University Of Florida

COVID-19: HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND-INSTITUTIONAL PORTION

CARES APPLICATION FOR UF

THE LIFE STUDY

TOGETHER: TRANSFORMING AND TRANSLATING DISCOVERY TO IMPROVE HEALTH

FEED THE FUTURE INNOVATION LAB FOR LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS

COMPARISON OF ANTI-COAGULATION AND ANTI-PLATELET THERAPIES FOR INTRACRANIAL VASCULAR ATHEROSTENOSIS - SYMPTOMATIC INTRACRANIAL ATHEROSCLEROTIC STENOSIS (SICAS) IS A COMMON DISEASE ASSOCIATED WITH A VERY HIGH RISK OF STROKE. ALTHOUGH CLOPIDOGREL + ASPIRIN AND INTENSIVE RISK FACTOR MANAGEMENT ARE CONSIDERED STANDARD CARE FOR SICAS, THE 1-YEAR RATE OF ALL STROKE AND VASCULAR DEATH IN SUBJECTS PRESENTING WITH A SYMPTOMATIC INFARCT AND 70- 99% SICAS WAS 27% WITH THIS THERAPY IN THE SAMMPRIS TRIAL. CLEARLY, WE NEED BETTER TREATMENT. COMBINING TICAGRELOR WITH ASPIRIN MAY BE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN CLOPIDOGREL + ASPIRIN FOR SICAS BECAUSE TICAGRELOR PROVIDES FASTER, GREATER AND MORE CONSISTENT PLATELET INHIBITION THAN CLOPIDOGREL. ADDITIONALLY, TICAGRELOR IS A DIRECT P2Y12 RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST AND MAY BE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN CLOPIDOGREL IN PATIENTS WHO CARRY GENETIC SINGLE-NUCLEOTIDE LOSS-OF-FUNCTION (LOF) POLYMORPHISMS FOR THE CYP2C19 CYTOCHROME P450 ENZYME NECESSARY TO METABOLIZE CLOPIDOGREL TO ITS ACTIVE FORM. THE NOVEL ORAL ANTICOAGULANTS (NOAC) MAY ALSO OFFER POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES IN PATIENTS WITH SICAS. ATHEROSCLEROTIC DISEASE PROGRESSION TO AN UNSTABLE STATE IS CHARACTERIZED BY INCREASED PLATELET ACTIVATION, ELEVATED PROCOAGULANT ACTIVITY AND THROMBIN GENERATION, WHICH PROVIDES THE MECHANISTIC RATIONALE FOR COMBINING ANTICOAGULATION WITH AN ANTIPLATELET AGENT IN PATIENTS WITH ATHEROSCLEROSIS. HOWEVER, COMBINING FULL DOSE ANTICOAGULATION WITH AN ANTIPLATELET AGENT INCREASES THE RISK OF MAJOR HEMORRHAGE, INCLUDING INTRACEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE (ICH). THIS HAS LED TO INTEREST IN COMBINING A LOW DOSE NOAC WITH LOW DOSE ASPIRIN IN PATIENTS WITH ATHEROSCLEROSIS. WE PROPOSE A SEAMLESS PHASE II/III ADAPTIVE, PROSPECTIVE, DOUBLE-BLINDED, 3-ARM CLINICAL TRIAL AT 115 SITES THAT WILL RANDOMIZE 1683 HIGH-RISK SUBJECTS WITH SICAS TO 1 YEAR TREATMENT IN ONE OF THREE ARMS: 1) TICAGRELOR (180 MG LOADING DOSE, THEN 90MG TWICE DAILY), 2) LOW DOSE RIVAROXABAN (2.5MG TWICE DAILY), OR 3) CLOPIDOGREL (600MG LOADING DOSE, THEN 75 MG DAILY). ALL SUBJECTS WILL ALSO RECEIVE ASPIRIN (81MG DAILY) AND INTENSIVE RISK FACTOR MANAGEMENT PER THE SAMMPRIS PROTOCOL. THE 3-ARM PHASE II/III ADAPTIVE DESIGN INCREASES THE EFFICIENCY WITH WHICH WE CAN EVALUATE TWO NEW POTENTIAL THERAPIES FOR SICAS, USING A SHARED CONTROL GROUP AND A SHARED TRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE. THE PHASE II PRIMARY AIM IS TO IDENTIFY AN EXCESS OF ICH OR NON-ICH MAJOR HEMORRHAGE IN THE RIVAROXABAN OR TICAGRELOR ARMS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN EARLY TERMINATION OF ONE OR BOTH OF THOSE ARMS. THE PHASE III PRIMARY AIM IS TO DETERMINE IF THE EXPERIMENTAL ARM(S) (RIVAROXABAN OR TICAGRELOR OR BOTH) THAT PROGRESS FROM PHASE II TO PHASE III ARE SUPERIOR TO THE CLOPIDOGREL ARM FOR LOWERING THE 1-YEAR RATE OF THE PRIMARY ENDPOINT (ISCHEMIC STROKE, ICH, OR VASCULAR DEATH) IN SUBJECTS WITH 70-99% SICAS. THE EXPLORATORY AIM IS TO ESTIMATE THE IMPACT OF CYP2C19 LOF CARRIER STATUS ON ANY BENEFIT THAT THE TICAGRELOR OR LOW DOSE RIVAROXABAN ARMS MAY HAVE IN LOWERING THE PRIMARY ENDPOINT COMPARED WITH THE CLOPIDOGREL ARM. THIS INNOVATIVE TRIAL WILL EVALUATE TWO NEW ANTITHROMBOTIC APPROACHES TO MAXIMIZE THE CHANCE OF ESTABLISHING MORE EFFECTIVE THERAPY FOR SICAS, ONE OF THE MOST COMMON AND HIGH-RISK CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASES WORLDWIDE.

UFL TO ESTABLISH THE CONSORTIUM FOR NUCLEAR FORENSICS (CNF), CONSISTING OF 16 UNIVERSITIES (INCLUDING 4 MSIS) AND 7 NATIONAL LABORATORIES (NLS), TO PROVIDE THE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND HUMAN CAPITAL NEEDED TO CREATE AND DEVELOP NEW SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES, TECHNOLOGIES, AND CAPABILITIES IN SUPPORT OF NNSA'S DEFENSE NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (DNN R&D) OFFICE AS RELATED TO NUCLEAR FORENSICS.

IMMUNE FUNCTION AND THE PROGRESSION TO TYPE 1 DIABETES

CENTER FOR MOLECULAR MAGNETIC QUANTUM MATERIALS

COLLABORATION FOR EFFECTIVE EDUCATOR DEVELOPMENT, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND REFORM (CEEDAR 2.0) CENTER

CLAUDE D. PEPPER OLDER AMERICANS INDEPENDENCE CENTER (OAIC)

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING AND BIOMARKERS FOR MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

CYTOSKELETAL REGULATION OF LUNG ENDOTHELIAL PATHOBIOLOGY

COLLABORATION FOR EFFECTIVE EDUCATOR DEVELOPMENT, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND REFORM: CEEDAR CENTER

IDIGBIO: SUSTAINING THE DIGITIZATION, MOBILIZATION, ACCESSIBILITY, AND USE OF BIODIVERSITY SPECIMEN DATA IN U.S. MUSEUM AND ACADEMIC COLLECTIONS

MODULATION OF MUSCLE GROWTH FOR THE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHIES

SOUTHEASTERN AND COASTAL CENTER FOR AGRICULTURE SAFETY AND HEALTH (SEC-CAGSH)

RESEARCH IN THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL ELEMENTARY PARTICLE PHYSICS

GENOMIC MEDICINE IMPLEMENTATION: THE PERSONALIZED MEDICINE PROGRAM

1FLORIDA ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESEARCH CENTER

DIGITIZATION: IDIGBIO: INTEGRATED DIGITIZED BIOCOLLECTIONS PHASE 2

UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION CENTERS

ISCHEMIA-INTENSIVE MEDICAL TREATMENT REDUCES EVENTS IN WOMEN WITH NONOBSTRUCTIVE CAD

PHARMACOGENOMIC EVALUATION OF ANTIHYPERTENSIVE RESPONSES

COLLABORATION FOR EFFECTIVE EDUCATOR DEVELOPMENT, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND REFORM CENTER (CEEDAR 3.0)

INSTITUTE ON AGING CLINICAL TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH BUILDING

RESEARCH IN HIGH ENERGY EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS USING THE CMS DETECTOR AT THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER, CERN, GENEVA

THROUGH A STRONG ACADEMIA-INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP, AND AN INTEGRATED RESEARCH, EXTENSION, AND EDUCATION PROGRAM, THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO DEVELOP A RESILIENT BRASSICA CARINATA (CARINATA) BASED BIOFUEL AND BIOPRODUCT SUPPLY CHAIN IN THE SOUTHEAST: FROM FEEDSTOCK DEVELOPMENT TO DISTRIBUTION TO END USER. SPECIFICALLY WE WILL: 1) IDENTIFY AND DEPLOY REGIONALLY ADAPTED CARINATA GENOTYPES FOR MAXIMUM PRODUCTIVITY AND RESOURCE USE EFFICIENCY; ENHANCE PRODUCTION ECONOMICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH IMPROVING CROPPING SYSTEM FIT OF CARINATA; 2) PROVIDE AN ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS OF CARINATA BASED FUEL AND COPRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND DISTRIBUTION; 3) CREATE VALUE ALONG THE CARINATA SUPPLY CHAIN THROUGH RESEARCH AND ADDRESS STAKEHOLDER NEEDS BY AUDIENCE-APPROPRIATE DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION, AND TRAINING. THE STRENGTH OF THE PROPOSAL LIES IN THE EXTENSIVE BACKGROUND DATA WE HAVE COLLECTED ON CARINATA AGRONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT, A PROVEN CONVERSION PROCESS FOR FUELDEVELOPMENT WITH CONSEQUENT INTEREST FROM MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL AVIATION SECTORS, AND DEMONSTRATED MARKET DEMAND FOR NUMEROUS FUEL COPRODUCTS AND BIOPRODUCTS FROM CARINATA SEED MEAL. RESEARCH, EXTENSION, AND EDUCATION PROPOSED ON THIS GRANT WILL FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLE COMMERCIALIZATION OF CARINATA IN THE SOUTHEAST IN CONJUNCTION WITH DEVELOPMENT OF A TRAINED WORKFORCE TO SUPPORT A CARINATA BASED BIOECONOMY IN THE REGION. TO ENSURE SUCCESS, WE WILL EVALUATE STRENGTH OF OBJECTIVES AND VALIDITY OF APPROACH THROUGH CONSTANT COMMUNICATION AND FEEDBACK AMONG THE ADVISORY BOARD, STAKEHOLDER AND PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS.

NONCODING RNAS IN GAMMA-HERPESVIRUS BIOLOGY AND AIDS MALIGNANCIES

UF CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE AWARD

RFA: SUPPORT TO AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

GRAVITATIONAL REFERENCE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY TEST IN SPACE (GRATTIS)

ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN RESPONSES TO PAINFUL STIMULI

DIGITIZATION HUB: A COLLECTIONS DIGITIZATION FRAMEWORK FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

MYOTONIC DYSTROPHY: MOLECULAR PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND CNS EFFECTS

VIVO: ENABLING NATIONAL NETWORKING OF SCIENTISTS

UF CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE AWARD

OPTIMIZING COMBINATION THERAPY TO ACCELERATE CLINICAL CURE OF TUBERCULOSIS

INNERVATION OF THE KNEE AND TMJ - THE OVER-ARCHING GOAL FOR THE RE-JOIN CONSORTIUM IS TO DEFINE HOW THE NEURONS THAT MEDIATE CHRONIC JOINT PAIN INNERVATE DIFFERENT ARTICULAR AND PERI-ARTICULAR TISSUES, WITH A FOCUS ON THE KNEE AND TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT (TMJ). WITH AN IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF HOW DIFFERENT NEURAL SUBTYPES DISTRIBUTE THROUGH THE JOINT AND HOW THESE SUBTYPES CHANGE WITH AGE AND DISEASE, NEW THERAPIES CAN BE DEVELOPED TO REDUCE THE HEAVY BURDEN OF CHRONIC JOINT PAIN. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, OUR TEAM WILL FOCUS ON ADVANCING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF PATHOLOGY-PAIN RELATIONSHIPS IN THE KNEE AND TMJ BY COMBINING EXPERTISE IN NEURAL TRACING, 3-DIMENSIONAL IMAGING, AND EVALUATIONS OF CHRONIC JOINT PAIN AND DISABILITY. OUR PROPOSAL BRINGS TOGETHER A HIGHLY COLLABORATIVE TEAM THAT SPANS BASIC SCIENCE AND CLINICAL RESEARCH WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN BOTH THE KNEE AND TMJ, ALLOWING US TO EVALUATE SHARED VS. JOINT-SPECIFIC SHIFTS IN INNERVATION NETWORKS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC JOINT PAIN. SPECIFICALLY, OUR TEAM WILL FIRST USE NEURAL TRACING DYES TO IDENTIFY THE CELL BODIES IN THE DORSAL ROOT GANGLIA AND TRIGEMINAL GANGLIA THAT PROJECT TO THE MUSCLE, BONE, OR INTRA-ARTICULAR JOINT TISSUES. THESE NEURONS WILL THEN BE EVALUATED FOR THEIR FUNCTION USING ELECTROPHYSIOLOGIC TESTS AND THEIR TRANSCRIPTOME USING SINGLE CELL RNA-SEQ. BY OVERLAPPING NEURAL FUNCTION WITH GENE EXPRESSION, WE WILL IDENTIFY PROMOTER TARGETS AND DESIGN ADENO-ASSOCIATED VIRUS (AAV) VECTORS TO PRODUCE FLUORESCENT LABELS ALONGSIDE THE EXPRESSION OF THESE TARGETS. IMPORTANTLY, THIS APPROACH WILL ALLOW US TO DEVELOP AAV-BASED TRACERS FOR SPECIFIC FUNCTIONAL NEURAL SUBTYPES, AS WELL AS COMBINE TRADITIONAL MARKERS OF FUNCTIONAL SUBTYPES WITH ANY NEWLY IDENTIFIED MARKERS THAT DESCRIBE HOW THE NEURON CHANGES WITH AGE, SEX, AND OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) SEVERITY. USING THESE TRACERS, WE WILL THEN EVALUATE THE DISTRIBUTION OF FUNCTIONAL NEURAL SUBTYPES THROUGHOUT THE JOINT (INCLUDING BONE, CARTILAGE, SYNOVIUM, JOINT CAPSULE, LIGAMENT, TENDON, FASCIA, AND MUSCLE) AND HOW THESE INNERVATION NETWORKS CHANGE WITH AGE, SEX, AND OA SEVERITY. MOREOVER, THESE TRACERS WILL BE USED TO EVALUATE HOW JOINT INNERVATION ADAPTS FOLLOWING THE APPLICATION OF TWO NEURAL ABLATION TECHNIQUES FOR PAIN RELIEF IN THE KNEE AND TMJ. TO EVALUATE THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF OUR PRECLINICAL STUDIES, INNERVATION CHANGES WILL BE ASSESSED IN TISSUES COLLECTED FROM PATIENTS UNDERGOING TOTAL JOINT REPLACEMENT OF THE KNEE OR TMJ. IN ALL OF OUR STUDIES, JOINT INNERVATION WILL BE PAIRED WITH DETAILED ANALYSES OF JOINT PAIN AND DISABILITY. IN RODENTS, THESE ANALYSES WILL INCLUDE DETAILED BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERIZATIONS; IN PATIENTS, THESE ANALYSES WILL INCLUDE QUANTITATIVE SENSORY TESTS AND OTHER ASSESSMENTS OF JOINT FUNCTION. COMBINED, THIS APPROACH WILL ALLOW US TO EVALUATE PATHOLOGY-PAIN RELATIONSHIPS RELATED TO JOINT INNERVATION FROM THE PRECLINICAL MODEL TO THE CLINIC.

FY 2010--FY 2013 SEA GRANT OMNIBUS SUBMISSION

OMNIBUS 2018-2021_FLORIDA SEA GRANT PROPOSAL

PICS: A NEW HORIZON FOR SURGICAL CRITICAL CARE

CENTER FOR COMPRESSIBLE MULTIPHASE TURBULENCE (CCMT)

MODEL STATE-SUPPORTED AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTERS

REGIONAL ADVANCEMENTS AND CAPABILITY ENHANCEMENT (RACE) PROGRAM OFFEROR'S TECHNICAL PROPOSAL ENTITLED "REGIONAL ADVANCEMENT AND CAPABILITY ENHANCEM

PTERYGOPALATINE FOSSA (PPF) BLOCK AS AN OPIOID SPARING TREATMENT FOR ACUTEHEADACHE IN ANEURYSMAL SUBARACHNOLD HEMORRHAGE - SEVERE HEADACHE IS UBIQUITOUS IN SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE (SAH), PRESENT IN 90% OF PATIENTS AFTER ICTUS BLEED. DESPITE STEADY CONSUMPTION OF ANALGESICS, THE DEGREE OF PAIN CONTROL IN SAH PATIENTS IS REMARKABLY POOR. IN SPITE OF THIS HIGH PREVALENCE, A DEARTH OF DATA GUIDES OPTIMAL MANAGEMENT OF POST-SAH HEADACHE. OPIOIDS ARE THE MOST PRESCRIBED PAIN MEDICATION FOR SEVERE POST-SAH HEADACHE. HOWEVER, OPIOID-BASED ANALGESIA PRESENTS CONSIDERABLE RISKS: DEPRESSED LEVEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND RESPIRATORY DRIVE, HYPOTENSION, SLOW GASTROINTESTINAL TRANSIT, AND HIGH FREQUENCY OF TOLERANCE AND ADDICTION. FURTHERMORE, IT IS URGENT AND CRITICAL TO IDENTIFY NOVEL STRATEGIES TO ALLEVIATE THE EXCRUCIATING AND NEARLY UNIVERSAL HEADACHE POST-SAH, WHILE MITIGATING CONSEQUENCES OF OPIOID USE. THIS UNMET THERAPEUTIC NEED REFLECTS A KEY KNOWLEDGE GAP IN A CONDITION AFFLICTING NEARLY 30,000 INDIVIDUALS EACH YEAR IN THE US. WE PRESENT AN INEXPENSIVE, OPIOID-SPARING STRATEGY FOR POST-SAH HEADACHE, USING A NERVE-BLOCK INTO THE PTERYGOPALATINE FOSSA (PPF) TO IMPROVE PAIN CONTROL AND LESSEN OPIOID NEEDS. A GROWING BODY OF LITERATURE ON THE USE OF NERVE-BLOCKS IN ACUTE AND CHRONIC HEADACHE DISORDERS SUPPORTS OUR OVERARCHING HYPOTHESIS THAT PPF-BLOCK PROVIDES RAPID, OPIOID-SPARING ANALGESIA, IS SAFE AND WELL-TOLERATED, AND HOLDS PROMISE TO ADEQUATELY TREAT POST-SAH HEADACHE. THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF THESE HEADACHES IS COMPLEX AND INVOLVES MENINGEAL IRRITATION FROM BLOOD PRODUCTS, RELEASE OF INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, VASOMOTOR INSTABILITY, AND CENTRAL PAIN SENSITIZATION. THROUGH SELECTIVE MODULATION, PPF-BLOCKS ADDRESS PAIN MECHANISMS AT THEIR ORIGIN, TARGETING THE MAXILLARY NERVE AND SPHENOPALATINE GANGLION, INCLUDING THEIR BRANCHES. WE PROPOSE A MULTICENTER PHASE II, RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLINDED, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDY WITH SEQUENTIAL PARALLEL COMPARISON DESIGN OF BILATERAL PPF-INJECTIONS OVER 4 DAYS AT 12 CENTERS. FOLLOWING ANEURYSM TREATMENT, 195 ADULTS HOSPITALIZED WITH ANEURYSMAL SAH, WHO ARE EXPERIENCING SEVERE HEADACHES AND CAN VERBALIZE PAIN SCORES, WILL BE RANDOMIZED TO ONCE DAILY ACTIVE (ROPIVACAINE + DEXAMETHASONE) OR SHAM (SALINE) OR PPF-INJECTIONS DURING THE FIRST 2 CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF THE INTERVENTION PERIOD (DAY 1/STAGE 1, DAY 2/STAGE 2). THE OPEN-LABEL PHASE SPANS THE SUBSEQUENT 2 DAYS (DAYS 3-4), DURING WHICH SUBJECTS MAY OPT TO RECEIVE AN ACTIVE PPF-BLOCK. THIS TWO-STAGE DESIGN LEVERAGES INCREASED EFFICIENCY IN DATA GENERATION FROM THE POOLED SEQUENTIAL BLINDED STAGES (I.E., STAGES 1 & 2) AND REDUCED IMPACT OF SHAM RESPONSES, AND THUS, ALLOWS FOR SMALLER SAMPLE SIZE WITHOUT COMPROMISING STATISTICAL POWER. OUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE IS TO DEMONSTRATE THE OPIOID-SPARING ANALGESIC EFFECT OF PPF-BLOCKS VS SHAM. OUR SECONDARY OBJECTIVE IS TO ASSESS THE TOLERABILITY OF PPF-INJECTIONS AS MEASURED BY RATES OF ACCEPTANCE OF SECOND INJECTION ON DAY 2, AND THEIR SAFETY AS MEASURED BY VASOSPASM RATES AT THE END OF THE OPEN-LABEL PERIOD IN PATIENTS WITH SAH. WE WILL ALSO EXPLORE THE POTENTIAL INTERPLAY OF SEX AND RACIAL DISPARITIES IN PAIN EXPERIENCES AND BOTH PPF- BLOCK TOLERABILITY AND EFFICACY. THIS INITIATIVE MERGES OUR EXPERTISE IN NEUROSURGERY, NEUROCRITICAL CARE, AND ACUTE- PAIN-ANESTHESIOLOGY TO TACKLE A HISTORICALLY NEGLECTED ASPECT OF THE CRITICAL CARE MANAGEMENT OF SAH.

IMPACT OF SYNGAP1 MUTATIONS ON SYNAPSE MATURATION AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

SOUTHEASTERN REGIONAL COE IN VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES: THE GATEWAY PROGRAM

2014 SEA GRANT OMNIBUS PROPOSAL

GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (GRFP)

GENE THERAPY FOR LUNG AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CLIMATE-SMART (CS) AGRICULTURE PRODUCES FOOD FIBER AND FUEL USING LESS RESOURCES OPTIMIZING LAND-USE EFFICIENCY AND MITIGATING POLLUTION OF AIR WATER AND SOILS. ROW CROPS ARE A MAJOR AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM IN SOUTHEAST U.S. COVERING 4 MILLION ACRES IN FL GA AND AL. MOST OF THIS AREA (95%) IS FALLOW IN THE WINTER AFTER HARVESTING THE SUMMER ROW CROPS. THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTEGRATE VALUE-ADDED CS WINTER CROPPING SYSTEMS TO GENERATE INCOME AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WHILE PROVIDING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES INCLUDING SOIL PROTECTION FROM EROSION HABITAT FOR POLLINATORS SOIL ORGANIC CARBON SEQUESTRATION AND REDUCTION OF NITRATE LEACHING. PROJECT CHEERS ADDRESSES USDA'S PRIORITY AREAS OF CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE AND STRENGTHENING BIOECONOMY. THIS PROJECT WILL FORM A HUB OF DIVERSE STAKEHOLDER GROUPS INCLUDING FARMERS AND VARIOUS ENABLING AGENCIES AND COMMUNITIES SUCH AS EXTENSION PROFESSIONALS CS COMMODITY INDUSTRY FEDERAL AGENCIES AND ACADEMIA TO ADDRESS THESE OBJECTIVES: 1. IDENTIFY LONG-TERM BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS RELATED TO CS WINTER CROPPING SYSTEMS AMONG PRODUCERS; 2. ANALYZE FARM LEVEL ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN CURRENT AND CS WINTER CROPPING SYSTEMS; 3. EQUIP MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS WITH DECISION SUPPORT PLATFORMS TO ASSESS FARM AND REGIONAL SCALE ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN CURRENT AND CS WINTER CROPPING SYSTEMS; 4. CO-DESIGN CO-DEVELOP SHARE AND IMPLEMENT ACTIONABLE SCIENCE; 5. INSPIRE AND INSTRUCT THE NEXT GENERATION. THIS PROJECT WILL ENHANCE ECONOMIC OUTCOMES OF RURAL STAKEHOLDERS REDUCE ENTRY BARRIERS FOR BEGINNING FARMERS SUSTAINABLY INTENSIFY AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AND CREATE EQUITABLE PATHWAYS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF AGRICULTURAL PROFESSIONALS TO PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN THE CLIMATESMART BIOECONOMY.

PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS AWARD IS TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO CONTINUE A BAROTRAUMA REDUCTION PROGRAM DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED DURING THE FY 2020 2023 PERIOD THOUGH THE FY 2024 2027 PERIOD AS PART OF POST-DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL FISHERIES RESTORATION EFFORTS. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THE PROGRAM BLENDS SCIENCE, MARKETING, AND COMMUNICATIONS WITH AN INTERACTIVE ON LINE LEARNING PLATFORM AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF FREE FISH DESCENDING GEAR TO INSPIRE AND EMPOWER ANGLERS TO TAKE AN ACTIVE AND LASTING ROLE IN SUSTAINING GULF OF MEXICO REEF FISH RESOURCES. UF/FLORIDA SEA GRANT WILL PROVIDE: A COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER TO SERVE AS PRINCIPAL PROGRAM PLANNER, ORGANIZER AND REPORTING AGENT; A MARKETING SERVICES MANAGER TO SUPPORT WEBSITE MANAGEMENT, GRAPHIC DESIGN AND OUTREACH PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION, MARKET PLACEMENT AND PROGRAM ADVERTISING, AND OVERSIGHT OF THE PROCUREMENT, WAREHOUSING AND SHIPPING OF FISH DESCENDING DEVICES; AND

GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (GRFP)

DESIGN OF PRECISION SMALL MOLECULES TARGETING RNA REPEATING TRANSCRIPTS TO MANIPULATE AND STUDY DISEASE BIOLOGY

18/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

OUR TEAM LED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN COLLABORATION WITH CALTECH/JPL BALL AEROSPACE AND EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY

SOUTHEAST RESOURCE CENTER FOR INTEGRATED METABOLOMICS (SECIM)

BIOLOGY OF MEMORY

2/3 FLORIDA-CALIFORNIA CANCER RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT (CARE2) HEALTH EQUITY CENTER

EDUCATION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

CDC-RFA-IP21-2113

TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR REGULATION OF CD4 AND CD8 T CELL EFFECTOR AND MEMORY DIFFERENTIATION AND FUNCTION

THE PURPOSE OF THIS MODIFICATION IS TO PROVIDE INCEMENTAL FUNDING.

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CAP: DEVELOPMENT, EVALUATION, AND DELIVERY OF CITRUS HLB MANAGEMENT APPROACHES BY TARGETING ITS NATURE AS A PATHOGEN-TRIGGERED IMMUNE DISEASE

PURPOSE: THE NATIONAL SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE U.S. CONGRESS IN 1966 (AMENDED IN 2008, PUBLIC LAW 110-394) TO BE A HIGHLY LEVERAGED FEDERAL AND STATE PARTNERSHIP TO HARNESS THE INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY OF THE NATIONS UNIVERSITIES AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS AND GENERATE OPPORTUNITIES IN COASTAL COMMUNITIES. FOR OVER 50 YEARS, THE NATIONAL SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM HAS SUPPORTED COASTAL AND GREAT LAKES COMMUNITIES THROUGH RESEARCH, EXTENSION AND EDUCATION. SEA GRANT'S MISSION IS TO ENHANCE THE PRACTICAL USE AND CONSERVATION OF COASTAL, MARINE AND GREAT LAKES RESOURCES IN ORDER TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT. THIS GRANT IS THE VEHICLE THROUGH WHICH FLORIDA SEA GRANT IS ABLE TO IMPLEMENT ITS FY2024-27 STRATEGIC PLAN THAT CAN BE FOUND AT THE PROGRAMS WEBSITE (WWW.FLSEAGRANT.ORG). IN ADDITION TO REQUIRED GRANT PROGRESS REPORTING, THE RECIPIENT WILL REPORT DEFINED MEASURES AND METRICS AS WELL AS SUCCESS STORIES ANNUALLY AND WILL BE EVALUATED ON PERFORMANCE DURING A SITE REVIEW EXPECTED IN THE YEAR FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT IN 2028. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: EACH UNIVERSITY-BASED SEA GRANT PROGRAM CONTRIBUTES TO THE NATIONAL FOCUS AREAS AND GOALS, AND FLORIDA SEA GRANT IS NO DIFFERENT. DURING THIS GRANTING CYCLE, THE FOLLOWING FOUR NATIONAL AND STATEWIDE FOCUS AREAS WILL CONTINUE: (1) HEALTHY COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS, (2) SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE, (3) RESILIENT COMMUNITIES AND ECONOMIES, AND (4) ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. ACTIVITIES WITHIN EACH OF THESE FOCUS AREAS INCLUDE RESEARCH, EXTENSION, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNICATIONS PROJECTS THAT AIM TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF FLORIDA SEA GRANT AND ADDRESS THE NATIONAL AND STATE GOALS IDENTIFIED IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN. EXPECTED OUTCOMES: THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA) PROVIDES FUNDING TO SEA GRANT INSTITUTIONS TO INCREASE THE UNDERSTANDING, ASSESSMENT, DEVELOPMENT, MANAGEMENT, UTILIZATION, AND CONSERVATION OF THE NATIONS OCEAN, COASTAL, AND GREAT LAKES RESOURCES. THESE IMPORTANT EFFORTS PROMOTE A STRONG EDUCATIONAL AND EMPLOYMENT BASE, RESPONSIVE RESEARCH AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES, BROAD AND PROMPT DISSEMINATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNIQUES AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES TO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN ACCORDANCE WITH 33 U.S.C. 1121(B). SPECIFIC OUTCOMES IDENTIFIED BY THE RECIPIENT INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO: MAXIMIZED OPPORTUNITIES FOR COORDINATED RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND OUTREACH WITH RESULTS SHARED WITH LEGISLATORS, PARTNERS, AND CLIENTS; FACULTY THAT ARE MORE PRODUCTIVE AND EFFECTIVE AT DELIVERING PROGRAMS AND TRANSFERRING KNOWLEDGE TO STAKEHOLDERS; THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST PRACTICES TO SUSTAIN FISHERIES; HIGHLY TRAINED EXTENSION FACULTY, STUDENTS, AND STATE WORKFORCE THAT ARE PREPARED TO RESPOND TO FLORIDAS MARINE AND COASTAL ISSUES; AND APPRECIATION OF FLORIDA SEA GRANT PROGRAMMING AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER AMONG END USERS. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: RESIDENTS, STAKEHOLDERS, AND DECISION-MAKERS THAT ARE DEPENDENT ON MARINE AND COASTAL RESOURCES IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA AS WELL AS THROUGH REGIONAL COLLABORATIONS THAT ADDRESS COMMON RESOURCE ISSUES. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: THE RECIPIENT PLANS TO COMPETITIVELY SUBAWARD FUNDS TO PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS THROUGHOUT FLORIDA WHO SUCCESSFULLY COMPETED FOR RESEARCH FUNDING FOLLOWING THE NATIONAL SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM'S COMPETITION POLICY. ADDITIONALLY, FUNDING MAY BE SUBAWARDED FOR EXTENSION, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNICATIONS PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES IN SUPPORT OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN.

DYSFUNCTIONAL MYELOPOIESIS AND MYELOID-DERIVED SUPPRESSOR CELLS IN SEPSIS PATHOBIOLOGY - ABSTRACT EARLIER RECOGNITION OF SEPSIS AND IMPROVED IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST PRACTICES HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN-HOSPITAL MORTALITY OVER THE PAST DECADE. AS IN-HOSPITAL SURVIVAL HAS IMPROVED, THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS WHO DO NOT FULLY RECOVER HAS DRAMATICALLY INCREASED; NEARLY 50% OF SURGICAL SEPSIS PATIENTS WILL NEVER FULLY RECOVER AND NEARLY ONE-THIRD OF THESE PATIENTS WILL DIE WITHIN 6 MONTHS. CURRENTLY, ONE IMPORTANT CRITICAL QUESTION THAT VEXES MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS IS: WHY DO SOME SURGICAL SEPSIS PATIENTS RAPIDLY RECOVER WHILE OTHERS HAVE POOR LONG-TERM OUTCOMES DESPITE OUR BEST SUPPORTIVE EFFORTS? WHY ARE SOME OF OUR COMORBID (I.E. CANCER, END-STAGE RENAL DISEASE, ETC.) POPULATIONS AT INCREASED RISK OF NONRECOVERY? OUR OVERARCHING HYPOTHESIS IS THAT THE CONSEQUENCES OF SURGICAL SEPSIS (DEATH AND POOR QUALITY OF LIFE) ARE THE RESULT OF AN UNRESOLVING HOST LEUKOCYTE DYSCRASIA, SIMILAR TO OTHER CHRONIC CONDITIONS SUCH AS CANCER AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE. SPECIFICALLY, THE PREFERENTIAL EXPANSION AND SELF-PERPETUATION OF MYELOID-DERIVED SUPPRESSOR CELLS (MDSCS), PROPAGATED IN PART THROUGH EPIGENETIC CHANGES IN BOTH BONE MARROW (BM) PROGENITORS AND MDSCS, DRIVES NON-ACUTE INFECTIOUS AND NONINFECTIOUS COMPLICATIONS AFTER SEPSIS. THIS PROGRAM WILL INVESTIGATE IN HUMAN SURGICAL SEPSIS THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS THAT DRIVE ‘DYSFUNCTIONAL MYELOPOIESIS’, EXPANSION OF MDSC POPULATIONS, SUPPRESSED T-CELL QUANTITIES/FUNCTION, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF PATIENT’S IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE/INFLAMMATORY ENDOTYPES. WE WILL PRIMARILY FOCUS ON HOW MDSC EXPANSION EVOLVES OVER TIME IN SURGICAL SEPSIS PATIENTS WHO DO OR DO NOT RAPIDLY RECOVER; HOW MYELOPOIESIS IS REGULATED TRANSCRIPTIONALLY AND EPIGENETICALLY IN THE BONE MARROW OF TRAUMA PATIENTS WHO ARE AT HIGH RISK OF DEVELOPING SEPSIS. THERE ARE FOUR SPECIFIC AIMS: AIM 1. TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT PERPETUATION OF HOST MDSCS AFTER ACUTE SURGICAL SEPSIS DRIVES POOR LONG-TERM CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN SURGICAL SEPSIS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO INCREASED SECONDARY INFECTIONS. AIM 2. TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT FAILURE TO RECOVER FROM SURGICAL SEPSIS IS DRIVEN BY MODIFIABLE EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS IN CIRCULATING MDSCS THAT INDUCE AND PROLONG IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE ENDOTYPES. AIM 3. TO IDENTIFY THE DISTINCT IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE MECHANISMS OF MDSCS FROM SURGICAL SEPSIS PATIENTS OVER TIME, INCLUDING IMMUNOMETABOLISM, CHECK-POINT INHIBITION, REACTIVE OXYGEN AND NITROGEN PRODUCTION, AND SUBSTRATE AVAILABILITY. AIM 4. TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT IN RESPONSE TO AN INITIAL INFLAMMATORY STIMULUS, THE INCREASED RISK OF DEVELOPING SURGICAL SEPSIS IS SECONDARY TO IMMUNOSUPPRESSION DRIVEN BY A PREFERENTIAL BONE MARROW HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL (HSC) EXPANSION OF MDSCS TRANSCRIPTIONALLY AND EPIGENETICALLY. THIS WILL BE ANALYZED IN SEVERE BLUNT TRAUMA PATIENTS AT HIGH RISK FOR POST-INJURY SEPSIS WHO MANIFEST EARLY CHANGES IN BONE MARROW PROGENITORS AND EXPANSION OF IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE MDSCS. USING THE ESTABLISHED CLINICAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE SEPSIS AND CRITICAL ILLNESS RESEARCH CENTER (SCIRC), A TEAM SCIENCE APPROACH WILL BE EMPLOYED WITH COLLABORATING PI’S COMING FROM MULTIPLE CLINICAL AND BASIC SCIENCE DISCIPLINES. ONGOING REGULAR BIWEEKLY MEETINGS CURRENTLY ADDRESS PROGRAM, RESOURCE AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AS WELL AS TIME AND EFFORT ALLOCATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION.

NOVEL PROBES OF THE KAPPA OPIOID RECEPTOR: CHEMISTRY, PHARMACOLOGY, AND BIOLOGY

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

TAS::89 0227::TAS RECOVERY ACT: HIGH ENERGY EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL RESEARCH

BRAIN GLYCOGEN - METABOLISM, MECHANISMS, AND THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL

TECHNOLOGY INCUBATOR

CENTER OF EXCELLENCE: ASSURED AUTONOMY IN CONTESTED ENVIRONMENTS

PHASE II INNOVATION HUB

CDC SOUTHEASTERN CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES: GATEWAY PROGRAM

COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAM IN ORAL BIOLOGY

RAAV-CNGB3 GENE THERAPY FOR ACHROMATOPSIA: TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH STUDIES

HEALTH IMPACT OF DEEPWATER HORIZON SPILL IN EASTERN GULF COAST COMMUNITIES

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** SWEETCAP: INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGIES TO IMPROVE SWEET CORN BREEDING, PRODUCTION AND MARKETABILITY

MODE OF ACTION OF A NEW TAT HIV-1 INHIBITOR

CHOLERA TRANSMISSION AND EVOLUTION IN PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI

PHYLOGENOMIC DISCOVERY AND ENGINEERING OF NITROGEN FIXATION INTO THE BIOENERGY WOODY CROP POPLAR

SWEET CAP IS A COORDINATED AGRICULTURAL PROJECT THAT WILL DEVELOP BREEDING TOOLS AND RESOURCES TO IMPROVE THE GENETIC FOUNDATION OF SWEET CORN. ANNUAL SWEET CORN PRODUCTION VALUE, APPROXIMATELY $1 BILLION, IS ONLY 2% OF FIELD CORN, WHICH LIMITS PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN NEW TECHNOLOGIES. HOWEVER, SWEET CORN IS THE FIFTH MOST POPULAR VEGETABLE IN THE UNITED STATES AND BREEDERS NEED TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS EMERGING CHALLENGES FOR THE CROP. FOR EXAMPLE, THE PERCENTAGE OF FRESH MARKET CORN THAT IS SHIPPED ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS INCREASING AND SWEET CORN NEEDS TO HAVE A LONGER SHELF-LIFE. SIMILARLY, EMERGING INSECT AND MICROBIAL PESTS COULD BE ADDRESSED WITH GENETIC RESISTANCE.THE PROJECT BRINGS TOGETHER A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM WITH EXPERTISE IN SWEET CORN BREEDING, PLANT GENOMICS, PLANT PATHOLOGY, PLANT-INSECT INTERACTIONS, HIGH THROUGHPUT PHENOTYPING, PLANT BIOCHEMISTRY, FOOD SCIENCE, AND AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS. GOALS INCLUDE:SEQUENCING THE SWEET CORN GENOMECOORDINATING PUBLIC BREEDING RESOURCESDEVELOPMENT OF NEW BREEDING TECHNOLOGIESIMPROVING INSECT AND PEST RESISTANCE IN SWEET CORNIMPROVING TOLERANCE TO EARLY SEASON PLANTINGDETERMINING THE FACTORS THAT DRIVE CONSUMER PREFERENCES FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF SWEET CORNECONOMIC ANALYSIS WILL IDENTIFY THE BREEDING TECHNOLOGIES AND TRAITS THAT HAVE THE HIGHEST POTENTIAL RETURN AND EDUCATE BREEDERS, GROWERS, AND PROCESSORS ON THE MOST PROMISING INNOVATIONS. THE CAP TEAM WILL WORK WITH BREEDERS, PROCESSORS, AND GROWERS TO ENSURE THAT THE PROJECT ADDRESSES NEEDS THROUGH THE CHAIN OF PRODUCTION.

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA - MT. SINAI MEDICAL CENTER AD RESEARCH CENTER

PHARMACOTHERAPY FOR ALCOHOL CONSUMPTIONIN HIV-INFECTED WOMEN: RANDOMIZED TRIAL

TOWARDS A MULTI-SCALE THEORY ON COUPLED HUMAN MOBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

NRF TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS IN ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS AND DISEASE INTERVENTION

BIOREPOSITORY AND COORDINATING CENTER FOR STUDIES ON CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS OF HUMAN TYPE 1 DIABETES - THE PATHOGENESIS AND NATURAL HISTORY OF TYPE 1 DIABETES (T1D) AND TYPE 2 DIABETES (T2D) ARE FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT, BUT THE TWO DISEASES RESULT IN MANY COMMON LONG-TERM COMPLICATIONS. MOST NOTABLY, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD) IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DIABETES, RESULTING IN A SHORTENED LIFE EXPECTANCY. WHILE RIGOROUS BLOOD GLUCOSE MANAGEMENT REDUCES THE RISK FOR CVD DEVELOPMENT, THE VAST MAJORITY OF DIABETES PATIENTS ARE UNABLE TO MEET RECOMMENDED HBA1C TARGETS. GIVEN THE HIGH PREVALENCE OF DIABETES (10.5%) AND PRE-DIABETES (33%) IN THE UNITED STATES (U.S.), IT IS IMPERATIVE TO UNDERSTAND DIABETES-RELATED CVD PATHOGENESIS TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF OPTIMAL INTERVENTION AND TREATMENT STRATEGIES. HOWEVER, STUDIES COMPARING CVD MECHANISMS IN T1D VERSUS T2D ARE CRITICALLY LACKING. TO ADDRESS THIS, WE PROPOSE TO ESTABLISH A CARDIOVASCULAR REPOSITORY-TYPE 1 DIABETES (CARE-T1D) PROGRAM TO FACILITATE COLLABORATION AND MULTI-MODAL DATA ACQUISITION ACROSS A LARGE NETWORK OF INVESTIGATORS. THROUGH OUR LEADERSHIP OF 6 ORGAN PROCUREMENT AND BIOSPECIMEN SHARING RESEARCH PROGRAMS, WE HAVE 15 CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND WELL-ESTABLISHED PROGRAMMATIC INFRASTRUCTURE FOR COLLECTING AND DISTRIBUTING 16 DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRANSPLANT-QUALITY TISSUE FROM HUMAN ORGAN DONORS, INCLUDING A RECENTLY CONCLUDED KIDNEY PROJECT AND CURRENT HEART PILOT PROGRAM. WE WILL LEVERAGE OUR PRODUCTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALL 57 U.S. ORGAN PROCUREMENT ORGANIZATIONS, CENTRALIZED 24/7/365 CALL CENTER AND ORGAN PROCESSING AND PATHOLOGY CORE TO PROCURE, TO SWIFTLY PROCESS AND BANK A COMPLETE CVD-RELATED TISSUE PANEL (HEART, KIDNEY, VASCULATURE, BLOOD) FROM 60 DONORS WITH CVD, EVENLY DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THREE GROUPS (T1D, T2D, AGE/SEX-MATCHED NO-DIABETES CONTROLS). FOLLOWING WHOLE ORGAN RADIOLOGY AND CALCIUM SCORING, ANATOMICAL DISSECTION WILL BE SYSTEMATICALLY PERFORMED BY OUR HIGHLY EXPERIENCED STAFF TO PREPARE BIOSPECIMENS IN A VARIETY OF FORMATS (E.G., FFPE BLOCKS, OCT BLOCKS, FLASH-FROZEN), WITH PROTOCOLS EVOLVING TO SUPPORT EMERGING NEEDS FOR RESEARCH APPLICATIONS. EACH CASE WILL BE SUBJECTED TO TISSUE-SPECIFIC STAINS WITH HISTOPATHOLOGIC EXAMINATION BY BOARD CERTIFIED PATHOLOGISTS AND QA/QC ANALYSIS. RESULTING DATA WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ALONGSIDE DE-IDENTIFIED DONOR INFORMATION AND MEDICAL RECORDS IN A SECURE SEARCHABLE DATA PORTAL TO AID INVESTIGATORS IN SELECTING SAMPLE SETS FOR THEIR RESEARCH. WE PROPOSE TO ESTABLISH A SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD TO EVALUATE RESEARCH PROPOSALS AND SAMPLE REQUESTS, MODELED AFTER OUR EXISTING TISSUE PRIORITIZATION COMMITTEE. WE WILL DISTRIBUTE BIOSAMPLES TO APPROVED RESEARCHERS SEEKING TO APPLY MULTIMODAL APPROACHES FOR DEEP PHENOTYPING OF SPECIMENS TO STUDY CVD PROGRESSION IN T1D VS T2D. THE DATA PORTAL WILL ALSO SUPPORT VISUALIZATION AND SHARING OF ALL EXTERNALLY GENERATED DATA TYPES. FINALLY, WE WILL ORGANIZE ANNUAL MEETINGS TO PROMOTE COLLABORATION ACROSS THE CARDIOVASCULAR BIOREPOSITORY CONSORTIUM. IN SUM, WE EXPECT THE PROPOSED CARE-T1D PROGRAM WILL SUPPORT DISCOVERY AND MECHANISTIC RESEARCH, CONDUCTED BY A COLLABORATIVE NETWORK OF INVESTIGATORS, THAT WILL INCREASE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF CVD IN DIABETES, LEADING TO EARLY DETECTION AS WELL AS NOVEL TREATMENTS SPECIFIC FOR BOTH T1D AND T2D.

