The Wise Judge free essay sample

The Wise Judge Narrator 1 : The widow Yemswitch was a good old woman. But she had long since grown hard of hearing. She had a small flock of sheep that she tended. One day, the sheep wandered. Setting out to look for them, she met farmer Mulugueta who had just finished his plowing. Widow: â€Å"Ato Mulugueta,† said the widow, â€Å"have you seen my sheep today? † Narrator 2:Now farmer Mulugueta was a good old man, but, he, too, had grown hard of hearing. Since he had just come from the field, he thought she was sking about his plowing. Farmer :â€Å"Yes, Wizero Yemswitch,† he answered. I have worked very hard today. † Narrator 1 : He pointed toward his powed field to show her what he had done. Narrator 2 : The widow had not understood a word. She thought he was pointing toward her lost flock of sheep. Widow:â€Å"Thank you, farmer Mulugueta,† she said. â€Å" If I find them there I shall give you one. We will write a custom essay sample on The Wise Judge or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † Narrator 1 2:They bowed politely to each other. Narrator 1 : Then the widow went looking where the farmer had pointed. As luck would have it, she found the sheep just over the hill. She was grateful to the farmer for noting so carefully the way they had gone. In a little while, they might have been found by leopard or jackals. She discovered that one of the lamb had injured a leg. She decided to give this lamb to the farmer. Going to his house, she found him preparing his supper for his wife had been dead for many years. Widow:â€Å"Ato Mulugueta,† she said. â€Å"I found the sheep where you said they where. I brought you this lamb for your reward. † Narrator 2:Mulugueta did not hear a word,but he saw that the lamb had an injured leg. He thought the widow Yemswitch was accusing him of the injury. Farmer:â€Å"Oh no,† said the farmer . â€Å" I had nothing to do with it. Why should I hurt your lamb? † Widow:The widow only heard the word â€Å"No†. She thought Mulugueta wanted a better sheep. â€Å"You are a greedy man,† she said. â€Å"All you did was point the direction. Tale this lamb or you’ll get none at all. † She tried to put the lamb in his arm. Farmer:The farmer refused it. †I will not pay for this lamb,† he said. I had nothing to do with its injury. † Narrator 1 2 :They began to argue and say foolish things. This made little difference, of course, since neither could hear what the other was saying. But they made so much noise. Policeman:Then at last a policeman came by. He insisted that they go to a judge to settle their quarrel. Narrator 2:They went to a court of an old and wise judge. This judge, justice Yasu, throughout the land for his fairness. Although he was wise he was also deaf and almost blind. Thus, he could not judge by the way they look. This made him a very fair judge. Widow :The widow Yemswitch told the story first, then pointing to the lamb, she said, â€Å"My reward is generous. . . Ato Mulugueta is a greedy man to want more. † Narrator 2:Mulugueta then explain patiently that he was a kind man who would never hurt a little lamb. Farmer:â€Å"I was busy in my field,† he said. â€Å"I had not even seen the lamb. But she brought it to my house and blamed me for its injured leg. † Narrator 2:Justice Yasu listened carefully, but he couldn’t catch a word. For some time, he peered at the farmer and the widow. At last he made out an old man and an old woman. The lamb in the woman’s arm, he decided was a child. Having had experience with the people’s troubles the judge decided that this man and woman wanted a divorce. They wanted him to say which one should keep the child. Judge :â€Å"How many years have you been married? † asked the judge. Narrator 1 :The widow listened carefully but she only heard the words â€Å"how many. † She thought the judge had ask how many sheep she owned. Widow:â€Å"Twenty your honor,† she shouted loudly. Narrator 2 :The judge heard this answer, and reached his decision. Judge:â€Å"I am ashamed of you both. You’ve been married for twenty years and still have not learned to live together. You must go back and try harder. You must make a good home for your little child. If you do not, I shall put you both in prison. That is all. This case is dismissed. Narrator 2:Neither the farmer nor the widow could hear him but at last, the bailiff made them understand the judge’s decision. Widow : â€Å"Make a home together? † cried the widow. But we are not married! † Bailiff :â€Å"Then get married at once ,† said the bailiff. â€Å"If you don’t obey thejudge decision, he will put you in prison. † Widow :And so the widow, Farmer:and the farmer, Widow Farmer : went to a priest and were married that night. Narrator 1:Since she was a very good cook, Narrator 2 :And he was a very god farmer, Narrators 1 2 :and neither could hear the other they live happily ever after. And wise judge Yasu became still more famous throughout the land. -Nathalie-

