED STABILITY AND ACTIVITY THROUGH TWO INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES: FIRST, ENCAPSULATING ACTIVE METAL SITES WITHIN POROUS NANOFIBER MATRICES TO CREATE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL BARRIERS THAT PREVENT SINTERING, A PROCESS WHERE METAL PARTICLES AGGREGATE AND LOSE EFFECTIVENESS; AND SECOND, INTRODUCING SPATIALLY DEFINED GRADIENTS IN METAL COMPOSITION AND LOADING TO SUPPRESS COKE FORMATION, A CARBON BUILDUP THAT CLOGS CATALYTIC SITES. THE RESEARCH WILL LEVERAGE CUTTING-EDGE TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS PROGRAMMABLE TRIAXIAL ELECTROSPINNING, TO PRECISELY CONTROL CATALYST STRUCTURE, ALONGSIDE A COMPREHENSIVE SUITE OF CHARACTERIZATION METHODS, INCLUDING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY, X-RAY DIFFRACTION, AND SPECTROSCOPY, TO PROBE ATOMIC INTERACTIONS AND ELECTRONIC STRUCTURES. THESE EFFORTS WILL PROVIDE MOLECULAR-LEVEL INSIGHTS INTO DEACTIVATION PATHWAYS AND CATALYST BEHAVIOR UNDER REACTION CONDITIONS. THE PROJECT WILL YIELD MORE ROBUST AND EFFICIENT CATALYSTS FOR CARBON DIOXIDE CONVERSION PROCESSES, SUCH AS HYDROGENATION AND DRY REFORMING OF METHANE, WHICH ARE CRITICAL FOR SUSTAINABLE CHEMICAL PRODUCTION. BY ADVANCING THE FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF CATALYST STABILIZATION, THE RESEARCH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF GREENER CATALYTIC TECHNOLOGIES, WITH POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS IN THE ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SECTORS. THE OUTCOMES WILL ALSO STRENGTHEN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY?S KNOWLEDGE BASE, INFLUENCING FUTURE CATALYST DESIGNS AND FOSTERING INTERDISCIPLINARY ADVANCEMENTS IN CATALYSIS SCIENCE. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

GEOMETRIC COCYCLES, DIFFERENTIAL K-THEORY, AND NON-ABELIAN GERBES

WORDS MATTER! BUILDING INNOVATIVE PROFESSIONAL DIPLOMACY THROUGH DIPLOMATIC COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE SKILLS

ANT LIA COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: INTERROGATING MOLECULAR AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ADAPTATIONS IN ANTARCTIC MARINE ANIMALS.

HCC MEDIUM: COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL: DYNAMIC SUPPORT FOR COMPUTER-MEDIATED INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

DISCRETIONARY

METABOLITES AND MICROBES OF TETRASTIGMA: THE ECOLOGY OF HOST CHOICE IN RAFFLESIA AND POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS IN EX SITU CONSERVATION OF THE WORLDS LARGEST FLOWER -AMIDST THE DWINDLING RAINFORESTS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA, RAFFLESIA?S RARE BUT MASSIVE MALODOROUS MAROON FLOWER STANDS OUT, DECEPTIVELY LURING CARRION FLIES, HENCE THE COMMON NAME, ?CORPSE FLOWER?. UNLIKE MOST PLANTS, RAFFLESIA IS AN OBLIGATE PLANT PARASITE, BEREFT OF STEMS, ROOTS, AND LEAVES, AND DEVOID OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS, WHICH SUPPOSEDLY DEFINES PLANTS. SOLELY INFECTING THE TROPICAL GRAPE VINE TETRASTIGMA?AND ONLY A FEW SPECIES OF IT?IT IS UNKNOWN WHY. DESPITE BEING A CHARISMATIC ICON OF CONSERVATION, THERE IS NO WESTERN BOTANIC GARDEN THAT HAS GROWN RAFFLESIA BECAUSE IT IS STILL VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN HOW. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO UNDERSTAND THE ECOLOGY OF RAFFLESIA?S HOST CHOICE?WHAT MOLECULES AND MICROBES IN TETRASTIGMA HOSTS MAKE THEM SUSCEPTIBLE TO RAFFLESIA INFECTION COMPARED TO NON-HOSTS, AND HOW THIS BASIC INFORMATION MAY BE USED TO GUIDE PROPAGATION. CONVERSELY, THIS PROJECT WILL YIELD DATA ON THE METABOLIC AND MICROBIAL PROCESSES UNDERLYING ENHANCED HOST IMMUNE FUNCTION IN TETRASTIGMA, WHY CERTAIN SPECIES ARE NOT PARASITIZED BY RAFFLESIA, AND HOW THIS KNOWLEDGE CAN BE APPLIED IN GRAPES, TETRASTIGMA?S CLOSE RELATIVE, TO RESIST PARASITIC INFECTIONS. MOREOVER, THE PROJECT WILL ENGAGE UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS AND CATALYZE THEIR CAREERS IN BIODIVERSITY SCIENCE, WHILE PROVIDING CAPACITY BUILDING TO INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES WHERE SAMPLES WILL BE COLLECTED. THIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE MAY ONE DAY ALLOW RAFFLESIA?THE PANDA OF THE PLANT WORLD?TO BE IN FULL BLOOM IN BOTANIC GARDENS, FOSTERING EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION. TIMING IS CRITICAL, BECAUSE ONCE EXTINCT, THE CORPSE FLOWER CAN NO LONGER BE REVIVED. RAFFLESIA (RAFFLESIACEAE, MALPIGHIALES) IS AN ENDOPHYTIC HOLOPARASITE, COMPLETELY DEPENDENT ON ITS HOST VINE TETRASTIGMA (VITACEAE, VITALES) FOR NUTRITION, LIVING INSIDE IT THROUGHOUT ITS LIFE AND ONLY EMERGING TO FLOWER. HOWEVER, NOT ALL TETRASTIGMA SPECIES SUPPORT A RAFFLESIA INFECTION. THE PROJECT AIMS TO UNDERSTAND THE ECOLOGY OF RAFFLESIA?S HOST CHOICE, FOCUSING ON THE CHEMISTRY AND MICROBIOTA UNIQUE TO INFECTED HOST SPECIES THROUGH METABOLITE PROFILING AND METAGENOMIC ANALYSIS. COMPARING MULTIPLE RAFFLESIA-TETRASTIGMA SPECIES SYSTEMS WILL CLARIFY COMMON PATTERNS THAT MAKE CERTAIN TETRASTIGMA SPP. HOSTS VERSUS NON-HOSTS, REVEAL HOW DIFFERENT RAFFLESIA SPP. SIMILARLY ALTER HOST ECOLOGY DURING AN INFECTION, AS WELL AS DECIPHER THE METABOLIC AND MICROBIAL IDIOSYNCRASIES BETWEEN SPECIES SYSTEMS THAT COULD EXPLAIN RAFFLESIA?S HOST CHOICE. IN AGRICULTURE, GRAFTING SUCCESS IS DEPENDENT ON HOW CLOSELY RELATED THE SCION AND ROOTSTOCK ARE, BUT HOW DOES RAFFLESIA, BELONGING TO A DIFFERENT ORDER FROM ITS HOST, SUCCESSFULLY EVADE HOST IMMUNITY, AND HOW CAN THIS BASIC INFORMATION BE APPLIED IN PREVENTING GRAFT INCOMPATIBILITY IN CROPS? RESULTING DATA WILL ALSO REVEAL THE EXTENT OF CONVERGENT EVOLUTION COMPARED TO OTHER HOST-PARASITE SYSTEMS, IF THERE ARE SIMILAR HOST-DEGRADING METABOLITES IN THE EVOLUTION OF HETEROTROPHY IN DISPARATE LINEAGES OF PARASITIC PLANTS. THESE DATA WILL ELUCIDATE HOST CHEMOTYPES AND PLANT-REGULATING MICROBIAL ENDOPHYTES THAT COULD FACILITATE AND SUSTAIN A RAFFLESIA INFECTION, AND CONSEQUENTLY, RAFFLESIA HORTICULTURE FOR EX SITU CONSERVATION WHILE GAINING INSIGHTS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BENEFIT OTHER AGRICULTURAL CROPS. 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.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DYNAMICS AND GRAVITATIONAL WAVE PRODUCTION OF NEUTRON STARS AND BLACK HOLES

