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We report on the cryogenic properties of a low-contraction silicon–aluminum composite, namely Japan Fine Ceramics SA001, to use as a packaging structure for cryogenic silicon devices. SA001 is silicon–aluminum composite material (75% silicon by volume) and has a low thermal expansion coefficient ( ∼ 1/3 that of aluminum). The superconducting transition temperature of SA001 is measured to be 1.18 K, which is in agreement with that of pure aluminum and is thus available as a superconducting magnetic shield material. The residual resistivity of SA001 is 0.065 µΩm, which is considerably lower than equivalent silicon–aluminum composite material. The measured thermal contraction of SA001 immersed in liquid nitrogen is L 293 K - L 77 K L 293 K = 0.12 % , which is consistent with the expected rate obtained from the volume-weighted mean of the contractions of silicon and aluminum. The machinability of SA001 is also confirmed with a demonstrated fabrication of a conical feedhorn array, with a wall thickness of 100 µm. These properties are suitable for packaging applications for large-format superconducting detector devices.

Integrated superconducting spectrometer (ISS) technology will enable ultra-wideband, integral-field spectroscopy for (sub)millimeter-wave astronomy, in particular, for uncovering the dust-obscured cosmic star formation and galaxy evolution over cosmic time. Here, we present the development of DESHIMA 2.0, an ISS for ultra-wideband spectroscopy toward high-redshift galaxies. DESHIMA 2.0 is designed to observe the 220–440 GHz band in a single shot, corresponding to a redshift range of z  = 3.3–7.6 for the ionized carbon emission ([C II] 158  μ m). The first-light experiment of DESHIMA 1.0, using the 332–377 GHz band, has shown an excellent agreement among the on-sky measurements, the laboratory measurements, and the design. As a successor to DESHIMA 1.0, we plan the commissioning and the scientific observation campaign of DESHIMA 2.0 on the ASTE 10-m telescope in 2023. Ongoing upgrades for the full octave-bandwidth system include the wideband 347-channel chip design and the wideband quasi-optical system. For efficient measurements, we also develop the observation strategy using the mechanical fast sky-position chopper and the sky-noise removal technique based on a novel data-scientific approach. In the paper, we show the recent status of the upgrades and the plans for the scientific observation campaign.

Ultra-wideband, three-dimensional (3D) imaging spectrometry in the millimeter–submillimeter (mm–submm) band is an essential tool for uncovering the dust-enshrouded portion of the cosmic history of star formation and galaxy evolution1–3. However, it is challenging to scale up conventional coherent heterodyne receivers4 or free-space diffraction techniques5 to sufficient bandwidths (≥1 octave) and numbers of spatial pixels2,3 (>102). Here, we present the design and astronomical spectra of an intrinsically scalable, integrated superconducting spectrometer6, which covers 332–377 GHz with a spectral resolution of F/ΔF ~ 380. It combines the multiplexing advantage of microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs)7 with planar superconducting filters for dispersing the signal in a single, small superconducting integrated circuit. We demonstrate the two key applications for an instrument of this type: as an efficient redshift machine and as a fast multi-line spectral mapper of extended areas. The line detection sensitivity is in excellent agreement with the instrument design and laboratory performance, reaching the atmospheric foreground photon noise limit on-sky. The design can be scaled to bandwidths in excess of an octave, spectral resolution up to a few thousand and frequencies up to ~1.1 THz. The miniature chip footprint of a few cm2 allows for compact multi-pixel spectral imagers, which would enable spectroscopic direct imaging and large-volume spectroscopic surveys that are several orders of magnitude faster than what is currently possible1–3.By using a superconducting integrated circuit to filter incoming millimetre, submillimetre and far-infrared light from distant galaxies, a prototype spectrometer holds promise for wideband spectrometers that are small, sensitive and scalable to wideband spectroscopic imagers.

We are developing an ultra-wideband spectroscopic instrument, DESHIMA (DEep Spectroscopic HIgh-redshift MApper), based on the technologies of an on-chip filter bank and microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) to investigate dusty starburst galaxies in the distant universe at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. An on-site experiment of DESHIMA was performed using the ASTE 10-m telescope. We established a responsivity model that converts frequency responses of the MKIDs to line-of-sight brightness temperature. We estimated two parameters of the responsivity model using a set of skydip data taken under various precipitable water vapor (PWV 0.4–3.0 mm) conditions for each MKID. The line-of-sight brightness temperature of sky is estimated using an atmospheric transmission model and the PWVs. As a result, we obtain an average temperature calibration uncertainty of 1 σ = 4 %, which is smaller than other photometric biases. In addition, the average forward efficiency of 0.88 in our responsivity model is consistent with the value expected from the geometrical support structure of the telescope. We also estimate line-of-sight PWVs of each skydip observation using the frequency response of MKIDs and confirm the consistency with PWVs reported by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array.

We present the case of a 53-year-old woman with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IVa (T3N2M0) squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva. Because the urethra was surrounded by a vulvar tumor, she was managed with primary chemoradiation in an attempt to spare the morbidity associated with exenterative vulvar surgery. Treatment was given as a planned split course, consisting of two separate courses of 23.8 Gy each. During each split course of radiation, 5-fluorouracil, 1000 mg/m2 per day, was given over the first 4 days, and cisplatin 50 mg/m2 was administered as a single infusion on the first day. During the 4 days of chemotherapy infusion, the radiation was administered in two daily fractions of 1.7 Gy each, given at least 6 h apart. There was no treatment break due to adverse effect, and a pathological complete response was achieved in the primary tumor and the lymph nodes. The patient did not undergo surgical intervention, and has had no evidence of recurrence for 24 months. Chemoradiation therapy should be considered as an option in patients with locally advanced vulvar cancer to avert the need for exenterative surgery, and to preserve sexual, gastrointestinal, and urinary function.

