Oakland University

OAKLAND UNIVERSITY HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND-INSTITUTIONAL IHE

OAKLAND UNIVERSITY EMERGENCY FINANCIAL AID GRANTS UNDER THE CARES ACT

THE DETROIT CHILD HEALTH INCUBATOR RESEARCH PROJECT (CHIRP)

DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PEPTIDOMIMETIC SMALL MOLECULE ACTIVATORS OF PEPTIDASE NEUROLYSIN FOR STROKE THERAPY.

INVESTIGATION OF THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF ROD AND CONE PHOTORECEPTOR STRUCTURE

PROTEINS OF NORMAL AND CATARACTOUS LENSES

OAKLAND UNIVERSITY PROJECT UPWARD BOUND COLLEGE PREP ACADEMY WILL SERVE 133 ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS PER PROGRAM YEAR FROM ONE TARGET AREA ENCOMPASSING 2 COMMUNITIES IN OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

PURPOSE:THE PURPOSE OF THIS GRANT IS TO PROCURE KEY EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO PROVIDE TESTING SERVICES, RESEARCH, ENGAGEMENT SUPPORT AND OUTREACH TO THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR IN MICHIGAN AND BEYOND TO SUPPORT ADVANCES IN ELECTRIFICATION ACROSS THIS INDUSTRY. THE EQUIPMENT PURCHASED WILL SUPPORT FABRICATION, TESTING, AND STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT ACROSS MANY DIFFERENT ELECTRIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES, WITH EMPHASIS ON BATTERY MATERIALS. ESTABLISHING THESE CAPABILITIES WILL ALLOW THE U.S. TO CLOSE A CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY GAP IN PROTOTYPING, TESTING, AND STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT FOR COMPETITIVE ELECTRIFICATION SOLUTIONS.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED:THIS GRANT WILL SUPPORT THE PROCUREMENT OF NECESSARY EQUIPMENT TO GAIN CRITICAL TESTING AND STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT CAPABILITIES AT THE NEXT-GEN ELECTRIFICATION TESTING AND STANDARDS FACILITY AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY. THIS FACILITY SEEKS TO REVOLUTIONIZE VEHICLE ELECTRIFICATION, SUPPORTING RESEARCH IN BATTERY MATERIALS PROTOTYPING AND VEHICLE-LEVEL TESTING AND CONNECTIVITY. THIS GRANT WILL PROCURE THE FOLLOWING EQUIPMENT IN SUPPORT OF THIS FACILITY: THIN FILM DEPOSITION EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS TESTING EQUIPMENT, BATTERY CYCLING TEST AND ANALYSIS EQUIPMENT, AND INTELLIGENT EV SYSTEMS FOR STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT.EXPECTED OUTCOMES:THE EQUIPMENT PROCURED IN THIS GRANT WILL BE USED TO SUPPORT RESEARCH AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY, RESEARCH AND TESTING SERVICES CONDUCTED IN SUPPORT OF BOTH INDUSTRIAL AND ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS, AND DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE WORKFORCE NEEDED FOR THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR AND ELECTRIFICATION.INTENDED BENEFICIARIES:KEY BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE THE US TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY, ESPECIALLY LIGHT AND HEAVY DUTY ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS, AS WELL AS BUSINESSES IN MICHIGAN AND CURRENT AND FUTURE WORKFORCE IN THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY.SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES:THE RECIPIENT DOES NOT INTEND TO SUBAWARD FUNDS

PURPOSE:THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS THE ACQUISITION OF AN INDOOR AUTOMOTIVE ANTENNA MEASUREMENT SYSTEM (AAMS) THAT PERFORMS FULL-SCALE VEHICLE ANTENNA PATTERN MEASUREMENTS (APM). THE SYSTEM WILL SUPPORT RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND CERTIFICATION OF AUTOMOTIVE ANTENNAS USED TO IMPROVE VEHICLE SAFETY, AUTONOMY, AND INFOTAINMENT. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED:OAKLAND UNIVERSITY WILL PROCURE THE AAMS SYSTEM THROUGH A COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCESS THAT MEET REQUIREMENTS IDENTIFIED BY OAKLAND UNIVERSITY. THE PROCUREMENT INCLUDES MODIFICATION TO AN EXISTING FACILITY TO SUPPORT VEHICLE-LEVEL ANTENNA TESTING AND INSTALLATION OF THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT. EXPECTED OUTCOMES:THE RESULTS OF GRANT WILL PROVIDE A UNIQUE TESTING ENVIRONMENT FOR MEASURING THE PERFORMANCE OF AUTOMOTIVE ANTENNA SYSTEMS. THE RESEARCH FACILITY WILL BE A MULTI-USER, SHARED-USED UNIT PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY, TRACEABLE MEASUREMENTS OF ANTENNAS DEPLOYED ON VEHICLES. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES:U.S. TRANSPORT, COMMERCE, AND DEFENSE SECTORS; RESEARCHERS AND STUDENTS IN THE MICHIGAN STATE ACADEMIC AND INDUSTRIAL COMMUNITIES; AUTOMOTIVE STANDARD ORGANIZATIONS.SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES:THE RECIPIENT DOES NOT INTEND TO SUBAWARD FUNDS.

UPWARD BOUND

OAKLAND UNIVERSITY PROJECT UPWARD BOUND COLLEGE PREP ACADEMY

UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM

TRANSLATIONAL STUDIES OF THE PLATELET SPECIFIC RECEPTOR TREM LIKE TRANSCRIPT (TLT

TAS::89 0331::TAS RECOVERY RECOVERY ACT: HUMAN HEALTH SCIENCE BUILDING GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS

MECHANISMS FOR RADIATION DAMAGE TO DNA: LET EFFECTS

CYBERCORPS SCHOLARSHIP FOR SERVICE: CYBER DEFENSE OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS -THE COMPLEXITY AND CAPABILITIES OF AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS AND AUTOMATION, RANGING FROM E-VOTING TO UNMANNED FLIGHT, ARE INCREASING. IN ADDITION, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT AND GROWING ROLE IN THE OPERATION OF SUCH CRITICAL SYSTEMS. PROTECTING THESE INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS AND USING AI FOR CYBERSECURITY AND CYBER-DEFENSE SYSTEMS REQUIRES A WORKFORCE WITH MULTIDISCIPLINARY TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE. THE NATIONAL DEMAND FOR SUCH CYBERSECURITY PROFESSIONALS FAR EXCEEDS THE SUPPLY; AND THE DEMAND IS PARTICULARLY CRITICAL IN GOVERNMENT. MOREOVER, PATHWAYS TO GOVERNMENT POSITIONS ARE LESS CLEAR TO NEW PROFESSIONALS THAN MORE VISIBLE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMERCIAL SECTOR. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS TO UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS STUDYING CYBERSECURITY AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY (OU). RECRUITMENT OF WOMEN AND MINORITY STUDENTS, WHO ARE CURRENTLY UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE CYBERSECURITY WORKFORCE, WILL BE PRIORITIZED. OU HAS A CONCENTRATION OF FACULTY WITH EXPERTISE IN AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS AND AI AS PART OF ITS MISSION IN SERVING EMPLOYERS IN SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN, MOST OF WHOM HAVE A NATIONAL, IF NOT GLOBAL, REACH. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH A VISIBLE, COMPETITIVE PATHWAY TO EXCITING, REWARDING CAREERS IN SERVING THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT IN CYBERSECURITY AND CYBER-DEFENSE. OU?S CYBERSECURITY PROGRAM OFFERS UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN A CURRICULUM WITH HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY COURSES IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, COMPUTER SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, MANAGEMENT, AND ETHICS. COURSES ARE ALIGNED WITH THE NATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION (NICE) WORKFORCE FRAMEWORK. OU?S CENTER FOR CYBERSECURITY BRINGS TOGETHER SEVENTEEN FACULTY FROM SIX DEPARTMENTS COVERING COMPUTER SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS, POLITICAL SCIENCE, SOCIOLOGY, SOCIAL WORK, AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE. THE CENTER PROVIDES AN IMMERSIVE CYBER-DEFENSE ECOSYSTEM FOR STUDENTS, INCLUDING RESEARCH EXPERIENCES, PROJECTS, CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS, CAMPS, AND A LONG HISTORY OF OUTREACH TO K-12 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. STUDENTS WILL COMPLETE A PROJECT WITH A FACULTY AND GOVERNMENT MENTOR WITH ACTIVITIES INCLUDING SECURITY POLICIES, SYSTEM VULNERABILITIES AND COUNTERMEASURES, LEGAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN MOBILE SECURITY AND WIRELESS SECURITY, PROTECTING MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS, AND SECURITY IN BIG DATA. THE PROGRAM WILL ALSO INCLUDE A MULTI-LEVEL ADVISING AND MENTORSHIP PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY FOR CYBERSECURITY IN GOVERNMENT. THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY THE CYBERCORPS? SCHOLARSHIP FOR SERVICE (SFS) PROGRAM, WHICH FUNDS PROPOSALS ESTABLISHING OR CONTINUING SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS IN CYBERSECURITY AND ALIGNS WITH THE U.S. NATIONAL CYBER STRATEGY TO DEVELOP A SUPERIOR CYBERSECURITY WORKFORCE. FOLLOWING GRADUATION, SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS ARE REQUIRED TO WORK IN CYBERSECURITY FOR A FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, OR TRIBAL GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION FOR THE SAME DURATION AS THEIR SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT. 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.

ACL DEFICIENCY MODIFIES TOPOGRAPHICAL DEGRADATION IN POSTTRAUMATIC OSTEOARTHRITIS

NURSING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

ADAPTABILITY OF ARTICULAR CARTILAGE TO EXTERNAL LOADING BY MICROSCOPIC IMAGING

NRT-HDR: USING A DATA ANALYTICS FRAMEWORK TO MERGE STEM AND ENTREPRENEURIAL TRAINING -IN THE PAST DECADE, BUSINESSES THAT UTILIZE ?OMICS? INFORMATION (GENOMICS, TRANSCRIPTOMICS, AND PROTEOMICS) TO ANSWER MAJOR SOCIETAL ISSUES IN MEDICINE, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, AND OTHER FIELDS HAVE FLOURISHED. THESE SUCCESSES HIGHLIGHT THE POWER OF BRIDGING ACADEMIC DISCOVERIES AND THEIR COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS. HOWEVER, THEY ALSO IDENTIFY A GAP IN CURRENT STEM GRADUATE STUDENT TRAINING: CURRICULA ARE DESIGNED TO FOCUS NARROWLY ON THE ACADEMIC PROCESSES OF DISCOVERIES WITH MINIMAL EXPLORATION OF THEIR APPLICATION TO AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, WHICH IS THE PURVIEW OF BUSINESS GRADUATES. SIMILARLY, BUSINESS GRADUATES ARE WELL TRAINED IN THEIR FIELD BUT LACK THE SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT THE RESEARCH DIRECTION OF A POTENTIAL COMPANY. THIS NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION RESEARCH TRAINEESHIP (NRT) AWARD WILL ADDRESS THIS GAP BY DEVELOPING A FULLY-INTEGRATED OMICS-BUSINESS CURRICULUM THAT WILL DEVELOP SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE ALONGSIDE ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS. THE CONVERGENT NATURE OF THIS PROGRAM WILL BE BASED IN INTERDISCIPLINARY GROUPS OF FACULTY MENTORS AND STUDENT TEAMS THAT WILL WORK TOGETHER FROM DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS TO BUSINESS DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT. THE PROGRAM ANTICIPATES THE PARTICIPATION OF 18 FUNDED TRAINEES AND AN ADDITIONAL 30 GRADUATE STUDENTS (MASTER AND PHD). UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WILL ALSO BE ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE IN SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT WILL BE DEVELOPED. OVERALL, APPROXIMATELY 100 STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO BENEFIT FROM THIS NRT PROGRAM. THE RESEARCH THEME OF THIS DATA ANALYTICS IN MULTI-OMICS SCIENCE (DAMOS) NRT PROGRAM IS INVESTIGATING PHENOTYPIC VARIATION USING ADVANCED GENOMICS, TRANSCRIPTOMICS, AND PROTEOMICS METHODOLOGIES. ?PHENOTYPE? IS ANY MODIFICATION, WHETHER MACROSCOPIC, MICROSCOPIC, OR MOLECULAR, THAT IS CORRELATED WITH CHANGES IN ORGANISMAL FITNESS AND SURVIVAL. GENOMICS, TRANSCRIPTOMICS, AND PROTEOMICS VARIABILITY DRIVES PHENOTYPIC ALTERATIONS. USING THE COMMON LANGUAGE OF DATA SCIENCE AND ANALYTICS, STUDENTS IN THIS PROGRAM WILL DESIGN AND DEVELOP PROJECTS THAT EXPLORE THE FULL BREADTH OF AN ?OMICS? PIPELINE, THUS CONTRIBUTING TO MAPPING GENOME TO PHENOME RELATIONS. AT THE SAME TIME, THEY WILL CAPITALIZE ON THIS KNOWLEDGE TO DEVELOP A BUSINESS PLAN, PRACTICE BUSINESS PITCHES, AND NETWORK/INTERN WITH LOCAL INDUSTRY PARTNERS TO LEARN HOW TO TRANSFORM ACADEMIC DISCOVERIES INTO SOLUTIONS FOR SOME OF SOCIETY?S GRAND CHALLENGES. THE FOCUS ON DATA SCIENCE AND DATA ANALYTICS WILL EFFECTIVELY CREATE A NEW TRAINING PARADIGM THAT TRANSCENDS THE BOUNDARIES OF INDIVIDUAL DISCIPLINES TO CREATE A NEW GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS WHO ARE EQUALLY COMFORTABLE DIVING INTO THE DETAILS OF THEIR RESEARCH AS THEY ARE AT EXPLORING ITS POTENTIAL BUSINESS AND SOCIETAL IMPACTS. KEY ELEMENTS OF THE DAMOS PROGRAM INCLUDE (I) A FLEXIBLE CURRICULUM THAT DRAWS FROM THREE DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES (BIOLOGY, MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS, AND BUSINESS), (II) MODULAR WORKSHOPS AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THAT INTEGRATE AND EXPAND ON EACH STUDENT?S SCIENTIFIC AND BUSINESS BACKGROUND, AND (III) PROFESSIONAL AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE ACADEMIC AND INDUSTRY CAREER PATHS. ALL THESE ELEMENTS ARE FULLY INTEGRATED WITHIN CURRENT GRADUATE CURRICULA AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY AND WILL PROVIDE A SUSTAINABLE AND SCALABLE BLUEPRINT FOR THIS AND FUTURE TRANSDISCIPLINARY PROGRAMS. THE NSF RESEARCH TRAINEESHIP (NRT) PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF BOLD, NEW POTENTIALLY TRANSFORMATIVE MODELS FOR STEM GRADUATE EDUCATION TRAINING. THE PROGRAM IS DEDICATED TO EFFECTIVE TRAINING OF STEM GRADUATE STUDENTS IN HIGH PRIORITY INTERDISCIPLINARY OR CONVERGENT RESEARCH AREAS THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE TRAINEESHIP MODELS THAT ARE INNOVATIVE, EVIDENCE-BASED, AND ALIGNED WITH CHANGING WORKFORCE AND RESEARCH NEEDS. 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.

THROMBOSUPPRESSIVE MECHANISMS OF NOVEL MUTANTS DISCOVERED THROUGH AN ENU MUTAGENESIS SCREEN

HOMOCYSTEINE'S ROLE IN AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

MOLECULAR SCAFFOLDING FOR PHOTORECEPTOR OUTER SEGMENT STRUCTURE AND RENEWAL.

FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION OF THE RETINAL DOPAMINERGIC NETWORK

COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING - CONSTRUCTION - ADDRESS: 1500 UNIVERSITY DRIVE, AUBURN HILLS, MI PROJECT DIRECTOR: BRITT RIOS-ELLIS (CONTACT PD/PI) PHONE: (248) 370-2190 EMAIL: RIOSELLIS@OAKLAND.EDU LINDSAY GIETZEN (CO-PD/PI) PHONE: (248) 364-8652 EMAIL: LGITEZEN@OAKLAND.EDU GRANT FUNDING: $1.6 MILLION OAKLAND UNIVERSITY (OU) REQUESTS FUNDING TO PURCHASE EQUIPMENT, FIXTURES, FURNISHINGS, AND SOFTWARE, TO EQUIP OU'S NEW MASTER OF SCIENCE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT (MSPA) PROGRAM AT 1500 UNIVERSITY DRIVE, AUBURN HILLS, MI. THIS PROGRAM WILL FOCUS ON MEETING HEALTHCARE NEEDS OF MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED INDIVIDUALS IN OAKLAND COUNTY BY SUPPORTING TRAINING OF PAS AS ALLIED HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, MITIGATING OAKLAND COUNTY’S PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE AND IMPROVING URBAN, RURAL, AND LOCAL COMMUNITY HEALTH. WE ARE NOT REQUESTING HRSA FUNDS FOR RENOVATIONS TO THE PROJECT SITE: THE OU BOARD OF TRUSTEES HAS APPROVED A BUDGET TO COVER THE COST OF RENOVATIONS THAT WILL SUPPORT THE MSPA PROGRAM AND OTHER OU EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN THE FACILITY. WE EXPECT TO EDUCATE 100 STUDENTS PER YEAR THROUGH THE MSPA PROGRAM, WHICH WILL TAKE IN ITS FIRST COHORT OF STUDENTS IN FALL 2023. OU IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO MEET THIS HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE CHALLENGE, AS OU ALREADY HAS FULLY ACCREDITED PROGRAMS IN PUBLIC HEALTH, NURSING, AND MEDICINE. OU’S SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES IS DEVELOPING THE MSPA PROGRAM WITH AN INTERPROFESSIONAL FOCUS, INCLUSIVE OF NATURAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES EXPERTISE, AND BENEFITTING FROM OU’S ESTABLISHED STRENGTHS IN CLINICAL PROGRAMMING (NURSING, MEDICINE, PHYSICAL THERAPY, MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE) AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (PUBLIC HEALTH, SOCIAL WORK, NUTRITION). MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED INDIVIDUALS HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE MEDICAL OUTCOMES THAN THE AVERAGE OAKLAND COUNTY RESIDENT. 33% OF COUNTY RESIDENTS HAVE REPORTED DELAYING MEDICAL PROCEDURES, THERE IS A 21-YEAR LIFE-EXPECTANCY DIFFERENCE AMONG RESIDENTS LIVING ONLY 12 MILES APART, AND AFRICAN-AMERICANS DIE FROM PREVENTABLE HEART DISEASE AT 1.3 TIMES THE COUNTY AVERAGE. OUR STATE-OF-THE-ART CLINICAL EDUCATION FACILITY WILL PROVIDE THE ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH ESSENTIALS FOR CLINICAL SKILLS TEACHING, SUPPLEMENTAL VIRTUAL ANATOMY INSTRUCTION, A CLINICAL TEAMS SIMULATION ENVIRONMENT, AND STUDY SPACES ORGANIZED TO PROVIDE AN EXCELLENT COMPREHENSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR PA STUDENTS. THIS FACILITY CAN ALSO BE USED TO EXPAND CLINIC SPACE DURING SITUATIONS WHERE PATIENT VOLUME IS HIGHER THAN NORMAL (E.G., THE COVID PANDEMIC, OR OTHER EMERGENCY SITUATIONS).

MECHANISMS OF RSC RECRUITMENT AND ITS ROLE IN TRANSCRIPTION

HEALTHY PONTIAC, WE CAN! ELIMINATING HEALTH DISPARITIES IN A LOW-INCOME URBAN MINORITY COMMUNITY.

BMP2/ALKS SIGNALING SYSTEM IN DIABETIC RETINOPATHY

THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT AND MYOPIA IN PREMATURITY - PROJECT SUMMARY THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DETERMINE THE NEURONAL AND VASCULAR MECHANISMS OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT AND MYOPIA RESULTING FROM PREMATURITY IN ORDER TO DEVELOP PREVENTIVE AND THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES. PRENATAL AND EARLY POSTNATAL VERTEBRATE RETINAS GENERATE CORRELATED SPONTANEOUS NEURONAL ACTIVITY, TERMED “RETINAL WAVES,” THAT ARE ESSENTIAL FOR NORMAL NEURONAL DEVELOPMENT AND VISION. PREMATURE RETINAL WAVE TERMINATION MAY CONTRIBUTE TO PRETERM BIRTH-ASSOCIATED VISION PROBLEMS AND REFRACTIVE ERRORS. PRETERM BIRTH, IN COMBINATION WITH POSTNATAL OXY- GEN THERAPY, CAN ALSO CAUSE RETINAL VASCULAR COMPLICATIONS KNOWN AS RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY (ROP). ROP IS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH INCURABLE VISUAL IMPAIRMENT AND MYOPIA IN PREMATURE INFANTS. THE CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE PATHOGENESES OF EYE DISORDERS RELATED TO ROP AND THE EARLY RETINAL WAVE ACTIVITY TERMINATION ARE NOT YET WELL DEFINED. OUR OBJECTIVES IN THIS PROJECT ARE TO DEFINE HOW SPONTANEOUS RETINAL WAVES MEDIATE OCULAR GROWTH BEFORE VISUAL EXPERIENCE AND HOW OXYGEN-INDUCED RETINOPATHY (OIR) CAUSES VISION IMPAIRMENT AND MYOPIA. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA DEMONSTRATED THAT CHOLINERGIC RETINAL WAVES GENERATED BY STARBURST AMACRINE CELLS (SACS) CAN EXCITE DOPAMINERGIC AMACRINE CELLS (DACS), THE SOLE SOURCE OF OCULAR DOPAMINE—AN OCULAR DEVELOPMENT REGULATOR. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT CHOLINERGIC WAVES DRIVE NORMAL EYE DEVELOPMENT VIA DOPAMINE SIGNALING AND THAT SUPPRESSION OF THIS PATHWAY WILL DISRUPT NORMAL OCULAR GROWTH. IN AIM 1, WE WILL TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS BY IDENTIFYING THE CHOLINERGIC WAVE–DOPAMINE SIGNALING PATHWAY AND ASSESSING HOW THIS PATHWAY IMPACTS OCULAR GROWTH. IN ADDITION, WE HAVE FOUND THAT, IN AN OIR ANIMAL MODEL, AII AMACRINE CELLS (AII-ACS) AND DACS—TWO CLASSES OF INNER RETINAL NEURONS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO SCOTOPIC AND PHOTOPIC VISION, RESPECTIVELY—WERE SUBSTANTIALLY LOST. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE LOSS OF AII-ACS AND DACS IN OIR CAUSES MYOPIA. IN AIM 2, WE WILL TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS BY DETERMINING THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS OF AII-ACS AND DACS TO OIR-INDUCED MYOPIA AND ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF OIR-INDUCED VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS ON MYOPIA DEVELOPMENT. EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCLUDE DETERMINING HOW RETINAL WAVES INFLUENCE DOPAMINE SIGNALING TO MEDIATE OCULAR GROWTH AND HOW OXYGEN TREATMENT PERTURBS THE ROD AND CONE SIGNALING SYSTEMS THROUGH THE LOSS OF RETINAL INTERNEURONS TO CAUSE VISION LOSS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF MYOPIA. THE BROADER IMPACT OF THIS WORK ON UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES AND MECHANISMS OF PRETERM VISION IMPAIRMENT AND MYOPIA IN CHILDREN WILL ENABLE THE RATIONAL DISCOVERY OF NEW THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS.

PUBLIC HEALTH SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM - ADDRESS: HUMAN HEALTH BUILDING, 433 MEADOW BROOK ROAD, ROCHESTER, MI 48309-4452 PROJECT DIRECTOR NAME: CARESS DEAN CONTACT PHONE NUMBERS: VOICE-(248) 364-8845; FAX-(248) 364-8657 EMAIL ADDRESS: CARESSDEAN@OAKLAND.EDU WEBSITE ADDRESS: HTTPS://WWW.OAKLAND.EDU/SHS/FACULTY-AND-STAFF/CARESS-A-DEAN-MPH-PHD GRANT PROGRAM FUNDS REQUESTED IN THE APPLICATION: $1,249,177 REQUESTED FUNDING PREFERENCE, PRIORITY, OR SPECIAL CONSIDERATION: THE APPLICANT IS APPLYING FOR FUNDING PREFERENCE FOR UNDERREPRESENTED RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES. THE APPLICANT MET QUALIFICATION #1 IN THE AREAS OF EDUCATIONAL/ENVIRONMENTAL DISADVANTAGED, ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED, AND UNDERREPRESENTED RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES. THE APPLICANT HAS ALSO MET QUALIFICATION #2. OAKLAND UNIVERSITY'S (OU) MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH (MPH) PROGRAM AIMS TO INCREASE THE PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE CAPACITY AND PREPARE FUTURE PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO DIMINISH HEALTH DISPARITIES AND INEQUITIES EXPERIENCED BY COMMUNITIES. TO ACHIEVE THIS AIM, OU'S MPH PROGRAM, ACCREDITED BY THE COUNCIL ON EDUCATION FOR PUBLIC HEALTH, HAS DEVISED THE PUBLIC HEALTH SCHOLARSHIP (PHS) PROGRAM. THE PHS PROGRAM HAS THE FOLLOWING SIX OBJECTIVES: OBJECTIVE 1: ESTABLISH THE PUBLIC HEALTH SCHOLARSHIP TEAM BY OCTOBER 31, 2022, TO ASSIST IN IMPLEMENTING AND EVALUATING THE PHS PROGRAM. THIS WILL INVOLVE HIRING AN MPH TRAINEE TO BECOME THE PHS GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT (GRA). OBJECTIVE 2: RECRUIT 27 STUDENTS TO THE MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM FROM DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO WORKING IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH FIELD STARTING FALL 2022. THE PROJECT DIRECTOR AND THE PHS GRA WILL IMPLEMENT A SIX-PRONG MARKETING STRATEGY AND COLLABORATE WITH INTERNAL OU SECTORS AND COMMUNITY SECTORS TO RECRUIT DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS TO THE PHS PROGRAM. EXISTING SUPPORT SERVICES WILL BE FURTHER INTEGRATED TO FACILITATE BELONGING, STUDENT SUCCESS, AND CAREER ADVISING TO RETAIN PHS RECIPIENTS. EACH RECIPIENT WILL BE MATCHE D WITH AN OU MPH ALUMNUS TO FURTHER SUPPORT PHS RECIPIENTS' SUCCESSFUL MATRICULATION THROUGH THE MPH PROGRAM AND EXPAND THEIR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK. OBJECTIVE 3: INCREASE THE NUMBER OF MPH COURSES AND COMPETENCY-RELATED EVENTS THAT IMPROVE THE EDUCATION AND PREPARATION OF MPH STUDENTS TO ADDRESS PUBLIC HEALTH INEQUITIES AND HEALTH DISPARITIES TO 47% (28% INCREASE) BY SEPTEMBER 1, 2022. MPH FACULTY WILL MODIFY THE MPH CURRICULUM TO INCORPORATE ADDITIONAL DIDACT TEACHING AND COURSE ASSESSMENT THAT EVALUATES STUDENTS' APPLICATION OF HEALTH DISPARITIES AND HEALTH INEQUITY COMPETENCIES. OBJECTIVE 4: INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC HEALTH FIELD EXPERIENCES (PRACTICUM) THAT OCCUR IN A MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED AREA (MUA) BY APRIL 28, 2023. PHS RECIPIENTS WILL BE CONNECTED TO PRACTICUM SITES IN MUA BY INVITING ALL SITES TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL PRACTICUM NETWORKING EVENT. OBJECTIVE 5: SUPPORT 100% OF PHS RECIPIENTS IN GAINING EMPLOYMENT IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH FIELD AT AN MUA ORGANIZATION SIX MONTHS POST-GRADUATION. AIDING PHS RECIPIENTS GAINING EMPLOYMENT IN AN MUA ORGANIZATION IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT; THEREFORE, MULTIPLE ACTIVITIES WILL BE PERFORMED, INCLUDING ANNUAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT EVENTS, CREATING EPORTFOLIOS, CONNECTING RECIPIENTS TO JOB OPPORTUNITIES, AND HOSTING A NETWORKING EVENT. OBJECTIVE 6: DISSEMINATE PUBLIC HEALTH SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM OUTCOMES TO OU LEADERSHIP AND THE MICHIGAN AND SCHOLARLY COMMUNITIES STARTING SUMMER 2023. PROJECT OUTCOMES WILL BE DISSEMINATED THROUGH MEETINGS, NEWSLETTERS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS. THE STUDENT TARGET AUDIENCE OF THE PHS PROGRAM IS DISADVANTAGED (1) UNDERREPRESENTED RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES, (2) TRADITIONAL STUDENT LEARNERS, AND (3) ADULT LEARNERS WHO CURRENTLY WORK IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH FIELD. THE PHS PROGRAM WILL FUND 27 DISADVANTAGED MPH TRAINEES.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM - OAKLAND UNIVERSITY'S SOCIAL WORK AND COUNSELING PROGRAMS PROPOSE THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ACADEMY (BHA) FELLOWSHIP TO TRAIN MASTER’S STUDENTS, FOCUSING ON MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED AREAS IN OAKLAND, GENESEE, MACOMB, LAPEER AND WAYNE COUNTIES. OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, WE WILL TRAIN AND GRADUATE 80 MASTER’S LEVEL STUDENTS FROM OUR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. THE FELLOWSHIP AIMS TO INCREASE ACCESS TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES, DEVELOP INTERPROFESSIONAL TRAINING, AND INTEGRATE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INTO PRIMARY CARE SETTINGS. IT TARGETS THE TRAINING OF CLINICIANS, CASE MANAGERS, AND LEADERS TO ADDRESS THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF ADULTS, CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS, AND YOUNG ADULTS AT RISK FOR MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, TRAUMA, AND BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS. THE PROGRAM PRIORITIZES TEAM-BASED CARE MODELS AND AIMS TO RECRUIT A DIVERSE WORKFORCE COMMITTED TO SERVING IN HIGH-NEED AREA. EACH STUDENT WILL ALSO BE PAIRED WITH A PROFESSIONAL MENTOR AND A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH COACH, FURTHER ENHANCING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SPECIALIZED SKILLS DURING THEIR PRACTICUM/INTERNSHIP. THE PROGRAM AIMS TO RECRUIT DIVERSE FELLOWS, PARTICULARLY FROM UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY GROUPS, THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS WITH VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS FOR CLINICAL TRAINING AND JOB PLACEMENT IN MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. IT WILL OFFER COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT TO STUDENTS, INCLUDING ACADEMIC RESOURCES, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, FINANCIAL AID, DISABILITY SUPPORT, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR CAREER PLACEMENT. PROGRAM QUALIFICATION: THIS GRANT APPLICATION IS UNDER QUALIFICATION 3: NEW PROGRAM, AS OUR MSW PROGRAM, OPERATIONAL FOR THREE YEARS, HAS GRADUATED ONLY TWO CLASSES THUS FAR. ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES: OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, WE AIM TO TRAIN AND GRADUATE 80 MASTER’S LEVEL STUDENTS, PREPARING THEM TO EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS THE COMPLEXITIES FACED BY MARGINALIZED INDIVIDUALS IN UNSERVED COMMUNITIES.

