LONG-TERM VARIATION STUDY OF CATACLYSMIC VARIABLES WITH PALOMAR TRANSIENT FACTORY

YANG, MICHAEL TING-CHANG,CHOU, YI,HU, CHIN-PING,SU, YI-HAO,HSIEH, HUNG-EN,LIN, CHING-PING,CHUANG, PO-SHENG,LIAO, NAI-HUI The Korean Astronomical Society 2015 天文學論叢 Vol.30 No.2

The Palomar Transient Factory is a project making use of a Schmidt 48 inch telescope located on the Palomar Mountain, which is surveying the sky with dynamical cadences. It was deployed in 2009 and the observed sky region is over 1200 square degrees. We have studied the long-term periodic variabilities of the known galactic cataclysmic variables (CVs). More than 20 of the sources had been found to have long term periodic signals, ranging from several tens of days to several hundreds of days. Some possible scenarios are proposed to explain the results, such as a magnetic field change of the companion star, precession of the accretion disk, triple systems and superoutburst cycles. Some preliminary discussion will be presented in this article.

Up-regulation of Bax and endonuclease G, and down-modulation of Bcl-XL involved in cardiotoxin III-induced apoptosis in K562 cells

Sheng-Huei Yang,Ching-Ming Chien,Mei-Chin Lu,Yi-Hsiung Lin,Xiu-Wei Hu,Shinne-Ren Lin 생화학분자생물학회 2006 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.38 No.4

Cardiotoxin III (CTX III), a basic polypeptide with 60 amino acid residues isolated from Naja naja atra venom, has been reported to have anticancer activity. CTX III-induced K562 cell apoptosis was confirmed by DNA fragmentation (DNA ladder, sub-G1 for-mation) and phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization with an IC50 value of 1.7 g/ml at 48 h. A mechanistic analysis demonstrated that CTX III-induced apop-totic cell death was accompanied by up-regulation of both Bax and endonuclease G (Endo G), and downregulation of Bcl-XL. CTX III had no effect on the levels of Bcl-2, Bid, XIAP survivin, and AIF proteins. CTX III treatment caused loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential (Ψm), release of mitochon-drial cytochrome c to the cytosol, and activation of both caspase-9 and -3. CTX III-induced apoptosis was significantly blocked by the broad-spectrum cas-pase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK. However, CTX III did not generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and talase, did not block CTX III-induced apoptosis in K562 cells. Modulation of Bax, Bcl-XL, and the Endo G proteins, release of mitochondrial cytochome c, and activation of caspase-3 and -9 all are involved in the CTX III-triggered apoptotic process in human leukemia K562 cells.

The Crucial Role of the Establishment of Computed Tomography Density Conversion Tables for Treating Brain or Head/Neck Tumors

Yang, Shu-Chin,Lo, Su-Hua,Shie, Li-Tsuen,Lee, Sung-Wei,Ho, Sheng-Yow Korean Society of Medical Physics 2021 의학물리 Vol.32 No.3

Purpose: The relationship between computed tomography (CT) number and electron density (ED) has been investigated in previous studies. However, the role of these measures for guiding cancer treatment remains unclear. Methods: The CT number was plotted against ED for different imaging protocols. The CT number was imported into ED tables for the Pinnacle treatment planning system (TPS) and was used to determine the effect on dose calculations. Conversion tables for radiation dose calculations were generated and subsequently monitored using a dosimeter to determine the effect of different CT scanning protocols and treatment sites. These tables were used to retrospectively recalculate the radiation therapy plans for 41 patients after an incorrect scanning protocol was inadvertently used. The gamma index was further used to assess the dose distribution, percentage dose difference (DD), and distance-to-agreement (DTA). Results: For densities <1.1 g/cm³, the standard deviation of the CT number was ±0.6% and the greatest variation was noted for brain protocol conditions. For densities >1.1 g/cm³, the standard deviation of the CT number was ±21.2% and the greatest variation occurred for the tube voltage and head and neck (H&N) protocol conditions. These findings suggest that the factors most affecting the CT number are the tube voltage and treatment site (brain and H&N). Gamma index analyses for the 41 retrospective clinical cases, as well as brain metastases and H&N tumors, showed gamma passing rates >90% and <90% for the passing criterion of 2%/2 and 1%/1 mm, respectively. Conclusions: The CT protocol should be carefully decided for TPS. The correct protocol should be used for the corresponding TPS based on the treatment site because this especially affects the dose distribution for brain metastases and H&N tumor recognition. Such steps could help reduce systematic errors.

