The electric quadrupole moment Q for the ground state of ${}^{17}\mathrm{B}$ was determined by the $\beta$-NMR method applied to spin-polarized projectile fragments. From the measured quadrupole coupling constant, $|{eqQ/h(}^{17}\mathrm{B}\mathrm{in}\mathrm{}\mathrm{Mg})|=137.4\mathrm{}\pm 4.5\mathrm{kHz},$ for ${}^{17}\mathrm{B}$ in a Mg single crystal stopper the Q moment was deduced as $|{Q(}^{17}\mathrm{B})|=38.6\mathrm{}\pm 1.5\mathrm{mb}.$ As was the case in the previous ${}^{15}\mathrm{B}$ result, the obtained Q moment is very close to that for the $N=8\mathrm{}$ isotope ${}^{13}\mathrm{B},$ in sharp contrast to the results of conventional shell-model calculations using constant effective charges. Comparison of the shell-model calculations indicates substantial reduction of the $E2\mathrm{}$ effective charges for isotopes with large $\left(N-Z\right)/A$ ratios. The results were well accounted for in terms of $\left(N-Z\right)/A$ dependent $E2\mathrm{}$ polarization charges as predicted by Bohr and Mottelson and by incorporating the decoupling feature of loosely bound particles.

Reverse gyrase, found in hyperthermophiles, is the only enzyme known to overwind (introduce positive supercoils into) DNA. The ATP-dependent activity, detected at >70 °C, has so far been studied solely by gel electrophoresis; thus, the reaction dynamics remain obscure. Here, we image the overwinding reaction at 71 °C under a microscope, using DNA containing consecutive 30 mismatched base pairs that serve as a well-defined substrate site. A single reverse gyrase molecule processively winds the DNA for >100 turns. Bound enzyme shows moderate temperature dependence, retaining significant activity down to 50 °C. The unloaded reaction rate at 71 °C exceeds five turns per second, which is >10²-fold higher than hitherto indicated but lower than the measured ATPase rate of 20 s⁻¹, indicating loose coupling. The overwinding reaction sharply slows down as the torsional stress accumulates in DNA and ceases at stress of mere ∼5 pN⋅nm, where one more turn would cost only sixfold the thermal energy. The enzyme would thus keep DNA in a slightly overwound state to protect, but not overprotect, the genome of hyperthermophiles against thermal melting. Overwinding activity is also highly sensitive to DNA tension, with an effective interaction length exceeding the size of reverse gyrase, implying requirement for slack DNA. All results point to the mechanism where strand passage relying on thermal motions, as in topoisomerase IA, is actively but loosely biased toward overwinding. Significance Reverse gyrase resides in bacteria that live in hot conditions. The enzyme further intertwines the double helix of DNA to make it tighter. In biochemical assays, reverse gyrase appears quite inefficient, requiring many enzyme molecules per DNA and yet taking many minutes to wind it up. Here, we show that one reverse gyrase molecule rapidly overwinds relaxed DNA but begins to idle as torsion accumulates. Excess torsion would hamper replication/transcription activities, whereas quick restoration of modest torsion prevents thermal denaturation of DNA. We discuss how reverse gyrase lets one strand of DNA pass the other in a preferred direction to achieve overwinding.

The accuracy of computed tomography number to electron density (CT‐ED) calibration is a key component for dose calculations in an inhomogeneous medium. In a previous work, it was shown that the tolerance levels of CT‐ED calibration became stricter with an increase in tissue thickness and decrease in the effective energy of a photon beam. For the last decade, a low effective energy photon beam (e.g., flattening‐filter‐free (FFF)) has been used in clinical sites. However, its tolerance level has not been established yet. We established a relative electron density (ED) tolerance level for each tissue type with an FFF beam. The tolerance levels were calculated using the tissue maximum ratio (TMR) and each corresponding maximum tissue thickness. To determine the relative ED tolerance level, TMR data from a Varian accelerator and the adult reference computational phantom data in the International Commission on Radiological Protection publication 110 (ICRP‐110 phantom) were used in this study. The 52 tissue components of the ICRP‐110 phantom were classified by mass density as five tissues groups including lung, adipose/muscle, cartilage/spongy‐bone, cortical bone, and tooth tissue. In addition, the relative ED tolerance level of each tissue group was calculated when the relative dose error to local dose reached 2%. The relative ED tolerances of a 6 MVFFF beam for lung, adipose/muscle, and cartilage/spongy‐bone were ±0.044, ±0.022, and ±0.044, respectively. The thicknesses of the cortical bone and tooth groups were too small to define the tolerance levels. Because the tolerance levels of CT‐ED calibration are stricter with a decrease in the effective energy of the photon beam, the tolerance levels are determined by the lowest effective energy in useable beams for radiotherapy treatment planning systems.

Purpose: Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are candidate radiosensitizers for medium-energy photon treatment, such as γ-ray radiation in high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy. However, high AuNP concentrations are required for sufficient dose enhancement for clinical applications. Here, we investigated the effect of positively (+) charged AuNP radiosensitization of plasmid DNA damage induced by 192Ir γ-rays, and compared it with that of negatively (−) charged AuNPs. Methods: We observed DNA breaks and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in the presence of AuNPs at low concentrations. pBR322 plasmid DNA exposed to 64 ng/mL AuNPs was irradiated with 192Ir γ-rays via HDR brachytherapy. DNA breaks were detected by observing the changes in the form of the plasmid and quantified by agarose gel electrophoresis. The ROS generated by the AuNPs were measured with the fluorescent probe sensitive to ROS. The effects of positively (+) and negatively (−) charged AuNPs were compared to study the effect of surface charge on dose enhancement. Results: +AuNPs at lower concentrations promoted a comparable level of radiosensitization by producing both single-stranded breaks (SSBs) and double-stranded breaks (DSBs) than those used in cell assays and Monte Carlo simulation experiments. The dose enhancement factor (DEF) for +AuNPs was 1.3 ± 0.2 for SSBs and 1.5 ± 0.4 for DSBs. The ability of +AuNPs to augment plasmid DNA damage is due to enhanced ROS generation. While −AuNPs generated similar ROS levels, they did not cause significant DNA damage. Thus, dose enhancement using low concentrations of +AuNPs presumably occurred via DNA binding or increasing local +AuNP concentration around the DNA. Conclusion: +AuNPs at low concentrations displayed stronger radiosensitization compared to −AuNPs. Combining +AuNPs with 192Ir γ-rays in HDR brachytherapy is a candidate method for improving clinical outcomes. Future development of cancer cell-specific +AuNPs would allow their wider application for HDR brachytherapy.