Southeastern University Inc

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - CARES ACT HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF INSTITUTIONAL FUNDS

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - CARES ACT HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND

RECIPIENT IS ALLOWED TO USE UP TO 50 PERCENT OF THE REMAINING CARES ACT FUNDS TO COVER ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE DELIVERY OF INSTRUCTION DUE TO THE CORONA VIRUS.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM SCIENCE RESEARCH FACILITY AT NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY.

RELIEF FUNDS FOR STUDENTS UNDER THE CARES ACT

HAZARDOUS MATERIAL WORKER HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING (U45), COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

THE GULF WAR ILLNESS CLINICAL TRIALS AND INTERVENTIONS CONSORTIUM (GWICTIC)

ELECTROMAGNETIC RESEARCH IN THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA: OCEANOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE.

REGULATORY B CELLS IN THE AMELIORATION OF IMMUNE-MEDIATED PERIODONTAL DISEASE

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY FLORIDA WATER SCIENE CENTER

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY SOUTH FLORIDA SCIENCE CENTER

POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING IN GENERAL PEDIATRIC AND PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY AND DENTAL HYGIENE

UNDERSTANDING GULF WAR ILLNESS: AN INTEGRATIVE MODELING APPROACH

DEVELOPING HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS PROGRAM

THIS AWARD OF $3,841,000 IN CONGRESSIONALLY MANDATED FY23 FEDERAL FUNDING WILL SUPPORT THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL CORAL REEF INSTITUTE (NCRI) AT NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY (NSU) INCLUDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE; CREATION OF AN ADVISORY BOARD AND TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE; THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FORMAL COOPERATION MECHANISMS WITH LABORATORIES AT THE FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVEL, AS WELL AS WITH ACADEMIA; AND HIRING OF FIVE POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS AS WELL AS GRADUATE STUDENTS. UPON RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF NCRI THE PROPOSAL SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TARGET RESEARCH PROJECTS TO ACHIEVE THE FOLLOWING FIVE GOALS: 1. EVALUATE CHALLENGES RESULTING FROM UPSTREAM IMPACTS AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSES; 2. DEVELOP A DETECTION ALGORITHM FOR PREDICTION OF DISEASE HOTSPOTS IN THE CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC; 3. UNDERSTAND, MODEL, AND PREDICT OUTBREAKS AND LEGACY EFFECTS OF CORAL DISEASE EPIZOOTICS TO INFORM QUANTITATIVELY JUSTIFIABLE RESTORATION ACTION; 4. INVESTIGA

POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING IN GENERAL, PEDIATRIC AND PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY AND DENTAL HYGIENE

PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE AMONG CLUB DRUG USERS

COOPERATION AND ALIGNMENT OF SERVICES TO ENGAGE HISPANIC AND LOW INCOME TRANSFER AND NATIVE STUDENTS PURSUING HIGH INTEREST/HIGH DEMAND STEM FIELDS

GERIATRICS WORKFORCE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM

EPIGENETIC MARKS OF COCAINE ADDICTION

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - CARES ACT HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND - MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS

US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY SOUTH FLORIDA SCIENCE CENTER

NOVEL RECOMBINANT STREPTOCOCCUS MITIS AS AN ORAL VACCINE AGAINST HIV/AIDS

INNOVATIONS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE SUCCESS FOR HISPANIC AND OTHER UNDERREPRESENTED GRADUATE STUDENTS

HEALTH LITERACY ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION TO REDUCE DISPARITIES: FLIGHT/VIDAS II

STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS - HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTIONS

TRENDS AND DRIVERS OF FAUNAL ABUNDANCE IN THE OFFSHORE GULF OF MEXICO: NARROWING THE LARGEST DATA GAP IN THE GULF???S LARGE MARINE ECOSYSTEM

STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS - HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTIONS

OSTEOIMMUNOLOGY OF RETARDED BONE REGENERATION IN PERIODONTITIS

NSU SHARKS: SUPPORTING HISPANIC ACADEMICS, RESEARCH, KNOWLEDGE, AND SUCCESS

PURPOSE: DEEPEND|RESTORE (D|R) HAS DEVELOPED A MULTI-MODE SAMPLING, SENSING, AND ANALYTICAL PROGRAM TO ASSESS TRENDS IN PELAGIC POPULATIONS OF THE DEEP GULF OF MEXICO, AS WELL AS THE PUTATIVE DRIVERS OF VARIABILITY IN THESE TRENDS. WITH RESPECT TO POPULATION TRENDS, THE MOST SUBSTANTIVE FINDING OF THIS PROGRAM IS THE SUDDEN (WITHIN 3.5 Y), SEVERE, AND SUSTAINED (> 10 Y) DECLINE IN THE ABUNDANCE OF OCEANIC MICRONEKTON (DEEP-LIVING FISHES, SHRIMPS, AND CEPHALOPODS) SINCE THE DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL. MICRONEKTON ARE IMPORTANT PREY FOR OVER 130 SPECIES OF MANAGEMENT CONCERN IN THE GULF. WITH RESPECT TO DRIVERS, FINDINGS INDICATE THAT MULTIVARIATE PARAMETERS (DEPTH, MESOSCALE OCEANOGRAPHIC FEATURES, LIGHT ENVIRONMENT) IN CONCERT WITH ANIMAL BEHAVIOR APPEAR TO BE THE PRIMARY DRIVERS OF PELAGIC ASSEMBLAGES. NO NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR THAT CORRELATED WITH OBSERVED DECLINES WAS IDENTIFIED. D|R HAS ACTIVELY FOCUSED ON RESOURCE MANAGEMENT APPLICATION AND INTEGRATION, WITH THE MOST FRUITFUL INTERACTIONS OCCURRING IN SIX THEMATIC AREAS: 1) GULF OCEANIC MICRONEKTON AS PREY OF SPECIES THAT ARE ACTIVELY MANAGED, FEDERALLY PROTECTED, OR TARGETS OF ONGOING RESTORATION ACTIVITIES; 2) PROVISION OF INFORMATION FOR PAST, CURRENT, AND FUTURE NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS; 3) QUANTIFICATION OF GULF OCEANIC BIODIVERSITY; 4) ELUCIDATION OF OTHER ECOSYSTEM SERVICES PROVIDED BY OCEANIC MICRONEKTON; 5) QUANTIFICATION OF MICROPLASTIC INGESTION AND ITS ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS IN THE OPEN GULF, AND 6) CAPACITY BUILDING FOR FUTURE RESEARCH AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. THESE AREAS ARE DISCUSSED IN DETAIL HEREIN. IN THE RENEWAL PERIOD, D|R PROPOSES TO CONTINUE DIRECT SAMPLING AND ACTIVE ACOUSTIC SENSING TO ASSESS POPULATION TRENDS, WITH THE NOTE THAT THERE MAY BE SIGNS OF NASCENT RECOVERY IN SOME TAXA. THESE TRENDS TAKE ON ADDED IMPORTANCE GIVEN RECENT REPORTS OF OCEANIC CETACEAN POPULATION DECLINES, RELOCATIONS, AND STRANDINGS OF EMACIATED INDIVIDUALS. OUR STATISTICAL ANALYSES WILL ADD A BIOMASS COMPONENT TO WHAT HAS BEEN AN ABUNDANCECENTERED APPROACH, WHICH SHOULD ENABLE GREATER ECOSYSTEM MODELING UTILITY. AS WITH SAMPLING, D|R PROPOSES CONTINUATION OF GENOMIC DIVERSITY, ORGANIC CONTAMINANT, AND MICROPLASTICS INGESTION ANALYSES, WITH AUGMENTATIONS TO EACH. D|R PROPOSES A NEW HIGHPRIORITY OPTIONAL ELEMENT, DETAILED IN A STAND-ALONE ADDENDUM. THE PROPOSAL CONCLUDES WITH A BRIEF DISCUSSION OF NEXT STEPS IN GULF OPEN-OCEAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT BEYOND THE RENEWAL PERIOD.

RISK REDUCTION FOR URBAN SUBSTANCE USING MSM

PROMOTING POSTBACCALAUREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HISPANIC AMERICANS (PPOHA)

PROMOTING POSTBACCALAUREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HISPANIC AMERICANS PROGRAM

DEVELOPING HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS PROGRAM

3D OCEAN CIRCULATION AND ITS MAGNETIC SIGNATURE ON THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA SHELF

ADAPTIVE COMPUTING MODELS FOR CYBERSECURITY THREATS AND INFORMATION ANALYSIS

PROMOTING POSTBACCALAUREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HISPANIC AMERICANS (PPOHA)

COMMUNITY BASED DENTAL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

COASTAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH SENSOR DEVELOPMENT

PROJECT TITLE: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY SOUTH FLORIDA SCIENCE CENTER PROJECT PERIOD: 2 1 2025 THROUGH 1 31 2030AWARD PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS AWARD IS TO SUPPORT THE COST OF FACILITY RESOURCES ASSOCIATED WITH LONG-TERM JOINT PROGRAM BETWEEN THE USGS AND NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY TO CONTINUE AND ADVANCE COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH IN COMMON AREAS OF INTEREST TO FULFILL ALL SCIENTIFIC MISSION RESPONSIBILITIES AND SUPPORT FUNCTIONS.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: NSU WILL WORK CLOSELY WITH USGS AND THE CARIBBEAN-FLORIDA WATER SCIENCE CENTER (CFWSC) TO SUPPORT HYDROLOGIC RESEARCH, GENERAL RESEARCH, WATER QUALITY STUDIES, ENDANGERED SPECIES STUDY, AND MONITORING ACROSS FLORIDA, PUERTO RICO, AND THE US VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION. NSU HAS A CAMPUS IN PUERTO RICO AND A LONG HISTORY OF CORAL REEF AND RELATED RESEARCH IN PUERTO RICO AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AS WELL AS FLORIDA. SPECIFIC RESEARCH PROJECTS WILL BE DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED WITH USGS AND CESU PARTNERS AS THE NEED ARISES.DELIVERABLES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES: FACILITIES AND RESOURCES TO SUPPORT COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH IN PRIORITY AREAS OF THE CFWSC AND NSU.INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THIS AWARD SUPPORTS ALL MEMBERS OF SOCIETY AS IT FACILITATES DEVELOPMENT OF CRUCIAL INFORMATION TO INFORM POLICY DECISIONS, PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH, PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY AND ECOSYSTEM HEALTH IN USGS PRIORITY RESEARCH AREAS.SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: NONE

GERIATRIC EDUCATION CENTERS

SOUTH FLORIDA OCEAN MEASUREMENT FACILITY AND NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY COASTAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH FY23

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS/CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME

LEVAN CENTER MOBILE INNOVATION UNIT

LEVAN CENTER EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

EPIGENETIC AND NON-EPIGENETIC ROLE OF SIRT1 IN FLUORIDE-INDUCED CELL STRESS

ACE BALANCE IN THE CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES

ARRA-TRAINING IN PRIMARY CARE MEDICINE-INTERDISCIPLINARY AND INTERPROFESSIONAL GRADUATE JOINT DEGREE

THE DIVERSION OF ANTIRETROVIRAL MEDICATIONS TO STREET MARKETS

MODEL STATE-SUPPORTED AHEC PROGRAM

COMMUNITY BASED DENTAL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

THIN FILM SURFACE COATINGS FOR TOUGHENED DENTAL CERAMICS

NATIONAL CORAL REEF INSTITUTE (NCRI) PROPOSAL FOR FY 2007, 2008 & 2009

PRE-DOCTORAL TRAINING IN PRIMARY CARE

TRAINING IN PRIMARY CARE MEDICINE-INTERDISCIPLINARY AND INTERPROFESSIONAL GRADUATE JOINT DEGREE PROG

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A COMPUTER-ADMINISTERED HEALTH LITERACY MEASURE

POWER A HEALTH PROMOTION & HIV RISK REDUCTION INTERVENTION FOR BLACK MEN

UNDERSTANDING HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS-TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES FROM LAKE OKEECHOBEE. UPDATED FUNDING SUB-TIER AGENCY '96CE' TO '2100'. USACE CIVIL WORKS FUNDING.

SHARK TAILS: SUCCESS FOR HISPANICS IN ACADEMICS, RESEARCH, AND KNOWLEDGE THROUGH ADMINISTRATION OF INTEGRATED LEARNING SUPPORTS

YOUNG HISPANIC MEN - ENTRE CULTURAS: NAVIGATING CULTURE, IDENTITY AND HIV RISK

NOVA ENVIRONMENTAL SENSOR SUITE (NESS) UPGRADES, DEPLOYMENTS, AND MODEL VALIDATION

A CIVIC HEALTH INITIATIVE

MANAGEMENT-DRIVEN RESEARCH BY THE NOAA'S CORAL REEF INSTITUTES: FY10 FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

HTS FOR SELECTIVE INHIBITORS OF MEPRIN ALPHA AND BETA

QUORUM SENSING AS A REGULATOR OF METABOLISM IN PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA TO FACILITATE GROWTH AND SURVIVAL IN CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS

NATIONAL CORAL REEF INSTITUTE FY09 PROPOSAL

NOAA CORAL REEF CONSERVATION PROGRAM EARMARK PROJECT DESCRIPTION THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA) IS PROVIDING $963,000 IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO THE NATIONAL CORAL REEF INSTITUTE HOUSED AT NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY IN DANIA BEACH, FLORIDA FOR A PROJECT TITLED CORAL NURSERY CENTER. SPECIFICALLY, THE NATIONAL CORAL REEF INSTITUTE WILL USE THESE FUNDS TO EXPAND ITS CORAL NURSERY FACILITIES TO COMPLETE A STATE-OF-THE-ART CORAL CENTER AT NSUS OCEANOGRAPHIC CAMPUS. THIS PROJECT WILL ALLOW FOR OPTIMIZATION AND UPSCALING OF CORAL PROPAGATION OPERATIONS. THE PROJECT WILL RETROFIT AN EXISTING STRUCTURE TO CREATE A LABORATORY FOR CULTURING HERBIVOROUS CRUSTACEANS, MICROFRAGMENTING CORALS, AND BUILDING AND REPAIRING STRUCTURES FOR OFFSHORE NURSERY AND CORAL OUTPLANTING ACTIVITIES.

PURPOSE:THE PURPOSE OF THIS GRANT IS TO FUND THE ACQUISITION OF FOUR PIECES OF EQUIPMENT. THE SPECIFIC INSTRUMENTS ARE 1)SEAHORSE XF24 AND OROBOROS OXYGRAPH 2K, 2) FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPE, 3) NANOSTRING N COUNTER AND PREP STATION,AND 4) COSMX DIGITAL SPATIAL PROFILER. THESE INSTRUMENTS WILL BE USED FOR THE ADVANCEMENT NEW TECHNOLOGIES ANDMETHODOLOGIES SUCH AS DEVELOPING STANDARDIZED MODELS TO IDENTIFY GENETIC MARKERS AND THEIR INTERACTIONS WITHENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS THAT CAN LEAD TO NEWER AND MORE EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES TO PREDICT AND DIAGNOSE EARLY-STAGECANCERS.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED:THE RESEARCHERS WILL USE THIS EQUIPMENT TO EVALUATE PATIENT-DERIVED CULTURES WILL BE EXPOSED IN THE LABORATORY TOARSENIC OR GLYPHOSATE (CHEMICALS FREQUENTLY ENCOUNTERED IN SOUTH FLORIDA). EARLY GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC CHANGESWILL BE MEASURED AS TRANSCRIPTOMIC CHANGES USING THE BC360 ARRAY OF GENES WHICH ENCOMPASS HYPOTHESIS-DRIVENGENES SPANNING: ADHESION AND MIGRATION, ANTIGEN PRESENTATION (IMMUNOLOGICAL GENES), APOPTOSIS, CYTOKINE ANDCHEMOKINE SIGNALING, DNA DAMAGE AND REPAIR, EMT (EPITHELIAL TO MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION), ONCOGENES, TUMORSUPPRESSOR GENES, GENES INVOLVED IN BREAST METABOLISM, ER (ESTROGEN RECEPTOR) SIGNALING, EPIGENETIC REGULATION,STEM CELL-RELATED, TRANSCRIPTIONAL MIS REGULATION, PROLIFERATION, CANCER SUBTYPES, AND TUMOR METABOLISM. CHANGESDUE TO EXPOSURES REGARDLESS OF ANCESTRY WILL BE ASSESSED AS WELL AS ANCESTRY-SPECIFIC CHANGES AFTER EXPOSURES AND ATBASELINE. NANOSTRING TECHNOLOGY WILL ALSO BE USED TO VALIDATE RNA SEQUENCING CHANGES IN UNSUPERVISED (NOTHYPOTHESIS-DRIVEN) ANALYSES. ADDITIONALLY, FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY WILL BE USE TO PROVIDE VISUALIZATION ANDQUANTIFICATION OF COMPLEX CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR PHENOMENA INDUCED BY ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES. FLUORESCENCEMICROSCOPY FACILITATES THE DETAILED ANALYSIS OF CELLULAR DAMAGE AND THE ACTIVITY OF CRITICAL PATHWAYS SUCH ASPROLIFERATION, AUTOPHAGY, AND APOPTOSIS THROUGH TARGETED LABELING OF CELLULAR COMPONENTS AND CELL DEATH MARKERS.ALLOW US TO MAP MOLECULAR ALTERATIONS WITHIN TISSUE STRUCTURES, OFFERING A DEEP INSIGHT INTO THE DIFFERENTIALRESPONSES TO TOXINS BASED ON ANCESTRAL BACKGROUNDS.UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCENATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGYMATERIAL MEASUREMENT LABORATORY100 BUREAU DRIVE, MS 8300GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND 20899EXPECTED OUTCOMES:THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP MEASUREMENT METHODS AND BASIC MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY THAT WILLENABLE THE MATCHING OF DIFFERING GENETIC SEQUENCES WITH DIFFERING RESPONSES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF DISEASEBECAUSE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. ONCE STANDARDIZATION OF THE MEASUREMENT PROTOCOLS IS IN PLACE, THE CONTINUEDDEVELOPMENT OF A UNIFORM DATABASE AND PREDICTIVE MODELING CAN BE REPLICATED IN CANCER AND OTHER DISEASES. THERESEARCH WILL ALSO PROVIDE ACCESS TO DATA FROM UNIQUE POPULATIONS.INTENDED BENEFICIARIES:THE DATA GENERATED WILL BENEFIT THE CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNITY AT LARGE. THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE DATA THAT CAN BEUSED BY MULTIPLE AGENCIES (HHS, DOD, VA, EPA) AND PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS IN INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEENENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS AND CANCER AND OTHER DISEASES. THIS WILL ALSO LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW BIOMARKERS ANDTHE STANDARDIZATION OF SAMPLE MEASUREMENTS AND DETECTION PROCESSES.SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES:THE RECIPIENT DOES NOT INTEND TO SUBAWARD FUNDS.

IMMUNE DYSREGULATION IN GWI.

