118 résultats pour "function"
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Calculus (mathematics)
I
INTRODUCTION
Limits
This graph, which charts the function f(x)=1x, shows that the value of the function approaches zero as x becomes larger
and larger.
DerivativesThe derivative of a function at a given point is equal to the slope of the line that is tangent to the function at that givenpoint. In this example, the derivative of f(x) at x0 is defined as the slope of AB in the limit of h going to zero. As hbecomes increasingly smaller, B moves along the curve towards A, and AB increasingly approximates T, the tangent to thecurve at x0.© Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Let the dependent variable y be a function of the independent vari...
- Function.
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Trigonometry
I
INTRODUCTION
Trigonometry, branch of mathematics that deals with the relationships between the sides and angles of triangles and with the properties and applications of the
trigonometric functions of angles.
If point P, in the definition of the general trigonometric function, is on the y-axis, x is 0; therefore, because division by zero is inadmissible in mathematics, the tangent and secant of such angles as 90°, 270°, and -270° do not exist. If P is on the x-axis, y is 0; in this case, the cotangent and cosecant of such angles as 0°, 180°, and - 180° do not exist. All angles have sines and cosines, because r is never equal to 0. Since r is greater than or equal to x or y, the values of si...
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Drug.
I
INTRODUCTION
Drug, substance that affects the function of living cells, used
normalizing chemical activity in the emotional centers of the brain. Antianxiety drugs, also referred to as tranquilizers, treat anxiety by decreasing the activity in theanxiety centers of the brain. Sedative-hypnotic drugs are used both as sedatives to reduce anxiety and as hypnotics to induce sleep. Sedative-hypnotic drugs act by reducing brain-cell activity.Stimulant drugs, on the other hand, increase neuronal (nerve cell) activity and reduce fatigue and appetite. Analgesic drugs reduce pain...
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Brain.
The hypothalamus lies beneath the thalamus on the midline at the base of the brain. It regulates or is involved directly in the control of many of the body's vital drivesand activities, such as eating, drinking, temperature regulation, sleep, emotional behavior, and sexual activity. It also controls the function of internal body organs bymeans of the autonomic nervous system, interacts closely with the pituitary gland, and helps coordinate activities of the brain stem. D Brain Stem The brain st...
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Medical Ethics.
medical profession. In recent years, however, the field of medical ethics has struggled to keep pace with the many complex issues raised by new technologies for creating and sustaininglife. Artificial-respiration devices, kidney dialysis, and other machines can keep patients alive who previously would have succumbed to their illnesses or injuries.Advances in organ transplantation have brought new hope to those afflicted with diseased organs. New techniques have enabled prospective parents to con...
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Sleep - biology.
V FUNCTIONS OF SLEEP Although no one knows for sure why we sleep, there are a number of theories. Sleep may have evolved to protect animals from their predators by reducing theiractivity during the times when they are most vulnerable. Research has shown that REM and NREM sleep may serve specific biological functions. Sleep deprivation studies reveal that humans and other animals respond to sleeploss in the same way. When study subjects are deprived of REM sleep, they tend to spend longer period...
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Plant - biology.
B1 Vacuoles Vacuoles are membrane-bound cavities filled with cell sap, which is made up mostly of water containing various dissolved sugars, salts, and other chemicals. B2 Plastids Plastids are types of organelles, structures that carry out specialized functions in the cell. Three kinds of plastids are important here. Chloroplasts contain chlorophyllsand carotenoid pigments; they are the site of photosynthesis, the process in which light energy from the sun is fixed as chemical energy in the b...
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Radar.
gathers the weak returning radar signals and converts them into an electric current. Because a radar antenna may both transmit and receive signals, the duplexerdetermines whether the antenna is connected to the receiver or the transmitter. The receiver determines whether the signal should be reported and often does furtheranalysis before sending the results to the display. The display conveys the results to the human operator through a visual display or an audible signal. B1 The Antenna The rec...
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Anatomy.
The body defends itself against foreign proteins and infectious microorganisms by means of a complex dual system that depends on recognizing a portion of the surfacepattern of the invader. The two parts of the system are termed cellular immunity, in which lymphocytes are the effective agent, and humoral immunity, based on theaction of antibody molecules. When particular lymphocytes recognize a foreign molecular pattern (termed an antigen), they release antibodies in great numbers; other lymphocy...
