University Of Houston

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND-INSTITUTIONAL PORTION

CARES ACT: HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND FOR UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON - DOWNTOWN HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND - INSTITUTIONAL PORTION

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON - DOWNTOWN EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND

TEXAS CENTER FOR LEARNING DISABILITIES

UHCL CARES-HEERF - INSTITUTIONAL PORTION

HEALTH CENTER FOR ADDICTIONS RESEARCH AND CANCER PREVENTION

UH-CLEAR LAKE CARES FOR HAWKS

HEERF-MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS FOR UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON

CORE-VISION RESEARCH

TRANSDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES TO IMPROVING OPPORTUNITIES AND OUTCOMES FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS: USING ENGAGEMENT, TEAM BASED LEARNING, AND FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT TO DEVELOP CONTENT AND LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

SELECTED PROBLEMS IN RELATIVISTIC HEAVY ION PHYSIC IN ALICE AT THE LHC

MECHANISM OF PHOTORECEPTOR CELL DEGENERATION

OPTICALLY INDUCED ANISOMETROPIA

CARES ACT: HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONAL RELIEF FUND FOR UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-VICTORIA

REGULATION OF RETINAL GAP JUNCTIONS

CONVERGENT SCIENCE CANCER CONSORTIUM FOR IMMUNE CELL ENGINEERING

NATIONAL WIND ENERGY CENTER

OPTICAL COHERENCE ELASTOGRAPHY OF THE CORNEA

HEALTHY START INITIATIVE-ELIMINATING RACIAL/ETHNIC DISPARITIES

UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION CENTERS

CARES ACT: HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND FOR UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-VICTORIA

COMPACTED DNA NANOPARTICLES FOR OCULAR THERAPY

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION RESEARCH

PERSONALIZED ANTIMICROBIAL COMBINATIONS TO COMBAT RESISTANCE

BINOCULAR COORDINATION OF EYE MOVEMENTS

TAS::89 0328::TAS RECOVERY-WORKFORCE TRAINING FOR THE ELECTRIC POWER SECTOR-UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON. THIS AWARD WILL PROVIDE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOR

SBDC

NEURONEX THEORY TEAM: INFERRING INTERACTIONS BETWEEN NEURONS, STIMULI, AND BEHAVIOR

CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE: E-MIGRATION

NUMB FAMILY PROTEINS REGULATE TRABECULAR DEVELOPMENT

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING OF HIGH PERFORMANCE SUPERCONDUCTOR WIRES FOR NEXT GENERATION ELECTRIC MACHINES

CUSTOMIZED CONTACT LENSES

OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY TO STUDY EFFECT OF POLY - DRUG EXPOSURE ON FETAL BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

HOUSTON SBDC

BEST EVALUATION TOOLS & TECHNIQUES FOR EFFECTIVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICIES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FACILITY SUPPORT TO RENEW OPERATION OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR AIRBORNE LASER MAPPING (NCALM)

TAK1/TRAF6 SIGNALING IN SKELETAL MUSCLE

LYSOSOME TRAFFICKING DYSREGULATION OF ARTERIAL MYOCYTES IN ATHEROGENESIS

MONITORING DISEASE IN LUPUS

URBAN CENTER FOR STUDENT SUCCESS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING & MATHEMATICS

HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS PROGRAM (STEM)

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FACILITY SUPPORT FOR OPERATION OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR AIRBORNE LASER MAPPING (NCALM)

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON - DOWNTOWN HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND - MSI ALLOCATION

COMPUTATIONAL EXPLORATIONS OF UNCONVENTIONAL APPROACHES TO CONTROL NONCOVALENT INTERACTIONS

IMPDH INHIBITORS FOR THE TREATMENT OF CRYPTOSPORIDIUM INFECTIONS

HBCU PRIDE PROGRAM

HIGH PERFORMANCE LOW COST SUPERCONDUCTING WIRES AND COILS FOR HIGH POWER WIND GENERATORS

HOUSTON SBDC CARES ACT

HOUSTON SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER

STRUCTURAL AND MOLECULAR PHENOTYPING OF EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH MULTI-MODAL OPTICAL IMAGING

COE: EMIGRATION

DISPOSITION OF FLAVANOIDS VIA ENTERIC RECYCLING

BORDERS, TRADE, AND IMMIGRATION (BTI) INSTITUTE - YEAR 3

HOUSTON-LOUIS STOKES ALLIANCE FOR MINORITY PARTICIPATION: SENIOR ALLIANCE

EDUCATION RESEARCH PROGRAM

NEW AWARD TO UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON PROJECT: DEVELOPMENT OF OPTIMAL CATALYST DESIGNS & OPERATING STRATEGIES FOR LEAN NOX REDUCTION IN COUPLED LNT-SCR

RENAL ANGIOTENSIN LL RECEPTOR FUNCTION IN OBESITY

AMBLYOPIA

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, NEW COMPETITIVE AGREEMENT, UNDER FOA NUMBER DE-FOA-0002459 (OPEN 2021) WITH PROJECT TITLE ''LITHIUM- AND TRANSITION METAL-FREE HIGH-ENERGY FAST-CHARGING BATTERIES'' TO ENHANCE THE ENERGY SUPPLY CHAIN SECURITY OF THE U.S., UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON HEREIN PROPOSE A BATTERY THAT WILL MATCH LITHIUM BATTERIES IN TERMS OF ENERGY AND POWER DENSITIES WITHOUT USING LITHIUM AND TRANSITION METALS IN ACTIVE MATERIALS. UH PROPOSED BATTERY WILL SUBSTITUTE LITHIUM-BASED ANODES WITH THE ENERGY-DENSE AND ABUNDANT MAGNESIUM, OF WHICH METAL THE U.S. HAS VIRTUALLY UNLIMITED RESERVE AND HAD BEEN THE WORLD’S DOMINANT PRODUCER. TRANSITION METAL-BASED CATHODES WILL BE REPLACED BY ORGANIC MATERIALS OBTAINED FROM OIL REFINERY AND BIOREFINERY, OF BOTH THE U.S. HAS THE LARGEST CAPACITY IN THE WORLD. THE PROPOSED “MAGNESIUM-ORGANIC” BATTERIES ARE THUS A GREENER AND RELIABLY DOMESTICALLY AVAILABLE ALTERNATIVE TO LITHIUM BATTERIES.

CARBON-HYDROGEN BOND FUNCTIONALIZATION BY TRANSITION METAL COMPLEXES

ANGIOGENIC AND ANTI-MICROBIAL SUPPORTS FOR PULP REGENERATION - PROJECT SUMMARY: THE DENTAL PULP IS THE VITAL MICROENVIRONMENT IN THE TOOTH, HARBORING BLOOD VESSELS AND NERVES, NOT TO MENTION ODONTOBLASTS THAT INTERFACE WITH THE DENTINAL TUBULES. TRAUMA OR BACTERIAL INFECTION MAY INFLAME THE DENTAL PULP, CREATING EXTREME PAIN. EXTIRPATING THE INFLAMED PULP (AND POTENTIALLY REPLACING IT WITH INERT MATERIALS) AMELIORATES THE PAIN, BUT THE PROCEDURE LEAVES A DEVITALIZED TOOTH. AN ALTERNATIVE IS POSSIBLE IN JUVENILE PATIENTS, CALLED OVER-INSTRUMENTATION (OI). DURING OI, THE PULPAL CHAMBER IS EXPOSED TO THE PERIPHERAL CIRCULATION POST-PULPECTOMY. AS LONG AS THE APICAL PAPILLA IS INTACT, SOME TISSUE REGENERATION TAKES PLACE IN THE PULPAL CANAL SUBSEQUENTLY — ALTHOUGH THE DISORGANIZED TISSUE DOES NOT MIMIC NATIVE SOFT TISSUE. IN ADULTS IN PARTICULAR, OI RESULTS IN NON-FUNCTIONAL PULPAL OSSIFICATION. ANOTHER CONCERN IN ENDODONTIC PROCEDURES IS OCCURRENCE/RECURRENCE OF COLONIZATION BY ORAL BACTERIA. SUCH INFECTIONS MAY PROLONG AND EXACERBATE PULPAL INFLAMMATION. A MATERIAL- BASED FORMULATION IS PROPOSED THAT CAN (A) PROMOTE VASCULARIZED SOFT-TISSUE REGENERATION IN THE PULP, WHILE (B) RESISTING BACTERIAL INFECTION. OUR STRATEGY RESTS ON SELF-ASSEMBLING PEPTIDE HYDROGELS — A CLASS OF SUPRAMOLECULAR MATERIALS THAT CAN BE INJECTED IN VIVO WHILE KEEPING THEIR GEL-LIKE PROPERTIES. THE MATERIALS CONSIST OF CANONICAL AMINO ACIDS AND ARE BIOCOMPATIBLE. SUCH MATERIALS NEED TO PROVIDE BOTH MECHANICAL SUPPORT AND BIOLOGICAL CUES FOR TISSUE INGROWTH. SOMEWHAT COUNTER-INTUITIVELY, A SELF-ASSEMBLING PEPTIDE HYDROGEL, WITHOUT ADDED GROWTH FACTORS OR EXOGENOUS CELLS, DEMONSTRATED FORMATION OF VASCULARIZED SOFT-TISSUE IN A CANINE PULPECTOMY MODEL IN 28 DAYS. IN A SEPARATE STUDY, A DIFFERENT CATIONIC AMPHIPHILIC HYDROGEL BELONGING TO THE SAME PLATFORM, SHOWED EFFICACY IN INHIBITING BACTERIAL GROWTH VIA MEMBRANE PERMEABILIZATION. IN THIS PROPOSAL, A COMBINATORIAL TREATMENT MODALITY WILL BE TESTED FOR ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN ACHIEVING THE DUAL GOALS DESCRIBED ABOVE. A MECHANISTIC PUZZLE THAT THESE PROJECTS WOULD HELP SOLVE IS THE LINEAGE/SOURCE OF INFILTRATING CELLS AND EVOLUTION OF THE CELLULAR MILIEU IN THE PULPAL CANAL AFTER PULPECTOMY AND IMPLANTATION OF SOFT BIOMIMETIC HYDROGELS. CHARACTERIZATION OF THE LONG- TERM MATURATION OF THE VASCULARIZED SOFT TISSUE PROMOTED BY SUCH HYDROGELS IS ANOTHER TARGET. THE MULTI- DISCIPLINARY PROJECT PROPOSED IN THIS BIOENGINEERING RESEARCH GRANT APPLICATION WOULD BRING TOGETHER A CHEMIST AND BIOENGINEER (PI V.A.K., AN EARLY-STAGE INVESTIGATOR), A SPECIALIST IN ORAL BACTERIAL COLONIES (CO-I C.C.), AND AN ENDODONTIST (CO-I E.S.), TO SOLVE AN ENDURING CHALLENGE: REGENERATING BIOMIMETIC VASCULARIZED SOFT TISSUE POST- PULPECTOMY. IN VITRO MECHANISTIC ANALYSES, IN VIVO CHARACTERIZATION OF INFILTRATING CELLS, AND HISTOLOGIC/RADIOGRAPHIC IDENTIFICATION OF LONG-TERM EVOLUTION OF THE PULPAL SOFT TISSUE AND THE PULP-DENTIN COMPLEX WOULD BUILD ON PUBLISHED STUDIES AND EXTENSIVE PRELIMINARY DATA. EVEN IF THE PROPOSED EXPERIMENTS ARE ONLY PARTIALLY SUCCESSFUL, WE WOULD LEARN ABOUT TISSUE-MATERIAL INTERACTION IN THE CONTEXT OF DENTAL PULP. SUCCESS OF THE AIMS WOULD PRODUCE COMPELLING DATA FOR A CELL-FREE, GROWTH-FACTOR-FREE, OFF-THE-SHELF MATERIAL FORMULATION IDEAL FOR APPLICATION IN ENDODONTIC SETTINGS AND IMPROVE CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN MILLIONS OF PATIENTS NEEDING PULPECTOMY.

CENTER FOR ADVANCING UH FACULTY SUCCESS

HOUSTON SBDC

HOUSTON SBDC

BIOMECHANICS OF NEURAL TUBE DEVELOPMENT USING BRILLOUIN-OCT MULTIMODALITY

SUPPORTING DIVERSITY IN STEM CAREERS

HOUSTON SBDC

THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO CONTRIBUTE TO A MORE RELIABLE RISK ASSESSMENT OF CHEMICALS THAT MAY CAUSE DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF HI

COMPREHENSIVE QUANTITATIVE PROFILING OF CELLULAR ALTERATIONS CAUSED BY INJURY

DEVELOPMENT OF SPECTRAL PHASE CONTRAST MICRO-CT

A NOVEL FORCE SPECTROSCOPY TO STUDY THE RIBOSOME POWER STROKE AND FRAMESHIFTING

STREAMLINED AND COMPREHENSIVE CIRCULATING TUMOR EXOSOME PROFILING BY MICROFLUIDIC ARRAYED NANOPLASMONIC SENSORS AND ACTUATORS - PROJECT SUMMARY DETECTION OF CANCER BIOMARKERS IN THE BLOOD, KNOWN AS “LIQUID BIOPSY”, CAN IN PRINCIPLE IMPROVE THE ACCURACY OF MEASURING NEARLY INVISIBLE “MINIMAL RESIDUAL DISEASE (MRD)”. EXOSOMES ARE CELL- EXCRETED EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES THAT CONTAIN SURFACE PROTEINS AND GENETIC MATERIALS (DNA AND RNA) THAT REFLECT THE CHARACTERISTICS AND MAKE-UP OF THE PARENTAL CELL. ANALYZING EXOSOMES WOULD THEREFORE PROVIDE DIRECT INSIGHT INTO THE STATE OF THE CANCEROUS CELL. FOR CANCER DIAGNOSTICS IN PARTICULAR, RECENT EVIDENCES HAVE SHOWN THAT SEVERAL MICRO-RNAS ARE DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED IN CTE. THEREFORE, UNLOCKING THE WEALTH OF INFORMATION IN CTE CAN POTENTIALLY CAUSE A PARADIGM SHIFT. HOWEVER, CURRENT BARRIERS FOR PROFILING CTE ARE THE FOLLOWING: (1) ALL EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES REQUIRE BLOOD WITHDRAWAL; (2) INVOLVE SOPHISTICATED PROTOCOLS; (3) LABEL-FREE SIZING/COUNTING LACKS MOLECULAR SPECIFICITY; (4) PROVIDE HIGHLY AVERAGED RESULTS WITH HIGH BACKGROUND FROM NORMAL EXOSOMES, THUS LEADING TO POOR SENSITIVITY. (5) PROVIDE “PARTIAL” INFORMATION: EITHER SURFACE ANTIGEN OR CARGO DNA/RNA, BUT NOT BOTH. ALL OF THE ABOVE HAS LED TO A SIMPLISTIC BINARY OUTCOME THAT LACKS DYNAMIC RANGE AND CANNOT BE USED FREQUENTLY WITH HIGH SENSITIVITY. WE PROPOSE A MULTI-PRONGED SOLUTION ON A MICROFLUIDIC ARRAYED NANOPLASMONIC SENSOR & ACTUATOR (MANSA) PLATFORM FOR: (1) STREAMLINED ISOLATION, CONCENTRATION, AND PROFILING. (2) IMPROVE SENSITIVITY BY MONITORING INDIVIDUAL UNLABELED EXOSOME BINDING EVENTS WITH DYNAMIC IMAGING TECHNOLOGY COMPLEMENTED BY SPECTROSCOPIC IMAGING. (3) IMPROVE SPECIFICITY BY PROFILING BOTH SURFACE ANTIGEN AND INTERNAL D/RNA BIOMARKERS AT SINGLE EXOSOME LEVEL. (4) ELIMINATE BLOOD WITHDRAWAL USING AN INTEGRATED NEEDLE DEVICE. (5) BENCHMARK PERFORMANCE WITH VARIOUS SAMPLE COMPLEXITY FROM CANCER CELL LINE EXTRACTS TO CANCER PATIENT BLOOD SAMPLES. OUR GOAL IS TO OBTAIN A HIGH-RESOLUTION, DIGITAL EXOSOME MAP WITH BOTH MULTIPLEX SURFACE PROTEIN AND CARGO D/RNA BIOMARKER PROFILES TO FACILITATE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE ENUMERATION AND BOOST SENSITIVITY. THE PROPOSED TECHNOLOGY WILL BECOME A COST- EFFECTIVE, POINT-OF-CARE-FRIENDLY, TRANSLATIONAL PLATFORM THAT WILL ADDRESS A CRITICAL NEED IN EARLY CANCER AND MRD DETECTION TO IMPROVE CANCER HEALTHCARE OUTCOMES. THE TECHNOLOGY CAN ALSO BE BROADLY APPLIED TO EXOSOME-BASED DIAGNOSTICS OF NON-CANCER DISEASES AND BASIC BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH.