ADVANCING STEM WORKFORCE READINESS OF INTERDISCIPLINARY SCHOLARS FOR EXCELLENCE USING A MENTORED COMMUNITY APPROACH TO PROMOTE BELONGING AND PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY -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 A CONSORTIUM OF SIX ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS IN ALABAMA AND MICHIGAN: TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY, AUBURN UNIVERSITY, AUBURN UNIVERSITY MONTGOMERY, OAKLAND UNIVERSITY, SOUTHERN UNION STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, AND TROY UNIVERSITY. THIS INSTITUTIONAL CONSORTIUM REPRESENTS A HBCU, PRIVATE AND PUBLIC 4-YEAR INSTITUTIONS, A 2-YEAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE, TWO PREDOMINANTLY UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTIONS, AND THREE DOCTORAL-GRANTING INSTITUTIONS. OVER ITS 5-YEAR DURATION, THIS TRACK 3 COLLABORATIVE PROJECT WILL FUND SCHOLARSHIPS TO 72 UNIQUE FULL-TIME STUDENTS WHO ARE PURSUING ASSOCIATE?S, BACHELOR?S, AND MASTER?S DEGREES ASSOCIATED WITH SCIENCES (PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, MATHEMATICAL, COMPUTER) AND ENGINEERING (MATERIALS, MECHANICAL, SOFTWARE, ELECTRICAL, COMPUTER). FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE UP TO FOUR YEARS OF SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT, WHILE TRANSFER AND GRADUATE STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE UP TO TWO YEARS OF SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT. THE PROJECT AIMS TO INCREASE STUDENT PERSISTENCE IN STEM AND PROMOTE THEIR WORKFORCE READINESS BY LINKING SCHOLARSHIPS WITH SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING MENTORING, RESEARCH EXPERIENCES, GRADUATE SCHOOL PREPARATION, PARTICIPATION IN CONFERENCES, PROFESSIONAL ADVISING, CAREER PLANNING, AND HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE WITH CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGIES. PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL SYNERGIZE TO PROMOTE STUDENTS? SENSE OF BELONGING IN THE COLLEGE ENVIRONMENT AND HELP THEM IDENTIFY AS FUTURE STEM PROFESSIONALS IN HIGH-DEMAND FIELDS. THE PARTNERSHIP INSTITUTIONS SERVE A LARGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED RACIAL, ETHNIC, AND ECONOMIC MINORITIES; THUS, THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BROADEN PARTICIPATION IN STEM AREAS OF CRITICAL NEED, AND ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE PROPOSED ACTIVITIES FOSTER ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS IN THIS STUDENT POPULATION. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO INCREASE STEM DEGREE COMPLETION OF LOW-INCOME, HIGH-ACHIEVING UNDERGRADUATES WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED. THE SPECIFIC AIMS ARE TO INCREASE STUDENTS? ACADEMIC SKILLS FOR COLLEGE SUCCESS AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS FOR STEM CAREERS IN CRITICAL NEED AREAS AND INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF ITS ACTIVITIES ON RETENTION AND GRADUATION OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS. THIS PROJECT WILL ANALYZE THE INSTITUTIONAL AND PERSONAL FACTORS THAT FOSTER SENSE OF BELONGING IN LOW-, MID-, AND HIGH-INCOME STUDENTS, AND FILL A GAP IN THE KNOWLEDGE BASE BY INVESTIGATING SENSE OF BELONGING IN CONNECTION TO A SALIENT PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY. THE PROJECT WILL ANALYZE THE SUPPORT NEEDS OF LOW-, MID-, AND HIGH-INCOME STUDENTS, THE EXTENT TO WHICH ACADEMIC ADVISORS? AND PROFESSORS? VIEWS OF STUDENT NEEDS COINCIDE WITH STUDENTS? PERCEIVED NEEDS, AND THE ROLE OF PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS ON PREVENTING ISOLATION AND STRENGTHENING PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY. A RIGOROUS MIXED-METHODS EVALUATION WILL DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE PROJECT IS ACHIEVING ITS GOALS BY ASSESSING STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN PROJECT ACTIVITIES, PERCEIVED GAINS, PERSISTENCE IN THE MAJOR, AND PROFESSIONAL OUTCOMES. RESULTS OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE DISSEMINATED THROUGH A WEBSITE, DIGITAL NEWSLETTERS, DATA BRIEFS, EXPLAINER VIDEOS, PRESENTATIONS, AND JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS. 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-TO-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.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

NURSE FACULTY LOAN PROGRAM

TAS::89 0321::TAS NEW AWARD TO OAKLAND UNIVERSITY - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED PROJECT

CAREER: A METABOLIC THEORY APPROACH TO THE THERMAL BIOLOGY OF PARASITISM

CAREER: MOLECULAR RECOGNITION OF 8-OXOGUANINE MODIFIED G-QUADRUPLEXES BY THE FANCJ HELICASE AND THE REV1 POLYMERASE

MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR MECHANISMS OF SPINOCEREBELLAR ATAXIA TYPE 5

GENETIC, MOLECULAR, AND BIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF RNA SPLICING FACTORS CRITICAL FOR MAIZE ENDOSPERM DEVELOPMENT

OAKLAND UNIVERSITY NOYCE TEACHING SCHOLARS PROGRAM

A SINGLE-SIDED MAGNETIC PARTICLE IMAGING SCANNER FOR IN VIVO BREAST CANCER IMAGING

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPE FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH ON MATERIALS AND DEVICES

THE DETROIT CHILD HEALTH INCUBATOR RESEARCH PROJECT (CHIRP)

QUANTITATIVE MOLECULAR IMAGING IN ARTICULAR CARTILAGE

PROTEASES IN IOP-MEDIATED GLAUCOMATOUS DAMAGE

PHYSIOLOGICAL ROLE OF ACTIVATION OF THE JAK/STAT PATHWAY IN HYPERTENSION

CORE CENTER FOR QUANTITATIVE BIOLOGY

PHOTORECEPTOR CELL VULNERABILITY AND GLUTATHIONE STATUS

CAREER: CAS: STRUCTURED ASSEMBLIES OF BLOCK COPOLYMERS AND MACROCYCLES WITH THE NOVEL HALOGEN BOND -WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE MACROMOLECULAR, SUPRAMOLECULAR AND NANOCHEMISTRY PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY, NGONG KODIAH BEYEH OF OAKLAND UNIVERSITY IN ROCHESTER, MICHIGAN, WILL DEVELOP A NOVEL APPROACH THAT COMBINES SUPRAMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND POLYMER SCIENCE TO ASSEMBLE POLYMERIC STRUCTURES THAT CONSIST OF ORGANIC MACROCYCLES WITH PERSISTENT INTERNAL CAVITIES. ANALOGOUS TO THE WIDELY RESEARCHED ?HYDROGEN? BONDS THAT PLAY IMPORTANT ROLES IN MANY NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC SYSTEMS, ?HALOGEN? BONDS COULD SERVE AS RECOGNITION SITES HOLDING TOGETHER THE COMPONENTS IN COMPLEX STRUCTURES, BUT THEY ARE LESS EXPLORED. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE NEW FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE ON THE ROLES OF HALOGEN BONDS AND INVESTIGATE THE PROPERTIES OF THIS NEW CLASS OF FUNCTIONAL POLYMERS. THE INTERNAL CAVITIES OF THESE POROUS STRUCTURES MAY SERVE AS RECOGNITION SITES FOR SENSING, UPTAKE, SEPARATION, OR STORAGE OF SPECIFIC GUEST MOLECULES, E.G., METHANE AND CARBON DIOXIDE. THE REVERSIBLE FORMATION OF HALOGEN BONDS BESTOWS SELF-HEALING PROPERTIES AND THE POSSIBILITY OF RECYCLING. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO INCORPORATE EDUCATIONAL TRAINING AND MENTORING OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF A DIVERSE WORKFORCE IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF THIS PROJECT ENSURES THAT STUDENTS, INCLUDING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, WILL DEVELOP BROAD SKILLS IN BOTH ORGANIC AND MATERIALS CHEMISTRY. STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN THE PROJECT, INCLUDING WORKSHOPS AND COLLOQUIA FOCUSING ON CAREER OPTIONS, WILL FOSTER THEIR PURSUIT OF CAREERS IN SCIENCE. AN IMPORTANT OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO FULLY ELUCIDATE THE CAPABILITIES AND PROPERTIES OF HALOGEN BONDS AS RECOGNITION STICKY SITES IN THE ASSEMBLY OF FUNCTIONAL POLYMERIC STRUCTURES. DR. BEYEH AND HIS STUDENTS WILL SYNTHESIZE SEVERAL LIBRARIES OF RESORCINARENE MACROCYCLES AND BLOCK COPOLYMERS. THE RESORCINARENE MACROCYCLES, WHICH PROVIDE PERSISTENT INTERNAL CAVITIES FOR GUEST BINDING, WILL BE DECORATED WITH FUNCTIONAL GROUPS TO FORM HALOGEN-BONDS WITH DIFFERENT BLOCK COPOLYMERS. THE HALOGEN-BONDED HYBRID STRUCTURES WILL BE FULLY CHARACTERIZED. THE HALOGEN-BONDING PROPERTIES, STABILITY, AND SELF-HEALING EFFICIENCY OF THESE HYBRID STRUCTURES WILL BE STUDIED. THEIR MORPHOLOGY, POROSITY, AND GUEST-UPTAKE PROPERTIES WILL BE EVALUATED. IF SUCCESSFUL, THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE NEW FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE ON THE ROLES OF HALOGEN BONDS AND THEIR PROPERTIES IN BUILDING NEW CLASSES OF FUNCTIONAL POLYMERS. 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.

IUCRC PHASE I: OAKLAND UNIVERSITY: CENTER FOR COMPOSITE AND HYBRID MATERIALS INTERFACING (CHMI)

HEALTHY PONTIAC, WE CAN! ELIMINATING HEALTH DISPARITIES IN A LOW-INCOME URBAN MINORITY COMMUNITY.

CAREER: SYNTHESIS OF STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL MODELS FOR OXALATE DEGRADING MANGANESE ENZYMES

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE MECHANISM THAT PRODUCES RHYTHMIC BEATING IN CILIA AND FLAGELLA

REGULATION OF SELF-RENEWAL OF PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS BY INTEGRIN SIGNALING

CAREER: UNDERSTANDING INTERMEDIATE SULFUR PHASES FOR ENHANCED ENERGY STORAGE -SULFUR IS AN ATTRACTIVE MATERIAL FOR ENERGY STORAGE BECAUSE IT IS ABUNDANT, INEXPENSIVE, AND CAN STORE MORE ENERGY THAN MATERIALS USED IN BATTERIES TODAY. STILL, SULFUR-BASED BATTERIES HAVE NOT REACHED THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. THE VARIOUS FORMS SULFUR TAKES DURING OPERATIONS ARE NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD. THIS PROJECT FOCUSES ON A NEWLY DISCOVERED LIQUID SULFUR PHASE. THIS LIQUID FORM OF SULFUR HAS NOT BEEN EXPLORED EVEN THOUGH IT MAY BE A TRANSFORMATIVE ENERGY MATERIAL. THE PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE HOW DIFFERENT SULFUR PHASES FORM, TRANSFORM, AND INTERACT WITH ELECTRODES DURING CHARGING AND DISCHARGING. THE TEAM WILL DESIGN SULFUR-BASED ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS THAT DELIVER HIGH ENERGY DENSITY QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY. THE PROJECT WILL LEAD TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF SULFUR PHASES AND PAVE THE WAY FOR LOW-COST, HIGH-PERFORMANCE SULFUR-BASED ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS. THE PROJECT WILL ESTABLISH A MICROSCOPY, SPECTROSCOPY, AND ELECTROCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATIONS (MSEC) PROGRAM FOR OU STUDENTS AND THE LOCAL AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY PROGRAM, INTRODUCE K?12 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS TO ENERGY SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CONCEPTS, AND INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS. SULFUR IS A HIGHLY PROMISING CATHODE MATERIAL DUE TO ITS ABUNDANCE, LOW COST, AND EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH THEORETICAL CAPACITY. HOWEVER, THE BEHAVIOR OF SULFUR DURING BATTERY OPERATIONS ? ESPECIALLY ITS PHASES AND TRANSITIONS, WHICH GOVERN ELECTROCHEMICAL PERFORMANCE ? IS POORLY UNDERSTOOD. THIS PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS A LIQUID SULFUR PHASE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, A NEWLY DISCOVERED, LARGELY UNEXPLORED, AND POTENTIALLY TRANSFORMATIVE ENERGY MATERIAL SYSTEM. THE PROJECT COMPRISES FOUR OBJECTIVES: (1) UNDERSTAND INTERMEDIATE SULFUR PHASES USING IN SITU AND OPERANDO PLATFORMS; (2) CHEMICALLY GENERATE LIQUID SULFUR ON CARBON ELECTRODES USING REDOX MEDIATORS; (3) ELECTROCHEMICALLY GENERATE LIQUID SULFUR ON CARBON ELECTRODES VIA FAST AND PULSE CHARGING; AND (4) DESIGN LIQUID-SULFUR ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS WITH HIGH CAPACITY AND FAST KINETICS. THE PROJECT WILL EMPLOY IN SITU AND OPERANDO PLATFORMS THAT INTEGRATE CUSTOMIZED ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS, AS WELL AS OPTICAL, RAMAN, X-RAY, AND ELECTROCHEMICAL MICROSCOPY AND SPECTROSCOPY, ALONG WITH A HIGH-SPEED CAMERA AND MICROELECTRODES. THE RESEARCH WILL CLOSE KEY KNOWLEDGE GAPS IN SULFUR PHASES AND TRANSITIONS, LEADING TO THE DESIGN OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE, LOW-COST SULFUR-BASED ELECTROCHEMICAL SYSTEMS. 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.

CAREER: SPARKING NUMBER TALKS TO STRENGTHEN MATHEMATICAL IDENTITIES -THIS PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT CULTIVATING AND STRENGTHENING PRODUCTIVE MATHEMATICAL IDENTITIES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD AND ELEMENTARY STUDENTS. FIRST, THIS STUDY AIMS TO IDENTIFY AND DOCUMENT THE FUNDS OF KNOWLEDGE STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES BRING TO MATHEMATICS LEARNING SPACES. SECOND, USING THE FUNDS OF KNOWLEDGE, THIS RESEARCH WILL SUPPORT EDUCATORS TO INTENTIONALLY DESIGN, ENACT, AND REVISE NUMBER TALKS (I.E., TEN-TO-FIFTEEN-MINUTE MATH DISCUSSIONS WHERE STUDENTS MENTALLY SOLVE MATHEMATICS PROBLEMS AND THEN COME TOGETHER AS A CLASS TO SHARE THEIR MATHEMATICAL REASONING) IN WAYS THAT SUPPORT PRODUCTIVE MATHEMATICAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT. THIRD, THIS INVESTIGATION AIMS TO DETERMINE THE DESIGN PRINCIPLES OF NUMBER TALKS THAT POSITIVELY IMPACT PRODUCTIVE MATHEMATICAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT WHILE DETERMINING HOW MATHEMATICS IDENTITY EVOLVES OVER TIME. THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE KINDERGARTEN TO THIRD GRADE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS FROM HISTORICALLY AND PERSISTENTLY MARGINALIZED GROUPS BY INTENTIONALLY LEVERAGING (AND CONFIRMING) RESOURCES FOR PRODUCTIVE MATHEMATICAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT. FURTHER, THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO EQUIP EDUCATORS TO DESIGN NUMBER TALKS BUILDING UPON STUDENTS? FUNDS OF KNOWLEDGE AND TO ALSO SUPPORT THEIR EFFORTS TO POSITIVELY DEVELOP STUDENTS? MATHEMATICAL IDENTITIES. THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO ANSWER THE OVERARCHING RESEARCH QUESTION: WHAT ROLE DOES MATHEMATICS IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT PLAY IN LEARNING PROCESSES? THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR WILL COLLABORATE WITH KINDERGARTEN TO THIRD GRADE STUDENTS, FAMILIES, TEACHERS, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS ACROSS THREE SCHOOLS AND A COMMUNITY CENTER. USING PARTICIPATORY DESIGN RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES, THIS PROJECT WILL BEGIN IN COLLABORATION WITH STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS BY LEVERAGING PHOTOVOICE OR PARTICIPATORY PHOTOGRAPHY TO DOCUMENT HOW MATHEMATICS IS USED IN EVERYDAY, OUT-OF-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES. THEN, TEACHERS WILL ENGAGE IN PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH VIA MATH LABS TO ITERATIVELY PLAN, ENACT, REFLECT, AND REVISE NUMBER TALKS CONNECTED TO STUDENTS? FUNDS OF KNOWLEDGE. TOGETHER, WE WILL SEEK TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE MATHEMATICAL OBJECTS (I.E., IMAGES) CONTAINED IN NUMBER TALKS WILL MEDIATE LEARNING TO BUILD STUDENTS? IDENTITY AND NUMBER SENSE BY USING QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS TO UNDERSTAND THE ALIGNMENTS/CONTRADICTIONS BETWEEN INTERACTIONS (PEOPLE AND TOOLS), NORMS AND PRACTICES (POSITIONING WITHIN THE LEARNING COMMUNITY), FRAMES (FUNDS OF KNOWLEDGE LENS), AND NARRATIVES (RESOURCES FOR RECOGNITION) THAT AFFORD/CONSTRAIN MATHEMATICAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT. FURTHER, WE WILL IDENTIFY DESIGN PRINCIPLES OF NUMBER TALKS (I.E., NORMS AND PRACTICES) THAT SUPPORT OR HINDER THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRODUCTIVE MATHEMATICAL IDENTITIES. FINDINGS OF THIS PROJECT WILL HELP US TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE INTEGRATION OF LEARNING, KNOWING, AND DOING THAT ARE FAMILIAR TO STUDENTS CAN BE LEVERAGED TO BUILD POSITIVE MATHEMATICAL IDENTITIES. THE AWARD IS FUNDED BY THE DISCOVERY RESEARCH PREK-12 PROGRAM (DRK-12) WHICH SEEKS TO SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCE THE LEARNING AND TEACHING OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) BY PREK-12 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS, THROUGH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE RESOURCES, MODELS AND TOOLS. PROJECTS IN THE DRK-12 PROGRAM BUILD ON FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH IN STEM EDUCATION AND PRIOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS THAT PROVIDE THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL JUSTIFICATION FOR PROPOSED PROJECTS. 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.

CAREER: MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF ORGANIC CARBON AND NITROGEN TRANSFORMATIONS IN HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEMS

CAREER: TOWARDS PROGRAMMABLE SOCIAL ROBOTS FOR EVERYONE: A TEACHER-IN-THE-LOOP LEARNING FROM DEMONSTRATION FRAMEWORK -SOCIAL ROBOTS HAVE DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE IMPACTS ACROSS A RANGE OF APPLICATION AREAS INCLUDING DELIVERING K-12 EDUCATION, THERAPY FOR AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER, AND OLDER ADULT CARE. ALTHOUGH THEY ARE INTENDED TO PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED SUPPORT IN THESE AREAS, SOCIAL ROBOTS REMAIN INACCESSIBLE TO INDIVIDUALS (E.G., HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, EDUCATORS, AND SERVICE INDUSTRY WORKERS) WHO COULD BEST USE THE TECHNOLOGY TO PRODUCE THE GREATEST IMPACT TO OUR SOCIETY. THIS IS BECAUSE SOCIAL ROBOTS STILL REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT TECHNICAL EXPERTISE TO BE DEPLOYED AND THERE IS CURRENTLY NO CLEAR PATHWAY FOR LAYPEOPLE TO UTILIZE SOCIAL ROBOTS FOR THEIR DESIRED APPLICATIONS. THIS RESEARCH WILL BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN SOCIAL ROBOTS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH NO ROBOTICS/PROGRAMMING EXPERIENCE SO THAT SOCIAL ROBOTS CAN BE MADE ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY DEVELOPING APPROACHES AND TECHNOLOGIES THAT EMPOWER LAYPEOPLE TO TEACH AND CUSTOMIZE SOCIAL ROBOTS FOR THEIR DESIRED APPLICATIONS, THEREBY TRANSFORMING OUR EMERGING HEALTHCARE AND EDUCATION WORKFORCE BY INCREASING THEIR CAPACITY FOR DELIVERING SERVICES PREVIOUSLY NOT POSSIBLE. PROJECT OUTCOMES WILL ALSO BROADLY IMPACT EDUCATION BY SUPPORTING INTERDISCIPLINARY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN STEM FOR INDIVIDUALS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS. TO ADDRESS THESE GOALS, THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE FUNDAMENTAL APPROACHES AND TECHNIQUES THAT ENABLE A LAYPERSON TO TEACH A SOCIAL ROBOT VIA DEMONSTRATION. TEACHING IS OFTEN AN ITERATIVE PROCESS THAT REQUIRES A TEACHER AND LEARNER TO COORDINATE THEIR EFFORTS TOWARDS THE MUTUAL GOAL OF KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER BUT THERE CURRENTLY IS MINIMAL EFFORT IN ENGAGING A LAYPERSON DURING THE ROBOT TEACHING PROCESS BEYOND PROVIDING DATA OR EXAMPLES THE ROBOT CAN LEARN FROM. THIS RESEARCH WILL KEEP TEACHERS-IN-THE-LOOP THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ROBOT LEARNING PROCESS BY: 1) DEVELOPING INTERFACES THAT ENABLE A TEACHER TO PREPARE HIGH-QUALITY DEMONSTRATIONS, 2) DEVELOPING APPROACHES THAT IMPROVE A TEACHER'S UNDERSTANDING OF MODELS LEARNED BY A ROBOT, AND 3) DEVELOPING APPROACHES THAT ENABLE TEACHERS TO INTEGRATE DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE WHILE THEY TEACH A ROBOT. PROJECT OUTCOMES WILL BOTH ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE ON ENABLING LAYPEOPLE TO INDEPENDENTLY TEACH A SOCIAL ROBOT AND OUR FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING ON HOW HUMANS TRANSFER SOCIAL KNOWLEDGE TO MACHINES. 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.

EFFICACY OF NSCS IN AN EAE MODEL OF MS - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS A DEGENERATIVE DISEASE, WHICH AFFECTS THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS). WHILE MOST NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES AFFECT OLDER POPULATIONS, THE ONSET OF MS GENERALLY OCCURS EARLY IN LIFE. THERE IS NO CURE FOR MS. CURRENTLY USED DRUGS HAVE SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS. PAST ATTEMPTS TO DEVELOP CELL THERAPIES TO TREAT MS HAVE MET WITH LIMITED SUCCESS. THE MAJOR CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING CELL THERAPIES INCLUDE INVASIVE ISOLATION TECHNIQUES, LIMITED GROWTH AND DIFFERENTIATION POTENTIAL, AS WELL AS GENETIC INSTABILITY OF ADULT MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS (MSCS). WE HAVE ISOLATED AND DIFFERENTIATED HIGHLY PROLIFERATIVE AND PRIMITIVE (P) MSCS INTO NEURAL STEM CELLS (NSCS). IN OUR PRELIMINARY STUDIES, TRANSPLANTATION OF NSCS SIGNIFICANTLY REVERSED THE CLINICAL SYMPTOMS WHEN TRANSPLANTED AT AN EARLY STAGE OF EXPERIMENTAL AUTOIMMUNE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS (EAE) IN A MOUSE MODEL. THESE FINDINGS ARE VERY PROMISING AND PROVIDE A STRONG “PROOF OF CONCEPT” FOR CELL-BASED TREATMENT OF MS. SINCE WE SAW SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT IN EAE DISEASE WITH A SINGLE CELL DOSE, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT MULTIPLE DOSES OF NSCS WILL BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN AMELIORATING CHRONIC EAE DISEASE SYMPTOMS AND PROMOTING FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY. WE ENVISION THAT THIS INNOVATIVE APPROACH USING NSCS WILL ENHANCED THE POTENCY OF CELL THERAPY AS PROPOSED IN THIS STUDY. THE SPECIFIC AIMS ARE: 1. TO DETERMINE THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF REPEATED DOSES OF NSCS ON CHRONIC EAE IN MICE. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT SIMILAR TO REPEATED USE OF DRUGS, REPEATED CELL THERAPY TREATMENTS WILL BE MORE EFFICACIOUS. THIS HYPOTHESIS WILL BE TESTED BY INJECTING GFP-LABELED NSCS IN 3 DOSES TO COUNTER CHRONIC EAE INDUCED BY MOG IMMUNIZATION IN MICE. CHANGES IN THE DISEASE SYMPTOMS AND PROGRESSION WILL BE MONITORED BY PERFORMING NEUROBEHAVIORAL, NEUROLOGICAL MOTOR FUNCTION, MECHANICAL THRESHOLD RESPONSE AND COLD RESPONSE ANALYSES TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF CELL THERAPY ON THE DISEASE PROGRESSION AND REMISSION. 2. TO INVESTIGATE CNS PATHOLOGY AT CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LEVELS IN NSC TRANSPLANTED EAE MICE. WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT NSC TREATMENTS WILL REDUCE INFLAMMATION AND RESTORE CNS FUNCTION. HISTOPATHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE CNS WILL BE PERFORMED TO ACCESS IMMUNE CELL INFILTRATES. COMPOSITION OF CELL INFILTRATES WILL BE ASSESSED BY IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF CNS SECTIONS. LEVELS OF PRO- AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES WILL BE CARRIED TO ASSESS THE IMMUNOMODULATORY PROPERTIES OF TRANSPLANTED NSCS. NSCS ARE ALSO LIKELY TO HELP IN MITIGATING THE IMBALANCE OF IMMUNE REGULATORY CELLS, REDUCE ASTROGLIOSIS, AND IMPROVE MYELINATION. THIS WILL BE INVESTIGATED USING APPROPRIATE CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR TECHNIQUES. NSCS ALSO EXPRESS HIGH LEVEL OF NEUROTROPHIC FACTORS, THEIR ROLE IN NEUROPROTECTION WILL BE EXPLORED. THE EFFECT OF NSCS ON THE GLOBAL GENE EXPRESSION IN THE CNS OF EAE MICE WILL BE EXAMINED BY RNA-SEQ AND VALIDATED BY QRT-PCR ANALYSIS. RNA-SEQ ANALYSIS SHOULD HELP IN DETERMINING THE SIGNALING PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN POTENTIAL FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY OF DAMAGED CNS IN EAE MICE. THE RESULTS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE FUNDAMENTAL INSIGHTS INTO EAE AND ALSO HELP IN DEVELOPING CELL THERAPIES NOT ONLY FOR MS BUT ALSO FOR OTHER NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES.

MOBILIZING THE EMERGING DIVERSE AI TALENT (MEDAL) THROUGH DESIGN AND AUTOMATED CONTROL OF AUTONOMOUS SCIENTIFIC LABORATORIES

RET SITE: MORE THAN AUTOMOTIVE--TOWARD A HEALTHIER, SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY (MATHS2) -UNDER THIS THREE-YEAR RET SITE: MORE THAN AUTOMOTIVE?TOWARD A HEALTHIER, SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY (MATHS2) TEN PARTICIPANTS EACH YEAR WILL ENGAGE IN ENGINEERING RESEARCH FEATURING THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY AND TRANSLATE THEIR EXPERIENCES INTO CREATIVE CURRICULA FOR THEIR STUDENTS. TEACHER PARTICIPANTS WILL ENGAGE IN CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH IN AREAS INTERSECTING ENGINEERING, HEALTH CARE AND SUSTAINABILITY. A SPECIAL FOCUS IS THE CONCEPT OF ?WHAT IS AN ENGINEER?? WHERE PARTICIPANTS WILL EXAMINE DIFFERENT AREAS OF ENGINEERING AND THE IMPACT OF ENGINEERING IN SOCIETY AND POTENTIAL CAREERS. THIS SITE IS STRUCTURED AROUND A THOUGHTFUL COUPLING OF BOTH STATE-OF-THE-ART ENGINEERING RESEARCH EXPERIENCE WITH RESEARCH-DRIVEN EDUCATIONAL COACHING ON HOW TO TRANSLATE THESE EXPERIENCES INTO K-12 CLASSROOM CURRICULA. TWO KEY OUTCOMES OF THIS PROGRAM INCLUDE AN INTERACTIVE, ONLINE REPOSITORY OF THE CURRICULAR ELEMENTS DEVELOPED THROUGH THE PROGRAM AND AN ANNUAL WORKSHOP GEARED TOWARD AREA TEACHERS TO ENHANCE ENGAGEMENT IN STEM INSTRUCTION. THE MATHS2 RET SITE, LOCATED IN THE METRO-DETROIT AREA, ATTEMPTS TO SHIFT THE LOCAL VERNACULAR ON ?WHAT IS AN ENGINEER?? FROM AN AUTOMOTIVE STEREOTYPE TO A BROADER PORTRAIT OF PROBLEM SOLVERS THAT TACKLE SOCIETY?S MOST PRESSING ISSUES. THIS SHIFT IN PERSPECTIVE CAN TRANSLATE TO BROADER K12 STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN STEM EDUCATIONAL AND CAREER PATHWAYS, PARTICULARLY IN THE METRO-DETROIT AREA, AS WELL AS SUPPORTING STUDENT LEARNING ALIGNED WITH ENGINEERING EDUCATION STRANDS. COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES BETWEEN TEACHER PARTICIPANTS AND FACULTY MENTORS SPAN SEVERAL INTERDISCIPLINARY FIELDS THAT RANGE FROM OPTIMIZING ALGAE AS A FEEDSTOCK FOR BIODIESEL PRODUCTION TO DEVELOPING SOCIALLY ASSISTIVE ROBOTS FOR HEALTHCARE. WEEKLY COHORT WORKSHOPS WILL DEVELOP COURSE MATERIALS AND CURRICULA WITH EDUCATION FACULTY. REGULAR WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS TO DEEPEN TEACHERS? ENGINEERING KNOWLEDGE AND STRENGTHEN THEIR PEDAGOGICAL STRATEGIES. PRAGMATIC FOLLOW-UP PLANS INCLUDE 2 SITE VISITS TO THE RET TEACHERS? CLASSROOMS, AN ANNUAL K-12 TEACHER TRAINING WORKSHOP ON PHENOMENON-DRIVEN AND INQUIRY-ORIENTED LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERACTIVE ONLINE REPOSITORY OF THE CURRICULAR ELEMENTS DEVELOPED THROUGH THE PROGRAM. THE KEY OUTCOMES OF THIS RET SITE ARE TO HELP QUANTIFY THE EXTENT TO WHICH NON-AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS INCREASE PARTICIPATION AND EFFICACY IN STEM FOR STUDENTS. IN ADDITION, THE CLASSROOM LESSONS OR UNITS WILL BE DISSEMINATED THROUGH AN ANNUAL TEACHER WORKSHOP AS WELL AS AN ONLINE, INTERACTIVE REPOSITORY (TEACH ENGINEERING). 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.

PRODUCT LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

MECHANISMS DRIVING MUSCLE WASTING AND ADIPOSE TISSUE LOSS IN THE UBF MKO MOUSE - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT SKELETAL MUSCLE MASS LOSS DURING CANCER CACHEXIA IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PREDICTORS OF POOR PROGNOSIS AND MORTALITY AMONG CANCER PATIENTS. HOWEVER, THE ROLE PLAYED BY SKELETAL MUSCLE MASS IN THE SURVIVAL OF CANCER PATIENTS HAS BEEN UNDERSTOOD AS A MERE SYMPTOM OF POOR OVERALL BODY HEALTH. CONTRARY TO THIS NOTION, RECENT STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT SKELETAL MUSCLE HAS AN INDEPENDENT AND ACTIVE ROLE IN IMPROVING SURVIVAL AMONG CANCER PATIENTS. PROOF-OF-PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATIONS HAVE SHOWN THAT PROMOTING SKELETAL MUSCLE MASS, FOR INSTANCE BY BLOCKING MYOSTATIN SIGNALING, CAN INCREASE LIFESPAN IN TUMOR-BEARING MICE INDEPENDENTLY OF ANY EFFECT OF THE DRUG ON TUMOR VOLUME. THEREFORE, UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANISM REGULATING MUSCLE SIZE CAN LEAD TO BETTER THERAPEUTIC TARGETS TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES AMONG ADVANCED CANCER PATIENTS. RIBOSOME BIOGENESIS, THE DE NOVO SYNTHESIS OF RIBOSOMES, IS A KEY PROCESS DETERMINING PROTEIN SYNTHESIS IN SKELETAL MUSCLE. WHILE THERE HAS BEEN GREAT ATTENTION RECENTLY TO THE ROLES OF MUSCLE RIBOSOME BIOGENESIS IN REGULATING MUSCLE HYPERTROPHY, THE ROLES OF MUSCLE RIBOSOME BIOGENESIS TO MAINTAIN MUSCLE MASS AND DURING MUSCLE ATROPHY ARE LARGELY UNKNOWN. WE HAVE GENERATED A MOUSE STRAIN IN WHICH WE CAN LOWER RIBOSOME BIOGENESIS SPECIFICALLY AND CONDITIONALLY IN SKELETAL MUSCLE. WE CROSSED THE UPSTREAM BINDING FACTOR (UBF, A KEY TRANSCRIPTIONAL FACTOR IMPORTANT FOR RIBOSOMAL DNA TRANSCRIPTIONAL) FLOXED MOUSE TO THE MUSCLE SPECIFIC HUMAN Α-SKELETAL ACTIN (HSA) PROMOTER LINKED TO A CRE RECOMBINASE (HSA-MCM). USING THIS MOUSE MODEL TO REDUCE UBF LEVELS IN ADULT MUSCLES ONLY (WHICH WE TERMED UBF MKO), WE SHOWED IMPAIRING MUSCLE RIBOSOME BIOGENESIS CAUSES MUSCLE ATROPHY PARTICULARLY IN TYPE IIB AND IIX MYOFIBERS, WHILE TYPE I AND IIA FIBERS ARE NOT AFFECTED. UNEXPECTEDLY, LONG-TERM EXPERIMENTS USING THE UBF MKO MICE DEMONSTRATED THAT IMPAIRED MUSCLE RIBOSOME BIOGENESIS HAVE SEVERE CONSEQUENCES TO MUSCLE AND WHOLE-BODY METABOLISM THAT PHENOCOPIED CANCER CACHEXIA, INCLUDING HIGH RESPIRATORY EXCHANGE RATIO (RER) AND DEPLETION OF ADIPOSE TISSUE. WITH OUR REVERSED ENGINEERED MOUSE MODEL, WE WERE ABLE TO RECREATE CANCER CACHEXIA FROM WITHIN MUSCLE, CHALLENGING THE ASSUMPTION THAT SKELETAL MUSCLE WASTING IN CANCER CACHEXIA IS A MERE EFFECT OF SYSTEMIC DISEASE. RATHER, OUR PRELIMINARY DATA STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT CACHEXIA IN THE WHOLE BODY CAN BE INITIATED IN SKELETAL MUSCLE. THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS TO INVESTIGATE THE MECHANISM OF MUSCLE WASTING VIA SKELETAL MUSCLE AND TO IDENTIFY THE MECHANISM LEADING TO OVERALL CACHECTIC PHENOTYPE. IF OUR HYPOTHESIS IS CORRECT, THIS WILL BE THE FIRST EVIDENCE THAT MUSCLE WASTING IN CACHEXIA CAN BE RECREATED FROM WITHIN THE MUSCLE TISSUE AND THAT MUSCLE RIBOSOME BIOGENESIS COULD BE A TARGET TO MITIGATE OR EVEN ABOLISH CANCER CACHEXIA ALTOGETHER.

