• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.50-57
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• 2022

Background: There are several proton therapy facilities in operation or planned in Taiwan, and these facilities are anticipated to not only treat cancer but also provide beam services to the industry or academia. The simplified approach based on the Monte Carlo-based data sets (source terms and attenuation lengths) with the point-source line-of-sight approximation is friendly in the design stage of the proton therapy facilities because it is intuitive and easy to use. The purpose of this study is to expand the Monte Carlo-based data sets to allow the simplified approach to cover the application of proton beams more widely. Materials and Methods: In this work, the MCNP6 Monte Carlo code was used in three simulations to achieve the purpose, including the neutron yield calculation, Monte Carlo-based data sets generation, and dose assessment in simple cases to demonstrate the effectiveness of the generated data sets. Results and Discussion: The consistent comparison of the simplified approach and Monte Carlo simulation results show the effectiveness and advantage of applying the data set to a quick shielding design and conservative dose assessment for proton therapy facilities. Conclusion: This study has expanded the existing Monte Carlo-based data set to allow the simplified approach method to be used for dose assessment or shielding design for beam services in proton therapy facilities. It should be noted that the default model of the MCNP6 is no longer the Bertini model but the CEM (cascade-exciton model), therefore, the results of the simplified approach will be more conservative when it was used to do the double confirmation of the final shielding design.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.42-48
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• 2009

Purpose: The introduction of image guided radiation therapy/four-dimensional radiation therapy (IGRT/4DRT) potentially increases the accumulated dose to patients from imaging and verification processes as compared to conventional practice. It is therefore essential to investigate the level of the imaging dose to patients when IGRT/4DRT devices are installed. The imaging dose level was monitored and was compared with the use of pre-IGRT practice. Materials and Methods: A four-dimensional CT (4DCT) unit (GE, Ultra Light Speed 16), a simulator (Varian Acuity) and Varian IX unit with an on-board imager (OBI) and cone beam CT (CBCT) were installed. The surface doses to a RANDO phantom (The Phantom Laboratory, Salem, NY USA) were measured with the newly installed devices and with pre-existing devices including a single slice CT scanner (GE, Light Speed), a simulator (Varian Ximatron) and L-gram linear accelerator (Varian, 2100C Linac). The surface doses were measured using thermo luminescent dosimeters (TLDs) at eight sites-the brain, eye, thyroid, chest, abdomen, ovary, prostate and pelvis. Results: Compared to imaging with the use of single slice non-gated CT, the use of 4DCT imaging increased the dose to the chest and abdomen approximately ten-fold ($1.74{\pm}0.34$ cGy versus $23.23{\pm}3.67$cGy). Imaging doses with the use of the Acuity simulator were smaller than doses with the use of the Ximatron simulator, which were $0.91{\pm}0.89$ cGy versus $6.77{\pm}3.56$ cGy, respectively. The dose with the use of the electronic portal imaging device (EPID; Varian IX unit) was approximately 50% of the dose with the use of the L-gram linear accelerator ($1.83{\pm}0.36$ cGy versus $3.80{\pm}1.67$ cGy). The dose from the OBI for fluoroscopy and low-dose mode CBCT were $0.97{\pm}0.34$ cGy and $2.3{\pm}0.67$ cGy, respectively. Conclusion: The use of 4DCT is the major source of an increase of the radiation (imaging) dose to patients. OBI and CBCT doses were small, but the accumulated dose associated with everyday verification need to be considered.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.68-75
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• 1999

Objectives: We intended to observe changes in sleep patterns and mood states of night-shift workers following light exposure. We also estimated the degree of tolerance of light exposure. By studying these, we investigated the possibility of applying light therapy to night-shift workers for improving their adaptation. Methods: Twelve night-shift nurses working at Yong-In Mental Hospital volunteered to participate in this study. The study consisted of 3 parts: 1) night-shift control study; 2) light exposure study; 3) day-shift control study. All the nurses accomplished 3 parts of the study, each of which continued for 3 days, except one nurse who did not participate in day-shift control study. During light exposure study, nurses were exposed to bright light for 4 hours from 1AM to 5AM. Sleep patterns were evaluated with wrist actigraphy and automatic sleep analysis program. Mood states and side effects of light exposure were assessed with self-report scales. Results: Sleep period time, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency were increased following light exposure compared with night-shift control study. Light exposure study showed no difference from day-shift control study in above-mentioned sleep parameters. Daily fluctuation of sleep efficiency was less prominent during light exposure study than during night-shift control study. During light exposure study, the subjects felt more elated and energetic in the evening after daytime sleep than during night-shift control study. None of the subjects complained of severe side effects related to light exposure on the third day of light exposure. Tolerance of side effects was noted to develop with the repetition of light exposure. Conclusion: Light exposure improved the daytime sleep of night-shift workers to the level of normal nighttime sleep, making the subjects more elated and energetic. Side effects of light exposure were found to be tolerable. Light exposure seems to be safely applicable to night-shift workers for their adaptation.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.92-97
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• 2007

