Grants

NIMHD - National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common neurological disease, typically diagnosed in young and middle-aged adults with a current estimate of one million cases in the United States. Exercise training is established as a safe, effective second-line therapy for improving MS symptoms and slowing disease progression, however Hispanics with MS are virtually absent from the MS exercise training literature. This is alarming given the growing prevalence of MS among Hispanics and established health disparities associated with a more severe disease course including significant mobility impairment and cognitive dysfunction with a younger age of onset among Hispanics with MS. The proposed study creates the first culturally tailored exercise training program for Hispanic adults with MS using the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainability (EPIS) implementation science framework. The foundational exercise training program, STEP for MS, is based on Social Cognitive Theory and Supportive Accountability behavior change principles for promoting exercise behavior change that meets the Guidelines for Exercise for persons with MS. This proposal builds upon iterations of STEP for MS including testing for feasibility and efficacy among non-Hispanic Blacks with MS. The research team will begin the proposed research by partnering with two Community Advisory Boards to culturally tailor the STEP for MS program specifically for Hispanics. Subsequently, a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation trial is proposed wherein we will recruit 66 Hispanic adults with MS in the Greater Houston Area. Those persons will be randomized into exercise training intervention or attention/social contact control stretching conditions delivered over 16 weeks. Both conditions will be delivered by a Spanish-speaking community health worker from the Houston community and participants will complete the program in their preferred language. Client outcomes of interest will be assessed at baseline, 16-weeks post-intervention, and 32-week follow-up and directly align with meaningful consequences that disproportionately impact Hispanics with MS (i.e., mobility disability and well-being). Implementation outcomes will be collected throughout the study to guide future research and dissemination efforts. The proposed research team is comprised of the leading experts in exercise science, psychology, health disparities, implementation science, and biostatistics ideally suited to lead and implement this innovative line of research that may substantially move the needle in treatment strategies for Hispanics with MS. The proposed study directly aligns with the NIMHD Mission to lead scientific research to improve minority health and reduce health disparities by providing low cost, accessible approaches for addressing the compounding health disparities experienced by Hispanics with chronic disabling conditions and promoting overall health.

NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

dell'Arte Opera Ensemble, Inc.

NSF

This project aims to develop new computational tools in the field of algebraic topology. Topology is the study of geometry where you identify one geometric object with another if one can be deformed into the other. The goal of algebraic topology is to ascribe discrete algebraic invariants to these geometric objects to distinguish their topological types. Understanding the topological type of geometric objects is a fundamental act of scientific/mathematical inquiry, comparable to the study of prime numbers, or the classification of the fundamental particles that constitute matter and carry forces. Topological computations have also been applied to solve problems in physics, and the field of topological data analysis applies the tools of algebraic topology to the qualitative study of high-dimensional data-sets. The focus of the project is on the interaction of localized and unlocalized computations of homotopy groups. Homotopy groups are the fundamental algebraic invariants which arise from geometric objects but are often very difficult to compute. These computations are made more accessible through the process of localization (inverting classes), but this process of localization loses information. The project will enhance our understanding of how to extract information about delocalized homotopy groups from these localizations. Activities in this project will also contribute to the training of the next generation of mathematicians. The specific research activities center around the recent disproof of the Telescope Conjecture by Burklund-Hahn-Levy-Schlank, which implies that the relationship between K(n)-local homotopy groups and unlocalized homotopy groups is much more subtle than previously imagined. The PI will complete our understanding of the homotopy groups of the K(2)-local sphere in the last open case of p = 2 using a new elliptic resolution, and the relationship of this resolution to the tmf-resolution will be leveraged to relate the extensive low dimensional computations of Isaksen-Wang-Xu of 2-primary stable stems to the K(2)-local computations. Generalizations of the effective slice spectral sequence to other groups will be investigated using the techniques of synthetic homotopy theory. The PI will also investigate genuine equivariant enhancements of synthetic homotopy categories. 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.

