San Diego State University Foundation

SDSU HEALTHLINK CENTER FOR TRANSDISCIPLINARY HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH

COMPREHENSIVE SDSU/UCSD CANCER CENTER PARTNERSHIP 1 OF 2

RRCEP--TA CENTER ON WIOA/PROGRAM PERFORMANCE

VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER FOR QUALITY MANAGEMENT (VRTAC-QM)

SDSU FUERTE: FACULTY UNITED TOWARDS EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AND TRANSFORMATIONAL ENGAGEMENT - OVERALL – PROJECT SUMMARY SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY (SDSU) IS PROPOSING A NEW PROGRAM CALLED SDSU FUERTE OR FACULTY UNIFIED TOWARDS EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AND TRANSFORMATIONAL ENGAGEMENT. THE GOAL OF SDSU FUERTE IS TO RECRUIT A DIVERSE, NINE-PERSON COHORT OF EARLY CAREER OF HEALTH SCIENCES FACULTY FOCUSED ON LATINX HEALTH DISPARITIES WHO WILL JOIN SDSU IN THE 2022-2023 ACADEMIC YEAR. THE RECRUITMENT OF THIS SDSU FUERTE FACULTY COHORT WILL BE ORGANIZED AROUND A PRIORITIZED CLUSTER DESIGN WHERE EMERGING SCHOLARS ELIGIBLE FOR TENURE-TRACK POSITIONS WITH COMMITTED RESEARCH INTERESTS IN LATINX HEALTH DISPARITIES AND DEVELOPING EXPERTISE IN COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH AND IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE WILL BE ASKED TO EXPAND SDSU’S SCHOLARSHIP IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: ADDICTION SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, AND OBESITY/PHYSICAL ACTIVITY/NUTRITION. TO PROMOTE A CULTURE OF INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE, THE SDSU FUERTE LEADERSHIP AIMS TO SUPPORT THE SUCCESS OF THE FACULTY COHORT BY REMOVING BARRIERS OF ISOLATION AND DISCRIMINATION OFTEN EXPERIENCED BY UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY (URM) FACULTY AND PROMOTING SIGNIFICANT, SUSTAINABLE CHANGE WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY THAT WILL SUPPORT AND ALIGN MULTIPLE INSTITUTIONAL GOALS — EXCEL THE GROWTH IN FACULTY DIVERSITY; ESTABLISH AN EVIDENCE-BASED FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN TO ACCELERATE THE FACULTY COHORT’S RESEARCH INDEPENDENCE; FACILITATE PROMOTION AND TENURE AND OVERALL RETENTION AMONG URM FACULTY; EXPAND SDSU’S RESEARCH CAPABILITIES, CAPACITIES, AND PEER-REVIEWED FUNDING PORTFOLIO; AND ULTIMATELY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF THE SURROUNDING LATINX COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF SDSU FUERTE’S RESEARCH. GUIDED BY A NEW FACULTY DEVELOPMENT MODEL, SDSU FUERTE WILL IMPLEMENT A COMPREHENSIVE FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN, COMPOSED OF A NEW MULTI-PERSPECTIVE MENTORING TEAM APPROACH ALONG WITH MENTORING TRAINING AND A NEW CENTRALIZED CORE CURRICULUM THAT APPLIES EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES TO ACCELERATE THE RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL ADVANCEMENT SUCCESS OF ITS FACULTY. THREE CORES — AN ADMINISTRATIVE CORE, FACULTY DEVELOPMENT CORE, AND EVALUATION CORE — WILL BE LED BY AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF SDSU LEADERSHIP WHO WILL WORK COLLABORATIVELY TO IMPLEMENT, EVALUATE, AND REFINE MULTIPLE NEW STRATEGIES TO TRANSFORM THE SDSU COMMUNITY INTO ONE THAT WILL BE NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AS AN EXEMPLAR IN RESEARCH AND INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE. THROUGH THE RESOURCES AND NATIONAL GUIDANCE PROVIDED BY THIS U54 FACULTY INSTITUTIONAL RECRUITMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM AND THE SIGNIFICANT INSTITUTIONAL COMMITMENT BY SDSU, SDSU FUERTE IS POISED TO GROW AND SUSTAIN A LONG-TERM ASSURANCE TO VALUING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION, AND ULTIMATELY POSITIONING SDSU TO BUILD ON ITS HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTION DESIGNATION TO BECOME A LEADING RESEARCH 1 UNIVERSITY.

PROTECTING MYOCARDIUM BY ENHANCING MITOCHODRIAL INTEGRITY

ADMINISTRATIVE CORE OF THE CIFASD (U24)

A MULTISITE NEUROBEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT OF FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS

CALIFORNIA HEALTH INCENTIVES IMPROVEMENT PROJECT (CHIIP)

BUILDING CAPACITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE FOR POPULATION HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY

COMMERCIALIZATION OF ADVANCED TECH

LANGUAGE MODALITY AND THE BRAIN

DESCRIPTION:THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO EMPOWER COMMUNITIES BY PROVIDING CRITICAL SERVICES TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. THESE SERVICES WILL EXPAND PARTICIPANTS' CAPACITY TO MEET COMMUNITY-DEFINED PRIORITIES AND PARTICIPATE MEANINGFULLY IN DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES, FOCUSING SPECIFICALLY ON UNDERSERVED, RURAL, REMOTE, TRIBAL, INDIGENOUS, AND PACIFIC ISLAND COMMUNITIES ACROSS EPA REGION 9. THE GOAL/MISSION IS TO LEVERAGE AND STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY ASSETS BY CREATING AN ACCESSIBLE IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL COMMUNITY THAT BUILDS CAPACITY AND PROVIDES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CENTERED AROUND FOUR UNIFYING OBJECTIVES: 1) OUTREACH AND PARTNERSHIP BUILDING, 2) DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES, 3) TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE AND BUILDING COMMUNITY CAPACITY, 4) EVALUATION, ADAPTATION, AND INNOVATION. THE HUB OF THE THRIVING COMMUNITIES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTERS (TCTAC) WILL BE BASED IN A PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL CENTER AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY (SDSU) CALLED THE CENTER FOR COMMUNITY ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. HUB PARTNERS WILL WORK TO COORDINATE ACTIVITIES IN THEIR AREA(S) OF EXPERTISE ACROSS ALL OF EPA REGION 9 AND WILL FACILITATE CO-PRODUCTION, CO-DEVELOPMENT, SHARING , TRANSFER, AND DELIVERY OF BOTH PROCESS AND CONTENT AMONG SPOKE PARTNERS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS (AIR, WATER, WASTE, ENERGY, TOXICS) AND GRANTSMANSHIP. SPOKE PARTNERS WILL LEAD ON DELIVERING SERVICES (IN PERSON AND VIRTUALLY) TO ELIGIBLE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, BUILDING AND EXPANDING ON THEIR EXISTING ELIGIBLE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS IN THEIR NETWORK AND IDENTIFYING AND CONNECTING WITH NEW COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, SUPPORTING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND CAPACITY BUILDING. HUB PARTNERS INCLUDE: SDSU COMMUNITY CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION NETWORK, USD ENERGY POLICY INITIATIVE CENTER, ASU ENERGY AND SOCIETY, INSTITUTE FOR TRIBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROFESSIONALS, AND CENTER FOR CREATIVE LAND RECYCLING. SPOKE PARTNERS INCLUDE: CLIMATE SCIENCE ALLIANCE (CA), PUBLIC HEALTH ALLIANCE (CA), ARIZONA STATE UNIV SCHOOL OF SUSTAINABILITY (AZ), DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE (NV), PACIFIC RISA (HI, AS), AND UNIV OF GUAM CENTER FOR ISLAND SUSTAINABILITY (GUAM). THIS AGREEMENT PROVIDES PARTIAL FEDERAL FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF $4,000,000. PRE-AWARD COSTS ARE APPROVED BACK TO 6/1/2023. REFER TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS.ACTIVITIES:SDSU TCTAC'S MISSION IS TO LEVERAGE AND STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY ASSETS BY CREATING AN ACCESSIBLE IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL COMMUNITY THAT BUILDS CAPACITY AND PROVIDES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CENTERED AROUND FOUR UNIFYING OBJECTIVES: 1) OUTREACH AND PARTNERSHIP BUILDING, 2) DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES, 3) TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE AND BUILDING COMMUNITY CAPACITY, 4) EVALUATION, ADAPTATION, AND INNOVATION. ACTIVITIES INCLUDE CONVENING TCTAC HUBS AND SPOKES MEETINGS. CONDUCTING NEEDS ASSESSMENTS STARTING WITH COMMUNITIES WHERE TCTAC PARTNERS. DEVELOP OUTREACH COLLATERAL (I.E. LOGO, WEBSITE, COMMUNICATION CHANNELS, ETC). RELEASE OF COMMUNICATION MATERIALS TO SPOKES TO CUSTOMIZE AND ENHANCE OUTREACH. INCREASING COMMUNITY FOOTPRINT RECEIVING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 5-10%. DEVELOP COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE PORTAL. HUBS WILL COMPILE EXISTING INFORMATION ON GRANTSMANSHIP, ENERGY JUSTICE (ENJ), AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE (EJ) TO SHARE. HUB TEAMS WILL WORK WITH SPOKE PARTNERS AND COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS TO CO-PRODUCE NEW MATERIALS TO MEET PARTNER NEEDS WITH CONTINUOUS ROLL-OUT AS NEW RESOURCES ARE COMPLETED. CONDUCT ANNUAL INTRA-TCTAC TRAINING ON WORKPLACE CONDUCT, MICROAGGRESSIONS, AND THE TENETS OF DEIA. CONVENE COMMUNITY TRAINING EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS, ONE-ON-ONE SERVICES, COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE PORTAL PROVIDING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS (AIR, WATER, ENERGY, WASTE, TOXICS). SERVICE DELIVERY TRACKING AND FEEDBACK EFFORTS. CONDUCT MONTHLY INTRA-TCTAC COORDINATION CALLS. SUBMIT REQUIRED REPORTS TO EPA. PARTICIPATE IN EPA REGIONAL AND NATIONAL MEETINGS AND SYMPOSIUMS.

SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY MINORITY BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH SUPPORT PROGRAM

THE AUTISTIC BRAIN OVER 45: THE ANATOMIC, FUNCTIONAL, AND COGNITIVE PHENOTYPE

ALCOHOL RESEARCH IN THE SCIENCE/PRACTITIONER MODEL

USGS NON-COMPETITIVE ASSISTANCE FY 2020 - SACRAMENTO ACQUISITION BRANCH

AN ECOLOGICAL APPROACH TO ADDRESSING CHILDHOOD OBESITY ISSUES IN IMPERIAL COUNTY

USGS-SDSUF COOPERATIVE JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

NATIONAL VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER

SDSU ADAR PROGRAM

GENETICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF STRIATED MUSCLE MYOSIN

GEAR-UP

INNOVATION FOR SMOKE-FREE HOMES: REAL-TIME FEEDBACK

EVOLUTIONARY AND FUNCTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF NOVEL MUTATIONS IN MDR-XDR TB

CALIFORNIA WATER SCIENCE CENTER AND ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH CENTER, DATED 07/02/2010

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** AS ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL CHALLENGES IN GLOBAL FOOD SYSTEMS GROW, THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO ENSURE LONG-TERM PRODUCTIVITY AND/OR PROFITABILITY AS WELL AS FAIR SOLUTIONS TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO HEALTHFUL, AFFORDABLE, AND NUTRITIOUS FOODS WHILE RESTORING COMPLEX ECOSYSTEMS, SOIL HEALTH, AND WATER RESOURCES. AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES THAT REDUCED RELIANCE ON EXTERNAL INPUTS OFFERS A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO RESTORE ECOSYSTEMS AND IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY BY FOCUSING ON SOIL HEALTH, WATER QUALITY, BIODIVERSITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESILIENCE. HOWEVER, A CRITICAL SHORTAGE OF SKILLED PROFESSIONALS IN FOOD, AGRICULTURE, NATURAL RESOURCES, AND HUMAN SCIENCES (FANH) IS HINDERING OUR NATION'S ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS THESE PRESSING ISSUES. AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY, OUR MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM IS ADDRESSING THESE CHALLENGES THROUGH EDUCATION, RESEARCH, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. OUR GOAL IS TO STRENGTHEN THE WORKFORCE IN FANH BY TRAINING UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS TO BE ELIGIBLE TO JOIN THE USDA WORKFORCE IN POSITIONS RANGING FROM ENTRY-LEVEL TO LEADERSHIP. COLLABORATING WITH OVER 32 PARTNERS INCLUDING FARMERS, RANCHERS AND USDA AGENCIES, OUR PROGRAM TRAINS STUDENTS THROUGH EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING, PAID INTERNSHIPS, AND MENTORSHIP. WE EDUCATE OUR PROJECT PARTICIPANTS THROUGH A ROUNDED APPROACH TO ROBUST AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS, ADDRESSING RESEARCH QUESTIONS ACROSS ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES TO IDENTIFY EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS TO THE AGRICULTURALENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES (E.G. DROUGHT AND FLOODING) AND GLOBALIZED AGRICULTURE. OUTREACH INCLUDES ACTIVE RECRUITMENT TO CAPTURE STUDENTS' INTERESTS AT AN EARLY THROUGH COLLABORATIONS WITH HIGH SCHOOLS AND DEVELOPING A TIER-MENTORING PROGRAM, CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT, AND PUBLIC WORKSHOPS. IN ORDER TO DISSEMINATE OUR STUDENTS' RESEARCH AND PROVIDE A DIRECT BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY WE ARE DEVELOPING A SYMPOSIUM WHICH WILL INCLUDE SCIENTISTS, FARMERS AND RANCHERS, AND OTHER GROUPS INVOLVED IN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE. THE PROGRAM IS GUIDED BY AN ADVISORY BOARD AND TRACKED BY ROBUST EVALUATION METHODS TO ENSURE OUTPUTS AND IMPACTS ARE MEASURED AND ARE WITHIN THE PROGRAM NEEDS.

OBESITY AND CONTROL IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY

PIRE: ASSEMBLY OF MARINE BIODIVERSITY ALONG GEOGRAPHIC AND ANTHROPOGENIC STRESS GRADIENTS

REHABILITATION CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM

GENETIC REGULATION OF MUSCLE FIBER DIVERSITY

ANCILLARY TO HCHS/SOL: SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS AND CVD RISK/PREVALENCE IN HISPANICS

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPLEMENT TO PARENT GRANT: "ENHANCING CAPACITY IN FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO IMPLEMENT AND SUSTAIN MULTILEVEL INNOVATIONS TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY" - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT TO REALIZE THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE FAITH IN ACTION INTERVENTION, AND MEET THE GOALS OF THE NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD INSTITUTE AND THE OFFICE OF BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH, THE PROPOSED ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPLEMENT EXAMINES NOVEL MODERATIONS AND MECHANISMS OF CHANGE HYPOTHESIZED TO INFLUENCE THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (PA) OF LATINA CHURCHGOERS. THE AIMS ARE TO: 1) EXAMINE FAITH IN ACTION (E.G., MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING, GROUP EXERCISE) AND ORGANIZATIONAL-LEVEL (E.G., PASTOR SUPPORT) MEDIATORS IN RELATION TO LATINAS' PA AND 2) EVALUATE PROMOTORAS' PERSONALISMO AS A MODERATOR OF FAITH IN ACTION IN RELATION TO LATINAS' PA. FROM THE FIRST 8 CHURCHES ENROLLED IN THE TRIAL DESCRIBED IN THE PARENT GRANT, WE WILL INVITE CHURCHGOING LATINAS (N=202) TO COMPLETE BASELINE AND 6-MONTH SURVEYS ASSESSING MEDIATORS AND MODERATORS OF CHANGE. ALSO AT 6 MONTHS, A SUBSAMPLE OF ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS (N=50) FROM BOTH THE STANDARD AND ENHANCED CONDITIONS WILL BE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN FOCUS GROUPS TO CONTEXTUALIZE OUR QUANTITATIVE FINDINGS. THIS APPROACH IS CONGRUENT WITH THE GOALS OF THE PARENT GRANT TO ENHANCE THE CAPACITY OF FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND INCREASE PA LEVELS.

IMPERIAL COUNTY CLINICAL RESEARCH NETWORK FOR HEALTH EQUITY (ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPLEMENT) - PROJECT SUMMARY ICCRN IS BUILDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE (PERSONNEL, EQUIPMENT, AND SYSTEMS [POLICIES AND PROCEDURES]) FOR CLINICAL RESEARCH WITHIN A FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER – INNERCARE - THAT SERVES A RURAL, BORDER COMMUNITY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, SPECIFICALLY IMPERIAL AND SOUTH RIVERSIDE COUNTIES. THE ICCRN RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE IS INTENDED TO SUPPORT BOTH OBSERVATIONAL (E.G., COHORT STUDIES; SECONDARY ANALYSES USING ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD [EHR] DATA) AND INTERVENTION RESEARCH (FROM EFFICACY TO PRAGMATIC TRIALS). IN THIS ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPLEMENT APPLICATION, WE PROPOSE TO AUGMENT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES ALREADY APPROVED UNDER THE PRIME CONTRACT, INCLUDING PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION OF VARIOUS SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH (SDOH) USING PHENX MEASURES AMONG PATIENTS WITH UNCONTROLLED DIABETES AND WOMEN RECEIVING PRENATAL AND POSTPARTUM CARE THROUGH INNERCARE. THESE DATA WILL FORM THE BASIS OF OUR COMMON DATA ELEMENTS (CDES), DATA THAT WILL BE HARMONIZED WITH OTHER CLINICAL NETWORK SITES. IDENTIFYING CDES, AS WELL AS PROTOCOLS AND PROCESSES FOR DATA SHARING AND HARMONIZATION WITH OTHER CLINICAL NETWORK SITES, HAS THE POTENTIAL TO INCREASE DATA INTEROPERABILITY AND CONTRIBUTE GENERALIZABLE KNOWLEDGE RELEVANT TO ADDRESS HEALTH DISPARITIES. THE SPECIFIC AIMS OF THIS ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPLEMENT INCLUDE: AIM 1 – PROMOTE MHHD RESEARCH BY AUGMENTING RESEARCH STAFF SUPPORT, INCLUDING WITHIN THE CLINICAL PARTNER ORGANIZATION. AIM 2 – A. PP1: IDENTIFY SDOH RELEVANT TO DIABETES MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL, AND TREATMENT ADHERENCE. PP1 SAMPLE SIZE IS INCREASED FROM N=126 TO N=198 TO SUPPORT ADDITIONAL MODERATION AND MEDIATION ANALYSES. IN ADDITION, PP1 T2 (3 MONTHS POST-BASELINE) DATA COLLECTION IS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THE COLLECTION OF ADDITIONAL PHENX MEASURES FROM COHORT PARTICIPANTS; B. IDENTIFY SDOH RELEVANT TO ADVERSE PREGNANCY OUTCOMES (APOS). PP2 IS AUGMENTED TO INCLUDE PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION OF PHENX AND OTHER MEASURES FROM A SYSTEMATIC SAMPLE OF POSTPARTUM PATIENTS (N=600). IN ADDITION, PP2 IS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION FROM PATIENTS (N=10). AIM 3 – SUPPORT DATA HARMONIZATION WITH OTHER CRNHE CLINICAL SITES FOR RAPID IDENTIFICATION OF NEW PROJECT IDEAS AND DISSEMINATION OF LOCAL AND NETWORK-HARMONIZED DATA TO PATIENT, ORGANIZATIONAL, AND COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS. COMPLETION OF ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPLEMENT AIMS 1-3 WILL AUGMENT BOTH LOCAL AND NATIONAL EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY IMPORTANT MODIFIABLE DETERMINANTS TO INFORM FUTURE INTERVENTIONS (AS IN THE CASE OF PP2), AND DETERMINANTS OF TREATMENT EFFECTIVENESS (AS IN THE CASE OF PP1). HARMONIZED DATA WITH OTHER NETWORK SITES WILL CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE FOR SDOH RELEVANT ACROSS DIVERSE POPULATIONS WHO SHARE SOME CHARACTERISTICS (E.G., PATIENTS OF A FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER, EDUCATION LEVEL) BUT NOT OTHERS (E.G., RACE/ETHNICITY, IMMIGRATION STATUS).

