Thermal Influence of a Large Green Space on a Hot Urban Environment.

City-scale warming is becoming a serious problem in terms of human health. Urban green spaces are expected to act as a countermeasure for urban warming, and therefore better understanding of the micro-climate benefits of urban green is needed. This study quantified the thermal influence of a large green park in Tokyo, Japan on the surrounding urban area by collecting long-term measurements. Apparent variations in the temperature difference between the park and surrounding town were found at both the diurnal and seasonal scales. Advection by regional-scale wind and turbulent mixing transfers colder air from the park to urban areas in its vicinity. The extent of the park's thermal influence on the town was greater on the downwind side of the park (450 m) than on the upwind side (65 m). The extent was also greater in an area where the terrain slopes down toward the town. Even on calm nights, the extent of the thermal influence extended by the park breeze to an average of 200 m from the park boundary. The park breeze was characterized by its divergent flow in a horizontal plane, which was found to develop well in calm conditions late at night (regional scale wind <1.5 m s and after 02:00 LST). The average magnitude of the cooling effect of the park breeze was estimated at 39 Wm. This green space tempered the hot summer nights on a city block scale. These findings can help urban planners in designing a heat-adapted city.

[Factors that affect adult men's decisions to hire a prostitute].

The present study analyzed demographic and psychological factors that affect adult men's decisions to solicit a prostitute. We administered a questionnaire to 1400 randomly sampled men aged 20 to 59, who live in the Tokyo metropolitan area (obtaining 664 valid responses). The results revealed that 14.6 percent of respondents have had the experience of being a client in prostitution at some point over the past four to five years. Men in their 50s, who spent their adolescence before the enforcement of anti-prostitution laws, had high prostitution acceptability. Those in their 20s and 30s, who spent their adolescence in the 1990s when "Enjyo-Kousai" (Japanese amateur prostitution) gained topicality, also showed high rates. These findings are considered to be birth cohort effects. In addition, those men who reported greater sexual drive and desire for intimate contact with others, as well as those who reported fewer attitudes of gender egalitarianism, had higher rates of prostitution solicitation. Finally, those men who reported less emotional family bonds also showed higher rates.

Application of liesegang ring formation on a gelatin film to the determination of sulfate concentration in individual rain droplets.

The determination of SO(4)(2-) concentration in individual rain droplets can be achieved using a gelatin film containing 5 mM barium chloride and 5 mM barium nitrate. SO(4)(2-) in droplets reacts with barium chloride in the film to form the characteristic Liesegang rings. The areal ratio of the ring to the droplet print (ARRD) on the film is a good indicator for determining the SO(4)(2-) concentrations in an individual droplet. Interference by NO(3)(-) in determining SO(4)(2-) concentration can be avoided by adding barium nitrate to the gelatin. Measurements of SO(4)(2-) in rainwater samples by this method agreed well with those from ion chromatography. The individual analysis of rain droplets by this method indicated that the concentrations of SO(4)(2-) were largely different with a 5-order magnitude, even among individual rain droplets collected simultaneously, and were higher in smaller rain droplets.