INTEGRATIVE MULTIDISCIPLINARY DISCOVERY PLATFORM TO UNLOCK MARINE NATURAL PRODUCTS THERAPEUTIC OPPORTUNITIES - PROJECT SUMMARY WE HAVE ASSEMBLED AN ENTIRELY FLORIDA-CENTRIC COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH TEAM WITH COLLECTIVE EXPERTISE IN MICROBIAL NATURAL PRODUCTS CHEMISTRY AND PHARMACOLOGY, GENOMICS, BACTERIAL ENZYMOLOGY, BIOINFORMATICS, SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY, CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS, AND CYANOBACTERIAL AND SPONGE CHEMICAL ECOLOGY AND PHYLOGENETICS. THE TEAM IS COMPLEMENTED BY AN OUT-OF-STATE EXPERT IN METAGENOMICS AND BIOINFORMATICS INTEGRATION. THIS GEOGRAPHICAL CLUSTER OF EXPERTISE BEING IN THE STATE WITH THE GREATEST MARINE BIODIVERSITY IN THE CONTINENTAL US PROVIDES A DUAL BENEFIT AND UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE SYSTEMS THAT ARE LIKELY TO HOLD SOME OF THE MOST PROMISE IN TERMS OF BIOSYNTHETIC POTENTIAL: MARINE CYANOBACTERIAL COMMUNITIES, CONSISTING OF BENTHIC FILAMENTOUS CYANOBACTERIA THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH UNIQUE MICROBIAL DIVERSITY, AND SPONGES AND THEIR ASSOCIATED RICH AND UNIQUE MICROBIOME IN A LOCAL HOTSPOT OF BIODIVERSITY. COMPOUNDS PRODUCED BY THESE COMMUNITIES ARE KNOWN TO COVER THERAPEUTICALLY RELEVANT CHEMICAL SPACE AND ARE THEREFORE SUITED AS STARTING POINTS FOR DRUG DISCOVERY. IN A TARGETED FASHION, WE WILL OBTAIN HIGH QUALITY (META)GENOME AND (META)TRANSCRIPTOME SEQUENCE INFORMATION FROM SPONGE-ASSOCIATED MICROBIOMES AND CYANOBACTERIA USING STATE-OF-THE-ART SEQUENCING TECHNIQUES. WE WILL BUILD AN INTEGRATED, MULTI- COMPONENT PLATFORM THAT LEVERAGES EXISTING BIOINFORMATICS TOOLS AND NEWLY DEVELOPED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-BASED TOOLS TO SHINE NEW LIGHT AT THEIR GENOMES WITH THE GOAL OF IDENTIFYING NOVEL BIOSYNTHETIC GENE CLUSTERS, PARTICULARLY THOSE UNATTAINABLE WITH CURRENT TOOLS, AND EVEN CHEMICAL SKELETONS. WE WILL EXPRESS NATURAL PRODUCTS ENCODED BY THE CLUSTERS BY EMPLOYING FIVE TYPES OF COMPLEMENTARY SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY SYSTEMS THAT WE HAVE STRATEGICALLY DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. THESE SYSTEMS ORIGINATING FROM FIVE BACTERIAL PHYLA COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH BOTH MARINE CYANOBACTERIAL AND SPONGE SAMPLES COVER DIVERSE GENETIC BACKGROUNDS AND ARE EXPECTED TO EFFECTIVELY TRANSLATE THE IDENTIFIED GENETIC INFORMATION OF A VARIETY OF ORGANISMS INTO CHEMICALS WITH PROPER SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION. WE WILL EVALUATE AND ANALYZE METABOLITES AND EXPRESSION PROFILES USING LC-MS-BASED METABOLOMICS AND NMR AND CHARACTERIZE ASSOCIATED NEW ENZYMOLOGY. NATURAL PRODUCTS DERIVED FROM CHEMICAL EXTRACT AND FRACTION LIBRARIES AND THOSE GENERATED THROUGH OUR EXPRESSION SYSTEMS OR CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS WILL BE TESTED IN OUR MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCREENING PLATFORM, CONSISTING OF UNBIASED PHENOTYPIC ASSAYS IN VARIOUS IN VITRO AND IN VIVO MODELS AS WELL AS EXPERIMENTAL AND COMPUTATIONAL TARGET-BASED FUNCTIONAL ASSAYS. THIS APPROACH WILL ENABLE US TO CAPTURE A BROAD ARRAY OF ACTIVITIES FROM EXPRESSED AND UNEXPRESSED GENES. SELECTED BIOACTIVE NATURAL PRODUCTS WILL BE SCALED BY CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS, AND BIOPROBES AND ENZYME SUBSTRATES WILL BE PREPARED FOR IN-DEPTH BIOLOGICAL STUDIES AND ENZYMOLOGY RESEARCH, RESPECTIVELY. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THESE AIMS BY OUR ESTABLISHED MULTIDISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATOR TEAM SHOULD DELIVER PROMISING THERAPEUTICALLY IMPORTANT DRUG LEADS AND TOOL COMPOUNDS THROUGH THOROUGHLY EXPLORING MARINE ORGANISMS WHILE ADDRESSING THE CURRENT MAJOR LIMITATIONS OF NATURAL PRODUCTS DRUG DISCOVERY OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS.

VIRAL EVOLUTION IN PEROPHERAL MACROPHAGES AND BRAIN DURING PROGRESSION TO AIDS

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** MANY STUDIES HAVE ADDRESSED SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF PATHOGEN CONTAMINATION AND CONTROL IN PRODUCE PRODUCTION, BUT MOST HAVE FOCUSED ON A SINGLE STEP IN THE FOOD CHAIN OR ON A SINGLE PATHOGEN IN A SINGLE CROP. AN INTEGRATIVE FRAMEWORK APPLICABLE TO DIFFERENT FOOD-PATHOGEN COMBINATIONS IS NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT PRODUCE SAFETY DECISIONS. THE NEED FOR A SYSTEMATIC VALIDATION OF FOOD SAFETY METRICS IS ARTICULATED BY WHITE PAPERS, METRICS FROM COMMODITY GROUPS, AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED BY FOOD SAFETY REGULATORY AGENCIES. THIS PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT DECISION-MAKING TOOLS TO ENHANCE PRODUCE SAFETY:FIND APPROACHES TO DECREASE INTRODUCTION OF MICROBIAL FOOD SAFETY HAZARDS ONTO SPECIALTY CROPS FROM AGRICULTURAL WATER.DISCOVER NEW STRATEGIES TO REDUCE INTRODUCTION OF MICROBIAL HAZARDS INTO SPECIALTY CROPS VIA BIOLOGICAL SOIL AMENDMENTS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN DURING PRODUCTION.EVALUATE THE RISK OF CURRENT ON-FARM PREHARVEST AND HARVEST PRACTICES FOR POTENTIAL CONTAMINATION OF SPECIALTY CROPS WITH MICROBIOLOGICAL HAZARDS.DETERMINE THE HARBORAGE, SOURCES AND PATTERNS OF CONTAMINATION, AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES FOR SPECIALTY CROP CONTACT SURFACES IN PACKINGHOUSES TO QUANTIFY RISKS.CREATE QUANTITATIVE FARM-TO-FORK RISK ASSESSMENT MODELS OF PATHOGENS ON PRODUCE.DEVELOP MODELS FOR THE EVALUATION OF ECONOMIC COSTS AND BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH PRODUCE PATHOGEN REDUCTION STRATEGIES.EXTEND KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS OF THE STUDY OUTCOMES THROUGH A TRANSLATIONAL BRIDGING AND LEADERSHIP ROLE.THE PROJECT WILL BE HIGHLY INTEGRATED, WITH STAKEHOLDER INPUT GUIDING THE GOALS, RISK ASSESSMENTS, ECONOMIC ANALYSES, AND EXTENSION ACTIVITIES, AND PROVIDE AN ONGOING PLATFORM FOR STAKEHOLDER INTERACTION.

UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION CENTER

SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION OF FUNCTIONALLY BIASED OPIOID ANALGESICS

DEVELOPING EFFICIENT AAV VECTORS FOR PHOTORECEPTOR TARGETING VIA THE VITREOUS

DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH ENERGY DENSITY THERMOMAGNETIC PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY FOR INTENSIFICATION OF INDUSTRIAL HEAT-TREATMENT AND INCREASED MATERIAL PERFORMANCE

TB CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE FOR TRAINING, EDUCATION, AND MEDICAL CONSULTATION (TB COE)

INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE ALCOHOL-RELATED COMORBIDITIES ALONG THE GUT-BRAIN AXIS IN PERSONS WITH HIV INFECTION - AS PERSONS LIVING WITH HIV (PLWH) LIVE LONGER, APPROXIMATELY 50% WILL EXPERIENCE HIV-RELATED COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION, WHICH MAY AFFECT DAILY ACTIVITIES, CONTRIBUTE TO MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY, AND INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF HIV TRANSMISSION. ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AMONG PLWH MAY FURTHER EXACERBATE LONG-TERM COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION, WITH THE PRESUMED MECHANISM INVOLVING THE GUT MICROBIOME, MICROBIAL TRANSLOCATION, SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION, AND ULTIMATELY NEUROINFLAMMATION. HOWEVER, THERE ARE MANY GAPS IN OUR UNDERSTANDING REGARDING THE SPECIFIC PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS, AND A NEED TO OFFER INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE EFFECTIVE AND ACCEPTABLE IN HELPING PLWH TO REDUCE DRINKING OR TO PROTECT THEM AGAINST ALCOHOL-RELATED HARM. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS P01 IS TO IDENTIFY AND ULTIMATELY IMPLEMENT NEW/IMPROVED, TARGETED INTERVENTIONS THAT WILL IMPROVE OUTCOMES RELATED TO COGNITIVE AND BRAIN DYSFUNCTION IN PERSONS WITH HIV WHO DRINK ALCOHOL. THE PROPOSED P01 ACTIVITY WILL EXTEND OUR CURRENT LINE OF RESEARCH THAT FORMS THE CORE OF THE SOUTHERN HIV & ALCOHOL RESEARCH CONSORTIUM (SHARC). THE SPECIFIC AIMS OF THIS P01 ARE TO: 1) IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SPECIFIC MECHANISMS THAT CONNECT THE GUT MICROBIOME TO COGNITIVE AND BRAIN HEALTH OUTCOMES IN PERSONS WITH HIV; 2) EVALUATE INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE INTENDED TO REDUCE THE IMPACT OF ALCOHOL ON BRAIN AND COGNITIVE HEALTH IN PERSONS WITH HIV; AND 3) CONNECT AND EXTEND THE RESEARCH ACTIVITY FROM THIS P01 WITH THE TRAINING PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY IN THE SHARC. OUR P01 WILL UTILIZE TWO CORES THAT PROVIDE INFRASTRUCTURE TO TWO RESEARCH COMPONENTS (RC1, RC2). THE TWO RC WILL TOGETHER ENROLL 200 PLWH WITH AT-RISK DRINKING INTO CLINICAL TRIALS THAT SHARE COMMON TIMEPOINTS AND OUTCOME ASSESSMENTS. RC1 WILL COMPARE TWO STRATEGIES TO EXTEND CONTINGENCY MANAGEMENT TO 60 DAYS, USING BREATHALYZERS AND WRIST-WORN BIOSENSORS TO MONITOR DRINKING. RC2 USES A HYBRID TRIAL DESIGN TO EVALUATE TWO BIOMEDICAL INTERVENTIONS TARGETING THE GUT-BRAIN AXIS. ONE INTERVENTION IS A WEARABLE, TRANSCUTANEOUS VAGUS NERVE STIMULATOR THAT IS HYPOTHESIZED TO STIMULATE THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, RESULTING IN DECREASED INFLAMMATION AND IMPROVED COGNITION. THE OTHER INTERVENTION IS A PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENT INTENDED TO IMPROVE THE GUT MICROBIOME IN PERSONS WITH HIV AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION. ALL PARTICIPANTS IN RC2, AND A SUBSET OF THOSE IN RC1 WILL HAVE NEUROIMAGING AT TWO TIMEPOINTS. THE DATA SCIENCE CORE WILL PROVIDE DATA MANAGEMENT AND ANALYTICAL SUPPORT, AND WILL ANALYZE EXISTING DATA AND THE DATA COLLECTED FROM THIS P01 USING A MACHINE LEARNING AND AI APPROACH TO IDENTIFY FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH INTERVENTION SUCCESS OR FAILURE. THE ADMINISTRATIVE CORE WILL PROVIDE SCIENTIFIC LEADERSHIP, CLINICAL RESEARCH AND RECRUITMENT INFRASTRUCTURE, AND CONNECTION TO THE OUTSTANDING TRAINING PROGRAMS, DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROVIDED BY THE SHARC. OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WITH DIVERSE POPULATIONS, AND COLLECTION OF ACCEPTABILITY DATA FROM CLINICAL TRIAL PARTICIPANTS, WILL FACILITATE OUR READINESS TO SCALE UP THE MOST PROMISING INTERVENTIONS AND MOVE TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION IN THE NEXT PHASE OF OUR RESEARCH.

AUGMENTING COGNITIVE TRAINING IN OLDER ADULTS - THE ACT GRANT

UF HEALTH CANCER CENTER SUPPORT GRANT - TRAINING NAVIGATOR SUPPLEMENT - THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA HEALTH CANCER CENTER (UFHCC) RECOGNIZES THAT ACHIEVING HEALTH EQUITY REQUIRES INCLUSIVE EDUCATION, TRAINING, RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND PROMOTION OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF CANCER RESEARCHERS. THEREFORE, THIS ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPLEMENT APPLICATION AIMS TO RECRUIT AND DEVELOP A CADRE OF INDEPENDENT RESEARCHERS PREPARED TO ADDRESS CANCER DISPARITIES IN OUR CATCHMENT AREA. THIS SUPPLEMENT WILL ENHANCE THE SYNERGISTIC IMPACT OF CARTEC, DEI, AND THE FLORIDA-CALIFORNIA CANCER RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT (CARE2) HEALTH EQUITY CENTER BY FOCUSING ON DEVELOPING UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY (URM) PRE-DOC, POST-DOC, AND EARLY-STAGE INVESTIGATORS (ESIS). TO EXPAND UPON THE SUCCESS OF CARTEC AND CARE2, AND ACHIEVE THEIR LONG-TERM GOAL OF IMPROVING TRAINING OUTCOMES OF URM TRAINEES AND ESIS, A TRAINING NAVIGATOR TEAM (TNT) WILL BE IMPLEMENTED TO 1) BRIDGE ACTIVITIES BETWEEN CARTEC, DEI, AND CARE2 PROGRAMS AT THE UFHCC; 2) FACILITATE THE ENTRY OF URM INTO THE CANCER RESEARCH TRAINING PIPELINE; AND 3) PREPARE TRAINEES AND ESIS TO PURSUE CAREER DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES PROVIDED BY THE CENTER TO REDUCE CANCER HEALTH DISPARITIES CURE PROGRAM AND BEYOND. THIS COLLABORATIVE EFFORT SEEKS TO BUILD UPON THE SUCCESSES OF EACH PROGRAM THROUGH THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES: 1) IMPLEMENT A TNT TO ATTRACT, RECRUIT, AND SUPPORT COMPETITIVE UNDERREPRESENTED TRAINEES AND ESIS, AND FACILITATE THEIR ENTRY INTO NIH-SUPPORTED PATHWAY PROGRAMS AT THE UFHCC AND THE ATTAINMENT OF NCI FUNDING; 2) PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCHOLARS THROUGH GRANT WRITING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WORKSHOPS (TAWS); AND 3) MONITOR, TRACK, AND EVALUATE THE PROGRESS AND PRODUCTIVITY OF TRAINEES AND ESIS. IN PARTICULAR, THE TNT WILL HELP RECRUIT URM TRAINEES REGIONALLY, FROM PARTNERING MSIS, AS WELL AS NATIONAL CONFERENCES TO EXHIBIT THE WORK OF MINORITIZED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS. IN ADDITION, A SERIES OF 5 TRAINING ASSISTANCE WORKSHOPS (TAWS) WILL BE DEVELOPED TO PREPARE TRAINEES AND ESIS TO PURSUE CURE FUNDING. ALL TAWS WILL BE RECORDED AND CONTENT WILL BE USED TO DEVELOP AN INNOVATIVE HYBRID AND ASYNCHRONOUS COURSE THAT WILL BE OFFERED THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY'S WEB-BASED LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. METRICS WILL BE TRACKED ON NEW CANCER-RELEVANT AWARDS AND PUBLICATIONS, PROPOSALS AND SUPPLEMENTS SUBMITTED AND THE CORRESPONDING FUNDING RATE, AND MENTORSHIP ACTIVITIES FOR TRAINEES. EVALUATIONS USING THE CPACHE U54 RESEARCH EDUCATION SHARED MEASURES TOOLKIT WILL ALSO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF PROPOSED ACTIVITIES ON FUNDING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT. THIS APPLICATION IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER OF URM TRAINEES AT THE UFHCC, INCREASE THE AWARENESS AROUND URM- AND CANCER DISPARITIES-RELEVANT FUNDING, AND IMPROVE THE CAPACITY FOR URM UFHCC TRAINEES TO PURSUE EXTERNAL FUNDING. THIS PROGRAM WILL BE IMPACTFUL BECAUSE IT WILL HELP RECRUIT >15 POST-BACS, PRE-DOCS, POST-DOCS, AND FELLOWS AND WILL ENGAGE >40 PRE-DOCS, POST-DOCS, FELLOWS, AND ESIS IN TAWS WHO WILL SUBMIT A TOTAL OF 10 CURE-SUPPORTED APPLICATIONS IN 2023-2024.

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF GENETICALLY DEFINED DEMENTIA AND NEURODEGENERATION: DEFINING THERAPEUTIC TARGETS AND PATHWAYS

INSTITUTE FOR FUTURE SPACE TRANSPORT INSTITUTE FOR FUTURE SPACE TRANSPORT

NATIONAL DRUG EARLY WARNING SYSTEM (NDEWS) COVID-19 SUPPLEMENT

UNDERSTANDING AND IMPROVING THERAPIES FOR THE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHIES - ABSTRACT    THIS  WELLSTONE  MDSRC  IS  ORGANIZED  AROUND  THE  CENTRAL  THEME  OF  PRESERVING  SKELETAL  MUSCLE  AND  CARDIAC  MUSCLE  FUNCTION  IN  THE  MUSCULAR  DYSTROPHIES  BY  DELINEATING  DISEASE-­MODIFYING  TARGETS  AND  DEVELOPING  THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES.  WE HAVE SHOWN THAT INHIBITING INFLAMMATION/FIBROSIS WILL IMPROVE SKELETAL MUSCLE REPAIR  AND LIMIT FIBRO-­FATTY REPLACEMENT OF BOTH SKELETAL MUSCLE AND CARDIAC MUSCLE.  WE NOW ARE ADDITIONALLY FOCUSED  ON THE METABOLIC ASPECTS OF THE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHIES, AS WELL AS THE IMPACT OF CALCIUM HANDLING DYSFUNCTION IN  BOTH CARDIAC AND SKELETAL MUSCLES, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THERAPEUTICS TO ADDRESS THESE PROBLEMS. PROJECT 1  (DRS.  SWEENEY  AND  HAMMERS)  WILL  EVALUATE  ANTI-­INFLAMMATORY  AND  ANTI-­FIBROTIC  DRUGS  IN  THE  COURSE  OF  DELINEATING  THE  SHORT-­COMINGS  OF  AAV-­ΜDYSTROPHIN  GENE  THERAPY,  AND  DEVELOPING  THERAPIES  TO  IMPROVE  ITS  EFFECTIVENESS. PRELIMINARY  DATA  SUGGESTS  THAT  THE HEARTS OF DYSTROPHIN-­DEFICIENT  ANIMALS  WILL NOT  BE  RESCUED  BY  ΜDYSTROPHIN  GENE  THERAPY  UNLESS  ADDITIONAL  MEANS  OF  ADDRESSING  CALCIUM  DYSFUNCTION  IN  THE  HEART  CAN  BE  DEVELOPED. IN PROJECT 2, DRS. MCNALLY AND SPENCER WILL EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF INTERMITTENT STEROID DOSING ON THE  INFLAMMATORY  INFILTRATE  IN  MUSCLE,  DETERMINING  HOW  METABOLIC  PROGRAMMING  ALTERS  THIS  PROCESS  AND  HOW  THIS  IS  REFLECTED  IN  BLOOD  BIOMARKERS.  TOGETHER, THEY  WILL ALSO  INVESTIGATE A NOVEL  AGENT  DIRECTED AT  PROMOTING  CAMKII  ACTIVATION.  THIS PROJECT TAKES ADVANTAGE OF DR. SPENCER’S EXPERTISE IN PROFILING IMMUNE CELLS IN MUSCLE AND WILL  ALSO USE HUMAN MATERIALS COLLECTED FROM THE WEEKLY STEROIDS IN MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY (WSIMD, NCT04054375 )  TRIAL.  IN PROJECT 3, DRS. WALTER AND VANDENBORNE WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP NON-­INVASIVE BIOMARKERS FOR FOLLOWING  DISEASE PROGRESSION AS  WELL AS  CONDUCT  HUMAN  STUDIES  THAT COMPLEMENT  THE  MOUSE  STUDIES OF PROJECTS 1  AND  2.   OUR PHYSIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT  CORE  (CORE  C: SHARED  SCIENTIFIC  RESOURCE  CORE),  UNDER  THE  DIRECTION  OF  DR.  BARTON,  WILL  SUPPORT  PROJECTS  1  AND  2,  AS  WELL  AS  CONTINUE  AS  A  NATIONAL  RESOURCE  FOR  EVALUATING  THERAPEUTIC  INTERVENTIONS  IN  MOUSE  MODELS  OF  MUSCULAR  DYSTROPHY.  THIS  CENTER  HAS  A  MAJOR  TRAINING  AND  EDUCATIONAL  COMPONENT  (CORE  B:  TRAINING  CORE),  UNDER  THE  DIRECTION  OF  DRS.  ANDREW  JUDGE  (UF)  AND  RACHELLE  CROSBIE  (UCLA).

A 3D TISSUE MAP OF THE HUMAN LYMPHATIC SYSTEM

MEMBRANES OF THE DENTAL PATHOGEN STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANS

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CITRUS HLB IS THE MOST DEVASTATING CITRUS DISEASE. WE AIM TO EXPEDITE THE RELEASE OF NON-TRANSGENIC HLB-RESISTANT/TOLERANT CITRUS VARIETIES THROUGH A MULTI-TIERED DECISION-MAKING APPROACH INCLUDING 1) ASSESSMENT OF GENOME-EDITED CITRUS PLANTS PREVIOUSLY GENERATED BY A TRANSGENIC APPROACH FOR HLB RESISTANCE/TOLERANCE, FRUIT QUALITY AND YIELD AND OTHER HORTICULTURAL TRAITS. 2) ACCELERATE SCREENING AND EVALUATING OF TARGET GENES FOR NON-TRANSGENIC GENOME EDITING USINGCANDIDATUSLIBERIBACTER PSYLLAUROUS (SYNONYMCA.L. SOLANACEARUM)-TOMATO AS A SURROGATE BY EVALUATING APPROXIMATELY 100 TOMATO MUTANTS RELATED TO IMMUNE RESPONSE AND CELL DEATH THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY GENERATED.3)GENERATION OF NON-TRANSGENIC GENOME-EDITED CITRUS VARIETIES FOR HLB SUSCEPTIBILITY GENES USING OUR NEWLY DEVELOPED CO-EDITING TECHNOLOGY VIA MATURE TISSUE TRANSFORMATION TO BYPASS JUVENILITY.4)EVALUATION OF NON-TRANSGENIC GENOME-EDITED CITRUS VARIETIES FOR HLB RESISTANCE/TOLERANCE, FRUIT QUALITY AND YIELD AND OTHER HORTICULTURAL TRAITS.5)DELIVERY OF NON-TRANSGENIC GENOME-EDITED CITRUS VARIETIES VIA EXTENSION AND OUTREACH APPROACHES, REGULATORY APPROVALS, REGISTRATION, AND RELEASE.

CORPUS LUTEAL CONTRIBUTION TO MATERNAL PREGNANCY PHYSIOLOGY AND OUTCOMES IN ART

"A 21ST APPROACH TO ELECTRONIC DEVICE RELIABILILTY"

CONTROL OF BREATHING & GLYCOGEN STORAGE DISEASE

ROLE OF CORTEX AND CEREBELLUM IN VISUALLY-GUIDED MOTOR BEHAVIOR

PHARMACOKINETICS OF ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS AND ANTIRETROVIRAL DRUGS IN CHILDREN

TRIALNET: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA CLINICAL CENTER AND NETWORK

REGULATION OF STRIATAL SIGNALING BY RGS PROTEINS

MODEL STATE-SUPPORTED AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTERS

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA ROOTS CONTROL NUMBER 1565-1516 PROJECT TITLE: RAYS FOR ROOTS – INTEGRATING BACKSCATTER X-RAY PHENOTYPING, MODELING, AND GENETICS TO INCREASE CARBON SEQUESTRATION AND SWITCHGRASS RESOURCE USE EFFICIENCY

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** TOMSPOT - AN INTEGRATED TOOLBOX FOR MANAGING TOMATO BACTERIAL DISEASES IN NORTH AMERICA.