NYS Life Science Initiative Fund 17-18

Deloitte- Wadsworth Public Health Lab- Life Science Initiative

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF.NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY FOR HEALTH (ARPA-H)

Delphi

Delridge Advisory Core Team (ACT)

The goal is to create a shared vision for business prosperity and growth, and to foster community-oriented economic development and to connect neighborhood businesses and resident stakeholders.

Delridge Grocery Cooperative

The Delridge Grocery Coop (DGC) is in the planning & feasibility stage of opening a grocery coop in Delridge. This project will complete a market study to ascertain if there is a suitable market to sustain a grocery coop and to study if our business plan is viable for opening of the store.

Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association

Produce 12 events in 2016 that will connect diverse community partners and build stronger relationships between organizations, groups, and individuals in the greater Delridge neighborhood.

Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association

The Delridge Neighborhods Development Association (DNDA) will along with several community partners, organize and facilitate the Delridge Neighborhoods Let's Talk Race Series. This project will produce eight events in 2017 -2018 using film, dialogue, restorative justice, and storytelling. These events are intended to transform the narrative around institutional and historic racism and build stronger relationships between community organizations, individuals and groups within Delridge and beyond.

Delridge Advisory Council – Associated Recreation Council

To enhance the capacity of the existing Delridge OnRamp lab to provide computer instruction and career assistance by replacing outdated computer hardware and software and purchasing educational software for children.

Friends of the Delridge Triangle

The Friends of the Delridge Triangle will hire a Landscape Architect to create a conceptual redesign for the Delridge Triangle based on community input. The property is located at 9200 Delridge Way SW. Public input meetings and the design work will take place between fall 2018 and spring 2019.

Delta College Foundation

Delta College Foundation is an active grantmaking foundation based in Stockton, CA. Focus: philanthropy. Contact the foundation directly for current funding opportunities.

Delta Health Foundation

Delta Health Foundation is an active grantmaking foundation based in Delta, CO. Focus: philanthropy. Contact the foundation directly for current funding opportunities.

NSF

Mountains serve as the water towers of the world, providing critical water supplies to billions of people. Mountains capture precipitation and channel it downstream, thereby regulating water availability and buffering lowland communities against water shortages. However, the timescales of mountain block recharge to lowland communities remain largely unknown due to observational challenges. This undermines our ability to develop robust impact assessments and adaptation pathways for vulnerable downstream communities. This project is addressing the knowledge gap by examining how groundwater in mountain blocks contributes to downstream water supplies. The field-based study leverages a rich hydrogeological dataset, including borehole networks, geophysical surveys, and records of groundwater dynamics. Insights gained at the field location will be applicable to other mountain regions across the world. Mountain block recharge is the flow of groundwater from mountainous areas to adjacent lowland aquifers. Recent research indicates that deep mountain block recharge (greater than 5 km) is a significant component of both the mountain and lowland water cycles, providing resilience to water shortages during drought. But, studies of mountain hydrology often ignore groundwater flow and assume that the crystalline basement rock is impermeable. This study will quantify the depth and fluxes of groundwater flow in mountain blocks. The collaborative international project will leverage established partnerships and develop new partnerships with universities and natural resource agencies, ensuring effective pathways for impact across research, industry, and policy sectors. The international team brings extensive experience working across research, societal, and policy domains. This award was made possible through the NSF/GEO-UKRI/NERC lead agency opportunity. 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.

NIAID - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Project Summary Effector functions of NK cells are regulated through a balance of activating and inhibitory receptor interactions. NK inhibitory receptors of the Ly49 (mouse) and KIR (human) families have been well characterized with both Ly49C and KIR being dominant players in NK cell inhibition and licensing. Like many of the NK receptors, Ly49C and KIR binds to MHC Class I molecules to inhibit NK cell effector functions such as lysis of tumor target cells. The identified binding site for Ly49C and H-2Kb MHC class I occurs at the base of the MHC class I molecule with no direct contacts to the peptide MHC interface that binds T cell receptors. The binding site for KIR2DL3 for HLA- C1 has also been identified and there are crystal structures for both NK inhibitory receptors. As innate germline encoded receptor, Ly49C and KIR2DL3 binding to MHC class I molecules would be consistent with its function for assessing missing MHC on the target cell surface. However, early research discovered a puzzling level of peptide specificity to the molecules that regulated NK cell cytotoxicity. For Ly49C, a series of follow-up analyses has for the most part been unable to provide a clear explanation for the effects of peptide bound to MHC at a distinctly different site. Even crystallographic studies failed to identify peptide-dependent differences that could alter Ly49C interaction with MHC class I and NK cell biology. Based on our experience in assessing differential T cell receptor interactions with peptide:MHC, we propose to investigate whether differential bond lifetimes, and not affinity, explain the function of Ly49C and KIR inhibitory receptors to control NK cell function. Our preliminary findings have identified dramatic differences in the characteristics of the bond between Ly49C/KIR and their respective peptide:MHC molecules. Our proposal will build on this preliminary data to provide mechanistic clarity on how Ly49C or KIR2DL3 distinguishes different peptide:MHC molecules. These innovative insights into how NK inhibitory receptors can sense different peptides presented embedded in MHC class I would dramatically shift our understanding of their function from a simple on/off switch to a more sophisticated receptor system dependent on cellular forces to regulate NK cell function.

NIA - National Institute on Aging

Project Summary It has been estimated that over 1.4 million people in the United States suffer from Lewy body dementia (LBD), including both dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) or Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD). Patients with LBD suffer from cognitive decline, sometimes linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD), and the motor and behavioral changes seen in Parkinson's disease (PD). Unfortunately, the diagnosis of LBD can be difficult, particularly in those DLB patients that present with cognitive impairment prior to motor or marked behavioral changes. While diagnostic biomarkers for LBD have been limited, recent developments have suggested that determining Lewy body pathology (LBP) and AD pathology change may be possible with biofluid biomarkers. Until recently, impediments to biomarker development in LBD have included small subject numbers, a lack of systematic patient characterization and a failure to perform longitudinal follow up with autopsy. Both AD and PD have benefited from a number of large “consortiums” that have advanced research by leveraging the strengths of several groups of research centers to combine efforts with standardized approaches to the study of the disease. One good example is the Alzheimer's Disease Centers (ADC) program, funded by the National Institute on Aging, where over 30 research centers across the United States have agreed to a standardized approach to the diagnosis and characterization of patients with AD. Other similar programs include the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS), Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Parkinson's Disease Biomarker Program (PDBP), and the Parkinson's Progression Marker Initiative (PPMI). Fortunately, the latter two PD programs have included more systematic clinical assessments and collection of biofluids and imaging data relevant to cognition in PD. Until funding of the Dementia with Lewy Body Consortium (DLBC), no similar US-based program had existed. The objective of this DLBC renewal proposal is to utilize and expand the DLBC cohort with additional subjects enrolled, continued longitudinal systematic assessments, collection of biofluids and imaging data, and ultimately autopsy. As a more hypothesis-driven renewal proposal, the DLBC will utilize the longitudinal data, imaging and biofluid collection from DLBC participants to focus on diagnosis, progression and clinical variability. Two new Co-Principal Investigators and a number of new co- investigators and collaborators will join the DLBC to enhance the additional focus on the new hypothesis-driven aims.