Essay about master budgeting 11072014

Essay about master budgeting 11072014 Essay about master budgeting 11072014 A budget is a ï ¬ nancial plan of the resources needed to carry out tasks and meet ï ¬ nancial goals. A master budget is part of an overall organization plan for the next year, made up of three components: (1) organizational goals, (2) the strategic long-range proï ¬ t plan, and (3) the master budget (tactical short-range proï ¬ t plan). Long-range plans are achieved in year-by-year steps. The guidance is more speciï ¬ c for the coming year than it is for more distant years. The plan for the coming year is called the master budget. The master budget is also known as the static budget, the budget plan, or the planning budget. The income statement portion of the master budget is often called the proï ¬ t plan. The master budget indicates the sales levels, production and cost levels, income, and cash ï ¬â€šows anticipated for the coming year. In addition, these budget data are used to construct a budgeted statement of ï ¬ nancial position (balance sheet). Budgeting is a dynamic process that ties together goals, plans, decision making, and employee performance evaluation. The master budget and its relationship to other plans, accounting reports, and management decision-making processes are diagrammed in this diagram: Although each organization is unique in the way it puts together its budget, all budgeting processes share some common elements. After organizational goals, strategies, and long-range plans have been developed, work begins on the master budge, a detailed budget for the coming fiscal

The traditional view of the legal supremacy of the UK Parliment Essay

The traditional view of the legal supremacy of the UK Parliment withstood all challenges to it. The UK's membership of the European Union has though finally ki - Essay Example on of the statute by both the Houses of Parliament and the grant of Royal Assent for those statutes, then the courts do not question the validity or legitimacy of the statutes; and only apply them. In Edinburgh & Dalkeith Railway Co. v Wauchope, the plaintiff railway company had obtained a private Act for its purposes. The defendant approached the court and argued that this private Act was detrimental to his interests and that it affected him unfavourably. He beseeched the court to examine the legitimacy of the Act. The court refused to intervene in the matter on the grounds that the Act had been passed in both the Houses of Parliament, and that it had also received the Royal Assent. Consequently, the court rejected the plea of the defendant. Thus, courts comply with statutes that have been properly enacted by Parliament (Edinburgh & Dalkeith Railway Co. v Wauchope). The tendency of courts in dealing with the legitimacy of statutes, enacted by Parliament was clearly exhibited in Ex Parte Canon Sewyn (Ex Parte Canon Sewyn) and Pickin v British Railways Board (Pickin v British Railways Board). The Factortame case challenged this sovereignty and compelled the English courts to suspend legislation that had been enacted by Parliament in due course. As such the Factortame case proved to be a major blow to the constitutional provisions of Parliamentary sovereignty. In R v. Secretary of State for Employment (R v Secretary of State for Employment, ex p. Equal Opportunities Commission); the House of Lords, on the basis of the Factortame decision, adopted a much more liberal approach. The Factortame decision had clearly demarcated the sovereignty of the Parliament; and this made it possible for their Lordships to bring about far reaching changes to the constitution. In this regard, their Lordships, refrained from instructing the Secretary of State and they also did not inform him that the EC law was being breached by him. The House of Lords restricted their intervention to

