An Iterative Procedure for the Estimation of Drift and Diffusion Coefficients of Langevin Processes

A general method is proposed which allows one to estimate drift and diffusion coefficients of a stochastic process governed by a Langevin equation. It extends a previously devised approach [R. Friedrich et al., Physics Letters A 271, 217 (2000)], which requires sufficiently high sampling rates. The analysis is based on an iterative procedure minimizing the Kullback-Leibler distance between measured and estimated two time joint probability distributions of the process.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

EVALUASI PEMANFAATAN LAHAN SEMPADAN SUNGAI SA’DAN

Abstrak Pemanfaatan lahan yaitu rangkaian kegiatan manusia di darat, seperti pemukiman, perdagangan, pertanian, dll. Setiap daerah berpotensi memanfaatkan sebidang tanah sebagai sumber kehidupan manusia. Perkembangan kota merupakan proses urbanisasi berkelanjutan yang akan membawa beban spasial pada kehidupan kota, yaitu memenuhi kebutuhan permukiman, perumahan atau perdagangan dan jasa. Bertambahnya jumlah penduduk mengakibatkan permintaan akan perumahan kurang proporsional dengan luas lahan yang tersedia. peningkatan jumlah pendudukpun semakin meningkat dan kebutuhan lahanpun meningkat serta lahan yang dapat diakses semakin mengecil , sehingga tidak mampu menjawab isu-isu penduduk yang sedang berkembang seperti ketersediaan lahan yang terbatas pada suatu 2 kota. Selain itu, sesuai dengan Peraturan Daerah Kabupaten Toraja Utara Nomor 3 Tahun 2012 tentang Rencana Tata Ruang Wilayah Kabupaten Toraja Utara Tahun 2012- 2032 ditetapkan sebagai peruntukan kawasan lindung. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah Untuk mengidentifikasi pemanfaatan lahan sempadan sungai sa’dan di Kecamatan Tallunglipu,Rantepao dan Kesu’ Kabupaten Toraja Utara dan Untuk menganalisis kesesuaian lahan di sempadan sungai sa’dan di Kecamatan Tallunglipu,Kecamatan Rantepao dan Kecamatan Kesu’, Kabupaten Toraja Utara. Teknik Pengumpulan data dalam penelitian adalah observasi, Telaah pustaka, dan studi dokumentasi. Untuk Teknik  analisis data yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah analisis spasial (deskriptif kuantitatif dan overlay). Berdasarkan analisa data dan pembahasan yang dibahas bahwa pemanfaatan lahan sempadan sungai Sa’dan pada Kecamatan Tallunglipu yaitu RTH,rumah tinggal,perdagangan jasa,sarana peribadatan,sarana kesehatan dan pendidikan,kebun campuran dan persawahan,pada Kecamatan Rantepao terdapat RTH,rumah tunggal,perdagangan jasa,perkantoran,sarana pendidikan dan sarana peribadatan,kebun campuran dan persawahan,pada Kecamatan Kesu terdapat RTH,rumah tinggal,industri,perdagangan jasa,sarana kesehatan,dan peribadatan.Hasil analisis kesesuain lahan pada Kecamatan Tallunglipu pemanfaatan lahan tidak sesuai seluas 7,83Ha dan sesuai seluas 4,84Ha,Kecamatan Rantepao pemanfaatan lahan tidak sesuai seluas7,26Ha dan sesuai seluas 21,79Ha,Kecamatan Kesu pemanfaatan lahan tidak sesuai seluas 2,54Ha dan sesuai seluas 1,92Ha. Kata Kunci: Evaluasi, Pemanfaatan Lahan, Sempadan Sunga

EVALUASI PEMANFAATAN LAHAN SEMPADAN SUNGAI SA’DAN (Studi Kasus : Kecamatan Tallunglipu,Kecamatan Rantepao dan Kecamatan Kesu’ Kabupaten Toraja Utara) EVALUATION OF LAND UTILIZATION ON THE SA’DAN RIVER BORDER (Case Study : Tallunglipu District,Rantepao District,Kesu District in North Toraja Regency)