ARRA - SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

CAREER: INVESTIGATING HOST RESPONSE IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF FV3 (RANAVIRUS SP) IN WOOD FROGS, RANA SYLVATICA (LITHOBATES SYLVATICUS)

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SIMULATING NEUTRON STAR-BLACK HOLE INSPIRALS: FROM BINARIES TO ACCRETION AND JETS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ELEMENTS: BIFROST - A CPU/GPU PIPELINE FRAMEWORK FOR HIGH THROUGHPUT DATA ACQUISITION AND ANALYSIS

THE IMPRESS-ED PROGRAM (HTTP:LJWWW.TCNJ.EDU/~IMPRESS/2011.HTML) IS A SUMMER RESEARCHEXPERIENCE FOR PRE-SERVICE STEM EDUCATORS WHICH BEGAN DURING THE

MRI ACQUISITION: HIGH PERFORMANCE CLUSTER FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AT LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY

ACQUISITION OF GAS-CHROMATOGRAPH/MASS SPECTROMETER

A CAMPUS-COMMUNITY URBAN SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CROSS-LINGUISTIC INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ACQUISITION OF SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

UNDERSTANDING INTERVENTIONS 2011

MAGNETIZED MERGERS OF BLACK HOLES AND NEUTRON STARS WITH LES AND NEUTRINO TRANSPORT -WE HAVE ENTERED A VERY EXCITING TIME IN HIGH ENERGY ASTROPHYSICS WITH OBSERVATIONS ACCUMULATING VERY QUICKLY FROM A RANGE OF OBSERVATORIES INCLUDING GRAVITATIONAL WAVES (GW) FROM THE LIGO-VIRGO-KAGRA COLLABORATION, PULSAR X-RAYS FROM NICER, SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE IMAGES FROM THE EVENT HORIZON TELESCOPE, AND FAST RADIO BURST OBSERVATIONS FROM CHIME, AND MANY OTHERS. THIS TREMENDOUS SUCCESS IS SPURRING THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE GW OBSERVATORIES, SUCH AS LISA, THE EINSTEIN TELESCOPE, AND THE COSMIC EXPLORER, IN ADDITION TO NEW ELECTROMAGNETIC TELESCOPES. AND IT IS IN THIS CONTEXT THAT NUMERICAL WORK HELPS GUIDE AND EXTRACT THE SCIENCE. THESE EFFORTS MAY HELP ELUCIDATE DETAILS ABOUT THE SOURCE OF R-PROCESS ELEMENTS AND THE CONDITIONS NEEDED FOR A KILONOVA. THESE STUDIES OF THE MAGNETIC STRUCTURE WITH ADVANCED LARGE EDDY SIMULATION (LES) AND WITH NEUTRINO HEATING AND COOLING IN BINARY MERGERS WILL HELP DEVELOP A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ENGINE BEHIND SHORT GAMMA-RAY BURSTS (SGRB). TRAINING IN AND DEVELOPMENT OF NUMERICAL METHODS OF THE TYPE PROVIDED THROUGH THIS AWARD IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT IN AN INCREASING VARIETY OF FIELDS. THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO PUSH FORWARD THE MULTI-MESSENGER SCIENCE ACHIEVED BY STUDYING BINARY NEUTRON STAR AND BLACK HOLE--NEUTRON STAR MERGERS: (I) CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF THE OPEN-SOURCE MHDUET CODE, A GENERAL RELATIVISTIC, MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS(GRMHD) CODE, (II) TEST THE GROUP'S IMPLEMENTATION OF AN M1 NEUTRINO TRANSPORT SCHEME WITH HOT NEUTRON STARS AND BINARY NEUTRON STAR MERGERS, AND THEN PROGRESS TO A HYBRID SCHEME, AND (III) STUDY THE MERGER AND POST-MERGER SIGNALS AND OUTFLOWS FROM BINARY NEUTRON STAR MERGERS WITH MAGNETIC FIELD WITH LARGE EDDY SIMULATION TECHNIQUES, REALISTIC EQUATIONS OF STATE, NEUTRINO HEATING AND COOLING. 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.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT FOR EARLY CAREER CARTOGRAPHERS AND GEOSPATIAL SCIENTISTS