NRT-IPP: SMART CONSTRUCTION, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND BUILDINGS THROUGH EDUCATION, RESEARCH, AND CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY -THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IS POISED FOR A MAJOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WITH TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS THAT ARE SET TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY, PRODUCTIVITY, AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE FIELD. TO LEVERAGE THESE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL, THERE IS AN URGENT NEED FOR SKILLED PROFESSIONALS WHO UNDERSTAND BOTH CONSTRUCTION AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY. THIS NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION RESEARCH TRAINEESHIP (NRT) AWARD TO SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY (SDSU) IN COLLABORATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA (UVA) WILL DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE GRADUATE PROGRAM IN SMART CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES. THE PROJECT ANTICIPATES TRAINING OF ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY?FIVE (135) MS STUDENTS, INCLUDING THIRTY-ONE (31) FUNDED TRAINEES, FROM FIELDS SUCH AS CIVIL ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, AND COMPUTER SCIENCE. BY BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN TRADITIONAL CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES AND EMERGING DIGITAL INNOVATIONS, THE PROGRAM WILL HELP CREATE SAFER WORKSITES, BETTER-PERFORMING BUILDINGS, AND MORE SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE WHILE OPENING CONSTRUCTION CAREERS TO MORE GROUPS OF PROFESSIONALS. THE SCIBER-CT (PRONOUNCED ?CYBER CITY?) NRT PROGRAM WILL INTEGRATE THREE TECHNOLOGICAL FOCUS AREAS WITHIN MODERN CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING, ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION, AND ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS AND IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGIES. THE EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK INCLUDES AN 18-UNIT CERTIFICATE PROGRAM FEATURING SPECIALIZED COURSEWORK, RESEARCH COMPONENTS, AND INTERNSHIPS, WITH PLANS TO DEVELOP A FULL MASTER?S DEGREE FOLLOWING A FEASIBILITY STUDY. STUDENTS WILL PARTICIPATE IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODULES COVERING ESSENTIAL SKILLS LIKE COMMUNICATION, TEAM SCIENCE, AND ETHICS. EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING THROUGH INDUSTRY INTERNSHIPS AND HACKATHONS WILL ALLOW STUDENTS TO APPLY THEIR TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE TO REAL-WORLD CONSTRUCTION CHALLENGES. THESE ELEMENTS ARE DESIGNED TO CULTIVATE T-SHAPED PROFESSIONALS WHO NOT ONLY EXCEL IN THEIR AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION BUT ARE ALSO SKILLED IN CROSS-DISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION. THE CROSS-INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATION LEVERAGES SDSU EXPERTISE IN ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY AND UVA?S ESTABLISHED EXPERIENCE WITH INTERDISCIPLINARY GRADUATE EDUCATION IN CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS. THIS PARTNERSHIP CREATES A MODEL FOR EXPANDING ADVANCED GRADUATE EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES WHILE ADDRESSING CRITICAL WORKFORCE NEEDS. THE PROMISE OF THE SCIBER-CT PROGRAM IS TO TRANSFORM GRADUATE TRAINING IN CONSTRUCTION BY CREATING A SCALABLE, INDUSTRY-RELEVANT EDUCATIONAL ECOSYSTEM THAT ADVANCES BOTH SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND SOCIETAL BENEFITS. THE NRT INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIP PILOT (NRT-IPP) IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN THE DIRECTORATES FOR STEM EDUCATION (EDU) AND TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION, AND PARTNERSHIPS (TIP) TO SUPPORT RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PROJECTS WITH HIGH INDUSTRY RELEVANCE IN EMERGING FIELDS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

SAN DIEGO PARTNERSHIP TO REDUCE DIABETES AND CVD IN LATINOS

ASSESSING THE NEURAL DYNAMICS OF READING IN DEAF ADULTS

BEHAVIORAL TELEHEALTH IN LOW-RESOURCE PRIMARY CARE SETTINGS FOR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN YOUTH: A RANDOMIZED EFFECTIVENESS-IMPLEMENTATION STUDY - THE PROPOSED HYBRID TYPE 1 RANDOMIZED EFFECTIVENESS-IMPLEMENTATION TRIAL WILL PROBE THE EFFECTS OF BRIEF BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (STEP-UP) FOR YOUTHS WITH ANXIETY AND/OR DEPRESSION RECRUITED FROM LOW-RESOURCE PRIMARY CARE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS (CHCS) THAT SERVE A DIVERSE POPULATION OF VULNERABLE FAMILIES. ANXIETY AND MOOD DISORDERS IN YOUTH ARE PREVALENT AND IMPAIRING, WITH HIGH CURRENT AND LIFETIME COMORBIDITY IN PART DUE TO SHARED ETIOLOGIC FACTORS. UNTREATED, THESE DISORDERS LEAD TO SUSTAINED FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT AND CONVEY INCREASED RISK FOR RECURRENT DISORDER AND SUICIDE. ONLY 1 IN 5 ANXIOUS AND 2 IN 5 DEPRESSED YOUTH REPORT ANY LIFETIME MENTAL HEALTH USE, THE LOWEST TREATMENT RATES FOR ANY YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE NOTABLE DISPARITIES IN CARE, WITH FAMILIES EXPERIENCING HIGH SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH (SDOH) BURDEN AND MINORITY YOUTHS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS LIKELY TO RECEIVE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THAN SIMILARLY AFFECTED, BUT LESS DISADVANTAGED, YOUTHS. FURTHER, FAMILIES WHO ARE SERVED IN SAFETY-NET SETTINGS SUCH AS CHCS OFTEN EXPERIENCE MULTIPLE, INTERSECTIONAL RISKS AND BARRIERS TO EVIDENCE-BASED CARE. THEREFORE, EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IS A CRITICAL PUBLIC HEALTH PRIORITY, ESPECIALLY FOR TRADITIONALLY UNDERSERVED YOUTHS. STEP-UP IS A STREAMLINED TRANSDIAGNOSTIC BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION DEVELOPED TO EFFICIENTLY TREAT ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AS A UNIFIED PROBLEM AREA BY TARGETING AVOIDANCE BEHAVIOR COMMON TO BOTH DISORDER CLASSES. THE PROPOSED STUDY BUILDS ON A SUCCESSFUL MULTI-SITE RCT OF STEP-UP BASED IN PRIMARY CARE WITH AN INSURED POPULATION OF YOUTHS. TO INCREASE DISSEMINATION POTENTIAL TO LOW-RESOURCE CHCS, WE HAVE ADAPTED THE PROGRAM FROM A FACE-TO-FACE FORMAT TO A DIGITAL HEALTH FRAMEWORK AND DEVELOPED A SPANISH-LANGUAGE TRANSLATION. PILOT STUDIES OF THIS REVISED VERSION OF STEP-UP HAVE SHOWN FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY; HOWEVER, DATA ON CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS ARE STILL NEEDED IN THIS NEW SETTING (CHC) AND SAMPLE (HIGH SDOH RISK). THUS, WE PROPOSE TO CONDUCT AN INNOVATIVE, 5-YEAR HYBRID EFFECTIVENESS-IMPLEMENTATION STUDY (TYPE 1) RIGOROUSLY TESTING THE CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DIGITAL HEALTH VERSION OF STEP-UP, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY COLLECTING DATA TO PLAN FUTURE CHC IMPLEMENTATION TRIALS. YOUTHS (AGE 8.0-16.5, N=220) WILL BE IDENTIFIED AND RECRUITED THROUGH ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS (EHR) AND CLINICIAN REFERRAL. ELIGIBLE YOUTHS WILL BE RANDOMIZED TO (A) STEP-UP OR (B) FACILITATED REFERRAL TO TAU IN THE COMMUNITY (TAU+). CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS WILL BE ASSESSED BY MASKED INDEPENDENT EVALUATORS AT STEP-UP POST-TREATMENT (WEEK 16) AND AT FOLLOW-UP (WEEK 32). IMPLEMENTATION DATA WILL BE PULLED FROM: (A) SURVEYS OF CHC LEADERS, (B) SURVEYS OF AND INTERVIEWS WITH STEP-UP CLINICIANS, AND (C) EHR AND CHC ADMINISTRATIVE DATA. SPECIFIC AIMS INCLUDE TESTING THE CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS OF STEP-UP AND ENGAGEMENT OF THE INTERVENTION MECHANISM (AIM 1), PROBING COST EFFECTIVENESS (AIM 2), TESTING SDOH PREDICTORS AND MODERATORS TO EVALUATE ROBUSTNESS OF EFFECTS (AIM 3), AND IDENTIFYING TARGET MECHANISMS FOR FUTURE IMPLEMENTATION TRIALS USING THE CONSOLIDATED FRAMEWORK FOR IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH (AIM 4).

GENETICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF MYOSIN

SDSU HSI STEM AND ARTICULATION PROGRAM

MINORITY ACCESS TO RESEARCH CAREERS

CLINICIAN PROMOTION OF HEALTHY DIET AND ACTIVITY TO REDUCE OBESITY AMONG ADOLESCE

RNA MODIFICATION: STRUCTURE AND MECHANISM

SPATIOTEMPORAL BRAIN IMAGING OF ALCOHOL EFFECTS ON INHIBITORY CONTROL

STEM CELL SIGNALING IN THE PATHOLOGICALLY CHALLENGED MYOCARDIUM

RECOVERY ACT GREEN JOBS

DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE BILINGUAL EDUCATORS WITH RESOURCES

THE NEURO-COGNITION OF WORD COMPREHENSION

NEURAL MECHANISMS OF RISK AND RESILIENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD IRRITABILITY

AKT ACTIVATION TO TREAT HEART FAILURE

GERIATRICS WORKFORCE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM

1/2 CANCER RESEARCH AND EDUCATION TO ADVANCE HEALTH EQUITY (CREATE) PARTNERSHIP - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT – OVERALL THE CANCER RESEARCH AND EDUCATION TO ADVANCE HEALTH EQUITY (CREATE) PARTNERSHIP’S OVERARCHING GOALS ARE TO FURTHER INCREASE SDSU’S CANCER RESEARCH CAPACITIES AND EXPAND SDSU’S AND UCSD’S EMPHASIS ON CANCER HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH. BI-DIRECTIONAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS ALSO A PRINCIPAL FEATURE THAT IS INTEGRATED ACROSS EVERY ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT IN THE CREATE PARTNERSHIP AND IS A STRENGTH THAT SDSU HAS BUILT OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS. ADDITIONAL GOALS INCLUDE DEVELOPING CANCER RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AND PATHWAYS FOR UNDERGRADUATE, GRADUATE, AND MEDICAL STUDENTS, AS WELL AS EARLY-STAGE INVESTIGATORS (ESIS), WHICH WILL LEAD TO A FUTURE WORKFORCE THAT IS MORE DIVERSE AND REFLECTIVE OF THE CATCHMENT-AREA POPULATION. TO MEET THESE OVERARCHING GOALS, THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIC AIMS ARE PROPOSED: 1) RECRUIT AND SUPPORT DIVERSE ESIS WHO HAVE CHOSEN AN INTENTIONAL CAREER GOAL TO BECOME INDEPENDENT, CANCER-FOCUSED RESEARCHERS (ADMINISTRATIVE CORE AND TRANSFORMING FACULTY DEVELOPMENT FOR EQUITY [TALENT] SHARED RESOURCE); 2) CONDUCT CATCHMENT-AREA RELEVANT RESEARCH AND PILOT RESEARCH PROJECTS ALIGNED WITH IDENTIFIED CANCER PRIORITIES FOR THE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES IN THE REGION (RESEARCH AND RESEARCH PILOT PROJECTS AND PLANNING AND EVALUATION CORE); 3) EXPAND AND IMPLEMENT CANCER, CANCER DISPARITIES, AND COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH EDUCATION WITH A FOCUS ON UNDER-REPRESENTED STUDENTS ACROSS SDSU AND UCSD UNDERGRADUATE, GRADUATE PROGRAMS, AND MEDICAL STUDENTS (RESEARCH EDUCATION CORE); AND 4) INTEGRATE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INTO ALL CREATE PARTNERSHIP ACTIVITIES (OUTREACH CORE). TO ACHIEVE THESE AIMS, THE CREATE PARTNERSHIP REQUESTS THE INITIAL SUPPORT FOR TWO FULL RESEARCH PROJECTS AND ONE PILOT RESEARCH PROJECT DESIGNED TO PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO THE MECHANISMS (OR BEHAVIORS) UNDERLYING CANCER HEALTH DISPARITIES. ALL THREE PROJECTS WILL BE JOINTLY LED BY SDSU AND UCSD CO-LEADS; PROJECT 2 IS CO-LED BY TWO UNDER-REPRESENTED RESEARCHERS. THE RESEARCH PROJECTS WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH THE RESEARCH EDUCATION CORE, PROVIDING EXPANDED RESEARCH EXPERIENCES IN CANCER, CANCER DISPARITIES, AND COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH TO UNDER-REPRESENTED UNDERGRADUATE, GRADUATE, AND MEDICAL STUDENTS. A TALENT SHARED RESOURCE WILL FOSTER THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT OF PARTNERSHIP ESIS. THE OUTREACH CORE WILL DEVELOP NEW AND STRENGTHEN EXISTING COMMUNITY-ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS TO FOSTER CANCER RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND TAILORED OUTREACH EFFORTS WITH A FOCUS ON THE DISSEMINATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS THAT CAN REDUCE THE CANCER BURDEN. THE PARTNERSHIP IS NOTABLY BOLSTERED BY STRONG INSTITUTIONAL COMMITMENT, AN ADMINISTRATIVE CORE COMPOSED OF INVESTIGATORS WITH DEMONSTRATED LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL CAPABILITIES, AND A STRONG PLANNING AND EVALUATION CORE GUIDED BY AN EXTERNAL PROGRAM STEERING COMMITTEE, AN INTERNAL ADVISORY BOARD, AND A COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD.

ENHANCED LINKAGE TO HIV CARE FOLLOWING HOME-BASED HIV TESTING IN RURAL UGANDA

GERIATRICS WORKFORCE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM

A TECHNOLOGY-DELIVERED PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT ART ADHERENCE INTERVENTION FOR HIV+ ADULTS

ADVANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP IN URBAN SCHOOLS THROUGH THE NOYCE MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE MASTER TEACHING FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

EXAMINING THE EFFICACY OF PROJECT IMPACT FOR TODDLERS

INTEGRITY AND DYNAMIC PROCESSING EFFICIENCY OF NETWORKS IN ASD

NEUROCOGNITIVE APPROACHES TO COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

A BRIEF, PEER CO-LED, GROUP-BASED EATING DISORDER PREVENTION PROGRAM FOR SEXUAL MINORITY YOUNG ADULT MEN

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AND HIV PREVENTION AMONG SEXUAL MINORITY MEN - SUMMARY/ABSTRACT SEXUAL MINORITY MEN (SMM) EXPERIENCE INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE (IPV) AT ALARMING RATES. PRIOR WORK HAS LINKED IPV TO SEXUAL RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOR AND INCREASED RISK FOR HIV SEROCONVERSION AMONG SMM, BUT LESS IS KNOWN ABOUT THE IMPACT OF IPV ON HIV AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTION (STI) TESTING/ACQUISITION, PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS (PREP) UPTAKE, AND THE PERSISTENCE OF PREP USE AMONG SMM. WHILE THESE FINDINGS REVEAL THE POTENTIAL FOR IPV TO HAVE A STRONG DELETERIOUS EFFECT ON HIV PREVENTION, EXPERIENCES OF IPV ARE SO VARIED AMONG SMM (E.G., FREQUENCY, SEVERITY; STEADY VS. CASUAL PARTNERSHIPS; MUTUAL PERPETRATION VS. ONLY PERPETRATING OR RECEIVING VIOLENCE; SEXUAL VS. PHYSICAL VS. PSYCHOLOGICAL VIOLENCE) THAT ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO UNPACK THE OVERALL ASSOCIATION BETWEEN IPV AND HIV RISK BEFORE EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS CAN BE DEVELOPED. GUIDED BY A FRAMEWORK THAT COMBINES THE SYNDEMICS AND MINORITY STRESS THEORIES, THE PROPOSED INNOVATIVE OBSERVATIONAL COHORT STUDY WILL EXAMINE HOW PERPETRATION AND/OR RECEIPT OF VARIOUS FORMS OF IPV (E.G., PHYSICAL, SEXUAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL; IN THE CONTEXT OF STEADY OR CASUAL INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS) CONTRIBUTE TO HIV RISK AND PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS AMONG HIV-NEGATIVE SMM OVER A 24-MONTH TIMEFRAME IN ORDER TO: 1. EXAMINE THE LONGITUDINAL ASSOCIATIONS OF IPV WITH HIV TESTING, PREP UPTAKE, PREP PERSISTENCE, STI DIAGNOSIS, CONDOMLESS ANAL SEX, AND HIV SEROCONVERSION. 2. DETERMINE THE STRUCTURAL- AND INDIVIDUAL-LEVEL AND RESILIENCE AND RISK FACTORS THAT MAY BUFFER OR AMPLIFY ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN IPV AND THESE HIV RISK AND PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS. 3. IDENTIFY THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SMM, THEIR INTIMATE PARTNERS, AND THE RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS THAT SERVE TO MEDIATE OR MODERATE THE IMPACT OF IPV ON HIV RISK AND PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS. 4. MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INTERVENTIONS THAT INTERRUPT THE PATHWAYS BETWEEN IPV AND HIV RISK BASED ON QUANTITATIVE DATA FROM THE COHORT, AND QUALITATIVE DATA GUIDED BY TECHNICAL EXPERTS. WE WILL ASSESS SEXUAL RISK BEHAVIOR, CONDUCT HIV AND STI TESTING, AND ASSESS PREP UPTAKE AND PERSISTENCE OVER THE 24 MONTHS OF FOLLOW-UP. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT GREATER FREQUENCY OF IPV WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH HISTORY OF CHILDHOOD ABUSE, MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS, SUBSTANCE USE, SEXUAL RISK TAKING AND LOWER LEVELS OF HIV TESTING, PREP UPTAKE, AND PREP PERSISTENCE. WE ANTICIPATE THAT ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE USE AMONG PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR PARTNERS WILL BE HIGHLY ASSOCIATED WITH EPISODES OF IPV (BOTH VICTIMIZATION AND PERPETRATION) AND WITH HIV RISK BEHAVIOR. WE ALSO HYPOTHESIZE THAT COPING SKILLS AND SOCIAL SUPPORT WILL MODERATE THE EFFECTS OF IPV ON RISK BEHAVIOR, HIV TESTING, PREP UPTAKE, AND PREP PERSISTENCE. THE PROPOSED STUDY WILL ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF BOTH THE RISK AND RESILIENCY FACTORS RELEVANT TO PREVENTING AND REDUCING IPV, REDUCING IPV-ASSOCIATED RISK BEHAVIORS, AND INCREASING HIV PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS AMONG SMM. THIS RESEARCH WILL INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT AND ADAPTATION OF IPV, HIV, AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE INTERVENTIONS FOR SMM.

FETAL ALCOHOL EFFECTS AND CHOLINE INTERVENTION

TAILORED BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION TO PREVENT HOUSEHOLD AND COMMUNITY SPREAD OF COVID-19 AMONG LATINOS - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE UNITED STATES CURRENTLY HAS THE HIGHEST COVID-19 INFECTION AND RELATED MORTALITY RATES IN THE WORLD. IN CALIFORNIA, LATINOS ACCOUNT FOR THE HIGHEST PERCENT OF COVID-19 CASES (58.9%) AND DEATHS (47.3%) AND ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY REPRESENTED IN OCCUPATIONS DEEMED AS ‘ESSENTIAL’. LATINOS ALSO SUFFER FROM HIGHER RATES OF POVERTY AND CHRONIC DISEASE WHICH PLACES THEM AT GREATER RISK OF COVID-19 INFECTION AND RELATED COMPLICATIONS. IN COLLABORATION WITH FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS OF SD (FHCSD) AND WORKING WITH COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS (AKA, PROMOTORES/AS), WE WILL IMPLEMENT A TAILORED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE HOUSEHOLD- AND COMMUNITY- SPREAD OF COVID-19 AMONG LATINOS. HOUSEHOLDS OF RECENTLY DIAGNOSED LATINO ADULTS (N=256 HOUSEHOLDS) WILL BE RANDOMIZED TO ONE OF TWO GROUPS: 1) STANDARD-OF-CARE COMPARISON GROUP, 2) COVID-19 PROMOTOR/A INTERVENTION, WHO WILL RECEIVE STANDARD OF CARE PLUS TAILORED COUNSELING DELIVERED BY PROMOTORES/AS. THIS PROJECT WILL TEST THE IMMEDIATE, MID-TERM, AND LONG-TERM EFFICACY OF THE PROMOTOR/A INTERVENTION TO PREVENT HOUSEHOLD AND COMMUNITY SPREAD OF COVID-19. IN ADDITION, WE WILL TEST THE EFFICACY OF THE PROPOSED INTERVENTION ON SHORT- AND LONG-TERM BEHAVIORAL, MENTAL, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OUTCOMES. THIS STUDY AIMS TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 IN A POPULATION THAT HAS EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH RATES OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY DUE TO COVID-19. WE WILL HARNESS OUR RESEARCH TEAM’S EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN DEVELOPING MULTI-LEVEL INTERVENTIONS WORKING WITH PROMOTORES/AS TO PROMOTE BEHAVIOR CHANGE AMONG LATINOS, AND LEVERAGE A STRONG COMMUNITY-ACADEMIC COLLABORATION THAT MAXIMIZES COMMUNITY IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY. THIS RESEARCH WILL LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE AND SCALABLE COMMUNITY-ACADEMIC MODELS DESIGNED TO RESPOND QUICKLY, EFFICIENTLY, AND EFFECTIVELY TO BOTH THIS EXISTING AND FUTURE PUBLIC HEALTH THREATS.

