bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Obstetric procedures
Authors: Cheng Yvonne Kwan Yue , Leung Tak Yeung
Published: February 2020

Human childbirth is a natural process but it is not always smooth and successful. Hence, several important obstetric surgical procedures and instruments were invented to assist difficult childbirth, such as caesarean section, forceps and vacuum vaginal delivery, external cephalic version, and vaginal breech delivery. The indications, the procedures, and the complications of these commonly practised obstetric surgeries are reviewed in this chapter. Other commonly performed procedures for normal labour such as episiotomy, repair of perineal tear, routine controlled cord traction for the delivery of the placenta in the third stage of labour, and manual removal of retained placenta will also be discussed.
Stillbirth
Authors: Ellwood David A. , Flenady Vicki
Published: February 2020

Stillbirth is defined in many different ways around the world, which makes international comparisons of rates very challenging. There are stark differences in causes between high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries which can be accounted for, in part, by differences in population risk factors and resources. Obstetric care after stillbirth and in subsequent pregnancies is a specialized area of work and requires a multiprofessional team approach. Investigations may reveal the cause in the majority of cases, and expert interpretation of the results of these should be available to all women. Strategies for the prevention of stillbirth vary depending on the population at risk. In high-income countries, the focus is on recognition of risk factors, and identification of the vulnerable fetus, with targeted early delivery being the main strategy. Increased maternal awareness and appropriate organizational responses to decreased fetal movements may help to reduce the rate of late gestation stillbirths. Evidence-based, effective bereavement care after stillbirth is vital in reducing the long-term impacts of stillbirth for women and their families. The global burden of stillbirth is massive and it is now recognized as one of the most neglected areas of public health. Parents experience overwhelming and long-lasting grief when their child is stillborn and the societal costs are substantial and largely unappreciated. Many stillbirths are potentially preventable and as many conditions which lead to stillbirth also contribute to poor maternal, newborn, and longer-term health outcomes, addressing stillbirth has the potential for a quadruple return on investment.
Postpartum care and problems in the puerperium
Authors: Robson Stephen J.
Published: February 2020

The 40 days following birth are known as the puerperium. This is a time of rapid transition in a woman’s life with major changes not only in physiology, but also in relationships and social circumstances. Most women will navigate the transition to motherhood smoothly yet there are potential complications with important implications for the women, her child, and her family that must be understood and managed effectively. Changes in patterns of sleep, mood, and intimate relationships can all affect a woman’s ability to care for her child. Complications such as bleeding, infection, voiding dysfunction, and incontinence may occur, and many women will experience difficulties with breastfeeding. Effective social support and healthy lifestyle changes are key components of postpartum recovery, and respectful support for women from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds should be afforded. Attention to contraceptive needs and support for return to employment are part of good postnatal care.
Ectopic pregnancy
Authors: Madhra Mayank , Horne Andrew W.
Published: February 2020

An ectopic pregnancy (EP) occurs when a pregnancy implants outside the uterus. Over 98% implant in the fallopian tube. Non-tubal sites include the interstitium, ovary, cervix, and caesarean section scars. The resultant growth of the EP can damage the implanted tissue, giving rise to pain and intraperitoneal bleeding. The aetiology of EP is uncertain. Risk factors include chlamydial infection, smoking, and assisted reproductive technologies. Many cases occur without identifiable risk factors or typical symptoms, emphasizing the importance of considering the possibility of EP in all women of reproductive age. EPs are diagnosed by a combination of transvaginal ultrasound and serial human chorionic gonadotrophin monitoring. Tubal EPs can be managed effectively and safely by surgical excision (usually via a laparoscopic approach), medical management with intramuscular methotrexate, or expectant management depending upon the size of the EP and the clinical presentation. Non-tubal EPs should be managed on an individual basis.
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Authors: Dean Gillian , Ross Jonathan
Published: February 2020

Pelvic inflammatory disease is a sexually transmitted infection of the female upper genital tract. Rates of pelvic inflammatory disease have fallen in many countries over the last 10 years, at least in part due to increased screening for chlamydial infection. The clinical spectrum ranges from asymptomatic infection through to severe disease requiring hospitalization. Due to the non-specific nature of the condition, diagnosis can be challenging. All sexually active women presenting with acute lower abdominal pain should have a pregnancy test to rule out ectopic pregnancy. Treatment must be initiated as soon as the diagnosis is suspected and include antibiotics covering a broad spectrum of pathogens. Delay in diagnosis increases the risk of adverse sequelae including ectopic pregnancy and infertility. It is recommended that current and recent sexual partners receive empirical treatment, regardless of symptoms or microbiological results, and refrain from sexual contact until completion of therapy. Through better public understanding of the symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease, women seeking earlier medical attention may reduce the risk of reproductive damage.
Chronic pelvic pain
Authors: Chung Jacqueline Pui Wah , Li Tin Chiu
Published: February 2020

