Protective Effects of Shikonin on Brain Injury Induced by Carbon Ion Beam Irradiation in Mice

Radiation encephalopathy is the main complication of cranial radiotherapy. It can cause necrosis of brain tissue and cognitive dysfunction. Our previous work had proved that a natural antioxidant shikonin possessed protective effect on cerebral ischemic injury. Here we investigated the effects of shikonin on carbon ion beam induced radiation brain injury in mice. Pretreatment with shikonin significantly increased the SOD and CAT activities and the ratio of GSH/GSSG in mouse brain tissues compared with irradiated group （P〈0.01）, while obviously reduced the MDA and PCO contents and the RO$ levels derived from of the brain mitochondria.

Flower color mutants induced by carbon ion beam irradiation of geranium (Pelargonium × hortorum, Bailey)

In an attempt to elucidate the biological effects and underlying mutations involving flower color in ornamental plants following carbon ion beam radiation,shoots of geranium were exposed at dosages of 0,10,15,30,and40 Gy,and one flower color mutant was obtained.The morphological characteristics,physiological aspects,and DNA polymorphisms between wild-type and flower color mutants were analyzed.The colors of petal,peduncle,pistil,and stamen of the mutant displayed significant differences compared to those of the wild-type.Compared to the original plants,the total anthocyanin content in the petals of the mutant significantly decreased,resulting in a light pink petal phenotype.DNA polymorphisms detected by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis showed that the ratio of different bands between the wild-type and mutant reached up to 13.2%.The present study demonstrates that carbon ion beam irradiation is effective in inducing genomic variations,resulting in flower color geranium mutants within a relatively short period of time.Meanwhile,the developed flower-color mutants may be potentially used in future mutational research studies involving ornamental plants.

Gate/Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulation for calculation of dose distribution of 400 MeV/u carbon ion beam and fragments in water

The applications of carbon ion beam in tumor therapy have attracted more attention in recent years.Monte Carlo simulation is an important approach to obtain accurate radiotherapy parameters. In this work, a400 Me V/u carbon ion beam incident on water phantom was simulated with Gate/Geant4 tools. In methods, the authors set up a carbon ion beam source according to the experiment parameters of Haettner, defined the geometries and materials, set up the physics processes, and designed the means of information collection. In results,the authors obtained the longitudinal dose distribution, the lateral dose distribution, and the relative uncertainty of dose. The dose contributions of all kinds of fragments were calculated detailedly and compared with the Francis results. This work is helpful for people's understanding of the dose distributions produced by carbon ion beam and fragments in water. The simulation method is also significative for radiotherapy treatment planning of carbon ion beam, and it is easy to extend. For obtaining a special result, we may change the particle energy, particle type,target material, target geometry, physics process, detector,etc.

Nonlinear vibration of embedded single-walled carbon nanotube with geometrical imperfection under harmonic load based on nonlocal Timoshenko beam theory

Based on the nonlocal continuum theory, the nonlinear vibration of an embedded single-walled carbon nanotube （SWCNT） subjected to a harmonic load is in- vestigated. In the present study, the SWCNT is assumed to be a curved beam, which is unlike previous similar work. Firstly, the governing equations of motion are derived by the Hamilton principle, meanwhile, the Galerkin approach is carried out to convert the nonlinear integral-differential equation into a second-order nonlinear ordinary differ- ential equation. Then, the precise integration method based on the local linearzation is appropriately designed for solving the above dynamic equations. Besides, the numerical example is presented, the effects of the nonlocal parameters, the elastic medium constants, the waviness ratios, and the material lengths on the dynamic response are analyzed. The results show that the above mentioned effects have influences on the dynamic behavior of the SWCNT.

Nano-structural Modification of Amorphous Carbon Thin Films by Low-energy Electron Beam Irradiation

A new approach using a low-energy electron beam radiation system was investigated to synthesize carbon hybrid structures in amorphous carbon thin films. Two types of amorphous carbon films, which were 15at% iron containing film and with column/inter-column structures, were deposited onto Si substrates by a sputtering technique and subsequently exposed to an electron shower of which the energy and dose rate were much smaller compared to an intense electron beam used in a transmission electron microscopy. As a result of the low-energy and low-dose electron irradiation process, graphitic structures formed in amorphous matrix at a relatively low temperature up to 450 K. Hybrid carbon thin films containing onion-like structures in an amorphous carbon matrix were synthesized by dynamic structural modification of iron containing amorphous carbon thin films. It was found that the graphitization progressed more in the electron irradiation than in annealing at 773 K, and it was attributed to thermal and catalytic effects which are strongly related to grain growth of metal clusters. On the other hand, a reversal of TEM image contrast was observed in a-C films with column/inter-column structures. It is presumed that preferable graphitization occurred in the inter-column regions induced by electron irradiation.

