Two-frequency shell model for hypernuclei and meson-exchange hyperon-nucleon potentials

A two-frequency shell model is proposed for investigating the structure of hypernuclei starting with a hyperon-nucleon potential in free space. In a calculation using the folded-diagram method for Λ¹⁶O, the Λ single particle energy is found to have a saturation minimum at an oscillator frequency ħωΛ≈10MeV, for the Λ orbit, which is considerably smaller than ħωN=14MeV for the nucleon orbit. The spin-dependence parameters derived from the Nijmegen NSC89 and NSC97f potentials are similar, but both are rather different from those obtained with the Jülich-B potential. The ΛNN three-body interactions induced by ΛN-ΣN transitions are important for the spin parameters, but relatively unimportant for the low-lying states of Λ¹⁶O.Yiharn Tzeng, S. Y. Tsay Tzeng, T. T. S. Kuo, T.-S.H. Lee, and V. G. D. Stok

Stochastic Thresholds: A Novel Explanation of Nonlinear Dose-Response Relationships for Stochastic Radiobiological Effects

New research data for low-dose, low-linear energy transfer (LET) radiation-induced, stochastic effects (mutations and neoplastic transformations) are modeled using the recently published NEOTRANS3 model. The model incorporates a protective, stochastic threshold (StoThresh) at low doses for activating cooperative protective processes considered to include presumptive p53-dependent, high-fidelity repair of nuclear DNA damage in competition with presumptive p53-dependent apoptosis and a novel presumptive p53-independent protective apoptosis mediated (PAM) process which selectively removes genomically compromised cells (mutants, neoplastic transformants, micronucleated cells, etc.). The protective StoThresh are considered to fall in a relatively narrow low-dose zone (Transition Zone A). Below Transition Zone A is the ultra-low-dose region where it is assumed that only low-fidelity DNA repair is activated along with presumably apoptosis. For this zone there is evidence for an increase in mutations with increases in dose. Just above Transition Zone A, a Zone of Maximal Protection (suppression of stochastic effects) arises and is attributed to maximal cooperation of high-fidelity, DNA repair/apoptosis and the PAM process. The width of the Zone of Maximal Protection depends on low-LET radiation dose rate and appears to depend on photon radiation energy. Just above the Zone of Maximal Protection is Transition Zone B, where deleterious StoThresh for preventing the PAM process fall. Just above Transition Zone B is a zone of moderate doses where complete inhibition of the PAM process appears to occur. However, for both Transition Zone B and the zone of complete inhibition of the PAM process, high-fidelity DNA repair/apoptosis are presumed to still operate. The indicated protective and deleterious StoThresh lead to nonlinear, hormetic-type dose-response relationships for low-LET radiation-induced mutations, neoplastic transformation and, presumably, also for cancer

Low-Dose Radiation-Induced Protective Process and Implications for Risk Assessment, Cancer Prevention, and Cancer Therapy

A low-dose protective apoptosis-mediated (PAM) process is discussed that appears to be turned on by low-dose gamma and X rays but not by low-dose alpha radiation. PAM is a bystander effect that involves cross-talk between genomically compromised [e.g., mutants, neoplastically transformed, micronucleated] cells and nongenomically compromised cells. A novel neoplastic cell transformation model, NEOTRANS3, is discussed that includes PAM. With NEOTRANS3, PAM is activated by low doses and inhibited by moderate or high doses and is, therefore, a hormetic process. A low-dose region of suppression of the transformation frequency below the spontaneous frequency relates to the hormetic zone over which PAM is presumed to operate. The magnitude of suppression relates to what is called the hormetic intensity. Both the hormetic intensity and width of the hormetic zone are expected to depend on dose rate, being more pronounced after low dose rates. It is expected that PAM likely had a significant role in the following observations after chronic irradiation: (1) what appears to be a tremendous reduction in the cancer incidence below the spontaneous level for Taiwanese citizens residing for years in cobalt-60 contaminated apartments; and (2) the published reductions in the lung cancer incidence below the spontaneous level in humans after protracted X irradiation and after chronic gamma plus alpha irradiation. Implications of PAM for cancer prevention and low-dose cancer therapy are briefly discussed