NURSE FACULTY LOAN PROGRAM

RESIDENCY TRAINING IN PRIMARY CARE

UNKNOWN TITLE

THE USE OF B-CELL DEPLETION THERAPY (BCDT) IN GULF WAR ILLNESS: A PHASE 1/2 STUDY

PREDOCTORAL TRAINING IN GENERAL, PEDIATRIC, AND PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY AND DENTAL HYGIENE

GERIATRIC EDUCATION CENTERS

NURSE FACULTY LOAN PROGRAM

RESIDENCY TRAINING IN GENERAL AND PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

IMMUNOMODULATION IN GWI

HIGH-FIDELITY DESIGN OF MULTIMODAL RESTORATIVE INTERVENTIONS IN GULF WAR ILLNESS

AN INTEGRATED GENOMICS AND CELL BIOLOGY APPROACH TO CORRELATE NOVEL GWI INDICATORS OF INFECTIONS AND NEUROINFLAMMATORY MECHANISMS WITH TARGETED DRUG

PHMSA, THROUGH THIS GRANT OPPORTUNITY, SOLICITS COMPETITIVE APPLICATIONS FROM ELIGIBLE NATIONAL NONPROFIT FIRE SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS FOR SUPPLEMENTAL PUBLIC SECTOR TRAINING (SPST) GRANT FUNDS. FOR AWARD CONSIDERATION, NATIONAL NONPROFIT FIRE SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS MUST DEMONSTRATE EXPERTISE IN CONDUCTING TRAIN-THE-TRAINER MODEL PROGRAMS FOR HAZMAT INSTRUCTORS; AND TRAINING INDIVIDUALS WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY TO RESPOND TO ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS INVOLVING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS.

THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DETERMINE THE OPTIMAL LIGHT TO REAR SENSITIVE CORAL RECRUITS IN ORDER TO RAPIDLY AND EFFECTIVELY UPSCALE PRODUCTION OF GENETICALLY-DIVERSE CORALS FOR RESTORATION. NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY WORKING WITH MOTE MARINE LABORATORY, THE FLORIDA AQUARIUM, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, WILMINGTON WILL CONDUCT A SET OF COORDINATED AND PARALLEL STUDIES ACROSS THE FOUR LAND-BASED CORAL NURSERY FACILITIES TO TEST AND COMPARE THE IMPACT OF DIFFERENT LIGHT TREATMENTS ON EARLY GROWTH FOR LEAST TWO REEF-BUILDING CORAL SPECIES ENDEMIC TO FLORIDA. THESE INSTITUTIONS WILL TEST THE EFFECT OF ARTIFICIAL LIGHT THAT MIMICS THE LIGHT SPECTRUM AT THE REEF DEPTH AND USE A PRESET LIGHT SPECTRUM AND COMPARE THESE WITH NATURAL LIGHT IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE OPTIMAL SETTINGS TO ENHANCE GROWTH REDUCE LAND-BASED REARING TIME OF YOUNG CORALS FOR CORAL REEF RESTORATION. THEY WILL ALSO CHARACTERIZE THE MICROBIOME AND SYMBIONT COMPOSITION IN THE YOUNG RECRUITS IN EACH FACILITY.

BINOCULAR APPROACHES TO PERCEPTUAL LEARNING IN ADULT AMBLYOPIA

DOES BILINGUALISM SHAPE INHIBITORY CONTROL PROCESSES AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION? -HUMANS HAVE AN EXTRAORDINARY ABILITY TO SPEAK MULTIPLE LANGUAGES AND TO SWITCH BETWEEN LANGUAGES SEEMINGLY EFFORTLESSLY. WITH SIMILAR EASE, HUMANS SHIFT THEIR ATTENTION BACK AND FORTH ROUTINELY. THE ABILITY TO SWITCH BETWEEN LANGUAGES AND BETWEEN OTHER BEHAVIORS IS BELIEVED TO BE CARRIED OUT BY THE SAME FRONTAL-LOBE PROCESSES AND, MORE GENERALLY, IS ASSOCIATED WITH EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. HYPOTHETICALLY, BECAUSE BILINGUALS ENGAGE FRONTAL-LOBE PROCESSES MORE OFTEN THAN MONOLINGUALS (I.E., FOR LANGUAGE CONTROL), IT MAY BE THAT FRONTAL-LOBE PROCESSES ARE STRONGER IN BILINGUALS, THUS POTENTIALLY CONFERRING WHAT IS TERMED A ?BILINGUAL ADVANTAGE? ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO REVEAL THE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION ABILITIES SHAPED BY BILINGUALISM AND THE FRONTAL-LOBE PROCESSES INVOLVED IN BOTH LANGUAGE CONTROL AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REVEAL HOW FRONTAL-LOBE PROCESSES MAY BE STRENGTHENED WHICH WILL PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO THE MECHANISM THROUGH WHICH BRAIN PROCESSES BECOME DEFICIENT. RESULTS FROM THIS PROJECT MAY ULTIMATELY GUIDE RESEARCH AND INTERVENTIONS FOR DISORDERS SUCH AS DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE ASSOCIATED WITH DEFICIENT FRONTAL-LOBE PROCESSES. THIS PROJECT WILL BUILD RESEARCH CAPACITY BY PROVIDING STATE-OF-THE-ART EQUIPMENT TO TRAIN UNDERREPRESENTED FUTURE SCIENCE LEADERS. THIS PROJECT WILL EXAMINE FRONTAL-LOBE PROCESSES BY DIRECTLY MEASURING THE BRAIN?S ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY WHILE ENGLISH SPEAKING MONOLINGUALS AND SPANISH/ENGLISH BILINGUALS PERFORM EXECUTIVE FUNCTION TASKS. THE MEASUREMENT OF THE BRAIN?S ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY ADDS A NEW DIMENSION TO THE EXISTING BEHAVIOR LITERATURE AND WILL POTENTIALLY RESOLVE INCONSISTENT FINDINGS ON THE EXISTENCE OF A BILINGUAL EXECUTIVE FUNCTION ADVANTAGE THAT CURRENTLY POSE CRITICAL BARRIERS TO PROGRESS. UNIQUE TO THIS PROJECT IS THAT PROFICIENCY IN BOTH LANGUAGES WILL BE OBJECTIVELY QUANTIFIED THROUGH A LINGUISTIC PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT AND USED AS A PREDICTOR OF NEURAL ACTIVITY AND EXECUTIVE ABILITIES. LANGUAGE GROUPS WILL BE COMPARED AT A LATENT LEVEL OF ANALYSIS, WHICH IS MORE LIKELY TO CAPTURE EXECUTIVE ABILITIES THAN MORE TRADITIONAL STATISTICAL APPROACHES THAT COMPARE GROUPS ON OBSERVED TASK-SPECIFIC EFFECTS, E.G., MOTOR SPEED. NOTEWORTHY, THE STUDY TEAM HAS ACCESS TO A UNIQUE POPULATION OF BILINGUAL STUDENTS WHO WILL SERVE AS STUDY PARTICIPANTS AND ARE LIKE ENGLISH SPEAKING MONOLINGUAL STUDENTS ON DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS. THIS IS NOT TYPICAL OF SPANISH SPEAKING BILINGUALS IN OTHER AREAS OF THE UNITED STATES. GROUP EQUIVALENCE ON THESE MEASURES IS ESSENTIAL BECAUSE DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO ACCOUNT FOR GROUP DIFFERENCES IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. 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.

RESIDENCY TRAINING IN GENERAL AND PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

THEORY-DRIVEN MODELS FOR CORRECTING "FIGHT OR FLIGHT" IMBALANCE IN GULF WAR ILLNESS

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE USGS SOUTH FLORIDA SCIENCE CENTER

IMPACT OF AGING ON INTRACELLULAR CERAMIDE-MEDIATED PERIODONTAL BONE LESIONS

GENOMIC APPROACH TO FIND FEMALE-SPECIFIC MECHANISMS OF GWI PATHOBIOLOGY

PREDOCTORAL TRAINING IN GENERAL, PEDIATRIC, AND PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY AND DENTAL HYGIENE

IMPROVING DIAGNOSTICS AND TREATMENTS FOR GWI FEMALES BY ACCOUNTING FOR THE EFFECTS OF PTSD

DOCTORAL BOUND: COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION ASSURANCE PHD FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

CHARACTERIZATION OF IMPACT OF OCEANOGRAPHIC FEATURES ON THE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS IN COASTAL WATERS

SOUTH FLORIDA OCEAN MEASUREMENT FACILITY AND NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY COASTAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CONG ADD FY2022

SEX-BASED DIFFERENCES OF A HIGH FAT DIET IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (AD): CAN NILOTINIB REVERSE BIOENERGETIC AND NEUROPATHOLOGICAL DEFICITS? - ABSTRACT METABOLIC DISORDERS (I.E. OBESITY, PREDIABETES OR TYPE 2 DIABETES), OFTEN RESULTING FROM POOR DIET, IS A SIGNIFICANT RISK FACTOR FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE (AD). SEVERAL COMMON NEURODEGENERATIVE MECHANISMS IN THESE TWO CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, INCLUDING OXIDATIVE STRESS, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, AND INFLAMMATION. CHANGES IN METABOLISM AND MITOCHONDRIAL BIOENERGETICS MAY BE AT THE HEART OF BOTH METABOLIC DISORDERS AND AD BUT MAY BE AFFECTING MEN AND WOMEN DIFFERENTLY. ALTHOUGH AD TREATMENTS EXIST, NONE ARE VERY EFFECTIVE, AND CERTAINLY NO DRUGS ARE SEX-SPECIFIC, CREATING A SIGNIFICANT UNMET MEDICAL NEED. INTERESTINGLY, SEVERAL CLINICAL TRIALS TESTING NILOTINIB, A REPURPOSED LEUKEMIA DRUG, HAVE SHOWN PROMISE FOR USE IN TREATING AD AND OTHER NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES. IN ADDITION TO ATTENUATING HALLMARK PATHOLOGY, WE RECENTLY DEMONSTRATED THAT NILOTINIB IMPROVES MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION AND BIOENERGETICS IN CULTURED CELLS FROM THE 3XTG-AD MOUSE MODEL FOR AD. IN THIS STUDY, OUR SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE IS TO USE A HIGH FAT DIET (HFD) TO MODEL METABOLIC DISEASE IN 3XTG-AD MICE AND EVALUATE SEX-DIFFERENCES ASSOCIATED WITH BIOENERGETIC, COGNITIVE, AND NEUROPATHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES, AS WELL AS WHETHER NILOTINIB CAN IMPROVE THEM. THE RATIONALE FOR THE PROPOSED WORK IS FURTHER SUPPORTED BY A RECENT PHASE II STUDY CONDUCTED BY OUR COLLABORATOR, DR. SCOTT TURNER, THAT SHOWED 12 MONTHS OF TREATMENT WITH NILOTINIB, AT 150 MG/DAY FOR 26 WEEKS FOLLOWED BY 300 MG/DAY FOR 26 WEEKS WAS SAFE, TOLERABLE, AND EFFECTIVE IN PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE AD. HERE, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT NILOTINIB WILL IMPROVE MITOCHONDRIAL BIOENERGETICS, ENHANCE COGNITIVE FUNCTION, AND REDUCE BIOMARKERS OF AD PATHOLOGY IN A SEX-DEPENDENT MANNER IN 3XTG-AD MICE SUBJECTED TO A HFD. IN AIM 1, WE WILL DETERMINE WHETHER IN VIVO TREATMENT (100 OR 250 MG/KG FOR 2 MONTHS) WITH NILOTINIB IMPROVES MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION AND BIOENERGETICS IN 3XTG-AD MICE IN THE ABSENCE AND PRESENCE OF HFD-INDUCED METABOLIC DISEASE. IN AIM 2, WE WILL INVESTIGATE WHETHER IN VIVO TREATMENT WITH NILOTINIB CAN REVERSE COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL DEFICITS IN 3XTG-AD MICE IN THE ABSENCE AND PRESENCE OF METABOLIC DISEASE. FINALLY, IN AIM 3, WE WILL CHARACTERIZE THE EFFECTS OF IN VIVO TREATMENT WITH NILOTINIB ON AD-ASSOCIATED NEUROPATHOLOGY IN 3XTG-AD MICE IN THE ABSENCE AND PRESENCE OF METABOLIC DISEASE. THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH NILOTINIB MAY IMPROVE OUTCOMES IN VIVO, AS WELL AS PATIENT POPULATIONS FOR WHOM NILOTINIB TREATMENT MAY BE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE (I.E., BASED ON SEX AND COMORBID METABOLIC DISEASE, PRESENT IN 80% OF AD PATIENTS), HAVE YET TO BE ADEQUATELY EXPLORED IN RODENT MODELS PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE DRUG’S PHASE III TRIAL. WE EXPECT THAT A HFD WILL RESULT IN A WIDER RANGE OF BIOENERGETIC, COGNITIVE, AND NEUROPATHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES IN FEMALE AD MICE AS COMPARED TO MALES. OVERALL, WE EXPECT NILOTINIB WILL IMPROVE MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION, ATP LEVELS, AD-ASSOCIATED NEUROPATHOLOGY, AND COGNITION IN 3XTG AD MICE, INCLUDING THOSE SUBJECTED TO A HFD.

STRATIFICATION OF ME/CFS BY MYCOTOXIN EXPOSURE - MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS/CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (ME/CFS) IS A DISABLING, MULTISYSTEM DISEASE AFFECTING UP TO 3.3 MILLION AMERICANS, PREDOMINANTLY WOMEN. DESPITE A SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH BURDEN, BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS REMAIN POORLY UNDERSTOOD AND NO DIAGNOSTIC BIOMARKERS OR TARGETED THERAPIES EXIST. MOUNTING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES, PARTICULARLY TO FUNGAL MYCOTOXINS, MAY CONTRIBUTE TO ME/CFS PATHOGENESIS BY PROMOTING IMMUNE DYSFUNCTION. HOWEVER, THERE ARE NO PEER-REVIEWED PUBLISHED STUDIES EXAMINING THE MOLECULAR EFFECTS OF MYCOTOXINS ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM OF ME/CFS PATIENTS. THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO CONDUCT THE FIRST STUDY ON THE MOLECULAR LEVEL OF HOW MYCOTOXIN EXPOSURE CONTRIBUTES TO ME/CFS PATHOPHYSIOLOGY. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT MYCOTOXINS INDUCE TRANSCRIPTOMIC REPROGRAMMING IN IMMUNE CELLS AND EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES (EVS), LEADING TO IMMUNE EXHAUSTION AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATION. PRELIMINARY DATA FROM OUR GROUP SHOWS ENRICHMENT OF FUNGAL-RESPONSE PATHWAYS, ALTERED IMMUNE CELL SUBSETS, INCREASED PRO-INFLAMMATORY EV MIRNAS, AND EXHAUSTION-ASSOCIATED SIGNATURES IN ME/CFS PATIENTS WITH DETECTABLE URINARY MYCOTOXINS. WE WILL RECRUIT 150 ME/CFS PATIENTS AND 50 MATCHED SEDENTARY HEALTHY CONTROLS (HC), STRATIFY ME/CFS CASES BY MYCOTOXIN EXPOSURE, AND PURSUE FOUR SPECIFIC AIMS: AIM 1: QUANTIFY URINARY MYCOTOXINS AND ASSESS ASSOCIATIONS OF MYCOTOXIN LEVELS AND COMBINATIONS WITH SYMPTOM SEVERITY AND PLASMA CYTOKINES. AIM 2: USE SINGLE-CELL RNA SEQUENCING TO DEFINE MYCOTOXIN CONTRIBUTION TO TRANSCRIPTOMIC ALTERATIONS IN PBMC SUBSETS IN ME/CFS PATIENTS. AIM 3: IDENTIFY LONG AND SMALL RNA SIGNATURES IN PLASMA-DERIVED EVS ASSOCIATED WITH MYCOTOXIN EXPOSURE. AIM 4: INTEGRATE MULTI-OMICS DATA USING MACHINE LEARNING TO IDENTIFY MECHANISTIC CORRELATIONS BETWEEN MYCOTOXIN EXPOSURE, IMMUNE DYSREGULATION, AND SYMPTOM SEVERITY. WE WILL USE A VALIDATION COHORT OF 20 ME/CFS PATIENTS AND 10 HC TO CONFIRM OUR RESULTS. OUR APPROACH IS INNOVATIVE IN COMBINING ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE DATA WITH TRANSCRIPTOMICS AND EV RNA PROFILING TO DEFINE A BIOLOGICALLY AND CLINICALLY DISTINCT ME/CFS SUBGROUP. THE INTEGRATION OF SCRNA-SEQ, EV-RNA PROFILES, AND URINARY MYCOTOXINS WILL ENABLE THE DISCOVERY OF ROBUST MOLECULAR SIGNATURES AND MECHANISTIC PATHWAYS AFFECTED BY ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS, NAMELY MYCOTOXINS. THIS WORK WILL SIGNIFICANTLY ADVANCE THE FIELD BY PROVIDING STRATIFICATION OF ME/CFS BY MYCOTOXIN EXPOSURE AND PROVIDING NOVEL INSIGHTS INTO ENVIRONMENTALLY DRIVEN IMMUNE REPROGRAMMING IN ME/CFS. OUTCOMES INCLUDE IDENTIFICATION OF CANDIDATE BIOMARKERS, DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONTRIBUTION OF MYCOTOXINS TO IMMUNE EXHAUSTION MECHANISMS, AND A STRATIFICATION FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE DIAGNOSTICS AND THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS. OUR STUDY REPRESENTS A CRITICAL STEP TOWARD DEVELOPING PRECISION MEDICINE STRATEGIES FOR ME/CFS PATIENTS WITH ENVIRONMENTALLY EXACERBATED DISEASE SYMPTOMS.

