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Cancer remains hard to treat, partially due to the non-specificity of chemotherapeutics. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising carriers for targeted chemotherapy, yet, to date, there have been few detailed studies to systematically enhance drug loading while maintaining controlled release. In this work, we investigate which molecular simulation methods best capture the experimental uptake and release of cisplatin from UiO-66 and UiO-66(NH2). We then screen a series of biocompatible, pH-sensitive zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) for their ability to retain cisplatin in healthy parts of the patient and release it in the vicinity of a tumor. Pure-component GCMC simulations show that the maximum cisplatin loading depends on the pore volume. To achieve this maximum loading in the presence of water, either the pore size needs to be large enough to occupy both cisplatin and its solvation shell or the MOF–cisplatin interaction must be more favorable than the cisplatin–shell interaction. Both solvated and non-solvated simulations show that cisplatin release rates can be controlled by either decreasing the pore limiting diameters or by manipulating framework–cisplatin interaction energies to create strong, dispersed adsorption sites. The latter method is preferable if cisplatin loading is performed from solution into a pre-synthesized framework as weak interaction energies and small pore window diameters will hinder cisplatin uptake. Here, ZIF-82 is most promising. If it is possible to load cisplatin during crystallization, ZIF-11 would outcompete the other MOFs screened as cisplatin cannot pass through its pore windows; therefore, release rates would be purely driven by the pH triggered framework degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to decrease the number of talk-outs displayed with a 3rd grade student with autism. She engaged in these behaviors during work time, specialty classes such as physical education, music and library, and group work. Method: A multiple baseline probe design was used to measure the effectiveness of differential reinforcement with a token economy treatment package. A functional relationship was demonstrated between the reduction in talk-outs and the implementation of a differential reinforcement of an alternative behavior reinforcement schedule (DRA). Results: The participant's talk-outs decreased across all settings from an average of 10.9 in baseline to a mean 3.1 talk outs during differential reinforcement within a token economy. Conclusion: The use of the positive procedures in the classroom to reduce a problem social behavior is discussed. (Contains 1 figure.)

This is a survey-based study to analyze the experiences of office workers in Germany in the second year of the pandemic. The study looked at working from home, work-life balance, perceived organizational support and perceived social support, and tried to understand more about the association between these employees' experiences with their levels of work motivation and their turnover intention or desire to quit their jobs. The study also found differences in relationships between groups, including age, marital status and whether they have dependent children. The practical recommendations and advice given here are based on the results of the study and current literature, aiming to help leaders and managers in navigating the HR issues of the future workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The songs of most passerines have been well described; however, songs from some species are more difficult to record and have yet to be characterised. The Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) flight song occurs rarely, is complex in its syllable composition, and its function is still not well understood. We examine the structure of the Ovenbird flight song using the largest sample of warbler flight songs to date (n = 396, 23 individuals) from autonomous recordings made in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada. We characterised the syllable repertoire of this song, examined song syntax, compared syllable sharing among males, and estimated repeatability of several song features. Syllable repertoires varied among males and they appeared to transition differently between syllables while singing, but we found no evidence for syllable sharing between neighbours. Male Ovenbirds were significantly repeatable in the syllable compositions of their flight songs, but repeatability estimates were lower for terminal compared to introductory segments. We find weak evidence of a negative relationship between song features at the within-individual level, suggesting that individuals also demonstrate considerable plasticity when singing. Understanding variation in the Ovenbird flight song will lead to a better understanding of the function(s) of this song type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desynchrony of phenological responses to climate change is a major concern for ecological communities. Potential uncoupling between one of the most fundamental divisions within populations, males and females, has not been well studied. To address this gap, we examined sex-specific plasticity in hibernation phenology in two populations of Columbian ground squirrels ( Urocitellus columbianus ). We find that both sexes display similar phenological plasticity to spring snowmelt dates in their timing of torpor termination and behavioural emergence from hibernation. As a result of this plasticity, the degree of protandry (i.e. males' emergences from hibernation preceding those of females) did not change significantly over the 27-year study. Earlier male behavioural emergence, relative to females, improved the likelihood of securing a breeding territory and increased annual reproductive success. Sexual selection favouring earlier male emergence from hibernation may maintain protandry in this population, but did not contribute to further advances in male phenology. Together, our results provide evidence that the sexes should remain synchronized, at least in response to the weather variation investigated here, and further support the role of sexual selection in the evolution of protandry in sexually reproducing organisms.