STRUCTURAL STUDIES OF AAV CAPSIDS AND THEIR GLYCAN RECEPTOR INTERACTIONS

DEVELOPMENT OF CLINICAL CANDIDATES FOR THE TREATMENT OF MYOTONIC DYSTROPHY

NOVEL TARGETED ANTICANCER AGENTS FROM MARINE CYANOBACTERIA

MULTIMODAL IMAGING OF BRAIN ACTIVITY TO INVESTIGATE WALKING AND MOBILITY DECLINE IN OLDER ADULTS

PURPOSE: THE NATIONAL SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE U.S. CONGRESS IN 1966 (AMENDED IN 2008, PUBLIC LAW 110-394) TO BE A HIGHLY LEVERAGED FEDERAL AND STATE PARTNERSHIP TO HARNESS THE INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY OF THE NATIONS UNIVERSITIES AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS AND GENERATE OPPORTUNITIES IN COASTAL COMMUNITIES. FOR OVER 50 YEARS, THE NATIONAL SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM HAS SUPPORTED COASTAL AND GREAT LAKES COMMUNITIES THROUGH RESEARCH, EXTENSION AND EDUCATION. SEA GRANT'S MISSION IS TO ENHANCE THE PRACTICAL USE AND CONSERVATION OF COASTAL, MARINE AND GREAT LAKES RESOURCES IN ORDER TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT. THIS GRANT IS THE VEHICLE THROUGH WHICH FLORIDA SEA GRANT LAYS OUT ITS PLAN TO IMPLEMENT THE GOALS LAID OUT IN IN THEIR FY2018-23 STRATEGIC PLAN, WHICH CAN BE FOUND AT: HTTPS://SEAGRANT.NOAA.GOV/INSIDESEAGRANT/PLANNING. IN ADDITION TO REQUIRED GRANT PROGRESS REPORTING, THE RECIPIENT WILL REPORT DEFINED MEASURES AND METRICS AS WE

COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF TERPENE BIOFUELS IN PINE

COMBATING RESISTANT SUPERBUGS BY UNDERSTANDING THE MOLECULAR DETERMINANTS OF TARGET SITE PENETRATION AND BINDING

ORPHAN RECEPTORS IN REGULATION OF NEURONAL G PROTEIN SIGNALING

TARGETING ALPHA7 NACHR FOR THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF MYOSIN VI

THE SOUTH EAST ALLIANCE FOR GRADUATE EDUCATION AND THE PROFESSORIATE

MECHANISMS AND TREATMENT RESPONSE OF AGGRESSIVE PERIODONTITIS IN CHILDREN

SOUTHERN HIV ALCOHOL RESEARCH CONSORTIIUM (SHARC) ADMIN AND RESEARCH SUPPORT CORE

THE ENRGISE STUDY

GENE REGULATION AND PHYSIOLOGY OF STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANS

A CLINICAL INDICATIONS PREDICTION (CLIP) SCALE FOR HUMAN MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS

NEXT-GENERATION SWEET SORGHUMS - SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION OF FEEDSTOCKS FOR FUELS, CHEMICALS AND VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS

OPTIMIZING MULTI-DRUG MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS THERAPY FOR RAPID STERILIZATION AND RESISTANCE SUPPRESSION - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT IN P01 AI123036, WE WERE ABLE TO GENERATE AN ALGORITHM THAT RANKED SINGLE AGENTS FOR MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS (MTB), IDENTIFIED PROMISING 2-DRUG COMBINATIONS AND, WITH A COMPLETELY NOVEL MATHEMATICAL APPROACH, IDENTIFIED 3-DRUG REGIMENS PREDICTED TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN 2-DRUG REGIMENS. THESE PREDICTIONS WERE PROSPECTIVELY VALIDATED IN A BALB/C MODEL (H37RV) AND IN A NON-HUMAN PRIMATE MODEL OF MTB (ERDMAN STRAIN). IN THIS PROPOSAL, WE WILL EXTEND OUR PREVIOUS WORK. THERE IS A LARGE NUMBER OF NEW MTB AGENTS, MANY WITH NOVEL MECHANISMS OF ACTION. WE HAVE 4 SPECIFIC AIMS (SA) THAT, WHEN COMPLETE, WILL ALLOW US TO IDENTIFY MULTI-DRUG COMBINATIONS THAT WILL OPTIMIZE RATE OF KILL FOR ORGANISMS IN 3 DIFFERENT METABOLIC STATES AND WILL SUPPRESS RESISTANCE EMERGENCE. IN THE HOLLOW FIBER INFECTION MODEL [HFIM] (SA#1), WE WILL BE ABLE TO RANK NEW AGENTS ON THE BASES OF POTENCY AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES. THE HFIM PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO THE DRUG’S EXPOSURE-RESPONSE FOR KILL AND RESISTANCE SUPPRESSION. WE IDENTIFIED A NEAR OPTIMAL 3-DRUG REGIMEN (PMD/MFX/BDQ). WITH NEW SINGLE AGENTS, WE CAN EXAMINE SUBSTITUTING A NEW AGENT FOR AN OLDER AGENT AND WE CAN EXPAND THE REGIMENS TO IDENTIFY A NEAR- OPTIMAL 4-DRUG REGIMEN. THIS WILL BE PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT FOR PATIENTS WITH HIGH BACTERIAL BURDENS. IN SA #2, WE WILL TEST REGIMENS FROM SA#1 IN TWO MURINE MODELS (BALB/C & C3HEB/FEJ MICE). THESE WILL GIVE SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT INFORMATION. BOTH GIVE INFORMATION REGARDING KILL AND RESISTANCE SUPPRESSION. KRAMNIK MICE HAVE PATHOLOGY MORE CLOSELY RESEMBLING THAT IN HUMANS. WE WILL USE MATRIX-ASSISTED LASER DESORPTION IONIZATION-MS IMAGING AND LASER CAPTURE MICRODISSECTION LCMS. THIS ALLOWS IDENTIFICATION OF SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND QUANTIFICATION OF DRUGS. A QUESTION REGARDING CURE IS HOW LONG TO WAIT TO SACRIFICE ANIMALS TO DOCUMENT ERADICATION. SOME AGENTS (BDQ) HAVE LONG TISSUE HALF-LIVES. WE WILL DOCUMENT RATES OF INGRESS/EGRESS OF DRUGS INTO THE INFECTION SITE, ALLOWING DETERMINATION WHEN ANIMAL COHORTS MAY BE SACRIFICED TO DOCUMENT ERADICATION. IN SA #3, WE WILL DOCUMENT MECHANISMS OF ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECT QUANTITATIVELY. WE HAVE GENERATED A FIRST-OF-A- KIND DYNAMIC MODEL FOR PBP-BINDING IN MTB, AND WILL LINK THIS TO RATES OF CELL KILL. WE HAVE ALSO DEVELOPED AMP/ADP/ATP INTRACELLULAR ASSAYS. THESE WILL BE EMPLOYED FOR AGENTS LIKE DIARYLQUINOLINES (E.G. BDQ) AND PMD THAT ACT AS ENERGY POISONS (FOR PMD, THIS OCCURS UNDER ANAEROBIC/NON-REPLICATIVE CONDITIONS. WE WILL MEASURE INTRACELLULAR (MTB) DRUG CONCENTRATIONS, LINKING THEM TO EFFECT ALONE AND IN COMBINATION THERAPY EXPERIMENTS. PROPOSAL SUCCESS RESTS ON MODELING OF THE DATA. IN SA #4, WE HAVE WRITTEN CODE TO EXTEND EARLIER ANALYSES, GOING FROM 3- TO 4-DRUG REGIMENS. FOR THESE HIGH DIMENSIONAL MODELS, WE DEVELOPED SEVERAL APPROACHES TO SPEED UP ANALYSIS MAKING THEM COMPUTATIONALLY TRACTABLE. AT PROPOSAL END, WE SHALL DEVELOP A 4-DRUG ALGORITHM ALLOWING RAPID IDENTIFICATION OF NEAR OPTIMAL REGIMENS THAT WORK FOR BOTH SUSCEPTIBLE AND LESS-SUSCEPTIBLE ORGANISMS. THE ALGORITHM WILL BE GENERAL. IT WILL WORK WELL FOR TODAY’S AGENTS BUT ALSO FOR AGENTS AS DISCOVERED.

NEXT GENERATION OF RECOMBINANT AAV SEROTYPE VECTORS FOR GENE THERAPY

INSIGHTS - INNOVATIVE NEXT STEPS IN GAINING HEALTH IMPROVEMENTS THROUGH TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE - FLORIDA IS THE THIRD LARGEST STATE WITH UNIQUE HEALTH CHALLENGES. THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA (UF) AND FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY (FSU) CTSA HUB, WITH OVER 14 YEARS OF PRIOR COLLABORATIVE EXPERIENCE, WILL WORK WITHIN THIS DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT TO IMPROVE HUMAN HEALTH BY ACCELERATING THE TRANSLATION OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES AND IMPLEMENTING EVIDENCE-BASED BEST PRACTICES. THROUGH PIVOTAL LEADERSHIP IN CATALYZING RESEARCH WITHIN AND ACROSS THE HUB’S UNIVERSITIES, AFFILIATED HEALTH CARE SETTINGS, AND COMMUNITIES, THE UF-FSU CTSA HUB WILL TARGET SIGNIFICANT BARRIERS IN TRANSLATION. THE UF-FSU CTSA HUB ALIGNS FSU’S DISTRIBUTED MEDICAL EDUCATION MODEL WITH UF’S COUNTY EXTENSION REACH AND EXTENSIVE ONEFLORIDA+ CLINICAL RESEARCH NETWORK AND DATA TRUST TO BRING HEALTH RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES TO FLORIDA’S RURAL AND URBAN COMMUNITIES. APPLYING CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE (CTS) PRACTICES AND PRINCIPLES IN THIS CONTEXT LENDS SUBSTANTIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENHANCING RESEARCH EFFICIENCY AND IMPROVING HEALTH OUTCOMES. THE UF- FSU CTSA HUB IS OPTIMALLY POSITIONED TO DRIVE THE INTEGRATION OF CTS PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES INTO THE ROUTINE CONDUCT OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AND HEALTH CARE DELIVERY. OVER THE NEXT 7 YEARS, SUCH INTEGRATION WILL DRIVE THE CONTINUED MATURATION OF OUR LEARNING HEALTH SYSTEM INITIATIVE, WHICH WILL EVOLVE INTO A LEARNING HEALTH COMMUNITY ENGAGING STATE, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL COLLABORATORS. THE GOAL OF THIS APPLICATION IS TO CATALYZE CROSS-DISCIPLINARY TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE ACTIVITIES THAT RESULT IN MEANINGFUL GAINS IN HEALTH FOR THE HUB’S COMMUNITIES. FURTHERMORE, THE UF-FSU CTSA HUB AIMS TO SERVE AS AN EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION AND DISSEMINATION HUB OF BEST TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE PRACTICES FOR TURNING DISCOVERIES INTO IMPROVED OUTCOMES. TOWARD THAT END, THE UF-FSU CTSA HUB WILL PURSUE FOUR LONG-TERM STRATEGIC GOALS: 1) CULTIVATE A DYNAMIC TRAINING ECOSYSTEM TO SPEED TRANSLATION THROUGH CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT, 2) ADVANCE THE SCIENCE OF TRANSLATION TO OVERCOME PERSISTENT CHALLENGES IN THE CONDUCT OF CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH AND TRANSLATION OF BEST EVIDENCE TO PATIENTS AND COMMUNITIES THROUGH INNOVATIONS IN CLINICAL TRIAL DESIGN AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DIGITAL HEALTH SOLUTIONS, 3) DEEPEN STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATIONS TO MORE EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS STAKEHOLDER HEALTH PRIORITIES AND REDUCE HEALTH RISKS THROUGH STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS, AND 4) CREATE A SCALABLE LEARNING HEALTH COMMUNITY TO EXPAND THE REACH, SUSTAINABILITY, AND IMPACT OF TRANSLATIONAL ADVANCES THROUGH MATURATION OF A LEARNING HEALTH SYSTEM. AS A CENTRAL FACILITATOR FOR IMPLEMENTING CHANGE, BROADENING ACCESS TO RESEARCH, AND TRANSLATING DISCOVERIES INTO PRACTICE, THE UF-FSU CTSA HUB IS POISED TO IMPACT THE SIGNIFICANT HEALTH CHALLENGES IN NORTHERN AND CENTRAL FLORIDA, STATEWIDE, AND BEYOND.

SOUTHEAST CENTER FOR RESEARCH TO REDUCE DISPARITIES IN ORAL HEALTH

OPTIMIZING COMBINATION THERAPY FOR HEPATITIS C VIRUS WITH PHARMACODYNAMIC MODELS

PHARMACOGENETICS OF ARA-C METABOLIC PATHWAY

MECHANISM OF CSRA-MEDIATED GLOBAL CONTROL

INCREASING THE SUSTAINABILITY, PROFITABILITY, AND COMPETITIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL ENTERPRISES. MORE THAN 90% OF FLORIDA'S PRODUCERS ARE SMALL FARMERS, INCLUDING LIMITED RESOURCE FARMERS. FLORIDA EXTENSION'S EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS PROVIDE FARMERS, RANCHERS, AND PRODUCERS WITH THE RESEARCH BASED KNOWLEDGE THEY NEED TO IMPROVE SUSTAINABILITY AND PROFITABILITY. ADOPTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES, NEW PRODUCTION PRACTICES, ALTERNATIVE CROPS, NEW MARKETING OPTIONS, AND A TRAINED LABOR FORCE ARE DELIVERABLES AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE STATE'S ECONOMY. THE NUMBER OF FARM AND FOOD ENTREPRENEURS IS INCREASING IN RURAL AND URBAN COMMUNITIES. MOST COMMUNITIES DO NOT HAVE ESTABLISHED FOOD SYSTEMS THAT CAN DELIVER FOOD PRODUCTS FROM THE FARMS TO THE CONSUMERS. FOOD SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT INCLUDES FARMERS' MARKETS, COMMUNITY GARDENING, FOOD HUBS, PROCESSORS, AND WHOLESALE/DIRECT MARKET DEVELOPMENT. FOOD SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT ALSO INCLUDES PROGRAMS LIKE FARM TO SCHOOL AND FARM TO INSTITUTION. FLORIDA EXTENSION EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOCUS ON BEGINNING FARMER AND RANCHER CLASSES, FOOD MANAGER CERTIFICATION, AND MARKETING/BUSINESS PLANNING. OUTCOMES MEASURED INCLUDE THE NUMBER OF: PRODUCERS INDICATING ADOPTION OF RECOMMENDED PRACTICES; ACRES ON WHICH THE RECOMMENDED PRACTICES WERE IMPLEMENTED; CLIENTELE WHO ADOPTED APPROPRIATE FERTILIZER AND PESTICIDE RATES; PRODUCERS REPORTING INCREASED DOLLAR RETURNS OR REDUCED COSTS; FARMERS/RANCHERS WHO ADOPTED A NEW CROP VARIETY OR ANIMAL BREED; PRODUCERS WHO ADOPTED RECOMMENDED LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION PRACTICES PRODUCERS WHO ADOPTED RECOMMENDED FORAGE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (I.E., NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT, WEED AND PEST MANAGEMENT, SPECIES SELECTION, ETC.); PARTICIPANTS REPORTING INCREASED KNOWLEDGE OF FLORIDA AGRICULTURE, FOR EXAMPLE, AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES, PRODUCTS, POLICIES, LOCAL AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS, AGRICULTURE'S ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS, OR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS, ETC.; PARTICIPANTS REPORTING POSITIVE CHANGES IN ATTITUDES ABOUT AGRICULTURE, FOR EXAMPLE, REPORTING AN APPRECIATION FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, OR THINKING THAT AGRICULTURE IS IMPORTANT FOR FOOD SECURITY OR THINKING THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO PROTECT AGRICULTURAL LANDS; PARTICIPANTS REPORTING ADOPTING AT LEAST ONE NEW PRACTICE THAT SUPPORTS FLORIDA AGRICULTURE, FOR EXAMPLE, BUYING MORE FLORIDA RAISED PRODUCTS, VISITING AGRITOURISM SITES, USING INFORMATION GAINED IN DECISION MAKING, ADVOCATING FOR POLICIES THAT SUPPORT FLORIDA AGRICULTURE, OR PURSUING A CAREER IN AGRICULTURE; NEW OR IMPROVED VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS SOLD BY PRODUCERS (OR OTHER MEMBERS OF THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN); FOOD PROCESSING FACILITIES OF ANY SIZE (INCLUDING INSPECTED KITCHENS, NICHE MEAT PROCESSORS, AND LARGER ANIMAL/FRUIT/VEGETABLE PROCESSORS); PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING FOR SMALL FARM OPERATORS, PROCESSORS (BIG AND SMALL), OR BEGINNING FARMERS/RANCHERS SHOWING KNOWLEDGE GAIN ON RECOMMENDED PRACTICES; PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING FOR SMALL FARM OPERATORS, PROCESSORS (BIG AND SMALL), OR BEGINNING FARMERS/RANCHERS THAT ADOPT ONE OR MORE RECOMMENDED PRACTICES; CLIENTS WHO INCREASED AWARENESS OR KNOWLEDGE OF TOPICS RELATED TO FARM ECONOMICS, AGRIBUSINESS MANAGEMENT OR MARKETING, THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY, OR POLICY ISSUES; CLIENTS WHO INCREASE SKILL, ABILITY, OR CONFIDENCE IN PERFORMING TASKS OR MAKING DECISIONS RELATED TO FARM ECONOMICS OR AGRIBUSINESS MANAGEMENT OR MARKETING; CLIENTS WHO REPORT ADOPTING RECOMMENDED AGRIBUSINESS MANAGEMENT OR MARKETING PRACTICES PRODUCERS WHO ACCESSED FINANCING OR COST SHARE, ACCESSED FARMLAND, ACCESSED NEW MARKETS, STARTED OR EXPANDED A BUSINESS; GALLONS OF WATER SAVED BY PRODUCTION PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS (E.G., PRODUCERS, FARMERS, RANCHERS) FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR; PRODUCERS THAT ADOPTED ONE OR MORE "GOOD" WATER CONSERVATION PRACTICES SUCH AS REDUCED IRRIGATION AND USE OF WATER?SAVING TECHNOLOGIES; PRODUCERS THAT ADOPTED ONE OR MORE "GOOD" WATER QUALITY PRACTICES SUCH AS RECOMMENDED PESTICIDES AND REDUCED ANIMAL WASTE OR OTHER POLLUTANTS; PRODUCERS THAT ADOPTED RECOMMENDED BEST PRACTICES FOR PRODUCTION AGRICULTURE RELATED TO INVASIVE SPECIES, PEST MANAGEMENT, POLLUTANT LOADS, AND WETLANDS. ENHANCING AND PROTECTING WATER QUALITY, QUANTITY, AND SUPPLY. FLORIDA'S APPROACH TO WATER RESOURCE PROTECTION IS CENTERED ON VOLUNTARY BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE (BMP) PROGRAMS DEVELOPED TO MEET WATER?QUALITY STANDARDS. FLORIDA EXTENSION EDUCATES PRODUCERS, URBAN LANDSCAPE MANAGERS, HOMEOWNERS, COUNTY AND CITY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, AND OTHERS ABOUT THE SCIENCE THAT SUPPORTS BMPS, HOW THEY ENHANCE AND PROTECT WATER QUALITY, AND HOW TO IMPLEMENT AND MAINTAIN THEM. PROGRAMMING DELIVERABLES FOCUS ON CREATING BEHAVIOR CHANGES, SUCH AS INSTALLING IMPROVED MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, USING NEW PROCEDURES, AND IMPLEMENTING INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES THAT REDUCE POLLUTION AND ULTIMATELY RESULT IN MORE WATER BODIES MEETING THEIR DESIGNATED USES. MAJOR WATER USERS, INCLUDING AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL IRRIGATORS, URBAN LANDSCAPE MANAGERS, AND HOMEOWNERS LEARN HOW TO USE WATER EFFICIENTLY THROUGH IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF IRRIGATION SCHEDULING, LOW VOLUME IRRIGATION SYSTEMS, FLORIDA? FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING (FFL) PRINCIPLES, AND DOMESTIC WATER?SAVING TECHNIQUES. OUTCOMES MEASURED INCLUDE THE NUMBER OF: GALLONS OF WATER SAVED BY ADULT RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS (E.G., RESIDENTS, HOAS, COMMUNITY GARDENS, DEVELOPERS, BUSINESSES, GOVERNMENT OFFICES) FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR; GALLONS OF WATER SAVED BY LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONALS OR OTHER GREEN INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR; GALLONS OF WATER SAVED BY YOUTH PARTICIPANTS FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR; ADULT RESIDENTS THAT ADOPTED ONE OR MORE BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES SUCH AS THE FLORIDA FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSTING, EFFICIENT IRRIGATION USE, RESPONSIBLE PESTICIDE USE, ETC.; LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONALS OR OTHER GREEN INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS THAT ADOPTED ONE OR MORE BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES SUCH AS GI?BMPS; YOUTH THAT ADOPTED ONE OR MORE BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES SUCH AS AG BMPS OR FLORIDA FRIENDLY LANDSCAPE PRINCIPLES, HOME WATER CONSERVATION PRACTICES, ETC.; MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEERS; MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER HOURS; OUTCOMES RESULTING FROM INFORMED COMMUNITY MEMBERS TAKING ACTION, SUCH AS FORMATION OF ADVISORY GROUPS, CHANGES IN HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS RULES, LOCAL INITIATIVES AND REFERENDUMS RELATED TO NATURAL RESOURCES; ACRES ON WHICH RECOMMENDED ACTIONS WERE IMPLEMENTED TO MANAGE OR SUSTAINABLY USE FISH AND WILDLIFE AND WILDLIFE HABITAT, INCLUDING CONTROL OF INVASIVE SPECIES AND PESTS, IN NATURAL AREAS AND WORKING LANDSCAPES INCLUDING FRESHWATER, MARINE, AND WETLAND ENVIRONMENTS, RANGELANDS, FORESTS, PARKS AND OTHER GREEN SPACE IN RURAL OR URBAN AREAS. ENHANCING AND CONSERVING FLORIDA'S NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. FLORIDA MUST ACTIVELY MANAGE FINITE NATURAL RESOURCES AND DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO MINIMIZE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS. PRESSURES INCLUDE THE LOSS OF NATURAL AREAS, AN INCREASE IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT, THE USE OF ENERGY AND WATER RESOURCES, AND GROWING IMPACTS ON MARINE ECOSYSTEMS. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOCUS ON RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND EFFICIENCY, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT, AND BMP IMPLEMENTATION AND PROVIDE IN?DEPTH TRAINING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO ASSIST IN OUR EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS. FLORIDIANS ACQUIRE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE ROLE IN THE STATE'S EFFORT TO ENHANCE AND PROTECT NATURAL RESOURCES, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS MUST PROVIDE LEADERSHIP ON THE ISSUES THAT BALANCE THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE ECONOMY WITH ENVIRONMENTAL SAFEGUARDS. OUTCOMES MEASURED INCLUDE THE NUMBER OF ACRES ON WHICH RECOMMENDED ACTIONS WERE IMPLEMENTED TO MANAGE OR SUSTAINABLY USE FISH AND WILDLIFE AND WILDLIFE HABITAT, INCLUDING CONTROL OF INVASIVE SPECIES AND PESTS, IN NATURAL AREAS AND WORKING LANDSCAPES INCLUDING FRESHWATER, MARINE, AND WETLAND ENVIRONMENTS, RANGELANDS, FORESTS, PARKS AND OTHER GREEN SPACE IN RURAL OR URBAN AREAS; ADULTS AND YOUTH WHO COMPLETED ADULT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS THAT PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY AND SUSTAINABILITY, INCLUDING WATER AWARENESS PROGRAMS; PARTICIPANTS WHO USED INFORMATION FROM ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY AND SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS IN A PROFESSIONAL OR WORK?RELATED CONTEXT AS VOLUNTEERS OR EMPLOYEES (INCLUDING DOCENTS, TEACHERS, PARK RANGERS, ECOTOUR GUIDES, ETC.); ADULTS AND YOUTH WHO USED INFORMATION FROM ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS TO ADOPT PERSONAL STEWARDSHIP BEHAVIORS (E.G., CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES IN ONE'S HOME OR RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY). EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES TO BUILD HEALTHY LIVES THROUGH NUTRITION, WELLNESS, AND FOOD SAFETY. FLORIDA EXTENSION PROGRAMS FOCUS ON CREATING LIFESTYLE BEHAVIOR CHANGES RELATED TO NUTRITION AND HEALTH, FOOD SAFETY, AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. FOOD SAFETY EXTENSION PROGRAMS EDUCATE FARM WORKERS, AS WELL AS RESTAURANT MANAGERS AND WORKERS, FOOD ENTREPRENEURS, AND CONSUMERS. OUR AUDIENCES MANY DIVERSE FAMILY STRUCTURES AND UNDERSERVED GROUPS, SUCH AS TEENAGE PARENTS, SINGLE PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN, COHABITING COUPLES, DUAL?EARNER FAMILIES, MILITARY FAMILIES, AGING ADULTS, AND CAREGIVING FAMILIES. POVERTY, SOCIAL ISOLATION, PARENTAL SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND ADDICTION, STRESS, CHILD ABUSE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, AND MARITAL INSTABILITY, HOUSING ISSUES, CAREGIVING DECISIONS, AND STRESS CAUSED BY CARING FOR AGING PARENTS ARE MAJOR CHALLENGES FOR OUR CLIENTS. PANDEMICS, HURRICANES, AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS PRESENT ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES FOR FLORIDIANS. EXTENSION PROGRAMS HELP THE FAMILIES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HEALTHY GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN AND HELP THEM IMPROVE INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY FUNCTION AND WELL?BEING. OUTCOMES MEASURED INCLUDE THE NUMBER OF: ADULTS WHO REPORTED EATING MORE OF HEALTHY FOODS (E.G., CHOOSE HEALTHY OPTIONS WHEN EATING OUT, INCREASE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INTAKE, USE FOOD LABELS TO MAKE HEALTHFUL FOOD CHOICES); CHILDREN AND YOUTH WHO REPORTED EATING MORE OF HEALTHY FOODS (E.G., CHOOSE HEALTHY OPTIONS WHEN EATING OUT, INCREASE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INTAKE, USE FOOD LABELS TO MAKE HEALTHFUL FOOD CHOICES); ADULTS AND YOUTH WHO REPORTED ADOPTING HEALTHIER EATING PATTERNS (E.G., DASH, MEDITERRANEAN?STYLE, HEALTHY US?STYLE ?? MYPLATE); ADULTS AND YOUTH REPORTING INCREASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OR SEDENTARY TIME; ADULTS DEMONSTRATING INCREASED AWARENESS OF PERSONAL HEALTH RISKS (E.G., HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, PREDIABETES); ADULTS AND YOUTH DEMONSTRATING IMPROVEMENT IN HEALTH PARAMETERS SUCH AS PHYSICAL FITNESS, BODY MASS INDEX, BLOOD PRESSURE, OR BLOOD GLUCOSE; ADULTS REPORTING THEY HAD LOWER ANNUAL HEALTH CARE COSTS DUE TO REDUCED NEED FOR MEDICAL CARE OR PRESCRIPTIONS; PARTICIPANTS REPORTING THEY MADE CHANGES THAT IMPROVED THEIR PHYSICAL MOBILITY OR SAFETY WITHIN THEIR HOME; PARTICIPANTS ADOPTING ONE OR MORE BEHAVIORS TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF THEIR HOME; PRODUCERS WHO DEVELOPED A FARM FOOD SAFETY PLAN; GROWERS, PRODUCERS, FOOD WORKERS COMPLETING GAPS, GMPS, HACCP, PSA, PC, FOOD SAFETY CERTIFICATION (I.E.,SERVSAFE), OR FARM FOOD SAFETY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS; PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATING IMPROVED KNOWLEDGE OF FOOD SYSTEMS INCLUDING FOOD LABELS, PRODUCTION PRACTICES, HYDROPONICS, FOOD PRODUCTION AND PRESERVATION, FOOD WASTE MANAGEMENT, ETC.; PARTICIPANTS THAT ADOPT SELF?RELIANT FOOD SYSTEM PRACTICES, INCLUDING CREATING A HOME OR COMMUNITY GARDEN, HYDROPONIC SYSTEMS, REDUCING FOOD WASTE, PRESERVING FOOD, ETC.; ADULTS AND YOUTH WHO ADOPTED ONE OR MORE RECOMMENDED FOOD SAFETY PRACTICES (I.E., HANDWASHING, CROSS CONTAMINATION, TIME AND TEMPERATURE CONTROLS, REFRIGERATOR TEMPERATURE). EMPOWERING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES TO ACHIEVE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SUCCESS. AFFORDABLE HOUSING, FORECLOSURE, HOME MAINTENANCE, AND ENERGY COSTS ARE ALSO ALWAYS PRESSING CHALLENGES FOR FLORIDIANS. FLORIDA EXTENSION CAN IMPROVE ECONOMIC VIABILITY FOR LOW? AND MIDDLE?INCOME FAMILIES, SENIOR CITIZENS, IMMIGRANT FAMILIES, SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS, AND TEACHERS THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROGRAMS. FLORIDA EXTENSION'S COMMUNITY RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (CRD) PROGRAM ENGAGES AND EMPOWERS COMMUNITIES TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE THROUGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, CAPACITY BUILDING, PUBLIC POLICY EDUCATION, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. CRD PROGRAMS HELP COUNTIES, CITIES, AND INDIVIDUALS UNDERSTAND THEIR LOCAL ECONOMIES AND ASSESS THE IMPACTS OF POTENTIAL ECONOMIC LOSS OR DEVELOPMENT, AND AIDS INDIVIDUALS, ENTREPRENEURS, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, EXISTING BUSINESSES, AND OTHERS WITH TRAINING FOR BUSINESS START?UPS, RETENTION, AND/OR EXPANSION. GIVEN FLORIDA'S POPULATION GROWTH, ISSUES SUCH AS LAND USE AND GROWTH AND THE INTERFACE BETWEEN RURAL/URBAN AND INCORPORATED/UNINCORPORATED AREAS AND CLIMATE CHANGE WILL CONTINUE TO CHALLENGE CITIZENS, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AND COMMUNITIES. FLORIDA EXTENSION PROGRAMS WILL FOCUS ON TEACHING ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES THAT CAN BE USED TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES AND TO BUILD LEADERSHIP IN OUR COMMUNITIES TO DIRECT DEVELOPMENTS. THIS PROGRAM WILL CONTINUE TO EDUCATE NOT JUST LOCAL ELECTED DECISION MAKERS ABOUT THEIR DUTIES, ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND HOW TO MAKE PUBLIC POLICY CHOICES, BUT ALL WHO WISH TO ENGAGE IN THE PROCESS OF COMMUNITY BUILDING. EXPANDING PARTNERSHIPS WITH STATEWIDE ORGANIZATIONS THAT REPRESENT ELECTED OFFICIALS ON POLICY ALTERNATIVES IS CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROGRAM. OUTCOMES MEASURED INCLUDE THE NUMBER OF: ADULT AND YOUTH PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATING IMPROVEMENT IN MONEY MANAGEMENT SKILLS OR FINANCIAL CAPABILITY (I.E., EARNINGS/INCOME, SPENDING, SAVING, INVESTING, BORROWING, PROTECTING); PARTICIPANTS THAT LEARNED ABOUT FINANCIAL CAPABILITY SUCH AS EARNINGS/INCOME, SPENDING, SAVING AND INVESTING, BORROWING, PROTECTING ASSETS; PARTICIPANTS THAT ADOPTED AN EFFECTIVE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT/CONSUMER ECONOMICS PRACTICE OR BEHAVIOR; PARTICIPANTS THAT COMPLETED AN IMPORTANT FINANCIAL MILESTONE SUCH AS AN IMPROVED CREDIT SCORE, A HOME PURCHASE, TAXES FILED, LOAN PAID OFF, OR ESTATE PLANNING COMPLETED; PARTICIPANTS WHO INCREASED POSITIVE INTERACTION OR DECREASED NEGATIVE INTERACTION OR WHO INCREASED POSITIVE BONDS OR WHO INCREASED SATISFACTION/WELLBEING; DOLLAR VALUE OF GRANTS GENERATED BY ORGANIZATIONS OR COMMUNITIES YOU ASSISTED; DOLLAR VALUE OF OTHER IN?KIND RESOURCES CONTRIBUTED BY ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES; HOURS THAT VOLUNTEERS IN YOUR COUNTY WORK WITH CLIENTELE; NEW OR REVISED PLANS ADOPTED THAT HAVE BEGUN TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN A COMMUNITY, AGENCY, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS, OR DISASTER; NEW ALLIANCES FORMED THROUGH SOME TYPE OF FORMAL AGREEMENT OR MOU, OR INFORMALLY. PREPARING YOUTH TO BE RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS AND PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF THE WORKFORCE. PARTICIPATION IN 4?H CLUBS PROVIDES THE POSITIVE, SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT YOUTH NEED TO SUCCEED. SCHOOL ENRICHMENT, DAY AND RESIDENTIAL CAMPS, AND OTHER TYPES OF PROGRAMS OFFERED BY FLORIDA EXTENSION INTRODUCE YOUTH TO LONGER?TERM LEARNING EXPERIENCES. 4?H PROGRAMMING FOCUSES ON MEETING THE HIGHEST?PRIORITY EDUCATIONAL NEEDS: HELPING YOUTH DEVELOP SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH (STEM) LITERACY; HELPING YOUTH DEVELOP AN INTEREST IN LEARNING THAT WILL EQUIP THEM TO SUCCEED IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING SOCIETY AND GLOBAL ECONOMY; TEACHING YOUTH RESPONSIBILITY, DEVELOPING THEIR ABILITY TO BECOME LEADERS, AND ENGAGING THEM IN THEIR COMMUNITIES; HELPING YOUTH DEVELOP HEALTHY LIFESTYLES; AND ENCOURAGING YOUTH TO GET OUTDOORS TO APPRECIATE NATURE, AGRICULTURE, AND NATURAL RESOURCES. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THE CONTINUOUS PRESENCE OF CARING ADULTS IS CRITICAL TO ACHIEVING POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT. WITH LIMITED STAFF, VOLUNTEERS CAN ASSIST IN REACHING MORE YOUTH. FLORIDA 4?H IS DEVELOPING YOUTH AND ADULT VOLUNTEERS THROUGH TRAINING AND PROVIDING THE SUPPORT NEEDED FOR VOLUNTEER?LED ORGANIZATIONS TO BE EFFECTIVE IN HELPING THE 4?H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM MEET ITS MISSION AND GOALS. OUTCOMES MEASURED INCLUDE THE NUMBER OF: YOUTH WHO DEMONSTRATE IMPROVEMENT IN COMMUNICATION SKILLS, OR APPRECIATION OF DIFFERENCES, OR HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS (E.G., DECISION MAKING, CRITICAL THINKING, GOAL SETTING); VOLUNTEERS WHO ADOPT BEST PRACTICES/BEHAVIORS THAT PROVIDE YOUTH WITH A SAFE AND INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT (SENSE OF BELONGING); A CHARACTERISTIC OF A HIGH?QUALITY POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT (PYD) PROGRAM; YOUTH REPORTING EVIDENCE OF A SAFE AND INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT (SENSE OF BELONGING); A CHARACTERISTIC OF A HIGH QUALITY PYD PROGRAM; VOLUNTEERS WHO ADOPT ONE OR MORE BEST PRACTICES/BEHAVIORS OF POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS (EXPRESS CARE, CHALLENGE GROWTH, PROVIDE SUPPORT, SHARE POWER, AND EXPAND POSSIBILITIES); YOUTH REPORTING THE PRESENCE OF ONE OR MORE BEST PRACTICE OF POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS (EXPRESS CARE, CHALLENGE GROWTH, PROVIDE SUPPORT, SHARE POWER, AND EXPAND POSSIBILITIES) DURING 4?H PROGRAMS; YOUTH DEMONSTRATING ENGAGEMENT BEYOND SIX HOURS IN 4?H OR BEYOND THEIR CLUB PROGRAM; YOUTH DEMONSTRATING KNOWLEDGE GAIN IN A SUBJECT MATTER; YOUTH WHO DEMONSTRATED BEHAVIOR CHANGE IN A SUBJECT MATTER (I.E., ADOPTION OF BEST PRACTICES, ATTAINED A NEW SKILL).