APPLICATIONS OF THE HILBERT-HUANG TRANSFORM ON THE NON-STATIONARY ASTRONOMICAL TIME SERIES

HU, CHIN-PING,CHOU, YI,YANG, TING-CHANG,SU, YI-HAO,HSIEH, HUNG-EN,LIN, CHING-PING,CHUANG, PO-SHENG,LIAO, NAI-HUI The Korean Astronomical Society 2015 天文學論叢 Vol.30 No.2

The development of time-frequency analysis techniques allow astronomers to successfully deal with the non-stationary time series that originate from unstable physical mechanisms. We applied a recently developed time-frequency analysis method, the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT), to two non-stationary phenomena: the superorbital modulation in the high-mass X-ray binary SMC X-1 and the quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) of the AGN RE J1034+396. From the analysis of SMC X-1, we obtained a Hilbert spectrum that shows more detailed information in both the time and frequency domains. Then, a phase-resolved analysis of both the spectra and the orbital profiles was presented. From the spectral analysis, we noticed that the iron line production is dominated by different regions of this binary system in different superorbital phases. Furthermore, a pre-eclipse dip lying at orbital phase ~0:6-0:85 was discovered during the superorbital transition state. We further applied the HHT to analyze the QPO of RE J1034+396. From the Hilbert spectrum and the O-C analysis results, we suggest that it is better to divide the evolution of the QPO into three epochs according to their different periodicities. The correlations between the QPO periods and corresponding fluxes were also different in these three epochs. The change in periodicity and the relationships could be interpreted as the change in oscillation mode based on the diskoseismology model.

ON THE COMPLEX VARIABILITY OF THE SUPERORBITAL MODULATION PERIOD OF LMC X-4

HU, CHIN-PING,LIN, CHING-PING,CHOU, YI,YANG, TING-CHANG,SU, YI-HAO,HSIEH, HUNG-EN,CHUANG, PO-SHENG,LIAO, NAI-HUI The Korean Astronomical Society 2015 天文學論叢 Vol.30 No.2

LMC X-4 is an eclipsing high-mass X-ray binary exhibiting a superorbital modulation with a period of ~ 30:5 days. We present a detailed study of the variations of the superorbital modulation period with a time baseline of ~ 18 years. The period determined in the light curve collected by the Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) significantly deviates from that observed by the All Sky Monitor (ASM) onboard the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). Using the data collected by RXTE/ASM, MAXI, and the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) onboard Swift, we found a significant period derivative, $\dot{P}=(2.08{\pm}0.12){\times}10^{-5}$. Furthermore, the O{C residual shows complex short-term variations indicating that the superorbital modulation of LMC X-4 exhibits complicated unstable behaviors. In addition, we used archive data collected by the Proportional Counter Array (PCA) on RXTE to estimate the orbital and spin parameters. The detected pulse frequencies obtained in small time segments were fitted with a circular orbital Doppler shift model. In addition to orbital parameters and spin frequency for each observation, we found a spin frequency derivative of $\dot{v}=(6.482{\pm}0.011){\times}10^{-13}Hz{\cdot}s^{-1}$. More precise orbital and spin parameters will be evaluated by the pulse arrival time delay technique in the future.

Efficacy of Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate and Amla (Emblica officinalis) Extract for the Treatment of Diabetic-Uremic Patients

Tung-Sheng Chen,Show-Yih Liou,Hsi-Chin Wu,Fuu-Jen Tsai,Chang-Hai Tsai,Chih-Yang Huang,Yen-Lin Chang 한국식품영양과학회 2011 Journal of medicinal food Vol.14 No.7

Uremic patients with diabetes suffer from high levels of oxidative stress due to regular hemodialysis therapy (neutrophil activation induced by hemo-incompatibility between the hemodialyser and blood) and complications associated with diabetes. Several plasma biomarkers were screened in 13 uremic diabetic patients after receiving the mixture of (–)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a major component of green tea extract, and Amla extract (AE), from Emblica officinalis, the Indian gooseberry, for 3 months. We found that oral administration of a 1:1 mixture of EGCG and AE for 3 months significantly improved antioxidant defense as well as diabetic and atherogenic indices in uremic patients with diabetes. Furthermore, no significant changes in hepatic function, renal function, or inflammatory responses were observed. These results suggest that a 1:1 combination of EGCG and AE is a safe and effective treatment for uremic patients with diabetes.

THE UPDATED ORBITAL PERIOD OF LOW MASS X-ray BINARY 4U 1323-62

CHUANG, PO-SHENG,CHOU, YI,HU, CHIN-PING,YANG, TING-CHANG,SU, YI-HAO,LIAO, NAI-HUI,HSIEH, HUNG-EN,LIN, CHING-PING The Korean Astronomical Society 2015 天文學論叢 Vol.30 No.2

4U 1323-62, a low mass X-ray binary with an orbital period of 2.94 hr, exhibits periodic X-ray dips, which are due to absorption by the bulge of the outer accretion disk. The purpose of this study is to search for orbital period changes using archived X-ray data over a time span of 20 years. We present our preliminary results from analyzing light curves observed by RXTE, BeppoSAX, XMM-Newton and Suzaku. We used the method proposed by Hu et al. (2008) to estimate dip center time and adopted the Observed - Calculated method to measure changes in period. We obtained an orbital period of 2.941917(36) hr and a period derivative of $\dot{P}_{orb}/P_{orb}=(-9.9{\pm}3.5){\times}10^{-7}yr^{-1}$. The F-test result shows that the quadratic ephemeris is describes the evolution of the dip phases better than the linear ephemeris at a greater than 95% confidence level. More X-ray data collected from the early 80s will be included to further refine the orbital ephemeris.

CHARACTERIZING THE TIME-FREQUENCY PROPERTIES OF THE 4 Hz QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATION AROUND THE BLACK HOLE X-ray BINARY XTE J1550-564

SU, YI-HAO,CHOU, YI,HU, CHIN-PING,YANG, TING-CHANG,HSIEH, HUNG-EN,CHUANG, PO-SHENG,LIN, CHING-PING,LIAO, NAI-HUI The Korean Astronomical Society 2015 天文學論叢 Vol.30 No.2

We present the results from analysis of the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) for the 4 Hz quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO) around the black hole X-ray binary XTE J1550-564. The resultant Hilbert spectra demonstrate that the QPO is composed of a series of intermittent signals appearing occasionally. From the analysis of the HHT, we further found the distribution of the lifetimes for the intermittent oscillations and the distribution for the time intervals with no significant signal (the break time). The mean lifetime is 1.45 s and 90% of the oscillation segments have lifetimes less than 3.1 s whereas the mean break time is 0.42 s and 90% of break times are less than 0.73 s. We conclude that the intermittent feature of the QPO could be explained by the Lense-Thirring precession model and rules out interpretations of continual frequency modulation.

THE ORBITAL EPHEMERIS OF THE PARTIAL ECLIPSING X-ray BINARY X1822-371

HSIEH, HUNG-EN,CHOU, YI,HU, CHIN-PING,YANG, TING-CHANG,SU, YI-HAO,LIN, CHING-PING,CHUANG, PO-SHENG,LIAO, NAI-HUI The Korean Astronomical Society 2015 天文學論叢 Vol.30 No.2

X1822-371 is a low mass X-ray binary with an accretion disk corona exhibiting partial eclipses and pulsations in the X-ray band. We update its orbital ephemeris by combining new RXTE observations and historical records, with a total time span of 34 years. There were 11 RXTE observations in 2011 but the eclipsing profile can be seen in only 4 of them. The eclipsing center times were obtained by fitting the profile with the same model as previous studies. Combined with the eclipsing center times reported by Iaria et al. (2011), the O-C analysis was processed. A quadratic model was applied to fit the O-C results and produced a mean orbital period derivative of $\dot{P}_{orb}=1.339(25){\times}10^{-10}s/s$, which is slightly smaller than previous records. In addition to the orbital modulation from the orbital profile, we also present our preliminary results for measuring the orbital parameters using the orbital Doppler effect from the pulsation of the neutron star in X1822-371. The updated orbital parameters from eclipsing profiles will be further compared with the ones from pulsar timing.

Alpinate Oxyphyllae Fructus Inhibits IGFII-Related Signaling Pathway to Attenuate Ang II-Induced Pathological Hypertrophy in H9c2 Cardiomyoblasts

Chuan-Te Tsai,Yung-Ming Chang,Shu-Luan Lin,Yueh-Sheng Chen,Yu-Lan Yeh,Viswanadha Vijaya Padma,Chin-Chuan Tsai,Ray-Jade Chen,Tsung-Jung Ho,Chih-Yang Huang 한국식품영양과학회 2016 Journal of medicinal food Vol.19 No.3

Angiotensin II (Ang II) is a very important cardiovascular disease inducer and may cause cardiac pathological hypertrophy and remodeling. We evaluated a Chinese traditional medicine, alpinate oxyphyllae fructus (AOF), for therapeutic efficacy for treating Ang II-induced cardiac hypertrophy. AOF has been used to treat patients with various symptoms accompanying hypertension and cerebrovascular disorders in Korea. We investigated its protective effect against Ang II-induced cytoskeletal change and hypertrophy in H9c2 cells. The results showed that treating cells with Ang II resulted in pathological hypertrophy, such as increased expression of transcription factors NFAT-3/p-NFAT-3, hypertrophic response genes (atrial natriuretic peptide [ANP] and b-type natriuretic peptide [BNP]), and Gαq down-stream effectors (PLCβ3 and calcineurin). Pretreatment with AOF (60–100 μg/mL) led to significantly reduced hypertrophy. We also found that AOF pretreatment significantly suppressed the cardiac remodeling proteins, metalloproteinase (MMP9 and MMP2), and plasminogen activator, induced by Ang II challenge. In conclusion, we provide evidence that AOF protects against Ang II-induced pathological hypertrophy by specifically inhibiting the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) II/IIR-related signaling pathway in H9c2 cells. AOF might be a candidate for cardiac hypertrophy and ventricular remodeling prevention in chronic cardiovascular diseases.