Tokkan Kozo is a 1929 Japanese silent film inspired by a classic O. Henry short story about a child kidnapping gone comically awry. The film was believed lost until partial 9.5mm versions surfaced in 1988 and again in 2015.

Now, the surviving footage of Tokkan Kozo can be seen as an English language Digital Cinema Package (DCP), thanks to a collaboration involving Josh Romphf and Clara Auclair at the Digital Scholarship Lab at River Campus Libraries; Joanne Bernardi, professor of Japanese and film and media studies; the George Eastman Museum; and the Toy Film Museum in Kyoto, Japan.

The restored film’s U.S. premiere will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4 at the George Eastman Museum’s Dryden Theatre, along with another film (Passing Fancy, 1936) by the same director, Yasujiro Ozu.

Tokkan Kozo was screened for the first time recently at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival in Pordenone, Italy. Bernardi also gave a talk about the film and its collaborative restoration.

“We were able to make the DCP here at the University of Rochester because Josh and Clara are both graduates of the Selznick Graduate Program in Film Preservation,” Bernardi says. The collaborative graduate program with George Eastman Museum is housed in the English Department.

DCP is a relatively new technology that emerged about 2010. It “has become the standard for film distribution since the industry has moved away from 35mm film projection,” writes Romphf, a programmer with the Digital Scholarship Lab. A DCP is less expensive to produce, and the footage does not become worn like 35mm film after repeat showings.

“In its simplest form  . . .  a DCP could be seen as the digital version of a 35mm film print,” Romphf notes. “Its main advantage is that you can present it to theaters to enable them to project it via a digital projector.” (Read more here.)

Nonetheless, “the whole project was especially complicated because the film was on an unusual 9.5mm format used for home entertainment in the late 1920s through the 1930s,” Bernardi writes. “Films on this format can only be projected at the festival as a DCP or blown up to 35mm film, which is more expensive.”

“This is the first time the University was represented with a contribution to this festival’s programming, thanks to the Digital Scholarship Lab,” Bernardi says.  She also credited a mobility travel grant from the AS&E’s Dean of Research office. The grant enabled her to visit the Toy Film Museum —  where the original 9.5mm film used in this restoration is housed —  to translate the intertitles. In silent films, intertitles are pieces of filmed, printed text that are edited into the footage at various points to help tell the story.

Tokkan Kozo (A Straightforward Boy), was Ozu’s second movie featuring six-year-old Tomio Aoki, whose “headstrong mischievousness brought him fame as a child actor,” Bernardi writes in notes for the festival. As in O. Henry’s tale, Aoki’s character proves altogether too much for his kidnappers to handle.

 Bernardi has had a decades-long interest in uncovering a side of Japan that few Westerners knew about — a cosmopolitan, modernizing nation that was already making its mark in film and experiencing a boom in tourism well before World War II.

Bernardi has documented this with hundreds of early 20th Century postcards, films, brochures, advertisements, and other objects now on display at an interactive and multimedia online archive and research project also developed with the help of the Digital Scholarship Laboratory.  “Re-envisioning Japan: Japan as Destination in 20th Century Visual and Material Culture” uses travel, education, and the production and exchange of images and objects as a “lens to investigate changing representations of Japan and its place in the world in the first half of the 20th Century.“

Anand R. Marri, vice president and head of outreach and education at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and professor of social studies and education (research) at Teachers College, Columbia University, has been named dean of the Warner School of Graduate Education and Human Development. Rob Clark, University provost and senior vice president for research, announced Marri’s appointment, which will begin on Jan. 1 with a five-year term.

A search committee led by School of Nursing Dean Kathy Rideout and including faculty members and leaders in education and human development conducted a national search to identify the school’s new dean and successor to Raffaella Borasi, who has served as Warner School dean for 18 years. Borasi is continuing on at Warner as founding director of the new Learning in the Digital Age Center.

Marri’s academic research focuses on economic literacy, civic and multicultural education, teacher education, and urban education and has appeared in many leading education journals.

He has received over $5.5 million in grants from individuals and organizations such as TC Trustee Joyce Cowin, Carnegie Corporation of New York, New York State Education Department, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He served as one of the authors of The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards, first published in 2013 as the guide for states to upgrade their social studies standards and for practitioners to strengthen their social studies programs. Marri was also an author in Teaching the Levees A Curriculum for Democratic Dialogue and Civic Engagement (Teachers College Press, 2008.) 

Read more here.

Kara Bren, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, and Robert Boyd, a professor at the Institute of Optics, who have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). They are among 416 members of the association being recognized for their “efforts toward advancing scientific applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished.”

Bren has helped advance the understanding of how changes in a protein’s structure can alter its function, how proteins transfer electrons, and how these processes can be manipulated for various applications. “It’s nice to know that the work I’ve done is recognized as being significant by this broader scientific society,” Bren says. “It not only brings more visibility for me, but for the department and University.”

Boyd is known for his pioneering work in nonlinear optical interactions and nonlinear optical properties of materials. Boyd says he is “quite pleased” at being named an AAAS fellow. “It means that one has achieved recognition even outside of one’s narrow discipline.”

Read more here.