Read an article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Read an article - Essay Example However, a contradiction in this theory came in the form of Hayek, who believes that it is not a problem of lack of private property, rather; the lack of knowledge that presents a challenge to socialism (Hoppe 143). This paper will examine the author of Socialism: A Property or Knowledge Problem and his line of thought. This is while focusing on what ideas he might offer the audience in terms of the concepts of socialism, and how it might affect them. Hans-Hermann Hoppe chose to discredit Hayek with his theory, saying that it was completely false and ridiculous. In an effort to discredit Hayek and his school of thought, he brings forth arguments to support Mises’s thesis. Mises’s thesis advocates for the presence of private property in land and production factors for there to be proper channels of economic calculation. There being a medium of exchange in the form of money, it would then be possible to calculate and make comparison of the economic situation. Hoppe makes the assumption that Hayek does not have the right arguments to support his thesis about socialism. Hayek purports that socialism and its ultimate flaw is that knowledge about certain circumstances of place and time exist in widely dispersed form, as the personal possession of various individuals (Hoppe 144). Hoppe may have an inclination toward Mises’s school of thought. ... The author, Hoppe, criticizes Hayek by asking a question that would be on the minds of the audience about why clubs, firms, and families exist if his line of thought were to be true. It is Hayek’s belief that a decentralized use of knowledge may lead to the solving of socialism’s ills. In this decentralized use of knowledge, individuals are left to their own devices and can make their decisions (Hoppe 144). To some extent, the above may be true. However, the author tries to explain that when individuals are left to their own decision making abilities, it would be next to impossible to ignore the central plan, as they would not be constrained by the normal things in society. He further claims that if the deciding factor or the solution to socialism’s problems was a decentralized form of thinking, it would be a daunting task to explain why the problems faced by socialism are different from those faced by any other social order. According to Mises and his followers, this line of thought is beside the point. Hoppe points out that it is not the existence of centralized knowledge, or the lack of the use of decentralized knowledge that brings problems to socialism, rather; the absence of property. This ultimately leads to the lack or absence of prices (Hoppe 145). The author claims that Hayek came to realize what Mises had said, but tried to integrate it into his own thesis. This, according to Hoppe, was an elaborate attempt to create a higher and much better theory or line of thinking with regards to the socialism theory, which failed miserably. It is clear from the above that agreeing that socialism’s central or key problem lies in the lack of knowledge. According to the author, private property is the only channel through which information can be transferred.

The Original Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Original - Case Study Example NCEMA was established on the 14th of May 2007 under the organizational structure of the Higher National Security Council of the United Arab Emirates to ensure citizens’ safety, protect all residents of the UAE and secure the country’s property. Being under the Higher National Security Council, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority falls under the jurisdiction of the Executive Affairs Department in the GM office, this is a government department that was established in 2010. The Authority is located in Abu Dhabi and it has about 300 employees. NCEMA plays the role of lead organization when it comes to crisis management and emergencies in the UAE. The organization’s mission is to promote the country’s capabilities in the management of crisis and emergencies. The organization’s roles involve the regulation and coordination of the entire efforts of emergency and management of crisis. By ensuring that it sets the requirements for business continuity, the Authority enables quick recovery after emergencies through joint planning. It pursues the development of a national plan designed to give a response in times of emergencies as well as coordinates communication at the national and lo cal level during emergencies. NCEMA has several departments, the Executive Affairs Department is a new department that was established in 2010 and operates under the office of the General Manager. The other departments under NCEMA include the Operations Department, Planning and Preparedness Department, Support Services Department, ICT Department, Media and Public Information Department, and the Safety and Prevention Department. The organization is known for its high performance standards. It focuses on promoting development, consolidation, maintenance of laws, policies, and procedures of emergency, and the management of all crises at the national level The first most important person in NCEMA is the organization