THE SDSU NOYCE MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE MASTER TEACHING FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

EL VALOR DE NUESTRA SALUD (THE VALUE OF OUR HEALTH)

LATINOS UNDERSTANDING THE NEED FOR ADHERENCE IN DIABETES USING CARE COORDINATION, INTEGRATED MEDICAL AND BEHAVIORAL CARE AND E-HEALTH (LUNA-E) - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE PROPOSED LATINOS UNDERSTANDING THE NEED FOR ADHERENCE IN DIABETES USING CARE COORDINATION, INTEGRATED MEDICAL AND BEHAVIORAL CARE AND E-HEALTH (LUNA-E) RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WILL TEST THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN INNOVATIVE PATIENT-CENTERED, TEAM-BASED, PRIMARY CARE INTERVENTION IN IMPROVING DIABETES OUTCOMES IN LATINO PATIENTS OF SAN YSIDRO HEALTH (SYH), A LARGE FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER (FQHC). THE PROPOSAL BUILDS ON MORE THAN 17 YEARS OF RESEARCH BY OUR ACADEMIC (SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY; SDSU) COMMUNITY (SYH) PARTNERSHIP. LUNA-E WILL RECRUIT AND RANDOMIZE N=400 LATINO ADULTS WITH POORLY CONTROLLED DIABETES INTO "USUAL CARE PLUS" (UCP) OR "SPECIAL INTERVENTION" (SI). UCP REPRESENTS METHODS RECENTLY INITIATED BY THE SYH PATIENT CENTERED MEDICAL HOME INITIATIVE, IN WHICH A MEDICAL ASSISTANT PROVIDES CARE COORDINATION, REFERRALS, AND BRIEF HEALTH EDUCATION IN COLLABORATION WITH THE PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER. THE LUNA-E SI IS A HIGHLY INTEGRATED, CULTURALLY SPECIFIC FOR DIABETES, TEAM-BASED APPROACH INFORMED BY THE CHRONIC CARE MODEL OF HEALTHCARE AND RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS FOR SELF- MANAGEMENT MODEL OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE. THE SI INCLUDES: 1) CARE COORDINATION BY A SPECIALLY TRAINED HEALTH NAVIGATOR; 2) VISITS WITH A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROVIDER WITH KNOWLEDGE OF DIABETES, LOCAL CULTURE, THE INTEGRATED MODEL, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS OF DIABETES CARE; 3) CARE INTEGRATION AMONG THE PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROVIDER AND CARE COORDINATOR VIA A CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT “DASHBOARD” IN THE PATIENT ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD (EHR); 4) EVIDENCE-BASED, CULTURALLY ADAPTED DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT EDUCATION DELIVERED VIA PATIENT PORTAL. THE STUDY WILL TEST HYPOTHESES THAT THE LUNA-E SI WILL LEAD TO LARGER IMPROVEMENTS IN GLYCEMIC CONTROL (HBA1C LEVELS; AIM 1) AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS (DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS; AIM 2) AT 6-MONTHS POST RANDOMIZATION WHEN COMPARED TO UCP, AND THE DEGREE TO WHICH THESE DIFFERENCES ARE EXPLAINED BY CONCEPTUALLY DRIVEN MEDIATORS (IMPROVED RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS FOR SELF- MANAGEMENT, PATIENT ACTIVATION, MEDICATION ADHERENCE AND SELF-MANAGEMENT BEHAVIORS; AIM 3) A MATCHED RETROSPECTIVE TRUE USUAL CARE (TUC) GROUP (N=200) WILL BE EXTRACTED FROM EHR USING PROPENSITY SCORE MATCHING, TO EVALUATE DIABETES OUTCOMES IN UCP AND SI VERSUS PATIENTS WITH LITTLE TO NO CARE COORDINATION AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND NO STUDY VISITS. A THOROUGH PROCESS EVALUATION WILL ASSESS INTERVENTION REACH, EFFECTIVENESS, ADOPTION, IMPLEMENTATION, AND MAINTENANCE (RE-AIM). LUNA-E HAS EXCELLENT POTENTIAL FOR HIGH IMPACT AND BROAD DISSEMINATION DUE TO ITS COMMUNITY PARTNERED APPROACH, RELIANCE ON EHR AND E-HEALTH, AND IMPLEMENTATION WITHIN A LARGE, EXEMPLAR FQHC PRIMARY CARE ENVIRONMENT.

COMMUNITY IMPLEMENTATION OF KEEP: FIDELITY & GENERALIZATION OF PARENTING EFFECTS

DIMENSIONS: SHEDDING LIGHT ON VIRAL DARK MATTER - GENETIC TAXONOMIC AND FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY OF CORAL REEF VIROMES

PROJECT TEACHBILINGUALPATHWAYS (TBP)

NUCLEAR PORE COMPLEXES AS SCAFFOLDS FOR GENOME ARCHITECTURE AND EPIGENETIC MAINTENANCE

UNDERSTANDING HOW OPIOIDS AFFECT THE EXPERIENTIAL AND NEURAL SIGNATURES OF FEELINGS OF SOCIAL CONNECTION WITH CLOSE OTHERS - PROJECT SUMMARY SOCIAL CONNECTION WITH CLOSE OTHERS IS A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN NEED. FEELING CONNECTED TO OTHERS RELIABLY AND ROBUSTLY PREDICTS HEALTH AND WELLBEING WHEREAS FEELING DISCONNECTED OR ISOLATED FROM OTHERS NEGATIVELY IMPACTS HEALTH. LESS WELL UNDERSTOOD, HOWEVER, ARE THE PROCESSES BY WHICH SUBJECTIVE FEELINGS OF SOCIAL CONNECTION ARE MAINTAINED OVER TIME. ENDOGENOUS OPIOIDS MAY CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIAL CONNECTION WITH CLOSE FRIENDS, ROMANTIC PARTNERS, AND FAMILY. SPECIFICALLY, NALTREXONE, A COMMON MEDICATION PRESCRIBED TO ASSIST IN THE RECOVERY FROM ADDICTION THAT BLOCKS THE ACTION OF NATURALLY OCCURRING OPIOIDS, UNFORTUNATELY LEADS TO A REDUCTION IN FEELINGS OF SOCIAL CONNECTION TOWARD CLOSE OTHERS IN AN OTHERWISE HEALTHY SAMPLE. THESE FINDINGS RAISE THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE MEDICATION USED TO TREAT ADDICTION MAY INTRODUCE AN UNINTENDED BARRIER TO ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE CONTRIBUTORS TO LONG-TERM MAINTENANCE: CLOSE SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS. BASED ON THESE FINDINGS, THERE HAS BEEN A GROWING INTEREST IN WHETHER OPIOID PATHWAYS CONTRIBUTE TO FEELINGS OF SOCIAL CONNECTION WITH CLOSE OTHERS IN A CAUSAL MANNER AND HOW THESE EFFECTS MIGHT OCCUR. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THE PARENT PROJECT IS TO CLARIFY THE CAUSAL ROLE OF OPIOIDS IN (1) DAILY, NATURALISTIC FEELINGS OF SOCIAL CONNECTION OUTSIDE OF THE LABORATORY, (2) THE NEURAL SIGNATURES OF FEELINGS OF SOCIAL CONNECTION, AND (3) FEELINGS OF SOCIAL CONNECTION IN RESPONSE TO PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCES WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY USING STANDARDIZED LABORATORY TASKS. FOR THE CURRENT SUPPLEMENT TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY IN HEALTH SCIENCE, A POST-BACCALAUREATE CANDIDATE, MS. ISABELA CRUZ-VESPA, WILL LEAD A NEW CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY STUDY TO EXTEND AIM 1 AND ASSESS THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FEELINGS OF SOCIAL CONNECTION AND REPORTED DRUG USE. THUS, OVER THE COURSE OF A ONE-YEAR ROTATION IN THE PI’S LABORATORY, THE CANDIDATE WILL IMPLEMENT A RESEARCH STUDY FROM THE BEGINNING TO END AND WILL ALSO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT AT INTERNAL AND NATIONAL CONFERENCES. TO FURTHER ENHANCE THE CANDIDATE’S RESEARCH EXPERIENCE IN THE LAB, THE CANDIDATE WILL RECEIVE TRAINING ON THE METHODS USED IN THE PARENT PROJECT, INCLUDING NEUROIMAGING, ECOLOGICAL MOMENTARY ASSESSMENT, AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. FINALLY, THE CANDIDATE WILL RECEIVE EXTENSIVE ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING TO PREPARE HER FOR APPLICATION TO GRADUATE SCHOOL, AND INDEPENDENT FUNDING, AND WILL COMPLETE PROFESSIONAL AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES THAT INCREASE THE STRENGTH OF HER CV.

AUDITORY PRECURSORS OF LANGUAGE DELAY IN TODDLERS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

PROMOTING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN CHURCHGOING LATINAS

LEARNING PROGRESSIONS FOR SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY: A MODEL IMPLEMENTATION IN THE CONTEXT OF ENERGY

DEVELOPING AN ORAL HEALTH BEHAVIOR SOCIAL SUPPORT SCALE FOR MEXICAN-ORIGIN ADULTS

CALIFORNIA HEALTH INCENTIVES IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

CLINICAL/BEHAVIORAL APPROACH TO OVERWEIGHT LATINO YOUTH

LATINOS UNDERSTANDING THE NEED FOR ADHERENCE IN DIABETES

HYBRID EFFECTIVENESS-IMPLEMENTATION TRIAL OF AN EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING INTERVENTION FOR CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES - PROJECT SUMMARY AUTISM IS A HIGHLY PREVALENT NEURODEVELOPMENTAL CONDITION, AFFECTING 1 IN 36 YOUTH. THE ANNUAL COST IN THE U.S. OF AUTISM WAS $223 BILLION IN 2020 AND IS ESTIMATED TO RISE TO $589 BILLION BY 2030. OUTCOMES ARE POOR AND CARE DISPARITIES AND HIGH RATES OF UNMET SERVICE NEEDS ARE COMMON. MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES PLAY A KEY ROLE IN CARING FOR AUTISTIC YOUTH. THERE HAVE BEEN EFFORTS TO DEVELOP EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS (EBIS) WITH THE POTENTIAL TO LESSEN THE PUBLIC HEALTH BURDEN OF AUTISM. YET, RESEARCH INDICATES LIMITED COMMUNITY EBI PENETRATION. SEVERAL GAPS IN WORK TO DATE REMAIN, INCLUDING A FOCUS ON EBIS DESIGNED FOR COMMUNITY IMPLEMENTATION AND THOSE ADDRESSING MULTILEVEL BARRIERS IMPEDING EBI USE. THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO FOCUS ON EBIS THAT IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR AUTISM AND OPTIMIZE OUTCOMES FOR THIS PRIORITY, COMPLEX POPULATION. EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING (EF) IS A POTENT MECHANISM UNDERLYING AUTISM AND COMMONLY CO-OCCURRING MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS. EF IMPAIRMENTS (E.G., INFLEXIBILITY, POOR GOAL SETTING, POOR PLANNING) CONTRIBUTE TO NEGATIVE OUTCOMES SPANNING MULTIPLE AREAS (E.G., ACADEMIC, VOCATIONAL, HEALTH). OUR WORK UNDERSCORES THE IMPACT OF EF DEFICITS ON MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, INCLUDING ITS TRANSDIAGNOSTIC IMPACT ON THE MAJORITY OF CHILDREN SERVED IN THIS SETTING AND ITS ROLE AS A BARRIER TO PSYCHOTHERAPY ENGAGEMENT AND PROGRESS. EF IS RESPONSIVE TO TREATMENT, AND MENTAL HEALTH THERAPISTS CITE A SIGNIFICANT NEED AND MOTIVATION FOR EF TREATMENTS, MAKING EF EBIS HIGHLY RELEVANT FOR COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SETTINGS. HOWEVER, EF EBIS HAVE NOT BEEN WIDELY USED AND TESTED IN SUCH SETTINGS. AUTISM EBIS, OR THOSE DEVELOPED OR ADAPTED FOR AUTISTIC YOUTH, HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO ENHANCE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, IN ADDITION TO IMPROVING SERVICE QUALITY FOR THE POPULATIONS TARGETED (E.G., AUTISM). THIS IS DUE TO THE SPECIFIC COMPONENTS AND STRATEGIES INCORPORATED INTO THE EBI TO ENHANCE ITS IMPACT AND FIT. WE PROPOSE A HYBRID TYPE 2 RANDOMIZED TRIAL EXAMINING THE EFFECTIVENESS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN AUTISM EF EBI (UNSTUCK AND ON TARGET) IN COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SETTINGS. UNSTUCK AND ON TARGET IS A COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL EF INTERVENTION EFFECTIVE FOR AUTISM. WITH NIMH FUNDING (K23MH115100;), UNSTUCK AND ON TARGET WAS SYSTEMATICALLY ADAPTED FOR AND TESTED IN MENTAL HEALTH SETTINGS, WITH A PILOT TEST SUGGESTING ITS PRELIMINARY EFFECTIVENESS, HIGH FIDELITY, AND USE BEYOND AUTISM. FINDINGS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO TRANSFORM IMPLEMENTATION AND SERVICE QUALITY FOR THE HIGH PRIORITY POPULATION OF AUTISTIC YOUTH AS WELL AS YOUTH GENERALLY. AIM 1. EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN AUTISM EBI (UNSTUCK AND ON TARGET), RELATIVE TO A NON-AUTISM TRANSDIAGNOSTIC INTERVENTION (UNIFIED PROTOCOL FOR CHILDREN) FOR AUTISTIC YOUTH. AIM 2. EVALUATE MEDIATORS OF EBI TRAINING EFFECTS TO CONFIRM ENGAGED CHANGE MECHANISMS OF CLINICAL AND IMPLEMENTATION OUTCOMES. AIM 3. EXPLORE THE GENERALIZED EFFECTS OF EBI TRAINING ON REACH AND IMPROVED PSYCHOTHERAPY QUALITY WITH NON-AUTISTIC YOUTH.

IPEN ADOLESCENT: INTERNATIONAL STUDY OF BUILT ENVIRONMENTS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND BOTANY PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION, CALIFORNIA.

PARTNER: EXPANDING AI CAPACITY IN SAN DIEGO: A STRATEGIC COLLABORATION BETWEEN SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY AND TILOS AI INSTITUTE -THIS PROJECT IS AN EXPANDAI PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY (SDSU) AND THE INSTITUTE FOR LEARNING-ENABLED OPTIMIZATION AT SCALE (TILOS). IN THIS PROJECT, A MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION LEADS A NEW COLLABORATION WITH AN AI INSTITUTE FOCUSED ON SCALING UP ALREADY-ESTABLISHED RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT SDSU AND TO PURSUE SHARED, COMPLEMENTARY GOALS TO DEVELOP SAFETY-CONSCIOUS SCALABLE AI AND TO DEVELOP THE NEXT GENERATION OF AI EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE TALENT. THE COLLABORATION FOCUSES ON PROVIDING CUTTING-EDGE AI RESEARCH AND EDUCATION TO THE DIVERSE COMMUNITY OF INNOVATORS AND FUTURE LEADERS IN THE SAN DIEGO REGION THROUGH SUSTAINABLE COLLABORATIONS IN THE AI INSTITUTES ECOSYSTEM THAT ALSO LEVERAGE AND EXPAND AI INITIATIVES AT SDSU. THE RESULTING RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS WILL ENGAGE FACULTY AND STUDENTS AT SDSU WITH THOSE IN A WIDE RANGE OF TILOS PARTNER INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO, THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, YALE UNIVERSITY, THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT UT AUSTIN. THROUGH A RANGE OF RESEARCH AND EDUCATION INITIATIVES, THE PROJECT WILL BUILD COMMUNITY AND NEW CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN AI BETWEEN THESE INSTITUTIONS, INVOLVING OUTREACH TO NEW MINORITY SERVING ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES. THIS MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL PARTNERSHIP IN RESEARCH, EDUCATION/WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND INFRASTRUCTURE WILL BE CENTERED ON INVESTIGATION OF AI TECHNIQUES TO CONFRONT THE FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH CHALLENGES IN THE OPTIMIZATION OF AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS, SUCH AS ROBOTIC SYSTEMS AND INTELLIGENT EDGE NETWORKING DEVICES, ESPECIALLY IN THE PRESENCE OF UNCERTAINTY. THE RESEARCH ENCOMPASSES BOTH THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF AI IN LEARNING AND OPTIMIZATION AND THEIR APPLICATIONS TO AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS, BUILDING UPON AND STRENGTHENING THE RESEARCH PILLARS ALREADY ESTABLISHED UNDER THE TILOS AI INSTITUTE. COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH IN TRUSTWORTHY AI DECISION MAKING UNDER UNCERTAINTY IN THE DOMAIN OF AUTONOMY WILL ADDRESSING RELIABILITY CHALLENGES FOR AUTONOMY UNDER UNCERTAINTY. IN ANOTHER THRUST, AI-DRIVEN OPTIMIZATION FOR DISTRIBUTED AUTONOMY ON THE EDGE WILL ACHIEVE SCALE AND TACKLE THE PRACTICAL AI DEPLOYMENT CHALLENGES THAT EXIST AT THE EDGE OF DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING SYSTEMS, INCLUDING DISTRIBUTED OPTIMIZATION OVER COMMUNICATION GRAPHS, MOTION PLANNING, REINFORCEMENT LEARNING (RL), AND STOCHASTIC GAMES. THESE EFFORTS WILL DIRECTLY INFORM A COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF COLLABORATIVE EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, ENSURING ACCESSIBILITY AND AVAILABILITY OF AI, OPTIMIZATION, ROBOTICS, AND NETWORKING EDUCATION TO STUDENTS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS. PROJECT GOALS INCLUDE THE ENHANCEMENT OF UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY PARTICIPATION IN AI EDUCATION AND RESEARCH WHILE FOSTERING A DIVERSE TALENT PIPELINE THAT ENCOMPASSES PATHS TO BOTH INDUSTRY AND GRADUATE PROGRAMS THROUGH EXPANSION OF AI COURSE OFFERINGS WITH TAILORED MATERIALS FOR DIVERSE STUDENTS, PROGRAMS THAT ENHANCE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, NEW UNDERGRADUATE SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS AND GRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUMS, AND TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR FACULTY. THE PROJECT IS PARTIALLY FUNDED BY THE DIRECTORATE FOR STEM EDUCATION (EDU), UNDER THE LOUIS STOKES ALLIANCES FOR MINORITY PARTICIPATION (LSAMP) PROGRAM AND THE IUSE: HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTION PROGRAM. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

UNDETECTED DRUG RESISTANCE AND TOLERANCE IN LESIONS OF RECURRENT TB - TUBERCULOSIS (TB) KILLS NEARLY 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. DESPITE POWERFUL CHEMOTHERAPEUTICS, SURVIVING BACTERIA OFTEN GO UNDETECTED BY STANDARD DIAGNOSTICS, PERSIST IN LUNG LESIONS, AND CONTINUE TO MAKE PATIENTS ILL, EVEN AFTER DECLARATION OF MICROBIOLOGICAL “CURE” AS SPECIFIED BY CRITERIA FROM THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. THIS PROJECT’S OBJECTIVE IS TO CHARACTERIZE THE “(EPI)GENOMIC” (GENOMIC AND EPIGENOMIC) COMPOSITION OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS (MTB) IN PATIENTS WHO REQUIRE SURGICAL INTERVENTION FOR TREATMENT OF TUBERCULOSIS (TB), DIRECTLY AT THE SITE OF INFECTION, AND TO CREATE A KNOWLEDGEBASE THAT HELPS EXPLAIN FAILURE OF CHEMOTHERAPY AND STANDARD DIAGNOSTICS. ARE THESE FAILURES DUE TO UNDETECTED RESISTANT STRAINS ABSENT IN THE SPUTUM? WERE THERE PERSISTER CELLS IN PULMONARY LESIONS THAT TOLERATED THE DRUG PRESSURE? DID DRUGS NOT REACH BACTERIA WITHIN THE LESION IN SUFFICIENT CONCENTRATIONS? OR WERE PERSISTENT OR RESISTANT BACILLI IN THE SPUTUM THAT WENT UNDETECTED BY STANDARD DIAGNOSTICS? ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS WILL ENABLE THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW AND MORE SENSITIVE DIAGNOSTICS, INFORM DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL THERAPEUTICS THAT TO MORE EFFECTIVELY PENETRATE LESIONS AND TARGET THE SURVIVING BACTERIA, OR TARGET ALL BACTERIAL SUBPOPULATIONS, AND ENABLE RATIONAL DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A VACCINE WITH A MORE COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF GENOMIC VARIABILITY OF THIS PATHOGEN IN THE CONTEXT OF HUMAN INFECTION. MTB IS AN OBLIGATE HUMAN PATHOGEN, YET TREATMENT DECISIONS HINGE ON PHENOTYPIC TESTING AND GENOMIC CHARACTERIZATION OF BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM SPUTUM AND GROWN IN VITRO AS A PROXY FOR THE MTB COMMUNITIES DRIVING INFECTION IN THE LUNGS. INCONSISTENCIES BETWEEN THE SPUTUM AND LUNG BACTERIAL COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN HYPOTHESIZED AS REASONS BEHIND THE MISCHARACTERIZATION OF THE DISEASE. IN THIS PROJECT, WE INVESTIGATE THIS HYPOTHESIS AND, ADDITIONALLY, AIM TO DETERMINE WHETHER THERE ARE ADDITIONAL BACTERIA IN THE SPUTUM THAT CAN INFORM DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL METHODS TO PROVIDE MORE COMPREHENSIVE DIAGNOSTICS. IN THIS PROCESS, WE WILL ALSO DETERMINE WHETHER PERSISTENCE OR SUPERINFECTION PLAYED A ROLE IN TREATMENT FAILURE, AND HOW FREQUENTLY. TO REACH THESE GOALS, THIS PROJECT WILL STUDY BACTERIA RESIDING WITHIN PULMONARY LESIONS EXCISED FROM 200 PATIENTS WHO FAILED TRADITIONAL TREATMENT. FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE WILL DIRECTLY SEQUENCE, AND DE NOVO ASSEMBLE GENOMES AND METHYLOMES OF MTB IN PULMONARY LESIONS AND SPUTUM, AND DETERMINE THE DISTINGUISHING GENOMIC AND EPIGENETIC CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH SUBPOPULATION IN THESE FLORA. WE WILL DETECT HIDDEN RESISTANCE OR PERSISTENCE, AND, THROUGH DIFFERENTIAL CULTURING, IDENTIFY WHETHER BACTERIA HAVE BEEN DAMAGED BY ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT AND WHETHER THEY ARE ALL DETECTED BY STANDARD DIAGNOSTICS. OUR EXISTING PROJECT HAS IDENTIFIED NOVEL RAPID DIVERSIFYING MECHANISMS THAT ALLOWS THE BACTERIAL COMMUNITY TO WITHSTAND IMMUNE AND DRUG PRESSURES. AS PART OF THIS PROJECT, WE WILL INVESTIGATE THE PREVALENCE AND NATURE OF THESE MECHANISMS IN THE LUNG. THIS WILL INFORM NEW PATHS TO DEVELOPMENT OF MORE EFFECTIVE AND NOVEL THERAPEUTICS AND VACCINES.