TOGETHER: TRANSFORMING AND TRANSLATING DISCOVERY TO IMPROVE HEALTH

RYAN WHITE TITLE IV WOMEN, INFANTS, CHILDREN, YOUTH AND AFFECTED FAMILY MEMBERS AIDS HEALTHCARE

INCREASING THE SUSTAINABILITY, PROFITABILITY, AND COMPETITIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL ENTERPRISES. MAINTAIN AND ENHANCE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS OF ALL TYPES AND SCALES BY IMPROVING KNOWLEDGE AND ADOPTION OF PRODUCTION EFFICIENCIES AND EFFECTIVENESS, NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND PRACTICES, AND INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT. HELP PRODUCERS AND GROWERS PROTECT THE ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF THEIR OPERATIONS THROUGH AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS PLANNING, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND SUCCESSION PLANNING. EXPLORING AND COMMUNICATING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND OTHER NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO ADDRESS AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE, AS WELL AS CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES OF CLIMATE CHANGE, INVASIVE PESTS AND PLANTS, ETC. ENHANCING AND PROTECTING WATER QUALITY, QUANTITY, AND SUPPLY. CONSERVE FLORIDA'S FINITE FRESHWATER RESOURCES BY TEACHING RURAL, SUBURBAN, AND URBAN AUDIENCES HOW TO USE LESS WATER. IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF WATER RESOURCES BY TEACHING TARGET AUDIENCES HOW TO IMPLEMENT AGRICULTURAL OR GREEN INDUSTRIES BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, FLORIDA-FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING PRINCIPLES, AND LOW-IMPACT DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS. IMPROVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT WATER ALLOCATION, USE, QUALITY, AND CONSERVATION THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATION. EXPLORING AND COMMUNICATING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND OTHER NEW TECHNOLOGIES. ENHANCING AND CONSERVING FLORIDA'S NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. IMPROVE COMMUNITY DECISION-MAKING RELATIVE TO NATURAL COASTAL RESOURCES AND POLICIES BY PROVIDING SCIENTIFIC AND ECONOMIC INFORMATION ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF VA RIOUS OPTIONS. DEVELOP AND SUSTAIN NATURAL RESOURCE ENTREPRENEUR OPPORTUNITIES BY TEACHING CLIENTELE HOW TO START AND MAINTAIN BUSINESSES WITH FOCUS ON NATURAL RESOURCES-RELATED JOBS. IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY BY TEACHING CITIZENS ABOUT THE RELEVANCE AND VALUE OF NATURAL RESOURCES TO FLORIDA'S ECONOMY. EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES TO BUILD HEALTHY LIVES THROUGH NUTRITION, WELLNESS, AND FOOD SAFETY. IMPROVE FLORIDIANS' FOOD CHOICES BY PROVIDING EDUCATION AND INTERVENTION FOR CONSUMERS, FAMILIES, AND YOUTH. EMPOWER INDIVIDUALS TO MAKE POSITIVE LIFESTYLE CHOICES THAT IMPROVE PHYSICAL HEALTH. IMPROVE FLORIDIANS' ABILITY TO HANDLE FOOD SAFELY BY PROVIDING EDUCATION AND INTERVENTION FOR CONSUMERS, FAMILIES, AND FOOD HANDLERS. MAINTAIN AND ENHANCE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS OF ALL TYPES AND SCALES BY IMPROVING KNOWLEDGE AND ADOPTION OF FOOD SAFETY. EMPOWERING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES TO ACHIEVE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SUCCESS. IMPROVE FLORIDIANS' ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND TEACH OWNERS AND RENTERS HOW TO OPERATE AND MAINTAIN THEIR HOMES. IMPROVE INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY FINANCIAL STABILITY BY TEACHING FLORIDIANS ABOUT KNOWLEDGE AND BEHAVIOR ASPECTS OF MONEY MANAGEMENT AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION. IMPROVE THE LIFESTYLE OF OLDER FLORIDIANS BY EDUCATING INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES ABOUT AGING-RELATED ISSUES. EMPOWER INDIVIDUALS TO MAKE POSITIVE LIFESTYLE CHOICES THAT IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH, STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPS, AND IMPROVE PARENTING AND CHILDCARE. IMPROVE ECONOMIC VITALITY OF FLORIDA'S COMMUNITIES BY ENGAGING COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN ASSESSMENTS, STRATEGIC PLANNING, BUSINESS/ENTREPRENEURIAL SUPPORT, AND BUILD CAPACITY BY FACILITATING COMMUNICATION, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, AND PROBLEM SOLVING AS RELATED TO COMMUNITY ISSUES AND SOCIAL CONCERNS. EDUCATE AND ASSIST COMMUNITIES IN DISASTER AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, MITIGATION, RESPONSE AND RECOVERY. PREPARING YOUTH TO BE RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS AND PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF THE WORKFORCE. ENGAGE YOUTH IN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING USING EXTENSION'S COMMUNITY-BASED 4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TO COMPLEMENT FORMAL EDUCATION THAT WILL LEAD TO AN INTEREST IN LEARNING, DEVELOPMENT OF IMPORTANT LIFE SKILLS, AND WORKFORCE READINESS. FOSTER LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS TO MAKE POSITIVE 4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT POSSIBLE BY EDUCATING CARING ADULTS ABOUT VOLUNTEERISM AND USING ADULT-YOUTH PARTNERSHIPS.

INCREASING THE SUSTAINABILITY, PROFITABILITY, AND COMPETITIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL ENTERPRISES. MAINTAIN AND ENHANCE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS OF ALL TYPES AND SCALES BY IMPROVING KNOWLEDGE AND ADOPTION OF PRODUCTION EFFICIENCIES AND EFFECTIVENESS, NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND PRACTICES, AND INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT. HELP PRODUCERS AND GROWERS PROTECT THE ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF THEIR OPERATIONS THROUGH AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS PLANNING, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND SUCCESSION PLANNING. EXPAND THE ENERGY LANDSCAPE BY TEACHING FARMERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY, VIABILITY, APPLICABILITY, AND USE OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES. EXPLORING AND COMMUNICATING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND OTHER NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO ADDRESS AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE, AS WELL AS CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES OF CLIMATE CHANGE, INVASIVE PESTS AND PLANTS, ETC. ENHANCING AND PROTECTING WATER QUALITY, QUANTITY, AND SUPPLY. CONSERVE FLORIDA'S FINITE FRESHWATER RESOURCES BY TEACHING RURAL, SUBURBAN, AND URBAN AUDIENCES HOW TO USE LESS WATER. IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF WATER RESOURCES BY TEACHING TARGET AUDIENCES HOW TO IMPLEMENT AGRICULTURAL OR GREEN INDUSTRIES BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, FLORIDA-FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING PRINCIPLES, AND LOW-IMPACT DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS. IMPROVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT WATER ALLOCATION, USE, QUALITY, AND CONSERVATION THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATION. EXPLORING AND COMMUNICATING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND OTHER NEW TECHNOLOGIES. ENHANCING AND CONSERVING FLORIDA'S NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. IM PROVE COMMUNITY DECISION-MAKING RELATIVE TO NATURAL COASTAL RESOURCES AND POLICIES BY PROVIDING SCIENTIFIC AND ECONOMIC INFORMATION ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF VARIOUS OPTIONS. DEVELOP AND SUSTAIN NATURAL RESOURCE ENTREPRENEUR OPPORTUNITIES BY TEACHING CLIENTELE HOW TO START AND MAINTAIN BUSINESSES WITH FOCUS ON NATURAL RESOURCES-RELATED JOBS. IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY BY TEACHING CITIZENS ABOUT THE RELEVANCE AND VALUE OF NATURAL RESOURCES TO FLORIDA'S ECONOMY. EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES TO BUILD HEALTHY LIVES THROUGH NUTRITION, WELLNESS, AND FOOD SAFETY. IMPROVE FLORIDIANS' FOOD CHOICES BY PROVIDING EDUCATION AND INTERVENTION FOR CONSUMERS, FAMILIES, AND YOUTH. EMPOWER INDIVIDUALS TO MAKE POSITIVE LIFESTYLE CHOICES THAT IMPROVE PHYSICAL HEALTH. IMPROVE FLORIDIANS' ABILITY TO HANDLE FOOD SAFELY BY PROVIDING EDUCATION AND INTERVENTION FOR CONSUMERS, FAMILIES, AND FOOD HANDLERS. MAINTAIN AND ENHANCE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS OF ALL TYPES AND SCALES BY IMPROVING KNOWLEDGE AND ADOPTION OF FOOD SAFETY. EMPOWERING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES TO ACHIEVE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SUCCESS. IMPROVE FLORIDIANS' ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND TEACH OWNERS AND RENTERS HOW TO OPERATE AND MAINTAIN THEIR HOMES. IMPROVE INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY FINANCIAL STABILITY BY TEACHING FLORIDIANS ABOUT KNOWLEDGE AND BEHAVIOR ASPECTS OF MONEY MANAGEMENT AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION. EMPOWER INDIVIDUALS TO MAKE POSITIVE LIFESTYLE CHOICES THAT IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH, STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPS, AND IMPROVE PARENTING AND CHILDCARE. IMPROVE ECONOMIC VITALITY OF FLORIDA'S COMMUNITIES BY ENGAGING COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN ASSESSMENTS, STRATEGIC PLANNING, BUSINESS/ENTREPRENEURIAL SUPPORT, AND BUILD CAPACITY BY FACILITATING COMMUNICATION, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, AND PROBLEM SOLVING AS RELATED TO COMMUNITY ISSUES AND SOCIAL CONCERNS. EDUCATE AND ASSIST COMMUNITIES IN DISASTER AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, MITIGATION, RESPONSE AND RECOVERY. PREPARING YOUTH TO BE RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS AND PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF THE WORKFORCE. ENGAGE YOUTH IN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING USING EXTENSION'S COMMUNITY-BASED 4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TO COMPLEMENT FORMAL EDUCATION THAT WILL LEAD TO AN INTEREST IN LEARNING, DEVELOPMENT OF IMPORTANT LIFE SKILLS, AND WORKFORCE READINESS. FOSTER LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS TO MAKE POSITIVE 4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT POSSIBLE BY EDUCATING CARING ADULTS ABOUT VOLUNTEERISM AND USING ADULT-YOUTH PARTNERSHIPS.

INCREASING THE SUSTAINABILITY, PROFITABILITY, AND COMPETITIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL ENTERPRISES. MAINTAIN AND ENHANCE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS OF ALL TYPES AND SCALES BY IMPROVING KNOWLEDGE AND ADOPTION OF PRODUCTION EFFICIENCIES AND EFFECTIVENESS, NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND PRACTICES, AND INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT. HELP PRODUCERS AND GROWERS PROTECT THE ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF THEIR OPERATIONS THROUGH AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS PLANNING, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND SUCCESSION PLANNING. EXPAND THE ENERGY LANDSCAPE BY TEACHING FARMERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY, VIABILITY, APPLICABILITY, AND USE OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES. EXPLORING AND COMMUNICATING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND OTHER NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO ADDRESS AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE, AS WELL AS CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES OF WEATHER EVENTS, INVASIVE PESTS AND PLANTS, ETC. ENHANCING AND PROTECTING WATER QUALITY, QUANTITY, AND SUPPLY. CONSERVE FLORIDA'S FINITE FRESHWATER RESOURCES BY TEACHING RURAL, SUBURBAN, AND URBAN AUDIENCES HOW TO USE LESS WATER. IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF WATER RESOURCES BY TEACHING TARGET AUDIENCES HOW TO IMPLEMENT AGRICULTURAL OR GREEN INDUSTRIES BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, FLORIDA-FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING PRINCIPLES, AND LOW-IMPACT DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS. IMPROVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT WATER ALLOCATION, USE, QUALITY, AND CONSERVATION THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATION. EXPLORING AND COMMUNICATING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND OTHER NEW TECHNOLOGIES. ENHANCING AND CONSERVING FLORIDA'S NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. IM PROVE COMMUNITY DECISION-MAKING RELATIVE TO NATURAL COASTAL RESOURCES AND POLICIES BY PROVIDING SCIENTIFIC AND ECONOMIC INFORMATION ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF VARIOUS OPTIONS. DEVELOP AND SUSTAIN NATURAL RESOURCE ENTREPRENEUR OPPORTUNITIES BY TEACHING CLIENTELE HOW TO START AND MAINTAIN BUSINESSES WITH FOCUS ON NATURAL RESOURCES-RELATED JOBS. IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY BY TEACHING CITIZENS ABOUT THE RELEVANCE AND VALUE OF NATURAL RESOURCES TO FLORIDA'S ECONOMY. ENHANCING INDIVIDUAL, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH. PROMOTE HEALTHY EATING, LOCAL FOOD ACCESS, AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY; IMPROVE FOOD SAFETY AND SUPPORT FOOD ENTREPRENEURSHIP; ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH; AND ENHANCE HOUSING STABILITY AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SKILLS. THESE EFFORTS WILL HELP INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS, IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE, AND CONTRIBUTE TO A MORE PRODUCTIVE WORKFORCE AND ECONOMY. PROGRAMS FOCUS ON PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS THAT SUPPORT HEALTHIER LIVING FOR FLORIDA RESIDENTS. STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. IMPROVE COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND DRIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH DISASTER MANAGEMENT EDUCATION, LEADERSHIP TRAINING, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND WORKFORCE AND SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT. EXTENSION WILL DELIVER PROGRAMS THAT HELP COMMUNITIES MANAGE CRISES, STRENGTHEN LEADERSHIP, AND SUPPORT JOB READINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP. THESE EFFORTS WILL ENHANCE LOCAL ECONOMIES, PROMOTE SELF-SUFFICIENCY, AND ENSURE COMMUNITIES ARE BETTER EQUIPPED TO FACE FUTURE CHALLENGES. PREPARING YOUTH TO THRIVE AS RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS AND PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF THE WORKFORCE. EQUIP YOUTH TO THRIVE AS RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS AND WORKFORCE-READY INDIVIDUALS. USING THE 4-H THRIVING MODEL, FOSTER DEVELOPMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS, DELIVER HIGH-QUALITY PROGRAMS, AND CREATE SPACES FOR YOUTH TO EXPLORE PASSIONS. TRAIN VOLUNTEERS AND EDUCATORS, ENHANCE WORKFORCE READINESS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE EDUCATION THROUGH HANDS-ON LEARNING AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, AND DRIVE STRATEGIC GROWTH TO ENGAGE 300,000 4-H YOUTH ANNUALLY.