HSI IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION PROJECT: CO-CURRICULAR STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT ACADEMICALLY CHALLENGED DIVERSE UNDERGRADUATE STEM MAJORS -WITH SUPPORT FROM THE IMPROVING UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION: HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS (HSI PROGRAM), THIS TRACK 2: IEP PROJECT AIMS TO OFFER A COORDINATED COMBINATION OF EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIC CO-CURRICULAR INTERVENTIONS TO SUPPORT DIVERSE STEM MAJORS WHO ARE STRUGGLING EARLY IN THEIR ACADEMIC PATHWAYS. BECAUSE MANY DIVERSE STUDENTS ARE UNDERPREPARED BOTH ACADEMICALLY AND MOTIVATIONALLY FOR DEGREE SUCCESS, THE PROJECT WILL TARGET DIVERSE COMPUTER SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, BIOLOGY, AND MARINE BIOLOGY MAJORS WHO ARE PLACED ON (OR WHO THROUGH EARLY IDENTIFICATION ARE DEEMED TO BE AT RISK OF BEING PLACED ON) ACADEMIC PROBATION. AN INTERSECTIONAL TEAM OF STEM FACULTY, INDUSTRY, AND NEAR-PEER COACHES/MENTORS/ROLE MODELS WILL WORK COLLECTIVELY TO PROVIDE TIMELY AND CONTINUOUS ASSET-BASED COACHING/MENTORING, SPECIALIZED STEM TUTORING, AND RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY-BASED EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ACTIVITIES. COACHES/MENTORS WILL BE TRAINED TO SERVE AS ALLIES TO FACILITATE A POSITIVE ACADEMIC MINDSET, PROVIDING GUIDANCE (AND REFERRALS AS NEEDED) TO HIGH-QUALITY WRAP-AROUND RESOURCES TO ADDRESS STUDENTS? INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC AND PERSONAL NEEDS. THE PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE IMPORTANT FINDINGS TO THE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE IN STEM HIGHER EDUCATION REGARDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ACADEMIC SUCCESS OUTCOMES (ESPECIALLY AMONG UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS AT HSIS) AND COORDINATED SUPPORT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. THE APPROACH WILL BENEFIT SOCIETY BY INCREASING UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENT GRADUATION LEADING TO INCREASED EMPLOYMENT DIVERSITY IN HIGH DEMAND STEM OCCUPATIONAL FIELDS. THE PROJECT GOAL WILL BE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND ISSUES IN THE RETENTION AND DEGREE ATTAINMENT OF STEM UNDERGRADUATES (ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE UNDERREPRESENTED) TO PURSUE CAREERS IN PROMISING STEM FIELDS AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE AMERICAN INNOVATION ECONOMY. THE OUTCOME WILL BE A MODEL OF SOUND EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES THAT GENERATE PROMISING EVIDENCE IN INCREASING SUCCESS MEASURES THAT INDICATE THE BROADENING PARTICIPATION OF STUDENTS WHO ARE HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED IN STEM. THE RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS WILL BE: AN INTENSIVE SUMMER PROGRAM THAT FOCUSES ON PROVIDING MEANINGFUL, HOLISTIC SUPPORT AND DEVELOPING INDIVIDUAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH AND BETWEEN STUDENTS, CAN REDUCE/MINIMIZE FEELINGS OF FRUSTRATION AND A LACK OF SELF-CONFIDENCE AMONG ACADEMICALLY CHALLENGED UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS IN THE STEM ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT, AND HELP THOSE STUDENTS ACHIEVE THEIR POTENTIAL AS DEMONSTRATED BY RETENTION AND GRADUATION RATES. THE EARLY-STAGE (EXPLORATORY) RESEARCH PLAN WILL CONTRIBUTE TO CORE KNOWLEDGE IN EDUCATION, EXAMINING CORRELATIONS BETWEEN PROJECT INTERVENTIONS AND PARTICIPANT RETENTION AND GRADUATION RATES; THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY WILL INVOLVE IDENTIFYING EVIDENCE OF THE POTENTIAL OF SUMMER PROGRAM ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE RETENTION AND GRADUATION. THE CASE STUDY WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE IN HIGH IMPACT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES SPECIFIC TO UNDERREPRESENTED/ INTERSECTIONAL STEM STUDENTS, DEMONSTRATING EFFECTIVE, PRACTICAL WAYS TO BRING A NEW PERSPECTIVE TO ADDRESSING CULTURAL RESPONSIVENESS. DISSEMINATION OF BEST PRACTICES AND CASE STUDY RESULTS WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH PRESENTATIONS, PUBLICATIONS, AND ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW WEBSITE FOR USE BY OTHER EDUCATORS, RESEARCHERS, AND POLICYMAKERS. THE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE SHARED WILL ADVANCE OPPORTUNITY EQUITY, INCREASING US INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL FOR UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS TO SUCCEED IN GREATER NUMBERS. THE HSI PROGRAM AIMS TO ENHANCE UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION AND BUILD CAPACITY AT HSIS. PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY THE HSI PROGRAM WILL ALSO GENERATE NEW KNOWLEDGE ON HOW TO ACHIEVE THESE AIMS. 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.

DISENTANGLING THE EFFECTS OF PTSD FROM GWI FOR IMPROVED DIAGNOSTICS AND TREATMENTS

PERSISTENTLY ELEVATED SOMATIC MUTATION AS A BIOMARKER FOR CLINICALLY RELEVANT EXPOSURES IN GWI

P. GINGIVALIS EFFECT ON PERIODONTAL MESENCHYMAL STEM CELL - PROJECT SUMMARY THIS R16 GRANT APPLICATION PROPOSES TO INVESTIGATE THE MOLECULAR MECHANISM UNDERLYING APOPTOSIS OF PERIODONTAL MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS (MSCS) INDUCED BY EXPOSURE TO PORPHYROMANAS GINGIVALIS (PG). PERIODONTITIS IS AN INFLAMMATORY BONE RESORPTION LESION CAUSED BY DYSBIOSIS OF THE PERIODONTAL MICROBIOME. A CRITICAL PATHOLOGIC MANIFESTATION OF PERIODONTITIS IS THE IRREVERSIBLE LOSS OF CONNECTIVE TISSUE AND ALVEOLAR BONE WHICH, IN PART, RESULTS FROM THE REGULATED CELL DEATH OF FIBROBLASTS AND OSTEOBLASTS. IT IS WELL ESTABLISHED THAT PERIODONTAL FIBROBLASTS AND OSTEOBLASTS ARE DIFFERENTIATED FROM MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS (MSCS) PRESENT IN THE PERIODONTIUM. HOWEVER, IT IS LARGELY UNKNOWN WHETHER MSCS IN PERIODONTAL TISSUE CAN ALSO BE AFFECTED BY REGULATED CELL DEATH AND DIMINISH THE REGENERATIVE POTENTIAL. THEREFORE, THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THE PROPOSED STUDY IS TO UNDERSTAND THE MOLECULAR MECHANISM UNDERLYING THE RETARDED REGENERATION OF CONNECTIVE TISSUE AND ALVEOLAR BONE IN PERIODONTITIS BY TARGETING THE REGULATED CELL DEATH INDUCED IN GMSCS, LEADING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A THERAPEUTIC PREVENTION STRATEGY. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA INDICATE THAT THE KEYSTONE ORAL PATHOGEN P. GINGIVALIS (PG), BUT NOT OTHER PERIODONTAL BACTERIA, CAN CAUSE ATYPICAL CELL DEATH OF PERIODONTAL MSCS, BUT NOT EPITHELIAL CELLS, AS CHARACTERIZED BY THE EXTRACELLULAR RELEASE OF DECONDENSED CHROMATIN CONTENTS. EMERGING STUDIES HAVE REVEALED THAT ONLY NEUTROPHILS AND MACROPHAGES DIE VIA THE RELEASE OF DECONDENSED CHROMATIN CONTENTS (DNA, HISTONE AND HMGB1) IN RESPONSE TO STIMULATION WITH TLR LIGANDS. THIS PHENOMENON TERMED AS “NEUTROPHIL EXTRACELLULAR TRAP DEATH [=OSIS] (NETOSIS)” IS KNOWN TO ELICIT INFLAMMATION IN SEVERAL DISEASES, INCLUDING SEPSIS, CANCER, AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES. WE HEREIN FOR THE FIRST TIME TERMED SUCH STEM CELL EXTRACELLULAR CHROMATIN RELEASE DEATH (SECOSIS). ACCORDING TO OUR RESULTS, EXPOSURE OF THP1 CELLS (HUMAN MONOCYTIC CELL LINE) TO SECOSIS PRODUCTS ELEVATED THE PRODUCTION OF IL-1SS COMPARED TO THAT OF PG ALONE OR GMSCS ALONE, SUGGESTING THE PROINFLAMMATORY POTENTIAL OF SECOSIS. IT IS ESTABLISHED THAT A EUKARYOTE ENZYME PEPTIDYL ARGININE DEIMINASE (PAD) PLAYS A ROLE IN ELICITING THE NETOSIS BY HISTONE H3 CITRULLINATION THAT UNTANGLES THE CHROMATIN. INTERESTINGLY IS DESCRIBED THAT AMONG THE PERIODONTAL BACTERIA, ONLY PG PRODUCES PAD. WE SHOWED STIMULATION OF GMSCS WITH (PAD)-KNOCKOUT PG DIMINISHED INDUCTION OF IL-1SS FROM THP1 INDICATING THAT PG-PAD MAY BE ENGAGED IN THE INDUCTION OF EXTRACELLULAR RELEASE OF DECONDENSED CHROMATIN CONTENTS. THIS HYPOTHESIS WILL BE ASSESSED IN THE FOLLOWING AIMS: (AIM1) TO ESTABLISH THE PROPERTY OF PG, AND THE ROLE OF PG-PAD, IN THE INDUCTION OF SECOSIS. (AIM2) TO ELUCIDATE THE MOLECULAR MECHANISM UNDERLYING THE SECOSIS-MEDIATED IL-1SS PRODUCTION BY MONOCYTES. THIS STUDY WILL ELUCIDATE ROLE OF PG IN THE REGULATED CELL DEATH SPECIFICALLY INDUCED IN GMSCS, IN TURN RETARDING THE REGENERATIVE POTENTIAL OF PERIODONTAL TISSUE.

PROSPERITY - PROMOTING AND REINFORCING OFFERINGS, SUPPORTS, AND PRACTICES ENGENDERING RESILIENCY THROUGH INCLUSIVE TECHNIQUES AND COMMUNITY

ROLE OF PLATELETS IN PERIODONTAL BONE REMODELING.

MANAGEMENT-DRIVEN RESEARCH BY THE NOAA'S CORAL REEF INSTITUTES; FY12 FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

THE EFFECTS OF A COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL HEALTHY LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION FOR CARDIOVASCULAR RISK REDUCTION IN POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER - PROJECT SUMMARY. CONSIDERABLE RESEARCH HAS INDICATED STRONG ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD) RISK. INDIVIDUALS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) TEND TO SHOW PATTERNS OF ELEVATED CVD RISK EARLIER IN LIFE THAN IN THE GENERAL POPULATION. THE NEED FOR DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS FOR CVD RISK-REDUCTION IN PTSD IS INCREASINGLY EVIDENT. IN COMPARISON TO THE CUMULATIVE EVIDENCE CONCERNING ELEVATED CVD RISK IN PTSD, RELATIVELY LITTLE RESEARCH HAS ADDRESSED CVD RISK- REDUCTION IN THIS POPULATION. ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENTS, SUCH AS HEALTH BEHAVIOR INTERVENTIONS, MAY BE NECESSARY AS SUPPLEMENTS TO TRADITIONAL PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR PTSD IN ORDER TO REDUCE CVD RISKS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION THAT ADDRESSES MULTIPLE CVD-RELATED HEATH BEHAVIORS AMONG CIVILIAN ADULTS ACROSS GENDERS (AGES 18+), WHO EVIDENCE PTSD AND CVD RISK AT BASELINE. WE WILL ASSESS THE INTERVENTION IMPACT ON BOTH SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE INDICES OF HEALTH BEHAVIORS, CARDIOVASCULAR RISKS AND CVD MARKERS OVER A ONE-YEAR TIMEFRAME. THE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ADDRESSES UNIQUE ASPECTS OF PTSD SYMPTOM PRESENTATION THAT SERVE AS BARRIERS TO HEALTHY BEHAVIORS (E.G., AVOIDANCE OF PHYSIOLOGICAL AROUSAL/ACTIVATION, VIEWING EXTRA BODY WEIGHT AS PROTECTION AGAINST ABUSE, NIGHTMARES/SLEEP DISRUPTION, AND COGNITIVE RESPONSES TO STRESS), WHILE ENCOURAGING HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHANGES. THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO EXAMINE WHETHER, COMPARED TO A USUAL CARE PSYCHOTHERAPY CONTROL CONDITION, UTILIZING THE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION AS AN ADJUNCT TO PSYCHOTHERAPY WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED CVD RISKS AND IMPROVED CVD MARKERS AMONG CIVILIAN ADULTS WITH PTSD AND ELEVATED CVD RISKS. THEREFORE, PARTICIPANTS WILL BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER A USUAL CARE PSYCHOTHERAPY-ONLY CONTROL CONDITION OR A USUAL CARE PSYCHOTHERAPY PLUS HEALTHY LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION CONDITION. OUTCOMES WILL BE ASSESSED AT POST-INTERVENTION (12 WEEKS), AS WELL AS 6- MONTH AND 12-MONTH TIME POINTS FOR FOLLOW-UP EVALUATION.

USING PERIODIC SPATIAL DISTURBANCE TO MANIPULATE COOPERATION IN BACTERIA

HEALTH LITERACY ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION TO REDUCE DISPARITIES: FLIGHT/VIDAS II

CERAMIDE-MEDIATED PATHOLOGY IN PERIODONTITIS

MODULATION OF THERAPEUTIC CELLS EXOSOME CONTENT BY AUTOPHAGY

GENOMIC APPROACH TO FIND NOVEL BIOMARKERS AND MECHANISMS OF CFS/ME

PROYECTO SOL: A RISK REDUCTION INTERVENTION FOR HISPANIC MSM

TESTING THE MODEL: A PHASE I/II RANDOMIZED DOUBLE BLIND PLACEBO CONTROL TRIAL OF THERAPEUTICS: LIPOSOMAL GLUTATHIONE AND CURCUMIN

CONVERGENCE INSUFFICIENCY TREATMENT TRIAL - ATTENTION AND READING TRIAL

SHAPING THE FUTURE: INTEGRATING CUTTING EDGE EQUIPMENT TO ENHANCE RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH AT NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY.

BIOLUMINESCENCE IN THE DEEP-SEA BENTHOS II

RCN-SEES: PREDICTIVE MODELING NETWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE HUMAN-BUILDING ECOSYSTEMS (SHBE)

GROWTH HORMONE-RELEASING HORMONE (GHRH) ANTAGONIST EVALUATION OF BENEFICIAL EFFECTS FOR GULF WAR ILLNESS

DOES GROWTH EFFICIENCY DETERMINE THE INOCULUM EFFECT? - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT 2.8 MILLION AMERICANS ARE INFECTED WITH ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT BACTERIA ANNUALLY. THIS LEADS TO INCREASED DEATHS AND HOSPITAL COSTS. MOREOVER, THERE ARE FEW NEW ANTIBIOTICS BEING DEVELOPED. THERE IS A DIRE NEED TO EXTEND THE USEFULNESS OF EXISTING ANTIBIOTICS BY UNDERSTANDING HOW BACTERIA TOLERATE ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT. ONE WAY THAT BACTERIA TOLERATE ANTIBIOTICS IS THE INOCULUM EFFECT (IE), WHERE THE INITIAL DENSITY OF A BACTERIAL POPULATION DETERMINES THE CONCENTRATION OF ANTIBIOTIC REQUIRED TO KILL THE POPULATION: A POPULATION OF BACTERIA WITH A HIGHER DENSITY WILL REQUIRE MORE ANTIBIOTICS TO KILL. IE HAS BEEN OBSERVED IN NEARLY ALL BACTERIA AND ANTIBIOTICS, AND IN THE CLINICAL SETTING. SURPRISINGLY, WE CURRENTLY DO NOT HAVE TREATMENT APPROACHES THAT REDUCE IE, WHICH WOULD INCREASE THE ABILITY TO TREAT INFECTIONS. IT HAS BEEN RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT BACTERIAL METABOLIC RATE CAN DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTIBIOTICS. A HIGHER METABOLIC RATE REDUCES THE AMOUNT OF ANTIBIOTIC REQUIRED TO KILL A POPULATION OF BACTERIA. THIS FINDING IS PARTICULARLY RELEVANT IN THE CONTEXT OF IE, AS BACTERIAL DENSITY, METABOLISM, AND GROWTH ARE INTERRELATED. HIGHLY DENSE POPULATIONS HAVE A SHORT PERIOD OF GROWTH BEFORE THEY EXHAUST THEIR FOOD SOURCE. THIS SMALL WINDOW OF GROWTH LEADS TO AN OVERALL LOW METABOLIC RATE. LOWER DENSITY POPULATIONS HAVE A LONGER PERIOD OF GROWTH BEFORE EXHAUSTING THEIR FOOD SOURCE. THIS LONG PERIOD OF GROWTH LEADS TO AN OVERALL HIGH METABOLIC RATE. THUS, DUE ITS OVERALL HIGHER METABOLIC RATE, THE POPULATION WITH LOW DENSITY WOULD REQUIRE LESS ANTIBIOTIC TO KILL RELATIVE TO THE HIGH DENSITY POPULATION. THIS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GROWTH RATE AND METABOLISM CAN BE DESCRIBED AS GROWTH EFFICIENCY. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT CHANGES IN GROWTH EFFICIENCY CAN DETERMINE IE, BUT WE HAVE NOT YET STUDIED THIS. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT QUESTION TO ADDRESS AS THERE IS GROWING INTEREST IN USING METABOLITE ADJUVANTS WITH ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT TO INCREASE ANTIBIOTIC EFFICACY. HOWEVER, WITHOUT KNOWING HOW METABOLISM, OR GROWTH EFFICIENCY, AFFECT IE, WE RISK ENHANCING THE ABILITY OF BACTERIA TOLERATE ANTIBIOTICS, WHICH WILL COMPLICATE INFECTIONS. THE GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO INVESTIGATE HOW GROWTH EFFICIENCY DETERMINES IE. THIS WILL HELP US ACHIEVE OUR LONG TERM GOAL OF ALTERING BACTERIAL METABOLISM TO MAKE BACTERIA EASIER TO KILL USING ANTIBIOTICS. TO ADDRESS OUR GOAL, WE WILL FIRST EXAMINE HOW GROWTH EFFICIENCY DETERMINES IE IN PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA AND STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS WITH A GOAL OF DETERMINING GROWTH CONDITIONS THAT CAN REDUCE, OR EVEN ELIMINATE, IE. NEXT, WE WILL DISCOVER WHAT GENES AND BIOCHEMICAL PATHWAYS DETERMINE GROWTH EFFICIENCY AND IE TOWARDS DEVELOPING A MOLECULAR MECHANISM. OUR WORK MAY LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ANTIBIOTICS THAT REDUCE, OR ELIMINATE, IE. WE WILL USE A COMBINATION OF EXPERIMENTS THAT MEASURE GROWTH, METABOLISM AND THE ABILITY OF ANTIBIOTICS TO KILL BACTERIA. WE WILL COUPLE THESE EXPERIMENTS WITH MATHEMATICAL MODELING, COMPUTER SIMULATIONS AND BIOINFORMATICS. THE PROPOSED WORK WILL INVOLVE GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH WITH A FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING ANTIBIOTIC TOLERANCE.

