In order to power entire communities with clean energy, such as solar and wind power, a reliable backup storage system is needed to provide energy when the sun isn’t shining and the wind doesn’t blow.

One possibility is to use any excess solar- and wind-based energy to charge solutions of chemicals that can subsequently be stored for use when sunshine and wind are scarce. At that time, the chemical solutions of opposite charge can be pumped across solid electrodes, thus creating an electron exchange that provides power to the electrical grid.

The key to this technology, called a redox flow battery, is finding chemicals that can not only “carry” sufficient charge, but also be stored without degrading for long periods, thereby maximizing power generation and minimizing the costs of replenishing the system.

University of Rochester researchers, working with colleagues at the University at Buffalo, believe they have found a promising compound that could transform the energy storage landscape.

In a paper published in Chemical Science, an open access journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry, researchers in the lab of Ellen Matson, assistant professor of chemistry, describe modifying a metal-oxide cluster, which has promising electroactive properties, so that it is nearly twice as effective as the unmodified cluster for electrochemical energy storage in a redox flow battery.

“Energy storage applications with polyoxometalates are pretty rare in the literature,” says lead author Lauren VanGelder, a third-year PhD student in Matson’s lab. “There are maybe one or two examples prior to ours, and they didn’t really maximize the potential of these systems.”

“This is really an untapped area of molecular development,” adds Matson.

The cluster was first developed in the lab of German chemist Johann Spandl, and studied for its magnetic properties. Tests conducted by VanGelder showed that the compound could store charge in a redox flow battery, “but was not as stable as we had hoped.”

However, by making what Matson describes as “a simple molecular modification”— replacing the compound’s methanol-derived methoxide groups with ethanol-based ethoxide ligands—the team was able to expand the potential window during which the cluster was stable, doubling the amount of electrical energy that could be stored in the battery.

Says Matson: “What’s really cool about this work is the way we can generate the ethoxide and methoxide clusters by using methanol and ethanol. Both of these reagents are inexpensive, readily available, and safe to use. The metal and oxygen atoms that compose the remainder of the cluster are earth-abundant elements. The straightforward, efficient synthesis of this system is a totally new direction in charge-carrier development that, we believe, will set a new standard in the field.”

Read more here.

New research in Scientific Reports shows that a couple of glasses of wine may actually help clean the mind, tamping down inflammation and helping the brain clear away toxins, including those associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Prolonged intake of excessive amounts of ethanol is known to have adverse effects on the central nervous system,” says Maiken Nedergaard, co-director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine and lead author of the study.  “However, in this study we have shown for the first time that low doses of alcohol are potentially beneficial to brain health, namely it improves the brain’s ability to remove waste.”

While excessive consumption of alcohol is a well-documented health hazard, many studies have linked lower levels of drinking with a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases as well as a number of cancers.

Nedergaard’s research focuses on the glymphatic system, the brain’s unique cleaning process that was first described by Nedergaard and her colleagues in 2012.

The new study, which was conducted in mice, looked at the impact of both acute and chronic alcohol exposure.  When they studied the brains of animals exposed to high levels of alcohol over a long period of time, the researchers observed high levels of a molecular marker for inflammation, particularly in cells called astrocytes, which are key regulators of the glymphatic system.  They also noted impairment of the animal’s cognitive abilities and motor skills.

Animals that were exposed to low levels of alcohol consumption, analogous to approximately 2 ½ drinks per day, actually showed less inflammation in the brain. And their glymphatic system was more efficient in moving cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) through the brain and removing waste, compared to control mice who were not exposed to alcohol.  The low dose animals’ performance in cognitive and motor tests was identical to the controls.

“Studies have shown that low-to-moderate alcohol intake is associated with a lesser risk of dementia, while heavy drinking for many years confers an increased risk of cognitive decline,” Nedergaard says.  “This study may help explain why this occurs.  Specifically, low doses of alcohol appear to improve overall brain health.”

Human papilloma virus (HPV), the culprit behind cervical cancer and some forms of head and neck cancer, may hide in small pockets on the surface of tonsils in people not known to carry the virus. The finding, reported by Medical Center researchers in the Journal of the American Medical Association – Otolaryngology, could be pivotal for the prevention of oropharyngeal cancers that form on the tonsils and tongue.

While verified tests exist to detect HPV in people before they develop cervical cancer, the same is not true for HPV-related head and neck cancers, which are expected to outnumber cervical cancer cases by 2020.

Only about five percent of HPV-infected people will develop cancer of the mouth or throat, suggesting most people’s immune systems can easily hold back HPV infections. Why doesn’t the immune system protect the five percent who develop cancer?

Matthew Miller, associate professor of otolaryngology and neurosurgery, and his colleagues found HPV encased in biofilms inside pockets on the tonsil surface, called tonsil crypts, which is where HPV-related head and neck cancers often originate.

Miller and study co-author Katherine Rieth, an otolaryngology resident, studied tissue samples from 102 patients who had elective tonsillectomies. Five of those samples contained HPV and four contained high risk strains, HPV 16 and 18. In every case, HPV was found in tonsil crypts biofilms.