Simulation of Current Computer Networks

Simulation of Current Computer Networks The current Internet is based on IP protocol and supports only best effort services. With the exponential growth of Internet during the last years, IP networks are expected to support not only typical services like ftp and email, but also real-time services and video streaming application. The traffic characteristics of these applications require a certain Quality of Service (QoS) from the network in terms of bandwidth and delay requirements. We examine three queuing disciplines which are widely deployed and we compare their performance using simulation carried out in OPNET. The queuing disciplines considered in this paper are: First-In-First-Out (FIFO), Priority Queuing (PQ) and Weighted Fair queuing (WFQ). Background: In general, a queue is a line of people or things waiting to be handled, usually in sequential order starting at the beginning or top of the line or sequence. In network prospective packets are queuing in memory buffer of network devices like router and switch. Generally the packets are managed in first in first out fashion. To improve the quality of services different techniques use with the following properties like packets are handled fairly and prioritized properly. Several queuing techniques are uses to manage internet traffic, FIFO, WFQ, PQ. FIFO is common in all the queuing schemes, as it describes the basic method in which packets flow through queues. First in First out Queue (FIFO): FIFO queuing is the most basic queue scheduling discipline. In FIFO queuing, all packets are treated equally by placing them into a single queue, and then servicing them in the same order that they were placed into the queue. FIFO queuing is also referred to as First come, first served (FCFS) queuing. Figure 1: FIFO Queue. Priority Queue (PQ): Priority queuing (PQ) is the basis for a class of queue scheduling algorithms that are designed to provide a relatively simple method of supporting differentiated service classes. In classic PQ, packets are first classified by the system and then placed into different priority queues. Packets are scheduled from the head of a given queue only if all queues of higher priority are empty. Within each of the priority queues, packets are scheduled in FIFO order. Figure 2: Priority Queue. Weighted Fair Queue (WFQ): This is the combination of PQ and Fair Queue. In fair queue the problem is solved some queues may not get serviced because high-priority queues are being serviced. A round-robin approach is used to service all queues in a fair way. In WFQ All queues are serviced so that none are starved, but some queues are serviced more than others. A weight is applied to queues to give some queues higher priority. For example, one queue may get half the available bandwidth and other queues will get an allocation of the remaining bandwidth. Traffic may be prioritized according to packet markings, source and destination IP address fields, port numbers, and information in the ToS field. WFQ weights traffic so that low-bandwidth traffic gets a fair level of priority. If high-priority queues are not in use, lower-priority traffic uses its queues. This prevents high-bandwidth traffic from grabbing an unfair share of resources. WFQ uses an intelligent congestion management solution that provides à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“fairà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  sharing of the interface bandwidth between multiple traffic flows. A traffic à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“flowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (or conversation) is a unidirectional sequence of packets, defined based on the protocol type, the source/destination IP addresses, the source/destination ports numbers (when available), and partially on the IPv4 ToS byte value. For example, an HTTP file transfer between two hosts represents one packet flow, while ICMP packets sent from one host to another represents a second. The WFQ shares this buffer space between all flow queues. Figure 3: Weighted Fair Queue. Problem Solutions Q1: Analyze the graphs we obtained and verify the overlap of the Voice Packet End to End Delay and Voice Packet Delay Variation graphs. Compare the three queuing disciplines and explain their effect on the performance of the three applications. Packets Drop: Figure 4: IP Traffic Dropped for FIFO,PQ,WFQ. For all three cases, Transmission starts at 1 min 45 sec because for all three profiles start at time=100sec=1 min 40 sec and offset for each application from start of profile is 5 sec. Voice client/server rate= 500 packets/sec Video client/server: 130 packets/ sec FTP Client/server: 1- 33 packets/ sec For FTP, TOS=0 For Video TOS=4 For Voice TOS=6 In case of FIFO, there is only 1 queue of size 500 packets. In FIFO there is no priority to any type of traffic. When more packets arrive then transmitted, these are stored in a queue. If queue is full then any incoming packet will be dropped until there is some space in queue. As in case of FIFO there is no priority assigned to any type of traffic , queue will become full in less time because voice packets (500 packets/sec) will fill queue more quickly when router is transmitting other packets (packets of video and ftp client). For PQ, these are queue profile settings depending upon TOS of incoming traffic. For FTP, tos = 0, Priority= low, queue size= 80 packets For Video tos = 4, Priority = medium, queue size= 40 packets For Voice tos= 6, Priority = high, queue size= 20 packets Now PQ, Voice packets have highest priority. After voice, Video traffic has high priority and FTP has lowest priority. Affect of this is less dropped packets in queue because in PQ, each different TOS has different