LONG ISLAND UNIVESITY (LIU) HAS ESTABLISHED A NEW COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE (CVM). THE LIU CVM HAS RECEIVED PROVISIONAL ACCREDITATION FROM THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION OF THE AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, HAS ENROLLED ITS FIRST CLASS OF 109 STUDENTS, AND HAS RECEIVED OVER 1000 APPLICATIONS FOR NEXT YEAR'S CLASS. LIU HAS THUS FAR INVESTED OVER FIVE MILLION DOLLARS IN NEW LABORATORIES AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE NEW SCHOOL, AND WILL BE INVESTING MILLIONS MORE. RESEARCH IS A PRIORITY AT LIU AND THE CVM IS ONE OF SEVERAL COLLEGES IN WHICH MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN RESEARCH ARE BEING MADE. AT THIS TIME MOST OF THE BASIC SCIENCES FACULTY HAVE BEEN HIRED, BUT ADDITIONAL FACULTY (SUCH AS UP TO TWO VIROLOGISTS AND A PARASITOLOGIST) TO BE HIRED THIS YEAR.A KEY COMPONENT OF ANY RESEARCH ENTERPRISE IS THE AVAILABILITY OF CORE RESEARCH EQUIPMENT THAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR MULTIPLE USERS TO CARRY OUT EXTERNALLY AND INTERNALLY FUNDED RESEARCH. A CORE MICROSCOPY SUITE IS REQUIRED BY THE MAJORITY OFTHE BASIC SCIENCES FACULTY AT LIU CVM, AND HAS RECENLTY BEEN COMPLETED. THIS SUITE WILL HOUSE A NIKON E200 FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPE SYSTEM, A LASER DISSECTION MICROSCOPE (LDM), AND A CONFOCAL LASER SCANNING MICROSCOPE (CLSM). A STATE-OF-THE ART CLSM THAT WILL ENABLE DIVERSE INVESTIGATORS TO OBTAIN RESULTS THAT WILL MOVE THEIR FIELDS FORWARD IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE OF THESE SCOPES AND THE TOTAL COST IS BEYOND THE UNIVERSITY BUDGET AT THIS TIME. THESE FUNDS WILL PROVIDE THE UPGRADES TO THE CLSM NECESSARY TO OBTAIN EXTRAORDINARY RESOLUTION AND OBSERVE LABELLED CELLULAR COMPNENTS IN REAL TIME AND UNDER LIVING (NOT JUST FIXED) CONDITIONS. A CLSM ENABLES THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3D) LIVE IMAGING, WITH ACCESS TO MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR PROCESSES IN REAT TIME. THE IMAGE IS OBTAINED ONLY FROM THE FOCAL PLANE, WITH THE OPTICAL REMOVAL OF NOISE DUE TO THE THICKNESS OF THE SAMPLE. THE IMAGES ARE ALSO OBTAINED POINT BY POINT USING LASER EXCITATION, RATHER THAN ILLUMINATION, WHEN INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS ARE LABELLED WITH DIFFERENTLY COLORED FLUORESCENT TAGS (SUCH AS ANTIBODIES, LECTINS, OR DNA PROBES) INDIVIDUAL STRUCTURES ARE BRILLIANTLY HIGHLIGHTED WITH EXTRAODINARY DETAIL. CLSM HAS BECOME THE REQUIRED METHOD OF CHOICE FOR BIOFILM STUDIES, PARTICULARLY POLYMICROBIAL BIOFILMS. HOWEVER, ALL FIELDS THAT INVESTIGATE PROCESSES AT THE CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LEVEL BENEFIT FROM A CLSM. BECAUSE WORK CAN BE DONE WITH CELLS OR MICROORGANISMS IN REAL TIME, UNDER GROWTH CONDITIONS, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT A CLSM IS AVAILABLE AT THE SITE WHERE IT WILL BE USED, AS TRANSPORT TO A DISTANT CORE FACILITY WOULD NOT BE PRACTICAL. THE COMPONENTS THAT WILL BE ADDED TO THIS CLSM WITH USDA-NIFA SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING INCLUDE: INCUBATION COMPONENTS: STAGE-TOP HEATING, HUMIDITY, AND CO2 SUPPLY FOR 35-MM PETRI-DISHES, CHAMBERED SLIDES, AND 96-WELL PLATES; DEFINITE FOCUS COMPONENTS: OVER SHORT AND LONG PERIODS OF TIME, FOCAL AND THERMAL DRIFT CAN BE COMPENSATED FOR, AND THE IMAGING REMAINS ROCK STABLE; 5MPAXIOCAM CAMERA: THIS CAMERA ENABLES COLLECTION OF WIDEFIELD IMAGES IN FLUORESCENCE OR WITH BRIGHTFIELD COLOR (HNE, IHC, TRICHOME ETC.) STAINING. IT ALSO INTEGRATES WITH DEFINITE FOCUS AND ANY CONFOCAL IMAGING TO ALSO PROVIDE AUTOFOCUS ABILITY.IN SUMMARY, THIS CLSM WILL STRENGTHEN THE CAPABILITY OF THE NEW LIU CVM TO CARRY OUT INNOVATIVE, INTERDISCIPLINARY, AND CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH THAT WILL IMPROVE CONTROL OF DISEASES OF AGRICULTURALLY IMPORTANT ANIMALS. FACULTY WITH CURRENT AND PENDING GRANTS THAT REQUIRE THE USE OF CLSM WILL BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THEIR WORK. FURTHERMORE, THE MICROSCOPY EXPERTISE AND CAPABILITY OF EARLY CAREER FACULTY, POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS, AND STUDENTS (VETERINARY AND GRADUATE) WIL BE STREGTHENED.

WORKSHOP: BEST PRACTICES FOR USING NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING (NGS) DATASETS TO DETERMINE ROBUST EVIDENCE OF POSITIVE SELECTION AND CONVERGENT EVOLUTION OF POLAR ORGANISMS.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT FOR EARLY CAREER CARTOGRAPHERS AND GEOSPATIAL SCIENTISTS:TOKYO, JAPAN - JULY 2019

WOU-MMA: COMPACT OBJECT MERGERS IN THE ERA OF MULTI-MESSENGER ASTROPHYSICS

SUPPORT FOR EARLY-CAREER GEOSPATIAL SCIENTISTS IN RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AT THE INTERNATIONAL CARTOGRAPHIC CONFERENCE 2025 -THIS AWARD SUPPORTS EARLY CAREER SCHOLARS IN THE FIELDS OF CARTOGRAPHY AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE (GISCIENCE) TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 32ND INTERNATIONAL CARTOGRAPHIC CONFERENCE (ICC). THE AIM IS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF CARTOGRAPHY AND GISCIENCE ACADEMICS AND PRACTITIONERS WHO ARE CURRENTLY MATRICULATING OR WHO HAVE RECENTLY COMPLETED A DEGREE AND ARE IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL CAREER. THE ICC PROVIDES A SCIENTIFIC VENUE THAT COVERS THE BROAD SCOPE OF CARTOGRAPHIC RESEARCH. ACCORDINGLY, IT IS IDEAL FOR EARLY CAREER SCHOLARS TO PRESENT THEIR RESEARCH AND TO CONNECT WITH A COMMUNITY OF COLLEAGUES IN ACADEMIA, GOVERNMENT, PRIVATE INDUSTRY, AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. EARLY- AND MID-CAREER SCHOLARS WHO HAVE ATTENDED PREVIOUS ICCS HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT PARTICIPATION IN THESE CONFERENCES LEADS TO PRODUCTIVE RESEARCH IN CARTOGRAPHY AND GISCIENCE, AS EVIDENCED BY THEIR SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS, SUCCESS IN SECURING RESEARCH FUNDING, LEADERSHIP IN CARTOGRAPHIC AND GISCIENCE ASSOCIATIONS, AND DIRECTION IN SETTING RESEARCH AGENDAS. THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF THIS SUPPORT LEADS TO RESEARCH INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION THAT PROMOTES THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE LEADERS IN CARTOGRAPHY AND GISCIENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. BASED ON THE RECORDS OF PREVIOUS AWARD RECIPIENTS, THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT PARTICIPATION IN THE ICC LEADS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF GLOBALLY RELEVANT CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH IN WHICH U.S. SCHOLARS HAVE TAKEN THE LEAD. AWARD RECIPIENTS BECOME KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT AND WELL POSITIONED TO DEVELOP NEW RESEARCH AGENDAS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, ADDRESSING KEY SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIETAL CHALLENGES. THE ICC ALSO ENABLES THEM TO DISSEMINATE THEIR TECHNICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN CARTOGRAPHY AND GISCIENCE THROUGH WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS, AND PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS. EARLY CAREER SCHOLARS BENEFIT FROM THE EXPOSURE TO IDEAS FROM THE CARTOGRAPHIC COMMUNITY WHILE ALSO DISSEMINATING NEW METHODS AND PERSPECTIVES THAT THEY HAVE DEVELOPED. THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN TURN RESULT IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF A CREATIVE AND PRODUCTIVE AMERICAN WORKFORCE CONDUCTING INNOVATIVE RESEARCH IN CARTOGRAPHY AND GISCIENCE THAT SERVES SOCIETAL INTERESTS WITH RESPECT TO SPATIAL INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE. THE ICC PROVIDES THE AWARD RECIPIENTS WITH NEW INSIGHTS AND APPROACHES TO CARTOGRAPHIC AND GISCIENCE RESEARCH THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, ALLOWING THEM TO EXTEND THEIR PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS WHILE PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE IN COLLABORATIVE WORK. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

