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The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is a bull shark nursery habitat crucial to survival and recruitment of Atlantic coast bull sharks. Analysis of 123 samples found the presence of one or more phycotoxin from harmful algal blooms in 82 percent of the bull sharks and their prey items. Findings highlight the potential threat of toxic algae to the IRL’s ecosystem and surrounding human populations that may consume the same prey species. The highest concentrations of most toxins were detected in gut content samples, highlighting dietary exposure as an important mechanism of toxin transfer to bull sharks in the system.

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Eleanor R. Baldwin has made a $7.5 million gift commitment to Florida Atlantic University Athletics. In recognition of the gift and following recent approval by the Board of Trustees, FAU’s basketball and volleyball facility will now be known as the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

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The Rockwell Trubinsky Estate Gift will provide the esteemed dean of nursing with resources to effectively respond to the changing needs of nurses and help transform the dynamic landscape of health care.

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Randy D. Blakely, Ph.D., Florida Atlantic University’s Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute executive director, recently received the Society for Neuroscience’s (SfN) 2022 Science Educator Award at the organization’s annual meeting in San Diego.

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Although communities care deeply about the fate of coral reefs, they often lack the scientific tools to document changes in the local reefs on which they rely. A new project will help to empower community members already interested in coral reef health with the tools needed to document changes in these systems. Importantly, findings from the research will inform management of ecosystems.

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A study shows that the temperature of the incubation environment could influence the sexualization of the gonads (reproductive organs) in sea turtles earlier than what is currently recognized. Researchers developed a new way to integrate the effect of thermal fluctuations on embryonic sex determination and predict sex ratios with much better accuracy than prior models. By measuring the strength of masculinization or feminization of temperatures using novel parameters, they have uncovered how temperature-sensitive sex determination works. These findings could be similar for other reptiles with temperature-dependent sex determination because similar molecular determinants and enzymatic mechanisms are at play.

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“PRAISE, Preparing for Readiness and Academic Improvement for pre-School English Learners.” PRAISE is designed to improve the quality of instruction for English language learners and enhance educators’ ability to support preschool English language learners’ readiness for kindergarten. FAU is one of 44 institutions nationwide selected to receive this grant in 2022.

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Using DNA from two ancient humans unearthed in two different archaeological sites in northeast Brazil, researchers have unraveled the deep demographic history of South America at the regional level with some surprising results. Not only do they provide new genetic evidence supporting existing archaeological data of the north-to-south migration toward South America, they also have discovered migrations in the opposite direction along the Atlantic coast – for the first time. Among the key findings, they also have discovered evidence of Neanderthal ancestry within the genomes of ancient individuals from South America. Neanderthals ranged across Eurasia during the Lower and Middle Paleolithic. The Americas were the last continent to be inhabited by humans.

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Transmission Electron Microscopy is essential for studying the micro- and nanostructure of inorganic, organic and hybrid materials. In inorganic samples, the instrument reveals the orientation and internal structure of crystal lattices down to individual atoms, as well as defects, such as dislocations or grain boundaries. Transmission Electron Microscopy is the preferred method to directly measure the size, grain size, size distribution, and morphology of nanomaterials.

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FAU researchers from the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing have received a four year, $3.9 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for a nurse-led mobile health unit to create healthier populations in rural and medically underserved regions.

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Current prosthetic hands have five individually actuated digits, yet only one grasp function can be controlled at a time, which makes sophisticated tasks largely impossible.

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Seven sequenced surveys since October 2019 paint a comprehensive picture of Floridians’ climate resilience attitudes during a period of particularly dynamic political, economic and environmental events. Climate change has emerged as an abiding and cross-cutting issue in Florida.

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FAU researchers and collaborators provide the most updated guidance to health care providers and urge how widespread vaccination with these boosters can now avoid the specter of future and more lethal variants becoming a reality.

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Diverse: Issues In Higher Education magazine also ranked FAU as No. 17 for African Americans with bachelor’s degrees; No. 40 for Hispanics with bachelor’s degrees; No. 51 for African Americans with master’s degrees; No. 53 for Hispanics with master’s degrees; No. 44 for total minority students with bachelor’s degrees; and No. 60 for total minority students with master’s degrees.

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A study of U.S. middle and high school students shows that about 17 percent were cyberbullied in 2016 and 2019, but that proportion rose to 23 percent in 2021. Notably, 19 percent of Asian American youth said they had been cyberbullied, and about 1 in 4 (23.5 percent) indicated they were victimized online because of their race/color. Asian American youth were the only racial group where the majority (59 percent) reported more cyberbullying since the start of the COVID‐19 pandemic. In 2019, Asian American youth were the least likely to have experienced cyberbullying.

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From 1999 to 2020 there were 4,090 firearm fatalities among Texas school-age children 5 to 18 years. Following significant declines from 1999 to 2013, firearm fatality rates significantly increased. Homicide accounted for most deaths among black and Hispanic children while suicide predominated for white children.

