An important tool to reduce the recurrence of physical violence and abuse is a court order of protection. Part of that legal process entails the careful documentation of bruising and other injuries. But that’s where it gets tricky: often bruises don’t show up until a few days after the attack. Because time is of the essence in keeping the attacker at bay, some jurisdictions and agencies have been using alternative light source (ALS) lights that reveal bruising that the naked eye cannot yet see.

But while existing ALS technology works well for light-skinned victims—it’s a lot less effective for people of color. An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the Susan B. Anthony Center (SBAC) and the Institute of Optics have received a $200,000 grant from the School of Medicine and Dentistry’s Scientific Advisory Committee’s (SAC) Incubator to change that.

Primary investigator Catherine Cerulli, a professor of psychiatry and director of the SBAC and the Laboratory of Interpersonal Violence and Victimization, heads up the team. Co-primary investigator is Andrew Berger, an associate professor of optics and biomedical engineering. They are joined by co-investigators John Cullen, assistant director of the SBAC and director of diversity and inclusion for the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and James Zavislan, associate dean for education and new initiatives at the Hajim School and associate professor of optics, biomedical engineering, and ophthalmology. Together they are working to take skin color out of the equation when it comes to processing these interpersonal violence cases.

“We need to reduce racial disparities for these victims by improving bruising documentation and protection order rates for victims of color,” explains Cerulli.

The first phase of the study compares victims’ bruising documentation using traditional digital images against images acquired using ALS lights.

In the second phase the scientists will develop a set of objective tools to identify evidence of abuse or injury independent of skin type. Ultimately, the team’s goal is the development of technology that will improve bruising detection for all.

Berger and Zavislan will work on developing optical methods to show bruises below the thin layer of melanin, the natural pigment that provides color to skin and can mask bruises in dark-skinned people.

“Our task, basically, is to make measurements that target the deeper tissue regions while rejecting the information from the very top where the melanin resides,” says Berger.

Berger likens the to-be developed technology to a pulse oximeter — a light-based tool that clips onto a finger or toe to measure heartbeat and blood oxygenation. The new technology will aim to measure blood—as bruises are composed of blood and its chemical breakdown products.

Read more here.

Keeping our guts in good shape requires the cooperation of multiple intestinal cells with the bacteria that live around them. Small numbers of Paneth intestinal cells play an important role; they make antimicrobial compounds that keep bacteria in check and help form the lining of the small intestine, a physical barrier between the organ and the resident bacteria.

Previous research shows that changes or mutations in Paneth cells are associated with increased inflammation, including individuals with Crohn’s disease, a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). But, scientists were unsure how Paneth cells opened the door to inflammatory damage.

In a study published in Cell Host & Microbe, University researchers led by  Felix O. Yarovinsky found the answer in a process called autophagy, which helps cells remove unwanted cellular material or debris. His team turned off autophagy in Paneth cells in mice and then exposed them to a stressor – a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. Without autophagy, the barrier between the small intestine and the gut bacteria broke down; bacteria invaded the organ and caused severe infection and inflammation.

“Paneth cells are like the guardians of the intestine and autophagy is like their armor,” said Yarovinsky, associate professor in the Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. “When we removed their armor, the Paneth cells couldn’t control the intestinal bacteria and it went wild, causing severe disease.”

The study suggests that normal autophagy in Paneth cells is required to regulate bacteria in the gut, keeping it at bay and preventing the gut bacteria from invading host tissue. Paneth cells make up just 2 percent of the cells in the intestine, and the fact that restricting autophagy in these cells led to big problems was an unexpected result.

Scientists know that gut bacteria play a role in the development of IBD, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. But how bacteria in the gut are controlled in these conditions remains elusive. This study and others point to Paneth cells as key regulators of the interactions between host and gut bacteria, and further research could inform the design of future therapies.

As civic educators face scarce educational resources amidst increasing public concerns about political polarization and complacency, Kevin Meuwissen, an associate professor at the  Warner School of Education, hopes to help inform how politics is represented, taught, and learned in schools in the coming two years, with support from a Spencer Foundation small research grant.

The project hopes to generate new insights into the ways young people’s cultural norms and political motivations interact with their civic learning opportunities. Ultimately, the aim is to explore new ways of learning and teaching politics focused on strengthening adolescents’ strategies for informed political reflection, discourse, and decision making.

