Radiation is the one agent among all environmental factors which may damage biological systems that is not only easily quantifiable but can also be measured with unsurpassed resolution. Its primary effects on atoms and molecules are well understood, and the secondary processes can be followed by sophisticated experimental techniques. The quantum nature of interactions and the importance of stochastic variations call for an exact mathematical description. This task is by no means simple, and presents a challenge both to the experimentalist and to the theoretician. It is hoped that a generally acceptable formalism will help to quantify radiation responses, both in radiation protection and radiation therapy, and make it possible to move from a purely empirical approach with all its fallacies to real understanding.
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ISBN-13
978-3-642-46656-4 (9783642466564)
DOI
10.1007/978-3-642-46656-4
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Prelude: Why and to what end mathematical models In radiation biology.- Models of cellular radiation action - an overview.- Finestructures of energy deposition - introductory remarks.- Analytics required by the multiple nature of radiation effects in cells.- Problems in theoretical track structure research for heavy charged particles.- Radiobiological modeling based on track structure.- The role of energy distributions of charged particles in the mutagenic radiation action.- Relative biological effectiveness: review of a model.- Saturation in dual radiation action.- Hit-size effectiveness approach in biophysical modeling.- Interpreting survival observations using phenomenological models.- Cluster theory of the effects of ionizing radiations.- The LETHAL AND POTENTIALLY LETHAL model - a review and recent development.- DNA double-strand breaks and their relation to cytoxicity.- The pairwise lesion interaction model.- A repair fixation model based on classical enzyme kinetics.- Formal, empirical and mechanistic equations in cellular radiation biology.
