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Abstract Climatic change is dramatically altering phenology but generalities regarding tempo and mode of response remain limited. Here we present a general model framework incorporating spring temperature, velocity of spring warming, and species’ thermal requirements for predicting phenological response to warming. A key prediction of this framework is that species active earlier in the season and located in warmer regions where spring temperature velocity is lowest show strongest sensitivity to climatic change and greatest advancement in response to warming. We test this prediction using plant phenology datasets collected in the 1850s and 2010s. Our results strikingly confirm model predictions, showing that while temperature sensitivity is higher in regions with low temperature velocity, the greatest realized change in phenological onset is northern areas where warming rates have been fastest. Our framework offers enhanced utility for predicting phenological sensitivity and responsiveness in temperate regions and across multiple plant species and potentially other groups.

The paper examines a 'circulatory' system of gender inequity in Australian universities where gender bias prevents women from accessing senior decision-making roles and stultifies their capacity to act as gender change agents. It has been mooted that equity quotas for senior roles can derail this circuit of male privilege in academia. Yet a plastic reading of the shape of gender equity policy and practice in Australian universities over the last 40 years reveals an increasing acceptance of individualism, which positions women's liberation as being achievable through self-responsibilisation. If these discourses remain unchallenged, gender quotas for senior roles alone will likely only benefit those entrepreneurial women admitted to senior positions, rendering the causes of gender inequity hidden and exonerated. Using a novel methodology that combines a 'plastic' with a complex systems lens of policy manoeuvres, we suggest gender quotas, accompanied by strategy designed to develop leaders' gender competency and change agency, are required to support more sustainably equitable work structure within the academy.

Abstract Introduction Type 2 diabetes disproportionately affects non-Hispanic/Latino Black and Hispanic/Latino youth. The purpose of this study was to examine whether differences in metabolic risk factors and depressive symptoms exist by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic deprivation and whether these impact clinic attendance and health markers over 1 year in a multidisciplinary type 2 diabetes clinic for youth. Methods This study was a retrospective chart review of 54 youth with type 2 diabetes who had both an initial and follow-up visit. Demographic information, metabolic health markers [body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin A1C, liver enzymes, lipid panel, and urine microalbumin], depressive symptoms, and clinic attendance data were obtained from the medical record. Patient address was geocoded to the census tract level to calculate community socioeconomic deprivation. Results Liver enzymes (ALT and AST) were significantly higher in patients identifying as Hispanic/Latino (ALT M = 97.0 ± 40.6, AST M = 53.6 ± 21.4) and lowest in patients identifying as non-Hispanic/Latino Black (ALT M = 23.1 ± 11.3, F = 10.6 p

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate a cybersecurity and digital forensics enrichment program for gifted and talented students to determine students' perceptions of this enrichment course. We evaluated data from 25 secondary education students and one educator to examine their perceptions of the program. Responses from students and the teacher indicated that the cyber enrichment program was well-received by students. Findings demonstrated that authentic and hands-on experiences with cybersecurity and digital forensics were associated with students' perceiving the program as appealing and meaningful and perceiving themselves as highly efficacious when it comes to cybersecurity and digital forensics. Future research directions are discussed.

BACKGROUND: Frailty status has been sparsely studied in some groups including Native Hawaiians and Asian Americans. METHODS: We developed a questionnaire-based deficit accumulation frailty index (FI) in the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) and examined frailty status (robust, FI 0 to

Abstract Habitat selection is a critical aspect of a species' ecology, requiring complex decision‐making that is both hierarchical and scale‐dependent, since factors that influence selection may be nested or unequal across scales. Elk (Cervus canadensis) ranged widely across diverse ecoregions in North America prior to European settlement and subsequent eastern extirpation. Most habitat selection studies have occurred within their contemporary western range, even after eastern reintroductions began. As habitat selection can vary by geographic location, available cover, season, and diel period, it is important to understand how a non‐migratory, reintroduced population in northern Wisconsin, USA, is limited by the lack of variation in topography, elevation, and vegetation. We tested scale‐dependent habitat selection on 79 adult elk from 2017 to 2020 using resource selection functions across temporal (i.e., seasonal) and spatial scales (i.e., landscape and home range). We found that selection varied both spatially and temporally, and elk selected areas with the greatest potential to influence fitness at larger scales, meaning elk selected areas closer to escape cover and further from “risky” features (e.g., annual wolf territory centers, county roads, and highways). We found stronger avoidance of annual wolf territory centers during spring, suggesting elk were selecting safer habitats during calving season. Elk selected habitats with less canopy cover across both spatial scales and all seasons, suggesting that elk selected areas with better access to forage as early seral stage stands have greater forage biomass than closed‐canopy forests and direct solar radiation to provide warmth in the cooler seasons. This study provides insight into the complexity of hierarchical decision‐making, such as how risky habitat features and land cover type influence habitat selection differently across seasons and spatial scales, influencing the decision‐making of elk. Scale‐dependent behavior is crucial to understand within specific geographic regions, as these decisions scale up to influence population dynamics.