“While formal civic education tends to emphasize rather uncontroversial structures and functions of government,” says Meuwissen, “we know that young people will enter political contexts that are highly contentious and deeply partisan, and that partisanship rests, in part, on people’s ethical and cultural commitments and their efforts to defend them. How, then, might adolescents’ political interactions change when they’re compelled to understand and consider how those commitments play into the ways we do politics together? This study addresses that question and represents an opportunity to provide new directions for incorporating political thinking into civic education.”

The study will use interviews and small-group discussions to gather qualitative data about adolescents’ thinking and modes of political discourse, relative to current public policy issues. Drawing from these findings, Meuwissen will work with civic educators to develop, implement, and study the results of a secondary-level curricular and instructional model designed to promote political discourse that links students’ policy positions with their ethical and cultural foundations.

Read more here.

Edward Messing, who will receive the American Urological Association (AUA) Ramon Guiteras Award for 35 years of accomplishment in improving care for individuals with bladder, kidney, prostate, and testicular cancer.  Messing, a professor in the  Department of Urology and the Wilmot Cancer Institute, is a renowned expert in the diagnosis and treatment of genitourinary cancers. His research contributions have ranged from enhancing our knowledge of the basic molecular and genetic components that contribute to the development and progression of cancers of the bladder, prostate, and kidney, and translating this research into new ways to detect, prevent, and treat these diseases. He has also designed and conducted landmark phase III clinical trials for each of these cancers, led a study that resulted in a simple in-office urine test to screen for bladder cancer, and has helped shape national recommendations for the screening of prostate cancer and the use of radiation to treat forms of the disease.  Read more here.

The Provost’s Office invites applications for Bridging Fellowships for academic year 2018–19.

The program releases members from departmental obligations for one semester to allow them to move to another part of the University for the purpose of learning aspects of another discipline. The distinctive feature of Bridging Fellowships is that they are for study in an area that is peripheral to the fellow’s central professional concern, and they permit the acquisition of knowledge and methods in a different field. These fellowships are thus distinct from academic leaves, and holding a Bridging Fellowship does not affect subsequent consideration for such leaves.

All proposals must contain a clear account of goals for the project and how the project will benefit the academic programs of the University. The dean of the school must approve proposals before forwarding to the Provost’s Office. Direct questions on the fellowship and application process to Marisa Wilson. The application deadline is Friday, March 2.

Kang Liu, Optics, “Tailoring Air-Plasmas toward Advanced Terahertz Pulse Remote Generation and Detection.” 3 p.m., February 8, 2018. Computer Studies Building 209. Advisor: Xi-Cheng Zhang.

Today: Deadline to register for a seven-week training program for University researchers and community members in community-engaged research. Contact Indrani Singh at indrani_singh@urmc.rochester.edu with questions or class details.

Feb. 8: “Deserts, Dust, and Iron Fertilization of the North Pacific Ocean: Cause or Consequence of Global Cooling?” Presented by Carmala Garzione, Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Phelps Colloquium Series. 4-5:30 p.m., Feldman Ballroom, Frederick Douglass Commons. Click here to register.

Feb 23: Deadline to apply for University Research Awards. The Request for Proposals and application are available here. Completed applications should be directed to adele.coelho@rochester.edu.

Feb. 23: Deadline to apply for AS&E PumpPrimer II Awards, which provide seed money to stimulate extramural funding for innovative and high-risk projects otherwise difficult to launch. Faculty in Arts & Science should refer questions to Debra Haring, and those in Engineering to Cindy Gary.

March 1: “Doing Better Next Time: Policy Lessons from the Great Recession and Not-So-Great Recovery.” Presented by Narayana Kocherlakota, Lionel W. McKenzie Professor of Economics. Phelps Colloquium Series. 4-5:30 p.m., location TBD. Click here to register.

March 2: Deadline to apply for Bridging Fellowships from the Provost’s Office. Direct questions on the fellowship and application process to Marisa Wilson.

March 5: Applications due for pilot and feasibility awards of up to $50,000 for basic science and translational projects that advance our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, through the Rochester Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, in conjunction with the Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience. Click here for additional information and RFA.

April 12: “The American Health Paradox: What’s Missing?” Presented by Nancy Bennett, professor of medicine and public health sciences, director of the Center for Community Health, and co-director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Phelps Colloquium Series. 4-5:30 p.m., Helen Wood Hall. Click here to register.