Carbon-Ion Beams Efficiently Induce Cell Killing in X-Ray Resistant Human Squamous Tongue Cancer Cells

In order to see whether carbon ion (C-ion) beams have a biological advantage over X-rays, studies were designed to examine the effects of C-ion beams on radiosensitivity in X-ray resistant cells. Clinically relevant X-ray resistant SAS-R cells derived from human tongue cancer SAS cells were used. The cells were exposed to X-rays or Spread-Out Bragg peak (SOBP) beam C-ions. Cell survival was measured using a modified high-density survival assay. Cell survival signaling and cell death signaling were analyzed using flow cytometry. The cells were labeled with putative cancer stem cell markers such as CD44 and CD326. SAS-R cells were 1.6 times more radioresistant than SAS cells after exposure to X-rays. Cell survival was similar in each cell line after exposure to C-ion beams. SAS-R cells displayed enhanced cell survival signaling when compared to SAS cells under normal conditions. On the other hand, the phosphorylation of AKT-related proteins decreased and polycaspase activities were enhanced when cells were irradiated with C-ion beams in both cell lines. More CD44 and CD326 positive cells were seen in SAS-R cells than in SAS cells. Moreover, the marker positive cell numbers significantly decreased after exposure to C-ion beams when compared to X-rays at iso-survival doses in SAS-R cells. C-ion beams efficiently induced cell killing in X-ray resistant cells which displayed activated cell survival signaling and contained more numerous cancer stem-like cells.

Intensive irradiation of carbon nanotubes by Si ion beam

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes were irradiated with 40 keV Si ion beam to a dose of 1×1017 cm-2. The multiple-way carbon nanowire junctions and the Si doping in carbon nanowires were realized. Moreover, the forma- tion processes of carbon nanowire junctions and the corresponding mechanism were studied.

Development of a Side Door Composite Impact Beam for the Automotive Industry

The automobile industry has been searching for vehicles that use less energy and emit fewer pollutants, which has resulted in a high demand for fuel-efficient vehicles. Because of their higher strength-to-weight ratio compared to traditional steel, using fiber-reinforcement composite materials in automobile bodies has emerged as the most effective strategy for improving fuel efficiency while maintaining safety standards. This research paper examined the utilization of fiber-reinforced composite materials in car bodies to meet the increasing consumer demand for fuel-efficient and eco-friendly vehicles. It particularly focused on a carbon-aramid fiber-reinforced composite impact beam for passenger car side door impact protection. Despite the encouraging prospects of the carbon-aramid fiber-reinforced beam, the research uncovered substantial defects in the fabrication process, resulting in diminished load-bearing capacity and energy absorption. As a result, the beam was un-successful in three-point bending tests. This was accomplished by using an I cross-section design with varying thickness because of the higher area moment of inertia. Vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) manufacturing process was used and the finished beam underwent to three-point bending tests.

茅台成义烧房旧址钢筋混凝土行车梁结构性能分析

为了深入研究茅台成义烧房旧址行车梁的结构性能,通过现场调研和有限元模型分析,揭示了行车梁在正常使用和极端荷载作用下的性能表现,发现其存在锈蚀、裂缝和变形等问题。针对这些问题,提出了采用同形制钢材更换和碳纤维布加固等创新措施,以提高行车梁的结构稳定性和承载能力。加固措施不仅适用于茅台成义烧房旧址,也为类似工业遗产的保护与利用提供了有益参考。研究成果为工业遗产改造工程提供了科学依据,有助于推动工业遗产保护工作的深入发展。

Pigment analysis of a color-leaf mutant in Wandering Jew (Tradescantia fluminensis) irradiated by carbon ions

