Journal of the human-environment system最新文献

{"title":"Effect of Air Exchange due to Door Opening on the Transient Thermal Environment in a Vehicle","authors":"H. Nagano, S. Taki, I. Kohri, Yoshinami Yuzuru","doi":"10.1618/JHES.19.023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.19.023","url":null,"abstract":"During winter, much of the energy contained within the battery of an electric vehicle is consumed by the air heating system. This energy consumption reduces the cruising distance of an electric vehicle. Additionally, stop-and-go driving, i.e., having many stops while driving, and frequent door opening/closing are typical of the operation of lightweight trucks used by home delivery services in residential areas; these behaviors lead to air exchange between the outside environment and the vehicle interior. This air exchange puts additional burden on the heating system and influences the thermal comfort of the driver. The effect of door opening needs to be investigated to develop a more effective heating system for electric vehicles. In this study, numerical simulations of a right-hand drive vehicle were performed to evaluate the variation in the thermal environment of the vehicle cabin when the door is opened and closed in relatively severe winter temperatures. The result showed that the average vehicle interior air temperature decreased at a rate of 2 °C/s during door movement. The warm interior air rose as it moved outward because of buoyancy. Simultaneously, cold outdoor air flowed into the lower region of the cabin. The total heat loss was approximately 57 kJ when the door was left open for 3 s and 37 kJ when the door was left open for 1 s. The standard new effective temperature (SET ＊ ) of the driver decreased at almost the same rate as the air temperature. The equivalent temperature on the right side of the driver’s body decreased drastically and rapidly as a result of the door opening. In contrast, the equivalent temperature on the left side of the driver’s body decreased more gradually. The equivalent temperature of the driver’s head remained consistent throughout the opening and closing of the door. The equivalent temperature of the driver’s hand, which is a thermally sensitive part of the body, was affected by the air temperature change caused by the door opening. The door movement itself had less to do with these results than the temperature difference between the vehicle interior and the environment. Thus, this discussion is applicable to a wide range of winter situations. The temperature difference is the trigger for the air exchange. The results of this study suggest that heat radiators may be more effective than air heating in improving the thermal comfort experienced by the driver because they do not cause an air temperature difference, which would reduce the amount of air exchange. cruising","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"19 1","pages":"023-030"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1618/JHES.19.023","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67430434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anthropometric and Demographic Differences in Human Thermophysiology under Light Activity","authors":"R. Li, K. Hanaki, Kiyo Kurisu","doi":"10.1618/JHES.19.013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.19.013","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents findings on variations in human thermoregulatory response due to demography and anthropometry by studying different subjects during periods of rest, moderate walking and recovery. Sixteen subjects participated in the present study. Controlled experiments were conducted under similar environmental conditions (ambient air temperature and relative humidity). Subjects underwent four phases of experiments : (i) steadystate measurements, (ii) 15-min walk, (iii) 15-min recovery in a sitting position, and (iv) post experiment measurements. There were significant differences in mean skin temperature (Tsk,mean) at rest between genders. However, no significant differences were observed in Tsk,mean between age groups. Core temperatures (Tc) at rest were not significantly different between gender and age groups. Body Mass Index (BMI) and weight were observed to be positively correlated to Tsk,mean of subjects at rest. It was observed that subjects with lower BMI tended to have lower local skin temperatures (Tsk) in their extremities. On the other hand, subjects with higher BMI tended to have slightly lower Tsk in their trunks but higher Tsk in the extremities of their bodies. Elderly male subjects had significantly higher Tsk,mean than other demographic groups in the experiments. Anthropometry of subjects did not influence the change in Tc during moderate walking and recovery period. Although Tsk,mean was observed to generally decrease with BMI during moderate walking, no significant correlation was observed. However, Tsk,mean gain was observed to be marginally dependent on weight and body surface area (BSA) during the recovery period. During the moderate walking phase, subjects with BMI above 23 were observed to have reduced Tsk in a few parts of their body. Conversely, subjects with BMI under 21 experienced increase Tsk across most body parts, especially their extremities. Overall, during moderate walking, sweat rate (SR) was significantly correlated to both BSA and BMI. At similar BMI levels, the SR of males were observed to be greater than that of females. The results show that gender and anthropometric conditions have a significant effect on the thermoregulatory response of subjects at steady-state and during moderate walking. Variation in the Tsk across different demographic and anthropometric groups suggest that these differences have to be considered when considering localized comfort of subjects.