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A low-cost and rapid 3D technique is helping scientists to gain insight into the colony- and community-level dynamics of the poorly understood stony coral tissue loss disease responsible for widespread coral death throughout the Tropical Western Atlantic. They adapted Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry to generate 3D models for tracking lesion progression and impacts on diseased coral colonies. They combined traditional diver surveys with 3D colony fate-tracking to determine the impacts of disease on coral colonies throughout Southeast Florida.

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People’s social behavior, reflected in their mobility data, is providing scientists with a way to forecast the spread of COVID-19 nationwide at the county level. Researchers have developed the first data-driven deep learning model with the potential to predict an outbreak in COVID-19 cases two weeks in advance. Feeding the mobility data to epidemiological forecasting models helps to estimate COVID-19 growth as well as evaluating the effects of government policies such as mandating masks on the spread of COVID-19.

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Florida Atlantic University’s Joanna Drowos, D.O., M.P.H., M.B.A., Schmidt College of Medicine, provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the COVID-19 Delta variant, vaccines and public safety measures.

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Only 17 percent of live coral cover remains on fore-reefs in Belize. A study finds new evidence that nitrogen enrichment from land-based sources like agriculture run-off and sewage, are significantly driving macroalgal blooms to increase on the Belize Barrier Reef and causing massive decline in hard coral cover. With only 2 percent of hard coral cover remaining in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, it’s too late to save that reef, but there’s still hope for the Belize Barrier Reef.

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While services such as Snapchat allow self-destructing messages or notify users when a recipient takes a screenshot of a message, there is no way to prevent someone from photographing or showing it to others on the screen. A new invention controls how and when shared documents are displayed and restricts individuals from viewing documents based on individual identity (e.g., face ID, a voice sample), their social network, and when and where the document is being viewed.

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For debilitated sea turtles in rehab, part of the healing process is to provide a species-specific, balanced diet that provides nutrition similar to that of a wild diet. However, developing the right nutritionally balanced formula is challenging. To find answers, researchers followed their “gut” instinct.

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Leading experts address the clinical and public health challenges as well as ethical implications for health care workers to achieve high levels of vaccinations to protect themselves, their coworkers and the general public from COVID-19.

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Tarsha Jones, Ph.D., principal investigator and an assistant professor of nursing at FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, has received the National Institute of Health (NIH) K01 Career Development Award, a five-year, $772,525 award for a project titled, “Decision Support for Multigene Panel Testing and Family Risk Communication among Racially/Ethnically Diverse Young Breast Cancer Survivors.”

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Researchers are the first to model COVID-19 completion versus cessation in clinical trials using machine learning algorithms and ensemble learning. They collected 4,441 COVID-19 trials from ClinicalTrials.gov to build a testbed with 693 dimensional features created to represent each clinical trial. These computational methods can predict whether a COVID-19 clinical trial will be completed or terminated, withdrawn or suspended. Stakeholders can leverage the predictions to plan resources, reduce costs, and minimize the time of the clinical study.

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Prosthetics currently lack the sensation of “touch.” To enable a more natural feeling prosthetic hand interface, researchers are the first to incorporate stretchable tactile sensors using liquid metal and machine learning. This hierarchical multi-finger tactile sensation integration could provide a higher level of intelligence for artificial hands by improving control, providing haptic feedback and reconnecting amputees to a previously severed sense of touch.

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FAU has received a $309,527 grant from the National Science Foundation to spearhead the project that will involve experimental work carried out at Technion, and numerical simulations and machine learning tasks conducted at FAU.

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A study is the first to examine the relationship between grit and a muscular endurance performance task – specifically, the grueling back squat. The expectation was that a “gritty” person would perform more repetitions in a resistance training set. Interestingly, grit did not predict muscular endurance during the back squat in well-trained men and women. Both males and females independently failed to show a relationship between grit and repetitions performed.

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If successful, this research in the Gulf of Mexico’s hypoxia region off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana may demonstrate not just the ability, but also the utility, of remote sensing as an observational technique for characterizing potentially critical but often neglected carbon cycle processes related to marine sediments. Researchers will use satellite images, hydrodynamic modeling and field work in seeking a better understanding of the ocean’s role in the Earth system.

