Determining flight frequencies on an airline network with demand-supply interactions

[[abstract]]This paper determines flight frequencies on an airline network with demand–supply interactions between passenger demand and flight frequencies. The model consists of two submodels, a passenger airline flight choice model and an airline flight frequency programming model. The demand–supply interactions relevant to determining flight frequency on an airline’s network are analyzed by integrating these two submodels. The necessary condition for the convergence of the demand–supply interaction is discussed. An example demonstrates the feasibility of applying the proposed models. The results are more accurate than those obtained without considering demand–supply interactions, and the models provide ways to consider demand–supply interactions well in advance to determine flight frequencies on an airline network.[[notice]]補正完畢[[incitationindex]]SCI[[incitationindex]]EI[[incitationindex]]SSC

A 'snip' in time: what is the best age to circumcise?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Circumcision is a common procedure, but regional and societal attitudes differ on whether there is a need for a male to be circumcised and, if so, at what age. This is an important issue for many parents, but also pediatricians, other doctors, policy makers, public health authorities, medical bodies, and males themselves.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>We show here that infancy is an optimal time for clinical circumcision because an infant's low mobility facilitates the use of local anesthesia, sutures are not required, healing is quick, cosmetic outcome is usually excellent, costs are minimal, and complications are uncommon. The benefits of infant circumcision include prevention of urinary tract infections (a cause of renal scarring), reduction in risk of inflammatory foreskin conditions such as balanoposthitis, foreskin injuries, phimosis and paraphimosis. When the boy later becomes sexually active he has substantial protection against risk of HIV and other viral sexually transmitted infections such as genital herpes and oncogenic human papillomavirus, as well as penile cancer. The risk of cervical cancer in his female partner(s) is also reduced. Circumcision in adolescence or adulthood may evoke a fear of pain, penile damage or reduced sexual pleasure, even though unfounded. Time off work or school will be needed, cost is much greater, as are risks of complications, healing is slower, and stitches or tissue glue must be used.</p> <p>Summary</p> <p>Infant circumcision is safe, simple, convenient and cost-effective. The available evidence strongly supports infancy as the optimal time for circumcision.</p

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

'. . . And the Truth Shall Set You Free': Confessional Trade-Offs and Community Reconciliation in East Timor

AbstractIn East Timor, as with many nations dealing with the legacies of colonisation and occupation, divisions and allegiances forged in the past are combining with other contemporary factors to destabilising effect. The civil unrest of 2006/2007 provides the most recent example of the propensity for violence to escalate rapidly in such a climate. In this context, past experience in promoting and facilitating re-integration following the mass displacement in 1999 in East Timor may offer lessons for those seeking to address social cohesion in the wake of more recent displacement. This paper assesses the work of the Community Reconciliation Process implemented by the Commission of Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (Commonly known by the Portuguese acronym CAVR) in order to provide a reflection on what was achieved and highlight some of the shortcomings that might similarly befall current, and future, attempts. In doing so, the process, and particularly the use of narrative, is considered in terms of its performative elements: the circumstances in which the scripts were written; the stage on which they were acted out; the actors who voiced them, and the audience who listened. It is argued that the Community Reconciliation Process, through its mechanism that synthesised customary reconciliation procedures and elements of the formal justice system, facilitated a reintegrative process that had at its core the exchange of confession, apology and shaming for the right to re-enter the social group from which perpetrators had been excluded. This process, however, may have occurred at the expense of the competing needs of those who had been victimised. </jats:sec