RUI: HOLOGRAPHIC STARS AND STRIPES

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** SINCE THE INAUGURAL MEETING IN 2010, THE MEDVETPATHOGENS CONFERENCES HAVE BEEN AN INVALUABLE SOURCE OF INFORMATION ON ANIMAL, HUMAN AND ZOONOTIC INFECTIONS, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON BACTERIAL PATHOGENESIS, ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE, AND CONTROL. THE MEDVETPATHOGENS HOME IS THE BEAUTIFUL MONASH UNIVERSITY PRATO CENTRE WITHIN THE 18TH-CENTURY PALAZZO VAJ, LOCATED IN THE OLD TOWN REGION OF PRATO, ITALY. PRATO IS THE THIRD MAJOR CITY IN TUSCANY, LOCATED ONLY 20 KM/30-MINUTE TRAIN JOURNEY FROM FLORENCE. THE MEDVETPATHOGENS CONFERENCE COMMUNITY SUPPORTS THE ONE HEALTH ETHOS AND CONSIDERS ALL PATHOGENS ARE WITHIN AN EVOLUTIONARY CONTINUUM; ANY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HUMAN AND VETERINARY PATHOGENS ARE THE CONSEQUENCE OF NICHE AND HOST ADAPTIVE PROCESSES. RESEARCH THAT LEADS TO IMPROVED ANTIMICROBIAL STEWARDSHIP IS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF THIS ETHOS AND IN 2025 WE AGAIN WELCOME CONTRIBUTIONS THAT REPORT ON ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL ANTIMICROBIALS. KEYNOTE SPEAKERS FOR MEDVETPATHOGENS 2025 ARE PROFESSOR GEORGINA COX FROM THE UNIVERSITY NOTTINGHAM, PROFESSOR JEAN-MARCO GHICO FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF DUBLIN, AND PROFESSOR MARK LAWRENCE FROM MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY. THE 2025 MULTINATIONAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE INCLUDES JOHN BOYCE (AUSTRALIA), MARINA HARPER (AUSTRALIA), KASPER RØMER VILLUMSEN (DENMARK), AND TOM INZANA (UNITED STATES). WE WARMLY WELCOME ALL INTERNATIONAL DELEGATES FROM RESEARCH, EDUCATIONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUNDS TO JOIN THE MEDVETPATHOGENS CONFERENCE COMMUNITY IN PRATO IN MAY 2025. THE MEDVETPATHOGENS 2025 CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD AT THE MONASH UNIVERSITY PRATO CENTRE, SITUATED ON THE GROUND AND FIRST FLOORS OF THE ELEGANT 18TH CENTURY PALAZZO VAJ ON VIA PUGLIESI IN THE HISTORIC CENTRE OF PRATO, ITALY. THE MONASH UNIVERSITY PRATO CENTRE, HOUSED IN PALAZZO VAJ, IS IN THE CENTRE OF THE OLD TOWN OF PRATO, ONLY TWO MINUTES AWAY FROM THE CITY'S CATHEDRAL AND WALKING DISTANCE FROM BOTH TRAIN STATIONS (PRATO PORTA AL SERRAGLIO AND PRATO CENTRALE).

CARTOGRAPHIC AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE (GISCIENCE) CONFERENCE AND EARLY-CAREER SCHOLAR DEVELOPMENT -THIS AWARD SUPPORTS EARLY CAREER SCHOLARS IN DEVELOPING RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS IN CARTOGRAPHY AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE (GISCIENCE) THROUGH PARTICIPATION WITH THE INTERNATIONAL CARTOGRAPHIC ASSOCIATION. THIS PROJECT TARGETS THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF EARLY CAREER SCHOLARS WHO ARE CURRENTLY COMPLETING A GRADUATE DEGREE OR ARE IN THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF THEIR ACADEMIC OR PROFESSIONAL CAREER. CARTOGRAPHY IS ADVANCING QUICKLY WITH NEW RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AFFORDED BY THE AVAILABILITY OF CROWDSOURCED DATA. THERE ARE ALSO IMPORTANT RESEARCH CHALLENGES RELATED TO THE GENERAL TOPIC OF MAP DESIGN AND MAP QUALITY GIVEN THE PREVALENCE OF CARTOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION IN DIFFERENT FORMS OF MEDIA. THERE IS A NEWFOUND ATTENTION ON GEOGRAPHIC ROUTING WITH THE WIDESPREAD USE OF MOBILE DEVICES FOR REAL-TIME NAVIGATION. THE INTERNATIONAL CARTOGRAPHIC ASSOCIATION ADVANCES THESE RESEARCH ARENAS THROUGH COLLABORATIVE OPPORTUNITIES AND DISSEMINATION OF CARTOGRAPHIC RESEARCH WHILE SUPPORTING OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF CARTOGRAPHERS AND SPATIAL SCIENTISTS. THE INTERNATIONAL CARTOGRAPHIC ASSOCIATION (ICA) ADVANCES RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP AT THE FOREFRONT OF CARTOGRAPHY, DATA SCIENCE AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE. IN PARTICULAR, THE ICA ADVANCES RESEARCH THAT ADDRESSES THE ROLE OF CARTOGRAPHY IN DATA SCIENCE AND CITIZEN SCIENCE; THE ROLE OF MAP IN MOBILITY RESEARCH AND AUTONOMOUS DRIVING; RESEARCH AT THE INTERSECTION OF CARTOGRAPHY AND COGNITIVE SCIENCE; AND THE ROLE THAT MAPS PLAY IN PRESERVING THE WORLD?S CULTURAL HERITAGE. NEW RESEARCH AGENDAS ARE DEVELOPED TO SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES THAT TACKLE KEY SOCIETAL CHALLENGES; DISSEMINATE NEW RESEARCH IN CARTOGRAPHY AND GISCIENCE THROUGH WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS, AND PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS. THE ICA ALSO DEVELOPS VALUABLE TRAINING THROUGH PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS, MENTORSHIP AND SCHOLARLY EXCHANGE. OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW COLLABORATION ARE CREATED FOR EARLY CAREER SCHOLARS WORKING ON CARTOGRAPHIC RESEARCH FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF DISPARATE DISCIPLINARY FOUNDATIONS FOSTERING NEW TRANSFORMATIVE AND TRANSDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH IN CARTOGRAPHY. 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.