IntroductionMaternal diet modifies profiles of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), carotenoids, and polyphenols in human milk (HM). However, substantial variability in profiles exists between women, highlighting the complexity of non-dietary factors modulating these profiles. The objective of this study was to carry out a secondary analysis exploring the effect of maternal diet on HM carotenoids and polyphenols and relationships between dietary modulation of HM bioactives (carotenoids, polyphenols, and oligosaccharides) and maternal α1,2-fucosyltransferase 2 (FUT2) secretor phenotype.MethodsIn this pilot study, 16 exclusively breastfeeding women with obesity were enrolled between 4 and 5 months postpartum. The women were provided a 4-week meal plan consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). HM was collected for 24 h at baseline and post-intervention. Maternal FUT2 secretor phenotype was determined by 2′-fucosyllactose concentration in HM (non-secretor: < 100 nmol/ml; secretor: ≥100 nmol/ml). Concentrations of carotenoids and HMOs were determined by LC and polyphenol metabolites by UPLC–MS/MS.ResultsThirteen women completed the study (6 secretors, 7 non-secretors). The change in HM concentrations of the HMOs lacto-N-tetraose (LNT, p = 0.007), lacto-N-fucopentaose II (LNFP II, p = 0.02), difucosyllacto-N-tetraose (DFLNT, p = 0.003), and disialyllacto-N-tetraose (DSLNT, p = 0.003) and polyphenol metabolites 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HBA, p = 0.08) and ferulic acid (p = 0.02) over the intervention time frame was differentially associated with maternal secretor status. 4-HBA and ferulic acid positively correlated with HMOs LNT and DSLNT (rrm = 0.82–0.90, p = 0.03–0.06) for secretors but not for non-secretors. Only secretors demonstrated a negative correlation between 4-HBA and DFLNT (rrm = −0.94, p = 0.001).DiscussionThe influence of maternal diet on composition of HMOs and polyphenol metabolites in HM differs based on maternal secretor status. Consideration of non-dietary factors is needed to evaluate differences in response of HM bioactives to dietary modulation.

Background & aimsType 2 diabetes (T2D) is a growing problem in children. Children with NAFLD are at potentially high risk for developing T2D; however, the incidence of T2D in this population is unknown. This study aimed to determine the incidence of T2D in children with NAFLD and identify associated risk factors.MethodsChildren with NAFLD enrolled in the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network were followed longitudinally. Incidence of T2D was determined by using clinical history and fasting laboratory values. Cumulative incidence curves were developed for time to T2D. A Cox regression multivariable model was constructed using best subsets Akaike's Information Criteria selection.ResultsThis study included 892 children with NAFLD and with a mean age of 12.8 years (2.7) followed for 3.8 years (2.3) with a total 3234 person-years at risk. The incidence rate of T2D was 3000 new cases per 100,000 person-years at risk. At baseline, 63 children had T2D, and during follow-up, an additional 97 children developed incident T2D, resulting in a period prevalence of 16.8%. Incident T2D was significantly higher in females versus males (hazard ratio [HR], 1.8 [1.0-2.8]), associated with BMI z-score (HR, 1.8 [1.0-3.0]), and more severe liver histology including steatosis grade (HR, 1.3 [1.0-1.7]), and fibrosis stage (HR, 1.3 [1.0-1.5]).ConclusionsChildren with NAFLD are at high risk for existing and incident T2D. In addition to known risk factors for T2D (female and BMI z-score), severity of liver histology at the time of NAFLD diagnosis was independently associated with T2D development. Targeted strategies to prevent T2D in children with NAFLD are needed.