Many mutants of plant induced by heavy ion beam irradiation have been reported in recent years,but leaf anthocyan mutants induced by ion irradiation in evergreen were rarely found.In this study,a color-leaf mutant with purple leaves,stems and petals was isolated from clones of Wandering Jew irradiated by 95.8 MeV/u carbon ion beam.The concentration and histological distribution of leaf pigment were surveyed in wild type and mutant.In mutant,contents of total chlorophylls (Chl),chlorophyll a (Chl a),chlorophyll b (Chl b) and carotenoids (Car) decreased significantly,while concentration of the anthocyanins was 6.2-fold higher than that of wild type.Further composition analysis of anthocyanins by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) indicated that the purple pigmentation of leaves in mutant was caused by accumulation of petunidin anthocyanin.Microscopic examination showed that most petunidin anthocyanin accumulated in the lower epidermis,and little in vascular parenchyma of mutant,while there was no pigment in wild type.Meanwhile,in spongy parenchyma of mutant we observed little Chl,which the wild type abounds in.In conclusion,the color-leaf mutant of Wandering Jew induced by irradiation of carbon ions was improved in ornamental value,and it could be contribute to variation in level,component and distribution of foliar pigment.The possible mutation mechanisms were discussed.

Enhanced field emission from nano-graphite coated carbon nanotubes

An effective method by low energy carbonhydrogen ion treatment to enhance field emission of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is demonstrated. Comparing with control, field emission (FE) currents of the CNTs by carbonhydrogen ion irradiation increased, and the turn-on field and the threshold field decreased significantly. The structure characteristic revealed by transmission electron microscopy demonstrates that CNTs are coated by nano-graphite particles after being treated with low energy carbonhydrogen ion and that there are large quantities of defects and grain boundaries in the coated layer. It is considered that the coating layer can decrease the effective surface work function of CNTs and correspondingly increase field emission. In addition, the defects, the grain boundaries and the C-H dipoles forming in the process of the low energy ions irradiation can effectively enhance the field emission.

Effect of bombarding energy on ion beam assisted deposited DLC film on UHMWPE

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene substrates were prepared at CHn+ ion bombarding energies of 200-1000eV at room temperature using ion beam assisted deposition technique. The wear tests exhibited a high wear resistance for all DLC films. X-ray photoelectron spectfoscopy and Raman spectroscopy analysis indicated that DLC film was amorphous with a characteristic high fracdion of sp3 bonds in the structure of mixed sp:2+ sp3 bonding at an optimal bombardingenergy of 600eV.

Ring chromosome aberrations in human lymphocytes induced by 5-20 Gy carbon ion irradiation

In this paper,we study the biological response induced by heavy ions irradiation of high dose,human peripheral blood lymphocytes are irradiated in vitro by the carbon ions of LET=35 keV/μm,and the chromosome aberrations at absorbed doses of 0-20 Gy are analyzed by the calyculin A-induced premature chromosome condensation(PCC).The frequencies of PCC-rings at the stage of G2/M-phase increase steeply with radiation doses up to 20 Gy at a rate of 0.017 Gy^(-1).The G2-PCC index remains more than 5%up to 15 Gy,and 3%after 20 Gy,this is high enough to score a substantial number of chromosome spreads without dose-rate effect.The results show that the calyculin A-induced PCC technique is suitable for analyzing the chromosome damage induced by carbon ions irradiation of high dose.

NONLINEAR DYNAMIC INSTABILITY OF DOUBLE-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES UNDER PERIODIC EXCITATION

A multiple-elastic beam model based on Euler-Bernoulli-beam theory is presented to investigate the nonlinear dynamic instability of double-walled nanotubes. Taking the geometric nonlinearity of structure deformation, the effects of van der Waals forces as well as the non- coaxial curvature of each nested tube into account, the nonlinear parametric vibration governing equations are derived. Numerical results indicate that the double-walled nanotube （DWNT） can be considered as a single column when the van der Waals forces are sufficiently strong. The stiffness of medium could substantially reduce the area of the nonlinear dynamic instability region, in particular, the geometric nonlinearity can be out of account when the stiffness is large enough. The area of the principal nonlinear instability region and its shifting distance aroused by the nonlinearity both decrease with the increment of the aspect ratio of the nanotubes.

