Supported by a $2.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and led by Robin Queen, the Kevin P. Granata Faculty Fellow and professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics, a team of researchers from Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia will assess second anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries — a tear of the same ACL or of the ACL in the other knee — using wearable sensors. Aided by this technology, the multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team aims to develop a model that will allow for the identification of those who are at risk for a second ACL injury when they are released to return to sports.

Lakeside education campaigns discourage anglers from transporting aquatic hitchhikers between lakes, but new research from the University of Illinois and Cornell University shows those campaigns are less effective than they could be. According to the study, the key could be tailoring messaging in accordance with anglers’ value systems and risk perceptions.

A new study led by researchers at the University of Notre Dame examines how the extracellular matrix (ECM) — an underlying network of molecules and proteins that provide the structure for tissue growth — can trigger invasive cancer-related genes.

An analytical study examined levels of vaccine efficacy and mitigation strategies. If 100 percent were vaccinated with 90 percent vaccine efficacy, testing and quarantine did not substantially reduce infections. At 75 percent efficacy, weekly testing substantially reduced the number of infections; at 50 percent, testing and quarantine markedly reduced infections. At 50 to 75 percent efficacy, testing reduced infections up to 93.6 percent. Quarantining for 10 days only modestly reduced infections until vaccine efficacy dropped to 50 percent. Findings suggest that testing and isolating positive cases may remain important mitigation strategies for universities even with 100 percent of students vaccinated.

Oregon State University researchers and a team of international scientists have gained new insights into the diet, population density and social interactions of a group of Brazilian jaguars.