Formation of Direct and Enzymatic DNA Double-Strand Breaks in the Presence of Repair Inhibitors after Exposure to Radiations of Different Quality

With the use of the DNA comet assay and immunocytochemical staining, regularities have been studied in the induction and repair of DNA double-strand breaks(DSBs) in human cells after exposure to ⁶⁰Co γ-rays and accelerated heavy ions with different linear energy transfer (LET) in the presence of the DNA repair inhibitors cytosine arabinoside and hydroxyurea. It is shown that for heavy ions the agents’ modifying effect decreases with increasing particles’ LET. The approach involving DNA synthesis inhibitors used in this study allows an estimation of the proportion of enzymatic DNA DSBs in total DSB yield after exposure to ionizing radiations of different quality.     

The Influence of Physical Characteristics of Accelerated Heavy Ions on the Formation and Repair of DNA Double-Strand Breaks

The kinetics of formation and elimination of γH2AX/53ВР1 foci induced by accelerated ¹¹B, ²⁰Ne, and ¹⁵N ions with different physical characteristics in human skin fibroblasts have been investigated. The results of the elimination kinetics for radiation-induced γH2AX/53BP1 foci (RIF) reveal that a decrease in the energy and an increase of the linear energy transfer (LET) of the particles reduce the efficiency of doublestrand break (DSB) repair. An investigation into the structure of RIF induced by accelerated ²⁰Ne and ¹¹B ions with various physical parameters shows significant differences in the nature of the RIF that is formed. It is found that ²⁰Ne ions with a high density of δ rays in tracks (Z*²/β² = 1454) induce larger clustered γH2AX/53BP1 foci with a more complex structure than ¹¹B ions with a lower density of δ rays in tracks (Z*²/β² = 494), which indicates the formation of more severe complex damage to genetic structures, first and foremost, DNA DSBs.     

Modification of the Fractionated γ-Radiation-Induced Alteration in the Na+/K+-ATPase Activity of Radiosensitive Tissues by Vitamin A

The effect of pre or post-administration of vitamin A in ameliorating the radiation-induced alteration in intestinal and spleen Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity of rats was determined. Rats subjected to multifractionated γ-radiation (20 × 0.5 Gy) over the whole-body showed a significant reduction in Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity being more obvious in spleen than in intestine. Administration of vitamin A at a daily i. p. dose of 15,000 IU/kg bd. wt. for 7 days prior to fractionated γ-irradiation and thereafter twice weekly throughout the exposure period (as pretreatment regimen) or following the end of irradiation for 7 days (as posttreament regimen) afforded a significant protection from radiation-induced inhibition of spleen and intestinal Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity. Even though, pretreatment regimen is more efficient against radiation injury to this enzyme than posttreatment, so that its activity was nearly normalized in the first regimen. The regeneration of normal enzyme activity in the tissues of the vitamin A-pretreated group suggests that the intestinal and spleen epithelia in presence of vitamin A are rendered relatively radioresistant.     

Effect of acoustic strain on the radiation-induced luminescence of pyrolithic boron nitride

A study is reported on the effect of ultrasound vibrations of an approximate frequency of 100 kHz on the radiation-induced luminescence generated in pyrolytic boron nitride by proton irradiation (8 MeV energy, 1.6×10¹² p/cm² s flux). The influence of ultrasound vibrations manifests itself at large strain amplitudes (～10^?4), where nonlinear, amplitude-dependent absorption of ultrasound is observed to occur. The data obtained are assigned to a radiation-induced change in the recrystallization kinetics, where low-angle boundaries disappear (radiation annealing).     

