Trauma and Trichotillomania: A Tenuous Relationship

Some have argued that hair pulling in trichotillomania (TTM) is triggered by traumatic events, but reliable evidence linking trauma to TTM is limited. However, research has shown that hair pulling is associated with emotion regulation, suggesting a connection between negative affect and TTM. We investigated the associations between trauma, negative affect, and hair pulling in a cross-sectional sample of treatment seeking adults with TTM (N=85). In the current study, participants’ self-reported traumatic experiences were assessed during a structured clinical interview, and participants completed several measures of hair pulling severity, global TTM severity, depression, anxiety, experiential avoidance, and quality of life. Those who experienced trauma had more depressive symptoms, increased experiential avoidance, and greater global TTM severity. Although the presence of a trauma history was not related to the severity of hair pulling symptoms in the past week, depressive symptoms mediated the relationship between traumatic experiences and global TTM severity. These findings cast doubt on the notion that TTM is directly linked to trauma, but suggest that trauma leads to negative affect that individuals cope with through hair pulling. Implications for the conceptualization and treatment of TTM are discussed

Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: A Comparison of Clinical Characteristics and Symptom Features

Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are recognized as distinct categories in the DSM-5. However, definitions and assessment of NSSI sometimes encompasses behaviors similar to BFRBs, and little data exist about their clinical differences. The current study examined clinical characteristics and symptom features associated with NSSI vs. BFRBs. The current sample included 1523 individuals who endorsed moderate to severe NSSI (n = 165) or BFRBs: hair pulling group (n = 102), skin picking group (n = 216), nail picking group (n = 253), nail biting group (n = 487), and cheek biting group (n = 300). Responders were asked to complete questionnaires on clinical features relevant for BFRBs and NSSI. NSSI and BFRBs had significant differences on several clinical features. Individuals in the NSSI group were more likely than individuals with BFRBs to report engaging in the behavior for social-affective reasons (i.e., to get out of doing something, or receive attention from others). Individuals in the NSSI group were also more likely to engage in the behavior to regulate tension and feelings of emptiness, and to experience relief during the act. In contrast, individuals in the BFRB groups were more likely to engage in the behavior automatically without reflective awareness, to reduce boredom, or to fix appearance. The NSSI group obtained significantly higher scores on questionnaires assessing stress, anxiety, depression, and harm avoidance. Overall, the results showed several notable differences between NSSI and BFRBs that are consistent with clinical literature and definitions of these problems in the DSM-5

Cryptosporidium, Enterocytozoon, and Cyclospora Infections in Pediatric and Adult Patients with Diarrhea in Tanzania.

Cryptosporidiosis, microsporidiosis, and cyclosporiasis were studied in four groups of Tanzanian inpatients: adults with AIDS-associated diarrhea, children with chronic diarrhea (of whom 23 of 59 were positive [+] for human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]), children with acute diarrhea (of whom 15 of 55 were HIV+), and HIV control children without diarrhea. Cryptosporidium was identified in specimens from 6/86 adults, 5/59 children with chronic diarrhea (3/5, HIV+), 7/55 children with acute diarrhea (0/7, HIV+), and 0/20 control children. Among children with acute diarrhea, 7/7 with cryptosporidiosis were malnourished, compared with 10/48 without cryptosporidiosis (P < .01). Enterocytozoon was identified in specimens from 3/86 adults, 2/59 children with chronic diarrhea (1 HIV+), 0/55 children with acute diarrhea, and 4/20 control children. All four controls were underweight (P < .01). Cyclospora was identified in specimens from one adult and one child with acute diarrhea (HIV-). Thus, Cryptosporidium was the most frequent and Cyclospora the least frequent pathogen identified. Cryptosporidium and Enterocytozoon were associated with malnutrition. Asymptomatic fecal shedding of Enterocytozoon in otherwise healthy, HIV children has not been described previously

The Universal Plausibility Metric (UPM) & Principle (UPP)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mere possibility is not an adequate basis for asserting scientific plausibility. A precisely defined universal bound is needed beyond which the assertion of <it>plausibility</it>, particularly in life-origin models, can be considered operationally falsified. But can something so seemingly relative and subjective as plausibility ever be quantified? Amazingly, the answer is, "Yes." A method of objectively measuring the plausibility of any chance hypothesis (The Universal Plausibility Metric [UPM]) is presented. A numerical inequality is also provided whereby any chance hypothesis can be definitively falsified when its UPM metric of ξ is < 1 (The Universal Plausibility Principle [UPP]). Both UPM and UPP pre-exist and are independent of any experimental design and data set.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>No low-probability hypothetical plausibility assertion should survive peer-review without subjection to the UPP inequality standard of formal falsification (ξ < 1).</p

General Neutralino NLSPs at the Early LHC

Gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking (GMSB) is a theoretically well-motivated framework with rich and varied collider phenomenology. In this paper, we study the Tevatron limits and LHC discovery potential for a wide class of GMSB scenarios in which the next-to-lightest superpartner (NLSP) is a promptly-decaying neutralino. These scenarios give rise to signatures involving hard photons, $W$'s, $Z$'s, jets and/or higgses, plus missing energy. In order to characterize these signatures, we define a small number of minimal spectra, in the context of General Gauge Mediation, which are parameterized by the mass of the NLSP and the gluino. Using these minimal spectra, we determine the most promising discovery channels for general neutralino NLSPs. We find that the 2010 dataset can already cover new ground with strong production for all NLSP types. With the upcoming 2011-2012 dataset, we find that the LHC will also have sensitivity to direct electroweak production of neutralino NLSPs.Comment: 26 page

Компьютерное моделирование удара упругой сферы с упругим полупространством

В последнее время физика взаимодействия твердых частиц представляет интерес для большинства технологических процессов, связанных с динамикой сыпучих сред. Однако до сих пор не было разработано единой теории взаимодействия частиц при их соударении из-за сложности описания контакта взаимодействующих частиц. Аналитическое решение существует только для простейшего случая, когда при ударе наблюдается полное скольжение без трения

IIA Perspective On Cascading Gauge Theory

We study the N=1 supersymmetric cascading gauge theory found in type IIB string theory on p regular and M fractional D3-branes at the tip of the conifold, using the T-dual type IIA description. We reproduce the supersymmetric vacuum structure of this theory, and show that the IIA analog of the non-supersymmetric state found by Kachru, Pearson and Verlinde in the IIB description is metastable in string theory, but the barrier for tunneling to the supersymmetric vacuum goes to infinity in the field theory limit. We also comment on the N=2 supersymmetric gauge theory corresponding to regular and fractional D3-branes on a near-singular K3, and clarify the origin of the cascade in this theory.Comment: 43 pages, 18 figures, harvma

CP Violation in Supersymmetry with Effective Minimal Flavour Violation

We analyze CP violation in supersymmetry with Effective Minimal Flavour Violation, as recently proposed in arXiv:1011.0730. Unlike the case of standard Minimal Flavour Violation, we show that all the phases allowed by the flavour symmetry can be sizable without violating existing Electric Dipole Moment constraints, thus solving the SUSY CP problem. The EDMs at one and two loops are precisely analyzed as well as their correlations with the expected CP asymmetries in B physics.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures. v2: Discussion in section 2 extended, conclusions unchanged. Matches published versio