Michael Kelley, MS - US grants

This is a one-day conference to bring together, for the first time, both the directors of biotechnology research centers and the State and local officials charged with developing and funding these centers, as well as their industry partners and interested Federal officials; to recognize the contributions these programs are already making to technological innovation in biotechnology (including medical, agricultural, marine, and bioelectronics) and their vital role in ensuring U.S. competitiveness in commercial biotechnology; to identify resources and programs made available by the Federal Government, particularly as they relate to exports and technology marketing in Japan and Europe; to permit these individuals to share their experiences, identify common needs and problems, and set an agenda for future cooperation.

Partial support is provided for the 1988 Gordon Research Conference on Catalysis to be held August 1-5, 1988, at Newport, Rhode Island. Funds are intended to support speakers and to provide for attendance of researchers who lack other funds, especially young faculty.

The "ionosphere" is the electrically charged region of the upper atmosphere above about 85 km altitude that is produced by the ionizing action of solar ultraviolet and X rays of wavelength shorter than about 100 angstroms. The ionosphere is important for communications in that it reflects radio and radar wavelengths longer than a few meters wavelength, and scatters and refracts shorter wavelengths. Much interference in both long and short wavelength radio communication, and for ground to satellite communcation, is produced by waves and irregularities in the ionosphere. This award is directed to studies of the ionosphere, and especially of the mechanisms giving rise to ionospheric irregularities, both at equatorial regions and at high latitudes.

This is a proposal to carry out a planning workshop for a new upper atmospheric observatory. The centerpiece of this observatory is to be an incoherent scatter radar. The location of the observatory is to be near the magnetic north pole, probably near Resolute Bay on the island of Cornwallis in the Northwest Territories of Canada.***//

Radar observations at very high latitudes have revealed the existence of a region of enhanced backscatter in the polar summer mesosphere. This region of the atmosphere is the coldest place on earth and is the location at which the highest clouds on earth are observed: arctic noctilucent clouds. In a previous NSF-funded study, the PI of this proposal has put forth the theory that the enhanced radar echoes are charged aerosols and that these particles are drifting slowly downward analogous to snow. Although not accepted, the PI will continue to investigate this idea by studying in more detail the manner in which the charged aerosol model can account for the radar observations. Furthermore, the PI will address specifically the question of the association between arctic noctilucent clouds and these enhanced radar echoes in the polar summer mesosphere.

The proposed research effort is aimed at the further understanding of the interaction between the various regions of the earth's atmosphere. One central thrust is to study the interaction between atmospheric waves generated in the dense lower atmosphere with the plasma in the ionosphere. These waves. create considerable structure on the bottom of the ionosphere from which many radio and communications systems reflect signals. The resulting distortion is well known but not so well understood. In addition much fine scale structure results which cause even higher frequency signals to "twinkle" much as starlight does due to atmosphere turbulence. We hope to gain new insights into just how these waves affect the mid-latitude ionosphere on all these scales by conducting an intensive campaign in the Puerto Rican sector where the NSF is clustering a number of state-of-the-art instruments. We will add to this instrumentation by taking our portable radar to the nearby island of St. Croix for the campaign. In addition to gravity waves we are interested in how lightning may affect the ionosphere and plan some joint observations with the Millstone Hill Observatory to see if short wavelength electrostatic waves can be detected preferentially over thunderstorms. Upward striking lightning has been detected from the space shuttle and ionosphereic effects seem quite likely. Another topic of interest is the turbulence induced in the ionosphere by the flow fields in and around the aurora. This turbulence may be sufficiently intense that the present interpretation of incoherent scatter radar data is in error.

CEDAR is a 3-phased aeronomy initiative that is recognized within both national and international communities. Since the fundamental concept of the program involves collaborative and community-wide use of resources as well as multi-institution campaigns and science analysis activities, there is a clear need for coordination. The basic role of the CEDAR Science Steering Committee (CEDAR-SSC) is to provide for coordination and information transfer throughout the U.S. aeronomy community as well as in the international realm. CEDAR is currently in Phase II of the program, durieng which time there will be extensive funded science campaign activities as well as activities involving instrument and facility development and upgrades. Members of the steering committee are selected by the NSF Program Directors for the Aeronomy and Upper Atmospheric Facilities sections of the Atmospheric Sciences Directorate in consultation with the current SSC members. During the next two years, the committee will meet regularly to discuss the various issues involving campaign organization, instrument operation, the program for the annual CEDAR summer workshop, promotion of CEDAR in the national and international sphere, facility operation, and science symposia planning.