The influence of DNA inhibitor synthesis on the induction and repair of double-strand DNA breaks in human lymphocytes under action of radiation with a different linear energy transfer

The influence that inhibitors of repair and replicative DNA synthesis, 1-β-D-arabinofuranosyl-cytosine and hydroxyurea, have on the formation and repair kinetics of double-strand breaks (DSBs) in peripheral human blood lymphocytes under the influence of radiation with a different linear energy transfer (LET) (gamma quanta and accelerated heavy ions) is studied. It is demonstrated that lithium and boron ions with LETs of 20 and 40 keV/μm, respectively, possess higher biological effectiveness with respect to the DNA DSB induction criterion. The value of the relative biological effectiveness of accelerated lithium and boron ions is 1.5 ± 0.1 and 1.6 ± 0.1, respectively. It is found that, upon cell irradiation by gamma quanta in the absence of inhibitors, efficient DNA DSB repair is observed during incubation. Under the conditions of cell incubation and in the presence of inhibitors, some growth in the number of DNA DSBs, rather than a reduction, is observed after 5-h incubation. In the case of the action of accelerated boron ions (as well as gamma quanta), under normal conditions, the efficient repair of induced DNA lesions takes place. Unlike the action of gamma quanta, in the case of cell incubation in the presence of radiomodifiers, the number of induced DNA DSBs falls. These results may testify to the fact that the repair of double-strand DNS breaks takes place under the action of ionizing radiation with a different LET on mammalian cells in the presence of DNA synthesis inhibitors Ara-C and HU. It is concluded that, for cells subject to gamma irradiation, no DNA DSB repair is observed due to the large contribution of single-strand incision DNA breaks formed in the postradiation period in the course of excision nucleotide repair.     

Radiation-induced nonlinear optical response of quartz fibers

The intensity of radiation-induced luminescence and transient optical losses in KU-1 (Russia) and K-3 (Japan) quartz glass optical tibers irradiated in a fast pulsed fission reactor (a pulse duration of 80 μs and a neutron flux up to 7 × 10¹⁶ cm^–2 s^–2) has been measured in the visible range. The intensity of the fast luminescence component nonlinearly depends on the neutron flux. The luminescence intensity and the transient optical losses depend on the probe light intensity. Suppression of radiation-induced luminescence is observed at wavelengths that are longer or shorter than the probe light wavelength. Light probing leads to an increase in transient optical losses and a more rapid recovery of transparency. A model of two photon fluxes is proposed to analyze the relationship of the effects of suppression of radiation-induced luminescence and the increase in optical losses upon light probing. The effect of suppression of radiation-induced luminescence can be used to control the optical properties of fibers in radiation fields.     

Influence of radiation-induced clusters on transport properties of silicon

Summary A calculation method for the scattering cross-section σ of charged carriers on radiation-induced cluster defects has been developed using a spherical cluster model with rectangular potential barrier shape, of radius and height of 15 nm and 0.6 eV, respectively. Values of the cluster cross-section around 2·10⁻¹¹ cm² have been obtained for charged carrier energies from 10⁻⁴ eV to over 600 eV. Applying the relaxation-time approximation of the Boltzmann equation, the influence of clusters on silicon transport properties has been observed to be close to the acoustic-phonon one. The dependence of the Hall factor on radiation-induced clusters has been determined numerically for temperatures ranging from 5 K to 400 K. The results indicate that the presence of clusters of such dimensions would not change significantly the Hall coefficientR _H.     

各向异性扩散DLA集团的豪斯道夫维数与标度性质

讨论了DLA集团的各向异性扩散效应.计算机模拟证实了具有各向异性扩散规则的DLA集团有严格的菱形结构.导出了一个粒子的各向异性扩散的新方程，计算了各向异性扩散DLA集团的豪斯道夫维数，结果表明，有效外半角β_eff=min(β_ix,β_iy).讨论了各向异性扩散DLA集团的广义维数，使用修改的楔模型得到了广义维数D_q的表达式. 关键词：     

Interaction of hydrogen and deuterium with intrinsic atomic defects in high-purity electron-irradiated nickel

