In a certain journal covering radiation oncology, it was noted by a student that, in 2009, there were 50% fewer articles about gamma knife radiation machines than there were in 2008. Most major hospitals replaced their older gamma knife technology with a newer iteration of the technology in 2009, a process that required several months. Consequently, the student assumed the decline in articles was due to the equipment changeover.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the student’s assumption?

A) Safety regulations regarding the operation of gamma knife equipment were recently relaxed, due to new research proving the technology was safer than previously thought.
B) All the articles about gamma knife technology that were submitted to the journal in 2009 were accepted and published.
C) In 2009, the journal implemented a new editorial policy that required new articles to undergo a time-consuming and rigorous peer-approval process before publication.
D) In 2008, the journal was published in 16 languages, while in 2009, it was published in 20languages.
E) Gamma knife equipment, due to its delicate nature, can only support one research experiment per year.