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Electronics.
electronic circuits. The resistors are made from carbon mixtures, metal films, or resistance wire and have two connecting wires attached. Variable resistors, with anadjustable sliding contact arm, are often used to control volume on radios and television sets. E Capacitors Capacitors consist of two metal plates that are separated by an insulating material ( see Capacitor). If a battery is connected to both plates, an electric charge will flow for a short time and accumulate on each plate. If th...
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Endocrine System.
thermostat. When the heat in a house falls, the thermostat responds by switching the furnace on, and when the temperature is too warm, the thermostat switches thefurnace off. Usually, the change that a hormone produces also serves to regulate that hormone's secretion. For example, parathyroid hormone causes the body toincrease the level of calcium in the blood. As calcium levels rise, the secretion of parathyroid hormone then decreases. This feedback mechanism allows for tight controlover hormon...
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Cell (biology) - biology.
proteins, or other proteins required by the cell. While relatively simple in construction, prokaryotic cells display extremely complex activity. They have a greater range of biochemical reactions than those found in theirlarger relatives, the eukaryotic cells. The extraordinary biochemical diversity of prokaryotic cells is manifested in the wide-ranging lifestyles of the archaebacteria andthe bacteria, whose habitats include polar ice, deserts, and hydrothermal vents—deep regions of the ocean un...
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Kidney.
secretion. An additional function of the kidney is the processing of vitamin D; the kidney converts this vitamin to an active form that stimulates bone development. Several hormones are produced in the kidney. One of these, erythropoietin, influences the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow. When the kidney detectsthat the number of red blood cells in the body is declining, it secretes erythropoietin. This hormone travels in the bloodstream to the bone marrow, stimulating theproducti...
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Comparative Anatomy.
In comparing two species, anatomists have to be careful to differentiate between homologous structures, which are ones that have evolved from a shared ancestor, andanalogous structures, which have developed from different origins. Homologous structures are built on the same underlying plan. A human arm, a bat’s wing, and awhale’s flipper look quite different from the outside, but the bones inside reveal that these limbs all have the same basic structure. Analogous structures, by contrast,often l...
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Programming Language.
Logic languages use logic as their mathematical base. A logic program consists of sets of facts and if-then rules, which specify how one set of facts may be deducedfrom others, for example: If the statement X is true, then the statement Y is false. In the execution of such a program, an input statement can be logically deduced from other statements in the program. Many artificial intelligence programs are writtenin such languages. IV LANGUAGE STRUCTURE AND COMPONENTS Programming languages use...
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Circulatory System.
C Additional Functions In addition to oxygen, the circulatory system also transports nutrients derived from digested food to the body. These nutrients enter the bloodstream by passingthrough the walls of the intestine. The nutrients are absorbed through a network of capillaries and veins that drain the intestines, called the hepatic portal circulation.The hepatic portal circulation carries the nutrients to the liver for further metabolic processing. The liver stores a variety of substances, suc...
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Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Perry declared prohibition unenforceable and canceled the policing contracts for the two provinces. The strength of the force dwindled further as its members wererecruited into the military. Many, including Perry, believed it would not last into peacetime. VI EXPANSION TO A NATIONAL ROLE After the war Newton W. Rowell, a federal cabinet minister, was sent across western Canada to assess the future of the Mounties. The options were either to eliminatethe North-West Mounted Police or to expand i...
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Religion.
By the end of the 19th century, scholars were making religion an object of systematic inquiry. Müller’s comparative approach was adopted in many European andJapanese universities, and as a result the common features of world religions (such as gods, prayer, priesthood, and creation myths) were the subjects of sustainedscholarly investigation. In addition, field anthropologists had begun to compile firsthand accounts of the religions of peoples who previously had been dismissed assavages. The stu...
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Human Nutrition.
is one of the most preventable types of cancer. Nutritionists caution that most Americans need to eat more complex carbohydrates. In the typical American diet, only 40 to 50 percent of total calories come fromcarbohydrates—a lower percentage than found in most of the world. To make matters worse, half of the carbohydrate calories consumed by the typical American comefrom processed foods filled with simple sugars. Experts recommend that these foods make up no more that 10 percent of our diet, bec...
