SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- Discovering Control Variables for Maladaptive Drinking Behavior by Analyzing Geometry of Multi-domain Risk Factors
- Notice Date
- 7/17/2014
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 541711
— Research and Development in Biotechnology
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Contracts Management Branch, 6100 Executive Blvd., Suite 7A07, MSC7510, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-7510
- ZIP Code
- 20892-7510
- Solicitation Number
- NIH-NIAAA-2014-21
- Archive Date
- 8/1/2014
- Point of Contact
- Paul McFarlane, Phone: 301-443-3041, April Martin, Phone: 301-443-4789
- E-Mail Address
-
pmcfarlane@mail.nih.gov, martinan3@mail.nih.gov
(pmcfarlane@mail.nih.gov, martinan3@mail.nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Background For the last decade, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has had an active interest in the issue of how and why behavior change occurs both within and outside the context of professionally-facilitated treatment. NIAAA issued a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) in 2009, titled, "Mechanisms of Behavior Change Initiation (MOBCI) for Drinking (Alcohol) Behavior" soliciting proposals to form the Mechanisms of Behavior Change Initiation Research Consortium (MIRC). MIRC represented NIAAA's most progressive effort to support highly innovative, foundational research (using existing data sets to the greatest extent possible) to investigate the causal mechanisms and processes underlying the initiation of behavior change from a maladaptive to a more healthful state. More specifically, NIAAA sought to develop practical models of the alcohol drinking behavior control system (DBCS) that might elucidate how to effect positive behavior change within the spectrum of behavioral modes and define what is achievable within any given individual's local context. Three research contracts were awarded in 2009 and 2010. In May of 2010, NIAAA awarded one of these contracts entitled, "Discovering Control Variables for Maladaptive Drinking Behavior by Analyzing the Geometry of Multi-domain Risk Factors." The goal of that project was to analyze population-scale prospective data on maladaptive drinking behavior by understanding the behavioral and contextual matrix in which it is embedded. The Contractor developed non-linear dimensional reduction and geometric harmonic analysis techniques to discover implicit (or "silent") variables underlying problematic alcohol consumption. The Contractor applied these techniques to two population-scale, prospective epidemiological datasets (National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions; and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health) that codified trends in behavior (including alcohol consumption), social context, social status, collateral relationships, and many other potential influences on maladaptive drinking behavior. These data were viewed geometrically: the yes/no responses to each question, when bundled into a vector, allowed each subject to be represented as a point in a high-dimensional "answer space." Diffusion maps organized the answer space, and allowed the identification of subspaces that reveal commonalities among the subjects and the questions. Such analysis identified high-order and non-linear factors in the data predictive of behavior and behavior change. The information contained in these response matrices involved complex, non-linear combinations of answers not apparent from standard statistical analysis. At the point of contract expiration, the project completed preliminary analysis. Specific Project Requirements Pursuant to 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) as set forth in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) at 6.302-1, Yale University is the only source capable of providing this requirement to the NIAAA. The anticipated period of performance is September 29, 2014 to January 14, 2015. The contract is anticipated to be a firm-fixed-price type. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) intends to solicit a contract with Yale University to complete the work of the original contract HHSN275201000004C by accomplishing the tasks listed below. 1) Analysis : a) Continue analysis of the diffusion embeddings based on ''informative'' questions to determine whether semi-local neighborhoods of related questions exist that inform behavior-change variables. b) Develop techniques to track clustered alcohol abusers in diffusion space across time, to determine whether the cluster structure persists; whether others join the cluster; and whether some individuals leave the cluster. Should such change be found, focus the analysis to search for relevant behavior-changing variables. 2) Interpretation of Findings : Consult with researchers working on alcohol problem use in late adolescence/early adulthood to determine whether the computational findings map onto current knowledge regarding factors relating to onset and offset of problem use. 3) Disseminate Results : Develop at least one high quality manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal describing the background, methods employed, results and conclusions. Limitations of the findings as well as directions for future research should be discussed. This is not a request for proposals (RFP), proposal abstracts, or quotations and does not commit the Government to any contractual agreement. This notice of intent is not an announcement of the availability of a RFP. A Sources Sought Notice, outlining the requirements above, was posted as NIAAA-SSN-2014-21-PDM on MAY/30/2014 and resulted in no qualified capability statements. All responsible sources may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirements as described above and will be considered by the agency. A determination not to compete the proposed work based upon responses is solely within the discretion of the Contracting Officer.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NICHD/NIH-NIAAA-2014-21/listing.html)
- Record
- SN03429052-W 20140719/140717235717-80e73fcec2d697fdd14c89190c8ba100 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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