In recent years, median regression models have been shown to be useful for analyzing a variety of censored survival data in clinical trials. For inference on the regression parameter, there have been a variety of semiparametric procedures. However, the accuracy of such procedures in terms of coverage probability can be quite low when the censoring rate is heavy. In this paper, based on weighted...

OBJECTIVES This study illuminated the meanings of existential loneliness (EL) as narrated by frail older people. METHOD Data were collected through individual narrative interviews with 23 people 76-101 years old receiving long-term care and services. A phenomenological hermeneutical analysis was performed, including a naïve reading and two structural analyses as a basis for a comprehensive un...

The method of dynamic imaging of diffusion (DID)-ESR (electron spin resonance) has been utilized to study the anisotropy of translational diffusion of spin probes in the smectic A phase of a eutectic liquid crystal, S2. In particular, the nearly spherical perdeuterated-TEMPONE (PDT) and the rigid and elongated cholestane spin label (CSL) molecules were studied. Whereas D1 (the coefficient of di...

Patients with obstructive lung disease are exposed to expiratory loads (ELs) and dynamic hyperinflation as a consequence of expiratory flow limitation. To understand how these alterations in lung mechanics might affect cardiac function, we examined the influence of a 10-cm H2O EL, alone and in combination with voluntary hyperinflation (ELH), on pulmonary pressures [esophageal (Pes) and gastric ...

Colon-targeted drug delivery systems (CTDDSs) could be useful for local treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). In this study, various interpolyelectrolyte complexes (IPECs), formed between Eudragit RL100 (EL) and chitosan (CS), by nonstoichiometric method, and tablets based on the IPECs, prepared by wet granulation, were evaluated as potential oral CTDDSs for ibuprofen (IBF). Results ...

Although anomalous episodic warming of the eastern equatorial Pacific, dubbed El Niño by Peruvian fishermen, has major (and occasionally devastating) impacts around the globe, robust forecasting is still limited to about 6 mo ahead. A significant extension of the prewarning time would be instrumental for avoiding some of the worst damages such as harvest failures in developing countries. Here w...

Three different classes of numerical models successfully predicted the occurrence of the El Niño of 1986-87 at lead times of 3 to 9 months. Although the magnitude and timing of predicted ocean surface temperatures were not perfect, these results suggest that routine prediction of moderate to lare El Niño events is feasible. The key to the success of the models lies in recognizing or simulating ...

Based on Lucas functions, an improved version of Diffie-hellman key distribution, El Gamal public key crypto-system scheme and El Gamal signature scheme are proposed, together with an implementation and computational cost. The security relies on the difficulty of factoring an RSA integer and on the difficulty of computing the discrete logarithm. Introduction In [1], Diffie and Hellman introduce...

Final conditioning of 25mm thick dried E. camaldulensis lumber was carried out in small capacity batch drying kiln in laboratory, and the elastic (EL) strain and mechano-sorptive (MS) strain was analyzed by slicing method. Mean moisture content(MC) of boards increases 2.5-3.0%, while surface MC increases from 9.8% to 14.2% and center MC always keeps at 12.3% or so. Difference of each slice oven...

An isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) procedure was developed for the dissolution rate studies and quantitative determination of valdecoxib in solid dosage forms and in active pharmaceutical ingredient. HPLC separation was carried out by reversed phase chromatography on a Synergi® fusion C18 column (150 mm x 4.6 mm i.d.; 4 μm particle size), held at 30 oC. The mobile phase ...