OLFACTORY AND VISUAL DYSFUNCTION AS POTENTIAL PREDICTORS OF PRECLINICAL ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

ISOCITRATE DEHYDROGENASE (IDH) MUTATIONS AS DRIVERS OF ORGANELLE STRESS AND DYSFUNCTION"

BIMODAL BILINGUALISM

ESTIMATING MEDIATION AND MODERATION EFFECTS IN HIV CARE CONTINUUM INTERVENTION TRIALS FOR PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS - PROJECT SUMMARY THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS STUDY IS TO CONDUCT SECONDARY ANALYSES OF AVAILABLE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) INTERVENTION DATA TO GAIN ACTIONABLE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HOW TO IMPROVE HIV CARE CONTINUUM (HIV-CC) OUTCOMES AMONG PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV WHO USE DRUGS (PLWHUD). SPECIFICALLY, WE WILL USE AVAILABLE DATA FROM FOUR DIFFERENT RCTS TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL BY ANALYZING MEDIATORS AND MODERATORS OF EFFICACY THAT WERE NOT TESTED DURING THE ORIGINAL OUTCOME ANALYSIS OF THE RESPECTIVE TRIALS. THE RCTS TESTED DIFFERENT HIV-CC INTERVENTIONS FOR PLWHUD: 1) ARCS, WHICH TESTED A COMMUNITY AND INDIVIDUAL LEVEL STIGMA REDUCTION INTERVENTION FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV WHO INJECT DRUGS IN VIETNAM; 2) HOPE, WHICH TESTED PATIENT NAVIGATION AND CONTINGENCY MANAGEMENT AMONG HOSPITAL PATIENTS IN THE U.S. LIVING WITH HIV WITH CO-OCCURRING SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER; 3) LINC, WHICH TESTED A STRENGTHS-BASED PATIENT NAVIGATION INTERVENTION AMONG HOSPITAL PATIENTS IN RUSSIA LIVING WITH HIV WITH CO-OCCURRING INJECTION DRUG USE; AND 4) HPTN 074, A HIV PREVENTION TRIALS NETWORK RCT THAT TESTED AN INTERVENTION INVOLVING SYSTEMS NAVIGATION, PSYCHOSOCIAL COUNSELING, AND ART INITIATION AMONG PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV WHO INJECT DRUGS IN VIETNAM, INDONESIA, AND UKRAINE. SPECIFIC AIMS INCLUDE: 1) DETERMINE HOW AND FOR WHOM HIV-CC INTERVENTIONS IMPROVE BIOLOGICAL OUTCOMES (VIRAL SUPPRESSION, CD4, MORTALITY) AMONG PLWHUD. FOR THIS AIM WE WILL TEST CONCORDANT HYPOTHESES ACROSS ALL FOUR TRIALS ABOUT THEORY-BASED MEDIATORS AND SUBSTANCE USE MEDIATORS, AS WELL AS MODERATORS, AND CONDITIONAL PROCESS MODELS (THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY TEST MEDIATORS AND MODERATORS IN A SINGLE MODEL); 2) EXAMINE WHICH SPECIFIC MEDIATORS PRIMARILY AFFECT HIV-CC OUTCOMES AMONG SUBGROUPS OF PLWHUD USING NEWER CAUSAL MEDIATION ANALYSIS TO STRENGTHEN CAUSAL INFERENCE; AND 3) WE WILL REVIEW OUR EVIDENCE TO DATE TO DISSEMINATE HOW HIV BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONISTS CAN MEET IMPROVED STANDARDS FOR COMPLETE EVALUATIONS IN RCTS (I.E., TEST MEDIATORS PLUS MODERATORS). THE RESEARCH IS LED BY EXPERTS IN HIV PREVENTION AND CARE AMONG VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, INCLUDING PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS, AND EXPERTS IN ADVANCED MEDIATION AND MODERATION ANALYSIS. THE STUDY ACTIVITIES AND DELIVERABLES WILL ALSO BE INFORMED BY A SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE COMPRISED OF THE ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS FROM EACH OF THE FOUR TRIALS, AS WELL AS AN ORIGINAL CO-INVESTIGATOR FROM EACH OF THE TRIALS. THESE INDIVIDUALS INCLUDE SOME OF THE LEADING EXPERTS IN HIV-CC ENGAGEMENT FOR PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS AND WILL BE INSTRUMENTAL TO INFORMING THE ANALYSES AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS. THE RESEARCH BUILDS ON OUR PREVIOUS NIH R01-FUNDED RESEARCH THAT DEMONSTRATED HOW MEDIATION AND MODERATION ANALYSES HELP TO SHED NEW LIGHT ON EFFICACIOUS AND NON-EFFICACIOUS RESULTS FOUND IN HIV PREVENTION RCTS. MOVING BEYOND OUR PREVIOUS RESEARCH, IN THE CURRENT STUDY WE WILL DISSEMINATE ACCESSIBLE TOOLS TO THE HIV FIELD THAT SHOULD IMPROVE OUR EVALUATION OF INTERVENTIONS, AND THAT WILL ACCELERATE THE IMPACT OF EACH FUTURE RCT. LAST, BY ANALYZING DRUG USE-RELATED VARIABLES WE GAIN VALUABLE INSIGHT INTO THE ROLE OF DRUG USE IN THE EFFICACY OF HIV-CC INTERVENTIONS FOR PLWHUD, A CRITICAL POPULATION TO SUPPORT IN ORDER TO END THE HIV EPIDEMIC.

HEALTH, POVERTY AND PLACE: MODELING INEQUALITIES IN ACCRA USING RS AND GIS

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AND HIV PREVENTION CONTINUUM ENGAGEMENT AMONG TRANSGENDER AND NONBINARY POPULATIONS - SUMMARY/ABSTRACT TRANSGENDER AND NON-BINARY (TGNB) PERSONS EXPERIENCE INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE (IPV) AT ALARMING RATES TWICE THAT OF THEIR CISGENDER PEERS. PRIOR WORK HAS LINKED IPV TO SEXUAL RISK BEHAVIOR AND INCREASED RISK FOR HIV SEROCONVERSION AMONG TGNB, BUT LESS IS KNOWN ABOUT THE IMPACT OF IPV ON HIV AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTION (STI) TESTING, PRE- EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS (PREP) UPTAKE, AND PERSISTENCE AMONG TGNB. WHILE PAST FINDINGS SUGGEST THE POTENTIAL FOR IPV TO HAVE A STRONG DELETERIOUS EFFECT ON HIV PREVENTION CONTINUUM ENGAGEMENT, IPV EXPERIENCES AND IMPACTS ON HIV/STI RISK AND PREVENTION BEHAVIORS HAVE YET TO STUDIED AMONG A DIVERSE GROUP OF TGNB PERSONS. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS CURRENTLY NEEDED TO MODEL PATHWAYS BETWEEN IPV AND HIV RISK FOR SUBGROUPS OF TRANS FEMININE (TF), TRANS MASCULINE (TM), AND GENDER NON-BINARY (GNB) PERSONS. GUIDED BY A FRAMEWORK THAT COMBINES SYNDEMIC AND MINORITY STRESS THEORY, THE PROPOSED INNOVATIVE OBSERVATIONAL COHORT STUDY WILL EXAMINE HOW SPECIFIC FORMS OF IPV (E.G., PHYSICAL, SEXUAL, EMOTIONAL, CONTROLLING GENDER EXPRESSION AND/OR TRANSITION) IN THE CONTEXT OF STEADY OR CASUAL INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS CONTRIBUTE TO HIV/STI RISK AND PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS AMONG SUBGROUPS OF TGNB PERSONS OVER A 24-MONTH TIMEFRAME. SPECIFICALLY, WE AIM TO: 1. USING QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGIES, EXPLORE THE PERCEIVED ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN IPV, RELATIONSHIP CHARACTERISTICS AND DYNAMICS, AND HIV RISK AND PREVENTION BEHAVIORS AMONG GENDER DIVERSE TGNB PERSONS. 2. EXAMINE GENDER-BASED DIFFERENCES IN THE LONGITUDINAL ASSOCIATIONS OF IPV WITH HIV TESTING, PREP UPTAKE, PREP PERSISTENCE, STI DIAGNOSIS (PRIMARY OUTCOMES), CONDOMLESS SEX, AND HIV SEROCONVERSION (SECONDARY OUTCOMES) AMONG A RACIALLY AND ETHNICALLY DIVERSE COHORT OF TGNB PERSONS (TF, TM, AND GNB GROUPS). 3. DETERMINE THE INDIVIDUAL-, INTERPERSONAL-, NETWORK-, COMMUNITY-, AND STRUCTURAL-LEVEL RISK AND RESILIENCE FACTORS THAT MEDIATE (OR MODERATE) THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN IPV AND HIV RISK AND PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS FOR EACH GROUP. 4. MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INTERVENTIONS THAT INTERRUPT THE PATHWAYS BETWEEN IPV AND HIV/STI RISK BASED ON QUANTITATIVE DATA FROM THE COHORT AND QUALITATIVE DATA, GUIDED BY TECHNICAL EXPERTS. WE WILL ASSESS SEXUAL RISK BEHAVIOR, CONDUCT HIV AND STI TESTING, AND ASSESS PREP UPTAKE AND PERSISTENCE OVER THE 24 MONTHS OF FOLLOW-UP. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THERE WILL BE DIFFERENCES IN THE FREQUENCY, SEVERITY, AND OVERALL IMPACT OF IPV ON HIV/STI RISK AMONG SUBGROUPS OF TGNB PERSONS. WE ALSO SUSPECT GREATER FREQUENCY OF IPV WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH HISTORY OF CHILDHOOD ABUSE, MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS, SUBSTANCE USE, SEXUAL RISK TAKING AND LOWER LEVELS OF HIV TESTING, PREP UPTAKE, AND PREP PERSISTENCE. WE ANTICIPATE THAT ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE USE AMONG PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR PARTNERS WILL BE HIGHLY ASSOCIATED WITH EPISODES OF IPV AND WITH HIV RISK BEHAVIOR. WE ALSO HYPOTHESIZE THAT EXPERIENCES OF GENDER AFFIRMATION, COPING SKILLS AND SOCIAL SUPPORT WILL MEDIATE THE EFFECTS OF IPV ON RISK BEHAVIOR, HIV TESTING, PREP UPTAKE, AND PREP PERSISTENCE. THE PROPOSED STUDY WILL ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF BOTH THE RISK AND RESILIENCY FACTORS RELEVANT TO PREVENTING AND REDUCING IPV, REDUCING IPV-ASSOCIATED RISK BEHAVIORS, AND INCREASING HIV PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS AMONG DIVERSE TGNB PERSONS. THIS RESEARCH WILL INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT AND ADAPTATION OF IPV, HIV, AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE INTERVENTIONS FOR TGNB PERSONS.

INTEGRATION OF PEER NAVIGATION AND MHEALTH TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE VIRAL SUPPRESSION AMONG RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY PLWH IN COMMUNITY-BASED HIV CARE CLINICS

IMPERIAL COUNTY CLINICAL RESEARCH NETWORK FOR HEALTH EQUITY - PROJECT SUMMARY THIS 5-YEAR EFFORT TITLED “LEVERAGING A REGIONAL CLINICAL PRACTICE RESEARCH NETWORK FOR HEALTH EQUITY IN THE RURAL, BORDER REGION OF IMPERIAL COUNTY, CALIFORNIA (IMPERIAL COUNTY CLINICAL RESEARCH NETWORK)” SEEKS TO ADVANCE MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH BY ESTABLISHING THE PERSONNEL AND SYSTEMS (POLICIES AND PROCEDURES) INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT CLINICAL RESEARCH WITHIN A REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER THAT SERVES A RURAL, BORDER COMMUNITY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. IT ACCOMPLISHES THIS BY BRINGING TOGETHER THREE PRIMARY ORGANIZATIONS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE LEADERS TO DEVELOP A DISEASE-AGNOSTIC RESEARCH AGENDA CONSISTENT WITH THE NEEDS OF PATIENTS, DIVERSE CLINICIANS AND MULTI-SECTORAL COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS. INFRASTRUCTURE WILL BE DEVELOPED TO SUPPORT BOTH OBSERVATIONAL (E.G., COHORT STUDIES; SECONDARY ANALYSES USING ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD [EMR] DATA) AND INTERVENTION (FROM EFFICACY TO EFFECTIVENESS TRIALS) RESEARCH. DURING THE UG3 PHASE, WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP THE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A PRAGMATIC TRIAL AS THIS PROVIDES THE STRONGEST POSSIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SUPPORTING PP2, WHICH WILL BE DETERMINED THROUGH A COMPETITIVE PROCESS. THE UG3 PHASE ALSO WILL ADVANCE DATA SHARING ACTIVITIES INCLUDING IDENTIFYING A SET OF COMMON DATA ELEMENTS ACROSS NETWORK SITES, AND DEVELOPING AND TESTING PROTOCOLS AND SYSTEMS FOR SHARING DATA, INCLUDING EMR DATA FROM MULTIPLE SYSTEMS. DURING THE UH3 PHASE (Y3-5), BOTH PPS WILL BE LAUNCHED FOLLOWING FINAL APPROVAL FROM THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH COUNCIL AND THE SDSU IRB COMMITTEE. PP1 PROPOSES TO TEST A ROBUST LACTATION SUPPORT PROGRAM TO PROMOTE ENGAGEMENT IN PRENATAL CARE AND EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING TO ULTIMATELY REDUCE THE RATES OF CHILDHOOD OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY IN IMPERIAL COUNTY. THE UH3 PHASE WILL CONTINUE TO ADVANCE DATA SHARING AND PROMOTE DISSEMINATION THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOCOLS AND SYSTEMS FOR DATA VERIFICATION, DATA HARMONIZATION, AND MEANINGFUL INTERPRETATION OF DATA GIVEN CONTEXTUAL FACTORS (E.G., LANGUAGE OF ADMINISTRATION). THE PROPOSED TIMELINE PLANS FOR DATA SHARING AND HARMONIZATION TO OCCUR WITH THE PPS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE (HERE IN Y3), AND WITH SUFFICIENT TIME AT THE END TO COMPLETE FINAL FOLLOW-UP DATA COLLECTION FROM PARTICIPANTS, AND DATA SUBMITTED TO THE COORDINATING CENTER IN Y5. ALL OF THESE EFFORTS WILL BE GUIDED BY THE INVOLVEMENT OF A PATIENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE (5 MEMBERS), A CLINICIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (15 DIVERSE CLINICIAN TYPES), AND A COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE (12 DIVERSE SECTOR MEMBERS). THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THIS EFFORT IS TO IDENTIFY FEASIBLE, SUSTAINABLE, AND TRANSLATABLE APPROACHES TO PROMOTE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN RURAL, BORDER COMMUNITIES.

BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER FAILURE BACTERIAL MENINGITIS

TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

MULTIMODAL IMAGING OF EARLY NEURAL SIGNATURE IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

AN INNOVATIVE REHABILITATION APPROACH FOR WOMEN WITH ANAL INCONTINENCE

STRUCUTRE OF THE UNC-45 CHAPERONE AND ITS INTERACTION WITH SKELETAL MUSCLE MYOSIN

MINORITY HEALTH & HEALTH DISPARITIES INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAM

COMPREHENSIVE SUN PROTECTION IN RECREATION: AN ADVANCED GO SUN SMART PROGRAM

PROJECT LEAL - LEADERSHIP, EQUITY AND ACCESS FOR LANGUAGES

DECIPHERING THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF CARNITINE, A NOVEL TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC CHAGAS DISEASE - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT CHAGAS DISEASE IS A LEADING BUT POORLY-UNDERSTOOD INFECTIOUS CAUSE OF HEART FAILURE, RESULTING FROM INFECTION WITH TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI PARASITES. T. CRUZI HAS A WORLDWIDE PREVALENCE OF 7 MILLION, WITH OVER 300,000 INFECTED INDIVIDUALS IN THE UNITED STATES. CHAGAS DISEASE CAUSES A SIGNIFICANT BURDEN ON HEALTH CARE AND THE ECONOMY OF OVER $7 BILLION ANNUALLY IN TOTAL COSTS. NO VACCINES ARE AVAILABLE, AND CURRENT TREATMENT OPTIONS ARE LIMITED BY SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE EFFECTS, LONG TREATMENT DURATION, AND POOR EFFICACY IN LATE-STAGE DISEASE. NEW TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR CHAGAS DISEASE HAVE THEREFORE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A RESEARCH PRIORITY BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, THE WORLD HEART FEDERATION, AND THE INTER-AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CARDIOLOGY. OUR WORK HAS IDENTIFIED L-CARNITINE AS A NOVEL TREATMENT REGIMEN FOR ACUTE AND CHRONIC T. CRUZI INFECTION, ABLE TO IMPROVE READOUTS OF CARDIAC DAMAGE AND DISEASE SEVERITY, AND WITH A GOOD SAFETY PROFILE ALONE AND IN COMBINATION WITH THE ANTIPARASITIC STANDARD-OF-CARE BENZNIDAZOLE. L-CARNITINE HAS HIGH POTENTIAL FOR CLINICAL TRANSLATABILITY, BEING AFFORDABLE, READILY AVAILABLE, AND ALREADY FDA-APPROVED TO TREAT INBORN METABOLIC DISORDERS. HOWEVER, THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF L-CARNITINE IN CHRONIC T. CRUZI INFECTION IS CURRENTLY UNKNOWN. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO ELUCIDATE THIS MECHANISM OF ACTION, ENABLING IN THE LONG-TERM CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF L- CARNITINE INTO CLINICAL IMPLEMENTATION, AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF NEW ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT REGIMENS FOR CHAGAS DISEASE. L-CARNITINE DIFFERS FROM CLASSIC ANTIPARASITIC AGENTS IN THAT IT IMPROVES T. CRUZI INFECTION OUTCOMES WITHOUT REDUCING PARASITE LOAD. THUS, RESULTS WILL ALSO EXPAND OUR UNDERSTANDING OF CHAGAS DISEASE PATHOGENESIS. THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS OF THIS PROPOSAL IS THAT L-CARNITINE’S MECHANISM OF ACTION IS MEDIATED BY LESSENING CARDIAC FATTY ACID OXIDATION, INCREASING CARDIAC GLUCOSE METABOLISM, AND LOWERING INFECTION-INDUCED CARDIAC CONTRACTILE IMPAIRMENT. THIS CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS WILL BE TESTED IN EXPERIMENTAL MODELS OF CHRONIC T. CRUZI INFECTION, USING THREE COMPLEMENTARY YET INDEPENDENT AIMS. WE WILL COMBINE METABOLOMIC AND PHARMACOLOGICAL ANALYSES OF THE IMPACT OF L-CARNITINE ON FATTY ACID OXIDATION (AIM 1) AND ON GLUCOSE OXIDATION (AIM 2) WITH ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC ANALYSES OF THE IMPACT OF L-CARNITINE TREATMENT ON CARDIAC CONTRACTILITY (AIM 3). THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS INNOVATIVE BECAUSE IT CENTERS AROUND A NEW CANDIDATE TREATMENT REGIMEN FOR CHAGAS DISEASE WITH NOVEL MECHANISM OF ACTION, AND IT WILL LEAD TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF ADDITIONAL AVENUES FOR CHAGAS DISEASE TREATMENT. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT WILL LEAD TO A RIGOROUS UNDERSTANDING OF L- CARNITINE’S MECHANISM OF ACTION, FACILITATING ITS PROGRESSION TO THE CLINIC, AND WILL IDENTIFY NOVEL CANDIDATES FOR FURTHER CHAGAS DISEASE DRUG DEVELOPMENT. OVERALL, THIS WORK WILL PROVIDE VALUABLE NEW TRANSLATIONAL AVENUES FOR CHAGAS DISEASE TREATMENT, AS WELL AS SIGNIFICANT FUNDAMENTAL INSIGHT INTO CARDIAC CHAGAS DISEASE PATHOGENESIS.

