Estimation of Social Costs of Highways in Japan

The main purpose of this paper is to estimate and evaluate the social costs of highways in Japan. In general, with more people concerned about protecting the environment at both local and global levels, dependence on vehicular transportation in cities has brought about problems. Too much dependence on autos causes air pollution, which has detrimental health effects. Furthermore, traffic congestion wastes time, money, and energy. The most concerning issue related to continuing dependence on car use is global warming. In order to implement transport policies conducive to creating a sustainable environment, it is necessary to measure correctly the social costs of vehicular transport such as traffic accidents, air pollution, noise, global warming, and traffic congestion. By using a data set from Japan, this paper aims to estimate the social costs of vehicular transport on highways and to evaluate how extensive these social costs are by comparing, for example, highway fares relative to GDP. Our study has several distinguishing characteristics. The most important point is that we estimate each individual highwayfs social costs by considering average speed at the peak period, total traffic volume, types of vehicular transport and so on. Second, this study distinguishes five kinds of social costs of vehicular transport for individual highways in Japan: 1) traffic accidents, 2) air pollution, 3) noise, 4) global warming, and 5) traffic congestion. Third, by using a data set of over 50 individual highways in Japan in 2005, we analyze the relationship between the social costs of vehicular transport and traffic volumes in general. Last, by comparing highway fares, the degree of GDP, the fuel tax level, and other factors, we assess the magnitude of social costs, for the purpose of creating prudent transport policy. In order to attain the objectives mentioned above, we organize our study as follows. First, we summarize previous studies, with special attention to the kinds of social costs used, the kinds of sub-items considered in estimating social costs, the aggregate level, the method of estimation, and the magnitude of the social costs of vehicular transport. Second, we explain our method for estimating social costs. In this section, we describe specific equations for the five main categories of highwaysf social costs. Third, based on these equations, by using a data set for highways in Japan, we estimate the social costs of vehicular transport on highways. Last, by comparing highway fares, and GDP and so on, we evaluate how extensive highwaysf social costs actually are. In this section, we also summarize our major findings

Shape Memory Wires in R3

We propose a new model describing the dynamics of wire made of shape memory alloys, by combining an elastic curve theory and the Ginzburg-Landau theory. The wire is assumed to be a closed curve and is not to be stretched with deformation. The derived system of nonlinear partial differential equations consists of a thermoelastic system and a geometric evolution equation under the inextensible condition. We also show that the system has dual variation structure as well as a straight material case. The structure implies stability of infinitesimally stable stationary state in the Lyapunov sense

A MULTICLASS CLASSIFICATION METHOD BY DISTANCE MAPPING LEARNING NETWORK

ABSTRACT In this paper, we propose a method of multiclass classification by utilizing a distance mapping learning network that is a distance-based multilayer perceptro

Tactile Sensing of Stiffness with Fingers Corresponds Well with the Objective Elasticity Evaluation

Original pape

抗血管新生療法は胃がんにおける免疫抑制微小環境を改善できるか？

臨時増刊1号東京女子医科大学医学部解剖学・発生生物学講座 講座主任 江﨑太一教授退任記念特別

Modeling of Brittle Crack Propagation/Arrest Behavior in Steel Plates

AbstractTo prevent brittle cracks from causing fatal damage to steel structures, it is needed that steels have enough crack arrestability. However, the brittle crack propagation/arrest behavior has not been explained theoretically enough from the aspect of energy balance and especially the long crack problem has remained as an important unsolved issue for some decades. The authors propose a new model based on local fracture stress criterion to solve the long crack problem. The model considers crack closure effect by uncracked side ligaments formed due to relaxation of plastic constraint progressing with SIF increasing. A simultaneous equation composed of four equations, which formulate local fracture condition, strain hardening, yield point, and dynamic SIF considering side ligaments, is solved to simulate a crack propagation in the model. To validate the model, we compared model simulations with some experiments. Some of them were conducted under the long crack problem condition and obtained the result that they showed good agreements, even under the long crack problem condition. This implies the long crack problem can be explained from the aspect of side ligament development due to the relaxation of plastic constraint

Down regulation by a low-zinc diet in gene expression of rat prostatic thymidylate synthase and thymidine kinase

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Zinc has a wide spectrum of biological activities and its deficiency is related to various abnormalities of cell metabolism.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Wistar male rats, at age of 4 weeks, were fed a low-zinc diet for six weeks. The levels of bromodeoxyuridine incorporated into the prostatic DNA and the mRNA expression levels of prostate thymidylate synthase and thymidine kinase were examined.</p> <p>Result</p> <p>The low-zinc diet caused a marked reduction in the body growth and organ weights, resulted in a low hematopoiesis, hypo-albuminemia and hypocholesterolemia. Although there were few differences in plasma biochemical markers, plasma levels of luteinizing hormone and testosterone were reduced by the low-zinc diet. Bromodeoxyuridine-immunoreactive (S-phase) cells and mRNA expression levels of thymidylate synthase and thymidine kinase in the prostate cells were markedly affected by the low-zinc diet.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A low-zinc diet appears to reduce the body growth and organ weights including prostate, causing low plasma levels of luteinizing hormone and testosterone and reduction in prostate DNA replication in growing-rats.</p