ABSTRACT In this article, which is based on the 2025 NAKHE Amy Morris Homans lecture I conducted, I will share (a) my personal and professional journey as to how I have come to center my research and pedagogy on social justice and equity issues in physical education and PETE, (b) provide an overview of federal education laws that have influenced the “equitable” schooling experiences of p-12 and higher education students in the United States, (c) offer a critical perspective of physical education standards as policy, and (d) explore the influence of social justice research and pedagogy in physical education/physical education teacher education.

Diet and host identity play fundamental roles in digestive physiology and the assembly of gut microbial communities. Research shows that microbial communities are plastic, with abundances of taxa and community interactions exhibiting changes in response to diet. Few studies considering the influence of diet on host and microbial plasticity disentangle the unique roles of specific nutrients, such as protein and fiber. Additionally, in the context of host-microbiome interactions, few studies have explored how host dietary strategies shape the plastic responses of microbial communities within the host digestive tract. To address these current gaps, we fed rodents with distinct dietary strategies (Peromyscus leucopus , Microtus montanus , and Onychomys torridus) diet treatments varying in fiber and protein content. Species varied in the degree of cecum size plasticity, with the carnivore showing no significant changes and the omnivore responding to both fiber and protein manipulation. There were also differences in the diversity indices of bacterial and fungal communities across hosts, and the microbes driving those differences were largely unique across rodent species. Additionally, community network interactions varied across treatments, and hub taxa that play a role in regulating network properties were identified. For example, bacteria in the Eubacterium groups, which are known to aid in fiber fermentation, were identified as hub taxa in all three species, but no group shared the same Eubacterium as a hub taxa. Overall, our data suggests that hosts with unique dietary strategies and their microbiomes respond uniquely to changes in the nutrient composition of their diets.

To efficiently digest food resources that may vary spatially and temporally, animals maintain physiological flexibility across levels of organization. For example, in response to dietary shifts, animals may exhibit changes in the expression of digestive enzymes, sizes of digestive organs, or the structure of their gut microbiome. A 'Grand Challenge' in comparative physiology is to understand how components of flexibility across organizational levels may scale to cumulatively determine organismal performance. Here, we conducted feeding trials on three rodent species with disparate feeding strategies: herbivorous montane voles (Microtus montanus), omnivorous white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus), and carnivorous grasshopper mice (Onychomys torridus). For each species, four groups of individuals were presented with diets that varied in carbohydrate, fiber, and protein content. After 4-5 weeks, we measured organismal performance in the form of nutrient digestibility (dry matter, nitrogen, fiber). We also measured gut anatomy, organ sizes, and conducted enzyme assays on various tissues to measure activities of carbohydrases and peptidases. We found some shared physiological responses e.g., fiber generally increased gut size across species. However, the specifics of these responses were distinct across species, suggesting different capacity for flexibility. Thus, in the context of digestion, we still lack an understanding of how flexibility across organizational levels may scale to determine whole animal performance.

Drawing from aspirational capital, critical pedagogy, and a corriente de esperanza, this ethnographic, qualitative study explores the practices and discourses displaced Puerto Rican mothers draw from and share in a critical learning space as they navigate receiving schools and communities to support their families. Participants drew from aspirational capital—the ability to aspire beyond one’s current circumstances despite challenges (Yosso, 2005)—by focusing on their hopes and dreams for the future, including education. Findings illustrate participants articulated clear goals and aspirational capital, stepping into a corriente de esperanza with testimonios that highlighted their acts of agency. These testimonios challenge the dominant discourses surrounding culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families’ lack of motivation and aspiration, particularly concerning education. Findings have implications for educators and researchers hoping to learn about and tap into the corrientes de esperanza circulating within the communities they support.

AbstractDespite the complexity of the physical mechanisms behind precipitation, many studies linking precipitation to weather types or atmospheric circulation focus on a single variable, oversimplifying the interactions involved. An alternative approach to examining precipitation involves the use of synoptic air masses, which provide a multivariate perspective. The gridded weather typing classification (GWTC‐2) is a synoptic weather typing and air mass classification scheme that captures the holistic nature of weather at any given time and location. This study examined the association between precipitation and GWTC‐2 air masses (AMs) on regional to global scales—marking the first use of the GWTC‐2 AMs in precipitation studies. Although regional differences exist, land precipitation is better modulated by AMs than oceanic precipitation. There is a noticeably weaker association between AMs and tropical precipitation than extratropical precipitation, with extratropical regions showing up to 60% of summer precipitation variability explained. Regarding individual air mass influences, humid warm AMs show a surprisingly poor correlation with land precipitation, likely because water vapor does not increase linearly with increasing land temperatures. Also, compared to the other two humid AMs, humid cool AMs contribute five times more precipitation in deserts. More interestingly, the frontal AMs, defined to capture migrating extratropical cyclones, are strongly associated with tropical precipitation and capture the West African monsoon remarkably well. The association between GWTC‐2 AMs and precipitation has potential applicability in ensemble precipitation forecasting and downscaling GCM simulations of daily precipitation.