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Specific health effects of toxins on the water surface of the Indian River Lagoon are not fully understood. Scientists collected water samples during the 2018 wet and 2019 dry seasons and analyzed them. Results showed that concentrations of Microcystis aeruginosa, harmful algal blooms, and saxitoxin, a neurotoxin, were both generally higher during the wet season. Microcystins, produced by blue-green algae, were present only under specific environmental conditions.

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A first-of-its kind study in U.S.-born children from Spanish-speaking families finds that minority language exposure does not threaten the acquisition of English by children in the U.S. and that there is no trade-off between English and Spanish. Rather, children reliably acquire English by age 5, and their total language knowledge is greater to the degree that they also acquire Spanish. Children’s level of English knowledge was independent of their level of Spanish knowledge.

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In the future, health care delivery systems and personnel will rely more on automation and artificial intelligence. It is likely that there will be a paradigm shift in the nursing field towards a more targeted, technologically advanced and data-oriented health care delivery system.

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Using a numerical model that simulates ocean currents, researchers are shedding light on the important “motion of the ocean” in the Straits of Florida. They have conducted a first-of-its-kind study identifying the mechanisms behind the formation of sub-mesoscale eddies, which have important environmental implications and play a significant role in the health of the Florida Keys coral reef ecosystem.

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A new technology for autonomous systems that is responsive to human emotions based on machine-learned human moods has earned a very competitive utility patent from the U.S.P.T.O. for FAU. This unique invention uses non-intrusive sensors to perceive the mood of drivers and passengers in semi or fully autonomous vehicles, which is essential to properly navigate autonomous vehicles on the roads and to build trust between humans and AI/autonomous technologies.

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The free online series of short videos are designed to provide basic, jargon-free scientific information on harmful algal blooms: what they are; where they live and grow; and causes, impacts, and potential mitigation of blooms. The series is directed toward resource managers and decision-makers as well as the general public.

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Until now, systemic biomarkers to measure exercise effects on brain function and that link to relevant metabolic responses were lacking. A study shows a memory biomarker, myokine Cathepsin B (CTSB), increased in older adults following a 26-week structured aerobic exercise training. The positive association between CTSB and cognition, and the substantial modulation of lipid metabolites implicated in dementia, support the beneficial effects of exercise training on brain function and brain health in asymptomatic individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s.

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Researchers explored suicide trends by firearms in white and black Americans ages 5 to 24 years from 1999 to 2018. From 2008 to 2018, rates of suicide by firearms quadrupled in those ages 5 to 14 years and increased by 50 percent in those ages 15 to 24 years. Suicide deaths by firearms were more prevalent in white than black Americans – a marked contrast with homicide by firearms, which are far more prevalent in black than white Americans.

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Ruth M. Tappen, Ed.D., RN, FAAN, the Christine E. Lynn Eminent Scholar and professor in FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, is nationally and internationally renowned as an innovative researcher and scholar. Tappen was recently recognized as the “2021 Alliance World Class Faculty” honoree by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance.

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How mangrove roots interact with water flow is believed to be a key element in mitigating coastal erosion. Researchers are the first to quantify the optimal mangrove root hydrodynamic with a predictive model, which provides insight into the sediment transport and erosion processes that govern the evolution of the shapes of shorelines. Results can provide useful guidance for coastal managers restoring estuarine mangrove forests or planting mangroves as part of living shoreline stabilization.

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Almost three-quarters of emerging infectious diseases are spread between animals and people. COVID-19 is the latest and most impactful zoonotic event of the modern era. Researchers offer three plausible solutions to mitigate zoonotic risk associated with intensive animal agriculture. They explore incentivizing plant-based and cell-based animal source food alternatives through government subsidies, disincentivizing intensive animal source food production through the adoption of a “zoonotic tax,” and eliminating intensive animal source food production through a total ban.

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Scientists have discovered dramatic changes in the chemistry and composition of Sargassum, floating brown seaweed, transforming this vibrant living organism into a toxic “dead zone.” Results suggest that increased nitrogen availability from natural and anthropogenic sources, including sewage, is supporting blooms of Sargassum and turning a critical nursery habitat into harmful algal blooms with catastrophic impacts on coastal ecosystems, economies, and human health. Globally, harmful algal blooms are related to increased nutrient pollution.

