Geometric measure of mixing of quantum state

We define the geometric measure of mixing of quantum state as a minimal Hilbert-Schmidt distance between the mixed state and a set of pure states. An explicit expression for the geometric measure is obtained. It is interesting that this expression corresponds to the squared Euclidian distance between the mixed state and the pure one in space of eigenvalues of the density matrix. As an example, geometric measure of mixing for spin-1/2 states is calculated.Comment: 4 page

Geometric characteristics of quantum evolution: curvature and torsion

We study characteristics of quantum evolution which can be called curvature and torsion. The curvature shows a deviation of the state vector in quantum evolution from the geodesic line. The torsion shows a deviation of state vector from the plane of evolution (a two-dimensional subspace) at a given time.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur

Pengelolaan Ekosistem Untuk Pengendalian Hama Lada

Ecosystem Management for Controlling Black Pepper PestPest is one of the obstacles of black pepper production in Indonesia. The pest attacks all parts of the plant such as inflorescens, fruits, shoots, branches and stems at nursery as well as in the field. In Indonesia black pepper was infested by 3 species of pests, namely stem borer, Lophobaris piperis Marsh, pepper berry bug, Dasynus piperis China and lace bug, Diconocoris hewetti (Dist.). The population of stem borers always presents in the field with different stages (egg, larvae, pupa and adult), while lace bug and pepper berry bug are found in the field during flowering and fruit stages. Control of black pepper pests by farmers is usually using syntetic pesticide. Other alternative to manage black pepper pest namely ecosystem management and natural enemy such as parasitoid. To increase the natural enemy population can be done by natural enemie conservation through cover crops, mix cropping and limited weeding. Arachis sp., Orthosiphon sp., Ocimum sp. and Coffea sp. plants can be used in cropping system with black pepper

Patient preferences for adherence to treatment for osteoarthritis: The MEdication Decisions in Osteoarthritis Study (MEDOS)

Background: Often affecting knee joints, osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis and by 2020 is predicted to become the fourth leading cause of disability globally. Without cure, medication management is symptomatic, mostly with simple analgesics such as acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and glucosamine sulfate. Adherence to arthritis medications is generally low. Intentional non-adherence, that is deliberate decision-making about the use of analgesics, occurs in OA patients. To date, a limited number of studies have explored medication-taking decisions in people with OA nor the extent to which individuals' trade off one treatment factor for another in their decision-making using quantitative techniques. This study aimed to estimate the relative influence of medication-related factors and respondent characteristics on decisions to continue medications among people with symptomatic OA. Methods. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted among participants attending end-of-study visits in the Long-term Evaluation of Glucosamine Sulfate (LEGS) study (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT00513422). The paper-based survey was used to estimate the relative importance of seven medication specific factors (pain efficacy, mode of action, dose frequency, treatment schedule, side effects, prescription, and out-of-pocket costs) and respondent characteristics on decisions to continue medications. Results: 188 (response rate 37%) completed surveys were returned. Four of the seven medication factors (side effects, out-of-pocket costs, mode of action, treatment schedule) had a significant effect on the choice to continue medication; patient characteristics did not. Assuming equivalent pain efficacy and disease-modifying properties for glucosamine, the positive relative likelihood of continuing with sustained-release acetaminophen was equivalent to glucosamine. By contrast, the negative relative likelihood of NSAID continuation was mostly driven by the side effect profile. The predicted probability of continuing with glucosamine decreased with increasing out-of-pocket costs. Conclusions: This study has characterised the complexity of medication-taking decisions that potentially underpin intentional non-adherent behaviour for people with symptomatic OA. In particular, medication risks and cost were important and ought to be borne into considerations in interpreting clinical trial evidence for practice. Ultimately addressing these factors may be the way forward to realising the full potential of health and economic benefits from the efficacious and safe use of OA medications. © 2013 Laba et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Traffic to the inner membrane of the nuclear envelope

Past research has yielded valuable insight into the mechanisms that regulate the nuclear transport of soluble molecules like transcription factors and mRNA. Much less is known about the mechanisms responsible for the transportation of membrane proteins to the inner membrane of the nuclear envelope. The key question is: does the facilitated transport of integral inner membrane proteins exist in the same way as it does for soluble proteins and, if so, what is it used for? Herein, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on traffic to the inner nuclear membrane, and make a case that: (a) known sorting signals and molecular mechanisms in membrane protein biogenesis, membrane protein traffic and nuclear transport are also relevant with respect to INM traffic; and (b) the interplay of the effects of these signals and molecular mechanisms is what determines the rates of traffic to the INM

Parameter Kehidupan Dan Demografi Kepik, Diconocoris Hewetti (Dist.) (Hemiptera: Tingidae) Pada Dua Varietas Lada

Life parameters and demographic of bug peper laceDiconocoris hewetti (Dist.) (Hemiptera: Tingidae) on twopepper varietiesPepper lace bug (PLB), Diconocoris hewetti (Dist.) (Hemiptera:Tingidae), is one of the insect pests attacking pepper in Indonesia.Research was conducted with the objective to compare various life historyand demographic parameters of PLB on two pepper varieties. The effectof two pepper varieties on various life parameters and demographic ofPLB was conducted in green house and farmer field on Bangka Island,since October 2003 to February 2004. The experiment covered the effectof LDL and Chunuk varieties on eggs and nymphal development, maleand female adults longivity and fecundity. Besides the effect ofdevelopment stage on inflorescence, shoots and young berries to adultslongivity were observed. The effect of varieties to demographic parametersof PLB was studied by rearing the bugs since egg to adult laid eggs. Theresult revealed that difference variety was influenced life history anddemographic parameters of PLB. Nymphal development time of PLB were17.3 and 13.0 days, male adult longivity 10.2 and 18.8 days, female adultlongivity 13.6 and 16.9 days, fecundity 13.9 and 24.5 eggs per female,respectively on Chunuk and LDL. The life history of PLB adult was longeron stage-3 inflorescences than stage-1 or stage-2. The intrinsic rates ofincrease (r) were 0.0741 and 0.0827, net reproductive rate (Ro) 6.98 and8.52, mean generation time (T) 26.21 and 25.91 days, finite rate ofincrease (λ) 1.0769 and 1.0862 on Chunuk and LDLrespectively.Generally, variety LDL was much better food source for thedevelopment of D. hewetti. If there were no inflorescences available, thePLB was able to survive by feeding on shoots or young berries. Adultlongivity was 12.1 days on shoots and 23.5 days on young berries. Theimplication of this research is as the basic information in the next researchfor PLB control