BEHAVIORAL MEASURES OF VISION

DEVELOPING HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS PROGRAM

HOUSTON ALLIANCE FOR MINORITY PARTICIPATION PROJECT

REDUCTIONS IN BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL RISKS FOR PREGNANT LATINAS AND THEIR INFANTS: THE MASTERY LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT PREGNANT MEXICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN (THE LARGEST SUBGROUP OF HISPANIC WOMEN), HEREAFTER REFERRED TO AS LATINAS, ARE AT INCREASING RISK FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS WHICH LEADS TO ADVERSE BIRTH OUTCOMES SUCH AS PRETERM BIRTH (PTB, GESTATIONAL AGE < 37 WEEKS) AND LOW BIRTHWEIGHT (LBW, <2500 GRAMS). OUR PRIOR RESEARCH, USING A PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGY (PNI) FRAMEWORK, HAS IDENTIFIED PSYCHOLOGICAL RISK FACTORS (DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, ANXIETY, STRESS, COPING) AND NEUROENDOCRINE RISK FACTORS (HIGH CORTICOTROPIN RELEASING HORMONE [CRH], LOWER PROGESTERONE, HIGHER ESTRIOL) AT 22-24 WEEKS GESTATION AS STRONG PREDICTORS OF PTB IN LATINA WOMEN. NEW INTERVENTIONS TARGETING THESE RISK FACTORS NEED TO BE IDENTIFIED AND RIGOROUSLY TESTED. TO ADDRESS THE GAPS RELATED TO INTERVENTIONS FOR LATINAS, WE HAVE DEVELOPED AND SUCCESSFULLY PILOT TESTED THE MASTERY LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION (MLI): A CULTURALLY-RELEVANT, MANUALIZED PSYCHOSOCIAL GROUP INTERVENTION THAT INTEGRATES TWO EVIDENCE-BASED BEHAVIORAL THERAPIES – ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY (ACT) AND PROBLEM-SOLVING THERAPY (PST). THE MLI IS A 6-WEEK PROGRAM DESIGNED TO BE INTEGRATED INTO REGULAR PRENATAL CARE TO FACILITATE MORE COMPREHENSIVE CARE DELIVERED BY A NURSE PRACTITIONER (NP) OR CERTIFIED NURSE MIDWIFE (CNM). WE PROPOSE THE FOLLOWING AIMS FOR A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL: PRIMARY AIM 1: DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF THE MLI IN PREGNANT LATINA WOMEN TO DECREASE DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, ANXIETY, PERCEIVED AND ACCULTURATIVE STRESS, AND TO IMPROVE COPING, VERSUS USUAL CARE (UC), FROM BASELINE (14-20 WEEKS GESTATION) TO END-OF-TREATMENT (20-26 WEEKS GESTATION) AND AT A 6 WEEK FOLLOW-UP (26-32 WEEKS GESTATION), WITH ACCULTURATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY AS MEDIATORS. EXPLORATORY AIM 2: EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF THE MLI ON NEUROENDOCRINE RISK FACTORS OF PTB (CRH, PROGESTERONE, AND ESTRIOL) VERSUS UC FROM BASELINE TO END-OF TREATMENT. EXPLORATORY AIM 3: EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF THE MLI ON INFANT BIRTH OUTCOMES (GESTATIONAL AGE, BIRTHWEIGHT, NICU ADMISSION). ANALYSES FOR EACH HYPOTHESIS WILL RELY ON GENERALIZED LINEAR MIXED MODELING (GLMM) WITH RANDOM EFFECTS FOR PARTICIPANT AND TIME AS NECESSARY TO ACCOUNT FOR CORRELATED OBSERVATIONS. LONGITUDINAL ANALYSES WILL MODEL EACH OUTCOME AS A FUNCTION OF TREATMENT GROUP, TIME, AND THE INTERACTION BETWEEN TREATMENT GROUP AND TIME. WE WILL ALSO USE SEM TO ANALYZE FOR MEDIATORS. WE EXPECT THE MLI WILL PROVIDE A GREATLY NEEDED, NOVEL, FEASIBLE, AND EFFECTIVE NONPHARMACOLOGICAL PROGRAM ADDED TO THE TOOLBOX OF TREATMENTS ASSISTING PROVIDERS TO IMPROVE HEALTH DURING PREGNANCY. EMBEDDED INTO PRENATAL CARE, IT TARGETS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AMONG PREGNANT LATINA WOMEN, AN UNDERSERVED POPULATION. IT MAY SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE THE RISKS FOR POOR BIRTH OUTCOMES, THUS REDUCING DEVASTATING AND LONG-TERM EFFECTS FOR BOTH MOTHER AND INFANT.

RAMP: STEGG-INTERACT: SOUTHEAST TEXAS EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS AND GENOMICS INTEGRATIVE RESEARCH AND COLLABORATIVE TRAINING -THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A RESEARCH AND MENTORING PROGRAM FOR POST-BACCALAUREATES AS PART OF THE SOUTHEAST TEXAS EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS AND GENOMICS NETWORK TO SUPPORT INTEGRATIVE RESEARCH AND COLLABORATIVE TRAINING (STEGG-INTERACT). TO ADDRESS BARRIERS THAT PREVENT MANY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM PURSING SCIENTIFIC CAREERS, THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE 30 POST-BACCALAUREATES (10 PER YEAR FOR THREE YEARS) WITH A COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE WITH FACULTY AND GRADUATE STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS. POST-BACCALAUREATES WILL CARRY OUT MENTORED RESEARCH, BE TRAINED IN TECHNICAL SKILLS, PARTICIPATE IN A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, AND LEARN ABOUT SCIENTIFIC CAREER OPTIONS. THE MENTORED RESEARCH WILL FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS, SUCH AS THOSE AMONG MOLECULES WITHIN CELLS, BETWEEN MALES AND FEMALES WITHIN POPULATIONS, AND ACROSS SPECIES IN ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES. THE RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE VALUABLE INSIGHTS INTO HOW BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS AFFECT THE EVOLUTION OF POPULATIONS AND SPECIES. THE PROJECT WILL INCREASE PARTICIPATION BY MEMBERS OF GROUPS THAT ARE UNDER-REPRESENTED IN EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, AND SCIENCE MORE GENERALLY. STEGG-INTERACT WILL ADDRESS TWO IMPORTANT DEFICIENCIES IN EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS, THE INCORPORATION OF BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS INTO CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY AND THE LIMITED REPRESENTATION OF UNDER-SERVED GROUPS IN THE FIELD. SPECIFICALLY, THERE ARE MANY UNRESOLVED QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW INTRACELLULAR PROCESSES EVOLVE, THE ROLE OF ORGANISMAL INTERACTIONS ON POPULATION DYNAMICS, AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TROPHIC INTERACTIONS AND EVOLUTIONARY PROCESSES. STEGG-INTERACT POST-BACCALAUREATES, GRADUATE STUDENTS, AND FACULTY WILL CARRY OUT COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH TO ADDRESS THESE GAPS IN OUR KNOWLEDGE USING THEORY AND MODELING, POPULATION GENETIC APPROACHES, AND COMPARATIVE AND PHYLOGENETIC METHODS. TO HELP ACCOMPLISH THESE GOALS, THE POST-BACCALAUREATES WILL RECEIVE TRAINING IN TECHNICAL SKILLS, INCLUDING BIOINFORMATICS AND COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY. STEGG-INTERACT WILL BROADEN PARTICIPATION IN EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY IN PART BY BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS. IN ADDITION TO THE TECHNICAL SKILLS, POST-BACCALAUREATES WILL RECEIVE TRAINING IN SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION, RESEARCH ETHICS, AND CAREER PREPARATION. STEGG-INTERACT WILL ALSO TRAIN FACULTY IN EVIDENCE-BASED MENTORING PRACTICES, FACILITATE THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF MENTORING COMPACTS, AND PROMOTE INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS. THIS WILL SUPPORT NEW MODELS FOR TRAINING INCLUSIVE, CULTURALLY AWARE MENTORS WHO CAN WORK WITH TRAINEES FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS. BY PARTICIPATING IN A DIVERSE, SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY OF RESEARCHERS, EACH COHORT OF STEGG-INTERACT POST-BACCALAUREATES WILL DEVELOP STEM IDENTITIES AND SELF-EFFICACY IN SCIENCE TO BROADEN PARTICIPATION IN EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY. 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.

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON DRUG ABUSE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

SOCIAL NORMS AND ALCOHOL PREVENTION (SNAP)

BIOMECHANICS OF ACCOMMODATION

NEW, GK-12 PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON: INNOVATIONS IN NANOTECHNOLOGY AND NANOSCIENCES USING A KNOWLEDGE, APPLICATIONS, RESEARCH, AND TECHNO

NEUTRINO OSCILLATION PHYSICS ON THE WAY TO DUNE

OPTICAL ABERRATION AND VISUAL PERFORMANCE IN HIGHLY ABERRATED EYES

DEVELOPING HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS PROGRAM

HOUSTON SBDC

NOVEL NFAT1-MDM2 INHIBITOR FOR BREAST CANCER THERAPY

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE, COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING, AND MISCELLANEOUS GRANTS

LEADERSHIP THROUGH EQUITY AND ADVOCACY DEVELOPMENT IN STEM

SPINA BIFIDA: COGNITIVE AND NEUROBIOLOGICAL VARIABILITY

TAS::57 3600::TASSEARCH FOR AND STUDY OF NOVEL SUPERCONDUCTOR WITH HIGHER TC AND JC

HIGH-PERFORMANCE HIGH-FIELD SUPERCONDUCTING WIRES FOR NEXT GENERATION ACCELERATORS

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON - DOWNTOWN UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-DOWNTOWN ACCELERATED TRANSFER PROGRAM

EXAMINATION OF MYOPIA PROGRESSION AND CONSEQUENCES AND MECHANISM OF SOFT MULTIFOCAL CONTACT LENS MYOPIA CONTROL - CLINICAL CENTER

PROMOTE COMMERCIALY FUNDED RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT IN THE FIELD OF SPACE VACUUM EPITAXY

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

DEFENSINS AND CORNEAL WOUND HEALING

PARTICLE PHYSICS RESEARCH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON

CASK MIS-LOADS EVALUATION TECHNIQUES.

INFLUENCE OF LIGHT AND DEFOCUS ON THE CHOROID DURING EMMETROPIZATION AND MYOPIA DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

MOBILE HEALTH TO MONITOR RISK FOR COVID-19 AND IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH DURING THE PANDEMIC - ABSTRACT CLEAR HEALTH DISPARITIES HAVE EMERGED IN RATES OF COVID-19 EXPOSURE, HOSPITALIZATION, AND DEATH AMONG BLACK, LATINX, AND AMERICAN INDIAN (BLAI) INDIVIDUALS, RELATIVE TO NON-LATINO WHITE (NLW) INDIVIDUALS, AND BLAI POPULATIONS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY LOWER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ACCESS AND HEIGHTENED NEGATIVE MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC. THE CURRENT PROJECT DIRECTLY ALIGNS WITH THE OBJECTIVES OF PAR-20- 243 AS IT ADDRESSES HEALTH DISPARITIES IN ACCESS TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE DURING COVID-19 AMONG BLAI VIA AN ADAPTATION OF THE ESTABLISHED, INITIALLY VALIDATED, LOW-COST, MOBILE APPLICATION (‘APP’) THAT WILL TARGET ONGOING MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS AMONG BLAI WITH ELEVATED ANXIETY AND/OR DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. UTILIZING A PRECISION MEDICINE APPROACH, THE EASING ANXIETY SENSITIVITY FOR EVERYONE (EASE) APP TARGETS ANXIETY SENSITIVITY, A TRANSDIAGNOSTIC INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE FACTOR IMPLICATED IN THE ETIOLOGY, MAINTENANCE, AND PROGRESSION OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. EASE INCLUDES COVID-19 SYMPTOM MONITORING, EXPOSURE MANAGEMENT SKILLS, AND PSYCHOEDUCATION ON COVID-19-RELATED STRESS AND THE IMPACT OF STRESS ON SUSCEPTIBILITY TO INFECTION AND DISEASE PROGRESSION. PARTICIPANTS (N = 800; 200 BLACK, 200 LATINX, 200 AMERICAN INDIAN, AND 200 NLW) WILL BE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER EASE OR TO AN ACTIVE STANDARD-OF-CARE CONTROL DIGITAL INTERVENTION (HEADSPACE APP) FOR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. THE PRESENT STUDY WILL INCLUDE A BASELINE ASSESSMENT, A 3-MONTH INTERVENTION PERIOD, A 3-MONTH CONTINUED ASSESSMENT PERIOD (WITH ACCESS TO INTERVENTION MATERIALS), AND 3- AND 6-MONTH POST- BASELINE ASSESSMENTS THAT INCLUDES A QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW VIA PHONE OR ONLINE PLATFORM (E.G., ZOOM) AT THE 6- MONTH FOLLOW-UP. PARTICIPANTS WILL COMPLETE TWO SCHEDULED DAILY ECOLOGICAL MOMENTARY ASSESSMENTS (EMAS) DURING THE INTERVENTION AND CONTINUED ASSESSMENT PERIODS THAT WILL GUIDE A JUST-IN-TIME APPROACH TO IMMEDIATE, PERSONALIZED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE. ASSESSMENTS WILL BE COMPLETED REMOTELY. AIM 1. TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF EASE WITH COVID-19 SPECIFIC ELEMENTS (N = 400) TO AN ESTABLISHED EMPIRICALLY VALIDATED STANDARD-OF-CARE DIGITAL INTERVENTION WITH COVID-19 SPECIFIC ELEMENTS (N = 400). TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF THE EXPERIMENTAL INTERVENTION ACROSS EACH RACE/ETHNIC GROUP. AIM 2. TO IDENTIFY THE THERAPEUTIC MECHANISMS OF EASE, INCLUDING THEORETICALLY DRIVEN MEDIATORS (I.E., ANXIETY SENSITIVITY, SUBSEQUENT CHANGES IN COVID-19 RELATED STRESS AND FEAR) AND MODERATORS (I.E., PERCEIVED RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, SOCIAL SUPPORT, AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS). OVERALL, THE CURRENT PROPOSAL HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY BY DECREASING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AMONG VULNERABLE POPULATIONS DETERMINED TO BE MOST AT RISK OF EXACERBATED, LONG-LASTING NEGATIVE HEALTH SEQUELAE.

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF FSGS

NEUROMODULATION OF INDIVIDUAL PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLE ACTIVITY IN URINARY INCONTINENCE

TRANSDIAGNOSTIC ASSOCIATIONS ACROSS DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS - SUMMARY THE GLOBAL BURDEN OF DISEASE (GBD) DATA OF 2017 REVEALED THAT WORLDWIDE 291.2 MILLION (11.2%) OF 2.6 BILLION CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WERE ESTIMATED TO HAVE ONE OF FOUR DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES (CHILDHOOD EPILEPSY, INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY, AND VISION LOSS AND HEARING LOSS), WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN DOUBLE SINCE 2004. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA (SSA), ALONG WITH SOUTH ASIA, HOSTS THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY (94.5%) OF THESE CHILDREN. THESE CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY IN SSA, ARE SEVERELY UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE RELEVANT LITERATURE. THE PROPOSED WORK IS INTENDED TO CONTRIBUTE TO IMPROVING THE REPRESENTATION OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH FROM SSA IN THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. THE OVERARCHING OBJECTIVE OF THIS WORK IS TO IDENTIFY AND CHARACTERIZE CHILDREN/YOUTH (AGED 3-18) WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES (DD) GROWING UP IN RURAL ZAMBIA. THE PROPOSED WORK IS STRUCTURED AROUND THREE UNIQUE SA. SA1 PERTAINS TO THE ASCERTAINMENT OF A LARGE SAMPLE OF CHILDREN/YOUTH WITH DD AND THEIR MATCHED SIBLINGS (TOTAL N = 4,000). SA2 ADDRESSES THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THIS SAMPLE OF CHILDREN TO IDENTIFY AND CLASSIFY THE ETIOLOGY AND POTENTIAL TREATMENT OF THEIR DD. SA3 INTENDS TO DOCUMENT THE SERVICES THAT ARE CURRENTLY ACCESSED BY CHILDREN/YOUTH WITH DD, AND TO ASCERTAIN COMMUNITY PERCEPTIONS OF DD, TO ADVISE ON WHAT SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE, ACCESSED, OR NEEDED. COLLECTIVELY, SA1-3 WILL GENERATE A UNIQUE MULTI-LEVEL (SOCIAL CONTEXT—BEHAVIOR—BRAIN—GENOME) DATASET PRESENTING A RANGE OF MANIFESTATIONS AND CAUSAL PATHWAYS TO DD IN RURAL ZAMBIA IN PARTICULAR AND IN SSA IN GENERAL.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FACILITY SUPPORT TO RENEW OPERATION OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR AIRBORNE LASER MAPPING (NCALM)

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILD LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY AND LANGUAGE OF TREATMENT ON THE OUTCOMES OF BILINGUAL CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE DISORDER - PROJECT SUMMARY MORE THAN 8.5 MILLION CHILDREN IN THE USA SPEAK SPANISH AT HOME (U.S. CENSUS TABLE S1601, 2020) WITH ABOUT A HALF MILLION EXPERIENCING DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE DISORDER (DLD), A DISORDER IN LANGUAGE LEARNING AND USE THAT CANNOT BE ATTRIBUTED TO LIMITED LANGUAGE EXPOSURE, AUTISM, INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY, HEARING IMPAIRMENT, ETC. (NORBURY ET AL., 2016; TOMBLIN ET AL., 1996). ONE KEY CHALLENGE IN SERVING BILINGUAL CHILDREN WITH DLD IS THE MISMATCH BETWEEN THE LANGUAGE(S) THEY SPEAK AND THE AVAILABILITY OF SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS (SLPS) WHO CAN PROVIDE SERVICES IN THOSE LANGUAGES. WHILE IT SEEMS SELF-EVIDENT THAT A MONOLINGUAL CHILD SHOULD BE TREATED IN THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE, CURRENTLY THERE IS NO GUIDANCE FOR SLPS AS TO THE LANGUAGE OF INTERVENTION FOR BILINGUAL CHILDREN (KOHNERT ET AL., 2005). HENCE, A CRITICAL QUESTION IS WHAT LANGUAGE(S) OF TREATMENT WILL BEST SERVE CHILDREN WITH DLD WITH DIFFERENT PROFICIENCY PROFILES IN THEIR DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH SPANISH AND ENGLISH. WE ASK FIRST WHETHER GAINS IN THE TREATED LANGUAGE(S) ARE INFLUENCED BY THE CHILD’S PROFICIENCY IN EACH LANGUAGE (AIM 1). CROSS-LINGUISTIC TRANSFER HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED IN PRIMING STUDIES SUGGESTING THAT UNDERLYING SYNTAX REPRESENTATIONS ARE INTERCONNECTED. TRANSFER EFFECTS MAY MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR A CHILD TO IMPROVE IN BOTH LANGUAGES AS A RESULT OF TREATMENT IN ONE LANGUAGE, PROVIDED THAT THE CHILD HAS ADEQUATE LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE TO CONNECT THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN TREATMENT ACROSS BOTH LANGUAGES. THE CLEAREST EVIDENCE OF TRANSFER CAN BE DERIVED FROM ASSESSING GAINS IN THE UNTREATED LANGUAGE WHEN TREATMENT IS PRESENTED MONOLINGUALLY (AIM 2). OUR OWN PRELIMINARY DATA SUGGEST THAT RECAST THERAPY CAN RESULT IN GAINS IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH FOR CHILDREN TREATED IN JUST ONE LANGUAGE. IN THIS STUDY, WE CARRY OUT A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, ENROLLING 120 CHILDREN WITH DLD BETWEEN THE AGES OF 4 AND 6 WHO SCORE BELOW 40% CORRECT ON THE USE OF CONDITIONAL ADVERBIAL CLAUSES (IF-THEN) AND SUBJECT RELATIVE CLAUSES (E.G., THE DOLL THAT THE GIRL LOVED…). CHILDREN RECEIVE ONE OF THREE POSSIBLE TREATMENTS (ENGLISH-ONLY, SPANISH-ONLY, BILINGUAL) FOR ONE GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE FOR 9 WEEKS, AND THEN OUTCOMES ARE RE-ASSESSED FOR BOTH STRUCTURES IN BOTH LANGUAGES. THE SECOND GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE IS THEN TREATED FOR 9 WEEKS, AND OUTCOMES ARE ASSESSED A THIRD TIME. COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT TREATMENT APPROACHES WILL INFORM OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS THE BEST APPROACH TO THERAPY FOR BILINGUAL CHILDREN WITH A PARTICULAR PROFICIENCY PROFILE. COMPARISON OF GAINS ACROSS LANGUAGES AND TARGETS WILL ALLOW US TO DETERMINE THE ROLE OF CROSS-LINGUISTIC TRANSFER IN LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TO INFORM THEORETICAL ACCOUNTS OF LANGUAGE REPRESENTATION IN THE DEVELOPING BILINGUAL CHILD.

RENAL DOPAMINE D1 RECEPTOR FUNCTION DURING OXIDATIVE STRESS-RELATED HYPERTENSION

A COMMUNITY-BASED EVALUATION OF INTERVENTIONS FOR ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN

EDUCATORS TURN POSSIBILITIES INTO REALITIES

PATHOGENIC HETEROGENEITY IN MUCOSAL STEM CELLS IN PEDIATRIC CROHN'S DISEASE

RELATING STRUCTURE TO FUNCTION IN OPTIC NEUROPATHIES

HYALURONAN IN THE CORNEA: REGULATION OF LIMBAL STEM CELL FATE AND LYMPHANGIOGENESIS

BUILDING CAPACITY: IMPROVING STEM GRADUATION RATES THROUGH ENGAGED LEARNING

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON - DOWNTOWN TALENT SEARCH PROJECT

MATH LEARNING DISABILITIES AMONG YOUNG ADULTS IN COLLEGE: STRUCTURE, IDENTIFICATION, AND VALIDATION

PROJECT PURPOSE:THE PURPOSE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON - DOWNTOWN (UHD) " EXPANDING THE UHD BILINGUAL E-LIBRARY TO SUPPORT LITERACY AWARENESS AND CONNECTIVITY AMONG THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY" PROJECT IS TO ADDRESS ISSUES RELATED TO CONNECTIVITY, LITERACY, AND THE PREPARATION OF THE LABOR FORCE TO MEET THE CHALLENGE OF ECONOMIC GROWTH IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. ACTIVITIES:THIS PROJECT WILL IMPROVE THE USE OF BROADBAND SERVICES BY EXPANDING UHD'S BILINGUAL E-LIBRARY TO SUPPORT DIGITAL SKILLS, DIGITAL INCLUSION, LITERACY TRAINING, AND TECHNOLOGY SERVICES TO ASSIST THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY WITHIN THE UHD ANCHOR COMMUNITY. UHD BILINGUAL STUDENTS WILL WORK WITH HISPANIC FAMILIES AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN THE HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT (HISD) DURING THE TWO YEARS OF THE PROJECT. THEY WILL WRITE CULTURALLY MEANINGFUL STORIES WITH THE FAMILIES. THESE STORIES WILL BE PART OF THE UHD UPGRADED BILINGUAL E-LIBRARY. BECAUSE OF THIS INTERACTION WITH UHD STUDENTS, HISPANIC FAMILIES WILL LEARN TO USE THE E-LIBRARY FOR SELF-TEACHING AND HELP THEIR CHILDREN AT HOME. REGARDLESS OF WHAT LEVEL THEIR READING SKILLS MAY BE, THE E-LIBRARY DESIGN WILL ALLOW THE USERS TO PRACTICE THE READING ACT AND LEARNING TO READ WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE COMPUTER. THE E-LIBRARY SUPPORTS PRACTICING READING IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH. IN ADDITION, PARENTS WILL LEARN COMPREHENSION AND WRITING SKILLS ALONG WITH THEIR CHILDREN OR BY THEMSELVES, AS THEY PLAY WITH THE GAMES AND INTERACTIVE VIDEOS MADE FOR THE E-STORIES OF THEIR CHOICE. THE EXPECTATION IS THAT THESE ADULTS WILL RAISE THEIR LITERACY SKILLS IN BOTH LANGUAGES AS THEY MEDIATE THEIR LEARNING WITH THE E-LIBRARY. AS A RESULT OF USING THE E-LIBRARY FOR INSTRUCTION, THE USERS WILL ALSO DEVELOP/INCREASE THEIR PROFICIENCY WITH TECHNOLOGY, ALLOWING THEM TO FURTHER THEIR EDUCATION AND INCREASE THEIR PREPARATION FOR THE JOB MARKET. TEACHERS IN THE UHD ANCHOR COMMUNITY ALSO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE PREPARATION OF HISPANICS FOR THE JOB MARKET IN HOUSTON. PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS (UHD STUDENTS) AND IN-SERVICE BILINGUAL/ESL TEACHERS AT SELECTED ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TRAINING OF READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES USING THE E-LIBRARY. THE EXPECTATION IS THAT THEY WILL ENHANCE THEIR TECHNOLOGY SKILLS, AS THEY BECOME PROFICIENT USERS OF THE E-LIBRARY. OUTCOMES: THIS PROJECT WILL MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR UHD TO CREATE A COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS, AS IT WILL LINK HISPANIC FAMILIES, PRE-SERVICE, AND IN-SERVICE TEACHERS TO THE E-LIBRARY AND TO EACH OTHER. THE EXPECTATION IS THAT AS THE HISPANIC FAMILIES USE THE E-LIBRARY AND INCREASE THEIR LITERACY SKILLS LEVELS AND THEIR ABILITY TO SELF-TEACH USING TECHNOLOGY, THE NUMBER OF HISPANICS ENTERING THE LABOR MARKET IN HOUSTON WILL INCREASE.BENEFICIARIES: THE UHD ANCHOR COMMUNITY IN HOUSTON, TEXAS WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS PROJECT, UHD WILL WORK WITH HISPANIC FAMILIES AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN THE HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT (HISD) TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE E-LIBRARY AND BUILD THEIR READING AND WRITING SKILLS. ADDITIONALLY, HISD TEACHERS WILL BENEFIT FROM THE ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROJECT AND ENHANCE THEIR TECHNOLOGY SKILLS. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES (IF APPLICABLE): THE HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT (HISD), SPECIFICALLY LOOSCAN ELEMENTARY AND CROCKETT ELEMENTARY, WILL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UHD STUDENTS TO WRITE STORIES WITH THE ASSIGNED SCHOOL FAMILIES. THE HISD WILL ALSO PILOT AN E-CENTER TO ASSIST TEACHERS, CHILDREN, AND FAMILIES WITH DIGITAL LITERACY DEVELOPMENT.

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

AT RISK HISPANIC GANGS: LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES FOR HIV, HEPATITIS AND STI

UPWARD BOUND

EPIDEMIOLOGY, ETIOLOGY, AND PATHWAYS TO DLD: THE ROLE OF LATE TALKING IN LINGUISTICALLY AND CULTURALLY DIVERSE CHILDREN - THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO ESTABLISH A MULTIDISCIPLINARY CLINICAL RESEARCH CENTER (CRC) ON DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE DISORDERS (DLD). THROUGH THE CRC, WE PROPOSE TO IDENTIFY AND ESTIMATE THE PREVALENCE OF DLD (AND LATE TALKING, LT) IN A LINGUISTICALLY AND CULTURALLY REPRESENTATIVE COHORT OF YOUNG CHILDREN REPRESENTATIVE OF THE GENERAL POPULATION OF THE HOUSTON METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA (HMSA). TO SAMPLE THE TARGETED POPULATION OF CHILDREN AGED 18-24 MONTHS (WHO WILL FORM THE SAMPLE UPON WHICH CASES WILL BE ASCERTAINED), CORE C (RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION) WILL WORK WITH THE TEXAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL (TCH) PEDIATRIC CLINIC NETWORK, THE CITY’S LARGEST ORGANIZATION OF PEDIATRIC HEALTH CLINICS AND HOSPITALS. THE CHILDREN WILL BE ASSESSED FOR LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT STATUS AND CLASSIFIED AS LATE TALKERS (LTS) OR NOT LATE TALKERS (NON-LTS) FOR SAMPLING PURPOSES. FOR PROJECT 1 (PREVALENCE), A TCH POPULATION SAMPLE (N ~ 3,600) WILL BE USED TO IDENTIFY A CRC COHORT OF ABOUT 2,400 CHILDREN IN THE FIRST 18 MONTHS OF THE STUDY, HALF OF WHOM (N~1,200) WILL HAVE SCREENED AS LTS AND HALF AS NON-LTS (N~1,200). THIS COHORT WILL BE FOLLOWED UNTIL THE CHILDREN ARE 48-59 MONTHS OF AGE AND ASSESSABLE FOR DLD IN PROJECT 1. PROJECT 2 (ETIOLOGY) WILL INVESTIGATE SOCIAL AND GENETIC DETERMINANTS FOR LT AND DLD (MACRO-PHENOTYPES). IN PROJECT 3 (PATHWAYS), A SUBCOHORT OF CHILDREN SPEAKING SPANISH-, ENGLISH-, OR BOTH (N=300) WILL PARTICIPATE IN A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF DEVELOPMENTAL PATHWAYS OF LT AND DLD AND THEIR CONVERGENCE/DIVERGENCE; THESE PATHWAYS WILL BE CHARACTERIZED WITH DEVELOPMENTALLY TRACED MOTOR, COGNITIVE, AND LINGUISTIC INDICATORS (MICRO-PHENOTYPES). SOPHISTICATED LONGITUDINAL DESIGNS, DATA MANAGEMENT, AND STATISTICAL ANALYSES ARE SUPPORTED BY CORE B (DATA). CORE A (ADMINISTRATION) EXPLICITLY ADDRESSES COMMUNICATION AND COORDINATION ACROSS PROJECTS, PROGRESS MONITORING, AND QUALITY CONTROL, THUS PROMOTING TEAM EFFECTIVENESS, USAGE OF THE CORES, AND SYNERGY OF THE PROJECTS. THE CENTRAL THEME OF THE PROPOSED CRC IS “EVALUATING SOURCES OF HETEROGENEITY AND RISK FACTORS IN DLD.” THE REPRESENTATIVENESS OF THE POPULATION OF THE HMSA MAKES IT AN IDEAL LOCATION FOR INVESTIGATING HETEROGENEITY AND RISK FACTORS ACROSS DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, CULTURES, AND SOCIOECONOMIC STRATA. THIS HETEROGENEITY CULMINATES IN AN AGGREGATE INDICATOR ASSESSED WHEN THE CHILDREN ARE AT LEAST 4 YEARS OLD, NAMELY SCHOOL READINESS. TO UNDERSTAND SOCIAL, GENETIC, COGNITIVE, AND LINGUISTIC FACTORS THAT PREDICT AND CHARACTERIZE DLD AND PREPARE CHILDREN FOR SCHOOL, INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP DIFFERENCES SUBSTANTIATING THE HETEROGENEITY OF DLD WILL BE SYSTEMATICALLY STUDIED FROM MULTIDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES.” THIS THEME IS REFINED THROUGH THREE SYNERGISTIC PROJECTS, THREE WELL-ORGANIZED AND EFFICIENT CORES, AND THREE SPECIFIC AIMS ON DLD, LT, AND THEIR RELATIONS: (1) IMPLEMENT LARGE-SCALE LT AND DLD PREVALENCE STUDIES; (2) IMPLEMENT CONVERGING PROJECTS TO CHARACTERIZE LT AND PREDICT DLD AND (3) CONDUCT MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH ANCHORED BY STRONG METHODOLOGIES, ENHANCED BY COMPLEX ANALYTICS, AND SUPPORTED BY AN EXPERT TEAM OF CLINICAL RESEARCHERS.