OPTIMIZING THE VALIDITY OF THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL ASSESSMENT OF INTEROCEPTIVE AWARENESS TO PREDICT DISORDERED EATING - THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS R16 SURE PROJECT IS TO OPTIMIZE THE VALIDITY OF THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL ASSESSMENT OF INTEROCEPTIVE AWARENESS (MAIA) FOR EVALUATING MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS. INTEROCEPTION IS DEFINED AS ONE'S ABILITY TO ADAPTIVELY INTERPRET AND RESPOND TO SIGNALS FROM WITHIN THE BODY. MANY INTEROCEPTIVE RESPONSES ARE AUTONOMICALLY DRIVEN; OTHERS ARE WITHIN THE REALM OF SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE. THE SUBJECTIVE FACET IS TERMED `INTEROCEPTIVE SENSIBILITY' WHICH IS MEASURED USING SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES—OF WHICH THE MAIA IS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE AND BROADLY ADOPTED. INTEROCEPTIVE SENSIBILITY HAS WIDE-RANGING IMPLICATIONS ON HUMAN HEALTH. DEFICITS IN INTEROCEPTIVE SENSIBILITY ARE A WELL-ESTABLISHED TRANSDIAGNOSTIC FEATURE OF EATING DISORDERS AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY IN GENERAL. BETTER UNDERSTANDING THIS TRAIT HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR PHENOTYPING EATING DISORDERS AND OTHER MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS. TARGETING INTEROCEPTIVE SENSIBILITY IN MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS IS A GROWING AREA OF RESEARCH. HOWEVER, OPERATIONALIZING THIS CONSTRUCT HAS BEEN LIMITED BY MEASUREMENT INCONSISTENCIES AND PROBLEMS WITH VALIDITY. WE RECENTLY CONDUCTED PRELIMINARY PSYCHOMETRICS AND VALIDITY TESTING OF THE MAIA'S UNDERLYING COMMON FACTOR MODEL (N=1294) AND SUPPORTED THE ORIGINAL EIGHT-DIMENSION FACTOR STRUCTURE. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA ALSO SUGGESTED MEASUREMENT NON-INVARIANCE ACROSS DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS AND POTENTIAL UNOBSERVED POPULATION HETEROGENEITY, WHICH LIMIT OUR ABILITY TO USE THE TOOL TO EVALUATE INTERVENTIONS, AS INTENDED. THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS. WE WILL COLLECT SURVEY DATA FROM A US CENSUS- MATCHED SAMPLE OF ADULTS (N~2000) USING AN ONLINE PLATFORM. OUR FIRST AIM WILL APPLY MODERATED NONLINEAR FACTOR ANALYSIS (MNLFA) TO CREATE PERSON-SPECIFIC FACTOR SCORES THAT OPTIMIZE THE VALIDITY OF USING THE MAIA TO MAKE GROUP COMPARISONS, PREDICT DISTAL OUTCOMES, AND MEASURE CHANGE. THE MNLFA PROCEDURE IDENTIFIES WHICH QUESTIONS ON THE MAIA HAVE DIFFERENTIAL ITEM FUNCTIONING ACROSS A GROUP OF RELEVANT BACKGROUND AND PSYCHOSOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS, INCLUDING BIOLOGICAL SEX, AGE, BODY MASS INDEX, DISORDERED EATING, NEGATIVE BODY IMAGE, AND TRAUMATIC STRESS. MNLFA ADJUSTS THE SCORING ALGORITHMS FOR THE FACTORS OF THE SCALE TO ACCOUNT FOR POPULATION HETEROGENEITY. OUR SECOND AIM WILL APPLY LATENT PROFILE ANALYSIS (LPA) TO IDENTIFY A TYPOLOGY OF INTEROCEPTIVE SENSIBILITY BY CLUSTERING UNOBSERVED GROUPS OF PEOPLE WHO TEND TO SCORE SIMILARLY ON THE MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS OF THE SCALE. LPA APPLIES A PERSON-CENTERED APPROACH INSTEAD OF THE MORE DOMINANT VARIABLE- CENTERED APPROACHES (SUCH AS CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS) AS AN ALTERNATIVE DIMENSION REDUCTION TECHNIQUE. THE RESULTING TYPOLOGY WILL SERVE AS PROTOTYPES OF INTEROCEPTIVE SENSIBILITY WITH WHICH WE WILL GENERATE AND TEST HYPOTHESES ABOUT HOW THE COMPONENTS OF THE MAIA INTERACT TO PREDICT DISORDERED EATING AND THE ASSOCIATED RISK FACTORS OF NEGATIVE BODY IMAGE AND TRAUMATIC STRESS. IN SUMMARY, ONE OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL LONG-TERM CONTRIBUTIONS OF THIS PROJECT IS TO INCREASE THE RIGOR OF THE MAIA MEASUREMENT MODEL TO EXPAND THE FIELD'S CAPACITY TO EVALUATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF TARGETED, ACCESSIBLE, AND BROADLY EFFECTIVE MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS.

COMBINED RESPIRATORY TRAINING TO IMPROVE PULMONARY AND COUGH FUNCTION IN PERSONS WITH ALS

POC BIOSENSOR FOR PERIODONTITIS

BRAIN SPECIFIC NON-AT1 NON-AT2 ANGIOTENSIN BINDING SITE

IN VIVO EFFICACY EVALUATION OF NOVEL MELANOMA ACTIVES

U-RISE AT NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY (NSU) IS A HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTE, FOCUSED ON TEACHING AND RESEARCH. SINCE 2010, NSU HAS INCREASED ACTIVITIES TO RECRUIT UNDERGRADUATES, ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM UNDERREPRESENTED (UR) MINORITIES, AND HAS DOUBLED ITS UNDERGRADUATE POPULATION (UG). NSU HAS ACTIVELY SOUGHT OUT RESEARCHERS, ESTABLISHED PH.D. PROGRAMS, BUILT QUALITY RESEARCH FACILITIES, AND CREATED NEW RESEARCH INSTITUTES. THE U- RISE@NSU PROPOSAL AIMS TO PROVIDE AN ENHANCED TRAINING EXPERIENCE TO STEM UR/UG STUDENTS, SUPPORTING THEM TO COMPLETE THEIR BACCALAUREATE DEGREE, GAIN BIOMEDICAL RELATED RESEARCH TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT, AND ENTER AND COMPLETE BIOMEDICAL, RESEARCH-FOCUSED GRADUATE PROGRAM. OUR GOAL AND MISSION IS ALIGNED WITH NSU’S AND NIH’S MISSIONS RELATED TO PROMOTING DIVERSITY AND RESEARCH AND CAREERS IN THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES. NSU UG WILL BE THE SOURCE OF TRAINEES AND HAS A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF UR/UG STUDENTS ENROLLED IN STEM RELATED DEGREE PROGRAMS. THE NEW PROGRAM WILL ENROLL SEVEN NEW UR/UG TRAINEES PER YEAR. THEY WILL WORK WITH ANY ONE OF 27 FACULTY MENTORS THAT COME FROM SEVERAL COLLEGES AND INSTITUTES WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY. ALL MENTORS HAVE STRONG RESEARCH, ACADEMIC, AND TRAINING RECORDS WITH SUFFICIENT RESEARCH FUNDS. DR. GANNETT (PI), ALONG WITH DRS. KAWAI, MINOND, NATHANSON, AND RABIONET (CO-IS), HAVE OUTSTANDING RESEARCH, MENTORING, AND TRAINING GRANT EXPERIENCE AND WILL GUIDE THE PROGRAM. THIS PROPOSAL WILL PROVIDE A TWO-YEAR TRAINING EXPERIENCE TO PREPARE TRAINEES TO BE COMPETITIVE FOR SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION INTO BIOSCIENCE-BASED GRADUATE PROGRAMS, WITH FOUR COMPONENTS: (1) A FOUNDATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM IN THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES; (2) A HANDS-ON RESEARCH TRAINING EXPERIENCE IN THE LABORATORIES OF EXPERIENCED AND FUNDED INVESTIGATORS; (3) A SUMMER INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE AT A RESEARCH-INTENSIVE UNIVERSITY ALIGNED WITH THEIR NSU RESEARCH ACTIVITIES; AND (4) A CAREER ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM WHICH WILL ENHANCE PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, ALLOW FOR EXPLORATION OF THE BIOMEDICAL LANDSCAPE, AND PREPARE FOR SUCCESSFUL MATRICULATION INTO A BIOMEDICAL GRADUATE STUDIES PROGRAM. COMPONENTS 1 AND 4 WILL OCCUR BY CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES, COURSES, WORKSHOPS, AND SEMINARS; PLANNED AND DESIGNED TO INFORM AS TO THE NATURE OF THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES, SUPPORT CRITICAL AND INDEPENDENT THINKING, THE VALUE OF WORKING COLLABORATIVELY, AND NEED FOR TEAM SCIENCE. COMPONENTS 2 AND 3 WILL PROVIDE THE TECHNICAL, OPERATIONAL, AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS NECESSARY TO CONDUCT RIGOROUS AND REPRODUCIBLE RESEARCH, AND TO SUPPORT TRAINEE TRANSITION INTO RESEARCH-FOCUSED HIGHER DEGREE PROGRAMS. WE ENVISION THAT 80% OF THE U-RISE@NSU TRAINEES WILL MATRICULATE INTO A BIOMEDICAL GRADUATE PROGRAM; 100% OF THE TRAINEES WILL COME FROM UR/UG POPULATIONS; AND 90% WILL GRADUATION RATE WITHIN FOUR YEARS (100% WITHIN SIX).

INVESTIGATION OF FLORIDA'S HYDROGEOLOGIC AND GROUNDWATER RESOURCES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ATOL: PORTOL - THE PORIFERA TREE OF LIFE PROJECT

DEVELOPMENT OF A RADIOLIGAND FOR ASSAY OF ANGIOTENSIN-CONVERTING ENZYME-2(ACE-2)

IMPACT OF DIABETES HYPERGLYCEMIA ON PERI-IMPLANTITIS - ABSTRACT. DURING 10 YEARS AFTER DENTAL IMPLANT PLACEMENT APPROXIMATELY 30% OF PATIENTS DEVELOP PERI-IMPLANTITIS, A DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY SOFT TISSUE INFECTION AND INFLAMMATION AND BONE RESORPTION AROUND IMPLANT. THE ASSOCIATED SOCIO-ECONOMIC BURDENS ARE SIGNIFICANT, AND PATIENTS OFTEN SUFFER FROM THE CHRONIC AND DISTRESSING SYMPTOMS. RECENT STUDIES SUGGESTED THAT DIABETES MELLITUS (DM) HYPERGLYCEMIA IS A RISK FACTOR OF PERI-IMPLANTITIS. HOWEVER, IT IS UNCLEAR HOW HYPERGLYCEMIA CONTRIBUTES TO THE PATHOGENESIS OF PERI-IMPLANTITIS. WITHOUT A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISM AND APPROPRIATE INTERVENTION, A LARGE NUMBER OF DM PATIENTS WHO RECEIVE DENTAL IMPLANT PLACEMENT WILL CONTINUE TO FACE THE POTENTIALLY HIGHER RISK OF DEVELOPING PERI-IMPLANTITIS. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA USING A MURINE MODEL OF EXPERIMENTAL PERI-IMPLANTITIS DEMONSTRATED THAT DIFFERENTIAL ORAL MICROBIAL COMPOSITIONS WERE OBSERVED BETWEEN HYPERGLYCEMIC VS. NORMOGLYCEMIC MICE, AND HYPERGLYCEMIC MICE SHOWED UPREGULATION OF PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES (IL-17 AND IFN) AND GREATER PERI-IMPLANT BONE LOSS COMPARED TO NORMOGLYCEMIC MICE AFTER LIGATURE-INDUCED PERI-IMPLANTITIS. BASED ON THE LITERATURE AND OUR PRELIMINARY FINDINGS, THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS FOR THIS PROJECT IS THAT 1) DM HYPERGLYCEMIA INDUCES PERI-IMPLANT DYSBIOSIS THROUGH AGGRAVATED SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION, AND THAT 2) DM HYPERGLYCEMIA-DRIVEN MICROBIAL CHANGES PROMOTE PERI-IMPLANT INFLAMMATION AND BONE LOSS. IN THIS PROPOSAL, WE WILL INVESTIGATE THE CAUSALITY OF ORAL MICROBIAL CHANGE UNDER HYPERGLYCEMIC CONDITION AND THE EFFECT OF SUCH CHANGE ON PERI-IMPLANT INFLAMMATION AND BONE LOSS IN MICE. IN AIM 1, PERI-IMPLANT AND PERIODONTAL MICROBIAL CHANGES UNDER NORMAL VS. DM CONDITIONS WITH OR WITHOUT INTERVENTION FOR INFLAMMATION AND HYPERGLYCEMIA WILL BE IDENTIFIED AND CHARACTERIZED BY 16S RRNA SEQUENCING AND METAGENOMIC ANALYSIS. MICROBIOTA PROFILES IN LESIONS OF PERI-IMPLANTITIS AND PERIODONTITIS IN THE SAME ANIMAL WILL BE COMPARED. RESPECTIVE STATUS OF GINGIVAL INFLAMMATION AND BONE LOSS IN THE SAME ANIMAL WILL BE DETERMINED AND ANALYZED UNDER EACH CONDITION. IN AIM 2, WE WILL FIRST USE AN IN VITRO CULTURE SYSTEM TO EXAMINE THE RESPONSES BY ORAL MUCOSAL EPITHELIAL CELLS AND AUTOGENOUS SPLENOCYTES TO PERI-IMPLANT MICROBIOTA FROM WT OR DIABETIC MICE WITH OR WITHOUT INTERVENTION FOR INFLAMMATION AND HYPERGLYCEMIA. THEN, PERI-IMPLANT MICROBIOTA FROM WT OR DIABETIC MICE WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO WT RECIPIENT MICE PRE-TREATED WITH ANTIBIOTICS, FOLLOWED BY THE ASSESSMENT OF PERI-IMPLANT INFLAMMATION AND BONE LOSS IN VIVO. FOR FURTHER MECHANISTIC ANALYSIS, WE WILL TEST THE ROLE OF IL-17 AND IFN IN HYPERGLYCEMIA-ASSOCIATED PERI-IMPLANT PATHOGENESIS AND CHARACTERIZE IMMUNE CELL PROFILE IN PERI- IMPLANT SOFT TISSUE MICROENVIRONMENT USING SINGLE CELL RNA SEQUENCING (SC-RNASEQ). SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT WILL ALLOW US TO DEVELOP MORE COMPREHENSIVE DESIGNS AND TRANSLATIONAL APPROACHES IN THE FUTURE TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO PERI-IMPLANTITIS PATHOGENESIS IN DM PATIENTS.

HEALTH EFFECTS OF THE FLUORINATED POLLUTANTS; PFAS ON ENAMEL DEVELOPMENT - DR. SUZUKI’S (PI) ULTIMATE RESEARCH GOAL IS TO IDENTIFY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS RELATED TO CRANIOFACIAL PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND DEVELOP NOVEL PREVENTIVE AND THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR-ASSOCIATED ORAL DISEASES. THIS CAREER DEVELOPMENT K02 AWARD WOULD PROVIDE THE PROTECTED TIME 1) TO GAIN EXPERTISE IN PHYSICAL ANALYSIS OF SKELETAL TISSUES, INCLUDING MICRO-CT, FIB-SEM AND QLF, AND 2) TO ESTABLISH COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH EXPERTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCE FIELD. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH PROJECT AIMS TO CHARACTERIZE THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF FLUORINATED POLLUTANTS PFAS (PER- AND POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES OR ORGANOFLUORINE COMPOUNDS) ON TOOTH DEVELOPMENT. PFAS ARE A GROUP OF MAN-MADE ORGANOFLUORINE COMPOUNDS, INCLUDING PERFLUOROOCTANOIC ACID (PFOA) AND PFOA PRECURSOR, FLUOROTELOMER ALCOHOLS (FTOHS). PFAS DO NOT READILY BREAKDOWN IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND ARE WATER-SOLUBLE. PFAS CAN BE FOUND IN DRINKING WATER AND LIVING ORGANISMS, INCLUDING FISH, ANIMALS AND HUMANS WHERE PFAS CAN BUILD UP AND PERSIST OVER TIME. LABORATORY ANIMAL STUDIES SHOWED THAT PFAS CAN CAUSE TUMORS AND ADVERSE EFFECTS ON REPRODUCTIVITY, DEVELOPMENT AND IMMUNE SYSTEM. PREVIOUS STUDIES DEMONSTRATED THAT FTOHS (PRECURSOR OF PFOA) INDUCED TOOTH MALFORMATION, INCLUDING DEGENERATION OF AMELOBLASTS IN RODENT INCISORS. HOWEVER, EXAMINATION OF HOW FTOHS ALTER TOOTH PHENOTYPE (PHYSICAL AND HISTOLOGICAL) IS LIMITED AND THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF HOW FTOHS AFFECT TOOTH DEVELOPMENT ARE LARGELY UNKNOWN. OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO IDENTIFY THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF PFAS ADVERSE EFFECTS ON ODONTOGENESIS. OUR OVERALL OBJECTIVE HERE IS TO ESTABLISH PFAS (HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL) USE IN AN ANIMAL MODEL AND DETERMINE HOW FTOHS AFFECT AMELOGENESIS IN VIVO. OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT FTOHS INDUCE DNA DAMAGE AND MITOCHONDRIAL DAMAGE TO PERTURB AMELOBLAST FUNCTION DURING TOOTH DEVELOPMENT THAT RESULTS IN ENAMEL MALFORMATION. OUR HYPOTHESIS HAS BEEN FORMULATED BASED ON OUR PRELIMINARY DATA SHOWING THAT PFOA INHIBITED CELL PROLIFERATION, INDUCED APOPTOSIS, DNA DAMAGE AND MITOCHONDRIAL DAMAGE IN AMELOBLAST-LIKE CELL (LS8 CELLS). THE IMPACT OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO DEFINE THE EFFECTS OF PFAS ON TOOTH DEVELOPMENT AND TO HIGHLIGHT THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN TOOTH MALFORMATION. ONCE PFAS ADVERSE EFFECTS ARE IDENTIFIED IN TOOTH FORMATION, PFAS COULD BE CONSIDERED AS A POSSIBLE CAUSATIVE FACTOR FOR CRYPTOGENIC ABNORMALITIES IN DENTINOGENESIS, INCLUDING MOLAR INCISOR HYPOMINERALISATION (MIH) OF WHICH THE ETIOLOGY IS UNKNOWN. WE PLAN TO TEST OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS AND ACCOMPLISH OUR OVERALL OBJECTIVE BY PURSUING THE SPECIFIC AIM: IDENTIFY FTOH EFFECTS ON ENAMEL PHENOTYPE IN A MOUSE MODEL.

PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THE AWARD IS TO LAUNCH AN INITIATIVE, CALLED THE FOUNDER'S JOURNEY, TO SUPPORT EARLY-STAGE AND YOUNG START-UP COMPANIES WITHIN IDENTIFIED TARGET INDUSTRIES. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THE FOUNDER'S JOURNEY IS COMPRISED OF FOUR PILLAR PROGRAMS: IDEATE, INCUBATE, ACCELERATE, AND POST-ACCELERATE. THE PROGRAMS RANGE FROM FOUR TO 16 WEEKS IN LENGTH. THE INITIATIVE WILL HAVE A SPECIAL FOCUS ON BROWARD COUNTY'S DEFINED TARGETED INDUSTRIES AS THESE HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS THE HIGH-WAGE/HIGH-GROWTH SECTORS. THE DEFINED TARGETED INDUSTRIES INCLUDE AVIATION/AEROSPACE, FINANCIAL SERVICES, GLOBAL LOGISTICS, HEADQUARTERS, LIFE SCIENCES, MANUFACTURING, MARINE INDUSTRIES, AND TECHNOLOGY. FUNDING WILL BE USED TO SECURE FACILITATORS FOR THE VARIOUS MODULES, PROVIDE WRAPAROUND SERVICES (I.E., LEGAL, MARKETING, FINANCE, ACCOUNTING), GUST SOFTWARE TOOL, AND FOR PERSONNEL TO OVERSEE THE PROJECT. EXPECTED OUTCOMES: THE FOUNDER'S JOURNEY WILL PRODUCE BREAKTHROUGH IDEATION, NEW T

HUMANIZED MOUSE MODEL OF PERIODONTITIS - THIS APPLICATION FOR R21 GRANT, ENTITLED, “HUMANIZED MOUSE MODEL OF PERIODONTITIS”, PROPOSES TO DEVELOP A HUMANIZED MOUSE MODEL OF PERIODONTITIS TO STUDY THE POSSIBLE PATHOGENIC ROLES OF SEMAPHORIN 4D (SEMA4D) EXPRESSED ON HUMAN OSTEOCLASTS IN PERIODONTITIS LESION. NSG-SGM3-W41 MOUSE STRAIN WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST ADVANCED IMMUNODEFICIENT MOUSE STRAINS DEVELOPED BY DR. SHULTZ AT THE JACKSON LABORATORY ALLOWS TO RECONSTRUCT THE FULL IMMUNE COMPARTMENTS CONTAINING BOTH MYELOID AND LYMPHOID CELL POPULATIONS FOLLOWING TRANSPLANTATION OF HUMAN HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELLS (HHSC) AND THYMUS ORGANOIDS BOTH OF WHICH WILL BE DEVELOPED FROM THE SAME HLA-HOMOZYGOUS IPS CELLS WITHOUT CONDITIONING BY IRRADIATION. THIS HUMANIZED MOUSE CAN HAVE OSTEOCLASTS DIFFERENTIATED FROM MONOCYTE LINAGE CELLS DERIVED FROM HHSC. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT PORPHYROMONAS GINGIVALIS (PG)-MEDIATED UPREGULATION OF SEMA4D EXPRESSED BY HUMAN OCS, BUT NOT T CELLS, PROMOTES PATHOGENIC BONE RESORPTION AND INFLAMMATION, BUT SUPPRESSES OB-GENESIS IN PERIODONTITIS INDUCED IN HUMANIZED MICE. AFOREMENTIONED HYPOTHESIS WILL BE TESTED BY FOLLOWING TWO AIMS: 1) TO PROFILE IMMUNE COMPARTMENTS AND OCS OF HUMAN ORIGINS IN HUMANIZED NSG-SGM3-W41 MICE WHICH ARE INDUCED OF PERIODONTITIS, AND 2) TO ESTABLISH THE ROLES OF SEMA4D RELEASED FROM HUMAN OCS IN PROMOTING PERIODONTAL BONE LOSS AND SUPPRESSING OB-GENESIS USING A HUMANIZED MOUSE MODEL OF PERIODONTITIS. BECAUSE PERIODONTAL BONE LOSS INDUCED IN RODENTS IS SPONTANEOUSLY REGENERATED AFTER THE REMOVAL OF INFLAMMATORY STIMULI, IT HAS BEEN ARGUED THAT RODENTS MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE MODELS FOR HUMAN PERIODONTITIS. HOWEVER, WE FOR THE FIRST TIME DEVELOPED AND PUBLISHED IRREVERSIBLE BONE LOSS INDUCED IN MICE BY LIVE PG-SOAKED LIGATURE ATTACHMENT. TO DISCRIMINATE THE POSSIBLE ENGAGEMENT OF SEMA4D PRODUCED BY PLATELETS, T CELLS AND OCS, USING A LIPOSOME-CLODRONATE PROTOCOL THAT DEPLETES HUMAN PLATELETS, T CELLS AND MOUSE MONOCYTE LINEAGE CELLS (INCLUDING OSTEOCLASTS), WE WILL EVALUATE THE PERIODONTAL BONE OUTCOMES FROM THE SEMA4D INCREASED ON THE HUMAN OCS IN HUMANIZED NSG-SGM3-W41 MICE IN THE ABSENCE OF MOUSE OCS. THIS HUMANIZED MOUSE MODEL OF PERIODONTITIS WOULD ALLOW US TO INVESTIGATE THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE HUMAN HOST IMMUNE SYSTEM AND HUMAN PERIODONTAL PATHOGENS, SUCH AS PG, IN THE PHYSIOLOGICAL CONTEXT. A HUMANIZED MOUSE MODEL OF PERIODONTITIS WOULD ALSO PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR UNDERSTANDING THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF INDIVIDUALS TO DEVELOP A PARTICULAR SYSTEMIC DISEASE AND SUPPORT PRECLINICAL EXAMINATIONS OF PRECISION MEDICINE. UPON OUR SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS PROPOSED STUDY, IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THE ROLES OF HUMAN SEMA4D PRODUCED BY HUMAN OSTEOCLASTS, IN COMPARISON TO THAT PRODUCED BY T CELLS AND PLATELETS, IN PERIODONTITIS WILL BE CHARACTERIZED. IN SUM, THE PROPOSED HUMANIZED MOUSE MODEL OF PERIODONTITIS HAS POTENTIAL TO BE THE NEXT GENERATION BIOLOGICAL TOOL FOR PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL STUDIES OF PERIODONTITIS.

MSC EXOSOMES AS PROBES FOR ME/CSF IMMUNE CELL DYSFUNCTION - MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS/CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (ME/CFS) IS A COMPLEX AND DISABLING MULTI-SYSTEM CONDITION WITHOUT A KNOWN CURE. IT IS CHARACTERIZED BY AN ABRUPT OR DELAYED ONSET OF PERSISTENT AND RELAPSING SYMPTOMS, NOTABLY SEVERE FATIGUE THAT IMPEDES DAILY ACTIVITIES. DESPITE ONGOING RESEARCH, THE EXACT CAUSE OF ME/CFS REMAINS ELUSIVE. NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE UTILIZED PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS (PMBCS) FROM ME/CFS PATIENTS TO IDENTIFY FEATURES OF AUTOIMMUNE ILLNESS AND MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION. THUS, THERE IS A NEED TO EXPLORE INNOVATIVE APPROACHES DESIGNED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF IMMUNE AND METABOLIC DYSFUNCTIONS IN ME/CFS, POTENTIALLY PAVING THE WAY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TARGETED THERAPIES. ONE SUCH APPROACH INVOLVES BONE MARROW MESENCHYMAL STROMAL CELL (BMMSC)-DERIVED EXOSOMES (EXOS), WHICH ARE VESICLES SECRETED BY CELLS TO FACILITATE EFFECTIVE CELL-CELL COMMUNICATION. SECRETED EXOS DELIVER NUCLEIC ACIDS AND PROTEINS TO ADJACENT CELLS, THEREBY MODULATING TARGET CELL SIGNALING. SUCH PARACRINE FACTORS, TO A SIGNIFICANT EXTENT, CAPTURE THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF BMMSCS, AN EFFECT OBSERVED PREVIOUSLY IN MULTIPLE ANIMAL DISEASE MODELS; BOTH RNAS AND PROTEINS FROM EXOS PLAY ROLES IN REGULATING PROCESSES SUCH AS CELL SURVIVAL, DIFFERENTIATION, AND IMMUNOMODULATION. EXOS EXHIBIT THE ABILITY TO SUPPRESS THE EXPANSION AND MATURATION OF ACTIVATED IMMUNE CELLS, INHIBIT THEIR FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENTIATION, AND PRESERVE REGULATORY T CELLS IN VIVO. THIS IMMUNO-REGULATORY EFFECT OF EXOS IS PARTICULARLY USEFUL IN EXAMINING THE CONTRIBUTION OF IMMUNE CELL DYSFUNCTION TO THE PROGRESSION OF ME/CFS. ADDITIONALLY, NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE HIGHLIGHTED THE CENTRAL ROLE OF EXOS IN PROMOTING MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION, LEADING TO AN INCREASE IN ATP PRODUCTION. THESE PROPERTIES RENDER EXOS AN APPEALING PROBE FOR RESETTING CELLULAR SIGNALING IN MULTI-SYSTEM CONDITIONS SUCH AS ME/CFS. THUS, WE PROPOSE THE FOLLOWING TWO AIMS: AIM 1) INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF EXOS ON SPECIFIC IMMUNE CELL SUBSETS USING PBMCS ISOLATED FROM INDIVIDUALS WITH ME/CFS. PBMCS OBTAINED FROM ME/CFS PATIENTS WILL UNDERGO CO-CULTURING WITH EXOS, AND THE STIMULATION OF T, B, AND NK CELLS IN THEIR PRESENCE. ASSESSMENT WILL INCLUDE SURFACE MARKERS INDICATIVE OF CELL SUBTYPE ACTIVATION, ALONG WITH THE MEASUREMENT OF CELL PROLIFERATION AND APOPTOSIS. AIM 2) EXAMINE THE IMPACT OF EXOS ON SELECTED MRNA EXPRESSION AND MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION OF PBMCS. LEVERAGING PREVIOUSLY CONDUCTED RNA SEQUENCING OF PBMCS FROM ME/CFS SUBJECTS, WE WILL DESIGN A CUSTOM PANEL USING NANOSTRING NCOUNTER TECHNOLOGY FOR SELECTED MRNA MOLECULES. THIS PANEL WILL PREDOMINANTLY CONSIST OF GENES ASSOCIATED WITH IMMUNE RESPONSE AND METABOLISM, AS DETERMINED IN OUR DATASET. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL ASSESS THE MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION OF PBMCS IN THE PRESENCE OF EXOS. OUR RESEARCH PROPOSAL IS INNOVATIVE, HOLDING THE POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE INFORMATION REGARDING THE UNDERLYING PATHOLOGY OF ME/CFS AND UNVEIL NOVEL MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR THERAPEUTIC TARGETS USING EXOS AS IMMUNOMODULATORS AND ME/CFS PATIENT SAMPLES.

SKYSCAN 1276 UCT FOR MULTI-USER BIOMEDICAL STUDIES - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO REPLACE THE CURRENT MICRO COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (MICRO-CT) AT NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY (NSU) WHICH IS NEAR TO END OF ITS LIFE WITH A MORE ADVANCED ROBUST MICRO-CT, TO PROVIDE ACCURATE AND EFFICIENT ANALYSIS OF MINERALIZED TISSUE AS WELL AS VASCULAR STRUCTURE TO THE INVESTIGATORS, ACCELERATING AND ENHANCING THE RESEARCH EFFORTS AT NSU AND NEARBY INSTITUTIONS. MICRO-CT HAS BECOME AN INDISPENSABLY ROBUST EQUIPMENT FOR 3-DIMENSIONAL IMAGING OF BONES, TEETH AND VASCULATURE. THE CURRENTLY USED MICRO-CT, PRODUCTION OF WHICH WAS DISCONTINUED BY THE MANUFACTURER, MAY PERMANENTLY STOP WORKING AT ANY TIME, PLACING THE ONGOING PROJECTS IN A DIRE SITUATION, MOST OF WHICH ARE FUNDED BY THE NIH. MOST OF MAJOR AND MINOR USERS OF MICRO-CT WHO HAVE LABORATORIES IN THE CENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH (CCR) BELONG TO ONE OF FOUR DISTINCTIVE COLLEGES OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE, PHARMACY, DENTAL MEDICINE, ALLOPATHIC MEDICINE, IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL DIVISION, OR IN GUY HARVEY OCEANOGRAPHY CENTER AT NSU. IN THIS RESUBMISSION, WE ARE JOINED WITH ADDITIONAL TWO MAJOR USERS FROM THE NEIGHBORING FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY AND UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (TOTAL OF 7 MAJOR USERS AND 7 MINOR USERS). THOSE RESEARCHERS PROPOSE THEIR NEED FOR THE NEW MICRO-CT SYSTEM IN THE FIELD OF BONE REGENERATION, CANCER BIOLOGY, ORAL/CRANIOFACIAL SKELETAL BIOLOGY, HIV, ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE, AGING ASSOCIATED BONE LYTIC DISEASES, AND OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH. THE NEW MICRO-CT SYSTEM WILL FACILITATE INVESTIGATORS AT NSU TO THRIVE IN THEIR RESEARCH PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS CATALYZE MORE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COLLABORATIONS, WHILE SERVING AS AN ATTRACTIVE FEATURE FOR RECRUITING MORE RESEARCH FACULTY. IT WILL BE MAINTAINED AS A CORE FACILITY IN CCR, AND USERS WILL RECEIVE ASSISTANCE FROM THE DESIGNATED OPERATOR AND CCR STAFF FOR INSTRUMENT USAGE AND DATA ANALYSIS. THE WELL-VERSED EXPERTS IN USING MICRO-CT AT NSU WILL ENSURE THAT THE NEW SYSTEM WILL BE FULLY UTILIZED AND WELL MAINTAINED. THE VICE PRESIDENT OF RESEARCH AT NSU AND DEAN OF COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE (WHERE FOUR OF THE SEVEN MAJOR USERS ARE AFFILIATED WITH) FULLY SUPPORT THE PROPOSAL AND HAS AGREED TO PROVIDE FULL INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE MAINTENANCE SERVICE, IN ADDITION TO THE RETENTION OF CURRENTLY DESIGNATED OPERATOR'S TIME, FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS. THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE COMPOSED OF IN- AND OUT-OF- HOUSE MEMBERS WILL ENSURE THE SUFFICIENTLY EFFICIENT OPERATION AND USE OF THE NEW MICRO-CT. THE PRICE OF THE INSTRUMENT $412,365.11, INCLUDES THE MICRO-CT INSTRUMENT WITH 3D ANALYSIS SOFTWARE, COMPUTERS FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DATA ANALYSIS, AND INITIAL INSTALLATION AND TRAINING. IN SUMMARY, BASED ON 1) THE WELL-JUSTIFIED NEED OF MICRO-CT FOR RESEARCH AT NSU, 2) EXTENSIVE EXPERTISE WITH MICRO-CT TECHNOLOGY, 3) THE ESTABLISHED SOLID ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE AND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE FOR THE CORE MANAGEMENT, AND 4) FULL INSTITUTIONAL COMMITMENT TO MAINTAIN THE MICRO-CT, THIS AWARD WILL BE A WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT THAT SERVES THE MISSIONS OF THE NIH AND NSU.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: IS HYBRIDIZATION AMONG THREATENED CARIBBEAN CORAL SPECIES THE KEY TO THEIR SURVIVAL OR THE HARBINGER OF THEIR EXTINCTION?

WEIGHT STIGMA AMONG DOCTORAL CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS: EXAMINING CHANGE AND TESTING UNDERLYING MECHANISMS. - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT WEIGHT STIGMA IS A MODIFIABLE RISK FACTOR THAT NEGATIVELY IMPACTS THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF HIGHER-WEIGHT PEOPLE AND THOSE WITH LOWER BMI WHO SIMPLY PERCEIVE THEMSELVES AS HEAVY. WEIGHT STIGMA LEADS TO POORER HEALTH OUTCOMES DUE TO STRESS PROCESSES, LOWER QUALITY HEALTHCARE PROVISION, AND HEALTHCARE AVOIDANCE BY PATIENTS TO AVOID STIGMA. PSYCHOLOGISTS PLAY A LARGE ROLE IN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS CARE FOR EATING DISORDERS, BODY DYSMORPHIA, AND OTHER CONDITIONS THAT MAKE IT ESSENTIAL THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE WITH HIGHER-WEIGHT PEOPLE IN A NON-STIGMATIZING WAY. WEIGHT STIGMA IS A MAJOR RISK FACTOR FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS AND WEIGHT STIGMA IS PREVALENT AMONG MENTAL HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS. EVIDENCE FROM STUDIES IN MEDICAL EDUCATION SUGGEST THAT TRAINING IN HEALTHCARE DISCIPLINES MAY REINFORCE AND INCREASE WEIGHT STIGMA. IT IS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE TRAINING TO FUTURE CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS IN PATIENT - CENTERED COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES ABOUT BODY IMAGE, WEIGHT, WEIGHT-INCLUSIVE CARE, AND TO ELIMINATE COMMON WEIGHT-RELATED BIASES AND STEREOTYPES THAT WILL AFFECT CARE QUALITY. ALTHOUGH CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN HEALTHCARE, IT IS NOT KNOWN HOW WEIGHT STIGMA CHANGES DURING TRAINING, IF DOCTORAL TRAINING PERPETUATES WEIGHT STIGMA OVER TIME, AND IF THEORETICALLY- AND EMPIRICALLY-SUPPORTED MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE DEVELOPMENT OF WEIGHT STIGMA APPLY IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY SETTINGS. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO EXAMINE CHANGES IN WEIGHT STIGMA AMONG PSYCHOLOGY TRAINEES DURING FOUR YEARS OF DOCTORAL CLINICAL TRAINING. THE AIMS OF THIS STUDY ARE TO 1) ESTABLISH WHETHER WEIGHT STIGMA CHANGES AS A FUNCTION OF TIME IN DOCTORAL CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY TRAINING AND 2) IDENTIFY MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE DEVELOPMENT OF WEIGHT STIGMA DURING DOCTORAL CLINICAL TRAINING. GIVEN THAT WEIGHT STIGMA IS RARELY ADDRESSED IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY TRAINING PROGRAMS, IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT WEIGHT STIGMA WILL INTENSIFY DURING TIME IN CLINICAL TRAINING. IN ADDITION, IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT WEIGHT CONTROLLABILITY BELIEFS, QUALITY OF INTERGROUP CONTACT WITH HIGHER-WEIGHT PEOPLE, AND PERCEIVED SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY OF WEIGHT STIGMA WILL MEDIATE THE EFFECT OF TIME IN CLINICAL TRAINING ON WEIGHT STIGMA. THIS STUDY WILL USE A PROSPECTIVE COHORT LONGITUDINAL DESIGN AND ONLINE SURVEY METHODOLOGY COLLECTING FOUR WAVES OF DATA ACROSS FOUR YEARS OF TRAINING FROM STUDENTS ENROLLED IN APA-ACCREDITED DOCTORAL CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAMS. LONGITUDINAL MEDIATION METHODS WILL BE USED TO EXAMINE HOW PROCESSES UNFOLD OVER TIME AND THE TEMPORAL ORDER OF EVENTS. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL YIELD NOVEL INSIGHTS TO INFORM MORE EFFECTIVE WEIGHT STIGMA REDUCTION INTERVENTIONS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRAINING COMPETENCIES TO ADDRESS WEIGHT STIGMA AND PROVIDE WEIGHT- INCLUSIVE HEALTHCARE TRAINING. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION FROM WHICH TO COMPREHENSIVELY ADDRESS A LONG-STANDING CALL TO INCREASE PREPAREDNESS OF FUTURE MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CARE FOR PEOPLE OF ALL SIZES.