9319919 Kelley The purpose of this Small Grant for Exploratory research (SGER) is to plan and carry out a key component to the first incoherent scatter observations in the frequency range 20-25 MHz by using a huge Radio Telescope located near Kharkov, Ukraine. The work is closely coupled to the joint proposal from Tulsa University and te Radiophysical Research institute (NIRFI) in Nizhny Novgorod. Under the latter proposal an antenna field will be constructed at Vasil"sursk in Russia. Upon completion of one-third of the projected antenna field, a joint experiment will be carried outto test the notion that incoherent scatter can be carried out in the bi-static mode described here. The results of the project will be crucial in assessing the performance of the full system which will have three times the power and three times the antenna size. In turn these data will allow the NSF to gauge the importance of taking the next steps in a possible International facility for probing the inner magnetosphere with incoherent scatter and the source of the aurora with coherent scatter. The proposal is appropriate for a SGER grant since it is clearly exploratory and high risk. There has never been an incoherent scatter radar measurement at this frequency nor has there been a way to determine the location of the outer boundary of the plasmasphere by radar methods. This experiment will allow a clear assessment of the ability of a ground based system to track this important boundary. In addition the very difficult present situation for scientists in the Ukraine makes such a cooperative effort very important in the nearest future. Among other things, immediate support is needed for the large UTR-2 antenna array (radio telescope) whose value for the world radio-scientific community is unique and which is critically important for the project described here. ***

Creation of a New Social Science Computer Laboratory This project involves a state-of-the-art networked social science computer laboratory. The laboratory facility is being used by social science majors, and has improved the scientific/computer training of social science undergraduates. The project uses a multidisciplinary approach and impacts undergraduates in political science, geography, sociology, and psychology. It is also expected to enhance other undergraduate courses, technology, training in data analysis and methodology commonly used in the social sciences.

Confirmation and Extension of Magnetospheric Radar Observations at SURA This proposal is to initiate the first step toward realizing the transition of a powerful Soviet military facility to the peaceful study of the geospace environment, the domain of solar-terrestrial science. We envision that the results of this study will reinforce efforts towards a major long-range opportunity for joint US/Russia/Ukraine development of a magnetosheric radar facility. In addition, it seems possible that the same facility could be used as a powerful mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere (MST) facility. Strong evidence exists that Soviet researchers directly detected, through remote sensing with a magnetospheric radar, the origin of the auroral borealis. This region has only been penetrated before by a few satellites which, due to some intrinsic limitations of spacecraft, provide inadequate data in the key regions. We propose to test, and potentially confirm, this important new tool for ground-based access to the geospace enviroment.

This is a project to conduct an experimental campaign called CARMEN to study ionospheric structure and dynamics in the Caribbean. This 15 to 18 month long intensive study will use data obtained with optical and radar instruments at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, in addition to a digital ionosonde at the conjugate point in Argentina. The earth s ionosphere is characterized by a variety of storm-like processes that result in a very structured medium. These structures severely affect the propagation of radio signals from satellites to the ground and can disrupt civilian and military communications and positioning systems. The ultimate goal of this study is to understand the processes that lead to ionospheric irregularities during solar minimum conditions. Collaborators from many different institutions will participate in the campaign and students will be supported at both Cornell and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez.

The PI continues his study of Polar Summer Mesospheric Echoes with a new twist: exploring the aeronomy. Using data acquired by the MST radar at the Early Polar Cap Observatory, a post-doc: (1) looks for interrelationships between spectral widths and signal-to-noise, and the phase of any present oscillations, (2) compares the scattering properties with the meteor diffusion times to locate a Schmidt Number effect in the latter (if it exists), and (3) uses the wave dispersion relationship to discover the high frequency limit to which meteor temperatures can be pushed by comparing them to wind perturbations measured with the radar. Further, the PI remains committed to exploring Canadian instrumentation's data as a marker for global change (as manifested in the mesosphere).

Investigators are observing a remarkable physical phenomenon: long-lived luminous trails left behind by some meteors. Using the Arecibo Observatory and the Starfire Optical Range, researchers are observing during the Leonids meteor showers in November of 1997, 1998, and 1999. Primarily, they hope to definitively observe meteoric smoke and dust formation, predicted (but not yet verified) forty years ago. Next, they investigate the sodium nightglow band as a potential source for long-lived visual trails, dusty plasma physics as a contributor to radar scatter, and incoherent scatter reports of meteor trails and the ablation and subsequent dynamics of sodium atoms behind a meteor. Finally, they are determining these trails' feasibility for gravity wave studies.