To maintain in vitro granulosa cell function by adenoviral-mediated FSHR gene transduction. Rat granulosa cells were cultured and transduced with adenovirus carrying FSHR gene. The number of receptors and the rate of steroidogenesis were assessed. The number of FSHR on the granulosa cells was 4,874 per cell immediately after extraction, it was 2,176 by the third day, and had further reduced to 693 by the seventh day. On the third day of culture, the amount of production of estradiol by FSH stimulation also decreased to about one-quarter of the first day's quantity. Compared to the untransduced granulose cells, when the cells contained FSHR gene, the FSHR expression and steroidogenesis were both enhanced (2,176 vs. 7,206 per cell (p<0.001) and 192 vs. 5940 pg/mL (p<0.01), respectively). Granulosa cell functions can be maintained or increased by novel gene therapy. This can be a useful component of assisted reproductive therapy.

There is no consensus regarding the optimal chemotherapy for endometrial cancer patients, and a need for better chemotherapy is evident. Two individuals with recurrent metastatic endometrial cancer treated with docetaxel and carboplatin combination chemotherapy are presented here. Both cases showed objective response to the chemotherapy (one complete response and the other partial response); response duration was 7 and 18 months, respectively. One patient who achieved complete response is alive without disease for 12 months after recurrence. Adverse effects in this regimen were mild and tolerable. Docetaxel in combination with carboplatin may be active agents for patients with metastatic endometrial cancer.

The purpose of this study was to report the duration of the progression-free interval (PFI) in advanced ovarian cancer patients who were treated with intermittent maintenance chemotherapy. Between 1991 and 1998, 25 patients with stage III or IV ovarian cancer were enrolled in a trial of intermittent maintenance chemotherapy. All patients underwent cytoreduction surgery, and received adjuvant chemotherapy, after which they were treated with intermittent maintenance chemotherapy every 3 to 4 months for 2 years. The median PFI in the 25 women in the intermittent chemotherapy group was 25 months, while in the 32 patients in the control group it was 18 months (P = 0.0124). The median survival of women treated with the intermittent chemotherapy was 34 months, and for the control group patients, it was 35 months (P = 0.0672). Multivariate analysis in the intermittent chemotherapy group revealed that the only factor that correlated significantly with PFI was the status after adjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.0137). In patients with no evidence of disease after the adjuvant chemotherapy, the median survival was 39 months in the intermittent chemotherapy group, and 35 months in the control group (P = 0.0156). The median PFI was 28 months in the intermittent chemotherapy group, and 18 months in the control group (P = 0.0012). It would be warranted to perform intermittent maintenance chemotherapy for patients with advanced ovarian cancer, if a clinically disease-free status could be achieved after completion of the standard treatment procedure.

Background and Aims:  The aim of the present prospective observational study was to evaluate the effects of low‐dose, short‐term metformin, in combination with clomiphene (CC), in CC‐resistant infertile Japanese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods:  Metformin therapy was administered orally (one 250 mg tablet, twice daily) to 15 CC‐resistant infertile patients with PCOS, beginning on the third day of progestin‐induced withdrawal bleeding, and was continued for 14 days in the first cycle. In the event of anovulation, 100 mg/day of CC was given during subsequent cycles on days 5–9, in addition to the aforementioned dose of metformin. Hormonal and metabolic parameters were measured on the second or third days of the first cycle and also the fourth cycle, following an overnight fast. Results:  None of the 15 women successfully ovulated during the first cycle with metformin treatment alone. After two subsequent cycles with the combination of CC and metformin, ovulation was confirmed in 17 of 29 cycles (61%) and in 13 of 15 patients (87%). Two women became pregnant within 2 months of therapy (13%). There were no cases of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Following three cycles of metformin therapy, a slight reduction in serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), free testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, hemoglobin A1c and total cholesterol was seen, while serum LH/follicle‐stimulating hormone ratio and serum level of low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly decreased. Although there were no significant differences between the responder (n = 11) and non‐responder (n = 2) groups at baseline, the levels of plasma fasting insulin was significantly higher and fasting glucose/insulin ratio was significantly lower in the non‐responder group compared with the responder group after three cycles. Conclusion:  Low‐dose, short‐term metformin, combined with CC, can improve ovulation rates in CC‐resistant infertile Japanese women with PCOS. (Reprod Med Biol 2004; 3: 19–26)

The authors propose a novel book-shaped device for flipbooks called Paranga that embodies both physical features of paper and e-book interactivity. Paranga detects how quickly a user is riffling and provides the user with visual, tactile, and auditory feedbacks of turned pages by employing an LCD monitor and a rotatable roller mechanism with pieces of real paper. Using this device, the authors created several electronic flipbook installations in which the story changes depending on page-turning speed. This paper details the implementation of this device, describes the users’ reactions at a conference exhibition, and discusses Paranga's possible applications.