CISE-MSI: RCBP-ED: SATC: INCREASING CYBERSECURITY RESEARCH CAPACITY AND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR UNDERREPRESENTED COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MAJORS -THIS AWARD IS FUNDED IN WHOLE OR IN PART UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021 (PUBLIC LAW 117-2). WITH SUPPORT FROM THE COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION (CISE-MSI) RESEARCH EXPANSION PROGRAM, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP A MINIMUM OF 6 NEW IN-PERSON AND ONLINE CYBERSECURITY RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AND INCORPORATE THEM INTO 6 EXISTING COURSES IN THE COLLEGE OF COMPUTING AND ENGINEERING, FOCUSING ON IMPROVING THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF CRITICAL COMPUTER APPLICATIONS, SYSTEMS, AND DATA. ACTIVITIES ALSO WILL INCLUDE SEMINARS, EVENTS, AND MENTORING TO FURTHER ENGAGE AND MOTIVATE STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY HISPANICS, BLACKS, AND WOMEN WHO ARE UNDERREPRESENTED IN STEM. THE PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE IMPORTANT FINDINGS TO THE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE IN STEM HIGHER EDUCATION REGARDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ACADEMIC SUCCESS, RESEARCH EXPERIENCES, AND SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPORT ACTIVITIES. INCREASING THE SUCCESS OF STUDENTS (ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE UNDERREPRESENTED) TO PURSUE HIGH DEMAND STEM FIELDS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE AMERICAN INNOVATION ECONOMY, AND BENEFIT SOCIETY BY INCREASING UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENT GRADUATION LEADING TO INCREASED EMPLOYMENT DIVERSITY IN CYBERSECURITY-RELATED OCCUPATIONAL FIELDS. THE PROJECT TEAM OF RESEARCHERS WILL ENHANCE THE CAPACITY OF THE COLLEGE OF COMPUTING AND ENGINEERING TO ENGAGE UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE COMPUTING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BACHELOR OF SCIENCE AND BACHELOR OF SCIENCE/MASTER OF SCIENCE DUAL ADMISSION MAJORS IN THE RESEARCH ENTERPRISE BY DEMONSTRATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EXPANDING FACULTY USE OF TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS AND RESEARCH-INFORMED INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES DESIGNED TO BROADEN THE PARTICIPATION AND SUCCESS OF ALL STUDENTS, INCLUDING THOSE WHO ARE UNDERREPRESENTED IN STEM. FACULTY WILL DEVELOP INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES THAT INCREASE STUDENT ACCESS TO ADVANCED TOOLS AND RESOURCES TO BOLSTER PREPARATION FOR AND PARTICIPATION IN CYBERSECURITY-RELATED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES, FOCUSING ON BUILDING SECURE SYSTEM ARCHITECTURES, SECURING CRITICAL COMPONENTS, AND EXAMINING ATTACK PATTERNS THROUGH SIMULATIONS, INCLUDING USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DATA ANALYTICS. THE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE SHARED WILL ADVANCE OPPORTUNITY EQUITY, INCREASING US INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL FOR UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS WHO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SUCCEED IN GREATER NUMBERS IN THE HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTION ENVIRONMENT, BRINGING A NEW PERSPECTIVE TO CONVENTIONAL INSTRUCTION. 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: VISUAL ADAPTATIONS IN HYDROTHERMAL VENT SHRIMP AND THE ROLE IN FEEDING MODALITIES AND HABITAT SELECTION -HYDROTHERMAL VENTS HAVE GIVEN RISE TO REMARKABLE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS THAT CONTAIN ORGANISMS WITH SPECIFIC ADAPTATIONS FOR SURVIVING IN THIS EXTREME ENVIRONMENT. ALVINOCARID DECAPOD SHRIMP ARE AMONG THE MOST ABUNDANT ANIMALS INHABITING THESE HABITATS AND CAN BE FOUND IN MASSIVE SWARMS AT PACIFIC, INDIAN AND ATLANTIC VENT SITES. DIFFERENT SPECIES ARE FOUND AT DIFFERENT VENT SITES; AND WHEN SPECIES OCCUPY THE SAME VENT SITE, SOME SPECIES ARE FOUND CLOSE TO THE VENTS, WITH OTHERS ON THE PERIPHERY. PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT VENT SHRIMP SPECIES WITH ENLARGED EYES ON THEIR BACKS RELY PRIMARILY ON CARBON PROVIDED BY BACTERIA ON THE SIDES OF BLACK SMOKERS, WHILE OTHERS WITH FUSED, FORWARD-FACING EYES ARE PREDATORS/SCAVENGERS, AROUND THE VENT PERIPHERY, SUGGESTING THAT THERE MAY BE A CORRELATION BETWEEN EYE STRUCTURE, FEEDING MODE AND HABITAT SELECTION. HOWEVER, ADULT VENT SHRIMP ARE THOUGHT TO BE BLIND, BUT THIS CONCLUSION MAY HAVE RESULTED FROM THE EYES BEING SEVERELY DAMAGED DUE TO COLLECTIONS UNDER EXTREMELY BRIGHT SUBMERSIBLE LIGHTS. USING METHODS THE PIS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER DECADES TO COLLECT DEEP-SEA SPECIES WITH EXTREMELY SENSITIVE VISUAL SYSTEMS WITHOUT BLINDING THEM, THE VISUAL SYSTEMS OF VENT SHRIMP WILL BE EXAMINED. THESE STUDIES WILL BE COUPLED WITH A SYSTEMATIC SURVEY OF PELAGIC AND BENTHIC LIGHT PRODUCTION (LUMINESCENCE ? BOTH NON-LIVING CHEMILUMINESCENCE AND TRIBOLUMINESCENCE AS WELL AS BIOLOGICAL BIOLUMINESCENCE) AT THE VENTS TO DETERMINE IF VENT SHRIMP CAN SEE ANY OF THESE LIGHT SOURCES. THE RESULTS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL SIGNIFICANTLY ADVANCE THE FIELDS OF VENT BIOLOGY AND VISUAL ECOLOGY, POTENTIALLY TRANSFORMING OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF HOW LIGHT IS GENERATED AT VENT SITES AND HOW ANIMALS USE THIS LIGHT TO SURVIVE, AS WELL AS PROVIDING POSSIBLE HYPOTHESES AS TO HOW VENT SHRIMP FIND THESE LOCATIONS, AND WHY DIFFERENT VENTS (DIFFUSE, WHITE SMOKERS, BLACK SMOKERS) ARE DOMINATED BY DIFFERENT SHRIMP SPECIES. THIS PROPOSAL WILL SUPPORT THREE GRADUATE STUDENTS, ONE POSTDOC AND SIX UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, AND OUTREACH WILL BE EXTENDED TO SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN UNDERSERVED REGIONS IN THREE STATES BY CREATING CURRICULUM AND ACTIVITIES CORRELATED WITH THIS RESEARCH THAT WILL HELP TEACHERS BLEND THIS RESEARCH INTO THEIR STEM CURRICULA. ORIGINALLY DESCRIBED AS EYELESS, VENT SHRIMP ARE NOW KNOWN TO UNDERGO DRAMATIC TRANSFORMATIONS IN EYE MORPHOLOGY WITH SOME SPECIES HAVING MASSIVE FUSED EYES ON THEIR BACKS (DORSAL EYES), WHILE OTHERS HAVE FUSED ANTERIOR EYES, AND THESE DIFFERENT EYE STRUCTURES MAY BE CORRELATED WITH THEIR FEEDING PREFERENCES. HOWEVER, ALL THE STRUCTURAL STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN UNDERTAKEN ON THE BENTHIC ADULTS SUGGEST THAT THEY ARE BLIND OR THE EYES ARE DEGENERATING. IN ADDITION, THE SUPPOSITION THAT THE VENT ENVIRONMENT LACKED ENOUGH AMBIENT LIGHT TO MAKE THE METABOLIC COSTS OF VISION WORTHWHILE SUPPORTED THIS CONCLUSION. OTHER STRUCTURAL STUDIES, HOWEVER, DEMONSTRATED THAT THE PELAGIC POST-LARVAE/JUVENILES HAVE STALKED EYES WITH NORMAL ULTRASTRUCTURE, AND IT IS THEREFORE UNLIKELY THAT THE METAMORPHOSIS FROM NORMAL STALKED EYES (POST-LARVAE) TO THE HUGE DORSAL EYES (ADULTS) RESULTS IN A DEGENERATED EYE. THE ?DEGENERATION? LIKELY RESULTED FROM PHOTORECEPTOR DESTRUCTION OCCURRING DURING COLLECTIONS OF BENTHIC ADULTS UNDER EXTREMELY BRIGHT SUBMERSIBLE LIGHTS. THERE MAY ALSO BE SEVERAL SOURCES OF SUFFICIENT AMBIENT LIGHT PRODUCED BY BOTH ABIOTIC TRIBOLUMINESCENCE/CHEMILUMINESCENCE AS WELL AS BIOLUMINESCENCE. ALTHOUGH SEVERAL STUDIES SUGGEST BIOLUMINESCENCE DOES NOT EXIST AT THESE VENT SITES, INCORRECT METHODOLOGY MAY HAVE RESULTED IN THIS CONCLUSION. THIS PROJECT WILL USE GENETIC TECHNIQUES TO ALLOW FOR POST-LARVAE-ADULT MATCHING; PHYSIOLOGICAL EXPERIMENTS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON PHOTOSENSITIVITY (ABSOLUTE SENSITIVITY AS WELL AS COLOR SENSITIVITY, AS THERE HAS BEEN SPECULATION THAT THE BENTHIC ADULTS MAY BE ABLE TO SEE INFRARED LIGHT) IN BOTH POST-LARVAL AND ADULT SHRIMP; ULTRASTRUCTURAL TECHNIQUES TO CHARACTERIZE EYES COLLECTED IN THE DARK AS WELL AS UNDER BRIGHT SUBMERSIBLE LIGHTS; AND LOW-LIGHT IMAGING TECHNIQUES TO EXAMINE SOURCES OF ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC LIGHT IN THE VENT ENVIRONMENTS. THESE DATA WILL BE UTILIZED TOGETHER WITH COMPUTATION MODELING TO DETERMINE IF VENT LIGHT SOURCES ARE VISIBLE TO HYDROTHERMAL VENT SHRIMP EYES OVER RELEVANT DISTANCES. THESE UNUSUAL VISUAL SYSTEMS OF VENT SHRIMP, LIKELY SERVING AS EXTREMELY SENSITIVE LIGHT RECEPTORS, MAY ALSO SERVE AS A MODEL FOR LOW-LIGHT CAMERA SYSTEMS, MUCH AS THE OPTICS OF LOBSTER EYES SERVED AS A MODEL FOR DESIGNING AN ULTRA-SENSITIVE X-RAY TELESCOPE. 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.

NATIONAL CORAL REEF INSTITUTE FY09 PROPOSAL - SUPPLEMENTS

COMPARISON OF TIRZEPATIDE, RETATRUTIDE, AND CROCETIN, FOR MITIGATION OF ALZHEIMER'S-LIKE PATHOLOGY IN A MOUSE MODEL OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE - PROJECT SUMMARY THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM) AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (AD) UNDERSCORES A PRESSING NEED FOR NOVEL THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS TO MITIGATE THE UNDERLYING PATHOLOGIES AND REDUCE COGNITIVE DECLINE. WHILE CURRENT TREATMENTS FOR AD PRIMARILY TARGET SYMPTOMATIC RELIEF WITHOUT MODIFYING DISEASE PROCESSES, RECENT DEVELOPMENTS SUGGEST THAT ANTIDIABETIC DRUGS USED TO TREAT T2DM COULD HOLD PROMISE IN MITIGATING AD DEVELOPMENT. THE INCRETIN CLASS OF ANTIDIABETIC DRUGS, PARTICULARLY GLP-1 AGONISTS (E.G. SEMAGLUTIDE, LIRAGLUTIDE), HAVE SHOWN EFFICACY IN TREATING T2DM WHILE ALSO DEMONSTRATING NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECTS IN BOTH HUMANS AND ANIMAL MODELS OF AD. HOWEVER, NEWER COMPOUNDS LIKE TIRZEPATIDE (“TWINCRETIN”, GLP-1 + GIP AGONIST) AND RETATRUTIDE (“TRIPLECRETIN”, GLP-1 + GIP + GLUCAGON AGONIST) HAVE YET TO BE INVESTIGATED, DESPITE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THEY MAY BE MORE EFFECTIVE GIVEN THEIR COMBINED GLP-1 AGONISM WITH ADDITIONAL RECEPTOR ACTIVATIONS. ADDITIONALLY, AGONISM OF FREE FATTY ACID RECEPTORS (FFAR1 AND FFAR4; ALSO KNOWN AS GPR40 AND GPR120) PRESENTS ANOTHER THERAPEUTIC AVENUE, WITH CROCETIN, A NATURAL COMPOUND, EMERGING AS A DUAL AGONIST OF GPR40 AND GPR120 RECEPTORS. CROCETIN'S MULTIFACETED NEUROPROTECTIVE PROPERTIES, INCLUDING ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND MEMORY-ENHANCING EFFECTS, POSITION IT AS A POTENTIAL DISEASE-MODIFYING THERAPY FOR AD. TO ADDRESS GAPS IN CURRENT UNDERSTANDING, THE PROPOSED RESEARCH AIMS TO EVALUATE THE THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF TIRZEPATIDE, RETATRUTIDE, AND CROCETIN IN A CLINICALLY RELEVANT ANIMAL MODEL OF COMORBID AD WITH OBESITY/PREDIABETES INDUCED BY A HIGH-FAT DIET. THE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN INCLUDES SUSTAINED CONSUMPTION OF A HIGH FAT DIET FROM THE AGE OF 4 TO 13 MONTHS, AN 18-WEEK CHRONIC TREATMENT WITH TIRZEPATIDE, RETATRUTIDE OR CROCETIN, BEGINNING AT 8 MONTHS OF AGE, FOLLOWED BY BEHAVIORAL TESTING AND NEUROPATHOLOGICAL ANALYSES OF THE BRAINS POST-MORTEM AT ~ 13 MONTHS. THE CHRONOLOGICAL AGES OF THE MICE CORRESPOND TO EARLY ADULTHOOD (4 MONTHS) AND MIDDLE AGE (13 MONTHS) ACCORDING TO JACKSON LABS TO INCLUDE THE ADDITIONAL RISK FACTOR OF OLDER AGE. WHILE IT WOULD BE IDEALLY TO EXTEND THE STUDY TO 15 MONTHS OF AGE, CLASSIFIED AS OLD BY JACKSON LABS, OUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH THE 3XTG-AD STRAIN INDICATES THAT THE ATTRITION RATE OF MALE MICE WOULD PRECLUDE THEIR INCLUSION IN THIS STUDY. BY ASSESSING COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL FUNCTION, NEUROPATHOLOGICAL CHANGES, AND CARDIOMETABOLIC ALTERATIONS, THIS STUDY AIMS TO ELUCIDATE THE EFFICACY OF THESE INTERVENTIONS IN MITIGATING AD-LIKE PATHOLOGY AND COGNITIVE DECLINE. IMPORTANTLY, THE INCLUSION OF SEX AS A BIOLOGICAL VARIABLE ACKNOWLEDGES SEX DISPARITIES IN AD PREVALENCE AND PROGRESSION, AS WELL AS THE ABILITY OF SEX TO MODULATE TREATMENT OUTCOMES, THEREBY ENHANCING THE TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE OF THE FINDINGS. ULTIMATELY, THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO ELUCIDATE NOVEL THERAPEUTIC TARGETS FOR AD, PARTICULARLY IN PATIENTS WITH COMORBID METABOLIC DISEASE, ULTIMATELY CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE ACCESSIBLE AND EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS FOR THESE CONDITIONS.

IMMUNOLOGIC MECHANISMS,BIOMARKERS AND SUBSETS IN CFS/ME

IDENTIFYING THE ROLE OF MIND WANDERING IN STRESS RELATED CHANGES IN EXECUTIVE ATTENTION AND INFLAMMATION -THE ABILITY TO SUSTAIN ATTENTION IS IMPAIRED BY CHRONIC STRESS. CHRONIC STRESS ALSO RESULTS IN INFLAMMATION IN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. THUS, CHRONIC STRESS IS LIKELY TO IMPACT MULTIPLE BODILY SYSTEMS, FROM PSYCHOLOGICAL TO BIOLOGICAL, IN WAYS THAT ARE ONLY PARTIALLY UNDERSTOOD. THIS RESEARCH PROJECT USES THEORETICAL INSIGHTS FROM COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY TO SHED LIGHT ON THE PRECISE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG CHRONIC STRESS, COGNITION, AND INFLAMMATION AMONG INDIVIDUALS WHO EXPERIENCE A VARIETY OF DAY-TO-DAY STRESSORS. IT FURTHER ANALYZES WHETHER AND HOW MINDFULNESS MEDIATES THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN STRESS AND INFLAMMATION AND BETWEEN STRESS AND ATTENTION. IT TRAINS STUDENTS AT A MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION, DISSEMINATES RESULTS BROADLY TO ACADEMIC AND NON-ACADEMIC AUDIENCES, AND PROVIDES INSIGHTS THAT ARE RELEVANT TO CLINICAL HEALTH INTERVENTIONS. THIS PROJECT COLLECTS MEASURES OF STRESS, COGNITION, AND INFLAMMATION DURING MULTIPLE TIME PERIODS, INCLUDING A BASELINE, LOW-STRESS PERIOD AND ONE ASSOCIATED WITH AN ECOLOGICALLY VALID CHRONIC STRESSOR TO INVESTIGATE THE FOLLOWING HYPOTHESES: 1) THE IMPACT OF CHRONIC STRESS ON MEASURES OF EXECUTIVE ATTENTION AND INFLAMMATION IS MEDIATED BY RATES OF NEGATIVELY VALENCED, OFF-TASK THOUGHTS; 2) HIGHER RATES OF MINDFULNESS AND BASELINE MEASURES OF EXECUTIVE ATTENTION PREDICT REDUCED NEGATIVELY VALENCED MIND WANDERING DURING STRESS, REDUCING THE EFFECTS OF STRESS ON EXECUTIVE ATTENTION AND INFLAMMATION; AND 3) INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AT BASELINE WILL PREDICT RATES OF MINDFULNESS AND MIND WANDERING, AFFECTING THE DEGREE TO WHICH THESE MEDIATE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN STRESS AND INFLAMMATION. THE FINDINGS FROM THIS STUDY PROVIDE A MISSING LINK BETWEEN THE IMPACT OF CHRONIC STRESS ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING AND INFLAMMATION AND IDENTIFY FACTORS THAT CAN BE USED IN INTERVENTIONS SEEKING TO LIMIT THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF CHRONIC STRESS ON HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. 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.

THIS ACTION APPROVES AN AWARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $349,997 TO SUPPORT NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITYS EFFORTS TO SUPPORT SOUTH FLORIDA PROGRAM. THIS PROJECT FOCUSES TO IDENTIFY THE CORRELATIONS BETWEEN STONY CORAL TISSUE LOSS DISEASE (SCTLD) INCIDENCE AND HOST SPECIFIC, ABIOTIC ENVIRONMENTAL, ECOLOGICAL, AND ANTHROPOGENIC DRIVERS FOR ORBICELLA FAVEOLATED CORALS IN THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM CONSERVATION AREA (ECA) AND THE LOWER FLORIDA KEYS USING STATE-OF-ART DATA-DRIVEN STATISTICAL MODELING.

COMPUTER TRAINING AND TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT CURRENT STIMULATION FOR COGNITION IN HIV

AN AUTOMATED TAILORED INFORMATION APPLICATION FOR MEDICATION HEALTH LITERACY

SEX-SPECIFIC GENOMIC MECHANISMS OF TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION IN ME/CFS/SEID

NEW START CA FOR NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY.