The group believes HPV is shed from the tonsil during an active infection and gets trapped in the biofilm, where it may be protected from immune attack. In the crypts, the virus likely lays in wait for an opportunity to reinstate infection or invade the tonsil tissue to develop cancer.

“Given the lack of universal HPV immunization and the potential for the virus to evade the immune system even in individuals with detectable HPV in their blood, our findings could have far-reaching implications for identifying people at risk of developing HPV-related head and neck cancers and ultimately preventing them,” Miller said.

Now, the team plans to investigate potential screening tools, such as an oral rinse, to detect HPV in the mouth and throat. The next step would be to develop topical antimicrobials that would disrupt the biofilm and allow the immune system to clear the virus.

While scientists still do not know if HPV vaccines reduce head and neck cancer, Miller recommends all young boys and girls receive a full course of the vaccinations. He hopes that better oral HPV screening tools will help determine the impact of the vaccine on these cancers.

(This is part of a monthly series to help principal investigators understand their role in ensuring that human subject protection requirements are met in their studies.)

Department of Health and Human Service and Food & Drug Administration regulations (45 CFR 46; 21 CFR 56) define specific criteria that human subject research must meet in order for an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to approve the research.  A critical, yet often overlooked step in the protocol development process is to objectively evaluate study protocols against these criteria prior to IRB submission.  Doing so will help facilitate IRB review of the proposal, with the intent of minimizing IRB stipulations.

Over the upcoming months, as part the ‘PI Oversight Tip of the Month’ series, each criterion for IRB approval will be reviewed.  This month we look at approval criteria #3: “selection of subjects is equitable.” 

In evaluating this criterion, there are two key components to consider:

• First, consider your eligibility criteria: What is the scientific basis for your study population?  Is the population representative of the population most likely to benefit from the research?  What is the scientific and/or risk-related justification for excluding certain groups or individuals from the research?  Ultimately, the criteria for selecting subjects must be driven by the goals of the research.
• Second, once the study population has been defined, how will you recruit a representative group of subjects? Your recruitment strategies should aim to attract a group of subjects inclusive of all applicable classes or groups of subjects so that the research will be generalized, ensuring that  stigmatized or vulnerable individuals won’t be unnecessarily targeted.

Stay tuned for criteria #4, “informed consent will be sought from each prospective subject,” which will be highlighted next month. For previously highlighted criteria, see the 11/10/2017 and 1/5/2018 editions of Research Connections.

Pooja Rangan, assistant professor of English and film and media studies at Amherst College, will lecture  at 5 p.m., Feb. 19 at the Humanities Center Conference Room D. Her talk places documentary depictions of autistic protagonists and call center agents in conversation, asking how the resonances among disability and postcoloniality might attune us to the complex mediations of difference involved in the production and reception of documentary voices.

The lecture will be followed by light dinner and  a screening of Goodbye CP/Sayonara CP by director Kazuo Hara, about a group of activist men with cerebral palsy who throw off all supports of society that render them invisible to rally in the streets of Tokyo against their mistreatment.

Free and open to the public. RSVP via Facebook

Attendees are encouraged to read the introductory chapter to Rangan’s book Immediations: The Humanitarian Impulse in Documentary, provided here as a downloadable PDF.

Sponsored by the Department of Anthropology, Department of Art & Art History, Department of History, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, Film and Media Studies Program, Graduate Program in Visual and Cultural Studies, and Susan B. Anthony Center.

Are you looking for financial support for an international collaboration?

The Global Engagement Office has established a fund to provide support for research and scholarly collaboration across the globe. Awards can help offset costs associated with transportation, registration and fees, lodging, hosting visitors and delegations at Rochester, and other relevant costs.

Proposals for funding assistance must be submitted prior to travel and are accepted on a rolling basis. For more information, visit the Global Engagement website.

Applications are open for two programs that promote the development of academic and research partnerships between Rochester and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).

The Internationalisation Faculty Mobility Scheme supports full-time faculty research visits to CUHK between August 2018 and July 2019. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, April 10.

The Global Scholarship Programme for Research Excellence supports short-term research attachments at CUHK for PhD students. The application deadline is Tuesday, April 3.

Parker Duffney, Toxicology, “Cigarette Smoke Dysregulates Innate-Immune Responses in Epithelial Cells to Viral Infection.” 10 a.m., Feb. 27, 2018. Medical Center: 3-7619 Upper Auditorium. Host: Patricia Sime.

Feb. 16: PONS Luncheon Roundtable Series: Modeling Sensory Processes and Dysfunctions. Current neural circuitry research at the University, with expert panelists Tania Pasternak,  Ed Lalor, and Krishnan Padmanabhan (Department of Neuroscience). Noon, Medical Center Natapow Conference Room (1-9545). Refreshments provided. For more information on upcoming neuro-related events, go to http://blogs.rochester.edu/pons/.

Feb. 19: Documentary Attunements: From Voice to Audibility. Lecture by Pooja Rangan, assistant professor of English and film and media studies at Amherst College, followed by light dinner and a screening of Goodbye CP/Sayonara CP by director Kazuo Hara. 5 p.m. Humanities Center, Room D. Free and open to the public. RSVP via Facebook

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.