Abstract The pituitary functions as a master endocrine gland that secretes hormones critical for regulation of a wide variety of physiological processes including reproduction, growth, metabolism and stress responses. The distinct hormone-producing cell lineages within the pituitary display remarkable levels of cell plasticity that allow remodeling of the relative proportions of each hormone-producing cell population to meet organismal demands. The molecular mechanisms governing pituitary cell plasticity have not been fully elucidated. Our recent studies have implicated a role for the Musashi family of sequence-specific mRNA binding proteins in the control of pituitary hormone production, pituitary responses to hypothalamic stimulation and modulation of pituitary transcription factor expression in response to leptin signaling. To date, these actions of Musashi in the pituitary appear to be mediated through translational repression of the target mRNAs. Here, we report Musashi1 directs the translational activation, rather than repression, of the Prop1, Gata2 and Nr5a1 mRNAs which encode key pituitary lineage specification factors. We observe that Musashi1 further directs the translational activation of the mRNA encoding the glycolipid Neuronatin (Nnat) as determined both in mRNA reporter assays as well as in vivo. Our findings suggest a complex bifunctional role for Musashi1 in the control of pituitary cell function.

Inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs provide students with intellectual disabilities (ID) an opportunity to access higher education. As these programs have grown over the decades since their inception in 2010, it is becoming increasingly important that these programs use data-driven interventions to improve student outcomes, both academically and non-academically. Research in the area of non-cognitive skills suggest that focusing students with ID on skills like motivation and engagement or attitudes like action control beliefs can improve their performance in IPSE programs and lead to positive academic and career outcomes in the future. Here, we performed correlation analysis and multiple regression on two non-cognitive skills assessments, the ACES Academic Enablers and Self Determination Inventory, collected from ISPE students. This analysis shows that the degree of a student’s action-control beliefs as measured by the SDI is predictive of their ACES Academic Enablers performance. This suggests that interventions targeting the concept of action control beliefs can improve practical non-cognitive skills that can lead to academic and professional success for students with ID.

Abstract In mice, periodic cycles of a fasting mimicking diet (FMD) protect normal cells while killing damaged cells including cancer and autoimmune cells, reduce inflammation, promote multi-system regeneration, and extend longevity. Here, we performed secondary and exploratory analysis of blood samples from a randomized clinical trial (NCT02158897) and show that 3 FMD cycles in adult study participants are associated with reduced insulin resistance and other pre-diabetes markers, lower hepatic fat (as determined by magnetic resonance imaging) and increased lymphoid to myeloid ratio: an indicator of immune system age. Based on a validated measure of biological age predictive of morbidity and mortality, 3 FMD cycles were associated with a decrease of 2.5 years in median biological age, independent of weight loss. Nearly identical findings resulted from a second clinical study (NCT04150159). Together these results provide initial support for beneficial effects of the FMD on multiple cardiometabolic risk factors and biomarkers of biological age.

Racial/ethnic minorities have experienced higher COVID-19 infection rates than whites, but it is unclear how individual-level housing, occupational, behavioral, and socioeconomic conditions contribute to these disparities in a nationally representative sample. In this study, we assess the extent to which social determinants of health contribute to racial/ethnic differences in COVID-19 infection. Data are from the Understanding America Study's Understanding Coronavirus in America survey (UAS COVID-19 waves 7-29). UAS COVID-19 is one of the only nationally representative longitudinal data sources that collects information on household, work, and social behavioral context during the pandemic. We analyze onset of COVID-19 cases, defined as a positive test or a diagnosis of COVID-19 from a healthcare provider since the previous survey wave, over a year of follow-up (June 2020-July 2021). We consider educational attainment, economic resources, work arrangements, household size, and social distancing as key social factors that may be structured by racism. Cox hazard models indicate that Hispanic people have 48% higher risk of experiencing a COVID-19 infection than whites after adjustment for age, sex, local infection rate, and comorbidities, but we do not observe a higher risk of COVID-19 among Black respondents. Controlling for engagement in any large or small social gathering increases the hazard ratio for Hispanics by 9%, suggesting that had Hispanics had the same social engagement patterns as whites, they may have had even higher risk of COVID-19. Other social determinants-lower educational attainment, working away from home, and number of coresidents-all independently predict higher risk of COVID-19, but do not explain why Hispanic Americans have higher COVID-19 infection risk than whites.