queue. Voice packets have highest priority so they are transmitted as soon as received. So now, ftp and video traffic cannot hold the bandwidth when there is voice packet to send. Similarly video traffic has priority over FTP. Important thing to note is that queue size is low for higher priority queues because low priority traffic need to wait more when there are high priority packets coming. Now for WFQ, Parameters are: For FTP, tos=0, weight = 1, queue size= 500 packets For Video tos=4, weight = 40, queue size= 500 packets For Voice tos=6, weight = 60, queue size= 500 packets Buffer capacity: 1000 packets For WFQ, although queue size is 500 for each queue but WFQ uses shared buffer that means it allows queue size to increase even after 500pkts until buffer capacity is filled. When buffer is full this means interface is in the state of congestion, now the interface starts enforcing the individual queue limits as explained in theory. So at 2 min and 40 sec approx, interface reaches at congestion state, now max size of each queue is enforced to 500 packets and new incoming packets are dropped. After congestion state, as now queue size has been enforced to 500 for each flow, now packets drop increase even a little bit more than PQ because in case of WFQ 40/101 ~= 40% BW is also assigned to Video traffic, So here Voice traffic has to wait when its turn for video packets causing packet loss after queue is full as opposed to PQ where voice traffic does not need to wait. Traffic Received for Video Conferencing: Figure 5: Video Conferencing Traffic Received. Traffic received for Video Conferencing is higher in the case of FIFO as compared to PQ and WFQ at steady state. For PQ, whole channel is occupied by voice packets because whenever there is voice traffic other traffic is stopped hence traffic received for Video Conferencing is less in PQ. Now for WFQ, at start traffic received is higher because system is not in congested state and WFQ is using shared buffer of 1000 packets size as compared to 500 packets buffer of FIFO, but as congestion state is achieved at approx 2 min 40 sec as shown in Fig4. Packet drop increases and now queue size of 500 packets is enforced for each queue. Also video packets are given weight of 40, while voice packets are given weight 60 this means video packets are given less priority which results in less traffic for video in WFQ. Traffic Received for VoIP: Figure 6: Voice Traffic Received. Traffic received for voice is less in case of FIFO as compared to the other two scenarios. FIFO is first come first serve based mechanism, in which no special traffic priority is given to any type of traffic. As in Fig5 In case of FIFO traffic received for Video traffic is more this surely leads to less traffic received for Voice traffic. In this case voice, FTP and video packets have equal opportunity. Now in case of PQ and WFQ, received traffic for voice is higher compared to the FIFO system. In PQ, Voice traffic is given highest priority and these packets are transmitted as soon as they are received, similarly voice traffic is also given priority in case of WFQ by assigning weight 60 as compared to 40 assigned for video traffic. Figure 7: Voice Traffic Received. If we further zoom in the Fig6 to analyze the small difference in the curves of PQ and WFQ for voice traffic. At start voice traffic is same for both, but after approx 2 min 30 sec, traffic received in case of WFQ fall a little bit due to congestion phenomenon in WFQ as already explained above in the report. End to End Delay for Voice Packets: Figure 8: Voice Packet End-to-End Delay. In case of PQ and WFQ, the end to end delays are almost negligible. Reason for such a small delay is the priority given to voice packets in case of PQ and WFQ. In PQ voice packets are given priority by stopping all other traffic when voice packets are coming and in WFQ voice packets are given priority by assigning higher weight i.e. approx 60% of bandwidth is assigned to voice traffic communication. In case of FIFO, there is no priority; all the packets are severed on first come and first out basis. So when there is video or FTP traffic, voice traffic has to wait. At start delay increases sharply, because at start buffer is empty and voice packets are served quickly but as buffer continues to fill up, delay increases because now voice packets has to wait more in buffer . When buffer is full, As in Fig8 at 2 min approx, now delay is approx constant with little variations because buffer is full so every packet has to wait at least until 500 packets of buffer are transmitted before its turn. Delay Variation for Voice Packets: Figure 9: Voice Packet Delay Variation and overlap with Voice packet End-to-End Delay. Packet delay variation is Variance among end to end delays for voice packets. From Fig9, Delay variation is less for PQ and WFQ as compared to FIFO. PQ and WFQ have the negligible delay variation. For FIFO, at start delay variation rises quickly to peak point this is because at start end to end delay variation is greater as buffer is empty and start filling as explained in Fig8 and then end to end delay becomes approx constant around a mean value when buffer is full as explained already in description of Fig8 which is reason why Packet delay variation decreases after peak point. Actually Packet Delay Variation does not only depend upon previous delay value. It is the cumulative effect of all the previous packets as we have already researched on it in period 2 Voice over IP delay measurements paper assignment in course Internet Services and Traffic Measurements. So as the end to end delay becomes more constant, packet delay variation value falls. In the case of PQ and WFQ delay variation is very small because end to end delay is very small; also there is