Michael Ross - US grants

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry is being incorporated into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum at both St John's University and the College of Saint Benedict. The mass spectrometer is being interfaced with a gas chromatograph which was previously present. The new system is being used to illustrate the principles and techniques of MS or GC/MS in the organic, physical, advanced analytical, and advanced inorganic courses, as well as student research. All of these areas are being expanded and enhanced by the acquisition of the mass spectrometer. Students are gaining a first hand knowledge of the diversity of applications for a GC/MS system. The grantee is matching the award from non-Federal sources.

The Department of Chemistry is acquiring graphics-based workstations for students at all levels to explore such chemical concepts such as molecular structure, quantum mechanical energy calculations, energy minimizations and, simulate/predict reaction mechanisms. Beginning with the general chemistry course and continuing throughout the upper division sequence, computations and molecular descriptions of increasingly greater complexity are being performed. In both the organic and biochemistry courses are students are comparing and contrasting the results of the calculations with those obtained in the laboratory on the same systems.

9352141 McKenna Two diode array spectrophotometry systems are being used in a project that is providing an integrative laboratory experience for students in general, organic, advanced analytical and biological chemistry. Because we believe that kinetics is a key concept which should be addressed in courses throughout the curriculum, kinetics is being used as a unifying concept to reinforce the idea that each course in the chemistry curriculum builds on skills learned in previous courses. Students in the various courses are performing a series of increasingly sophisticated investigations on the kinetics of the hydrolysis reaction of the digestive protease trypsin, using spectrophotometric and synthetic techniques and molecular modeling. ***

With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program, the Department of Chemistry at Saint John's University will acquire a liquid chromatograph with mass spectrometric detection, including atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and electrospray probes. This equipment will enhance research in a number of areas including a) isolation of bioactive natural products; b) quantification of pesticides and pesticide residues in the Sauk River watershed; c) analysis of biological mechanisms for drug resistance; d) modeling a trinuclear site in multicopper oxidases; e) oxidized LDL studies; f) DNA repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae; g) identification of endothelial proteins involved in tight junction formation; and h) vitamin K status in female athletes.

Liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (LC-MS) is an extremely powerful technique used for the separation and analysis of complex mixtures. It has become almost indispensable in industry; therefore, it will be crucial in the preparation of students for careers in industry or graduate school. This instrument will also be used by students at the College of Saint Benedict (an all women's college) and students at Saint Cloud State University.

DESCRIPTION: (provided by applicant): This proposal falls under the rubric of the sixth of the research areas outlined in the 1999 NIDCR Strategic Plan - Behavior, Health Promotion and Environment. It is a proposal that considers issues pertinent to behavioral, social and environmental aspects of oral health. It also explores issues relevant to inequalities in oral health. With the increasing gap (both within and between countries), between rich and poor the need for a robust planning methodology that can be reliably used for the development of oral health plans suitable in a variety of social and economic settings, is paramount. No longer is it reasonable to assume ?one plan fits all?. The approach proposed here to the planning of oral health services will allow the allocation of resources in a fairer and more appropriate fashion and thus, will make a major contribution to addressing inequalities in health. Currently professionals, throughout the world, most commonly base their planning of oral health services on their assessment of normative need. This has resulted in many plans and strategies that either do not fully address peoples identified needs or that are not implemented properly, because of their high costs in human and financial resources. These problems are most severe in disadvantaged communities. This planning proposal sets out to develop a more reliable and realistic method for determining dental care needs and thence to improvements in the method of planning oral health services. It develops the use of a socio-dental approach, to better identify people?s needs. It takes into account the context in which services are to be provided. The key components of the work during the planning phase are to test the understanding and validity of the proposed questionnaire (the socio-dental measurement instrument) and the feasibility of its use, together with a clinical examination, under the field conditions in the four collaborating countries, undertaking pre-tests and pilot studies. The socio-dental instrument proposed for adaptation and testing is the Oral Impacts of Daily Performance measure. The principal investigator is based in Houston, Texas (USA) and the collaborators are based in Cape Town (South Africa), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), and London (UK).