THE PATHWAYS TO FREEDOM DIGITAL NARRATIVE PROJECT

I. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THIS WORK. BOVINE MASTITIS IS A WORLDWIDE DISEASE, CAUSING SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC LOSSES DUE TO DECREASED QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF MILK, COSTS FOR VETERINARY SERVICES, AND EARLY CULLING OF AFFECTED ANIMALS. STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS IS ONE OF THE PREDOMINANT ETIOLOGICAL AGENTS RESPONSIBLE FOR CLINICAL AND SUBCLINICAL MASTITIS IN DAIRY CATTLE. COAGULASE NEGATIVE STAPHYLOCOCCI (CNS) AND MAMMALIICOCCI (CNM) ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR DIMINISHED BOVINE UDDER HEALTH AND MILK PRODUCTION. CNS AND CNM STRAINS INCLUDE S. EPIDERMIDIS, S. LUGDUNENSIS, MAMMALIICOCCIS (S) SCIURI, M. (S) LENTUS, AND OTHERS. MASTITIS PATHOGENS READILY DEVELOP RESISTANCE TO MULTIPLE CLASSES OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS, BUT DATA ON ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE AND ASSOCIATED GENES IS LIMITED OR UNAVAILABLE IN DAIRY COWS ON LONG ISLAND. THE LONG TERM GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO IMPROVE UDDER HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND MASTITIS CONTROL IN LONG ISLAND DAIRY HERDS. OUR SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES INCLUDE: 1. IDENTIFY INTRAMAMMARY PATHOGENS FROM COWS WITH SOMATIC CELL COUNTS >200 CELLS/ML USING CULTURE AND FLOW-GOLD IMMUNOBLOT ASSAY. 2. IDENTIFY ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE GENES IN MASTITIS PATHOGENS. 3. DETERMINE THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF STAPHYLOCOCCAL SPECIES ASSOCIATED WITH BOVINE MASTITIS IN LONG ISLAND DAIRY COWS. 4. COMPARE THE DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF BACTERIOLOGICAL CULTURE TO FLOW GOLD IMMUNOBLOT ASSAY USING BAYESIAN LATENT CLASS ANALYSIS. II. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED WITH THE FUNDS FROM THIS AWARD. LACTATING DAIRY COWS (150) FROM 4-6 DAIRY HERDS ON LONG ISLAND WITH A SQUAMOUS CELL COUNT OF >200 CELLS/ML WILL BE USED. MILK SAMPLES WILL BE ASEPTICALLY COLLECTED AND CULTURED AT LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. SIGNIFICANT ISOLATES WILL BE IDENTIFIED BY BACTERIOLOGICAL METHODS AND FLOW-GOLD IMMUNOBLOT ASSAY. ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TESTING (MIC [SENSITITRE] AND DISK DIFFUSION) FOR COMMONLY USED MASTITIS ANTIMICROBIALS WILL BE CARRIED OUT USING CLINICAL LABORATORY STANDARDS INSTITUTE GUIDELINES. BIOFILM FORMATION WILL BE DETERMINED BY CRYSTAL VIOLET ASSAY IN 96-WELL PLATES. BACTERIAL DNA WILL BE EXTRACTED (QIAAMPDNA KIT) FOR PCR-BASED IDENTIFICATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE GENES. SPA GENE SEQUENCING WILL BE USED TO DIFFERENTIATE S. AUREUS STRAINS. COW AGE, BREED, LACTATION STAGE, MILK YIELD, AND FARM HYGIENE WILL BE RECORDED FOR CONSIDERING PREDISPOSITION OF THE COWS TO INFECTION, AND FOR THE TYPES OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE GENES DETECTED PER COW. THE FLOW-GOLD IMMUNOASSAY WILL BE A DUPLEX ASSAY USING ANTIBODIES TO STAPHYLOCOCCAL TYPE 336 ANTIGEN AND TO MYELOPEROXIDASE, WHICH IS A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF ANTIBODIES TO DETECT MASTITIS AND THE PRESENCE OF STAPHYLOCOCCI. A MATHEMATICAL MODEL WILL BE DEVELOPED FOR COMPARISON OF BACTERIOLOGICAL CULTURE AND THE FLOW-GOLD IMMUNO-ASSAY. ANALYSIS OF THE TARGET STAPHYLOCOCCAL PATHOGENS WILL BE DONE USING A BAYESIAN LATENT CLASS ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK. DATA WILL BE ANALYZED USING UNIVARIATE AND MULTIVARIATE LOGISTIC REGRESSION WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL AND 5% TYPE I ERROR FOR STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. III. DELIVERABLES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES FROM THESE ACTIVITIES. THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE VALUABLE INFORMATION REGARDING THE INCIDENCE OF STAPHYLOCOCCAL MASTITIS IN LONG ISLAND DAIRY HERDS, ALTHOUGH ALL AGENTS RESPONSIBLE FOR MASTITIS WILL BE IDENTIFIED. ANY CORRELATION BETWEEN THE CAPABILITY AND AMOUNT OF BIOFILM FORMED BY THESE AGENTS, THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE, AND THE SEVERITY OF MASTITIS WILL BE NOTED AND USED TO DEVELOP IMPROVED DIAGNOSTIC ASSAYS. THESE RESULTS WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE HIGHEST PROFILE JOURNALS RELEVANT TO THIS WORK, AND PRESENTED AT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES. IV. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES OF THE ACTIVITIES. BENEFICIARIES WILL INCLUDE VETERINARIANS, MASTITIS INVESTIGATORS, FARMERS, DIAGNOSTICIANS, AND DVM AND GRADUATE STUDENTS WORKING ON MASTITIS AND ON ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE. V. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES. NONE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: A STUDY AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SEMANTIC CONSTRUCTS FOR HIGHLY SCALABLE LEADING-EDGE SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING

FUNDS ARE REQUESTED TO PROVIDE A BASE LEVEL OF SUPPORT FOR ATTENDEES FROM THE UNITED STATES FOR MEDVETPATHOGENS 2020. THIS CONFERENCE IS DEDICATED TO INNOVATIVE RESEARCH ON BACTERIAL PATHOGENS OF ANIMALS, INCLUDING BACTERIAL PATHOGENS THAT INFECT ANIMALS AND HUMANS. THIS IS THE 6TH CONFERENCE ON THIS TOPIC (PREVIOUS CONFERENCES PRIOR TO 2018 WERE NAMED VETPATH). THE MEETING WILL BE HELD AT THE MONASH UNIVERSITY PRATO CENTRE, PRATO, ITALY FROM OCTOBER 12-15, 2020. THE FOCUS OF THE CONFERENCE WILL BE TO BRING TOGETHER INVESTIGATORS STUDYING FOOD ANIMAL AND ZOONOTIC PATHOGENS, WITH PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO PATHOGENESIS, EVOLUTION, AND CONTROL RELATED TO FOOD ANIMAL DISEASES. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE A VARIETY OF CONFERENCES ON MICROBIOLOGY OR VETERINARY MEDICINE, THIS IS THE ONLY CONFERENCE THAT IS DEDICATED TO BASIC SCIENCE TOWARD UNDERSTANDING THE MOLECULAR PATHOGENESIS, HOST RESPONSE, AND MICROBIOLOGY OF BACTERIAL PATHOGENS OF ANIMALS. THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE HAS PUT TOGETHER A CONFERENCE THAT INCLUDES INVITED RESEARCHERS WHO ARE LEADERS IN THEIR FIELDS AND USE DIVERSE APPROACHES TO ADDRESS CURRENT RESEARCH PROBLEMS FACING, IN PARTICULAR, FOOD AND FIBER ANIMALS.

PURPOSE OF THIS WORK. INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY ARE A PERSISTENT THREAT TO ANIMAL HEALTH, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY, AND FOOD SECURITY. LONG ISLAND IS HOME TO DIVERSE SMALLSCALE CATTLE FARMS AND POULTRY OPERATIONS, WHICH ARE VULNERABLE TO OUTBREAKS OF VIRAL AND PARASITIC DISEASES. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO CONDUCT COMPREHENSIVE MOLECULAR AND SEROLOGICAL SURVEILLANCE OF MAJOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES AFFECTING CATTLE AND POULTRY ON LONG ISLAND. TARGETED CATTLE PATHOGENS WILL INCLUDE INFECTIOUS BOVINE RHINOTRACHEITIS VIRUS, BOVINE RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS, BOVINE CORONAVIRUS, BOVINE ROTAVIRUS, AND SOME PARASITES SUCH AS THE GASTROINTESTINAL PARASITE HAEMONCHUS CONTORTUS. FOR POULTRY, SURVEILLANCE WILL INCLUDE INFECTIOUS BRONCHITIS VIRUS AND INFECTIOUS LARYNGOTRACHEITIS VIRUS, WHICH ARE HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT VIRAL RESPIRATORY PATHOGENS OF CHICKENS. THE PREVALENCE, GENETIC DIVERSITY, AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TRENDS OF THESE PATHOGENS WILL BE DETERMINED USING MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS, SEROLOGICAL ASSAYS, AND SEQUENCING. THE DATA WILL STRENGTHEN PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES, IMPROVE HERD AND FLOCK HEALTH MANAGEMENT, AND SUPPORT LOCAL ONE HEALTH INITIATIVES. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO ESTABLISH A SUSTAINABLE, GENOMICS-DRIVEN SURVEILLANCE PLATFORM FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY ON LONG ISLAND THAT CAN SERVE AS A MODEL FOR OTHER REGIONS. OUR SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES INCLUDE: 1) ESTABLISH THE PREVALENCE AND SEROPOSITIVITY OF MAJOR CATTLE AND POULTRY VIRUSES USING MOLECULAR AND SEROLOGICAL ASSAYS; 2) EVALUATE GASTROINTESTINAL PARASITISM IN CATTLE, WITH EMPHASIS ON HAEMONCHUS CONTORTUS; 3) EMPLOY NEXT-GENERATION SEQUENCING TO DECODE FULL-LENGTH GENOMES OF VIRAL AND PARASITIC PATHOGENS DETECTED IN LONG ISLAND HERDS AND FLOCKS; 4) PERFORM COMPREHENSIVE COMPARATIVE GENOMIC ANALYSIS AND GENOME MINING TO IDENTIFY MARKERS OF VIRULENCE, IMMUNE EVASION, AND VACCINE ESCAPE. II. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED WITH THE FUNDS FROM THIS AWARD. SAMPLES WILL BE COLLECTED FROM THE REGIONAL DAIRY HERDS AND POULTRY FARMS. BLOOD, NASAL SWABS, FECAL, AND MILK SAMPLES WIL BE COLLECTED FROM CATTLE, AND OROPHARYNGEAL/CLOACAL SWABS, AND BLOOD COLLECTED FROM POULTRY. PCR/RT-PCR WILL BE USED TO DETECT THE LISTED VIRUSES. ILLUMINA AND/OR OXFORD NANOPORE WILL BE USED FOR SEQUENCING TO OBTAIN COMPLETE GENOMES OF THE VIRAL AND PARASITIC PATHOGENS. BIOINFORM ATIC GENOME MINING WILL BE USED TO IDENTIFY ANTIGENIC DETERMINANTS, VIRULENCE FACTORS, AND MARKERS RELEVANT TO VACCINE EFFICACY. ELISA AND NEUTRALIZATION ASSAYS WILL BE USED TO IDENTIFY ANTIBODIES TO VIRUSES AND PARASITES. FECAL EGG COUNTS AND LARVAL CULTURE WILL BE USED TO IDENTIY PARASITES. III. DELIVERABLES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES FROM THESE ACTIVITIES. THE PREVALENCE AND SEROPOSITIVITY RATES FOR THE SELECTED VIRUSES AND PARASITES OF CATTLE AND BIRDS ACROSS SAMPLED LONG ISLAND FARMS WILL BE DETERMINED. HIGH-QUALITY, ANNOTATED GENOMES FOR REPRESENTATIVE ISOLATES OF VIRAL AND PARASITIC PATHOGENS WILL BE DEPOSITED IN GENBANK AND OTHER PUBLIC REPOSITORIES. GENES ENCODING VIRULENCE FACTORS, ANTIGENIC DRIFT MUTATIONS, AND NOVEL EPITOPES RELEVANT FOR VACCINE AND DIAGNOSTIC DEVELOPMENT WILL BE IDENTIFIED. THE DISTRIBUTION OF PATHOGENS ACROSS LONG ISLAND FARMS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR VETERINARIANS AND POLICYMAKERS. AT LEAST 2-3 PEER-REVIEWED MANUSCRIPTS IN INTERNATIONAL JOURNALS ARE EXPECTED TO BE PUBLISHED. THIS WORK WILL BE PRESENTED AT CONFERENCES, AND NECESSARY REPORTS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR FARMERS, VETERINARIANS, AND LOCAL AGRICULTURAL AUTHORITIES. GRADUATE STUDENTS AND TECHNICIANS WILL BE TRAINED IN MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS, SEQUENCING, AND BIOINFORMATICS ANALYSIS. IV. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES OF THE ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE LOCAL FARMERS AND LIVESTOCK/POULTRY PRODUCERS, VETERINARIANS, THE RESEARCH AND ACADEMIC COMMUNITY, POLICY MAKERS, AGRICULTURAL AUTHORITIES, AND THE WIDER PUBLIC. V. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES. NONE.