no variation in end to end delay because voice packets are given highest priority in Both PQ and WFQ. Q2: In the implemented project, edit the Queues object and check the profiles assigned to the FIFO, PQ, and WFQ discipline. For each profile answer the following questions: How many queues are associated with each discipline? Table 1: Number of queues in each configuration Queue Configuration Number of queues FIFO 1 PQ 4 WFQ 8 In this lab, we used ToS to identify the priority and weight for the PQ and WFQ disciplines. What are the other parameters that can be used to identify the priority and weight? Protocol, Port and DSCP are the other parameters that can be used to identify priority and weight. In PQ, how are queues configured to serve different ToS values? Router identifies priority based on TOS field of the incoming packets and sort incoming packets in appropriate queue based on TOS. Table 2: PQ queue configuration Queue Priority Label ToS Queue Size 0 Low Best Effort(0),Background(1) 80 1 Normal Standard(2),Excellent(3) 40 2 Medium Steaming Multimedia(4),Interactive Multimedia(5) 60 3 High Interactive Voice(6),Reserved(7) 20 In WFQ, how are queues configured to serve different ToS values? In WFQ, weights are assigned to serve different TOS and TOS field of incoming packets is checked to route them in a specific queue and queues are served based on weights. Table 3: WFQ queue configuration Queue Weight ToS 0 1 Best Effort 1 10 Background 2 20 Standard 3 30 Excellent Effort 4 40 Streaming Multimedia 5 50 Interactive Multimedia 6 60 Interactive Voice 7 70 Reserved Q3: Compare queuing delay for all queuing disciplines. Queuing Delay for all scenarios: Figure 10: Queuing Delay for each configuration. From Fig10, FIFO has the worst queuing delay which is higher than the PQ because in case of FIFO there is only one queue and packets are served on first come first served basis. When there is other traffic, packets has to wait in queue. There is not much difference between the PQ and WFQ queuing delay. PQ has slightly higher queuing delay as compared to WFQ because PQ gives highest priority to voice traffic and when voice packets are coming then all other (Video and FTP) packets have to wait in queue while in case of WFQ each queue has a share in BW and packets in one queue does not disturbs the right of other queues to transmit. Specifically, in our example, there are more voice packets in traffic as compared to video packets. So assigning a weight of 60 to voice as compared to 40 for video justifies it. Conclusion In this lab, by using three different types of traffic, we analyzed the effect of different queuing systems on network performance in terms of packet loss, end to end delay and delay variation. In case of FIFO packets drop is greater as compared to PQ and WFQ. FIFO does not utilizes any priority scheme it works on first come first server basis ,when queue is full , incoming packets are dropped unless there is some space in queue. PQ gives priority to specific type of traffic, it is good when one type of traffic is very time sensitive and important and remaining traffic does not demand any special timing limits. PQ fails when there are many different types of traffic which are time sensitive because PQ does not shares Band Width equally with all types of traffics, So highest prioritized traffic can jam the rest of communication. WFQ is the combination of FIFO and PQ where bandwidth is shared between all queues and each queue get its turn in a round robin fashion. We concluded after analyzing graphs of different queues PQ and WFQ queuing system has very small end to end delay and delay variation which is required for real time applications where traffic is time sensitive e.g. VoIP or Video Conferencing.

Autism :: Psychology, Mental Health

Autism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Autism is one of the mental, emotional, and behavior disorders that appears in early childhood. Autism, or autistic disorder, almost always develops within the first 3 years of a child's life. Children and adolescents with autism cannot interact normally with other people. Autism thus affects many aspects of their development.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Children with and adolescents with autism typically: -have a difficult time communicating with others -exhibit very repetitious behaviors (like rocking back and forth, head banging, or touching or twirling objects); -have a limited range of interests and activities; and -may became upset at a small change in their environment or daily routine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although symptoms of autistic disorder sometimes can be seen in early infancy, the condition can appear after months of normal development. In most cases, it is not possible to identify any specific event that triggers autistic disorder. About 7 in every 10 children and adolescents with autistic disorder also have mental retardation or other problems with their brain function or structure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recent studies estimate that as many as 14 children out of 10,000 may have autism or a related condition. About 125,000 Americans are affected by these disorders, and nearly 4,000 families across the country have two or more children with autism. Three times as many boys as girls have autism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Researchers are still unsure about what causes autism. Several studies suggest that autistic disorder might be caused by a combination of biological factors, including exposure to a virus before birth, a problem with the immune system, or genetics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scientists also have identified chemicals in the brain and the immune