"RET SITE" RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR TEACHERS IN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY AND AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING (AEAE): ENERGIZING K-12 TEACHING AND LEARNING

APICAL EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX REGULATES TRACHEAL TUBE DEVELOPMENT - PROJECT SUMMARY PROPER TUBE MORPHOLOGY IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE FUNCTION OF ORGANS SUCH AS THE LUNGS, KIDNEYS, AND BLOOD VESSELS. A KEY STRUCTURAL FEATURE OF THESE SYSTEMS IS THE STABLE APICAL EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX (AECM)—A SPECIALIZED LAYER OF PROTEIN PROTEOGLYCANS, AND LIPIDS SECRETED BY ORGAN-FORMING CELLS. THIS LAYER LINES THE LUMINAL (INNER) SURFACE OF TUBES. STABLE AECMS, INCLUDING PULMONARY SURFACTANT AND MUCIN-RICH COATINGS, ARE CRITICAL FOR ORGAN INTEGRITY AND FUNCTION, AND THEIR DISRUPTION IS LINKED TO DISEASES SUCH AS PULMONARY AIRWAY MALFORMATIONS AND POLYCYSTIC KIDNEY DISEASE. IN THE DROSOPHILA TRACHEA, THE STABLE AECM CONSISTS OF TAENIDIAL FOLDS: SPIRAL, RIDGE-LIKE STRUCTURES THAT LINE THE LUMINAL SURFACE AND ARE FUNCTIONALLY SIMILAR TO AECMS FOUND IN MAMMALIAN SYSTEMS. DESPITE THEIR BIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE, HOW STABLE AECMS REGULATE TUBE MORPHOGENESIS REMAINS POORLY UNDERSTOOD. ADDRESSING THIS GAP IS KEY TO REVEALING THE FUNDAMENTAL MECHANISMS OF TUBE FORMATION AND GAINING INSIGHT INTO DISEASES CAUSED BY DISRUPTED AECMS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS APPLICATION IS TO DETERMINE HOW TAENIDIAL FOLDS, THE STABLE AECM IN THE DROSOPHILA TRACHEA, REGULATE TUBE MORPHOGENESIS DURING DEVELOPMENT. WE RECENTLY IDENTIFIED TWO OSIRIS PROTEINS, OSI18 AND OSI20, THAT SPECIFICALLY LOCALIZE TO TAENIDIAL FOLDS USING ANTIBODIES WE GENERATED. USING CRISPR, WE CREATED OSI18+20 DOUBLE MUTANTS IN WHICH TAENIDIAL FOLDS ARE SELECTIVELY DISRUPTED. THIS PROVIDES A UNIQUE GENETIC MODEL TO INVESTIGATE HOW TAENIDIAL FOLDS—AND MORE BROADLY, APICAL EXTRACELLULAR MATRICES (AECMS)—REGULATE TUBE MORPHOGENESIS. REMARKABLY, THESE DOUBLE MUTANTS EXHIBIT EARLY DEFECTS IN TUBE MORPHOLOGY, APICAL ACTIN ORGANIZATION, AND MECHANOTRANSDUCTION PATHWAY ACTIVATION—WELL BEFORE TUBE COLLAPSE OCCURS. THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT TAENIDIAL FOLDS ACTIVELY REGULATE TUBE MORPHOGENESIS, BEYOND THEIR TRADITIONAL ROLE AS STRUCTURAL SUPPORTS. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT TAENIDIAL FOLDS DRIVE TUBE MORPHOGENESIS BY ACTIVATING APICAL MECHANOTRANSDUCTION PATHWAYS, SPECIFICALLY THE SRC–RHO–ACTIN REMODELING CASCADE. TO TEST THIS, WE WILL EMPLOY LIVE IMAGING, IMMUNOSTAINING, GENETIC INTERACTION ANALYSES, AND BIOCHEMICAL ASSAYS TO DEFINE THE ROLE OF TAENIDIAL FOLDS IN MECHANOTRANSDUCTION AND EPITHELIAL REMODELING. THIS RESEARCH WILL UNCOVER A NOVEL FUNCTION FOR STABLE AECMS AS ACTIVE, INSTRUCTIVE REGULATORS OF TISSUE MORPHOGENESIS. GIVEN THEIR CONSERVED PRESENCE IN TUBULAR ORGANS ACROSS SPECIES, STUDYING HOW TAENIDIAL FOLDS GUIDE EPITHELIAL REMODELING DURING DROSOPHILA TRACHEAL DEVELOPMENT WILL REVEAL BROADLY APPLICABLE PRINCIPLES OF TUBULOGENESIS. THESE INSIGHTS WILL ENHANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL BASIS OF HUMAN DISEASES AFFECTING THE LUNGS, KIDNEYS, AND VASCULATURE. ALIGNED WITH THE NIH R15 MISSION, THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPORT AN UNDERGRADUATE-CENTERED RESEARCH PROGRAM AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY, PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH HANDS-ON TRAINING IN DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY, GENETICS, LIVE IMAGING, AND MOLECULAR TECHNIQUES—PREPARING THEM FOR FUTURE CAREERS IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH.

ACQUISITION OF A 110-GHZ VECTOR NETWORK ANALYZER FOR STUDIES ON DUAL ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELD TUNABLE MILLIMETER WAVE FERRITE-FERROELECTRIC DEVICE

TRANSCRIPTION REGULATION OF RECOVERY FROM STRESS - PROJECT SUMMARY AUTOPHAGY IS AN EVOLUTIONARILY CONSERVED CATABOLIC PROCESS NECESSARY FOR CELLULAR HOMEOSTASIS. DYSFUNCTION IN AUTOPHAGY IS LINKED TO AGING AND MANY HUMAN PATHOLOGIES, INCLUDING NEURODEGENERATION, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, AND IMMUNE DISORDERS. CELLS UTILIZE AUTOPHAGY TO DEGRADE AND RECYCLE CELLULAR COMPONENTS, AGED OR MISFOLDED PROTEINS, AND DEFECTIVE ORGANELLES. CARGO TARGETED FOR AUTOPHAGIC DEGRADATION IS DELIVERED BY AUTOPHAGOSOMES TO THE VACUOLE IN YEAST AND PLANTS OR TO LYSOSOMES IN MAMMALIAN CELLS. WHILE THIS PROCESS IS ACTIVE AT A BASAL LEVEL, IT IS SIGNIFICANTLY INDUCED DURING STRESS, SUCH AS AMINO ACID AND NITROGEN LIMITATIONS. IN ADDITION, AUTOPHAGY MACHINERY IS ALSO UTILIZED TO DEGRADE SPECIFIC CARGO SUCH AS RIBOSOMES VIA RIBOPHAGY, OR MITOCHONDRIA VIA MITOPHAGY. DURING STARVATION STRESS, THE CELL DOWNREGULATES MANY GENES, ENHANCING THE EXPRESSION OF THE GENES CRITICAL FOR MOUNTING A SURVIVAL RESPONSE. THIS INCLUDES INCREASED EXPRESSION OF AUTOPHAGY-RELATED (ATG) GENES. DYNAMIC CHANGES TO CHROMATIN STRUCTURE ARE CRITICAL FOR MODULATING GENE EXPRESSION. THESE CHANGES ARE MEDIATED BY CHROMATIN-ASSOCIATED FACTORS SUCH AS HISTONE MODIFIERS, CHROMATIN REMODELERS AND HISTONE CHAPERONES. RSC (REMODELS THE STRUCTURE OF CHROMATIN) IS AN ATP- DEPENDENT CHROMATIN REMODELING COMPLEX CONSERVED FROM YEAST TO HUMANS. LIKEWISE, THE FACT COMPLEX (SPT16/POB3 OR SPT16/SSRP1) IS ESSENTIAL FOR MAINTAINING CHROMATIN STRUCTURE. INDUCTION OF AUTOPHAGY DURING STARVATION LEADS TO DEGRADATION OF PROTEINS AND ORGANELLES TO RESUPPLY KEY NUTRIENTS FOR SURVIVAL. PROLONGED STARVATION IS LIKELY TO SEVERELY DEPLETE CELLULAR PROTEIN LEVELS, INCLUDING THOSE REQUIRED FOR GENOMIC INTEGRITY. HOWEVER, HOW THE CELL MAINTAINS ITS CHROMATIN STRUCTURE AND ITS ABILITY TO RECOVER FROM CHRONIC STRESS REMAINS POORLY UNDERSTOOD. IN THIS PROPOSAL, WE WILL USE SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE AS A MODEL ORGANISM TO UNDERSTAND HOW CELLS RECOVER FROM CHRONIC STRESS, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF CHROMATIN FACTORS, RSC AND FACT IN THIS PROCESS. IN THE SPECIFIC AIM 1, WE WILL CHARACTERIZE CHANGES IN CHROMATIN STRUCTURE, TRANSCRIPTION, AND HISTONE MODIFICATIONS DURING EXTENDED STARVATION, AND DETERMINE THE ROLE OF FACT AND RSC IN THE RECOVERY FROM STRESS. IN SPECIFIC AIM 2, WE WILL EXAMINE HOW RSC DEPLETION AFFECTS RIBOPHAGY, AND IDENTIFY FACTORS THAT PROMOTE THIS PROCESS IN AN RSC-DEPENDENT MANNER. THESE STUDIES WILL BE VALUABLE IN UNDERSTANDING CHROMATIN FACTORS' ROLE IN CELL SURVIVAL DURING PROLONGED STRESS.

PROTEOLYTIC REGULATION OF CENTROSOME ASSEMBLY - PROGRAM DIRECTOR/PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (LAST, FIRST, MIDDLE): SONG, MI HYE SUMMARY CENTROSOMES, AS THE PRIMARY MICROTUBULE-ORGANIZING CENTER, ESTABLISH BIPOLAR SPINDLES THAT ENSURE ACCURATE TRANSMISSION OF GENETIC CONTENTS INTO TWO DAUGHTER CELLS. TO MAINTAIN GENOMIC INTEGRITY, CENTROSOME NUMBER MUST BE STRICTLY REGULATED BY DUPLICATING ONLY ONCE PER CELL CYCLE. ABNORMAL CENTROSOMES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH HUMAN DISORDERS, INCLUDING CANCERS, MICROCEPHALY AND OTHER DEVELOPMENTAL DEFECTS. OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND THE GENETIC MECHANISMS OF CENTROSOME FUNCTION AND ASSEMBLY USING THE EARLY C. ELEGANS EMBRYO AS AN IN VIVO MODEL. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE IS TO INVESTIGATE HOW THE UBIQUITIN LIGASE, ANAPHASE PROMOTING COMPLEX/CYCLOSOME (APC/C) AND THE COACTIVATOR FZR-1 (CDH1 IN HUMAN), CONTRIBUTES TO CENTROSOME ASSEMBLY THROUGH PROTEASOMAL DEGRADATION OF CENTROSOME FACTORS. FZR-1/CDH1 (AN APC/C COFACTOR) CONFERS A SUBSTRATE- BINDING THROUGH RECOGNIZING HIGHLY CONSERVED DEGRON MOTIFS (KEN- AND D-BOXES). CDH1-DEFICIENT MICE EXHIBIT EMBRYONIC LETHALITY, GENOMIC INSTABILITY, AND HIGHER SUSCEPTIBILITY TO TUMORIGENESIS AND DEFECTIVE BRAIN DEVELOPMENT. THE ABUNDANCE OF CENTROSOME COMPONENTS DIRECTLY INFLUENCES CENTROSOME NUMBER: BLOCKING DEGRADATION OF CENTROSOME FACTORS CAUSES EXTRA CENTROSOMES, WHILE DEPLETION INHIBITS CENTROSOME DUPLICATION. WHILE WE REALIZE THE GREAT IMPACT OF THE APC/C COMPLEX FOR REGULATING LEVELS OF CENTROSOME FACTORS, ITS SUBSTRATE REPERTOIRE AND REGULATORY MECHANISMS REMAIN ELUSIVE. WE PROPOSE TO INVESTIGATE SAS-7 AS A POTENTIAL SUBSTRATE OF APC/CFZR-1: SAS-7 FUNCTIONS MOST UPSTREAM IN CENTROSOME ASSEMBLY AND SAS-7 PROTEIN CONTAINS CONSERVED DEGRON MOTIFS AT MULTIPLE SITES. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT SAS-7 IS ANOTHER CENTROSOME FACTOR THAT IS DIRECTLY TARGETED APC/CFZR-1. INHIBITING APC/CFZR-1 BLOCKS SAS-7 DEGRADATION, LEADING TO HYPER-STABILIZATION OF SAS-7 AND COMPENSATING FOR A PARTIAL LOSS OF ZYG-1 FUNCTION IN ZYG-1 MUTANTS. OUR RATIONALE IS THAT ITS SUBSTRATE REPERTOIRE OF APC/CFZR-1 IN CENTROSOME ASSEMBLY AND DEFINING THEIR ROLE WILL REVEAL THE REGULATORY MECHANISMS OF APC/CFZR-1 REQUIRED FOR THE FIDELITY OF CELL DIVISION. THE AIMS OF THE PROJECT ARE TO (1) DETERMINE IF SAS-7 LEVELS ARE AFFECTED BY APC/CFZR-1-DEPENDENT PROTEOLYSIS, (2) IDENTIFY FUNCTIONAL DEGRON MOTIFS WITHIN SAS-7, MEDIATING APC/CFZR-1 TARGETING, AND (3) UNDERSTAND HOW APC/CFZR-1-DEPENDENT PROTEOLYTIC REGULATION OF SAS-7 CONTRIBUTES TO CENTROSOME ASSEMBLY AND FUNCTION. THE USE OF IN VIVO-BASED GENETICS IN A MODEL SYSTEM C. ELEGANS WILL LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING HUMAN SYSTEMS. THE PROPOSED PROJECT SHOULD CONTRIBUTE TO ADVANCES IN FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDINGS OF CENTROSOME BIOLOGY IN HUMANS AND THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS FOR HUMAN DISEASES AND CONDITIONS SUCH AS CANCERS AND MICROCEPHALY ASSOCIATED WITH ABNORMAL CENTROSOMES.

THE CHARACTERIZATION OF RNA BINDING MOTIF PROTEIN 48 (RBM48) IN U12 INTRON SPLICING, CELLULAR DIFFERENTIATION, AND DEVELOPMENT - PROJECT SUMMARY THE PROJECT AIMS TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF A NOVEL RNA BINDING MOTIF PROTEIN 48 (RBM48) AND ITS IMPACT ON CELL PROLIFERATION AND DIFFERENTIATION. RBM48 REPRESENTS A CORE MINOR SPLICEOSOMAL PROTEIN ESSENTIAL FOR THE SPLICING OF MINOR OR U12-TYPE INTRONS, CONSTITUTING A SMALL FRACTION OF DEEPLY CONSERVED INTRONS. THE SPLICING OF U12 INTRONS HAS A SIMILAR ROLE IN CELL DIFFERENTIATION ACROSS DIVERGENT EUKARYOTES. HOWEVER, THE MECHANISM BY WHICH U12 SPLICING CONTROLS THESE CELL DIFFERENTIATION PATHWAYS IS POORLY UNDERSTOOD. OUR PRIOR WORK DEMONSTRATED THAT THE DISRUPTION OF ORTHOLOGOUS RBM48 IN HUMANS AND PLANTS DISRUPTS THE SPLICING OF MULTIPLE MINOR INTRON-CONTAINING GENES (MIGS). THE ABERRANT SPLICING OF U12 INTRONS IN HUMAN HEMATOPOIETIC STEM AND PROGENITOR CELLS (HSPCS) ADVERSELY IMPACTS NORMAL MYELOID CELL DIFFERENTIATION, WHICH IS PROPOSED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROME AND SUBSEQUENT ONSET OF ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA. HUMAN RBM48 ENCODES MULTIPLE TRANSCRIPT ISOFORMS BY ALTERNATIVE SPLICING; HOWEVER, THE BIOLOGICAL RELEVANCE OF THIS PROCESS AND THE ROLE OF TRANSCRIPT ISOFORMS IS UNCLEAR. THE PROPOSAL AIMS TO IMPLEMENT CELLULAR, GENETIC, GENOMIC, AND BIOINFORMATIC TOOLS TO INVESTIGATE THE MECHANISTIC ROLE OF RBM48 AND ITS TRANSCRIPT ISOFORMS IN U12 SPLICING. THE PROPOSAL WILL ALSO EXAMINE HOW RBM48 MODULATES U12 SPLICING IN HSPCS, DIRECTLY AFFECTING DIFFERENTIATION, ENGRAFTMENT POTENTIAL, AND SELF-RENEWAL OF THIS STEM CELL POPULATION. THE DATA GENERATED WILL NO DOUBT BRIDGE THE GAP IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF A GROWING NUMBER OF DISEASES RANGING FROM HEMATOLOGICAL AND NEUROLOGICAL TO CANCER THAT HAVE BEEN LINKED TO DEFECTS IN U12 SPLICING. IN SPECIFIC AIM 1, WE WILL USE A DEVELOPED GENETIC ASSAY IN HUMAN K562 LEUKEMIA CELLS TO DETERMINE THE FUNCTIONAL ROLE OF RBM48 TRANSCRIPT ISOFORMS IN U12 SPLICING AND IMPLEMENT MRNA-SEQ-BASED TRANSCRIPTOMIC DATA TO DETERMINE IMPACTED GENES AND DOWNSTREAM PROCESSES THAT REGULATE U12 SPLICING MEDIATED CELLULAR DIFFERENTIATION. IN VIVO AND IN VITRO PROTEIN-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS OF RBM48 TRANSCRIPT ISOFORMS WILL BE USED TO ELUCIDATE THE MECHANISTIC ROLE IN U12 SPLICING. THE DATA WILL LEAD TO A BETTER DEFINITION OF U12 INTRON CONSENSUS AND POTENTIALLY IDENTIFY SEQUENCE TARGETS OF RBM48. WE HAVE SHOWN THAT RBM48 KNOCKDOWN ALTERS THE SURVIVAL AND PROLIFERATION CHARACTERISTICS OF K562 CELLS. IN SPECIFIC AIM 2, WE WILL USE AN RBM48 KNOCKDOWN STRATEGY IN HSPCS TO DEMONSTRATE ITS ESSENTIAL ROLE IN U12 SPLICING MEDIATED IMPACT ON DIFFERENTIATION, CELL FATE DETERMINATION, AND SELF-RENEWAL POTENTIAL. WE WILL USE A COMBINATION OF PHENOTYPIC AND IN VIVO AND IN VITRO FUNCTIONAL ASSAYS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE OUTCOMES. BY COMPLETING THE PROPOSED STUDY, OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO ENHANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW U12 SPLICING REGULATES CELLULAR DIFFERENTIATION, WHICH WILL ENABLE US TO IDENTIFY NEW DRUG TARGETS AND LEAD TO ROBUST TREATMENT STRATEGIES FOR PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM A GROWING NUMBER OF DISEASES ATTRIBUTED TO ABERRANT SPLICING OF U12 INTRONS.

THE ROLE OF PSEUDOURIDINE SYNTHASES IN AUTOPHAGY - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE BALANCE BETWEEN CELL DEATH AND SURVIVAL IS A CRITICAL FACTOR FOR MAINTAINING HUMAN HEALTH. CELLS MUST RAPIDLY ADAPT TO STRESS CONDITIONS WITHIN THEIR ENVIRONMENT TO SURVIVE. CYTOPROTECTIVE MEASURES REQUIRE THE CELL TO PROCESS STIMULI, AND OFTEN, ALTER GENE EXPRESSION WITHIN REGULATORY CIRCUITS. THE ABILITY TO DESIGN AND BUILD SYNTHETIC CELLS FOR INNOVATIVE BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS REQUIRES A COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CRITICAL CELLULAR PATHWAYS ARE REGULATED. HOWEVER, A COMPREHENSIVE MODEL FOR HOW A SINGLE CELL FUNCTIONS HAS REMAINED ELUSIVE. THIS GAP IN KNOWLEDGE IS A MAJOR BARRIER TO DEVELOPING SYNTHETIC CELLS FOR BIOMEDICAL PURPOSES. THUS, THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO ELUCIDATE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS REQUIRED FOR CELL SURVIVAL. MACROAUTOPHAGY/AUTOPHAGY IS AN ESSENTIAL MECHANISM THAT PRESERVES CELL HEALTH UNDER HOMEOSTATIC CONDITIONS AND SUPPORTS SURVIVAL UNDER STRESS. AUTOPHAGY IS A DYNAMIC PATHWAY OF CELLULAR DEGRADATION AND RECYCLING THAT IS CONSERVED FROM YEAST TO HUMANS. BASAL AUTOPHAGY IS LOW, BUT IS MARKEDLY UPREGULATED DURING STRESSFUL CONDITIONS. AT PRESENT, >40 AUTOPHAGY- RELATED (ATG) GENES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN YEAST; MANY OF THESE GENES ARE CONSERVED IN HUMANS. THIS COMPLEXITY REQUIRES THE CELL TO MAINTAIN PRECISE CONTROL OVER AUTOPHAGY AT MULTIPLE REGULATORY LEVELS. DESPITE THIS NEED FOR STRICT REGULATION, MUCH REMAINS UNKNOWN ABOUT HOW AUTOPHAGY IS FINE-TUNED IN THE CELL. IN HUMANS, PERTURBATION OF AUTOPHAGY CAN HAVE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ON CELL HEALTH AND SURVIVAL, CONTRIBUTING TO DISEASE PATHOGENESIS. IN FACT, ABERRANT AUTOPHAGY IS ASSOCIATED WITH DIVERSE HUMAN PATHOLOGIES SUCH AS NEURODEGENERATION, CANCER, AND LYSOSOMAL STORAGE AND METABOLIC DISORDERS. THE RATIONALE FOR THIS PROJECT IS THAT THERE IS A GAP IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS DRIVING RESPONSES NECESSARY FOR CELL SURVIVAL UNDER STRESS CONDITIONS. OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO DETERMINE THE ROLE(S) OF PSEUDOURIDINE SYNTHASES (PUS7 AND PUS4) IN NONSELECTIVE AND SELECTIVE AUTOPHAGY. PUS ENZYMES CATALYZE THE RNA-INDEPENDENT ISOMERIZATION OF URIDINE TO PSEUDOURIDINE (Ψ). OUR HYPOTHESIS HAS BEEN DEVELOPED BASED ON PRELIMINARY DATA THAT WAS GENERATED USING THE BUDDING YEAST MODEL SYSTEM. THE YEAST SYSTEM PROVIDES NUMEROUS ADVANTAGES, INCLUDING THE ABILITY TO PERFORM BIOCHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR GENETIC EXPERIMENTS QUICKLY AND EASILY, AND IN WAYS THAT ARE SUITABLE TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN AUTHENTIC BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH. SINCE AUTOPHAGY IS HIGHLY CONSERVED FROM YEAST TO HUMANS, WE EXPECT THAT OUR FINDINGS FROM THIS PROJECT CAN BE APPLIED TO FURTHERING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF CELL SURVIVAL IN HUMANS. THIS PROJECT WILL INCREASE THE PARTICIPATION OF UNDERGRADUATES IN A REWARDING BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY, WHICH IS IN THE DETROIT METRO AREA. THIS PROJECT IS INNOVATIVE BECAUSE IT PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO THE MECHANISTIC ROLE(S) OF PUS7 AND PUS4 IN CELL RESPONSES TO STRESS AND USES INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO DO SO. THE PROPOSED WORK IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT ADVANCES OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ROLES OF PUS ENZYMES IN CELLS AND HOW CELLS DYNAMICALLY RESPOND TO ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS. THIS PROJECT WILL GENERATE FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED FOR UNDERSTANDING CELL SURVIVAL MECHANISMS UNDER STRESS CONDITIONS.

CAREER: RECONFIGURABLE AND PREDICTIVE CONTROL WITH REINFORCEMENT LEARNING SUPERVISOR FOR ACTIVE BATTERY CELL BALANCING -THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPORT RESEARCH THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE NOVEL METHODOLOGIES RELATED TO BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLES, PROMOTING THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE AND ADVANCING NATIONAL HEALTH AND PROSPERITY BY ENABLING GREENER ELECTRIC VEHICLES. DUE TO BATTERY CELL VARIATIONS, SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ELECTRICITY IN ELECTRIC VEHICLE REMAIN UNUSED, WHICH RAISES CONCERNS ON EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY. ACTIVE BATTERY CELL BALANCING CONTROL AIMS TO ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS, BUT EXISTING METHODS HAVE LIMITED SUCCESS IN BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLES DUE TO CONCERNS IN REAL-TIME CONSTRAINTS AND LIMITED SENSING CAPABILITY INHERENT TO MANY AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS. THIS PROJECT SUPPORTS FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH THAT ADDRESSES THE MAJOR CHALLENGES IN CONTROL OF LARGE-SCALE SYSTEMS, CONTROL FUSION, INTELLIGENT CONTROL, AND BATTERY MANAGEMENT. THE NEW DESIGNS AND METHODOLOGIES WILL OFFER A TRANSFORMATIVE FRAMEWORK IN ACTIVE BATTERY CELL BALANCING CONTROL THAT SEAMLESSLY INTEGRATE VEHICLE LEVEL INFORMATION INTO BATTERY MANAGEMENT TO IMPROVE THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND DRIVING RANGE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES. THIS RESEARCH IS SYNERGISTIC WITH KEY SOCIETAL GOALS RELATED TO DEVELOPING EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS FOR COMBATING THE CLIMATE CHANGE. THEREFORE, RESULTS FROM THIS RESEARCH WILL BENEFIT THE U.S. ECONOMY, LIFE QUALITY, AND HEALTH. THIS RESEARCH INVOLVES SEVERAL DISCIPLINES INCLUDING CONTROL THEORY, REINFORCEMENT LEARNING, SENSING AND ESTIMATION, AND BATTERY MANAGEMENT. THE MULTI-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH ALSO FACILITATES THE PARTICIPATION OF UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN RESEARCH AND POSITIVELY IMPACTS ENGINEERING EDUCATION AND AUTOMOTIVE WORKFORCE. THE ACTIVE BATTERY CELL BALANCING CONTROL IS EXPECTED TO GREATLY ENHANCE THE EFFICIENCY OF BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLES, INCREASE THE DRIVING RANGE, AND IMPROVE PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE. IN PURSUIT OF THIS GOAL, FOUR CLOSELY INTEGRATED RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ARE PLANNED: 1) DEVELOP AN EFFICIENT CELL LEVEL ESTIMATION FRAMEWORK TO ESTIMATE CELL STATE-OF-CHARGE AND CAPACITY UNDER LIMITED MEASUREMENTS WITHOUT INCURRING HEAVY COMPUTATION; 2) DEVELOP A NOVEL PREDICTIVE CELL BALANCING CONTROL FRAMEWORK TO SEAMLESSLY INTEGRATE VEHICLE SPEED PREVIEW WITH FAST AND ROBUST ADAPTATION TO PREVIEW ERRORS; 3) DEVELOP A RECONFIGURABLE CONTROL FRAMEWORK TO SCALE UP CELL BALANCING CONTROL ALGORITHM FOR EV BATTERIES WITHOUT DEGRADING OVERALL BALANCING CONTROL PERFORMANCE; AND 4) EVALUATE AND VALIDATE THE PROPOSED FRAMEWORK THROUGH EXTENSIVE SIMULATIONS AND EXPERIMENTS. COLLECTIVELY, ADVANCES FROM THESE RESEARCH ENDEAVORS ARE EXPECTED TO MAKE ELECTRIC VEHICLES MORE ACCEPTABLE AND MORE AFFORDABLE, AND IT WILL CREATE NEW COMPUTATIONALLY-EFFICIENCY CONTROL MECHANISM FOR LARGE SCALE DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS. 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.

MAGNETO-ACOUSTIC EFFECTS IN IMAGING

CAREER: NEXT GENERATION POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY INTEGRATED WITH MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING

THE ROLE OF HEMATOPOIETIC STEM AND PROGENITOR CELLS IN SOLID TUMOR GROWTH AND RESPONSE TO RADIATION THERAPY - PROJECT SUMMARY A MAJOR COMPONENT OF MANY SOLID TUMORS, INCLUDING LUNG CANCERS, ARE BONE MARROW (BM)-DERIVED IMMUNE CELLS THAT MIGRATE TO TUMORS AND AID IN THEIR CONTINUED GROWTH. WHILE THE ACTIVITY OF THESE CELLS INCLUDING TUMOR ASSOCIATED MACROPHAGES (TAMS) HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF INTENSE INVESTIGATION, WE RECENTLY IDENTIFIED THAT BM- DERIVED HEMATOPOIETIC STEM AND PROGENITOR CELLS (HSPCS) ARE ALSO PRESENT IN GROWING TUMORS AND CAN BE FUNCTIONALLY MAINTAINED INTRATUMORALLY FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. INTERESTINGLY, THE NUMBERS OF HSPCS PRESENT IN TUMORS DIRECTLY CORRELATES TO THE EVENTUAL REGROWTH RATES OF TUMORS FOLLOWING RADIATION THERAPY (RT). THE DATA SUGGESTS THAT HSPCS REPRESENT ANOTHER IMPORTANT CELL POPULATION INVOLVED IN TUMOR BIOLOGY, HOWEVER; THEIR MECHANISM OF ACTION IS STILL UNCLEAR. FILLING THIS GAP IN KNOWLEDGE WILL ADD TO THE EVER-CHANGING UNDERSTANDING OF TUMOR BIOLOGY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO DETERMINE HOW HSPCS ARE MAINTAINED IN TUMORS AND HOW HSPCS PROMOTE TUMOR REGROWTH POST-RT. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT HSPCS ARE MAINTAINED THROUGH INTERACTIONS OF THE INTEGRIN CD49F AND LAMININS PRESENT WITHIN THE TUMOR EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX. IN SPECIFIC AIM 1, WE WILL SHOW THAT THIS INTERACTION IS INDEED RESPONSIBLE FOR HSPC MAINTENANCE USING IN VITRO AND IN VIVO STRATEGIES THAT BLOCK OR ENHANCE THIS INTERACTION FOLLOWED BY ANALYSIS OF THEIR EFFECTS ON HSPC FUNCTIONALITY. WE WILL ALSO DEFINE THE INTRACELLULAR SIGNALING PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS WITH INITIAL STUDIES FOCUSING ON FOCAL ADHESION KINASE (FAK) SIGNALING. THESE STUDIES WILL CHARACTERIZE FOR THE FIRST TIME A TUMOR SPECIFIC NICHE CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING HSPCS OUTSIDE OF THE BM. IN SPECIFIC AIM 2, WE WILL DEMONSTRATE THAT TUMOR TREATMENT WITH RT EXACERBATES HSPC MIGRATION TO TUMORS AND CONCOMITANTLY DISRUPTS THE INTERACTION BETWEEN CD49F AND LAMININ. WE WILL ALSO SHOW THAT RT PRODUCES TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENTS THAT FAVOR THE DIFFERENTIATION OF THESE ‘RELEASED’ HSPCS INTO TUMOR SUPPORTIVE MACROPHAGES (SPECIFICALLY M2 POLARIZED) TO AID IN TUMOR RECOVERY. WE WILL ALSO TEST THE EFFECTS OF BLOCKING THE ACTIVITY OF HSPCS ON TUMOR GROWTH AND REGROWTH POST-RT. BY COMPLETING THE PROPOSED STUDIES, OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO USE THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE ROBUST TREATMENT STRATEGIES FOR PATIENTS SUFFERING WITH SOLID TUMOR BASED CANCERS.

