Journal of the human-environment system最新文献

{"title":"Effects of Vertical Air Temperature Gradients on Physiological and Psychological Responses in the Elderly","authors":"N. Hashiguchi, Teruyuki Kumamoto, A. Chishaki, Y. Tochihara","doi":"10.1618/JHES.14.9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.14.9","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of thermal environments in which the air temperature close to the floor is lower than the temperature close to the ceiling on physiological and subjective responses in the elderly. The temperatures around the upper and lower parts of the body were controlled independently using a climatic box placed in a climatic chamber. Sixteen healthy male subjects (8 elderly and 8 young) were exposed to four conditions involving various temperature differences between the upper (25°C) and lower (16, 19, 22, or 25°C) parts of their body. Although there was no significant difference in mean lower body skin temperature between the two age groups, the skin temperatures of the hand and fingers decreased more in the elderly at temperatures of 22°C and below. Systolic blood pressure significantly increased in low air temperature conditions in the elderly, but not in the young. Age differences in thermal sensation of the whole body and lower body thermal comfort were detected, and the perception of the vertical air temperature gradient was reduced in the elderly. These findings suggest that the skin temperatures of the fingers and hand decrease and blood pressure increases in the elderly in unequal thermal environments in which the air temperature close to the floor is lower than that in the upper part of the room, although their perception of the temperature difference is reduced. It is necessary to avoid air temperature depression in the lower part of the room to maintain thermal comfort and stabilize blood pressure in the elderly.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"14 1","pages":"9-17"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1618/JHES.14.9","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67430001","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":"Change in Heat Loss after Light-Short Exercise and Food Intake","authors":"N. Kakitsuba, M. White","doi":"10.1618/JHES.14.19","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.14.19","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"14 1","pages":"19-25"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67429947","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":"Chest, Abdomen or Back: Selecting an Optimum Trunk Region for Hardy and DuBois' Weighted Mean Skin Temperature Formula","authors":"Joo-Young Lee, Kouhei Nakao, Y. Tochihara","doi":"10.1618/JHES.13.7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.13.7","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of the present study was to examine the extent of the variations in mean skin temperatures by Hardy and DuBois 7-point formula when different single trunk sites were assigned (T sk-chest, T sk- abdomen, and T sk-upper back for the chest, abdomen and back, respectively). The average of the three trunk sites (T sk-all) was considered as a reference value. Eight male subjects underwent twelve experimental conditions: activities (rest and exercise) × clothing (Control, Tyvek and Vinyl condition) × air temperatures (25°C and 32°C). The results showed that 1) for rest conditions, there was no difference among T sk-chest, T sk- abdomen, T sk-upper back, and T sk-all; 2) for exercising conditions at 25°C, T sk-upper back tended to be greater than T sk-chest, and T sk-abdomen. The differences were statistically significant for Control and Tyvek conditions (p<0.05); 3) for Control during exercise, T sk-abdomen was significantly lower than T sk-upper back (p<0.05); 4) T sk-all were not statistically distinguished from T sk-chest, T sk-abdomen, and T sk-upper back; 5) for Control during exercise, T sk- upper back overestimated T sk-chest and T sk-abdomen at T a 25°C, while T sk-abdomen underestimated T sk-upper back at T a 32°C. The variations were attributable to the differences in thermal dynamics of the abdomen and upper back tissues during exercise. For estimating the T sk of lightly clothed male subjects during exercise using Hardy and DuBois 7-point formula, reliance on the abdomen or the upper back as a site representative of the trunk is not recommended, but the average of the chest, abdomen, and back temperatures is recommended as the trunk temperature. In the case that the minimum number of skin sites is required due to dynamic exercise, a preferred single site on the trunk was the chest for male subjects.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"13 1","pages":"7-14"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67429373","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":"Relationships between Heatstroke Symptoms and Lifestyles in Japanese Forestry Workers","authors":"T. Maeda, M. Ohta, S. Kaneko, H. Kanda, T. Fukushima","doi":"10.1618/JHES.13.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.13.1","url":null,"abstract":"Several risk factors for heatstroke among forestry workers were previously reported, but the effects of lifestyles of the workers on heatstroke symptoms remain unknown. This study examines the effects of lifestyles on heatstroke symptoms among Japanese forestry workers during the summer. We distributed a questionnaire to 97 forestry workers about heatstroke symptoms, hydration, hotness in workplace, lifestyles including food consumption, sleep duration, exercise, alcohol consumption, and smoking, age, and years of forestry service, and measured physical characteristics. The total health score was used as an index of healthy habits. Thirty-seven workers (38.1%) experienced heatstroke symptoms. Heatstroke and asymptomatic groups significantly differed in terms of age, years of forestry service, frequency and volume of hydration, frequency of urination, and perceived hotness. Logistic regression analysis selected the following key variables associated with the development of heatstroke symptoms: years of forestry service, frequency of hydration adjusted by frequency of urination, and total health score. In conclusion, the present study revealed that one third of forestry workers develop some early symptoms of heatstroke during work, and healthy habits reduce the risk of heatstroke in forestry workers.