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Background: Cancer patients admitted to the bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit face life-threatening medical conditions. Consequently, their family members experience uncertainty, resulting in high levels of anxiety and depression (AD). Limited updates and communication from medical staff exacerbate these emotional burdens. To address these challenges, we developed a mobile health (mHealth) intervention, FamCarePlus, and evaluated its feasibility, usability, and efficacy. We hypothesized that the FamCarePlus application would demonstrate a high degree of feasibility and usability and would reduce AD compared to a control group relying solely on traditional communication through the nurses’ station. Methods: We employed a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest non-randomized, non-blinded self-report design over 3 weeks, with an experimental group (n = 10) using FamCarePlus and a control group (n = 9). We selected participants via convenience sampling using the electronic medical record to identify eligible patients and families, guided by inclusion and exclusion criteria. We used descriptive statistics and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) guidelines to analyze the data. Feasibility was defined by a retention rate > 80%, with usability testing using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) surveys. The HADS measured AD, comparing baseline to Week 3. Results: We met our feasibility criteria of >80%. All SUS and NASA scores were in the higher index, suggesting a significant degree of usability and low workload demand on participants. For efficacy, we compared baseline mean scores, with the experimental group reporting lower AD levels at Week 1 (41.9% and 27.8%, respectively) than the control group (55.2% and 34.2%, respectively). From Week 1 to Week 3, the percentage change showed an 8.6% decrease in anxiety in the experimental group, compared to a 12.8% decrease in anxiety in the control group. These results were consistent when analyzed according to HADS guidelines. Conclusions: The findings of this study provide preliminary evidence that the FamCarePlus intervention is feasible and usable, while also demonstrating that its use may be associated with a sustained reduction in AD levels among family members of patients admitted to the BMT unit. These outcomes underscore the potential of digital interventions to address disparities in patient health information access and psychosocial support. © 2026 by the authors.

Understanding the thermal sensitivity of reproductive interactions is crucial given global warming. Previous studies have almost exclusively focused on interactions before mating, even though important interactions between the sexes also occur after mating (e.g. gamete interactions), which are likely also affected by temperature. Thus, it remains unknown how temperature affects the influence of female reproductive fluid on sperm performance, thereby altering female control over fertilization (cryptic female choice). This gap limits our understanding of how sexual selection changes with seasonal temperature fluctuations and temperatures outside the range of historical norms. We tested how temperatures relevant to current conditions and climate change projections influence the mechanisms underlying cryptic female choice in a marine fish, Symphodus ocellatus. Under typical, cooler thermal conditions, female reproductive fluid enhances sperm velocity and biases fertilization dynamics to favour preferred, dominant males over sneaker males. We find that warmer temperatures decrease female influence on sperm velocity, especially for dominant males. This results in dominant males having slower sperm than sneaker males at warmer temperatures, reducing the expected paternity of preferred, dominant males. Our results highlight that considering the thermal sensitivity of female–male interactions that occur after mating will be essential for understanding how seasonal variation and climate change can influence fertility, reproduction and sexual selection. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. © 2026 The Author(s). Functional Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.

Using interpretative phenomenological analysis and grounded in queer, critical feminist, and crip theory, this study explores how transgender and gender-expansive adults with ADHD symptoms, who describe their traits as neurospicy, navigate mental health care. Ten participants revealed masking as a ­survival strategy that fosters exhaustion, barriers posed by executive functioning challenges and provider ignorance, and the importance of affirming therapeutic spaces, self-advocacy, and peer support networks. Findings align with transgender identity development models. Results call for intersectional, neurodivergence-informed counseling practices that are flexible, knowledgeable, and collaborative to address structural and epistemological challenges faced by neurodivergent TGE individuals. © 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

