Focus: Hidden - Florida

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Researchers have scrutinized more than 5 terabytes of Internet-scale data to produce a report that provides a unique 24-hour glimpse of cyberattacks and threats in Florida and the U.S. FloridaSOAR, a first-of-its-kind, large-scale analysis of the magnitude of compromised Internet of Things devices, pinpoints malicious attacks and infections in near real-time by targeted sectors and providers. It can detect exploitations as soon as they are encountered, and store and share that threat information with IoT operators worldwide.

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Researchers are evaluating the ability of Florida and Brazilian mosquitoes to transmit chikungunya because the virus was transmitted in Florida as part of an outbreak throughout the Americas in 2014.

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FAU’s Harbor Branch houses more than 1,000 strains of actinobacteria, one of the most prolific microbial groups for the production of natural products. Derived from sea sponges and other macro-organisms, several strains were identified for their potent antifungal activity, for anti-MRSA activity, and for both antifungal and antibacterial activities. A key finding was the identification of a strain that produced metabolites that are more potent than the bacterial antibiotic, vancomycin, against C. difficile.

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Almost anyone can relate to being afraid of needles and injections. A pilot study is the first to use a 3D virtual reality headset to test this tool as a distraction method in a pediatric setting. Children were given the choice of a roller coaster ride, helicopter ride or a hot-air balloon ride. Results show that anticipated versus actual pain and fear were reduced in 94.1 percent of the pediatric study subjects.

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With this latest grant, FAU will establish a primary care workforce of students with a bachelor of science in nursing degree who are practice ready and willing to serve veterans and patients in rural and underserved communities.

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A study is the first to use gold-standard methods to test the hypothesis that antipsychotic treatment in youths adversely increases body fat and decreases insulin sensitivity. All three antipsychotics tested – oral aripiprazole, olanzapine, and risperidone, which are common first line use medications for children with nonpsychotic behavior disorders – increased not only total body fat, but also visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat, associated with long-term risk for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

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A University of Florida scientist will use the International Space Station to see if algae can help recycle carbon dioxide and eventually be used to help make plastics, resins and even food.

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For desert, how about a scoop of ice cream flavored with vanilla from Florida’s farmers? Because so many consumers enjoy vanilla, University of Florida scientists hope to help Florida farmers grow the bean.

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Midgut neuroendocrine tumors are a rare type of cancer that develops in the small intestine and colon. Roughly 12,000 people are diagnosed with this disease each year. In January, the United Stated Food and Drug Administration approved Lutathera, a first-of-its-kind peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. The injection consists of a somatostatin analog combined with a radioactive isotope that directly targets neuroendocrine tumor cells.

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Millions of years ago, powerful volcanoes pumped Earth's atmosphere full of carbon dioxide, draining the oceans of oxygen and driving widespread extinction of marine organisms. Could something similar be happening today?

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TAMPA, Fla. – Nearly 80 million Americans – one out of every four people – are infected with human papillomavirus (HPV). And of those millions, more than 31,000 will be diagnosed with an HPV-related cancer this year. Despite those staggering figures and the availability of a vaccine to prevent the infections that cause these cancers, HPV vaccination remains low in the United States.

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Two Florida State University students prepare to present research findings at the National Fire Protection Association's annual conference in Las Vegas next week, a rare opportunity for undergraduates.

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As we celebrate June as National Dairy Month, some UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences experts tout the benefits of dairy in the daily diet, while other UF/IFAS researchers help ensure cattle produce ample dairy to fill consumers’ needs.

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In a new article published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Donald Behringer and one of his co-authors, post-doctoral researcher Jamie Bojko, both of the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, point out many ways organisms try to escape diseases.