Pemanfaatan lahan yaitu rangkaian kegiatan manusia di darat, seperti pemukiman, perdagangan, pertanian, dll. Setiap daerah berpotensi memanfaatkan sebidang tanah sebagai sumber kehidupan manusia. Perkembangan kota merupakan proses urbanisasi berkelanjutan yang akan membawa beban spasial pada kehidupan kota, yaitu memenuhi kebutuhan permukiman, perumahan atau perdagangan dan jasa. Bertambahnya jumlah penduduk mengakibatkan permintaan akan perumahan kurang proporsional dengan luas lahan yang tersedia. peningkatan jumlah pendudukpun semakin meningkat dan kebutuhan lahanpun meningkat serta lahan yang dapat diakses semakin mengecil , sehingga tidak mampu menjawab isu-isu penduduk yang sedang berkembang seperti ketersediaan lahan yang terbatas pada suatu 2 kota. Selain itu, sesuai dengan Peraturan Daerah Kabupaten Toraja Utara Nomor 3 Tahun 2012 tentang Rencana Tata Ruang Wilayah Kabupaten Toraja Utara Tahun 2012- 2032 ditetapkan sebagai peruntukan kawasan lindung. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah Untuk mengidentifikasi pemanfaatan lahan sempadan sungai sa’dan di Kecamatan Tallunglipu,Rantepao dan Kesu’ Kabupaten Toraja Utara dan Untuk menganalisis kesesuaian lahan di sempadan sungai sa’dan di Kecamatan Tallunglipu,Kecamatan Rantepao dan Kecamatan Kesu’, Kabupaten Toraja Utara. Teknik Pengumpulan data dalam penelitian adalah observasi, Telaah pustaka, dan studi dokumentasi. Untuk Teknik  analisis data yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah analisis spasial (deskriptif kuantitatif dan overlay). Berdasarkan analisa data dan pembahasan yang dibahas bahwa pemanfaatan lahan sempadan sungai Sa’dan pada Kecamatan Tallunglipu yaitu RTH,rumah tinggal,perdagangan jasa,sarana peribadatan,sarana kesehatan dan pendidikan,kebun campuran dan persawahan,pada Kecamatan Rantepao terdapat RTH,rumah tunggal,perdagangan jasa,perkantoran,sarana pendidikan dan sarana peribadatan,kebun campuran dan persawahan,pada Kecamatan Kesu terdapat RTH,rumah tinggal,industri,perdagangan jasa,sarana kesehatan,dan peribadatan.Hasil analisis kesesuain lahan pada Kecamatan Tallunglipu pemanfaatan lahan tidak sesuai seluas 7,83Ha dan sesuai seluas 4,84Ha,Kecamatan Rantepao pemanfaatan lahan tidak sesuai seluas7,26Ha dan sesuai seluas 21,79Ha,Kecamatan Kesu pemanfaatan lahan tidak sesuai seluas 2,54Ha dan sesuai seluas 1,92Ha.Kata Kunci: Evaluasi, Pemanfaatan Lahan, Sempadan Sunga

