Probe card-Type multizone electrostatic chuck inspection system

Electrostatic chucks (ESCs) are major components of the equipment used to improve the production yield of wafers and temperature uniformity across wafer surfaces by controlling the wafer temperature precisely. However, ESCs are directly exposed to harsh environments, such as plasma, chemical gases, and high temperature fluctuations. Therefore, ESCs may malfunction if used for a certain period. Therefore, repair and performance verification of failed ESCs are required. In this study, we developed a multizone probe card system suitable for electrical testing of the heating electrodes embedded in ESC control modules to correlate the failure mode factors of ESCs. This system has the advantages of examining the resistance of the internal heating electrode of a 144-zone ESC in a short time and detecting an abnormality in this component based on the measured data. The heating electrode resistance measurement error rate of the developed system was 1%, and the maintenance time was reduced by approximately 66% compared with that of existing ESC maintenance methods

Crude Extracts of Caenorhabditis elegans Suppress Airway Inflammation in a Murine Model of Allergic Asthma

Epidemiological studies suggest an inverse relationship between helminth infections and allergic disease, and several helminth-derived products have been shown to suppress allergic responses in animals. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of a crude extract of Caenorhabditis elegans on allergic airway inflammation in a murine model of asthma. Allergic airway inflammation was induced in BALB/c mice by sensitization with ovalbumin. The effect of the C. elegans crude extract on the development of asthma and on established asthma was evaluated by analyzing airway hyperresponsiveness, serum antibody titers, lung histology and cell counts and cytokine levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The role of IFN-γ in the suppression of asthma by the C. elegans crude extract was investigated in IFN-γ knockout and wild-type mice. When mice were sensitized with ovalbumin together with the crude extract of C. elegans, cellular infiltration into the lung was dramatically reduced in comparison with the ovalbumin-treated group. Treatment of mice with the C. elegans crude extract significantly decreased methacholine-induced airway hyperresponsiveness and the total cell counts and levels of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid but increased the levels of IFN-γ and IL-12. Sensitization with the C. elegans crude extract significantly diminished the IgE and IgG1 responses but provoked elevated IgG2a levels. However, the suppressive effect of the C. elegans crude extract was abolished in IFN-γ knockout mice, and the Th2 responses in these mice were as strong as those in wild-type mice sensitized with ovalbumin. The crude extract of C. elegans also suppressed the airway inflammation associated with established asthma. This study provides new insights into immune modulation by the C. elegans crude extract, which suppressed airway inflammation in mice not only during the development of asthma but also after its establishment by skewing allergen-induced Th2 responses to Th1 responses

Multi-Dimensional Limiting Process for Two- and Three- Dimensional Flow Physics Analysis

In this paper, we derive a limiting condition for three-dimensional compressible flows and present the multi-dimensional limiting process for three-dimensions. The basic idea of the multi-dimensional limiting condition is that the vertex values interpolated at a grid point should be within the maximum and minimum cell-average values of neighboring cells for the monotonic distribution. By applying the MLP (Multi-dimensional Limiting Process), we can achieve monotonic characteristic, which results in the substantial enhancement of solution accuracy and convergence behavior

Maxillary Sinus Retention Cysts Protruding Into the Inferior Meatus

Although most of the maxillary sinus retention cysts are asymptomatic, a few of them increase in size and cause symptoms. However, they rarely erode bony walls nor protrude into the inferior meatus. I present 2 cases with maxillary sinus retention cysts protruding into the inferior meatus by making a large defect on the medial wall of the maxillary sinus

CT Evidence for Subchondral Trabecular Injury of the Femoral Head in Transient Osteoporosis of the Hip: A Case Report

A 28-yr-old woman presented with both hip pain that started sequentially during the peripartum period. Diagnosis of transient osteoporosis of the hip (TOH) was made based on typical findings of plain radiographs and magnetic resonance images. The subchondral trabeculae of the femoral head were evaluated on serially taken coronal multiplanar reformation computerized tomogram images. At 4 weeks after pain onset, marked decrease in the sclerotic density with irregular discontinuation was observed in the primary compression trabeculae. At 12 weeks, a focal area of irregular thickening of trabeculae was observed. At 20 weeks, sclerotic density of trabeculae recovered markedly and the focal area of irregular trabecular thickening disappeared. At 1 yr, subchondral trabeculae recovered almost completely. The evidence of subchondral trabecular injury was observed in the femoral heads of TOH