Imagine if lie-detecting apps became widely available on everyone’s phones or computers. Merely by processing a video of what you are saying to someone – by analyzing your facial expressions, body movements, auditory details, and the semantic content of your speech — the apps could accurately predict if you are lying or telling the truth about who you voted for or about your sexual orientation.

“What will that do to society?” asks Ehsan Hoque. “What will it do to our relationships?”

So, even as the assistant professor of computer scientist creates ground-breaking computer technology to detect lies for a host of beneficial medical and public safety purposes, he also wants to help ensure the technology is used constructively — and ethically.

He will further explore both the technology and its proper use with a $1 million Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (ECASE-ARMY) from the Army Research Office (ARO). ECASE awards are the highest honor bestowed by the ARO to outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers.

The technology Hoque hopes to develop with this award builds upon his lab’s recent work on understanding deception based on facial and verbal cues. Applications include:

• improved security screening of passengers in airports,
• helping medical practitioners realize whether patients are hiding suicidal symptoms,
• new ways for law-enforcement agents to assess risk when engaging in self-defense,
• helping individuals with autism realize when they are being manipulated or deceived.

With the new award, Hoque and his lab will develop machine learning algorithms that could make the interrogations and interviews used in these settings more objective.

Often an interrogation starts with general questions to establish rapport. “How someone answers in the rapport-building phase could influence how the interviewer looks at that person when the important, relevant questions are asked in the subsequent phases, biasing the interviewer’s ability to tell if someone is lying or telling the truth,” Hoque says.

“So, imagine as I’m interviewing you, I have a computer that is helping me out, that can treat each phase as unique and objective,” Hoque says. “We can build algorithms to help quantify some of nuances that an interviewer might miss – subtle inconsistencies among facial cues, what is said, how it is said.”

At the end of each phase, the algorithm, trained with reinforcement learning, would recommend whether it has “seen” enough to recommend going to the next phase or whether additional questions should be asked.

The interviewer is still in charge, still making the decisions, Hoque emphasizes, but “the algorithm is providing  independent, quantifiable metrics, so that the interrogators can further quantify their decisions. It adds objectivity and transparency to the interrogation process.”

Greater objectivity could benefit both the interviewer and the person being interviewed, especially in security and law enforcement settings, he says.

Read more here.

The Development, Implementation, and Assessment of Novel Training in Domain-based competencies (DIAMOND) is a collaborative effort by Rochester, the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, and Tufts University to provide high quality, accessible, competency-based training for individuals conducting clinical trials.

Through the DIAMOND Portal, clinical researcher professionals can access training and assessments for workforce development, and collaborate with peers with the same goals. The portal also connects users with an electronic portfolio service to help them manage their professional careers. Learn more.

Research teams are encouraged to apply for a Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) Incubator award from the School of Medicine and Dentistry. The award, which provides up to $125,000 per year for two years, fosters the establishment of extramurally funded, nationally recognized centers of excellence in biomedical research.

Proposals must involve a team of two or more co-principal investigators, and a multi-PI leadership plan is required. View details and application instructions and the SAC Incubator Program RFA.

Submit letters of intent/initial abstracts by 8 a.m. Wednesday, January 2, 2019. Contact Anne Reed for more information.

Pilot funding from the Medical Center’s Environmental Health Science Center (EHSC) supports projects relevant to the theme of “Environmental Agents as Modulators of Human Disease and Dysfunction.” Applicants are encouraged to use emerging technologies (CRISPR, next generation or single cell RNA sequencing, big data initiatives, etc.) and use the unique core facilities of the EHSC.

Applicants may request a maximum of $30,000 for the duration of one year and must hold a tenure-track faculty position. Applications from new investigators collaborating with existing EHSC faculty are encouraged.

For this round only, there is no abstract phase. Forms and guidelines can be found on the Environmental Health Sciences Center web site. Send applications to Pat Noonan-Sullivan by Monday, January 14, 2019.

The Wilmot Cancer Institute (WCI) is soliciting cancer research grant applications for new collaborative studies targeting future MPI R01, P01, and U01 grant funding from the National Cancer Institute. This Request for Applications is designated to support basic, translational, or clinical cancer research projects.

The award provides $100,000 for one year, but funding for a second year of support may be obtained on a competitive basis.

Preference will be given to projects proposed by WCI members or associate members aligned with the WCI Core Research Programs: Hallmarks of Cancer, Tumor-Microenvironment, and Cancer Control and Survivorship.

Applications are due January 15, 2019, and should be submitted electronically to Pam Iadarola, research administrator, at Pamela_Iadarola@urmc.rochester.edu. Questions should also be directed to her.

The World AIDS Day Scientific Symposium from 10 a.m.  to 2 p.m. today includes two keynote speeches, a documentary about the University’s artist-in-residence, and a poster session.

The symposium is hosted by the Center for AIDS Research.

Keynote addresses at 10 a.m. by Marguerita Lightfoot (“Prevention in the Digital Age: Tech, Text, and Thrive”) of the University of California/San Francisco  and at 12:30 p.m. by Douglas Nixon (“Retroviruses Rule?!”) of Weill Cornell Medical College will be in the Class of ’62 Auditorium. So will a special 1:30-2 p.m. showing of a documentary about Charmaine Wheatley, artist-in-residence, who shares intimate moments with people affected by HIV through watercolor portraits that capture their image, thoughts, and challenges.

