Superculture as a Frame of Reference for Cross-National Comparisons of National Characters

This paper shows the utility of a psychometric model called the generalized high threshold (GHT) model to cross-national comparative studies of national characters based on public opinion data. This model provides a sort of scalar measure of conformity of each nation to a hypothetical culture called the superculture. The superculture is a “standard” against which those nations are compared for the elucidation of their mutual relationships. Furthermore, a new representation method called the vectorial angular (VA) representation is developed for a graphical representation of the GHT model. In this representation all nations are represented as vectors, and the measures of conformity and the matching rates of responses of cross-national public opinion research are represented by the angles between those vectors. The GHT model and the VA representation are applied to two cases: the comparative study of national characters (France, FRG, Japan, the UK and the USA); the comparative study of opinions on the issues of EC unification (12 European countries). These applications show the utility of the model and representation for both domain-independent and domain-specific comparative studies of national characters at the exploratory phase of research.

     

The Unbiased Bight Model and its Application to the Distinction of Responses to a Free-Answer Question in a Social Survey

Behaviormetrika - In the analysis of free-answer responses to a social survey questionnaire, some words similar in their dictionary definitions may sometimes need to be distinguished as responses...     

Measurement of diffusion coefficient of water and ethanol in aqueous maltodextrin solution

Capillary cell and absorption-desorption methods were used to measure the diffusion coefficients of water and ethanol in aqueous maltodextrin solution over a wide range of water content. The diffusion coefficients showed a surprisingly large dependence on water content, particularly at low water content, as reported by other workers. Free volume theory was applied to correlate the diffusion coefficients. It was found that this theory was adequate to explain their large dependence on water content. Furthermore, experimental results on ethanol retention in drying an aqueous maltodextrin droplet could be predicted well, using the present experimental results for the diffusion coefficients of water and ethanol.     

Computer-aided protective relay setting system for large power networks

This paper introduces a protective relay setting system capable of handling a large network up to 10,000 buses. The remarkable features are such useful functions as network analysis (fault analysis, load flow calculation, zero-sequence current calculation, etc.), relay operation simulation, and automated setting coordination tasks. Fault currents in the maximum and the minimum operation networks are calculated to examine the setting values. The protection zones are searched automatically along the network connection. Protection coordination tasks among the primary and the backup relays composed of different types of relays can be performed by the relay operation simulation. The system is built on an engineering workstation, which works in cooperation with other network operation support systems. Its graphical user interface helps every engineer to examine the relay setting using a variety of databases.     

Involvement of sensory neurons in bone defect repair in rats

We investigated bone repair in sensory-denervated rats, compared with controls, to elucidate the involvement of sensory neurons. Nine-week-old male Wistar rats received subcutaneous injections of capsaicin to denervate sensory neurons. Rats treated with the same amount of vehicle served as controls. A standardized bone defect was created on the parietal bone. We measured the amount of repaired bone with quantitative radiographic analysis and the mRNA expressions of osteocalcin and cathepsin K with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Quantitative radiographic analysis showed that the standard deviations and coefficients of variation for the amount of repaired bone were much higher in the capsaicin-treated group than in the control group at any time point, which means that larger individual differences in the amount of repaired bone were found in capsaicin-treated rats than controls. Furthermore, radiographs showed radiolucency in pre-existing bone surrounding the standardized defect only in the capsaicin-treated group, and histological observation demonstrated some multinuclear cells corresponding to the radiolucent area. Real-time PCR indicated that there was no significant difference in the mRNA expression levels of osteocalcin and cathepsin K between the control group and the capsaicin-treated group. These results suggest that capsaicin-induced sensory denervation affects the bone defect repair.     

Influence of cell geometry and mesh resolution on large eddy simulation predictions of flow around a single building

A number of research studies have employed a wide variety of test conditions to numerically assess flow field around buildings. In such studies, the employed mesh system and its resolution played a crucial role in determining the ultimate degree of solution accuracy. The objective of this study is to better establish a quantitative assessment of the influence of cell geometry and mesh resolution on the numerical predictions of large eddy simulation (LES) of the flow field around a single building. In order to achieve this objective, a number of mesh styles including conventional hexahedral-based mesh, tetrahedral-based mesh, and prism-based mesh have been considered. In addition, hybrid meshes of tetrahedron and hexahedron cells are also considered. In each mesh style, four grid resolutions were investigated: coarse, medium, fine, and very fine. Accuracy of the simulation has been assessed by applying comparisons to the experimental data available in literature. Moreover, quantitative grid convergence was calculated based on the grid convergence index, which accounts for the degree of grid refinement. Future studies are needed to analytically evaluate the influence of cell geometry on the solution accuracy and to more precisely evaluate other grid system options including various forms of hybrid configuration meshes.     

Improvement of sweating model in 2-Node Model and its application to thermal safety for hot environments

Recently, due to global warming and the heat-island effect, more and more people are exposed to the dangers of heat disorders. A hot thermal environment can be evaluated using various indices, such as new Standard Effective Temperature (SET^∗) using the 2-Node Model (2 NM), Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), Predicted Heat Strain (PHS) model, and so on. The authors aim to develop a safety evaluation approach for hot environments. Subject experiments are performed in a laboratory to comprehend the physiological response of the human body. The results are compared with the computed values from the 2 NM and PHS models, and improved the sweating model in 2 NM in order to take into account the relationship with metabolic rate. A demonstration is provided of using the new sweating model for evaluating thermal safety in a hot environment.