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Scientists have confirmed the species and origin of a colony of wild African vervet monkeys that landed in Dania Beach more than 70 years ago. They escaped from the Dania Chimpanzee Farm in 1948 and settled in a thick mangrove forest near the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in South Florida. The facility acted as a zoo and also provided primates imported from Africa as research subjects in the development of the polio vaccine and other medical research.

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In previously unstudied gopher tortoise aggregations, researchers found that overall, 42.9 percent had circulating antibodies to an infectious bacterium that causes upper respiratory tract disease. Physical examination showed that 19.8 percent had clinical signs consistent with upper respiratory tract disease and 13.2 percent had some form of physical abnormality. None of the tortoises tested positive for Ranavirus or Herpesvirus, which represents important baseline data, since these viruses are thought to be emerging pathogens of other tortoise and turtle species.

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The FAU/NCHA Community Health Center is the first university in Florida to be designated by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), as a “Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Look-Alike. To receive this designation, organizations must operate and provide services consistent with HRSA’s Health Center Program requirements to ensure health care for underserved communities and vulnerable populations in the U.S. through service provision to all, regardless of ability to pay.

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With new challenges to keep the workplace safe from COVID-19, a CDC grant will enable FAU scientists to test the effectiveness of various types of personal protection measures against airborne viral transmission. Building on their prior studies, they will evaluate facemasks and other personal protection equipment; physical safety barriers; interior designs of spaces; AC, air filters, humidifiers; safe seating arrangements in a classroom setting and queuing at checkouts, as well as other measures.

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A study to understand the dating violence experience and perpetration of college-age women, as well as how they conceptualize violence in dating relationships, reveals normalization of unhealthy violent behaviors where sexual pressure or sexualized verbal harassment are viewed as an innate part of men, supporting the idea that “boys will be boys.” Study participants demonstrated a lack of knowledge of the forms of dating violence and its consequences. They accepted, rationalized and provided excuses for these acts of violence.

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An antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections in humans is showing promise in treating stony coral, found throughout the tropical western Atlantic, including several areas currently affected by stony coral tissue loss disease. Preserving M. cavernosa colonies is important due to its high abundance and role as a dominant reef builder in the northern section of Florida’s Coral Reef. Results show that the Base 2B plus amoxicillin treatment had a 95 percent success rate at healing individual disease lesions.

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The Endangered dryas monkey is one of Africa’s most mysterious primates. They are difficult to find because they live in dense vegetation in secondary forest thickets. Using non-invasive research and no-flash camera traps from 2014 to 2019, scientists have confirmed the occurrence of the dryas monkey at seven locations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo spanning a total area of 3,453 square kilometers, based on opportunistic reports provided by local village residents and park patrols.

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Because COVID-19 has been detected in urine and stool samples, public restrooms can be cause for concern. Researchers measured droplets generated from flushing a toilet and a urinal in a public restroom and found a substantial increase in the measured aerosol levels in the ambient environment with the total number of droplets generated in each flushing test ranging up to the tens of thousands. Due to their small size, these droplets can remain suspended for a long time.

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Four researchers from FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine and Charles E. Schmidt College of Science have received grants totaling $641,818 from the Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program.

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A project shows how implementing an evidence-based mindfulness program in a summer camp setting decreases emotional distress in school age children and empowers campers and counselors alike – enhancing camper-counselor relationships. Mindfulness – a state of consciousness that fosters awareness – has the potential to help regulate emotions and behaviors. Mindful breathing, mindful bodies, and mindful listening assisted in bringing awareness to campers in the program and provided skills to address stressful experiences.

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A study investigating a consecutive series of 230 patients with premature onset of heart attacks, strokes, angina or peripheral artery disease and a comparison group shows that family history of early onset cardiac events is a major and independent risk factor in close relatives. Patients with a positive parental or sibling history of premature cardiac events require even more aggressive therapeutic lifestyle changes as well as adjunctive drug therapies of proven benefit.

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Despite the dramatic difference between day and nightlife, how fish exploit different times of day has not been studied systematically. Scientists explored alterations in the circadian timing of activity and the duration of rest-wake cycles in Lake Malawi’s cichlids and identified the first single nocturnal species. Timing and duration of rest and activity varies dramatically, and continuously, between populations of Lake Malawi cichlids, providing a system for exploring the molecular and neural basis underlying variation in nocturnal activity.

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FAU's Joanna Drowos, D.O., M.P.H., M.B.A., provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19 vaccines.

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FAU's Elishakoff, Ph.D., has received the coveted “Blaise Pascal Medal” for engineering from the European Academy of Sciences. The Blaise Pascal Medal was established in 2003 to recognize outstanding and demonstrated personal contributions to science and technology and the promotion of excellence in research and education.

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Each year in the U.S., about 30 million hospitalizations occur in individuals 18 and older. Of these, more than 7 million are current cigarette smokers whose average hospital stay is several days. Researchers say that starting smoking cessation therapy during hospitalization and maintaining high adherence post-discharge can markedly improve permanent quit rates in these patients with minimal to no side effects. Cessation therapy also should include long-term counseling and at least 90 days of a prescription drug, specifically, varenicline.

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A study offers the first fine-scale analysis of vertical movement of baby white sharks in the New York Bight. Their 3D movements along with oceanographic features like sea surface temperature show they traverse variable oceanographic features across the continental shelf in the New York Bight, but certainly have their habitat preferences. More than 90 percent of them were positioned within 20 kilometers of Long Island’s southern shoreline, which further confirms the importance of this region to baby white sharks.

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Researchers explored how 34 Latino undergraduate male students defined masculinity and manhood based on their own life experiences and looked at gender socialization, leadership and transfer experiences. Study results suggest including the importance of an approach to research and practice that engages Latino undergraduate male students via leadership development and involvement that is reflective of the way Latino masculine gender identity and leadership performance is socialized within the social construct of “familismo.”

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FAU's soon-to-be physicians learned today where they will be going for their next phase of training – medical residency. They are one step closer to becoming board certified physicians and helping the U.S. to bolster its physician workforce following a challenging year.

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To rapidly advance the field of artificial intelligence and autonomy, FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science recently unveiled its “Center for Connected Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence.”

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Two researchers from FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science have received the coveted National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career (CAREER) awards totaling more than $1 million. Xiangnan Zhong, Ph.D. and Zhen Ni, Ph.D., assistant professors in the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, received the NSF CAREER awards to drive the current artificial intelligence (AI) wave.

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Using a computerized and completely remote training program, researchers have found a way to mitigate negative emotions in children. Results support the link between inhibitory control dysfunction and anxiety/depression. EEG results also provide evidence of frontal alpha asymmetry shifting to the left after completing an emotional version of the training. Computerized cognitive training programs can be highly beneficial for children, not just for academics, but for psychological and emotional functioning during a challenging time in their development.

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A research partnership formed just last year by Memorial Healthcare System and Florida Atlantic University is already being recognized for quality care, results, and advances in research, and that’s great news for patients fighting cancer in South Florida. The alliance between Memorial’s Cancer Institute and FAU (MCIFAU) has been recognized by the state’s Department of Health as a “Florida Cancer Center of Excellence.” It becomes just the fifth in the state, out of more than 80 competitors, to earn the designation.

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Researchers examined e-scooter use in Washington, D.C. and found that both built environment and demographics matter. Tourist attractions, hotels and metro stops are all predictive of higher destinations. Scooter traffic is almost all in the downtown area, near the Mall, the White House and Congress. Younger median age, percentage of bachelor’s degrees and population density each were positive predictors for both trip origins and destinations. This model will help transportation planners figure out what drives e-scooter use.

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It's made for long-distance travel, yet movement patterns of the whitespotted eagle ray remain a mystery. Between 2016 and 2018, scientists fitted 54 rays with acoustic transmitters and tracked them along both the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts of Florida, which differ in environmental characteristics. Results of the study reveal striking differences in travel patterns on the Atlantic coast compared to the Gulf coast. Findings have significant conservation and adaptive management implications for this protected species.

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Using venom from the Conus nux, a sea snail, a first-of-its-kind study suggests these conotoxins could potentially treat malaria. The study provides important leads toward the development of new and cost-effective anti-adhesion or blockade-therapy drugs aimed at counteracting the pathology of severe malaria. Similarly, mitigation of emerging diseases like COVID-19 also could benefit from conotoxins as potential inhibitors of protein-protein interactions as treatment. Venom peptides from cone snails has the potential to treat myriad diseases using blockage therapies.