As increasing numbers of students disclose mental health conditions, this study is the first to examine mental health status as a critical variable in foreign language anxiety research. Using a mixed-methods approach and drawing on data from 262 languages students at the Open University, it systematically compares foreign language speaking anxiety (FLSA) experiences between students with and without declared mental health conditions. Vocabulary retrieval emerged as the primary anxiety trigger common to all learners, however, significant distinctions emerged: students without mental health conditions expressed more academic-focused anxieties, whereas those with mental health conditions faced confidence and identity-based barriers. Students with mental health challenges are less likely to speak spontaneously and undertake spoken assessments, often opting to avoid online synchronous sessions entirely, requiring different coping strategies. The findings are analysed through a Universal Learning Design lens and reveal the need for tailored support and innovative pedagogical solutions, including AI-powered practice environments and self-compassion interventions specifically designed for online language learning contexts, to address the emotional barriers faced by students with mental health conditions. The study offers broader implications for inclusive (language) course design and learner engagement.

Body composition (BC) offers essential insights into the physical condition and performance capacity of athletes. Several factors can influence athletes' BC, such as nutrition, which can improve lean mass (LM) and body fat percentage (%BF). This longitudinal observational study aimed to investigate the factors influencing BC in professional female football players, including hormones, dietary habits, and physical activity, as these are relevant to their sport performance and health. Data related to dietary habits, DXA measurements, serum hormones, menstruation, and GPS metrics were collected in November 2023 and late March 2024 from 38 female football players from the Real Sociedad team. Of the 38 players enrolled, 35 completed all assessments and were included in the final analyses. Spearman correlations and linear regression analyses were performed. Statistically significant models were executed for %BF and LM (adjusted R2 = 0.55 and 0.47 respectively). For %BF, total testosterone had a positive influence while HSR (high-speed running) per minute, FSH, distance covered per minute, prolactin, and fat intake, influenced negatively. In the LM model, positive associations were total testosterone, progesterone, age, ACTH, and carbohydrate intake, while insulin, distance covered per minute, and, SHBG had negative associations. These results emphasise the complexity of the factors influencing BC in female football players. Personalising and periodising carbohydrate intake and monitoring training loads are crucial to prevent adverse effects like higher %BF and muscle catabolism. Establishing healthy nutritional practices is essential for long-term health and performance.

This paper outlines the experience of establishing a partnership for clinical services and academic training across two very different countries: Zambia and Ireland. Drawing upon the experience of setting up other similar international partnerships, the process of understanding the two very different cultural and clinical contexts has developed collaboratively over the course of the past 2 years, and has resulted in valuable insights and joint working. In line with local priorities, the Zambian colleagues in the partnership have prioritised the support for postgraduate training in psychiatry to enable the expansion of services, and allow greater population access. In particular, there is evidence of unmet need in the areas of substance use psychiatry, and child and adolescent psychiatry.

The collaboration will increase cultural awareness among psychiatrists and trainees in Ireland and deepen their knowledge and understanding of international psychiatry. This programme is mutually beneficial and has the potential to greatly improve relationships between the mental health service providers of the two nations.

How does tax regressivity at the top affect public support for taxation? In this article, we run an information provision experiment in the United States with a quota-representative sample of around 4,000 people and randomly present respondents with factual information about total tax rates by income group. We find that informing respondents that the superrich pay lower total tax rates than other people not only increases support for raising taxes on the rich but also lowers support for taxing the middle class. Our results highlight an important hidden cost of tax regressivity at the top: if left unaddressed, it risks undermining public support for broad-based taxation.

Why do women and men vote differently in presidential elections? Much research on gender and vote choice has focused on the United States and Western Europe, with less attention to the Global South. We develop a theory of sex gaps in presidential voting, which shows how ideology, feminism, and gendered personalities may help explain them. To test this, we designed and fielded surveys for presidential elections in Chile in 2021, Brazil in 2022, and Argentina in 2023. Results show that ideology and feminism largely explain men’s and women’s divergent votes for presidential candidates. Leftists, self-identified feminists, and respondents with more feminist attitudes were more likely to vote for Gabriel Boric instead of José Antonio Kast, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva over Jair Bolsonaro, and Sergio Massa rather than Javier Milei. Unlike in the United States, Latin Americans’ gendered personalities do not seem to influence their vote choice.

