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A research professor gives a “shout out” to comedian Stephen Colbert. His motivation? Colbert previously referred to mathematical equations as the devil’s sentences and an unnatural commingling of letters and numbers – the worst being the quadratic equation – an infernal salad of numbers, letters and symbols. In response, the professor suggests that mathematics education needs to be enlivened so that students will recognize that this discipline is not merely a necessary evil, but a vibrant, exciting and fascinating subject.

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An essential strategy for managing COVID-19 requires vast amounts of real-world data to enable researchers to find patterns that will help to better understand and manage this disease. Florida Atlantic University has launched a registry and repository to contribute to new discoveries and knowledge related to COVID-19 and is currently enrolling study participants.

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Feeding method and affectionate touch patterns in depressed and non-depressed mothers and babies as well as infant’s EEG activity showed that mother-infant affectionate touch differed as a function of mood and feeding method (breastfeeding and bottle-feeding). Infants in the depressed and bottle-fed group reduced touch toward their mothers while breastfeeding had a positive effect on both mother and baby. Infants of depressed and breastfeeding mothers showed neither behavioral nor brain development dysregulation previously found in infants of depressed mothers.

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While it’s logical to assume that children who are mean have friendships characterized by growing strife and that children who are nice report little of the same, these assumptions haven’t been tested in the real-world friendships. A study of elementary-school children is the first to examine the extent to which being “nice” and being “mean” shape changes in friend perceptions of their relationship. Results confirm the widespread assumption that one child’s behavioral traits drive the other child’s friendship experiences.

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Results of a study qualitatively exploring reasons for digital health information disparity reveal a deep digital health divide that has important implications for helping older adults with COVID-19 vaccinations. Participants who were older, less educated, economically disadvantaged and from ethnic groups (African American, Afro-Caribbean or Hispanic American) were up to five times less likely to have access to digital health information than were those who were younger, more highly educated, had a higher income, or were European Americans.

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The majority of African American men return to prison within one to three years of their first release. A study explores why re-entry programs are not as effective for them when compared to others. Researchers suggest a holistic approach that addresses psychological and historical trauma in conjunction with the environmental factors that perpetuate the stigma justice-involved African American men experience. The approach accounts for negative associations developed in the centuries of oppression and segregation that shape their current societal interactions.

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The American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) has recognized FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science as a national leader in diversity in engineering. The ASEE recognized the college with its highest award – bronze level – for its commitment to inclusive excellence.

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“Shell-crushing,” an explosive sound, occurs when marine animals crack open hard shells like clams to eat the edible tissue. There hasn’t been any data to support this feeding noise, until now. A study is the first to quantify these sounds using underwater acoustics in a marine animal in a controlled setting. Scientists know what type of shell a ray is eating based on the sound it makes and show it’s audible above ambient noise in lagoons out to 100 meters.

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From YouTube to Netflix to Zoom, video compression technology is critical for streaming video applications to generate high-quality video. A novel, patent-pending video compression technology developed at FAU was recently acquired by Japanese industry giant Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. FAU’s research and development of enhanced video compression techniques are related to the new generation of video coding standard called “Versatile Video Coding” (VVC) or H. 266.

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A new, 20-hour telehealth certification course provides the essential knowledge to deliver skilled telehealth services. The fully online course addresses telehealth platforms and models for practice; evidence-based telehealth technology; quality improvement measures; regulation, policy and reimbursement; telehealth inter-professional practice and specialized populations; and telehealth and the future.

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A simplified COVID-19 testing protocol can detect minimal quantities of the SARS-CoV-2 using samples from the nose and throat as well as saliva and may be useful in testing patients with low viral titers such as asymptomatic patients or testing individuals prior to quarantine release. The high sensitivity method can be used in laboratories with minimal molecular biology equipment and expertise, and enables several patient samples to be pooled, decreasing the number of tests required for larger populations.

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Second only to the spiny lobster, the queen conch is a prized delicacy long harvested for food and is revered for its beautiful shell. Conch populations have dwindled so low, creating a dire and urgent situation in ecological and economic terms. To preserve this most significant molluscan fishery in the Caribbean, the world’s leading expert on queen conch aquaculture has published an 80-page, step-by-step user manual that provides complete illustrations and photos of how to culture and restore the queen conch.

