Ferrous sulphate gel dosimetry has the potential for measurement of absorbed dose distributions in proton therapy. The chemical properties of the gel are altered according to the radiation dose and these changes can be evaluated in three dimensions using MRI. The purpose of this work was to investigate the properties of a ferrous gel used with clinical proton beams. The gel was irradiated with bot

This paper discusses different design techniques for stated preference surveys in health economic applications. In particular, we focus on different design techniques, i.e. how to combine the attribute levels into alternatives and choice sets, for choice experiments. Design is a vital issue in choice experiments since the combination of alternatives in the choice sets will determine the degree of

The colorimetric variations induced upon changes in interfacial refractive index of nanoscale noble metal structures exhibiting localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) provides a convenient means of label-free, affinity-based detection of biomolecular recognition reactions. However, despite being similar in nature to conventional SPR, LSPR has so far suffered from significantly lower data quali

Growth hormone (GH) has been used as anabolic therapy to treat catabolic patients. In a recent study, however, administration of high doses of GH to critically ill adults was associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality. Preponderance of septic shock and uncontrolled infections as causes of death in these patients suggests an immuno-modulatory effect of GH. Our hypothesis was that GH tre

In this paper, which was prepared as part of IEA Bioenergy Task XV (“Greenhouse Gas Balances of Bioenergy Systems”), we outline a standard methodology for comparing the greenhouse gas balances of bioenergy systems with those of fossil energy systems. Emphasis is on a careful definition of system boundaries. The following issues are dealt with in detail: time interval analysed and changes of carbon

The effects of Collembola grazing activities on the ectomycorrhizal symbiosis were studied in laboratory microcosms. Pinus contorta seedlings in association with Paxillus involutus were grown in a sandy soil and the Collembola Onychiurus armatus was added in different densities. To study effects on nutrient uptake by the extramatrical mycorrhizal mycelium, cups containing 15NH4+ and phytin amended

We argue that the group-centred analyses of social epidemiology should follow from theoretical considerations that take the situation of the individual as their natural starting point. In a tentative dialogue between economics and sociology, we develop a framework for the analysis of health-related behaviour. Such behaviour is modelled as a process of decision-making at the individual level. Withi

Electronic and structural properties of Sb-induced GaAs(100)(2x4) and (2x8) surfaces are studied by means of core-level and valence-band photoelectron spectroscopy utilizing synchrotron radiation and scanning tunneling microscopy. Combining these results and showing good consistency among them, we demonstrate that the Sb/GaAs(100)(2x4) surface is well compatible with the delta structural model, wh

Until recently there was no information available on the prevalence of atopic dermatitis in Greenland. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of atopic dermatitis in younger schoolchildren in Greenland. In the autumn of 2000 we used our previously elaborated questionnaire in a cross-sectional study of 954 schoolchildren aged 7 - 8 years, who lived in five Greenlandic towns. The findings wer

Many nitrosamines are suspected of being human carcinogens, with the highest concentrations in the environment being measured in the rubber industry. Time trends of personal exposure to N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and to N-nitrosomorpholine (NMor) during the past two decades in the German rubber industry were analysed and compared with cross-sectional studies in the same period in the Netherland

Isotoma klovstadi Carpenter, 1902 was one of the first Collembola described from the Antarctic continent. It was first collected in November 1899 during the British Antarctic Expedition on the north coast of Victoria Land in the Ross Sea region. It is now known to occur in an extensive area of northern Victoria Land, including the offshore Possession, Coulman, and Foyn Islands. More recently, L kl

The determination of drug-protein binding and free drug concentration in plasma applying the equilibrium sampling through membrane (ESTM) technique has been studied using supported liquid membrane extraction in a single hollow fibre without any membrane carrier. In the extraction setup, the donor phase (plasma or buffer) was placed in the vial, into which was immersed the hollow fibre with the acc

Purpose. The aim of this study was to describe the treatment from other people as experienced by people with moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their close relatives. Method. Twelve people with moderate or severe TBI and eight of their close relatives were interviewed. The interviews were analysed using thematic content analysis. Results. The results were described by the means of

The aim was to elucidate families' lived experience during a child's cancer treatment. Interviews were conducted with members of 11 affected families. A hermeneutical phenomenological approach was chosen. "Focus on the ill child-An everyday struggle" emerged as an essential theme. The families' lived experience of daily life was described as "feeling drained," "disrupting family life," "feeling lo

From a copper target, laser-ablated plasma was investigated by spectral- and temporal-resolved emission spectroscopy. With the presence of a 0.8T steady magnetic field, the emission of the expanding plasma showed significant enhancements of the spectral lines for all neutral, singly, and doubly ionized species. The relative enhancements for different species have been studied with temporal-resolve

OBJECTIVE: Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is known to exert a positive effect in preventing bone loss and a beneficial effect on the disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We evaluated the effects of HRT on bone mineral density (BMD) and on the course of established RA. METHODS: Eighty-eight postmenopausal women with RA were randomly allocated to receive HRT, vitamin D3, and calcium sup