This paper performed the basic study for developing the Photodynamic Therapy Equipment for medical treatment. We developed the equipment palpating cell proliferation using a high brightness LED. This equipment was fabricated using a micro-controller and a high brightness LED, and designed to enable us to control light irradiation time, intensity, frequency and so on. Especially, to control the light irradiation frequency, FPGA was used, and to control the change of output value, TLC5941 was used. Control stage is divided into 30 levels by program. Consequently, the current value could be controlled by the change of level in Continue Wave(CW) and Pulse Width Modulation(PWM), and the output of a high brightness LED could be controlled stage by stage. And then, each experiment was performed to irradiation group and non-irradiation group for both Rat bone marrow and Rat tissue cells. MTT assay method was chosen to verify the cell increase of two groups and the effect of irradiation on cell proliferation was examined by measuring 590 nm transmittance of ELISA reader. As a result, the cell increase of Rat bone marrow and tissue cells was verified in irradiation group as compared to non-irradiation group. The fact that specific wavelength irradiation has an effect on cell vitality and proliferation is known through this study.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.12 no.9
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• pp.4008-4014
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of muscular strength, sensation, and spasticity of the hip joint on balance using clinical tools in chronic stroke patients. Thirty-two subjects participated. It were measured muscular strength of the hip flexor, extensor, abductor, and adductor using manual muscle testing, light touch sensibility, and spasticity of the quadriceps using the modified Ashworth scale in the paretic lower extremity. Also, static and dynamic balance were measured by the functional balance scale. Collected data was analyzed by stepwise multiple regression. Muscular strength of the hip abductor, light touch sensibility, and spasticity were associated with static balance(p<0.05) and explanatory power was 80.5%. Muscular strength of the hip abductor and light touch sensibility were associated with dynamic balance(p<0.05) and explanatory power was 77.9%. Thus, it is suggested that muscular strength of the hip abductor and light touch sensibility is considered when providing evaluation and intervention programs for the future in the balance.

• Journal of Acupuncture & Meridian Studies
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.367-374
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• 2018

This study describes the reliability of pragmatic combinations of acupuncture points for lateral epicondylalgia (LE) as prescribed by physiotherapists who were experts in acupuncture. Raters (n = 14; 33-59 years) independently prescribed acupuncture points for 30 simulated human patients with LE who were surveyed via a printed questionnaire. The frequency and cooccurrence of acupuncture points prescribed for patients with lateral epicondylitis were assessed. Absolute agreement and Light's kappa (${\kappa}_{Light}$) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to quantify the interrater agreement. Raters prescribed 103 unique acupuncture points in different combinations with a median (min-max) of 5 (0-11) acupuncture points. The most prescribed acupuncture point was LI-11 (297 of 420; 71%), and the most common cooccurring acupuncture points were LI-11 and LI-4 (160 of 420; 38%). The absolute agreement for prescribing the acupuncture points ranged from 70% (point GB-20) to 0% (points LI-10, SP-6, LI-11, GB-34, LI-12, and LI-4). Point LR-3 showed the highest interrater reliability for prescribing the acupuncture points [${\kappa}_{Light}=0.112$, 95% CI = (0.055-0.194)], whereas point LI-4 showed the lowest reliability [${\kappa}_{Light}=-0.003$, 95% CI = (-0.024 to 0.024)]. These findings suggest that pragmatic prescriptions of acupuncture points for LE are unreliable among physiotherapists who are experts in acupuncture. Explicit, high-level evidence-based rules for prescribing and teaching combinations of acupuncture points for LE are warranted.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.171-179
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• 2020

