This study will provide a strong basis and foundation for future clinical trials that use historical controls. The study will collect clinical data and biological specimens to create a dataset and biorepository to be shared with other researchers as a foundation for future clinical trials.

This is a volunteer study for participants diagnosed with Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) or suspected to have PLS by a neurologist. You will be expected to attend scheduled visits in person or by telephone, complete study testing and audio/video recordings. The study includes clinical measurements to assess disease status and motor function, a number of questionnaires, collection of biospecimens including DNA, blood, and urine, and an electromyography (EMG) test. There will be 6 visits over 24 months, of these 6 three will be in-person visits (2-3 hours) and the other three will be telephone calls (lasting about 45 minutes to an hour). Blood and urine samples will be collected during these visits.

$100 per in person visit (three) and $50 for telephone visit (three) completed.

The overall goal of this proposal is to develop robots that can help people correctly calibrate their trust in the robot. We look at this problem within the context of robot-guided emergency evacuation. We believe that robots stationed inside of buildings can serve as instantaneous first responders helping people safely evacuate during an emergency, thus saving lives. Participants will be asked to interact with an emergency guidance robot and decide whether to follow the robot to an exit.

We are conducting this study to investigate whether different platforms of immersive technology influence the experiences of users when interacting with an embodied conversational agent. We are particularly interested in studying the effects of platform on users’ feelings of presence and social presence when comparing virtual and mixed reality environments.

The purpose of this study is to examine public attitudes and willingness to pay for bird conversation activities on private forest lands.

This pilot study aims explore the health literacy and medication adherence found among African Americans and Latinos with hypertension receiving care at Hamilton Health Center in Harrisburg PA. We also aim to determine the feasibility of the iPad or smartphone as a tool for accessing health related information among African American and Latino patients with hypertension receiving care at clinics at Hamilton Health Center in Harrisburg PA. The expected outcomes of this project are to obtain a better understand of the literacy levels and adherence behaviors of African Americans and Latinos in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The findings from this study will provide valuable insights into the health management behaviors of this community and determine if there is a need to develop a mobile health application for the management of hypertension.

The earth’s climate is warming, and the number of heat waves has increased in recent years. At the same time, the number of adults over the age of 65 is growing. Humans sweat and increase blood flow to the skin to cool their body when they get hot. Older adults do not do this as well as young adults. This makes it harder to safely exercise in warm and/or humid conditions. It is important to learn about safe limits of heat and humidity for older adults to exercise. Also, nearly 40% of adults over age 50 take aspirin to lower their risk for heart disease. Our lab has shown that aspirin lowers the control of body heat.In this study, we will determine critical temperature and humidity environments above which normal body temperature cannot be maintained in young and older adults. We will also look at how aspirin may change critical temperature and humidity thresholds in older adults.

There will be 4 in person visits and sit, walk, or cycle at a low intensity in an environmental chamber.

360

Children with attention problems often feel anxious or worried, and likewise, children who are anxious or worried often have problems with attention. We are looking for children aged 8-12 who may or may not have problems with attention or anxiety to help us understand what happens in the brain that could explain why. You will receive up to $100 gift card for your participation, and informal clinical feedback on your child.

Two in person visits of 2 hours each to the University Park campus, scheduled at the participant(s) convenience

$100

This is a driving simulator behavioral study. This study aims to investigate drivers' subjective feelings and driving performance in mixed traffic shared by automated vehicles and human-driven vehicles.

This study aims to investigate the effects of drivers’ driving style and automated vehicle penetration rate on drivers’ subjective feelings and driving performance in mixed traffic shared by automated vehicles and human-driven vehicles. There will be one in-person visit for the experiment. This experiment involves driving on a driving simulator and filling out several questionnaires.

$15/hour

The current study aims to investigate the development of English as a Second Language (ESL) learners' language skills over time, focusing on the interplay between the mode of production (i.e., speech versus written mode) and linguistic features related to complexity, accuracy, and fluency. To address this question, the study will collect spoken and written data from ESL learners in the U.S. at five measurement points throughout an academic year (FA23 to SP24), analyzing their production data using various complexity, accuracy, and fluency measures. The objective is to contribute to the existing body of second language (L2) development research by examining whether the interaction among time, production mode, and proficiency, as well as the varying relationships among the measures, significantly influence the observed outcomes.

Over the course of an academic year (FA23 to SP24), participants will attend five in-person visits, spaced at 7-week intervals. During each visit, they will be asked to write an essay for 20 minutes and deliver a 5-minute spoken monologue in response to prompts similar to those found in the TOEFL speaking section.