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"13 1","pages":"1-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67429264","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":"Evaluation of the Effects of Various Clothing Conditions on Firefighter Mobility and the Validity of those Measurements Made","authors":"Su-Young Son, Yu Xia, Y. Tochihara","doi":"10.1618/JHES.13.15","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.13.15","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of the present study was to compare the mobility of firefighters wearing different combinations of protective clothing and evaluate the validity of three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis, subjective evaluation and electromyography (EMG) for such analyses. Both comfort and mobility were subjectively evaluated. The 3D motion analysis program used in the study examines seven experimental movements. Experimental ensembles were prepared for four experimental conditions: CO, standard inner uniform + firefighter clothing and gear; ST, inner uniform comprising short pants and a short-sleeved T-shirt + firefighter clothing and gear; SC, standard inner uniform + firefighter clothing and gear + self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA); MO, wet standard inner uniform + firefighter clothing and gear. The short pants uniform did not increase range of motion (ROM). However, participants felt comfortable and mobile in ST. The ROM results of SC showed that SCBA restricted whole body movements by almost 13.7%. Mobility of the lower body was decreased more than that of the upper body while wearing the wet inner uniform with firefighter clothing (17.4% vs. 11.1%). Whole body ROM was decreased by 9.5% while wearing MO. The EMG results did not significantly differ among all conditions. The weight of the SCBA and the friction of wet clothing significantly influenced mobility. Measuring ROM using 3D motion analysis was more effective than subjective evaluation and EMG.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"13 1","pages":"15-24"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1618/JHES.13.15","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67429337","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 Wearing Trousers or Shorts under Firefighting Protective Clothing on Physiological and Subjective Responses","authors":"Chin-Mei Chou, S. Umezaki, Su-Young Son, Y. Tochihara","doi":"10.1618/JHES.12.63","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.12.63","url":null,"abstract":"This study examined the influence of wearing trousers or shorts under firefighting protective clothing with phase change materials (PCMs) on physiological/subjective responses and the mobility of firefighters.Experiment 1: Eight Fukuoka City firefighters (28±3.6 yrs) participated in the research and rested in a pre-test room for 10 min before entering the test-room where they rested for another 10 min, followed by a 30 min-exercise period (on a treadmill, 4.8 km·h−1 at a 3% gradient) and a 10 min-recovery period. Rectal temperature, mean skin temperature, heart rate, body weight loss and subjective responses were measured.Experiment 2: Eight Fukuoka City firefighters (27.9±3.5 yrs) participated in a freedom of movement test, an exercise test and answered a set of questionnaires. The exercise test involved obstacle courses with 70 cm and 90 cm obstacles.The results suggest that performance was improved while wearing shorts under protective clothing with PCMs, although no significant difference in reducing thermal stress while wearing shorts instead of trousers was revealed.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"12 1","pages":"63-71"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1618/JHES.12.63","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67429178","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":"A Questionnaire Survey for Living Environment of Special Old Age Nursing Homes and Elderly Health Care Facilities in Japan","authors":"Masaki Yoshioka, S. Yokoyama, S. Koguchi, K. Ikeda","doi":"10.1618/JHES.12.73","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.12.73","url":null,"abstract":"We intended to clarify the present states of special old age nursing homes and elderly health care facilities in Japan especially in a cold climate region. A questionnaire survey about maintenance and control of living environment for all special old age nursing homes and elderly health care facilities in Sapporo and Fukuoka City, and Hokkaido, Saitama, Kanagawa, Osaka Prefecture and Tokyo Metropolis was performed. The main questionnaire asks about heating, air-cooling, ventilation system, sanitary system and indoor air quality including bio-aerosol and odors. We send the questionnaire sheets, which were A-4 size and four pages, to total 1,479 homes and facilities. We received total 646 answers, about 44% of total number. The 95 questionnaire items were converted 249 categories for statistical analyses. The present database for special old age nursing homes and elderly health care facilities consists of about 160,000 data. The data obtained from Sapporo City and Hokkaido Prefecture were compared with those of other regions. We show the characteristics of special old age nursing homes and elderly health care facilities in a cold climate region in this paper. The main differences were set values of air temperature in both winter and mid-summer, and air-cooling system.