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is a common gynaecological complaint with a similar consultation rate to low back pain, asthma, or migraine. It is estimated that up to 15–20% of women aged 18–50 years have experienced CPP for more than 1 year. Nevertheless, the incidence of CPP is likely to be underestimated due to under-reporting. CPP is a condition distressing to patients and challenging to gynaecologists. It is commonly associated with endometriosis, adhesions, pelvic inflammatory disease, as well as a variety of urological, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, or psychosocial conditions. This chapter provides a general overview of the condition, with a special emphasis on the management strategy in dealing with patients with this condition.
Endometriosis
Authors: Vanhie Arne , D’Hooghe Thomas
Published: February 2020

Endometriosis is a chronic oestrogen-dependent gynaecological disease present in approximately 10% of women of reproductive age and up to 30–50% of women with infertility and/or pain. It is defined as the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus. The pathogenesis remains enigmatic but the most common hypothesis is Sampson’s theory of retrograde menstruation. Over the last decade, the roles of inflammation, angiogenesis, and the immune system have been well documented. Diagnosis of endometriosis is difficult since physical examination, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging can detect but not exclude the presence of endometriosis. Therefore, the gold standard for diagnosis of endometriosis remains laparoscopic visualization with histological confirmation. Medical treatment options are combined oral contraceptives, progestogens, or gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues. Surgical management is necessary in patients who want to become pregnant or those who are refractory to medical treatment. These complex surgical procedures, with significant risks and recurrence rates, should be performed by experienced teams only.
Hysteroscopy
Authors: O’Donovan O. A. , O’Donovan Peter J.
Published: February 2020

Hysteroscopy (direct endoscopic visualization) of the endometrial cavity is an exciting and rapidly developing field of gynaecological practice. The most dramatic advances have occurred during the last 20 years due to technological advances including miniaturization of equipment and improved optics. Hysteroscopy is used both diagnostically and therapeutically to treat a wide range of gynaecological problems (heavy menstrual bleeding, infertility, and postmenopausal bleeding). The most recent advances allow accurate direct visualization of the uterine cavity which provides a platform for targeted biopsies, safe removal of endometrial polyps, and treatment of fibroids, septa, and adhesions. Proper training has resulted in a low incidence of serious complications. The current consensus is that hysteroscopy provides a gold standard not only for evaluating and treating intrauterine pathology but also for allowing a minimalist approach which has resulted in improved patient outcomes. This chapter provides an overview of the current state of this exciting and evolving field.
Infertility
Authors: Bhatta Smriti , Bhattacharya Siladitya
Published: February 2020

Human fertility is a complex process involving gamete production, fertilization, and implantation. Disruption of any of these key steps can result in infertility. Underlying lifestyle factors, age, or pathological conditions in either or both partners can be contributory. Traditional investigations can help to identify the nature of infertility. Management depends on modification of lifestyle factors and treatment of a specific cause—where appropriate. Assisted conception has transformed the approach to fertility treatment and is used for all cases of prolonged unresolved infertility. Individualized care, taking into account the chances of natural conception as well as the physical, emotional, and financial needs of a couple, is the basis of a successful management strategy.
Assisted reproduction
Authors: Ledger William
Published: February 2020

In vitro fertilization (IVF) has become the predominant treatment for almost all forms of male and female infertility and has resulted in the birth of more than 7 million children. IVF leads to more than 3% of all births in some developed countries although access to this technology is mainly restricted to the West. Although the basic principles of ovarian stimulation, oocyte collection, fertilization in vitro, embryo transfer, and luteal phase support remain the same, modern technology and improved laboratory and clinical practices have led to significant improvements in the likelihood of pregnancy after IVF for many couples. Advanced female age remains the main factor that reduces chances of pregnancy after IVF although oocyte and embryo freezing offer solutions for some. The science of assisted reproductive technology continues to advance rapidly and is increasingly applied to couples who are not infertile but who wish to access the DNA of their potential offspring for advanced genetic testing. This technology will be more widely applied in years to come.
Faecal incontinence and anorectal dysfunction
Authors: Nugent Karen
Published: February 2020

Continence and normal defecation relies on the complex interaction of the colon (motility and consistency of stools), rectum (sensation, compliance, and anatomy), and the anus (sensation, structure, and function). The overriding complex neurological control is also important. A disorder of any of these may lead to faecal incontinence. This can affect over 10% of adults and at least 1–2% of patents will report these as major symptoms. In itself, faecal incontinence is not a disease but a symptom and it is necessary to take a full history and examine a patient to identify any underlying diseases or pathology that may need treatment before focusing on managing incontinence. The aim of any treatment for faecal incontinence is to improve the patient’s quality of life and give them some control back over their bowel function. Constipation is an increasing problem in the Western world and it is widely accepted that approximately 50% of adults are constipated at any point in time. Constipation encompasses a multitude of symptoms; the general mental health and social functioning of people with constipation is impaired when compared to health controls. The symptoms of constipation occur in a large percentage of the general population. The impact on quality of life when they occur for a long period of time is large. However, patients often have many coexisting other pelvic floor disorders. Although there are surgical options available, it is important to treat conservatively and understand the complexity of the other issues involved in patients presenting with constipation.
Chemotherapy and biological, targeted, and immune therapies in gynaecological cancers
Authors: Lheureux Stephanie , Oza Amit M.
Published: February 2020