$75 ($15 per visit)

Research project to understand why students do or do not choose to report sexual assault exposure to police or university officials.

One interview via video conferencing or in person.Optional follow up interview via video conferencing.

$35 for initial interviews; $12 for follow ups

The study will examine a condition known as orthostatic hypertension, which is a sudden increase in blood pressure when a person stands up. Orthostatic hypertension is a recognized risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. This project will also examine the differences in blood pressure responses to standing between African Americans and other races, since African Americans are more likely to develop high blood pressure than other races.

If you are eligible, you will be asked to complete the following activities in a single visit:• Lie down for 10 minutes while the team completes anelectrocardiogram (EKG) and blood pressure measurements• Stand up for 10 minutes while the team continues the EKGand blood pressure measurements

$25

We will investigate the effects of the hormone angiotensin-(1-7) on energy expenditure in patients with obesity.

This is an outpatient study that requires a screening visit, and if eligible, one study visit in the Clinical Research Center within the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. The screening visit will take about one hour and includes a brief physical examination and medical history, urine pregnancy test if female and of childbearing potential, measurement of heart rhythm, collection of blood samples, and measurements of body composition. If eligible based on the results of the screening visit, participants will be invited to participate in one study visit that will take about four hours. Participants will complete food recall and activity questionnaires prior to the study visit and asked not to change eating or physical activity patterns. A urine pregnancy test will be given for females of childbearing potential. Participants will lie down on a bed and a catheter (small plastic tube) will be placed in a vein in each arm to draw blood samples and to give study medications. Equipment will then be placed to measure heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and the amount of oxygen in the blood. After placing this equipment, participants will be allowed to rest for at least 20 minutes. Resting energy expenditure will then be measured by asking participants to breathe through a canopy placed over their head that is connected to a metabolic cart for 45 minutes. Blood samples will be taken to measure hormones influencing resting energy expenditure. Participants will then receive either angiotensin-(1-7) or normal saline (salt water) through the catheter in the arm for up to two hours. Angiotensin-(1-7) is a substance that the body produces naturally; however, in this form, it is considered experimental, which means the Food and Drug Administration has not approved it for this use. Participants will receive either angiotensin-(1-7) or normal saline. The treatment will be randomly assigned meaning that it is determined purely by chance, and neither the participant nor study investigators will know which treatment is received. Blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and oxygen in the blood will be measured continuously while giving angiotensin-(1-7) or normal saline. During the last 45 minutes of the treatment, resting energy expenditure will be measured again and additional blood samples taken. Participants will also have the option of allowing for a small piece of fat to be taken from under the skin in the abdominal region (fat tissue biopsy). Participants will then be allowed to recover for at least 20 minutes and then all equipment will be removed. After the study visit, a nurse will contact participants to check on general well-being and answer any questions.

$25 per hour; additional $75 for fat tissue biopsy

A phase 3 clinical trial to investigate the effectiveness and safety of a study drug in subjects in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

You will be required to attend 8 in-person visits at the Hershey Medical Center over the span of approximately one year. During the study you will have physical examinations, complete questionnaires, review your medical history and current medications, have vital signs and ECGs taken, have blood tests performed, complete pulmonary function testing, and potentially have a high resolution CT scan done. You will take the inhaled treprostinil or placebo daily at home throughout the study.

Our research explores the possible solutions to explaining preference elicitation processes in health recommendation systems, including a range of advanced intelligent user interfaces (UI) to support exploration, transparency, explainability, and controllability of health recommendations (Chen et al, 2016).

Anxiety can emerge as early as pre-school age (4-6) and is often linked to anxiety in the parent. This study will examine patterns of brain and behavioral synchrony in parent-child pairs as they complete puzzles together and other social activities.

This is a longitudinal study examining the role that parent-child synchrony and emotional modeling plays in the transmission of anxiety. Participants will complete yearly laboratory visits and 6-month follow-up visits. The yearly laboratory visits (V1,3,5) will include a battery of tasks and questionnaires, but the six-month follow-up visits(V2,4) will only include online questionnaires. Participants at both Penn State and Washington University, St. Louis will follow the same procedures.

Participating families will be given $100 at each of V1 and V3, $25 for each of the follow-ups at V2 and V4, $100 and a $50 completion bonus at V5, for a total amount of $400.