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

THE ENGAGING COMMUNITIES OF HISPANICS FOR AGING RESEARCH (ECHAR) NETWORK

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON - DOWNTOWN UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM

FOREBODING LUPUS NEPHRITIS IN MINORITY WOMAN

CHANGES IN ACTIN DYNAMICS REGULATED BY VILLIN AND GESOLIN ARE DETERMINANTS OF CELL FATE AND MAY BE KEY TO GASTROINTESTINAL INFLAMMATORY DISEASE

NO-TOUCH HIGH RESOLUTION OPTICAL COHERENCE ELASTOGRAPHY OF THE CORNEA USING A HEARTBEAT - PROJECT SUMMARY THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE CORNEA DETERMINE THE STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OCULAR GLOBE AND MAY BE ALTERED IN SEVERAL DEVASTATING DISEASE STATES, INCLUDING AXIAL ELONGATION IN MYOPIA, PATHOLOGICAL DEFORMATION IN KERATOCONUS, AND IATROGENIC KERATOECTASIA FOLLOWING CORNEAL REFRACTIVE SURGERY. ACCURATE MEASUREMENT OF CORNEAL BIOMECHANICS WITH HIGH SPATIAL RESOLUTION WOULD NOT ONLY INFLUENCE OUR CLINICAL INTERPRETATION OF DIAGNOSTIC TESTS, E.G., MEASURING INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE OR ASSESSING EFFECTS OF DRUG THERAPIES, BUT ALSO PREDICT THE DEVELOPMENT OF POSTERIOR EYE DISEASES, SUCH AS GLAUCOMA. CURRENTLY, THERE IS NO AVAILABLE RELIABLE METHOD TO PERFORM QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT OF CORNEAL ELASTICITY IN VIVO AND WITH HIGH RESOLUTION. HERE WE PROPOSE A NOVEL METHOD FOR A “NO- TOUCH” ASSESSMENT OF CORNEAL ELASTIC PROPERTIES. SUCH A TECHNOLOGY, TERMED HEART-BEAT OPTICAL COHERENCE ELASTOGRAPHY (HBOCE), COULD REVOLUTIONIZE METHODS FOR ROUTINE CORNEAL EXAMINATION, BRINGING ADDITIONAL MECHANICAL INFORMATION AND WARRANT RAPID CLINICAL ADAPTATION. THE PROJECT HAS FOUR PRIMARY SPECIFIC AIMS: AIM 1 IS FOCUSED ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A HBOCE SYSTEM CAPABLE OF HIGH-SPEED VOLUMETRIC MEASUREMENT OF CORNEAL DEFORMATION UNDER SMALL INTRINSIC IOP CHANGES. AIM 2 WILL TEST THE DEVELOPED SYSTEM IN THE EYES EX VIVO. AIM 3 WILL TEST THE SYSTEM IN EYES IN VIVO IN RABBITS. AIM 4 WILL PERFORM IN VIVO HUMAN STUDIES TO REFINE MEASUREMENT METHODS FOR BROADER CLINICAL USE. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL MAKE FUNDAMENTAL ADVANCES IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF CORNEAL BIOMECHANICS THROUGH A NOVEL APPROACH WITH POTENTIALLY IMPACTFUL APPLICATIONS IN OTHER DISCIPLINES (E.G., CORNEAL SURGERY, LASIK, CORNEAL CROSS-LINKING, CORNEAL TRANSPLANTS, PERSONALIZED TREATMENTS). MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE PROPOSED STUDIES WILL ACCELERATE THE TRANSITION OF OCULAR ELASTOGRAPHY INTO CLINICS, INFLUENCE OUR SELECTION AND APPLICATION OF CORNEAL SURGICAL TREATMENTS, AND WILL HELP US UNDERSTAND THE STRUCTURAL CONSEQUENCES OF CORNEAL DISEASES AND WOUND HEALING.

24-MIRO-0040 NASA MIRO INFLATABLE DEPLOYABLE ENVIRONMENTS AND ADAPTIVE SPACE SYSTEMS (IDEAS^2) CENTER

TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

CLONAL RECONSTRUCTION AND TARGETING OF THE CORREA SEQUENCE

MANPOWER AND PERSONNEL ASSESSMENT BATTERY

A BIOMARKER PANEL BASED SMART MINI-ARRAY SYSTEM FOR THE HOMECARE OF AUTOIMMUNE KIDNEY DISEASES

BINOCULAR COORDINATION OF EYE MOVEMENTS

ENHANCER OF ZESTE HOMOLOG 2-MEDIATED EPIGENETIC ACTIVATION OF ACID SPHINGOMYELINASE IN ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION DURING OBESITY

SOFT BIFOCAL CONTACT LENS MYOPIA CONTROL

TRANSITION TO TEACHING PROGRAM - TRANSITION TO TEACHING PROGRAM -- LOCAL

ADVANCING LANGUAGE LITERACY WITH RELEVANT INVESTIGATIONS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION EMERGENT BILINGUALS -THE PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL NEED TO SUPPORT PRACTICING MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS? BELIEFS, KNOWLEDGE, AND PRACTICES TO EFFECTIVELY TEACH SCIENCE TO EMERGENT BILINGUALS (EBS) WHO ARE DEVELOPING THEIR HOME LANGUAGE WHILE LEARNING ANOTHER NEW LANGUAGE. THESE STUDENTS OFTEN EXPERIENCE SCIENCE INSTRUCTION CURRICULA AND METHODS THAT ARE NOT RESPONSIVE TO THEIR INTERESTS, SCIENCE AND LANGUAGE LEARNING NEEDS WHICH IS EVIDENCED BY THE FACT THAT EBS HAVE LOWER SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT SCORES WHEN COMPARED TO THEIR NON-EB COUNTERPARTS. THIS DISPARITY IS A SIGNIFICANT OBSTACLE TO DEVELOPING A SCIENTIFICALLY LITERATE SOCIETY AND IS CRITICAL BECAUSE THE LEARNING GAP IN SCIENCE OBSTRUCTS THE PIPELINE OF LINGUISTICALLY AND CULTURALLY DIVERSE STUDENTS THAT PURSUE STEM FIELDS AND STEM CAREERS. THIS PROJECT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON (UH) INCLUDES PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE UH COLLEGES OF EDUCATION AND NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS, THE UH STEM CENTER, AND ALDINE, ALIEF AND HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS. NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, ACHIEVING STUDENT SUCCESS THROUGH EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING (ASSET), AND THE NEW TEACHER CENTER, ARE ALSO PROJECT PARTNERS. PROJECT GOALS INCLUDE PREPARING 21 EXPERIENCED AND EXEMPLARY MIDDLE LEVEL SCIENCE TEACHERS OVER THE 5-YEAR PERIOD TO BE TEACHER LEADERS FOR TEACHING EB STUDENTS AT HIGH NEEDS SCHOOLS IN THE HOUSTON AREA. THESE NOYCE MASTER TEACHING FELLOWS (MTFS) WILL EARN A MASTER?S DEGREE FOCUSED ON CONCEPTUAL AND PEDAGOGICAL EDUCATION FOR INTEGRATING DISCIPLINARY LANGUAGE LITERACY WITH CONTEXTUALIZED SCIENCE LESSONS. THE PROJECT EVALUATION IS DESIGNED TO ANALYZE BOTH QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA. IT FOCUSES ON UNDERSTANDING HOW THE SPECIALIZED COURSES DESIGNED TO PROVIDE CULTURALLY AND SOCIALLY RELEVANT CONCEPTUAL AND PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT FOR SCIENCE AND LANGUAGE LITERACY INSTRUCTION FOR EBS, COUPLED WITH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, CAN LEAD TO NEW INSIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES TEACHERS AND TEACHER EDUCATORS ENCOUNTER IN THEIR EFFORTS TO ENHANCE EBS? ENGAGEMENT AND SUCCESS IN SCIENCE. THIS IS EXPECTED TO EMPOWER THE MTFS TO BECOME SCIENCE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS IN THEIR DISTRICTS WITH A FOCUS ON REDUCING INSTRUCTIONAL DISPARITIES, ESPECIALLY AMONG EB STUDENTS. APPROXIMATELY 18,900 EBS BEING TAUGHT BY MTFS IN THE PARTNER SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE IMPACTED. THIS TRACK 3: MASTER TEACHING FELLOWSHIPS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED THROUGH THE ROBERT NOYCE TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (NOYCE). THE NOYCE PROGRAM SUPPORTS TALENTED STEM UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS AND PROFESSIONALS TO BECOME EFFECTIVE K-12 STEM TEACHERS AND EXPERIENCED, EXEMPLARY K-12 TEACHERS TO BECOME STEM MASTER TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. IT ALSO SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTIVENESS AND RETENTION OF K-12 STEM TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. 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.

UHCL CARES-HEERF MSI FUNDS

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE: THE STRATEGIC TRANSFORMATION OF UH-VICTORIA INTO A THRIVING, STUDENT-FOCUSED FOUR YEAR UNIVERSITY

TWEAK/FN14/UPR SIGNALING IN SKELETAL MUSCLE WASTING - ABSTRACT SKELETAL MUSCLE WASTING/CACHEXIA IS A DEVASTATING COMPLICATION OF A NUMBER OF CHRONIC DISEASE STATES, SUCH AS CANCER AND IN THE ELDERLY POPULATION. MUSCLE WASTING INVOLVES AN IMBALANCE IN THE RATES OF PROTEIN SYNTHESIS AND DEGRADATION, FUNCTIONAL DENERVATION, METABOLIC ABNORMALITIES, AND LOSS OF MITOCHONDRIAL CONTENT AND FUNCTION. TWEAK IS A PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE THAT BINDS TO CELL SURFACE RECEPTOR FN14 TO ACTIVATE MULTIPLE INTRACELLULAR SIGNALING PATHWAYS. WE HAVE FOUND THAT THE EXPRESSION OF FN14 IS INCREASED IN SKELETAL MUSCLE OF MOUSE MODELS OF CANCER CACHEXIA AND IN AGED MICE. SKELETAL MUSCLE-SPECIFIC ABLATION OF FN14 INHIBITS MUSCLE WASTING IN A MURINE MODEL OF CANCER CACHEXIA. TWEAK REPRESSES THE RATE OF PROTEIN SYNTHESIS IN SKELETAL MUSCLE BOTH IN VIVO AND IN VITRO. FURTHERMORE, THE TWEAK-FN14 SYSTEM REGULATES ER STRESS- INDUCED UNFOLDED PROTEIN RESPONSE (UPR) IN SKELETAL MUSCLE OF TUMOR-BEARING MICE. IN ADDITION, OUR EXPERIMENTS DEMONSTRATE THAT TARGETED INHIBITION OF THE PERK AND/OR IRE1/XBP1 ARMS OF THE UPR IMPROVES PROTEIN SYNTHESIS IN SKELETAL MUSCLE OF MICE. HOWEVER, THE ROLE OF THE TWEAK-FN14 SYSTEM AND UPR PATHWAYS IN THE REGULATION OF SKELETAL MUSCLE MASS AND FUNCTION DURING CANCER CACHEXIA AND AGING REMAINS COMPLETELY UNKNOWN. IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL INVESTIGATE THE ROLE OF TWEAK/FN14/UPR SIGNALING AXIS IN SKELETAL MUSCLE ATROPHY AND WHETHER TARGETED GENETIC ABLATION OF FN14 OR COMPONENTS OF THE UPR ATTENUATE MUSCLE WASTING IN PRECLINICAL MOUSE MODELS OF CANCER CACHEXIA AND DURING AGING. BASED ON OUR PRELIMINARY RESULTS, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE TWEAK/FN14 SYSTEM CAUSES SKELETAL MUSCLE WASTING THROUGH THE ACTIVATION OF THE PERK AND THE IRE1A/XBP1 ARMS OF THE UPR DURING AGING AND CANCER CACHEXIA. OUR SPECIFIC AIMS ARE TO: (I) INVESTIGATE THE ROLE OF THE TWEAK/FN14 SYSTEM IN SKELETAL MUSCLE WASTING DURING AGING AND CANCER CACHEXIA, AND (II) INVESTIGATE THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH TWEAK/FN14-INDUCED ACTIVATION OF THE UPR PATHWAYS CAUSE SKELETAL MUSCLE WASTING DURING AGING AND CANCER CACHEXIA. OUR PROPOSED STUDIES WILL IDENTIFY KEY MECHANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LOSS OF SKELETAL MUSCLE MASS. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE STRONG BASIS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW THERAPIES FOR SARCOPENIA AND CANCER CACHEXIA.

ELUCIDATING HIGH ORAL FLUID EXPOSURE MECHANISMS OF BUPRENORPHINE TO REDUCE DENTAL CARIES - SUMMARY OPIOID USE DISORDERS (OUD) ARE HAVING DEVASTATING AND TRAGIC EFFECTS IN THE USA. THERE ARE ONLY THREE DRUGS AVAILABLE AS A PART OF MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT (MAT), AND THE NEWEST DRUG IS BUPRENORPHINE. BUPRENORPHINE IS MOSTLY GIVEN AS SUBLINGUAL TABLETS AND FILMS. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT MORE THAN 1 MILLION ORAL BUPRENORPHINE PRESCRIPTIONS WERE FILLED IN 2018. MULTIPLE REPORTS SUGGEST THAT BUPRENORPHINE IS PRESENT IN HIGH CONCENTRATIONS IN THE ORAL FLUIDS AFTER ORAL (SUBLINGUAL) BUPRENORPHINE ADMINISTRATION, TYPICALLY 10-100 FOLDS HIGHER THAN ITS PLASMA CONCENTRATIONS. THE HIGH ORAL FLUID EXPOSURE TO OPIOID ANALOGS IS WELL KNOWN AND USED TO MONITOR THE PRESENCE OF OPIOIDS IN PEOPLE. RECENTLY, A LESS KNOWN SIDE EFFECTS OF CHRONIC ORAL BUPRENORPHINE USE RAISED ALARM. IN JANUARY OF 2022, FDA ISSUED A WARNING STATING THAT USE OF ORAL BUPRENORPHINE FORMULATIONS (I.E., SUBLINGUAL TABLETS AND FILMS) MAY CAUSE SERIOUS HARM TO THE TEETH IN SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGES OF PATIENTS WHO ARE TAKING THESE BUPRENORPHINE FORMULATIONS. THIS IS SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR OUD PATIENTS BECAUSE THE EFFECTIVE PHARMACOTHERAPY OPTIONS FOR THIS POPULATION ARE LIMITED. WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANISM OF THIS SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS THAT IMPACT USERS' HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE, IT IS DIFFICULT TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE PHARMACOLOGICAL COUNTERMEASURES. THE MECHANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR OBSERVED TOOTH DAMAGING EFFECTS ARE UNKNOWN, BUT WE SUSPECTED THAT IT IS CAUSED BY HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF BUPRENORPHINE IN THE ORAL FLUIDS. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT MECHANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIGH ORAL FLUID EXPOSURE TO BUPRENORPHINE CAN BE ELUCIDATED AND ORAL FLUID EXPOSURE TO BUPRENORPHINE EXPOSURE CAN BE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BY SALIVA STIMULANT WITHOUT REDUCING THEIR SYSTEMIC EXPOSURE. MOREOVER, THE REDUCED ORAL FLUID DRUG EXPOSURE WILL LEAD TO FEWER DENTAL CARIES IN RODENT MODELS OF CARIES. WE ALSO HYPOTHESIZE THAT HIGH ACCUMULATION OF BUPRENORPHINE IN SALIVARY GLANDS ELEVATES ORAL FLUID EXPOSURE TO BUPRENORPHINE AND INHIBITION OF THEIR ACCUMULATION IN THE SALIVARY GLANDS WILL REDUCE THEIR ORAL FLUID EXPOSURE. A MOUSE MODEL OF DENTAL CARIES THAT ARE RESPONSIVE TO VARYING CONCENTRATIONS OF BUPRENORPHINE WILL BE ESTABLISHED AND USE TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF HIGH ORAL FLUID EXPOSURE TO BUPRENORPHINE ON DENTAL CARIES IN MICE. THE STUDY TEAM HAS A RICH EXPERIENCE IN STUDYING DRUG GLUCURONIDATION (BUPRENORPHINE IS EXTENSIVELY GLUCURONIDATED), AND TRANSPORTER-MEDIATED DRUG DISPOSITION, AND IS EQUIPPED WITH THE PROPER DOSAGE FORM (E.G., ORAL FILM) AND EXPERTISE (LC-MS FOR BIOANALYSIS AND MASS SPECTROMETRY) TO UNDERSTAND HOW ORAL FLUID EXPOSURE TO BUPRENORPHINE COULD BE REDUCED. OUR EFFICACY STUDY WILL BE LED BY A DENTIST-SCIENTIST WITH EXPERTISE IN STUDYING THE VIRULENCE OF STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANS, A PRIMARY CARIOGEN. OUR STUDY AIMS TO DEVELOP “PHARMACOLOGIC APPROACHES” USING THE CURRENT ANIMAL MODELS TO SUPPORT DRUG DISCOVERY AND/OR REPURPOSING FOR OUD PHARMACOTHERAPEUTICS WITH MINIMAL OR MINOR NEGATIVE IMPACT ON DENTAL HEALTH. IN OTHER WORDS, OUR RESEARCH MAY LEAD TO FUTURE SELECTION OF DRUGS TO REDUCE ORAL CAVITY CONCENTRATIONS OF BUPRENORPHINE WITHOUT NEGATIVELY IMPACTING THE DRUG'S SYSTEMIC EXPOSURE AND ITS INTENDED USE FOR MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT IN OUD.

