Evolution and fear-fainting

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Combat and Warfare in the Early Paleolithic and Medically Unexplained Musculo-Facial Pain in the 21st Century War Veterns and Active-Duty Military Personnel

In a series of recent articles, we suggest that family dentists, military dentists and psychiatrists with expertise in posttraumatic stress disorder (especially in the Veterans Health Administration) are likely to see an increased number of patients with symptomatic jaw-clenching and early stages of tooth- grinding (Bracha et al., 2005). Returning warfighters and other returnees from military deployment may be especially at risk for high rates of clenching- induced masticatory muscle disorders at early stages of incisor grinding. The literature we have recently reviewed strongly supports the conclusion that clenching and grinding may primarily be a manifestation of experiencing extreme fear or severe chronic distress (respectively). We have recently reviewed the clinical and paleoanthropological literature and have noted that ancestral warfare and ancestral combat, in the early Paleolithic Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness (EEA) may be a neglected factor explaining the conservation of the archaic trait of bite-muscle strengthening. We have hypothesized that among ancestral warriors, jaw clenching may have rapidly strengthened the two primary muscles involved in biting, the masseter muscles and the much larger temporalis muscles. The strengthening of these muscles may have served the purpose of enabling a stronger, deeper, and therefore more lethal, defensive bite for early Paleolithic humans. The neuroevolutionary perspective presented here may be novel to many dentists. However, it may be useful in patient education and in preventing progression from jaw-clenching to chronic facial pain

Buoyancy waves in Pluto's high atmosphere: Implications for stellar occultations

We apply scintillation theory to stellar signal fluctuations in the high-resolution, high signal/noise, dual-wavelength data from the MMT observation of the 2007 March 18 occultation of P445.3 by Pluto. A well-defined high wavenumber cutoff in the fluctuations is consistent with viscous-thermal dissipation of buoyancy waves (internal gravity waves) in Pluto's high atmosphere, and provides strong evidence that the underlying density fluctuations are governed by the gravity-wave dispersion relation.Comment: Accepted 18 June 2009 for publication in Icaru

Community Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices Associated with Urogenital Schistosomiasis among School-Aged Children in Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania

Background: On the Zanzibar islands, United Republic of Tanzania, elimination of urogenital schistosomiasis is strived for in the coming years. This qualitative study aimed to better understand community knowledge, perceptions, and practices associated with schistosomiasis among school-aged children on Unguja and Pemba islands, in order to inform the development of behavior change interventions contributing to eliminate urogenital schistosomiasis. Methodology: In 2011, we conducted 35 children’s discussion groups, 41 in-depth interviews with parents and teachers, and 5 focus group discussions with community members in Zanzibar. Using a modified-grounded theory approach, we transcribed and coded the narrative data followed by thematic analysis of the emergent themes. Principal Findings: Urogenital schistosomiasis is a common experience among children in Zanzibar and typically considered a boys’ disease. Children engage in multiple high-risk behaviors for acquiring schistosomiasis because of poor knowledge on disease transmission, lack of understanding on severity of disease-associated consequences, and lack of alternative options for water related activities of daily living and recreational play. Local primary school teachers had little to no training about the disease and no teaching tools or materials for students. Conclusions/Significance: Conducting activities in open natural freshwater contaminated by S. haematobium larvae compromises the health of school-aged children in Zanzibar. The perception of urogenital schistosomiasis as a minor illness rather than a serious threat to a child’s well-being contributes to the spread of disease. Understanding community perceptions of disease along with the barriers and facilitators to risk reduction behaviors among children can inform health promotion activities, campaigns, and programs for the prevention, control, and elimination of urogenital schistosomiasis in Zanzibar

Reevaluating the Management of Chronic Temporomandibular Pain Are We Treating PTSD with Debridement and Lavage?

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Charon's radius and density from the combined data sets of the 2005 July 11 occultation

The 2005 July 11 C313.2 stellar occultation by Charon was observed by three separate research groups, including our own, at observatories throughout South America. Here, the published timings from the three data sets have been combined to more accurately determine the mean radius of Charon: 606.0 +/- 1.5 km. Our analysis indicates that a slight oblateness in the body (0.006 +/- 0.003) best matches the data, with a confidence level of 86%. The oblateness has a pole position angle of 71.4 deg +/- 10.4 deg and is consistent with Charon's pole position angle of 67 deg. Charon's mean radius corresponds to a bulk density of 1.63 +/- 0.07 g/cm3, which is significantly less than Pluto's (1.92 +/- 0.12 g/cm3). This density differential favors an impact formation scenario for the system in which at least one of the impactors was differentiated. Finally, unexplained differences between chord timings measured at Cerro Pachon and the rest of the data set could be indicative of a depression as deep as 7 km on Charon's limb.Comment: 25 pages including 4 tables and 2 figures. Submitted to the Astronomical Journal on 2006 Feb 0

A piloted-simulation evaluation of two electronic display formats for approach and landing

The results of a piloted-simulation evaluation of the benefits of adding runway symbology and track information to a baseline electronic-attitude-director-indicator (EADI) format for the approach-to-landing task were presented. The evaluation was conducted for the baseline format and for the baseline format with the added symbology during 3 deg straight-in approaches with calm, cross-wind, and turbulence conditions. Flight-path performance data and pilot subjective comments were examined with regard to the pilot's tracking performance and mental workload for both display formats. The results show that the addition of a perspective runway image and relative track information to a basic situation-information EADI format improve the tracking performance both laterally and vertically during an approach-to-landing task and that the mental workload required to assess the approach situation was thus reduced as a result of integration of information