Abstract

High-purity nickel was irradiated with 2 MeV electrons at temperatures below 80 K to a dose of 1 × 10²³ e^?/m² in the as-prepared state and after charging with H or D. By means of magnetic after-effect measurements relaxations of anisotropic radiation-induced defects and of defect-hydrogen complexes were investigated in the temperature range between 4.2 and 500 K. The isochronal annealing behaviour of these relaxations and the isochronal recovery of the residual resistivity was measured simultaneously on the same specimens. At temperatures below the hydrogen mobility (< 160 K) in charged irradiated specimens relaxation maxima are observed at 45, 100, 115 and 140 K which show no isotope shift for H and D charging. The maxima below 160 K are explained by defect-hydrogen complexes, where radiation-induced defects reorient around immobile hydrogen atoms. Above 160 K, where hydrogen atoms get mobile, in charged irradiated specimens a broad relaxation maximum appears at 170 K which shows an inverse isotope shift for H and D charging. This 170 K maximum anneals in Stage III. A hydrogen diffusion maximum observed in charged specimens at 215 K prior to irradiation is missing after electron irradiation. The 170 K relaxation is explained by defect-hydrogen complexes, where hydrogen atoms reorient around immobile radiation-induced defects while the long-range hydrogen diffusion is suppressed by these defects. In such relaxation measurements hydrogen and deuterium atoms are used as a “probe” to investigate radiation-induced defects.     

Induction and repair of DNA double-strand breaks in rat cerebellar cortex exposed to <Superscript>60</Superscript>Co γ-rays

The induction and repair of DNA double-strand breaks are studied using the immunohistochemical staining procedure of paraffin-embedded rat cerebellum tissues after exposure to γ-rays of ⁶⁰Co. The dose dependence of radiation-induced colocalized γH2AX/53BP1 foci is studied and its linear character is established. It is shown that these foci are efficiently eliminated 24 h after irradiation.     

In-vitro DNA binding and cleavage studies with pBR322 of N,N-Bis(3β-acetoxy-5α-cholest-6-yl-idene)hydrazine

The DNA binding studies of the triterpenoid derivative, cholesterol, N,N-Bis(3β-acetoxy-5α-cholest-6-yl-idene)hydrazine (L) with CT DNA were carried out by employing different optical methods viz, UV–vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The ligand binds to DNA through hydrophobic interaction with K_b value found to be 4.7×10³ M^?1. These observations have been validated also by fluorescence spectroscopy. (L) exhibits a remarkable DNA cleavage activity with pBR322 DNA in the presence of different activators and the DNA is probably cleaved by an other than oxidative mechanism, possibly by a discernable hydrolytic pathway. In the presence of major and minor groove binding agents, (L) prefers major groove binding of the DNA.     

Analysis of formation of primary radiation-induced point defects in graphite under action of secondary neutrons and π<Superscript>−</Superscript>-mesons generated in various channels of nuclear reactions upon graphite irradiation by 450-GeV protons

A theoretical model is constructed and the rates of formation are calculated for primary radiation-induced point defects in graphite by secondary neutrons and π⁻-mesons generated in various nuclear reaction channels upon irradiation of graphite by a 450-GeV proton beam. Calculations are performed using the ENDF-VII nuclear data base for energies of secondary particles lower than 150 MeV. It is shown that neutrons produce the highest generation rate of point radiation-induced defects in graphite (the rate of formation of defects under the action of neutrons is an order of magnitude higher than the corresponding value for π⁻-mesons).     

Fast magic-angle sample spinning solid-state NMR at 60–100 kHz for natural abundance samples

In spite of tremendous progress made in pulse sequence designs and sophisticated hardware developments, methods to improve sensitivity and resolution in solid-state NMR (ssNMR) are still emerging. The rate at which sample is spun at magic angle determines the extent to which sensitivity and resolution of NMR spectra are improved. To this end, the prime objective of this article is to give a comprehensive theoretical and experimental framework of fast magic angle spinning (MAS) technique. The engineering design of fast MAS rotors based on spinning rate, sample volume, and sensitivity is presented in detail. Besides, the benefits of fast MAS citing the recent progress in methodology, especially for natural abundance samples are also highlighted. The effect of the MAS rate on ¹H resolution, which is a key to the success of the ¹H inverse detection methods, is described by a simple mathematical factor named as the homogeneity factor k. A comparison between various ¹H inverse detection methods is also presented. Moreover, methods to reduce the number of spinning sidebands (SSBs) for the systems with huge anisotropies in combination with ¹H inverse detection at fast MAS are discussed.     

