The use of a transport system for out-oftreatment room set-up in external beam radiotherapy has been verified. We have looked into the vibrations which a patient is subject to during movement of the trolley as well as the accuracy achieved when using a reclining table for patient set-up and immobilization. The accuracy that can be achieved by the reclining approach is compared to conventional meth

In two papers, Pekala et al. (2010a, 2010b) reviewed and empirically assessed the relationships among response expectancies, hypnotic suggestibility, spontaneous alterations in consciousness following a hypnotic induction, and hypnotic depth. We appreciate their attempt to integrate diverse facets of hypnotic responding and reconcile seemingly competing accounts of hypnosis. In addition, we applau

This paper elaborates on the debate whether safety investigations are obsolete and should be replaced by more modern safety assessment approaches. Despite their past performance, in particular in aviation, accident investigations are criticized for their reactive nature and the lack of learning potential they provide. Although safety management systems are considered a modern method with a more pr

Background: Endothelial dysfunction plays a central role in atherosclerotic progression and cardiovascular complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Given the role of nitric oxide in the vascular system, we aimed to test hypotheses of synergy between the common endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) Asp(298) allele and T2DM in predisposing to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: I

The feasibility of applying laser-induced phosphorescence in a combustion environment was shown by testing the consistency of the emission-temperature relations of thermographic phosphor particles (YAG:Dy). The relations were calibrated before and after the phosphor particles had passed a flame front. The calibrations were performed in air and in pure oxygen. The emission-temperature relation prev

Molecular interactions for proline in a highly concentrated aqueous solution (up to 1:5 proline:water molecular ratio) have been investigated using a variety of experimental and computational techniques. Rather than the solution containing either small crystallites or large aggregates of proline, three-dimensional structural analysis reveals the presence of prolineproline dimers. These dimers appe

The use of longitudinal historical micro-level demographic data for research presents many challenges. The Intermediate Data Structure (IDS) was developed to try to solve some of these challenges by facilitating the storing and sharing of such data. This article proposes an extension to the IDS, which allows the standardization and storage of constructed variables. It also describes how to produce

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by a specific chromosome translocation, and its pathobiology is considered comparatively well understood. Thus, quantitative analysis of CML and its progression to blast crisis may help elucidate general mechanisms of carcinogenesis and cancer progression. Hitherto, it has been widely postulated that CML blast crisis originates mainly via cell-autono

Experimental research on the orientation of migratory songbirds is traditionally conducted using orientation funnels or automatic registration cages that record the directional activity of individual birds on paper or a computer. Most traditionally used funnel and cage designs do not permit investigators to observe detailed behavior of the birds and, therefore, we have gained little insight into t

An automated routine for the continuous calibration of thermographic phosphors was developed as a replacement for the conventional calibration scheme that relied on fixed temperature points. The automated calibration routine was validated using Mg 3 F 2 GeO 4 :Mn as a calibration phosphor. Hardware and software aspects of the calibration process were addressed in this development. The hardware asp

Evidence is accumulating that the pathogenesis of many diseases is triggered by inappropriate inflammatory responses. These serious complications may occur when the tightly regulated inflammatory network is out of balance and it is now clear that this can eventually cause substantial harm to own cells and tissues. Successful infectious agents have evolved an enormous repertoire of modulatory mecha

BACKGROUND: In humans, inorganic arsenic is metabolized to methylated metabolites mainly by arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase (AS3MT). AS3MT polymorphisms are associated with arsenic metabolism efficiency. Recently, a putative N-6-adenine-specific DNA methyltransferase 1 (N6AMT1) was found to methylate arsenic in vitro. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the role of N6AMT1 polymorphisms in arsen

We consider the problem of choosing the holding cost in inventory models. Traditionally, the cost of holding inventory is assumed to increase linearly with a rate that is equal to a percentage of the product value. This since the capital cost is believed to make up the main part of the cost. However, recent research indicates that this is not necessarily the case. In the present work, we present a