Staphylococcal infections among leukemic patients

Staphylococcus are cause hospital community acquired infection and they are an important cause of health –care associated infection.The Coagulase positive Staphylococcus are Staphylococcus aureus which can implicated in toxic shock syndrome. Methicillin and Vancomycin Staphylococcus aureus resistant (MRSA, VRSA) become major cause of hospital- acquired infection and community acquired infection.Coagulase negative staphylococcus emerged as major cause of infection in immunocompromised patients.The main objective of this study was to evaluate the distribution of Staphylococci among leukemic patients since it is well known that leukemic patients are prone to be infected easily due to their immunosuppressed status.This study was undertaken between oct. 2009 and Jun 2010 at Iraqi center of hematology and medical genetics. 140 clinical specimen(aspirated wound,superficial wound,urine, blood) have deen collected carefully from leukemic patients and subjected to well known established microbiological methods for diagnosis and identification of the isolates .All isolates were tested for their susceptibility to antimicrobials according to Kirby –Bauer technique.Out of 140 clinical specimen collected from leukemic patients, it was possible to obtain( 63) bacterial isolates form which(43) of Coagulase negative staphylococci (CONS) and (20) of Coagulase positive staphylococci. Out of 43(CONS) isolates has been found that S.epidermidis constitutes (28)the highest of all isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility reveald that S.aureus is highly sensitive to Gentamycin (85%), Erythromycin (80%), while it is resistant to the drugs Cefotaxim (45%), Choramphenicol(40%),and Tetracycline(20%). S.epidermidis show highly sensitive to Erythromycin(100%),Vancomycin (100%), and Cefotaxim(70%) and highly resistant to the drugs Chloromphenicol(45%), Augmentin(45%),Gentamycin (10%), and Tetracycline(10%).It is concluded that S.epidemidis rankes the first( 28)among the isolates and S.aureus ranke the 2nd .All isolates were highly resistant to Chloramphenicol and highly sensitive to Erythromycine

OPTIMIZATION AND EVALUATION OF CHLORPHENIRAMINE MALEATE ORAL STRIP FOR PEDIATRIC USE

Objective: The goal of performing this study is to prepare an oral strip, especially designed for pediatric use that provides fast onset of action with ease of swallowing particularly for young individuals who suffer from difficulty of swallowing, in addition provides maximum therapeutic effectiveness by reducing the first pass effect.Materials and Methods: The oral strip was prepared by solvent casting technique through using different sole polymers (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose [HPMC] 15cp, HPMC 50cp, polyvinyl alcohol, and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose). Maltodextrin (MD) was added as the secondary polymer in different ratios to optimize the release parameters, and disintegration time (DT), three different plasticizers were employed (propylene glycol, dibutyl phthalate, and glycerin) to boost the film forming polymer characteristics.Results: From this study, it is obvious that F10 which composed of HPMC as a main polymer and MD as a secondary polymer in ratio 2:1, respectively, provides adequate physicochemical characteristics, in vivo/in vitro DT (40/36 s), respectively, nevertheless a satisfactory release parameters as (59.9%) released at 2 min and 80% of drug released at 14.8 min.Conclusion: The optimized formula is pretty encouraging to originate an oral strip that provides ease of administration, fast onset of action with wide acceptance for the pediatric population

Frequency Dependent Rheology of Vesicular Rhyolite

Frequency dependent rheology of magmas may result from the presence of inclusions (bubbles, crystals) in the melt and/or from viscoelastic behavior of the melt itself. With the addition of deformable inclusions to a melt possessing viscoelastic properties one might expect changes in the relaxation spectrum of the shear stresses of the material (e.g., broadening of the relaxation spectrum) resulting from the viscously deformable geometry of the second phase. We have begun to investigate the effect of bubbles on the frequency dependent rheology of rhyolite melt. The present study deals with the rheology of bubble-free and vesicular rhyolite melts containing spherical voids of 10 and 30 vol %. We used a sinusoidal torsion deformation device. Vesicular rhyolite melts were generated by the melting (at 1 bar) of an Armenian obsidian (Dry Fountain, Erevan, Armenia) and Little Glass Mountain obsidian (California). The real and imaginary parts of shear viscosity and shear modulus have been determined in a frequency range of 0.005–10 Hz and temperature range of 600°–900°C. The relaxed shear viscosities of samples obtained at low frequencies and high temperatures compare well with data previously obtained by parallel plate viscometry. The relaxed shear viscosity of vesicular rhyolites decreases progressively with increasing bubble content. The relaxation spectrum for rhyolite melt without bubbles has an asymmetric form and fits an extended exponent relaxation. The presence of deformable bubbles results in an imaginary component of the shear modulus that becomes more symmetrical and extends into the low-frequency/high-temperature range. The internal friction Q −1 is unaffected in the high-frequency/low-temperature range by the presence of bubbles and depends on the bubble content in the high-temperature/low-frequency range. The present work, in combination with the previous study of Stein and Spera (1992), illustrates that magma viscosity can either increase or decrease with bubble content, depending upon the rate of style of strain during magmatic flow