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United States Government.
Article II establishes an executive department headed by a president and vice president. The article further describes the powers of the offices, the manner of election,and the qualifications for office. Of special significance is the president’s constitutional role as commander of the nation’s armed forces, which assures civilian controlover the military. Because the president is the head of the armed forces and only Congress can declare war, the authority of the military is diffused and its po...
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Psychoanalysis.
A cornerstone of modern psychoanalytic theory and practice is the concept of anxiety, which institutes appropriate mechanisms of defense against certain dangersituations. These danger situations, as described by Freud, are the fear of abandonment by or the loss of the loved one (the object), the risk of losing the object's love,the danger of retaliation and punishment, and, finally, the hazard of reproach by the superego. Thus, symptom formation, character and impulse disorders, andperversions,...
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Banking.
loans, and some commercial loans in addition to checking accounts and time deposits. Credit unions, SLAs, and savings banks help encourage thriftiness by paying interest to consumers who put their money in savings deposits. Consequently, creditunions, SLAs, and savings banks are often referred to as thrift institutions. Of the various types of banks in the United States, commercial banks account for the greatest single source of the financial industry’s assets. In 2000 the 8,528commercial banks...
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Transistor.
During the late 1960s a new electronic technique, the integrated circuit, began to replace the transistor in complex electronic equipment. Although roughly the samesize as a transistor, an integrated circuit performs the function of 15 to 20 transistors. A natural development from the integrated circuit in the 1970s has been theproduction of medium-, large-, and very large-scale integrated circuits (MSI, LSI, and VLSI), which have permitted the building of a compact computer, orminicomputer, con...
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Leaf - biology.
The mesophyll, sandwiched between the upper and lower epidermis, consists of many thin-walled cells that are usually arranged in two layers. The palisade layer is next to the upper epidermis. It consists of cylindrical cells that are packed closely together. Next to the palisade layer and making up most of the thickness of the leaf bladeis the spongy layer. The spongy layer consists of roundish cells that are packed loosely together and have numerous air spaces between them. In most plants t...
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Nanotechnology.
ever-finer method of reducing material to the nanoscale size. Instead, nanostructures would be assembled atom by atom and molecule by molecule, from the atomiclevel up, just as occurs in nature. However, assembly at this scale has its own challenges. In school, children learn about some of these challenges when they study the random Brownian motion seen in particles suspended in liquids such as water. Theparticles themselves are not moving. Rather, the water molecules that surround the particles...
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Insect - biology.
they almost always have six legs. In some insects, such as beetles, the legs are practically identical, but in other insects each pair is a slightly different shape. Still otherinsects have specialized leg structures. Examples are praying mantises, which have grasping and stabbing forelegs armed with lethal spines, and grasshoppers andfleas, which have large, muscular hind legs that catapult them into the air. Mole crickets’ front legs are modified for digging, and backswimmers have hind legs de...
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Stroke.
IV DIAGNOSIS The symptoms typical of a stroke can also be caused by other conditions, including brain tumors, various infections, and overdoses of certain drugs. A patient that hasstrokelike symptoms may undergo a battery of imaging techniques to rule out other medical problems and confirm that a stroke has occurred. The key imagingtechnique used in diagnosing strokes is computed tomography (also known as CT or CAT scanning), which employs X rays to obtain images of the internal structures oft...
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Digestive System.
The stomach, located in the upper abdomen just below the diaphragm, is a saclike structure with strong, muscular walls. The stomach can expand significantly to storeall the food from a meal for both mechanical and chemical processing. The stomach contracts about three times per minute, churning the food and mixing it with gastricjuice. This fluid, secreted by thousands of gastric glands in the lining of the stomach, consists of water, hydrochloric acid, an enzyme called pepsin, and mucin (the...
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Poliomyelitis.
Physical therapy helps patients with paralytic polio stretch and move affected muscles. This movement minimizes the atrophy, or shrinkage, of affected muscles andlimbs and builds strength. Exercises can also retrain working muscles to compensate for other muscles that have permanently lost the ability to move. Rehabilitativetherapy trains patients to use braces, crutches, and other devices that provide support and aid mobility. V PREVENTION OF POLIO Immunization with polio vaccine is the best w...