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE MECHANISM PRODUCING RHYTHMIC BEATING IN CILIA AND FLAGELLA

PARTNERSHIP FOR ADAPTATION, IMPLEMENTATION, AND DISSEMINATION (PAID): WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY (WISE@OU)

BRC-BIO: CELL CYCLE REGULATORS IN POSTMITOTIC MULTINUCLEATED CELLS: CONSERVED MECHANISMS REGULATING MUSCLE CELL SIZE. -CELL GROWTH IS CLOSELY LINKED TO CELL DIVISION; TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF GROWTH, CELLS MUST INCREASE PROTEIN SYNTHESIS. THE SYNTHESIS OF NEW RIBOSOMES (WHICH MAKE PROTEINS) PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN SUPPORTING THE INCREASED PROTEIN SYNTHESIS REQUIRED DURING THE CELL CYCLE AND DIVISION TO MAKE NEW CELLS. HOWEVER, THE ROLE OF THE SYNTHESIS OF NEW RIBOSOMES IN CELLS THAT ARE FULLY MATURED AND INCAPABLE OF CELL DIVISION REMAINS MUCH LESS CLEAR. MATURE SKELETAL MUSCLE CELLS ARE DIFFERENTIATED CELLS, MEANING THAT THEY CANNOT UNDERGO CELL DIVISION ANYMORE; YET SEVERAL PROTEINS TYPICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE CELL CYCLE ARE EXPRESSED IN SKELETAL MUSCLE CELLS, EVEN THOUGH THEY WILL NEVER DIVIDE. THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THE ROLES OF PROTEINS RESPONSIBLE FOR CELL CYCLE PROGRESSION IN NON-DIVIDING CELLS, SUCH AS MATURE MUSCLE CELLS, IN PARTICULAR THE SYNTHESIS OF NEW RIBOSOMES. USING NOVEL GENETICALLY MODIFIED MOUSE MODELS, THE RESEARCHERS WILL MANIPULATE THE CELL CYCLE TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS SLOWING OR SPEEDING UP THE CELL CYCLE ON RIBOSOME PRODUCTION AND MUSCLE CELL SIZE. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WORKING FROM THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR?S LAB, AND FROM A NEW COURSE-BASED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE (CURE), WILL RECEIVE EXTENSIVE TRAINING ON MUSCLE BIOLOGY WHILE SUPPORTING THIS PROJECT. WHILE CELL CYCLE PROGRESSION HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY STUDIED IN PROLIFERATIVE CELLS, THE ROLE OF CELL CYCLE REGULATORS IN POSTMITOTIC CELLS REMAINS UNCLEAR. FULLY DIFFERENTIATED SKELETAL MUSCLE CELLS CAN EXPRESS SEVERAL CELL CYCLE REGULATORS THAT ARE KEY TO RIBOSOME BIOGENESIS ? A CELLULAR PROCESS WHERE WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE ROLE OF THESE REGULATORS IS CONSERVED IN POSTMITOTIC CELLS. THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO INVESTIGATE THE ROLE OF CELL CYCLE REGULATORS IN MATURE SKELETAL MUSCLE CELLS, FOCUSING PRIMARILY AT THE LEVEL OF THE CYCLIN-DEPENDENT KINASE 4 (CDK4), A CENTRAL KINASE REGULATING RIBOSOME BIOGENESIS IN PROLIFERATIVE CELLS. SPECIFICALLY, THIS STUDY WILL: 1) DETERMINE WHETHER CDK4 REGULATES MUSCLE RIBOSOME BIOGENESIS AND MUSCLE CELL SIZE, AND; 2) TEST WHETHER PROMOTING CELL CYCLE PROGRESSION VIA A CONSTITUTIVELY ACTIVE CDK4 IN DIFFERENTIATED MUSCLE CELLS CAUSES THE MUSCLE PROGENITOR CELLS, KNOWN AS SATELLITE CELLS, TO FUSE WITH THE MATURE MYOFIBERS. TO ADDRESS THESE QUESTIONS, THE PI, GRADUATE, AND UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS WILL USE GENETICALLY MODIFIED MOUSE MODELS TO SPECIFICALLY AND CONDITIONALLY KNOCK OUT OR OVEREXPRESS KEY REGULATORS OF THE CELL CYCLE, SUCH AS CDK4, IN MATURE MYONUCLEI. IF THE HYPOTHESIS IS CORRECT, THE RESULTS FROM THIS PROPOSAL WILL REPRESENT A PARADIGM SHIFT IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF CELL CYCLE IN TERMINALLY DIFFERENTIATED CELLS, SUCH AS MUSCLE CELLS. 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.

A QUEST FOR THE PHYSICS OF CYBERSPACE

ROLES FOR CHROMATIN REMODELER RSC AND HISTONE ACETYLTRANSFERASES IN REGULATING CHROMATIN STRUCTURE AND TRANSCRIPTION - PROJECT SUMMARY DYNAMIC CHANGES TO CHROMATIN STRUCTURE ARE ESSENTIAL FOR REGULATING GENE EXPRESSION IN CELLS. THESE CHANGES ARE MEDIATED BY CHROMATIN-ASSOCIATED FACTORS SUCH AS HISTONE MODIFIERS, CHAPERONES, AND CHROMATIN REMODELERS. MUTATIONS IN THESE FACTORS ARE STRONGLY LINKED TO MANY HUMAN DISEASES. FOR EXAMPLE, MUTATIONS IN THE CONSERVED SWI/SNF FAMILY OF ATP-DEPENDENT CHROMATIN REMODELERS ARE LINKED TO ~20% OF HUMAN CANCERS. SOME OF THESE MUTATIONS ARE ALSO LINKED TO DEVELOPMENTAL AND INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY SYNDROME, SUCH AS COFFIN-SIRIS SYNDROME (CSS). HOWEVER, WE DO NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT ASPECTS OF SWI/SNF REMODELING ACTIVITIES ARE AFFECTED BY THE DISEASE-CAUSING MUTATIONS UNDER PHYSIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS. THE REMODELS THE STRUCTURE OF CHROMATIN (RSC) COMPLEX IS A MEMBER OF THE SWI/SNF FAMILY, AND IS THE ONLY ESSENTIAL REMODELER IN BUDDING YEAST. RSC REGULATES MANY BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES, INCLUDING TRANSCRIPTION BY ALL THREE RNA POLYMERASES. IT IS CRITICALLY INVOLVED IN MAINTAINING CANONICAL CHROMATIN STRUCTURE NEAR GENE-PROMOTERS. MANY DOMAINS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE RSC ATPASE SUBUNIT STH1 THAT MODULATE ITS REMODELING ACTIVITY. ADDITIONAL DOMAINS ARE IMPLICATED IN INTERACTING WITH DNA AND NUCLEOSOMES. HOWEVER, THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THESE DOMAINS IN DICTATING RSC FUNCTION IN LIVING CELLS ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD. FURTHERMORE, THE MECHANISMS THAT REGULATE THE ASSOCIATION OF RSC WITH CHROMATIN ARE ALSO NOT CLEAR. RSC COULD BIND TO SPECIFIC REGIONS OF CHROMATIN USING ITS BROMODOMAINS THAT HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BIND ACETYLATED HISTONES IN VITRO. HOW RSC EXPLOITS HISTONE ACETYLATION FOR ITS RECRUITMENT OR TO EXECUTE ITS FUNCTION UNDER PHYSIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS REMAINS TO BE UNDERSTOOD. USING SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE AS A MODEL ORGANISM, IN THE SPECIFIC AIM 1), WE WILL INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF MUTATIONS IN VARIOUS REGULATORY AND NUCLEOSOME-BINDING DOMAINS, AND SOME OF THE MUTATIONS THAT ARE LINKED TO DEVELOPMENTAL ABNORMALITIES ON CHROMATIN STRUCTURE, INCLUDING ACCESSIBILITY AND GENE EXPRESSION. WE WILL EXAMINE HOW MUTATIONS IN THESE IMPORTANT DOMAINS AFFECT THE ABILITY OF CELLS TO RESPOND TO STRESS. IN THE SPECIFIC AIM 2), WE WILL IDENTIFY THE HISTONE TAIL RESIDUES THAT PROMOTE RSC ASSOCIATION WITH CHROMATIN AND THOSE THAT HELP RSC DISENGAGE FROM CHROMATIN. THE EXTENT TO WHICH ACETYLATED RESIDUES AFFECT RSC ABILITY TO MAKE DNA ACCESSIBLE WILL ALSO BE DETERMINED, GENOME-WIDE. FURTHERMORE, WE WILL EXAMINE THE ROLE OF RSC IN REGULATING TRANSCRIPTION DURING ELONGATION STEPS. THESE STUDIES WILL BE VALUABLE IN UNDERSTANDING HOW HISTONE MODIFIERS AND CHROMATIN REMODELERS COOPERATE TO REGULATE GENE EXPRESSION.

IUCRC PHASE I OAKLAND UNIVERSITY: CENTER FOR INDUSTRIAL METAL FORMING (CIMF) -THE MISSION OF THE CENTER FOR INDUSTRIAL METAL FORMING (CIMF), WHICH IS COMPRISED OF OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY (OSU), OAKLAND UNIVERSITY (OU), AND UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE (UNH), IS TO PERFORM CUTTING-EDGE, PRE-COMPETITIVE FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH IN METAL FORMING SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. METAL FORMING PROCESSES ARE WIDELY USED IN AUTOMOTIVE, AEROSPACE, DEFENSE, ELECTRONICS, APPLIANCES, AND BIOMEDICAL INDUSTRIES AND PLAY AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN GENERATING SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC IMPACT AND ATTAINING GLOBAL MARKET COMPETITIVENESS. TRANSPORTATION, DEFENSE, AEROSPACE, HOUSEHOLD AND BIOMEDICAL INDUSTRIES CONSUME AND PROCESS LARGE QUANTITIES OF METALS IN FORGINGS, EXTRUSIONS, AND SHEET METAL COMPONENTS. NEW AND FUTURE DEMANDS IN METAL FORMING WILL REQUIRE NEW MATERIAL PROCESSING METHODS, INNOVATIVE TOOL DESIGNS, NEW LUBRICANTS, AUTOMATION, AI, INTEGRATION WITH COMPUTING RESOURCES, AND INTELLIGENT SENSORS TO IMPROVE QUALITY, MINIMIZE VARIABILITY, AND REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF SCRAP FOR LIGHTWEIGHT AND HIGH STRENGTH MATERIALS. SIGNIFICANT NEEDS AND CHALLENGES EXIST WITH RESPECT TO COMPUTATIONAL AND MATERIALS MODELING, DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE FORMING PROCESSES USING STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGIES, AND CREATING EQUIPMENT AND DIE INNOVATIONS TO ENHANCE THE FORMING OF METALS. IF ADDRESSED, THESE ADVANCEMENTS WOULD LEAD TO CONSIDERABLE PRODUCT PERFORMANCE, MANUFACTURING, AND SOCIETAL BENEFITS. CIMF ACTIVITIES WILL STRENGTHEN THE US MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY AND FACILITATE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF NEW METAL FORMING TECHNOLOGIES BY CONDUCTING INDUSTRIALLY-RELEVANT AND CHALLENGING PROJECTS THAT COUPLE FUNDAMENTAL AND APPLIED RESEARCH. CIMF WILL COLLABORATE CLOSELY WITH ITS INDUSTRIAL MEMBERS TO PREPARE WORK-READY PROFESSIONALS FOR THE METAL FORMING INDUSTRY THROUGH ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND INDUSTRIAL TRAINING TO IMPROVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL BASE FOR THESE CRITICAL INDUSTRIES. ADVANCEMENT IN MATERIAL UTILIZATION AND BROADER IMPLEMENTATION OF LIGHTWEIGHTING ALLOYS FROM CIMF RESEARCH WILL HELP TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT FROM CO2 EMISSIONS. DIVERSITY WITH RESPECT TO UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN CIMF RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH PROVEN PROGRAMS AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES. OSU WILL FOCUS ON MATERIAL SUPPLIERS AND AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES, DUE TO THE CONCENTRATION OF COMPANIES IN THESE AREAS IN THE MIDWEST U.S. CIMF WILL DRIVE INNOVATION AND COMPETITIVENESS IN U.S. INDUSTRY BY CONDUCTING TRANSFORMATIONAL RESEARCH IN NOVEL FORMING PROCESSES, INTEGRATED COMPUTATIONAL METAL FORMING, ADVANCED EQUIPMENT AND DIE TECHNOLOGIES, THE APPLICATION OF SENSORS AND THE INDUSTRIAL INTERNET OF THINGS (IIOT) IN METAL FORMING, AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)-ASSISTED MATERIALS MODELING. THIS WILL NECESSITATE AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH WITH EXPERTS FROM MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, MATERIALS SCIENCE, COMPUTATIONAL METHODS, AI AND DATA ANALYTICS, AND EXPERIMENTAL MECHANICS. THE INDUSTRIAL MEMBERS OF CIMF INCLUDE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS, COMPONENTS SUPPLIERS, MATERIAL SUPPLIERS, AND MACHINE BUILDERS. VERTICAL, FUNDAMENTAL ADVANCES WILL BE ACHIEVED BY EMPLOYING INNOVATIVE APPROACHES IN SHEET METAL/TUBE FORMING, FORGING, AND EXTRUSION, IMPROVING MATERIAL FORMABILITY, ADVANCING METHODS FOR VIRTUAL PROCESS DESIGN AND SIMULATION, AND EMPLOYING NEW LUBRICANTS AND METAL FORMING EQUIPMENT. SPECIFICALLY, PROJECTS TARGET PROCESS INNOVATION, FORMING CONTROL BASED ON IIOT, ENERGY-EFFICIENT FORMING MACHINES, ETC. THE RESULTS WILL BE ADVANCEMENTS IN MATERIAL UTILIZATION AND WEIGHT REDUCTION, FINAL PART PERFORMANCE, INDUSTRY-FRIENDLY COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS FOR PROCESS DESIGN, METAL FORMING DIES WITH EXTENDED LIFE, AND INDUSTRIAL METAL FORMING PROCESSES OF INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY, ACROSS A RANGE OF ADVANCED MATERIAL SYSTEMS. OU HAS UNIQUE FACILITIES AND RESEARCH EXPERTISE WITH RESPECT TO HIGH VOLUME STAMPING PROCESSES, INCLUDING DIE MATERIALS, LUBRICANTS, SENSORS, AND NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS. 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.

OSIRIS GENES AS NOVEL COORDINATORS OF PROTEIN TRAFFICKING IN DROSOPHILA TRACHEA - SUMMARY BIOLOGICAL TUBES WITH APPROPRIATE SIZES ARE CRITICAL FOR THE PROPER FUNCTIONING OF MOST MAJOR HUMAN ORGAN SYSTEMS (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO KIDNEYS, LUNGS, AND BLOOD VESSELS). MALFORMATION OF TUBES LEADS TO VARIOUS HUMAN DISEASES, SUCH AS POLYCYSTIC KIDNEY DISEASE AND VASCULAR DISEASES. DROSOPHILA TRACHEA IS THE PREMIER SYSTEM TO STUDY THE FUNDAMENTAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING TUBULAR ORGAN FORMATION. THE DROSOPHILA TRACHEA IS A RAMIFYING NETWORK OF EPITHELIAL TUBES WITH A MONOLAYER OF EPITHELIAL CELLS SURROUNDING AN APICAL LUMEN. DURING TUBE EXPANSION, THE APICAL SECRETION BURST DEPOSITS LARGE AMOUNTS OF LUMINAL MATRIX COMPONENTS TO THE APICAL EXTRACELLULAR LUMEN. THIS PROCESS IS CRITICAL FOR TUBE EXPANSION TO ACQUIRE MATURE SIZES. PREVIOUS STUDIES ON APICAL SECRETION FOCUSED ON THE IDENTIFICATION OF COMPONENTS OF THE VESICULAR TRAFFICKING PATHWAY INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS. AS EXPECTED, IN ADDITION TO ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM AND GOLGI, A FEW ENDOSOMES ARE ALSO REQUIRED IN THIS PROCESS. INSTEAD OF IDENTIFYING ADDITIONAL TRAFFICKING COMPONENTS, THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO REVEAL THE “BROADER COORDINATION” OF VARIOUS TRAFFICKING COMPONENTS DURING APICAL SECRETION. THIS IS A PREVIOUSLY UNDERAPPRECIATED MECHANISM IN APICAL SECRETION IN DROSOPHILA TRACHEA AS WELL AS IN THE OVERALL FIELD OF VESICULAR TRAFFICKING. OUR PRELIMINARY STUDY ON A POORLY UNDERSTOOD OSIRIS (OSI) GENE FAMILY STRONGLY INDICATES THAT OSI FAMILY GENES FUNCTION AS “TRAFFIC COORDINATORS” TO DIRECT POST-GOLGI PROTEIN TRAFFICKING. IN ADDITION, A RECENT HOMOLOGY SEARCH REVEALED THAT OSI GENES SHARE NOTICEABLE SEQUENCE HOMOLOGY TO GLYOXALASE 1 (GLO-1). GLO-1 IS WELL KNOWN FOR ITS FUNCTION IN DETOXIFICATION OF METHYLGLYOXAL, A METABOLIC BYPRODUCT OF GLYCOLYSIS. IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT GLO-1 PLAYS A ROLE IN VESICULAR TRAFFICKING AS WELL AS MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN BLOOD VESSELS. THESE DISCOVERIES LEAD TO A PLAUSIBLE HYPOTHESIS THAT THEY MAY ALSO HAVE SOME FUNCTIONAL OVERLAP IN TUBULAR ORGANS. OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT OSI GENES FUNCTION AS “TRAFFIC COORDINATORS” TO DIRECT APICAL PROTEINS BY COORDINATED CHANGES WITHIN SECRETION-RELATED (E.G. ENDOSOMES, EXOSOMES) AND DEGRADATION-RELATED TRAFFICKING COMPONENTS (E.G. LYSOSOMES, AUTOPHAGOSOMES). WE WILL TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS BY COMPLETING THE FOLLOWING THREE SPECIFIC AIMS: AIM. 1 DETERMINE THE FUNCTION OF OSI GENES IN APICAL SECRETION OF THE APICAL LUMINAL MATRIX DURING TUBE EXPANSION. AIM. 2: DETERMINE THE FUNCTION OF OSI GENES AS COORDINATORS TO INCREASE NUMBERS, VOLUMES, ACTIVITIES OF SECRETION-RELATED TRAFFICKING COMPONENTS AT THE EXPENSE OF DEGRADATION-RELATED TRAFFICKING COMPONENTS IN TRACHEA. AIM. 3: IDENTIFY PROTEINS THAT DIRECTLY BIND TO OSI PROTEINS. THIS PROJECT IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE UNDERSTANDING THE “BROADER COORDINATION” BETWEEN VARIOUS TRAFFICKING COMPONENTS WILL FILL THE GAP IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE REGULATORY HIERARCHY IN PROTEIN TRAFFICKING.

INTERPRETABLE MULTIMODAL SENSOR FUSION

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE AGEP HISTORICALLY BLACK UNIVERSITIES ALLIANCE: A MODEL TO ADVANCE EARLY CAREER MINORITY FACULTY IN THE STEM PROFESSORIATE

REU SITE: UNDERGRADUATE COMPUTER RESEARCH IN CYBERSECURITY AND AI (UNCORE-CYBERAI) -OAKLAND UNIVERSITY (OU) WILL RENEW THEIR RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES (REU) SITE THAT HAS BEEN HOSTED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FOR OVER TWO DECADES. EACH SUMMER, UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE NATION WILL WORK ON CHALLENGING RESEARCH PROBLEMS RELATED TO CYBERSECURITY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI), AN AREA OF NATIONAL PRIORITY FOR OUR NATION. THESE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WILL SPEND 10 SUMMER WEEKS ON CAMPUS WHERE THEY ARE IMMERSED IN A RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT WITH ALL ITS FACETS: PARTICIPATING ACTIVELY IN SHAPING THE RESEARCH PROJECT AND IN DEFINING ITS SOLUTION; COMMUNICATING TO PEERS AND OTHER AUDIENCES ABOUT THEIR PROGRESS AND THEIR FINDINGS; VISITING RESEARCH LABORATORIES AND ATTENDING PRESENTATIONS ABOUT ALL ASPECTS OF RESEARCH AND RESEARCH CAREERS. THE TEAM WILL CONTINUE TO USE SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES EMPLOYED IN PAST REU SITES TO RECRUIT UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM GROUPS TRADITIONALLY UNDER-REPRESENTED IN COMPUTER SCIENCE. A PARTICULAR FOCUS WILL BE ON RECRUITING WOMEN, AND STUDENTS FROM GROUPS THAT ARE UNDER-REPRESENTED IN COMPUTING, AS WELL AS STUDENTS FROM INSTITUTIONS WHERE THERE ARE LIMITED RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES. THE GOAL IS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DIVERSE SCIENTIFIC WORKFORCE WITH EXPERTISE IN AREAS CRITICAL TO NATIONAL SECURITY IN THE EVOLVING GLOBAL SOCIETY OF THE FUTURE. THIS REU (UNCORE-CYBERAI) SITE WILL ALLOW STUDENTS TO WORK WITH RESEARCHERS AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE EVOLVING LANDSCAPE OF CYBERSECURITY AND MODERN AI IN TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY, MEDICINE AND DATA SCIENCE, THE INTERDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF HUMAN-AI INTERACTION, THE CONVERGENCE OF CUTTING-EDGE AI AND NATIONAL SECURITY FOR DOD BASES, AND CORE SOFTWARE SECURITY. ULTIMATELY, THE GOAL IS TO CONTRIBUTE TO DEVELOPING A DIVERSE, INTERNATIONALLY COMPETITIVE, AND GLOBALLY ENGAGED SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING WORKFORCE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE NSF PRIORITIES. THE PROJECT WILL ENGAGE 30 PARTICIPANTS (MANY OF THEM ARE WOMEN OR URMS AND FROM INSTITUTIONS WITH LIMITED RESEARCH ACTIVITY IN STEM) IN RESEARCH EXPERIENCES THAT WILL MOTIVATE THEM TO PURSUE CAREERS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, PARTICULARLY CYBERSECURITY AND AI. THE REU STUDENTS WILL BE BETTER PREPARED FOR GRADUATE STUDIES AND ENGINEERING. FURTHER, RESEARCH AND PROGRAMMATIC RESULTS WILL BE DISSEMINATED IN CONFERENCES AND THROUGH PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES. 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.

INVESTIGATING THE FUNCTIONAL ROLES OF ARL6IP5 IN SUPPRESSING THROMBOSIS - PROJECT SUMMARY THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF OUR WORK IS TO IDENTIFY GENETIC VARIANTS THAT SUPPRESS INTRAVASCULAR BLOOD CLOTTING CALLED THROMBOSIS OR VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM (VTE). WE PREVIOUSLY USE A GENOME WIDE MUTATION SCREEN IN MICE TO IDENTIFY 10 DOMINANT GENETIC VARIANTS THAT SUPPRESSED LETHAL THROMBOSIS. SEVERAL OF THESE MUTATIONS ARE IN GENES WHICH, WHEN MUTATED, ENABLE MICE WITH A LETHAL THROMBOSIS GENOTYPE TO SURVIVE. ARL6IP5 IS ONE SUCH GENE. THIS GENE AND ITS PROTEIN PRODUCT, ALSO KNOWN AS JWA, PRAF3 ETC. HAS MULTIPLE PUTATIVE CELLULAR AND ORGANISMAL FUNCTIONS, OVERLAPPING WITH ACTR2 (ARP2, PART OF THE ARP2/3 COMPLEX). OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT ARL6IP5 DEFICIENCY AFFECTS THROMBOSIS BY ALTERING ESSENTIAL CELLULAR FUNCTIONS VIA CYTOSKELETAL AND TRANSCRIPTIONAL PATHWAYS. THESE IN TURN AFFECT PLATELET REACTIVITY, GENE TRANSCRIPTION, AND THE KINETICS OF THROMBOSIS. WE WILL COMPLETE THE SPECIFIC AIMS OF OUR PROJECT BY PERFORMING ASSAYS ON OUR GENOME EDITED MOUSE MODEL OF ARL6IP5 DEFICIENCY. SPECIFIC AIM 1 WILL INVESTIGATE THE ABILITY OF COMPLETE ARL6IP5 DEFICIENCY TO INCREASE THROMBOSIS SUPPRESSION RELATIVE TO PARTIAL ARL6IP5 DEFICIENCY. WE WILL ALSO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF ARL6IP5 ON TAIL BLEEDING AND ROSE BENGAL INDUCED ARTERIAL AND VENOUS THROMBOSIS. SPECIFIC AIM 2 EXPERIMENTS WILL PROBE ARL6IP5 DEFICIENT PLATELETS FOR FUNCTIONAL AND TRANSCRIPTIONAL DEFECTS USING TARGETED PLATELET ASSAYS AND PLATELET RNA SEQUENCING. TO FOLLOW UP ON THE PLASMA ACTIVATED PARTIAL THROMBOSPLASTIN TIME (APTT) DEFECT WE OBSERVED IN ARL6IP5 DEFICIENT MICE, WE WILL PERFORM DETAILED STUDIES ON BLOOD AND PLASMA, INCLUDING THE MEASUREMENT OF COAGULATION FACTOR LEVELS AND LIVER RNA SEQUENCING TO DETERMINE THE MOLECULAR GENETIC PATHWAY LEADING TO THIS EFFECT. BOTH MALE AND FEMALE MICE WILL BE TESTING TO ENSURE THE RIGOR AND THOROUGHNESS OF OUR STUDIES. THE COMPLETION OF THE PROPOSED STUDIES WILL PROVIDE THE FIRST EVIDENCE OF THE ROLE ARL6IP5 GENE MUTATIONS PLAY IN REGULATING HEMOSTASIS. THESE QUESTIONS ARE HIGHLY IMPACTFUL TO THE MISSION OF THE NIH BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE CRITICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE REGULATION OF THROMBI, A WIDESPREAD KILLER CAUSING HEART ATTACKS, STROKES, AND VTE. INCREASED FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE OF THIS PROCESS COULD PROVIDE BETTER INSIGHTS INTO PREVENTATIVE AND THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES. THESE STUDIES WILL ALSO BE USED TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCHERS IN THE PROPER CONDUCT OF SCIENTIFIC STUDIES, PREPARING THEM FOR OUTSTANDING INDEPENDENT SCIENTIFIC CAREERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH. THE FUNDING OF THIS GRANT WILL FURTHER CONTRIBUTE TO THE OUTSTANDING TRAINING ENVIRONMENT OF THE OAKLAND UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, WHICH HAS BEEN DOING AN OUTSTANDING JOB OF CONTRIBUTING SCIENTISTS TO GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING PROGRAMS IN CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH.

INCUBATOR PROGRAM

HEXAGONAL FERRITE-FERROELECTRIC CORE-SHELL NANOFIBERS, FIELD-ASSISTED ASSEMBLY OF SUPERSTRUCTURES AND STUDIES ON MAGNETOELECTRIC INTERACTIONS

VEGF'S LONGITUDINAL EFFECT ON THE RETINA AND RETINAL VASCULATURE IN VIVO

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A FLOW CYTOMETER CELL SORTER FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY

ROLE OF SLC39A8 (ZIP8) IN SELENITE TRANSPORT

BBSI: SUMMER INSTITUTE IN BIOENGINEERING AND HEALTH INFORMATICS

ROLE OF HISTONE CHAPERONES IN TRANSCRIPTION AND CHROMATIN STRUCTURE

REU SITE: APPLIED RESEARCH EXPERIENCE IN ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING (APREECE) -THIS THREE-YEAR RENEWAL REU SITE: APPLIED RESEARCH EXPERIENCE IN ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING (APREECE) PROGRAM IS HOSTED BY OAKLAND UNIVERSITY. TEN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS EACH YEAR WILL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO INVESTIGATE SELECTED CUTTING-EDGE AREAS OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING RESEARCH EMBEDDED IN SOLVING CURRENT REAL-WORLD CHALLENGES. REU STUDENTS WILL ENGAGE IN PROJECTS IN BIOENGINEERING, GPU COMPUTING, EMBEDDED COMPUTING, MACHINE LEARNING, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AUTONOMOUS DRIVING, POWER SYSTEMS, AND CONTROLS. STUDENTS WILL WORK IN GROUPS OF TWO ON FIVE SEPARATE PROJECTS, ALLOWING FOR A CLOSE AND PERSONAL INTERACTION WITH THE FACULTY FOR EACH PROJECT. RECRUITING EFFORTS WILL HAVE A SPECIAL FOCUS ON FEMALE AND MINORITIES. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES AND FIELD TRIPS ARE PLANNED TO A LOCAL CONFERENCE, COMPETITION, AND R&D FACILITY. THE SAE YOUNG AUTOMOTIVE PROFESSIONALS CONFERENCE AND THE ANNUAL INTELLIGENT GROUND VEHICLE COMPETITION (IGVC) ARE EXPECTED TO OVERLAP THE APREECE PROGRAM. PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES AND THE IMPACT OF ENGINEERING ON OUR LIVES THROUGH CLOSE INTERACTION WITH FACULTY, RESEARCH STAFF, AND OUR INDUSTRY COLLABORATORS IN THE METRO DETROIT AREA. PROVIDING UNDERGRADUATES WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO FUNCTION AS RESEARCHERS ON PROJECTS THAT ARE CURRENT, RELEVANT, AND INTERESTING CAN HAVE PROFOUND POSITIVE INFLUENCES TO PURSUE STEM CAREERS. WITH CLOSE MENTORING FROM FACULTY, THE STUDENTS WILL GAIN VALUABLE SKILLS IN CONTRIBUTING TO SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH, TEAMWORK, COMMUNICATION, AND DISSEMINATION OF THEIR WORK THROUGH TECHNICAL CONFERENCES. STUDENTS WILL PRODUCE PROJECT WRITE-UPS AND AN ?INNOVATION PLAN? AND PRESENT THEIR WORK AT TWO CONFERENCES. THE PLAN WILL CONSIST OF A PROBLEM STATEMENT, RESEARCH PERFORMED, PRELIMINARY RESULTS, AND AN OUTLINE OF WAYS THEIR DISCOVERIES CAN BE USED TO INNOVATE/ENHANCE EXISTING PRODUCTS OR SOLVE CURRENT PROBLEMS. THESE PLANS WILL BE PRESENTED FOR FEEDBACK TO A REVIEW PANEL CONSISTING OF EXPERTS OF VARIOUS BACKGROUNDS. THE FIRST INTERNAL MINI-CONFERENCE IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THE SECOND CONFERENCE IS AN ANNUAL UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH CONFERENCE HELD AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY. FINALLY, WRITE-UPS WILL BE SUBMITTED TO APPROPRIATE PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCES AND AUTHORS OF ACCEPTED PAPERS WILL BE INVITED AND FUNDED TO TRAVEL WITH THEIR ADVISORS TO PRESENT THEIR WORK. THIS SITE IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY FUNDS PROVIDED TO THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION BY THE SEMICONDUCTOR RESEARCH CORPORATION. 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.

CENTROSOME REGULATION BY PROTEOLYSIS IN C. ELEGANS

MATERIALS WORLD NETWORK: DYNAMICALLY CONTROLLED ARTIFICIAL MAGNONIC MATERIALS BASED ON ARRAYS OF NANO-SIZED MAGNETIC DOTS

PTEN AND GUT EPITHELIAL PHYSIOLOGY - PROJECT SUMMARY PTEN IS CLASSICALLY CONSIDERED A LIPID PHOSPHATASE. HENCE, LOSS OF PTEN PERPETUATES THE PI3K-AKT SIGNALING TO PROMOTE CELL PROLIFERATION, CAUSING PRE-CLINICAL DYSPLASIA OR TUMOR. ON THE OTHER HAND, EMERGING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT PTEN HAS A PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE ACTIVITY TO REGULATE THE PHOSPHORYLATION AT UBIQUITIN PROTEIN. IN THIS PROJECT, WE SUGGEST THAT PTEN REGULATES THE UBIQUITINATION OF SNAIL/SLUG TRANSCRIPTION REPRESSOR PROTEINS AND THE AUTOPHAGY PATHWAY IN INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL CELLS (IECS). PTEN DEFICIENCY ELEVATES THE UBIQUITINATION OF SNAIL/SLUG. BY LOWERING YKT6, PTEN DEFICIENCY ALSO SUPPRESSES AUTOPHAGOSOME-LYSOSOME FUSION TO INHIBIT AUTOLYSOSOME FORMATION. THEN, ABORTED AUTOLYSOSOMES CANNOT DEGRADE UBIQUITINATED SNAIL/SLUG, LEADING TO AUGMENTED SNAIL/SLUG REPRESSORS. CONSEQUENTLY, IT REPRESSES THE CELL-JUNCTION PROTEIN EXPRESSION, DISRUPTING THE CELL-CELL JUNCTION AND SEGREGATING THE IEC FROM THE INTESTINAL EPITHELIUM. REGARDING THE ROLE OF PTEN IN TUMORIGENESIS, PREVIOUS STUDIES SUGGEST THAT LOSS OF PTEN GENE ALONE CANNOT CAUSE TUMOR DEVELOPMENT IN THE INTESTINE. INDEED, IEC-TARGET PTEN KNOCKOUT (KO) (PTENΔIEC/ΔIEC) MICE DO NOT DEVELOP TUMORS IN THE INTESTINE. HOWEVER, WE OBSERVED THAT PTENΔIEC/ΔIEC MICE HAVE ENHANCED CELL GROWTH AND PRE-CLINICAL DYSPLASIA IN THE INTESTINE. HUMAN COLON CANCER TISSUES HAVE REDUCED EXPRESSION OF PTEN AND MYD88 (A KEY IMMUNE REGULATOR) COMPARED TO NORMAL TISSUES. ACCORDINGLY, PTENΔIEC/ΔIEC MICE DEVELOP MASSIVE INTESTINAL TUMORS AND METASTASIS WHEN COMBINED WITH MYD88-KO. THEREFORE, OUR OVERALL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT (1) PTEN DEFICIENCY CAN INDUCE PRE- CLINICAL DYSPLASIA, BUT AN IMMUNE SURVEILLANCE MECHANISM RESTRAINS ITS TUMORIGENIC POTENTIAL IN THE INTESTINE. (2) IF AN IMMUNE MECHANISM IS COMPROMISED, IT UNLEASHES THE TUMORIGENIC POTENTIAL OF THE PTEN DEFICIENCY. IN PARALLEL, (3) PTEN DEFICIENCY CAN DISRUPT THE CELL-CELL JUNCTION, ALLOWING THE SEGREGATION OF DYSPLASTIC CELLS FROM THE EPITHELIUM. FURTHER, A SEGREGATED DYSPLASTIC CELL MIGRATES TO AN EXTRA-INTESTINAL ORGAN, DEVELOPING TUMOR METASTASIS. BASED ON THE HYPOTHESIS, THIS R15 APPLICATION PROPOSES TWO MAJOR RESEARCH AIMS: AIM 1 INVESTIGATES THE NON-CLASSICAL FUNCTION OF PTEN IN IECS. AIM 2 TESTS A POTENTIAL INTERVENTION TO PREVENT PTEN-PROMOTED TUMORIGENESIS AND METASTASIS.