Parkinson’s disease and a number of similar conditions, such as progressive supranuclear palsy and multiple system atrophy, often look very similar clinically, particularly early in the disease. Since there is no objective way to diagnose these disorders definitively, the current practice is to follow patients over time to allow the disease to reveal itself. Evidence indicates, however, that even the best movement disorder specialist can provide the wrong diagnosis approximately 25 percent of the time. This lack of diagnostic certainty has limited both clinical practice and research. The goal of this longitudinal study is to determine whether specific MRI and biofluid measures, such as proteins in blood and cerebrospinal fluid, can help better diagnose Parkinson’s, progressive supranuclear palsy and multiple system atrophy patients.

Participants are asked to complete a screening, baseline and 12-month visit. During the baseline and 12-month visit, participants are asked to complete some questionnaires as well as a fasting blood draw, motor evaluation, smell test and MRI. Participants also may choose to complete additional study components that ultimately may guide the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of Parkinson's and its related disorders. These optional components include skin punch biopsies, a lumbar puncture and participation in the Translational Brain Research Center's brain donation program.

$900.00

The purpose of this study is to better understand the use and acceptance of conversational agents (CAs) aiming to support individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Specifically, we will focus on examining CA prototypes that can provide useful information and support individuals with PTSD while sustaining adherence and engagement. This study corresponds to Phase 1 of the NSF grant (e.g., participatory design). The outcomes of the study will be used to advance to Phase 2 of the grant (i.e., system development"). A separate IRB application will be submitted for Phase 2. Toward this goal, we will interview individuals living with PTSD to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and correctness of the prototype of CAs.

1. Individuals who self-report having been diagnosed with PTSD2. Participants are adults, aged 18 years or older.

$30 gift card

This research is conducted to test if virtual reality technology is effective to help people face their social fears and promote the use of adaptive social skills in various settings. You will be immersed in a range of virtual reality environments and work with a research therapist to learn certain skills, such as managing fears of negative evaluation during job interviews, and interacting with peers in common social settings (e.g., classrooms, cafeterias).

18 month trial of elagolix and combined oral contraceptives for women with moderate to severe endometriosis related pain

Subjects will have a screening period of approximately 45 days. If eligible, there will be a 3 month double blind placebo controlled treatment period followed by an open label period of 15 months where all subjects will receive the study medication. Total treatment period is 18 months followed by a one month follow up.Onsite visits are once a month during screening and up until Month 3 when onsite visits will be every 3 months through Month 18.Tests include blood draws at each onsite visit, one ultrasound, an EKG, and 4 DXA scans.

$1475.00

This study will allow us to explore the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as sociodemographic factors on undergraduate and graduate medical students’ mental health measured by stress, anxiety, and resilience, and to study their online learning experience during the pandemic.

This study intends to improve detection of depression and anxiety by examining speech features recorded by a voice app and analyzing the voice data using cutting-edge artificial intelligence approaches. Eligible participants who are interested in this study will speak on various questions related to lifestyle choices, physical health, and mood to the voice app briefly, fill in some questionnaires, and complete a brief clinical interview. All of the procedures for this one-session study will last up to 90 minutes.

Participants who are eligible based on the screening questionnaire will be invited to participate in a single 1.5 hour Zoom session. During this session, you will be prompted to speak about various topics to a voice app for a few minutes, fill in some questionnaires, and complete a brief clinical interview.

Up to $60 can be earned for completing the 1.5 hour Zoom session. No compensation is given for completing the screening survey.

Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a chronic syndrome in which the heart beats too quickly when standing. POTS primarily affects young women. People with POTS also experience symptoms such as feeling faint, fatigue, nausea, and mental clouding or "brain fog." “Brain fog” is one of the most bothersome symptoms of POTS and it is unknown why people with POTS experience this symptom. Some studies have shown that POTS patients have problems with attention, memory and executive function (ability to plan, organize information, and adapt to changes) while seated and when upright. In this study, we will evaluate how brain function during mental tasks is affected in people with POTS compared to healthy volunteers. All volunteers will complete mental tasks while lying down and standing. If eligible, we will measure brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).The findings from this study will increase our understanding of the mental complaints in people with POTS, to hopefully help with development of new treatments.