A partnership will be formed between Cornell University and key engineering institutions on the island of Puerto Rico (initially to include the Puerto Rico Resource Center for Science and Engineering, the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, and the Polytechnic University), to identify star students early in their undergraduate careers. These students will be resident on the Cornell campus for one summer of course work and either on campus or at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico for one research-intensive summer. The students will, where appropriate, be encouraged to apply to either the M.S./Ph.D. program directly or to Cornell's one-year M. Eng. Program. With summer research experience and the chance to excel in the M. Eng. Program, we believe many of the later students will also be able to continue to the Ph.D.

ATM-0000196
Kelley, Michael


The Principal Investigator and his graduate students have developed valuable hardware and software tools for the study of the mid-latitude ionosphere. The hardware tools include a cooled CCD Imager capable of making sequential exposures of five different filtered emissions. The system can be remotely operated via the Internet and has already provided new insights into the structure of the region, during both quiet and active times, through analysis and interpretation of the airglow data. Additional software tools facilitate the analysis of GPS data, including validation of methods for determining the absolute TEC from the data stream, as well as data processing and display software, which make comparisons with other data sets much more straightforward.

The purpose of this renewal proposal is to build on this developed expertise by planning and excuting simultaneous observation campaigns with the Arecibo Radar and with other groups interested in the Caribbean sector for scientific studies, as well as validation of TEC methods, spacecraft instrument calibration and tomographic work. In addition to the imager and GPS aspects, the PI will assure that Arecibo Radar time is available for the campaigns by writing observing proposals on a timely basis and coordinating the various groups. In addition, he will take a leadership role in interpreting and publishing the data sets on a timely basis. During the tenure of this proposal, he will also explore opportunities for short campaigns in other locations for the purpose of solving specific problems or extending the spatial coverage of a particular phenonmenon.

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from investigator's abstract): Macrothrombocytopenias with leukocyte inclusions are a set of hereditary clinical syndromes characterized by giant platelets and thrombocytopenia that include May-Hegglin anomaly (MHA), Fechtner syndrome, and Sebastian syndrome. The cause of these disorders is not known, but a gene causing MHA has recently been localized to chromosome 22. The PI has refined the mapping of this gene causing MHA in three families to a 6 cM, 1 Mb region of chr 22. The goal of the application is to identify the gene responsible for MHA and begin genetic investigation of related syndromes. Family ascertainment and characterization will be performed, as well as examination of candidate disease genes. When the causative gene is identified, biochemical and physiological analysis will be pursued including development of a murine model of the disease.

This award supports the study of the phenomenon of polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE) through comparison of meteor radar measurements from Resolute Bay and Svalbard with additional MF radar measurements from stations located in Alaska and three radars located in the European sector at 78 N, 69 N, and 68 N latitudes. The mesopause winds, echo power strengths, and mesopause temperature estimates derived from these radar measurements at both stations would be compared for simultaneous operations. The primary motivation for this research is to examine the question as to whether cold mesopause temperatures are the only factor that underlies the production of these echoes. Current preliminary evidence suggests that latitudinal and longitudinal differences in mesopause water vapor composition might also be a factor. These measurements would be supplemented with studies related to observations obtained in the Antarctica at McMurdo and at the Peruvian Machu Picchu site (62 S, 58 W).