The Miami-Dade urban region is characterized by a unique and paradoxical set of conditions and forces. It is a global commerce center, where assets are vulnerable to catastrophic coastal disasters. It is an affluent city with among the highest rates of poverty in the nation. It is a de-vegetated city situated between and dependent upon unique and protected natural environments. It is a city that receives significant rainfall but whose freshwater supply is critically vulnerable to climatic change. What unites these strengths and vulnerabilities is their dependence on the interaction between local and global forces. The objectives of this research project are to investigate how global biophysical and socioeconomic forces interact with local processes in shaping the socioecological structure and dynamics of the Miami-Dade urban region. The investigators will use a double-exposure framework that stresses the multiple interactions between economic globalization and climate change as the heuristic focus of the research. This project will bring together an interdisciplinary team of academic and applied scientists, educators, citizen organizations, and state and local governments to explore how existing social and ecological vulnerabilities may be exacerbated by the double threats of climate change and economic globalization and how the urban region might become more resilient. The project's ultimate goal is to examine how processes of urban transformation can lead to a more resilient socioecological landscape. The research plan is guided by principles of collaborative and engaged research, because the investigators plan to fully integrate the goals, energy, and diverse backgrounds of multiple academic disciplines and institutions; federal, state, and local agencies; non-governmental organizations; educators; and students. The research will be conducted by three themed working groups that focus on Coastal Vulnerabilities, Urban Land Stewardship, and Freshwater Sustainability. Each group will describe the spatial distribution of populations and resources; derive a conceptual model of the controls on population/resource vulnerability to climate change and globalization; and identify spatial and statistical relationships among resources and vulnerabilities, thereby providing a template for future empirical validation. Working group products will include peer-reviewed articles; white papers for policy makers and community partners; educational products such as course modules and dissertation research; and various technical products, including GIS databases, algorithms, and interactive maps. In addition to mentoring the three graduate students committed to the program, the researchers will offer a graduate course on "socioecological analysis of urban systems" to provide students with practical experience in finding, analyzing, and presenting urban ecological data and to engage them in the activities of the three working groups. A set of teaching modules for K-12 educators based on this research also will be developed.

This project will integrate key concepts from the ecological study of disturbance and landscape heterogeneity with urban political ecology and the study of social vulnerability to biophysical and socioeconomic perturbations. This project will extend the concept of double exposure with respect to both global climate change and economic globalization by linking the effects of these global forces to local ecological and social dynamics. The investigators anticipate that these cross-scale interactions will be key to understanding the resilience and dynamics of urban socioecosystems. The project will facilitate integration of the social and natural sciences within the university and professional and intellectual engagement between the university and stakeholders in the local community and government. The integration of research and education will produce a cohort of graduate students and primary and secondary educators with experience in collaborative, interdisciplinary research and an understanding of cities as complex socioecological systems, both of which will be critical to the development of a self-sustaining research program in the study of urban systems. This award was funded as an Urban Long-Term Research Area Exploratory (ULTRA-Ex) award as the result of a special competition jointly supported by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Recent research in East Africa has established the existence of significant indigenous MSM networks, characterized by apparently high HIV seroprevalence rates and high stigma. We propose a mixed methods study (qualitative, quantitative, and biological STI/HIV markers) to study 350 MSM in Dar es Salaam (high HIV prevalence) and Tanga (lower prevalence), Tanzania, where there are no available data on MSM. The study will map sexual meeting places for MSM, elicit information on the level and experience of stigma, the process by which stigma is translated into HIV risk behavior, and health care experiences and needs of MSM. Quantitative data on demographics, sexual pathways and risk behaviors, sexual contacts, internalized homophobia, and context of sexual behavior, will be collected using a modified version of the MSM questionnaire recently used in Kampala. Linked to this will be biological data on HIV, syphilis and urethral and rectal gonorrhea and Chlamydia. Respondents testing positive for treatable STIs will be treated immediately, and for HIV referred to the free treatment program at Muhimbili Hospital. We will assess demographic and behavioral predictors of HIV and STIs, sexual risk behaviors with males and females and their context, and the impact of stigma on risk (or protective) behaviors. The emerging description of sexual risk, stigma, and HIV/STI prevalence will be used to inform a subsequent R01 to intervene to reduce risk and provide culturally sensitive health care for MSM in Tanzania, and design and implement a model program that can be used more broadly in East Africa. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: We will study HIV and SDI prevalence in high-risk men in Dar es Salaam and Tanga, Tanzania, to assess what behaviors are most closely associated with HIV and STI infection in both cities. We will also interview these men to determine what role stigma related to their sexual activities plays in reducing HIV testing, and how interventions to reduce HIV risk and improve health service access in this population might be structured.