A TISSUE ENGINEERING APPROACH TO INVESTIGATE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PATHOGENS AND MAMMALIAN CELLS, EUKARYOTIC CELL DEVELOPMENT, OR OTHER DISEASE STATES OF MAMMALIAN CELLS CAN BEST BE ACCOMPLISHED USING INNOVATIVE THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3-D) TISSUE CULTURES, OR ORGANOIDS. 3-D TISSUE CULTURES PRESENT A MORE PHYSIOLOGICALLY RELEVANT SYSTEM THAN SIMPLE 2-D TISSUE CULTURES. SEVERAL PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES ARE CORRELATED TO THE DIMENSIONALITY OF THE CELLULAR MICROENVIRONMENT AND ARE DEPENDENT ON CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SURROUNDING SUBSTRATE. THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE THAT SEVERAL ASPECTS OF CELLULAR AND TISSUE LEVEL FUNCTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY OBSERVED ON 2-D SUBSTRATES MAY INDEED CHANGE WHEN CELLS HAVE TO NAVIGATE THROUGH A COMPLEX 3-D NETWORK. FOR EXAMPLE, SOME OF THE FACTORS THAT HAVE DELAYED A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING FOR TREATING BOVINE RESPIRATORY DISEASES DUE TO BACTERIAL AND VIRAL INFECTION, BOVINE METRITIS, AND UNDERSTANDING ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY IN VIVO IS THE LACK OF PHYSIOLOGICALLY-RELEVANT 3-D TISSUE CULTURES TO OBTAIN FUNDAMENTAL INSIGHTS INTO HOW PATHOGENS HARM CELLS. A 3-D TISSUE CULTURE SYSTEM WOULD BE PARTICULARLY USEFUL IN FOLLOWING THE ATTACHMENT AND BIOFILM DEVELOPMENT OF BACTERIAL PATHOGENS IN HOST TISSUES. OUR GOAL IS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND ANIMAL DISEASES THAT AFFECT ORGAN SYSTEMS DUE TO, OR INDEPENDENTLY FROM, INFECTIOUS AGENTS IN ORDER TO PREVENT OR TREAT DISEASES AFFECTING SUCH ORGANS. TO OBTAIN THIS GOAL, OUR OBJECTIVES ARE TO 1) DEVELOP A 3-D TISSUE CULTURE SYSTEM LABORATORY TO SERVE LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY (LIU) COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE FACULTY IN ADVANCING THEIR RESEARCH, 2) TRAIN AN LIU RESEARCH SCIENTIST IN THE ART OF ESTABLISHING A 3-D TISSUE CULTURE OF ANY CELL LINE THAT CAN BE MADE AVAILABLE; 3) CARRY OUT EXPERIMENTS AND PUBLISH THE RESULTS OF THE USE OF 3-D TISSUE CULTURES RELEVANT TO UNDERSTANDING AND CONTROLLING ANIMAL DISEASES IMPORTANT TO AGRICULTURE. THE EUKARYOTIC CELLS OF CHOICE (E.G. BOVINE RESPIRATORY EPITHELIAL OR ENDOTHELIAL CELLS) WILL BE CULTURED USING A PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED PROCEDURE. THE CELLS WILL BE CULTURED IN SERUM-FREE CULTURE MEDIUM FOR 3-4 DAYS, THEN ENZYMATICALLY DETACHED AND CULTURED ON POROUS TRANSWELL INSERTS. A POLYGLYCOLINE SCAFFOLD (SYNTHECON) WILL BE SEEDED ON PLATES, AND THEN INCUBATED WITH FIBRONECTIN SOLUTION FOR 1 H AT RT TO IMPROVE CELL ADHERENCE. THE CELLS (5 X 106 CELLS IN 50 ΜL) WILL BE ADDED ONTO THE CENTER OF EACH SCAFFOLD DISC AND INCUBATED FOR 1 H AT 38.5°C. MEDIUM IS ADDED TO EACH WELL AND THE PLATE MAINTAINED IN A HUMIDIFIED ENVIRONMENT OF 5% CO2 AT 38.5°C. EACH DAY TRANS-EPITHELIAL ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE (TEER) MEASUREMENTS ARE CONDUCTED TO MEASURE THEIR DIFFERENTIATION. WHEN THE TEER VALUES REACH 200 WCM2, THE CULTURE MEDIUM IS CHANGED TO A FORMULATION CONTAINING EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR, RETINOIC ACID, AND BOVINE PITUITARY EXTRACT TO PROMOTE EPITHELIALIZATION. WHEN THE TEER VALUES EXCEED 500 WCM2, THE CULTURE MEDIUM FROM APICAL CHAMBER WILL BE REMOVED IN ORDER TO EXPOSE THE CELLS TO AIR AND FORM A 3-D CELL LAYER IN THE AIR-LIQUID INTERFACE. THE CULTURES WILL BE MAINTAINED UP TO 3 WEEKS PRIOR TO USE IN DESIGNED EXPERIMENTS, SUCH AS BIOFILM FORMATION BY ANIMAL PATHOGENS. THE THICKNESS OF THE CELL LAYER WILL BE IMAGED USING CONFOCAL LASER SCANNING MICROSCOPY (CLSM), AND QUANTIFIED AND VIABILITY MEASURED BY LIVE/DEAD STAINING USING IMAGEJ SOFTWARE (NIH). ONCE THE 3-D ORGANOID IS ESTABLISHED FOR THAT CELL LINE, THE 3-D TISSUE CULTURE CAN BE USED BY THE PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATOR AS NEEDED. FOR EXAMPLE, THE STUDY OF BIOFILMS ON THE ORGANOID CAN BE DONE USING CLSM, LIVE/DEAD STAIN, AND SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY IN A GROWTH SYSTEM IN WHICH DEVELOPMENT OF THE BIOFILM CAN BE EXAMINED IN THE CLSM OVER TIME, THUS PROVIDING MORE THOROUGH INFORMATION ON HOW BIOFILMS DEVELOP IN HOST TISSUES. WILD TYPE AND MUTANT STRAINS CAN BE TESTED FOR UNDERSTANDING COMPONENTS AND REGULATORY FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO BIOFILM DEVELOPMENT. POLY-MICROBIAL BIOFILMS CAN ALSO BE EXAMINED IN THIS SYSTEM TO STUDY COMMENSALISM, MUTUALISM, AND ANTAGONISM BETWEEN MICROORGANISMS. INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTS OF ANTIBIOTICS AND COMPOUNDS THAT DISRUPT A BIOFILM CAN ALSO BE STUDIED IN A 3-D SYSTEM THAT MORE CLOSELY REPLICATES BIOFILM INFECTION IN THE HOST.