The global syndemic of obesity, undernutrition, and climate change – three interconnected challenges – threatens both human and planetary health. This review focuses on one critical intersection: older populations living with overweight and obesity in the context of sustainable nutrition. Obesity and sarcopenia, particularly the co-occurrence called sarcopenic obesity, are often overlooked until the onset or exacerbation of other diseases necessitates secondary care. Preventing sarcopenic obesity requires reducing excess fat mass while preserving muscle mass and function. This involves lowering total energy intake while ensuring adequate protein intake in terms of quantity, quality, and distribution, combined with physical activity, particularly resistance exercise. Short-term studies show that both the source and dose of dietary protein significantly influence muscle protein synthesis rates. Longer-term studies examining the impact of plant-based diets on muscle health in older adults with or without overweight or obesity remain limited. Animal proteins have shown a modest advantage over most plant-based proteins in supporting muscle mass. Qualitative studies suggest that emphasizing both the health benefits and palatability of plant-based protein sources is key to promoting dietary changes in older adults. In older adults with obesity, it is challenging to combine energy restriction with higher protein intake, especially when protein sources are plant-based. To prevent and treat sarcopenic obesity in older adults and support planetary health, a shift toward more plant-based protein sources is required, while ensuring sufficient protein quantity and quality to preserve muscle health during weight loss.

This review aims to (1) provide an overview of research investigating the relationship between body composition, specifically fat free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM), appetite, and energy intake (EI) and (2) to investigate potential mechanisms underlying these relationships, with a focus on ageing. Appetite and EI are influenced by complex, multifactorial pathways involving physiological, psychological, environmental, social, and cultural factors. Early research investigating the association of body composition with appetite and EI focused on FM, however the role of FFM in appetite control is gaining increasing attention. Studies have shown that FFM is positively associated with EI in younger populations including infants, adolescents and adults. In contrast, FM appears to have no association or a weak inverse association with appetite/EI. However, research in older adults is limited and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. It has been suggested that one way in which FFM may influence appetite and EI is by impacting resting metabolic rate (RMR). FFM, which includes metabolically active tissues including skeletal muscle and organs, represents the largest determinant of RMR and therefore may influence appetite and EI by ensuring the energetic requirements of crucial tissue-organs and metabolic processes are reached. Given that declines in FFM and RMR are common with ageing, they may be possible targets for interventions aimed at improving appetite and EI. While current evidence in older adults supports a positive association between FFM and appetite, further longitudinal studies are needed to explore this relationship in different contexts, along with the underlying mechanisms.

Early modern European powers were beset by episodic unrest as they sought to consolidate their authority and build empires. We examine how growing state communication networks and the penetration of society impacted unrest by combining original and detailed parish-level data from pre-Revolutionary France on the expansion of the horse-post relay network with rebellion in this period. Using a staggered difference-in-differences framework, we find that new horse-post relays are associated with more local rebellion. We argue that the main mechanisms are the material consequences of state centralization. New horse-post relays are linked with more rebellion against state agents and associates—the military, police, tax collectors, and the judiciary—that conscripted civilians, enforced taxes and laws, and increasingly monopolized roads. Pre-existing state and administrative fragmentation also mediated this relationship. Our findings have implications for the scholarly understanding of the co-evolution of states and order.

Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics are not routinely offered and, thus, are underutilized despite their many advantages over oral formulations. In this special collection of articles, the reader will find overviews of the art and science of prescribing this important treatment option. Guidance is offered regarding incorporating LAIs in treatment planning, including inpatient, outpatient, and jail settings. Reviewed is the evidence surrounding the use of LAIs for patients in their first episode of schizophrenia, as well as switching from oral agents and other common issues that come up in day-to-day practice. Also provided is a comprehensive summary of each of the currently available formulations of LAIs, and some pragmatic reasons why one would be considered over another. In the end, the reader will come away with the notion that LAIs are not a “last resort” but an important and useful treatment modality that ought to be considered more often.