Accurate prediction of water quality parameters in a water treatment system remains challenging due to the intertwined physical, chemical, and microbiological nature of diverse data streams. We propose a modular bidirectional LSTM architecture that integrates data from water quality sensors, microbial indicators, and weather measurements to handle the prediction complexity, when preserving domain-specific temporal patterns. Evaluated on a specific filtration media in such a water treatment system in Martin County, Florida, our approach achieves significant prediction accuracy for ammonium (NH 4 +) prediction in the effluent over traditional methods, with R 2 = 0.9912 and RMSE = 0.0058. This represents an 85% reduction in mean absolute error compared to standard bi-directional LSTM approaches (from 0.0281 to 0.0041) with no modularized input streams. The architecture’s effectiveness stems from its ability to maintain distinct temporal patterns while enabling integrated prediction, demonstrating strength during periods of parameter volatility from dry to wet season. Results suggest that modular processing of heterogeneous environmental data streams provides a robust foundation for water quality management.

Since the 1950s, land use applications of nitrogen have resulted in increased nitrate (NO 3 + NO 2 as N) concentrations in waters of the Santa Fe River Basin. In 2008, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection declared the waters impaired. A restoration plan was enacted to lower concentrations to a threshold of 0.35 mg/L and monitor restoration progress. For springs and surface water, nitrate-loading data are used for tracking. For groundwater nitrate concentrations are used. To assist the Department, Alachua County Environmental Protection Department, AquiferWatch, and Florida LAKEWATCH are now monitoring groundwater. The latter entities use volunteers to sample. Assessment of historical data in the basin indicates that nitrate is the predominate nitrogen species. Trend analysis revealed that on a decadal scale, since 2014 in the lower basin, nitrogen (mostly nitrate) levels decreased. Reductions are tied to increase rainfall and groundwater dilution but not necessarily to modifications in land use. Once informed of these findings, the Department adjusted its monitoring strategies to better track NO 3 loading changes and correlate them with changes in nitrate concentrations in groundwater and potentially other indicators. The actions will improve its ability to track restoration progress. Finally, volunteers obtained reliable data at reduced monitoring costs.

The Indian River Lagoon System (IRL) is regarded as having a high level of biodiversity. The level of biodiversity is often attributed in part to the 2-degree latitudinal span (251 km) of the IRL and to its position in a transitional zone between tropical and temperate biotic provinces. This hypothesis was tested for submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) based on a recent treatise (Littler, Littler, and Hanisak, 2008). Five of seven species of seagrass are tropical, and two have either a broad or very narrow latitudinal distribution; the transition-zone hypothesis does not hold for seagrasses. Most macroalgae (131 spp.) are tropical/subtropical; 73 species are widely distributed from temperate/boreal to tropical/subtropical latitudes and do not contribute to a Transition-Zone Hypothesis; and 8 species from higher latitudes range southward to the IRL region. Two-thirds of the 221 SAV species form a zone of overlap in the IRL, of which 61.5% are of tropical/subtropical origin. Several groups of IRL plants and animals reported in the literature are also primarily tropical/subtropical with smaller contributions from temperate regions, providing further support for the Transition Zone Hypothesis. But the possible retraction of temperate species with climate change might eliminate the IRL as a zone of transition.

Migraine disability is one of the leading causes of disability-adjusted life-years. Pharmacotherapy is the mainstay of physician-based treatment, with either rescue or prophylaxis as the primary goals. Data reported to date suggests that there exists a common mechanism at the root of migraine that varied triggers may activate, and interruption of this activation is key to migraine treatment. One possibility is that altered brain sodium homeostasis is the gateway to migraine. It has been suggested that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sodium homeostasis is fundamentally more labile in migraine, and reducing its variability, especially [Na+] surges, would offer a more universal treatment that is not currently available. This project aims to investigate whether endocannabinoids and phytocannabinoids can directly regulate the Na+, K+−ATPase enzyme, thereby maintaining sodium homeostasis and potentially reducing migraine days or pain intensity. The results of this study indicate that several cannabinoids can directly regulate Na+, K+−ATPase in vitro, but the binding observed is too poor to represent a mechanism that would be effective in vivo. A more sophisticated model system might provide a more precise understanding of the regulation of Na+, K+−ATPase by cannabinoids and whether it is a viable explanation for their effect on migraine.

We investigated whether suburban areas in Gainesville FL could provide habitat for wintering bird species. During winter 2020, we conducted a study with two objectives: 1) identify the birds primarily using suburban forest fragments versus those using adjacent residential areas, and 2) assess how species' functional guild traits correspond to their habitat preferences. Vegetation analysis revealed richer vertical structure in forest fragments compared to residential areas, including ground, understory, and canopy vegetation. At 36 random survey sites across suburban forest fragments, adjacent residential zones, and forest fragment-residential edges, we recorded 41 bird species. Of these, 13 species (32%) significantly favored residential areas, while 6 (15%) preferred suburban forest fragments; 22 species (54%) showed no distinct preference. Notably, all 4 frugivorous species (100%), 2 omnivores (29%), and 4 granivores (57%) significantly preferred residential habitats. In contrast, 5 insectivores (23%) favored fragments and 3 (13%) preferred residential areas. These findings emphasize the importance of conserving vegetation in residential habitats and retaining forest fragments (161 ha) within suburban landscapes to support wintering bird populations.