BACKGROUND Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) can act as carriers for therapeutic molecules such as drugs and genetic constructs for medical applications. The triggered release of the molecule into the cytoplasm can be crucial to its effective delivery. Hence, we implemented and characterized laser interaction with defined gold nanoparticle agglomerates conjugated to CPPs which enables efficient ...

High-Z nano materials have been previously shown to increase the amount of dose deposition within the tumour due to an increase in secondary electrons. This study evaluates the effects of high-Z nano materials in combination with protons, and the impact of proton energy, nanoparticle material and concentration. These effects were studied in silico through Monte Carlo simulation and experimental...

The absolute yield of hydroxyl radicals per unit of deposited X-ray energy is determined for the first time for irradiated aqueous solutions containing metal nanoparticles based on a "reference" protocol. Measurements are made as a function of dose rate and nanoparticle concentration. Possible mechanisms for hydroxyl radical production are considered in turn: energy deposition in the nanopartic...

PURPOSE In this article, we evaluate a plastic scintillation detector system for quality assurance in proton therapy using a BC-408 plastic scintillator, a commercial camera, and a computer. METHODS The basic characteristics of the system were assessed in a series of proton irradiations. The reproducibility and response to changes of dose, dose-rate, and proton energy were determined. Photogr...

PURPOSE To create an accurate 6 MV Monte Carlo simulation phase space for the Varian TrueBeam treatment head geometry imported from CAD (computer aided design) without adjusting the input electron phase space parameters. METHODS GEANT4 v4.9.2.p01 was employed to simulate the 6 MV beam treatment head geometry of the Varian TrueBeam linac. The electron tracks in the linear accelerator were simu...

BACKGROUND This follow-up study aims to determine the physical parameters which govern the differential radiosensitization capacity of two tumor cell lines and one immortalized normal cell line to 1.9 nm gold nanoparticles. In addition to comparing the uptake potential, localization, and cytotoxicity of 1.9 nm gold nanoparticles, the current study also draws on comparisons between nanoparticle ...

We demonstrate a large enhancement of the spin accumulation in monolayer graphene following electron-beam induced deposition of an amorphous carbon layer at the ferromagnet-graphene interface. The enhancement is 10-fold when graphene is deposited onto poly(methyl metacrylate) (PMMA) and exposed with sufficient electron-beam dose to cross-link the PMMA, and 10-fold when graphene is deposited dir...

Nanoparticle-based radio-enhancement has the potential to improve cancer cell eradication by augmenting photoelectric cross-section of targeted cells relative healthy surroundings. Encouraging results have been reported for various nanomaterials, including gold and hafnia. However, lack scalable synthesis methods comparative studies is prohibitive rationalized material design hampers translatio...

Linear and nonlinear optical properties of periodic triangular Au nanoparticle arrays were investigated. We compared the optical nonlinearity of periodic Au nanoparticle arrays with that of the ultra-thin gold film consisting of randomly distributed spheroidal clusters. A pronounced enhancement of the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ((3)) in Au arrays was observed, and the figure ...

Background: Neutron contamination is produced in electron beams of linac when tooth or dental materials are located in the path of beam. Objective: This study aims to determine the neutron dose contamination from different dental restoration materials in electron mode of a linac. Material and Methods: In this experimental study, the neutron dose contamination was calculated in the p...