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"19 1","pages":"013-022"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67430401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Room Specifications and Lifestyles of Residents on Indoor Formaldehyde Concentrations","authors":"M. Azuma, H. Kubo, N. Isoda","doi":"10.1618/JHES.18.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.18.001","url":null,"abstract":"The concern with indoor air pollution has been growing as a serious social problem since the1990s in Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare has established guidelines for addressing indoor chemical substances, and the amended Building Standards Law has restricted the use of building materials containing formaldehyde and required rooms to have ventilation equipment. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of differences in the building material specifications on indoor air quality. Two student dormitories were selected for investigation: a student dormitory remodeled using interior finishing materials containing low- formaldehyde substances; and a dormitory built according to conventional specifications. Indoor formaldehyde concentrations were lower than the guideline established by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, even in summer under high-temperature conditions, due to the implementation of the policy to reduce chemical substances in building materials and the effects of the restrictions. However, problems were identified in terms of increases in indoor concentrations after installation of furniture, and mean concentrations during sleeping hours. Ventilation performed by residents effectively reduced mean formaldehyde concentrations. To maintain appropriate indoor air quality, it is important for residents to pay attention to ventilation and room furniture, and their lifestyle, in addition to the selection of building materials.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"68 1","pages":"001-009"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1618/JHES.18.001","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67430275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Thermal Manikin; a Useful and Effective Device for Evaluating Human Thermal Environments","authors":"T. Fukazawa, Y. Tochihara","doi":"10.1618/JHES.18.021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.18.021","url":null,"abstract":"Thermal manikin is a device, which simulates not only body shape but also human heat production and release. The device contributes to evaluate human heat transfer, thermal resistance of clothing, and protective tools for human safety with a high representativity. According to a study using the thermal manikin, for example, convective heat transfer from the human body has been found to be different in individual body location. The convective heat transfer coefficients in extremities are so larger than those in trunk and head that it is reasonable to put gloves on hands, e.g., to effectively protect the extremities from heat loss in a cold. In natural convection system, it has been experimentally confirmed through the thermal manikin that the convective heat transfer coefficient decreases with decrease in ambient pressure. Therefore, during exposure to a low ambient pressure, even if in a cold, temperature drop in skin surface can be suppressed because of the depressed sympathetic nerve activity and of the decrease in the convective heat transfer coefficient. A baby thermal manikin aged 0.5 year-old has been originally developed with aiming for infant’s safety and thermal comfort. There is a significant difference in convective heat transfer in the whole body between infant and adult because of difference in height; the coefficient is larger in infant than in adult. The baby thermal manikin has been employed for measuring the thermal resistance of clothings for infant. An estimation equation by means of the total weight of the clothing for infant has been derived to obtain the thermal resistance, because a high correlation has been confirmed between them.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"18 1","pages":"021-028"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1618/JHES.18.021","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67430779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Psychological and Physiological Effects of Japanese Cedar Indoors after Calculation Task Performance","authors":"I. Bamba, K. Azuma","doi":"10.1618/JHES.18.33","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.18.33","url":null,"abstract":"In Japan, forest resources have not been used effectively, and much lumber from thinning has been left unused for a long time. These days, forest improvement has been reconsidered such that more wood will be used in public buildings and living spaces in Japan. Moreover, the arousing and/or sedative effects of wood extract fragrances have attracted increasing attention. We investigated the psychological and physiological effects of cedar’s appearance and emissions in an indoor environment. Three test rooms varied in cedar cues: Room 1 contained cedar paneling, which provided both visual and odor cues; Room 2 had air circulating from the adjoining Room 1 (i.e., odor cues only); and the detached Control Room had no cedar-related cues. Twelve subjects (six males and six females) moved to the test room after they performed simple calculations for 15 minutes in an anteroom and stayed there for 10 minutes. Odor intensity in Room 1 was rated significantly higher than that of either Room 2 or the Control Room. Cedrol and β-eudesmol were specifically detected in Rooms 1 and 2 through an indoor air quality analysis. The subjects reported a faster rate of fatigue perception reduction in Room 1 via a visual analog scale (VAS). No between-subjects differences were detected in terms of physiological responses. The results indicate that an interior room that contains Japanese cedar facilitates psychological rehabilitation and supports well-being.