Counterion vibrations in the DNA low-frequency spectra

The vibrations of univalent metal cations with respect to phosphate groups of the DNA backbone are described using the four-mass model approach (S.N. Volkov, S.N. Kosevich, J. Biomol. Struct. Dyn. 8, 1069 (1991)) extended in this paper. The force constant of the counterion-phosphate interaction is determined by considering the DNA with counterions as a lattice of ion crystal. For such ion-phosphate lattice the Madelung constant and the dielectric constant are estimated. The obtained value of the Madelung constant is lower than for the NaCl crystal, and its value is about 1.3. The dielectric constant is within 2.3-2.7 depending on the counterion type and form of the double helix. The calculations of the low-frequency spectra show that for the DNA with metal cations Na⁺ , K⁺ , Rb⁺ and Cs⁺ the frequency of ion-phosphate vibrations decreases from 174 to 96cm^-1 as the counterion mass increases. The obtained frequencies agree well with the vibrational spectra of polynucleotides in a dry state which prove our suggestion about the existence of the ion-phosphate lattice around the DNA double helix. The amplitudes of conformational vibrations for DNA in B -form are calculated as well. The results demonstrate that light counterions ( Na⁺ do not disturb the internal dynamics of the DNA. However, heavy counterions ( Cs⁺ have effect on the internal vibrations of the DNA structural elements.     

Liposome destruction by hydrodynamic cavitation in comparison to chemical,physical and mechanical treatments

Liposomes are widely applied in research, diagnostics, medicine and in industry. In this study we show for the first time the effect of hydrodynamic cavitation on liposome stability and compare it to the effect of well described chemical, physical and mechanical treatments. Fluorescein loaded giant 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) lipid vesicles were treated with hydrodynamic cavitation as promising method in inactivation of biological samples. Hydrodynamic treatment was compared to various chemical, physical and mechanical stressors such as ionic strength and osmolarity agents (glucose, Na⁺, Ca²⁺, and Fe³⁺), free radicals, shear stresses (pipetting, vortex mixing, rotational shear stress), high pressure, electroporation, centrifugation, surface active agents (Triton X-100, ethanol), microwave irradiation, heating, freezing-thawing, ultrasound (ultrasonic bath, sonotrode). The fluorescence intensity of individual fluorescein loaded lipid vesicles was measured with confocal laser microscopy. The distribution of lipid vesicle size, vesicle fluorescence intensity, and the number of fluorescein loaded vesicles was determined before and after treatment with different stressors. The different environmental stressors were ranked in order of their relative effect on liposome fluorescein release. Of all tested chemical, physical and mechanical treatments for stability of lipid vesicles, the most detrimental effect on vesicles stability had hydrodynamic cavitation, vortex mixing with glass beads and ultrasound. Here we showed, for the first time that hydrodynamic cavitation was among the most effective physico-chemical treatments in destroying lipid vesicles. This work provides a benchmark for lipid vesicle robustness to a variety of different physico-chemical and mechanical parameters important in lipid vesicle preparation and application.     

SIMULATION OF FRACTAL GROWTH OF THIN FILMS AT LOW TEMPERATURE

Fractal growth of thin films at low temperature (50－175 K) is simulated by Monte Carlo method. It is shown that the thin film growth is quite different from the diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) model when the coverage is larger than 0.1 ML. The average branch width of clusters increases with increasing temperature and it usually larger than the branch width (1.9 atom) in the classic DLA model. The average fractal dimension of clusters increases also with increasing coverage while the fractal dimension of DLA model remains constant. This difference comes from the weak screening effect during the late stage of thin film growth. The relationship between the saturation island number n_s and deposition interval Δt is described in a power law: n_s∝Δt^γ, where γ=-0.332 is very close to the theoretical value -1/3 of rate equations from nucleation theory.     

