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Dental hygiene students find it challenging to understand and perform the dental hygiene process of care (DHPC) after only a limited amount of clinical training; they generally improve their DHPC skills through clinical experience after graduation. In this study, we developed and evaluated interactive learning materials that simulate the DHPC. We divided the learning contents of the DHPC into six components and created five simulation materials. Using these materials, students could experience a typical DHPC virtually. In total, 30 third-year university dental hygiene students were divided into two groups (A and B), and then pre-quizzes were carried out for each group (group A: Quiz I, group B: Quiz II). Next, the students learned using the developed materials and took post-quizzes (group A: Quiz II, group B: Quiz I) to clarify their understanding of the DHPC. After the post-quizzes, a questionnaire survey was conducted. Both groups showed significantly higher scores on the post-quiz than on the pre-quiz (Group A: p = 0.0451 vs. Group B: p = 0.0090, paired Student’s t-test). In addition, more than 80% of the responses to the questionnaire were favorable. These results suggest that the simulation materials developed in this study are effective for learning the DHPC.

Disasters could jeopardize breast cancer care, and the 2011 Japan’s triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident) has been no exception. However, the information is lacking regarding its details, including that concerning breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL). We aimed to explore the process of becoming aware of BCRL among the local patients and the problems faced and the support needed by them. We also aimed to clarify any effects of the 2011 disaster on the experiences related to lymphedema among the target population. Patients who developed BCRL following the breast cancer treatment were recruited in Iwaki City, a municipality located in the southern coastal Fukushima (N = 16). In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted face-to-face, and the obtained data were appraised with thematic analysis. Five themes related to BCRL were identified: 1) process of becoming aware of BCRL, 2) troubles or worries/concerns due to BCRL, 3) information source regarding BRCA management, 4) strategies to cope with BCRL, 5) adverse impacts of the 2011 disaster on BCRL management. This qualitative analysis clarified the five themes related to BCRL. The themes except for the disaster context were in line with the previous studies conducted in the non-disaster context. There were limited but non-neglectable adverse impacts of the 2011 disaster on the long-term local BCRL management.

The probabilistic estimation of tsunami impact on bridges and the evaluation of potential tsunami risk are important topics, but they are still in very early stages of development. First, this paper presents the damage of bridges during the great Tohoku-oki earthquake and giant tsunami of 11 March 2011 based on the field damage investigation. The damage conditions and the possible failure mechanisms of bridges due to tsunami are particularly discussed. Second, tsunami fragility curves are presented. Empirical tsunami fragility curves based on the utilization of damage data associated with past tsunami disasters have been developed. In this paper, the tsunami fragility curves are established based on simulations. Bridge failure probability can be estimated using the tsunami hazard and fragility curves. Finally, an illustrative example of the reliability estimation of a bridge exposed to tsunami hazard is presented.

The antimicrobial properties of mango seed kernel ethanol extract (MKE) were investigated. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the MKE against 18 species, of 43 strains, containing food-borne pathogenic bacteria were determined using the agar dilution method. The MKE had a broad antimicrobial spectrum, and was more active against gram-positive than gram-negative bacteria with a few exceptions. The antimicrobial activity of the MKE was stable against heat (121°C, 15 min), freezing (−20°C, 16 h) and pH treatment (pH 3–9) normally used in food processing. Chemical analysis showed that the MKE was composed of 79.5% polyphenol and 21.7% carbohydrate. The MKE was separated by reverse-phase HPLC with 10–30% acetonitrile linear gradient to characterize antimicrobial compounds. There were two fractions having antimicrobial activity; both peaks had maximum absorbance at 275 nm. These results indicated that the active component of the MKE was a type of polyphenol.