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Fear of childbirth (FoB) is a common experience during pregnancy which can cause clinically significant distress and impairment. To date, a number of investigations of FoB have assumed that clinically significant FoB is best understood as a type of specific phobia. However, preliminary evidence suggests that specific phobia may not be the only diagnostic category under which clinically significant symptoms of FoB are best described.
Aim:
The current study is the first to investigate which DSM-5 diagnostic categories best describe clinically significant symptoms of FoB.
Method:
Pregnant people reporting high levels of FoB (n=18) were administered diagnostic interviews related to their experience of FoB.
Results:
Participants (n=18) were predominantly nulliparous (73.3%), cisgender women (83.3%). Of these, 14 (77.8%) met criteria for one or more DSM-5 anxiety-related disorders. Preliminary findings suggest that primary FoB may align with specific phobia criteria, whereas secondary FoB (following a traumatic birth) may be better classified under post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). FoB also featured in other anxiety-related disorders but was not the primary focus (e.g. obsessive-compulsive disorder). Four participants did not meet criteria for any DSM-5 disorder.
Conclusions:
Findings provide preliminary evidence that clinically significant FoB fits within existing DSM-5 categories, in particular specific phobia and PTSD. Although FoB-related concerns appears in other anxiety-related disorder categories, it does not appear as the primary focus. Although informative, due to the small sample employed in this research, replication in larger and more diverse samples is needed.
Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential for addressing scientific challenges, particularly in integrated fields like mobile health (mHealth), which combines computer communication and medicine to deliver healthcare services. The formation of collaborative relationships in such field is an emerging topic, with conversations among interdisciplinary scholars serving as a critical indicator of relationship development. This study aims to examine the specific effects of different conversation types (research or social oriented) on interdisciplinary collaboration and explore the impact of communication mode.
Methods:
We tracked conversations among interdisciplinary scholars participating in a 15-day hybrid mHealth training program, which uniquely captures both scholars’ conversation networks and the conversation quality. Three types of conversation networks were recorded (topics about current research, future research, or small talk). Using longitudinal network models, we compared the effect of different types of conversation quality on network formation and evaluated the interaction between conversation quality and communication mode (in-person or online).
Results:
We found that the quality of social conversations on non-research-related topics had robust effects in promoting the formation of interdisciplinary communications. In-person communication is more conducive for current and future research conversations, while online communication is valued for small talk.
Conclusion:
This study highlights the power of perception of personal conversation in interdisciplinary collaboration formation. The diverse effects of communication mode on different conversation networks are revealed. Our findings offer valuable insights for the event designs of interdisciplinary training program.
Kinship can be difficult to discern in the archaeological record, but the study of ancient DNA offers a useful window into one form of kinship: biological relatedness. Here, the authors explore possible kin connections at the post-Roman site of Worth Matravers in south-west England. They find that, while clusters of genetically related individuals are apparent, the inclusion of unrelated individuals in double or triple burials demonstrates an element of social kinship in burial location. Some individuals also carried genetic signatures of continental ancestry, with one young male revealing recent West African ancestry, highlighting the diverse heritage of early medieval Britain.
This article uses the lens of commodity theory and, in particular, the scarcity effect to consider ways that consumer desire is reflected within auction catalogs for cultural objects. Taking Brodie and Manivet’s (2017:3) assertion that “auction sales do not offer a clear window onto the broader antiquities trade” as a motivating initial hypothesis, I find that auction catalogs do represent marketing material that can provide at least a blurry window onto the needs, wants, and desires of consumers acting within the market for archaeological and heritage objects. Consumer motivation at an auction is notoriously difficult to assess externally and has long represented a gap in the analysis of public antiquities sales. Failures to effectively regulate market consumption may relate to a misunderstanding of the people who are being regulated. Using more than 50 years of auction sales of Pacific cultural items as a case study, I present auction narrative analysis as a method to consider consumer desire and thereby inform heritage policy and market interventions.
In celebrating the 10th anniversary of BJPsych Open, this editorial review serves as a personal reflection and an overview of the birth, growth, expansion and excellence of the Journal as well as an introduction to the BJPsych Open 10th Anniversary Thematic Series. Specific emphasis is placed on changes and advances in productivity, the editorial board, publishing, thematic series, topical articles and focus on ethics. Further, articles of importance to our stakeholders are noted (top cited/downloaded, highlighted articles, articles of the month). The remit and vision for BJPsych Open remains unchanged: a general psychiatric journal with high-quality, methodologically rigorous and relevant publications, with relevance to the advancement of clinical care, patient outcomes, the scientific literature, research and policy. The Journal’s continued quality, growth and international recognition speak to its place in scientific literature, to the RCPsych mission to disseminate knowledge and to its bright future. As Editor-in-Chief, I note the debt of gratitude owed to an exemplary multidisciplinary team and the honour and privilege of serving in this role.
Elastoviscoplastic (EVP) fluid flows are driven by a non-trivial interplay between the elastic, viscous and plastic properties, which under certain conditions can transition the otherwise laminar flow into complex flow instabilities with rich space–time-dependent dynamics. We discover that under elastic turbulence regimes, EVP fluids undergo dynamic jamming triggered by localised polymer stress deformations that facilitate the formation of solid regions trapped in local low-stress energy wells. The solid volume fraction $\phi$, below the jamming transition $\phi\lt\phi_J$, scales with $\sqrt {\textit{Bi}}$, where $\textit{Bi}$ is the Bingham number characterising the ratio of yield to viscous stresses, in direct agreement with theoretical approximations based on the laminar solution. The onset of this new dynamic jamming transition $\phi \geqslant \phi _J$ is marked by a clear deviation from the scaling $\phi \sim \sqrt {\textit{Bi}}$, scaling as $\phi \sim \exp {\textit{Bi}}$. We show that this instability-induced jamming transition – analogous to that in dense suspensions – leads to slow, minimally diffusive and rigid-like flows with finite deformability, highlighting a novel phase change in elastic turbulence regimes of complex fluids.
This comment argues for the recognition of ecocide as an international crime, focusing on its contemporary legal relevance and the growing momentum for its codification. Originally coined in 1970 to describe wartime environmental destruction, the term ecocide was framed in parallel to genocide and grounded in the post–World War II development of international criminal law. Although initial legal efforts to formalize ecocide, including proposed conventions and debates during the drafting of the Rome Statute, failed to secure sufficient political support, these early shortcomings have been re-energized by rising environmental consciousness and sustained legal advocacy, particularly by the Stop Ecocide Foundation. Recent developments, including the 2021 legal definition proposed by the Independent Expert Panel and the 2024 amendment proposal to the Rome Statute advanced by Pacific Island nations, reflect a renewed and increasingly actionable international consensus. By examining the conceptual genealogy of ecocide and its doctrinal links to international humanitarian and criminal law, this comment contends that recognizing ecocide as a core international crime is not only a normative necessity but also a legally coherent and pragmatic step. It directly responds to the scale and urgency of present environmental crises and addresses a longstanding gap in the enforcement architecture of international criminal law.
Adherence to healthy dietary patterns, including fruits, vegetables and whole grains, is linked to improved health outcomes. However, limited research has explored this association in Latin American populations. This study aimed to investigate the association between adherence to a healthy eating score (unweighted and weighted) and all-cause mortality risk in a Chilean population. This longitudinal study included 5336 Chilean participants from the Chilean National Health Survey 2016 and 2017. Six healthy eating habits were considered to produce the healthy eating score (range: 0–12): consumption of seafood, whole grains, dairy products, fruits, vegetables and legumes. A weighted score was also developed. Participants were categorised into quartiles based on their final scores, with the healthiest quartile used as the reference group. Associations between healthy eating score and all-cause mortality were performed using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for confounders. After a median follow-up of 5·1 years, 276 (5·2 %) participants died. In the fully adjusted model, compared with participants in the healthiest quartile of the score (Q4), those in the unhealthiest quartile (Q1) had 1·61 (95 % CI: 1·14, 2·27) times higher all-cause mortality risk. A similar association was observed for the weighted healthy eating score (1·52 (95 % CI: 1·03, 2·23)). An inverse trend was observed for both scores (P < 0·05). Sensitivity analyses excluding participants who died within the first 2 years showed consistent results 1·63 (95 % CI: 1·09, 2·42). Individuals with the lowest healthy eating score (unweighted or weighted) had a higher mortality risk compared with their counterparts. A healthy eating score is associated with mortality risk in the Chilean population.
Effective recruitment techniques are essential for researchers to recruit and retain potential participants in studies, particularly as recruitment numbers into clinical trials have decreased. While recruitment techniques have been investigated, there is a gap in understanding the perspectives of clinical trials recruiters. This paper examines recruiters’ usage and perceived effectiveness of various recruitment techniques, as well as their perspectives on related ethical issues.
Methods:
We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 381 clinical trials recruiters. Closed-ended items examined whether recruiters had used 31 pre-defined recruitment techniques and their perceptions of the effectiveness of each technique. For techniques perceived to be highly effective or ineffective, open-ended items examined recruiter reasoning. The multiple methods analysis integrated the closed-ended and open-ended data.
Results:
Recruitment techniques such as reassured potential participants about confidentiality (96.3%) and reassured about data sharing (95.8%) had high usage, while techniques like having the PI approach and enroll had a high average perceived effectiveness (M = 4.23, SD = 0.91). Recruiters often rated techniques as more highly effective when they had prior experience using them. They also identified concerns about professionalism, ethics, and transparency in standard practice recruitment techniques.
Conclusions:
Our findings indicate that there is significant variation in the usage of clinical trial recruitment techniques and how different recruiters view the effectiveness of each technique. The unique perspectives of those who recruit into clinical trials can help inform future decisions regarding which recruitment techniques to utilize, along with how and when to use particular recruitment techniques in an ethical manner.
This paper considers what anti-colonial surrealist praxis can provide those of us interested in the nexus of aesthetics and world politics. Thinking beyond the commonly held notion of surrealism as a European cultural movement, I engage with the writings of 20th-century anti-colonial surrealists, namely, Suzanne Césaire, Aimé Césaire, and René Ménil. In doing so, I argue that anti-colonial surrealism is beyond a movement, a selection of methods, a genre or a set of ideas. Instead, I aim to position anti-colonial surrealist praxis as an epistemology that allows us to move beyond the limitations of representation, both by surfacing historical intimacies (rather than gaps) between content and form, while also questioning the demarcation between art and politics. I illustrate my argument’s resonance in the contemporary political moment through an engagement with aesthetic interventions produced by Sai, an artist exiled from contemporary Myanmar. Sai’s absurdist creative interventions and material drawn from in-depth interviews and ethnographic observations allow me to demonstrate the political possibilities of an ‘anti-colonial surrealist praxis’ approach, in its conception of aesthetics as co-constitutive, rather than only representative, of the political.
This review considers how scientific archaeological publications, especially those relying on new digital technologies, can become sensationalized for the public in popular media. I present three separate examples of lidar-based mappings of ancient landscapes in the Amazon and Central Asia, each initially published by archaeological teams in the journals Nature or Science since 2022. These academic publications were followed by many news articles in the popular press. A common trope of these popular presentations includes the concept of “lost cities” being finally “found” by the lidar surveys. This oversimplification usually ignores existing knowledge, especially that of Indigenous local communities and archaeologists. We archaeologists should, therefore, become more aware of the potential consequences of our scholarly communications. We should consider the public’s experience with parsing scientific advances and what ways we can try to influence the public discourse.
For seven years in a row (2016 through 2022), we carried out a project with two goals. One was to train undergraduate students in sociolinguistic interviewing; the other was to catch change among English intensifiers. We expected to find an innovative variant, maybe either so or super. However, the incoming form we identify is very. We propose that, after a long decline, very became unusual enough to gain novelty value and be available for recycling. This surprising finding emerges clearly from our fine-grained, real-time data across two registers (speech and instant messaging) despite dozens of different student interviewers and two years of pandemic conditions. The cohesive patterns attest to the fundamental orderliness of language, even in phenomena such as English intensifiers that are characterized by constant, rapid change.
Although easier to read than English, French has several inconsistent grapheme-to-phoneme correspondences (GPCs) whose impact on decoding performance has been little studied. In the current pilot study, 27 adult participants were asked to read aloud 60 pseudowords containing the ambiguous adjacent letters “an,” “on,” and “in”; the contextual graphemes “g,” “s,” and “e”; and the final consonants “d,” “p,” “s,” and “t”; as well as 60 matched control pseudowords without these characteristics. Results indicated that the grapheme “e” corresponding to /ə/; the final consonants meant to be silent; the grapheme “s” corresponding to /z/; the graphemes “an,” “on,” and “in” corresponding to/ɑ̃/, /ɔ̃/, and /ϵ̃/; and the grapheme “g” corresponding to /ʒ/ gave rise to more unexpected answers than their respective control pseudowords. The unexpected answers seem to be explained by dominant rules partly moderated by the position of the GPC in the pseudowords. These findings highlight that the difficulty of decoding French should not be underestimated and suggest that such GPCs might be the subject of particular educational attention.
The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland, is renowned for operating the world’s largest particle accelerator and is often regarded as a model of high-profile international collaboration. Less well known, however, is a key episode from the late 1950s, when CERN clashed with the research priorities of similar organizations. The issue centred on a CERN-sponsored study group on controlled thermonuclear fusion, which brought together scientists from CERN member states, as well as representatives from the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), the European Nuclear Energy Agency (ENEA) and the US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). While their meetings succeeded in creating an international network for exchanging reports and coordinating projects to avoid duplication, the initiative failed to establish joint fusion research programmes in Europe. This article explores the reasons behind this outcome to provide insights into intergovernmental power dynamics and scientific competition and how these two factors favoured the creation of a new fusion research institution in the UK, the Culham Laboratory. In doing so, the article contributes to a deeper understanding of the role of science in European integration, while also highlighting that CERN’s involvement in application-oriented research remains an underexplored aspect of its history.
This paper investigates the nonstandard use of first‑person singular pronouns (myself and I) in coordinate constructions, such as John and I or John and myself. Native English speakers frequently disregard prescriptive grammar rules by using subject or reflexive forms in place of object forms in sentences like Give those papers to John and I. The frequency of such nonstandard usage raises questions, such as when and why speakers substitute nominative or reflexive pronouns for object pronouns in coordinate constructions, and what evidence exists for the existence of fixed constructions like X and I or X and myself. To address these questions, the study analyzes data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). Findings provide strong evidence for the existence of an X and I construction in that the nonstandard form is common after the coordinator but not before. Evidence for an X and myself construction is weaker, since untriggered reflexives also appear outside coordinate constructions. First‑person singular forms are more likely to appear in hypercorrect and untriggered forms that other pronouns. The research suggests that X and I may be stored in a chunk, possibly due to overgeneralizations resulting from prescriptive corrections during language acquisition.
Both sex (biological) and gender (socio-cultural) are increasingly recognized as important factors in disease risks and outcomes, including parasitic infections and especially those of the genital tract. Many funding agencies now require these dimensions be incorporated into research proposals, though little guidance is given regarding how, leading to confusion among those who do not specialize in this area. In this commentary, I review instances of the use of the word ‘gender’ in the archives of Parasitology (174 articles) to assess how parasitologists are progressing in the incorporation of this dimension and identify what can be done to improve efforts. Use of the term has increased since 1990, reflecting an enthusiasm among parasitologists for including this dimension to their work. Examination of articles which use this term reveals that correct and thorough incorporation of the gender dimension has also increased, but that these articles only account for 8.0% of all articles using the term, demonstrating widespread persistent confusion around terminology regarding sex and gender and how to best account for gender in parasitological research. Parasitologists studying animals should only refer to sex and should incorporate sex into their research design and report whether there are differences in baseline or response between sexes. Parasitologists studying humans should incorporate sex, but then also consider whether any observed differences are due to biological factors like sex hormones and immunity or gendered social variables like behavioural norms and healthcare access. These considerations will further our understanding of host–parasite interactions and improve health outcomes.
Some authors maintain that we can use causal Bayes nets to infer whether $X \to Y$ or $X \leftarrow Y$ by consulting a probability distribution defined over some exogenous source of variation for $X$ or $Y$. We raise a problem for this approach. Specifically, we point out that there are cases where an exogenous cause of $X$ (${E_x}$) has no probabilistic influence on $Y$ no matter the direction of causation—namely, cases where ${E_x} \to X \to Y$ and ${E_x} \to X \leftarrow Y$ are probabilistically indistinguishable. We then assess the philosophical significance of this problem and discuss some potential solutions.
The range of putatively medical animal practices varies widely both functionally and mechanistically. In this article, we argue that the definitions of medicine available in the empirical literature are inadequate for distinguishing genuinely medical practices from other adaptive behaviors. We aim to improve this conceptual landscape by proposing a definition that incorporates both cognitive and functional requirements, enabling finer-grained distinctions across species and behaviors. We apply our definition to the evidence and determine which animal behaviors show a mere difference of degree with paradigmatic medical practices—and should be seen as medicine—and which should be excluded from this nomenclature.