There will be three in person visits for this study. At the screening visit, participants will undergo a detailed medical history and physical examination and then will complete a mental test while lying down and standing. If eligible based on the results of the mental test, participants will undergo a pregnancy test if female and of childbearing potential, measurements of blood pressure and heart rate and blood draws while lying down and standing up, and a test to determine if they can tolerate being in a lower body negative pressure (LBNP) device that distributes more blood to the legs to mimic standing. If eligible based on the results of the screening visit, participants will be asked to complete an online questionnaire and two study visits that are separated by at least one week. At these study visits, they will perform a mental test in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The LBNP device will also be used while in the MRI scanner to distribute more blood to the legs to mimic standing.

$25 per hour; additional $25 for completion of online questionnaire

This is an exploratory study which looks at how caregivers define high-quality early education and care. Participants will fill out a questionnaire containing open-ended and closed-ended questions. It will take participants no longer than 20 minutes to complete.

This study utilizes interview methods to examine factors that influence the exchange of advice and outcomes of advising between adults aged 40+ and their parents aged 65+.

Participate in a single in-person or Zoom interview of 60-90 minutes focused on the exchange of advice between themselves and their parent or adult child.

50.00

This online study aims to examine whether factors like language history and visual information influence spoken language processes in typical listening environments.

The purpose of this study is to see if the hormone angiotensin-(1-7) lowers blood pressure and sympathetic activity and improves the function of blood vessels and in obese subjects with hypertension.

This is an outpatient study that requires a screening visit, and if eligible, two study visits in the Clinical Research Center within the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. The screening visit will take about one hour and includes a brief physical examination and medical history, a urine pregnancy test if female and of childbearing potential, measurement of heart rhythm, collection of blood samples, and measurements of body composition. If eligible based on the results of the screening visit, participants will be invited to participate in two study visits that are about four hours and are separated by at least one week. Participants will complete food recall and activity questionnaires prior to each study visit. A urine pregnancy test and ovulation test will be given for females of childbearing potential. Participants will lie down on a bed and a catheter will be placed in a vein in each arm to draw blood samples and to give study medications. Equipment will then be placed to measure heart rate, blood pressure, and the amount of oxygen in the blood. A blood pressure cuff on the arm will be inflated for up to five minutes to measure blood flow in the arm using ultrasound and blood samples will be collected. Small electrodes will then be inserted into a nerve and just under the skin on one leg to measure nerve activity, which will remain in place until the end of the study. Participants will then receive either angiotensin-(1-7) or normal saline through the catheter in the arm for up to 120 minutes. Angiotensin-(1-7) is a substance that the body produces naturally; however, in this form, it is considered experimental, which means the Food and Drug Administration has not approved it for this use. Participants will receive angiotensin-(1-7) at one study visit and normal saline at the other study visit. The treatments will be randomly assigned so that the order in which they receive each treatment will be determined purely by chance, and neither the participant nor study investigators will know which treatment is received at each study visit. Blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen in the blood, and leg nerve activity will be measured continuously while giving angiotensin-(1-7) or normal saline. Near the end of treatment, blood flow in the arm will be measured again. At the end of the last dose, another blood sample will be taken. Participants will then be allowed to recover for at least 20 minutes and then all equipment will be removed. After the study visit, participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire if they had the nerve activity measurements, and a nurse will contact them to check on general well-being and answer any questions.

$25 per hour

The purpose of this study is to examine if nervous system and blood pressure responses to exercise will be less with heat exposure in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and healthy controls.

This research study is being done to gather information from parents to figure out strategies and difficulties in their coparenting relationship for an intervention program which helps them to navigate the transition to parenthood process more comfortably and build up supportive relationships between parents.

This is a research study to find out if giving a drug called pembrolizumab after lung cancer surgery does a better job at keeping the cancer from coming back than surgery alone. The usual approach for patients who are not in a study is to be followed closely by their doctor to watch in case the cancer returns. Participants in this study will be assigned by chance (flip of a coin) to be watched closely by their doctor or to receive a drug called pembrolizumab. Pembrolizumab is given as an infusion inthe clinic once every six weeks. . You will have tests, exams and procedures that are part of your regular care and for study purposes. You will have scans every 12 weeks to make sure the cancer hasn’t come back. If you are assigned to receive pembrolizumab, you can continue to receive it for up to 1 year.

If you decide to take part in this study, you will be assigned to one of two groups. This is called randomization. A computer will assign you to a group in the study by chance. This is done by chance because no one knows if one study group is better or worse than the other. You will have an equal chance (50/50) of being assigned to either group.

The central purpose of this research is to understand how language users produce and comprehend speech. To do this we ask participants to record speech, make judgments on the speech they hear, and work with a partner on simple language tasks.