TLT-1 INTRACELLULAR FUNCTION - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT TREM LIKE TRANSCRIPT (TLT-1), IS A HIGHLY ABUNDANT PLATELET PROTEIN THAT MEDIATES THE EARLIEST STATES OF PLATELET ACTIVATION. INHIBITION OF TLT-1 FUNCTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH BLEEDING IN THE INFLAMMATORY ARENA; HOWEVER VASCULAR HEMOSTASIS DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED. OUR STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT TLT-1 PRESENTS ITSELF AS A POTENTIAL TARGET TO CONTROL THROMBOSIS WITHOUT THE INTRODUCTION OF BLEEDING. HOWEVER, TO PURSUE THE THERAPEUTIC ASPECTS OF TLT-1, WE MUST FIRST UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISMS OF TLT-1 FUNCTION. THIS PROJECT IS FOCUSED ON IDENTIFYING THE CRITICAL SIGNALING MOTIFS OF TLT-1 FUNCTION. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL, WE HAVE OUTLINED TWO SPECIFIC AIMS: AIM 1: CHARACTERIZE TLT-1 PHOSPHORYLATION SITES, AIM 2: DECIPHER THE INTRACELLULAR CUES THAT REGULATE TLT-1 TRAFFICKING IN PLATELETS AT THE COMPLETION OF THESE AIMS WE WILL HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PLATELET TO REGULATION OF EDEMA AND HOW WE CAN MANIPULATE PLATELET INTERACTIONS TO IMPROVE DISEASE OUTCOMES.

IDENTIFICATION OF THE GENETIC REGULATORS OF PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATOR INHIBITOR-1

MECHANISTIC STUDIES OF ANTI-TAU ANTIBODIES EFFECTS ON TAU BIOCHEMISTRY

STUDYING THE GUT-BRAIN INFLAMMATORY INTERACTION - PROJECT SUMMARY EMERGING EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT THE RISK OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE SUCH AS PARKINSON’S DISEASE (PD) AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE (AD) IS SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES (IBD) PATIENTS WITHOUT SEX DIFFERENCES. THEREFORE, IT IS BELIEVED THAT CHRONIC GUT INFLAMMATION MAY CHANGE BRAIN PHYSIOLOGY. HOWEVER, THERE IS NO DIRECT EVIDENCE THAT GUT INFLAMMATION ELICITS A PATHOLOGICAL CONDITION IN THE BRAIN; ITS UNDERLYING MOLECULAR MECHANISM REMAINS ELUSIVE. ACCORDINGLY, THE GOAL OF THIS APPLICATION IS (1) TO DEMONSTRATE THAT CHRONIC GUT INFLAMMATION ALTERS THE BRAIN FUNCTION USING “MANGANESE-ENHANCED MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING” (MEMRI) IN MICE AND (2) TO UNCOVER ITS UNDERLYING MECHANISM. USING THE MEMRI TECHNIQUE THAT IS AN EXCELLENT NON-INVASIVE, IN VIVO BIO-IMAGING TECHNIQUE TO MEASURE THE BRAIN ACTIVITY IN LIVING ANIMALS, WE DISCOVERED THAT C57BL/6 MICE SUFFERING FROM MULTICYCLE DSS-INDUCED CHRONIC COLITIS EXHIBIT REDUCED BRAIN ACTIVITY IN THE HIPPOCAMPUS COMPARED TO THAT OF HEALTHY MICE. ACCORDINGLY, LONG-TERM MEMORY IS DECLINED IN CHRONIC COLITIS MICE. NEUROINFLAMMATORY RESPONSES, INCLUDING IL-1 LEVELS AND THE ACTIVATION OF CASPASE-1 AND CASPASE-11, ARE ELEVATED IN THE HIPPOCAMPUS OF CHRONIC COLITIS MICE COMPARED TO THOSE OF CONTROLS. HMGB1 LEVELS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED BOTH IN THE BLOOD SERUM AND IN THE HIPPOCAMPUS OF CHRONIC COLITIS MICE, WHILE LPS LEVELS REMAIN AT LOW LEVELS WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THESE TISSUES. THE PERMEABILITY OF THE BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER IS MARKEDLY INCREASED IN CHRONIC COLITIS MICE. GIVEN THE FACT THAT HMGB1 TRANSPORTS EXTRACELLULAR LPS INTO THE CYTOSOL TO TRIGGER CASPASE-11-MEDAITED PYROPTOSIS IN MACROPHAGES, OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS, THEREFORE, THAT IN CHRONIC GUT INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS, HMGB1 IS RELEASED AND TRAVELS TO THE BRAIN. THEN, ELEVATED LEVELS OF HMGB1, IN CONJUNCTION WITH A LOW LEVEL OF INDIGENOUS LPS, ARE CAPABLE OF ACTIVATING CASPASE-11-MEDIATED INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES IN MICROGLIAL CELLS; THEREBY, CAUSING THE INFLAMMATION IN THE BRAIN. TO STUDY THIS HYPOTHESIS, WE PROPOSE THE AIMS: (AIM 1) EXAMINE WHETHER HMGB1 MEDIATES THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN THE BRAIN OF CHRONIC COLITIS MICE, AND (AIM 2) EXAMINE WHETHER IL-10-KO MICE WITH CHRONIC COLITIS EXHIBIT ALTERED BRAIN ACTIVITY.

ENDOTHELIAL CELL ACTIVATION REGULATES AML GROWTH AND RELAPSE

PACEMAKERS OF CHOLINERGIC WAVE ACTIVITY IN THE DEVELOPING RETINA - PROJECT SUMMARY BEFORE THE EMERGENCE OF VISION, SPONTANEOUS RETINAL WAVE ACTIVITY IS ESSENTIAL FOR RETINAL LAYER-SPECIFIC ANGIOGENESIS AND DENDRITIC MATURATION OF RETINAL GANGLION CELLS, AS WELL AS FOR THE REFINEMENT OF EYE-SPECIFIC SEGREGATIONS AND RETINOTOPIC MAPS. A SUBPOPULATION OF RETINAL AMACRINE INTERNEURONS, CALLED STARBURST AMACRINE CELLS, INITIATE AND PROPAGATE RETINAL WAVES THROUGH RECURRENT CHOLINERGIC CONNECTIONS CALLED CHOLINERGIC RETINAL WAVES. HOWEVER, THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING CHOLINERGIC WAVE INITIATION AND PROPAGATION ARE POORLY DEFINED. CURRENTLY, THE MOST URGENT PRIORITY IS TO DEFINE HOW CHOLINERGIC WAVES ARE INITIATED TO CREATE A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING THEIR DOWNSTREAM PROPAGATION. THIS PROJECT'S OBJECTIVE IS TO IDENTIFY A SUBSET OF STARBURST AMACRINE CELLS THAT SERVE AS CHOLINERGIC WAVE PACEMAKERS AND THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH PACEMAKER STARBURST AMACRINE CELLS GENERATE THESE WAVES. PRELIMINARY DATA FROM THE PI'S LABORATORY DEMONSTRATE THAT IT IS FEASIBLE TO IDENTIFY PACEMAKER STARBURST AMACRINE CELLS AND THE SUFFICIENCY OF A SINGLE PACEMAKER STARBURST AMACRINE CELL TO INITIATE A WAVE. WAVE GENERATION REQUIRES ACTIVATION OF VOLTAGE-DEPENDENT CALCIUM CHANNELS. THESE NOVEL FINDINGS LEAD TO THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS: SINGLE PACEMAKER STARBURST AMACRINE CELLS INITIATE WAVES BY A CALCIUM-DEPENDENT MECHANISM. TO TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS, THE TEAM WILL DETERMINE THE DISTRIBUTION AND PROPERTIES OF CHOLINERGIC WAVE PACEMAKERS (AIM 1), AND IDENTIFY THE CALCIUM-DEPENDENT MECHANISMS OF CHOLINERGIC WAVE GENERATION (AIM 2). THE WORK ON UNDERSTANDING THE IDENTITY AND FEATURES OF PACEMAKER STARBURST AMACRINE CELLS AND THE IONIC MECHANISMS OF CHOLINERGIC RETINAL WAVE GENERATION WILL ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE OF HOW RETINAL WAVES MEDIATE VASCULAR AND NEURONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE RETINA AS WELL AS EYE-SPECIFIC SEGREGATION AND RETINOTOPIC MAP REFINEMENT IN THE VISUAL CENTERS OF THE BRAIN.

USING BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS TO MITIGATE RELAPSE OF PROBLEM BEHAVIOR IN AN INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES POPULATION - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT OVER 2 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES WHO HAVE INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES (IDD) ENGAGE IN SOME FORM OF PROBLEM BEHAVIOR SUCH AS SELF-INJURY AND AGGRESSION. PROBLEM BEHAVIOR IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF SUFFERING FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR CAREGIVERS, AND ADVERSELY IMPACTS SOCIETY AS A WHOLE. PROBLEM BEHAVIOR INCREASES CAREGIVERS' BURDEN AND STRAINS HEALTHCARE AND OTHER SERVICE SYSTEMS, AS INDIVIDUALS WHO ENGAGE IN PROBLEM BEHAVIOR CAN REQUIRE PROLONGED SEPARATION FROM CAREGIVERS AND COMMUNITY THROUGH RESIDENTIAL OR HOSPITAL TREATMENT. BEHAVIORAL TREATMENTS CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE MEANS TO TREAT PROBLEM BEHAVIOR. ONE OF THE MOST COMMON BEHAVIORAL TREATMENTS IS DIFFERENTIAL REINFORCEMENT OF ALTERNATIVE BEHAVIOR, FREQUENTLY IMPLEMENTED AS FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION TRAINING. MOST DEMONSTRATIONS OF BEHAVIORAL TREATMENTS, INCLUDING FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION TRAINING, ARE CONDUCTED IN HIGHLY CONTROLLED SETTINGS BY TRAINED THERAPISTS. WHEN THESE TREATMENTS ARE IMPLEMENTED IN COMMUNITY SETTINGS (E.G., AN INDIVIDUAL'S HOME) BY CAREGIVERS, THEY WILL BE CHALLENGED, WHICH CAN LEAD TO THE RECURRENCE AND SUSTAINED RELAPSE OF PROBLEM BEHAVIOR. RECURRENCE AND RELAPSE CAN BE THE FIRST STEPS IN A CHAIN THAT LEADS TO TREATMENT FAILURE. FORTUNATELY, SOME TACTICS HAVE BEEN DESIGNED TO SUSTAIN TREATMENT EFFECTIVENESS AND MITIGATE TWO FORMS OF RELAPSE (RESURGENCE AND RENEWAL) THAT RESULT FROM TWO OF THREE PRIMARY TREATMENT CHALLENGES. THESE TACTICS FUNCTION AS INOCULATION (I.E., MAKE PROBLEM BEHAVIOR LESS LIKELY TO RETURN). HOWEVER, THERE ARE NO TACTICS DESIGNED TO SPECIFICALLY MITIGATE A THIRD FORM OF RELAPSE: REINSTATEMENT THIS PROJECT INVOLVES A NOVEL INOCULATION TACTIC TO MITIGATE REINSTATEMENT AND PROTECT AGAINST THE THIRD COMMON TREATMENT CHALLENGE: EXTINCTION ERRORS. THE TACTIC IN QUESTION IS BASED ON SUBSTANTIAL CONCEPTUAL AND EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS, AS WELL AS OUR PILOT WORK. THE PROJECT USES AN INNOVATIVE TRANSLATIONAL- TREATMENT MODEL TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHICH OF THE PROPOSED TACTICS (OUR NOVEL TACTIC OR THE DEFAULT STANDARD-OF- CARE APPROACH) BETTER INOCULATES AGAINST EXTINCTION ERRORS THROUGH REAL-WORLD ANALOGUES. THE USE OF A TRANSLATIONAL-TREATMENT MODEL IS CONSISTENT WITH OTHER RESEARCH EXAMINING THE ROLE OF BASIC PROCESSES IN BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT WHEN COLLATERAL EFFECTS ARE UNKNOWN, AND WILL ALSO ENGENDER A THOROUGH EXAMINATION OF THE PROPOSED TACTICS. IN AIM 1, WE WILL ESTABLISH A PROXY RESPONSE, APPLY TREATMENT TO THAT PROXY RESPONSE, AND EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRESSIVE RATIO TRAINING IN INOCULATING AGAINST EXTINCTION ERRORS AND MITIGATING RESPONSE- DEPENDENT REINSTATEMENT. IN AIM 2, WE WILL ESTABLISH A PROXY RESPONSE, APPLY TREATMENT TO THAT PROXY RESPONSE, AND EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRESSIVE RATIO TRAINING IN INOCULATING AGAINST EXTINCTION ERRORS AND MITIGATING RESPONSE-INDEPENDENT REINSTATEMENT. OUTCOMES OF THIS RESEARCH COULD IMPROVE THE CURRENT STANDARD OF CARE FOR BEHAVIORAL TREATMENTS TO MAKE THEM MORE EFFECTIVE IN COMMUNITY APPLICATION, RESULT IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF NOVEL INOCULATION TACTICS, AND SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE LIVES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH IDD.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

TAS::57 3600::TAS "ELECTRIC FIELD CONTROL OF MAGNETISM IN FERRITES FOR SUB-THZ ELECTRONICS"

SCFV PIEZOIMMUNOSENSOR DETECTION OF THERAPEUTIC ANTIBODIES IN HUMAN SERUM

UNDERSTANDING THE EVOLUTION OF PATHOGENICITY WITH A GENOME COMPLEXITY APPROACH

EXAMINATION OF HABITUAL SLEEP TRAJECTORIES ACROSS THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF COLLEGE: RELATION TO WEIGHT GAIN RISK BEHAVIORS AND OUTCOMES

SELF-ASSEMBLED MULTIFERROIC NANOSTRUCTURES AND STUDIES ON MAGNETOELECTRIC INTERACTIONS (RESEARCH AREA: 10.1)

A PILOT STUDY OF YOGA FOR BREATHING AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF LUNG CANCER PATIENTS

TO BRING TOGETHER 18 SECONDARY TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS AND 02 UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS FROM PAKISTAN TO IMPROVE CAPACITY OF PAKISTANI EDUCATORS.

MILLIMETER AND SUB-MILLIMETER WAVE MAGNETOELECTRIC INTERACTIONS IN LAYERED MULTIFERROICS: PHENOMENA AND DEVICES

VOLTAGE-TUNABLE HIGH-FREQUENCY FERRITE DEVICES BASED ON NON-LINEAR MAGNETOELECTRIC INTERACTIONS

EMBRACE-OCE-GROWTH: HOLOCENE HURRICANE RECONSTRUCTIONS FROM WESTERN MEXICO: FILLING THE GAP FROM THE UNDER-STUDIED COASTS OF JALISCO AND NAYARIT -THE EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC BASIN IS ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE AREAS GLOBALLY FOR HURRICANE DEVELOPMENT. WESTERN MEXICO, IN PARTICULAR, IS OFTEN IMPACTED BY POWERFUL HURRICANES, CAPABLE OF CAUSING CATASTROPHIC STORM SURGE AND/OR TORRENTIAL RAINFALL, AS DEMONSTRATED BY THE DEVASTATING IMPACTS OF OTIS IN 2023. UNFORTUNATELY, OBSERVATIONAL HURRICANE RECORDS FOR WESTERN MEXICO ONLY GO BACK ABOUT 75 YEARS, MAKING IT CHALLENGING TO UNDERSTAND HOW OFTEN HURRICANES STRIKE THIS AREA, AND THE CLIMATE MECHANISMS THAT DRIVE SUCH ACTIVITY. BOTH CHALLENGES MAKE PROPER RISK ASSESSMENT DIFFICULT. DURING THIS PROJECT, SEDIMENT CORES WILL BE COLLECTED TO HELP RECONSTRUCT PAST ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND EVIDENCE OF PAST HURRICANES GOING BACK HUNDREDS TO THOUSANDS OF YEARS. FIELD RESEARCH WILL TAKE PLACE IN JALISCO AND NAYARIT. THESE TWO STATES REPRESENT A VAST SPATIAL GAP WITH LIMITED RESEARCH DATA ABOUT PREVIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND HURRICANES. IMPROVED ASSESSMENT OF REGIONAL COASTAL RISK WILL HELP POLICYMAKERS, STAKEHOLDERS, AND RESIDENTS MAKE SOUNDER, MORE SCIENTIFICALLY BASED DECISIONS. THIS PROJECT INCLUDES A NEW COLLABORATIVE NETWORK WITH UNIVERSITIES IN GUADALAJARA, JALISCO (ITESO) AND QUINTANA ROO (ECOSUR). AS PART OF THIS COLLABORATION, PI BIANCHETTE WILL DELIVER SEMINARS FOR INTERESTED STUDENTS ON NATURAL HAZARDS AND RELATED TOPICS AT ITESO, AND WILL ALSO HOST A FIELD SCHOOL WHERE STUDENTS WILL GAIN EXPERIENCE WITH SEDIMENT CORING AND FIELD TECHNIQUES. RECONSTRUCTING HURRICANES ALONG MEXICO?S PACIFIC COAST IS COMPLICATED BY THE VAST DIMENSIONS OF BEACH RIDGE PLAINS, FREQUENCY OF TSUNAMIS, AND DIFFICULTY LOCATING DEPOSITIONS FROM HISTORIC (MODERN) HURRICANE EVENTS. CURRENTLY, THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS REGARDING THE PROPER IDENTIFICATION OF EXTREME EVENT DEPOSITS (I.E., HURRICANES, TSUNAMIS) ALONG MEXICO?S PACIFIC COAST, SINCE STUDIES OFTEN LACK SIGNIFICANT SPATIAL COVERAGE AND COMPARISONS TO MODERN ANALOG DEPOSITS. THUS, THERE IS A NOTABLE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES ALONG TYPICAL COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS OF WESTERN MEXICO. COUPLED WITH PAST RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FROM MEXICO?S PACIFIC COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS WHICH INCLUDES SAMPLING MULTIPLE SITES AND EXTRACTING ~100 METERS OF SEDIMENT, AN ANALYSIS OF AERIAL IMAGES FROM HUNDREDS OF KILOMETERS OF COASTLINE HAS HELPED PI BIANCHETTE TO IDENTIFY AT LEAST 10 SITES LIKELY TO CONTAIN MODERN HURRICANE DEPOSITS. IDENTIFYING AND CHARACTERIZING THESE MODERN SIGNATURES IS ESSENTIAL FOR DETECTING PALEOHURRICANE DEPOSITION AND ACCURATELY DIFFERENTIATING IT FROM TSUNAMI-INDUCED RUNUP LAYERS. MULTI-PROXY ANALYSIS (E.G., GEOLOGICAL, BIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL METHODS) OF THESE RECENT DEPOSITS WILL HELP DETERMINE THE MARINE AND TERRESTRIAL IMPACTS OF BOTH MODERN EVENTS AND PALEOHURRICANES, FURTHER IMPROVING REGIONAL RISK ASSESSMENT AND MITIGATION. RESULTS WILL BE ALIGNED TO PALEOCLIMATOLOGICAL DATASETS TO UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISM(S) (I.E., ENSO, ITCZ) RESPONSIBLE FOR HYPERACTIVITY, LEADING TO SENSIBLE PROGNOSTICATIONS OF FUTURE ACTIVITY TO AID CLIMATOLOGISTS AND MODELERS. NOTABLY, THESE METHODS, BOTH FIELD AND LABORATORY, CAN BE APPLIED TO OTHER SIMILAR COASTAL REGIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, WHERE EXTREME EVENT DEPOSITION HAS BEEN CHALLENGING TO PINPOINT AND IDENTIFY ITS PROVENANCE. 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.

ROLE OF CORNEAL NEUROPEPTIDES IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF HERPETIC STROMAL KERATITIS

NSF-MEITY: STRAIN ENGINEERING OF MAGNETISM IN FERRIMAGNETIC SPINEL FERRITES AND GARNETS BY COMBINATORIAL SUBSTRATE EPITAXY FOR DUAL H- AND E-TUNABLE HIGH FREQUENCY DEVICES -TITLE: NOVEL SYNTHESIS TECHNIQUES FOR THIN FILM MAGNETIC OXIDES FOR ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELD TUNABLE MINIATURE HIGH FREQUENCY DEVICES ABSTRACT FERRITES AND GARNETS ARE MAGNETIC MATERIALS OF CHOICE FOR USE IN HIGH FREQUENCY SIGNAL PROCESSING DEVICES DUE TO LOW LOSS CHARACTERISTICS. THEIR WIDESPREAD USE IN FREQUENCY TUNABLE DEVICES, HOWEVER, IS LIMITED BY TWO FACTORS: DIFFICULTIES IN MINIATURIZATION DUE TO THE NEED FOR A SOURCE OF HIGH EXTERNAL MAGNETIC FIELDS THAT WILL ALSO REQUIRE A LARGE OPERATING POWER. THIS INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIVE PROJECT IS ON NOVEL SYNTHESIS TECHNIQUES TO TAILOR THE PROPERTIES OF FERRITE AND GARNET THIN FILMS TO ACHIEVE A LARGE BUILT-IN MAGNETIC FIELD TO ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR HIGH MAGNETIC FIELDS AND POWER REQUIREMENTS AND TO DESIGN AND FABRICATE VOLTAGE TUNABLE DEVICES BY USING A COMPOSITE OF MAGNETIC AND FERROELECTRIC FILMS. MAGNETIC OXIDE FILMS WILL BE GROWN ON SUBSTRATES WITH A VARIETY OF CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC ORIENTATIONS AND CHARACTERIZED TO IDENTIFY THE APPROPRIATE SUBSTRATE ORIENTATION TO ACHIEVE A LARGE INTERNAL MAGNETIC FIELD. FOLLOWING THIS CRITICAL STEP, FERRITE AND GARNET FILMS GROWN ON DESIRED SUBSTRATES WILL BE BONDED TO FERROELECTRIC OXIDE FILMS AND THE COMPOSITES WILL BE USED IN USED IN HIGH FREQUENCY DEVICES SUCH AS RESONATORS AND FILTERS AND TESTED IN TERMS OF VOLTAGE AND MAGNETIC FIELD TUNABILITY AND LOSS PARAMETERS. ANTICIPATED KEY OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT ARE HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN MATERIALS AND DEVICE TECHNOLOGIES AND A NEW FAMILY OF SMART, ENERGY EFFICIENT, MINIATURE HIGH FREQUENCY DEVICES FOR USE IN CONSUMER ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS. THIS COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM IS AIMED AT TUNABLE, MINIATURE, PLANAR DEVICES WITH THE USE OF (I) FERRITE/GARNET FILMS WITH A SELF-MAGNETIC BIAS PROVIDED BY STRAIN-INDUCED ANISOTROPY FIELD AND (II) VOLTAGE TUNING OF THE DEVICE FACILITATED BY TWO DIFFERENT MECHANISMS: NON-LINEAR MAGNETO-ELECTRIC EFFECTS AND LINEAR MAGNETO-ELECTRIC COUPLING IN A COMPOSITE WITH A FERROELECTRIC. THE ENHANCEMENT OF THE ANISOTROPY FIELD IS TO BE ACHIEVED BY INTRODUCING A CONTROLLED STRAIN DUE TO FILM-SUBSTRATE LATTICE MISMATCH IN THE FILMS GROWN BY COMBINATORIAL SUBSTRATE EPITAXY, A TECHNIQUE SUITABLE FOR SIMULTANEOUS FILM GROWTH ON A POLYCRYSTALLINE SUBSTRATE WITH A WIDE RANGE OF STRAIN STATES, THEREBY ENABLING OPTIMIZATION OF THE SUBSTRATE AND MATERIAL PARAMETERS FOR SPECIFIC DEVICE APPLICATIONS. THE MOST IMPORTANT TASK IS THE GROWTH OF YTTRIUM IRON GARNET AND NICKEL FERRITE FILMS BY LIQUID PHASE EPITAXY ON POLYCRYSTALLINE SUBSTRATES OF YTTRIUM ALUMINUM GARNET AND MAGNESIUM ALUMINATE WITH A LARGE FILM-SUBSTRATE LATTICE MISMATCH. WELL-CHARACTERIZED SUBSTRATES WILL BE PREPARED BY SPARK-PLASMA SINTERING AND HOT-PRESSING. SUBSTRATES AND GROWN FILMS WILL BE CHARACTERIZED BY ELECTRON AND SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPIES. LOCALIZED FERROMAGNETIC RESONANCE MEASUREMENTS BY SCANNING MICROWAVE MICROSCOPY WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION ON APPROPRIATE GRAIN ORIENTATIONS FOR ENHANCED STRAIN INDUCED ANISOTROPY FIELDS. FILMS GROWN ON SINGLE CRYSTAL SUBSTRATES OF PREFERRED ORIENTATIONS WILL BE BONDED TO FERROELECTRIC LEAD ZIRCONATE TITANATE OR LEAD MAGNESIUM NIOBATE-LEAD TITANATE. YTTRIUM IRON GARNET-FERROELECTRIC COMPOSITES ARE TO BE USED IN 1-10 GHZ RESONATORS AND BAND-PASS AND BAND-STOP FILTERS. NICKEL FERRITE-BASED COMPOSITES ARE TO BE USED FOR DEVICES IN THE 10-20 GHZ RANGE AND WILL BE CHARACTERIZED IN TERMS OF BROAD-BAND TUNING WITH A PERMANENT MAGNET AND NARROW-BAND VOLTAGE TUNING BY MAGNETO-ELECTRIC EFFECTS AND LOSS PARAMETERS AND FIGURES OF MERIT. A PARTNER IN INDUSTRY WILL EVALUATE THEIR PERFORMANCE FOR USE IN 4G/5G WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES AND IN SIMILAR HIGH FREQUENCY COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS. 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.

IONIC LIQUID GAS SENSORS FOR DETECTION OF FLAMMABLE GASES IN WORKPLACE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH:SITS: INTEGRATING NOVEL GREENHOUSE GAS SENSOR TECHNOLOGY WITH MECHANISTIC MODELING TO IMPROVE PROJECTIONS OF ARCTIC SOIL RESPONSES TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND FIRE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: NANOSCALE HETEROSTRUCTURES AND DEFECTS IN TWO-DIMENSIONAL MATERIALS

SCIENCE GOALS: WHEN RECONSTRUCTING EVOLUTIONARY HISTORIES OF LIFE ON EARTH PRIMARY SOURCES OF INFORMATION ARE GEOLOGIC DATA APPLICABLE MOSTLY TO PHANEROZOIC LIFE FORMS AND MOLECULAR DATA FOR PRE-CAMBRIAN LIFE. TIMELINES INFERRED FROM THESE TWO SOURCES ARE GENERALLY IN AGREEMENT BUT MAJOR CHALLENGES FOR KEY EVOLUTIONARY STEPS REMAIN. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR TIMELINES OF EARLY MICROBIAL LIFE THAT DUE TO THE ALMOST COMPLETE LACK OF GEOLOGIC RECORD ARE HEAVILY DEPENDENT ON MOLECULAR-BASED APPROACHES THAT OFTEN PRODUCE CONTRASTING EVOLUTIONARY HISTORIES. TO IMPROVE THE CONFIDENCE IN THE ESTIMATED TIMELINES IT IS THEREFORE IMPERATIVE TO (I) RECONCILE CONTRASTING TIMELINES FROM MOLECULAR DATA WITH EACH OTHER AND ALSO WITH THE GEOLOGIC TIMELINE AND (II) DESIGN AN OBJECTIVE PROCEDURE TO IDENTIFY BIASES IN ESTIMATIONS EVEN IN CASES WHEN ALTERNATIVE INDEPENDENT EVIDENCE IS LACKING. OBJECTIVES: IN RESPONSE TO THESE NEEDS HERE WE PROPOSE TO ESTABLISH AN OBJECTIVE AND COMPUTATIONALLY EASY PROCEDURE TO EVALUATE THE ACCURACY OF PUBLISHED AND FUTURE TIMETREES THAT WILL LEAD TO MORE ACCURATE AND CONCORDANT TIMELINES. OUR METHOD INVESTIGATES THE PARAMETERS ASSOCIATED WITH CALIBRATION POINTS AND EVOLUTIONARY RATE VARIATION AMONG LINEAGES PARAMETERS THAT ARE KNOWN TO AFFECT THE ACCURACY OF RELAXED MOLECULAR CLOCKS. WE PROPOSE TO USE A RELATIVE FRAMEWORK ESTABLISHED FROM PRIOR-FREE MODELS (FOURTH GENERATION MOLECULAR CLOCKS) TO DETECT BIASES IN THESE PARAMETERS WHICH CAN THEN BE REMOVED TO INCREASE ACCURACY OF INDIVIDUAL ESTIMATES. WE SHOW PRELIMINARY DATA FROM THE APPLICATION OF THE PROPOSED APPROACH IN SIMULATED SCENARIOS AND AN EMPIRICAL DATASET RELATED TO A HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL EVOLUTIONARY EVENT THE TIMELINE OF THE ORIGIN AND DIVERSIFICATION OF ANIMALS. THE RESULTS SUPPORT THE VALIDITY OF THE PROPOSED APPROACH THAT WE PLAN TO APPLY TO HUNDREDS OF PUBLISHED TIMETREES WITH KNOWN DISAGREEMENTS IN AN EFFORT TO PRODUCE AN ACCURATE TIMELINE OF THE EVOLUTION OF LIFE. THE ESTABLISHED PROCEDURE WILL BE PARTICULARLY USEFUL IN INVESTIGATIONS OF EARLY MICROBIAL LIFE FOR WHICH MOLECULAR DATA IS VIRTUALLY THE ONLY RECORD OF THEIR EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY. METHODS: BASED ON THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL WE HAVE IDENTIFIED TWO AIMS. IN AIM #1 WE WILL FOCUS ON THE EVALUATION OF CALIBRATION BOUNDARIES AND THEIR EFFECTS ON DIVERGENCE TIMES. THIS IS AN APPLIED AIM THAT WILL FIRST EVALUATE TIMETREES FROM THE LITERATURE TO IDENTIFY THE MOST COMMON WEAKNESSES AND RE-ESTIMATE NEW TIMETREES WITH IMPROVED PARAMETERS AND TAXONOMIC SAMPLING. THE OUTCOMES OF THIS AIM WILL BE THE FIRST LARGE-SCALE ASSESSMENT OF PUBLISHED TIMETREES AND THE ESTIMATION OF NEW MORE ACCURATE DIVERGENCE TIMES FOR A WIDE RANGE OF TAXONOMIC GROUPS FOCUSING ON EARLY MICROBIAL SPECIES. AIM #2 WILL PROVIDE THEORETICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE APPLIED ANALYSIS OF THE PREVIOUS AIM BY INVESTIGATING DISTRIBUTIONS OF RATE VARIATION AMONG LINEAGES FOR DIFFERENT SIMULATED DATASETS. THESE DISTRIBUTIONS WILL SERVE AS REFERENCE TO DETERMINE PATTERNS OF RATE VARIATION IN EMPIRICAL DATA AND WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION TO OPTIMIZE OUR METHODOLOGY. THE NEW TESTING PROCEDURE DEVELOPED IN AIMS #1 AND #2 WILL THEN BE IMPLEMENTED IN A NEW SOFTWARE THAT WILL ALLOW EXPERTS AND NON-EXPERTS TO EVALUATE THE DEPENDENCY OF THEIR ESTIMATED DIVERGENCE TIMES ON THE CHOSEN PARAMETERS. SIGNIFICANCE: WE EXPECT THIS PROJECT TO BE HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE BY IMPROVING MOLECULAR DATING METHODS IT WILL PROVIDE THE MEANS TO ESTIMATE A TIMELINE OF THE EVOLUTION OF LIFE THAT WILL BRING INTO CLOSER AGREEMENT BIOLOGICAL GEOLOGICAL AND PALEONTOLOGICAL VIEWS OF THE CONDITIONS ON EARLY EARTH. RECONSTRUCTING A CHRONOLOGY OF LIFE ON EARTH HAS BEEN A LONGSTANDING GOAL IN ASTROBIOLOGY AS IT EMPOWERS RESEARCHERS TO DRAW INFERENCES ON THE CO-EVOLUTION OF LIFE AND HABITABLE CONDITIONS OF A PLANET.