QUANTITATIVE CU-HOMEOSTASIS IN LIVE MAMMALIAN CELLS AT THE SINGLE-MOLECULE LEVEL

NOVEL SMALL MOLECULE MDM2 INHIBITORS FOR PANCREATIC CANCER THERAPY

TAILORING ZEOLITE CATALYSTS FOR THE CONVERSION OF METHANOL TO HYDROCARBONS

RESILIENT AMMOXIDATION OF SMALL HYDROCARBONS (R-ASH) USING FORCED DYNAMIC OPERATION FOR MAXIMAL FLEXIBILITY

OCTA AND GLAUCOMA PROGRESSION IN THE NON-HUMAN PRIMATE - DESCRIPTION GLAUCOMA IS A GROUP OF DISEASES THAT RESULTS IN A PATHOLOGICAL LOSS OF RETINAL GANGLION CELLS (RGC) AND IRREVERSIBLE VISION LOSS. INCREASED INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE (IOP) IS A MAJOR RISK FACTOR FOR GLAUCOMA, BUT SOME INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED PRESSURES NEVER DEVELOP DISEASE, AND OTHERS WITH LOW PRESSURES PROGRESS TO BLINDNESS. SIMILARLY, IN THE NON-HUMAN PRIMATE EXPERIMENTAL GLAUCOMA MODEL, ANIMALS WITH SIMILAR IOP PROFILES ARE SHOWN TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE EXTENT AND RATE OF RETINAL NERVE FIBER LAYER (RNFL) THICKNESS LOSS. BOTH CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL MODELS SUGGEST THAT IN ADDITION TO IOP, OTHER FACTORS NEED TO BE CONSIDERED FOR GLAUCOMA PROGRESSION. WE HYPOTHESIZE THE VARIABILITY IN DISEASE PROGRESSION CAN BE EXPLAINED BY VASCULAR FACTORS. THE RETINA IS ONE OF THE MOST METABOLIC TISSUES IN THE BODY, AND IT IS UNKNOWN IF EYES WITH RELATIVELY LOWER VASCULAR VOLUME, OR EYES THAT SHOW GREATER CHANGE IN PERFUSION WITH CHANGES IN IOP ARE AT GREATER RISK OF PATHOLOGY. FURTHERMORE, ALTHOUGH EYES WITH OPTIC NEUROPATHY HAVE REDUCED VASCULAR DENSITY, IT REMAINS UNKNOWN IF THERE ARE CHANGES IN RETINAL VASCULATURE THAT PRECEDE RGC LOSS. OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY (OCTA) IS A NON-INVASIVE METHOD FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL VASCULAR PERFUSION IMAGING. HOWEVER, ANALYSIS OF OCTA IMAGED VASCULATURE IS BASED ON SLAB PROJECTIONS, WHERE THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL NATURE OF TISSUE IS LOST. IN ADDITION, OCTA VASCULAR PERFUSION IS OFTEN CONSIDERED A STATIC MEASURE, BUT VASCULAR FLOW VELOCITY HAS TEMPORAL PROPERTIES. FOR THIS PROJECT, WE HAVE OPTIMIZED OCTA SCANS TO QUANTIFY VASCULAR VOLUME AND VASCULAR VOLUME DENSITY, AND USING SEQUENTIAL AND REGISTERED SCANS, OCTA TEMPORAL VARIABILITY. IN THE NON-HUMAN PRIMATE EXPERIMENTAL GLAUCOMA MODEL, WE WILL DETERMINE; 1. IF THE RATE OF DISEASE PROGRESSION IS RELATED TO BASELINE GLOBAL AND REGIONAL MEASURES OF VASCULAR VOLUME / VOLUME DENSITY AND REGIONAL OCTA TEMPORAL VARIABILITY, 2. IF THERE IS LOSS OF VASCULAR VOLUME PRIOR TO INNER RETINAL THICKNESS, 3. IF THE RATE OF STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL CHANGES ARE IS RELATED TO THE EXTENT TO WHICH VASCULAR PERFUSION CHANGES WITH IOP CHALLENGE, AND 4. USING POST-MORTEM TISSUE, DEFINE VASCULAR ANATOMY (PERICYTE COVERAGE, ENDOTHELIAL CELL DENSITY, CAPILLARY BASEMENT MEMBRANE THICKNESS/INTEGRITY) IN HEALTHY AND DISEASE EYES AND ASSOCIATION WITH IN VIVO OCTA MEASURES. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THESE AIMS WILL ESTABLISH IF VASCULAR MEASURES AS QUANTIFIED USING OCTA CAN BE USED TO DETERMINE RISK OF PATHOLOGY, AND RATE OF GLAUCOMA PROGRESSION.

QUANTITATIVE SINGLE-CELL BIOMARKERS OF T-CELLS TO OPTIMIZE TUMOR IMMUNOTHERAPY

A TEAM-BASED MODEL FOR CO-ADAPTING EXISTING MIDDLE-SCHOOL SCIENCE CURRICULA FOR CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE LEARNERS -TODAY?S SCHOOLS ARE EXPERIENCING INCREASING CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY AND FACING THE CHALLENGE OF CREATING MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SCHOOL SCIENCE AND STUDENT LIVED EXPERIENCES OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL. MIDDLE SCHOOL IS A CRITICAL TIME TO PROVIDE FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE AND ENCOURAGE INTEREST IN STEM CAREERS. IN ORDER TO BEST IMPACT LEARNERS DURING THIS CRITICAL PERIOD, SCIENCE TEACHERS NEED IMPROVED MODELS TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY OF RELEVANT CURRICULUM MATERIALS TO BETTER SERVE ALL STUDENTS IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. HIGHLY SUPPORTED DESIGN TEAMS CONSISTING OF RESEARCHERS, TEACHERS, AND BOTH SCHOOL AND DISTRICT SCIENCE SPECIALISTS WILL CO-ADAPT EXISTING DISTRICT-GENERATED SCIENCE UNITS TO INTEGRATE SOCIALLY AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT SCIENCE PRACTICES AND DRAW ON STUDENTS' DIVERSE CULTURAL AND LANGUAGE PRACTICES AS STRENGTHS. THIS SERIES OF STUDIES WILL EVALUATE STUDENT IMPACT AS WELL AS IF AND HOW SCIENCE CURRICULAR CO-DESIGN EXPERIENCES IMPACT TEACHING AND PRODUCTIVE COLLABORATION WITHIN THE SCHOOLS. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A TEACHER-RESEARCHER CO-DESIGN MODEL. THIS STUDY WILL FOCUS ON MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADES AND TAKE PLACE IN A HIGHLY DIVERSE URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICT IN TEXAS IN WHICH 44% OF THE STUDENT POPULATION ARE EMERGENT BILINGUALS. IN THIS FOUR-YEAR PROJECT, THE CO-DESIGN TEAMS WILL FOLLOW DESIGN-BASED RESEARCH (DBR) MODELS TO ITERATIVELY DEVELOP, IMPLEMENT, REFINE, AND TEST A MODEL THAT AIMS TO ADAPT EXISTING STANDARDS-BASED, GRADES 6-8 SCIENCE DISTRICT CURRICULAR UNITS. THE PROJECT WILL SUPPORT TWO COHORTS OF GRADES 6-8 TEACHERS TO CO-ADAPT MULTIPLE SCIENCE UNITS USING A CASCADE APPROACH. IN YEAR 1, 12 COHORT 1 TEACHERS (FOUR IN EACH GRADE) WILL CO-DESIGN, IMPLEMENT, AND REFINE A UNIT PER GRADE LEVEL. IN YEAR 2, THE UNITS FROM YEAR 1 WILL BE USED AS A MODEL TO HELP COHORT 2 OF 12 ADDITIONAL TEACHERS (FOUR IN EACH GRADE) TO CO-DESIGN A SECOND SET OF UNITS. IN YEAR 3, BOTH COHORTS WILL REVISE THE PREVIOUSLY DESIGNED UNITS AND ADAPT ADDITIONAL UNITS. IN YEAR 4, COHORT 1 TEACHERS WILL BE FOLLOWED UP WITH THE STRATEGIC DECREASING OF SCAFFOLDING, AND COHORT 2 TEACHERS WILL CONTINUE ANOTHER CO-DESIGN CYCLE. MULTIPLE QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA SOURCES WILL BE COLLECTED TO INFORM THE ITERATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF CO-DESIGN CYCLES AND EXPLORE WAYS TO LEVERAGE STUDENTS? CULTURAL AND LANGUAGE PRACTICES IN LESSON DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION, AS WELL AS TO ASSESS OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS TEACHERS ENCOUNTER DURING CURRICULUM ADAPTATION. TEACHER OUTCOMES (BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING SCIENCE FOR DIVERSITY, CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT CAPACITY, AND INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES) AND STUDENT OUTCOMES (SCIENCE LEARNING AND USE OF SCIENCE LANGUAGE) WILL ALSO BE ASSESSED. THE RESULTING THEORY-BASED AND FIELD-TESTED CO-DESIGN MODEL ALONG WITH THE REVISED AND TESTED UNIT/LESSON PLANS, TOOLS AND STRATEGIES WILL BE SHARED WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND RESEARCHERS INTERESTED IN ADAPTING THESE RESOURCES TO THEIR CONTEXTS. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY NSF?S DISCOVERY RESEARCH PREK-12 (DRK-12) PROGRAM. THE DRK-12 PROGRAM SEEKS TO SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCE THE LEARNING AND TEACHING OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE (STEM) BY PREK-12 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS, THROUGH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF STEM EDUCATION INNOVATIONS AND APPROACHES. 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.

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER

A B-CELL GENE FOR LUPUS

EXTERNAL REVIEW LETTERS IN PROMOTION AND TENURE DECISION MAKING: VALIDITY AND FAIRNESS

NEW; ENHANCED MIXED ELECTRONIC-IONIC CONDUCTORS THROUGH CATION ORDERING; PI - ALLAN J. JACOBSON

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON CONTROL NO. 2784-1731 DE-FOA-0002784: EXPLORATORY TOPICS F. SUPERCONDUCTORS PROJECT TITLE: LOW-COST, HIGH-RATE FABRICATION OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE, UNIFORM, LONG REBCO CONDUCTORS THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON WILL SCALE UP ITS ADVANCED METAL ORGANIC CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION (MOCVD) PROCESS TO MANUFACTURE 600-M-LONG REBCO CONDUCTORS. REBCO TAPES WITH 5X CRITICAL CURRENT (IC) OF TODAY’S INDUSTRY TAPES HAVE ALREADY BEEN DEMONSTRATED BY OUR ADVANCED MOCVD (A-MOCVD) TECHNOLOGY.

STEP FORWARD: STEM TALENT EXPANSION PROGRAM FOR WOMEN AND UNDER REPRESENTED GROUP RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION DEVELOPMENT

CHARACTERIZING OCULAR STRUCTURES AND LOCAL RETINAL FUNCTION IN THE PROGRESSION OF DIFFERENT OBJECTIVE PHENOTYPES OF PREDIABETES AND TYPE 2 DIABETES - VISION LOSS IN TYPE 2 DIABETES (T2DM) RESULTS FROM DIABETIC RETINOPATHY (DR) WHICH CAN APPEAR AT ANY RETINAL LOCATION WITHOUT WARNING. DIABETES IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF BLINDNESS IN WORKING AGED AMERICANS BUT IT CAN BE DIFFICULT FOR CLINICIANS TO DETERMINE WHO WILL START ON A PATH TO VISION LOSS AND WHEN. THERE ARE ALSO MILLIONS OF AMERICANS (UP TO 44% OF THE POPULATION) WITH PREDIABETES (PREDM). THESE PATIENTS HAVE IMPAIRED FASTING GLUCOSE, ELEVATED HEMOGLOBIN A1C (HBA1C) AND/OR ORAL GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TESTS (OGTT). THEY ARE AT HIGHER RISK FOR T2DM, AND MOST DO NOT KNOW THEIR DIAGNOSIS. THERE IS A MAJOR GAP IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW AND WHEN PREDM AFFECTS THE EYE. IT IS IMPORTANT WE CLOSE THIS GAP AS THERE ARE NO TREATMENTS IN THE EYE OUTSIDE OF GLYCEMIC CONTROL FOR EARLY T2DM AND PREDM. METHODS FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND DETECTION, ESPECIALLY IF LOCATION- SPECIFIC, COULD AID IN DELAYING DR AND OVER THE LONG TERM, SAVING SIGHT. OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW GLUCOSE DYSREGULATION IMPACTS THE VASCULAR AND NEURAL RETINA, CORNEA AND TEAR FILM. WE ALSO SEEK TO UNDERSTAND IF SYSTEMIC OBJECTIVE PHENOTYPIC DIFFERENCES (MEANING TESTS OF T2DM HEALTH SUCH AS FAT DISTRIBUTION, ACTIVITY LEVELS FROM ACCELEROMETRY AND OGTT) IN THESE PATIENTS ARE RELATED TO OR PREDICTIVE OF OCULAR HEALTH. IT IS KNOWN THAT CURRENT TESTS OF OCULAR STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION SUCH AS MULTIFOCAL ELECTRORETINOGRAMS (MFERG), OCULAR COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY (OCTA), ADAPTIVE OPTICS SCANNING LASER OPHTHALMOSCOPY (AOSLO), CORNEAL CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY AND TEAR COMPOSITION ARE ALTERED IN EARLY T2DM. HOWEVER, PREDM HAS NOT BEEN INCLUDED IN THIS WORK, AND LOCAL RETINAL OXYGENATION CHANGES HAVE NEVER BEEN EVALUATED WITH THESE OTHER OCULAR TESTS. THERE IS ALSO NO KNOWLEDGE AS TO WHICH OBJECTIVE SYSTEMIC AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS PUT THE PATIENT MOST AT RISK FOR OCULAR CHANGES IN PREDM. OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT LOCAL RETINAL OXYGENATION IS ALTERED BY CHANGES IN GLUCOSE TOLERANCE. THIS DRIVES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VESSEL CHANGES AND RETINAL FUNCTION, IN LOCAL RETINAL AREAS. IN AIM 1, A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY, WE WILL COMPARE SUBJECTS IN THE FOLLOWING GROUPS: CONTROLS, PREDM PATIENTS WITH A WIDE RANGE OF IMPAIRED GLUCOSE TOLERANCE, T2DM WITH NO DR, AND T2DM WITH DR. WE WILL ALSO USE THE BEST OBJECTIVE MEASURES AVAILABLE TO FULLY PHENOTYPE SUBJECT CHARACTERISTICS WITH REGARDS TO FACTORS SUCH AS BODY FAT AND SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE. WE WILL THEN EVALUATE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS FOR STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL EYE TESTING USING THE TESTS ABOVE, AS WELL AS LOCAL OXIMETRY AND LEVELS OF GLUCOSE IMPAIRMENT TO SEE RELATIONSHIPS IN SYSTEMIC AND EYE HEALTH. IN AIM 2, WE WILL FOLLOW THESE SUBJECTS AT 1 AND 2 YEARS IN A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY TO SEE HOW THESE PHENOTYPES INFLUENCE OCULAR CHANGE OVER TIME. WE ALSO PLAN TO EVALUATE THE TIMELINE OF OCULAR STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION CHANGES ACROSS THE EYE. WE EXPECT THAT DIFFERENCES IN IMPAIRED GLUCOSE TOLERANCE/PHENOTYPES WILL ALTER OCULAR TESTING OVER TIME ESPECIALLY IN PREDM. THE ABILITY TO PREDICT WHICH AREAS ARE MOST AFFECTED AND WHICH PATIENTS ARE MOST AT RISK, COULD CONSTITUTE A SIGNIFICANT ADVANCE IN DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF THIS DISEASE, WHICH HAS REACHED EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS.

FIRE COLLABORATIVE: NEUTRON-IRRADIATION-TOLERANT REBCO TAPES FOR COMPACT FUSION

PLASTICITY AND FUNCTION OF THE ROD/CONE GAP JUNCTION - ROD/CONE COUPLING IS THE ENTRY POINT TO THE SECONDARY ROD PATHWAY. OUR OVERALL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT THE CIRCADIAN AND LIGHT-INDUCED MODULATION OF ROD/CONE COUPLING CHANGES RETINAL FUNCTION AND HAS PROFOUND EFFECTS THROUGHOUT THE VISUAL SYSTEM ACCORDING TO THE TIME OF DAY. ELECTRICAL SYNAPSES, ALSO KNOWN AS GAP JUNCTIONS, ARE COMMON BUILDING BLOCKS THAT CONNECT NEURONS INTO COUPLED NETWORKS. ALTHOUGH ELECTRICAL SYNAPSES DISPLAY A HIGH DEGREE OF PLASTICITY, THERE IS A FUNDAMENTAL GAP IN UNDERSTANDING HOW THIS PLASTICITY MODIFIES CIRCUIT ACTIVITY AND OUTPUT. WE ANTICIPATE THAT LEARNING HOW TO CONTROL ELECTRICAL COUPLING MAY HAVE USEFUL CLINICAL POTENTIAL. WE HAVE DEVELOPED (1) THE CAPABILITY TO RECORD FROM PAIRS OF ADJACENT MOUSE PHOTORECEPTORS TO DIRECTLY MEASURE THE TRANS-JUNCTIONAL CONDUCTANCE; (2) ROD-SPECIFIC AND CONE-SPECIFIC CONNEXIN36 (CX36) KNOCKOUT (XO) MOUSE LINES. IN THESE MICE, THERE IS NO ROD/CONE COUPLING, MIMICKING DAYTIME OR BRIGHT LIGHT. (3) A PHOSPHO-MIMETIC MUTANT CX36 CONDITIONAL KNOCK-IN (CX36-DEDD) LINE, WHICH DISPLAYS SATURATED ROD/CONE COUPLING, EQUIVALENT TO NIGHT TIME; AND (4) A CONGENIC B6 MOUSE LINE IN WHICH WE RESCUED MELATONIN SYNTHESIS—AN IMPORTANT CIRCADIAN CLOCK SIGNAL THAT IS MISSING IN MOST MOUSE STRAINS. RETINAS FROM THE CONGENIC LINE SHOW ROBUST CIRCADIAN VARIATIONS IN DOPAMINE RELEASE. IN AIM 1, BY RECORDING FROM ROD/CONE PAIRS, WE WILL MEASURE THE GAP JUNCTION CONDUCTANCE BETWEEN RODS AND CONES TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT ROD/CONE COUPLING SPANS FROM ~ 0 TO 1,000+ PS, REFLECTING THE COLLECTIVE ACTION OF MELATONIN, DOPAMINE, AND AMBIENT LIGHT. WE HAVE SHOWN THERE IS NO ROD/CONE COUPLING IN THE CX36 XOS (MIMICS DAYTIME) AND WE EXPECT MAXIMAL COUPLING IN THE CX36-DEDD (MIMICS NIGHTTIME). WE WILL DETERMINE HOW THE ROD/CONE GAP JUNCTION CONDUCTANCE CHANGES BY TIME OF DAY (CONGENIC B6 LINE). IN AIM 2, WE WILL RECORD FROM CONES AND FROM GANGLION CELLS TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT ROD SIGNALS IN THE SECONDARY ROD PATHWAY CHANGE BY TIME OF DAY. WE EXPECT OUR MUTANT LINES TO SET THE LIMITS, WITH MINIMAL INPUT IN THE CX36 XOS (MIMICS DAYTIME) AND MAXIMAL INPUT IN THE CX36-DEDD LINE (MIMICS NIGHTTIME). IN AIM 3, WE WILL EXAMINE VISUAL BEHAVIOR IN THE INTACT MOUSE TO MEASURE THE EFFECT OF AN INACTIVE (CX36 XO, MIMICS DAYTIME) AND OF A SATURATED ROD/CONE PATHWAY (CX36-DEDD, MIMICS NIGHTTIME). WE WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT ROD/CONE COUPLING PLASTICITY CONTRIBUTES TO THE DAILY MODULATION OF CONTRAST SENSITIVITY AND VISUALLY- GUIDED BEHAVIOR. OUR WORK WILL OFFER A PRIME EXAMPLE OF HOW A SINGLE ELECTRICAL SYNAPSE CAN CHANGE RETINAL FUNCTION TO INFLUENCE VISUAL PERCEPTION. THIS RESEARCH WILL HELP DEFINE GENERAL PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING THE ROLE OF CIRCADIAN CLOCKS AND ELECTRICAL SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY IN THE DAILY CHANGES IN NEURAL CIRCUITS RELEVANT TO BRAIN FUNCTION AND BEHAVIOR.

ELUCIDATING MOLECULAR-LEVEL ROLES OF ESSENTIAL METALS IN GUT BACTERIA WITH NEW FLUORESCENT PROTEIN-BASED METAL ION SENSORS

ROLE OF TRIMETHYLAMINE-N-OXIDE IN ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION - PROJECT SUMMARY CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVDS) ARE IMPLICATED IN 50% OF DEATHS IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES AND IS THUS A MAJOR HEALTH CONCERN AND WE STILL REMAIN FAR FROM A CURE. IN ADDITION TO THE TRADITIONAL RISK FACTORS FOR CVDS, THE INFLUENCE EXERTED BY GUT MICROBIAL METABOLITES ON THE PATHOGENESIS OF CVDS HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED ONLY IN RECENT TIMES. TRIMETHYLAMINE-N-OXIDE (TMAO), A GUT MICROBE-DERIVED METABOLITE OF DIETARY PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE/CARNITINE IS ELEVATED IN THE CIRCULATION OF CVD PATIENTS AND HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND CVD PROGRESSION IN RODENTS AND HUMANS. THE PRESENT GRANT PROPOSAL ATTEMPTS TO DEFINE NOVEL MOLECULAR SIGNALING MECHANISMS MEDIATING THE RESPONSES OF ARTERIAL ENDOTHELIAL CELLS (ECS) TO TMAO, WHICH WILL PROVIDE NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE PATHOGENESIS OF ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION AND VASCULAR INJURY ASSOCIATED WITH ATHEROSCLEROSIS. OUR PRELIMINARY RESULTS HAVE SHOWN THAT TMAO INDUCED NLRP3 INFLAMMASOMES HAVE DIRECT ACTIONS ON THE ENDOTHELIAL CELLS. THUS TMAO INDUCES BOTH INFLAMMATORY AND NON-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS LEADING TO ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION AND ULTIMATELY ATHEROSCLEROSIS. THESE REPRESENTS NOVEL PATHOGENIC MECHANISMS OF TMAO BEYOND INFLAMMATION. BASED ON THESE OBSERVATIONS, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT GUT MICROBIAL METABOLITES SUCH AS TMAO WHICH ARE RELEASED INTO THE CIRCULATION ACT AS ENDOGENOUS DANGER SIGNALS AND INDUCE BOTH INFLAMMATORY AND NON-INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES LEADING TO ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION AND VASCULAR INJURY WHICH CONSEQUENTLY MANIFESTS INTO ATHEROGENESIS IN THE ARTERIAL WALL. TO TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS, WE WILL ADDRESS HOW TMAO INDUCES ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION AND ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN IN VIVO USING NLRP3-/- MICE, ENDOTHELIUM-SPECIFIC NLRP3 KNOCKOUT MICE (EC-NLRP3-/-) AND THEIR WILD TYPE LITTERMATES. WE WILL THEN INVESTIGATE THE NON-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF TMAO LEADING TO ENDOTHELIUM DEPENDENT VASODILATION, PYROPTOSIS AND DAMPS PRODUCTION BOTH IN VITRO AND IN VIVO. LASTLY, WE WILL EXPLORE THE NOVEL MOLECULAR SIGNALING PATHWAYS MEDIATING TMAO-INDUCED ENDOTHELIAL EXOSOME RELEASE LEADING TO ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION AND VASCULAR INJURY. THE PROPOSED STUDIES WILL REVEAL NEW MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS OF CVD PATHOGENESIS INDUCED BY MICROBIAL METABOLITES SUCH AS TMAO AND WILL PAVE WAY TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF CLINICALLY RELEVANT, NOVEL THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES FOR TREATING ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND RESULTING CVDS.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM- AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN

THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE TEXAQS-II (TEXAS AIR QUALITY STUDY) IS TO EXAMINE OZONE AND FINE PARTICULATE MATTER FORMATION, REGIONAL OZONE FORMATION,

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

A NATIONAL TEST OF A CULTURALLY TAILORED MHEALTH INTEGRATED SMOKING CESSATION AND MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION FOR BLACK ADULTS WITH HIV - ABSTRACT PEOPLE WITH HIV/AIDS (PWH) ARE TWICE AS LIKELY TO SMOKE CIGARETTES COMPARED WITH THE GENERAL POPULATION. FURTHER, PWH ARE LESS LIKELY TO QUIT SMOKING, LIKELY DUE TO BARRIERS INCLUDING CO-OCCURRING BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTORS, STIGMA, LIMITED RESOURCES, EXPERIENCES OF RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION, AND DIMINISHED ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE. IMPORTANTLY, CIGARETTE SMOKING IS A SIGNIFICANT RISK FACTOR FOR BOTH HIV-RELATED AND NON-HIV-RELATED MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY AMONG PWH. HEALTH DISPARITIES OBSERVED AMONG SMOKERS WITH HIV ARE COMPOUNDED BY THE TENDENCY FOR PWH TO HAVE LOWER INCOMES, LOWER EDUCATION ATTAINMENT, AND LOWER ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE. SUBOPTIMAL RATES OF SMOKING CESSATION AND HIV DISEASE MANAGEMENT AMONG BLACK PWH WHO SMOKE APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO INCREASED EXPOSURE TO INTEROCEPTIVE- STRESS SYMPTOMS (E.G., ANXIETY, BODILY SENSATIONS, STRESS-RELATED BURDEN DUE TO RACISM OR HIV DIAGNOSIS DISCRIMINATION OR STIGMA). CONSEQUENTLY, SMOKING CESSATION INTERVENTIONS AND HIV DISEASE MANAGEMENT DIRECTED TOWARD BLACK PWH WHO SMOKE MIGHT BENEFIT FROM A SPECIFIC FOCUS ON DECREASING EMOTIONAL REACTIVITY TO INTEROCEPTIVE STRESS. ANXIETY SENSITIVITY (AS) IS A CANDIDATE MECHANISM PERTAINING TO THE EXPECTANCY THAT INTEROCEPTIVE SENSATIONS ARE PERSONALLY DANGEROUS, WHICH ESCALATES EMOTIONAL REACTIVITY. YET, ONLY ONE STUDY HAS LEVERAGED THE POTENTIAL OF AS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND SMOKING, HIV DISEASE MANAGEMENT OUTCOMES, AND INTEROCEPTIVE STRESS RELATIONS AMONG BLACK PWH WHO SMOKE. OUR GROUP, ALONG WITH COLLABORATING COLLEAGUES, HAS DEVELOPED SMOKING CESSATION INTERVENTIONS FOR PWH THAT ENGAGE AS TO INCREASE SMOKING CESSATION SUCCESS. EARLY WORK INCLUDED IN PERSON SMOKING CESSATION INTERVENTIONS. OUR MORE RECENT EFFORTS HAVE FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING AND TESTING AN INTEGRATED, CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE, MHEALTH INTERVENTION FOR SMOKING CESSATION, AS REDUCTION, AND HIV DISEASE MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT FOR BLACK PWH WHO SMOKE (MASP+). MASP+ TARGETS MULTIPLE HEALTH CONDITIONS THAT INTERFERE WITH SUCCESSFUL AGING: SMOKING, MENTAL HEALTH, AND HIV DISEASE MANAGEMENT. TO DATE, MASP+ HAS ONLY BEEN AVAILABLE TO PATIENTS RECEIVING HIV CARE WITHIN A SINGLE, URBAN COMMUNITY CLINIC. THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO TEST MASP+ IN A NATIONAL SAMPLE OF PARTICIPANTS WITH TREATED AND UNTREATED HIV. FIRST, WE PROPOSE TO REVIEW ALREADY DEVELOPED MASP+ MATERIALS WITH 30 MEMBERS FROM OUR PRIORITY POPULATION TO ENSURE THEIR APPROPRIATENESS AND THERAPEUTIC FIT. NEXT, WE WILL RECRUIT AND ENROLL 300 BLACK PWH WHO SMOKE TO PARTICIPATE IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT). PARTICIPANTS WILL BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO: (1) MASP+; (2) THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE (NCI) QUITGUIDE SMARTPHONE APP FOR STANDARD MOBILE SMOKING CESSATION TREATMENT; OR (3) AN ASSESSMENT ONLY CONTROL. PARTICIPANTS WILL COMPLETE A BASELINE ASSESSMENT, DAILY ECOLOGICAL MOMENTARY ASSESSMENTS, AND FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS AT WEEKS 1, 2 (QUIT DATE FOR MASP+ AND QUITGUIDE), 3, 4, 5, 6 (WEEK 6 INCLUDES A QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW FOR A SUBSET OF PARTICIPANTS), 28, AND 54 VIA OUR INSIGHTTM APP. ALL PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE THE OPTION TO RECEIVE NICOTINE REPLACEMENT THERAPY. IF THE EFFICACY OF MASP+ IS ESTABLISHED, IT WOULD SERVE AS A LOW-BURDEN AND HIGHLY ACCESSIBLE TREATMENT OPTION FOR SMOKING CESSATION, IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH, AND IMPROVED HIV CARE ADHERENCE/ENGAGEMENT, WHICH ALL SERVE TO SUPPORT SUCCESSFUL AGING AND IMPROVED WELL-BEING.

TARGETED DISRUPTION OF BETA-ADRENERGIC SIGNALING TO INCREASE CARDIAC CONTRACTILIT

CHARACTERIZING A SELF-DIGESTING-MEDIATED REVERSIBLE DRUG TOLERANCE MECHANISM IN BACTERIA

TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

TOLL-LIKE RECEPTOR AND DRY EYE INFLAMMATION AND INFECTION

ELIMINATING MEDIATORS OF TOXICITY FROM STORED BLOOD

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR SERVICE: INCREASING TALENTED TRUSTED COMPUTING PROFESSIONALS

OBJECTIVE CLASSIFICATION OF LUPUS NEPHRITIS - UP TO 60% OF ADULTS AND 80% OF CHILDREN WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) DEVELOP NEPHRITIS (LN), WITH 10–30% PROGRESSING TO END-STAGE RENAL DISEASE (ESRD). THE GOLD STANDARD FOR DIAGNOSIS OF LN IS A RENAL BIOPSY. HISTOLOGICAL PARAMETERS REMAIN THE BEST PREDICTORS OF ESRD. DESPITE BEING THE GOLD STANDARD, HISTOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS OF LN HAS SEVERAL SHORTCOMINGS. IN MULTIPLE INTER-OBSERVER RENAL PATHOLOGY ASSESSMENT STUDIES REPORTED THUS FAR, THE INTER- PATHOLOGIST CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS, OR CONCORDANCE, IN ASSESSING MOST HISTOLOGICAL PARAMETERS HAVE BEEN SUB-OPTIMAL. THIS HAS PROVIDED THE IMPETUS FOR THE CURRENT PROPOSAL. WE PROPOSE TO LEVERAGE THE POWER OF COMPUTER VISION AND DEEP LEARNING TO BUILD A CLASSIFIER THAT RIVALS THE BEST-TRAINED RENAL PATHOLOGISTS IN MAKING A HISTOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS OF LN USING CURRENT DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA. WE PROPOSE TO TRAIN A DEEP CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORK TO DISTINGUISH THE DIFFERENT LN CLASSES, AND TO IDENTIFY A FULL SPECTRUM OF HISTOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES USEFUL FOR DIAGNOSIS. WE WILL COMPARE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NEWLY GENERATED NEURAL NETWORK IN SCORING GLOMERULAR/TUBULO-INTERSTITIAL FEATURES AND LN CLASSES, AGAINST A PANEL OF HUMAN RENAL PATHOLOGISTS. FINALLY, WE PROPOSE TO BUILD A NEURAL NETWORK THAT CAN PREDICT CLINICAL OUTCOME BASED ON BASELINE RENAL PATHOLOGY. RELIABLE AND REPRODUCIBLE CLASSIFICATION OF LN COULD DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE PATIENT MANAGEMENT AND LONG-TERM RENAL AND PATIENT SURVIVAL.