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A $500,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health will enable researchers to tackle chronic health disparities through the use of electronic health records (EHR), artificial intelligence, machine learning (AI/ML) and the Internet of Things (IoT).

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Stigmatized and ignored, pregnant women and mothers with substance use disorders often are voiceless. Researchers used documentary photography as platform to enable mothers in recovery to be heard. Results reveal a shared perception. For mothers with a substance use disorder involved with the child welfare system it is easy to fail and hard to succeed. The emotional jeopardy of child welfare system interactions was described by the mothers to result in feelings of defeat and an increased vulnerability to reoccurrence of substance use.

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The Fulbright program is devoted to increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Fulbright is the world’s largest and most diverse international educational exchange program.

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Combining microbiology with engineering technologies, this novel 3D model uses a single microfluidic chip to study the complicated processes that take place in malaria-infected placenta as well as other placenta-related diseases and pathologies. The technology supports formation of microengineered placental barriers and mimics blood circulations, which provides alternative approaches for testing and screening.

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Key differences in male and female mice brains provide new insights into how sex determines the mechanisms by which distinct synapses monitor and regulate dopamine signaling. The impact of sex differences is particularly pronounced when the mice express a human genetic variant found in boys with either ADHD or autism. Behavioral generalizations across the sexes may limit diagnosis of mental illness, especially if one sex translates alterations into outward signs such as hyperactivity and aggression vs. more internal manifestations such as learning, memory and mood, even when the same molecular pathology is at work.

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With another grant from the Florida Department of Health, FAU researchers will continue a first-of-its-kind evaluation of both the short-term and potential long-term health effects of harmful algal blooms among Florida residents.

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FAU ceremoniously broke ground on its future Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building at its Boca Raton campus. Thanks to a historic $20 million gift from the Wallachs in November 2020, FAU is an epicenter for intercultural dialogue and education in the greater South Florida region.

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A study assessed resident physicians’ perceptions, coping strategies and self-reported levels of depression, anxiety and stress experienced during the early phase of the pandemic. Results showed that 88.1 percent felt they were likely or very likely to become infected with COVID-19. If infected, 28.8 percent felt that their illness would be serious or very serious. With respect to depression, anxiety and stress, all the mean scores were in the normal range. For depression, residents in emergency medicine and surgery reported higher levels. The top three coping strategies included acceptance, self-distraction, and use of emotional support. The three least used strategies included behavioral disengagement, substance use and denial.

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FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine received a $1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to launch the first Florida Summer Institute in Biostatistics and Data Science in the Southeastern United States – and one of only 10 sites across the nation.

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As a recipient of the annual HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — FAU will be featured, along with 102 other recipients, in the November issue of the magazine. This is the second year that FAU has been named as a HEED Award recipient.

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FAU was one of only eight institutions in the nation to be awarded NASA’s Minority University Research and Education (MUREP) award for the MUREP Aerospace Academy (MAA). Through cooperative agreement awards, MAA funding affords minority-serving institutions the opportunity to develop exciting new avenues to inspire local high school students in the STEM (science-technology-engineering-mathematics) fields.

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FAU moved up in the U.S. News & World Report list of “Top Public Schools,” to No. 132 from No. 140 in this year’s ranking of the nation’s best universities. This marks the largest rise out of all public universities in the state of Florida.

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A national survey of 2,000 employed and student nurses showed that nurses remain passionate about patient care despite ongoing industry challenges. Areas of dissatisfaction include pay rates/ compensation (86 percent), staff shortages (53 percent), stress (39 percent) and burnout (35 percent). Results also showed that 28 percent of nurses indicated their desire to leave the profession had increased dramatically since the pandemic, while those who said their desire to stay had increased since the pandemic dropped from 24 percent last year to 4 percent this year.

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FAU has been ranked No. 72 overall among the nation’s best public and private universities by Washington Monthly’s annual College Guide. The rankings were based on social mobility, research, as well as community and national service.

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Teens engaged in digital self-harm (online posting, sending or sharing of hurtful content about oneself anonymously) were between five and seven times more likely to have considered suicide and between nine and 15 times more likely to have attempted to end their life. Approximately 9 percent reported that they had anonymously posted something online about themselves that was mean, while about 5 percent said they had anonymously cyberbullied themselves.

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Researchers from Florida Atlantic University, in collaboration with Tel Aviv University, have received a two-year, $379,177 grant from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes for Health, on a collaborative project to study mood-disorders changes in Alzheimer’s disease.

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A study measuring mild depression, number of mental unhealthy days and number of anxious days in 10,359 adults 18 and older found those who consumed the most ultra-processed foods as compared with those who consumed the least amount had statistically significant increases in the adverse mental health symptoms of mild depression, “mentally unhealthy days” and “anxious days.” They also had significantly lower rates of reporting zero “mentally unhealthy days” and zero “anxious days.” Findings are generalizable to the entire U.S. as well as other Western countries with similar ultra-processed food intakes.

