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Figure S1. Relative telomere length of MSCs passaged in the DMEM-based (C) or αMEM-based (D) expansion medium. Relative telomere length was measured by SYBR Green qPCR amplification of telomere repeats and a single copy gene 36B4 [39]. Briefly, MSCs at different passage numbers were lysed overnight in a solution composed of 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate, 10 mM Tris-hydrochloride, 1 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, 100 mM sodium chloride, and 300 mg/mL proteinase K, followed by 2-h digestion with HinfI and RsaI at 37 °C to extract genomic DNA. Isolated DNA (35 ng/sample) was then mixed with SYBR Green PCR Master Mix and telomere or 36B4 primers. The final concentrations of the primers were as follows: telomere 1, 5’-GGTTTTTGAGGGTGAGGGTGAGGGTGAGGGTGAGGGT-3’, 270 nM; telomere 2, 5’-TCCCGACTATCCCTATCCCTATCCCTATCCCTATCCCTA-3’, 900 nM; 36B4u, 5’-CAGCAAGTGGGAAGGTGTAATCC-3’, 300 nM; 36B4d, 5’-CCCATTCTATCATCAACGGGTACAA-3’, 500 nM. The telomere and 36B4 PCRs were carried out in separate plates and the reactions consisted of an initial enzyme activation for 10 min at 95 °C, followed by 40 cycles of 15 s at 95 °C and 2 min at 54 °C for telomere PCR or 40 cycles of 15 s at 95 °C and 1 min at 58 °C for 36B4 PCR. Standard curves (A, B) generated from serial dilution of DNA (12.5 to 100 ng) extracted from the telomerase-positive K562 cell line were also included in PCRs and used to determine the quantities of telomere repeats (T) and 36B4 (S) from the corresponding Ct values of each sample. Relative telomere length was estimated as the T-to-S ratio. A decreasing trend in telomere length was observed over time in MSCs cultivated with either expansion medium. Specifically, the T-to-S ratio reduced from 1.53 at P3 to 0.49 at P8 in the DMEM group (C) and from 1.72 at P3 to 0.70 at P8 in the αMEM group (D). Numbers represent the mean values. n = 4; *p

Supplementary Methods. (DOCX 17 kb)

Table S1. Experimental Condition Matrix. Table S2. RT-qPCR Primers. Table S3. Summary of Transcriptome Analysis after 2-Weeks of Culture. Table S4. Gene Regulation Ratios. (DOCX 21 kb)

(1) Background: This paper aims to present and discuss the most significant challenges encountered by STEM professionals associated with remote working during the COVID-19 lockdowns. (2) Methods: We performed a qualitative analysis of 921 responses from professionals from 76 countries to the open-ended question: "What has been most challenging during the lockdown for you, and/or your family?" (3) Findings: Participants reported challenges within the immediate family to include responsibilities for school, childcare, and children's wellbeing; and the loss of social interactions with family and friends. Participants reported increased domestic duties, blurred lines between home and work, and long workdays. Finding adequate workspace was a problem, and adaptations were necessary, especially when adults shared the same setting for working and childcare. Connectivity issues and concentration difficulties emerged. While some participants reported employers' expectations did not change, others revealed concerns about efficiency. Mental health issues were expressed as anxiety and depression symptoms, exhaustion and burnout, and no outlets for stress. Fear of becoming infected with COVID-19 and uncertainties about the future also emerged. Pressure points related to gender, relationship status, and ethnicities were also evaluated. Public policies differed substantially across countries, raising concerns about the adherence to unnecessary restrictions, and similarly, restrictions being not tight enough. Beyond challenges, some benefits emerged, such as increased productivity and less time spent getting ready for work and commuting. Confinement resulted in more quality time and stronger relationships with family. (4) Interpretation: Viewpoints on positive and negative aspects of remote working differed by gender. Females were more affected professionally, socially, and personally than males. Mental stress and the feeling of inadequate work efficiency in women were caused by employers' expectations and lack of flexibility. Working from home turned out to be challenging, primarily due to a lack of preparedness, limited access to a dedicated home-office, and lack of previous experience in multi-layer/multi-scale environments. Published version Funding has been received from the International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine (IUPESM) towards data analysis.

The aim of this article is to offer a view of the current status of women in medical physics and biomedical engineering, while focusing on solutions towards gender balance and providing examples of current activities carried out at national and international levels. The International Union of Physical and Engineering Scientists in Medicine is committed to advancing women in science and health and has several initiatives overseen by the Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group. Some of the main strategies proposed by the Task Group to attain gender balance are: (a) identify and promote female role models that achieve successful work-life balance, (b) establish programs to develop female leaders, (c) create opportunities for females to increase the international visibility within the scientific community, and (d) establish archives and databases of women in STEM Refereed/Peer-reviewed

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people, including those in the fields of science and engineering, to work from home. The new working environment caused by the pandemic is assumed to have a different impact on the amount of work that women and men can do from home. Particularly, if the major burden of child and other types of care is still predominantly on the shoulders of women. As such, a survey was conducted to assess the main issues that biomedical engineers, medical physicists (academics and professionals), and other similar professionals have been facing when working from home during the pandemic. A survey was created and disseminated worldwide. It originated from a committee of International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine (IUPESM; Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group) and supported by the Union. The ethics clearance was received from Carleton University. The survey was deployed on the Survey Monkey platform and the results were analyzed using IBM SPSS software. The analyses mainly consisted of frequency of the demographic parameters and the cross-tabulation of gender with all relevant variables describing the impact of work at home. A total of 921 responses from biomedical professions in 76 countries were received: 339 males, 573 females, and nine prefer-not-to-say/other. Regarding marital/partnership status, 85% of males were married or in partnership, and 15% were single, whereas 72% of females were married or in partnership, and 26% were single. More women were working from home during the pandemic (68%) versus 50% of men. More men had access to an office at home (68%) versus 64% for women. The proportion of men spending more than 3 h on child care and schooling per day was 12%, while for women it was 22%; for household duties, 8% of men spent more than 3 h; for women, this was 12.5%. It is interesting to note that 44% of men spent between 1 and 3 h per day on household duties, while for women, it was 55%. The high number of survey responses can be considered excellent. It is interesting to note that men participate in childcare and household duties in a relatively high percentage; although this corresponds to less hours daily than for women. It is far more than can be found 2 and 3 decades ago. This may reflect the situation in the developed countries only—as majority of responses (75%) was received from these countries. It is evident that the burden of childcare and household duties will have a negative impact on the careers of women if the burden is not more similar for both sexes. It is important to recognize that a change in policies of organizations that hire them may be required to provide accommodation and compensation to minimize the negative impact on the professional status and career of men and women who work in STEM fields. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

In the aftermath of World War II, Einstein urged scientists to develop a substantively new thinking, lest we suffer a technology-enabled self-destruction. In this chapter, we will unfold the emerging scientific findings that serve as vectors, pointing to the same conclusion: the educational foundation that has brought about Industry 5.0 is causal to brain development that not only undermines our ability to address our emerging complex societal challenges, but biases us toward inhumane logic. We will outline a science of holism, the profoundly new thinking urged by Einstein. This science is rooted in nature’s ontology of dynamic complexity. An engineering education reflecting this new thinking will be described along with the novel developmental capacities afforded by it. The chapter will end by considering questions that need to be resolved to manifest such a radical shift in engineering education.