Mortality trends among Indigenous peoples in Brazil remain poorly characterised. An ecological time-series study (2010–2022) was conducted, comparing Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations using nationwide open-access demographic and mortality data. Mortality was stratified by sex, age, and ICD-10 groups, populations were compared using Pearson’s chi-square test (p < 0.05), and trends were evaluated with joinpoint regression (JR) to estimate Average Annual Percentage Changes (AAPCs). Between 2010 and 2022, mortality among Indigenous peoples increased by 82.5% (from 2,927 to 5,343), compared with a 42.3% increase in the non-Indigenous population. Over 40% of deaths among Indigenous peoples occurred outside health facilities in both years, versus fewer than 30% among non-Indigenous populations. Crude mortality rates remained lower in Indigenous peoples (2010: 35.8 versus 55.9; 2022: 43.5 versus 74.8 per 10,000 population). However, age-specific differences were marked: mortality among Indigenous children and adolescents (0–19 years) was 3.3 times higher in 2010 and 3.8 times higher in 2022, while mortality among adults aged ≥40 years was approximately 2.5 times lower in both years compared with non-Indigenous populations (all p < 0.05). Mortality rates among Indigenous peoples were consistently higher for maternal, perinatal, and congenital conditions in both 2010 and 2022. JR revealed heterogeneous proportional mortality trends: significant increases in perinatal, congenital, and external causes (AAPC approximately 5.0–6.4%), as well as neoplasms, circulatory, haematological, digestive, respiratory, and endocrine/metabolic diseases (AAPC approximately 1.6–4.4%); a significant decline in infectious and parasitic diseases (AAPC −6.6%); and stability in other groups. Indigenous peoples in Brazil continued to face unfavourable mortality, particularly among children, adolescents, and maternal conditions. Many leading causes of death are preventable. Strengthening primary healthcare, expanding prenatal and perinatal services, improving vaccination and mental-health support, and adopting culturally safe, community-driven strategies to address chronic diseases are critical to reducing inequities and preventable deaths.

Loneliness and social isolation represent persisent global public health concerns, particurarly for people in later life, with extensive mental, social, and biological consequences. Both have been associated with increased risk of depression, anxiety, dementia, cardiovascular disease, premature mortality, and greater demand for health and social care services. A growing body of evidence indicates that nature-based interventions are effective in reducing loneliness, enhancing mood, and promoting overall well being, yet they still remain underutilised within health and social care strategies; particularly for older adults and those with limited mobility. One such initiative, Cycling Without Age, a grassroots programme, demonstrates the potential of nature-based interventions. Evidence across multiple contexts indicates improvements in mood, life satisfaction, and social connectedness, alongside benefits for families and care staff. Cycling Without Age illustrates a type of scalable, person-centred intervention that could be integrated into healthy ageing strategies. However, rigourous large-scale research remains scarce, which highlights the need for further evaluation to guide policy adoption and sustainable implementation. Effective responses to loneliness and social isolation require integrated support programmes that foster social connectedness and healthy ageing, delivered through coordinated efforts spanning public health, urban design, and community services.

Two research branches in evolutionary psychology can make similar predictions about treatment expectations in contexts of conflict of interest, where, for those involved, costs and benefits are at stake. Recalibrational Theory of Anger suggests that evolved psychological mechanisms operate at the cognitive level and regulate human behavior. The Dark Triad Personality posits that traits of Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy confer adaptive advantages, leading individuals to prioritize their interests over those of others. This study aimed to replicate the results of Sell et al. (2017) in a Brazilian sample (Replication Analysis) and investigated whether dark triad traits predict the magnitude of anger in conflict-of-interest situations (Extension Analysis). Replication Analysis consistently replicated previous findings, with effect sizes from moderate to large magnitudes. Extension Analysis revealed that only Narcissism was a significant predictor when victims were intentionally targeted by offenders. While the Recalibrational Theory of Anger predictions were largely confirmed, the dark triad personality traits, except for Narcissism, were generally poor predictors of anger magnitude. The results suggest that the universality of the information processing is robust and is little influenced by antisocial personality characteristics.

In the Roman imperial worldview, masculine, civilized Rome saw a duty to control and care for uncivilized, feminine foreigners—a gendered power dynamic shared by more recent colonizing states as well. However, it is a methodological challenge to catch sight of the way such a worldview may have impacted colonial subjects. I examine the impact in Roman Britain and Gaul by applying a symbolic anthropological approach to a well-suited body of evidence, votive offerings: widely accessible and highly individual, each represents a single symbolic act. Taking up archaeological questions of material symbolism, I analyse the confluence of gender and offering material categories. Analysis of objects men and women offered at 10 sanctuaries in Britain and Gaul, and of the materials in which men and women were portrayed, reveals a permeability–impermeability binary: women are associated with breakable clay, porous bone and translucent glass, and men with strong, durable metal. This binary reflects Roman understandings of femininity and masculinity, shedding light on the fraught relationship between colonial rule and gendered understandings of the world.