SCALING AND SEQUENCING MOTOR OUTPUT IN HUMANS: FMRI STUDY

OPTIMIZING ECD4-IG FOR ERADICATION AND A FUNCTIONAL CURE

JOINT COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PROGRAMS AT 1862 LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS ANDUNIVERSITY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC POSTSECONDARY EDUCATIONREORGANIZATION ACT PROGRAM

MINING ACTINOMYCETAL GENOMES FOR NATURAL PRODUCT DISCOVERY AND BIOSYNTHESIS

PRECLINICAL DEVELOPMENT OF A PRECISION THERAPY FOR A MONOGENIC MENTAL HEALTH DISORDER - PROJECT SUMMARY IN THIS PROJECT, WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP PRIMARY AND SECONDARY LEAD SMALL MOLECULES INTO PRECLINICAL DRUG CANDIDATES FOR A PRECISION SYNGAP1-DEE THERAPY. THIS RESEARCH IS CONSISTENT WITH THE MISSION OF NIMH BECAUSE THIS GENETIC DISORDER IMPACTS MENTAL HEALTH AND BEHAVIOR THROUGH IMPAIRMENTS IN INTELLECTUAL AND SOCIAL ADAPTIVE FUNCTIONING. PATHOGENIC SYNGAP1 VARIANTS MAY EXPLAIN UP TO 1% OF NON-X-LINKED NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER CASES AND THE ESTIMATED PREVALENCE OF THESE MUTATIONS IS SIMILAR TO THAT OF FRAGILE X SYNDROME, OR 1-4/10,000 LIVE BIRTHS. MOST, IF NOT ALL, SYNGAP1-DEE CASES ARE CAUSED BY VARIANTS THAT LEAD TO GENETIC HAPLOINSUFFICIENCY (I.E. 50% OF NORMAL PROTEIN LEVELS). THEREFORE, A RATIONAL STRATEGY TO TREAT THESE PATIENTS IS TO DEVELOP PRECISION-BASED APPROACHES THAT “BOOST” LOW SYNGAP PROTEIN EXPRESSION IN AFFECTED BRAIN CELLS. IN PRIOR NIMH FUNDED RESEARCH, WE DEVELOPED A NOVEL PHENOTYPIC SCREENING PLATFORM, NDD-CHEMSCREEN, WHICH CAN DETECT CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL AGENTS THAT RAISE TARGET GENE/PROTEIN EXPRESSION IN HAPLOINSUFFICIENT NEURONS. THIS PLATFORM WAS USED TO DISCOVER LEAD SMALL MOLECULE COMPOUNDS THAT SUBSTANTIALLY RAISE SYNGAP PROTEIN. SMALL MOLECULES HAVE DISTINCT ADVANTAGES COMPARED TO OTHER APPROACHES FOR GENETIC DISORDERS THAT IMPACT CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM FUNCTION. THEY CAN REGULATE DISEASE- DRIVING BIOLOGY, BE DELIVERED ORALLY AND STILL CONCENTRATE IN BRAIN TISSUE, AND DOSING CAN BE EASILY ADJUSTED TO FIT INDIVIDUAL PATIENT NEEDS AND RAPIDLY RESPOND TO ADVERSE EFFECTS. WHILE THESE COMPOUNDS CURRENTLY WORK WELL IN VITRO, HERE WE WILL OPTIMIZE THROUGH ESTABLISHED PRECLINICAL DRUG DEVELOPMENT WORKFLOWS. THIS U01 RESEARCH PROJECT HAS THREE SPECIFIC AIMS. SPECIFIC AIM 1 WILL FOCUS ON OPTIMIZING THE PRIMARY LEAD, SR-1815, THROUGH MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY. WE WILL PERFORM EXTENSIVE SAR ON SR-1815 TO OPTIMIZE POTENCY, EFFICACY, BRAIN PENETRANCE, SOLUBILITY, AND OTHER DRUG-LIKE PROPERTIES (E.G., MICROSOMAL STABILITY, CYP INHIBITION) TO REACH A PRIMARY OPTIMIZED LEAD. SPECIFIC AIM 2 WILL FOCUS ON IDENTIFYING AND OPTIMIZING A SECONDARY LEAD SERIES FOR SYNGAP1-DEE WITH A CHEMICAL SCAFFOLD THAT IS DISTINCT FROM THE PRIMARY LEAD. THIS WILL DE-RISK THE OVERALL DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL MOLECULES FOR SYNGAP1-DEE BY MITIGATING UNFORESEEN DEAD-ENDS THAT CAN OCCUR DURING DEVELOPMENT OF ANY GIVEN CHEMICAL SCAFFOLD. SPECIFIC AIM 3 WILL FOCUS ON SCALE-UP AND EARLY-STAGE PRECLINICAL DEVELOPMENT OF ONE OPTIMIZED LEAD COMPOUND (I.E. THE BEST OF THE PRIMARY OR SECONDARY OPTIMIZED LEADS). THIS AIM WILL INCLUDING IN VITRO SAFETY PHARMACOLOGY TESTING AND END WITH NON- GLP DOSE-RANGE FINDING STUDIES IN TWO SPECIES TO DETERMINE TOLERABILITY AND SAFETY. THE END RESULT OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE A PRECLINICAL CANDIDATE READY FOR IND-ENABLING STUDIES, WHICH WILL BE A LAUNCH PAD FOR SUBSEQUENT CLINICAL RESEARCH PROJECTS AIMED AT IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH SYNGAP1-DEE.

ROLE OF BACTERIA IN COLITIS-ASSOCIATED COLON CANCER

INTEGRATING DATA, ALGORITHMS AND CLINICAL REASONING FOR SURGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT

GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

MOLECULAR GENETICS OF HSV REACTIVATION

JOINT COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PROGRAMS AT 1862 LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS AND UNIVERSITY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION REORGANIZATION ACT PROGRAM

NATURAL HAZARDS ENGINEERING RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE: EXPERIMENTAL FACILITY WITH BOUNDARY LAYER WIND TUNNEL 2021-2025

NSF BPC-A: INSTITUTE FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN MENTORING IN COMPUTING SCIENCES (IAAMCS)

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THIS STANDARD RESEARCH AND EXTENSION PROJECT (SREP) ADDRESSES TWO SCRI FOCUS AREAS: 1) PEST MANAGEMENT; AND 2) PLANT BREEDING AND GENETICS. A TRANS-DISCIPLINARY TEAM OF PLANT PATHOLOGISTS, ENTOMOLOGISTS, VECTOR ECOLOGISTS, A MODELER, HORTICULTURISTS, ECOPHYSIOLOGISTS, AN ECONOMIST, AND EXTENSION SPECIALISTS WILL INVESTIGATE SOLUTIONS TO A SERIOUS AND RECALCITRANT PROBLEM, LAUREL WILT, OF AN IMPORTANT SPECIALTY CROP, AVOCADO. LAUREL WILT HAS SPREAD THROUGHOUT FLORIDA SINCE 2011 AND RECENTLY REACHED TEXAS. THIS DISEASE HAS CAUSED THE ABANDONMENT OF AVOCADO PRODUCTION WHEREVER EXPENSIVE CONTROL MEASURES HAVE NOT BEEN USED. IF ADEQUATE SOLUTIONS FOR THIS PROBLEM ARE NOT FOUND, COMMERCIAL AVOCADO PRODUCTION MAY BECOME IMPOSSIBLE IN FLORIDA, AND AS THE DISEASE SPREADS SIGNIFICANT AVOCADO PRODUCTION COULD EVENTUALLY BE IMPACTED IN OTHER STATES (E.G. CALIFORNIA AND HAWAII), US PROTECTORATES (PUERTO RICO), AND OTHER COUNTRIES. COST-EFFECTIVE MEASURES TO MANAGE LAUREL WILT ARE NEEDED, BUT WILL REQUIRE NEW INFORMATION IN SEVERAL KEY AREAS. THE PROPOSED WORK WILL FILL CRITICAL DATA GAPS, UTILIZE NEW INFORMATION TO MANAGE THIS PROBLEM, AND INFORM STAKEHOLDERS IN FLORIDA, TEXAS AND CALIFORNIA OF THE DISEASE'S STATUS AND ADVANCES IN ITS MANAGEMENT. INFORMATION WILL BE PRESENTED IN DIVERSE FORMATS IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH DUE TO A SIGNIFICANT HISPANIC CLIENTELE. THE PROPOSED WORK HAS SIGNIFICANT STAKEHOLDER SUPPORT AND INTEREST IN ALL US COMMERCIAL AVOCADO PRODUCTION AREAS. SUBSTANTIAL STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ENSURES BROAD AND TIMELY DISSEMINATION OF PROJECT OUTPUTS, AS WELL AS STAKEHOLDER INPUT ON PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.

RECOMBINANT ATTENUATED BACTERIAL VACCINES AGAINST BIODEFENSE AGENTS

JOINT COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PROGRAMS AT 1862 LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS AND UNIVERSITY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION REORGANIZATION ACT PROGRAM

JOINT COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PROGRAMS AT 1862 LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS AND UNIVERSITY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION REORGANIZATION ACT PROGRAM

ENHANCED ECHINOBASE: A COMMUNITY GENOME RESOURCE FOR THE FUTURE

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** IN THE U.S., AGRICULTURE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR 9.4% OF TOTAL GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG) EMISSIONS (EPA, 2023). THAT SAME REPORT STATES THAT IN 2021, METHANE PRODUCED FROM ENTERIC FERMENTATION IN THE U.S. ACCOUNTED FOR 194.9 MILLION METRIC TONS (MMT) OF CARBON DIOXIDE EQUIVALENT (CO2EQ.). THIS REPRESENTS 3.1% OF THE TOTAL U.S. EMISSIONS, OR 33% OF TOTAL AGRICULTURAL EMISSIONS. HOWEVER, GIVEN THE SIZE OF THE LIVESTOCK SECTOR, IN 2021, METHANE PRODUCED FROM ENTERIC FERMENTATION IN THE U.S. WAS EQUIVALENT TO 66% OF THE TOTAL GHG OF SPAIN. WHEN CONTRASTING THE CONTRIBUTION OF THIS IMPORTANT SEGMENT OF THE U.S. ECONOMY WITH THE TOTAL GHG EMISSIONS OF AN INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRY LIKE SPAIN, WHICH IN ADDITION HAS A SIZEABLE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY, IT BECOMES EVIDENT THAT THERE IS AN IMPERATIVE NEED TO ADDRESS ENTERIC METHANE EMISSIONS DOMESTICALLY TO CONTRIBUTE GLOBALLY TO ONE OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGES OF ALL TIMES: SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION FOR AN EVER-GROWING POPULATION.AS WE MOVE TOWARD THE NEXT COUPLE OF DECADES, THE WORLD'S AGRICULTURE WILL FACE ONE OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGES OF ALL TIME: TO PRODUCE ENOUGH FOOD TO FEED THE 9 BILLION PEOPLE THE EARTH WILL HOLD BY 2050. WITHOUT QUESTION, THIS WILL DEMAND THE CONCERTED EFFORTS OF PRODUCERS, RESEARCHERS, AND POLICYMAKERS TO PROVIDE THE EXPERIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK NECESSARY TO ACCOMPLISH SUCH A DIFFICULT ENDEAVOR. AMONG THE DIFFERENT SOURCES OF ANIMAL PROTEIN, BEEF IS THE MOST NUTRIENT DENSE ON A PER CALORIE BASIS, SUPPLYING SEVERAL OF THE ESSENTIAL VITAMINS AND MINERALS WITH A RELATIVELY LOW CALORIC INTAKE PER SERVING.RUMINANTS SUCH AS CATTLE, SHEEP, AND GOATS HAVE A UNIQUE ADVANTAGE OVER NON-RUMINANTS IN TERMS OF NUTRITIONAL PHYSIOLOGY, BECAUSE THEY CARRY MICROORGANISMS IN THEIR GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT (GIT) THAT HOLD THE KEY TO THE DIGESTION OF FIBER. FIBER IS PRESENT IN FORAGES IN THE FORM OF CELLULOSE AND IS THE MOST ABUNDANT COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATE ON EARTH. BY HARBORING MICROORGANISMS IN THEIR GIT, RUMINANTS CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FIBER DIGESTION BY CREATING A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MICROBES AND THE RUMINANT HOST. THE MICROBES DIGEST THE FIBER AND PRODUCE BY-PRODUCTS KNOWN AS VOLATILE FATTY ACIDS, WHICH ARE IN TURN USED BY THE RUMINANT ANIMAL AS AN ENERGY SOURCE. IN RETURN, THE RUMINANT HOST PROVIDES A GOOD ENVIRONMENT FOR THE MICROORGANISMS AND PLENTY OF FEED TO SUSTAIN THEIR GROWTH. FOR THIS REASON, CATTLE, SHEEP, AND GOATS CAN THRIVE IN ENVIRONMENTS WHERE NO OTHER TYPE OF PRODUCTION SYSTEM CAN TAKE PLACE.UNFORTUNATELY, THIS ADVANTAGE BY RUMINANTS IN TERMS OF THEIR ABILITY TO DIGEST FIBER COMES AT A COST. THE PRODUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GASES SUCH AS CARBON DIOXIDE AND METHANE IS A RESULT OF THE ENTERIC FERMENTATION OF FEEDSTUFFS, AND THOSE GREENHOUSE GASES ARE RELEASED BY CATTLE AS A NECESSARY BYPRODUCT OF THEIR FERMENTATION OF FIBROUS FEEDS. THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT OF CERTAIN GASES REFERS TO THEIR ABILITY TO TRAP THE HEAT THAT IS GENERATED WHEN THE SUN RADIATION BOUNCES BACK AFTER,HITTING THE EARTH'S SURFACE. THAT RADIATION CANNOT ESCAPE, AND THUS INCREASES THE ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE, AFFECTING BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN DIVERSE MANNERS. THOSE GASES WITH SUCH CAPACITY TO RETAIN HEAT ARE CALLED GREENHOUSE GASES (GHG), AND THE THREE MOST COMMON GASES ARE CARBON DIOXIDE, METHANE, AND NITROUS OXIDE.THE ABILITY TO PRODUCE METHANE, THE MAIN CONTRIBUTOR OF THE GHG EMITTED BY CATTLE, IS MUCH GREATER IN ANIMALS CONSUMING FORAGE THAN THOSE CONSUMING A HIGH-GRAIN DIET. THUS, SEGMENTS OF BEEF PRODUCTION CHAIN THAT INVOLVE THE USE OF FORAGES AS THE MAIN RESOURCE ARE GREATER CONTRIBUTORS IN TERMS OF GHG EMISSIONS.BEEF AND DAIRY CATTLE, SWINE, HORSES AND SMALL RUMINANTS ARE ALL CONTRIBUTORS TO THE 194.9 MMT OF CO2EQ. PRODUCED VIA ENTERIC FERMENTATION IN THE U.S. HOWEVER, BEEF CATTLE ARE THE GREATEST CONTRIBUTORS BY FAR, WITH 71% OF TOTAL ENTERIC METHANE, DISTANTLY FOLLOWED BY DAIRY CATTLE WHICH CONTRIBUTE WITH 25% OF THOSE EMISSIONS (EPA, 2023). BASED ON THESE STATISTICS, RESEARCH EFFORTS TO MITIGATE ENTERIC METHANE EMISSIONS SHOULD BEGIN TO FOCUS MORE ON BEEF PRODUCTION SYSTEMS, AND PARTICULARLY THOSE SEGMENTS OF THE INDUSTRY IN WHICH FORAGES PLAY A LARGE ROLE (E.G., COW-CALF, STOCKER, ETC.).CURRENTLY AVAILABLE STRATEGIES TO MITIGATE METHANE ARE VERY FEW, AND MOST OF THEM ARE FACING REGULATORY CHALLENGES BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THEIR PRODUCTION (E.G., SYNTHETIC MOLECULES) OR BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL TOXICITY (E.G., MACROALGAE FEEDING). THE TWO MOST PROMISING FEED ADDITIVES FOR ENTERIC METHANE MITIGATION IN THE U.S. ARE EITHER NOT APPROVED AS OF YET, OR MAY POSE ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES IN TERMS OF FOOD SAFETY OR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. IT IS QUITE CONCERNING THAT THE FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY OF ANIMAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN TERMS OF CARBON FOOTPRINT, RELIES ON SUCH FEW TOOLS, AND ALMOST NONE WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR IMMEDIATE WIDESPREAD USE AND IMPACT. TO GUARANTEE THE LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY OF LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS IN THE U.S., ACTION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN IMMEDIATELY TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GREATER PORTFOLIO OF FEED ADDITIVES WITH POTENTIAL TO DECREASE METHANE EMISSIONS.THIS PROJECT IS POISED TOOUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO REDUCE THE ENTERIC CH4 EMISSIONS IN THE U.S. LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY WITH CONCOMITANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SUSTAINABILITY OF COW-CALF AND STOCKING SYSTEMS. OUR OVERALL OBJECTIVE IS TO DEVELOP THE NEXT GENERATION OF SAFE, EFFICACIOUS, AND AFFORDABLE FEED ADDITIVES TO MITIGATE ENTERIC METHANE EMISSIONS IN RUMINANTS. WE ARE PARTICULARLY WELL PREPARED TO CONDUCT THE PROPOSED RESEARCH DUE TO OUR UNIQUE ACCESS TO MULTIPLE RESEARCH HERDS AND FACILITIES TO SIMULTANEOUSLY CONDUCT THE MULTIPLE STUDIES REQUIRED TO MEET OUR OBJECTIVES. IN ADDITION, WE HAVE ASSEMBLED A TEAM THAT COMBINES RUMINANT NUTRITIONISTS, FORAGE AGRONOMISTS, CHEMISTS, BIOCHEMISTS, MICROBIOLOGISTS, AND EXTENSION STATE SPECIALISTS, EACH OF WHOM HAS VAST EXPERTISE AND PUBLICATIONS RECORDS IN THE DIFFERENT AREAS OF THIS PROJECT. THUS, THE AVAILABLE RESOURCES AND COMPLEMENTARY EX,PERTISE OF OUR GROUP ARE ESPECIALLY CONDUCIVE TO THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE PROPOSED INVESTIGATIONS.WE PLAN TO ACCOMPLISH OUR OVERALL OBJECTIVE FOR THIS PROJECT BY PURSUING THE FOLLOWING FOUR SUPPORTING OBJECTIVES:OBJECTIVE 1: PRODUCTION AND PURIFICATION OF IMMUNOGENS AND 2-HYDROXYETHYLPHOSPHONATE (HEP) OBJECTIVE 2: OPTIMIZATION OF THE DOSE AND IMPACT ON MICROBIOME AND DIGESTIBILITYOBJECTIVE 3: DEPLOYMENT AND DELIVERY OF NEW ADDITIVES OBJECTIVE 4: EXTENSION AND OUTREACH TO ASSESS ADOPTION RATE AND IMPACT ON STAKEHOLDERSTHE EXPECTED RESULTS FROM THIS STUDY ARE THAT THESE ADDITIVES MAY CONTRIBUTE TO A REDUCTION OF A MINIMUM OF 25% IN U.S. ENTERIC METHANE EMISSIONS, WHICH WOULD AMOUNT TO 48 MILLION METRIC TONS OF CARBON DIOXIDE EQUIVALENT PER YEAR. PUT IN CONTEXT, THESE EMISSION REDUCTIONS ARE EQUIVALENT TO THE TOTAL EMISSIONS PRODUCED BY THE STATE OF NEBRASKA IN ONE YEAR, INCLUDING ALL THE DIFFERENT SEGMENTS OF THE STATE'S ECONOMY (ENERGY, TRANSPORTATION, AGRICULTURE, ETC.).THE ANTICIPATED IMPACT OF THIS PROJECT IS THE ABILITY TO MAINTAIN THE CURRENT LEVELS OF ANIMAL PROTEIN PRODUCTION THAT HAVE MADE THE U.S. AGRICULTURE SO COMPETITIVE OVER THE YEARS, WHILE REDUCING SIGNIFICANTLY THE EMISSIONS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. THE WORLD IS CURRENTLY DESPERATELY SEARCHING FOR ALTERNATIVES TO DECREASE THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF FOOD PRODUCTION. THE DEVELOPMENT OF AFFORDABLE AND READY-TO-USE ADDITIVES FOR THE LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY WITH THE POTENTIAL TO DECREASE ENTERIC METHANE WILL POSITION THE U.S. AS A LEADER IN CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE, WHILE PROVIDING ITS PRODUCERS WITH A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN TERMS OF TECHNOLOGY.

