Status of phenomenological modeling
Mathematical models serve two primary functions, to provide the means for estimating the effects of exposures which fall outside the range which can be investigated directly, and to form a framework for organizing observations so that the patterns and eventually the underlying mechanisms can be determined. The response of cells to acute irradiation as a function of dose can be described rather easily. Many different mathematical expressions fit the observed data within the experimental uncertainties. However, the regions of dose and dose rate which are of concern in radiation protection are far below the doses and dose rates generally used in experimental studies. The small errors remaining in even the best experiments translate into large uncertainties at the doses of interest. Thus purely phenomenological models (avoiding explanation or interpretation) cannot be totally successful in justifying the extrapolation. One is forced to look at general characteristics of mechanisms in order to justify the use of the models. If the model can be established independently then the shape of the dose response curve is known and extrapolations can be made with confidence even though some uncertainty remains about the values of coefficients.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 6696611
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-SA-14591; CONF-870163-1; ON: DE87004922
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: DOE/CEC workshop on mechanisms of radiation interaction with DNA, San Diego, CA, USA, 21 Jan 1987
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
The Significance of the Bystander Effect: Modeling, Experiments, and More Modeling
Development of Critical Experiments to Provide Validation Data for Multiphysics Coupling Methods (Final Report)