Support for Enhancement Excellence in Research at UPR-RP

描述（由申请人提供）：这第二个补充申请要求增加三个定期和一个试点项目的SCORE计划目前活跃在波多黎各大学，里奥皮德拉斯。其中包括三个来自生物系的项目和一个来自化学系的项目。其中两个是根据我们的SCORE应用程序（Soderquist）和第一个补充应用程序（Dominguez）的摘要声明中报告的评论修改的应用程序。另一份来自最近聘请的进化生物学家和定量遗传学家（Hrbek），另一份来自参与上一个资助周期的初级研究员（Giray）。所有这些都补充了UPR-RP的生物医学研究工作，这些研究工作在MBRS计划的支持下已经持续了33年，特别是加强了目前的SCORE计划，该计划包括14个常规项目和3个试点项目（10个化学项目，5个生物项目和2个数学项目）。这些新项目旨在在以下领域进行竞争性研究：（1）不同人群混合导致的幽门螺杆菌和氨基酸类型的替换和菌株间转换，以及对疾病的潜在影响，（Dominguez）;（2）在蜜蜂模型（Giray）中理解肌肉（运动）与成年行为发育的整合;（3）开发了用于评估生物医学相关的复杂性状、衰老和发育滞育的模型系统，该模型系统在响应环境压力而进化出这些性状的鱼超家族（Hrbek）中，以及（4）发明和开发了用于合成非外消旋胺和氨基酸的新方法，手性结构单元在药物和复杂天然产物的合成中具有广泛的潜在应用（Soderquist）。 这些调查将由一个正在进行的行政项目和技术和支助人员维持，其中包括四名实验室技术人员和三名博士后助理。这一增强的SCORE计划将为该机构提供一流的研究和开发机会以及充分支持的研究氛围，从而帮助参与的教师提高他们的生物医学研究生产力，科学竞争力和同行认可。该计划的研究活动也加强了该机构现有的MARC U* 星星计划和MBRS-RISE计划。每个新项目的具体目标和方案总体目标的进展情况将通过既定的评估计划每年进行评估。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This second supplemental application requests the addition of three regular and one pilot projects to the SCORE Program currently active at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras. The projects included are three from the Department of Biology and one from Chemistry. Two of these are revised applications according to the critiques reported in summary statements of our SCORE application (Soderquist) and of the first supplemental application (Dominguez). Another is presented from a recently hired evolutionary biologist and quantitative geneticist (Hrbek) and the other is from a junior investigator that participated in the previous grant cycle (Giray). All together complement biomedical research efforts at UPR-RP that have been ongoing for over 33 years under the auspicies of the MBRS program and specifically, strengthen the present SCORE Program which groups 14 regular and 3 pilot projects (10 in Chemistry, 5 in Biology and 2 in Mathematics). Together these new projects aim to conduct competitive research in areas related to (1) replacement and inter-strain conversion of Helicobacteri and amino acids pylori types resulting from the mixing of different human populations, and potential impact on disease, (Dominguez); (2) the understanding of the integration of muscle (motor) with adult behavioural development in a bee model (Giray); (3) the development of a model system for evaluating biomedically relevant complex traits, senescence and developmental diapause, in the fish super family of Aplocheiloide that has evolved these traits in response to environmental pressures (Hrbek), and (4) to the invention and development of new methods for the synthesis of non-racemic amines and amino acids, chiral building blocks which have a wide range of potential applications for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and complex natural products (Soderquist). These investigations are to be sustained by an ongoing administrative project and by technical and support personnel that include four laboratory technicians and three postdoctoral associates. This enhanced SCORE Program will provide this institution first-rate research and development opportunities as well as a fully supportive research atmosphere and will thus help the participating faculty to increase their biomedical research productivity, scientific competitiveness and peer recognition. Research activities in the program also enhance the existing MARC U*STAR Program and the MBRS-RISE Program at this institution. Progress in the specific aims of each new project and in the overall aims of the program will be evaluated yearly through an established Evaluation Plan.