Importance of remission and residual somatic symptoms in health-related quality of life among outpatients with major depressive disorder: a cross-sectional study

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is strongly associated with an impaired quality of life (QoL), which is itself affected by various factors. Symptom-oriented ratings poorly reflect the impact of disease on the QoL and level of functioning of the mental health of subjects. The purpose of this study was to assess health-related QoL (HRQoL) using preference-based measures in outpatients with MDD with regard to their remission achievement and clinical factors affecting the HRQoL. Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study. We recruited 811 patients with MDD from 14 psychiatric outpatient clinics in Korea. They were divided into three groups as follows: a new visit group (n = 287), a remitted group (n = 235), and a non-remitted group (n = 289). The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale was used to assign patients to the remitted or non-remitted group. The general HRQoL was assessed with the EuroQol 5D (EQ-5D), using both the EQ-5D index score and the EuroQol Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS). The disease-specific HRQoL was assessed with the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form (Q-LES-Q-SF). Results: The non-remitted group showed a significant impairment of HRQoL in view of the subscales of EQ-5D index scores, EQ-VAS, and Q-LES-Q-SF. The EQ-5D index score in the remitted group was 0.77 ± 0.10, while it was 0.57 ± 0.23 in the non-remitted group and 0.58 ± 0.24 in the new visit group (p < 0.0001). The EQ-VAS scores for the remitted and non-remitted groups were 72.5 ± 16.6 and 50.9 ± 20.3, respectively (p < 0.0001). Likewise, patients with remission had the Q-LES-Q-SF total score of 46.5 ± 8.8, whereas those with non-remission reported 36.7 ± 7.7 (p < 0.0001). The symptom severity measured by the Depression and Somatic Symptoms Scale was significantly correlated with the HRQoL. Furthermore, patients with severe somatic symptoms showed a significantly lower EQ-5D index score (0.54 ± 0.24) than those with mild/moderate somatic symptoms (0.75 ± 0.12; p = 0.002). Conclusion: Non-remitted MDD patients, especially those with more severe somatic symptoms, show a distinct impairment of HRQoL and more clinical symptoms, suggesting the importance of achieving remission in the treatment of MDD

Intravenous Vitamin C administration reduces fatigue in office workers: a double-blind randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Studies of the efficacy of vitamin C treatment for fatigue have yielded inconsistent results. One of the reasons for this inconsistency could be the difference in delivery routes. Therefore, we planned a clinical trial with intravenous vitamin C administration.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We evaluated the effect of intravenous vitamin C on fatigue in office workers. A group of 141 healthy volunteers, aged 20 to 49 years participated in this randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial. The trial group received 10 grams of vitamin C with normal saline intravenously, while the placebo group received normal saline only. Since vitamin C is a well-known antioxidant, oxidative stress was measured. Fatigue score, oxidative stress, and plasma vitamin C levels were measured before intervention, and again two hours and one day after intervention. Adverse events were monitored.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The fatigue scores measured at two hours after intervention and one day after intervention were significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.004); fatigue scores decreased in the vitamin C group after two hours and remained lower for one day. Trial also led to higher plasma vitamin C levels and lower oxidative stress compared to the placebo group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). When data analysis was refined by dividing each group into high-baseline and low-baseline subgroups, it was observed that fatigue was reduced in the lower baseline vitamin C level group after two hours and after one day (p = 0.004). The same did not hold for the higher baseline group (p = 0.206).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Thus, intravenous vitamin C reduced fatigue at two hours, and the effect persisted for one day. There were no significant differences in adverse events between two groups. High dose intravenous vitamin C proved to be safe and effective against fatigue in this study.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>The clinical trial registration of this trial is <url>http://ClinicalTrials.gov</url><a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00633581">NCT00633581</a>.</p