U-FUTURES--UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA UNITES TEACHERS TO REFORM EDUCATION IN SCIENCE

EXTENDING THE FLORIDA PATHWAYS 2 SUCCESS PARTNERSHIP TO INCREASE ENGAGEMENT, RETENTION, AND SUCCESS OF LOW-INCOME UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS -THIS PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE NATIONAL NEED FOR WELL-EDUCATED SCIENTISTS, MATHEMATICIANS, ENGINEERS, AND TECHNICIANS BY SUPPORTING THE RETENTION AND GRADUATION OF HIGH-ACHIEVING, LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED AT MIAMI DADE COLLEGE (MDC), AN HSI THAT PRIMARILY AWARDS TWO-YEAR A.A. DEGREES, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA (UF), A COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY. OVER ITS FIVE-YEAR DURATION, THIS PROJECT WILL FUND SCHOLARSHIPS TO 200 UNIQUE STUDENTS: PRE-TRANSFER A.A. LIFE SCIENCES STUDENTS AT MDC; POST-TRANSFER B.S. MICROBIOLOGY AND CELL SCIENCE (MCS) MAJORS AT UF; OR STUDENTS WHO ARE SEEKING AN M.S. IN MCS AT UF. ALTHOUGH THE INDIVIDUAL TIMELINES MAY VARY, STUDENTS WHO ENROLL FULL-TIME WILL USUALLY RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIPS OF UP TO 2 YEARS AT EACH LEVEL (I.E., WHILE PURSUING ASSOCIATE, BACHELOR'S, AND MASTER'S DEGREES). MIAMI DADE COLLEGE ENROLLS A LARGE DIVERSE POPULATION OF UNDERGRADUATES, AND TRANSFER STUDENTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE FROM GROUPS HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED IN STEM, INCLUDING WOMEN, VETERANS, AND FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS. CONSEQUENTLY, THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SIGNIFICANTLY BROADEN PARTICIPATION IN THE STEM ENTERPRISE AND TO IDENTIFY KEY FACTORS THAT AFFECT RETENTION AND SUCCESS OF LOW-INCOME TRANSFER STUDENTS. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO INCREASE ACCESS BY OFFERING ONLINE OPTIONS FOR SCHOLARS PURSUING B.S. AND M.S. DEGREES THROUGH MCS. ONLINE EDUCATION FURTHER EXTENDS OPPORTUNITIES TO NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS INCLUDING ADULT LEARNERS, STUDENT PARENTS, AND INDIVIDUALS FROM UNDERSERVED AREAS. BY LEVERAGING A STATEWIDE NETWORK OF RESEARCH FACILITIES AND EXISTING ONLINE COURSE-BASED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES, BOTH IN-PERSON AND ONLINE SCHOLARS WILL BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN FACULTY-MENTORED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO INCREASE STEM DEGREE COMPLETION OF LOW-INCOME, HIGH-ACHIEVING UNDERGRADUATES WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED. THIS PROJECT IS INFORMED BY THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM A PRIOR S-STEM PROJECT AT MDC AND UF THAT HAS AWARDED OVER 400 SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDENTS PURSUING ASSOCIATE AND BACHELOR'S DEGREES. PROJECT RESEARCH WILL USE FOCUS GROUPS, STUDENT SURVEYS, INSTITUTIONAL DATA, AND EXISTING S-STEM DATA FROM 2018 TO INVESTIGATE HOW CHANGES TO THE FAFSA IN 2024 IMPACT ELIGIBILITY AND AWARDS AMOUNTS FOR SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS. THE RESEARCH PLAN WILL ALSO EXPLORE THE LONGER-TERM IMPACTS OF SCHOLARSHIPS ON TRANSFER, GRADUATION, AND PERSISTENCE IN STEM AND IDENTIFY BARRIERS AND SUCCESSFUL INTERVENTIONS IN THE A.A. TO B.S. TRANSFER PROCESS. THE PROJECT WILL BE ASSESSED BY A QUALIFIED INDEPENDENT EVALUATOR TO ENSURE PROGRESS TOWARD PROJECT GOALS AND IDENTIFY ELEMENTS OF THE PROJECT THAT MOST EFFECTIVELY DRIVE STUDENT SUCCESS. RESULTS OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH PRESENTATIONS AT STEM EDUCATION CONFERENCES, INFORMATIONAL WEBINARS, AND PUBLICATIONS IN PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY NSF?S SCHOLARSHIPS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS PROGRAM, WHICH SEEKS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF LOW-INCOME ACADEMICALLY TALENTED STUDENTS WITH DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED WHO EARN DEGREES IN STEM FIELDS. IT ALSO AIMS TO IMPROVE THE EDUCATION OF FUTURE STEM WORKERS, AND TO GENERATE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ACADEMIC SUCCESS, RETENTION, TRANSFER, GRADUATION, AND ACADEMIC/CAREER PATHWAYS OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS. 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.

RYAN WHITE TITLE IV WOMEN, INFANTS, CHILDREN, YOUTH AND AFFECTED FAMILY MEMBERS AIDS HEALTHCARE

DEFINING TARGETS FOR TIC DETECTION AND SUPPRESSION IN TOURETTE SYNDROME DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION - PROJECT SUMMARY TOURETTE SYNDROME (TS) IS A CONTINUOUS LIFELONG CONDITION THAT IS HIGHLY PREVALENT, SOCIALLY DISABLING, AND IN SOME SEVERE CASES, PHYSICALLY INJURIOUS. DBS HAS EMERGED AS A PROMISING TREATMENT OPTION FOR ADDRESSING UNCONTROLLABLE TICS IN MEDICALLY RESISTANT AND SEVERE CASES OF TS FREQUENTLY INVOLVING SELF-INJURIOUS BEHAVIOR. WE HAVE UNDERTAKEN A MAJOR INFORMATICS INITIATIVE BY ESTABLISHING THE INTERNATIONAL TS DBS REGISTRY AND DATABASE, A MULTI-COUNTRY CONSORTIUM THAT HAS CAPTURED LONG TERM OUTCOMES OF 277 TS DBS PATIENTS REPRESENTING 50-75% OF ALL TS DBS CASES WORLDWIDE. FROM THESE OUTCOMES, TWO DEEP BRAIN TARGETS HAVE EMERGED AS POTENTIALLY EFFECTIVE: THE CENTROMEDIAN NUCLEUS REGION (CM) OF THE THALAMUS, AND THE ANTERIOR GLOBUS PALLIDUS INTERNUS (AGPI). HOWEVER, OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF TIC GENERATION IS LIMITED BY MANY FACTORS INCLUDING A LACK OF ANIMAL MODELS FOR TS, APPARENTLY NORMAL BRAIN STRUCTURE ON STRUCTURAL IMAGING, AND THE IMPRACTICALITY OF STUDYING INVOLUNTARY MOTOR TICS WITH FUNCTIONAL IMAGING. NEXT GENERATION CLOSED-LOOP DBS SYSTEMS CAN RECORD BRAIN ACTIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH TS AND IDENTIFY THE NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF TICS. MOREOVER, THESE DEVICES CAN DELIVER STIMULATION IN RESPONSE TO A PATIENT'S SYMPTOMATIC STATE. OUR OVERALL GOAL IS TO DEVELOP NEUROPHYSIOLOGY DRIVEN AND CONNECTIVITY-GUIDED CLOSED-LOOP DBS SYSTEMS FOR THE IMPROVED TREATMENT OF TS. TO THIS END, WE WILL IMPLANT 8 MEDICALLY RESISTANT TS PATIENTS WITH BILATERAL LEADS IN THE CM AND AGPI. IN AIM 1, WE WILL IDENTIFY STRUCTURAL NETWORK PROJECTIONS FROM CM AND AGPI TO GUIDE PRE-OPERATIVE SURGICAL PLANNING AND POST-OPERATIVE SELECTION OF STIMULATION PARAMETERS. IN AIM 2, WE WILL IDENTIFY NEUROPHYSIOLOGIC CORRELATES OF TIC GENESIS IN THE CM AND AGPI. WE WILL ALSO STUDY THALAMO-PALLIDAL NETWORK INTERACTIONS LEADING TO AND DURING TICS. IN AIM 3, WE WILL TEST THE FEASIBILITY, SAFETY, AND EFFICACY OF CLOSED-LOOP TS DBS. WE EXPECT THAT CLOSED-LOOP STIMULATION WILL PROVIDE MORE EFFECTIVE AND PERSONALIZED TREATMENT OPTIONS WITH LONGER BATTERY LIFE AND FEWER ADVERSE EFFECTS.

MANAGEMENTS OF INSECTS, DISEASES, AND WEEDS IN THE FIELD ARE ESSENTIAL FOR AGRICULTURE. ANY PESTICIDES USE ON CROPS MUST BE PRE-APPROVED AND REGISTERED BY EPA TO ENSURE ITS RESIDUE LEVELS IS SAFE FOR CONSUMERS. AMERICAN FARMERS GROWER SEVERAL HUNDRED TYPES OF SPECIALTY CROPS, WHICH INCLUDE FRUITS, VEGETABLES, TREE NUTS, FORESTRY, LANDSCAPE AND FLORAL CROPS. THESE CROPS ARE VALUED NATIONALLY AT $50 BILLION; HOWEVER, ANNUAL LOSSES FROM PESTS, DISEASES AND WEEDS ARE ESTIMATED AT 15%-30% OF TOTAL PRODUCTION. SPECIALTY CROP FARMERS FREQUENTLY FIND THAT NO PESTICIDE WAS REGISTERED TO CONTROL AN INSECT OR A DISEASE ON THEIR CROP. THE OBJECTIVE OF IR-4 IS TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE. EACH YEAR, PEST CONTROL NEEDS ARE COLLECTED AND PRIORITIZED. FIELD AND LAB TESTS ARE CONDUCTED TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY AND RESIDUE LEVELS. THESE DATA ARE COMPILED INTO PETITIONS AND SUBMITTED TO EPA. APPROVAL OF PETITIONS GIVES FARMERS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE PEST MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS FOR SPECIALTY CROP.

DEVELOPMENT AND FABRICATION OF NANOELECTRONIC DEVICES AND SENSORS

MULTISCALE MODELING OF THE BATTLE OVER IRON IN INVASIVE LUNG INFECTION

THE UPPER FLORIDAN AQUIFER (UFA) SUPPORTS AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES THAT GENERATE OVER $7.5 BILLION ANNUALLY. COMPETITION AMONG WATER USERS, AND STRICT ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS, THREATEN AGRICULTURAL WATER SECURITY. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ENSURE ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF AGRICULTURE AND SILVICULTURE IN N FLORIDA AND S GEORGIA WHILE PROTECTING WATER QUANTITY, QUALITY, AND HABITAT IN THE UFA AND THE SPRINGS AND RIVERS IT FEEDS. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL WE WILL: 1) BUILD A COMPREHENSIVE MODELING PLATFORM WITHIN A PARTICIPATORY MODELING PROCESS TO PREDICT FARM/FOREST- AND REGIONAL-SCALE IMPACTS OF ALTERNATIVE LAND USE AND PRODUCTION PRACTICES ON THE WATER QUANTITY, WATER QUALITY, AND ECONOMY OF N FLORIDA AND S GEORGIA; 2) INTEGRATE STAKEHOLDERS' EXPERIENCE WITH SCIENTIFIC DATA AND MODELS TO EXPLORE ECONOMIC-ENVIRONMENTAL TRADEOFFS AMONG ALTERNATIVE CLIMATE, LAND USE, TECHNOLOGY, BMP ADOPTION AND POLICY SCENARIOS TO UNDERSTAND CHANGES NEEDED TO ACHIEVE AGRICULTURAL WATER SECURITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION; 3) DEVELOP AND DELIVER INNOVATIVE EXTENSION BMP DEMONSTRATIONS, DIGITAL DECISION TOOLKITS AND TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR DIVERSE STAKEHOLDERS TO BRING ABOUT PREFERRED CHANGES IN PRODUCTION SYSTEMS AND INCENTIVE PROGRAMS. IN ADDITION WE WILL TRAIN A TRANSDISCIPLINARY COHORT OF 8 GRADUATE STUDENTS AND 5 POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHERS TO ADDRESS COMPLEX AGRICULTURAL WATER ISSUES.

ENGINEERING A HUMAN PHYSIOMIMETIC ISLET MICROSYSTEM

A SCALABLE NEURON-BASED HIGH-THROUGHPUT SCREENING PLATFORM FOR THE DISCOVERY OF COMPOUNDS THAT RESTORE PROTEIN EXPRESSION CAUSED BY GENETIC HAPLOINSUFFICIENCY

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** AGRICULTURAL WATER SHORTAGE PROBLEMS ARISE FROM DETERIORATING QUALITY, GROUNDWATER DEPLETION, UNCERTAINTIES IN PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH CLIMATE CHANGE, AND UNSUSTAINABLE FRESHWATER USAGE. FOOD PRODUCERS ARE UNDER GROWING PRESSURE TO INCREASE CROP PRODUCTION USING SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES, AND ISSUES SUCH AS SOIL SALINIZATION, GROUNDWATER OVERDRAFT, AND OVER ALLOCATION OF AVAILABLE SURFACE WATER APPLY EXCESS BURDEN TO A TENSE SITUATION. WITH CAREFUL MANAGEMENT OF RETURN FLOWS AND AQUIFER RECHARGE, SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR CLOSING WATER GAPS BY IRRIGATING CROPS WITH ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCES (AWS) SUCH AS BRACKISH GROUNDWATER OR TREATED WASTEWATER. IN THE US, TOTAL WITHDRAWALS FOR CROP IRRIGATION ARE AT LEAST 350 BILLION GALLONS PER DAY; FRESHWATER MAKING UP MORE THAN 85% OF THE TOTAL. INTEGRATED WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND REUSE (IWTR) HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CLOSE THE WATER GAP IN SOME STATES BY MORE THAN 2 BILLION ACRE-FEET, AND IN SOME CASES AT LEAST DOUBLE WATER-USE EFFICIENCY.IN ADDITION, IRRIGATION WITH AWS HAS MANY INDIRECT BENEFITS SUCH AS: 1) REDUCED TENSION FOR WATER USERS, 2) CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION, 3) INCREASED FOOD SECURITY, 4) PROTECTION OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, 5) DECREASED PUMPING COSTS, AND 6) FERTILIZER SAVINGS. HOWEVER, IRRIGATION WITH AWS ALSO BRINGS RISK OF SALINIZATION AND/OR CONTAMINATION OF FOOD WITH PATHOGENIC ORGANISMS. THUS, ECONOMIC AND PUBLIC HEALTH RISKS MUST BE CAREFULLY MANAGED FOR AWS REUSE, PARTICULARLY WHEN FOCUSING ON FRESH PRODUCE, AS 684 OUTBREAKS AND 26,735 ILLNESSES HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH FRESH PRODUCE OVER A TEN-YEAR PERIOD IN THE US.THIS COORDINATED AGRICULTURAL PROJECT (CAP) FOCUSES ON REDUCING OVERALL FRESHWATER USE BY DEVELOPING NEW SMART IRRIGATION SYSTEMS EMPHASIZING THE QUALITY OF ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCES WITH POTENTIAL PATHOGEN CONTAMINATION (SMARTPATH). WE WILL DEVELOP INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE SOLUTIONS FOR ON-FARM WATER MANAGEMENT, ENABLING SMALL FARMERS THAT DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A NEARBY ANALYTICAL LAB SERVICE TO MEET REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS FOR WATER QUALITY TESTING WITHIN EIGHT HOURS OF SAMPLING. TREATMENT SYSTEMS WILL BE COUPLED WITH SENSING SYSTEMS FOR MEASURING PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CONSTITUENTS INCLUDING: TEMPERATURE, PH, SALINITY (IONS), DISSOLVED OXYGEN, NITRATE AND PHOSPHATE, INDICATOR ORGANISMS, AND PATHOGENIC BACTERIA USING A COUPLED DEEP LEARNING-PARTICIPATORY MONITORING STRATEGIC PLATFORM. SENSORS WILL BE INTEGRATED INTO A WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK WITH DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING GROWERS WITH RAPID FEEDBACK ON SYSTEM STATUS, INCLUDING ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY. TO ENSURE BROAD APPLICABILITY, WE WILL FOCUS ON 4 KEY REGIONS OF THE US WITH VARYING DROUGHT CONDITIONS (FLORIDA, TEXAS, IOWA AND MARYLAND) AND THREE TYPES OF ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCES (TREATED DOMESTIC WASTEWATER, BRACKISH GROUNDWATER, AND SURFACE WATER THAT DOES NOT MEET REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS). THROUGH LABORATORY TESTING IN OUR ONE-OF-A-KIND TESTBED FACILITY (UF) AND FIELD CASE STUDIES (ALL REGIONS), SMARTPATH WILL DEVELOP AND VALIDATE SMART WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS COUPLED WITH SENSORS FOR A VARIETY OF SCENARIOS. THIS CAP WILL INCREASE THE USE OF ALTERNATIVE WATER FOR IRRIGATION OF FRESH PRODUCE, THEREIN DECREASING FRESHWATER WITHDRAWALS AND CLOSING BASIN WATER GAPS. SMARTPATH WILL TRAIN A TRANSDISCIPLINARY COHORT OF 12 GRADUATE STUDENTS AND 20 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, AND WE WILL INTERACT WITH OVER 1,000 STUDENTS PER YEAR THROUGH VARIOUS FORMAL AND INFORMAL TEACHING ACTIVITIES. WE ANTICIPATE REACHING AT LEAST 1,000 STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH INTEGRATED EXTENSION, RESEARCH, AND EDUCATION EFFORTS THAT INCLUDE HANDS ON WORKSHOPS AND OPEN SOURCE ONLINE LEARNING MODULES IN 2D AND 3D.

MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF INTESTINAL METAL ION TRANSPORT DURING IRON-DEFICIENCY

WEB-BASED AUTOMATED IMAGING DIFFERENTIATION OF PARKINSONISM - SUMMARY ACROSS THE GLOBE, THERE HAS BEEN A CONSIDERABLE GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE DIAGNOSED WITH PARKINSONISM. ESTIMATES INDICATE THAT FROM 1990 TO 2015 THE NUMBER OF PARKINSONISM DIAGNOSES DOUBLED, WITH MORE THAN 6 MILLION PEOPLE CURRENTLY CARRYING THE DIAGNOSIS, AND BY YEAR 2040, 12 AND 14.2 MILLION PEOPLE WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH PARKINSONISM. PARKINSON’S DISEASE (PD), MULTIPLE SYSTEM ATROPHY PARKINSONIAN VARIANT (MSAP), AND PROGRESSIVE SUPRANUCLEAR PALSY (PSP) ARE NEURODEGENERATIVE FORMS OF PARKINSONISM, WHICH CAN BE DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE AS THEY SHARE SIMILAR MOTOR AND NON-MOTOR FEATURES, AND THEY EACH HAVE AN INCREASED CHANCE OF DEVELOPING DEMENTIA. IN THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF A PD DIAGNOSIS, ABOUT 58% OF PD ARE MISDIAGNOSED, AND OF THESE MISDIAGNOSES ABOUT HALF HAVE EITHER MSA OR PSP. SINCE PD, MSAP, AND PSP REQUIRE UNIQUE TREATMENT PLANS AND DIFFERENT MEDICATIONS, AND CLINICAL TRIALS TESTING NEW MEDICATIONS REQUIRE THE CORRECT DIAGNOSIS, THERE IS AN URGENT NEED FOR BOTH CLINIC READY AND CLINICAL-TRIAL READY MARKERS FOR DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF PD, MSAP, AND PSP. OVER THE PAST DECADE, WE HAVE DEVELOPED DIFFUSION IMAGING AS AN INNOVATIVE BIOMARKER FOR DIFFERENTIATING PD, MSAP, AND PSP. IN THIS PROPOSAL, WE WILL LEVERAGE OUR EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE TO CREATE A WEB-BASED SOFTWARE TOOL THAT CAN PROCESS DIFFUSION IMAGING DATA FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. WE WILL DISSEMINATE AND TEST THE TOOL IN THE LARGEST PROSPECTIVE COHORT OF PARTICIPANTS WITH PARKINSONISM (PD, MSAP, PSP), WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE PARKINSON STUDY GROUP. THE REASON TO TEST THIS IN THE PARKINSON STUDY GROUP NETWORK, IS BECAUSE THEY ARE THE COMMUNITY THAT EVALUATES PHASE II AND PHASE III CLINICAL TRIALS IN PARKINSONISM. THIS WEB-BASED SOFTWARE TOOL WILL BE CAPABLE OF READING RAW DIFFUSION IMAGING DATA, PERFORMING QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCEDURES, ANALYZING THE DATA USING A VALIDATED PIPELINE, AND PROVIDING IMAGING METRICS AND DIAGNOSTIC PROBABILITY. WE WILL TEST THE PERFORMANCE OF THE WAID-P BY ENROLLING 315 TOTAL SUBJECTS (105 PD, 105 MSAP, 105 PSP) ACROSS 21 SITES IN THE PARKINSON STUDY GROUP. EACH SITE WILL PERFORM IMAGING, CLINICAL SCALES, DIAGNOSIS, AND WILL UPLOAD THE DATA TO THE WEB-BASED SOFTWARE TOOL. THE CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS WILL BE BLINDED TO THE DIAGNOSTIC ALGORITHM AND THE IMAGING DIAGNOSIS WILL BE COMPARED TO THE MOVEMENT DISORDERS TRAINED NEUROLOGIST DIAGNOSIS. WE WILL ALSO ENROLL A PORTION OF THE COHORT INTO A BRAIN BANK TO ASCERTAIN PATHOLOGICAL CONFIRMATION AND TO TEST THE ALGORITHM AGAINST CASES WITH POST-MORTEM DIAGNOSES. THE FINAL OUTCOME WILL BE TO DISSEMINATE A VALIDATED DIAGNOSTIC ALGORITHM TO THE PARKINSON NEUROLOGICAL AND RADIOLOGICAL COMMUNITY AND TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO ALL ON A WEBSITE.

CURE-HCV: COMMUNITY-BASED UPTAKE OF RAPID EVALUATION AND HCV TREATMENT - THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA (UF) IS LAUNCHING CURE-HCV, A BOLD, COMMUNITY-DRIVEN PILOT TO ELIMINATE HEPATITIS C AMONG NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA'S POPULATIONS FACING THE GREATEST HEALTH BURDEN. DESIGNED TO DELIVER SAME-DAY HCV TESTING AND TREATMENT, CURE-HCV MEETS PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE - ON THE STREET, IN EMERGENCY ROOMS, AND IN RECOVERY CENTERS WITHIN COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY HOMELESSNESS, SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDER (SUD), AND SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS (SMI). THIS INNOVATIVE INITIATIVE WILL BE IMPLEMENTED ACROSS MULTIPLE UF SITES, INCLUDING THE MOBILE OUTREACH CLINIC AND STREET MEDICINE PROGRAM, EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT (ED), AND FLORIDA RECOVERY CENTER, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UF HEALTH AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS. THE CATCHMENT AREA INCLUDES GAINESVILLE - WHICH HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST RATES OF UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS IN THE UNITED STATES - AND WILL EXPAND TO JACKSONVILLE, AN AREA WITH HIGH HIV PREVALENCE AND SIGNIFICANT SUBSTANCE USE CHALLENGES. OVER THREE YEARS, WE AIM TO CURE 180-225 INDIVIDUALS WITH HCV, INCLUDING 55-65 PATIENTS IN YEAR 1 AND 60-80 IN EACH OF YEARS 2 AND 3. THE TARGET POPULATION COMPRISES INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS (GREATER THAN 70%), THOSE WHO ARE UNINSURED (GREATER THAN 20%), AND A SMALL PROPORTION WITH INSURANCE (LESS THAN 10%), PRIMARILY MEDICAID. THE PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE SAME-DAY, POINT-OF-CARE HCV AND RAPID HIV TESTING, ALONG WITH SAME-DAY HCV TREATMENT INITIATION FOR THOSE WHO TEST POSITIVE. TO OVERCOME BARRIERS TO TREATMENT INITIATION, ALL ELIGIBLE PATIENTS WILL RECEIVE A 14-DAY STARTER COURSE OF HCV THERAPY ON THE SAME DAY THEY TEST POSITIVE FOR HCV RNA. WHILE PATIENTS BEGIN THE INITIAL COURSE, APPLICATIONS WILL BE SUBMITTED TO THE MANUFACTURER’S PATIENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM OR INSURANCE PRIOR AUTHORIZATION TO OBTAIN THE REMAINING TREATMENT. WORKING CLOSELY WITH COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, PATIENTS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS WILL RECEIVE TAILORED SUPPORT, INCLUDING DAILY DIRECTLY OBSERVED THERAPY OR LESS FREQUENT MEDICATION REFILLS EVERY 2-4 DAYS, BASED ON INDIVIDUAL STABILITY AND PREFERENCE. NON-HOMELESS PATIENTS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY THE UF HCV CLINIC (IN-PERSON OR VIA TELEHEALTH), WHICH WILL SERVE AS A CENTRAL HUB FOR CLINICAL OVERSIGHT AND SUPPORT. INTEGRATED CARE AND CARE COORDINATION WILL BE PROVIDED IN COLLABORATION WITH UF HEALTH AND COMMUNITY-BASED PARTNERS, OFFERING WRAPAROUND SERVICES AND REFERRALS FOR ADDICTION, SUD, AND SMI. CURE-HCV REPRESENTS A CRITICAL STEP TOWARD COMMUNITY-BASED HCV ELIMINATION IN NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA. THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF HCV AND HIV IN COMMUNITIES AND ADDRESS THE INTERSECTING CHALLENGES OF SUD, SMI, AND HOMELESSNESS IN PRIORITY POPULATIONS. THE CURE-HCV TEAM BRINGS TOGETHER THE EXPERTISE, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND PARTNERSHIPS NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM EFFECTIVELY AND GENERATE IMPACTFUL REAL-WORD EVIDENCE TO GUIDE FUTURE STRATEGIES.

