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Research@UIC > Funding
Opportunities > The Chancellor's Discovery Fund for Multidisciplinary Pilot Research > Discovery Fund Awards > Spring 2011
Spring 2011 Discovery Fund Awards
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PIs:
- Jeremiah T. Abiade, Assistant Professor, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
- Robert F. Klie, Assistant Professor, Physics
Award: $40,000
Project: Atomic Level Synthesis and Characterization of Oxides Nanostructures for Energy Harvesting
Summary: The demands for efficient and clean energy are driving the intense search for nonpolluting, renewable energy sources to replace dwindling supplies of oil, coal, and gas. Thermoelectric devices can harvest waste energy and directly convert it into electrical energy, which is crucial as approximately 70% of our total primary energy is lost as waste heat. To date, thermoelectric materials and devices have been relegated to niche applications because of the low efficiency of the energy conversion process. Significant improvements in the thermoelectric materials’ properties are required to realize the full potential of thermoelectric energy conversion devices. Recent studies suggested thermoelectric nanomaterials have enhanced properties over their bulk counterparts. The PIs will focus on a class of promising thermoelectric materials called oxides. We will use a combination of electron beam lithography and thin film growth techniques to fabricate the materials. Electron microscopy techniques will be used to determine the structure on an atomic level. The unique features of this proposed research are: 1) Emphasis on oxide thermoelectrics, a relatively new research field; 2) Use of high-resolution patterning and thin film growth to fabricate oxide nanostructures; and 3) Atomic-level characterization of the oxide nanostructures using transmission electron microscopy based techniques.
Cost sharing is provided by the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering ($5,000); College of Engineering ($5,000), Department of Physics ($4,000), and Dr. Klie ($1,000).
Stem cells are special cells with the ability to make many different types of progeny; embryonic stem cells have an unlimited potential to make all types of cells present in the adult body. The field of regenerative medicine is currently developing cell-based therapies to replace defective cells in our bodies with newly generated cells derived from stem cells. To make a physiologically functioning cell from a stem cell precursor, the cells are typically exposed to genetic, biological, and/or chemical stimulation in an artificial setting. In a normal body, stem cell properties are concomitantly regulated alongside dynamic microenvironment forces (stress, pressure) caused by cell movements within a tissue. Unfortunately, relatively little is known about how these forces actually impact stem cell behavior. With the proposed work, we will develop the tools and techniques needed to characterize stem cell movements within intact mouse embryos by developing novel devices capable of dynamic chemical and mechanical stimulation at precise locations over the developing embryo. The long-term impact of this collaborative engineering and developmental biology endeavor will involve creating new ways of directing stem cells towards therapeutically desirable cell types through biomechanical manipulation. Diminishing the need for genetic or biological manipulation of cells by utilizing mechanical forces could offer both safer and more reliable means of generating transplantable material for cell-based therapies in regenerative medicine.
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PIs:
- Maria Therese S. Galang, Assistant Professor, Orthodontics
- David Carley, Professor, Biobehavioral Health Sciences
- Bharati Prasad, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, & Sleep Medicine
Award: $40,000
Project: Oral Appliance and Pharmacologic Agents in Treatment of Sleep Apnea: A Pilot Clinical Study
Summary:
This is a study of a novel treatment for obstructive sleep apnea that combines an oral appliance with drug therapy (ondansetron and fluoxetine) to reduce the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that patients experience. The current project will test the effects of an oral appliance versus baseline and the combined effects of an oral appliance plus drug therapy versus baseline and versus the oral appliance alone. The study is novel in that the combination of treatment approaches will advance the field. This represents a unique partnership between the PI, an orthodontist, and two established investigators (one a sleep specialist, and one a pharmacologist).
The College of Dentistry has pledged $10,000 in cost share.
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PIs:
- Belinda Akpa, Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering
- Irena Levitan, Medicine, Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine
Award: $40,000
Project: Role of Shear Stress Induced Caveolae-mediated Transcytosis of oxLDL in the Initiation of Atherosclerosis
Summary: Atherosclerosis plays a causal role in cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, and congestive heart failure. Local recirculating flow near branches and bifurcations of blood vessels predisposes these regions to atherosclerosis. The PIs will address the novel hypothesis that flow-induced predisposition to atherosclerosis depends critically on the active transport of LDL through the endothelium. This application proposes to study molecular aspects of the formation of atherogenic plaques in blood vessels. This proposal could seed the path for identifying new therapeutic targets for prevention/amelioration of atherosclerosis.
The Department of Medicine,Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, & Sleep Medicine, and the Department of Chemical Engineeering have each pledged $5,000 in cost shari
- PIs
- Leah Rubin, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
- Mary C. Kapella, Assistant Professor, Biobehavioral Health Sciences
Award: $40,000
Project: A Pilot Study of Mechanisms Underlying the Relationship between Hot Flashes and Memory Dysfunction
Summary: Approximately 75% of women in the US will experience hot flashes during the menopausal transition. A widely publicized study by UIC investigators found that frequent physiological hot flashes predict poor memory in menopausal women. Furthermore, it has been shown that physiological hot flashes during sleeping hours predict memory dysfunction, whereas daytime hot flashes do not. The present study builds on these findings to investigate two interactive mechanisms by which sleep-related hot flashes may affect memory: cortisol and sleep disruption. Cortisol increases after a hot flash, and high cortisol levels lead to deficits in memory. Moreover, cortisol injections during sleep have been shown to impair memory. Thus, the present study will measure not only the cortisol profile of menopausal women, but also objective sleep efficiency. This association between hot flashes, sleep, and memory dysfunction is especially concerning as women often experience these symptoms at the peak of their professional careers. Treatment in the form of hormone therapy (HT) is readily available for clinical evaluation. If it can be shown that hot flashes directly cause memory decline in midlife women, then HT might prove to be an effective treatment not only for hot flashes, but also for menopause-related memory declines in women.
The Department of Psychiatry and the College of Nursing have each pledged $5,000 in cost sharing.
The impact of this work will be the identification of novel molecular players in the development of drug resistance and new targets for specific, targeted, less toxic systemic treatment protocols in the future. Due to the diverse types of approaches proposed, none of the PIs could accomplish this project on their own and the result will represent a true multi-disciplinary and collaborative effort that highlights the strengths of UIC in breast cancer, hormone signaling, and bioinformatics.
- PIs
- Moira Zellner, Assistant Professor, Urban Planning & Policy
- Leilah Lyons, Assistant Professor, Computer Science
- Miquel Gonzalez-Meler, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
Award: $40,000
Project: Participatory Modeling and Planning for Sustainable Water Management in the Chicago region
Summary: The goal of public participation in urban planning is to reach consensus and decisions on contentious issues, but citizens have difficulty learning about and applying nuanced considerations to issues outside of their expertise. Computer simulations and modeling are often used to assist with planning; however, these tools are designed for scientists and planners, not created with the lay person in mind. This project is intended to develop the baseline research to create an application using agent-based modeling (ABM) in the area of planning to facilitate collaborative, non-expert usage. The proposed research will have real users assess their ability to interact with the model and interpret its results. This type of ABM could have broader implications for community engagement beyond issues related to natural resources.
Cost share on this project will come from the Department of Urban Planning and Policy ($5,000), the Department of Computer Science ($5,000), the Department of Biological Sciences ($1,500), and the Institute for Environmental Science and Policy ($4,205).
For more information about the Chancellor's Discovery Fund for
Multidisciplinary Research, go to
http://tigger.uic.edu/depts/ovcr/research/funding/discovery/
Questions should be referred to Research Development Services at
RDS@UIC.edu, attention: Mr. Tony Halford.
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