MICROBIAL TRANSLOCATION IN CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME

NOVEL IMMUNOMODULATORS FOR MELANOMA THERAPY - PROJECT SUMMARY AS ESTIMATED BY THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE, THERE ARE MORE THAN 900,000 PEOPLE LIVING WITH MELANOMA IN THE USA. DESPITE RECENT ADVANCES IN MELANOMA DRUG DISCOVERY, THE AVERAGE OVERALL SURVIVAL OF PATIENTS WITH LATE- STAGE METASTATIC MELANOMA IS ~3 YEARS. INSTANCES OF COMPLETE RESPONSE ARE VERY RARE; THEREFORE, MORE LIFE- PROLONGING THERAPIES ARE NEEDED. THIS SUGGESTS A NEED FOR NEW APPROACHES AND TARGETS FOR MELANOMA DRUG DISCOVERY. OUR RECENT IN VIVO PROOF-OF-PRINCIPLE EFFICACY AND TOXICITY STUDIES USING SMALL MOLECULES DISCOVERED BY US DEMONSTRATED THAT SPLICEOSOMAL PROTEINS HNRNPH1 AND H2 (H1/H2) CAN BE TARGETED WITHOUT OVERT AND ORGAN TOXICITY TO INDUCE MELANOMA-SPECIFIC CELL DEATH THAT CAN ADDRESS AN UNMET NEED FOR SUCH NOVEL THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES. ADDITIONALLY, OUR PRELIMINARY DATA SUGGEST THAT MODULATION OF H1/H2 EXPRESSION IN MELANOMA CELLS IN VITRO UPREGULATES IMMUNOGENICITY OF MELANOMA CELLS AND INDUCES INFILTRATION OF IMMUNE CELLS IN VIVO WHICH CAN BE USED FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY. BASED ON THESE CONSIDERATIONS, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT TARGETING OF H1/H2 COULD BE A MUCH NEEDED AND EFFECTIVE BROAD-SPECTRUM MELANOMA THERAPY. TO TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS, WE PROPOSE TO (1) DETERMINE EFFICACY OF SPLICEOSOMAL INHIBITORS 2155-14 AND 18 IN IN VIVO MODELS OF HUMAN TWT MELANOMA, (2) DETERMINE THE ROLE OF H1/H2 IN HUMAN MELANOMA INTRA-CELLULAR IMMUNE PATHWAYS, AND (3) VALIDATE IMMUNE RESPONSE TO H1/H2 TREATMENT IN VIVO IN BRAF AND NRAS MURINE MELANOMA MODELS. OUR TEAM IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTE THE AIMS OF THIS STUDY. PROFS. MINOND AND BELJANSKI HAVE EXPERTISE IN DRUG EVALUATION IN ANIMAL AND MOLECULAR STUDIES. OVERALL, THESE STUDIES WILL VALIDATE TARGETING SPLICEOSOMAL PROTEINS HNRNPH1 AND H2 AS A USEFUL APPROACH TO MELANOMA TARGETED AND IMMUNOTHERAPY.

EFFECTS OF MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY IN A MOUSE MODEL OF CEREBRAL AMYLOID ANGIOPATHY - TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI) IS A CONDITION IN WHICH NORMAL BRAIN FUNCTION IS IMPAIRED BY AN EXTERNAL FORCE. TBI IS ESTIMATED TO AFFECT ~69 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE EACH YEAR. MILD TBI’S ARE THE MOST COMMON FORM OF BRAIN INJURY (~70-90% OF ALL CASES), CHARACTERIZED BY LITTLE-TO-NO TIME UNCONSCIOUS AND MINIMAL OBSERVABLE DEFICITS IMMEDIATELY POST-INJURY. MILD BRAIN INJURIES ARE COMMONLY ATTRIBUTED TO PARTICIPATION IN CONTACT SPORTS (E.G. BOXING, FOOTBALL, SOCCER, HOCKEY), MILITARY SERVICE, AND AS A RESULT OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE. EVEN MILD TBI, ESPECIALLY FOLLOWING REPEATED INJURIES, HAS DEVASTATING ACUTE AND LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES, INCLUDING AN INCREASED RISK OF STROKE AND DEMENTIA. GIVEN THE CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT TBI INCREASES THE RISK OF DEMENTIA IN LATER LIFE, IT IS OF GREAT INTEREST TO DETERMINE THE MECHANISMS THAT DRIVE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIFFERENT TYPES OF TBIS AND VARIOUS DEMENTIA-ASSOCIATED NEUROPATHOLOGIES, SO THAT TARGETS FOR INTERVENTION MAY BE IDENTIFIED. REPETITIVE MILD TBI HAS BEEN MOST NOTABLY ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC TRAUMATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY (A TAUOPATHY), THOUGH SOME EVIDENCE SUGGESTS IT MAY ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO ALZHEIMER’S AND OTHER NEURODEGENERATIVE CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, LESS IS KNOWN ABOUT WHETHER CEREBRAL AMYLOID ANGIOPATHY (CAA) MAY ALSO BE A MECHANISM LINKING TBI TO DEMENTIA. CAA IS THE ACCUMULATION OF AMYLOID PROTEIN (MOST COMMONLY BETA-AMYLOID, ASSOCIATED WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE) WITHIN THE CEREBRAL VASCULATURE, CONTRIBUTING TO INCREASED RISK OF DEMENTIA [BOTH VASCULAR CONTRIBUTIONS TO COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AND DEMENTIA (VCID) AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE], AS WELL AS ISCHEMIC AND HEMORRHAGIC STROKE. INCREASED LEVELS OF CAA ARE OBSERVED IN FORMER ATHLETES, WHO TEND TO HAVE A HISTORY OF REPETITIVE MILD BRAIN INJURIES. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS USING ANIMAL MODELS ARE NEEDED TO DETERMINE WHETHER AND HOW REPETITIVE MILD TBI INFLUENCES THE INITIATION AND PROGRESSION OF CAA AND RELATED PATHOLOGY. HERE, WE WILL SUBJECT TG-SWDI MICE (A TRANSGENIC MOUSE MODEL OF CAA) TO REPETITIVE MILD TBI (1X/DAY FOR 5 CONSECUTIVE DAYS) STARTING AT ~2 MONTHS OF AGE. THIS AGE IS ROUGHLY EQUIVALENT TO LATE ADOLESCENCE/YOUNG ADULTHOOD, WHEN TBI IS MOST COMMON, AND IS PRIOR TO THE ONSET OF SIGNIFICANT CAA PATHOLOGY AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN THIS STRAIN. WE WILL THEN DETERMINE WHETHER COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL DEFICITS AND NEUROPATHOLOGY ARE ALTERED AT TWO TIME-POINTS POST-TBI (SHORT-TERM: 7 DAYS AND LONGER-TERM: 3 MONTHS). ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL INVESTIGATE WHETHER BIOLOGICAL SEX MODERATES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REPETITIVE MILD TBI AND CAA-ASSOCIATED OUTCOMES. OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO IDENTIFY MECHANISMS LINKING TBI AND INCREASED DEMENTIA RISK, WHICH MAY IN TURN REVEAL NOVEL TARGETS FOR TREATMENT.

EXPANSION OF PREVENTION INITIATIVES OFF CAMPUS (EPIC) PROJECT

NEMO DATA ANALYSIS AND ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEM DATA COLLECTION IN ALTERNATE LOCATION PLAN

IMPROVEMENT OF MJO SIMULATION IN NCEP COUPLED FORECAST SYSTEM: UPPER OCEAN AND AIR-SEA COUPLED PROCESSES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ASSEMBLING THE ECHINODERM TREE OF LIFE

THE NATIONAL CORAL KEEF MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM WILL PLACE A CORAL FELLOW IN EACH OF FOUR JURISDICTIONS -AMERICAN SAMOA, GUAM, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (USVI) AND COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS (CNMI). THE CORAL FELLOWS WILL WORK IN THE LOCAL JURISDICTIONAL AGENCIES RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING CORAL REEFS AND EACH WILL BE ASSIGNED A SUPERVISOR WHO WILL HELP THEM TRANSITION INTO THE AGENCY, AS WELL AS HELP GUIDE THEIR PROJECT WORK. THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO BE FLEXIBLE TO ADAPT AND MEET THE INDIVIDUAL CORAL MANAGEMENT AND POLICY NEEDS OF EACH JURISDICTION. THE PROGRAM WILL ALSO PROVIDE NEEDED CAPACITY IN THE FOUR JURISDICTIONS IN BOTH CORAL REEF RESTORATION AND RELATED INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT.

HMIT - HAZARDOUS MATERIAL INSTRUCTOR TRAINING - THIS GRANT SUPPORTS THE STATE BY PROVIDING TRAIN-THE-TRAINER PROGRAMS, FOR TRAINING IN HAZARDOUS MATERIALS REGULATIONS. DELIVERABLES/EXPECTED OUTCOMES: IMPROVED TRAINING FOR HAZMAT EMPLOYEES. INTENDED BENEFICIARY: HAZMAT EMPLOYEES. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: NO KNOWN SUBRECIPIENTS.

CONGRESSIONALLY-MANDATED HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GRANTS

HMIT - HAZARDOUS MATERIAL INSTRUCTOR TRAINING - THIS GRANT SUPPORTS THE STATES BY PROVIDING NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY FUNDING TO CONDUCT TRAIN-THE-TRAINER PROGRAMS, FOR TRAINING IN HAZARDOUS MATERIALS REGULATIONS.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

GENDER AND GULF WAR ILLNESS

CONTINUE THIS PROGRAM BY CONTINUING SUPPORT FOR THE SECOND YEAR OF THE TWO-YEAR POSITIONS IN EACH OF THE SEVEN U.S. CORAL REEF JURISDICTIONS (2024-2026). FELLOWS TO BE PLACED IN AS, CNMI, GUAM AND USVI.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE EVOLUTION OF BIOLUMINESCENCE AND LIGHT DETECTION IN DEEP-SEA SHRIMP (OPLOPHORIDAE AND SERGESTIDAE)

CONTINUING SUPPORT FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF THE TWO-YEAR POSITIONS IN EACH OF THE SEVEN U.S. CORAL REEF JURISDICTIONS- AMERICAN SAMOA, GUAM, US VIRGIN ISLANDS (USVI) AND COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERNMARIANA ISLANDS ISLANDS (CNMI). THE CORAL FELLOWS WILL WORK IN THE LOCAL JURISDICTIONAL AGENCIESRESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING CORAL REEFS AND EACH WILL BE ASSIGNED A SUPERVISOR WHO WILL HELP THEM TRANSITION INTO THE AGENCY, AS WELL AS HELP GUIDE THEIR PROJECT WORK.

DIABETES LITERACY AND SELF-EFFICACY SCREENING AND TRAINING PROJECT

CRNR-NSU-2021-10 CORAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

CONTINUE SUPPORT OF THE CORAL FELLOWS IN THE FOUR INSULAR AREAS AS, GUAM, CNMI, VI THE PROGRAM ADDRESSES BOTH CURRENT CAPACITY GAPS, AS WELL AS BUILDS LONGER TERM CAPACITY BY PLACING HIGHLY QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS WHOSE EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCE MEET EACH JURISDICTION S SPECIFIC CORAL REEF MANAGEMENT NEEDS

ZIRCONIA SURFACE MODIFICATION FOR ADHESION TO BIOLOGICAL AND SYNTHETIC SUBSTRATES

GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (GRFP) -THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (GRFP) IS A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE, FEDERAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. GRFP HELPS ENSURE THE VITALITY AND DIVERSITY OF THE SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING WORKFORCE OF THE UNITED STATES. THE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES AND SUPPORTS OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENTS WHO ARE PURSUING RESEARCH-BASED MASTER'S AND DOCTORAL DEGREES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) AND IN STEM EDUCATION. THE GRFP PROVIDES THREE YEARS OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE GRADUATE EDUCATION OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE DEMONSTRATED THEIR POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENTS IN STEM AND STEM EDUCATION. THIS AWARD SUPPORTS THE NSF GRADUATE FELLOWS PURSUING GRADUATE EDUCATION AT THIS GRFP INSTITUTION. 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.

CORAL REEF FELLOWS PROGRAM

CORAL REEF MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

CRI-NSU-4 FY18 CORAL REEF FELLOW PROGRAM

CRI-NSU-3

CRI-NSU-2

NATIONAL CORAL REEF INSTITUTE FY10 PROPOSAL

CRI-NSU-1

NURSE FACULTY LOAN PROGRAM

CARDIOVASCULAR RISK IN RELATION TO POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN YOUNG WOMEN

INTERPROFESSIONAL SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER EDUCATION: IMPLEMENTATION OF A REQUIRED PROGRAM TO IMPROVE KNOWLEDGE OF ENTRY-LEVEL DOCTOR OF PHARMACY AND MEDICINE STUDENTS IN A HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTION

MECHANOSENSING OF OSTEOCLASTS IN PERIODONTITIS. - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT HOST IMMUNE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE TO PERIODONTAL PATHOGENS, ESPECIALLY, PORPHYROMONAS GINGIVALIS (PG), IS ENGAGED IN THE DESTRUCTION OF TOOTH-SUPPORTING TISSUES IN PERIODONTITIS. AMONG SEVERAL VIRULENT FACTORS PRODUCED BY PG, A UNIQUE PATHOGENIC LIPID, PHOSPHOGLYCEROL DIHYDROCERAMIDE (PGDHC), PROMOTES RANKL-INDUCED OC- GENESIS BY ACTING ON NON-MUSCLE MYOSIN II-A (MYH9), WHILE INHIBITING THE PRODUCTION OF OB-GENESIS FACTOR, IGF- 1, FROM OCS. IN OUR PRELIMINARY RESULTS, WILD-TYPE PG CELLS AND PURIFIED PGDHC, BUT NOT SERINE PALMITOYL TRANSFERASE (SPT) KO PG CELLS (DEFICIENT IN PGDHC PRODUCTION), ABROGATED MECHANOSENSITIVE PIEZO1-MEDIATED DOWNREGULATION OF OC-GENESIS. THE DATA SUGGESTED THAT PGDHC MAY REPRESENT A UNIQUE VIRULENCE FACTOR THAT CAUSES DYSREGULATION OF PIEZO1-MECHANOSNSING SYSTEM IN OSTEOCLASTS WHICH LEADS TO RETARDED BONE REGENERATION. BASED ON THESE LINES OF EVIDENCE AND PRELIMINARY RESULTS, IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT MECHANOSENSITIVE PIEZO1 ELICITS A CELL SIGNAL IN OCS THAT INDUCES THE PRODUCTION OF IGF-1 AND SUPPRESS OC- GENESIS, WHILE THE PGDHC, BY ITS BINDING TO MYH9, BLOCKS THE MECHANOSENSING FUNCTION OF PIEZO1 AND, HENCE, DIMINISHING THE BONE REGENERATIVE POTENTIAL OF ALVEOLAR BONE AFFECTED BY PERIODONTITIS. THIS HYPOTHESIS WILL BE TESTED BY THE FOLLOWING TWO SPECIFIC AIMS: AIM 1) TO ELUCIDATE THE MOLECULAR MECHANISM UNDERLYING PGDHC- MEDIATED INHIBITION OF PIEZO1 CHANNEL EXPRESSED ON OCS IN VITRO. AIM 2) TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF PGDHC ON THE PIEZO1 EXPRESSED BY OCS IN A MOUSE MODEL OF LIGATURE AND PG-INDUCED PERIODONTITIS. MAJOR FOUR TRAINING GOALS FOR THE CANDIDATE INCLUDE: 1) GAIN AND IMPROVE EXPERTISE IN ADVANCED SCIENCE METHODS ASSOCIATED WITH OSTEOIMMUNOLOGY AND PERIODONTOLOGY, 2) IMPROVE SKILLS IN MANAGEMENT AND ANALYSES OF COMPLEX DATASETS, 3) ACQUIRE NOVEL IMAGE ACQUISITION AND ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES TO LINK BACTERIAL VIRULENT FACTOR AND PIEZO1 EXPRESSED ON OSTEOCLASTS, USING RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, IN VIVO IMAGING, MICRO-CT AND BIOLAYER INTERFEROMETRY, AND 4) DEVELOP SKILLS REQUIRED TO LEAD A RESEARCH PROGRAM, INCLUDING GRANT WRITING, MANAGEMENT OF LABORATORY PERSONNEL, PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND EXECUTION. SPONSOR, DR. KAWAI, AND CO-SPONSOR, DR. HAN, WHO ARE EXPERIENCED IN THE PROPOSED STUDY ADDRESSING THE PERIODONTAL OSTEOIMMUNOLOGY AND IMMUNOPATHOLOGY AS WELL AS MENTORING OF POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS FOR THEIR CAREER DEVELOPMENT IN THE ACADEMIC RESEARCH FIELDS, WILL BE COMMITTED TO SUPPORT THE CANDIDATE’S TRAINING, ALONG WITH CONSULTATION COMMITTEES COMPOSED OF 5 EXPERT RESEARCHERS IN THE FIELDS OF LIPIDOMICS, BONE BIOLOGY, MECHANOSENSORY SYSTEM, MICROBIOLOGY, AND RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, RESPECTIVELY. ALL REQUIRED EQUIPMENT, DEVICES, PROTOCOLS AND MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE LABORATORIES OF SPONSORS AND CONSULTANTS. THE CANDIDATE IS GIVEN A DESK AND LABORATORY SPACE IN CENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH (CCR) WHICH IS THE LARGEST BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH BUILDING IN SOUTH FLORIDA, EQUIPPED WITH A VARIETY OF CUTTING-EDGE EQUIPMENT IN THE CORE FACILITIES, ALL OF WHICH ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE CANDIDATE’S RESEARCH PROJECT.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

EFFECTS OF AGING ON MIF-MEDIATED MIGRATION OF CIRCULATING OSTEOCLAST PRECURSORS TO PARTICLE-INDUCED OSTEOLYSIS LESIONS

DOES LEARNING A SECOND LANGUAGE ENHANCE INHIBITORY PROCESSES AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION?