Increasing Power by Sharing Information from Genetic Background and Treatment in Clustering of Gene Expression Time Series

هذا البحث يطوير طريقة تجميع جديدة تسمح لكل مجموعة لتكون بارامتريسد وفقا لما إذا كان سلوك الجينات عبر الظروف مترابطة أو غير مترابطة. من خلال تحديد الارتباط بين هذه الجينات، والمزيد من المعلومات هو كسب داخل المجموعة حول كيفية الجينات المترابطة. التصلب الجانبي الضموري (ألس) هو اضطراب عصبي لا رجعة فيه يقتل الخلايا العصبية الحركية ويؤدي إلى الموت في غضون 2-3 سنوات من بداية الأعراض. سرعة التقدم لمرضى مختلفة غير متجانسة مع تباين كبير. أظهرت الفئران المعدلة وراثيا SOD1G93A من خلفيات مختلفة (129Sv و C57) الاختلافات الظواهر ثابتة لتطور المرض. التسلسل الهرمي للعمليات الغوسية المستخدمة لتشكيل نموذجية محددة وجينات محددة التباين المشترك بين الجينات. وأظهرت هذه الدراسة حول العثور على بعض ملامح التعبير الجيني هامة ومجموعات من تعبيرات الجينات المرتبطة أو المشتركة معا من أربع مجموعات من البيانات (SOD1G93A و نتغ من 129Sv و C57 الخلفيات). وتظهر دراستنا فعالية تبادل المعلومات بين المكررات وظروف نموذج مختلفة عند النمذجة الجينات سلسلة الوقت التعبير. المزيد من الجينات إثراء تحليل النتيجة وتحليل مسار الأنطولوجيا من بعض المجموعات المحددة لمجموعة معينة قد يؤدي نحو تحديد الميزات الكامنة وراء سرعة التفاضلية تطور المرض.Clustering of gene expression time series gives insight into which genes may be co-regulated, allowing us to discern the activity of pathways in a given microarray experiment. Of particular interest is how a given group of genes varies with different conditions or genetic background. This paper develops a new clustering method that allows each cluster to be parameterised according to whether the behaviour of the genes across conditions is correlated or anti-correlated. By specifying correlation between such genes,more information is gain within the cluster about how the genes interrelate. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disorder that kills the motor neurons and results in death within 2 to 3 years from the symptom onset. Speed of progression for different patients are heterogeneous with significant variability. The SOD1G93A transgenic mice from different backgrounds (129Sv and C57) showed consistent phenotypic differences for disease progression. A hierarchy of Gaussian isused processes to model condition-specific and gene-specific temporal co-variances. This study demonstrated about finding some significant gene expression profiles and clusters of associated or co-regulated gene expressions together from four groups of data (SOD1G93A and Ntg from 129Sv and C57 backgrounds). Our study shows the effectiveness of sharing information between replicates and different model conditions when modelling gene expression time series. Further gene enrichment score analysis and ontology pathway analysis of some specified clusters for a particular group may lead toward identifying features underlying the differential speed of disease progression

Stochastic climate theory and modeling

Stochastic methods are a crucial area in contemporary climate research and are increasingly being used in comprehensive weather and climate prediction models as well as reduced order climate models. Stochastic methods are used as subgrid-scale parameterizations (SSPs) as well as for model error representation, uncertainty quantification, data assimilation, and ensemble prediction. The need to use stochastic approaches in weather and climate models arises because we still cannot resolve all necessary processes and scales in comprehensive numerical weather and climate prediction models. In many practical applications one is mainly interested in the largest and potentially predictable scales and not necessarily in the small and fast scales. For instance, reduced order models can simulate and predict large-scale modes. Statistical mechanics and dynamical systems theory suggest that in reduced order models the impact of unresolved degrees of freedom can be represented by suitable combinations of deterministic and stochastic components and non-Markovian (memory) terms. Stochastic approaches in numerical weather and climate prediction models also lead to the reduction of model biases. Hence, there is a clear need for systematic stochastic approaches in weather and climate modeling. In this review, we present evidence for stochastic effects in laboratory experiments. Then we provide an overview of stochastic climate theory from an applied mathematics perspective. We also survey the current use of stochastic methods in comprehensive weather and climate prediction models and show that stochastic parameterizations have the potential to remedy many of the current biases in these comprehensive models

