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Inhibitory Smads (I-Smads) regulate TGF-β/BMP signaling through multiple distinct mechanisms, but whether different tissues preferentially employ specific mechanisms remains unknown. To address this question, we performed structure–function analyses of the Drosophila I-Smad, Dad, and its vertebrate orthologs Smad6 and Smad7 in neural and wing tissues, measuring outputs of BMP signaling in vivo. We identified a 24–amino acid putative DNA-binding domain within the MH1 domain of Dad that is essential for inhibitory function in wing tissue but unessential in neural tissue. Structural analyses revealed that ΔDNA-binding domain disrupts a β-hairpin structure homologous to R-Smad DNA-binding regions. We also found that Dad requires an intact MH1 domain to disrupt wing development, whereas either MH1 or MH2 can independently disrupt BMP signaling in motor neurons. These findings support a model where Dad functions through MH1-mediated transcriptional regulation in wing primordium, but through multiple mechanisms in neurons. Comparative analysis revealed that vertebrate I-Smad orthologs also show tissue-specific activity patterns, with structural predictions suggesting that Smad6 retains ancestral DNA-binding capacity, whereas Smad7 has evolved enhanced MH2-mediated functions. These results reveal context-dependent mechanisms of I-Smads that further the understanding of TGF-β/BMP pathway regulation.

Underserved communities face persistent challenges due to limited access to healthcare services. Digital volunteering offers opportunities for healthcare professionals to support these populations remotely. This study examined factors associated with healthcare workers’ intentions to participate in digital healthcare volunteering in Algeria. An extended technology acceptance model was used, incorporating perceived organizational support (OS), altruism, and social responsibility. A convenience sample of 142 healthcare workers completed a survey, and hierarchical regression analysis was conducted. Results indicated that perceived ease of use, social responsibility, altruism, perceived OS, and perceived usefulness were each significantly associated with intentions to engage in digital volunteering. The extended model explained 75.6% of the variance in intention, highlighting the relevance of psychological, organizational, and ethical factors. These findings provide insights for policymakers, healthcare organizations, and developers seeking to support digital volunteering initiatives. Limitations include the cross-sectional design and the use of convenience sampling, which may affect generalizability. Future research should consider longitudinal designs, larger and more diverse samples, and cross-cultural comparisons to validate and extend these findings.

Recent research proposes that arts-integrated teaching approaches in business education can nurture students' aesthetic sensitivity and emotional capacities, such as self-awareness and empathy. In this chapter, we examine the pedagogical possibility of art appreciation in art museums as a consciousness-raising practice, especially for the sake of cultivating business students' environmental awareness in two different contexts. We have analyzed American and Russian students' reflective essays based on their museum visits in order to explore how business students make sense of their aesthetic experiences and how art appreciation helps them to develop their sustainability mindset in a creative learning space. Through attentive viewing of the works of art, students have learned some key insights from their aesthetic appreciation at art museums. These insights not only facilitated honing their emotional skills, but also deepened their environmental awareness and heightened their sense of personal empowerment to act upon these newly acquired insights and values ensuing from art appreciation. After identifying six key themes extracted from both groups of students' essays based on their museum learning, we further discuss the pedagogical implications of contemplative art appreciation in museums as a means of contributing to more innovative and sustainable management education. © 2026 selection and editorial matter, Ekaterina Ivanova, Isabel Rimanoczy and Divya Singhal; individual chapters, the contributors.

Because physical literacy and activity are not emphasized in special education as they are in physical education or adapted physical education (PE/APE), this editorial explores two important questions: Do high school transition students receive PE/APE programming? And are PE/APE teachers introduced or exposed to transition services at any point in their teacher training?. © 2026 SHAPE America.

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.

Abstract 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.