Our group has previously characterised a post-violet infrared stimulated luminescence (pVIRSL) signal and developed a post-violet infrared single-aliquot regenerative-dose (pVIR-SAR) protocol for estimation of paleodoses. The protocol provides an opportunity for measuring polymineral samples as violet stimulation prior to IRSL measurement, bleaches natural luminescence signal of quartz, and makes it possible to probe photo-transferred charges in feldspar through IR stimulation. This study presents the results of the pVIR-SAR protocol on natural polymineral fine- (4–11 μm) and coarse-grain (90–150 μm) samples, including volcanic ash, pottery, and fluvial deposits from varied geological provenances. The results show that pVIR-SAR ages of both these fine- and coarse-grain samples are consistent with geological reasoning and available age controls thereby suggest that with the use of the pVIR-SAR protocol, mineral separation can be dispensed. This study also reports on the bleachability, athermal fading rates, and alpha efficiencies of pVIRSL for these samples and corresponding results are compared with IRSL at 50°C and post-IR IRSL (pIRIRSL) at 290°C. The pVIRSL signal has a better bleachability and reproducibility compared to the pIRIRSL signal. For the fluvial deposits dated in this study, the fine-grain samples provide ages consistent with the expected chronology.

Given the surging economic and health costs associated with childhood stunting, identifying its associated factors is crucial. This study therefore explores a key determinant of long-term nutritional status, women’s participation in household decision-making in the context of Pakistan. To empirically estimate this association, three-level modelling was employed by pooling the data from two recent nationally representative survey rounds PDHS 2012–13 and PDHS 2017–18. Multilevel analysis was better suited compared to traditional methods for robust estimates because of the hierarchical nature of the data. Women’s decision-making power was measured by formulating an index through factor analysis from the direct questions about women’s participation in household decisions. This study found a positive association between women’s decision-making power and children’s nutritional growth at the national level, with no significant changes across the survey years. However, this relationship was moderated by regional variations, which was more pronounced in Sindh and relatively modest in other regions. The sensitivity analysis showed that among the different decision-making domains, only women’s participation in large household purchases was significantly and positively associated with child linear growth. The insights of this research suggest that nutrition-oriented policies should also consider non-nutritional factors, like women’s decision-making power when designing projects for target population. Meanwhile, it is also crucial to recognize that decision-making power is a contextual factor and its effect on child nutritional growth may vary across regions.

The “innovation championship” model has been instrumental in explaining policy innovations in China’s local governments, particularly at the provincial level. However, discrepancies between this model and real-world cases raise questions about its broader applicability. To address this, we employ a dichotomous framework (innovation generation/borrowing) and conduct multi-level quantitative analyses of government work reports. Our analysis suggests that between 2003 and 2022, most provincial innovations were driven by the championship model, which relies on central government recognition, while others were shaped by peer recognition mechanisms. Together, these form a “central and peer” (CP) model that prioritizes innovation generation while incorporating a degree of innovation borrowing. This CP model differentiates the innovation functions among provincial governments, which have formed a collective innovation network: pioneering provinces generate model policies, while others capitalize on these opportunities. Moreover, the extent of the central authority’s influence determines the relative importance of these two mechanisms.

This study examines the role of gakushū manga, or educational Japanese comics, in shaping collective memory narratives of World War II. It explores whether these works diverge from or perpetuate Japan-centric interpretations of World War II by analysing thematic trends, representational strategies, and selective memory frameworks. The findings reveal a dominant emphasis on Japanese victimhood, mainly through graphic depictions of civilian suffering, while representations of foreign victims, such as Chinese and Korean civilians, remain abstract or marginalised. The responsibility of those in positions of leadership is selectively portrayed, often exonerating figures like Emperor Hirohito, and the actions of such militaristic leaders are contextualised within broader systemic ideologies.

These manga replicate postwar narratives by foregrounding societal complicity, deliberate omission, and the delegation of the ‘Other’ to the periphery, in line with broader patterns of media-driven nationalism. They provide nuanced critiques of Japan’s wartime conduct but simultaneously maintain a selective focus that minimises Japan’s responsibilities as an aggressor. This research underscores the need for a balanced collective memory to foster reconciliation and a more inclusive understanding of wartime legacies in East Asia.

The East African coast has long been recognized as a cosmopolitan region, where different cultures and peoples met and exchanged ideas, goods and knowledge. The culture that developed there from the seventh century ce was shaped by these relations, often referred to under the term Swahili, and many of the coastal residents engaged in Islamic practice, long-distance trade, conspicuous consumption of valued goods, and spoke a common language. This paper investigates the presence of slaves and migrants from the East African interior, through pottery assemblages uncovered at two eleventh- to fifteenth-century ce sites in northern Zanzibar: Tumbatu and Mkokotoni. These are groups of people not usually discussed in relation to medieval Swahili towns, and slavery has been especially difficult to study archaeologically on the coast. Through a material culture of difference, I argue that enslaved and non-elite migrants can be recognized and allow for a fuller understanding of socio-economic and cultural complexity in Swahili towns.