One exciting class of future genetic devices could be those deployed in microbes that join complex microbial environments in the wild. We sought to determine whether genetic parts designed for monoculture are predictable when used in co-culture by testing constitutive Anderson promoters driving the expression of chromoproteins from a plasmid. In Escherichia coli monoculture, a high copy number origin of replication causes stochastic expression regardless of promoter strength, and high constitutive Anderson promoter strength leads to selection for inactivating mutations, resulting in inconsistent chromoprotein expression. Medium- and low-strength constitutive Anderson promoters function more predictably in E. coli monoculture but experience an increase in inactivating mutations when grown in co-culture over many generations with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Expression from regulated promoters instead of constitutive Anderson promoters can lead to stable expression in a complex wastewater culture. Overall, we show intraspecies selection for inactivating mutations due to a competitive growth advantage for E. coli that do not express the genetic device compared to their peers that retain the functional device. We show additional interspecies selection against the functional device when E. coli is co-cultured with another organism. Together, these two selection pressures create a significant barrier to genetic device function in microbial communities that we overcome by utilizing a regulated E. coli promoter. Future strategies for genetic device design in microorganisms that need to function in a complex microbial environment should focus on regulated promoters and/or strategies that give the microorganism carrying the device a selective or growth advantage. IMPORTANCE: First-generation biotechnology focused on genetic devices designed for use in monoculture conditions. One class of next-generation biotechnology devices could be designed to function in complex ecosystems with other organisms, so we sought to create conditions where the genetic device retained function when the organism carrying it is in co-culture with other organisms. We discovered that when the genetic device is a significant resource burden on the organism carrying the device, mutations will be selected for due to intraspecies and interspecies selection pressures, and the device will be rendered non-functional. Therefore, genetic device design for complex ecosystems in next-generation biotechnology needs to balance functionality of the genetic device with the need to reduce resource burden on the organism carrying it.

Background: Maternal mortality in Brazil remains a critical indicator of social and racial inequalities, reflecting structural failures in access to and quality of obstetric care. Black women, particularly those categorized as black or brown, are at a higher risk of dying during pregnancy, childbirth, or the postpartum period. This is the result of the intersection of institutional racism, poverty, and social vulnerabilities. This study aimed to analyze trends and associated factors of maternal mortality among black women in Brazil from 2000 to 2020. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort analytical study using data from the Brazilian Mortality Information System. The sample included women aged 10 to 49 years whose underlying cause of death was classified under ICD-10 codes O00–O99. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted, as well as Poisson and multinomial logistic regressions to estimate adjusted risk ratios according to skin color, education, region, type, and place of death. Results: A total of 40,907 maternal deaths were identified, with 59.2% occurring among black women. The maternal mortality ratio was 39% higher among black women compared to white women and more than double among Indigenous women. Low education, residence in the North and Northeast regions, deaths outside hospital settings, and lack of formal investigation were independently associated with increased risk. Direct obstetric causes accounted for most deaths, with hypertensive disorders and puerperal complications being the leading conditions. Conclusions: Maternal mortality among black women in Brazil reveals deep structural inequalities. Urgent public policies that incorporate an intersectional perspective, addressing race, gender, and class, are necessary to reduce disparities and ensure equitable and dignified maternal healthcare.

Simulation is widely used in nursing education; however, its application in graduate nurse educator programs remains limited. This pilot explored the use of a novel multistudent, multipatient simulation in which nurse educator students assumed the role of clinical faculty. Designed in accordance with the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best PracticeTM, this simulation focused on clinical facilitation, time management, and feedback. Participants (n = 2) reported increased confidence and insight into clinical teaching responsibilities following the encounter. This pilot warrants further investigation into the application of simulation in graduate-level nonclinical programs and may serve as a template for educator development programs.

The STAR Collaboration reports measurements of acoplanarity using semi-inclusive distributions of charged-particle jets recoiling from direct photon and π triggers, in central Au–Au and pp collisions at √sNN = 200 GeV. Significant medium-induced acoplanarity broadening is observed for large but not small recoil jet resolution parameter, corresponding to recoil jet yield enhancement up to a factor of ≈20 for trigger-recoil azimuthal separation far from π. This phenomenology is indicative of the response of the quark-gluon plasma to excitation, but not the scattering of jets off of its quasiparticles. The measurements are not well described by current theoretical models which incorporate jet quenching. © (2026), (American Physical Society). All rights reserved.

Global climate-finance debates increasingly emphasize tensions between donor competitiveness and environmental responsibility. This paper examines how trade competition shapes the allocation of bilateral environmental official development assistance (BEODA). We develop a partial-equilibrium model showing that aid which lowers recipient production costs can intensify competitive pressure on donor markets, reducing incentives to provide such aid. Using data on 29 OECD donors and 116 non-OECD recipients from 2015–2019, we test whether donors adjust BEODA in response to trade competition. The analysis distinguishes between general BEODA and projects targeting energy efficiency, which more directly reduce marginal costs. Across linear, Tobit, and probit models with multiple fixed effects, we find that donors allocate less BEODA to more competitive recipients, with the effect nearly twice as strong for energy-saving projects. These results indicate that donor concerns over competitiveness constrain environmentally beneficial aid, underscoring a central tension between national economic interests and global climate goals. © 2026 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