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"12 1","pages":"73-77"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1618/JHES.12.73","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67429194","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":"Time-of-Day-Dependent Effects of Monochromatic Light Exposure on Human Autonomic Nervous System","authors":"Ming An, Jinghua Huang, Y. Shimomura, T. Katsuura","doi":"10.1618/JHES.12.55","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.12.55","url":null,"abstract":"We report the time-of-day-dependent effects of monochromatic lights at wavelength of 458 nm and 550 nm on human physiological and psychological parameters under the same irradiance density (9.8 µW/cm2 at eye level). We conducted an experiment in the daytime and nighttime on different days. Twelve subjects were selected, none of whom was either a morning-type or evening-type person, as assessed by the morningness/eveningness questionnaire. We found that 458 nm light exposure caused a greater high-frequency (HF)/(HF+low-frequency (LF)) component than did 550 nm light. The change of oral temperature (ΔTor) during exposure to 458 nm light was larger than that to 550 nm light in the daytime. Our findings indicate that short-wavelength monochromatic light can affect the circadian rhythms of autonomic nerve function and body temperature.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"54 1","pages":"55-61"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67429135","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 Active Noise Control on Physiological Functions","authors":"Soomin Lee, T. Katsuura, Y. Shimomura, Xin Xin Liu, F. Konno, Masahide Onishi, Masaki Tada, K. Kotegawa","doi":"10.1618/JHES.12.49","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.12.49","url":null,"abstract":"The noise inside an automobile exerts various influences on the driver. In this context, the concept of active noise control (ANC), which reduces the noise in the automobile, has been reported. Subjective evaluation has furnished empirical evidence regarding the effects of ANC. However, few studies have investigated the effects of ANC using a physiological evaluation. Therefore, we studied the effects of ANC on the physiological functions using recorded driving noise with ANC ON and OFF conditions. Ten male subjects participated in this study. They completed four consecutive sessions: a 20 min quiet period as baseline, a 10 min noise exposure with ANC ON or OFF, a 60 min mental task period during noise exposure with ANC ON or OFF, and a 20 min recovery period. We measured electrocardiogram, photoplethysmogram, electroencephalogram, blood pressure (BP), baroreflex sensitivity and internal secretion indexes such as cortisol. Before and after the task, the subjects were evaluated on the Kansei-gakuin Sleepiness Scale, and after the task, they answered the NASA-TLX. Two experiments with ANC ON and OFF conditions were conducted at the same time of day on separate days. Data of the ANC ON condition and ANC OFF condition were compared by the paired t-test. We found that systolic BP, diastolic BP and sympathetic nerve activity during the ANC ON condition were significantly lower than those during the ANC OFF condition. Furthermore, parasympathetic nerve activity during the ANC ON condition was significantly higher than that during the ANC OFF condition. The results suggested that ANC effectively reduces the stress level in physiological functions, especially the cardiovascular system.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"12 1","pages":"49-54"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67429120","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 Different Light Source Color Temperatures during Physical Exercise on Human EEG and Subjective Evaluation","authors":"Lu Shi, T. Katsuura, Y. Shimomura, K. Iwanaga","doi":"10.1618/JHES.12.27","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1618/JHES.12.27","url":null,"abstract":"This study examined the effects of the color temperature of lighting on spontaneous electroencephalographic (EEG) activity and subjective evaluation under physical exercise. Participants (n=10) were asked to (a) sit quietly for 45-min rest, (b) carry out successive exercise bouts of 50 W and 100 W on a cycle ergometer for 14 mins, and (c) sit quietly for a 21-min recovery period. EEGs and subjective evaluation were carried out during the last 6 min of the adaptation period, immediately after exercise, and at the 7.5-min and 15-min stages of the recovery period after exercise. The experiments were conducted in a lighting laboratory controlled at a temperature of 25°C and a relative humidity of 50–60%. The illuminance condition was maintained at 1000 lx and combined with three different color temperature conditions (3000 K, 5000 K and 7000 K) for a total of three lighting environments. The results of the EEG recording at Pz showed that the Alpha Attenuation Coefficient (AAC) was more increased at higher color temperatures after exercise than at lower temperatures, and the speeds of recovery at Fz, Cz, and Pz were slower during the 7000 K condition. The changes in AAC were most remarkable at Pz. After exercise, the level of “sleepiness” at the lower color temperature (3000 K) was significantly higher than those at the higher color temperatures (5000 K and 7000 K) (P<0.05), and the level of “relaxation” at the higher color temperature (7000 K) was significantly lower than those at the lower color temperatures (3000 K and 5000 K) (P<0.01). In contrast, the level of “concentration” at the lower color temperature (3000 K) was significantly lower than those at the higher color temperature (5000 K and 7000 K) (P<0.01). The level of “fatigue” was the highest at 7000 K compared with those at 5000 K and 3000 K (P<0.05). The highest level of “motivation” was found at 5000 K. Both “fatigue” and “motivation” showed a significant interaction between color temperature and exercise. These results suggest that the color temperature of 5000 K is more comfortable and advantageous for physical exercise and that the lower color temperature of 3000 K is beneficial for rest and fatigue recovery after exercise.The above results indicate that muscle activity under photic stimulation has effects on AAC and subjective evaluation; that is, the color temperature of fluorescent lamps and the exercise have an obvious effect on AAC and subjective evaluation, as predicted based on the increase of cortical arousal level.","PeriodicalId":89177,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the human-environment system","volume":"12 1","pages":"27-34"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1618/JHES.12.27","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67429038","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}