Nitrogen, which is essential to marine life, cycles throughout the ocean in a delicately balanced system. Living organisms—especially marine plants called phytoplankton—require nitrogen in processes such as photosynthesis. In turn, phytoplankton growth takes up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and helps regulate global climate.

According to new research by Thomas Weber, an assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences, small microenvironments in the deep ocean may hold key clues to the global cycling of nitrogen in seawater.

In a paper published in Nature Geoscience, Weber and his co-author Daniele Bianchi, an assistant professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at UCLA, show that small microbes that remove nitrogen from the water exist in these microenvironments and are more widespread than previously thought. Using this data, they developed a computer model that changes the way we think about the marine nitrogen cycle.

“The previous understanding of the nitrogen cycle was that nitrogen was lost from the ocean only in three regions where oxygen is scarce. If we wanted to predict how the nitrogen cycle would respond to climate change, all we needed to do was predict how these three low oxygen regions would expand or contract,” Weber says. “Our study changes that picture by showing that nitrogen loss is actually happening over much larger regions, and we need to think about how the ocean as a whole is changing.”

Most marine organisms “breathe,” or respire, using oxygen. When oxygen is not present in seawater, microbes instead respire using other compounds like nitrate, a form of nitrogen. “This has the net effect of removing the nitrogen from the ocean,” Weber says.

“One of the biggest revolutions in oceanography in recent years has been the genomic revolution,” Weber says. “Oceanographers have been able to measure all of the genes present in seawater.” One of their discoveries was that the genes allowing anaerobic respiration are not just found in the three regions; the genes have been found much more widespread throughout the ocean.

Weber and Bianchi found that small “microenvironments” depleted of oxygen exist all over the deep ocean in organic-rich “marine snow”—particles of organic matter, such as dead plankton cells and zooplankton feces, stuck together. Microbes gain energy by eating the organic matter and using oxygen to respire. If the respiration is intense enough inside the particles, all the oxygen can run out and the microbes will switch to respire using compounds besides oxygen.

Read more here.

Amid predictions of a second fracking boom in the U.S., the first evidence has been published that chemicals found in ground water near fracking sites can impair the immune system. The study, performed in mice, suggests that exposure to fracking chemicals during pregnancy may diminish female offspring’s ability to fend off diseases, like multiple sclerosis.

Fracking, also called hydraulic fracturing or unconventional oil and gas extraction, involves pumping millions of gallons of chemical-laden water deep underground to fracture rock and release oil and gas. About 200 chemicals have been measured in waste water and surface or ground water in fracking-dense regions and several studies have reported higher rates of diseases, like acute lymphocytic leukemia and asthma attacks, among residents in these areas.

“Our study reveals that there are links between early life exposure to fracking-associated chemicals and damage to the immune system in mice,” said Paige Lawrence, chair of environmental medicine and lead author of the study published in Toxicological Sciences. “This discovery opens up new avenues of research to identify, and someday prevent, possible adverse health effects in people living near fracking sites.”

Of the 200 fracking chemicals found in ground water, 23 were recently linked to reproductive and developmental defects in mice. Susan Nagel, associate professor of reproductive and perinatal research at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and a co-author of this study, classified the chemicals as endocrine disrupters, meaning they can interfere with hormones and derail hormone-controlled systems.

Because the immune system is greatly influenced by hormones, Lawrence tested the immune impact of those 23 fracking chemicals on mice. Lawrence’s team added the chemicals to the drinking water of pregnant mice at levels similar to those found in ground water near fracking sites.

In Lawrence’s study, mouse pups – particularly females – who were exposed to a mixture of 23 fracking chemicals in the womb had abnormal immune responses to several types of diseases later on, including an allergic disease and a type of flu. What was most striking: these mice were especially susceptible to a disease that mimics multiple sclerosis, developing symptoms significantly earlier than mice that were not exposed to the chemicals.

Read more here.

University researchers have developed a new live equine influenza vaccine for horses that is safe and more protective than existing vaccines, which haven’t been updated in more than 25 years.

Luis Martinez-Sobrido, associate professor of microbiology and immunology, says a new vaccine is needed not only to keep horses healthy, but also to protect people, since animals – including horses, pigs and dogs – can be infected with multiple influenza viruses and have the potential to act as “mixing vessels,” generating new flu strains that could infect people.

Equine influenza is currently circulating in North America and Europe and is highly contagious. Horses often travel long distances for equestrian events and breeding purposes, and if an infected horse is introduced into a susceptible, unvaccinated population, the spread of the virus can be fast and furious. In the past, flu outbreaks have disrupted major events and led to large economic losses.

In the journal Virology, Martinez-Sobrido and lead study author Laura Rodriguez describe a new “live-attenuated” vaccine that’s given as a spray through the nose (think FluMist for horses). Past research – including studies conducted at Rochester – shows that live-attenuated vaccines, made from live flu virus that’s dampened down so that it doesn’t cause the flu, provide better immune responses and longer periods of protection than vaccines that include inactivated or killed flu virus (like the traditional flu shot).

The study was small, only involving six horses, but planning for a larger study is underway. The use of reverse genetic approaches to create the live-attenuated equine vaccine confers an additional major advantage not available until now: the vaccine can be updated quickly and easily to protect against newly emerging equine influenza strains. Read more here.

A VISTA Collaboratory Open House from 10 a.m. to noon today on the first floor of Carlson Library will showcase the latest research and technology developed at the University’s visualization lab and collaborative space.

During the open house, staff with the Center for Integrated Research Computing (CIRC) will be available to provide demonstrations of how VISTA is used for research. Faculty, staff, and students are welcome to stop by anytime during the open house and discuss how VISTA can help visualize their work.