The Alder–Andrews Theorem, a partition inequality generalizing Euler’s partition identity, the first Rogers–Ramanujan identity, and a theorem of Schur to d-distinct partitions of n, was proved successively by Andrews in 1971, Yee in 2008, and Alfes, Jameson, and Lemke Oliver in 2010. While Andrews and Yee utilized q-series and combinatorial methods, Alfes et al. proved the finite number of remaining cases using asymptotics originating with Meinardus together with high-performance computing. In 2020, Kang and Park conjectured a “level 2” Alder–Andrews type partition inequality which relates to the second Rogers–Ramanujan identity. Duncan, Khunger, the second author, and Tamura proved Kang and Park’s conjecture for all but finitely many cases using a combinatorial shift identity. Here, we generalize the methods of Alfes et al. to resolve nearly all of the remaining cases of Kang and Park’s conjecture. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2026.

INTRODUCTION: Individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) are at increased risk for sleep disturbances, creating a bidirectional relationship that may heighten relapse risk. While polysomnography is the gold standard for measuring sleep, many studies have used actigraphy, a noninvasive, wrist-worn device that estimates rest-activity patterns and sleep-wake characteristics. Despite its utility, the use of actigraphy in populations with SUDs remains limited, and findings vary across substances and methodologies. This protocol outlines a systematic review and meta-analysis aiming to synthesize evidence on actigraphy-derived sleep outcomes across various substances. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: We will include peer-reviewed observational or interventional studies involving individuals aged 18 or older with a diagnosis of substance use (e.g., alcohol, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, opioids, methamphetamine, or nicotine) who use actigraphy to assess sleep compared to matched controls. Studies will be excluded during screening if they do not use actigraphy, do not include populations with SUDs, or focus on participants younger than 18. There will be no restrictions on location, setting, or language. Databases to be searched include PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, ClinicalTrials.gov, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Embase. Titles and abstracts will be screened in the first phase, followed by full-text screening using eligibility criteria. At least two independent reviewers will assess risk of bias using the Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Exposures (ROBINS-E) tool. A synthesis will summarize key findings, including study characteristics, population differences, and methodological variations. DISCUSSION: This review will offer a clear and comprehensive assessment of the current literature on actigraphy to examine sleep in SUD and to inform future research to study sleep and its implications in SUD populations. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER: International Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) number CRD420251072028. Copyright: © 2026 Paredes Naveda et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Purpose: This study investigated experiences of physical education teachers (PETs) participating in online remote andragogy-based lesson study (AbLS) during a pandemic. Method: Five PETs participated in this phenomenological case study. Seventeen online AbLS collaborative meetings took place via Zoom software. Three rounds of semistructured interviews were conducted and analyzed using collaborative qualitative analysis. Results: Three themes emerged: (a) AbLS facilitated depth of learning, increasing professional and individual growth; (b) AbLS structure influenced experience; and (c) the professional community of AbLS supported a natural adult learning (andragogical) environment. Discussion/Conclusion: Remote AbLS presented benefits for these PETs beyond professional learning that prior continuing professional development had not, including a sense of community, belonging, and professional worth. AbLS may have implications for research in perceived mattering and continuing professional development facilitation for PETs. Remote AbLS may bolster PETs in challenging local learning communities. © 2026 Human Kinetics, Inc.

While algorithms increasingly outperform human experts and gain widespread adoption, many individuals still resist using them due to algorithmic aversion. Although prior research has examined the appreciation and avoidance of algorithmic advice, the underlying mechanisms driving these decisions remain underexplored. This paper investigates the role of individuals’ readiness to act, specifically whether they adopt a deliberative or implemental mindset, in shaping their openness to algorithmic advice. Across three hypothetical studies and one incentive-compatible study, results show that individuals in a deliberative mindset, characterized by thoughtful evaluation, tend to prefer advice from human sources. In contrast, those in an implemental mindset, characterized by action-oriented thinking, are more likely to prefer algorithmic advice. Additionally, the findings reveal that perceived uncertainty moderates the influence of mindset on algorithmic receptiveness. These findings offer nuanced insights into the psychological mechanisms that drive engagement with algorithms and suggest practical strategies to enhance collaboration with both algorithmic and human recommendations. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd

This repeated, cross-sectional study examined trends in the availability of school-based programming to prevent violence in middle and high schools across the United States from 2008 to 2020. Overall, violence prevention programming increased in respondent schools throughout the study period. However, important gaps remain, with lingering state-level disparities. © 2025 The Authors