GENETIC, MOLECULAR AND COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF MEF2 FUNCTION IN DROSOPHILA MYOGENESIS

EDUCATIONAL TALENT SEARCH

FETAL ALCOHOL EFFECTS AND CHOLINE INTERVENTION

SALUD DE TU ESPALDA PRIMARY CARE TO PHYSICAL THERAPY (STEPPT): MITIGATING ETHNIC DISPARITIES IN ACCESS AND ENGAGEMENT IN SPINE PAIN REHABILITATION - PROJECT SUMMARY SPINE PAIN IS AMONG THE MOST COMMON AND DISABLING HEALTH CONDITIONS FOR BOTH NON-HISPANIC WHITES (NHWS) AND RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES. ALTHOUGH HISPANICS OFTEN REPORT MORE SEVERE MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN THAN NHWS, THEY ARE LESS LIKELY TO CONSULT A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT, AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS ARE LESS LIKELY TO ASSESS AND TREAT PAIN IN HISPANIC PATIENTS. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO ADAPT AND TEST EVIDENCE-BASED, CULTURALLY INFORMED PRACTICES AT MULTIPLE LEVELS OF INFLUENCE ALONG THE HEALTHCARE CONTINUUM TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO AND ENGAGEMENT IN PHYSICAL REHABILITATION AS A NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT OPTION FOR HISPANICS WITH SPINE PAIN. AIM 1 PROPOSES A MIXED-METHODS APPROACH TO ADAPT AND MANUALIZE A MULTILEVEL INTERVENTION TO ADDRESS MODIFIABLE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO ETHNIC DISPARITIES IN RATES OF PHYSICIAN REFERRAL AND PATIENT ADHERENCE TO PHYSICAL THERAPY REFERRAL FOR SPINE PAIN IN A FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER (FQHC) SERVING DIVERSE, LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES NEAR THE US-MEXICO BORDER. AIM 2 WILL THEN ASSESS EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MANUALIZED INTERVENTION, REFERRED TO AS STEPPT (SALUD DE TU ESPALDA: PRIMARY CARE TO PHYSICAL THERAPY), USING A CLUSTER-RANDOMIZED STEPPED-WEDGE CLINICAL TRIAL IN THE FQHC SETTING. COMPARED TO STANDARD CARE, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT STEPPT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE ETHNIC DISPARITIES IN RATES OF PHYSICIAN REFERRAL AND PATIENT ADHERENCE TO PHYSICAL THERAPY REFERRAL FOR SPINE PAIN. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE PROPOSED AIMS WILL PROVIDE UNDERSERVED HISPANIC COMMUNITIES WITH SCALABLE, SUSTAINABLE, AND EFFECTIVE OPTIONS FOR ENGAGING IN CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE PAIN CARE. THIS APPROACH CAN SERVE AS A MODEL FOR FQHCS AND OTHER HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS TO MITIGATE DISPARITIES IN SPECIALTY SERVICES FOR A VARIETY OF HEALTH CONDITIONS THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACT ETHNIC AND RACIAL MINORITIES.

THE PATH TO LANGUAGE AND LITERACY: A CROSS-LINGUISTIC LONGITUDINAL APPROACH

NEUROBIOBEHAVIORAL MARKERS OF STRESS, SALIENCY, AND MULTISENSORY DYSFUNCTION IN AUTISM - PROJECT SUMMARY SENSORY ABNORMALITIES ARE COMMONLY OBSERVED IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS (ASD). IN EARLY INTERACTIONS WITH CAREGIVERS, VISUAL, AUDITORY, AND SOMATOSENSORY PROCESSING IS INTEGRAL TO SOCIAL INTERCHANGES AND HELPS DIRECT ATTENTION TOWARD IMPORTANT CUES. THE INTEGRATION OF SENSORY INFORMATION AIDS IN DETECTING SALIENT FEATURES OF THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT. IN ASD, HOWEVER, THERE IS EVIDENCE OF ATYPICAL MULTISENSORY INTEGRATION AND DISRUPTED SALIENCE PROCESSING. INEFFECTIVE INTEGRATION AND SALIENCY DETECTION OF SENSORY INFORMATION LIKELY CONTRIBUTE TO COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL OVERLOAD AND UNCERTAINTY, AND INCREASED STRESS REACTIVITY. ELEVATED STRESS (E.G., CORTISOL) ASSOCIATED WITH SENSORY DYSFUNCTION IN ASD MAY FURTHER COMPOUND CORE SYMPTOMATOLOGY AND CONTRIBUTE TO LATER DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNALIZING SYMPTOMS (E.G., ANXIETY) FREQUENTLY CO-OCCURRING IN ASD. SENSORY ABNORMALITIES ARE OFTEN CORRELATED WITH INTERNALIZING SYMPTOMS IN ASD CHILDREN, ALTHOUGH THE UNDERLYING NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL MECHANISMS ARE UNCLEAR. THEREFORE, THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MULTISENSORY INTEGRATION, SALIENCE PROCESSING, AND STRESS REACTIVITY, AND ESTABLISH HOW ABNORMALITIES IN THESE DOMAINS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH INTERNALIZING SYMPTOMS IN ASD. THESE RELATIONS WILL BE EXAMINED IN ASD CHILDREN (N=115) AND TYPICALLY DEVELOPING PEERS (N=115) BETWEEN 7 AND 10 YEARS OF AGE, WHEN COMPLEX MULTISENSORY INTEGRATION BEGINS TO STABILIZE AND RISK OF DEVELOPING INTERNALIZING SYMPTOMS INCREASES. WE THEORIZE THAT DEFICITS IN LOW-LEVEL SENSORY PROCESSING DISRUPT BOTH HIGH-LEVEL MULTISENSORY INTEGRATION AND SALIENCY DETECTION, WHICH ARE LINKED TO INTERNALIZING SYMPTOMS; WE FURTHER HYPOTHESIZE THESE LINKS TO BE MODERATED BY STRESS REACTIVITY IN ASD. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH AIMS TO: (1) CHARACTERIZE MULTISENSORY INTEGRATION IN THE CONTEXT OF SALIENCY DETECTION OF SENSORY INFORMATION IN CHILDREN WITH ASD; (2) MAP ACTIVITY AND FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY OF THE NEURAL CIRCUITS UNDERLYING MULTISENSORY INTEGRATION AND SALIENCE PROCESSING; (3) EXAMINE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN SUBJECTIVE MEASURES OF REPORTED SENSORY RESPONSIVITY, QUANTITATIVE MEASURES OF MULTISENSORY INTEGRATION AND SALIENCY DETECTION, AND STRESS REACTIVITY; AND (4) RELATE NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL MEASURES OF MULTISENSORY INTEGRATION AND SALIENCE PROCESSING, AS WELL AS INDICES OF STRESS REACTIVITY, TO CO-OCCURRING INTERNALIZING SYMPTOMS REPORTED IN CHILDREN WITH ASD. THIS PROJECT WILL IMPLEMENT A MULTIMODAL APPROACH, INCLUDING THE COLLECTION OF QUANTITATIVE PSYCHOPHYSICAL DISCRIMINATION RESPONSE THRESHOLDS (TO VISUAL, AUDITORY, SOMATOSENSORY, AND MULTISENSORY STIMULATION), BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF STRESS REACTIVITY (I.E., SALIVARY CORTISOL), MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) DATA (I.E., TASK AND RESTING STATE FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY MRI, ANATOMICAL MRI), SUBJECTIVE CAREGIVER-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES, AND COGNITIVE AND PSYCHODIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENTS. THE FINDINGS WILL ELUCIDATE THE LINKS BETWEEN NEUROBIOBEHAVIORAL MECHANISMS UNDERPINNING MULTISENSORY INTEGRATION, SALIENCE PROCESSING, AND MANIFESTATIONS OF STRESS, AS WELL AS INTERNALIZING CONDITIONS IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM.

ESTIMATING MEDIATION AND MODERATION EFFECTS IN HIV INCIDENCE PREVENTION TRIALS

UPWARD BOUND - CLASSIC

SUICIDE PREVENTION FOR SEXUAL AND GENDER MINORITY YOUTH - PROJECT SUMMARY SUICIDE IS THE 10TH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AMONG ALL U.S. CITIZENS AND IS THE 2ND LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AMONG YOUTH AND EMERGING ADULTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 15 AND 29. ONE GROUP THAT IS PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO SUICIDE IS SEXUAL AND GENDER MINORITIES (SGMS). SGM IS AN UMBRELLA TERM USED TO DESCRIBE INDIVIDUALS WHO IDENTIFY AS NON-EXCLUSIVELY HETEROSEXUAL (E.G., GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL) AND/OR AS TRANSGENDER/NON-BINARY (E.G., IDENTIFY AS A GENDER DIFFERENT FROM THEIR BIRTH SEX). INDEED, RECENT U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FINDINGS FROM 2017 UNDERSCORE STRIKING DISPARITIES IN SUICIDALITY BETWEEN SEXUAL MINORITY AND HETEROSEXUAL ADOLESCENTS, WITH 23% OF SEXUAL MINORITY YOUTH REPORTING ONE OR MORE SUICIDE ATTEMPTS (IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS) VS. 5.4% OF HETEROSEXUAL YOUTH. PREVALENCE OF LIFETIME SUICIDE ATTEMPTS AMONG GENDER MINORITIES IS ALSO SUBSTANTIALLY ELEVATED COMPARED TO THE GENERAL POPULATION, WITH 45% OF 18-24-YEAR-OLD TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS REPORTING A HISTORY OF ONE MORE SUICIDE ATTEMPTS. DESPITE THESE SUBSTANTIAL HEALTH DISPARITIES IN SUICIDE AMONG SGM YOUTH/EMERGING ADULTS, NO KNOWN SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAMS EXIST FOR THIS HIGHLY VULNERABLE POPULATION. GIVEN THIS CRUCIAL GAP IN THE LITERATURE, THE PROPOSED STUDY WILL ADAPT AND TEST AN INNOVATIVE INTERVENTION THAT INTEGRATES PATIENT NAVIGATION WITH THE SAFETY PLANNING INTERVENTION (PN+SPI) FOR SGM YOUTH/EMERGING ADULTS DESIGNED TO TARGET MECHANISMS (E.G., REDUCTIONS IN THWARTED BELONGINGNESS AND INCREASES IN SUICIDE-RELATED COPING SKILLS) THAT THEORETICALLY UNDERLIE SUICIDE. IF THE PN+SPI INTERVENTION DISPLAYS A CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL EFFECT ON THE PURPORTED TARGETS (I.E., REDUCTIONS IN THWARTED BELONGINGNESS AND INCREASES IN SUICIDE-RELATED COPING SKILLS) DURING THE OPEN-PHASE TRIAL (R61 PHASE) AND IS FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE, WE WILL SUBSEQUENTLY MOVE TO THE R33 PHASE. IN THE R33 PHASE, WE WILL CONDUCT A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF THE PN+SPI BY COMPARING IT TO SPI ALONE TO ASSESS FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY. DURING THE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, IN WHICH WE WILL SAMPLE 170 YOUTH AND EMERGING ADULT SGMS, WE WILL ALSO EVALUATE THE MECHANISMS OF ACTION OF THE PN+SPI INTERVENTION THROUGH LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS. THE PROPOSED PROJECT HAS SUBSTANTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE AS SGMS ARE ONE OF THE MOST VULNERABLE GROUPS FOR SUICIDALITY GLOBALLY. GIVEN THE BREVITY OF THE PN+SPI INTERVENTION AND ITS EMPHASIS ON SAFETY PLANNING AND ACCESSING COMMUNITY RESOURCES, THE PN+SPI INTERVENTION HAS HIGH POTENTIAL FOR WIDE DISSEMINATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT.

OBESITY PREVENTION/CONTROL /COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTERS

PARTNER: EXPAND AI2ES FOR 4D SPACE-TIME ORGANIZATION OF PRECIPITATION PROCESSES AND EXTREMES, VISUALIZATION TOOLS, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT -THIS PROJECT IS AN EXPANDAI PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY, THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE, AND THE AI INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH ON TRUSTWORTHY AI IN WEATHER, CLIMATE AND COASTAL OCEANOGRAPHY (AI2ES). IN THIS PROJECT, TWO MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS COLLABORATE WITH AN AI INSTITUTE TO LEAD NEW ACTIVITIES FOCUSED ON SCALING UP ALREADY-ESTABLISHED AI RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT THEIR INSTITUTIONS AND TO PURSUE SHARED, COMPLEMENTARY GOALS AROUND DEVELOPING AI WITH USE FOR SOCIETY IN MIND AND FOR DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF AI EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE TALENT. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO BUILD COMMUNITY AND NEW CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN AI WHERE SUCH ACTIVITIES WERE NOT PREVIOUSLY WELL DEVELOPED. THE EXPAI2ES PROJECT EXPANDS RESEARCH, EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN TWO HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS (HSI). IN COLLABORATION WITH AI2ES, THESE ORGANIZATIONS LEAD A PARTNERSHIP IN AI BASIC RESEARCH AND AI APPLICATIONS TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. THE RESEARCH FOCUS OF EXPAI2ES IS ON AI MODELING OF THE SPACE-TIME ORGANIZATION AND MULTISCALE STRUCTURE OF PRECIPITATION AND OTHER ATMOSPHERIC VARIABLES, WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON EXTREMES AND UNCERTAINTY QUANTIFICATION. THE RESEARCH ALSO DEVELOPS 4-DIMENSIONAL DATA VISUALIZATION TOOLS, SUCH AS THE 4-DIMENSIONAL VISUAL DELIVERY (4DVD) SOFTWARE, THAT CAN SUPPORT A WIDER APPLICATION OF PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION PEDAGOGY FOR ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AND AI. THESE RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL ADVANCES WILL EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS IMMINENT CHALLENGES IN CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, AND COSTLY WEATHER EXTREMES AND HAZARDS, WHILE ENGAGING A DIVERSE AND UNTAPPED POOL OF TALENT. THE PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION FOR ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE (PEAS) FRAMEWORK TO BE ESTABLISHED IN THIS PROJECT WILL HELP DEVELOP NEW COURSE MATERIAL AND IMPROVE THE EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS OF AI COURSES FOR RELEVANT INSTITUTIONS. THE PROJECT?S NOVEL ?PEAS+AI? EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK WILL BE FURTHER EXTENDED TO THE TRAINING OF SCHOOL TEACHERS WHO TOGETHER WITH STUDENTS CAN USE THE PROPOSED 4DVD TECHNOLOGY FOR CLIMATE DATA VISUALIZATION AND DISCOVERY. THE ENGAGEMENT WITH REAL ENVIRONMENTAL DATA COMBINED WITH THE MODERN VIDEO-BASED 4DVD AI TOOLS WILL INSPIRE STUDENTS TOWARDS STEM CAREERS TO WORK ON THE PRESSING PROBLEMS OF CLIMATE SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

RACIAL EQUITY IN SYSTEMS TO TREAT OPIOID USE DISORDER FOR EVERYONE (RESTORE): A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL - PROJECT SUMMARY I AM A WELL-PUBLISHED, EARLY STAGE MEDICAL SOCIOLOGIST APPLYING FOR A NIDA-FUNDED RACIAL EQUITY VISIONARY AWARD FOCUSED ON THE FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF AN INNOVATIVE, MIXED METHODS, COMMUNITY- ENGAGED INTERVENTION TARGETING NON-HISPANIC BLACK (NHB) INDIVIDUALS WITH OPIOID USE DISORDER (OUD). THIS STUDY WILL APPLY MY UNDERSTANDING OF COMMUNITY NEEDS AND OUD, TO TEST A NOVEL INTERVENTION IN A SCALABLE SETTING, LEVERAGING MY ROLE AS A LEADER IN THIS FIELD TO DISSEMINATE FINDINGS AND IMPROVE TREATMENT ACCESS NATIONWIDE. OPIOID-RELATED OVERDOSES ARE INCREASING FASTEST IN NHB INDIVIDUALS. IN 2020, AMID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, NHB OVERDOSE DEATHS INCREASED BY 45%, NEARLY DOUBLE THE INCREASE IN NON-HISPANIC WHITES (NHW). DISPROPORTIONATE INCREASES IN OVERDOSES CORRESPOND TO RACIAL INEQUITIES IN OUD TREATMENT ACCESS AND UTILIZATION. AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT, BUPRENORPHINE, IS CONCENTRATED AMONG COMMUNITIES WITH HIGH PERCENTAGES OF NHWS, HIGHER INCOME, AND PRIVATE INSURANCE. COMPARED WITH NHW PATIENTS WITH OUD, NHB PATIENTS WITH OUD ARE 77% LESS LIKELY TO HAVE AN OFFICE VISIT THAT INCLUDES A BUPRENORPHINE PRESCRIPTION, DESPITE SIMILAR PREVALENCE OF OUDS. THIS STRUCTURAL PROBLEM IS AT THE FOUNDATION OF MY PROPOSED RESEARCH. RESEARCH FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING AND TESTING CULTURALLY EFFECTIVE, COMMUNITY GROUNDED, AND STRUCTURALLY COMPETENT OUD TREATMENTS WITH RIGOROUS IMPLEMENTATION ASSESSMENTS IS URGENTLY NEEDED TO INTERVENE ON STRUCTURAL BARRIERS TO OUD TREATMENT THAT OPERATE IN SETTINGS IN WHICH NHB INDIVIDUALS SEEK HEALTHCARE. SIGNIFICANT FEDERAL FUNDING HAS EXPANDED ACCESS TO OUD TREATMENT SERVICES IN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS (CHCS) THAT PROVIDE CARE TO UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS AND AREAS BUT BARRIERS TO ACCESSING CARE REMAIN IN NHBS. I PROPOSE TO PREPARE FOR A FULLY POWERED CLINICAL TRIAL BY TESTING WHETHER A BUPRENORPHINE TREATMENT INTERVENTION PROTOCOL (RACIAL EQUITY IN SYSTEMS TO TREAT OPIOID USE DISORDER FOR EVERYONE—RESTORE) THAT TARGETS STRUCTURAL BARRIERS TO OUD TREATMENT FOR NHB INDIVIDUALS IS FEASIBLE IN THE CONTEXT OF CHCS. RESTORE DRAWS UPON CONCEPTS OF STRUCTURAL COMPETENCY, PEER NAVIGATION, AND CULTURALLY GROUNDED OUD EDUCATION FOR BOTH PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WILL BE CONTINUOUS, EXEMPLIFIED BY THE USE OF PEER NAVIGATORS TO CONNECT PATIENTS TO CARE. RESTORE WILL BE BASED IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA—AN EPICENTER OF THE NATION’S OPIOID CRISIS. PROJECT PHASES, GUIDED BY CUTTING EDGE IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE, INCLUDE 1) A QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION INTO PROVIDER AND PATIENT BARRIERS TO AND FACILITATORS OF CHCS’ PROVISION OF BUPRENORPHINE SPECIFICALLY TO NHB INDIVIDUALS WITH OUD; 2) THE OPERATIONALIZATION OF RESTORE INTO ROUTINE CARE, USING PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM PHASE I; AND 3) A PILOT STEPPED-WEDGE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO TEST THE FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF RESTORE, AS WELL AS THE PROTOCOLS, PROCEDURES AND TRAINING IN CHCS. THIS STUDY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE EFFECTIVE TREATMENT RATES IN 4 CLINICS AND PROVIDE AN EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTION TO BE TESTED AT SCALE ACROSS MULTIPLE STATES. IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCAL TREATMENTS, DESIGNED TO REACH NHBS, WILL GREATLY REDUCE THE CURRENT INCREASE IN OVERDOSE DISPARITIES.