A demonstration of a new gesture based input system developed by a computer science student will take place at 11 a.m.

Sponsored by the Health Sciences Center for Computational Innovation (HSCCI), VISTA Collaboratory houses a 50 megapixel, 20 ft. x 8 ft. high-resolution curved display wall connected directly to BlueHive over a dedicated 10 Gb/s optical fiber network to the Research Data Center.

Up to seven pilot project awards (maximum budget of $50,000 per award) to support novel basic and translational projects in the neurosciences are available through the Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience. The awards will be supported under two programs for 2018 and are open to all faculty members across both the Medical School and the River Campus.

The Schmitt Program in Integrative Neuroscience (SPIN) supports pilot and feasibility awards for basic science and translational projects that advance our understanding of both normal and abnormal brain functioning (4-5 awards available).

The Harry T. Mangurian Jr. Foundation (MF) offers pilot and feasibility awards for basic, clinical, and translational projects that specifically support research on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (2 awards available).

 For more information and to download the RFA, click here. Application submissions are due on Friday June 1.                                                                                                        

The University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) is looking for investigators to submit applications as supplements to its CTSA U01 grant. The following are examples of CTSA Program priority research areas that would be appropriate for supplemental funding requests:

• Research on the opioid epidemic
• Research on rare diseases
• Development, demonstration, and/or dissemination of education or training materials and/or resources that would impact the translational research workforce

Any application that is responsive to the CTSA Program Collaborative Suite of Awards is appropriate. If you think you have a project that is appropriate or want more information, contact the Research Help Desk.

Applications are due Friday, June 1, 2018.

For years, researchers have used the Matchmaker feature in NIH RePORTER to identify NIH-funded projects similar to their supplied abstracts, research bios, or other scientific text. Now, Matchmaker makes it just as easy to find NIH program officials who cover your research area.

Just enter your scientific text and Matchmaker will analyze the key terms and concepts to identify up to 500 similar projects. A new Program Official tab identifies the program officials associated with the matched projects and includes its own filters for institute/center and activity code. The list of program officials will have their contact information and matched projects in their portfolios.

Try Matchmaker here.

Adam Stauffer, History, “‘Is there any such thing as a California literature?’ Literary Culture and Regional Identity in Nineteenth-Century California.” 2:30 p.m., May 9, 2018. Rush Rhees Library Room 362. Advisor: Joan Rubin.

Adnan A. Hirad, Translational Biomedical Science, “Midbrain Axonal Injury is the Signature Neurotrauma of Subconcussion and Concussion.” 1 p.m. May 29, 2018. Medical Center 1-9576. Advisor: Jeff Bazarian.

Today: VISTA Collaboratory Open House, hosted by Center for Integrated Research Computing. 10 a.m. to noon, first floor, Carlson Library. Faculty, students, and staff welcome to drop by anytime during the open house to see how the Collaboratory can help visualize your work.

May 12: Public showing of “Unrest,” a Sundance award-winning film by Jennifer Brea on the realities of living with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). Followed by a panel discussion. 2-5 p.m., Genrich-Rusling Room, LeChase Hall, River Campus. Free and open to the public. Read more here.

May 14: Deadline to apply for Community Health Mini-Grants from the Center for Community Health and Prevention. Applications are welcome from the Medical Center and community partners. Application directions can be found here. Contact Gail Hamilton via email or at 224-3062 for additional information.

May 14: 5 p.m. deadline to apply for pilot funding from the Center for AIDS Research for projects in collaboration with the University at Buffalo. See the CFAR Pilot Funding Opportunities page and the specific RFA for additional information.

May 15: Respiratory Pathogens Research Center Scientific Symposium. Featured speakers, lectures by RPRC investigators, poster session. Lunch and refreshments provided. 7:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Saunders Research Building. Registration is free, but pre-registration is required by April 27 at RPRCSymposium.urmc.edu

May 17: “Ever Better Teams: A CTSI Team Science Summit.” Interactive symposium featuring keynote presentation by Gaetano “Guy” Lotrecchiano, an associate professor of clinical research and leadership at The George Washington University, and breakout sessions for networking and dialogue on the future of team science at URMC. 1 to 5 p.m. Hosted by the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Contact Oksana Babiy with questions.

May 21: Mini-symposium sponsored by the UCIS Cluster in Epigenetics and Genome Stability, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Medical Center’s Whipple Auditorium (2-6424). Short talks by University researchers, and two invited speakers: Benjamin Garcia (University of Pennsylvania) and Yingming Zhao (University of Chicago), who use cutting-edge proteomics to investigate epigenetics. Open to all.

May 25: 5 p.m. deadline to apply for pilot projects from the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute. Submission Guidelines.  Email applications to Chelsea Costanzo.

May 25: 5 p.m. deadline to apply for a grant from the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program promoting recovery from chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). Submission Guidelines. Email applications to Chelsea Costanzo.

June 1: Deadline to submit applications as supplements to the Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s CTSA U01 grant. To learn more, contact the Research Help Desk.

June 1: Deadline to apply for pilot funding (up to $50,000 per award) from the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience for basic science and translational projects that advance understanding of both normal and abnormal brain functioning and for basic, clinical and translational projects that specifically support research on Autism Spectrum Disorder. For more information and to download the RFA, click here.

June 1-3: “Frontiers in Virtual Reality,” the 31st Center for Visual Science Symposium. Memorial Art Gallery. Click here for a list of speakers, and details about registration.

June 2: “An ‘Un-Meeting’: Addressing the Opioid Crisis through Translational Science.” 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saunders Research Building Atrium. Hosted by the Clinical and Translational Science Institute and the Center for Leading Innovation and Collaboration. There is no cost to attend. Register here by Wednesday, May 23.