Coventry

Demo and Debris Removal 2 Bldgs. and General Landscaping Camp Creaser

DECD

Demo, remediation for affordable housing

NIMH - National Institute of Mental Health

ABSTRACT The Brain Image Library (BIL) serves as a central repository for advanced microscopy data, ensuring valuable neuroscience datasets are preserved and shared following FAIR principles. While BIL successfully handles traditional microscopy data, it currently lacks specialized tools for spatial transcriptomics datasets, which present unique computational challenges due to their high dimensionality and complex metadata structures. This project will develop essential computational infrastructure to make spatial transcriptomics data in BIL more accessible and analyzable for the broader neuroscience community. We will implement four key components: (1) standardization of data submission and storage using the community-supported Spatialdata format, enabling efficient handling of large-scale molecular data with coordinate system transformations and alignment capabilities, (2) development of an intuitive browser-based visualization system that allows researchers to explore gene expression patterns through interactive scatter plots and maps with density-based rendering, (3) creation of a natural language search interface leveraging Large Language Models for complex queries across molecular and anatomical parameters, and (4) integration of foundational models for automated cell type annotation and metadata generation. By standardizing data organization and providing intuitive exploration tools, this work will maximize the reuse potential of these valuable datasets and lay the groundwork for future cross-modality analyses that combine molecular and imaging data to generate new biological insights.

NIA - National Institute on Aging

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Redwood Neuro aims to revolutionize Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) diagnostics through the development of the SiMoLiSA platform, a pioneering technology designed to deliver a detection capability previously only achievable through high- end single molecule counting technologies. This innovative platform offers an open, more accessible immunoassay approach akin to ELISA yet one that surpasses the performance of the most advanced single molecule counting technologies in terms of sensitivity and specificity at a fraction of the cost. Unlike conventional systems that often require expensive, proprietary equipment, SiMoLiSA utilizes affordable, widely available consumables and simple equipment. This makes it easier to implement and scale in a variety of laboratory settings, from academic research facilities to clinical diagnostic centers. By breaking down the cost and complexity barriers associated with advanced diagnostic technologies, SiMoLiSA enables broader access to cutting-edge detection capabilities, making it a game- changer for disease diagnostics and biomarker research. By employing our proprietary Single-Molecule Linked Surrogate Assay, SiMoLiSA will enhance the detection of critical AD biomarkers, such as p-tau proteins and β-amyloid, with unprecedented sensitivity and affordability. Unlike current high-cost ultrasensitive systems, SiMoLiSA is an open platform that uses cost-effective materials and innovative techniques to detect biomarkers at femtogram/milliter (fg/ml) levels—capabilities traditionally reserved for the most advanced and expensive platforms such as single molecule counting assay. This project will execute two primary phases: firstly, establishing a comprehensive 7-biomarker panel (p-tau-181, p-tau-217, p-tau-231, total-tau, Aβ42, Aβ40, and NfL) for AD and validating it against state-of-art immunoassay platform using contrive human serum samples and demonstrate an ability to detect AD biomarkers at femtogram/milliter (fg/ml) levels and over 6-log dynamic range in a highly reproducible manner (R2 > 0.98); secondly, rigorously testing this technology with CSF and plasma clinical samples to confirm its performance and reliability in real-world settings in a CLIA-certified lab. By making early and accurate AD diagnosis more accessible, SiMoLiSA not only promises to enhance clinical outcomes for patients by enabling earlier intervention but also aims to reduce overall healthcare costs associated with the management of Alzheimer’s Disease. This aligns directly with public health goals by addressing the growing need for effective diagnostic tools in the aging population.