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To address the many challenges of teaching online, FAU’s College of Education is offering a free eight-hour online certificate course for K-12 teachers to assist them with teaching online. This continuing education certificate course provides school districts timely assistance to enhance teachers’ e-learning skills and provides time-saving tips in lesson planning and effective student assessments for online teaching.

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Despite many occurrences of red tide and blue green algae in Florida waters, the understanding of the health effects of exposure to these blooms is limited. Researchers will evaluate short- and long-term health effects of exposure to harmful algal blooms (HABS) in Florida to capture key areas of human exposure and a wide demographic population profile. They also will evaluate the potential effect of exposure to COVID-19 on susceptibility to HABs and health outcomes in this study population.

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Using active acoustic telemetry and sonar data, a study provides the first detailed documentation of a shallow water fish diving 450 feet deep to spawn. Prior research has shown that bonefish dive about 164 feet to spawn, but this new and unprecedented study reveals that they reached depths of 450 feet, and moved below 325 feet for two hours before spawning in a rush upward to 220 feet deep.

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FAU researchers have received a two-year, $675,000 grant from the National Institute of Aging to test a mathematical model designed to optimize social and physical engagement in this population. The objective of the study is to identify strategies that will facilitate and enhance social interactions with and among older adults and counter age-related decline by pinpointing activities that will allow the social life of older adults to flourish.

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When food is scarce, monarch butterfly caterpillars go from peaceful feeders to aggressive fighters. The results look something like a combination of boxing and “bumper” cars. The less food, the more likely caterpillars were to try to head-butt each other out of the way to get their fill, lunging and knocking aside other caterpillars to ensure their own survival. And, they are most aggressive right before the final stages of their metamorphosis.

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Scientists tagged and released a young, rare female smalltooth sawfish -- a significant step for sawfish research and recovery efforts in Florida. The 10-year acoustic tag is a major milestone in providing crucial capacity to tell where these mysterious and endangered fish are headed in the future.

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Kurt and Marilyn Wallach share a lifelong commitment to educating on the Holocaust to ensure the lessons of this horrific point in our world’s history remains relevant today and to future generations.

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South Florida giants in higher education and healthcare have joined forces to form an alliance that will advance clinical research and clinical trials in the region. Florida Atlantic University and Memorial Healthcare System in Broward County have formed a “Research Partnership to Advance Clinical Trials” (Research PACT), which combines their expertise and resources in clinical research, clinical trials, basic research and translational biomedical research.

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FAU’s Art of Science photo contest is designed to engage and educate the public in the unique study, scholarship and creative activities taking place in all of the University’s labs, out in the fields and across all of its disciplines.

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“There’s no place like home,” has its roots deep in the brain. Using fiber photometry, scientists are the first to show that home evokes a surge of dopamine in mice that mimics the response to a dose of cocaine. The study demonstrates how dopamine rises rapidly in mice moved from a simple recording chamber to their home cage, but less so when they return to a cage not quite like the one they knew.

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Many people reuse masks and other face coverings many times without sanitizing them. That is likely because current sanitization methods can be cumbersome. A new device using a hanging rack and UV-C light can sterilize up to six masks and other items simultaneously and quickly, killing bacteria, yeasts, mold spores, and viruses. This device has shown its efficacy against pathogens including the highly-contagious E-coli, which was eradicated in about one minute.

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A study of the relationships between cognition and the gut microbiome of captive zebra finches showed that their gut microbiome characteristics were related to performance on a cognitive assay where they learned a novel foraging technique. Researchers also identified potentially critical bacteria that were relatively more abundant in birds that performed better on this assay. This correlation provides some of the first evidence of a relationship between a bird's gut microbiome and its brain.

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FAU's Herbert Weissbach, Ph.D., recently received BioFlorida’s “Lifetime Achievement Award,” reserved to recognize outstanding leadership in the industry throughout an individual’s career and for significant contributions to industry growth.

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In a review of evidence from the most reliable data from randomized trials to find likely small-to-moderate effects of remdesivir, researchers say that totality of evidence compiled before the WHO trial results justifies compassionate use of remdesivir for severely ill patients. A smaller trial in China showed significantly decreased mean recovery time but no suggestion of a mortality benefit. ACTT-1 found the same mean recovery time and a suggestion of a mortality benefit that did not achieve statistical significance.