REU SITE: UNDERGRADUATE COMPUTER RESEARCH (UNCORE) IN CYBER SECURITY

MRI: ACQUISITION OF NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROMETER FOR CYBER FACILITATED REGIONAL USE

COLORECTAL SCREENING FEAR-REDUCTION AND RACIALLY-TARGETED NORM MESSAGING ENTREATIES TO INCREASE COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING RATES AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS - SUMMARY ABSTRACT COLORECTAL CANCER (CRC) IS ONE OF THE LEADING CAUSES OF CANCER MORTALITY IN THE UNITED STATES, AND AFRICAN AMERICANS (AFAMS) STILL FARE WORSE IN CRC INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY COMPARED TO EUROPEAN AMERICANS (EUAMS).INTERVENTIONS TO INCREASE CRC SCREENING RATES AMONG AFAMS ARE INSTRUMENTAL TO ADDRESS THE DISPARITIES IN CRC INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY. DESPITE LITERATURE INDICATING THAT AFAMS’ FEARS (E.G., OF COLONOSCOPY PROCEDURES OR CANCER DIAGNOSIS) SERVE AS BARRIERS TO CRC SCREENING, NO INTERVENTIONS HAVE USED THEORY-GUIDED METHODS TO DIRECTLY TARGET FEAR-BASED BELIEFS. ADDITIONALLY, NO RESEARCH HAS EXAMINED THE EXTENT TO WHICH RACIAL IDENTITY MODERATES THE EFFECTS OF RACIALLY TARGETED MESSAGING, DESPITE THE UBIQUITY OF USING TARGETED HEALTH MESSAGING ENTREATIES AMONG MINORITY GROUPS. THIS IS PARTICULARLY RELEVANT GIVEN OUR WORK SHOWING THAT RACIALLY- TARGETED SCREENING ENTREATIES INCREASED CRC SCREENING INTENTIONS AMONG AFAMS WHO IDENTIFIED LESS STRONGLY, BUT DEPRESSED THOSE INTENTIONS AMONG AFAMS WHO IDENTIFIED MORE STRONGLY WITH THEIR RACIAL GROUP. LACK OF FOCUS ON OTHER SALIENT CRC SCREENING BARRIERS MAY HAVE BEEN OFF-PUTTING TO HIGHLY IDENTIFIED AFRICAN AMERICANS. WE PROPOSE TO EXAMINE WHETHER COMBINING BOTH FEAR-REDUCTION AND RACIALLY-TARGETED NORM-BASED MESSAGES WILL INCREASE AT-HOME STOOL-BASED CRC SCREENING RECEPTIVITY AND UPTAKE FOR ALL AFRICAN AMERICAN REGARDLESS OF LEVEL OF RACIAL IDENTITY. GIVEN LOW RETURN RATES OF AT-HOME SCREENING KITS, WE WILL ALSO EXPLORE WHETHER MAKING AN EXPLICIT COMMITMENT TO RETURN SCREENING KITS IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED KIT RETURNS. AIM 1: TO DEVELOP AND REFINE A FEAR-REDUCTION INTERVENTION GUIDED BY THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR AND BY PUBLISHED LITERATURE, IN CONJUNCTION WITH AFAM COMMUNITY EXPERTS. AIM 2: TO EXAMINE WHETHER THE FEAR-REDUCTION ENTREATY INCREASES RECEPTIVITY TO, AND UPTAKE OF AT-HOME CRC SCREENING WHEN COUPLED WITH RACIALLY-TARGETED NORM-BASED MESSAGES. AIM 3: TO EXAMINE THE MODERATING ROLES OF RACIAL IDENTITY AND PERCEIVED CRC RISK ON THE EFFECTS OF FEAR- REDUCTION AND RACIALLY-TARGETED NORM-BASED MESSAGING ENTREATIES. AIM 4: WE WILL EXPLORE WHETHER PARTICIPANTS WHO MAKE EXPLICIT COMMITMENTS TO RETURN FIT KITS RETURN THEM AT A HIGHER RATE COMPARED TO THOSE WHO DO NOT MAKE SUCH COMMITMENTS. THIS PROPOSED STUDY IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT DIRECTLY ADDRESSES DOCUMENTED CRC SCREENING DEFICITS AMONG AN UNDERSERVED POPULATION, AND IS INNOVATIVE GIVEN ITS DESIGN OF A THEORY-BASED AND LITERATURE INFORMED INTERVENTION TO ADDRESS PREVIOUSLY UNADDRESSED BARRIERS TO CRC SCREENING AMONG AFAMS.

TOWARD TARGETING GPR31 AND GPR39 SIGNALING IN DIABETIC RETINOPATHY - SUMMARY G-COUPLED PROTEIN RECEPTOR-31 AND 39 (GPR31/GPR39) ARE SPECIFIC RECEPTORS FOR 12/15-LIPOXYGENASE (12/15- LO) METABOLITES; 12- AND 15-HETES RESPECTIVELY. THE ROLE OF GPR31/GPR39 IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF DIABETIC RETINOPATHY (DR) HAS NOT YET BEEN INVESTIGATED. OUR PREVIOUS STUDIES DEMONSTRATED THAT DIABETES INDUCES UPREGULATION OF RETINAL 12/15-LO AND ITS METABOLITES, 12- AND 15-HETES, IN HUMAN AND EXPERIMENTAL MICE. FURTHERMORE, 12/15-LO BLOCKADE PRESERVED THE BLOOD-RETINAL BARRIER IN DIABETIC MICE AND REDUCED RETINAL NEOVASCULARIZATION IN OXYGEN-INDUCED RETINOPATHY. TREATMENT OF MÜLLER CELLS (MCS) WITH 12/15-LO METABOLITES INDUCED INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES AND UPREGULATED VEGF. HOWEVER, THERE IS STILL A CRITICAL GAP IN UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANISM BY WHICH 12/15-LO METABOLITES ACTIVATE RETINAL ENDOTHELIAL (RECS) AND MCS. OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO DETERMINE WHETHER GPR31/GPR39 ARE INVOLVED IN THE PRO-INFLAMMATORY AND -ANGIOGENIC EFFECTS OF 12/15-LO METABOLITES IN RECS AND MCS THAT LEAD TO VASCULAR DYSFUNCTION IN DR. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA DEMONSTRATED EXPRESSION OF GPR31/GPR39 IN RECS AND MCS AND BOTH RECEPTORS ARE UPREGULATED IN THE RETINAS OF DIABETIC MICE. THE TRANSMEMBRANE HELICES OF THE GPR31 AND GPR39 PROTEINS CAN BE SUPERIMPOSED AND 12- HETE BOUND TO THE COGNATE GPR31 RECEPTOR AND GPR39 ON THE EXTRACELLULAR SIDE OF THE PROTEINS. SIMILARLY, 15- HETE BINDS TO GPR39 AND GPR31. WE WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT IN RECS AND MCS, GPR31 AND GPR39 CONTRIBUTE TO ACTIVATION OF SIGNALING PATHWAYS THAT LEAD TO VASCULAR DYSFUNCTION IN DR. WE WILL TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS THROUGH TWO SPECIFIC AIMS: AIM1: DETERMINE THE AFFINITIES AND RELATIVE SUBSTRATE SPECIFICITIES OF GPR31 AND GPR39 FOR 12- AND 15-HETES IN RECS AND MCS UNDER NORMAL AND HYPERGLYCEMIC CONDITIONS. AIM 2: EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF GPR31 OR GPR39 GAIN-LOSS-OF-FUNCTION ON RECS AND MCS UNDER NORMAL OR HYPER-GLYCEMIC CONDITIONS. FOR THIS PURPOSE, RECOMBINANT GPR31/GPR39 RECEPTORS WILL BE EXPRESSED AND PURIFIED AND THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE RECEPTORS AND THE HETES WILL BE EXAMINED BY BIOLAYER INTERFEROMETRY (BLI) AND ISOTHERMAL TITRATION CALORIMETRY (ITC). AFFINITY AND SELECTIVITY OF THE GPR RECEPTORS WILL BE TESTED AGAINST SYNTHETIC MACROCYCLIC RECEPTORS FOR HETES. WE WILL TEST THE FORMATION OF GPR-HETE COMPLEXES IN HUMAN RETINAL ENDOTHELIAL CELLS (HRECS) AND RAT MCS UNDER BOTH NORMAL GLUCOSE (NG), HIGH GLUCOSE (HG) COMPARED TO OSMOTIC CONTROL (OC). WE PREDICT INCREASED GPR-HETE COMPLEXES BY HG TREATMENT. WE WILL DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF GPR31/GPR39 OVEREXPRESSION OR INHIBITION ON HRECS' BARRIER FUNCTION, MIGRATION AND TUBE FORMATION UNDER NG, HG, 12-HETE OR 15-HETE CONDITIONS. SIMILARLY, EFFECT OF GPR31/GPR39 GAIN-LOSS-OF-FUNCTION ON MCS' VIABILITY, INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE AND LEVELS OF VEGF, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS WILL BE ASSESSED. WE PREDICT THAT INHIBITION OF GPR31 AND/OR GPR39 WILL IMPROVE HRECS BARRIER FUNCTION AND AMELIORATE INFLAMMATORY, OXIDATIVE, AND VEGF PATHWAYS IN MCS UNDER HG OR HETES TREATMENT. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS R21 WILL ESTABLISH GPR31/GPR39 AS POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC TARGETS TO AMELIORATE VASCULAR DAMAGE IN DR.

A MULTI-METHOD, MULTI-DOMAIN APPROACH TO EVALUATING PRETERM'S EFFECT ON CHILD GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT - PROJECT SUMMARY PRETERM BIRTH IS A WELL-KNOWN DETERMINANT OF POOR CHILD GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT (CGAD). PREMATURE INFANTS HAVE A HIGHER RISK OF INFECTION, MALNUTRITION, AND DEVELOPMENTAL IMPAIRMENTS. ADDITIONALLY, CAREGIVERS OF PRETERM INFANTS ARE AT RISK OF DEVELOPING MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES, INCLUDING DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND STRESS AND IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES, WHERE 81% OF PRETERM BIRTHS OCCURS, CAREGIVERS FREQUENTLY EXPERIENCE STIGMATIZATION LEADING TO A LOSS OF SOCIAL SUPPORT. THESE EXPERIENCES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT CGAD BY ALTERING BONDING AND CAREGIVER RESPONSIVENESS. ALTHOUGH RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THESE FACTORS INFLUENCE CGAD THROUGH MANY PATHWAYS AT MANY LEVELS, EACH FACTOR HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN STUDIED INDEPENDENTLY, THEREFORE, THESE PATHWAYS ARE INADEQUATELY UNDERSTOOD. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO PROVIDE A CLEARER PICTURE OF THESE MECHANISMS AND SOLUTIONS TO THEM THROUGH THREE MAIN AIMS. THE FIRST IS TO IDENTIFY CHILD, FAMILY, AND SOCIAL FACTORS THAT MEDIATE AND MODIFY THE EFFECT OF PREMATURITY ON CGAD. CAREGIVERS OF PRETERM INFANTS WILL BE RECRUITED FROM WELL-CHILD CLINICS AT HOSPITALS IN GHANA, A COUNTRY WITH HIGH RATE OF PRETERM BIRTH AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. FACTORS SUCH AS INFECTION, MALNUTRITION, FEEDING PRACTICES, PARENTING, MATERNAL HEALTH, SOCIAL STIGMA, AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS WILL BE MEASURED USING ROUTINELY COLLECTED MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH DATA AND QUESTIONNAIRES COMPLETED BY CAREGIVERS. THIS DATA WILL BE ANALYZED USING PATH ANALYSIS, A STATISTICAL MODELING TECHNIQUE THAT IDENTIFIES CAUSAL PATHWAYS AMONG MANY VARIABLES, IN ORDER TO DETERMINE HOW THESE FACTORS, INTERACT AND INFLUENCE EACH OTHER TO DETERMINE CGAD. THE SECOND AIM IS TO IDENTIFY PROFILES OF PRETERM AND TERM BABIES WHO ARE AT RISK FOR POOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS WILL BE APPLIED TO THE MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH DATA TO IDENTIFY THE STRONGEST PREDICTORS OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. THESE PREDICTORS CAN BE USED TO DEVELOP CLINICAL SCREENING TOOLS TO IDENTIFY HIGHLY AT-RISK INFANTS. THE THIRD AIM IS TO IDENTIFY LOCAL, CAREGIVER-DRIVEN STRATEGIES THAT PROMOTE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN PRETERM INFANTS. THIS IS BASED ON POSITIVE DEVIANT THEORY, WHICH POSITS THAT EVEN IN DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES, SOME INDIVIDUALS HAVE UNCOMMON BUT SUCCESSFUL SOLUTIONS. CAREGIVERS WHOSE PRETERM INFANTS HAD HIGH CHILD DEVELOPMENT SCORES WILL BE RECRUITED TO PARTICIPATE IN QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS TO LEARN ABOUT THE STRATEGIES THEY USE TO ACHIEVE THESE POSITIVE OUTCOMES. THESE RESULTS CAN BE USED TO CREATE AN INTERVENTION FOR FAMILIES OF PRETERM INFANTS TO IMPROVE CHILD GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF RESEARCHERS WILL SUPERVISE AND MENTOR GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM FIELDS OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, HEALTH SCIENCES, AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT. IN ADDITION TO GLOBAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE, THESE STUDENTS WILL GAIN LEADERSHIP, TEAMWORK, AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS THAT ARE INVALUABLE TO BUILDING FUTURE SUCCESSFUL SCIENTISTS.

REU SITE: AUTOMOTIVE AND ENERGY RESEARCH AND INDUSTRIAL MENTORSHIP (AERIM) PROGRAM AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY

REU SITE: INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH EXPERIENCE IN ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING (IREECE)

REU SITE: UNDERGRADUATE COMPUTER RESEARCH (UNCORE) IN SECURE AND TRUSTWORTHY CYBERSPACE

REU SITE: AUTOMOTIVE AND ENERGY RESEARCH AND INDUSTRIAL MENTORSHIP (AERIM) PROGRAM AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY

REU SITE: APPLIED RESEARCH EXPERIENCE IN ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING (APREECE)

LIQUID PHASE EPITAXY OF FERROMAGNETIC-PIEZOELECTRICS HETEROSTRUCTURES AND FEMTO-TESLA MAGNETIC SENSORS AND ARRAYS

REU SITE: AUTOMOTIVE AND ENERGY RESEARCH AND INDUSTRIAL MENTORSHIP (AERIM) PROGRAM AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY

QUANTITATIVE PHOTOACOUSTIC IMAGING BIOMARKERS FOR CHARACTERIZATION OF THROMBOSIS - PROJECT SUMMARY THROMBOSIS IS THE MAJOR UNDERLYING PATHOLOGY THAT CAUSES MANY CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES INCLUDING STROKE, ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE, AND VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM (VTE). VTE, WHICH INCLUDES BOTH DEEP VEIN THROM- BOSIS (DVT) AND PULMONARY EMBOLISM, IS THE THIRD MOST COMMON CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE WORLD, TO CORONARY HEART DISEASE AND ISCHEMIC STROKE AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE THAN 500,000 DEATHS IN THE US EACH YEAR. IMAGING METHODS TO DIAGNOSE VTE INCLUDE COMPRESSION ULTRASONOGRAPHY, COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY PULMONARY ANGIOGRAPHY (CTPA), OR VENTILATION-PERFUSION LUNG SCANNING. HOWEVER, EACH OF THESE IMAGING METHODS ARE QUALITATIVE AND DO NOT OFFER A METHOD TO DETERMINE THE TYPE OR AGE OF THE THROMBUS, ONLY VISUALIZE ITS PRESENCE OR ABSENCE. TREATMENT FOR THESE CONDITIONS VARIES DEPENDING ON THE THROMBUS TYPE; THEREFORE, THE DEVELOPMENT OF NON-INVASIVE DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS TO CHARACTERIZE CLOT MICROSTRUCTURE IS CRITICAL TO THE SELECTION OF PROPER TREATMENT AND CLINICAL PATHWAYS. PHOTOACOUSTIC IMAGING, WHICH RELIES ON THE ACOUSTIC RESPONSE FROM TISSUE AFTER THE ABSORPTION OF PULSED LIGHT, IS A PROMISING METHOD TO BOTH VISUALIZE AND CHARACTERIZE THROMBI. THE PHOTOACOUSTIC SIGNAL DEPENDS ON THE OPTICAL ABSORPTION PROPERTIES OF THE IMAGED TISSUE WHICH VARY ACROSS WAVELENGTHS OF LIGHT, BUT EXIST- ING METHODS RELY ON EITHER A SINGLE OPTICAL WAVELENGTH OR ON DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE CLOT AND SURROUNDING BLOOD AND DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FULLY CHARACTERIZE THE CLOT OR UNDERSTAND THE UNDERLYING MICROSTRUCTURE. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THERE IS RICH ACOUSTIC AND OPTICAL INFORMATION PRESENT WITHIN BLOOD CLOTS THAT CAN BE EX- TRACTED AND QUANTIFIED USING PHOTOACOUSTIC IMAGING. THEREFORE, DRIVEN BY A TEAM OF PRIMARILY UNDERGRAD- UATE RESEARCHERS, WE WILL CHARACTERIZE THE UNIQUE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF BIOLOGICAL CHROMOPHORES RELEVANT IN THROMBUS FORMATION (AIM 1) AND DEVELOP ALGORITHMS TO QUANTITATIVELY MEASURE BLOOD CLOT COMPOSITION IN PHOTOACOUSTIC IMAGING (AIM 2). THESE STUDIES WILL ESTABLISH A FOUNDATION FOR QUANTITATIVE PHOTOACOUSTIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THROMBOSIS AND DEVELOP QUANTITATIVE MONITORING TOOLS TO NON-INVASIVELY DIAGNOSE AND TRACK THROMBUS COMPOSITION OVER TIME. WITH THESE TOOLS, WE ENVISION IMPROVED, TARGETED THERAPIES RESULTING IN FASTER TREATMENT AND IMPROVED PATIENT OUTCOMES. FURTHERMORE, THIS PROJECT WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH LANDSCAPE AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY, SUPPORTING THE INVOLVEMENT OF AT LEAST FIVE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS OVER THE PROJECT’S DURATION.

CATALYTIC ASYMMETRIC DIMERIZATION OF KETOKETENES

FUNCTIONALLY GRADED FERROICS AND MAGNETOELECTRIC INTERACTIONS

REGULATION OF CENTROSOME ASSEMBLY BY PHOSPHORYLATION

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SCALABLE PRIVACY VERIFICATION AND QUANTIFICATION FOR MULTI-ROBOT SYSTEMS -THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPORT RESEARCH THAT CONTRIBUTES NOVEL METHODOLOGIES RELATED TO PRIVACY PROTECTION OF MULTI-ROBOT SYSTEMS, PROMOTING THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE AND ADVANCING NATIONAL HEALTH AND PROSPERITY. DUE TO POSSIBLE ACTIVE AND PASSIVE INTRUDERS WHO MAY GAIN ACCESS TO COMMUNICATION CHANNELS AND OBSERVE THE SYSTEM BEHAVIORS, PRIVATE INFORMATION CAN BE LEAKED THROUGH ROBOT BEHAVIORS. HOWEVER, EXISTING WORKS ON PRIVACY ANALYSIS OF ROBOT BEHAVIORS MAY NOT SCALE WHEN THE SYSTEM DIMENSION INCREASES. THIS PROJECT SUPPORTS FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH THAT ADDRESSES THE MAJOR CHALLENGES IN MULTI-ROBOT SYSTEMS, PRIVACY ANALYSIS, ALGORITHM DESIGN, COMPUTATION, AND INFORMATION THEORY. THE PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO MORE SECURE AND PRIVATE ROBOTIC SYSTEMS AND INCREASE THE USAGE OF ROBOTS IN VARIOUS DOMAINS TO INCREASE EFFICIENCY AND SAFETY. EXISTING APPROACHES ON PRIVACY ANALYSIS OF ROBOT BEHAVIORS RELY ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF A DETERMINISTIC OBSERVER, AND THEREFORE REQUIRE AN EXPONENTIAL COMPLEXITY FOR PRIVACY ANALYSIS. TO ADDRESS THIS, THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A SCALABLE COMPUTATION FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYZING BEHAVIOR PRIVACY OF MULTI-ROBOT SYSTEMS, WHICH REDUCES THE COMPUTATION COMPLEXITY WITH QUANTIFIABLE AND ACCEPTABLE ERROR BOUNDS. FOUR CLOSELY INTEGRATED RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ARE PLANNED: (1) DEVELOP A SCALABLE PRIVACY VERIFICATION FRAMEWORK WITH ONLY POLYNOMIAL COMPLEXITY TO VERIFY THAT THERE IS NO PRIVACY LEAK; (2) DEVELOP A SCALABLE PRIVACY QUANTIFICATION FRAMEWORK TO MEASURE THE ROBOT?S PRIVACY LEVEL SUBJECT TO NOISE AND UNCERTAINTY; (3) DEVELOP AN INFORMATION RELEASING POLICY FOR MULTI-ROBOT SYSTEMS TO PERFORM COLLABORATIVE TASKS WHILE PRESERVING PRIVACY AGAINST COMPROMISED ROBOTS; AND (4) EVALUATE AND VALIDATE THE FRAMEWORK ON MULTI-ROBOT PATROLLING SYSTEM. COLLECTIVELY, ADVANCES FROM THESE RESEARCH ENDEAVORS ARE EXPECTED TO MAKE THE ROBOTIC SYSTEMS MORE SECURE, AND WILL CREATE A NEW COMPUTATIONALLY EFFICIENT VERIFICATION MECHANISM FOR LARGE MULTI-AGENT SYSTEMS WHERE PRIVACY CAN BE A CONCERN. 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.

MECHANISTIC STUDIES ON BIOREMEDIATION METALLOENZYMES

CATALYTIC ASYMMETRIC SYNTHESIS OF DEOXYPROPIONATES FROM KETENES

HEALTH CARE AND OTHER FACILITIES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: HURRICANE STORM SURGE MODELING ON PETASCALE COMPUTERS

INTERMOLECULAR FORCES FROM INTERACTING DENSITIES

THE DROSOPHILA EXPANSION GENE CONTROLS TRACHEAL TUBE DIAMETER

SENSOR-LEAN ESTIMATION AND MONITORING FOR SECOND LIFE EV BATTERIES -THIS NSF PROJECT AIMS TO ADVANCE THE NATIONAL PROSPERITY AND WELFARE WITH ENHANCED SUSTAINABLE ELECTRIFICATION SYSTEMS. THE PROJECT WILL BRING TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE TO THE REPURPOSING PROCESS OF RETIRED ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERIES WITH REDUCED INSTRUMENTATION COST AND SHORTENED TESTING TIME. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL ESTIMATION AND MONITORING FRAMEWORK THAT REQUIRES FEWER SENSORS FOR EACH CELL STRING. THE INTELLECTUAL MERITS OF THE PROJECT INCLUDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SENSOR-LEAN AND COMPUTATION-EFFICIENT ESTIMATION AND MONITORING FRAMEWORK FOR LARGE DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS, WITH A SPECIFIC FOCUS ON SECOND LIFE ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERIES TO REDUCE THE REPURPOSING COST AND TO MAXIMIZE THEIR LIFESPAN. THE BROADER IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT INCLUDE ENVIRONMENT IMPROVEMENT WITH LESS EMISSIONS, ENHANCEMENTS TO UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS FOR STEM WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND INCLUSION OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN ELECTRIC VEHICLE RACING COMPETITION. EXISTING APPROACHES ON BATTERY CELL PARAMETER AND STATE ESTIMATION GENERALLY REQUIRE EXTENSIVE TESTING OF EACH INDIVIDUAL CELL, WHICH MAY NOT SCALE UP FOR THE LARGE NUMBER OF RETIRED ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERIES. TO ADDRESS THIS, THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A TRANSFORMATIVE ESTIMATION AND MONITORING FRAMEWORK FOR SECOND LIFE ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERIES. FOUR CLOSELY INTEGRATED RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ARE PLANNED: (1) DEVELOP A NOVEL DENSE EXTENDED KALMAN FILTER TO SIMULTANEOUSLY ESTIMATE PARAMETERS FOR A LARGE NUMBER OF CONNECTED CELLS DURING THE REPURPOSING PROCESS, WITHOUT REQUIRING SENSOR MEASUREMENTS FOR EACH CELL INDIVIDUALLY; (2) DEVELOP AN ONLINE SENSOR-LEAN BEHAVIOR MONITORING SCHEME BASED ON TEMPORAL LOGIC TO EXTEND THE BATTERY LIFESPAN IN SECOND LIFE APPLICATIONS; (3) DEVELOP A STOCHASTIC HYBRID FILTERING APPROACH WITH NOVEL MODEL CONDENSING TO ENABLE REAL-TIME CELL LEVEL MONITORING WITH LIMITED SENSOR MEASUREMENTS; AND (4) EVALUATE AND VALIDATE THE PROPOSED FRAMEWORK ON A RESIDENTIAL WIND ENERGY GENERATION SYSTEM. COLLECTIVELY, ADVANCES FROM THESE RESEARCH ENDEAVORS ARE EXPECTED TO MAKE SECOND LIFE ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERIES AND MORE AFFORDABLE AND MORE DURABLE, AND WILL CREATE NEW COMPUTATIONALLY-EFFICIENCY ESTIMATION MECHANISM FOR LARGE DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS WITH LIMITED SENSING CAPABILITY. 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.

REU SITE: UNDERGRADUATE COMPUTER RESEARCH (UNCORE)

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A CONFOCAL RAMAN MICROSCOPE FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY -NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: THIS MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION AWARD ACQUIRES A CONFOCAL RAMAN SPECTROMETER TO SUPPORT RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY (OU). A RAMAN SPECTROMETER IS AN OPTICAL INSTRUMENT THAT MEASURES VIBRATIONS OF ATOMS IN MOLECULES AND MATERIALS. IT PERFORMS NON-INVASIVE MATERIALS CHARACTERIZATIONS WITH HIGH SPATIAL AND SPECTRAL RESOLUTIONS, SUPPORTS EXISTING RESEARCH ACTIVITIES, AND ENABLES NEW RESEARCH DIRECTIONS ACROSS DISCIPLINES FROM CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE TO MATERIALS SCIENCE PURSUED BY RESEARCHERS AT OU. THE RAMAN INSTRUMENT PROVIDES RESEARCH TRAINING AND EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS THROUGH RESEARCH PROJECTS, CURRICULUM, AND LABORATORY SESSIONS, AND IS INTEGRATED INTO OUTREACH ACTIVITIES TO HELP UNDER-REPRESENTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS EXCEL IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS. LOCATED AT OU, THIS ADVANCED RAMAN INSTRUMENT ALSO PROVIDES RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO NEARBY UNIVERSITIES AND INDUSTRY, AND PROMOTES RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY ANALYZES THE INELASTIC SCATTERING BETWEEN INCIDENT PHOTONS AND VIBRATIONS OF MOLECULES AND MATERIALS, DETERMINES THEIR VIBRATIONAL MODES, AND PROVIDES A STRUCTURAL FINGERPRINT BY WHICH MOLECULES AND MATERIALS CAN BE IDENTIFIED. THE ACQUIRED RAMAN INSTRUMENT SUPPORTS A WIDE RANGE OF RESEARCH TOPICS AT OU SPANNING BATTERY MATERIALS, CHEMICAL AND BIOSENSORS, TWO-DIMENSIONAL MAGNET AND MAGNETISM, MINERAL-ORGANIC INTERACTIONS, TO ORGANIC ELECTRONICS. THE ADVANCED FEATURES OF THIS RAMAN INSTRUMENT INCLUDE (I) CONFOCAL RAMAN WITH HIGH SPATIAL AND SPECTRAL RESOLUTIONS (0.5 MICROMETER AND 0.2 CM-1); (II) ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS WITH OPTICAL WINDOWS; (III) A COOLING AND HEATING STAGE WORKING FROM 77 K TO 873 K; AND (IV) PHOTOLUMINESCENCE MEASUREMENT CAPABILITY FROM VISIBLE TO NEAR-INFRARED (UP TO 2000 NM). THESE CHARACTERISTICS ENABLE FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH, FROM UNDERSTANDING THE ELECTROCHEMICAL PROCESSES AT ELECTRODE-ELECTROLYTE INTERFACES FOR HIGH ENERGY DENSITY BATTERIES AND GREENHOUSE GAS SENSORS, TO INVESTIGATION OF HYBRID MAGNONICS PHENOMENA FOR FUTURE QUANTUM TRANSDUCTION SYSTEMS AND DEVICES. 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.

ELECTRIC FIELD TUNABLE MICROWAVE & MILLIMETER WAVE FERRITE DEVICES

ILLEGAL DRUG USE AND DISTRIBUTION, PARTICULARLY OF OPIOIDS LIKE FENTANYL, CONTINUE TO PRESENT MAJOR PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS IN THE US, AND THE NEED FOR EFFECTIVE DETECTION METHODS HAS NEVER BEEN MORE URGENT. THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO ADDRESS THESE LIMITATIONS BY DEVELOPING A LOW-COST, HANDHELD OPIOID DETECTION DEVICE WITH A WIDE DETECTION RANGE, RAPID RESULTS, QUANTIFICATION CAPABILITIES, LOW MAINTENANCE, AND USER-FRIENDLINESS TO COMBAT THE OPIOID CRISIS AND ENHANCE COMMUNITY SAFETY. WHILE ALTERNATIVE DETECTION METHODS ARE UNDER DEVELOPMENT, CURRENT STATE-OF-THE-ART PORTABLE OPIOID DETECTION DEVICES USING THE SPECTROSCOPY BASED METHOD FACE LIMITATIONS SUCH AS HIGH COSTS, EXTENSIVE TRAINING, AND INABILITY TO DETECT NEW ANALOGUES. ELECTROCHEMICAL (EC) SENSORS, LIKE THE SUCCESSFUL GLUCOSE SENSOR, OFFER LOW-COST, PORTABLE, AND EASY-TO-USE DEVICES, BUT FACE ISSUES WITH SPECIFICITY WHEN APPLIED TO SIMILAR COMPOUNDS. THE PI'S GROUP RECENTLY INVENTED A SMALL MOLECULE DETECTION TECHNIQUE THAT LAYS THE GROUNDWORK FOR SENSORY AND ANALYSIS SYSTEMS PROVIDING EXCELLENT SELECTIVITY, TUNABLE SENSITIVITY, AND FAST RESPONSE BY MIMICKING THE SPECIFIC RECOGNITION OF THE -OPIOID RECEPTOR (MOR). THE PROPOSED METHOD AIMS TO VALIDATE AN EC SENSOR FOR NONINVASIVE FENTANYL DETECTION USING A NEEDLE ELECTRODE CONTROLLED BY A PALM-SIZED DEVICE. COMPARED TO RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, THE MECHANISM OF THIS EC SENSOR RELIES ON A SIMPLE CONDUCTIVITY MEASUREMENT, PROVIDING A COST-EFFECTIVE AND PORTABLE SOLUTION FOR FIELD DETECTION, AND OFFERS AN OBJECTIVE ALTERNATIVE TO CURRENT PRESUMPTIVE TESTS WITHOUT DIRECT SAMPLE CONTACT. THE PROJECT INCLUDES FABRICATING A NEEDLE-BASED SENSOR, OPTIMIZING ELECTROCHEMICAL SIGNAL ANALYSIS AND DETECTION FOR FENTANYL, AND TESTING AND CHARACTERIZING THE SENSOR USING FORENSICALLY RELEVANT SAMPLES. THIS EC SENSOR, WITH HIGH SENSITIVITY AND RESPONSIVENESS, OPTIMIZED DETECTION TECHNIQUE AND CALIBRATION METHOD FOR ACCURATE FENTANYL QUANTIFICATION, AND VALIDATED SENSOR PERFORMANCE, WILL ENSURE ROBUST REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS FOR FENTANYL DETECTION. THE PROPOSED AFFORDABLE, EFFECTIVE, PORTABLE FENTANYL DETECTION DEVICE COULD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE FORENSIC INVESTIGATIONS, AID LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND CONTRIBUTE TO PUBLIC SAFETY. THE MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES AND DEVICES DEVELOPED HERE REPRESENT A UNIQUE AND VALUABLE TOOL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, ALLOWING FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF UNKNOWN SUBSTANCES WITHIN COMPLEX ENVIRONMENTS IN A SAFER AND MORE CONCLUSIVE WAY. THIS DEVICE CAN ALSO PAVE THE WAY FOR OTHER LOW-COST, PORTABLE, AND USER-FRIENDLY DETECTION METHODS FOR OTHER ILLICIT DRUGS, BENEFITING PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY EVEN FURTHER. CA/NCF

GRIZZLIES RESPONSE: AWARENESS & SUICIDE PREVENTION (GRASP) AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY

ORDERING TO TWO DIMENSIONAL STRAINED FILMS

CATALYTIC ASYMMETRIC HETERODIMERIZATION OF KETENES AND APPLICATIONS

ASYMMETRIC SYNTHESIS OF GAMMA-LACTONES FROM SULFOXONIUM SALTS.

