Search

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effect of financial burden of cancer treatment from diagnosis to end-of-life on treatment withdrawal or change in Japan. Methods: This study was part of a nationwide survey of bereaved family members of cancer patients in Japan (J-HOPE2016 study). We asked questions regarding withdrawal or change of cancer treatment (stratified according to whether the treatment was recommended by physicians or based on the patients’ request), experiences of financial difficulties in coping with cancer treatment expenses, and the participants’ socioeconomic background. We conducted descriptive analyses and used logistic regression to examine the factors related to withdrawal or change of cancer treatment. Results: Approximately 7.5% of participants reported withdrawal or change of cancer treatment for financial reasons. The experiences of financial difficulties in coping with cancer treatment expenses such as using up all or a portion of one’s savings (OR=2.14, 95% CI=1.14-4.04, p=0.018 / OR=3.45, 95% CI=1.52-7.81, p=0.003) and subjective financial burden (OR=2.54, 95% CI=1.25-5.14, p=0.010 / OR=3.89, 95% CI=1.68-9.00, p=0.002) were significantly related to withdrawal or change of cancer treatment (recommended by physicians / based on patient request). Conclusion: Fewer participants reported withdrawal or change of cancer treatment than in previous studies, which might reflect the characteristics of the Japanese health-care system. However, there are patients in Japan who withdraw or change cancer treatment for financial reasons. Medical staff should consider financial toxicity as a serious side effect and assist patients in their decision-making regarding treatment while considering their socioeconomic background.

This paper shows that multipath retrodirective improves the efficiency and safety of indoor microwave power transmission (MPT). The retrodirective array antenna sends back the power signal toward the pilot signal transmitted from the receiver. In a room, there are many propagation paths (multipath) besides the line of sight between the receiver and the transmitter. Simulating multipath retrodirective, we verified the power signal reproduces the multipath of the pilot signal. By utilizing multipath, the efficiency was better than MPT using single beam. We also simulated cases that a water cuboid exists between the receiver and the retrodirective array. Since the cuboid intercepted the direct path of the pilot signal, the multipath power signal formed in a way to avoid it. This result shows not only that target tracking is possible even when the receiver is not on the direct line of sight, but also that multipath retrodirective will realize safe indoor MPT even when people are close to the system, because multipath power signal formed in a way to avoid them.

In this manuscript, we will describe the preparation of copper oxide thin films by sol-gel route using solar furnace with area of about 1.5 m2 as a rapid thermal annealing apparatus. The gel films prepared by spin-coating of Cu acetate solution transferred to CuO or Cu2O films after thermal annealing for 1 min employing solar furnace consists of Fresnel lens. The result reveals that the solar furnace can provide enough energy to cause the high temperature reaction of sol-gel route copper oxide synthesis. In addition, the result displays that the solar furnace is preferable apparatus to carry out a kind of high temperature rapid annealing. The oxidization reaction of the gel films significantly depends on the structure of the gel films before annealing. In the case of the gel film which contains little CuO, the film becomes mixture of CuO and Cu2O after the annealing by solar furnace. In contrast, the gel film with CuO structure transferred to pure Cu2O film after the annealing.

In this paper, we verified the effectiveness of multipath retrodirective. We calculated and simulated the phase change of the pilot signal caused by the interference with multipath, and both results agreed. Thus, simulating multipath retrodirective, we clarified that the accuracy of multipath retrodirective is determined by the number of elements and the element interval of the Van atta array. Retrodirectivity became better with the number of antenna elements in multipath environment. The transmission efficiency was degraded by mutual coupling when the element interval was $\lambda /4$. When the element interval was $\lambda /2$ and antenna elements were increased, the maximum power was able to transmitted. Comparing maximum power in multipath environment to maximum power in free space, we clarified Multipath Retrodirective is more efficient.

A drastic increase in precipitable water vapor (PWV) in the evenings was repeatedly confirmed in October 2000, by an analysis of GPS observational data at Lhasa in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, China. In order to investigate its mechanism, a numerical simulation was performed for a typical day using a regional atmospheric model. During the daytime, moisture is transported toward the summits of the Himalayas from the Hindustan plain along the southern slope of the mountain range by thermally-induced upslope winds. The moist air mass penetrates the Tibetan Plateau, through some cols of the Himalayas. Moisture accumulates over the northern foot of the Himalayas. Then a horizontal gradient of moisture increases north of the Himalayas, and a stationary moisture front forms between the moist air mass and dry air on the Tibetan Plateau. In the evening, the frontal structure begins to gradually decay until the midnight, and a large amount of moisture bursts toward the inner Tibetan Plateau in the lower atmosphere as a gravity current, causing a rapid increase in PWV. It is speculated, therefore, that the drastic evening increase in PWV, extending widely along the Himalayas, is generated by the plateau scale diurnal wind induced by the thermal effects between the Tibetan Plateau and the Hindustan plain. During the following day, the PWV level decreases over a wide area of the inner Tibetan Plateau, since dry air advection is intensified in the lower atmosphere by the synoptic scale westerly winds, because of the growth of the mixed layer accompanied by the vertical transportation of momentum.

[1] A remarkable increase in moisture frequently occurred in August afternoon radio soundings in 2001 in the layer up to 1000 m above the mixed layer (ML) near the mountains of western Sumatra, Indonesia. This moisture enhancement was also apparent in the monthly mean diurnal cycle. The mixing ratio is not vertically uniform in this layer, suggesting that turbulent mixing cannot be a major mechanism of the vertical moisture transport. A climatological numerical study using a cloud-resolving model suggests that thermally-induced upslope winds converge over the mountain summits during daytime, forming a moist air band along the mountain range. Ambient winds above the mountain range then advect the moist air into the surroundings, moisturizing the air above the ML over the leeward terrain. This mechanism is important for producing diurnal mesoscale precipitation systems over a wide area of the Indian Ocean, as documented by previous studies analyzing TRMM and GMS observational data.