Co-Design of Do-It-Yourself Face Shield in Japan Under COVID-19 Pandemic

  Along with the spread of open design environments and various types of digital fabrication tools (e.g., computer numerical control machines, laser cutting devices, and 3D printers), the "maker movement" or "personal fabrication" has been spreading worldwide over the past decade. This case study introduces grassroots activities in Japan that are employing personal fabrication tools to manage the COVID-19 crisis, focusing on the co-design of do-it-yourself face shields for healthcare workers. We address various issues emerging from the activities of face shield production: (1) development of face shield designs and materials, (2) examination and information sharing regarding the practicality and safety of open-source designs, and (3) collaboration with local factories. Thus, we demonstrate the significance of maker contributions to COVID-19, and provide suggestions for challenges in the future

Literature Review on the Utilization of Rice Husks: Focus on Application of Materials for Digital Fabrication

To achieve a sustainable society, it is important to use biological resources effectively to the extent that they are renewable. Rice husk, which is abundantly produced in various regions, is a useful biomass resource. To promote their use further, it is important to expand the fields in which they are used. Therefore, this study reviews the research on rice-husk-based materials that can be used in digital fabrication, such as those used with 3D printers and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines, which have become increasingly popular in recent years. After outlining the characteristics of each machining method, the authors surveyed and analyzed the original research on rice-husk-based materials for 3D printers and particleboard available in digital fabrication machines for 2D machining. This review identifies issues and proposes solutions for expanding the use of rice-husk-based materials. It also indicates the need for further research on various aspects, such as the workability and maintainability of the equipment

Prospects and Challenges for Disseminating Life Cycle Thinking towards Environmental Conscious Behaviors in Daily Lives

sustainabilit

Comparison of shipborne GNSS-derived precipitable water vapor with radiosonde in the western North Pacific and in the seas adjacent to Japan

Abstract We installed two global navigation satellite system (GNSS) antennas on a research vessel, the RYOFU MARU of the Japan Meteorological Agency, and conducted experimental observations to assess the GNSS-derived precipitable water vapor (PWV) from October 19, 2016, to August 6, 2017. One antenna was set on the mast (MAST), while another antenna was set on the upper deck (DECK). The GNSS analysis was conducted using the precise point positioning procedure with a real-time GNSS orbit. A quality control (QC) procedure based on the amount of zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) time variation was proposed. After the QC was applied, the retrieved PWVs were compared to 77 radiosonde observations. The PWVs of MAST agreed with the radiosonde observations with a 1.7 mm root mean square (RMS) difference, a − 0.7-mm bias, and 3.6% rejection rate, while that of DECK showed a 3.2, − 0.8 mm, and 15.7%. The larger RMS and higher rejection rate of DECK imply a stronger multi-path effect on the deck. The differences in the GNSS PWV versus radiosonde observations were compared to the atmospheric delay, the estimated altitude of the GNSS antenna, the vessel’s moving speed, the wind speed, and the wave height. The atmospheric delay and GNSS antenna altitude showed moderate correlation with the differences. The results suggest the kinematic PPP’s potential for practical water vapor monitoring over oceans worldwide. At the same time, from the growing negative biases with the PWV value and with estimated antenna altitude, it could be inferred that the difficulty grows in separating the signal delay from the vertical coordinate under high-humidity conditions

A High-Resolution, Precipitable Water Vapor Monitoring System Using a Dense Network of GNSS Receivers

This work describes a system aimed at the near realtimemonitoring of precipitable water vapor (PWV) by means of a dense network of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. These receivers are deployed with a horizontal spacing of 1-2 km around the Uji campus of Kyoto University, Japan. The PWV observed using a standard GPS meteorology technique, i.e., by using all satellites above a low elevation cutoff, is validated against radiosonde and radiometer measurements. The result is a RMS difference of about 2 mm. A more rigorous validation is done by selecting single GPS slant delays as they pass close to the radiosonde or the radiometer measuring directions, and higher accuracy is obtained. This method also makes it possible to preserve short-term fluctuations that are lost in the standard technique due to the averaging of several slant delays. Geostatistical analysis of the PWV observations shows that they are spatially correlated within the area of interest; this confirms that such a dense network can detect inhomogeneous distributions in water vapor. The PWV horizontal resolution is improved by using high-elevation satellites only, with the aim of exploiting at best the future Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), which will continuously provide at least one satellite close to the zenith over Japan

Identification of Gas Emanated from Human Skin: Methane, Ethylene, and Ethane

We investigated whether methane, ethylene and ethane gas can be detected in gas emanating from human skin, which is called skin gas. Skin gas was collected with a homemade stainless-steel trap system, which was cooled with liquid nitrogen, and analyzed with a gas chromatograph fitted with a flame ionization detector (FID). Skin-gas samples were obtained by covering a hand for 30 min with a polyfluorovinyl bag in which pure helium gas was introduced. The bag, the trap system and GC were set up online to avoid any contamination by air. Methane, ethylene and ethane in skin gas were successfully collected at an average amount emanated for 30 min (from ten subjects) of 150 ± 63, 20 ± 11 and 17 ± 8 [mean ± SD] pg/cm2, respectively.This work was partly supported by the Regional Science Promotion Program, Japan Science and Technology Agency

Evidence of infection with Leptospira interrogans and spotted fever group rickettsiae among rodents in an urban area of Osaka City, Japan

We examined 33 rodents captured in an urban area of Osaka City, Japan for IgG antibodies against Seoul virus, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, hepatitis E virus, Leptospira interrogans, Yersinia pestis, spotted fever, typhus and scrub typhus group rickettsiae. We found that 3 (9.1%) and 1 (3.0%) of the 33 rodents had antibodies against L. interrogans and spotted fever group rickettsiae, respectively. DNAs of leptospires were detected from 2 of the 3 seropositive rodents, but DNA of rickettsia was not detected. Phylogenetic analysis and multiple locus sequence typing revealed that the 2 leptospires were L. interrogans belonging to a novel sequence type. There is a potential risk for acquiring rodent-borne zoonotic pathogens even in cities in developed countries