CALIFORNIA WATER SCIENCE CENTER AND ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH CENTER

PUBLIC HEALTH TRAINING CENTER

PEER REVIEWED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM LIFESTYLE AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INTERVENTIONS RESEARCH AWARD

THIS PROJECT WILL ADDRESS AIR QUALITY AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES FUNDAMENTAL TO IMPROVING UNITED STATES-MEXICAN BORDER RESIDENTS' QUALITY OF LIE

DP24-004, PRC CORE: SDSU PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

TANGIBILITY FOR THE TEACHING, LEARNING, AND COMMUNICATING OF MATHEMATICS

LINKING LOCAL ACTIVITY AND FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY IN AUTISM

CLINICAL MARKERS OF DLD IN BILINGUAL AND MONOLINGUAL VIETNAMESE CHILDREN - PROJECT SUMMARY DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE DISORDER (DLD: 7% PREVALENCE), DEFINED BY LOW LANGUAGE DESPITE OTHERWISE NORMAL DEVELOPMENT, PUTS CHILDREN AT GREATER RISK FOR READING PROBLEMS AND LOWER VOCATIONAL ATTAINMENT. THERE EXIST LANGUAGE-BASED DISPARITIES IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF DLD. BILINGUAL CHILDREN ARE MORE LIKELY OVER- OR UNDER-IDENTIFIED WITH DLD (SAMSON & LESAUX, 2009): UNDER-IDENTIFICATION DELAYS ACCESS TO INTERVENTION, WHILE OVER-IDENTIFICATION MISAPPROPRIATES ALREADY SCARCE RESOURCES. DLD IDENTIFICATION IS PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING DURING THE INITIAL SCHOOL YEARS, WHEN MANY BILINGUALS ARE IN THE PROCESSING OF LEARNING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE. ASSESSING CHILDREN’S FIRST LANGUAGE SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVES DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY. THE PROPOSED PROJECT FOCUSES ON VIETNAMESE, AN UNDERSTUDIED YET WIDELY SPOKEN LANGUAGE (1.5 MILLION IN THE US, 100 MILLION WORLDWIDE). VIETNAMESE IS HIGHLY DISTINCT FROM ENGLISH: FINDING COMMON CLINICAL MARKERS ACROSS CONTRASTIVE LANGUAGES CONTRIBUTES TO THEORETICAL ACCOUNTS OF UNDERLYING MECHANISMS OF THE DISORDER. OUR RESEARCH TEAM HAS THE EXPERTISE AND LOCAL AND GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS TO SEARCH FOR CLINICAL MARKERS OF DLD IN VIETNAMESE. WE HAVE PIONEERED THE STUDY OF DLD IN VIETNAM BY ESTABLISHING A MULTI-METHOD CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM FOR DLD IN KINDERGARTEN AND BY MEASURING LANGUAGE-READING DEVELOPMENT FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH SECOND GRADE. IN THE US, WE HAVE DEFINED PARAMETERS FOR TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT (TD) IN VIETNAMESE BILINGUALS IN THE EARLY SCHOOL YEARS. THE PROPOSED STUDY WILL RECRUIT VIETNAMESE-SPEAKING CHILDREN, AGES 4-6 YEARS, IN THE US (BILINGUAL TD=100, DLD=25) AND VIETNAM (MONOLINGUAL TD=160, DLD=40). CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS: THERE ARE VIETNAMESE CLINICAL MARKERS THAT WILL CONFIRM THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF DLD AT THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL, WHETHER CHILDREN ARE LEARNING VIETNAMESE ALONE OR IN COMBINATION WITH ENGLISH. AIM 1 ESTABLISHES THE DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF NONWORD REPETITION AND SENTENCE REPETITION FOR VIETNAMESE MONOLINGUALS. WE EXTEND OUR PRIOR WORK ON THESE TASKS TO A YOUNGER AGE (INCLUDE 4YO) AND A LARGER DLD SAMPLE. AIM 2 SYSTEMATICALLY COMPARES FOUR GROUPS (N=80, 20/GROUP) OF BILINGUALS (TD, DLD) AND MONOLINGUALS (TD, DLD) MATCHED BY AGE, GENDER, AND MATERNAL EDUCATION, TO CAPTURE EMERGING SKILLS THAT CAN SERVE AS GRAMMATICAL MARKERS OF VIETNAMESE DLD. AIM 3 CALCULATES THE DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF ALL CLINICAL MARKERS - GRAMMAR (ACCURACY, DIVERSITY, PRODUCTIVITY), SENTENCE REPETITION, AND NONWORD REPETITION- FOR BILINGUALS (N=125), MONOLINGUALS (N=200), AND COMBINED TOTAL SAMPLE (N=325), WHICH WILL SERVE AS THE MOST RIGOROUS TEST OF DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY. IMPACT: THIS PROJECT WILL HELP TO TRANSFORM CLINICAL LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES TO SERVE OUR INCREASINGLY DIVERSE SOCIETY. TOOLS PRODUCED FROM THIS PROJECT WILL IMPROVE DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY FOR VIETNAMESE-SPEAKING CHILDREN IN THE US AND WORLDWIDE, PARTICULARLY VIETNAMESE-SPEAKING CHILDREN IN THE US WHO START SCHOOL WITH MINIMAL ENGLISH PROFICIENCY, FOR WHOM ACCURATE IDENTIFICATION HEAVILY RELIES ON FIRST LANGUAGE SKILLS. THIS STUDY CAN SERVE AS A MODEL FOR OTHER ASIAN TONAL LANGUAGES THAT IN COMBINATION WITH VIETNAMESE COMPRISE 6.5 MILLION SPEAKERS IN THE US.

UPWARD BOUND

UPWARD BOUND CLASSIC

SAN DIEGO BRIDGES TO THE BACCALAUREATE

BUILDING CAPACITY: UNDERGRADUATE STEM TRANSITIONS, EXPERIENCES, AND MOBILITY

LIGHT-INDUCED ATROPOSELECTIVE N-HETEROCYCLIZATION VIA CHIRAL PEROVSKITE NANOCRYSTALS - PROJECT SUMMARY AND ABSTRACT NOVEL METHOD FOR CONSTRUCTING AXIALLY CHIRAL N-HETEROCYCLIC MOLECULES CAN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE MANUFACTURE OF PHARMACEUTICAL-ACTIVE COMPOUNDS AND OTHER USEFUL ORGANIC COMPLEXES. OUR RESEARCH PROGRAM WILL DEVELOP A VISIBLE LIGHT INDUCED CATALYTIC REACTION APPROACH THAT LEADS TO THE DIRECT FORMATION OF CHIRAL N-HETEROCYCLES THAT WERE OTHERWISE CHALLENGING TO PRODUCE. THE APPROACH USES CHIRAL SEMICONDUCTOR PEROVSKITE MATERIALS AS THE CATALYST WHICH ARE DIRECTLY DERIVED FROM WELL-EXPLORED SOLAR CELL MATERIALS THAT ARE BENCH-TOP ACHIEVABLE AND ECONOMICAL TO PRODUCE. IN THE PROPOSED STRATEGY, ORGANIC SUBSTRATES APPROACH PEROVSKITE’S CHIRAL SURFACE FOR CHARGE TRANSFER, LEADING TO THE KEY STEP FOR DISCRIMINATE CHIRAL CONFIGURATION AND THEREBY RESULTING IN A DIRECT LIGHT-INDUCED ASYMMETRIC RING-CLOSURE REACTION. THE UNPRECEDENTED REACTION STRATEGY DESCRIBED HERE IS AMONG THE FIRST OF ITS KIND, HAS THE POTENTIAL TO INTRODUCE A WIDE RANGE OF NEW ASYMMETRIC REACTIONS FOR IMPORTANT AXIALLY CHIRAL BIO-RELEVANT COMPOUNDS, AND MAY BE CONSIDERED RELIABLE LINCHPIN REACTIONS SUITABLE FOR PHARMACEUTICAL SYNTHESIS.

ADENOSINE AND PYRUVATE PROTECTION DURING HEART SURGERY

THE ASSOCIATION OF PERINATAL HIV INFECTION AND HEARING LOSS IN CHILDREN OF CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

CHEMOSENSORY PERCEPTION & PSYCHOPHYSICS IN THE AGED

ECOLOGY OF CYSTIC FIBROSIS: ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPLEMENT

EXAMINING A UNIQUE CONTRACTILE INJECTION SYSTEM MEDIATING HOST-MICROBE INTERACTIONS - PROJECT SUMMARY BACTERIA WITHIN THE HUMAN MICROBIOME TYPICALLY BENEFIT THE HOST. HOWEVER, AN IMBALANCE OF SOME BACTERIA GROUPS SUCH AS BACTEROIDALES CAN LEAD TO DISEASES LIKE OBESITY AND INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE. A CURRENT GRAND CHALLENGE IN THE MICROBIOME FIELD IS TO IDENTIFY PRODUCTS PRODUCED BY MICROBIOME BACTERIA THAT TIP THIS HEALTH-TO-DISEASE BALANCE. THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THESE PRODUCTS IS A SIGNIFICANT BARRIER TO IMPROVING THERAPIES THAT MODULATE OUR MICROBIOME (E.G. FECAL TRANSPLANTS)—A CURRENT AREA OF INTENSE INVESTIGATION. THE OBJECTIVE OF MY LABORATORY IS TO IDENTIFY PRODUCTS FROM NORMAL MICROBIOME BACTERIA THAT PROMOTE HEALTH OR DISEASE AND DETERMINE THEIR MECHANISMS OF ACTION. TO THIS END, WE DISCOVERED A PREVIOUSLY UNDESCRIBED FAMILY OF CONTRACTILE INJECTION SYSTEM THAT BACTERIA USE TO NATURALLY PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INVERTEBRATE HOST (A TUBEWORM CALLED HYDROIDES ELEGANS). CONTRACTILE INJECTION SYSTEMS WORK BY INJECTING STIMULATORY EFFECTOR PROTEINS INTO HOST CELLS THAT EITHER PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT OR ELICIT DISEASE. THIS NEW FAMILY OF CONTRACTILE INJECTION SYSTEM IS UNIQUE BECAUSE THEY EXCLUSIVELY TARGET EUKARYOTIC ORGANISMS (E.G. AMOEBA, INSECTS, TUBEWORMS). UNTIL NOW, THIS FAMILY OF INJECTION SYSTEM WAS NOT KNOWN TO OCCUR IN HUMAN-ASSOCIATED BACTERIA. HOWEVER, WE RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT THE GUT MICROBIOMES OF NEARLY ALL HUMAN ADULTS (>99%) FROM THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE CARRY A CLOSELY RELATED, YET PREVIOUSLY UNDESCRIBED CONTRACTILE INJECTION SYSTEM. MOREOVER, OUR IN VITRO EXPERIMENTS SHOW THAT CONTRACTILE INJECTION SYSTEMS IN BACTEROIDES BACTERIA PROMOTE HUMAN CELL LINE PROLIFERATION AND INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES. IN THIS PROPOSAL, WE WILL LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR DETERMINING THE IMPACT OF THESE NEWLY DISCOVERED CONTRACTILE INJECTION SYSTEMS ON HUMAN HEALTH. OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS THAT THIS NEW INJECTION SYSTEM FAMILY COMPRISE A KEY MEANS OF INTERACTION BETWEEN MICROBIOME BACTERIA AND HOST, PROMOTING BOTH DEVELOPMENT AND DISEASE DEPENDING ON THE EFFECTORS DEPLOYED AND CONTEXT OF INTERACTION. EFFORTS FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS FOCUS ON (PROJECT 1) INVESTIGATING THE FUNCTIONS OF SUBTYPE-4 CIS EFFECTOR PROTEINS AND LINK EFFECTOR ACTIVITY WITH THE HOST’S CELLULAR RESPONSES; (PROJECT 2) DETERMINING HOW THIS CLASS OF CIS BINDS TO EUKARYOTIC CELLS USING FIBERS THAT STRUCTURALLY RESEMBLE EUKARYOTIC CADHERIN PROTEINS; AND (PROJECT 3) ELUCIDATING THE STRUCTURE-FUNCTION RELATIONSHIP OF SUBTYPE-4 CIS FROM HUMAN GUT BACTEROIDALES USING CRYO- ELECTRON TOMOGRAPHY AND FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY. OUR RESULTS WILL LAY A FOUNDATION FOR TECHNOLOGY EMPLOYING BACTEROIDALES BACTERIA AND THEIR CONTRACTILE INJECTION SYSTEMS AS PROBIOTICS TO MODULATE THE HUMAN MICROBIOME AND HOST HEALTH.

BETA-ADRENERGIC SIGNALING: DOUBLE EDGED SWORD OF MYOCARDIAL REPAIR

INCREASING COVID-19 VACCINE UPTAKE AMONG LATINOS THROUGH A TARGETED CLINICAL AND COMMUNITY-BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE UNITED STATES CURRENTLY HAS THE HIGHEST COVID-19 INFECTION AND RELATED MORTALITY RATES IN THE WORLD. IN CALIFORNIA, LATINOS ACCOUNT FOR THE HIGHEST PERCENT OF COVID-19 CASES (58.9%) AND DEATHS (47.3%) AND ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY REPRESENTED IN OCCUPATIONS DEEMED AS ‘ESSENTIAL’. LATINOS ALSO SUFFER FROM HIGHER RATES OF POVERTY AND CHRONIC DISEASE WHICH PLACES THEM AT GREATER RISK OF COVID-19 INFECTION AND RELATED COMPLICATIONS. IN COLLABORATION WITH FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS OF SD (FHCSD) AND WORKING WITH COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS (AKA, PROMOTORES/AS), WE WILL IMPLEMENT A MULTILEVEL INTERVENTION TO INCREASE COVID-19 VACCINE COMPLETION RATES AND SEE FASTER VACCINATION UPTAKE AMONG LATINOS. A TOTAL OF 10 CLINICS WILL BE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER A STANDARD CLINICAL PRACTICE CONSISTING OF STANDARD CLINIC-BASED STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE COVID-19 VACCINE UPTAKE AMONG PATIENTS OR A MULTILEVEL INTERVENTION CONSISTING OF AN INDIVIDUALIZED/TAILORED INTERVENTION DELIVERED BY HEALTH EDUCATORS WORKING WITHIN THE CLINICS PLUS A MULTI-COMPONENT COMMUNITY INTERVENTION DELIVERED BY COMMUNITY PROMOTORES. THIS PROJECT WILL TEST THE IMMEDIATE AND SHORT-TERM EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MULTILEVEL INTERVENTION TO INCREASE COVID- 19 VACCINE UPTAKE. IN ADDITION, WE WILL TEST THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROPOSED INTERVENTION ON LONG-TERM BEHAVIORAL, MENTAL, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OUTCOMES. LASTLY, THIS PROJECT WILL ASSESS IMPLEMENTATION OUTCOMES INCLUDING PROGRAM ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY BY PATIENTS AND CLINIC STAFF AND COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT. THIS STUDY AIMS TO INCREASE THE UPTAKE OF COMPLETING THE COVID-19 VACCINE IN A POPULATION THAT HAS EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH RATES OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY DUE TO COVID-19. WE WILL HARNESS OUR RESEARCH TEAM’S EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN DEVELOPING MULTI-LEVEL INTERVENTIONS WORKING WITH HEALTH EDUCATORS AND PROMOTORES TO PROMOTE BEHAVIOR CHANGE AMONG LATINOS, AND LEVERAGE A STRONG COMMUNITY-ACADEMIC COLLABORATION THAT MAXIMIZES COMMUNITY IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY. THIS RESEARCH WILL LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE AND SCALABLE COMMUNITY-ACADEMIC MODELS DESIGNED TO RESPOND QUICKLY, EFFICIENTLY, AND EFFECTIVELY TO BOTH THIS EXISTING AND FUTURE PUBLIC HEALTH THREATS.

NEURAL MECHANISMS OF RISK FOR IRRITABILITY ACROSS THE TRANSITION TO ADOLESCENCE - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT IRRITABILITY—EXAGGERATED ANGER IN RESPONSE TO NON-REWARD—IS AMONG THE MOST COMMON PSYCHIATRIC COMPLAINTS. BECAUSE IRRITABILITY IN LATE CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE PREDICTS MENTAL DISORDERS ACROSS THE LIFESPAN, IDENTIFYING THE NEURAL MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN IRRITABILITY ACROSS THE TRANSITION TO ADOLESCENCE IS PARAMOUNT TO INTERVENE BEFORE YOUTH IRRITABILITY PROBLEMS HARDEN INTO ENTRENCHED PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS IN LATER ADOLESCENCE AND ADULTHOOD. IRRITABILITY IS LINKED WITH ABNORMALITIES IN REWARD PROCESSING, WHICH MAY LEAD TO GREATER FRUSTRATION WHEN REWARDS ARE NOT RECEIVED. SUCH REWARD PROCESSING VULNERABILITIES MAY BE AMELIORATED BY BETTER INHIBITORY CONTROL, WHICH NORMATIVELY INCREASES WITH MATURATION. HOWEVER, THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN REWARD PROCESSING AND INHIBITORY CONTROL IN IRRITABILITY IS UNKNOWN. INVESTIGATING LONGITUDINAL CHANGES IN NEURAL CIRCUITRY IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE REWARD- AND INHIBITION-RELATED NEURAL NETWORKS UNDERGO SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE FROM CHILDHOOD THROUGH ADOLESCENCE. OUR OVERALL GOAL IS TO IDENTIFY REWARD- AND INHIBITION-RELATED NEURAL PATHWAYS THAT CHARACTERIZE CHANGES IN IRRITABILITY OVER THE TRANSITION TO ADOLESCENCE. TO THIS END, THE PROPOSAL LEVERAGES DATA FROM THE ADOLESCENT BRAIN COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT (ABCD) STUDY, A LARGE, NATIONAL LONGITUDINAL SAMPLE OF PREADOLESCENTS ASSESSED ANNUALLY (N=~8,312 WITH USABLE DATASETS; BASELINE AGE=9-10; 1-YEAR FOLLOW-UP [1-YRFU] AGE=10-11; 2-YRFU AGE=11-12). AT BASELINE AND 2-YRFU, YOUTH COMPLETE MONETARY INCENTIVE DELAY AND STOP-SIGNAL TASKS DURING FMRI ACQUISITION THAT ASSESS NEURAL RESPONSES TO REWARD AND INHIBITORY CONTROL, RESPECTIVELY. ACROSS ALL WAVES, YOUTH IRRITABILITY AND CO-OCCURRING PSYCHOPATHOLOGY ARE ASSESSED USING CLINICAL INTERVIEWS AND PARENT- AND YOUTH-REPORT MEASURES, AND MULTIPLE BEHAVIORAL AND PARENT- AND YOUTH-REPORTED MEASURES OF YOUTH REWARD PROCESSING AND INHIBITORY CONTROL ARE COLLECTED. OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT PREADOLESCENTS WITH BOTH REWARD- AND INHIBITION-RELATED NEURAL DEFICITS ARE MORE LIKELY TO SHOW PERSISTENTLY HIGH OR INCREASING IRRITABILITY ACROSS THE TRANSITION TO ADOLESCENCE, WHEREAS PREADOLESCENTS WITH REWARD-RELATED BRAIN DEFICITS, BUT BETTER INHIBITION, WILL DEMONSTRATE DECREASES IN IRRITABILITY. SPECIFIC AIMS ARE TO IDENTIFY (1) SEPARATE AND (2) INTERACTIVE CONTRIBUTIONS OF REWARD- AND INHIBITION-RELATED NEURAL FUNCTION TO CONCURRENT IRRITABILITY; TO IDENTIFY (3A) PREADOLESCENT REWARD- AND INHIBITION-RELATED NEURAL PREDICTORS AND (3B) DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGES IN REWARD AND INHIBITION NEURAL MECHANISMS, OF IRRITABILITY TRAJECTORIES AND FUTURE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY ACROSS THE TRANSITION TO ADOLESCENCE; AND TO EXPLORE (4) THE MODERATING ROLE OF DEVELOPMENTAL-BIOLOGICAL-CONTEXTUAL FACTORS (SEX, PUBERTY, RACE/ETHNICITY, SES, FAMILIAL CHARACTERISTICS) ON THESE BRAIN-BEHAVIOR RELATIONSHIPS. THIS PROPOSAL WILL ADVANCE THE FIELD BY REVEALING THE NEURAL CIRCUITRY OF IRRITABILITY. INNOVATIVE ASPECTS INCLUDE FOCUSING ON A KEY AGE RANGE (TRANSITION TO ADOLESCENCE) TO PREVENT ADULT DISORDERS, MULTIPLE TIME POINT IMAGING, FORMULATION OF A NOVEL AND COMPREHENSIVE REWARD-BASED MODEL OF IRRITABILITY, MACHINE LEARNING METHODOLOGY, AND REPLICATION ANALYSES. OUR PROJECT IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT WILL BE A CATALYST FOR A RESEARCH PROGRAM TO INFORM PRECISION MEDICINE FOR IRRITABILITY.

JUVENILE MOUSE MODEL OF DELAYED ANTHRACYCLINE CARDIOTOXICITY

ANTAGONISM OF MYOCARDIAL AGING AND SENESCENCE WITH PIM-1 KINASE

A SOCIAL DEMOGRAPHY OF RACIAL HEALTH DISPARITIES

UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

SELF FITTING OF AMPLIFICATION: METHODOLOGY AND CANDIDACY

PROMOTING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND FITNESS AMONG UNDERSERVED LATINO FAMILIES LIVING IN U.S.-MEXICO BORDER REGIONS - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE U.S. AND MEXICO SHARE SIMILAR POPULATION DISEASE PATTERNS SUCH AS HIGH RATES OF CHRONIC DISEASES (E.G., HEART DISEASE AND OBESITY). INDIVIDUALS RESIDING IN BORDER REGIONS OFTEN TRAVEL BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE U.S. AND MEXICO, WHICH EXPOSES THEM TO BOTH DIFFERENT AND SIMILAR OBESOGENIC, SOCIO-CULTURAL, AND PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTS. THIS FREQUENT TRANSNATIONAL INTERACTION HAS LED RESEARCHERS TO CLASSIFY BORDER CITIES AS ONE REGION THAT SHOULD BE STUDIED AS A WHOLE. AS SUCH, IT IS IMPORTANT TO SYSTEMATICALLY STUDY BORDER POPULATIONS AND DEVELOP EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS AND PUBLIC POLICY FOR THIS REGION. THIS STUDY WILL TEST THE EFFICACY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF A 12- MONTH FAMILY-CENTERED BEHAVIORAL CLUSTER RANDOMIZED INTERVENTION, ATHLETES FOR LIFE (AFL), PLUS A 1-YEAR ACTIVE SUSTAINABILITY PHASE IN COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTERS IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (U.S.) AND MEXICALI, BAJA CALIFORNIA (MEXICO). THIS STUDY WILL ALSO ASSESS INTERVENTION IMPLEMENTATION OUTCOMES, INCLUDING PROGRAM ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY BY FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTER STAFF. A TOTAL OF 8 COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTERS AND 290 PARENT/CHILD DYADS (4 IN SAN DIEGO AND 4 IN MEXICALI) WILL BE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER A CONTROL GROUP CONSISTING OF STANDARD RECREATION CENTER CLASSES (DELIVERED BY REGULAR RECREATION CENTER STAFF) OR AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP CONSISTING OF THE MULTILEVEL AFL BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION (DELIVERED BY STUDY STAFF). THIS STUDY AIMS TO INCREASE TOTAL HABITUAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (PA) AND CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS (CVF) IN A U.S.-MEXICO TRANSBORDER POPULATION THAT EXPERIENCES DISPROPORTIONATELY HIGH RATES OF OBESITY. WE WILL HARNESS OUR RESEARCH TEAM'S EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN DEVELOPING MULTI-LEVEL INTERVENTIONS TO PROMOTE BEHAVIOR CHANGE AMONG LATINOS, AND LEVERAGE A STRONG COMMUNITY-ACADEMIC COLLABORATION THAT MAXIMIZES COMMUNITY IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO REDUCE CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK FACTORS AMONG UNDERSERVED CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES IN THE US-MEXICO BORDER REGION. THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE NOVEL EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFICACY, SCALABILITY, AND SUSTAINABILITY OF A MULTILEVEL FITNESS- AND LIFESTYLE-ORIENTED FAMILY APPROACH DELIVERED IN COLLABORATION WITH COMMUNITY CENTERS AMONG UNDERSERVED LATINO FAMILIES IN THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER REGION.