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Military Religious Orders .
Hospitalers’ charitable functions were playing a secondary role to their military duties. Successes in war defending the Holy Land enriched the order with vast gifts ofproperty in Europe and Palestine. In the 12th century the Hospitalers acquired three impressive fortresses in Palestine at Krak des Chevaliers, Belvoir, and Margat. Atthe height of their power in the 13th century, the Hospitalers regularly supplied 500 knights to defend the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem against the Empire. The Crusad...
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Library of Congress.
manuscripts, books, and films. The Digital Library’s eventual goal is to make available 80 million items from the Library of Congress’s collection that are not easilyavailable elsewhere. V ORGANIZATION AND FUNDING The librarian of Congress serves as the director of the institution. Tradition, politics, and strong personalities have shaped the function of this office. Although the Libraryof Congress was established in 1800, the office of librarian was not created until passage of a law in 1802....
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Spider (arthropod) - biology.
The spider’s abdomen is soft and saclike. On the underside of the tip of the abdomen are three pairs of spinnerets. Each spinneret is studded with many fine, hairliketubes called spigots, which produce a variety of silk threads. The spigots lead to several large silk glands inside the abdomen. Silk is formed as a liquid inside theseabdominal glands. As the silk is drawn out through the spigots, protein molecules within the silk line up parallel to one another, causing the silk to harden and form...
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Respiratory System.
rapidly, or laughs while swallowing, the swallowing reflex may not work, and food or fluid can enter the larynx. Food, fluid, or other substances in the larynx initiate acough reflex as the body attempts to clear the larynx of the obstruction. If the cough reflex does not work, a person can choke, a life-threatening situation. TheHeimlich maneuver is a technique used to clear a blocked larynx ( see First Aid). A surgical procedure called a tracheotomy is used to bypass the larynx and get air to...
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Advertising.
Advertising agencies make money in a variety of ways. When the agency uses the client’s advertising budget to buy time for an ad on the radio or on television or whenit buys space for an ad in a newspaper or magazine, the media outlet allows the agency to keep 15 percent of the cost of the space or the time as a commission. The15 percent commission has become an advertising industry standard and usually accounts for the largest portion of the agency’s income. Agencies also charge clientsfor the...
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Liver.
by bacterial infections. But hepatitis is most often caused by one of several viruses. The hepatitis A virus (HAV) can produce flulike symptoms and jaundice, but manypeople who contract it have no symptoms. The disease tends to resolve on its own. Because HAV lives in feces in the intestinal tract, hepatitis A is prevalent in areaswhere drinking water is contaminated with raw sewage. Good hygiene practices and a hepatitis A vaccination are effective measures of prevention. Hepatitis B is a more...
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Genetics - biology.
construct identical buildings. Just as each contractor would require a full copy of the blueprint to construct a complete building, each new cell needs a complete copy ofan organism’s genetic information to function properly. Organisms use two types of cell division to ensure that DNA is passed down from cell to cell during reproduction. Simple one-celled organisms and other organisms thatreproduce asexually—that is, without the joining of cells from two different organisms—reproduce by a proces...
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Artificial Intelligence.
Work in AI has primarily focused on two broad areas: developing logic-based systems that perform common-sense and expert reasoning, and using cognitive andbiological models to simulate and explain the information-processing capabilities of the human brain. In general, work in AI can be categorized within three research anddevelopment types: symbolic, connectionist, and evolutionary. Each has characteristic strengths and weaknesses. A Symbolic AI Symbolic AI is based in logic. It uses sequences...
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São Paulo (city) - geography.
universities include the State University Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (1976), and the even larger University of São Paulo (1934), which incorporates the city’s famousand influential Faculty of Law. Important private universities are Mackenzie University, originally founded by Presbyterian missionaries from the United States (1870);the Paulista University (1972); the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (1946); and the University São Judas Tadeu (1971). The city is home to the São Pau...
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Surgery.
III SURGICAL PROCEDURES Surgical procedures are classified as optional, required, elective, urgent, and emergent based on the patient’s medical condition. Optional surgery consists of operationsthat are not required but which the patient chooses to undergo as with some types of cosmetic surgery. Required surgery is performed when only surgery will correct aproblem—such as cataracts—but the surgery can be delayed for a period of weeks or months. Elective surgical procedures usually involve cond...