THE COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE (CVM) AT LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY (LIU) IS A NEW SCHOOL THAT WILL BE GRADUATING ITS FIRST CLASS OF DVM STUDENTS IN SPRING OF 2024. NONETHELESS, THE COLLEGE HAS A STRONG RESEARCH PROGRAM WITH FACULTY ALREADY HAVING OBTAINED COMPETITIVE FUNDING FROM USDANIFA, NIH, NSF, AND INDUSTRY. THE FACULTY AT CVM LIU ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH FOCUSING ON ANIMAL HEALTH, AND IN PARTICULAR THE HEALTH OF ANIMALS OF AGRICULTURAL IMPORTANCE. THE RESEARCH FOCUS AREAS OF THE COLLEGE ARE INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND COMPARATIVE MEDICINE AND THERAPEUTICS, THE LATTER OF WHICH INCLUDES PATHOLOGY AND MOLECULAR PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, MOLECULAR IMMUNOLOGY, AND VETERINARY CLINICAL MEDICINE. AS A NEW COLLEGE, SOME ESSENTIAL CORE SERVICES ARE LACKING WITHIN THE COLLEGE, AND THEREFORE EXTERNAL, FEE-FOR SERVICE CORE LABORATORIES ARE NEEDED. THERE ARE EXCELLENT CORE FACILITIES NEARBY THAT CVM LIU FACULTY CAN USE, SUCH AS AT STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY, COLE SPRING HARBOR LABORATORIES, BROOKHAVEN LABS, AND COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, WHICH PROVIDE SERVICES FOR ELECTRON MICROSCOPY, FACS, DNA/RNA SEQUENCING, AND BIOINFORMATICS, WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL OUTSIDE SERVICES NEEDED UNTIL THE COLLEGE PURCHASES THIS EQUIPMENT. THE FACULTY HAVE ALSO USED THE INDIANA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE CENTER FOR GENOMICS AND BIOINFORMATICS FOR COST-EFFECTIVE DNA/RNA SEQUENCING WITH BIOINFORMATIC SUPPORT. COMMERCIAL LABS SUCH AS PACBIO HAVE ALSO BEEN USED FOR DNA AND RNA SEQUENCING WITH OR WITHOUT BIOINFORMATIC SUPPORT. THE COLLEGE DOES HAVE NEW CONFOCAL LASER SCANNING (CLSM) AND LASER DISSECTION MICROSCOPES, AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPHYMASS SPECTROMETRY EQUIPMENT. IN THE AREA OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, FACULTY ARE STUDYING POLYMICROBIAL BIOFILMS ASSOCIATED WITH BOVINE RESPIRATORY DISEASE, METRITIS, AND OTHER BACTERIAL INFECTIONS OF FOOD ANIMALS. DNA/RNA SEQUENCING, BIOINFORMATICS, AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPY ARE CORE SERVICES OUTSIDE THE UNIVERSITY THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR THIS WORK. CLSM IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS WORK INTERNALLY, PARTICULARLY FOR STUDIES REQUIRING FLUORESCENT PROBES, BUT MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR COSTS FOR THIS EQUIPMENT ARE REQUIRED. FACULTY WORKING ON MYCOBACTERIAL DISEASES OF CATTLE ARE ALSO IN NEED OF DNA/RNA SEQUENCING AND BIOINFORMATIC SERVICES. OUR VIROLOGISTS ARE STUDYING VIRUSES RESPONSIBLE FOR BOVINE RESPIRATORY DISEASE, AND REQUIRE DNA/RNA SEQUENCING AND BIOINFORMATIC SERVICES TO COMPLETE THEIR WORK. CORE SERVICES ARE ALSO NEEDED FOR FACULTY WHO ARE WORKING ON ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE OF STAPHYLOCOCCI AND ENTERIC BACTERIA THAT CAUSE INFECTIONS IN FOOD ANIMALS. FACULTY STUDYING THE PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF ANIMAL DISEASES USE FLOW CYTOMETRY (FACS) TO ANALYZE CELL CYTOTOXICITY FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC DRUGS, AND DIFFERENT CELL POPULATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASE STATES. OUR IMMUNOLOGISTS AIM TO UNDERSTAND THE BIOLOGY OF ANIMALS' IMMUNE AND STEM CELLS IN ORDER TO DEVELOP NOVEL THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES FOR FOOD ANIMAL DISEASES. THESE STUDIES REQUIRE RNA SEQUENCING, FACS SORTING, AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPY. OUR PATHOLOGISTS OFTEN USE ELECTRON MICROSCOPY TO STUDY DETAILS OF DISEASED TISSUES THAT ARE NOT OBVIOUS EVEN BY CLSM. OUR CLINICAL SCIENTISTS WORKING WITH BASIC SCIENCE RESEARCHERS ARE ALSO IN NEED OF OUTSIDE CORE SERVICES TO COMPLETE THEIR INVESTIGATIONS OF FOOD ANIMAL DISEASES. OUR COLLEGE ALSO STRIVES TO PLACE AS MANY DVM STUDENTS INTO RESEARCH LABORATORIES AS POSSIBLE, AND DEMAND FOR SUCH EXPERIENCE EXCEEDS THE FUNDS SOME FACULTY HAVE AVAILABLE TO PAY STUDENT WAGES. THEREFORE, SOME FUNDS ARE REQUESTED TO ENHANCE DVM STUDENT TRAINING IN RESEARCH LABS. IN SUMMARY, THE CVM LIU FACULTY ARE IN NEED OF FUNDS FOR CORE SERVICES AND STUDENT SUPPORT TO AID IN MEETING EXPENSES TO CONDUCT ANIMAL HEALTH AND DISEASE RESEARCH. SUCH FUNDS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED BY THE ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR RESEARCH AND GRADUATE PROGRAMS AS APPROPRIATELY NEEDED TO ENHANCE THE RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY AND PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS THAT WILL BENEFIT AGRICULTURAL ANIMAL HEALTH.

LIU - BROOKLYN VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE (VITA) PROGRAM

ANIMAL HEALTH AND DISEASE RESEARCH FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL ANIMALS ATLONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

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HPSL - PHARMACY - CLOSEOUT DOCUMENT NUMBER

NURSE FACULTY LOAN PROGRAM

NURSE FACULTY LOAN PROGRAM

HEAD START UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP RESEARCH

GRADUATE PSYCHOLOGY EDUCATION PROGRAMS

ALLIED HEALTH PROJECTS

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR PROFESSIONALS AND PARAPROFESSIONALS