A virtual linear accelerator is implemented into a commercial pencil-beam-based treatment planning system (TPS) with the purpose of investigating the possibility of verifying the system using a Monte Carlo method. The characterization set for the TPS includes depth doses, profiles and output factors, which is generated by Monte Carlo simulations. The advantage of this method over conventional meas

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common movement disorder. The neuropathology is characterized by the loss of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Transplants of fetal/embryonic midbrain tissue have exhibited some beneficial clinical effects in open-label trials. Neural grafting has, however, not become a standard treatment for several reasons. First, the supply of donor cel

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the influences of gestational age, the choice of fetal fluid compartment, and the algorithm for calculation on the estimation of the base deficit in umbilical cord arterial blood Lit birth. Study design: From 1995 to 2002, cord arterial blood gases and obstetric data were available for 43,551 newborn infants at 37 + weeks of gestation (cohort 1).

The few studies that have investigated levels of genetic variation in liverworts have found very little polymorphism. Our electrophoretic data show, however, that the leafy liverwort Porella platyphylla maintains high levels of genetic variation in at least some natural populations from the southeastern United States. Within a single population from southwestern North Carolina, we detected 26 dist

Savannas are globally important ecosystems of great significance to human economies. In these biomes, which are characterized by the co-dominance of trees and grasses, woody cover is a chief determinant of ecosystem properties(1-3). The availability of resources ( water, nutrients) and disturbance regimes ( fire, herbivory) are thought to be important in regulating woody cover(1,2,4,5), but percep

The main aim of the present study was to investigate whether or not temperament dimensions are stable over time. Twenty-six patients (21 women and five men) filled in the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) both at admission after a suicide attempt (index) and at follow-up 5 years later. KSP changes were significantly associated with low severity of psychiatric symptoms and no reported reattemp

An airfreight container with automated instruments for measurement of atmospheric gases and trace compounds was operated on a monthly basis onboard a Boeing 767-300 ER of LTU International Airways during long-distance flights from 1997 to 2002 (CARIBIC, Civil Aircraft for Regular Investigation of the Atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container, http://www.caribic-atmospheric.com). Subsequently a m

Water uptake and release characteristics of PMMA cement containing the water-soluble contrast media iohexol or iodixanol have been investigated. The water uptake study revealed that iohexol had the highest uptake of water (3.7%) and that iodixanol had an uptake close to that of Palacos(R) R (2.3% and 1.9%). The curves obtained showed the materials to follow classic diffusion theory, with an initia

The dust detector system on board the Galileo spacecraft recorded dust impacts in circumjovian space during the craft's orbital mission about Jupiter. This is the eighth in a series of papers dedicated to presenting Galileo and Ulysses dust data. We present data from the Galileo dust instrument for the period January 1997-December 1999 when the spacecraft completed 21 revolutions about Jupiter. In

A method based on hollow fiber supported liquid membrane extraction coupled with a gas chromatograph equipped with flame ionization detector (GC-FID) was developed for the determination of six short-chain fatty acids including acetic acid, propionic acid, i-butyric acid, n-butyric acid, i-valeric acid and n-valeric acid in serum. Hollow fiber supported liquid membrane extraction was employed for p

To study the influence of surgical trauma on the XaI and IIaI activity after injection of a low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) 24 patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy received one subcutaneous injection of the LMWH Fragmin. Each group of eight patients received either 2,500 or 5,000 XaI U 2 h before operation or 5,000 XaI U 10 h before surgery. For comparison an additional eight patients

In studies of the effects of different training programmes, one muscle--most commonly the vastus lateralis--is used for the experiment while the contralateral muscle serves as a control, at the same time as muscle biopsies are taken from both sides. In order to increase the reliability of such studies, the sources and the magnitude of the sampling errors in the biopsy techniques need to be assesse

Protein kinase B (PKB) (also referred to as RAC/Akt kinase) has been shown to be controlled by various growth factors, including insulin, using cell lines and transfected cells. However, information is so far scarce regarding its regulation in primary insulin-responsive cells. We have therefore used isolated rat adipocytes to examine the mechanisms, including membrane translocation, whereby insuli

Mediatorless (direct) electron transfer between Myrothecium verrucaria bilirubin oxidase and spectroscopic graphite electrode has been demonstrated. The electrochemical activity of the enzyme under aerobic and anaerobic conditions is clearly shown using cyclic voltammetry. It is concluded that the T1 site of the enzyme is the first electron acceptor, both in solution (homogenous case) and when the

The CO2 source and sink distribution across Europe can be estimated in principle through inverse methods by combining CO2 observations and atmospheric transport models. Uncertainties of such estimates are mainly due to insufficient spatiotemporal coverage of CO2 observations and biases of the models. In order to assess the biases related to the use of different models the CO2 concentration field o

Objectives This study examined the degree to which long workhours in combination with an extended workweek (12 hours/7 days) with permanent day shifts (0700-1900), as requested by the workers, influenced biomarkers for stress, metabolic processes, and diurnal rhythm. Methods Construction workers (N=50) working 84 hours a week, with alternate weeks off, were compared with construction workers (N=25

It was previously shown that letrozole (Femara(R)) was significantly more potent than anastrozole (Arimidex(R)) in inhibiting aromatase activity in vitro and in inhibiting total body aromatisation in patients with breast cancer. The objective of this study was to compare letrozole (2.5 mg per day) and anastrozole (1 mg per day) as endocrine therapy in postmenopausal women with advanced breast canc