De Novo Transcriptome Assembly and Comparative Analysis Elucidate Complicated Mechanism Regulating Astragalus chrysochlorus Response to Selenium Stimuli

Astragalus species are medicinal plants that are used in the world for years. Some Astragalus species are known for selenium accumulation and tolerance and one of them is Astragalus chrysochlorus, a secondary selenium accumulator. In this study, we employed Illumina deep sequencing technology for the first time to de novo assemble A. chrysochlorus transcriptome and identify the differentially expressed genes after selenate treatment. Totally, 59,656 unigenes were annotated with different databases and 53,960 unigenes were detected in NR database. Transcriptome in A. chrysochlorus is closer to Glycine max than other plant species with 43,1 percentage of similarity. Annotated unigenes were also used for gene ontology enrichment and pathway enrichment analysis. The most significant genes and pathways were ABC transporters, plant pathogen interaction, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and carbohydrate metabolism. Our results will help to enlighten the selenium accumulation and tolerance mechanisms, respectively in plants

Teratology Primer-2nd Edition (7/9/2010)

Foreword: What is Teratology? “What a piece of work is an embryo!” as Hamlet might have said. “In form and moving how express and admirable! In complexity how infinite!” It starts as a single cell, which by repeated divisions gives rise to many genetically identical cells. These cells receive signals from their surroundings and from one another as to where they are in this ball of cells —front or back, right or left, headwards or tailwards, and what they are destined to become. Each cell commits itself to being one of many types; the cells migrate, combine into tissues, or get out of the way by dying at predetermined times and places. The tissues signal one another to take their own pathways; they bend, twist, and form organs. An organism emerges. This wondrous transformation from single celled simplicity to myriad-celled complexity is programmed by genes that, in the greatest mystery of all, are turned on and off at specified times and places to coordinate the process. It is a wonder that this marvelously emergent operation, where there are so many opportunities for mistakes, ever produces a well-formed and functional organism. And sometimes it doesn’t. Mistakes occur. Defective genes may disturb development in ways that lead to death or to malformations. Extrinsic factors may do the same. “Teratogenic” refers to factors that cause malformations, whether they be genes or environmental agents. The word comes from the Greek “teras,” for “monster,” a term applied in ancient times to babies with severe malformations, which were considered portents or, in the Latin, “monstra.” Malformations can happen in many ways. For example, when the neural plate rolls up to form the neural tube, it may not close completely, resulting in a neural tube defect—anencephaly if the opening is in the head region, or spina bifida if it is lower down. The embryonic processes that form the face may fail to fuse, resulting in a cleft lip. Later, the shelves that will form the palate may fail to move from the vertical to the horizontal, where they should meet in the midline and fuse, resulting in a cleft palate. Or they may meet, but fail to fuse, with the same result. The forebrain may fail to induce the overlying tissue to form the eye, so there is no eye (anophthalmia). The tissues between the toes may fail to break down as they should, and the toes remain webbed. Experimental teratology flourished in the 19th century, and embryologists knew well that the development of bird and frog embryos could be deranged by environmental “insults,” such as lack of oxygen (hypoxia). But the mammalian uterus was thought to be an impregnable barrier that would protect the embryo from such threats. By exclusion, mammalian malformations must be genetic, it was thought. In the early 1940s, several events changed this view. In Australia an astute ophthalmologist, Norman Gregg, established a connection between maternal rubella (German measles) and the triad of cataracts, heart malformations, and deafness. In Cincinnati Josef Warkany, an Austrian pediatrician showed that depriving female rats of vitamin B (riboflavin) could cause malformations in their offspring— one of the early experimental demonstrations of a teratogen. Warkany was trying to produce congenital cretinism by putting the rats on an iodine deficient diet. The diet did indeed cause malformations, but not because of the iodine deficiency; depleting