REU SITE: INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH EXPERIENCE IN ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING (IREECE)

COORDINATION OF GENE EXPRESSION IN RETINAL DEVELOPMENT

EAGER SITS:MULTIMODAL GAS SENSOR FOR IN SITU METHANE AND CARBON DIOXIDE DETECTION IN ARCTIC SOILS

INTERACTIONS IN OPEN-SHELL CLUSTERS

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A VARIABLE TEMPERATURE (3.8-300 K) X-BAND ELECTRON PARAMAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROMETER

OAKLAND UNIVERSITY EARLY ALERT AND SUICIDE ASSESSMENT EDUCATION PROGRAM - OAKLAND UNIVERSITY, A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY LOCATED IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN WITH AN ENROLLMENT OF APPROXIMATELY 16,000 STUDENTS, IS SEEKING $304,000 OVER THREE YEARS TO IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AND SUICIDE PREVENTION EFFORTS ON ITS CAMPUS. IN RESPONSE TO THE ESCALATING MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES WORSENED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND IDENTIFIED GAPS IN STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES, OAKLAND UNIVERSITY PROPOSES THE EARLY ALERT AND SUICIDE ASSESSMENT EDUCATION INITIATIVE. THIS INITIATIVE SEEKS TO ENHANCE THE MENTAL HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE AND NETWORK THROUGH TRAINING, EVIDENCED BASED-INTERVENTION, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOCUSED ON SUICIDE PREVENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS. THE INITIATIVE SEEKS TO EXPAND THE NUMBER OF TRAINED COUNSELING AND SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS WHO CAN PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AND SUICIDE PREVENTION THROUGHOUT THE CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY. IT EMPHASIZES INCORPORATING DEI PRINCIPLES TO PROMOTE HELP-SEEKING BEHAVIORS AMONG UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS. SPECIFICALLY, THE GRANT WILL SUPPORT THE CREATION OF A TRIAGE MAP TO MANAGE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES EFFICIENTLY, ENHANCE THE USE OF CRISIS INTERVENTION RESOURCES, AND INCREASE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THROUGH STRENGTHENED PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL CRISIS CENTERS. THESE EFFORTS WILL ENSURE A STRONG SUPPORT NETWORK, INTEGRATING BOTH ON-CAMPUS RESOURCES AND COMMUNITY SERVICES, TO ADDRESS THE IMMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF STUDENTS. BY LEVERAGING RESOURCES OF THE COMMUNITY AND ON CAMPUS, OAKLAND UNIVERSITY AIMS TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE MODEL THAT ADDRESSES THE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS EFFECTIVELY AND CREATES A HEALTHY AND RESILIENT CAMPUS COMMUNITY.

NOSS: ULTRA-WIDEBAND SENSOR NETWORKS FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES

CT-ER: TRUST-US: TRUSTWORTHY TRANSPORTATION UBIQUITOUS SYSTEMS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SIGNAL PROCESSING DEVICES BASED ON SPIN-TORQUE NANO-OSCILLATORS

DNA MARKERS FOR FAST PLANTS TO TEACH SCIENTIFIC THINKING

MEADOW BROOK HALL IS THE HISTORIC HOUSE MUSEUM ON THE CAMPUS OF OAKLAND UNIVERSITY IN ROCHESTER, MICHIGAN. DESIGNATED A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK IN 2012, MEADOW BROOK HALL, ALONG WITH ITS 37 OUTBUILDINGS, STRUCTURES, OBJECTS, AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPE, IS AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE OF THE EARLY 20TH-CENTURY COUNTRY HOUSE MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES. PARAMOUNT TO ITS MISSION, THE HALL ENGAGES IN PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION PROJECTS YEARLY TO ENSURE THE LONGEVITY OF THE ESTATES BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS AND VAST COLLECTIONS OF FINE AND DECORATIVE ARTS. TO THIS END, MEADOW BROOK HALL SEEKS TO GREATLY IMPROVE THE CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF THOUSANDS OF ITS HISTORIC OBJECTS INCLUDING RARE, IRREPLACEABLE ART, TEXTILES, FURNISHINGS AS WELL AS THE INTERIOR WOODWORK AND BUILDING MATERIALS BY SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING VISIBLE LIGHT AND UV INFILTRATION. THIS THREE-PART PROJECT INCLUDES:1. CONSERVATION OF 16 CRITICALLY BULGING BUCKLING ORIGINAL STAINED AND LEADED GLASS WINDOWS2. INSTALLATION OF PROFESSIONALLY FABRICATED ULTRAVIOLET (UV) FILTERING SASHES IN 136 WINDOWS IN ORDER TO PROTECT VULNERABLE PORTIONS OF THE HOUSE AND ITS CONTENTS FROM THE DAMAGING EFFECTS OF UV LIGHT3. INSTALLATION OF NEW LIGHT-REDUCING SHEER DRAPES AND RELATED HARDWARE WILL BE INSTALLED ON SIX LARGE WINDOW OPENINGS TO NEGATE THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF SUNLIGHT AND INFRARED (IR) HEAT.INTENDED RESULTS AND ADVANCING KNOWLEDGE: AT THE COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT, 136 WINDOWS IN MEADOW BROOK HALL WILL HAVE NEW UV FILTERS ON WINDOWS. TEN SETS OF WINDOWS WILL HAVE NEW DRAPERY AND NEW HARDWARE, COVERING APPROXIMATELY 75 WINDOWS. 16 STAINED GLASS WINDOWS WILL BE CONSERVED TO MITIGATE THE BULGING LEADED GLASS PANELS. APPROXIMATELY HALF (45.2%) OF SASH-APPLIED WINDOWS ARE FACING SOUTH WITH DIRECT SUN EXPOSURE. IN ADDITION, THE MUSEUM WILL INSTALL A NEW CENTRAL ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEM THAT COLLECTS TEMPERATURE, LUX, UV AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY AT 20 LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT. ALL COLLECTIONS, BOTH OBJECTS AND SPECIMENS, THAT ARE IN THE VICINITY OF WINDOWS TO BE FILTERED (ESTIMATED 1,000) WILL HAVE THEIR CONDITION ASSESSED, DOCUMENTED, AND RECORDS UPDATED. FURTHER, THE DAMAGE AND DEGRADATION DUE TO UV EXPOSURE WILL BE DRAMATICALLY REDUCED. THE EXHIBITION DISPLAY WILL INFORM THE PUBLIC OF THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLECTIONS CARE, AND WAYS WE CAN INCREASE THE USEFUL LIFE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.PROJECT PRODUCTS: MULTIPLE NOTABLE TANGIBLE PRODUCTS WILL RESULT FROM OUR PROJECT. 1) AN UPDATED DATABASE WITH CURRENT ASSESSMENT REPORTS. 2) ACCURATELY DOCUMENTED ROOM AND OBJECT PLACEMENT NOTES AND IMAGES. 3) A HIGHER LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT WITH, AND GREATER SATISFACTION FROM, OUR VISITORS ON TOUR. 4) A TEMPORARY EXHIBIT INSTALLED HIGHLIGHTING PROJECT ACTIVITIES TO INCREASE ACCESS AND HEIGHTEN AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLECTIONS AND PROFESSIONAL STEWARDSHIP. 5) MULTIPLE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS AND WEBSITE NEWS UPDATES THAT KEEPS OUR SUPPORTERS INFORMED ABOUT OUR PROGRESS AND ACTIVITIES.SUSTAINING PROJECT BENEFITS AND IMPROVEMENT TO THE CARE, CONDITION MANAGEMENT OF THE OBJECTS: SUPPORT FROM THE IMLS WILL ALLOW US TO RECTIFY THE CURRENT SUBSTANDARD CONDITIONS MITIGATE RISKS OF DETERIORATION TO OBJECTS SUPPORT EMERGING MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS, SCHOLARS AND RESEARCHERS AND SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE ACCESS TO THE COLLECTIONS. THE PROJECT IS A CRITICAL LINK IN THE MUSEUMS PROGRESSION TOWARD MANAGING AND DISPLAYING COLLECTIONS ACCORDING TO THE HIGHEST PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND ENSURING AVAILABILITY OF ACCESS TO THE COLLECTIONS. THESE LASTING BENEFITS WILL BE MAINTAINED AND EXTEND INTO THE FUTURE FOR THE BENEFIT OF SOCIETY.THE UPDATED RECORDS, IMAGES, AND ASSESSMENT REPORTS WILL IMPROVE OUR INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE, ACCESS AND ABILITY TO MANAGE THE COLLECTION, AND MAKE INFORMED PRIORITY DECISIONS IN THE FUTURE. COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT WILL ENSURE LONG-TERM PRESERVATION AND CONTINUED AVAILABILITY OF THE OBJECTS TO OUR AUDIENCES FOR RESEARCH, TEACHING, EXHIBITS, AND PUBLIC OUTREACH.

FERRITE-FERROELECTRIC HETEROEPITAXIAL STRUCTURES AND FREQUENCY AGILE MULTIFERROIC RF COMPONENTS

LEAPS-MPS: PROBING SOLID ELECTROLYTE INTERPHASE OF SODIUM METAL ANODES USING PLASMONIC EFFECTS -NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY SODIUM, SIMILAR TO LITHIUM, CAN BE USED AS THE ELECTRODE MATERIAL IN RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES. SODIUM IS 1,000 TIMES MORE ABUNDANT THAN LITHIUM, POTENTIALLY LOWERING BATTERY COSTS. DUE TO ITS STRONG REACTIVITY, SODIUM FORMS A CORROSION FILM ON THE SURFACE DURING BATTERY OPERATION, SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTING THE PERFORMANCE OF BATTERIES. HOWEVER, THE COMPOSITION AND EVOLUTION OF THIS CORROSION FILM REMAIN LARGELY UNKNOWN. THIS PROJECT, SUPPORTED BY A LEAPS-MPS AWARD, ADVANCES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THIS CORROSION FILM AND LAYS A FIRM FOUNDATION FOR DEVELOPING NEXT-GENERATION SODIUM-BASED RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES. THE PROJECT OUTCOMES WILL BROADLY IMPACT CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES AND ENABLE A WORLD WITH ZERO-CARBON EMISSIONS. THE EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH TARGETS DIVERSE ENGAGEMENT, FOCUSING ON FEMALE AND UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS IN STEM FIELDS. THE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE INTEGRATING RESEARCH INTO THE CURRICULUM AND ELECTRIFICATION CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS, HOSTING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN THE LAB, AND ENGAGING K-12 STUDENTS IN ELECTROCHEMISTRY, ESPECIALLY GIRLS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING AND MINORITY STUDENTS. THE EDUCATIONAL PLAN EDUCATES STUDENTS AT ALL LEVELS ABOUT RESEARCH AREAS AT THE INTERSECTION OF MATERIALS, ELECTROCHEMISTRY, MICROSCOPY, AND SPECTROSCOPY. TECHNICAL SUMMARY SODIUM (NA) IS A COMPELLING ANODE MATERIAL DUE TO ITS LOW ELECTROCHEMICAL POTENTIAL, HIGH SPECIFIC CAPACITY, AND NATURAL ABUNDANCE. DUE TO ITS STRONG REDUCING PROPERTY, NA FORMS A CORROSION FILM ? SOLID ELECTROLYTE INTERPHASE (SEI) ON THE SURFACE, IMPACTING BATTERY PERFORMANCES SUCH AS CYCLABILITY, CAPACITY RETENTION, RATE CAPABILITY, AND SAFETY. THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE SEI IS CHALLENGED BY ITS COMPLEX COMPOSITION, DEPENDENCE ON ELECTROLYTE AND TEMPERATURE, THIN THICKNESS (SEVERAL TO TENS OF NANOMETERS), SENSITIVITY TO AMBIENT CONDITIONS, AND ITS CONSTANT EVOLUTION IN A CLOSED SYSTEM. THIS FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH PROJECT, SUPPORTED BY A LEAPS-MPS AWARD, ELUCIDATES THE COMPOSITION AND EVOLUTION OF NA SEI BY USING IN-SITU AND NON-INVASIVE RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY ENHANCED BY NA METAL NANOSTRUCTURES, BRIDGING INTERDISCIPLINARY FIELDS OF ELECTROCHEMISTRY AND NANOPHOTONICS. SPECIFICALLY, RESEARCHERS AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY FOCUS ON (1) PROBING NA SEI AS A FUNCTION OF ELECTROLYTES USING A NA MOIR? METASURFACE AND (2) IN SITU PROBING NA SEI USING NA METAL MICROPARTICLES AND NANOPARTICLES. THE TECHNICAL APPROACHES FOR THE RESEARCH INCLUDE PLASMONIC NA METASURFACES FOR SURFACE-ENHANCED RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY (SERS), A MICROELECTRODES-BASED NA PARTICLE SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION PLATFORM, AND IN SITU AND OPERANDO RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY COUPLED WITH A TEMPERATURE STAGE. THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT WILL ADVANCE THE FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE OF NA SEI, PROVIDING INSIGHTS INTO CRUCIAL SEI-ELECTROLYTE AND SEI-TEMPERATURE RELATIONSHIPS. 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.

LEAPS-MPS: IT TAKES A VILLAGE: SYNERGISTIC ASSEMBLY OF NAPHTHODITHIOPHENE-BASED ORGANIC MACROCYCLES AND METALLOMACROCYCLES -IN THIS PROJECT MANAGED BY THE CHEMISTRY DIVISION AT NSF, PROFESSOR ZACHARIAS KINNEY AND HIS STUDENTS AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY WILL PERFORM STUDIES THAT AIM TO DEVELOP NEW ORGANIC MACROCYCLES AND METALLOMACROCYCLES TO SERVE AS PHOTOACTIVE MATERIALS WITH UNIQUE OPTOELECTRONIC PROPERTIES. AS SOCIETY CONTINUES TO SEARCH FOR EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS A GROWING AREA OF INTEREST ARE PRIMARILY LOW-COST ORGANIC MATERIALS THAT DISPLAY UNIQUE PHOTOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES. THE KINNEY LAB?S EFFORTS ARE FOCUSED ON SYNTHESIZING MOLECULES THAT ARE EMISSIVE AND CAN SERVE AS THE CORE PHOTOACTIVE COMPONENT IN OPTOELECTRONIC MATERIALS SUCH AS SOLAR CELLS AND ORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS TASK THE KINNEY LAB EMPLOYS MULTIPLE TYPES OF INTERACTIONS ? NAMELY COVALENT, NON-COVALENT, AND METAL-LIGAND BONDING ? TO ASSEMBLE MACROCYCLIC STRUCTURES CONTAINING MULTIPLE THIOPHENE-BASED MONOMERS. ULTIMATELY, THEIR STUDIES AIM TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF STRUCTURE-PROPERTY RELATIONSHIPS IN PHOTOACTIVE MATERIALS CONTAINING MACROCYCLIC COMPONENTS WHILE ELUCIDATING THEIR POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS AS SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS. CENTRAL TO THIS PROGRAM WILL BE BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN STEM BY PROVIDING AN EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITY FOR OAKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE (OCC) STUDENTS TO GAIN AN AUTHENTIC RESEARCH EXPERIENCE WHILE PURSUING THEIR ASSOCIATES DEGREE. PROFESSOR KINNEY AND HIS RESEARCH TEAM WILL INVESTIGATE AND ELUCIDATE THE STRUCTURE-PROPERTY RELATIONSHIPS OF ISOMERIC NAPHTHODITHIOPHENES FOR USE IN OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES. BY EMPLOYING ANGULAR NAPHTHODITHIOPHENE BUILDING BLOCKS PREDICTABLE DISCRETE, SHAPE-PERSISTENT MACROCYCLES AND METALLOMACROCYCLES CAN BE SYNTHESIZED UNDER FACILE CONDITIONS. THESE MACROCYCLIC PRODUCTS AFFORD EXTENDED PI-CONJUGATION, ALLOWING FOR UNIQUE PHOTOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES. RESEARCHERS WILL BE TASKED WITH SYNTHESIZING AND CHARACTERIZING THESE MOLECULES IN BOTH THE SOLUTION- AND SOLID-STATE. THE MACROCYCLIC NATURE OF THESE MOLECULES YIELDS AN INTERIOR CAVITY LINED WITH HETEROATOMS, PROVIDING ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR POST-SYNTHETIC MODULATION OF THE MOLECULES PHOTOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES THROUGH HOST-GUEST INTERACTIONS. A SECTION OF THIS WORK WILL BE COMPLETED BY OCC STUDENTS THROUGH THE ADVENT OF A PAID RESEARCH INTERNSHIP DURING THE SUMMER; WHEREIN STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN AN AUTHENTIC RESEARCH EXPERIENCE IN A SYNTHETIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY. 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.

PFI-TT: DEVELOPMENT OF ARTIFICIAL SUBSTRATES FOR GROWTH OF HUMAN STEM CELLS SUITABLE FOR CLINICAL APPLICATIONS -THE BROADER IMPACT/COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL OF THIS PARTNERSHIPS FOR INNOVATION - TECHNOLOGY TRANSLATION (PFI-TT) PROJECT IS TO ACCELERATE THE POTENTIAL BENEFIT OF USING HUMAN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS AND THEIR DERIVATIVES FOR TREATING AND CURING DISEASES. IF SUCCESSFUL, THIS PROJECT WILL ALLOW THE CULTURE OF HUMAN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS IN CONDITIONS THAT ARE ANIMAL-FREE, DEFINED, AND REPRODUCIBLE. THIS TECHNOLOGY WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON ADVANCING BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES SINCE ANIMAL-FREE GROWTH CONDITIONS WILL PREVENT TRIGGERING IMMUNOLOGICAL RESPONSES IN TRANSPLANTS USING CELLS OR ORGANS DERIVED FROM THE HUMAN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS. IN ADDITION, THE CULTURE OF THE CELLS IN DEFINED CONDITIONS WILL PROVIDE A NEW TOOL NEEDED TO METHODOLOGICALLY INVESTIGATE QUESTIONS RELATED TO HUMAN BODY DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS DISEASE PATHOLOGY AND TREATMENT. THE PROPOSED PROJECT ADDRESSES THE PROBLEM OF UNDEFINED AND INCONSISTENT CONDITIONS FOR THE IN VITRO GROWTH OF HUMAN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS THAT ALSO CONTAIN ANIMAL-DERIVED CONTAMINANTS. THIS PROJECT WILL PRODUCE A SYNTHETIC SUBSTRATE THAT SUPPORTS THE GROWTH OF HUMAN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS IN ANIMAL-FREE AND FULLY DEFINED CONDITIONS. THE RESEARCH OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO TEST SUITABLE METHODS FOR THE STERILIZATION OF SUBSTRATES WITHOUT AFFECTING THEIR PROPERTIES. SECONDLY, THE SHELF-LIFE OF THE SYNTHETIC SUBSTRATE WILL BE ALSO DETERMINED. THIRD, THE PROPERTIES OF THE NEW SUBSTRATE WILL BE REPLICATED USING DIFFERENT COMPONENTS, AND FINALLY, OTHER COMPONENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CULTURE OF HUMAN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS WITH THE NEW SYNTHETIC SUBSTRATE WILL BE SELECTIVELY DEFINED. OVERALL, THE GOAL IS TO FURTHER IMPROVE AND CREATE A PROTOTYPE SYNTHETIC SUBSTRATE FOR COMMERCIALIZATION. THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY, IF SUCCESSFUL, WILL ALLOW BIOMEDICAL SCIENTISTS TO FURTHER ADVANCE THE KNOWLEDGE AND CLINICAL USE OF HUMAN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS. 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.

REU SITE: SMART: SUMMER MATERIALS RESEARCH TRAINING.

PRE-MRNA PROCESSING AND FUNCTION OF ALTERNATIVELY SPLICED ISOFORMS OF TFPI - HEMOSTASIS IS A CONSTANT BALANCING ACT BETWEEN PRO- AND ANTICOAGULANT FACTORS, PLATELETS, AND THE VASCULATURE THAT IS REQUIRED TO PREVENT EXCESSIVE BLEEDING OR PATHOLOGICAL CLOTTING. THE ANTICOAGULANT, TISSUE FACTOR PATHWAY INHIBITOR (TFPI), IS A VITAL FACTOR IN THIS BALANCE AND MODULATES A BROAD RANGE OF BLEEDING AND CLOTTING DISORDERS THROUGH INHIBITION OF TF-FVLLA, FXA, AND PROTHROMBINASE (FXA-FVA). THE TFPI GENE IS EVOLUTIONARILY CONSERVED AND DUE TO ALTERNATIVE SPLICING, DIFFERENT TFPI ISOFORMS ARE PREDOMINANT WITHIN DISTINCT POOLS. WHILE THE SPECIFIC INHIBITORY FUNCTION OF EACH TFPI ISOFORM HAS BEEN CHARACTERIZED, LITTLE IS KNOWN REGARDING DIFFERENCES IN ISOFORM-SPECIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS UNDER PROTHROMBOTIC DISEASE CONDITIONS SUCH AS FACTOR V LEIDEN (FVL) AND DURING EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT. FURTHER, THE PRE-MRNA SPLICING AND PROCESSING MECHANISMS DICTATING EXPRESSION OF EACH ISOFORM ARE UNKNOWN. AS A CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP EXISTS BETWEEN ABERRANT SPLICING OF FV AND TFPI ISOFORM-SPECIFIC FUNCTION IN HUMAN BLEEDING DISORDERS, THESE MECHANISMS, COORDINATED BY PRECISE CUES DIRECTED AT MAINTAINING THE HEMOSTATIC BALANCE, ARE HIGHLY RELEVANT. THUS, THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO DIFFERENTIATE THE PHYSIOLOGICAL, SITE-SPECIFIC PRODUCTION OF EACH TFPI ISOFORM AT A MOLECULAR LEVEL AND DEFINE THEIR ANTICOAGULANT FUNCTION IN EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT AND DISEASE. TFPLA IS THE ONLY ISOFORM PRESENT IN PLATELETS AND THE ONLY ISOFORM THAT INHIBITS PROTHROMBINASE DURING THE INITIATION OF BLOOD COAGULATION. ADDITIONALLY, GLOBAL TFPI DEFICIENCY RESULTS IN PROTHROMBOTIC PERINATAL LETHALITY IN FVL MICE, AND TFPLA PROTHROMBINASE INHIBITORY ACTIVITY IS REDUCED IN THE PRESENCE OF FVL. TO THIS END, K99 PHASE STUDIES REVEALED THAT TFPLA AND ITS INHIBITION OF FVL-CONTAINING PROTHROMBINASE PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN PLACENTAL ANGIOGENESIS AND EMBRYONIC SURVIVAL AND FURTHER CHARACTERIZED THE BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF NEW PLATELET-SPECIFIC TFPLA SPLICE VARIANTS IDENTIFIED IN MICE AND HUMANS. THE R00 PHASE STUDIES WILL LEVERAGE THE EVOLUTIONARY CONSERVATION OF ALTERNATIVE TFPI SPLICE FORMS AND SPLICING SIGNALS EMBEDDED IN HIGHLY CONSERVED SEQUENCES TO DETERMINE CISRNA ELEMENT AND TRANS-ACTING SPLICING FACTOR INTERACTIONS REGULATING TFPI ISOFORM DIVERSITY IN MICE AND HUMANS. DECIPHERING THE PRE-MRNA PROCESSING MECHANISMS THAT REGULATE SITE-SPECIFIC TFPI ISOFORM EXPRESSION WILL DELINEATE HOW ALTERNATIVE SPLICING CONTRIBUTES TO THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL HEMOSTATIC BALANCE DURING EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT AND IN ADULTHOOD. AS THERE ARE MANY PATIENTS WITH BLEEDING AND CLOTTING DISORDERS OF UNKNOWN CAUSE, THE RELATION OF ABERRANT SPLICING TO THESE DISEASES REPRESENTS A RELATIVELY NEW AND UNEXPLORED AREA WITH GREAT POTENTIAL FOR LAUNCHING A SUCCESSFUL INDEPENDENT CAREER. THIS WORK WILL ESTABLISH AN INNOVATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM AT THE INTERSECTION OF RNA BIOLOGY AND COAGULATION, ENABLING THE PL TO LEAD A UNIQUELY INTERDISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATION INTO HOW SPLICING REGULATION INFLUENCES PLATELET FUNCTION AND THROMBOTIC RISK. THE R00 PHASE WILL PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE R01-LEVEL STUDIES AND SUSTAINED CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FIELDS OF THROMBOSIS AND HEMOSTASIS AND RNA REGULATION.

MODELING NON-EQUILIBRIUM MICROSTRUCTURE FORMATION

SATC: CORE: SMALL: COLLABORATIVE: FORENSICEXAMINER: TESTBED FOR BENCHMARKING DIGITAL AUDIO FORENSIC ALGORITHMS

REPLACEMENT OF TWO AUTOCLAVES FOR OAKLAND UNIVERSITY'S BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH SUPPORT FACILITY - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH SUPPORT FACILITY (BRSF) IS AN ESSENTIAL CORE FACILITY AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY (OU). INVESTIGATORS FROM SIX DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND CAMPUS UNITS RELY ON IT TO CONDUCT BASIC AND APPLIED RESEARCH. ORIGINALLY CONSTRUCTED IN 1999 (WITH SUPPORT FROM NIH FUNDING), IT HAS BEEN CONTINUALLY IN USE SINCE OU TOOK OCCUPANCY THE FOLLOWING YEAR. NOT ONLY HAS THE BUILDING AGED IN TERMS OF ITS MECHANICAL SYSTEMS AND PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, WE ARE PLACING EVEN HEAVIER DEMANDS ON IT THAN EVER BEFORE, PRECISELY AT THE TIME WHEN ITS SYSTEMS ARE BEGINNING TO FAIL. OF THE 19 INVESTIGATORS WITH CURRENT APPROVED PROJECTS RUNNING IN BRSF, NEARLY HALF OF THEM WERE HIRED WITHIN THE LAST THREE YEARS. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE OF THE TWO AUTOCLAVES SUPPORTING RESEARCH AND DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS IN BRSF. WE HAVE A LARGE GETINGE CASTLE M/C 3633 AUTOCLAVE IN THE CAGE PROCESSING AREA THAT HAS NOT BEEN OPERABLE FOR SOME TIME DUE TO AN ONGOING INABILITY TO SECURE REPLACEMENTS FOR PARTS THAT HAVE FAILED OR WORN OUT. A SMALLER GETINGE CASTLE MODEL 133 AUTOCLAVE WITH A BIOSEAL IS STILL OPERATING BETWEEN THE (CLEAN) ANTEROOM AND THE (CONTAMINATED) PROCEDURES ROOM IN THE BRSF BIOCONTAINMENT SUITE, BUT IT SUFFERS FROM THE SAME PROBLEM IN TERMS OF REPLACEMENT PARTS. THIS SMALLER AUTOCLAVE IS ALSO INCREASINGLY USED FOR RESEARCH: TWO OF OUR NEWLY HIRED INVESTIGATORS EACH USE ADENOVIRUS OR LENTIVIRUS PARTICLES FOR TRANSFECTION; ANOTHER OF OUR RESEARCHERS WORKS WITH STEM CELL THERAPEUTICS; A FOURTH DOES MICROBIOLOGICAL AND GROSS ANATOMICAL WORK IN RODENT MODELS OF COLITIS. ALL FOUR RESEARCH TEAMS GENERATE MEDICAL WASTE THAT MUST BE DECONTAMINATED BEFORE IT IS DISPOSED OF. OU HAS COMMITTED MORE THAN $1.2 MILLION THIS FISCAL YEAR TO REPLACE THE OBSOLETE BOILERS AND BOTH THE CAGE AND TUNNEL WASHERS IN BRSF. THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS FUNDING TO REPLACE THE TWO AUTOCLAVES AS WELL – SINCE THEY CONNECT TO MANY OF THE SAME SYSTEMS, IT MAKES SENSE TO TACKLE THESE REPLACEMENTS AT OR NEAR THE SAME TIME, TO MINIMIZE THE NEED FOR REPEATED SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS THAT WILL ALSO IMPACT ONGOING RESEARCH UNDERWAY IN BRSF. WE HAVE SELECTED REPLACEMENT MODELS THAT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO THE OBSOLESCENT INSTRUMENTS THEY ARE DESIGNED TO REPLACE. THE REPLACEMENT INSTRUMENTS ARE MUCH THE SAME SIZE AS THE EXISTING MODELS, USE MOSTLY THE SAME SIZE CONNECTIONS, AND HAVE ROUGHLY SIMILAR POWER REQUIREMENTS – ONE OF SEVERAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCED OUR CHOICE FOR REPLACEMENTS. WE ARE ALSO REQUESTING WATER-SAVING PACKAGES ON BOTH OF THE REPLACEMENT INSTRUMENTS, AS PART OF OU'S SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE. WE ANTICIPATE SAVING AS MUCH AS 20,000 GALLONS OF WATER ANNUALLY WITH THE REPLACEMENT INSTRUMENTS, EVEN WITH THE INCREASED LOAD AS OUR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH ENTERPRISE EXPANDS.

ARSENIC ACCUMULATION BY AQUAGLYCEROPORINS AND PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTERS IN ZEBRAFISH

MATERIALS WORLD NETWORK: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DECOHERENCE, CORRELATIONS AND SPIN EFFECTS IN NANOSTRUCTURED MATERIALS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SHF: SMALL: FAULT LOCALIZATION FOR DEEP LEARNING -THIS PROJECT WILL STUDY DEEP LEARNING, A CLASS OF MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS BASED ON DEEP NEURAL NETWORKS (DNNS) THAT ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY POPULAR DUE TO THEIR SUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS IN MANY AREAS, SUCH AS HEALTHCARE, TRANSPORTATION, AND ENTERTAINMENT. DNN PROGRAMS, LIKE ANY OTHER SOFTWARE, MAY CONTAIN FAULTS THAT MIGHT UNDERMINE THEIR SAFETY AND RELIABILITY IN MISSION-CRITICAL APPLICATIONS. SOFTWARE ENGINEERING RESEARCH HAS PRODUCED A RICH BODY OF SOFTWARE FAULT LOCALIZATION TECHNIQUES; HOWEVER, THEY ARE NOT IMMEDIATELY APPLICABLE TO DNNS. THIS IS MAINLY BECAUSE TRADITIONAL SOFTWARE AND DNN MODELS ARE BASED ON FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT COMPUTATIONAL MODELS, AND THE DEFINITION OF ?BUG? DIFFERS IN THE TWO KINDS OF SOFTWARE. THE PROJECT WILL IMPROVE FAULT LOCALIZATION FOR DNNS WITH NOVEL APPROACHES FOR MONITORING MODEL BEHAVIOR DURING THE TRAINING OF THE NEURAL NETWORKS. DNN MODELS ARE ALSO USED BY PRACTITIONERS WHO MAY NOT BE EXPERTS IN DNN ARCHITECTURE, AND FAULT LOCALIZATION TECHNIQUES PROPOSED BY THIS PROJECT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE DEBUGGING DNN MORE ACCESSIBLE, IMPROVING THE SAFETY AND QUALITY OF AI-BASED SOFTWARE. TRAINING DNN MODELS IS KNOWN TO BE EXPENSIVE. THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REDUCE TRAINING COSTS BY IDENTIFYING ERRORS EARLY ON THAT CAN BE RECTIFIED. THIS PROJECT WILL EXPLORE THREE NOVEL RESEARCH DIRECTIONS. (1) IDENTIFY DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF DNN MODELS THAT NEED TO BE REIFIED IN TRACES. THE PRELIMINARY WORK OF THE INVESTIGATORS HAS SHOWN THAT REIFYING THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF FULLY CONNECTED NEURAL NETWORKS (FCNN), SUCH AS CHANGES IN LEARNABLE PARAMETERS HELP WITH BUG LOCALIZATION IN FCNN; HOWEVER, OTHER MODEL ARCHITECTURES LIKE CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORKS (CNNS) HAVE DIFFERENT KINDS OF LEARNABLE PARAMETERS. (2) DEFINE NOVEL ABSTRACTIONS OF DYNAMIC BEHAVIORS IN DNN MODELS THAT WILL ENHANCE FAULT LOCALIZATION AND REPAIR. THIS RESEARCH DIRECTION WILL EXPLORE THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ABSTRACTIONS THAT CAN REPRESENT THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF THE NEURAL NETWORKS SUCCINCTLY. (3) REDUCE THE COST OF RE-TRAINING FOR FAULT LOCALIZATION BY LEVERAGING THE ABSTRACTION OF DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR. IN THIS DIRECTION, THE PROJECT WILL CREATE ABSTRACTIONS THAT NOT ONLY REDUCE THE TRAINING DATASET BUT ALSO ENHANCE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FAULT LOCALIZATION, THEREBY SAVING TIME AND COMPUTATIONAL RESOURCES. 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.

