Concentrations of ultrafine particles at urban roadside in Tokyo were measured using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). The particle sizes were 10~400nm, measured at 4 min. intervals, with and without a thermo denuder to see volatile and nonvolatile particles. Measurements were made for 2 weeks during summer and winter seasons in 2006 to 2008 and 2012. Concentrations in 2012 were reduced 18 to 55% compared to those of 2006, under both with and without thermo denuder conditions. The reductions during these periods were primarily due to PM emission regulation of diesel vehicles.

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The authors' previous research revealed that PC-based ''pedal tracking,'' which controlled the simulated headway, was a suitable probe task in the subsidiary task procedure for assessing cognitive demand from operating in-vehicle information devices. This article examined the tracking performance in various display images to improve the utility of pedal tracking. The results suggested that simple and low stimulus-intensity images were beneficial and that there were different sensitivities of performance measures for ''line-segment'' and ''square'' display images.

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A series of 43 traumatic head impact experiments on non-human primates carried out in the past were simulated with a validated finite element model of the specimens. From these simulations, brain tissue response and head accelerations were extracted. Based on these accelerations, existing global head injury criteria (HIC, BRIC, GAMBIT and RIC) were calculated. Correlation between the local brain tissue mechanical parameters, the global head injury criteria and the injuries scored in the experiments were analyzed. Based on this analysis, global head injury criteria that best correlate with concussion score for saggital impacts were identified and injury risk functions for brain tissue that can be used for human FE models are proposed.

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