A unified analysis of a micro-beam,droplet and CNT ring adhered on a substrate:Calculation of variation with movable boundaries

In this study, we developed a general method to analytically tackle a kind of movable boundary problem from the viewpoint of energy variation. Having grouped the adhesion of a micro-beam, droplet and carbon nanotube （CNT） ring on a substrate into one framework, we used the developed line of reasoning to investigate the adhesion behaviors of these systems. Based upon the derived governing equations and transversality conditions, explicit solutions involving the critical parameters and morphologies for the three systems are successfully obtained, and then the parameter analogies and common characteristics of them are thor- oughly investigated. The presented method has been verified via the concept of energy release rate in fracture mechanics. Our analyses provide a new approach for exploring the mechanism of different systems with similarities as well as for understanding the unity of nature. The analysis results may be beneficial for the design of nano-structured materi- als, and hold potential for enhancing their mechanical, chemical, optical and electronic properties.

FLEXURAL WAVE DISPERSION IN MULTI-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES CONVEYING FLUIDS

Motivated by the great potential of carbon nanotubes for developing nanofluidic devices, this paper presents a nonlocal elastic, Timoshenko multi-beam model with the second order of strain gradient taken into consideration and derives the corresponding dispersion relation of flexural wave in multi-walled carbon nanotubes conveying fuids. The study shows that the moving flow reduces the phase velocity of flexural wave of the lowest branch in carbon nanotubes. The phase velocity of flexural wave of the lowest branch decreases with an increase of flow velocity. However, the effects of flow velocity on the other branches of the wave dispersion are not obvious. The effect of microstructure characterized by nonlocal elasticity on the dispersion of flexural wave becomes more and more remarkable with an increase in wave number.

Selection of isolated and individual single-walled carbon nanotube from a film and its usage in nanodevices

Individual and isolated single-walled carbon nanotubes （SWNTs） are important for fabricating relevant nanodevices and studying the properties of the SWNT devices. In this work, we demonstrate that individual and isolated SWNT can be selected and obtained from a film containing a huge number of SWNTs. By using both the polymethylmethacrylate （PMMA） as a negative resist and the electron beam lithography, the selected SWNT can be fixed on a substrate, while the other SWNTs in the film can lift off. The selected SWNT can be used to fabricate nanodevice and a gas sensor of oxygen is demonstrated in this work.

Seeded Induction Period and Secondary Nucleation of Lithium Carbonate

Seeded nucleation of lithium carbonate in aqueous solution during reactive crystallization was monitored by FBRM(focused beam reflectance measurement) and PVM(particle video microscope).The impacts of operating variables,such as seed size and loading,stirring speed,on induction period and secondary nucleation were investigated and explained by an adsorption model.The results show that seed surface area plays an important role in secondary nucleation,for more surface area has higher adsorption capacity and consumes more supersaturation on seed growth,thus restrains nucleation better.A method through comparison between pure breakage/attrition and nucleation process was put forward to distinguish attrition-induced and surface-induced nucleations quantitatively,which can reveal the contributions of different nucleation mechanisms.The nucleation processes in different conditions were studied,the principles and valuable experimental data were obtained for seeding approach primarily.FBRM and PVM are useful on-line apparatuses to facilitate seed selection and seeding optimization.

Hypofractionated particle beam therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma–a brief review of clinical effectiveness

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is the fifth most common malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide.The cornerstone to improving the prognosis of HCC patients has been the control of loco-regional disease progression and the lesser toxicities of local treatment.Although radiotherapy has not been considered a preferred treatment modality for HCC,charged particle therapy(CPT),including proton beam therapy(PBT)and carbon ion radiotherapy(CIRT),possesses advantages(for example,it allows ablative radiation doses to be applied to tumors but simultaneously spares the normal liver parenchyma from radiation)and has emerged as an alternative treatment option for HCC.With the technological advancements in CPT,various radiation dosages of CPT have been used for HCC treatment via CPT.However,the efficacy and safety of the evolving dosages remain uncertain.To assess the association between locoregional control of HCC and the dose and regimen of CPT,we provide a brief overview of selected literature on dose regimens from conventional to hypofractionated short-course CPT in the treatment of HCC and the subsequent determinants of clinical outcomes.Overall,CPT provides a better local control rate compared with photon beam therapy,ranging from 80%to 96%,and a 3-year overall survival ranging from 50%to 75%,and it results in rare grade 3 toxicities of the late gastrointestinal tract(including radiation-induced liver disease).Regarding CPT for the treatment of locoregional HCC,conventional CPT is preferred to treat central tumors of HCC to avoid late toxicities of the biliary tract.In contrast,the hypo-fractionation regimen of CPT is suggested for treatment of larger-sized tumors of HCC to overcome potential radio-resistance.