BELIEFS ABOUT THE ROLE OF NUTRITION ON MIND-BODY INTERACTIONS

IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT: PREPARING INTERDISCIPLINARY MINORITY MATERIAL SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS OF THE FUTURE

CHILD CARE

ERI: FERTILIZER-BASED LIQUID DESICCANTS: NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT DEHUMIDIFICATION AND WATER RECYCLING -INCREASING FOOD PRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABLY FEED A GROWING POPULATION REQUIRES INNOVATION TO IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF ENERGY, WATER, AND FERTILIZER USE IN AGRICULTURE. ONE PROMISING SOLUTION FOR SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION IN INDOOR PLANT ENVIRONMENTS IS THE NOVEL CONCEPT OF USING FERTILIZER AS A DEHUMIDIFICATION AGENT FOR CLIMATE CONTROL. IN THIS PROCESS, FERTILIZER-BASED LIQUID DESICCANT IS USED TO DRAW WATER VAPOR OUT OF THE HUMID ENVIRONMENT FOR DELIVERY TO THE PLANTS. IN THIS WAY, WATER IS RECYCLED WHILE THE INDOOR ENVIRONMENT IS DRIED, AND SIGNIFICANT ENERGY SAVINGS ARE ACHIEVED BY AVOIDING THE NEED FOR INTENSIVE REGENERATION CYCLES THAT ARE COMMON TO MOST LIQUID DESICCANT SYSTEMS. TO REALIZE THE GOAL OF UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF FERTILIZER DESICCANT FOR EFFICIENT DEHUMIDIFICATION AND WATER RECYCLING, THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES TWO FUNDAMENTAL SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING CHALLENGES: (1) TO DEVELOP OPERATIONAL PROTOCOLS FOR THE REAL-TIME CONTROL OF LIQUID DESICCANT TEMPERATURES SO AS TO MAINTAIN HIGH DEHUMDIFICATION RATES AND LOW SPECIFIC ENERGY USE THROUGHOUT THE DYNAMIC RECIRCULATION BATCH PROCESS; AND (2) TO IDENTIFY MECHANISMS FOR IMPROVED PERFORMANCE BY ADVANCING FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF POLARIZATION WHEN IT OCCURS ACROSS MULTIPLE CONCURRENT DOMAINS. IN ADDITION, THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY HUBS IN DETROIT AND PONTIAC THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH STUDENT, COMMUNITY, AND INDUSTRY PARTNERS ON A SERIES OF OUTREACH AND EDUCATION INITIATIVES. A COMPUTATIONAL MODEL OF POLARIZATION ACROSS MULTIPLE CONCURRENT DOMAINS WILL BE DEVELOPED TO DESCRIBE TEMPERATURE, VAPOR CONCENTRATION, AND INDIVIDUAL ION CONCENTRATIONS. BECAUSE POLARIZATION ACROSS MULTIPLE CONCURRENT DOMAINS OCCURS IN A GREAT MANY DIFFERENT MEMBRANE PROCESSES, THE MODELS DEVELOPED FROM THIS WORK MAY HAVE FAR REACHING UTILITY TO THE MEMBRANE SCIENCE COMMUNITY TO IMPROVE TREATMENT OF POLARIZATION ANALYSIS. LIKEWISE THE ANALYSIS OF FERTILIZER DEHUMIDIFICATION PERFORMANCE IN RESPONSE TO DESICCANT TEMPERATURE, AND THEN THE SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT OF APPROPRIATE CONTROL PROTOCOLS, WILL PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO BATCH PROCESS DYNAMICS AND THERMAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES MORE GENERALLY. FERTILIZER-BASED LIQUID DESICCANT DEHUMIDIFICATION CAN OPEN UP NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT CLOSED-LOOP WATER RECYCLING AND HUMIDITY CONTROL OF INDOOR PLANT ENVIRONMENTS, AND THEREBY CONTRIBUTE TO A SUSTAINABLE FARMING FUTURE. IN ADDITION, AN IMPORTANT TEACHING AND OUTREACH COMPONENT OF THIS PROJECT IS INCLUDED TO COMPLEMENT RESEARCH ACTIVITY AND HELP ALIGN SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS WITH THE NEEDS OF SOCIETY. A SERIES OF AT LEAST 6 STUDENT-LED VOLUNTEER PROJECTS WILL SUPPORT COMMUNITY GARDENS AND OTHER SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES THROUGHOUT DETROIT AND PONTIAC. INVOLVEMENT OF AT LEAST 60 UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IS TARGETED, AND WILL BE FACILITATED BY STUDENT CLUBS. THIS WILL HELP TO CONNECT STUDENTS TO THEIR COMMUNITIES AND FOSTER LASTING PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN STUDENT CLUBS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. IN ADDITION, NEW CURRICULUM FOCUSED ON ENERGY ENGINEERING WILL BE DEVELOPED IN CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH INDUSTRY PARTNERS, TO HELP PREPARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENGINEERS FOR A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FUTURE. 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.

CHILDCARE ACCESS MEANS PARENTS IN SCHOOL - CHILD CARE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: NOVEL TERAHERTZ GENERATORS BASED ON MAGNETIC MATERIALS

ERI: SYSTEM TAUTOCHRONIC PENDULUM VIBRATION ABSORBERS FOR NEXT-GENERATION PROPULSION SYSTEMS AND OTHER MACHINERY -THIS ENGINEERING RESEARCH INITIATION (ERI) AWARD SUPPORTS RESEARCH THAT ENABLES THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNIQUE VIBRATION AND NOISE CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES TO REDUCE VIBRATIONS IN ROTATING SYSTEMS, INCLUDING HELICOPTER ROTORS AND CRANKSHAFTS OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES WIDELY USED IN FUEL-EFFICIENT CONVENTIONAL AND HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES POWERTRAINS, THEREBY PROMOTING THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE, ADVANCING PROSPERITY AND WELFARE, AND SECURING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE. THE RESEARCH WILL GENERATE NEW FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE RELATED TO THE DESIGN OF CENTRIFUGAL PENDULUM VIBRATION ABSORBERS (CPVAS) FOR THE NEXT-GENERATION OF ELECTRIFIED MACHINERY THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE BOTH PROPULSION EFFICIENCY AND DRIVER EXPERIENCE FOR HYBRID ELECTRIC AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES. CPVAS CONSIST OF PENDULUMS MOUNTED ON A ROTOR, DRIVEN BY SYSTEM ROTATION, AND WHEN PROPERLY TUNED, CAN EFFICIENTLY SMOOTH PROBLEMATIC VIBRATION-INDUCING TORSIONAL SURGING DURING OPERATION. CURRENT STATE-OF-THE-ART OVERTUNING APPROACHES OF A CPVA AND ROTOR SYSTEM WILL RESULT IN REDUCED VIBRATION CORRECTION PERFORMANCE FOR A GIVEN ABSORBER MASS. THIS PROJECT WILL SOLVE THIS CHALLENGE VIA A NOVEL TAUTOCHRONIC TUNING APPROACH, WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ENABLE MORE DIRECT TUNING WITHOUT STABILITY CONCERNS, THEREBY REDUCING ADDED DRIVELINE INERTIA REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES. THIS AWARD WILL ALSO SUPPORT COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS INVOLVING INDUSTRY COLLABORATIONS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW CURRICULUM IN ELECTRIFIED PROPULSION ENGINEERING AND TRAINING OF A DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE. THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO MAKE FUNDAMENTAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO A SYSTEM TAUTOCHRONE TUNING METHODOLOGY, WHICH CONSISTS OF A PATH FOR THE ABSORBER MASS TO FOLLOW THAT ACCOUNTS FOR THE INERTIAL COUPLING OF THE ABSORBER TO THE BASE (ROTOR), AND RESULTS IN A CONSTANT PERIOD FREE VIBRATION OF THE SYSTEM THAT IS INDEPENDENT OF AMPLITUDE. THIS TUNING METHODOLOGY AND ITS ENHANCEMENTS TO VIBRATION ABSORBER DESIGN HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN A GRAVITY FIELD, BUT A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS AND CHALLENGES REMAIN FOR THE CENTRIFUGAL FIELD. SIMILAR TO THE GRAVITY FIELD, CONDITIONS FOR THE TAUTOCHRONIC TUNING IN A CENTRIFUGAL FIELD WILL BE OBTAINED FROM A GENERAL PERIOD FUNCTION FOR THIS OSCILLATOR THAT IS DERIVED BY TRANSFORMING THE DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION TO A STANDARD FORM, AND THEN REQUIRING THAT THE POLAR ANGULAR SPEED IS INDEPENDENT OF THE POLAR RADIAL COORDINATE. THE TAUTOCHRONIC TUNING CONDITIONS WILL GENERALLY CONSIST OF A NONLINEAR DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION FOR THE RADIUS OF CURVATURE OF THE ABSORBER PATH, WHOSE SOLUTION IS THE SYSTEM TAUTOCHRONIC MOTION PATH. A FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE IN THE CENTRIFUGAL FIELD IS THAT THE OSCILLATOR COEFFICIENTS DEPEND ON THE SYSTEM MOMENTUM CONSTANT. CONSISTING OF BOTH ABSORBER AND ROTOR MOTION, THIS GENERALIZATION TO SYSTEM MOMENTUM COULD REVOLUTIONIZE THE CONCEPT OF ORDER-TUNING, WHERE A SYSTEM TAUTOCHRONIC PATH IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN TUNED ACROSS ALL MOMENTUM LEVELS, INSTEAD OF JUST ROTOR SPEEDS, AS HAS BEEN UNDERSTOOD FOR MANY DECADES. 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.

ERI: HYDRAULIC CYLINDER DIAGNOSTICS USING NONLINEAR INVERSE MODEL ESTIMATION AND FREQUENCY DOMAIN ANALYSIS -THIS ENGINEERING RESEARCH INITIATION (ERI) GRANT WILL FUND RESEARCH THAT ENABLES RELIABLE OPERATION AND COST-EFFECTIVE MAINTENANCE OF MACHINERY IN WHICH HYDRAULIC CYLINDER ACTUATORS PLAY A CENTRAL ROLE?OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE TO THE TRANSPORTATION, MANUFACTURING, CONSTRUCTION, AND AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES?THEREBY PROMOTING THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE AND ADVANCING THE NATIONAL PROSPERITY. GIVEN ITS HIGH POWER DENSITY AND LARGE FORCE CAPACITY, THE HYDRAULIC CYLINDER IS A TRUSTED WORKHORSE ACROSS MANY INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS. BY ITS DESIGN, IT IS ALSO VULNERABLE TO A VARIETY OF CRITICAL FAULTS, SUCH AS SEAL FAILURES, LEAKAGE, FLUID CONTAMINATION, AND REDUCED LOAD-CARRYING CAPACITY, THAT MAY NEGATIVELY AFFECT PERFORMANCE AND EFFICIENCY, AND RESULT IN HIGH COSTS FROM DOWNTIME, PERMANENT DAMAGE, OR OPERATOR INJURY. TO ENSURE THAT SUCH FAULTS CAN BE ACCURATELY DETECTED AND IDENTIFIED, THIS PROJECT RELIES ON A COMBINATION OF PHYSICS-BASED MODELING AND INNOVATIVE FREQUENCY DOMAIN ANALYSIS TO DEVELOP A NOVEL DIAGNOSTIC METHODOLOGY THAT ACCOUNTS FOR SYSTEM NONLINEARITIES AND CLOSED-LOOP OPERATION. SUCH A DIAGNOSTIC PARADIGM IS ALSO ANTICIPATED TO FIND APPLICATION IN A VARIETY OF ENERGY AND POWER TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS, INCLUDING ELECTRIC VEHICLES. EFFORTS TO DISSEMINATE RESEARCH OUTCOMES TO LOCAL INDUSTRY IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN, UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES, AND INTEGRATION OF MODELING AND SYSTEMS DIAGNOSTICS PRINCIPLES IN COURSEWORK WILL PRODUCE BROADER SOCIETAL IMPACT. THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO DEVELOP THE FOUNDATIONS FOR A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEMS DIAGNOSTICS METHODOLOGY FOR HYDRAULIC CYLINDERS THAT RELIES ON PHYSICS-BASED MODELING RATHER THAN STATISTICS AND MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUES, AS HAS BEEN COMMON IN RECENT YEARS. SUCH FOUNDATIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS WILL BE MADE THROUGH THE DESIGN OF A NEW RESIDUAL GENERATOR THAT EXTRACTS FAULTY FEATURES FROM SENSOR MEASUREMENTS, AS WELL AS OF A RESIDUAL EVALUATOR THAT MAKES A DIAGNOSTIC DECISION BY COMPARING THE RESIDUAL WITH THE PRESCRIBED THRESHOLD UNDER A CERTAIN OPERATING CONDITION. SEVERAL TASKS WILL BE PURSUED THROUGH A COMBINATION OF THEORETICAL MODELING, NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS, AND PHYSICAL EXPERIMENTS, INCLUDING COMPREHENSIVE FAULT ANALYSIS USING A NONLINEAR, INVERSE, FREQUENCY DOMAIN REPRESENTATION OF THE SYSTEM DYNAMICS, AND FORMULATION AND TESTING OF A PARAMETER ESTIMATION ALGORITHM FOR SUCH A NONLINEAR INVERSE MODEL UNDER CLOSED-LOOP OPERATION USING AN ADAPTIVE DIGITAL TWIN. HARDWARE-IN-THE-LOOP SIMULATIONS WILL BE PERFORMED TO VALIDATE THE METHODOLOGY AND INVESTIGATE ITS ROBUSTNESS ALSO IN THE PRESENCE OF MULTIPLE SIMULTANEOUS FAULTS. 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.

TAS::57 3600::TAS 'SURFACE ROUGHNESS EFFECTS IN REFLECTION AND EMISSION OF INFRARED RADIATION FOR AEROSPACE MATERIALS IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS'

COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING - NON-CONSTRUCTION - OAKLAND UNIVERSITY IS SEEKING FUNDING TOTALING $349,571 TO CREATE AN INNOVATIVE DUAL DEGREE PROGRAM INTEGRATING THE DISCIPLINES OF SOCIAL WORK (MSW) AND PUBLIC HEALTH (MPH). THIS PROGRAM, LEVERAGING THE STRENGTHS OF BOTH FIELDS, AIMS TO ADDRESS THE COMPLEX SOCIAL AND HEALTH ISSUES PREVALENT IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES THROUGH A COMPREHENSIVE, INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION MODEL. THE DUAL DEGREE PROGRAM WILL ENHANCE THE UNIVERSITY'S EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS BY COMBINING THE ADVANCED PRACTICE CURRICULUM OF THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED MSW PROGRAM, WHICH FOCUSES ON INTEGRATED HEALTH AND MENTAL HEALTH CARE, WITH THE COMMUNITY-ORIENTED, ACCREDITED MPH PROGRAM. THE INTEGRATION OF THESE PROGRAMS WILL PREPARE STUDENTS TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE AND ALLEVIATE THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS CONTRIBUTING TO HEALTH DISPARITIES. FUNDING WILL BE USED TO ESTABLISH A COHESIVE MSW/MPH CURRICULUM THAT FOCUSES ON INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING AND ADDRESSES THE INTERSECTION OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL WORK. NEXT, FUNDING WILL ENHANCE COLLABORATIVE LEARNING AND CROSS-DISCIPLINARY TRAINING TO UNDERSTAND BETTER AND RESPOND TO SOCIETAL INEQUITIES AND HEALTH DISPARITIES. FINALLY, FUNDING WILL BE USED TO DEVELOP A LEARNING SPACE EQUIPPED WITH THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY, SIMULATION TOOLS, AND COLLABORATIVE SPACES TO FACILITATE INTERACTIVE, PRACTICAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES. THIS GRANT WILL ALLOW OAKLAND UNIVERSITY TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT LOCAL COMMUNITIES' HEALTH AND WELL-BEING WHILE SETTING THE FRAMEWORK FOR INTEGRATED HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES EDUCATION.

ADVANCED EDUCATION NURSING TRAINEESHIPS

ERI: SIMULATION AND MODELING OF POLYDISPERSE GAS-SOLID FLOWS -MULTIPHASE FLOWS, SUCH AS THE MOTION OF SOLID PARTICLES SUSPENDED IN A GAS, ARE PRESENT IN MANY INDUSTRIAL AND NATURAL SYSTEMS. TWO EXAMPLES ARE THE FLOW OF ASH AND DEBRIS FOLLOWING A VOLCANIC ERUPTION AND THE FLOW INSIDE CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED BED REACTORS, WHICH CAN BE USED TO CONVERT AGRICULTURAL WASTE INTO BIOFUELS. IN BOTH EXAMPLES, THE SOLID AND GASEOUS PHASES INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER. THIS INTERACTION IS STRONG ENOUGH TO ALTER LARGE-SCALE BEHAVIOR, WHICH, IN TURN, AFFECTS KEY QUANTITIES OF INTEREST, SUCH AS THE SPEED AT WHICH VOLCANIC ASH PROPAGATES OR THE CHEMICAL CONVERSION EFFICIENCY IN A REACTOR. PREDICTING THE DYNAMICS OF THESE FLOWS IS CHALLENGING, BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN PARTICLES WITH WIDELY VARIABLE PROPERTIES SUCH AS SIZE, COMPOSITION, AND SHAPE. THIS PROJECT WILL USE DATA-DRIVEN MODELING METHODOLOGIES TO (1) QUANTIFY HOW LARGE-SCALE BEHAVIOR OF GAS-SOLID SYSTEMS ARE AFFECTED BY VARIATIONS IN PARTICLE SIZE; (2) DEVELOP A NOVEL, DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH FOR FORMULATING PREDICTIVE MODELS OF THESE TYPES OF FLOWS; AND (3) DEVELOP A K-12 OUTREACH DEMONSTRATION THAT ILLUSTRATES HOW HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING CAN BE LEVERAGED TO UNDERSTAND AND PREDICT MULTIPHASE FLOWS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO SOCIETY. STRONGLY COUPLED, GAS-SOLID FLOWS OCCUR IN A WIDE RANGE OF INDUSTRIAL AND NATURAL SYSTEMS. IN SYSTEMS WITH SUBSTANTIAL MASS LOADING, MOMENTUM COUPLING BETWEEN THE PHASES GIVES RISE TO LARGE-SCALE HETEROGENEITY, WHICH DIRECTLY AFFECTS QUANTITIES OF INTEREST SUCH AS CHEMICAL CONVERSION OF BIOMASS, HEAT TRANSFER BETWEEN PHASES, AND SETTLING TIME. DESPITE THE IMPORTANCE OF SUCH FLOWS, ACCURATELY PREDICTING THEIR BEHAVIOR AT RELEVANT SCALES REMAINS CHALLENGING. AS A RESULT, ENGINEERING DECISIONS ARE FREQUENTLY MADE BASED ON OVER-SIMPLIFICATIONS SUCH AS IDEALIZED MIXING OR UNIFORMITY IN THE PARTICULATE PHASE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE OF POLYDISPERSE, GAS-SOLID FLOWS AND CLOSE THE MODELING GAP THAT EXISTS IN CHARACTERIZING AND PREDICTING THEIR BEHAVIOR AT RELEVANT SCALES. IN PARTICULAR, THIS WORK WILL (1) LEVERAGE HIGH-FIDELITY EULER-LAGRANGE SIMULATIONS TO QUANTIFY THE RELEVANT TERMS THAT DOMINATE POLYDISPERSE BEHAVIOR, PARTICULARLY WITH APPLICATION TO VARIABLE PARTICLE SIZE; (2) INTRODUCE A NOVEL MODELING FRAMEWORK CAPABLE OF DISTILLING COMPLEX DATA INTO OPTIMALLY SIMPLE AND ACCURATE MODELS; AND (3) PROPOSE MODELS FOR POLYDISPERSE GAS-SOLID FLOWS THAT ARE ROBUST ACROSS RELEVANT SCALES AND EASILY INTERPRETABLE AND INTEGRATED INTO EXISTING SOLVERS. 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.

ERI: DEVELOPMENT OF A WIRELESS 3D BREAST ULTRASOUND IMAGING SYSTEM FOR LOW-RESOURCE SETTINGS -BRINGING MEDICAL IMAGING TECHNOLOGIES TO REMOTE AREAS OF THE WORLD CAN BE VERY CHALLENGING, CREATING STARK DISPARITIES IN PATIENT ACCESS TO POTENTIALLY LIFE-SAVING SCREENING PROCEDURES, SUCH AS FOR BREAST CANCER. ULTRASOUND, THOUGH, IS PORTABLE AND GENERALLY LOW COST. RECENTLY, WIRELESS ULTRASOUND PROBES HAVE REVOLUTIONIZED HOW AND WHERE ULTRASOUND CAN BE USED, BRINGING THE IMAGING METHOD DIRECTLY TO THE PATIENT BEDSIDE. HOWEVER, DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY OF THE HARDWARE, THE DATA AVAILABLE FROM THESE WIRELESS SYSTEMS ARE LIMITED AND ULTIMATELY ONLY REPRESENT A TWO-DIMENSIONAL SNAPSHOT OF A THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3D) TUMOR. TO ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES, THE GOAL OF THIS ENGINEERING RESEARCH INITIATION AWARD IS TO DEVELOP A NOVEL LOW-COST SYSTEM CAPABLE OF GENERATING 3D ULTRASOUND VOLUMES AT THE PATIENT BEDSIDE AND QUANTITATIVELY ANALYZE IMAGES FROM THIS SYSTEM TO EXTRACT FEATURES THAT DETECT CANCER. THIS AWARD WILL ALSO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A HANDS-ON ULTRASOUND CURRICULUM AT THE UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL AS WELL AS IMMERSIVE AND ENGAGING ULTRASOUND ACTIVITIES FOR ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, INCREASING AWARENESS OF ULTRASOUND IMAGING AND THE ROLE OF ENGINEERS IN THE MEDICAL WORLD. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO ENGINEER A LOW-COST, POINT-OF-CARE, 3D WIRELESS ULTRASOUND SYSTEM AND DETERMINE OPTIMAL QUANTITATIVE BIOMARKERS THAT CAN BE EXTRACTED FROM THIS SYSTEM TO DIAGNOSE BREAST CANCER. TO UNDERTAKE THIS INTERDISCIPLINARY WORK, THE RESEARCH WILL BE FOCUSED INTO TWO MAIN OBJECTIVES. THE FIRST OBJECTIVE WILL ESTABLISH QUANTITATIVE TOOLS USING BOTH TRADITIONAL SIGNAL PROCESSING AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO EXTRACT ULTRASOUND-DERIVED BIOMARKERS FROM WIRELESS ULTRASOUND DATA AND EVALUATE THEIR ABILITY TO IMPROVE BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS. THE SECOND OBJECTIVE WILL FOCUS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A ROBUST CALIBRATION, REGISTRATION, AND SENSOR FUSION PROTOCOL TO CREATE 3D TISSUE VOLUMES USING A WIRELESS ULTRASOUND PROBE AND A LOW-COST COMMERCIAL SENSOR. THE RESULTS OF THESE STUDIES HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO ESTABLISH A NEW FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE INNOVATION IN ACCESSIBLE ULTRASOUND TECHNOLOGIES AND INCREASE ACCESS TO CRITICAL CANCER SCREENING TOOLS IN LOW-RESOURCE SETTINGS. 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.

ACQUISITION OF A MASS SPECTROMETER INSTRUMENT

ERI: LOW-COST, MINIATURIZED, WIDEBAND AND WIDE-ANGLE BEAM STEERING ARRAY FOR 5G COMMUNICATION SYSTEM -CELLULAR SYSTEMS ARE SHIFTING TO MM-WAVE FREQUENCY BANDS BECAUSE OF WIDER AVAILABLE BANDWIDTH AND HIGH DATA RATES; HOWEVER, THESE SYSTEMS SUFFER FROM SEVERE PROPAGATION LOSSES, SIGNAL BLOCKAGE, AND FADING EFFECTS; THEREFORE, IT IS DIFFICULT FOR THE FIFTH GENERATION (5G) BASE STATION TO COVER BOTH THE OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT AND INDOOR SCENARIO EFFECTIVELY. WIDEBAND AND HIGH-RESOLUTION BEAM-STEERING IS NEEDED TO ENSURE CONSISTENT CONNECTIVITY AND IT IS A CRUCIAL FACTOR FOR MANY APPLICATIONS BEYOND 5G, SUCH AS VEHICLE-TO-VEHICLE COMMUNICATION, AUTOMOTIVE RADARS, REMOTE SENSING, AND SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS. THIS PROPOSAL WILL DEVELOP A K-BAND HYBRID BEAMFORMING SYSTEM COMPRISED OF DUAL-POLARIZED LOW-PROFILE ANTENNA ARRAYS AND AN ANALOG BEAMFORMING MECHANISM USING A SUBHARMONIC MIXING-BASED PHASED SHIFTING. IN ADDITION TO THE TECHNICAL EFFECTS, THE PROJECT WILL ALSO IMPACT EDUCATION BY SUPPORTING INTERDISCIPLINARY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN STEM FOR INDIVIDUALS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS. THE PROJECT WILL FACILITATE OUTREACH ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING ANNUAL SUMMER CAMPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND GIRLS IN THE ENGINEERING PROGRAM AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY, AND INVOLVE MORE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE RESEARCH. THIS PROPOSAL WILL DEVELOP A K-BAND HYBRID BEAMFORMING SYSTEM COMPRISED OF THE ANTENNA ARRAY AND FREQUENCY-MODULATED CONTINUOUS (FMCW) BEAMFORMING MECHANISM, RESULTING IN A LOW-COST, MINIATURIZED SOLUTION TO FULFILL COMPLEX COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENT PROBLEMS SUCH AS MULTI-PATH EFFECTS AND DYNAMIC DEMANDS. TO BE SPECIFIC, THE FOLLOWING INNOVATIONS WILL BE PURSUED: A) FREQUENCY MIXING-BASED PHASE SHIFTING AT K-BAND WILL BE DEVELOPED TO OBTAIN LOW-MAGNITUDE VARIATION WHILE USING LOWER-COST PHASE SHIFTERS AT LOWER FREQUENCIES. THE MAIN COMPONENTS IN THESE SYSTEMS ARE FILTERS, POWER SPLITTERS, PHASE SHIFTERS, LOCAL OSCILLATORS, AND ANTENNA ARRAYS. DOING PHASE SHIFTING AT A LOWER FREQUENCY MAKES THE IMPLEMENTATION SIMPLER, AND MORE TECHNIQUES ARE AVAILABLE. THE PROPOSED SYSTEM WILL BE IMPLEMENTED USING PCB TECHNOLOGY AND WILL BE COMPARED WITH THE STATE-OF-THE-ART 5G MILLIMETER-WAVE PHASED ARRAY (INTEGRATED CIRCUIT LEVEL) FOR KEY PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS. (B) TO ACHIEVE POLARIZATION DIVERSITY AND BEAM-SCANNING CAPABILITY, DUAL-POLARIZATION WILL BE IMPLEMENTED AND DEMONSTRATED USING A VERTICALLY POLARIZED AND HORIZONTALLY POLARIZED ANTENNA. THE HORIZONTALLY AND VERTICALLY POLARIZED ANTENNAS WILL BE INTEGRATED INTO A SINGLE AREA WITHOUT NEEDING ANY MULTILAYER PCB FOR IMPLEMENTATION. LEAKY-WAVE ANTENNAS WILL ALSO BE DEVELOPED TO SIMPLIFY THE FEEDING NETWORK FURTHER. (C) NON-LINEAR TRANSMISSION LINE (NLTL) WILL ALSO BE EXPLORED AS A CONTROLLER IN THE FEEDING NETWORK OF PHASED ARRAY ANTENNAS TO ACHIEVE BEAM STEERING WITH HIGHER BANDWIDTHS. MONOLITHICALLY FABRICATED NLTL WILL PROVIDE SMALL UNIT-CELL LENGTHS AND AVERAGE CAPACITANCES. DIFFERENT NLTL CIRCUITS WILL BE PRESENTED USING ANALYTICAL SOLUTIONS, CIRCUIT SIMULATIONS, AND EXPERIMENTAL CHARACTERIZATION. ONCE COMPLETED, THE DEVELOPED ARCHITECTURE CAN BE ADAPTED TO AN EXTENSIVE RANGE OF STEERABLE FREQUENCIES WITH MINIMAL CIRCUIT CHANGE WHILE PROVIDING HIGH RESOLUTION, IMPROVED SIDELOBE AND NULL-AREA REJECTION LEVELS, AND IMPROVED BEAM-POINTING ACCURACY. 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.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DEVELOPMENT OF REDUCED ORDER MODELS FOR POROELASTICITY AND RELATED PROBLEMS

DAMAGE INDUCED VIBRATION IN PLANETARY GEARS

PEER-LEARNING COMMUNITIES TO DEVELOP RURAL, AFRICAN AMERICAN GIRLS' COMPUTER SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE AND CAREER AWARENESS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MAKING TO ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE, EXCELLENCE, AND RECOGNITION IN STEM (MAKERS)

SEARCHING FOR DARK MATTER SIGNALS IN COSMIC-RAY AND GAMMA-RAY OBSERVATIONS

CRII: CHS: HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS TEACHING ROBOTS COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION DELIVERY

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: BUILDING UNIQUE INVENTIONS TO LAUNCH DISCOVERIES, ENGAGEMENT AND REASONING IN STEM

HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS PERSISTENCE DESPITE PROLONGED COMBINATION THERAPY: MODELING AND CONTROL STRATEGIES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ELEMENTS: SGCC: AN EFFICIENT GPU-ORIENTED DATA REDUCTION CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE FOR SCIENTIFIC DATA ANALYSIS -THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF GPU HARDWARE HAS PROMOTED SCIENTIFIC SUPERCOMPUTING, ENABLING EXASCALE DATA PRODUCTION ON HETEROGENEOUS SUPERCOMPUTING SYSTEMS. WITH GPU DOMINANCE IN HETEROGENEOUS COMPUTING, THE CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE OF GPU-BASED SCIENTIFIC DATA COMPRESSORS IS STILL MATURING, AND SEVERAL GAPS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED: EXISTING FRAMEWORKS LACK ADAPTATIONS TO MANY SCIENTIFIC DATA ANALYSIS REQUIREMENTS; THERE ARE NO USER-FRIENDLY INTERFACES AND OFF-THE-SHELF SOLUTIONS FOR GPU-BASED SCIENTIFIC DATA COMPRESSORS; AND THE COMPRESSORS THAT SUPPORT NON-NVIDIA GPU ARCHITECTURES ARE VERY LIMITED. THIS PROJECT DEVELOPS A USER-FRIENDLY, HIGH-PERFORMANCE, AND PORTABLE GPU-ACCELERATED DATA REDUCTION CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE FOR ALL PRIMARY GPU-EQUIPPED SUPERCOMPUTING SYSTEMS. IT WILL MITIGATE DATA CHALLENGES ON GPU-EQUIPPED SUPERCOMPUTING SYSTEMS, IMPROVE DATA ANALYSIS EFFICIENCY, AND EVENTUALLY ACCELERATE SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. THIS PROJECT WILL CONTINUOUSLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF GRADUATE STUDENTS BY ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF COMPUTING-RELATED CURRICULA IN HETEROGENEOUS SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING, DATA MANAGEMENT, AND VISUALIZATION. THIS PROJECT BUILDS SCIENTIFIC GPU COMPRESSION CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE (SGCC), A USER-FRIENDLY END-TO-END CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE OF GPU-BASED DATA COMPRESSION FOR SCIENTIFIC DATA WORKFLOWS, BY PORTING, EXTENDING, AND OPTIMIZING MULTIPLE EXISTING CAPABILITIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: THE CUSZ FAMILY OF ERROR-BOUNDED LOSSY COMPRESSORS, GPU-BASED LOSSLESS ENCODERS, QCAT (A CPU-BASED COMPRESSION QUALITY ASSESSMENT TOOLKIT), THE KOKKOS ECOSYSTEM (A MULTI-BACKEND PERFORMANCE-PORTABILITY FRAMEWORK), LIBPRESSIO (THE UNIFIED PROGRAMMING INTERFACE OF SCIENTIFIC COMPRESSORS), AND HDF5. TO CREATE SGCC, THE PROJECT COMBINES THREE THRUSTS: (1) SGCC ENSURES ITS EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS IN PRACTICAL SCIENTIFIC DATA ANALYSIS WORKFLOWS, PROVIDING ADEQUATE SUPPORT FOR DIVERSE DATA FORMATS AND COMPRESSION QUALITY TARGETS; (2) SGCC IMPROVES THE USABILITY OF THE GPU-ACCELERATED DATA-REDUCTION ECOSYSTEM BY PROVIDING HIGH-LEVEL LANGUAGE BINDINGS, COMMAND LINE INTERFACE, AND USER-INTERFACE INTEGRATED WITH VISUALIZATION FUNCTIONALITY; AND (3) SGCC ENABLES STATE-OF-THE-ART GPU-ACCELERATED SCIENTIFIC DATA COMPRESSORS ON MULTIPLE HETEROGENEOUS COMPUTING PLATFORMS, SUCH AS NVIDIA, AMD, AND INTEL. 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.

MATERIALS WORLD NETWORK - COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SYMMETRY, LOCAL-ENVIRONMENT AND TIME-DEPENDENT EFFECTS IN NANOSCALE SYSTEMS: A SYNERGISTIC APPROACH

REU SITE: UNDERGRADUATE COMPUTER RESEARCH (UNCORE) FOR WOMEN AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY