The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems

We review the formation and evolution of compact binary stars consisting of white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs), and black holes (BHs). Binary NSs and BHs are thought to be the primary astrophysical sources of gravitational waves (GWs) within the frequency band of ground-based detectors, while compact binaries of WDs are important sources of GWs at lower frequencies to be covered by space interferometers (LISA). Major uncertainties in the current understanding of properties of NSs and BHs most relevant to the GW studies are discussed, including the treatment of the natal kicks which compact stellar remnants acquire during the core collapse of massive stars and the common envelope phase of binary evolution. We discuss the coalescence rates of binary NSs and BHs and prospects for their detections, the formation and evolution of binary WDs and their observational manifestations. Special attention is given to AM CVn-stars -- compact binaries in which the Roche lobe is filled by another WD or a low-mass partially degenerate helium-star, as these stars are thought to be the best LISA verification binary GW sources.Comment: 105 pages, 18 figure

How patients understand depression associated with chronic physical disease - A systematic review

Background: Clinicians are encouraged to screen people with chronic physical illness for depression. Screening alone may not improve outcomes, especially if the process is incompatible with patient beliefs. The aim of this research is to understand peoples beliefs about depression, particularly in the presence of chronic physical disease. Methods: A mixed method systematic review involving a thematic analysis of qualitative studies and quantitative studies of beliefs held by people with current depressive symptoms. MEDLINE, EMBASE, PSYCHINFO, CINAHL, BIOSIS, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, UKCRN portfolio, National Research Register Archive, Clinicaltrials.gov and OpenSIGLE were searched from database inception to 31st December 2010. A narrative synthesis of qualitative and quantitative data, based initially upon illness representations and extended to include other themes not compatible with that framework. Results: A range of clinically relevant beliefs was identified from 65 studies including the difficulty in labeling depression, complex causal factors instead of the biological model, the roles of different treatments and negative views about the consequences of depression. We found other important themes less related to ideas about illness: the existence of a self-sustaining depression spiral; depression as an existential state; the ambiguous status of suicidal thinking; and the role of stigma and blame in depression. Conclusions: Approaches to detection of depression in physical illness need to be receptive to the range of beliefs held by patients. Patient beliefs have implications for engagement with depression screening

Registered Replication Report: Dijksterhuis and van Knippenberg (1998)

Dijksterhuis and van Knippenberg (1998) reported that participants primed with a category associated with intelligence ("professor") subsequently performed 13% better on a trivia test than participants primed with a category associated with a lack of intelligence ("soccer hooligans"). In two unpublished replications of this study designed to verify the appropriate testing procedures, Dijksterhuis, van Knippenberg, and Holland observed a smaller difference between conditions (2%-3%) as well as a gender difference: Men showed the effect (9.3% and 7.6%), but women did not (0.3% and -0.3%). The procedure used in those replications served as the basis for this multilab Registered Replication Report. A total of 40 laboratories collected data for this project, and 23 of these laboratories met all inclusion criteria. Here we report the meta-analytic results for those 23 direct replications (total N = 4,493), which tested whether performance on a 30-item general-knowledge trivia task differed between these two priming conditions (results of supplementary analyses of the data from all 40 labs, N = 6,454, are also reported). We observed no overall difference in trivia performance between participants primed with the "professor" category and those primed with the "hooligan" category (0.14%) and no moderation by gender

Religiosität international vergleichen

For quite some time there has been widespread consensus in the social sciences that religiosity is a multidimensional and multifaceted phenomenon (see for example Glock 1962; Storm 2009). Individuals may be very religious with respect to one dimension and less so towards another. Previous research has identified various typologies, also called religious profiles, showing different combinations of religious multidimensionality within and across countries. This paper identifies dominant cross-national profiles of religiosity and (1) examines whether there is one valid typology worldwide, or if some countries show profiles more similar to one another than to others; (2) tests the results for invariance to examine whether it is actually appropriate to compare the empirically found typologies of religiosity cross-nationally and (3) looks at the impact of denomination for profile formation. The results reveal that (1) there is a valid typology worldwide, but instead of showing specific characteristics, profiles can be ordered on a single latent continuum from low to high levels of religiosity. (2) It is almost impossible to establish full invariance across countries with a comprehensive set of variables measuring religiosity, but partial homogeneity can be achieved. Contrary to all theoretical expectations, the analyses imply (3) that denomination is not a crucial impact factor for religious profile formation.In den Sozialwissenschaften herrscht die einheitliche Auffassung, Religion sei ein sowohl mehrdimensionales als auch facettenreiches Phänomen (siehe zum Beispiel Glock 1962; Storm 2009). Demnach können Individuen im Hinblick auf eine Dimension sehr religiös und gleichzeitig in Hinblick auf eine andere Dimension weniger religiös sein. Frühere Studien haben verschiedene Typologien (religiöse Profile) identifiziert, die verschiedene Kombinationen religiöser Mehrdimensionalität innerhalb und über Länder hinweg aufweisen. Der vorliegende Artikel identifiziert dominante, länderübergreifende religiöse Profile und untersucht, ob es eine weltweit gültige Typologie gibt oder ob die religiösen Profile einiger Länder sich stärker ähneln als die anderer Länder. Um herauszufinden, ob ein länderübergreifender Vergleich der empirisch identifizierten Profile zulässig ist, werden die Ergebnisse auf Invarianz überprüft. Anschließend werden die Strukturen der religiösen Profile auf den Einfluss von Religionen bzw. Konfessionen untersucht. Die Ergebnisse belegen die Existenz einer validen, länderübergreifenden Typologie. Allerdings weisen die religiösen Profile keine speziellen Muster auf, sondern lassen sich auf einem einzelnen Kontinuum religiöser Intensität verorten. Es zeigt sich außerdem, dass es fast unmöglich ist, bei einer umfassenden Anzahl von Variablen zur Messung von Religiosität strukturelle Invarianz über Länder hinweg nachzuweisen. Partielle Invarianz hingegen konnte bestätigt werden. Entgegen aller theoretischen Erwartungen implizieren die Analysen, dass Religionen bzw. Konfessionen sich nicht entscheidend auf die Bildung religiöser Profile auswirken

Social class and obesity in 12-year-old children in Brussels: Influence of gender and ethnic origin

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe