Furthermore, particle microbeam studies show that passage of even a single alpha particle ( e . g . from radon and its progeny ) through cell nuclei is highly mutagenic, and that alpha radiation may have a higher mutagenic effect at low doses ( even if a small fraction of cells are hit by alpha particles ) than predicted by linear no-threshold model, a phenomenon attributed to bystander effect.
12.
The school's geochemical and mineralogical analytical laboratories include a ?.5 million microbeam analytical facility that contains an extensive range of sample preparation and analytical facilities including optical microscopes, cathodoluminescence, low-vacuum scanning electron microscope, electron probe microanalyser, QEMSCAN ( particle analysis and mineral identification ), X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, X-ray diffraction, atomic absorption spectrometers, atomic fluorescence spectrometer plus elemental, physical and thermal analysers.
