Travel Cost Method Considering Trip-day Counts as Integers

The Travel Cost Method (TCM) is a typical benefit measurement method, using the fact that people substitute the benefit of visiting some sites for their travel cost. However, in the case of tourist sites, travelers do not choose the number of days spent in a tourist city as continuous numbers but integer numbers. We investigate how a bias could arise from ignoring integer numbers of nights in TCM. We derive the formula of what factors constitute the bias. Next, we numerically show that when measuring benefits of improving quality at sites, the maximum bias could be around 20%

Cities and biodiversity: Spatial efficiency of land use

Biologically important but dangerous wildlife creatures encroach into cities, which causes human-wildlife conflicts. To explore the effect of the encroachment of wildlife into cities on equilibrium land use and its efficiency, we develop an equilibrium theory of land used for humans and wildlife by combining an ecosystem model with urban economics model. Humans choose their housing location and size in response to the risk of encountering wildlife in cities, and animals optimize their food intake by spreading out in response to heterogeneous feeding grounds in both urban areas and natural habitats, which determines the spatial heterogeneous distribution of both agents. We first prove the existence and uniqueness of the spatial equilibrium in a linear city adjacent to natural habitats. Next, our theory provides new insights for the wildlife conservation: (i) this spatial heterogeneity generates inefficient predator-prey interactions, leading to an inefficient steady state population equilibrium of animals; (ii) With the spatial inefficiency, the equilibrium city size is not always too big. We numerically demonstrate how both the equilibrium and the optimal solution are affected by the scale of conflicts and the value of wildlife

Travel Cost Method Considering Trip-day Counts as Integers

The Travel Cost Method (TCM) is a typical benefit measurement method, using the fact that people substitute the benefit of visiting some sites for their travel cost. However, in the case of tourist sites, travelers do not choose the number of days spent in a tourist city as continuous numbers but integer numbers. We investigate how a bias could arise from ignoring integer numbers of nights in TCM. We derive the formula of what factors constitute the bias. Next, we numerically show that when measuring benefits of improving quality at sites, the maximum bias could be around 20%

Improving the Sustainability Performance of Building Materials: An Approach from Life Cycle Thinking

The construction industry is expected to play a vital role in meeting the global societal challenge of ensuring sustainable development. Due to the increasing importance of the embodied impact of materials, this thesis investigates how the sustainability performance of building materials can be improved. The investigation is conducted by exploring the influence and the relation of the following aspects to the materials: the different dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social and economic); technical requirements (functional performance); and the exposed systems (material-building-regions). Sustainable product development is considered an effective approach for improving building materials\u27 sustainability performance. However, there is a need for further investigation to determine how to better implement it. The thesis aims to understand what kind of information can support the sustainable product development of building materials. To analyze the sustainability performance of building materials, methods with a life cycle perspective are employed. In addition to the life cycle based methods, which reflect the recent developments in the field, investigations are conducted regarding the phase of product development in which existing sustainability assessment methods can be utilized. In the thesis, two types of building materials are analyzed: thermal insulation materials, and green concrete. An investigation at the level of components and buildings is conducted with focus on a case building constructed in Sweden in 2013.The investigation of how different sustainability assessment methods and indicators can support product development is conducted by considering the phases of product development. It is found that few indicators and methods are able to support the early phase of product development and act mainly as proxy information for setting the goal of the developed material. However, various measures are able to support the later phase of product development, especially the production planning step. Furthermore, in the investigated case materials and building, trade-offs are seen between the dimensions under investigation: the material level, the component/building level, the social and environmental pillars of sustainability. The observed trade-offs highlight the importance and value of the product development phase as an effective measure to handle the occurring compromises. Sustainable product development can offer a platform for more holistic sustainability thinking about and realization of the developed building materials. The thesis emphasizes the value of and the role sustainable product development can play in ensuring the sustainable development of the construction industry

Molecular alignment in a liquid induced by a nonresonant laser field: Molecular dynamics simulation

科研費報告書収録論文(課題番号:15550002・基盤研究(C)(2)・15～16/研究代表者:藤村, 勇一/光駆動分子モーターの量子制御

Prognostic significance of right bundle branch block in patients with acute inferior myocardial infarction

There is little information available concerning the influence of right bundle branch block (RBBB) on the prognosis of patients with inferior myocardial infarction (MI). In this study we evaluated the influence of RBBB on the short-term prognosis of patients with inferior MI. Our study subjects were 1,265 hospitalized patients with Q wave MI. Patients were divided into 4 groups based on the presence or absence of RBBB and on the location of the infarction. RBBB was classified into 4 categories according to the timing of its appearance and its duration as new permanent, transient, old and age indeterminate. In-hospital death and pulmonary congestion were observed more frequently in patients with RBBB than in those without RBBB. Moreover, in inferior MI as in anterior MI, in-hospital death and pulmonary congestion occurred more frequently in new permanent RBBB patients than in patients with other types of RBBB. Multivariate regression analysis reveals that new permanent RBBB was a strong independent predictor for an adverse short-term prognosis in patients with inferior MI, as well as in patients with anterior MI. New permanent RBBB during inferior MI is a strong independent predictor for increased in-hospital mortality, regardless of the infarction location.</p

Nonwoven geotextile scour protection at offshore wind parks, application and life cycle assessment

The sand surrounding a construction (e.g. monopile) for mounting an offshore wind turbine, could be scoured due to the affection of natural water flow at the ocean floor. To tackle the phenomena, scour protection methods have been established. Mostly rocks are used, but also one alternative, described in this paper, has been used already successfully: The installation of Geotextile Sand Containers