Modified CBT for Social Anxiety and Social Functioning in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract Background: There is a strong research imperative to investigate efficacious treatment options for adolescents and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Elevated social anxiety, difficulties with social functioning, and poor mental health have all been identified as core treatment targets for this group. While theoretical models posit a strong bidirectionality between social anxiety and ASD social functioning deficits, few interventions have targeted both domains concurrently. Of the two group interventions previously conducted with adolescents and adults with ASD, significant results have only been observed in either social anxiety or social functioning, and have not generalised to changes in overall mood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a group intervention in young adults with ASD. Primary treatment outcomes were social anxiety symptoms and social functioning difficulties; secondary outcomes were self-reported mood and overall distress. Method: Participants completed an eight-week, modified Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) group intervention targeting both social anxiety and social functioning. Sixty adolescents and young adults with ASD, without intellectual impairment, aged between 16 and 33 (M = 22.23; SD = 4.62), were recruited from the community, Headspace, and referrals to the Autism Clinic for Translational Research. Outcomes (social anxiety, social functioning and mood) were measured pre- and post-intervention via self-report questionnaires, and participants were invited to provide feedback on the intervention (at the mid-point and end of the intervention).Results: Participants demonstrated statistically significant improvements on all outcome measures in response to the intervention. Specifically, social anxiety symptoms decreased, and social functioning difficulties improved post intervention, particularly in overall social functioning, social awareness and restricted interests and repetitive behaviours. Self-reported symptom improvements also generalised to mood (depression, anxiety and stress). All improvements demonstrated small-to-medium effect sizes. Participant feedback was positive and indicated strong satisfaction with the program.Limitations: The absence of a control group and use of a randomized controlled trial, reliance on self-report instruments as outcome measures, and the exclusion of those with intellectual disability represent significant limitations to this study. Conclusions: These findings indicate that a group CBT intervention is an efficacious treatment for self-reported social anxiety, social functioning and overall mental health in adolescents and young adults with ASD. The standalone nature of the intervention combined with positive participant feedback indicates potential clinical utility, and warrants further study in a randomised-controlled, follow-up design.</jats:p

Modified CBT for Social Anxiety and Social Functioning in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract Background: There is a strong research imperative to investigate effective treatment options for adolescents and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Elevated social anxiety, difficulties with social functioning, and poor mental health have all been identified as core treatment targets for this group. While theoretical models posit a strong bidirectionality between social anxiety and ASD social functioning deficits, few interventions have targeted both domains concurrently. Of the two group interventions previously conducted with adolescents and adults with ASD, significant results have only been observed in either social anxiety or social functioning, and have not generalised to changes in overall mood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a group intervention in young adults with ASD. Primary treatment outcomes were social anxiety symptoms and social functioning difficulties; secondary outcomes were self-reported mood and overall distress. Method: Ten groups of participants completed an eight-week, modified Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) group intervention targeting both social anxiety and social functioning, that included social skills training, exposure tasks and behavioural experiment components. Seventy-eight adolescents and young adults with ASD, without intellectual impairment, aged between 16 and 38 (M = 22.77; SD = 5.31), were recruited from the community, Headspace centres and the Autism Clinic for Translational Research. Outcomes (social anxiety, social functioning and mood) were measured pre- and post-intervention via self-report questionnaires (administered either online or through the return of hard-copy booklets), and participants were invited to provide anonymous feedback on the intervention (at the mid-point and end of the intervention). Results: Participants demonstrated statistically significant improvements on all outcome measures in response to the intervention. Specifically, social anxiety symptoms decreased (p &lt;.001), and specific subdomains of social functioning improved post intervention, particularly in social motivation (p=.032) and restricted interests and repetitive behaviours (p=.025). Self-reported symptom improvements also generalised to mood (depression, anxiety and stress; p &lt; .05). All improvements demonstrated small effect sizes. Participant feedback was positive and indicated strong satisfaction with the program. Limitations: The absence of a control group and follow up measures, reliance on self-report instruments as outcome measures, and the exclusion of those with intellectual disability represent significant limitations to this study.Conclusions: These findings indicate that a group CBT intervention is an effective treatment for self-reported social anxiety, social functioning and overall mental health in adolescents and young adults with ASD. The standalone nature of the intervention combined with positive participant feedback indicates potential clinical utility, and warrants further study in a randomised-controlled, follow-up design.</jats:p