Black women tend to feel underserved due to the lack of culturally competent care and support from healthcare systems. In particular, the combination effects of racial discrimination, inadequate prenatal care, and pregnancy complications contribute to the increased risks of stress and trauma among Black pregnant women. Though the literature has documented the challenges that Black women face in the healthcare system, in-depth narratives of birthing experiences may provide a better understanding of these issues. In this paper, we used a qualitative approach to describe the case study of a 30-year-old Black American woman who had a harrowing birthing experience. We conducted an individual interview with the participant upon her request. Six key themes were derived from her narrative that summarized her birthing experience: healthcare provider miscommunication, lack of control, trauma experience, interpersonal racism, systemic racism, and internalized racism. The participant had a birthing experience that she felt "could not go untold." The discomfort and disrespect she experienced appear not to be uncommon in a considerable number of Black women of reproductive age. There is a need for healthcare providers to be trained to provide culturally appropriate care to Black women. In addition, healthcare providers need to treat Black women absent of prior stereotypes or biases to contribute to more effective care. Employing such treatment may improve Black women's reproductive health-seeking behavior as well as maternal and child health.

This teaching case explores the digital transformations of two key Italian institutions: the Parliament and the Ufficio Italiano Brevetti e Marchi (UIBM) Intellectual Property and Trademark Office (IPTO). Driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for operational continuity, these institutions adopted innovative digital solutions to streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and improve public access. The Parliament introduced the GeoCamera application, enabling remote legislative work and digital document management. The UIBM implemented online filing systems, blockchain integration, and remote working capabilities to modernize intellectual property rights management. These transformations have not only improved operational efficiency but also fostered greater transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement. This case offers valuable insights into the challenges, strategies, and successes of these digital initiatives, providing lessons for other organizations and countries seeking to leverage technology for enhanced public service delivery and governance.

Abstract Invasive plants may exhibit priority effects and begin growth before native plants. Priority effects may be an important way that invasive species outcompete native plants. We tested priority effects on the invasive grass Smooth Brome Bromus inermis (cool season C3), the cosmopolitan and invasive Bermuda grass Cynodon dactylon (warm season C4) and a native grass species, Red Fescue Festuca rubra (cool season C3), in the greenhouse. We grew each species alone, with a conspecific neighbor (intraspecific competition), concurrently with one of the two other heterospecifics (interspecific competition), and with a priority effect of one species being present 21 days before the heterospecific neighbor (priority effects). We recorded relative growth rates (RGR), as well as above- and belowground dry biomass. We also used a relative interaction index (RII) to determine the competitive abilities of each of these species. Smooth Brome was significantly heavier than Bermuda and Red Fescue, although Bermuda grass had the highest RGR of the three species. All three species showed stronger effects of intraspecific competition than interspecific competition. Most of the effects were competitive relative to plants grown alone. However, none of these three species exhibited priority effects, unlike a previous study. We conclude that increased competitive ability, particularly of Smooth Brome, may be sufficient to exclude native grasses.

A rubbery stretchable conductor with high conductivity and transparency is crucial for the development of rubbery stretchable vertical-structured photodetectors. However, the development of such a rubbery conductor is still nascent. Here, we report the scalable manufacturing of rubbery stretchable transparent conductors (RSTCs) and the development of a rubbery stretchable vertical-structured photodetector (RSVPD). The RSTC is fabricated into a specialized micromesh structure by utilizing a close-packed monolayer of polystyrene microspheres as a mask. The micromesh structure not only enhances the conductor's stretchability and transparency but also maintains its conductivity, making it ideal for various applications in stretchable electronics. The RSTCs are used to construct RSVPDs that have high response over a broad spectrum, and their electrical performances can be retained even when subjected to mechanical strains of up to 50%. Furthermore, a stretchable imager based on RSVPD was developed to detect the multipoint light distribution. Lastly, a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor was also developed for real-time health monitoring.