Current treatment paradigms are based on understanding cancer biology and its influence on the aetiology, development, and growth of cancer. This has also shaped therapeutic strategy with evidence-based integration of surgery, radiation, and systemic therapies in solid tumour and haematological malignancies. There is a complex interplay between genomic, immune, and proteomic disturbances in the development and behaviour of cancer. Cancer is the culmination of a variety of insults to the genome—some heritable in nature and therefore transmittable between generations; while others are non-heritable or somatic, and as such are found only in tumour tissue. The coordinated evasion of highly sensitive immune surveillance, and the reprogramming of cellular signalling, protein expression/production, and resetting of the local tumour microenvironment have all been shown to contribute to the development and evolution of disease. Understanding these elementary biological processes—and vulnerabilities when these go awry—can be exploited to improve precision with systemic therapies and are the identified hallmarks or roadmap for contemporary anticancer drug development. Gynaecological cancers affect any organs of the reproductive tract and may arise in the peritoneum, ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix, vagina, and vulva. Cancers of the cervix, endometrium, and ovary have a major global impact in terms of incidence and mortality. This chapter focuses on current approaches to precision medicine in gynaecological cancers, with an overview of recent trials which have led to approvals for targeted agents, as well as ones presently underway. It also includes a matrix approach integrating tumour biology, targets, and target-specific therapy.
Palliative care
Authors: Cain Joanna M. , Kibel Shelley M.
Published: February 2020

Palliative care is an integrated approach that focuses on quality of life of ‘patients and their families facing the problems associated with life threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and treatment of other problems, physical, psychosocial, and spiritual’. This embraces the concept that quality care is embedded not only in individual health, but also the environment and setting of care and touches the domains included in the previous World Health Organization (WHO) definition. Palliative care focuses caregivers on the important goals of medicine—alleviating pain and suffering (at all levels), improving the experience of daily living, supporting psychological transitions with changing physical abilities, and advancing the patient’s and family’s understanding of the nature of the disease facing an individual and the outcomes. With that in mind, it represents a basic tenet of care for all patients, particularly those with diseases that lead to significant loss of quality of life and function. While this chapter focuses more on oncological palliative care, the tenets of palliative care and the research about symptom management can extend to the care of women with chronic conditions such as chronic pelvic pain, severe endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, untreatable pelvic prolapse, and other conditions. Palliative care, then, can be a focus for fatal and non-fatal diseases, and can and should be provided to address diminished quality-of-life issues as a part of ongoing treatment of a disease process, not just at the end of life.
Cancer in pregnancy
Authors: Botha Matthys Hendrik
Published: February 2020

For some women, the happiest time in their lives is complicated by the scariest events in their lives. Cancer in pregnancy is generally a rare occurrence but it is a shocking concept that, at a time when advice is to avoid coffee, wine, and some cheese for a healthy baby, you may need X-rays and even chemo- or radiotherapy for diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The incidence of invasive cancer in pregnancy is about 1:1000 to 1:2000 pregnancies. About 3500 new cases are diagnosed during pregnancy in the United States every year. Breast cancer is the most common pregnancy-associated malignancy and 7–15% of all breast cancers in premenopausal women occur during pregnancy. There is some evidence that there is an increase in incidence of pregnancy-associated breast cancer with one large cohort study from Sweden, reporting an increase from 16 to 37 per 100,000 deliveries from 1963 to 2002. Of the reported cancers, breast cancer is by far the most common at 46%, followed by haematological malignancies, dermatological malignancies, cervical cancer, brain tumours, and ovarian tumours. Recent observations from Belgium seem to suggest that a pregnant patient should not have a poorer outcome of their cancer management when they are cared for by a multidisciplinary team with necessary input from obstetricians, oncologists, surgeons, paediatricians, and pharmacologists. Oncological treatment is possible during pregnancy, often without significantly endangering fetal safety.
Diagnosis and conceptualization of mental illness
Authors: Aftab Awais , Csernansky John G.
Published: February 2020

This chapter outlines the evolution of psychiatric understanding of mental disorders utilizing seven landmark texts that have informed current nosology. Important themes reviewed in this chapter include the foundational distinction between dementia praecox and manic-depressive insanity (Emil Kraepelin), drastic diagnostic differences between American and British psychiatrists reported in the 1970s (the US–UK diagnostic project), development of operationalized diagnostic criteria (Feighner criteria), the biopsychosocial model (George Engel), the philosophical account of mental disorder as harmful dysfunction (Jerome Wakefield), the endophenotype concept (Irving Gottesman and Todd Gould), and the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) by the National Institute of Mental Health. Historical and theoretical links between these different texts and thinkers are highlighted and are offered to the reader in an integrated narrative of psychiatry’s conceptual development.
Epidemiology
Authors: Ryznar Elizabeth , Whiteford Harvey
Published: February 2020

Psychiatric epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of mental disorders in populations, and the application of this to the prevention and treatment of disorders. Both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the onset and course of mental disorders. The field has evolved from smaller studies in one geographic area, often of patients in hospitals, to larger national and global studies. This chapter discusses studies that have aided this transition: the Epidemiological Catchment Area Study, which was the first to adopt a validated diagnostic instrument; the National Comorbidity Survey, which was the first to establish prevalence in a nationally representative sample; and the Global Burden of Disease Study, which was the first to assess mortality and disability of mental disorders globally. This chapter also discusses epidemiological contributions to understanding the aetiology of mental illness, focusing on a landmark paper separating family environment and genetics in schizophrenia.
The neurochemical basis of psychiatric disorders
Authors: Ryznar Elizabeth , Meltzer Herbert Y.
Published: February 2020

This chapter discusses four important neurochemical/neurobiological theories of major depression and schizophrenia. These theories evolved from studies of the mechanisms of actions of drugs that can mimic or treat symptoms of these disorders. The chapter begins with the development of the monoamine theory of depression, highlighting the seminal 1965 Joseph Schildkraut review paper implicating a deficit in norepinephrine in major depression and Herman van Praag’s 1970 identification of diminished central serotonergic activity as a possible cause of depression. The chapter then describes the formation of various neurochemical theories of schizophrenia, highlighting Herbert Meltzer’s 1989 experimental paper demonstrating the importance of 5HT2A antagonism for antipsychotic drug action and Daniel Javitt and Stephen Zukin’s 1991 review arguing for a glutamate hypothesis; both articles represented departures from the dominant dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia. These theories paved the way for current efforts to understand depression and schizophrenia and to generate superior treatments.
Psychological and social factors
Authors: Eack Shaun M.
Published: February 2020

This chapter on psychological and social factors reviews landmark papers addressing the social and psychological contributors to mental disorders and wellness across a range of psychiatric conditions. These papers provide a foundation for understanding the role of stress and critical social environments in psychoses, the cognitive factors that characterize depressive thinking, the impact of environmental trauma on the development of personality conditions and suicidal behaviour, and important social avenues for protecting against risk and facilitating human resilience. Collectively, this early and landmark literature provides compelling evidence for the social and psychological contributors to the development and maintenance of many psychiatric conditions, and illustrates that garnering a better understanding of such factors has led to numerous advances in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders.
Pharmacotherapy of mood disorders
Authors: Sanches Marsal , Machado-Vieira Rodrigo , Soares Jair C.
Published: February 2020

This chapter comprises a critical analysis of the main papers addressing the treatment of mood disorders (depressive disorder and bipolar disorder) from a historical standpoint. It begins with the first paper, authored by John Cade in the late 1940s, describing the use of lithium salts in the treatment of mania. Subsequently, it takes the reader on a journey over the antidepressant discovery process, starting with imipramine in the 1950s until the advent of fluoxetine in the 1970s and its ultimate incorporation into the therapeutic arsenal in the 1980s. It later approaches one of the first studies on the effectiveness of valproic acid for the management of bipolar disorder, in the early 1990s. Finally, the importance of ‘real-life’ studies of efficacy for the treatment of mood disorders is addressed, with a discussion of the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD) and the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D).
Pharmacotherapy of anxiety and related disorders
Authors: Stein Dan J.
Published: February 2020

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent of the mental disorders, and good translational models of these conditions encourage pharmacotherapy studies. This chapter discusses six randomized clinical trials that have contributed significantly to the pharmacotherapy of anxiety and related disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social anxiety disorder. Although any such list is necessarily incomplete, these selections may shed light on early and ongoing challenges in the field and on key advances to date. After reviewing these foundational papers, the advances they represent, and the work that they have given impetus to, the chapter closes by considering future directions in work on the pharmacotherapy of anxiety and related disorders.
Cognitive behavioural therapy
Authors: Dobson Keith S.
Published: February 2020

The field of psychotherapy has witnessed remarkable developments since it first emerged in the latter part of the 1800s. Perhaps the most significant advance in recent years began in the 1970s, with the evolution of what is now termed generally as the field of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). While any effort to capture the breadth and depth of CBT is bound to fail in some respects, the current chapter provides a review of six of the key articles that helped to propel CBT to a dominant position among contemporary psychotherapy models. These articles are related to disorders as varied as major depression, panic disorder, bulimia nervosa, anxiety in youth, and borderline personality disorder. The articles were also selected to demonstrate the development of the field from a focus on approaches that emphasized cognitive change as a critical aspect of treatment, to more contemporary models that also draw on concepts such as mindfulness and acceptance to effect therapeutic change. The chapter concludes with some general statements about the field of CBT and potential direction for the future.
Third-wave psychotherapies
Authors: Uliaszek Amanda A. , Al-Dajani Nadia , Ferguson Amanda , Segal Zindel V.
Published: February 2020

Following the cognitive revolution in psychotherapy, a new wave of treatment approaches incorporating experiential and mindfulness elements were introduced: these were termed ‘third-wave therapies’. This chapter reviews the theoretical underpinnings and efficacy of several treatments that fall under this umbrella: (1) mindfulness-based stress reduction; (2) mindfulness-based cognitive therapy; (3) dialectical behaviour therapy; (4) behavioural activation; and (5) acceptance and commitment therapy. It summarizes seminal papers and books that have provided a strong empirical foundation for using third-wave therapies for treating recurrent depression, positive psychotic symptoms, borderline personality disorder, and chronic pain. It highlights several common themes across this literature including a focus on underserved and difficult-to-treat populations, a shift away from traditional cognitive therapy, and an emphasis on research examining mechanisms of change in treatment.
Psychosocial rehabilitation
Authors: Ujeyl Mariam , Rössler Wulf
Published: February 2020

Psychosocial rehabilitation (synonymously referred to as psychiatric rehabilitation) is a field and service within mental health systems that shifted the treatment focus from symptom control to social inclusion by functional recovery. It aims to help individuals with severe mental illness live in the community as independently as possible. Psychosocial rehabilitation (PR) developed in the 1970s, when psychiatric reform, including the process of deinstitutionalization, had already paved the way to more responsive and balanced provision of mental health care. This chapter outlines major developments in and obstacles to the reform in European and other high-income countries. It introduces the evolving principles of PR and presents evidence on important models of care, such as assertive community treatment (ACT) and individual placement and support (IPS), that share the objectives of PR to improve integration of people with severe mental illness into the labour market and society in general.
Non-convulsive brain stimulation
Authors: Caulfield Kevin A. , George Mark S.
Published: February 2020

Before 1990, neurologists and psychiatrists could not readily image or examine (except at death) their main organ of study, the brain, causing clinical neuroscience to lag behind the rest of medicine. In the past 30 years, new brain-imaging techniques (positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)) have allowed neuropsychiatrists to play catch-up, equipped with a more detailed and complex understanding of functional neuroanatomy. Researchers could then theorize about how circuit-based dysfunction might cause psychiatric diseases. In addition to the tools of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and brain surgery, we now have a rapidly expanding therapeutic toolkit of non-invasive brain-stimulation devices. This chapter presents a representative landmark imaging paper from the functional imaging revolution, and four device-based papers (two on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and one each on transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS)). These papers broadly cover the path that led to the exciting current and future possibilities for therapeutic non-invasive brain stimulation.
Research methodology
Authors: Gibbons Robert D.
Published: February 2020

Given the diversity of psychiatric research, having a statistically rigorous set of methodological tools for the design and analysis is critically important. The field of psychiatry has, in and of itself, inspired several advances in research methodology that have led to widespread use across all areas of medicine and, more generally, throughout the biological, social, and physical sciences. This chapter reviews statistical and methodological contributions to the analysis of longitudinal data, inter-rater agreement, item response theory (IRT), and computerized adaptive testing (CAT), as well as the joint modelling of both the mean and variance functions in intensive longitudinal data (location-scale models). It is written for a general psychiatric research audience, but lays out areas for future study and development for quantitative scientists as well.
The LOFAR Tied-Array all-sky survey: Timing of 21 pulsars including the first binary pulsar discovered with LOFAR
Authors: Tan C M , Bassa C G , Cooper S , Hessels J W T , Kondratiev V I , Michilli D , Sanidas S , Stappers B W , van Leeuwen J , Donner J Y , Grießmeier J-M , Kramer M , Tiburzi C , Weltevrede P , Ciardi B , Hoeft M , Mann G , Miskolczi A , Schwarz D J , Vocks C , Wucknitz O
Published: February 2020

We report on the multifrequency timing observations of 21 pulsars discovered in the LOFAR Tied-Array All-Sky Survey (LOTAAS). The timing data were taken at central frequencies of 149 MHz (LOFAR) as well as 334 and 1532 MHz (Lovell Telescope). The sample of pulsars includes 20 isolated pulsars and the first binary pulsar discovered by the survey, PSR J1658+3630. We modelled the timing properties of the pulsars, which showed that they have, on average, larger characteristic ages. We present the pulse profiles of the pulsars across the three observing bands, where PSR J1643+1338 showed profile evolution that appears not to be well-described by the radius-to-frequency-mapping model. Furthermore, we modelled the spectra of the pulsars across the same observing bands, using a simple power law, and found an average spectral index of −1.9 ± 0.5. Amongst the pulsars studied here, PSR J1657+3304 showed large flux density variations of a factor of 10 over 300 d, as well as mode changing and nulling on time-scales of a few minutes. We modelled the rotational and orbital properties of PSR J1658+3630, which has a spin period of 33 ms in a binary orbit of 3.0 d with a companion of minimum mass of 0.87 M⊙, likely a carbon–oxygen or oxygen–neon–magnesium type white dwarf. PSR J1658+3630 has a dispersion measure of 3.0 pc cm−3, making it possibly one of the closest binary pulsars known.
The effects of population III radiation backgrounds on the cosmological 21-cm signal
Authors: Mebane Richard H , Mirocha Jordan , Furlanetto Steven R
Published: February 2020

We investigate the effects of Population III (Pop III) stars and their remnants on the cosmological 21-cm global signal. By combining a semi-analytic model of Pop III star formation with a global 21-cm simulation code, we investigate how X-ray and radio emission from accreting Pop III black holes may affect both the timing and depth of the 21-cm absorption feature that follows the initial onset of star formation during the Cosmic Dawn. We compare our results to the findings of the EDGES experiment, which has reported the first detection of a cosmic 21-cm signal. In general, we find that our fiducial Pop III models, which have peak star formation rate densities of ∼10−4 M⊙ yr−1 Mpc−3 between z ∼ 10 and z ∼ 15, are able to match the timing of the EDGES signal quite well, in contrast to models that ignore Pop III stars. To match the unexpectedly large depth of the EDGES signal without recourse to exotic physics, we vary the parameters of emission from accreting black holes (formed as Pop III remnants) including the intrinsic strength of X-ray and radio emission as well as the local column density of neutral gas. We find that models with strong radio emission and relatively weak X-ray emission can self-consistently match the EDGES signal, though this solution requires fine-tuning. We are only able to produce signals with sharp features similar to the EDGES signal if the Pop III IMF is peaked narrowly around $140 \, \mathrm{M}_\odot$.
A method for mapping the aliphatic hydrocarbon content of interstellar dust towards the Galactic Centre
Authors: Günay B , Burton M G , Afşar M , Schmidt T W
Published: February 2020

In the interstellar medium, the cosmic elemental carbon abundance includes the total carbon in both gas and solid phases. The aim of the study was to trial a new method for measuring the amount and distribution of aliphatic carbon within interstellar dust over wide fields of view of our Galaxy. This method is based on the measurement of the 3.4-$\mu$m absorption feature from aliphatic carbonaceous matter. This can readily be achieved for single sources using infrared (IR) spectrometers. However, making such measurements over wide fields requires an imaging IR camera, equipped with narrow-band filters that are able to sample the spectrum. While this cannot produce as good a determination of the spectra, the technique can be applied to potentially tens to hundreds of sources simultaneously, over the field of view of the camera. We examined this method for a field in the centre of the Galaxy, and produced a map showing the variation of 3.4-$\mu$m optical depth across it.
Numerical convergence of hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation: the abundance and internal structure of galaxies and their cold dark matter haloes
Authors: Ludlow Aaron D , Schaye Joop , Schaller Matthieu , Bower Richard
Published: February 2020

We address the issue of numerical convergence in cosmological smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations using a suite of runs drawn from the eagle project. Our simulations adopt subgrid models that produce realistic galaxy populations at a fiducial mass and force resolution, but systematically vary the latter in order to study their impact on galaxy properties. We provide several analytic criteria that help guide the selection of gravitational softening for hydrodynamical simulations, and present results from runs that both adhere to and deviate from them. Unlike dark matter-only simulations, hydrodynamical simulations exhibit a strong sensitivity to gravitational softening, and care must be taken when selecting numerical parameters. Our results – which focus mainly on star formation histories, galaxy stellar mass functions and sizes – illuminate three main considerations. First, softening imposes a minimum resolved escape speed, vϵ, due to the binding energy between gas particles. Runs that adopt such small softening lengths that $v_\epsilon \gtrsim 10\, {\rm km\, s^{-1}}$ (the sound speed in ionized ${\sim }10^4\, {\rm K}$ gas) suffer from reduced effects of photoheating. Secondly, feedback from stars or active galactic nuclei may suffer from numerical overcooling if the gravitational softening length is chosen below a critical value, ϵeFB. Thirdly, we note that small softening lengths exacerbate the segregation of stars and dark matter particles in halo centres, often leading to the counterintuitive result that galaxy sizes increase as softening is reduced. The structure of dark matter haloes in hydrodynamical runs respond to softening in a way that reflects the sensitivity of their galaxy populations to numerical parameters.
A Shapiro delay detection in the pulsar binary system PSR J1811–2405
Authors: Ng C , Guillemot L , Freire P C C , Kramer M , Champion D J , Cognard I , Theureau G , Barr E D
Published: February 2020

This paper presents the first detection of Shapiro delay from the binary millisecond pulsar PSR J1811–2405. We report a 11σ measurement of the orthometric amplitude, h3 = 6.8(6) × 10−7, and a 16σ measurement of the orthometric ratio, ς = 0.81(5). Given the relatively high orbital inclination, i = 79(2)°, of this binary system, we obtain constraints on the companion mass of $m_{\rm {c}}=0.31^{+0.08 }_{ -0.06}\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$. The pulsar mass is currently less well constrained, with a value of $2.0^{+0.8 }_{ -0.5}\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$. The companion mass and the orbital period are in agreement with the prediction made by previous numerical calculations of the evolution of compact binary systems. From a study of the polarization, we find that the orbital inclination angle is ∼100° and that PSR J1811–2405 is an orthogonal rotator. In addition, the μs-level timing precision together with its narrow profile makes PSR J1811–2405 a good candidate for inclusion in the pulsar timing arrays being used to detect nHz gravitational waves.
Properties of the simulated circumgalactic medium
Authors: Lochhaas Cassandra , Bryan Greg L , Li Yuan , Li Miao , Fielding Drummond
Published: February 2020

The circumgalactic medium (CGM) is closely linked to galaxy formation and evolution, but difficult to characterize observationally and typically poorly resolved in cosmological simulations. We use spherically symmetric, idealized, high-resolution simulations of the CGM in $10^{12}$ and $10^{11}\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ dark matter haloes to characterize the gas pressure, turbulent and radial velocities, and degree of thermal and effective dynamic pressure support in the overall CGM as well as in its high- and low-temperature phases. We find that the $10^{12}\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ halo contains a CGM mostly formed of a hot gas halo in hydrostatic equilibrium out of which cold gas condenses and falls on to the central galaxy, while the $10^{11}\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ halo’s CGM is not in hydrostatic equilibrium, has a wider spread of properties at a given galactocentric radius, does not have a clear separation of hot and cold phases, and is dominated by bulk motions. We also find that the degree of pressure support in the $10^{11}\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ halo is strongly dependent on the parameters of the galactic winds of the central galaxy. These results promote the idea that there is no ‘average’ CGM and care must be taken when setting the initial conditions for a small-box simulation of a patch of the CGM.
FIGLA, LHX8 and SOHLH1 transcription factor networks regulate mouse oocyte growth and differentiation
Authors: Wang Zhengpin , Liu Chen-Yu , Zhao Yangu , Dean Jurrien
Published: February 2020

Germ-cell transcription factors control gene networks that regulate oocyte differentiation and primordial follicle formation during early, postnatal mouse oogenesis. Taking advantage of gene-edited mice lacking transcription factors expressed in female germ cells, we analyzed global gene expression profiles in perinatal ovaries from wildtype, FiglaNull, Lhx8Null and Sohlh1Null mice. Figla deficiency dysregulates expression of meiosis-related genes (e.g. Sycp3, Rad51, Ybx2) and a variety of genes (e.g. Nobox, Lhx8, Taf4b, Sohlh1, Sohlh2, Gdf9) associated with oocyte growth and differentiation. The absence of FIGLA significantly impedes meiotic progression, causes DNA damage and results in oocyte apoptosis. Moreover, we find that FIGLA and other transcriptional regulator proteins (e.g. NOBOX, LHX8, SOHLH1, SOHLH2) are co-expressed in the same subset of germ cells in perinatal ovaries and Figla ablation dramatically disrupts KIT, NOBOX, LHX8, SOHLH1 and SOHLH2 abundance. In addition, not only do FIGLA, LHX8 and SOHLH1 cross-regulate each other, they also cooperate by direct interaction with each during early oocyte development and share downstream gene targets. Thus, our findings substantiate a major role for FIGLA, LHX8 and SOHLH1 as multifunctional regulators of networks necessary for oocyte maintenance and differentiation during early folliculogenesis.
Moral Development: From Paradigms to Plurality
Authors: Jensen Lene Arnett
Published: February 2020

This chapter introduces The Oxford Handbook of Moral Development: An Interdisciplinary Perspective. The handbook provides a comprehensive, international, and up-to-date review of research on moral development, including moral motives and behaviors, ontogeny and developmental pathways, and contexts that children, adolescents, and adults experience with respect to morality. Across more than 40 chapters, experts from disciplines such as anthropology, education, human development, psychology, and sociology address moral development through the entire life course among diverse groups within and across countries. This chapter addresses how the chapters provide literature reviews that are inclusive of highly diverse theoretical and research foci, as well as of diverse cultural, socioeconomic, and gender groups. The aim of the handbook is to contribute to the revitalization and flourishing of the field of moral development.
Early Developments in Acts and Evaluations of Helping
Authors: Dahl Audun
Published: February 2020