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cigarette smoking is causally associated with development of cancer of the lung, head & neck region, esophagus, bladder, and other sites by overwhelming epidemiological and biologic evidence. Cessation of smoking results in a slow decline in risk of cancer development that remains elevated compared to never smokers beyond 15 years after smoking cessation. Thus, strategies to reduce the impact of lung cancer in former smokers are needed. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and cyclo-oxygenase II (COX-2) have been implicated in the development and maintenance of lung cancer. Clinical trials of the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, ZD1839, in patients with established cancer have demonstrated biological and anti-tumor effects. In the first part of this application, a Phase I, open-label, dose escalation clinical trial will be conducted to determine the maximal tolerable dose of ZD1839, and the associated effect on EGFR signaling, when used as a chemopreventive agent in former smokers. Former smokers treated with curative intent for early stage lung or head and neck cancer will be treated in cohorts of escalating doses of ZD1839. Measures of drug effect (EGFR, c-fos, apoptosis) and biomarkers of lung cancer risk will be measured in bronchial epithelium before and after taking drug for 12 weeks. Potential efficacy of EGFR and/or COX-2 inhibition (using ZD1839 and Celecoxib, respectively) will then be assessed in a Phase II, placebo-controlled, clinical trial assessing effect on bronchial epithelial genetic loss and other surrogate biomarkers of lung cancer risk.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Tumor hypoxia has been implicated as a prognostic marker in human tumors and may be a determinant of tumor response to both radiation and cytotoxic therapy. We propose a pilot phase II clinical trial to determine the safety and feasibility of measurement of tumor hypoxia in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using the 2-nitroimidazole, EF5. Specific Aim 1: Measurement of hypoxia in NSCLC by EF5 binding. Patients with Stage I/II or Stage III will be administered EF5 prior to surgical biopsy or excision of tumor. Tumor samples will be examined for binding of EF5 to hypoxic areas. Tumor response will be ascertained for those patients with Stage III disease receiving chemotherapy/radiation. Tumor samples will be obtained from patients undergoing repeat tumor biopsy to assess longevity of EF5 adducts. Hypothesis: There is a range of tumor hypoxia in NSCLC that can be detected by EF5 binding. Specific Aim 2: Correlation of hypoxia measured by EF5 with biological markers of hypoxia. Hypoxia induces a number of biological responses mediated through HIF-1-controlled expression. Concurrent measurement of potential serum markers of hypoxia, tissue protein markers of hypoxia, tumor angiogenesis, and apoptosis will be performed to allow correlation with measurement of tumor hypoxia. Hypothesis: Hypoxia measured by EF5 binding in tumor tissues is correlated with biological markers of hypoxia in tumor and blood of patients with NSCLC. Specific Aim 3: Correlate tumor perfusion as measured by clinically applicable methods with hypoxia in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Tumor hypoxia results from altered tumor blood flow. Advances in imaging techniques allows the non-invasive measurement of tumor blood flow in patients. We will use 150-water PET scanning to measure tumor blood flow and correlate these measurements with tumor hypoxia and each other. Hypothesis: Altered (reduced) tumor blood flow is associated with greater tumor hypoxia. We believe the data from this pilot study will be useful to design future study(ies) with clinical endpoints and to guide selection of subjects for novel hypoxia-directed therapies in patients with NSCLC.

nonsmall cell lung cancer; hypoxia; neoplasm /cancer diagnosis; biomarker; neoplasm /cancer classification /staging; neoplastic growth; clinical trial phase II; neoplasm /cancer chemotherapy; imidazole; patient oriented research; human subject; clinical research;

The investigators will operate an all-sky imager at the Huancayo Observatory in Peru to observe two-dimensional airglow emissions during the Air Force C/NOFS (Communication/Navigation Outage Forecast System) mission. The instrument comprises a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera with an all-sky lens, telecentric optics, and a five-position filter wheel. The observatory also includes an interferometer called SOFDI, the Second-Generation Optimized Fabry-Perot Doppler Imager, which has been developed and is currently being tested in upstate New York. It will eventually be moved to Huancayo, where it will provide daytime and nighttime zonal, meridional, and vertical wind measurements. These data will be crucial for understanding the development and timing of the F-region dynamo, which subsequently controls the formation of pre-midnight plasma irregularities commonly referred to as equatorial spread F (ESF). The observations will be coordinated with interferometric and imaging radar systems such as those at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory, which provides crucial backscatter measurements of the dynamic properties of the irregularities. The incoherent scatter radar at Jicamarca will measure ionospheric parameters crucial for understanding the preconditioning of the plasma for instability. The ground-based observations will enhance the scientific and operation mission of C/NOFS, which is to understand and predict ionosphere irregularities and scintillations. These scintillations cause disruption of communication and navigation systems, so the results of this study are important for space weather operational forecasting.

The investigators will study the equatorial electrojet and Polar Mesospheric Summer Echoes (PMSE) using the Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar (AMISR) systems at Jicamarca, Peru, and Poker Flat, Alaska. The graduate student to be supported under this award spent a year helping with the calibration and validation of the AMISR system at Jicamarca. After the installation and initial engineering tests of this prototype system, it was used to make observations of the equatorial electrojet. The equatorial electrojet is a sheet of current flowing in the ionosphere around the earth at the magnetic equator. The plasma instabilities in the equatorial electrojet are still not well understood even after forty years of study by rockets and radars. By measuring electrojet properties using radars at Jicamarca at two different frequencies, the investigators will obtain new information about the spatial and temporal behavior of the irregularities. After gaining this experience, the investigators will apply that knowledge to the observations of PMSE using the full AMISR system at Poker Flat, Alaska. Although PMSE have been observed by many radar systems, the opportunity to use AMISR, with its unprecedented steering ability, will shed new light on the processes in the mesosphere that give rise to these echoes. The graduate student to be supported is from an underrepresented minority group, and his involvement continues a strong tradition at Cornell in encouraging young scientists from diverse backgrounds.