Constraint on Heavy Element Production in Inhomogeneous Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis from The Light-Element Observations

We investigate the observational constraints on the inhomogeneous big-bang nucleosynthesis that Matsuura et al. suggested the possibility of the heavy element production beyond ${}^7$Li in the early universe. From the observational constraints on light elements of ${}^4$He and D, possible regions are found on the plane of the volume fraction of the high density region against the ratio between high-and low-density regions. In these allowed regions, we have confirmed that the heavy elements beyond Ni can be produced appreciably, where $p$- and/or $r$-process elements are produced well simultaneously.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 4 Tables., accepted in Journal of Astrophysics. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1007.046

Microdosimetric Modeling of Biological Effectiveness for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy Considering Intra- and Intercellular Heterogeneity in 10B Distribution

We here propose a new model for estimating the biological effectiveness for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) considering intra- and intercellular heterogeneity in 10B distribution. The new model was developed from our previously established stochastic microdosimetric kinetic model that determines the surviving fraction of cells irradiated with any radiations. In the model, the probability density of the absorbed doses in microscopic scales is the fundamental physical index for characterizing the radiation fields. A new computational method was established to determine the probability density for application to BNCT using the Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System PHITS. The parameters used in the model were determined from the measured surviving fraction of tumor cells administrated with two kinds of 10B compounds. The model quantitatively highlighted the indispensable need to consider the synergetic effect and the dose dependence of the biological effectiveness in the estimate of the therapeutic effect of BNCT. The model can predict the biological effectiveness of newly developed 10B compounds based on their intra- and intercellular distributions, and thus, it can play important roles not only in treatment planning but also in drug discovery research for future BNCT