Abstract: Oropharyngeal cancer (OPCa) caused by Human Papilloma Virus infection has risen steadily in the past two decades. It is primarily associated with sexual risk behavior, specifically oral sex in MSM. Oral cancers associated with HPV, when detected early by oral examination by medical and dental practitioners, can be successfully diagnosed and treated, with significantly increased survival. To improve screening and detection, we propose a 3-part study. First, to interview medical and dental teams, both private and in a Federally Qualified Health Center, with large GBM client bases in two large US metropolitan areas, to understand the screening and reasons for screening for oropharyngeal cancers and guidelines used. Second, we will survey 1500 GBM in the US to determine knowledge and beliefs about OPCa, HPV vaccination knowledge and uptake, experiences with providers and screening, and willingness to engage in screening. Finally, given the potential visibility of OPCa tumors to oral visual examination, we will assess the feasibility of a remote patient monitoring telecommunications-based intervention. We will ask GBM to take oral ?selfies? with a cell phone, of sufficient clarity in regard to standard oral landmarks, and to send these photos to a central site where assessment can be made by an OPCa specialist clinician. The interview and survey data, and the feasibility results will be used to inform increased screening guidelines and education for both GBM and the practitioners who treat them, and to develop programs for increased awareness and screening in GBM. The acceptability, feasibility and preliminary efficacy data will assess whether self-examination and oral ?selfies? are realistic and have the necessary clarity to form the basis of a telemedicine- based screening campaign for those at risk of developing OPCa, and its rigorous evaluation.

X-ray diffraction techniques are essential for nondestructive, high-throughput microstructural analysis of functional materials such as thin films and nanomaterials to enable material innovations for clean energy production, pollution abatement, and public health protection. This project aims at enhancing the capabilities of UMass Lowell’s X-ray diffraction system to serve the research and development needs of a broad portfolio of on- and off-campus users in the relevant areas of chemical, physical, engineering, and health sciences. The system upgrades will leverage historical strengths of UMass Lowell in plastics, polymer science, nanotechnology, and biomedicine while bringing unique capabilities to the region. The upgraded X-ray diffractometer will be made available as a shared instrument within UMass Lowell’s Core Research Facilities, providing opportunities for internal and external research collaborations as well as community outreach activities. Direct access to the equipment by graduate and undergraduate students will facilitate advanced education and research training. X-ray diffraction techniques and applications will be incorporated into several graduate and undergraduate courses in the Colleges of Engineering and Sciences. Furthermore, the instrument will be integrated into well-established K–12 outreach programs organized by UMass Lowell’s Core Research Facilities and will be used by students participating in UMass Lowell’s undergraduate research opportunities, collaborations programs, and professional co-op programs. <br/><br/>UMass Lowell seeks to upgrade a state-of-the-art multifunctional X-ray diffraction system to support interdisciplinary collaborative research in green electronics, environmentally sustainable polymers, catalytic metallic nanostructures, and reactive minerals in the aquatic environment, among others, all of which are relevant and timely topics in energy and environmental sustainability. Discoveries enabled through this project will facilitate cutting-edge research in the synthesis and processing of environmentally sustainable materials, generation of clean energy, and pollution abatement in water and soil.<br/><br/>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.