IMPROVING THE ACCURACY OF LUPUS NEPHRITIS DIAGNOSIS USING BIOMARKERS DERIVED FROM ULTRAVIOLET AND MID-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPIC IMAGING - PROJECT SUMMARY HISTOLOGY IS THE CURRENT STANDARD FOR DIAGNOSIS AND PREDICTING LONG-TERM DISEASE OUTCOMES IN LUPUS NEPHRITIS (LN). HOWEVER, DIAGNOSIS AND PROGNOSIS ARE CHALLENGING DUE TO SIGNIFICANT INTER-PATHOLOGIST VARIANCE AND MULTIPLE PITFALLS IN HISTOPATHOLOGY. WE PROPOSE COMBINING CONVENTIONAL HISTOLOGY WITH INDEPENDENT INFORMATION FROM TWO COMPLEMENTARY OPTICAL IMAGING MODALITIES THAT PROVIDE ADDITIONAL MORPHOLOGICAL, BIOCHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR CONTEXT TO LN, THUS OVERCOMING CURRENT DIAGNOSTIC CHALLENGES. WE WILL UTILIZE MILLING WITH ULTRAVIOLET SURFACE EXCITATION (MUSE) TO PROVIDE PROTEIN-SPECIFIC HISTOLOGY AND MID-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPIC IMAGING (MIRSI) FOR LABEL- FREE BIOCHEMICAL IDENTIFICATION OF SMALL MOLECULES AND METABOLITES. ACQUIRING CO-REGISTERED IMAGING DATA WITH HIGH SPEED AND GOOD RESOLUTION FROM THESE IMAGING MODALITIES IS CHALLENGING, AND WE PROPOSE A NEW EXPERIMENTAL PLATFORM FOR COMPREHENSIVE BIOPSY IMAGING THAT ADDRESSES THIS CHALLENGE. WE WILL IDENTIFY NEW STRUCTURAL AND MOLECULAR FEATURES ACROSS THESE MODALITIES THAT ARE DECISIVE FOR LN DIAGNOSIS. A DEEP LEARNING ARCHITECTURE WILL BE USED TO COMBINE INFORMATION FROM ACROSS ALL MODALITIES, OPTIMIZE FEATURE SELECTION AND QUANTIFICATION. WE PRESENT EXTENSIVE PRELIMINARY DATA FROM KIDNEYS OF WILDTYPE AND LN MURINE MODELS DEMONSTRATING THE EFFICACY OF OUR TECHNIQUES. WE WILL VALIDATE THE EFFICACY OF LN DIAGNOSTIC METRICS FROM MURINE MODELS USING ARCHIVAL HUMAN KIDNEY BIOPSY SAMPLES. WE ALSO PRESENT DATA FROM HUMAN SUBJECTS WITH CLASS II LN (NON-PROLIFERATIVE), CLASS IV LN (PROLIFERATIVE) AND MINIMAL CHANGE DISEASE (CONTROL) AND DEMONSTRATE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT METRICS DERIVED FROM OUR IMAGING MODALITIES THAT ENABLE IMPROVED LN DIAGNOSIS.

METABOLOEPIGENETICS AND ATHEROSCLEROSIS - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT ATHEROSCLEROSIS-RELATED CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVD) REMAIN THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH WORLDWIDE. CURRENT THERAPIES MAINLY FOCUS ON MANAGING THE RISK OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS, RATHER THAN DIRECTLY TARGETING THE PLAQUE- CAUSING CELLS. HOWEVER, THESE TREATMENTS STILL CARRY A SIGNIFICANT RESIDUAL RISK FOR CVD, ALONG WITH VARIOUS SIDE EFFECTS. EPIGENETICS AND METABOLISM OFTEN OCCUR EARLY IN VARIOUS DISEASES AND THEIR CLOSE INTERACTION HAS LED TO THE EMERGENCE OF THE CONCEPT OF “METABOLOEPIGENETICS”. YET, THE PRECISE MECHANISMS BY WHICH THEY RESPOND TO ENVIRONMENTAL CUES AND CONTRIBUTE TO CHROMATIN MODIFICATIONS IN ATHEROSCLEROSIS REMAINS UNADDRESSED. GLOBAL CHANGES IN THE EPIGENOME ARE DRIVEN IN PART BY THE SWITCH/SUCROSE NON-FERMENTABLE (SWI/SNF) CHROMATIN REMODELING COMPLEX. THIS COMPLEX UTILIZE THE ATP ENERGY TO ALTER CHROMATIN STRUCTURE AND MODULATE CHROMATIN ACCESSIBILITY TO VARIOUS MOLECULAR PLAYERS, SUCH AS TRANSCRIPTIONAL MACHINERY, COFACTORS. THE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE BAF60 SUBUNITS SERVE AS A LINK BETWEEN THE SWI/SNF COMPLEX AND SPECIFIC TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS. WE HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT BAF60C IS ESSENTIAL FOR PRESERVATION OF VASCULAR SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLS (VSMC) CONTRACTILE PHENOTYPE BY STRENGTHENING SERUM RESPONSE FACTOR (SRF) ASSOCIATION WITH ITS COACTIVATOR P300 AND THE SWI/SNF COMPLEX. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA FURTHER SHOW THAT BAF60C IS THE MOST ABUNDANT BAF60 FAMILY MEMBER SPECIFICALLY EXPRESSED IN VSMC IN THE NORMAL ARTERIAL WALL, AND ITS EXPRESSION DECREASES IN HUMAN AND MOUSE ATHEROSCLEROTIC LESIONS. FURTHERMORE, BAF60C DEFICIENCY IN VSMC AGGRAVATES ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN MICE. KNOCKDOWN OF BAF60C LEADS TO DISTURBED PPARΓ ACTIVATION AND VSMC DYSFUNCTION, CHARACTERIED BY INCREASED ANAEROBIC GLYCOLYSIS, OXIDATIVE STRESS, LIPID ACCUMULATION, TRANSITION TO MACROPHAGE-LIKE CELLS AND FOAM CELLS. THEREFORE, I HYPOTHESIZED THAT BAF60C-PPARΓ AXIS PROTECTS AGAINST ATHEROGENESIS THROUGH METABOLOEPIGENETIC MODULATION OF VSMC HOMEOSTASIS. OUR LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES ARE TO ELUCIDATE HOW METABOLO-EPIGENETIC INTERPLAY MODULATES VASCULAR CELL BEHAVIOR AND FATE IN CVD AND TO UNCOVER NOVEL THERAPEUTIC AVENUES FOR CVD BY TARGETING BAF60C-DEPENDENT METABOLOEPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. SPECIFICALLY, AIM 1 WILL DEFINE THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF BAF60C-PPARΓ AXIS IN ATHEROGENESIS USING BOTH MALE AND FEMALE VSMC-SPECIFIC KNOCKOUT AND TRANSGENIC MICE; AIM 2 WILL DEFINE THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING BAF60C-PPARΓ AXIS IN REGULATION OF VSMC DYSFUNCTION IN ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN VITRO. IN SUMMARY, THESE STUDIES WILL PROVIDE UNIQUE MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS INTO THE ROLE OF BAF60C-DEPENDENT METABOLOEPIGENETICS IN VSMC HOMEOSTASIS DURING ATHEROSCLEROSIS. THEY WILL PAVE THE WAY FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION OF METABOLOEPIGENETICS IN CVD. IN ADDITION, THESE FINDINGS WILL SUPPORT FUTURE ENDEAVORS TO TARGET BAF60C-DEPENDENT METABOLOEPIGENETICS AND TO COMBINE METABOLISM INHIBITORS AND EPIGENETIC MODULATORS AS POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES FOR CVD.

UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM

MECHANISMS AND EVOLUTION OF HOST TOLERANCE TO TRANSPOSABLE ELEMENTS

NEUROADAPTATIONS TO ETHANOL IN DROSPHILA

DEVELOPING STEM TEACHER LEADERS IN CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT, ENGINEERING DESIGN, AND INDUCTION -THIS PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL NEED OF DEVELOPING STEM TEACHER LEADERS TO SERVE IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. ACROSS THE COUNTRY, HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS STRUGGLE TO RETAIN SECONDARY STEM TEACHERS, WHICH HAS A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON TEACHING AND LEARNING. THE PROJECT WILL WORK WITH THE TEACHHOUSTON PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON (UH) TO DEVELOP STEM TEACHER LEADERS IN THE AREAS OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT, ENGINEERING DESIGN, AND INDUCTION TO RETAIN STEM SECONDARY TEACHERS. THIS PROJECT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON INCLUDES PARTNERSHIPS WITH THREE HIGH-NEED HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS (ALIEF, PASADENA, AND SPRING BRANCH), ALONG WITH NORTHBROOK HIGH SCHOOL AND THE NATIONAL MATH AND SCIENCE INITIATIVE. PROJECT GOALS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: 1) RECRUIT 15 MASTER TEACHER FELLOWS (MTFS) TO RECEIVE INTENSIVE TRAINING IN CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT (CRCM) AND ENGINEERING DESIGN; 2) PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO 15 MTFS WITH SALARY SUPPLEMENTS OF $20,000 FOR 5 YEARS; 3) PROVIDE MTFS? TRAINING AND OPPORTUNITY TO MENTOR PROSPECTIVE AND PRACTICING TEACHERS IN CRCM AND ENGINEERING DESIGN; 4) ENHANCE THE TEACHHOUSTON INDUCTION PROGRAM BY HAVING MTFS LEAD PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD) IN THE AREAS OF CRCM AND ENGINEERING DESIGN AND SERVE AS INDUCTION MENTORS; AND 5) CREATE AN ONLINE PD PLATFORM OF UP TO 20 VIRTUAL COURSES WITH KEY CONTRIBUTIONS BY MTFS ON CRCM AND INTEGRATION OF ENGINEERING DESIGN TO BUILD TEACHER CAPACITY THROUGH NEWLY DESIGNED RESOURCES FOR PROSPECTIVE AND PRACTICING TEACHERS. THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO GENERATE NEW KNOWLEDGE ON TEACHER PREPARATION AND RETENTION BY INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF PARTICIPATION IN PROGRAM COMPONENTS THAT SEEK TO ENHANCE THEIR CULTURAL COMPETENCE, CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT CAPACITY, AND TEACHING PRACTICE. UH RESEARCHERS WILL EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF THIS GRANT AROUND TEACHER RETENTION, TEACHER LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, CRCM, AND ENGINEERING DESIGN INTEGRATION USING QUALITATIVE AND MIXED METHODS RESEARCH. PRESENTATIONS, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND PUBLICATIONS WILL BE SHARED AT EDUCATION AND STEM CONFERENCES TO DEEPEN UNDERSTANDING OF INFUSING CRCM AND ENGINEERING DESIGN IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AS WELL AS ON MENTORSHIP AND TEACHER LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INDUCTION EFFORTS. THIS TRACK 3: MASTER TEACHING FELLOWSHIPS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED THROUGH THE ROBERT NOYCE TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (NOYCE). THE NOYCE PROGRAM SUPPORTS TALENTED STEM UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS AND PROFESSIONALS TO BECOME EFFECTIVE K-12 STEM TEACHERS AND EXPERIENCED, EXEMPLARY K-12 TEACHERS TO BECOME STEM MASTER TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. IT ALSO SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTIVENESS AND RETENTION OF K-12 STEM TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. 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 PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGING OF THE NORMAL AND DISEASED RETINA

AWARD NUMBER DE-EE0008322, TITLED ''DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION OF STRUCTURED MULTI-FUNCTIONAL TRAPPING CATALYSTS FOR CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBONS AND NOX FROM DIESEL AND ADVANCED COMBUSTION ENGINES''

ROLE OF MUNC13-1 AS A PRESYNAPTIC EFFECTOR OF ETHANOL ACTION

ACCULTURATION, SOCIAL CONTEXT, LONELINESS, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALCOHOL PROBLEMS IN LATINX INDIVIDUALS - PROJECT SUMMARY LONELINESS IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE ARISING FROM A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN PERCEIVED AND DESIRED SOCIAL CONNECTION. IT IS A SIGNIFICANT RISK FACTOR FOR HEALTH CONCERNS, INCLUDING PROBLEMATIC ALCOHOL USE. CRUCIALLY, LATINX INDIVIDUALS IN THE US EXPERIENCE GREATER LONELINESS THAN NON-LATINX WHITE INDIVIDUALS, AND THOSE WHO DRINK ENGAGE IN MORE PROBLEMATIC ALCOHOL USE. HOWEVER, THE INITIAL PRECURSORS OF LONELINESS AND LATINX DISPARITIES IN LONELINESS ARE NOT WELL-UNDERSTOOD. MOREOVER, IT IS UNCLEAR IF LONELINESS IS A CAUSE OF ALCOHOL PROBLEMS, A CONSEQUENCE OF ALCOHOL PROBLEMS, OR A BARRIER TO RECOVERY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS APPLICATION IS TO IDENTIFY PREDICTORS OF LONELINESS IN LATINX INDIVIDUALS AND EXPLAIN THE LINK BETWEEN LONELINESS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROBLEM DRINKING IN THIS POPULATION. WE WILL EVALUATE A NOVEL PROCESS MODEL THAT EXPLAINS LONELINESS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALCOHOL PROBLEMS IN LATINX INDIVIDUALS. THE ALMA PROCESS MODEL STATES THAT SOCIAL CONTEXTUAL FACTORS INTERACT WITH ACCULTURATIVE PROCESSES TO PREDICT LONELINESS, DRINKING MOTIVES, AND ALCOHOL PROBLEMS. THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS OF THIS RESEARCH, GUIDED BY THE ALMA PROCESS MODEL, IS THAT CONFLICTS BETWEEN LATINX INDIVIDUALS' CULTURAL ORIENTATION AND THE CULTURAL ORIENTATION OF THOSE AROUND THEM CONTRIBUTE TO DECREASES IN PERCEIVED SOCIAL CONNECTION, LEADING TO LONELINESS. WHEN FEELING LONELY, SOME PEOPLE INCREASE SOLITARY DRINKING TO COPE WITH LONELINESS. DRINKING TO AVOID AN AVERSIVE STATE WILL LEAD PEOPLE TO FOCUS MORE ON THAT STATE, EXACERBATING PEOPLE'S FEELINGS OF LONELINESS. OVER TIME, MORE SOLITARY DRINKING WILL FEED BACK INTO THE EXPERIENCE OF LONELINESS, LEADING TO ESCALATIONS IN PROBLEMATIC ALCOHOL USE. THREE SPECIFIC AIMS WILL PROVIDE STRUCTURE FOR EVALUATING THIS MODEL: (1) TO IDENTIFY SHORT- TERM PREDICTORS OF LONELINESS AND ALCOHOL USE IN HAZARDOUS-DRINKING LATINX INDIVIDUALS; (2) TO DETERMINE HOW LONELINESS AND HAZARDOUS DRINKING LEAD TO THE LONGITUDINAL DEVELOPMENT OF ALCOHOL PROBLEMS IN LATINX INDIVIDUALS; AND (3) TO TEST THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE OF HAZARDOUS DRINKING AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALCOHOL PROBLEMS ON LONELINESS TRAJECTORIES OVER TIME IN LATINX INDIVIDUALS. AIMS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED USING A LONGITUDINAL ECOLOGICAL MOMENTARY ASSESSMENT (EMA) “BURST” DESIGN AMONG 200 HAZARDOUS-DRINKING LATINX INDIVIDUALS FROM THE COMMUNITY. THE EMA BURSTS WILL OCCUR SEMI-ANNUALLY AT 0, 6, 12, 18, AND 24 MONTHS. DATA WILL BE COLLECTED VIA SELF-REPORT, COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL TASK, WEARABLE ALCOHOL SENSOR, AND GEOTAGGING. THIS PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO CONTRIBUTE DETAILED CONCEPTUAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE MECHANISMS, PROCESSES, AND TRAJECTORIES INVOLVED IN SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS AND ISOLATION. BY EVALUATING THE INNOVATIVE ALMA PROCESS MODEL, THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE A FORMAL EXPLANATION FOR LATINX DISPARITIES IN LONELINESS AND ALCOHOL PROBLEMS. FURTHERMORE, THIS MODEL IS EXPECTED TO HAVE BROAD IMPACT BECAUSE IT IS APPLICABLE TO MANY HEALTH DISPARITY POPULATIONS (E.G., FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS, SEXUAL AND GENDER MINORITY INDIVIDUALS). EXPLAINING THE SOURCE OF LONELINESS IN THESE DIVERSE GROUPS WILL BE A CRITICAL STEP TOWARD MITIGATING LONELINESS AND IMPROVING POPULATION HEALTH.