Internal Diffusion-Limited Aggregation: Parallel Algorithms and Complexity

The computational complexity of internal diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) is examined from both a theoretical and a practical point of view. We show that for two or more dimensions, the problem of predicting the cluster from a given set of paths is complete for the complexity class CC, the subset of P characterized by circuits composed of comparator gates. CC-completeness is believed to imply that, in the worst case, growing a cluster of size n requires polynomial time in n even on a parallel computer. A parallel relaxation algorithm is presented that uses the fact that clusters are nearly spherical to guess the cluster from a given set of paths, and then corrects defects in the guessed cluster through a nonlocal annihilation process. The parallel running time of the relaxation algorithm for two-dimensional internal DLA is studied by simulating it on a serial computer. The numerical results are compatible with a running time that is either polylogarithmic in n or a small power of n. Thus the computational resources needed to grow large clusters are significantly less on average than the worst-case analysis would suggest. For a parallel machine with k processors, we show that random clusters in d dimensions can be generated in ((n/k+logk)n ^2/d ) steps. This is a significant speedup over explicit sequential simulation, which takes (n ^1+2/d ) time on average. Finally, we show that in one dimension internal DLA can be predicted in (logn) parallel time, and so is in the complexity class NC.     

Lacunarity and multifractal analysis of the large DLA mass distribution

We show the methodology used to analyze fractal and mass-multifractal properties of very large Diffusion-Limited Aggregation (DLA) clusters with a maximum of 10⁹${10}^9$ particles for 2D aggregates and 10⁸${10}^8$ particles for 3D clusters, to support our main result; the scaling behavior obtained by our experimental results corresponds to the expected performance of monofractal objects. In order to estimate lacunarity measures for large DLA clusters, we develop a variant of the gliding-box algorithm which reduces the computer time needed to obtain experimental results. We show how our mass multifractal data have a tendency to present monofractal behavior for the mass distribution of the cases presented in this paper in the limit of very large clusters. Lacunarity analysis shows, provided we study small clusters mass distributions, data which might be interpreted as two different values of fractal dimensions while the cluster grows; however, this effect tends to vanish when the cluster size increases further, in such a way that monofractality is achieved. The outcomes of this paper lead us to conclude that the previously reported mass multifractality behavior (Vicsek et al., 1990  [13]) detected for DLA clusters is a consequence of finite size effects and floating point precision limitations and not an intrinsic feature of the phenomena, since the scaling behavior of our DLA clusters space corresponds to monofractal objects, being this situation remarkably noticeable in the limit of very large clusters.     

Investigating <Superscript>64</Superscript>Zn<Superscript>+</Superscript> ion-doped silicon under conditions of hot implantation

The results from visualizing the structure and identifying the composition of surface and the nearsurface layers of CZ n-Si (100) implanted by ⁶⁴Zn⁺ ions with dose of 5 × 10¹⁶ cm^–2 and energy of 50 keV under conditions of a substrate heated to 350°C are presented. It is found that there is no Si amorphization after Zn implantation, and only one layer 200 nm thick forms and is damaged because of radiation-induced defects. Zn nanoparticles 10–100 nm in size are found on a sample’s surface and in its near-surface layer. Computer analysis and mapping of the elemental and phase composition of FIB crater walls and the surface show that the main elements (54%) in the sample near-surface layer are Si, O, and Zn. The presence of ZnO phase is recorded to a depth of 20 nm in the sample.     

Attachment limited versus diffusion limited nucleation of organic molecules: Hexaphenyl on sputter-modified mica

The nucleation and growth of organic molecules is usually discussed in the framework of diffusion limited aggregation (DLA). In this letter we demonstrate for the rod-like organic molecules hexaphenyl (6P) on sputter-modified mica, that under specific experimental conditions the nucleation has to be described by attachment limited aggregation (ALA). The crucial parameter for the growth mode is the roughness of the substrate surface, as induced by ion sputtering. With decreasing surface roughness the diffusion probability of the molecules increases and the growth mode changes from DLA to ALA. This was derived from the deposition rate dependence of the island density. A critical size of i = 7 molecules was determined for the nucleation of 6P on a moderately sputtered mica surface.