POST-RELEASE SURVIVAL AND HABITAT UTILIZATION OF JUVENILE SWORDFISH IN THE FLORIDA STRAITS RECREATIONAL FISHERY

EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF CARDIAC MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION BY LONG NONCODING RNA: INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF KETOSIS AND INTERMITTENT FASTING IN HEART FAILURE - PROJECT SUMMARY: HEART FAILURE, A LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH WORLDWIDE, IS INCREASINGLY RECOGNIZED AS A METABOLIC DISORDER LINKED TO MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION AND ENERGY DEFICITS. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PREVENT HEART FAILURE AND DEVELOP EFFECTIVE THERAPIES TO IMPROVE AND EXTEND THE LIVES OF CARDIAC PATIENTS. METABOLIC INTERVENTIONS, SUCH AS KETOSIS AND INTERMITTENT FASTING, HAVE SHOWN PROMISE IN IMPROVING MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION AND HEART FAILURE OUTCOMES. LONG NONCODING RNAS (LNCRNAS) REGULATE GENE EXPRESSION BY INTERACTING WITH CHROMATIN, TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS, OR OTHER RNA MOLECULES. WHILE LNCRNAS ARE KNOWN TO REGULATE MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION AND ARE ALTERED IN HEART FAILURE, THEIR SPECIFIC ROLES, PARTICULARLY UNDER KETOTIC CONDITIONS, REMAIN POORLY UNDERSTOOD. THE PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THIS PROJECT INDICATE THAT A SIX-MONTH KETOGENIC DIET IN C57BL/6 MICE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THE EXPRESSION OF LNCRNAS ANRIL AND MALAT1, ALONG WITH PROTEINS INVOLVED IN MITOCHONDRIAL PROTECTION AND BIOGENESIS (NRF2 AND PGC1Α) IN MICE HEART. IN VITRO KETOSIS IN AC16 HUMAN CARDIOMYOCYTES, INDUCED BY Β-HYDROXYBUTYRATE ALSO UPREGULATED MALAT1 AND KEY GENES INVOLVED IN KETONE OXIDATION, MITOCHONDRIAL BIOGENESIS, AND ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSE. SIRNA-MEDIATED KNOCKDOWN OF MALAT1 SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED CELLULAR ATP LEVELS, AS WELL AS THE EXPRESSION OF THE RATE-LIMITING KETONE OXIDATION ENZYME SCOT AND THE ANTIOXIDANT GENE NRF2 IN HUMAN CARDIOMYOCYTES. COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS USING LNCRRISEARCH IDENTIFIED INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MALAT1 AND THE MRNAS OF NRF2 AND PGC1Α. FROM THESE RESULTS, IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT KETOSIS-INDUCED UPREGULATION OF MALAT1 IMPROVES MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION AND REDUCES OXIDATIVE STRESS IN HEART FAILURE BY REGULATING MITOCHONDRIAL GENES. AIM 1 WILL INVESTIGATE HOW LNCRNA MALAT1 REGULATES MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION IN HUMAN CARDIOMYOCYTES, FOCUSING ON GENES INVOLVED IN BIOGENESIS, DYNAMICS, AND METABOLISM. MALAT1 WILL BE MODULATED VIA SIRNA KNOCKDOWN AND PLASMID OVEREXPRESSION. RNA CHROMATIN IMMUNOPRECIPITATION-SEQUENCING, QPCR, AND RNA IMMUNOPRECIPITATION WILL BE USED TO EXAMINE ITS INTERACTIONS WITH MITOCHONDRIAL GENE PROMOTERS. MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION WILL BE ASSESSED USING THE SEAHORSE XF ANALYZER AND ASSAYS FOR REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES, MEMBRANE POTENTIAL, AND ATP LEVELS. AIM 2 WILL ASSESS THE THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF MODULATING MALAT1 IN A MOUSE MODEL OF HEART FAILURE WITH PRESERVED EJECTION FRACTION. MALAT1 WILL BE OVEREXPRESSED OR KNOCKED DOWN USING ADENO-ASSOCIATED VIRAL VECTORS, AND METABOLIC INTERVENTIONS LIKE KETONE ESTER SUPPLEMENTATION AND INTERMITTENT FASTING WILL BE TESTED FOR COMBINED EFFECTS ON MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION. CARDIAC FUNCTION WILL BE EVALUATED VIA ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, MYOCARDIAL FIBROSIS WITH MASSON'S TRICHROME STAINING, AND MITOCHONDRIAL BIOENERGETICS AND BIOGENESIS THROUGH SEAHORSE XF ANALYZER, QPCR, WESTERN BLOTTING, AND IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE. THIS INNOVATIVE APPROACH, USING LIFESTYLE OR KETONE BODY-MEDIATED METABOLIC INTERVENTIONS, WILL IDENTIFY HOW THE LNCRNA MALAT1 REGULATES MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION AND AIMS TO DEVELOP NOVEL STRATEGIES FOR TREATING HEART FAILURE.

DEVELOPING DIGITAL SPEECH BIOMARKERS OF BULBAR DISEASE DECLINE IN SPANISH-SPEAKING PERSONS WITH AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS - . ALS IS A RAPIDLY PROGRESSIVE NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE IN WHICH 90% OF PATIENTS WILL EXPERIENCE LOSS OF SPEECH AND SWALLOWING, SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTING QUALITY OF LIFE AND SURVIVAL. ALTHOUGH THE LOSS OF SPEECH AND SWALLOWING FUNCTIONS HAVE BEEN CITED AS THE WORST ASPECTS OF THE DISEASE, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE TRAJECTORY OF BULBAR DISEASE DECLINE AND THUS INTERVENTIONS ARE PRIMARILY REACTIVE IN NATURE. RECENT ADVANCES IN REMOTE DATA COLLECTION HAVE ENABLED THE ASSESSMENT OF BULBAR DECLINE THROUGH SPEECH RECORDINGS; HOWEVER, THESE TOOLS HAVE BEEN VALIDATED EXCLUSIVELY IN ENGLISH, LIMITING THEIR APPLICABILITY TO SPANISH-LANGUAGE SPEAKERS. THE PRIMARY AIM OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP AND VALIDATE DIGITAL BIOMARKERS OF BULBAR DECLINE IN SPANISH-SPEAKING PERSONS WITH ALS (PALS). SPEECH AND RESPIRATORY PARAMETERS WILL BE COLLECTED USING A SMARTPHONE APPLICATION IN SPANISH AND COMPARED TO EQUIVALENT MEASURES FROM SPANISH-SPEAKING CAREGIVERS, CLINICAL OUTCOMES (SPANISH ALS FUNCTIONAL RATING SCALE), AND ACROSS ALS PHENOTYPES (AIM 1). ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL ASSESS THE SENSITIVITY OF MAXIMUM PHONATION TIME IN DETECTING CHANGES IN RESPIRATORY FUNCTION (AIM 2). THE PROJECT LEVERAGES INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE DISEASE MANAGEMENT FOR PALS, ENABLING EARLIER DETECTION OF BULBAR DISEASE DECLINE AND EARLIER INTERVENTION TO EXTEND FUNCTIONAL INDEPENDENCE.

EAGER GERMINATION COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LEVERAGING A RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL NETWORK TO CATALYZE STATEWIDE INNOVATIVE AND SOCIETALLY RELEVANT RESEARCH -THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED THROUGH THE NSF DIRECTORATE FOR ENGINEERING GERMINATION PROGRAM, WHICH SEEKS TO FOSTER THE DEVELOPMENT OF PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES TO INCREASE THE ABILITY OF ACADEMIC RESEARCHERS TO FORMULATE RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND IDEAS WITH POTENTIALLY TRANSFORMATIVE OUTCOMES. MAJOR SOCIETAL CHALLENGES CAN BENEFIT FROM LARGE, COORDINATED SOLUTIONS THAT LEVERAGE INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAMS WITH COLLABORATIONS FROM ACADEMIA, GOVERNMENT, INDUSTRY, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS. HOWEVER, MANY COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY FACULTY HAVE LIMITED EXPERIENCE, TOOLS, AND SUPPORT TO SUCCESSFULLY ENGAGE IN DIVERSE TEAMS THAT EXTEND BEYOND THEIR DEPARTMENT, MUCH LESS THEIR INSTITUTION. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO CREATE AND SUSTAIN INTER-INSTITUTIONAL TEAMS COMPOSED OF JUNIOR AND SENIOR FACULTY MEMBERS WITH DIVERSE STEM PERSPECTIVES AND METHODOLOGIES FOCUSING ON PRESSING REGIONAL ISSUES SUCH AS COASTAL CHALLENGES. THIS STATEWIDE RESEARCH INTERVENTION PROJECT WILL BE DEVELOPED AND SUPPORTED BY RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS EMBEDDED IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS ACROSS FLORIDA. BROADER IMPACTS WILL ACCRUE FROM INSTANTIATION OF INTERDISCIPLINARY, INTER-INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH TEAMS WHO DEVELOP RESEARCH PROJECTS CAPABLE OF SUCCESSFULLY ADDRESSING SOCIETAL CHALLENGES. SUCCESS IN THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE A TEMPLATE FOR REPLICATION AND SCALING BY STATES AND OTHER SIZABLE NETWORKS FOCUSED ON ADDRESSING INTRACTABLE PROBLEMS WITH TEAM-BASED SOLUTIONS THAT CROSS DISCIPLINARY BOUNDARIES. THIS PROJECT DIRECTLY ADDRESSES GAPS IN RESEARCHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, NETWORKING, AND SUPPORT BY CREATING AND GUIDING INTER-INSTITUTIONAL TEAMS FORMED AROUND IMPORTANT SOCIETAL NEEDS AND INFORMED BY KEY COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS. IT INVOLVES A TWO-STAGE RESEARCH INTERVENTION THAT COMMENCES WITH A COLLABORATIVE LEARNING AND IDEATION EVENT AND CONTINUES WITH SUPPORTED TEAM AND PROJECT DEVELOPMENT. THE FACILITATORS OF THESE ACTIVITIES WILL BE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT (RD) STAFF FROM FLORIDA COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF A FACULTY EXPERT IN TEAM SCIENCE. THESE RD PROFESSIONALS ARE MEMBERS OF FLORDA, A STATEWIDE NETWORK OF RESEARCH STAFF FROM A DIVERSE SET OF 21 MEMBER INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE AND MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS. DURING THIS PROGRAM, RD PROFESSIONALS WILL SERVE AS THE ?GLUE? TO FORM AND FACILITATE FACULTY TEAMS, AS CONNECTIVE BOUNDARY SPANNERS WITH INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE AS WELL AS BROADER KNOWLEDGE ENCOMPASSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STRATEGIC GROWTH, EXISTING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, AND STATEWIDE POLICY AND FUNDING INITIATIVES. THESE FACILITATORS WILL NURTURE NEWLY FORMED RESEARCH TEAMS INTO STABLE GROUPS WITH ALIGNED GOALS AND DEFINED MEMBER ROLES, LEVERAGING ACTIVITIES DESIGNED TO ENHANCE KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION AND CREATE A SHARED TRANSDISCIPLINARY FRAMEWORK. SUCCESS IN THIS PROJECT MAY ENHANCE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO IMPLEMENT TEAM SCIENCE APPROACHES IN GEOGRAPHICALLY DISPERSED GROUPS. IT WILL ALSO BE IMPORTANT FOR CHARTING A PATH THROUGH WHICH RD PROFESSIONALS CAN FOSTER AND SUPPORT TEAM SCIENCE SPANNING MULTIPLE AND DIVERSE PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS. 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.

FLORIDA'S DEEP-WATER OASES: EXPLORATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF DEEP REEF ECOSYSTEMS

DLT GRANTS - CARES ACT - EDUCATIONAL

DEVELOPING SOUTH FLORIDA FISH

ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT CORAL REEF CONSERVATION COLLABORATION

NATIONAL CORAL REEF INSTITUTE

ECOSYSTEM-BASED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT IN MOROCCO

AN EXAMINATION OF GABAPENTIN/PREGABALIN INITIATION, MISUSE, AND CONSEQUENCES

ARRA - SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

SUSAN HARWOOD GRANTS

PIEZO1- MEDIATED TYPE H VESSEL FORMATION IN PERIODONTITIS - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT PERIODONTITIS IS DEFINED AS AN INFLAMMATORY BONE LYTIC DISEASE OF WHICH ONSET AND PROGRESSION IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE HOST IMMUNE RESPONSES TO THE DYSBIOSIS OF PERIODONTAL MICROBIOME. TYPE H VESSELS CHARACTERIZED BY THE CELL SURFACE MARKERS, CD31 AND ENDOMUCIN (EMCN), HAVE BEEN FOUND IN BONE TISSUE AS MICROVASCULAR STRUCTURES THAT IS SPECIALIZED IN THE INDUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF OSTEOGENESIS. PIEZO1, A MECHANOSENSITIVE RECEPTOR EXPRESSED ON ENDOTHELIAL CELLS (ECS) PLAY RELEVANT REGULATORY ROLES IN DEVELOPMENT, GROWTH AND FUNCTION OF ECS. THE PRELIMINARY RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE NUMBER OF TYPE H VESSELS IN ALVEOLAR BONE DIMINISHED IN PERIODONTITIS COMPARED TO THAT IN PERIODONTALLY HEALTHY ALVEOLAR BONE, AND THAT ACTIVATION OF PIEZO1 EXPRESSED ON EC CAN PROMOTE THE POLARIZATION OF ECS TOWARD TYPE H PHENOTYPES. THE EMCN EXPRESSED ON ECS WAS REPORTED TO INTERRUPT THE LEUKOCYTE’S TRANS-EC MIGRATION. BASED ON THESE LINES OF EVIDENCE AND PRELIMINARY RESULTS, IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT ACTIVATION OF PIEZO1 EXPRESSED IN VASCULAR ECS INDUCES POLARIZATION OF TYPE H VESSELS WHICH, IN TURN, DOWN-REGULATE THE INFILTRATION OF OSTEOCLAST PRECURSORS FROM BLOOD CIRCULATION TO THE BONE SURFACE OF ALVEOLAR BONE IN PERIODONTITIS. THIS HYPOTHESIS WILL BE TESTED BY THE FOLLOWING TWO SPECIFIC AIMS: AIM 1) TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THE STIMULATION OF PIEZO1 EXPRESSED ON VASCULAR ECS CAN POLARIZE THEM TOWARDS TYPE H VESSELS. AIM 2) TO DETERMINE THE ROLE OF PIEZO1 EXPRESSED ON ECS IN THE TYPE-H VESSEL FORMATION USING A MOUSE PERIODONTITIS. MAJOR FOUR TRAINING GOALS IN THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN INCLUDE: 1) GAIN AND IMPROVE EXPERTISE IN BASIC SCIENTIFIC METHODS ASSOCIATED WITH OSTEO-VASCULAR BIOLOGY, OSTEOIMMUNOLOGY AND PERIODONTOLOGY, 2) OBTAIN SKILLS IN MANAGEMENT AND ANALYSES OF DATASETS, 3) ACQUIRE TECHNICAL METHODS TO CONDUCT PROPOSED K08 RESEARCH STRATEGY, AND 4) DEVELOP COMPETENCIES REQUIRED TO LEAD A RESEARCH PROGRAM, INCLUDING PARTICIPATION OF GRANT WRITING COURSE AND WORKSHOP. MENTOR, DR. HAN, AND CO-MENTOR, DR. KAWAI, DR. DU AND DR. CRANE WHO ARE EXPERIENCED IN THE PROPOSED STUDY ADDRESSING THE PERIODONTAL OSTEOIMMUNOLOGY, MICROFLUIDICS OR TYPE H VASCULAR BIOLOGY, AS WELL AS MENTORING OF POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS AND JUNIOR FACULTIES FOR THEIR CAREER DEVELOPMENT IN THE ACADEMIC RESEARCH FIELDS, WILL BE COMMITTED TO SUPPORT THE CANDIDATE’S CAREER DEVELOPMENT, ALONG WITH CONSULTATION COMMITTEES COMPOSED OF 3 EXPERT RESEARCHERS IN THE FIELDS OF PATHOLOGICAL IMMUNE DYSREGULATION RELATED TO THE LEUKOCYTE MIGRATION, 3D TRANSPARENT TISSUE HISTOLOGY, AND PIEZO1-MEDIATED MECHANOSENSORY SYSTEM, RESPECTIVELY. ALL REQUIRED EQUIPMENT, DEVICES, PROTOCOLS AND MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE LABORATORIES OF MENTORS AND CONSULTANTS. THE CANDIDATE IS GIVEN A DESK AND LABORATORY SPACE IN CENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH (CCR) WHICH IS THE LARGEST BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH BUILDING IN SOUTH FLORIDA, EQUIPPED WITH A VARIETY OF CUTTING-EDGE EQUIPMENT IN THE CORE FACILITIES, ALL OF WHICH ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE CANDIDATE’S RESEARCH PROJECT. THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS POTENTIALLY PARADIGM SHIFTING PROJECT IN PERIODONTAL RESEARCH IS EXPECTED TO FORM THE FOUNDATION FOR A FUTURE RO1 GRANT APPLICATION.

PRECLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS OF CYTOTOXICITY ASSAYS

CONFERENCE: RESEARCH DEVELOPERS AS HUBS OF SUPPORT TO LAUNCH AND LEVEL UP FACULTY'S RESEARCH CAREERS AND NURTURING INSTITUTIONAL ECOSYSTEMS -THE PROPOSED MEETINGS WILL INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW RESEARCH-RELATED SUPPORTIVE ACTIVITIES ASSIST EARLY-CAREER FACULTY AND ENHANCE THEIR DIVERSE INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENTS. EMERGING RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, AND THE FACULTY WHO WORK THERE, HAVE UNIQUE OBSTACLES FOR LAUNCHING AND SUSTAINING RESEARCH PROJECTS. THE PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP GUIDANCE AND RESOURCES TAILORED TO NEW FACULTY, STAFF, AND ADMINISTRATORS AT THESE INSTITUTIONS WHO CAN ACCESS THEM WITH NO/MINIMAL STARTUP COSTS OR TIME INVESTMENT TO ADVANCE THEIR SUCCESS IN RESEARCH. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH STATE AND NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES, THE CONVENINGS WILL CAPTURE IDEAS FOR ANSWERING SEVERAL QUESTIONS IN SERVICE OF EMERGING RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, THEIR DIVERSE PROFESSORIATE, AND THE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT (RD) PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE BASE: 1) HOW CAN STAFF AND ADMINISTRATORS WITH VARIOUS POSITION DESCRIPTIONS ENGAGE IN RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES TO COACH, CONNECT, AND CHAMPION THE FACULTY THEY SUPPORT, ESPECIALLY THOSE EARLY IN THEIR RESEARCH CAREER?; 2) WHAT ARE ACTIONABLE METRICS FOR INDIVIDUAL FACULTY IN TERMS OF PLANNING THEIR RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AND FOR INSTITUTIONS IN TERMS OF STRATEGIC INVESTMENT IN THEIR RESEARCH ENTERPRISE?; AND 3) HOW DO YOU LEVERAGE THE RESOURCES AND EXPERTISE HELD BY LOCAL, STATE, AND NATIONAL NETWORKS TO THE BENEFIT OF DEMOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE, EARLY-CAREER FACULTY IN ALL TYPES OF INSTITUTIONAL SETTINGS? PARTICIPANTS ACROSS THESE CONVENINGS WILL INCLUDE RD AND RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION PROFESSIONALS; UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE, AND DEPARTMENTAL LEADERS; AND EARLY-CAREER FACULTY MEMBERS. AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THE CONVENINGS, AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY REPORT AND LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE GENERATED (AND SHARED OUT TO PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS) ORGANIZED AROUND THE GUIDING QUESTION THEMES OF PLANTING RD SUPPORT SEEDS, ACCESSING ACTIONABLE METRICS, AND LEVERAGING MULTIPLE KNOWLEDGE BASES TOWARD SUPPORTING NEW FACULTY AND EMERGING-RESEARCH/MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS. THROUGH COLLABORATIONS WITH NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES AND A BROADLY RELEVANT FOCUS ON EARLY-CAREER FACULTY AND EMERGING RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE RECOMMENDATIONS, RESOURCES, AND AN ENGAGED STAKEHOLDER COMMUNITY (ALLIANCE?) FOCUSED ON GROWING RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE AND CAPACITY THAT COULD BE NATIONALLY TRANSFORMATIVE. 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: ROLE OF FLEXIBLE DESIGN AND INSTRUCTOR SUPPORTS IN IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE COURSE-BASED RESEARCH EXPERIENCES ACROSS DIVERSE INSTITUTION TYPES

2024 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CYBER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM AND DOD CYBER AND DIGITAL SERVICES ACADEMY GRANT.

IRES TRACK II: SYSTEMS-BASED TRANSDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES TO CORAL REEF SCIENCE AND CONSERVATION