TARGETED DEGRADATION OF RNAS BY USING SMALL MOLECULES

JOINT COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PROGRAMS AT 1862 LAND-GRANT INSTTUTIONS AND UNIVERSITY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION REORGANIZATION ACT PROGRAM

UF SUBSTANCE ABUSE TRAINING CENTER IN PUBLIC HEALTH

FLORIDA PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS: A RESEARCH UNIVERSITY/MINORITY-SERVING COMMUNITY COLLEGE PARTNERSHIP TO ENHANCE RETENTION AND DIVERSITY OF TRANSFER STUDENTS

INTRACELLULAR INVASION BY STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANS: SIGNIFICANCE IN DISEASE

COGNITIVELY ENGAGING WALKING EXERCISE AND NEUROMODULATION TO ENHANCE BRAIN FUNCTION IN OLDER ADULTS - DECLINES IN COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND WALKING FUNCTION ARE HIGHLY INTERTWINED IN OLDER ADULTS. FOR INSTANCE, LOWER EXECUTIVE FUNCTION EXACERBATES CONVERSION TO ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH SLOW WALKING SPEED, INSTABILITY, AND FALLING. IN TURN, LOW LEVELS OF WALKING ACTIVITY ARE A RISK FACTOR FOR AGE-RELATED COGNITIVE DECLINE INCLUDING ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE. COMBINATORIAL INTERVENTIONS THAT TARGET BOTH COGNITION AND WALKING FUNCTION MAY BREAK THIS VICIOUS CYCLE. PREFRONTAL NETWORKS ARE A CRUCIAL INTERVENTION TARGET DUE TO THEIR ROLE IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, WHICH UNDERLIES PERFORMANCE OF BOTH COMPLEX COGNITIVE TASKS AND COMPLEX WALKING TASKS. OUR RESEARCH TARGETS PREFRONTAL NEUROPLASTICITY USING A POTENT BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION OF COMPLEX (COGNITIVELY ENGAGING) AEROBIC WALKING EXERCISE COMBINED WITH FRONTAL LOBE TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT CURRENT STIMULATION (TDCS). TDCS IS A MILD FORM OF ELECTRICAL BRAIN STIMULATION WHICH MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE ADJUVANT FOR ENHANCING THE EFFECTS OF BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS ON COGNITIVE AND MOTOR FUNCTION. THE OVERARCHING HYPOTHESIS OF OUR RESEARCH IS THAT TDCS DELIVERED OVER PREFRONTAL REGIONS DURING COMPLEX WALKING EXERCISE CAN IMPROVE BOTH EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AND WALKING FUNCTION. WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY CONDUCTED A SUCCESSFUL PHASE 1 STUDY THAT DEMONSTRATED FEASIBILITY, SAFETY, AND POSITIVE BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES FROM THIS INTERVENTION IN OLDER ADULTS. NOW WE ARE PROPOSING A PHASE 2 STUDY THAT IS DESIGNED TO ESTABLISH INITIAL EFFICACY, INVESTIGATE MECHANISMS OF INTERVENTION RESPONSE, AND TO DEVELOP A MULTI-SITE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE. WE WILL ENROLL 104 OLDER ADULT PARTICIPANTS WHO HAVE AGE-RELATED COGNITIVE DECLINE. ALL PARTICIPANTS WILL UNDERGO THE SAME 18-SESSION HIGH INTENSITY AEROBIC WALKING PROGRAM, WHICH WILL EMPHASIZE THE USE OF COMPLEX WALKING TASKS THAT ENGAGE PREFRONTAL CORTEX, SUCH AS OBSTACLE NEGOTIATION AND WALKING ON COMPLIANT SURFACES. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A TDCS TREATMENT GROUP OR SHAM CONTROL GROUP. THE TREATMENT GROUP WILL RECEIVE 20 MINUTES OF 2MA TDCS OVER PREFRONTAL REGIONS F3/F4. THE SHAM CONTROL GROUP WILL RECEIVE JUST 30 SECONDS OF 2MA TDCS AT F3/F4 AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SESSION, WHICH IS KNOWN TO BE AN EFFECTIVE SHAM PROCEDURE. A WEARABLE STIMULATOR WILL BE USED, SO PARTICIPANTS CAN RECEIVE STIMULATION WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY PERFORMING THE COMPLEX WALKING EXERCISE. SPECIFIC AIM 1 WILL ESTABLISH EFFICACY OF PREFRONTAL TDCS AS AN ADJUVANT TO COMPLEX WALKING EXERCISE FOR ENHANCING EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AND WALKING FUNCTION. SPECIFIC AIM 2 WILL INVESTIGATE MECHANISMS OF RESPONSE, INCLUDING TASK-BASED PREFRONTAL ACTIVITY (WITH FUNCTIONAL NEAR INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY), MRI MODELING OF PERSON-SPECIFIC TDCS DOSAGE, AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES. THE DELIVERABLE FOR THIS LINE OF RESEARCH WILL BE A CLINICALLY- FEASIBLE MULTI-MODAL INTERVENTION FOR PRESERVING FUNCTION AND INDEPENDENCE IN OLDER ADULTS.

JOINT COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PROGRAMS AT 1862 LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS AND UNIVERSITY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION REORGANIZATION ACT PROGRAM

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA SMITH-LEVER 2014

PEPTIDIC KAPPA OPIOID RECEPTOR LIGANDS AS POTENTIAL TREATMENTS FOR DRUG ADDICTION

OPIOID USE DISORDERS: UF PHARMACY MEDICATIONS DISCOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT - PROJECT SUMMARY THIS PROJECT IS SUBMITTED UNDER FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA) NUMBER: RFA-DA-19-002. OPIOIDS HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY OVER-PRESCRIBED AND ARE ASSOCIATED WITH NUMEROUS DEATHS, RESULTING IN THE NATION’S CURRENT OPIOID CRISIS. THE FDA RECENTLY APPROVED THE A2 ADRENERGIC AGONIST LOFEXIDINE AS A NON-ADDICTIVE, NON-OPIOID TREATMENT FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER. THIS PRECLINICAL DRUG DEVELOPMENT EFFORT STEMS FROM THE PSYCHOACTIVE, NATURAL PRODUCT, MITRAGYNA SPECIOSA (KRATOM), A THAI MEDICINAL HERB USED AS A SELF-TREATMENT FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER. MITRAGYNINE, THE PLANT’S MOST ABUNDANT ALKALOID, IS A LOW EFFICACY Μ RECEPTOR AGONIST WITH G- PROTEIN SIGNALING BIAS. OUR PRELIMINARY STUDIES SUGGEST THAT MITRAGYNINE HAS LIMITED ABUSE LIABILITY, AND INTERACTS WITH NON-OPIOID CNS TARGETS INCLUDING A2 ADRENERGIC RECEPTORS, WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN EXPLOITED IN ITS UNIQUE MECHANISM. A SINGLE DRUG (MITRAGYNINE) THAT INTERACTS WITH BOTH OPIOID AND A2 ADRENERGIC RECEPTORS WOULD OFFER A HIGHLY INNOVATIVE APPROACH FOR TREATING OPIOID USE DISORDER. THE WORK PLANNED HERE, INVOLVING A COLLABORATIVE, INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM, WILL EXAMINE THE PHARMACOPHORIC ELEMENTS OF MITRAGYNINE THROUGH SYNTHETIC DERIVATIVES IN AN APPROACH THAT LED TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ESSENTIAL PHARMACOPHORE OF MORPHINE. WE WILL USE A COMBINATION OF CHEMICAL AND PRODRUG SYNTHESIS, IN VITRO METABOLIC STABILITY, AFFINITY AND EFFICACY ANALYSIS, BEHAVIORAL ASSAYS PREDICTIVE OF RECEPTOR MECHANISM (DRUG DISCRIMINATION), ABUSE (SELF-ADMINISTRATION), AND UNTOWARD EFFECTS (RESPIRATORY DEPRESSION, TOLERANCE, AND DEPENDENCE), AND IN VIVO ADME ASSAYS. MITRAGYNINE ANALOGS ARE EXPECTED TO YIELD INNOVATIVE COMPOUNDS WITH A PHARMACOLOGICAL MECHANISM THAT INCLUDES OPIOID AND ADRENERGIC ACTIVITY. OUR EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY THE PHARMACOPHORIC REQUIREMENTS OF MITRAGYNINE WILL LEAD TO TEMPLATES FOR THE DESIGN OF NOVEL OPIOID RECEPTOR LIGANDS; THIS WILL GREATLY IMPROVE THE KNOWLEDGE OF INTERACTIONS OF THESE STRUCTURALLY NOVEL COMPOUNDS WITH OPIOID RECEPTORS AND FACILITATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE LIGANDS AS TREATMENTS FOR OPIOID USE DISORDERS. THE SPECIFIC AIMS OF THE 2-YEAR UG3 PHASE ARE AS FOLLOWS. AIM 1: IDENTIFY OPIOID PHARMACOPHORIC REQUIREMENTS OF MITRAGYNINE ANALOGS THROUGH DELETION DESIGN AND ANALOG STABILITY; IDENTIFY MITRAGYNINE PRODRUGS. AIM 2: INVESTIGATE MITRAGYNINE ANALOGS IN DRUG DISCRIMINATION, SELF-ADMINISTRATION, AND RESPIRATION ASSAYS. ANALOGS EXHIBITING DESIRED METABOLIC STABILITY, BIOAVAILABILITY, BLOOD-BRAIN-BARRIER PENETRATION, BINDING CHARACTERISTICS, AND BEHAVIORAL ACTIVITY WILL BE FURTHER STUDIED IN THE UH3 PHASE AS FOLLOWS. AIM 3: ESTABLISH COMPREHENSIVE IN VIVO ADME OF MITRAGYNINE ANALOGS AND PRODRUGS. AIM 4: ASSESS MITRAGYNINE ANALOGS AND PRODRUGS IN TOLERANCE, DEPENDENCE, AND WITHDRAWAL ASSAYS. THE RESULTS OF THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHEMICAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE PUTATIVE RECOGNITION ELEMENTS OF MITRAGYNINE-RELATED LIGANDS AT OPIOID AND A2 ADRENERGIC RECEPTORS. ULTIMATELY, THE POTENTIAL USE OF MITRAGYNINE AND ITS ANALOGS AS TEMPLATES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW TREATMENT FOR OPIOID USE DISORDERS WILL BE REALIZED THAT MAY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO YIELD A SAFE, EFFECTIVE FDA-APPROVED PHARMACOTHERAPY.

BIOSYNTHESIS OF HYPERMODIFIED GAUNOSINES.

TRILATERAL - FOOD SECURITY

ZIP PROTEINS AND IRON METABOLISM

TRANSLATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF NEW AGENTS ALONE AND IN COMBINATION TO COMBAT GRAM-NEGATIVE PATHOGENS IMPORTANT IN VENTILATOR- ASSOCIATED BACTERIAL PNEUMONIA: LEVERAGING THE GRAM-NEGATIVE TOOLBOX THAT IS - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: RESISTANCE TO OUR MAJOR ANTIBIOTICS HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED BY THE CDC AS A MAJOR THREAT TO THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. TWO OF THE HIGHEST THREAT PATHOGENS ARE CARBAPENEM-RESISTANT ACINETOBACTER BAUMANNII (CRAB) AND KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE (CRKP). OVER THE LAST DECADE, WE HAVE SEEN THE EMERGENCE OF NOVEL RESISTANCE MECHANISMS, LIMITING THE UTILITY OF OUR BEST ANTIMICROBIALS. THIS PROPOSAL ANSWERS A CALL TO ARMS FROM NIAID, WHO SET FORTH THE TOOL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (RFA-AI-16-081 IN 2017) TO GENERATE MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS THAT CAN BE USED TO CREATE ANTIBIOTIC COMBINATIONS THAT ARE RATIONALLY OPTIMIZED TO KILL CRAB AND CRKP. FURTHER, THERE HAS BEEN INCREASING AWARENESS OF ORGANISM STATE(S) SUCH AS TOLERANCE/NON-REPLICATIVE PERSISTER (NRP) PHENOTYPE THAT ALLOWS EVADING THE LETHAL ACTION OF ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY. IT IS IMPORTANT TO GAIN INSIGHTS INTO THIS TO DESIGN APPROACHES TO SUPPRESS ORGANISM ENTRY INTO NRP STATE AND, IF ALREADY PRESENT, DESIGN REGIMENS THAT CAN ERADICATE NRP. WE WILL CREATE NOVEL MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS AND USE THEM TO RATIONALLY OPTIMIZE COMBINATION DOSING STRATEGIES TO SYNERGISTICALLY KILL CRAB AND CRKP, AND TO SUPPRESS RESISTANCE. THE IMPACT OF RESISTANCE MECHANISMS (E.G. EFFLUX, Β-LACTAMASES, AND PORIN CHANNELS) AND OF NON-ESSENTIAL PENICILLIN-BINDING PROTEIN (PBP) RECEPTORS ON BACTERIAL KILLING AND RESISTANCE EMERGENCE WILL BE STUDIED. TO OPTIMALLY SUPPRESS RESISTANCE, WE WILL APPROACH THIS PROBLEM IN 4 DIMENSIONS, AND CONSIDER THE CHANGES IN PBP EXPRESSION OVER TIME (I.E. GROWTH PHASE) AND THE CELLULAR LOCATIONS OF THESE RESISTANCE MECHANISMS. THIS P01 CONTAINS 3 PROJECTS AND 3 CORES. PROJECT #1 WILL USE OUR TOOLS FROM RFA-AI-16-081 TO GAIN INSIGHTS INTO HOW DIFFERENT PBP BINDING PROFILES AFFECT KILLING AND RESISTANCE SUPPRESSION. THIS PROJECT WILL LEVERAGE THE MECHANISTIC ASSAY CORE AND THE MATHEMATICAL MODELING CORE TO DESIGN OPTIMAL, CLINICALLY FEASIBLE DOSAGE REGIMENS. PROJECT #2 WILL EXAMINE THESE REGIMENS AGAINST CRAB AND CRKP ISOLATES IN THE HOLLOW FIBER INFECTION MODEL (HFIM). IN PROJECT #3, WE WILL STUDY THE BEST REGIMENS (AND LESSER REGIMENS, AS CONTROLS) FROM THE HFIM IN TWO MURINE MODELS OF PNEUMONIA (GRANULOCYTE REPLETE AND GRANULOCYTOPENIC). THIS WILL PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO HOW GRANULOCYTES CAN BEST ENHANCE ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY. THE ADMINISTRATIVE CORE WILL SERVE AS THE OVERALL DATA REPOSITORY AND CLEARING HOUSE, AND FACILITATE COMMUNICATIONS. THE MECHANISTIC ASSAY CORE WILL LEVERAGE TRANSCRIPTOMIC, PROTEOMIC, FLOW CYTOMETRY, AND RESI- STANCE MECHANISM ASSAYS, CLOSELY INTEGRATED WITH PBP BINDING STUDIES AND ISOGENIC STRAINS FROM PROJECT #1. THIS CORE WILL GENERATE CRITICAL INSIGHTS INTO THE MECHANISMS OF ANTIBIOTIC ACTION, RESISTANCE AND SYNERGY. FINALLY, THE MATHEMATICAL MODELING CORE WILL DEVELOP HIGH DIMENSIONAL MATHEMATICAL MODELS THAT WILL INTEGRATE ALL EXPERI- MENTAL DATA FROM THE PROJECTS AND CORES TO PROVIDE ROBUST, EFFICACIOUS AND CLINICALLY RELEVANT DOSAGE REGIMENS. WE WILL PROSPECTIVELY VALIDATE THESE MODEL PREDICTIONS IN THE HFIM (PROJECT #2) AND IN NORMAL AND NEUTROPENIC MURINE PNEUMONIA MODELS (PROJECT #3) TO SUPPORT EVALUATION OF THESE SYNERGISTIC REGIMENS IN FUTURE CLINICAL TRIALS.

GENERAL CLINICAL RESEARCH CENTER

THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP AND DEPLOY NEW HLB TOLERANT OR RESISTANT ROOTSTOCKS TO ENSURE THE FUTURE VITALITY OF THE US CITRUS INDUSTRY. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH PARTNERSHIP OF TWO LONG-TERM, SUCCESSFUL COMPREHENSIVE CITRUS ROOTSTOCK BREEDING PROGRAMS, AT THE UF-CREC AND THE USDA-ARS-USHRL, IN COMBINATION WITH A TEAM OF ACCOMPLISHED SPECIALISTS TO IDENTIFY GENETIC, TRANSCRIPT, METABOLIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HLB-TOLERANT AND -SUSCEPTIBLE ROOTSTOCKS TO UNCOVER TOLERANCE MECHANISMS AND TO DEVELOP EFFICIENT SELECTABLE MARKERS THAT WILL FACILITATE THE BREEDING PROCESS. THE PROJECT WILL UTILIZE EXTENSIVE COLLECTIONS AND EXISTING FIELD TRIALS WITH NOVEL AND DIVERSE CITRUS GERMPLASM PLANTED THROUGHOUT FLORIDA THAT HAVE SEEN INCREASINGLY INTENSE PRESSURE FROM HLB, AND THUS HAVE UNDERGONE A NATURAL SCREENING PROCESS. THE GERMPLASM RESOURCES AND THE TEAM'S COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE IN ITS EVALUATION PROVIDE A VERY SOLID BASIS FOR ADVANCED BREEDING, DIRECTLY TARGETING THE INDUSTRY'S NEED FOR HLB TOLERANT TREES THROUGH ROOTSTOCK EFFECTS ON SCION PERFORMANCE. NEW ROOTSTOCK CANDIDATES WILL BE CREATED USING COMPLEMENTARY HLB-TOLERANT PARENTS ALREADY SHOWN TO TRANSMIT THIS CHARACTERISTIC TO OFFSPRING. CANDIDATE ROOTSTOCKS WILL BE IDENTIFIED IN GREENHOUSE AND FIELD STUDIES, AND THEN PLANTED IN REPLICATED FIELD TRIALS FOR EVALUATION OF TREE SURVIVAL AND OVERALL PERFORMANCE, FRUIT YIELD, AND QUALITY. THIS INFORMATION WILL BE MADE WIDELY AVAILABLE THROUGH INTERACTION WITH INDUSTRY PARTNERS AND PROJECT OUTREACH, TO SUPPORT HLB-TOLERANT ROOTSTOCK SELECTION DECISIONS FOR NEW PLANTINGS. FINALLY, CANDIDATES SELECTED FOR RELEASE WILL BE CHANNELED THROUGH STATE AND NATIONAL AGENCIES RESPONSIBLE FOR CERTIFIED NURSERY PRODUCTION PROGRAMS, AND EXTENSIVELY PROPAGATED TO ENSURE WIDE AVAILABILITY.

ZINKICIDE A NANOTHERAPEUTIC FOR HLB

NOVEL ENEDIYNE-BASED ANTIBODY-DRUG CONJUGATES FOR CANCERS

SOUTHEASTERN NATIONAL TUBERCULOSIS CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA - THE PROPOSAL FROM THE SOUTHEASTERN NATIONAL TUBERCULOSIS CENTER (SNTC) WILL ADDRESS THE PUBLIC HEALTH GOAL OF TB ELIMINATION BY BUILDING ON OUR PREVIOUS SUCCESS, OUR RELEVANT PROGRAMMATIC EXPERIENCE, AND RELATIONSHIPS AS A CDC FUNDED TB COE. WE WILL CONTINUE TO USE OUR EXPERIENCE ASSISTING TB PROGRAMS AND CLINICIANS TO IMPLEMENT NEW TECHNOLOGY, IN A PERSONALIZED/INDIVIDUALIZED MANNER THAT BEST FITS THE NEEDS OF THE PROGRAM, CLINICIAN, AND PATIENT. WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE AND EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF TRAINING REQUIRED BY THE GRANT. WE HAVE AND WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE EDUCATION THAT USES THE MOST APPROPRIATE AND LATEST TECHNOLOGY AND APPROACHES AND EXPERT MEDICAL CONSULTATION TO US TB PROGRAMS, AS WE HAVE OVER THE PAST 18 YEARS. WE WILL USE OUR PERSPECTIVE AS AN EXPERIENCED COE TO INNOVATIVELY LINK PUBLIC HEALTH-BASED TB EXPERTS WITH A RANGE OF PROVIDERS SERVING VULNERABLE POPULATIONS AT-RISK FOR TB, SUCH AS REFUGEES, PLWHIV, NON-US BORN INDIVIDUALS IN SUPPORT OF CDC EFFORTS TO FOCUS ON LTBI TESTING AND TREATMENT AS A KEY COMPONENT OF TB ELIMINATION IN THE US. TO FULFILL OUR PURPOSE AS A TB CENTER OF EXCELLENCE (TB COE), THESE MEASURABLE OUTCOMES WILL ALLOW US TO MEASURE PROGRESS TOWARDS ACHIEVING OUR GOALS. THESE OUTCOMES ARE FOCUSED AROUND TWO STRATEGIES, (1) TB KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: COMMUNICATION, EDUCATION AND TRAINING AND (2) TB PATIENT CARE MANAGEMENT: EXPERT MEDICAL CONSULTATION. BY THE END OF THIS PROJECT THE COE WILL ACHIEVE ALL OF THESE OUTCOMES: INCREASED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELATED TO TB AND LTBI PREVENTION AND CONTROL AMONG PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF AND HEALTHCARE WORKERS; INCREASED ACCESS TO AND USE OF TB EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES; EXPANDED AVAILABILITY AND USE OF EXPERT CONSULTATIONS FOR PROVIDER NETWORKS SERVING POPULATIONS AT HIGH-RISK FOR LTBI AND TB; INCREASED UNDERSTANDING OF REGIONAL AND NATIONAL TRENDS OF TB PATIENT CARE NEEDS; AND TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF TB EXPERT. IN THIS PROPOSAL WE DEMONSTRATE, THAT WE HAVE AN WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD ON OUR EXPERIENCE AND LESSONS LEARNED OVER 18 YEARS AS A CDC FUNDED TB CENTER. WE PLAN TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD COLLABORATING WITH CDC AND OTHER TB PARTNERS AS FOLLOWS: ENGAGE AND COLLABORATE FREQUENTLY WITH REGIONAL STATE AND LOCAL TB CONTROL PROGRAMS AS WELL AS DIVERSE INSTITUTIONS THAT SERVE HIV PATIENTS, REFUGEES, AND OTHER IMMIGRANTS INCLUDING FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS AND CIVIL SURGEONS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR; WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED AND LEAD NATIONAL AND LOCAL TB EDUCATION MEETINGS; WE WILL FURTHER DEVELOP OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE US PANEL PHYSICIANS AND THE CDC DIVISION OF GLOBAL MIGRATION AND QUARANTINE (DGMQ). TB DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTS MINORITY POPULATIONS THAT HAVE HISTORICALLY EXPERIENCED GREATER BARRIERS TO HEALTHCARE SERVICES. THE SNTC HAS BEEN COMMITTED TO SERVING THESE POPULATIONS DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY TB AND LTBI. OVER THE LAST 18 YEARS, WE HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT WE HAVE THE ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT THE APPROACH DESCRIBED THROUGHOUT THIS PROPOSAL. THE SNTC UTILIZES EVIDENCE-BASED EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT STRATEGIES TO MONITOR OUR SUCCESS IN ACHIEVING SHORT, MEDIUM, AND LONG-TERM GOALS IDENTIFIED IN THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT. THIS PROPOSAL SHOWS OUR CAPACITY AND COMMITMENT TO DEVELOPING THE CAPACITY OF THE US TB WORKFORCE.

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA SMITH-LEVER FINAL 2012

TRKB NEURONS IN THE CONTROL OF BODY WEIGHT

DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL AAV VECTOR CAPSID OPTIMIZED FOR OA GENE THERAPY