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Tree - biology.
The major parts of a tree are its roots, trunk, leaves, flowers, and seeds. These components play vital roles in a tree’s growth, development, and reproduction. A Roots Trees are held in place by anchoring organs called roots. In addition to anchoring the tree, roots also absorb water and minerals through tiny structures called roothairs. From the roots the water and mineral nutrients are carried upward through the wood cells to the leaves. Although the internal structure of most kinds of roots...
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Ocean and Oceanography.
of sediment. When studied in sedimentary core samples, which can represent many millions of years of deposits, they provide a detailed and continuous history of theearth’s environmental changes. The record is particularly informative for the most recent 2 million to 5 million years, during which major fluctuations in global climatehave occurred. Successive ice ages can be traced by the relative scarcity or abundance of the shells of warm-water and cold-water diatoms in various layers of asedimen...
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Ocean and Oceanography - Geography.
of sediment. When studied in sedimentary core samples, which can represent many millions of years of deposits, they provide a detailed and continuous history of theearth’s environmental changes. The record is particularly informative for the most recent 2 million to 5 million years, during which major fluctuations in global climatehave occurred. Successive ice ages can be traced by the relative scarcity or abundance of the shells of warm-water and cold-water diatoms in various layers of asedimen...
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Library (institution).
rooms, special galleries for exhibitions, auditoriums for lectures or concerts, computer rooms, children’s rooms, photocopy rooms, and classrooms. A3 Lending Materials As part of their mission to provide information resources to the community, public libraries allow users to borrow items from their collections for limited amounts of time.To be eligible to borrow public library materials, a user must register her or his name, address, and other basic information with the local library’s circulat...
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Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics
2) Hume, enquiry concerning the principles of morals self love vs public affection The second appendix is intended to clarify the meaning of the term self-love. Does this term connote only those actions which are selfish in the narrower sense of the word, or is it possible that it includes actions which are usually called altruistic? The question arises from the fact that moral sentiments are said to have their origin in the feelings. Whose feelings are referred to in this connection? Is it...
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Blood.
substances. For example, a person who is blood type A positive will not make antibodies against the A or Rh markers, but will make antibodies against the B marker,which is not on that person’s own red blood cells. If blood containing the B marker (from types B positive, B negative, AB positive, or AB negative) is transfused into thisperson, then the transfused red blood cells will be rapidly destroyed by the patient’s anti-B antibodies. In this case, the transfusion will do the patient no good a...
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Ant - biology.
The workers of many ant species carry a stinger within the hind end of the gaster. These ants use the stinger to defend against their enemies. In some species, workerants lack a stinger but use the tip of their gaster to squirt or dab poison at other small animals and when fighting battles with other ants, fending off predators, or killinginsects or other animals that they use as food. III PHYSIOLOGY Ants have a rigid, external skeleton called an exoskeleton that gives the soft, inner body its...
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Physiology.
III RECENT ADVANCES Among the most important advances of the 20th century are the discovery of new hormones; recognition of the role of vitamins; discovery of blood types; developmentof the electrocardiograph and electroencephalograph, to record the activity of the heart and brain; discovery of the cause and cure of pernicious anemia by GeorgeRichards Minot, William Parry Murphy, and George Hoyt Whipple, all American physicians; and greater understanding of metabolism, the role of enzymes, and...
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Aging - biology.
Different theories have been proposed to explain how SF works. One theory is based on the assumption that aging, and diseases that occur more frequently withadvancing age, are caused by structural damage to cells. This damage accumulates in tiny amounts each time the cell divides, eventually preventing the cell fromcarrying out normal functions. One cause of this damage may be free radicals, which are chemical compounds found in the environment and also generated by normal chemical reactions in...
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Autism.
may also repeat body movements, such as spinning, rocking, or flapping hands. When upset or excited, they may also harm themselves by skin-biting or head-banging. They may also show significant aggression toward other people or inanimateobjects, or may have episodes of extreme anger or frustration. D Associated Symptoms Some children with autism show other symptoms that do not contribute to the diagnosis of autism itself. Sensory sensitivity is quite common, especially to some textures, sounds,...