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When startled, do all fish respond the same way? A few fish, like Mexican cavefish, have evolved in unique environments without any predators. To see how this lack of predation impacts escape responses that are highly stereotyped across fish species, scientists explored this tiny fish to determine if there are evolved differences in them. Findings reveal that the dramatic ecological differences between cave and river environments contribute to differences in escape behavior in blind cavefish and river-dwelling surface cavefish.

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The nation faces physician shortages in primary care and other specialties, including a projected inadequate supply of dermatologists to meet the demand for service. This innovative program will help to address these gaps and will equip advanced-practice nurses with the tools required to provide high-quality, holistic care for their patients with dermatological conditions.

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Researchers will develop new theory and methods to curate training data sets for artificial intelligence (AI) learning and screen real-time operational data for AI field deployment. They will develop technology to identify faulty, unusual and irregular information for AI learning and operations that rely on data, and will provide critical alerts to troubleshoot a problem before it occurs. This data-quality evaluation technology is being developed for a number of industries ranging from the military to cybersecurity to medical diagnostics.

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A new study suggests that patients with opioid use disorder may be identified using information available in electronic health records, even when diagnostic codes do not reflect this diagnosis. The study demonstrates the utility of proxies coding for DSM-5 criteria from medical records to generate a quantitative DSM-5 score that is associated with opioid use disorder severity. The study methods are unique in deriving a severity score that aims to mirror severity scores from more traditional interview-based diagnostic procedures.

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FAU's A.D. Henderson University School has been ranked the No. 2 Best Public Elementary School and the No. 11 Best Public Middle School in America by Niche, the largest website for researching public and private K-12 schools.

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Fossil records of bonefish go back 138 million years, but large gaps about their biology remain. In just four years, scientists have successfully spawned bonefish in captivity and have figured out their life cycle to help inform management and conservation of this revered fishery. In the Florida keys alone, the annual economic impacts exceed $465 million. Florida’s recreational and commercial fishing industries and associated businesses account for billions of dollars that drive the economic engine for the state each year and contribute to hundreds of thousands of jobs.

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The NIH grant will enable FAU scientists to identify the gene regulation pathways activated to program immature stem-like cells of the eye lens to attain their mature form and transparent function. The research team plans to explore the genetic and cellular mechanisms controlling developmental DNA conformational changes and will identify the transcription factors needed for eye lens formation.

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Scientists examined cell abundances, size, cellular carbon mass, and how photosynthetic cells differ on polymeric and glass substrates over time, exploring nanoparticle generation from plastic like polystyrene and how this might disrupt microalgae. Conservative estimates suggest that about 1 percent of microbial cells in the ocean surface microlayer inhabit plastic debris globally. This mass of cells would not exist without plastic debris in the ocean, and thus, represents a disruption of the proportions of native flora in that habitat.

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In early 2016, the U.S. was judged to have been best prepared for the existential threat of a pandemic, but turned out to be the least prepared for the actual threat. In a commentary, researchers say that “pandemic politics” is causing assaults on science, the FDA and CDC. They say that politicization of the FDA and CDC is creating continued losses of trust by the U.S. public and continued harm to their longstanding reputations of respect and admiration worldwide.

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Terry Adirim, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., in FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine, provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions and offers helpful tips regarding COVID-19 and “trick-or-treating” during the pandemic.

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A survey of 1,034 tweens found that one in five (21%) tweens have experienced cyberbullying in some way: either by witnessing cyberbullying (15%), having been cyberbullied themselves (15%), or by cyberbullying others (3%). The survey also found that during the coronavirus pandemic, 90% of all 9- to 12-year-olds are using social apps, such as connected games and video-sharing sites in which they interact with others online.

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Testing a readily and rapidly available, discreet in-vehicle sensing system could provide the first step toward future widespread, low-cost early warnings of cognitive change in older drivers. The use of an advanced, multimodal approach involves the development of novel driving sensors and integration of data from a battery of cognitive function tests, eye tracking and driving behaviors and factors. These in-vehicle technologies could help detect abnormal driving behavior that may be attributed to cognitive impairment.

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Scientists recently got a unique glimpse into the “Green Banana” Blue Hole thanks to gutsy divers and a 500-pound autonomous, benthic lander. Together with hand-picked, elite scuba divers, the research team is unraveling the structure and behavior of these marine environments by examining geochemistry, hydrodynamics, and biology. Findings from this exploration also may have important implications for phytoplankton in the Gulf of Mexico, including blooms of the Florida Red-tide species Karenia brevis.

