Penerapan Model Pembelajaran Kooperatif Tipe Snowball Drillinguntuk Meningkatkan Prestasi Belajar Siswa pada Pokok Bahasan Sistem Periodik Unsur di Kelas X SMA Negeri 1 Inuman

This research aims to increase student achievementon the subject Sistem periodic unsure inclass XSMAN 1 Inuman. This research is a kind of experiment research with pretest-posttest design. The research was conducted in SMAN 1 Inuman.The samples of this research were the students of class X MIA 2 as the experimental class and students of class X MIA 1 as the control class.Experimental class is a class that is cooperative learning model Snowball Drilling, while the control class was not. Data analysis technique used is the t-test. Based on analysis of data obtained tarithmetic> ttable is 2,7761 > 1,66, means that the application of cooperative learning model Snowball Drilling can improve student achievement on the subject of system periodic unsurein class X SMAN 1 Inumanincrease learning achievement category in the experimental class is based on the normalized gain scores (N-Gain) relatively high at 0,7806

Perceptions of Corporate Annual Reports' Users toward Accounting Information and Voluntary Disclosure and its Determinants: The Case of Kuwait

This study investigates four significant dimensions of the corporate annual reports (CARs) environment in one of the emerging markets in the Middle East, Kuwait: [1] the perceptions of major external users of annual reports regarding current voluntary disclosure practices, [2] the identification of voluntary items perceived as useful, [3] the assessment of voluntary disclosure levels and their evolvement over the period covered by the current study (2005-2008), [4] the impact of a comprehensive set of company characteristics and corporate governance attributes on explaining variations in the extent of disclosure. A questionnaire survey is used to test the first two dimensions, covering four user groups, while hand-collected data from a sample of 206 annual reports of non-financial companies and other complementary sources are used to test the other two. The study employs a theoretical framework (agency, signalling, legitimacy, and stakeholder theories) to explore the motivations of companies to release voluntary information. The 143 received responses are analysed using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. The analysis brings to light the remarkable agreement among the participants on the importance of CARs, interim reports, and advice from specialists as sources of information for making judgments. Regarding the level of voluntary disclosure, respondents strongly agree that the annual reports of listed companies provide inadequate information to users. Participants also indicate their desire for more information to be required than companies currently provide, to improve decision making and the usefulness of CARs. The results suggest that most users believe that there is a necessity to develop sophisticated capital market infrastructure and comprehensive regulations to help foster confidence in the capital market and protect market participants. Although multivariate analysis reveals that the actual level of voluntary disclosure is low, the overall level is gradually improving over time. The extent of voluntary disclosure tends to be significantly higher as the percentage of government ownership increases. Disclosure practices are also positively influenced by cross-listing and company size. Conversely, voluntary disclosure practices are negatively influenced by cross-directorships, board size, role duality, and company growth, while family members, ruling family on the board, and audit committees have no bearing on disclosure. Interestingly, the determinants of disclosure vary among the categories of information. No single explanatory variable explains the variation in the overall level of voluntary disclosure and the variations in the disclosure level of all categories of information

Maximizing Societal Contributions of Latino Adults by Investing in Latino Children's Health Care

Focuses on the lack of preventive care and health insurance coverage for Latino children, and how this affects their health and school performance and impacts their ability to contribute as adults to California's economy and society

On the Solutions of a General System of Difference Equations

We deal with the solutions of the systems of the difference equations xn+1=1/xn-pyn-p, yn+1=xn-pyn-p/xn-qyn-q, and xn+1=1/xn-pyn-pzn-p, yn+1=xn-pyn-pzn-p/xn-qyn-qzn-q, zn+1=xn-qyn-qzn-q/xn-ryn-rzn-r, with a nonzero real numbers initial conditions. Also, the periodicity of the general system of k variables will be considered

Wave-dominated Shoreline Sediments in Early Cretaceous Surajdeval Formation, Saurashtra Basin, Gujarat Western India

