The Minorities in Research and Science Achievement (MIRASA) Program at The University of Texas at San Antonio is intended to (1) strengthen the biomedical research capabilities of the University and faculty, (2) increase the number and quality of minority scientists by providing biomedical research training opportunities for students at the undergraduate the graduate levels, and (3) expose minority science students to a variety of scientists and their research. To accomplish these endeavors, nineteen research projects actively involving 23 Graduate, 23 Undergraduate Students, 16 Principal Investigators, 3 Associate Investigators, 3 co-principal investigators, 17 collaborators and 5 consultants will direct biomedical research projects which will provide training opportunities for minority students. These nineteen research projects include; (1) Isolation of regulatory kinase from the visual system of Drosophila (2) Effects of neuronal activity on maturation of hippocampal neurons (3) The role of the endoplasmic reticulum and other organelles in GAP-43 sorting (4) 3-D image processing for automated digital mammography (5) Biological and biochemical properties of glycosylated human growth hormone (6) The role of versican in myelin and multiple sclerosis (7) Molecular genetics of a nematode acetylcholine receptor (8) Expression of HP chimeric genes in response to inflammatory factors and hormones (9) New approaches tot he preparation of carcinogen- deoxynucleoside adducts (10) Purple membrane proton pump (11) Artificial neural network classification of fetal heart rate signals (12) Optical and thermal characterization of ocular tissue (13) Statistical analysis of long DNA sequences (14) Muscle control using below-lesion electromyographic signals: an innovative methodology (15) Metal-mediated molecular and supramolecular aggregates of guanine and adenine nucleotides (16) Regulation of myogenesis and motoneuron innervation by the neurotrophins (17) Ca+ homeostasis hormone sensitive Ca2+ channels (18) Augmented sympathoinhibition by area postrema noradrenergic neurons (19) 11-cis retinyl ester hydrolase in the eye. Moreover, student and faculty research potential will be enhanced by exposing them to sophisticated research instruments and modern research techniques employed in biochemistry, bioengineering, chemistry, genetics, molecular biology, neuroanatomy, neurobiochemistry, neurophysiology, biophysics and biostatistics. In addition, students and faculty will interact with regional and national scientists actively involved in biomedical research. Students and faculty will publish their results in prestigious refereed journals and present their research at professional, national and international symposiums. Institutional and class seminars will be continued featuring outstanding scientists and in cooperation with other institutions.
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