Epigenetic clocks are widely used aging biomarkers calculated from DNA methylation data, but this data can be surprisingly unreliable. Here we show technical noise produces deviations up to 9 years between replicates for six prominent epigenetic clocks, limiting their utility. We present a computational solution to bolster reliability, calculating principal components from CpG-level data as input for biological age prediction. Our retrained principal-component versions of six clocks show agreement between most replicates within 1.5 years, improved detection of clock associations and intervention effects, and reliable longitudinal trajectories in vivo and in vitro. This method entails only one additional step compared to traditional clocks, requires no replicates or prior knowledge of CpG reliabilities for training, and can be applied to any existing or future epigenetic biomarker. The high reliability of principal component-based clocks is critical for applications to personalized medicine, longitudinal tracking, in vitro studies, and clinical trials of aging interventions.

This paper reports on a research project designed to understand the work experiences and career opportunities of people working in higher education institutions (HEIs) across the UK, which received formal recognition for supporting gender equity between 2015 and 2020. The findings reveal multiple intersecting barriers to women's full engagement, inclusion, support and career success in higher education, despite the implementation of organization-based gender equity plans, and institutional inter/national recognition for advancing equity. Most axes of de/privilege that are based along lines of gender, race, ethnicity and religion are enacted as everyday sexism that resist gender equality policy. Moreover, our findings suggest that 'place' is a constitutive element of intersectional dis/advantage, not merely a context within which compounded barriers to inclusion and advancement may exist. In addition, the findings demonstrate that whilst inter-categorical intersectionality is based on the notion that all social categories (such as age, race and gender) are equally salient, the degree of importance of any category will likely depend on location or context of the phenomena being examined. Our findings therefore invite further, iterative and translocational research into the impacts of the intersections of gender, ethnicity, race and religion in spaces of higher education, particularly those with colonial legacies and presence.

Purpose: This paper argues that universities can facilitate women graduates' employability by supporting gender equity within their institutions. It presents a rationale and strategy for addressing the gendered nature of career confidence which negatively impacts women graduates' entry into the workplace -- a phenomenon that influences women graduates' career and life trajectories, and all industries' capacity to serve women stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach: The authors consider existing literature as "words to think with" (Kinsella and Shepherd, 2020), as a feminist methodology to contribute fresh ideas into the discourse arena of graduate employability and as a means to make social change possible (Phelan, 1994). Findings: The paper presents the feminist viewpoint that a reconfiguration of gender relations in the academy, through deploying gender equity quotas, and professional development activities designed to expose and help mitigate implicit gender bias are required to support women graduates' career confidence and employability. Research limitations/implications: The paper offers a viewpoint rather than an empirical evidence because of the difficulty in directly assessing a causal relationship between gendered education experience and graduates' self-efficacy and transition from college to work, "due to its longitudinal nature … [and] because cultural beliefs are … difficult to manipulate experimentally" (Sterling et al., 2020, p. 30,306). Also, while gender equity quotas have had some success, they can be disrupted by gendered bias within the workplace. Although the authors recommend a combination intervention of gender equity quotas and professional development to address gender bias, they acknowledge that the intervention is yet to be evaluated. Practical implications: Universities are tasked with supporting graduate employability, an inherent quality of which is graduate identity. The study offers a practical solution to increasing the number of women leaders within the academy by recommending the introduction of gender equity quotas, supported by professional development designed to develop leaders' gender insight and change agency, and combat all university workers' gender bias. This approach provides more equitable work structures within universities and increases the number and nature of women role models to support women's graduate identity development. Gender equity principles are presented as the key to facilitating women graduates' self-efficacy and work readiness. Social implications: Strategy designed to enhance women graduates' career confidence is critical because women's lower career confidence tends to inform their lower-level starting positions with lower-level pay, resulting in role and pay gaps that are sustained and magnified throughout the life cycle of their careers. Additionally, interventions to address gender bias in the academy are significant because providing gender equity quotas alongside facilitating women in leadership positions to be/come change agents move beyond what Cockburn (1989, p. 218) defines as supporting a short-term agenda of "equality for individual women … [to supporting a] project of transformation for organizations". Originality/value: The novel contribution of this paper is the feminist conceptualisation that gender equity practices, most notably a composite of gender equity quotas and professional development, are located within universities' remit to support graduate employability.