The Early Cretaceous Surajdeval Formation of the Dhrangadhra group consists of the following three major facies: 1) a sand dominated facies (S), characterized by hummocky cross-stratification, planar and trough cross-bedding (Sp, St), and swaley cross stratification (SCS). 2) the hetro lithic facies (H) characterized by shatter red mudstone and fine-to very fine grained sandstone / red siltstone, exhibiting parallel and low-angle cross-laminations including symmetrical and interference ripples 3) sand matrix-supported conglomerate/pebbly facies (Cg-S) displaying an alternation of coarse (50mm), medium to fine (lt10-20 mm) pebbles in successive beds, and couplets of crudely graded conglomerate. nbspnbspnbspnbspnbsp The sedimentary facies and structures of the Surajdeval Formation reflect deposition by wave, and tide dominated events. Parallel-laminated and fine-grained sandstones are deposited in response to decrease incompetency and capacity of the flow. nbspnbspnbspnbspnbsp The conglomerates and couplets with sandstone may be the product of longshore deposits. Mudstone may have accumulated in protected lagoonal environment. Paleocurrent indicators, such as cross-bedding and pebble fabric show orientation toward south-south-west, and north-north-west, and may be attributed to ebb tidal (onshore), and those exhibiting north-north-west orientation to flood tidal/ longshore (off-shore) currents. Thus, the sedimentological features of the Surajdeval Formation suggest that wave tides and storm processes were involved during its deposition

Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Diagnosis and Treatment

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. As a result of the lack of specific diagnostic testing and absence of circumscribed biology markers of the disease, its diagnosis is based on a myriad of symptoms. The term irritable bowel syndrome was probably first coined in 1944 by Peters and Bargen. In 1849, Cumming described the clinical manifestations of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Irritable bowel syndrome is defined on the basis of the recently modified Rome criteria as the presence of at least 12 weeks (not necessarily consecutive) of abdominal discomfort or pain in the preceding 12 months that cannot be explained by structural or biochemical abnormalities, and that has at least two of the following three features: pain relieved with defecation, an onset associated with a change in the frequency of bowel movements (diarrhea or constipation), or an onset associated with a change in form of stool (loose, watery, or pellet-like). The syndrome can be divided into three subcategories according to the Modified Rome criteria II; those with a predominant symptom of diarrhea, constipation, or constipation alternating with diarrhea. There are several criteria for irritable bowel syndrome, one of which is the Manning criteria, applied in many epidemiological and clinical studies to identify irritable bowel syndrome. However, many investigators disagree with this criteria due to a seemingly poor validity in men. In an attempt to bring order to the specialty, consensus-based approach is adopted by a group of International experts, which led to the development of the Rome criteria for irritable bowel syndrome (Table 1). Extra-intestinal symptoms, including headache, backache, urinary and gynecologic symptoms, and fatigue, are more common in the constipation-predominant subgroup

Antibodies against Merozoite Surface Protein 1 and 2 in Sudanese children

Background: Malaria is a serious childhood disease causing high morbidity and mortality despite control measures. Immunological control against malaria was initiated early, and immunity acquired by children in endemic areas, which is age and exposure dependant, differs in different endemic settings. The objective of the study was to determine antibodies against Merozoite surface protein-1 (MSP-I) and Merozoite surface protein-2 (MSP-2), and to determine their relation to the age of Sudanese children. Methodology: The study was descriptive, cross-sectional, conducted in Khartoum Children Emergency Hospital (KCEH). 150 children with positive blood films for P. falciparum malaria were classified according to age, and a blood sample was taken from each one, and tested for antibodies against MSP-I and MSP-2. Results: Antibodies to MSP-I and MSP-2 were 46% and 42% respectively. Sero-positivity and sero-negativity for both antigens were 26.6% and 42.7% respectively. Seropositivity to either MSP2 or MSP1antigen alone was present in 18.7% and 12% of patients respectively. High seropositivity (52.9%) was found in the age group 12-15 years of age. Conclusion: MSP-1 and MSP-2 antibodies in Sudanese children according to this study were age dependant, and findings were similar to what had been reported in some African countries.Key words: P. falciparum malaria, MSP-I, MSP-2