Humans help others from early childhood. Decisions about whether to help others can have major consequences for the welfare of individuals and the functioning of social groups. This chapter discusses the development of both engagement in and evaluations of helping behaviors from infancy to adulthood. A key theme of this chapter is that decisions about helping among children and adults are often guided by evaluative considerations about whether helping is good, required, or prohibited in a given situation. Whereas much of past research on helping has focused on the frequency of helping behaviors, more research is needed on the developing relations among reasoning, evaluations, and decisions about helping across contexts. The chapter concludes by discussing questions for future research on the development of orientations toward helping.
Volunteerism
Authors: Pancer S. Mark
Published: February 2020

In addition to its obvious benefits to society, volunteerism is associated with many benefits for the individuals who volunteer. Young people who engage in volunteer activities are less likely to abuse drugs or alcohol, engage in delinquent acts, get pregnant or cause a pregnancy, or suffer from depression. They are more likely to achieve success in school and have better relationships with parents and peers. Adults who volunteer also experience many benefits to health and well-being and even live longer. Volunteering helps create a “civic identity” that is an important component of moral identity and can shape future volunteering and other civic behaviors, such as voting, participating in community organizations, and social activism, across the lifespan. This chapter discusses the important social contexts that can influence volunteerism—parents and families, schools, neighborhoods, religious institutions, and culture—and the ways in which they exert their influence.
The Development of Care
Authors: Mayseless Ofra
Published: February 2020

This chapter discusses the normative development of the human innate and fundamental caring motivation from infancy to adulthood. The caring motivation is encompassing and includes reactive and proactive care, care for familiar others and strangers, and in dyads and groups, and it covers a large number of provisions such as comforting, cooperating, and mentoring. Each developmental period involves increasing sophistication and the addition of new arenas (e.g., peers, romantic relations, parenting) and skills. Four distinct yet interconnected psychological paths for the expression of caring emerge: emotional empathy, cognitive empathy, morality, and meaning in life. Ubiquitous and intrinsically governed care emerges during the second year of life when the infant’s self also buds. Cultural contexts strongly control the how, where, to whom, and why individuals should help and in general contribute to limiting caring acts. Yet maturation and culture also contribute to broadening the scope of this motivation to be enacted across differences and distances.
The Development of Pro-Environmentalism in Context
Authors: Matsuba M. Kyle , Krettenauer Tobias , Pratt Michael W.
Published: February 2020

Global warming has become an existential concern for our own and the planet’s future. As developmental psychologists, the authors are interested in pro-environmental behavior at the individual level, believing that the societal changes needed to address this issue require changes at the individual level. In this chapter, the authors frame environmental issues as moral issues to the extent that how people think about, react to, and interact in the environment reflect moral values such as caring. Consequently, the authors explore how people’s moral attitudes, thinking, emotions, and behavior around environmental issues form and change over the course of development. They also investigate how developing experiences with the natural environment can influence its importance to the self and in identity formation. Finally, the authors consider that cultural context matters; that attitudes and behaviors toward the environment and how they develop depend on the culture in which we are raised and that what we currently know about the development of environmentalism in not likely to extend much beyond mainstream cultures in Western, industrialized countries.
Conversations and Moral Development
Authors: Fasoli Allison DiBianca
Published: February 2020

In this chapter, the author integrates dominant approaches to moral development in order to outline the significance of conversations for moral development and socialization. Across socialization, narrative, constructivist, and language socialization approaches, research on conversations has advanced our understanding of the development of moral conscience, moral selves, moral concepts, and moral language practices, respectively. While the majority of these research endeavors has focused on social interactions, a move to the investigation of conversations promises to advance our understanding not only of the social bases of moral development, but also its social processes. The author concludes by suggesting avenues for future research that examine moral conversations across the life course, between various social partners, and in relation to cultural beliefs. Such research will help to reveal the unique affordances of conversations in the process of moral development.
Religious Groups and Institutions as a Context for Moral Development
Authors: King Pamela Ebstyne , Schnitker Sarah A. , Houltberg Benjamin J.
Published: February 2020

An extensive body of research points toward spirituality and religiousness as resources for promoting human thriving. People with strong connections to the transcendent and religious meaning in life often view morals and values as central to their self-concepts. Although moral identity theory and contemporary views of virtue development emphasize the importance of narrative identity for habituated moral action, the two are often discussed in isolation of each other. In this chapter, the authors highlight how their commonality is particularly evident when examining the potential of religion to provide a transcendent self-narrative that leads to virtue formation and moral action within social contexts. This chapter describes how young people integrate religion and morality in their own lives, and it provides a broad overview of research linking religion to moral and virtue development through an ideological, social, and transcendent context.