All issues
Volume 50 (2013)
- Issue 4 Pages 125-
- Issue 2 Pages 71-
- Issue 1 Pages 3-
Volume 50, Issue 4
Displaying 1-7 of 7 articles from this issue
- |<
- <
- 1
- >
- >|
Reviews
-
Kazuyo Tsuzuki2014 Volume 50 Issue 4 Pages 125-134
Published: 2014
Released on J-STAGE: March 28, 2014
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe thermal environment is one of the most important factors that can affect human sleep. The effects of thermal environment on sleep stages are strongly linked to human thermoregulation, which affects the mechanism regulating sleep. In addition, sleep behavior is ordinarily an indoor activity in which people spend about one-third of their lives. Ambient thermal environment around the human body during sleep is influenced by the outdoor climate even inside the house. Year round, people can sleep naked or clothed, with or without bedding, using air conditioners or heating blankets to make the environment comfortable for sleeping. This paper describes how the thermal environment influences human thermoregulation during sleep or sleep itself as well as the relationships between sleep and thermoregulation. Moreover, in order to establish thermally comfortable environments for sleep, the effects of humid heat on sleep and thermoregulation; how to control the air conditioner, fanning, or head cooling in summer; and the effects of cold environment and bathing on sleep in winter were reviewed from recent Japanese studies.
View full abstractDownload PDF (1724K) -
Akio Tsuchiya2014 Volume 50 Issue 4 Pages 135-146
Published: 2014
Released on J-STAGE: March 28, 2014
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSMore than 15% of Amazonian rainforests, which covers 6.2 million km2 in Brazil, has changed to pastures and farmlands since the developments in the 1970s. The deforestation started with road construction. Forests were burned after logging useful trees, and then grass seeds were sowed. The number of man-made fire amounts about 20 thousands a year. The area which was changed by human activities exceeds 60% in some places of southern Amazonia. As long as forests are maintained, an individual tree absorbs a few dozens to hundreds liters of water as transpiration in a day, and the level is kept with no difference between dry and rainy season. But at a bared pasture, the evaporation becomes less than the transpiration in dry season because soil water at a shallow layer has already been consumed in the antecedent dry periods. The increase in air-filled porosity makes it easier to move soil CO2 in the pores within soil particles, and the concentration difference between shallow and deep layers increases the CO2 flux. The CO2 becomes the net increase in the atmosphere because there is nothing to absorb on the aboveground, which causes the global warming. The production of edible meat and soybean and the road constructions have been treated as economical/political matters, but it should be aware that the land use changes from deforestation to pastures have not only economical profits but also irreversible demerits.
View full abstractDownload PDF (2342K)
Original Articles
-
Masaji Ono, Michihiko Tonouchi2014 Volume 50 Issue 4 Pages 147-157
Published: 2014
Released on J-STAGE: March 28, 2014
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSWe have been measuring globe temperature continuously at meteorological stations in six cities in Japan from 2007 with the cooperation of Japan Meteorological Agency. From the analysis of data observed at those stations for three years, 2007–2009, we propose a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) estimation equation using only generally and widely measured meteorological indices; they are dry-bulb temperature (Ta), relative humidity (RH), solar radiation (SR) and wind speed (WS). In addition to these, we used following two indices; they are product of dry-bulb temperature by relative humidity (Ta×RH) and square of solar radiation (SR2).
We obtained the WBGT estimating equation, and it can be applied for different years and for different cities with very small bias. Using this equation, we can estimate WBGT with 1.0°C or less bias with 98.3∼99.8% confidence for six cities and for three years.
View full abstractDownload PDF (854K) -
Tomomi Harata, Mihoko Noda2014 Volume 50 Issue 4 Pages 159-174
Published: 2014
Released on J-STAGE: March 28, 2014
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe purpose of this study was to find the factors for the low walking ability (low scores of 10 m obstacle-walking test and 6 minutes-walking test) among the elderly living in a farming area with heavy snowfalls. Subjects were 45 independent healthy elderly people (mean age 74) living in T-town in Aomori Prefecture. We measured their step numbers and EXERCISE as the index of walking speed with a portable activity-monitor from February 2012 to January 2013. We also investigated their physical activity and collected the data of weather conditions in the same period. The mean step number of all subjects was 5,550 steps/day which was not necessarily fewer than that of the elderly nationwide. Step numbers were secured mainly by performing snow-removal in a snowfall season. Median EXERCISE of all subjects was 0.46 Ex/day which meant that the time of quick walking (faster than 67 m/min) was less than 10 minutes/day. Consequently, it was suggested that one of the factors for the low walking ability is the shortage of quick walking. Therefore, it is recommended to establish the exercise habit of quick walking for about 20 minutes/day if possible, through out the year, in addition to obtaining step numbers by using snow-removal work effectively in winter, with risk management for the health, to elevate their walking ability.
View full abstractDownload PDF (965K)
Material
-
Kosei Mikami, Hiroo Hachisu2014 Volume 50 Issue 4 Pages 175-187
Published: 2014
Released on J-STAGE: March 28, 2014
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSA survey was conducted on four residences (two single-family wooden houses and two housing complexes) in Tokyo and Saitama, in order to understand the actual condition of the thermal environment in the residences of people with cervical spinal cord injuries who have severe disability of thermoregulation including defective sweating over most of the body. As a result, the summer survey revealed that the temperature in bedrooms and living rooms where time was spent for long hours tended to hover at a higher level in comparison with the temperature setting of the air conditioners. The causes were assumed to include insufficient capacity of air conditioners and no insulating materials installed within exterior walls and roofs. Also, toilet rooms which had high air temperatures were used for long hours. In the winter survey, the vertical temperature distribution in bedrooms and living rooms tended to be large and the temperature around the feet tended to be low. It was clarified as a result of this survey that people with cervical spinal cord injuries are not always living in a favorable thermal environment within their residences while they have severe disability of thermoregulation. It is an urgent need to establish a method to maintain the thermal environment in residences for the future.
View full abstractDownload PDF (1835K)
Book Recommendations
-
Yoshitaka Fukuoka2014 Volume 50 Issue 4 Pages 189-190
Published: 2014
Released on J-STAGE: March 28, 2014
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSDownload PDF (496K) -
Futoshi Matsumoto2014 Volume 50 Issue 4 Pages 191-192
Published: 2014
Released on J-STAGE: March 28, 2014
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSDownload PDF (422K)
- |<
- <
- 1
- >
- >|