UPWARD BOUND - STAR

MENTORED PATHWAYS FROM COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO GRADUATE SCHOOL AND CHEMISTRY CAREERS

REGULATION OF THE TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT BY DNA DAMAGE REPAIR PROTEINS - PROJECT SUMMARY BACKGROUND ER+ BREAST CANCER ACCOUNTS FOR 2/3 OF INVASIVE BREAST CANCER CASES DIAGNOSED IN THE WORLD TODAY. IN PATIENTS, ~12% OF ER+ TUMORS HAVE COMPLETE LOSS OF MLH1, A TUMOR SUPPRESSOR AND MISMATCH REPAIR PROTEIN. WE PREVIOUSLY SHOWED THAT MLH1 LOSS IN ER+ BREAST CANCER CELLS ACTIVATES HER2 TO INDUCE RESISTANCE TO STANDARD ENDOCRINE THERAPY. HOWEVER, THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM REMAINS UNKNOWN. PRELIMINARY DATA SUPPORT A ROLE FOR MLH1 LOSS IN ALTERING SECRETION OF HER LIGANDS TO MEDIATE HER2 ACTIVATION. THIS IS OF PARTICULAR INTEREST BECAUSE AN ADDITIONAL 14% OF ER+ PATIENT TUMORS HAVE HETEROGENEOUS LOSS OF MLH1. ALTHOUGH THE FUNCTIONAL CONSEQUENCE OF HETEROGENEOUS MLH1 LOSS IS AS YET UNKNOWN, A ROLE FOR MLH1 LOSS IN ALTERING THE CANCER SECRETOME SUGGESTS A POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON BULK TUMOR PHENOTYPES. HYPOTHESIS BASED ON OUR PUBLISHED WORK AND PRELIMINARY DATA, THE PROPOSED STUDY WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT MLH1 LOSS IN ER+ BREAST CANCER INDUCES SECRETION OF HER LIGANDS, BY CO-OPTING CGAS-STING SIGNALING, TO PROMOTE HER2-DEPENDENT GROWTH OF BOTH MLH1– AND MLH1+ CELLS IN HETEROGENEOUSLY MLH1– TUMORS. SPECIFIC AIMS AIM 1 WILL TEST WHETHER THE SECRETION OF HER LIGANDS INDUCED BY MLH1 LOSS MEDIATES HER2 ACTIVATION TO PROMOTE ENDOCRINE THERAPY RESISTANCE. HERE, WE WILL USE BOTH IN VITRO AND IN VIVO APPROACHES TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE LIGANDS SECRETED BY MLH1- ER+ BREAST CANCER CELLS PROMOTE HER2 HETERODIMERIZATION AND CONSEQUENT ACTIVATION, AND THEREBY ENDOCRINE THERAPY RESISTANT GROWTH. AIM 2 WILL INVESTIGATE THE MECHANISM LINKING MLH1 LOSS TO HER LIGAND SECRETION. SPECIFICALLY, WE WILL TEST WHETHER INEFFICIENT DNA DAMAGE REPAIR IN THE ABSENCE OF MLH1 TRIGGERS THE CGAS-STING SECRETORY PATHWAY. WE WILL ALSO DETERMINE HOW CGAS-STING ACTIVATION PROMOTES HER LIGAND SECRETION. AIM 3 WILL EXAMINE THE THERAPEUTIC IMPACT OF HETEROGENEOUS MLH1 LOSS. USING IN VITRO AND IN VIVO EXPERIMENTAL MODELS ESTABLISHED IN MY LAB, WE WILL TEST WHETHER HER2 ACTIVATION IN BOTH MLH1+ AND MLH1- CELLS IN TUMORS WITH HETEROGENEOUS MLH1 LOSS RENDERS THESE TUMORS GLOBALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO HER2 INHIBITORS. WE WILL ALSO USE DIGITAL SPATIAL PROFILING TO ASSESS THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE SECRETOME TO SIGNALING PATTERNS AND THERAPEUTIC RESPONSE IN HETEROGENEOUSLY MLH1- TUMORS. IMPACT THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY WILL PRESENT NEW THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES TO HELP >25,000 WOMEN DIAGNOSED EACH YEAR WITH ER+ BREAST CANCER CHARACTERIZED BY HETEROGENEOUS MLH1 LOSS. OUR WORK WILL ALSO PROVIDE NOVEL INSIGHT INTO HOW MLH1 LOSS MODULATES THE CGAS-STING PATHWAY TO PROMOTE A PRO-GROWTH TUMOR SECRETOME. OVERALL, RESULTS FROM THIS STUDY WILL SHED NEW INSIGHT INTO THE HOW MLH1 LOSS PROMOTES CANCER PHENOTYPES.

MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING SENSORY NEURON REGENERATION AND FUNCTION

CENTERS FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS EDUCATION - CENTERS FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS EDUCATION

DENDRITIC CELLS IN THE AGED

M-RISP AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY

2/2-FAMILY COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL PREVENTION OF DEPRESSION IN YOUTH AND PARENTS

BRAIN MATURATION IN ADULTS WITH FASD

SDSU IV BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN COMMUNITY AND CAREERS: A NEW TYPE OF HSI

MENTORING DIVERSE STUDENTS IN HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH

GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM(GRFP)

RESOLVING MYOCARDIAL REGENERATION BY TRACKING COMMITMENT OF C-KIT+ CELLS

MAPPING DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF STUDENTS' CONCEPTIONS OF INTEGERS.

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROJECT FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

ROLE OF THE SR/ER E3 UBIQUITIN LIGASE SYNOVIOLIN 1 IN CARDIAC HYPERTROPHY

ATTENTION TRAINING AND RELAXATION FOR GAD: TESTING THE EFFICACY OF HOME-DELIVERY

REDUCING HAZARDOUS ALCOHOL USE AND OPTIMIZING TREATMENT AS PREVENTION AMONG MEN LIVING WITH HIV IN RISK ENVIRONMENTS - PROJECT SUMMARY HEAVY AND HAZARDOUS ALCOHOL USE IS INEXTRICABLY LINKED TO THE HIV EPIDEMIC IN FISHING COMMUNITIES ON LAKE VICTORIA IN UGANDA. AMONG MEN LIVING WITH HIV (LWH) IN FISHING COMMUNITIES, HAZARDOUS ALCOHOL USE IS ASSOCIATED WITH SUBOPTIMAL ANTIRETROVIRAL (ART) ADHERENCE AND ENGAGEMENT IN HIV CARE. FISHING COMMUNITIES ARE “RISK ENVIRONMENTS'' WITH LIMITED ACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICES AND NORMS REINFORCING RISKY BEHAVIOR. CONTEXTUALLY APPROPRIATE EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS THAT ADDRESS THESE ISSUES IN TANDEM AMONG MEN LWH IN FISHING COMMUNITIES ARE URGENTLY NEEDED TO ENSURE OPTIMIZATION OF TREATMENT AS PREVENTION. WE DEVELOPED KISOBOKA (“IT IS POSSIBLE'') A BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION WITH A STRUCTURAL ELEMENT TO “REDUCE CASH IN THE POCKET" OTHERWISE EASILY ACCESSIBLE FOR ALCOHOL PURCHASE. KISOBOKA UTILIZES A BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS (BE) APPROACH AND MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING (MI) TO REDUCE HAZARDOUS DRINKING AND IMPROVE ART ADHERENCE TO ACHIEVE UNDETECTABLE HIV VIRAL LOAD (VL). IN THE PILOT RCT OF THE KISOBOKA INTERVENTION, IT DEMONSTRATED PRELIMINARY EFFICACY IN REDUCING AUDIT- C SCORES AND PHOSPHATIDYLETHANOL (PETH) LEVELS AMONG THE VERY HAZARDOUSLY DRINKING SAMPLE AND A PROTECTIVE EFFECT ON ART ADHERENCE THROUGH 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. TO INFORM FUTURE SCALE-UP, WE PROPOSE A FACTORIAL RCT (N=716) TO TEST INTERVENTION EFFICACY AND DETERMINE IF EFFECTS ARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO SPECIFIC INTERVENTION COMPONENTS. SPECIFIC AIMS ARE: (1) DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF THE KISOBOKA INTERVENTION AND ITS COMPONENTS AMONG HAZARDOUSLY DRINKING MEN LWH IN UGANDA IN A 2X2 FACTORIAL RCT. ARM 1: THE KISOBOKA INTERVENTION (BE+MI); ARM 2: THE BEHAVIORAL ECONOMIC COMPONENT OF KISOBOKA (BE); ARM 3: THE MI-BASED ALCOHOL REDUCTION AND ART ADHERENCE COUNSELING COMPONENT OF KISOBOKA (MI); AND ARM 4: ALCOHOL SCREENING, REFERRAL, AND BRIEF INTERVENTION. PRIMARY OUTCOMES ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 6-, AND 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UP INCLUDE: PETH (ALCOHOL BIOMARKER), A COMBINED AUDIT-C SCORE—PETH OUTCOME FOR HAZARDOUS DRINKING, HIV VIRAL LOAD, AND ART ADHERENCE VIA BIOMARKER. (2) ASSESS THE IMPACT OF THE KISOBOKA INTERVENTION AND ITS COMPONENTS ON MEASURES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL, PHYSICAL, AND SOCIOECONOMIC WELL-BEING THAT CAPTURE FREQUENT COMORBIDITIES OF PERSONS LWH AND THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ACHIEVING SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT AS PREVENTION. (3) GUIDED BY THE EXPLORATION, PREPARATION, IMPLEMENTATION AND SUSTAINMENT FRAMEWORK, ENGAGE KEY HEALTH SECTOR STAKEHOLDERS TO UNDERSTAND BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS IN THE INNER AND OUTER CONTEXT AND ASSESS INTERVENTION AND IMPLEMENTATION COSTS FOR IMPLEMENTING KISOBOKA COMPONENTS WITHIN THE ROUTINE CLINICAL SETTING TO INFORM FUTURE WIDESPREAD IMPLEMENTATION. IF EFFECTIVE, KISOBOKA, OR ITS COMPONENTS, WILL BE POISED FOR DISSEMINATION AND SCALE-UP, SUPPORTING TREATMENT AS PREVENTION GOALS AMONG A HIGH-RISK POPULATION AND AS ONE OF A LIMITED NUMBER OF EVIDENCE-BASED HIV ALCOHOL INTERVENTIONS IN THIS SETTING.

THE TEMPORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BRAIN-LANGUAGE RELATIONSHIPS: EVIDENCE FROM IMPAI

ALTERNATIVE NF-KB ACTIVATION IN POST-CHEMOTHERAPY SETTING TO ELUCIDATE NOVEL MECHANISMS OF OVARIAN CANCER RELAPSE - SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT OVARIAN CANCER IS THE MOST LETHAL GYNECOLOGICAL MALIGNANCY IN THE UNITED STATES AND ALTHOUGH PATIENTS INITIALLY RESPOND TO CYTOTOXIC CHEMOTHERAPY, MOST RELAPSE WITH CHEMORESISTANT DISEASE WITHIN 24 MONTHS. THERE ARE SEVERAL CRITICAL GAPS IN OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE MECHANISMS THAT SUPPORT DISEASE RECURRENCE BUT RESEARCH OVER THE LAST DECADE SUPPORT THE NOTION TUMOR-INITIATING CELLS (TICS), A SUBPOPULATION OF DRUG RESISTANT TUMOR CELLS, ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR FACILITATING RELAPSE AND COMBINATION THERAPIES TARGETING THESE ELUSIVE CELLS MAY LEAD TO LONGER REMISSION OR EVEN CURES. ALTHOUGH NUMEROUS GENES AND SIGNALING PATHWAYS HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED IN MAINTAINING TICS, THERE ARE SEVERAL CRITICAL GAPS IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESSES THESE CELLS USE TO SURVIVE CYTOTOXIC CHEMOTHERAPY AND SUCCESSFULLY RE-ESTABLISH TUMORS. FOR EXAMPLE, IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER PATHWAYS ACTIVE IN TICS ARE CONSTITUTIVE OR IF THEY CAN BE INDUCED BY FACTORS IN THE TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT (TME). OUR PREVIOUS STUDIES REVEALED AN IMPORTANT ROLE FOR ALTERNATIVE NF-KB SIGNALING IN MAINTAINING OVARIAN TICS AND RESISTANCE TO CYTOTOXIC CHEMOTHERAPY. NF-KB IS A FAMILY OF TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS THAT RESPOND TO SIGNALS IN THE TME TO PROMOTE PROLIFERATION, CHEMORESISTANCE, AND SURVIVAL OF CANCER CELLS. EMERGING EVIDENCE SUGGEST ALTERATIONS OF THE TME FOLLOWING CYTOTOXIC CHEMOTHERAPY CAN RESULT IN THE RELEASE OF SIGNALING FACTORS THAT CAN ACTIVATE NF-KB IN CANCER CELLS. OUR RECENT DATA SHOW THAT TWEAK, A MULTIFUNCTIONAL CYTOKINE SECRETED FROM MACROPHAGES AND STROMAL CELLS, IS ELEVATED IN THE TME FOLLOWING CHEMOTHERAPY AND CAN INDUCE ACTIVATION OF ALTERNATIVE NF-KB AND EXPRESSION OF STEMNESS GENES IN A VARIETY OF OVARIAN CANCER CELLS. CLINICAL DATA FROM PATIENTS UNDERGOING NEOADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY SHOW THAT GENES ENCODING TWEAK AND ALTERNATIVE NF-KB FAMILY MEMBERS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY ELEVATED IN TUMORS RESECTED FOLLOWING CYTOTOXIC CHEMOTHERAPY RELATIVE TO PRE-TREATMENT LEVELS. THESE DATA LEAD US TO OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS THAT CHEMOTHERAPY PROVIDES AN ENVIRONMENT THAT FAVORS TIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH ACTIVATION OF ALTERNATIVE NF-KB. TO INVESTIGATE THIS HYPOTHESIS, WE WILL 1) DETERMINE WHETHER CHEMOTHERAPY-INDUCED TWEAK SIGNALING IN THE OVARIAN TME ACTIVATES ALTERNATIVE NF-KB IN OVARIAN CANCER CELLS 2) ESTABLISH THE FUNCTION OF THE ALTERNATIVE NF-KB KINASE, NIK, IN OVARIAN CANCER CHEMORESISTANCE AND RELAPSE AND 3) INVESTIGATE THE ROLE OF NF-KB-MEDIATED ACTIVATION OF NOTCH IN SUPPORTING OVARIAN TICS FOLLOWING CHEMOTHERAPY. UNLIKE MOST PUBLISHED STUDIES, WE ARE FOCUSING ON THE PATHWAYS AND ACTIVITIES IN THESE CELLS AFTER CHEMOTHERAPY, TO GENERATE NEW PARADIGMS FOR EVALUATING RELAPSE MECHANISMS. GIVEN THE STRONG INITIAL RESPONSE TO CHEMOTHERAPY, IT IS OF GREAT INTEREST TO IDENTIFY AN EARLY POST-TREATMENT EVENT THAT COULD BE TARGETED IN COMBINATION WITH CYTOTOXIC DRUGS TO INHIBIT PATHWAYS THAT MAINTAIN TICS. CLARIFYING NOVEL MECHANISM(S) BY WHICH THIS UNDER-EXAMINED PATHWAY SUPPORTS CHEMORESISTANCE WILL GUIDE THE DESIGN OF BETTER THERAPIES TO PROLONG REMISSION OR POTENTIALLY ACHIEVE CURES FOR OVARIAN CANCER PATIENTS.

MARC AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY - PROJECT SUMMARY A CREATIVE, INNOVATIVE BIOMEDICAL WORKFORCE DEPENDS ON DIVERSE TEAMS LEAD BY PHD SCIENTISTS TRAINED IN TECHNICAL SKILLS AND CULTURALLY-AWARE PEOPLE SKILLS. THE UNITED STATES’ POPULATION OF HISTORICALLY EXCLUDED GROUPS, WHICH INCLUDE THOSE FROM UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES (URMS), DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS, AND/OR THOSE WITH DISABILITIES, IS GROWING, CORRESPONDING TO AN INCREASED INTEREST IN STEM FIELDS. HOWEVER, BARRIERS TO EQUITY AND ACCESS HAVE LED TO LOWER RATES OF ENTRY INTO PHD PROGRAMS AND SCIENTIFIC CAREERS BY MINORITIZED GROUPS. WITH THE GROWING COMPLEXITY AND URGENCY OF THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING CHALLENGES FACING OUR COUNTRY, WE SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD TO CONTINUE TO EXCLUDE UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS FROM THE RESEARCH ENTERPRISE. HERE, WE PROPOSE TO SUPPORT 16 MAXIMIZING ACCESS TO RESEARCH CAREERS (MARC) SCHOLARS AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY (SDSU) WITH RESEARCH-VALIDATED SUPPORTIVE PROGRAMMING AND FACULTY-MENTORED RESEARCH EXPERIENCES TO DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING, COMMUNICATION, LEADERSHIP, INTERPERSONAL, TECHNICAL, AND RESILIENCY SKILLS. ALL MARC EXPERIENCES ARE DEVELOPED THROUGH A CULTURALLY AWARE LENS THAT SEEKS TO BUILD SCHOLARS’ SENSE OF BELONGING, SUPPORT THEIR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS, AND PROVIDES A CULTURALLY CONGRUENT AND SCIENTIFICALLY STIMULATING ACADEMIC HOME. HERE, WE ARE BUILDING ON 33 SUCCESSFUL YEARS OF OUR SDSU MARC PROGRAM BY INTRODUCING NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH CAMPUS CULTURAL CENTERS AND DISABILITY SERVICES FOR RECRUITMENT AND PROGRAMMING SYNERGY, INTRODUCING A NEW NEAR-PEER MENTORING PROGRAM TO COMBAT BARRIERS TO SUCCESS IN GRADUATE PROGRAMS, PROVIDING DEDICATED MENTOR TRAINING WITHIN A CULTURAL CONTEXT THAT EMPOWERS FACULTY MENTORS TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT, SELF-EFFICACY, AND INDEPENDENCE OF THEIR MARC SCHOLARS, AND RESPONDING TO SCHOLAR NEEDS WITH NEW PROGRAMMING. WE CONTINUE TO USE EVIDENCE-BASED EVALUATION DATA TO IMPROVE OUR MARC AND PRE-MARC PROGRAMMING TO PRIORITIZE STUDENT SUCCESS AND SUPPORT, WHICH WE INTEND WILL ONLY GROW OUR SUCCESS OF SCHOLARS ENTERING AND COMPLETING PHD PROGRAMS. OUR WORKSHOPS, PANELS, SEMINARS, COURSEWORK, AND SOCIALS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED TO BUILD CRITICAL THINKING AND QUANTITATIVE SKILLS, ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION, ETHICS, REPRODUCIBILITY AND RIGOR, LEADERSHIP, MENTAL HEALTH AND RESILIENCY, SELF-EFFICACY, AND A SENSE OF BELONGING. WE ASSESS ALL PROGRAMMING THROUGH EVALUATION METHODS TO ENSURE OUR PROGRAM IS ALWAYS IMPROVING IN TERMS OF RIGOR, SUPPORT, EFFICIENCY, AND SUCCESS SO THAT MARC SCHOLARS ARE PREPARED TO ENTER AND COMPLETE GRADUATE PROGRAMS. BY LEVERAGING KEY PARTNERSHIPS AT SDSU, WE ARE ABLE TO SYNERGIZE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, PROGRAMMING, COURSEWORK, AND MENTORSHIP RELATIONSHIPS SO THAT WE MAY EXPAND OUR IMPACT FAR BEYOND THE REQUESTED 16 SLOTS TO PROVIDE INSTRUCTION, DISCUSSION, AND INSPIRATION FOR HISTORICALLY EXCLUDED STEM STUDENTS AND THEIR ALLIES ACROSS CAMPUS.