the diet of iodine had also depleted it of riboflavin! Several other teratogens were found in experimental animals, including nitrogen mustard (an anti cancer drug), trypan blue (a dye), and hypoxia (lack of oxygen). The pendulum was swinging back; it seemed that malformations were not genetically, but environmentally caused. In Montreal, in the early 1950s, Clarke Fraser’s group wanted to bring genetics back into the picture. They had found that treating pregnant mice with cortisone caused cleft palate in the offspring, and showed that the frequency was high in some strains and low in others. The only difference was in the genes. So began “teratogenetics,” the study of how genes influence the embryo’s susceptibility to teratogens. The McGill group went on to develop the idea that an embryo’s genetically determined, normal, pattern of development could influence its susceptibility to a teratogen— the multifactorial threshold concept. For instance, an embryo must move its palate shelves from vertical to horizontal before a certain critical point or they will not meet and fuse. A teratogen that causes cleft palate by delaying shelf movement beyond this point is more likely to do so in an embryo whose genes normally move its shelves late. As studies of the basis for abnormal development progressed, patterns began to appear, and the principles of teratology were developed. These stated, in summary, that the probability of a malformation being produced by a teratogen depends on the dose of the agent, the stage at which the embryo is exposed, and the genotype of the embryo and mother. The number of mammalian teratogens grew, and those who worked with them began to meet from time to time, to talk about what they were finding, leading, in 1960, to the formation of the Teratology Society. There were, of course, concerns about whether these experimental teratogens would be a threat to human embryos, but it was thought, by me at least, that they were all “sledgehammer blows,” that would be teratogenic in people only at doses far above those to which human embryos would be exposed. So not to worry, or so we thought. Then came thalidomide, a totally unexpected catastrophe. The discovery that ordinary doses of this supposedly “harmless” sleeping pill and anti-nauseant could cause severe malformations in human babies galvanized this new field of teratology. Scientists who had been quietly working in their laboratories suddenly found themselves spending much of their time in conferences and workshops, sitting on advisory committees, acting as consultants for pharmaceutical companies, regulatory agencies, and lawyers, as well as redesigning their research plans. The field of teratology and developmental toxicology expanded rapidly. The following pages will show how far we have come, and how many important questions still remain to be answered. A lot of effort has gone into developing ways to predict how much of a hazard a particular experimental teratogen would be to the human embryo (chapters 9–19). It was recognized that animal studies might not prove a drug was “safe” for the human embryo (in spite of great pressure from legislators and the public to do so), since species can vary in their responses to teratogenic exposures. A number of human teratogens have been identified, and some, suspected of teratogenicity, have been exonerated—at least of a detectable risk (chapters 21–32). Regulations for testing drugs before market release have greatly improved (chapter 14). Other chapters deal with how much such things as population studies (chapter 11), post-marketing surveillance (chapter 13), and systems biology (chapter 16) add to our understanding. And, in a major advance, the maternal role of folate in preventing neural tube defects and other birth defects is being exploited (chapter 32). Encouraging women to take folic acid supplements and adding folate to flour have produced dramatic falls in the frequency of neural tube defects in many parts of the world. Progress has been made not only in the use of animal studies to predict human risks, but also to illumine how, and under what circumstances, teratogens act to produce malformations (chapters 2–8). These studies have contributed greatly to our knowledge of abnormal and also normal development. Now we are beginning to see exactly when and where the genes turn on and off in the embryo, to appreciate how they guide development and to gain exciting new insights into how genes and teratogens interact. The prospects for progress in the war on birth defects were never brighter. F. Clarke Fraser McGill University (Emeritus) Montreal, Quebec, Canad