Modified CBT for social anxiety and social functioning in young adults with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Background There is a strong research imperative to investigate effective treatment options for adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Elevated social anxiety, difficulties with social functioning and poor mental health have all been identified as core treatment targets for this group. While theoretical models posit a strong bidirectionality between social anxiety and ASD social functioning deficits, few interventions have targeted both domains concurrently. Of the two group interventions previously conducted with adolescents and adults with ASD, significant results have only been observed in either social anxiety or social functioning, and have not generalised to changes in overall mood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential benefit, tolerability and acceptability of a group cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) intervention in young adults with ASD. Primary treatment outcomes were social anxiety symptoms and social functioning difficulties; secondary outcomes were self-reported mood and overall distress. Method Ten groups of participants completed an eight-week, modified group CBT intervention targeting both social anxiety and social functioning, that included social skills training, exposure tasks and behavioural experiment components. Seventy-eight adolescents and young adults with ASD, without intellectual impairment, aged between 16 and 38 (M = 22.77; SD = 5.31), were recruited from the community, Headspace centres and the Autism Clinic for Translational Research at the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney. Outcomes (social anxiety, social functioning and mood) were measured pre- and post-intervention via self-report questionnaires (administered either online or through the return of hard-copy booklets), and participants were invited to provide anonymous feedback on the intervention (at the mid-point and end of the intervention). Results Participants demonstrated statistically significant improvements on all outcome measures in response to the intervention. Specifically, social anxiety symptoms decreased (p &lt; .001), and specific subdomains of social functioning improved post-intervention, particularly in social motivation (p = .032) and restricted interests and repetitive behaviours (p = .025). Self-reported symptom improvements also generalised to mood (depression, anxiety and stress; p &lt; .05). All improvements demonstrated small effect sizes. Participant feedback was positive and indicated strong satisfaction with the program. Limitations The absence of a control group and follow-up measures, reliance on self-report instruments as outcome measures and the exclusion of those with intellectual disability represent significant limitations to this study. Conclusions These findings indicate that a group CBT intervention appears to be a beneficial intervention for self-reported social anxiety, social functioning and overall mental health in adolescents and young adults with ASD. The stand-alone nature of the intervention combined with positive participant feedback indicates it was well tolerated, has potential clinical utility and warrants further study in a randomised-controlled, follow-up design. </jats:sec

Modified CBT for Social Anxiety and Social Functioning in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract Background: There is a strong research imperative to investigate effective treatment options for adolescents and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Elevated social anxiety, difficulties with social functioning, and poor mental health have all been identified as core treatment targets for this group. While theoretical models posit a strong bidirectionality between social anxiety and ASD social functioning deficits, few interventions have targeted both domains concurrently. Of the two group interventions previously conducted with adolescents and adults with ASD, significant results have only been observed in either social anxiety or social functioning, and have not generalised to changes in overall mood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a group intervention in young adults with ASD. Primary treatment outcomes were social anxiety symptoms and social functioning difficulties; secondary outcomes were self-reported mood and overall distress. Method: Ten groups of participants completed an eight-week, modified Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) group intervention targeting both social anxiety and social functioning, that included social skills training, exposure tasks and behavioural experiment components. Seventy-eight adolescents and young adults with ASD, without intellectual impairment, aged between 16 and 38 (M = 22.77; SD = 5.31), were recruited from the community, Headspace centres and the Autism Clinic for Translational Research at the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney. Outcomes (social anxiety, social functioning and mood) were measured pre- and post-intervention via self-report questionnaires (administered either online or through the return of hard-copy booklets), and participants were invited to provide anonymous feedback on the intervention (at the mid-point and end of the intervention). Results: Participants demonstrated statistically significant improvements on all outcome measures in response to the intervention. Specifically, social anxiety symptoms decreased (p &lt;.001), and specific subdomains of social functioning improved post intervention, particularly in social motivation (p=.032) and restricted interests and repetitive behaviours (p=.025). Self-reported symptom improvements also generalised to mood (depression, anxiety and stress; p &lt; .05). All improvements demonstrated small effect sizes. Participant feedback was positive and indicated strong satisfaction with the program. Limitations: The absence of a control group and follow up measures, reliance on self-report instruments as outcome measures, and the exclusion of those with intellectual disability represent significant limitations to this study.Conclusions: These findings indicate that a group CBT intervention appears to be a beneficial intervention for self-reported social anxiety, social functioning and overall mental health in adolescents and young adults with ASD. The standalone nature of the intervention combined with positive participant feedback indicates it was well tolerated, potential clinical utility, and warrants further study in a randomised-controlled, follow-up design.</jats:p