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"18 1","pages":"33-41"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67430828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gender Differences in Thermal Comfort and Responses to Skin Cooling by Air Conditioners in the Japanese Summer","authors":"Ayako Yasuoka, H. Kubo, K. Tsuzuki, N. Isoda","doi":"10.1618/JHES.18.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.18.011","url":null,"abstract":"We examined 200 college students, at rest in a sitting position in an air-conditioned classroom, to investigate the differences in physiological and psychological responses between men and women in the thermoneutral zone of SET*. The percentage of women who reported suffering from the cold more often in an air-conditioned environment was higher than that of men. The number of clothing items and the clothing insulation value, estimated using International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9920 were higher for the women than for the men, based on the students’ own everyday clothing choices as worn during the experiments. However, the percentage of body surface area covered by clothing worn by the women was significantly lower than that for the men. Although oral and skin temperature decreased in both men and women after 60 min of exposure to a temperature of 25 °C, the oral and skin temperatures of the women’s forehead and palms were significantly lower than those in the men. Moreover, the decrease in the women’s oral temperature was greater than that of the men. Women felt cooler and more uncomfortable than men did in the ASHRAE comfort zone, with SET* of 22.2–25.6 °C. Gender differences in physiological responses, and differences in the clothing typically worn by men and women, might affect psychological responses to the moderate thermal environment encountered in daily life.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"18 1","pages":"011-020"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1618/JHES.18.011","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67430628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Effect of Local Pressure to the Knees on the Physiological and Psychological Responses of the Human Body","authors":"Ayano Dempoya, T. Tamura, Tomoko Koshiba","doi":"10.1618/JHES.18.43","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.18.43","url":null,"abstract":"The effect of local pressure to the knees on the physiological and psychological responses in the standing position and during light exercise were examined in this study in order to obtain data to design compression garments, such as elastic stockings, tights and knee supporters. Eight healthy women had cuff pressure applied to the knees at 0 mmHg, 10 mmHg, 20 mmHg, 30 mmHg and 40 mmHg, respectively for 20 minutes in a standing position. They then completed a 20-minute stepping exercise, followed by 10 minutes in a standing position under the same pressure conditions. The medial gastrocnemius muscle oxygenation (oxygenated blood volume in tissue [Oxy-Hb], deoxygenated blood volume in tissue [Deoxy-Hb], total blood volume in tissue [Total-Hb] and Oxygen Saturation [StO 2 ]), the skin blood flow and the skin temperature on the thigh, leg and toe, as well as pressure sensation and swelling sensation were measured. The results showed that every physiological measurement was affected significantly by the change of posture and exercise. This is thought to be due to the change in the hydrostatic pressure in the lower extremities. The significant changes from standing to stepping are believed to be due to venous blood returning to the heart with the muscle pumping action in stepping. Concerning the effects of local pressure intensity level on the knee on the medial gastrocnemius muscle oxygenation in the standing position, Deoxy-Hb increased, and StO 2 decreased significantly when a pressure of 40 mmHg was applied. These differences were greater than those reported by Dempoya et al. (2014) when 15 mmHg of pressure was applied to the knee in the supine position. The results suggested that the pressure levels of the compression garments should be different for night (lying) and for daily use (standing). Both the skin blood flow in the toe and the skin temperature in the thigh decreased significantly at more than 20 mmHg which was lower than the 40 mmHg obtained in muscle oxygenation due to the difference of depth from the skin surface. The pressure sensation increased significantly with pressure intensity, and the swelling sensation showed a tendency to be the lowest of all intensity levels, at 10 mmHg. In order to design compression garments for the lower extremities, high pressure more than 40 mmHg to the knees caused muscle oxygenation disorders, and more than at 20 mmHg of pressure negatively affected skin blood flow and skin temperature and caused a discomfort sensation. A low pressure of 10 mmHg to the knees can contribute to the comfort sensation without causing swelling.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"18 1","pages":"43-51"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67430833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Korean Women Divers ‘Haenyeo’: Bathing Suits and Acclimatization to Cold","authors":"Joo-Young Lee, Hyon Lee","doi":"10.1618/JHES.17.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.17.001","url":null,"abstract":"During the 1960~80s Korean breath-hold women divers (haenyeo) received attention from environmental physiologists, especially Professor Suk-Ki Hong and colleagues, due to their unique ability to resist cold water wearing only a thin cotton bathing suit (so-jung-ee). Eventually, Haenyeos began to wear wetsuits to avoid severe cold stress instead of the cotton bathing suit from the mid 1970’s. With advancing social industrialization, the number of haenyeos rapidly decreased and a total of 4,507 haenyeos works as of 2013. The average age of haenyeos is 70 years old and the oldest haenyeos currently diving is 92 years old. Today, some senior haenyeos over fifty years old share the diving experiences of their youth by wearing the classic cotton bathing suits. At present it is predicted that the tradition of haenyeos could cease to exist in 10-15 years because of their aging. At this point in time, it is worth reviewing the history of haenyeos’ diving practices and acclimatization/deacclimatization to cold. The present review described the diving practices and physiology of haenyeos related to cotton bathing suits and wetsuits. Finally, we suggest interdisciplinary research on haenyeos from the viewpoint of social-environmental physiology and intangible cultural heritage.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"17 1","pages":"001-011"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1618/JHES.17.001","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67430151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Actual conditions of residents’ cooling behaviors related to visual and auditory sensation and estimation of their effect on energy saving in Japan","authors":"Makoto Fukusaka, N. Matsubara","doi":"10.1618/JHES.17.013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.17.013","url":null,"abstract":"The article aims to investigate residents’ cooling behaviors and to examine the possibilities for reducing thermal discomfort, changing the duration of air-conditioner use, and reducing cooling load through behaviors influencing visual, auditory and other sensation. A questionnaire was administered in Kyoto, Japan during summer 2010. The results indicated that: (a) to cool down, many residents engage in daily cooling behaviors other than using air-conditioners, such as using rugs, sprinkling water, bamboo blinds, and having cool-colored interior elements. In addition, many of these behaviors were negatively correlated with the length of air-conditioner use; (b) cooling behaviors include acts to lower the temperature (e.g., sprinkling water and bamboo blinds) and acts to obtain non-heat-related cooling effects (e.g., using rugs, a cool-colored interior, scents with cooling effects, wind chimes, music with cooling effects); (c) a comparison between the simulated cooling load of four groups (categorized according to the use of bamboo blinds and a cool-colored interior) found that the cooling load of the group using both is about 10% lower than the group using neither.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"17 1","pages":"013-024"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1618/JHES.17.013","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67430160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Individual Difference in Transient Thermophysiological Responses to Stepwise Change in Air Temperature: A Study Based on Experiments for Sedentary Young Male Subjects","authors":"S. Takada","doi":"10.1618/JHES.17.025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.17.025","url":null,"abstract":"In order to quantitatively assess the individual differences in the thermophysiological responses, human subjects were exposed to a series of stepwise air temperature changes, and the rectal and skin temperatures and weight change were measured. The differences between subject responses were evaluated not only for steady state but also for a transient state. Ten young males were used as subjects and were monitored in a sedentary state. From the results of the transient exposure to cold and hot environments for 150 min. (29 °C, 30 min. – 20 °C, 20 min. – 29 °C, 60 min. – 38 °C, 20 min. – 29 °C, 20 min.), it was shown that the individual differences in rectal temperatures amounted to a standard deviation of 0.3 K, and that for mean skin temperature the standard deviation was 0.5 K for both steady and transient states. Local skin temperatures, measured at seven points to represent each body segment, showed larger individual differences than those for mean skin temperature, which suggests the existence of individual differences in skin temperature distributions. In addition, the skin temperature time derivative at the beginning of a step change in air temperature and body weight change were studied from the viewpoint of the individual difference. It was shown that the individual differences in rectal temperature, skin temperature distribution, and sweat rate were significant, and that the difference between individuals for skin temperature change during the transient state was almost the same as that for the thermally neutral and steady state. Furthermore, correlations between the responses and basic body parameters (the body weight, body surface area, and body fat percentage of the subjects) were studied using correlation analysis. As the results indicated, body fat percentage had greater influence on thermophysiological responses than height, body weight and surface area, and the correlation coefficients were fairly high for each of the thermophysiological responses measured in this study. For the thermally neutral and steady state data, rectal temperature showed a positive correlation with body fat percentage, while mean skin temperature showed a negative correlation with body fat percentage. These findings suggest that body fat percentage might be a promising parameter for explaining individual differences in thermophysiological responses.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"17 1","pages":"025-032"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1618/JHES.17.025","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67430268","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}