IntroductionMaternal obesity is associated with increased concentrations of human milk (HM) obesogenic hormones, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and oligosaccharides (HMOs) that have been associated with infant growth and adiposity. The objective of this pilot study was to determine if adherence to a Mediterranean meal plan during lactation modulates macronutrients and bioactive molecules in human milk from mothers with obesity.MethodsSixteen healthy, exclusively breastfeeding women with obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2) enrolled between 4 and 5 months postpartum. The women followed a 4-week Mediterranean meal plan which was provided at no cost. Maternal and infant anthropometrics, HM composition, and infant intakes were measured at enrollment and at weeks 2 and 4 of the intervention. Thirteen mother-infant dyads completed the study. Additionally, participants from an adjacent, observational cohort who had obesity and who collected milk at 5 and 6 months postpartum were compared to this cohort.ResultsParticipants’ healthy eating index scores improved (+27 units, p

This article is composed of three independent commentaries about the state of Integrated, Coordinated, Open, Networked (ICON) principles in the American Geophysical Union Biogeosciences section, and discussion on the opportunities and challenges of adopting them. Each commentary focuses on a different topic: (a) Global collaboration, technology transfer, and application (Section 2), (b) Community engagement, community science, education, and stakeholder involvement (Section 3), and (c) Field, experimental, remote sensing, and real-time data research and application (Section 4). We discuss needs and strategies for implementing ICON and outline short- and long-term goals. The inclusion of global data and international community engagement are key to tackling grand challenges in biogeosciences. Although recent technological advances and growing open-access information across the world have enabled global collaborations to some extent, several barriers, ranging from technical to organizational to cultural, have remained in advancing interoperability and tangible scientific progress in biogeosciences. Overcoming these hurdles is necessary to address pressing large-scale research questions and applications in the biogeosciences, where ICON principles are essential. Here, we list several opportunities for ICON, including coordinated experimentation and field observations across global sites, that are ripe for implementation in biogeosciences as a means to scientific advancements and social progress.

Lisa Schaaf,1 Sanita Ley,2 Allen Riegler,1 Amy Poetker,1 Stavra Xanthakos,3 Jennifer Sizemore,1 Nancy Crimmins,4 Michael Helmrath,5 Rebekah Tracy,6 Ana Catalina Arce-Clachar,3 Jennifer Crail,1 Nancy Morwessel,1 Kelsey Frenck,1 Fatima Tariq,1 Amy Sanghavi Shah4 1Division of Endocrinology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA; 2Department of Pediatrics, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA; 3Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati, OH, USA; 4Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA; 5Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA; 6Center for Better Health and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USACorrespondence: Lisa Schaaf, Division of Endocrinology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA, Tel +1 610 291 6981, Fax +1 513 636 9677, Email lisa.schaaf@cchmc.orgIntroduction: Diabetes self-management education and lifestyle interventions are the cornerstones of type 2 diabetes (T2D) care; however, the higher risk of comorbidities among youth with T2D requires a comprehensive care model. Traditionally, sub-specialty care relies on a referral model placing the burden on patients/families. In response, we developed a pediatric T2D multidisciplinary clinic (MDC)-A single physical location where patients can access various sub-specialists. The goals of the MDC are to aid with lifestyle modifications and provide referral/access to sub-specialists within the MDC, as determined through screening labs and assessment tools.Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of youth seen in the T2D MDC clinic at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital from 1/2020 to 12/2021. We evaluated the frequency that youth met with each specialist and completion rates of annual screening labs.Results: The cohort consisted of 227 youth with T2D (mean age 17.6 years, mean BMI 40.9kg/m2, 64% female, 50% Black or African American, 65% public insurance). All patients met with a diabetes provider and 81.2% met with a registered dietitian/certified diabetes education specialist. Exercise physiology met with 51.5% of patients, gastroenterology met with 34.8% of patients, social work met with 44.1% of patients, clinical psychology met with 27.3% of patients, and bariatric surgery met with 9.7% of patients. Percent completion of annual labs were: 98.2% for HbA1c, 84.6% for urine microalbumin, 83.7% for lipids, 90% for liver function, 59.5% for retinopathy, and 45.4% for the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.Conclusion: The majority of patients received diabetes and nutrition education and annual screening labs. Exercise counseling and sub-specialty care remain below 60% in part due to services not being available at every MDC. Our goals are to increase access to subspecialty care within the MDC’s and consider additional care delivery methods to provide comprehensive care to youth with T2D.Keywords: pediatrics, type 2 diabetes, multidisciplinary, adolescent, comorbidities