Direct Patterning of Ceramic Circuit Board with Q-Switched Nd:YAG Laser

Direct patterning of copper coated ceramic circuit board is experimentally investigated with Q-switched Nd:YAG laser in order to shorten the time of the trial manufacture of electronic circuit board and to adapt the flexible design change. It is pointed out that the fast direct patterning the speed of which reaches about 100 mm/s is possible if the repetition frequency and the average power are selected properly. Furthermore cutting off and/or drilling of ceramic board are also possible under the condition that the repetition frequency is less than 3kHz. This technique makes it possible the mask1ess patterning of ceramic circuit board which has been widely used recently in place of conventional glass-epoxy or phenolic resin circuit board, and it leads to the shorter time limit of delivery as compared with the conventional end-milling method

Scribing of Ceramie Circuit Board with Q-Switched Nd：YAG Laser

Scribing of copper coated alumina ceramic board with Q-switched YAG laser used for the maskless direct patterning of circuit　board is experimentally investigated, which leads to efficient production of trial circuit board. Better dividing of alumina circuit board 655μm in thickness can be attained by the scribing of about 100μm depth. Higher repetition frequency of laser irradiation leads to smaller notch angle and lower breaking load

Atopic Dermatitis in Mouth Breathers

As mouth breathing is associated with asthma and otitis media, it may be associated with other diseases. Therefore, this population-based cross-sectional study evaluated the association of mouth breathing with the prevalences of various diseases in children. Preschool children older than 2 years were included. A questionnaire was given to parents/guardians at 13 nurseries in Tokushima City. There were 468 valid responses (45.2%). We defined a subject as a mouth breather in daytime (MBD) if they had 2 or more positive items among the 3 following items: “breathes with mouth ordinarily,” “mouth is open ordinarily,” and “mouth is open when chewing.” We defined subjects as mouth breathers during sleep (MBS) if they had 2 or more positive items among the following 3 items: “snoring,” “mouth is open during sleeping,” and “mouth is dry when your child gets up.” The prevalences of MBD and MBS were 35.5%and 45.9%, respectively. There were significant associations between MBD and atopic dermatitis (odds ratio [OR]: 2.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4–4.2), MBS and atopic dermatitis (OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.3–4.2), and MBD and asthma (OR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.2–4.0). After adjusting for history of asthma and allergic rhinitis; family history of atopic dermatitis, asthma, and allergic rhinitis; and nasal congestion; both MBD (OR: 2.6, 95% CI: 1.3–5.4) and MBS (OR: 4.1, 95% CI: 1.8–9.2) were significantly associated with atopic dermatitis. In preschool children older than 2 years, both MBD and MBS may be associated with the onset or development of atopic dermatitis

Community-based clinical education increases motivation of medical students to medicine of remote area : comparison between lecture and practice

In this study, we administered a questionnaire to medical students to evaluate the effect of community-based clinical education on their attitudes to community medicine and medicine in remote area. Questionnaires were given 4 times to all the students from first-year to sixth-year. Of 95 students, 65 students (68.4%) who completed all questionnaires, were used in this study. The intensity of students’ attitudes was estimated by using visual analogue scale. The intensity of interest, a sense of fulfillment and passion in medicine of remote area was significantly increased　after the community-based practice. On the other hand, the level of understanding in medicine in remote area was increased by the lecture not by the practice. The intensity of desire both to become a generalist and a specialist was significantly increased when the grade went up. Most of sixth-year students desired to have abilities of a generalist and a specialist simultaneously. This study shows that the community-based practice is more meaningful in increasing motivation in medicine in remote area than the lecture, and suggests that it is　important to prepare more courses to　experience community medicine to increase the number of physicians who desire to work in remote area

Incidence of dengue virus infection among Japanese travellers, 2006 to 2010

Introduction: Dengue continues to be a global public health concern. In Japan, although dengue cases are currently seen only among travellers returning from endemic areas, the number of reported cases is rising according to the national case-based surveillance system. We evaluated the characteristics of dengue cases imported into Japan and the relationship between the incidence of infection and season of travel to popular destinations.Methods: Dengue cases reported to the national surveillance system were retrospectively examined. The number of reported cases per number of Japanese travellers to a dengue-endemic country was calculated to estimate the country-specific incidence of imported dengue virus infection. The incidence of dengue infection among Japanese travellers was compared between dengue high season and low season in each country using relative risk (RR) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CI).Results: Among 540 Japanese residents who were reported as dengue cases from 2006 to 2010, the majority had travelled to Indonesia, India, the Philippines and Thailand. The RR of dengue infection among Japanese travellers during dengue high season versus low season was 4.92 (95% CI: 3.01–8.04) for the Philippines, 2.76 (95% CI: 1.67–4.54) for Thailand and 0.37 (95% CI: 0.15–0.92) for Indonesia.Discussion: Overall, higher incidence of imported cases appeared to be related to historic dengue high seasons. Travellers planning to visit dengue-endemic countries should be aware of historic dengue seasonality and the current dengue situation

Induction of the 72-kD Heat Shock Protein in Organ-Cultured Normal Human Skin

To study the induction of heat shock protein (HSP) of normal human skill, the indirect immunofluorescence method, using monoclonal autibody directed against 72-kD HSP, was applied in organ-cultured normal human skin that was treated with heat, UV, or chemicals. The present study provided new evidence that HSP 72 was induced not only by heat and chemical agents, such as L-azetidine 2-carboxylic acid, and sodium arsenite, but also by ultraviolet (UVB and C). The result suggests that normal human skin has an induced protective function against numerous environmental stresses