Last year scientists confirmed that information could be passed between photons on computer chips even when the photons were not physically linked.

Now, according to new research from the University of Rochester and Purdue University, teleportation may also be possible between electrons.

In a paper published in Nature Communications and one to appear in Physical Review X, the researchers, including John Nichol, an assistant professor of physics at Rochester, and Andrew Jordan, a professor of physics at Rochester, explore new ways of creating quantum-mechanical interactions between distant electrons. The research is an important step in improving quantum computing, which, in turn, has the potential to revolutionize technology, medicine, and science by providing faster and more efficient processors and sensors.

Read more here.

In 1871, a group of Norwegian hunters discovered an odd clump in the frozen terrain of far northern Russia, on the island of Nova Zembla—more than 1,000 miles away from any permanent human settlement. What was this icy, gravelly hunk? Art, as it turned out—more than 400 Flemish engravings, the pages fused together like a brick over almost three centuries as the ground surrounding them alternately froze and melted.

The package was a relic of a 1596 expedition to the Far North led by Dutch navigator William Barents, namesake of the Barents Sea. In search of a Northeast Passage to the Indies, the expedition was marooned in northern Siberia for more than nine months.

When the survivors returned to the Netherlands in late 1597, one of them–sailor Gerrit de Veer–published an illustrated account of their experience. The book—a memoir of survival in the style of a ship’s logbook, with stories of polar bears, frostbite, Arctic foxes, and the aurora borealis—became “one of the first adventure bestsellers,” says University of Rochester art historian Christopher Heuer.

Heuer’s new book, Into the White: The Renaissance Arctic and the End of the Image (MIT Press/Zone Books, 2019) examines Renaissance Europe’s preoccupation with the Arctic, and why it matters now.

Read more here.

The Biostats4You website was developed to serve medical and public health researchers and professionals who wish to learn more about biostatistics. The site contains carefully selected and reviewed training materials especially suited for a non-statistician audience.

Here are four important links for researchers:

• University’s COVID-19 website for important updates and guidance on working, teaching, and learning remotely
• University of Rochester Medical Center website for restrictions, resources, and news
• Office of Research and Project Administration (ORPA) site on Coronavirus 2019 resources related to sponsored programs
• University’s COVID-19 “Restart and Recovery” web page.

Hydroxychloroquine Studies Halted at URMC, Nationally: In early June, URMC announced that it was joining two national clinical trials testing whether hydroxychloroquine, an FDA-approved anti-malarial drug, could improve outcomes for hospitalized and non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients. On Friday, June 19, 2020, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Novartis officially halted the trials, citing difficulty enrolling patients. Learn more about the study closures.

National COVID Cohort Collaborative: The NIH has launched a centralized, secure enclave to store and study vast amounts of medical record data from people diagnosed with COVID-19 across the country. It is part of an effort, called the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), to help scientists analyze these data to understand the disease and develop treatments.

New COVID-19 Funding Opportunities:

• The Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics – Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) initiative aims to understand and reduce disparities in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. RADx-UP is offering four funding opportunities for community-engaged research on COVID-19 testing among underserved or vulnerable populations. The first application due date for all of these opportunities is August 7, 2020.
• The National Institute on Aging is offering to fund investigator-initiated multi-site clinical trials (all phases or stages) of interventions focused on specific aging-related issues to reducing transmission, risk, morbidity, mortality, severity, or complications of COVID-19. Applications are due on a rolling basis through February 1, 2021.
• The NIH is offering funding to implement and evaluate community interventions testing 1) the impacts of mitigation strategies to prevent COVID-19 transmission in NIH-designated health disparity populations and other vulnerable groups; and 2) already implemented, new, or adapted interventions to address the adverse psychosocial, behavioral, and socioeconomic consequences of the pandemic on the health of these groups. The first round of applications is due August 28, 2020.

Expiring COVID-19 Funding Opportunities:

• The USDA is offering grants to enable and improve distance learning and telemedicine services in rural areas to increase access to education, training and health care resources. Relevance to COVID-19 is encouraged. Apply by July 13, 2020.
• Deadlines for two funding opportunities from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) are fast approaching. PCORI-funded principal investigators or project leads can submit proposals to address the COVID-19 public health crisis through enhancements of currently-funded PCORI research awards or engagement awards by July 17, 2020.

Reopening plans submitted to the state: The University has submitted to New York State a phased reopening plan that details how the institution will approach the fall semester, aligning with the governor’s guidelines and recommendations. The plan—which prioritizes the health and safety of faculty, staff, and students—is the result of extensive discussions and planning efforts from several advisory committees and working groups across the University.

The plan was included in the inaugural issue of Rochester Restart, a weekly newsletter that aims to provide context for how we’re approaching the complicated tasks that come with re-establishing activities and programs at the University of Rochester. @Rochester subscribers automatically receive Rochester Restart, but others are welcome to subscribe here.

Phase 4 guidance for remote work: The Finger Lakes Region last week started Phase 4 of New York State’s regional reopening plan. This is the final phase of the state’s reopening process, however many operating and activity restrictions are still in place to contain the spread of COVID-19 in our region. The University continues to require that those employees working from home continue to do so unless approved to return by leadership. Essential staff in areas including public safety, facilities, dining services, residential life, and in some research facilities who are approved to restart or who are responsible for continuing operations at the University may be working on campus. Read more.

New York State travel advisory: Last Friday, the University outlined how the recent travel advisory issued by New York State affects members of the University community with its general requirement that travelers coming into New York State from a current COVID-19 hot spot state need to self-quarantine for 14 days. Further guidance on this applies to essential employees at the University, who according to the details of the advisory are able to report to work. These essential employees do however need to adhere to stay-at-home quarantine procedures when not at work, and additionally need to take a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of returning. The University generally considers essential staff as those who work in areas including health care, public safety, facilities, dining services, residential life, and in some research facilities who were approved to restart.

If you believe you are an essential employee and are traveling to and from one of the affected states, speak with your manager or department head about your obligations. HR Business Partners are also available to assist. To inquire about a COVID-19 test under these circumstances, contact University Health Service at (585) 275-2662; if you’re at the Medical Center, contact Employee Health at (585) 275-6040 and review this specific guidance.