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The accelerated five-year bachelor’s degree in science and master’s degree in AI program is designed to adapt curricular and co-curricular support to enable students to complete their degrees in AI, autonomous systems or machine learning, which are critically important to advance America’s global competitiveness and national security. With this grant, FAU will recruit and train talented and diverse students who are economically disadvantaged and provide them with a unique opportunity to pursue graduate education in a burgeoning field.

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While studied for nearly a century, little is known about how cavefish brains differ. A study is the first to look inside their brains with millimeter resolution to start to understand how the individual neurons and brain regions that drive complex behaviors, including sleep and feeding have evolved. This work has broad implications for the understanding of how brains evolve in many different animal models and is hoped to be widely used by the scientific community.

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FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute has landed an $11,179,001 four-year contract from the U.S. Office of Naval Research to develop a next-generation, high-intake, compact, bathyphotometer sensor for natural oceanic bioluminescence assessments. Bioluminescent creatures are found throughout marine habitats and their “glowing” energy released from chemical reactions is used to warn or evade predators, lure or detect prey and communicate with the same species. Research surrounding bioluminescence will soon serve as an important tool to protect U.S. coastlines.

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Many clinicians rely on self-reports from their high-risk patients about their need and proper interval for repeat surveillance colonoscopy. Researchers analyzed data over four years to explore the knowledge of these high-risk patients. Twenty-eight percent were unaware of either the need for a repeat colonoscopy or the proper surveillance interval. Of these, 16.6 percent were unaware of the proper three-year interval to obtain a follow-up surveillance colonoscopy. Also, 12 percent were not even aware that they required a follow-up surveillance colonoscopy.

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Scientists and engineers are well trained in their own areas of specialty, yet there’s a lack of integrative knowledge needed for new scientific discoveries and industry applications made possible by data science and analytics. Effective data scientists need to work in interdisciplinary teams and to use data visualization and communication skills to communicate their findings to individuals not trained in data science. This program will produce graduates with technical depth and knowledge of data science technologies and applications.

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Now more than ever, Americans and people all over the world are under increased stress, which may adversely affect their health and well-being. Researchers explore the possibility that mindfulness with paced breathing reduces blood pressure. One of the most plausible mechanisms is that paced breathing stimulates the vagus nerve and parasympathetic nervous system, which reduce stress chemicals in the brain and increase vascular relaxation that may lead to lowering of blood pressure.

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A study on serotonin, a mood-regulating molecule in the brain that regulates many brain synapses, is helping to unravel the puzzle surrounding its role in autism. The activity and regulation of the serotonin transporter (SERT), protein is critically dependent on a number of other proteins that tell the protein where to locate on nerve cells and how to act. Shifts in the transporter’s activity can significantly impact the ability of serotonin to act in the brain.

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If CDC guidelines aren’t enough to convince you that face shields alone shouldn’t be used to stop the spread of COVID-19, then maybe a new visualization study will. Researchers simulated coughing and sneezing from a mannequin’s mouth using a laser light to visualize droplets expelled. They tested a plastic face shield and found that they block the initial forward motion of the exhaled jet, however, aerosolized droplets are able to move around the visor with relative ease.

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Using the Wood Stork, researchers compared city storks with natural wetland storks to gauge their success in urban environments based on their diet and food opportunities. Results provide evidence of how a wetland species persists and even thrives in an urban environment by switching to human foods like chicken wings and hots dogs when natural marshes are in bad shape. These findings indicate that urban areas can buffer a species from the unpredictability of natural food sources.

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A study is the first long-term, in-depth analysis of the elasmobranch community in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon and develops capacity to understand how these species may respond to further environmental changes. From 2016 to 2018, researchers caught 630 individuals of 16 species, including two critically endangered smalltooth sawfish. Results showed that many elasmobranchs use the southern Indian River Lagoon throughout their life histories and the area may serve as an important nursery habitat for multiple species.

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In a commentary, researchers demonstrate the stark differences in public health strategies from two democratic republics: South Korea and the United States, which have led to alarming differences in cases and deaths from COVID-19. After adjusting for the 6.5 fold differences in populations, the U.S. has suffered 47 times more cases and 79 times more deaths than South Korea.