of normal.

Only the results with monoenergetic-, fission spectrum- and wea-

pon-neutrons delivered acutely were included, for a total of 15 series and
5 different strains of mice.

Inspection of the data makes it immediately ap-

parent that the nature of the dose-relationship is in this case quite different from that observed with x- and gamma-rays.

This impression is confirmed

when the following equations are fitted to the data with the following results

y

=

a+bD
Ro

=
e
y=atbDtiecD

y

=

5.7361 + 0.0851 D

=

0.5751

(10)

y -= 2.005 + 0.1837 D - 277 10° -) D 2

FO 2

=

0.6860

(9)

.

(11)

(12)

Clearly, none of these two relationships provides a satisfactory interpolation
to the neutron data, because the first of them fails to show the initial steep
rise and the latter, after showing a maximum of effect between 300 and 400 rad
bends down rapidly towards lower values, an effect which would be difficult to

interpret.

The following relationship was also fitted

y = atbvbd

(13)

and it yielded the following solution

y

0.1645 + 1.764 VD

=
Re

(14)

0.6837

The square-root relationship seemed to fit the data fairly well in that it described adequately the increase of effect seen at very low doses of neutrons
and the ensuring levelling-off of the data for doses up to 500 rad, along a
slope roughly parallel to the slope of the low-LET radiation dose relationship.

95.

Thus, whatever the actual relationship truly applying to the life-span-

shortening effect caused by neutrons in the mouse, under the conditions of
the present analysis the data are best described by a relationship having a
convex upward trend with dose, such that the efficiency of low neutron doses
is higher than that of higher doses.

The numerical value of this higher effi-

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