A poster session will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Flaum Atrium.

Read more at the CFAR events page.

Brian Shen, chemical engineering, “Surface-Initiated Polymerizations for Electrochemical Energy Storage Applications.” 2 p.m., December 4, 2018. Wegmans 4506. Advisor: Wyatt Tenhaeff.

Chen Braun, pharmacology, “Chronic PKC-beta-II activation inhibits IKs channel membrane localization via phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate: Implications for Long-QT1 treatment. 9 a.m. December 5, 2018. Auditorium K-207 (2-6408), Medical Center. Host: Coeli Lopes.

Christopher Kovacs, microbiology and immunology, “Defining Functional Roles for the Rhamnose-glucose Polysaccharides of Streptococcus mutans.” 1 p.m. December 7, 2018. Upper Adolph Auditorium (3-7619), Medical Center. Host: Robert Quivey.

AnnaLynn Williams, epidemiology, “Inflammation and Cognitive Function in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Survivors.” 1 p.m. December 7, 2018. Helen Wood Hall 1W509. Host: Edwin van Wijngaarden.

Aditi Murthy, microbiology and immunology, “Impact of tumor hypoxia on immune response: Implication for radiotherapy and anti-tumor immunity.” 10 a.m. December 12, 2018. Auditorium K-307 (3-6408), Medical Center. Host: Edith Lord.

Today: Jennifer Kyker, an associate professor of music in the School of Arts & Sciences and an associate professor of ethnomusicology at the Eastman School of Music, and Emily Sherwood, director of River Campus Libraries’ Digital Scholarship Lab, will talk about “Building Sekuru’s Stories” at noon in the Humanities Center, Conference Room D. Lunch is provided. The project is a multimedia ethnographic archive focused on the musical life of Sekuru Tute Chigamba, a renowned performer of the Zimbabwean mbira dzavadzimu.

Today: Annual CFAR World AIDS Day Scientific Symposium. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Keynote addresses at 10 a.m. by Marguerita Lightfoot, professor of medicine at the University of California in San Francisco, and at 12:30 p.m. by Douglas Nixon, professor of immunology in medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, plus special 1:30-2 p.m. showing of a documentary about Charmaine Wheatley, artist-in-residence, who shares intimate moments with people affected by HIV through watercolor portraits that capture their image, thoughts, and challenges — all in Class of ’62 Auditorium. Poster session 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Flaum Atrium. Read more at the CFAR events page.

Dec. 5:  Phelps Colloquium series: Ajay Kuriyan, assistant professor of ophthalmology, “The Bionic Eye, Computer Vision, and Drug Discovery: The Gamut of Retina Research.” Kara Bren, professor of chemistry, “Making Fuel and Fertilizer from Sun, Air, and Water.” 4 p.m. Feldman Ballroom Douglass Commons. Register here. Questions? Contact Adele Coelho or call 273-2571.

Dec. 10: Deadline to apply for Humanities Center internal fellowship for fall 2019 or spring 2020, for a tenured associate professor in the humanities or humanistic social sciences who will use the time at the Center to complete a second book. Projects must address the theme of “communities,” broadly understood. Applicants should follow the guidelines here.

Dec. 14: 6 p.m. deadline to apply for travel reimbursement awards of up to $1,000  (one for clinical research and one for basic sciences research) to support a School of Medicine & Dentistry medical student, graduate student, postdoctoral trainee, clinical resident, and/or clinical fellow to attend national or international meetings at which they will present their research and make professional connections. For questions, email Amy Blatt or call 585-275-4912. View the full RFA.

Jan 2.: Letters of intent/initial abstracts due by 8 a.m. for Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) Incubator award from the School of Medicine and Dentistry to foster the establishment of extramurally funded, nationally recognized centers of excellence in biomedical research.  View details and application instructions and the SAC Incubator Program RFA. Contact Anne Reed for more information.

Jan. 14: Applications due for pilot funding from the Environmental Health Science Center to support projects relevant to the theme of “Environmental Agents as Modulators of Human Disease and Dysfunction.” Forms and guidelines can be found on the Environmental Health Sciences Center web site. Send applications to Pat Noonan-Sullivan.

Jan. 15: Deadline to submit cancer research grant applications for new collaborative studies targeting future MPI R01, P01, and U01 funding from National Cancer Institute. Applications should be submitted electronically to  Pamela_Iadarola@urmc.rochester.edu at the Wilmot Cancer Institute. Questions should also be directed to her.

Jan. 24: Phelps Colloquium Series: Donald Hall, the Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences & Engineering, “Looking Beyond Our Horizons: Interdisciplinary Education and Civic Responsibility.” Pablo Sierra Silva, assistant professor of history, “Pirates, Captives, and the Digital Archive: Researching Afro-Mexican History in the 21st Century.” 4-5:30 p.m. Feldman Ballroom, Douglass Commons. Register here. Questions? Contact Adele Coelho or call 273-2571.