NOVEL GENE THERAPY FOR RESTORATION OF AGED THYMOPOIESIS

INVESTIGATING THE NEEDS OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICS AT DIFFERENT POINTS DURING SUSTAINED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

MEAN-FIELD AND MOMENT METHODS APPLIED TO NUCLEAR STRUCTURE AND REACTIONS

1/2-BRIEF CBT FOR PEDIATRIC ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN PRIMARY CARE

INVESTIGATING THE USE OF PEER ROLE MODELS TO INSPIRE WOMEN TO THRIVE IN STEM

UPWARD BOUND

SUBCELLULAR REGULATION OF AUTOPHAGIC FLUX IN CARDIOMYOCYTES AND THE HEART

DEVELOPING AND INVESTIGATING UNSCRIPTED MATHEMATICS VIDEOS

RESCUE AND ROLE OF COMPLEX I IN MYOCARDIAL ISCHEMIC INJURY

RESEARCH: INFORMATH: MATHEMATICS TO ENRICH LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN SCIENCE AND ART MUSEUMS

UPWARD BOUND STAR

UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANISMS OF INTRACELLULAR FILAMENTATION BY BACTERIA - PROJECT SUMMARY BACTERIA OFTEN CHANGE THEIR CELL SHAPE AS A FITNESS STRATEGY TO SURVIVE OR THRIVE IN DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS. FILAMENTATION IS ONE SUCH MORPHOLOGICAL STRATEGY, WHEREBY A BACTERIUM DRAMATICALLY INCREASES IN CELL SIZE AS IT UNDERGOES LONGITUDINAL GROWTH WITHOUT SEPTATION. MANY BACTERIA HAVE BEEN OBSERVED TO UNDERGO FILAMENTATION, BUT THE PURPOSE OF THESE FILAMENTS IN A HOST ANIMAL IS OFTEN UNKNOWN AND THE GENETIC MECHANISMS GOVERNING THIS MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGE ARE LARGELY UNDERSTUDIED, OUTSIDE OF THE CANONICAL SOS RESPONSE. THIS PROPOSAL UTILIZES AN INNOVATIVE MODEL SYSTEM TO STUDY BACTERIAL FILAMENTATION IN THE CONTEXT OF A HOST ANIMAL, WHICH CONSISTS OF A FACULTATIVE INTRACELLULAR BACTERIUM, BORDETELLA ATROPI, THAT FILAMENTS IN THE GENETIC MODEL ORGANISMS OSCHEIUS TIPULAE AND CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS. STRIKINGLY, B. ATROPI USES FILAMENTATION AS AN ADAPTIVE RESPONSE TO NUTRIENTS FOR CELL-TO-CELL SPREADING: AFTER INVASION OF AN INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL CELL, B. ATROPI CONVERTS FROM A COCCOBACILLUS TO A FILAMENTOUS MORPHOLOGY AND THESE FILAMENTS INVADE MULTIPLE NEIGHBORING EPITHELIAL CELLS. THIS FILAMENTATION BY B. ATROPI WAS FOUND TO BE INDEPENDENT OF THE CANONICAL SOS RESPONSE BUT REQUIRED A CONSERVED NUTRIENT-SENSING PATHWAY, THE GLUCOLIPID PATHWAY, WHICH PRODUCES AND UTILIZES THE BACTERIAL METABOLITE UDP-GLUCOSE. DIVERGENT BACTERIA USE THE GLUCOLIPID PATHWAY TO DETECT RICH CULTURE CONDITIONS AND DELAY THE DIVISOME RESULTING IN MODERATELY LARGER PROGENY AFTER BINARY DIVISION. TAKEN TOGETHER, THESE DISCOVERIES SUGGEST THAT B. ATROPI DETECTS THE RICH INTRACELLULAR ENVIRONMENT OF ITS HOST CELL TO TRIGGER FILAMENTATION, ALLOWING IT TO INVADE NEIGHBORING CELLS. THIS PROPOSAL WILL FURTHER ELUCIDATE THE MECHANISM THAT THE GLUCOLIPID PATHWAY USES TO INHIBIT THE BACTERIAL DIVISOME AND INITIATE FILAMENTATION, UNCOVER THE ROLE THAT HOST METABOLITES PLAY IN TRIGGERING THE PHENOTYPE, AND DISCOVER OTHER GENES/PATHWAYS CONTROLLING INTRACELLULAR FILAMENTATION BY BACTERIA. FIRST, THE GENETIC MECHANISM THAT GLUCOLIPID PATHWAY MEMBERS USE TO CONSTITUTIVELY INHIBIT SEPTATION WILL BE INVESTIGATED IN B. ATROPI AND THIS PATHWAY WILL BE TESTED IN RELATED BACTERIAL SPECIES FOR A ROLE IN CONTROLLING FILAMENTATION. SECOND, GIVEN THAT THE GLUCOLIPID PATHWAY CAN DELAY BINARY DIVISION IN BACTERIA GROWN ON RICH MEDIA, B. ATROPI WILL BE TESTED FOR DEPENDENCY ON HOST GLUCOSE LEVELS AND A RICH INTRACELLULAR ENVIRONMENT TO INDUCE FILAMENTATION. FINALLY, A TRANSPOSON MUTAGENESIS SCREEN WILL IDENTIFY A MAJORITY OF BACTERIAL GENES REQUIRED FOR INTRACELLULAR FILAMENTATION IN O. TIPULAE. THE RESULTS ESTABLISHED HERE WILL SERVE AS A TECHNICAL ROADMAP FOR DETERMINING WHETHER OTHER BACTERIA CAN USE THE GLUCOLIPID PATHWAY OR OTHER NOVEL GENETIC PATHWAYS TO INDUCE FILAMENTATION. GIVEN THE IMPORTANCE OF FILAMENTATION TO BACTERIAL FUNCTION AND SURVIVAL IN A VARIETY OF NICHES, INCLUDING IN THE CONTEXT OF A HOST ANIMAL, THIS WORK WILL INCREASE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF BOTH THE ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS AND GENETIC MECHANISMS THAT LEAD THIS VITAL MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGE.

ASCENT: BOOSTING CYBER AND PHYSICAL RESILIENCE OF POWER ELECTRONICS-DOMINATED DISTRIBUTION GRIDS IN ENERGY SPACE -THIS NSF PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP AN INNOVATIVE SENSING AND CONTROL SYSTEM NEEDED TO ENHANCE THE CYBER-PHYSICAL RESILIENCE OF POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS WITH MASSIVE POWER ELECTRONICS-INTERFACED RESOURCES (PERS), E.G., RENEWABLES, ENERGY STORAGE, AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES. THE PROJECT WILL TRANSFORM THE WAYS OF DESIGNING ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OF PERS. WITH THE PROPOSED SYSTEM, THE PERS WILL BE CAPABLE OF COLLABORATIVELY PROVIDING RELIABLE ELECTRICITY SERVICES TO THEIR HOST GRIDS UNDER EXTREME WEATHER-INDUCED EVENTS. THE SYSTEM WILL ALSO ENABLE THE PERS TO SELF-DETECT CYBER-ATTACKS, AND TO TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS. THE ABOVE FEATURES WILL BE ACHIEVED BY EXPLICITLY MODELING, MONITORING, AND CONTROLLING THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PERS AND THEIR HOST GRID IN THE ENERGY SPACE, AND BY WATERMARKING THEIR MEASUREMENTS VIA LOCAL RENEWABLE AND LOAD FLUCTUATIONS. THE INTELLECTUAL MERITS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: 1) THE PROJECT CONCEPTUALIZES FOR THE FIRST TIME THE CO-DESIGN OF CYBER AND PHYSICAL RESILIENT SOLUTIONS FOR NETWORKED PERS IN THE ENERGY SPACE WHERE THE COMPLEXITY OF PER DYNAMICS EXHIBITED IN A CONVENTIONAL SPACE CAN BE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED; 2) THE PROPOSED CYBER-ATTACK DETECTOR CAN DIFFERENTIATE CYBER-ATTACKS FROM LARGE PHYSICAL DISTURBANCES; 3) THE MICROGRID SIMULATION PLATFORM WILL BE THE FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND, OPEN-SOURCE, HARDWARE-VERIFIED PLATFORM THAT WILL ACCELERATE THE INNOVATION OF CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES. THE BROADER IMPACTS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: 1) THE PROJECT WILL CATALYZE THE ADOPTION OF CLEAN ENERGY, AND CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS IMPROVING ENERGY EQUITY BY ENABLING PERS TO POWER THEIR DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS UNDER EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS. DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES WHO CANNOT AFFORD THEIR OWN SOLAR PANELS OR ENERGY STORAGE CAN ENJOY RELIABLE ELECTRICITY SERVICES BY THIS MECHANISM DURING EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS; 2) IT WILL EDUCATE THE WORKFORCE, ESPECIALLY IN HISPANIC COMMUNITIES, BY ENRICHING POWER SYSTEM EDUCATION WITH TOPICS ON CYBER RESILIENCE. IT WILL ALSO GROW A TALENT PIPELINE BY ORGANIZING RENEWABLE ENERGY AND CYBERSECURITY SUMMER CAMPS FOR K12 STUDENTS. THE PROJECT WILL BE CARRIED OUT IN TERMS OF THREE THRUSTS. THRUST 1 WILL CONCEPTUALIZE A SYSTEM-AWARE, RESILIENT CONTROLLER FOR PERS. IN THRUST 2, AN INTERACTIVE ROBUST FRAMEWORK FOR CYBER-ATTACK DETECTION WILL BE DESIGNED BY WATERMARKING MEASUREMENTS OF PERS IN THE ENERGY SPACE. IN THRUST 3, BOTH SOFTWARE-BASED-, AND ENTIRELY-HARDWARE-TESTBEDS WILL BE CONFIGURED TO TEST AND VALIDATE THE PROPOSED ALGORITHMS. THE SCALABILITY OF THE PROPOSED METHODS ON THE TEST SYSTEM WILL BE TESTED VIA SIMULATION STUDIES. 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.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

TYPE 2 DIABETES AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION DISPARITIES IN WOMEN

PREPARING LEADERS THROUGH NETWORKS ENGAGED IN RESPONSIVE STRATEGIES

ROLE OF THE UNFOLDED PROTEIN RESPONSE IN CARDIAC PROTECTION

AGE-DEPENDENT REGULATION OF CLEARANCE AND SIGNALING PATHWAYS

ENHANCED MYOCARDIAL REPAIR WITH CARDIOCLUSTERS AND CARDIOCHIMERAS

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

POSE: PHASE II: AN OPEN SOURCE ECOSYSTEM FOR SPATIAL DATA SCIENCE -THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY PATHWAYS TO ENABLE OPEN-SOURCE ECOSYSTEMS (POSE) PROGRAM WHICH SEEKS TO HARNESS THE POWER OF OPEN-SOURCE DEVELOPMENT FOR THE CREATION OF NEW TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS OF NATIONAL AND SOCIETAL IMPORTANCE. IN TODAY?S RAPIDLY EVOLVING WORLD, IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND LOCATION DATA AS RELATED TO COMPLEX SOCIETAL ISSUES. FROM URBAN PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SPATIAL DATA SCIENCE STANDS AT THE FOREFRONT OF DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES, ENABLING THE VISUALIZATION AND ANALYZIS OF DATA IN WAYS THAT REVEAL RELATIONSHIPS, PATTERNS, AND TRENDS ACROSS VARIOUS GEOGRAPHIES. THIS PROJECT, SPEARHEADED BY AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM AT THE SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY IN COLLABORATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS, AIMS TO IMPROVE THE FIELD OF SPATIAL DATA SCIENCE THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT AND ENHANCEMENT OF THE PYTHON SPATIAL ANALYSIS LIBRARY (PYSAL) OPEN-SOURCE ECOSYSTEM. WITH A FOCUS ON EXPANDING ACCESSIBILITY, FUNCTIONALITY, AND COLLABORATIVE POTENTIAL, THE INITIATIVE IS POISED TO DEMOCRATIZE SPATIAL DATA ANALYSIS, MAKING POWERFUL TOOLS AVAILABLE TO RESEARCHERS, POLICYMAKERS, AND THE PUBLIC. THE PROJECT'S DEDICATION TO OPEN-SOURCE PRINCIPLES FOSTERS INNOVATION AND ENSURES THAT ADVANCEMENTS IN SPATIAL DATA SCIENCE ARE SHARED FREELY, PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY AND INCLUSIVITY IN RESEARCH AND APPLICATION. THE TECHNICAL CORE OF THIS PROJECT REVOLVES AROUND THE STRATEGIC EXPANSION OF PYSAL AND THE CULTIVATION OF A SUPPORTIVE ECOSYSTEM THAT BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY AND PRACTICAL APPLICATION. BY INTEGRATING ADVANCEMENTS IN SPATIAL ANALYSIS WITH THE LATEST COMPUTATIONAL TECHNIQUES, THE PROJECT AIMS TO REFINE AND EXTEND PYSAL?S CAPABILITIES TO MEET THE GROWING DEMANDS OF DIVERSE DATA-INTENSIVE ENVIRONMENTS. THE INITIATIVE SEEKS TO BUILD A ROBUST NETWORK OF USERS, DEVELOPERS, AND EDUCATORS THROUGH PARTICIPATORY LEARNING AND TARGETED OUTREACH. THIS MULTI-FACETED APPROACH INCLUDES ENHANCING EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF SPATIAL DATA SCIENTISTS, FOSTERING CROSS-DOMAIN COLLABORATIONS, AND DEVELOPING USER-FRIENDLY TOOLS THAT CATER TO THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT SECTORS. THROUGH THESE EFFORTS, THE PROJECT ASPIRES TO ADVANCE THE SCIENCE OF SPATIAL ANALYSIS AND EQUIP STAKEHOLDERS WITH THE MEANS TO ADDRESS REAL-WORLD CHALLENGES MORE EFFECTIVELY AND EQUITABLY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

CARDIOPROTECTION BY OPTIMIZING MTOR ACTIVITY

PRUNES (PRUNUS DOMESTICA L.) SERVE AS A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE WHOLE FOOD DIET-BASED MEANS TO BOTH PREVENT AND REVERSE BONE LOSS WITH MINIMAL SIDE EFFECTS IN MALES, FEMALESAND NUMEROUS ANIMAL MODELS. HOWEVER, NO STUDIES EXIST EVALUATING THEIR IMPACTS ON BONE AND OTHER HEALTH OUTCOMES IN PERIMENOPAUSAL FEMALES, WHICH NECESSITATES A LONGER-TERM INTERVENTION THAN OUR PREVIOUS STUDIES. FURTHERMORE, THE CURRENTLY KNOWN CLINICALLY EFFECTIVE DOSE OF PRUNES IS 50 G/D, WHICH IS RELATIVELY HIGH AND LIMITS DIETARY ADHERENCE AND COMPLIANCE. OUR GOALS ARE TO ASSESS THE LONG-TERM (2 YEARS) IMPACT OF PRUNES FED AT A PROVEN DOSE (50 G/D) SERVING AS A POSTIVE CONTROL AND AT A LOWER, MORE FEASIBLE LEVEL FOR DAILY CONSUMPTION OF 30 G/D ON BONE HEALTH AND OTHER HEALTH OUTCOMES. WITHIN OUR 2-YEAR INTERVENTION, WE WILL ALSO ASSESS MULTIPLE POTENTIAL MECHANISMS OF ACTION FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN BONE INCLUDING IMPACTS ON CALCIUM ABSORPTION AND MOLECULAR TRANSDUCERS OF BONE PHYSIOLOGY USING MULTIPLE TECHNIQUES. FURTHERMORE, WE WILL ASSESS SHORTER-TERM (28 DAYS) AND ACUTE (2 HOURS) EFFECTS OF PRUNES ON NUMEROUS HEALTH OUTCOMES. OUR FINDINGS WILL PROVIDE DATA CRITICAL TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE EFFECTS OF PRUNES IN THIS CRITICAL LIFE PERIOD FOR FEMALES.

ROLES FOR ER STRESS INDUCIBLE CARDIOMYOKINES IN THE HEART

REHABILITATION IMPROVEMENTS IN SERVICES AND EMPLOYMENT FOR UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS (RISE-UP)

UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM

TAS::57 3600::TAS PRIORITIZED, QOS-AWARE INFORMATION TRANSMISSION OVER CONGESTED/CONTESTED WIRELESS MESH NETWORKS WITH DIRECTIONAL ANTENNAS

BROADENING PARTICIPATION AND THE CULTURE OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EMPIRICALLY-BASED ADAPTATION AND TRAINING MODEL FOR INTERVENTION SCALE UP OF CLASSROOM PIVOTAL RESPONSE TEACHING (CPRT)

AS PART OF ITS PRIMARY OBJECTIVES, THE SDSU IAC WILL IDENTIFY NEW AND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO ACCOMPLISH DOE’S PROGRAMMATIC GOALS FOR MANUFACTURERS, SUCH AS ORGANIZING WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS, ETC. TO DELIVER IAC SERVICES THAT COINCIDE WITH DOE PRIORITIES INCLUDING SMART MANUFACTURING, CYBERSECURITY, ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS – AND WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANTS. THE PERFORMANCE GOALS ARE ALIGNED WITH THOSE OUTLINED BY DOE, AND FOCUSED ON THE FOLLOWING - PROVIDING A HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR ABOUT 10 ENGINEERING STUDENTS PER YEAR, AWARDING A DOE CERTIFICATE TO A MINIMUM OF FIVE STUDENTS PER YEAR, EXECUTING A PARTNERSHIP AND OUTREACH PLAN SUCH AS WORKSHOP, TO INCREASE PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION AND PROVIDE ENERGY AND WATER SAVING ASSISTANCE TO NONPARTICIPANTS, PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY, VALUE ADDED SERVICES TO SMES, INCLUDING CYBERSECURITY, SMART MANUFACTURING, ENERGY MANAGEMENT, WASTE REDUCTION, SUSTAINABILITY & PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENTS AND OTHER LEADING ISSUES. THE POTENTIAL IMPACT AND OUTCOME OF THE PROJECT IS HAVING HIGHLY TRAINED ENERGY ENGINEERS, COMPETITIVE SMES WITH MORE EFFICIENT ENERGY USE, LEAN MANUFACTURING, AND SECURE CYBER USE. IT ALSO SERVES AS A FEEDBACK TO FACULTY FOR QUALITY TEACHING AND PRODUCTIVE RESEARCH. TO ACCOMPLISH THESE GOALS, THE TEAM WILL EFFECTIVELY COORDINATE EFFORTS WITH DOE AND LOCAL MANUFACTURING GROUPS, TRADE ASSOCIATIONS, UTILITY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS, AND STATE ENERGY PROGRAMS.

SPECTRAL OCEAN RADIANCE TRANSFER INVESTIGATION AND EXPERIMENT (SORTIE)

CDI-TYPE II: MAPPING CYBERSPACE TO REALSPACE: VISUALIZING AND UNDERSTANDING THE SPATIOTEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF GLOBAL DIFFUSION OF IDEAS AND THE SEMANTIC

ASSESSING TOXICITY OF WATERPIPE TOBACCO SMOKING IN LABORATORY AND NATURALISTIC SETTINGS

UPGRADING THE PATH TO MATHEMATICS TEACHING BY ADDING EXPRESS AND MULTIPLE ON-RAMPS

THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (USGS), SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY (SDSU), AND THE SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION (SDSURF) HAVE A COMMON INTEREST IN THE OPERATION OF A JOINT PROGRAM OF RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND OUTREACH, INCLUDING A COASTAL WATERS LABORATORY FACILITY ON SAN DIEGO BAY. SUCH A PROGRAM ADDRESSES ISSUES OF WATER SUPPLY, WATER QUALITY, HYDROLOGIC HAZARDS, AND BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES WHICH ARE OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE TO THE STATE AND NATION. THIS AGREEMENT WILL BE THE CONTINUATION OF A JOINT PROGRAM.BECAUSE OF THE DIVERSITY OF ENVIRONMENTS AND NATURAL RESOURCE ISSUES WITHIN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, THE USGS AND SDSU SDSURF HAVE A MUTUAL AND EVOLVING INTEREST IN COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROJECTS AND OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS IN THE AREA OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. THE STUDIES INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO THE AREAS OF ENVIRONMENTAL HYDROLOGY, WATER RESOURCES AND ASSOCIATED EXTREME WEATHER CHANGE ISSUES, GEOLOGY, GEOPHYSICS, GEOCHEMISTRY, BIOGEOCHEMISTRY, CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, FIRE AND COASTAL ECOLOGY, INVASIVE SPECIES, AND OCEANOGRAPHY.THE USGS SERVES THE NATION BY PROVIDING RELIABLE SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION TODESCRIBE AND UNDERSTAND THE EARTH MINIMIZE LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY FROM NATURAL DISASTERS MANAGE WATER, BIOLOGICAL, ENERGY, AND MINERAL RESOURCES PROPERLY MANAGE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR TRUST SPECIES ANDENHANCE AND PROTECT OUR QUALITY OF LIFE.THE MISSION OF THE USGS CALIFORNIA WATER SCIENCE CENTER (CAWSC) IS TO COLLECT, ANALYZE AND DISSEMINATE THE IMPARTIAL HYDROLOGIC DATA AND INFORMATION NEEDED TO WISELY MANAGE WATER RESOURCES FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. THE MISSION OF THE WESTERN ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH CENTER (WERC) IS TO PROVIDE ITS CLIENTS AND PARTNERS, IN PARTICULAR DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR (DOI) AGENCIES, WITH THE RESEARCH, SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING, AND TECHNOLOGY NEEDED TO SUPPORT SOUND MANAGEMENT OF PACIFIC SOUTHWESTERN ECOSYSTEMS.THE USGS CARRIES OUT THESE MISSIONS BY PARTNERING WITH FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES THAT USE SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION TO IDENTIFY WHAT IS RELEVANT AND APPLICABLE TO THEIR NEEDS, AND PRODUCING HIGH-QUALITY SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION, OFTEN IN COLLABORATION WITH UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PARTNERS.