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Researchers found a lack of preparedness, specifically to evacuate carless and vulnerable populations. Only seven cities had strong plans, including Charlotte, North Carolina; Cleveland; Jacksonville; Miami; New Orleans; New York; and Philadelphia. Twenty cities achieved a moderate rating, six cities had a weak rating and 17 plans were not available or do not exist. Among the cities with plans not found include Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Minneapolis.

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A study is the first to link the use of the herbicide Roundup® to convulsions in animals. Glyphosate, the weed killer component in Roundup®, is the world’s most commonly used herbicide. Results showed that glyphosate and Roundup® increased seizure-like behavior in soil-dwelling roundworms and provides significant evidence that glyphosate targets GABA-A receptors. These communication points are essential for locomotion and are heavily involved in regulating sleep and mood in humans. What truly sets this research apart is that it was done at significantly less levels than recommended by the EPA and those used in past studies.

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A newly-discovered walking shark that breaks all of the rules for survival is the focus of a first-of-its-kind study that examined differences in walking and swimming in neonate (newly-hatched) and juvenile walking sharks. Despite dissimilarities in body shapes – neonates have bulging bellies and juveniles are slender – the three aquatic gaits they use (slow-to-medium walking, fast-walking and swimming) did not differ. Kinematics between neonate and juvenile epaulette sharks did not alter during development.

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FAU has landed a major NSF Engineering Research Center with Columbia University, Rutgers University, the University of Central Florida, and Lehman College.

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From fecal bacteria to blue-green algae to red tides, Southwest Florida’s water quality has declined as its population has increased. Multiple lines of evidence from a multi-year microbial source tracking study points to septic systems as a contributing source for this decline. The study is one of few to connect downstream harmful algal blooms with nutrient loading from upstream septic systems. These water quality issues are caused by aging septic systems installed in high densities in areas with shallow water tables. Septic systems may actually be sitting in groundwater during certain times of the year, which means that they cannot function properly.

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Little is known about cyberbullying and empathy, especially as it relates harming or abusing others because of race or religion. A study is the first to examine general cyberbullying, race-based cyberbullying, and religion-based cyberbullying in young adolescents. Results show that the higher a youth scored on empathy, the lower the likelihood that they cyberbullied others. When it came to bias-based cyberbullying, higher levels of total empathy were associated with lower odds of cyberbullying others based on their race or religion.

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The entire virus detection process is executed inside a uniquely designed, portable, inexpensive, disposable, and self-driven microfluidic chip. The fully automated sample-in–answer-out molecular diagnostic set-up rapidly detects Hepatitis C virus in about 45 minutes and uses relatively inexpensive and reusable equipment costing about $50 for sample processing and disease detection. The disposable microfluidic chip also offers shorter times for a reliable diagnosis and costs about $2.

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Researchers evaluated a remotely supervised online chair yoga intervention targeted at older adults with dementia and measured clinical outcomes virtually via Zoom under the remote guidance. Results showed that remotely supervised online chair yoga is a feasible approach for managing physical and psychological symptoms in socially isolated older adults with dementia based on retention (70 percent) and adherence (87.5 percent), with no injury or other adverse events.

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Hari Kalva, in FAU’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, is a named inventor on more than 18 standard essential patents that are used in virtually all modern video distribution and streaming products and services.

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FAU Schmidt College of Medicine Graduate Medical Education Consortium leaders recently met to strategize and outline the next phase for graduate medical education and residency programs in Palm Beach County, which they will launch in the fall.

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FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and collaborator conducted a study that provides an assessment of the potential effects of climate warming and water management of the West Florida Shelf dynamics during two particular events that affect its hydrology through the lens of a very high-resolution model.

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FAU was awarded more than $800,000 by the state of Florida as part of a $15.6 million initiative to prepare students and mid-career professionals for jobs in the burgeoning fields of cybersecurity and information technology.

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The Florida Atlantic University Foundation raised more than $81.24 million from more than 5,332 donors at the end of the 2022 fiscal year – the largest amount raised in the University’s history. This total breaks the record of $57 million from the previous year and demonstrates a continued trajectory for growth.

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Dr. Ortega’s newest role as associate dean of clinical practice now places her at the helm of clinical care for both the Green Memory and Wellness Center and the FAU and Northwest Community Health Alliance's Community Health Center (FAU/NCHA CHC), operated by the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. She will collaborate with FAU/NCHA CHC executive director Karethy Edwards, Dr.PH, APRN, professor and associate dean for academic programs; and clinical director Desiree’ T. Weems, APRN, a certified nurse practitioner.

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State governments varied widely in COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures and how they addressed immediate and long-standing health disparities and associated inequities.

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Most teachers focus on academic considerations when assigning seats. A new study is the first to show that these classroom seat assignments also have important implications for children’s friendships and the enormous influence that teachers wield over the interpersonal lives of children.