Active-edge planar radiation sensors.

Many systems in medicine, biology, high-energy physics, and astrophysics require large area radiation sensors. In most of these applications, minimizing the amount of dead area or dead material is crucial. We have developed a new type of silicon radiation sensor in which the device is active to within a few microns of the mechanical edge. Their perimeter is made by a plasma etcher rather than a diamond saw. Their edges can be defined and also passivated by growing, in an intermediate step, a field oxide on the side surfaces. In this paper, the basic architecture and results from a synchrotron beam test are presented.

Enhancement of BALB/c 3T3 cells transformation by 1,2-dibromoethane promoting effect.

Two of the most representative halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons, 1,2-dibromoethane and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, were tested in the two-stage cell transformation model for analysing the promoting ability. Both of these compounds had previously been found to exert genotoxic effects, probably acting as moderate initiators. BALB/c 3T3 cells were initiated with subtransforming doses of N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine or 3-methylcholanthrene and then exposed to a chronic treatment with different non-transforming dosages of the two haloalkanes. 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane did not exert any promoting activity in that system. By contrast, significant promoting effects by 1,2-dibromoethane were observed both in cells treated with N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and in cells treated with 3-methylcholanthrene. Promotion of the transformation process initiated with 3-methylcholanthrene was detectable when confluent cells in the chemical-treated plates were replated in the level-II amplification test. This experimental procedure allowed cells to perform further rounds of replications and transformed foci to became detectable. Results gave evidence for a promoting role of 1,2-dibromoethane in multistep carcinogenesis, probably responsible for the higher oncogenic ability of this compound with respect to 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane.

1,2-Dibromoethane as an initiating agent for cell transformation.

The two-stage transformation assay increases the sensitivity of cells to chemicals and permits detection of carcinogens acting as initiating agents. 1,2-Dibromoethane, a representative halogenated aliphatic, has been tested in the two-stage BALB/c 3T3 cells transformation test at dosage from 16 microM to 128 microM. This dose range is much lower than those previously found efficient in transforming BALB/c 3T3 cells. Apart from the lowest dose, which induced borderline effects, all the other assayed dosages appeared to induce heritable changes in the target cells. The initiated cells were revealed as fully transformed foci both in the combination with a chronic promoting treatment and also by allowing cells to perform more rounds of cell replication. The results clearly show that 1,2-dibromoethane can act as an initiator of cell transformation.

Initiating activity of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane in two-stage BALB/c 3T3 cell transformation.

By using in vitro two-stage BALB/c 3T3 cell transformation assay, we have tested the effect of promoting treatment with tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA) on transformation induced by 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (1,1,2,2-TTCE). Cells were treated with subeffective or transforming concentrations of 1,1,2,2-TTCE in the presence of an S9-mix activating system, followed by TPA promoting treatment. The transforming activity of 1,1,2,2-TTCE is evident only by reseeding confluent cells and allowing additional rounds of cell replications in the amplification test. Treatment with TPA leads to a marked transformation yield in all plates scored even at the lowest assayed dosage of 1,1,2,2-TTCE, without performing amplification of transformation.