This study was attempted to identify the media preferences and the reasons of cancer patients. The data collection was conducted on 76 people. and they are 6 men, 70 women with 38 breast cancer patients, and 38 patients with other cancers. For measuring tools, self-written questionnaires and Mandala paintings were used for single-time art therapy. The data analysis compared the results of technical statistics, independence verification and chi verification using the SPSS WIN ver.25.0 with the Mandala painting. There were no significant differences in media preference by age and duration of the disease, and there were significant differences in media preference by disease. In the Mandala painting, the characteristics of the medium and the factors of specific disease showed that there were reasons and effects of preference media choice. This study is meaningful in that it concentrated on the art therapy access and support in terms of the cancer outpatients, which have been concentrated on inpatients so that they shed light to the support and intervention needed by the outpatients, and can be used as basic data for the development of art therapy programs to help stabilize the mind of cancer patients in the future.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.775-779
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• 2016

Background: The current study examined the effectiveness of concurrent therapy using photodynamic therapy (PDT) and clofibric acid (CA) to treat peritoneal carcinomatosis resulting from ovarian cancer. Materials and Methods: Nude rats were used to create a model of peritoneal carcinomatosis resulting from ovarian cancer and the effectiveness of PDT with 5-aminolevulinic acid methyl ester hydrochloride (methyl-ALA-PDT) was determined. The survival time of rats receiving that therapy was compared to the survival time of a control group. Rats with peritoneal carcinomatosis resulting from ovarian cancer were divided into 3 groups: a group that received debulking surgery (DS) alone, a group that received DS+methyl-ALA-PDT, and a group that received DS+methyl-ALA-PDT+CA. The survival time of the 3 groups was compared. Protoporphyrin, a metabolite of methyl-ALA, produces a photochemical action when activated by light. The level of protoporphyrin (the concentration) that reached organs in the abdomen was measured with HPLC. Results: Rats receiving methyl-ALA-PDT had a significantly longer survival time compared to the controls. Rats with peritoneal carcinomatosis that received DS+methyl-ALA-PDT+CA had a significantly longer survival time compared to the rats that received DS alone. Some of the rats that received concurrent therapy survived for a prolonged period. Protoporphyrin was highly concentrated in peritoneal metastases, but only small amounts reached major organs in the abdomen. PDT was not found to result in necrosis in the intestines. Conclusions: The results indicated that concurrent therapy consisting of PDT with methyl-ALA and CA is effective at treating peritoneal carcinomatosis resulting from ovarian cancer without damaging organs.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.64-68
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• 2004

Purpose : To study the feasibility of verifying real-time 2-D dose distribution measurement system with the scintillation screen for the quality assurance. Materials and Methods : The water phantom consisted of a scintillation screen (LANEX fast screen, Kodak, USA) that was axially located in the middle of an acrylic cylinder with a diameter of 25 cm. The charge-coupled device (CCD) camera was attached to the phantom In order to capture the visible light from the scintillation screen. To observe the dose distribution In real time, the intensity of the light from the scintillator was converted to a dosage. The isodose contours of the calculations from RTP and those of the measurements using the scintillation screen were compared for the arc therapy and the Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Results : The kernel, expressed as a multiplication of two error functions, was obtained in order to correct the sensitivity of the CCD of the camera and the scintillation screen. When comparing the calculated isodose and measured isodose, a discrepancy of less than 8 mm in the high dose region was observed. Conclusion : Using the 2-D dosimetry system, the relationship between the light and the dosage could be found, and real-time verification of the dose distribution was feasible.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.953-959
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• 2015

Optogenetics is the combination of optical and molecular strategies to control designated molecular and cellular activities in living tissues and cells using genetically encoded light-sensitive proteins. It involves the use of light to rapidly gate the membrane channels that allows for ion movement. Optogenetics began with the placing of light-sensitive proteins from green algae inside specific types of brain cells. The cells can then be turned on or off with pulses of blue and yellow light. Using the naturally occurring algal protein Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), a rapidly gated light-sensitive cation channel, the number and frequency of action potentials can be controlled. The ChR2 provides a way to manipulate a single type of neuron while affecting no others, an unprecedented specificity. This technology allows the use of light to alter neural processing at the level of single spikes and synaptic events, yielding a widely applicable tool for neuroscientists and biomedical engineers. An improbable combination of green algae, lasers, gene therapy and fiber optics made it possible to map neural circuits deep inside the brain with a precision that has never been possible before. This will help identify the causes of disorders like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, addiction, sleep disorder, and autism. Optogenetics could improve upon existing implanted devices that are used to treat Parkinson’s disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other ailments with pulses of electricity. An optogenetics device could hit more specific subsets of brain cells than those devices can. Applications of optogenetic tools in nonneuronal cells are on the rise.