NHGRI - National Human Genome Research Institute

PROJECT SUMMARY Identifying and promoting biomedical research practices, including responsible data stewardship and analysis, that advance broad public health benefit and healthcare equity is a societal priority and central ethical concern for researchers and policymakers. For the genomic data science community, new NIH-supported cloud data sharing and analysis platforms promise to `democratize' data use, enabling a more diverse range of researchers to access large-scale genomic and linked health data and, it is hoped, widen the range of research questions that can be answered using such data. While cloud-based data sharing theoretically promises to widen access to genomic and related biomedical data, because researchers need no longer rely on high- performance computing infrastructure at their local institution, the actual uptake and use of data held by these platforms remains uninvestigated. Nor do we currently understand what investigators from underserved backgrounds and/or underrepresented institutions (whom we refer to collectively here as “underrepresented”) perceive as the most important opportunities for, and challenges to, accessing these new resources. Examining how cloud-based data sharing and analysis platforms enhance the uptake and use of genomic data by diverse researchers and institutions will help these new resources better achieve their promise to promote true data science equity. The overall goal of this project is, therefore, to examine the role that NIH cloud-based data sharing and analysis platforms play in promoting a more diverse range of users and research uses, thereby democratizing genomic data science. Specifically, we will work closely with an Expert Advisory Group to address the following Aims: Aim 1. Describe and critically assess the current impact of NIH cloud-based data sharing and analysis platform availability on patterns of genomic data access and use; Aim 2. Compare the perspectives of different categories of underrepresented data scientists on accessing and analyzing genomic and linked health data on cloud-based platforms; and Aim 3. Convene expert advisors, platform developers, and other interested parties to discuss findings and propose potential approaches to promote more inclusive and equitable cloud-based genomic data access and use. The proposed in-depth, interdisciplinary, mixed methods investigation will generate novel data about the ways that NIH-supported cloud data sharing and analysis platforms are changing the genomic data sciences landscape and provide essential insights into overcoming challenges which may be interfering with the promise of these new data sharing mechanisms.

NSF

Adoption and fosterage are life-altering events that arise in diverse contexts in the United States and across the globe. Whether and in what ways the welfare of adopted and fostered children improves outside their natal environment are subjects of much debate. Important factors affecting the welfare of adopted and fostered children include: the circumstances that lead to adoption and fosterage; differences between the activities and treatment of adopted and fostered children and of biological children; and societal acceptance versus stigma surrounding adoption and fosterage. Understanding how these factors interact to facilitate or inhibit successful outcomes for adopted and fostered children is critical for tailoring family programs to suit the individual needs of the many children who are reared primarily by non-natal parents in the United States. This research will be conducted in the Melanesian island nation of Vanuatu, where adoption and fosterage are commonplace and arise in contexts comparable to adoption and fosterage among minority populations in the United States. The research team, including a postdoctoral scholar, two ni-Vanuatu graduate students, and an international team of highly trained PIs, will investigate the causes and consequences of adoption and fosterage using an evolutionary framework that seeks to understand how adoption and fosterage contribute to familial success. The researchers will use a diverse set of methods that leverage the significant variation in these practices in Vanuatu to evaluate which specific factors or sets of factors best predict differences in child outcomes. Specifically, the investigators will use questionnaires, interviews, dietary and activity recall assessments, and anthropometric measurements of health to describe the circumstances surrounding adoption and fosterage and to tie such circumstances to differences in child health and well-being. Findings from the research will provide insight into tailoring support for adoptive and foster families by examining how social and demographic factors contribute to variation in the welfare of adopted and fostered children as compared to their biological counterparts. 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.

NSF

Ocean mesoscale eddies are ubiquitous features of the global ocean that strongly influence the ocean’s physics, chemistry, and biology; they influence other components of the Earth system via air-sea and sea-ice interactions and are crucial drivers of marine heat waves. The project applies modern spatial-statistical methods to an extensive data set of satellite observations of sea surface height. This will result in advancement of our understanding of the physical oceanography of those eddies, and of their representation in global ocean models, and of their changes over time. This project will introduce new and comprehensive statistical analyses of eddy trajectories and characteristics. The project will use high-resolution Earth system simulations to assess and understand internal variability in the eddy population, as well as to predict decadal to centennial changes in the population. Standard practice for comparing the population of eddies in models and in observations uses simple statistics like eddy kinetic energy and SSH variability. The use of such basic statistics can mask important differences between the modeled and observed eddy populations. This project will use the newly developed extensions of the statistical description of eddy populations to precisely quantify the differences between observed and modeled eddy populations. The project will then, on the basis of this precise comparison, work to assess the fidelity of different models and to improve the representation of eddies in the models. 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.

DEEP

Demolish and Replace Vanacore FHC