MUSIC: A MULTI-SCALE TECHNOLOGY FOR INTEGRATING DYNAMIC CELLULAR FUNCTION AND MOLECULAR PROFILES - OUR OBJECTIVE IS DEVELOP AND RIGOROUSLY VALIDATE A TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGY THAT INTEGRATES CELLULAR FUNCTIONS/ACTIVITIES WITH THEIR DEEP MOLECULAR SIGNATURES AT SINGLE-CELL RESOLUTION, IN HIGH-THROUGHPUT. IMMUNOTHERAPY HAS EMERGED AS A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE APPROACH FOR THE TREATMENT OF HUMAN CANCER, AND WORKS BY HARNESSING THE POWER OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND ITS ABILITY TO RECOGNIZE AND ELIMINATE CANCER CELLS. IMMUNOTHERAPY HAS DISTINCT ADVANTAGES, INCLUDING: (I) SUSTAINED AND DURABLE RESPONSES; (II) DEFINED MECHANISMS OF ACTION; AND (III) HIGHER SPECIFICITY AND FEWER-OFF TARGET EFFECTS THAN TRADITIONAL APPROACHES. ALONG WITH ANTIBODY IMMUNOTHERAPY, GENETICALLY ENGINEERING T CELLS FOR REDIRECTING IMMUNE RESPONSES HAS RECENTLY RECEIVED FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) APPROVAL. ADOPTIVE CELL THERAPY (ACT), BASED ON INFUSING IN VITRO EXPANDED T CELLS BEARING EITHER T-CELL RECEPTORS (TCR), OR CHIMERIC ANTIGEN RECEPTORS (CAR), HAVE DEMONSTRATED DRAMATIC AND DURABLE RESPONSES, EVEN IN HEAVILY PRETREATED PATIENTS. DESPITE THESE INITIAL CLINICAL SUCCESSES, PATIENT RESPONSES VARY WIDELY. RECENT CORRELATIVE DATA INDICATE THAT VARIABILITY IN THE MANUFACTURED T CELL PRODUCTS MAY BE THE PRIMARY DETERMINANT OF CLINICAL SUCCESS. SINCE CELLULAR INFUSION PRODUCTS ARE A HETEROGENEOUS MIXTURE OF CELLS, MAPPING THE COMPLEXITY OF THE POPULATION REQUIRES THE ABILITY TO IDENTIFY THE FUNCTION AND MOLECULAR PROFILES OF CELLS AT SINGLE-CELL RESOLUTION. THERE IS AN ESSENTIAL NEED FOR TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE ABLE TO MAP THIS COMPLEXITY IN T-CELL FUNCTIONALITY AND BEING ABLE TO LINK FUNCTION TO MOLECULAR PROFILES AT SINGLE-CELL RESOLUTION. WE PROPOSE THE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF MULTISCALE INTELLIGENT CONVERGENCE (MUSIC). MUSIC WILL PROVIDE MULTI-SCALE DATA FROM MOLECULES TO SUBCELLULAR DYNAMICS TO CELL-CELL INTERACTION BIOLOGY ON THE SAME CELLS ACROSS THOUSANDS OF CELLS. GIVEN THE HETEROGENEITY IN THE COMPOSITION OF CELLS BEING USED FOR ACT, IT SERVES AS THE IDEAL SYSTEM FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF MUSIC. OUR TEAM OF INVESTIGATORS HAS EXPERTISE IN SINGLE-CELL TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND IMMUNOTHERAPY, MACHINE LEARNING, AND IMAGE ANALYSIS AND DATA MODELING. WE ANTICIPATE THAT THE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS PROPOSAL WILL ENABLE THE VALIDATION OF MUSIC AS A PLATFORM FOR STUDYING MULTI-SCALE CELL BIOLOGY. THIS IN TURN, WILL LEAD TO THE MORE RELIABLE BIOMANUFACTURING OF T-CELL INFUSION PRODUCTS, AND THE ENGINEERING OF MORE POTENT IMMUNE CELLS CAN HAVE A BROAD IMPACT ON IMMUNOTHERAPY.

STRATEGY TO MAP ELECTRICAL SYNAPTIC CONNECTIVITY IN NEURAL NETWORKS - SUMMARY ELECTRICAL SYNAPSES, ALSO KNOWN AS GAP JUNCTIONS, OCCUR FREQUENTLY IN ALL NERVOUS SYSTEMS, INCLUDING THE HUMAN BRAIN. THEY ARE COMPOSED OF CONNEXINS, ARRANGED TO FORM INTERCELLULAR CHANNELS BETWEEN ADJACENT, COUPLED CELLS. CONNEXIN36 (CX36) IS THE PREDOMINANT CONNEXIN IN THE CNS. IN MANY BRAIN AND RETINAL CIRCUITS, GAP JUNCTIONS PROVIDE DIRECT AND SPECIFIC CONNECTIONS BETWEEN CELLS. IN ADDITION, ELECTRICAL SYNAPSES MEDIATE NETWORK PROPERTIES SUCH AS SIGNAL AVERAGING, NOISE REDUCTION AND SYNCHRONIZATION. HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THEIR SMALL SIZE, GAP JUNCTIONS ARE NOT VISIBLE IN LARGE-SCALE SERIAL EM DATA SETS. FOR THESE REASONS, GAP JUNCTIONS TEND TO BE UNDER-REPORTED OR SIMPLY IGNORED. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO DEVELOP A COMBINED APPROACH TO IMAGE GAP JUNCTION CONNECTIVITY IN EM DATASETS AND, IN ADDITION, TO ESTIMATE THE SIZE, STRENGTH, AND PLASTICITY OF GAP JUNCTIONS. WE WILL STUDY REGIONS OF THE RETINA THAT CONTAIN GAP JUNCTIONS OF DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT SIZES AND SHAPES, TO ALLOW US TO CORRELATE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION. AIM 1 WILL USE HIGH-RESOLUTION CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY TO DETERMINE CONNEXON NUMBER AT LARGE AND SMALL GAP JUNCTIONS. ANALYSES WILL DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF CONNEXONS PER GAP JUNCTION. THESE METHODS WILL PROVIDE A GENERAL-PURPOSE TOOL TO DETERMINE THE SIZE OF GAP JUNCTIONS FOR USE IN ALL BRAIN REGIONS. AIM 2 WILL USE 3D-EM IMAGING TO ALLOW UNAMBIGUOUS IDENTIFICATION OF GAP JUNCTIONS IN FIB-SEM IMAGES, WHICH WILL FOLLOW WITH FIRST-EVER IMMUNOGOLD QUANTIFICATION OF A MEMBRANE-BOUND PROTEIN IN 3D-EM STRUCTURES. THESE STUDIES WILL ALLOW HIGH-RESOLUTION QUANTIFICATION OF GAP JUNCTIONS AND PROTEINS IN IDENTIFIED NEURONS. AIM 3 WILL USE ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES TO DETERMINE COUPLING CONDUCTANCE AND THEN DEVELOP MODELS TO CALCULATE THE MAXIMAL POTENTIAL COUPLING CONDUCTANCE FROM THE MORPHOLOGICAL DATA BY MULTIPLYING THE NUMBER OF CHANNELS/GAP JUNCTION [SPECIFIC AIM 1] TIMES THE CONNECTIVITY (THE NUMBER OF GAP JUNCTIONS BETWEEN COUPLED CELLS) [SPECIFIC AIM 2], TIMES THE UNITARY CONDUCTANCE OF CX36. USING PAIRED RECORDINGS, WE WILL OBTAIN DIRECT PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES OF THE JUNCTIONAL CONDUCTANCE BETWEEN COUPLED CELLS. THEN, BY COMPARISON WITH THE POTENTIAL MAXIMUM CALCULATED FROM THE MORPHOLOGICAL DATA, WE CAN CALCULATE THE OPEN CHANNEL PROBABILITY AND PLACE REALISTIC LIMITS ON THE OPERATING RANGE. THESE ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES REQUIRED TO UNDERSTAND THE FUNCTION OF GAP JUNCTIONS IN NEURONAL MICROCIRCUITS. THIS PROGRAM IS AN EXACT MATCH FOR ONE OF THE LISTED AREAS, “TOOLS TO IDENTIFY GAP JUNCTIONS AND CHARACTERIZE ELECTRICAL SYNAPSES” IN THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT, RFA-MH-20-135.

RELIABLE HUMAN-MODEL OBSERVERS FOR EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY

MULTI-TIERED VIDEO ANALYTICS FOR ABNORMALITY DETECTION AND ALERTING TO IMPROVE RESPONSE TIME FOR FIRST RESPONDER COMMUNICATIONS AND OPERATIONS

TARGETING CONSTITUTIVELY ACTIVE SUMO MODIFIED ANDROGEN RECEPTORS IN ENDOCRINE RESISTANT BREAST CANCER - PROJECT SUMMARY FORTY PERCENT OF PATIENTS WITH THE MOST PREVALENT LUMINAL HORMONE RECEPTOR POSITIVE (HR+) BREAST CANCER (BCA) SUBTYPE ARE UNRESPONSIVE TO CONVENTIONAL ENDOCRINE THERAPY (ET) AND READILY PRESENT WITH INCURABLE METASTATIC DISEASE. PATIENTS WITH ET RESISTANT (ET-R) BCA EXHIBIT AN “ENDOCRINE-SWITCH” TO ANDROGEN RECEPTOR (AR)- DEPENDENT TUMOR GROWTH AND METASTASIS. ANTI-ANDROGENS ARE EMERGING AS PROMISING THERAPY FOR OTHER ADVANCED BCA SUBTYPES BUT SURPRISINGLY, AR OVEREXPRESSING ET-R BCA CELLS ARE UNRESPONSIVE TO AR ANTAGONISTS. OUR NEW FINDINGS SHOW CONSTITUTIVELY ACTIVE AR ACCUMULATE AND EVADE THE INHIBITORY ACTIONS OF ANTI-ANDROGEN ENZALUTAMIDE (ENZ). HENCE, THE OBJECTIVE OF THE CURRENT PROJECT IS TO DESIGN A THERAPEUTIC STRATEGY TO EFFECTIVELY TARGET AR AND PREVENT METASTATIC PROGRESSION OF ET-R BCA. WE DEMONSTRATE THAT UNLIKE OTHER CANCER MODELS, PERSISTENT SUMO POST-TRANSLATIONAL MODIFICATION (PTM) OF AR (SUMO-AR) OCCURS NATIVELY IN ACQUIRED AND INTRINSIC ET-R BCA CELLS. SUMO-PTM IS A CRITICAL DYNAMIC CELLULAR PROCESS AND AN IMBALANCE IN SUMO-SPECIFIC ENZYMES DRIVE SELECT TYPES OF BCA INCLUDING BASAL AND MYC- DEPENDENT BCA AS REPORTED BY US AND OTHERS. INDEPENDENT OF THE ESTABLISHED SUMO ENZYMATIC SYSTEM, WE IDENTIFY A DUAL SUMO-UBIQUITIN LIGASE THAT IS DRUGGABLE AND DESTABILIZES SUMO-AR IN ET-R BCA. THIS PROPOSAL WILL DELINEATE THE REGULATORY CONTROL OF THIS NOVEL LIGASE IN ET-R BCA AND ITS ROLE IN ENZ-RESPONSE. OUR NEW DATA SUGGESTS THAT CONSTITUTIVE SUMO-AR GENOMIC ACTIVITY REQUIRES INTERACTION WITH A LNCRNA. HENCE, WE WILL DELINEATE HOW SUMO-AR/LNCRNA INTERACTION FACILITATES LIGAND-INDEPENDENT GENOMIC ACTIVITY IN ET-R BCA CELLS. FINALLY, THE PROPOSED STUDIES WILL TEST UNIQUE APPROACHES TO EITHER 1) INHIBIT AR ACTIVITY OR 2) POTENTIATE AR DEGRADATION VERSUS THE CURRENT STANDARD ENZ. IN THE PROCESS, WE WILL GENERATE NOVEL THERAPEUTICS AND EVALUATE CLINICALLY RELEVANT COMPOUNDS SPECIFICALLY FOR ADVANCED ET-R BCA. CONSISTENTLY, COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT WILL VALIDATE THE NEED AND ESTABLISH THE TOOLS FOR MORE COMPREHENSIVE TRANSLATIONAL STUDIES ON SUMO-AR IN ET-R HR+ BCA.

STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS PROGRAM (SIP)

LEARNING THROUGH INFORMAL AND FORMAL EXPERIENCES

TAS::89 0222::TAS; NEW; CONTROLLING MAGNETIC AND FERROELECTRIC ORDER THROUGH GEOMETRY: SYNTHESIS, AB INITIO THEORY, AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NEW MULTI

NOVEL STRATEGIES TO POTENTIATE A RAS-TARGETED ONCOLYTIC HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS

ALCOHOL, EXERCISE & THE FEMALE BRAIN

MECHANISM OF PROGESTERONE RECEPTOR IN CERVICAL CANCER

PERIPHERAL OPTICAL AND NEURAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO MYOPIA DEVELOPMENT - ABSTRACT MYOPIA (NEARSIGHTEDNESS) IS ONE OF THE FOREMOST CAUSES OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT WORLDWIDE, WITH SEVERE MYOPIA BEING LINKED TO SEVERAL SERIOUS EYE DISEASES THAT CAN RESULT IN PERMANENT BLINDNESS. THE PREVALENCE OF MYOPIA HAS BEEN INCREASING AND IS ESTIMATED TO AFFECT 50% OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION BY 2050. DESPITE THE IDENTIFICATION OF MANY RISK FACTORS FOR MYOPIA PROGRESSION SUCH AS AGE OF ONSET, GENETICS, VISUAL ENVIRONMENT, AND PERIPHERAL DEFOCUS, CAUSES OF MYOPIA ARE NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD. CURRENT INTERVENTIONS HAVE SHOWN SOME SUCCESS, BUT WITHOUT A CLEAR EXPLANATION FOR THEIR MECHANISM OF ACTION. IT IS THEREFORE CRITICAL TO INVESTIGATE THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING MYOPIA DEVELOPMENT IN ORDER TO DESIGN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS TO CONTROL THE PROGRESSION OF MYOPIA IN CHILDREN, AND TO DELAY OR ULTIMATELY PREVENT ONSET ALTOGETHER. OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND THE INFLUENCE OF PERIPHERAL OPTICAL AND NEURAL FACTORS ON MYOPIA DEVELOPMENT. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO TEST THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS THAT OPTICAL AND NEURAL ANISOTROPY IN THE HUMAN PERIPHERAL VISUAL SYSTEM PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN AXIAL ELONGATION. TO ACHIEVE THESE GOALS WE WILL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT INNOVATIVE OPTICAL TOOLS INCLUDING A COMPACT SCANNING OCULAR WAVEFRONT SENSOR, AN OPEN-VIEW SCANNING ADAPTIVE OPTICS VISION SIMULATOR, AND INDIVIDUALLY-CUSTOMIZED CONTACT LENSES. AIM 1 IS DIRECTED AT CHARACTERIZING HOW DIFFERENT ABERRATION PROFILES IMPACT THROUGH-FOCUS RETINAL IMAGE QUALITY AND NEURAL FUNCTIONS. FIRST, MEASURING LOWER AND HIGHER ORDER OCULAR ABERRATIONS ACROSS RETINAL ECCENTRICITY WILL CHARACTERIZE INDIVIDUAL RETINAL IMAGE QUALITY AND BLUR ORIENTATIONS. NEURAL ANISOTROPY AT THE SAME ECCENTRICITIES WILL THEN BE EVALUATED BY ADMINISTERING PSYCHOPHYSICAL TASKS WHILE BYPASSING THE OCULAR OPTICS USING A SCANNING ADAPTIVE OPTICS VISION SIMULATOR. AIM 2 WILL FOCUS ON DETERMINING HOW INTRINSIC PERIPHERAL ABERRATION PROFILES AND EYE SHAPE CHANGE OVER TIME IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. TO DO THIS, WE WILL DEVELOP A COMPACT PORTABLE SCANNING WAVEFRONT SENSOR THAT CAN BE TRANSPORTED TO AND USED IN A CLINIC FOR MEASURING LONGITUDINAL CHANGES OF SCHOOL CHILDREN’S OPTICS ACROSS RETINAL ECCENTRICITY. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO DELINEATE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CHANGES IN PERIPHERAL ABERRATIONS AT THE CRUCIAL STAGES OF MYOPIA DEVELOPMENT, IN THOSE CHILDREN WHO DEVELOP MYOPIA. AIM 3 IS PROPOSED TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE A ROLE OF BLUR ORIENTATIONS IN DETECTING THE SIGN OF DEFOCUS AND ALTERING DIRECTIONAL NEURAL SENSITIVITY IN THE PERIPHERAL RETINA. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, THE RETINAL RESPONSE IN TERM OF CHANGES IN CHOROIDAL LAYER THICKNESS (SHORT-TERM) AND NEURAL SENSITIVITY (LONG-TERM) WILL BE EXAMINED DURING AND AFTER THE PERIPHERAL RETINA IS EXPOSED TO SPECIFIC BLUR ORIENTATIONS.

PROJECT LISTO: A LONGITUDINAL INVESTIGATION OF READING RISK FOR ADOLESCENT NEWCOMER ENGLISH LEARNERS

1/2 U-HAND (UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON/MD ANDERSON) PROGRAM TO REDUCE CANCER DISPARITIES