On the pairing of Antarctic ureilites with refernce to their parent body

In spite of their apparent igneous textures, ureilites preserve significant records of primitive nature including oxygen isotope anomaly and high planetary-type noble gas contents in the carbonaceous matrices. Mineralogical studies of new Antarctic ureilites revealed that pairing of the small ureilite specimens may be only minor (two out of twenty-two) in comparison with the polymict eucrites. However, we noticed two groupings, which are almost paired but are distinct in pyroxene assemblages and reduction textures. The magnesian and calcic groups have been recognized only in the Antarctic collections. The individual specimens within the group may have evolved in the vicinity within a parent body. A model in conformity with this evolution has been proposed in the context of the ureilite-carbonaceous chondrite connection. However, the carbon-containing chondrite-like materials do not imply the actual chemistry of the known chondrites, because the preferential sedimentation of mafic silicates in the solar nebula may produce source materials much closer to ureilites

Constraints in Use of the Data Due to the Insufficient Obtaining of Location Information and a Breakthrough in Statistics

Location information regarding the surveyed units, for example, of households, establishments and enterprises, has been collected in surveys as area information, such as tract codes. The traditional location codes do not support the one-to-one correspondences between the unit and its location information, despite the fact that each unit has inherent unique positional information in terms of its location. This paper discusses the following issues. Firstly, it portrays a rough historical sketch on how location information of the surveyed units has been captured in surveys. Then it discusses several constraints in using survey results which the ambiguity of the data due to the insufficiently obtained positional information under questionnaire-based surveys gives rise to. Latest developments in information technology have opened up a new arena for the application of GPS also for statistical purposes. Rest of the paragraphs will highlight a breakthrough in regional analyses that will render the GPSed records more practical

Structural Changes in Japan\u27s Labor Market and Its Attraction of Foreign Migrant Workers

Unlike most European labor importing countries, Japan was chosen by migrant workers as one of the major destination countries not in the 1960s but in l980s. Employment indicators point to two boom periods, one in the late 1960s and the other in the late l980s, when the labor market was outstandingly tight. The conditions in the labor market during these two periods were broadly similar as both showed a marked rise in the rate of growth of employment and real wages. But there was an apparent difference in their patterns of labor shortages. In the recent boom period, the labor shortages were sectorally, occupationally and regionally distinct. The revealed labor imbalances were neither simply transitional nor frictional but deeply rooted in the structural changes of the labor market which occurred during the last few decades.The aim of this paper is to explain these structural changes that have taken place in Japan\u27s labor market in the last thirty plus years with special emphasis on the factors that attract foreign migrant workers

Foreign Workers in the Bubble and Post-bubble Economy in Japan

The l990 immigration policy reform brought about substantial changes in migration inflows to Japan. "Nikkei", meaning people of Japanese ancestry, were welcomed as new resources to fill expanding labor needs in unskilled jobs. They formed one of the major segments of the labor inflow in the l990s. Thanks to the favorable treatment they received under the new system, they were able to choose comparatively better jobs within unskilled work than were undocumented workers.The reform brought about a significant dichotomy among foreign workers engaging in unskilled jobs. The labor market for unskilled foreign workers became segmented.The drastic changes in the Japanese economy in subsequent years, however, had a major effect on foreign workers, as they did on others. This paper discusses Nikkei employment during the bubble and post-bubble period, with special regard to their job placement within the dynamic changes occurring in the Japanese economy

The GPSed Datasets and the Possibility of Exploring the Micro-based Concept of Regional Potentiality

Up until today, statistics have treated location information of the respective survey units quite improperly due mainly to the insufficient obtaining of the relevant information. In the traditional statistical records location information captured through questionnaire-based surveys has been given in principle as the regional codes such as tract code, where the whole surveyed units in the tract in question share one unique code number. Consequently, the n-to-one correspondence between the units and location, which was prevalent in the traditional datasets, has impeded a full-scaled exploitation of statistical data for the regional analyses. Latest developments in information technology, however, enabled to allocate distinct positional information as the Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates to the respective surveyed records. Inspired by such technical input, the author brought forward in this paper a concept of regional potentiality that can be explored with the GPSed individual records as one of the possible expansions of information collected through questionnaire-based surveys or administrative records. The discussion of the usability of the GPSed records by type of datasets evidenced that a wide scope of issues are still left for the future cultivation

Enhancement of heat transfer for ground source heat pump systems

Uptake of geothermal heat pump (GSHP) systems has been slow in some parts of the world due to the unpredictable operational performance, large installation space requirement and high installation costs. Therefore, design modification was searched in order to improve the feasibility. With regard to relatively small impact of the construction costs, efficient thermal energy collection was targeted in horizontal ground-loop systems with shallow underground construction. The research started with a sensitivity analysis of the underground heat collection system using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The results indicated essential design parameters to enhance the performance. Strategies to improve one of the parameters, thermal conductivity of soil surrounding the heat exchanger, were investigated through lab experiments. Subsequently, further design optimisation with the CFD intended to select the most competitive modified design against the existing design. It was discovered that an indication to achieve economic and practical modifications for efficient heat collection was to increase the moisture content of sub-soil up to the optimum moisture content (OMC). Annual operation analysis with the CFD disclosed that additional costs for even simple design modifications could easily worsen the payback period. Consequently, solutions to improve the performance of the GSHP within reasonable payback period were proposed

Foreign Workers\u27 Working and Living Condition in Japan

Foreigners in Japan fall into distinct groups in terms of the eligibility of the allowed scope of economic activities in the light of immigration control. Some are legally entitled to work, while others are limited in the scope of activities to particular qualified jobs, or in the total amount of weekly work hours. Others are absolutely not allowed to work. When the visa a foreigner holds has expired, residence itself is illegal. Resident status basically determines foreigners\u27 working as well as living conditions. Besides these institutional determinants, there are many factors which affect foreigners\u27 working conditions. This paper aims to analyze the working and living conditions by category of foreigners in Japan

Enhancement of heat transfer for ground source heat pump systems

Uptake of geothermal heat pump (GSHP) systems has been slow in some parts of the world due to the unpredictable operational performance, large installation space requirement and high installation costs. Therefore, design modification was searched in order to improve the feasibility. With regard to relatively small impact of the construction costs, efficient thermal energy collection was targeted in horizontal ground-loop systems with shallow underground construction. The research started with a sensitivity analysis of the underground heat collection system using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The results indicated essential design parameters to enhance the performance. Strategies to improve one of the parameters, thermal conductivity of soil surrounding the heat exchanger, were investigated through lab experiments. Subsequently, further design optimisation with the CFD intended to select the most competitive modified design against the existing design. It was discovered that an indication to achieve economic and practical modifications for efficient heat collection was to increase the moisture content of sub-soil up to the optimum moisture content (OMC). Annual operation analysis with the CFD disclosed that additional costs for even simple design modifications could easily worsen the payback period. Consequently, solutions to improve the performance of the GSHP within reasonable payback period were proposed