Saga City Research Articles

Characterization of aerosols in Saga city areas in Japan with direct and diffuse solar irradiance and aureole observations

By using Sky Radiometer which allows measuring direct and diffuse solar irradiance as well as aureole, aerosol properties of aerosol particles in Saga, Japan is characterized. Results indicate that aerosol density, optical depth, single scattering albedo, asymmetric factor in the morning and evening are larger than those in the day time around noon, and they are also larger in summer than those in the other seasons. The changes of the aerosol density, optical depth, are the largest in summer and are the smallest in winter during the four seasons. It is also found that the changes of the aerosol size distribution and optical depth are larger in the morning and the evening than those in day time around noon.

Applying the methods of image evaluation and spatial analysis to study the sound environment of urban street areas

One important aspect of the urban environment is its sound environment, in which the sound environment of street areas plays a significant role. In this research, we employed methods of subjective image evaluation and spatial analysis of soundscape formation, in studying the sound environments of urban street areas. In Saga City, Japan, we analysed the structure and main sound components of urban street areas, as well as the sound pressure levels through on-site investigation. Through image evaluation, we obtained people's ratings of each sound component in terms of “preference” and “congruence”. Simultaneously, we interviewed people on site for their evaluation of the sound environment using semantic differential profiles. Lastly, we performed a spatial analysis of the site, identifying the different types of street sound environment and their characteristics using cluster analysis, as well as noting the interaction of auditory image and visual factors. The methods presented by this research can help us understand the sound environment of urban street areas more comprehensively and vividly, and to point out a unique direction in the research of urban sound environment as well as the planning of urban street areas.

Interaction of activity involvement and recreational location selection behavior in Lowland City: A case study of public parks in Saga City, Japan

Public parks provide many benefits to the community as the representatives of green area. The allocation of public places plays an extremely important role in the daily lives of inhabitants especially for recreational use that could enhance the quality of life of residents in the vicinity. To understand park users' behavior is one of the most important prerequisites for as- sessing the participation in public service from the park users' point of view. The pattern of park utilization on location and activity selection are important elements in behavioral study, while the public parks topograph may also influence the typical user's be- havior. Questionnaire survey on park utilization was used to investigate the interaction between activity involvement and recrea- tional location with the use of linear discriminant analysis (LDA) model. The study found that public park users' behavior is influenced not only by social characteristics but also by the recreational activities and their specific location characteristics. We found that about 45 percent of park visitors are local residents living within a radius of 3 km preferred travel to parks near their residential area. This implies that location selection behavior is correlated with travel distance, travel time and travel cost. Visit frequencies and on site expenditures reflect the recreation behavior for different type of activities. The overall information can be usefully applied by decision makers to launch appropriate public policy in consistence with the useful results of this study.

Regeneration and sustainability of the central area of Saga City

Regeneration and sustainability of the central area of Saga City

Evaluation of Traffic Measurements for Speed Reduction

This paper evaluates the effect of road humps to reduce through traffic and motor-vehicle speeds in residential streets. An experimental scheme to install 22 humps was carried out in Nitshin area in Saga city. These road humps were not useful to reduce through traffic but achieved slower speeds. School children and inhabitants in this area felt that the traffic condition on these reads was safer and agreed with existing of these humps. As a result, 14 humps were removed because of the opposite of people living these streets.

Relationship of the faulting to the creep movement of Iwakura landslide in Saga, Japan.

A huge creep type slow moving landslide was identified near Saga City of Kyushu Island in 1999. It has been evidenced that this landslide was activating through out several years since the quarry was opened up at the bottom of the valley. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were implemented to investigate the rate of movement, to demarcate the extent of the affected area and to find the major cause of this sliding.Periodical monitoring together with field and laboratory investigations has been carried out for nearly 2 years . Analysis of the extensometer measurement data, results of the surface displacement monitoring survey and the surface geological and structural investigation revealed that this sliding is taking place along the fault planes. Stereographic projection data combined with the sur-face movement monitoring suggested that the sliding is taking place in three directions along the fault planes and along the inter-section of two extensive fault planes sub-parallel to the slope concerned. Subsequent borehole drilling and the pipe strain gauge installation confirmed the location of the slip surface at 27 m and 29 m below the surface along these faults . The average move-ment rate of this sliding mass has been approximated to 6 cm/day, which has occasionally increased to a value more than 12 cm/day, just after heavy rainfall.

Comparison of Growth and Yield Performance of Several Water Chestnut Species Collected from Southwestern Japan and Middle China

SummaryVegetative growth characters and yield components of water chestnuts distributed in Japan and China were investigated for 12 local lines of 6 species ; i.e., 5 small and 2 medium fruit lines from Japan, and 5 large fruit lines from China. The materials were transplanted and grown in a flooded field usually used for rice cultivation in Saga City in 1995. The lines from China had higher rates of foliage formation, developed emersed leaves earlier and maintained them longer compared with the Japanese lines. The small fruit lines of Japan had the shortest growing period, although the number of rosettes was larger. The fruit yield of the small, medium and large fruit lines, was 250 to 400 g m−2, about 600 g m−2 and 600 to 1,000 g m−2, respectively. The fresh weight of well-ripened fruit was 1 to 5 g for the small fruit lines, 5 to 10 g for the medium fruit lines and more than 10 g for the large fruit lines. The number of fruits per m2 increased as the fruit size of the lines decreased. However, the productivity of the water chestnut was higher in the large fruit lines than in the small or medium fruit lines.

中・高校生におけるランニング障害

In this report, we discuss the results of questionnaires and direct examinations on the running injuries of junior-high school and high school runners in Saga city. 354 cases were surveyed (Junior-high school; 130 boys and 102 girls, High school; 76 boys and 46 girls).92 (39.65%) out of 232 junior high school runners and 60 (49.18%) of 122 high school runners were not satisfied with their performance due to pain during and/or after running. According to the injured lesions, the highest incidence was the foot in junior-high school boys, knee in junior-high school girls, and foot in high school boys and girls, respectively. According to the diagnostic criterea, low back pain including spondylolysis showed the highest incidence, Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS) the second, and Chondromalacia Patellae the third, in both the junior-high school and high school athletes. We studied the correlation of the clinical symptoms of MTSS and the specific findings of the periosteum and bone marrow by means of MRI, and found a signicant correlation between them.

サッカー選手のスポーツヘルニア

Recently, incomplete inguinal hernias have been reported as a cause of incurable groin pain in young athletes. In 1993, Hackney proposed that such injuries be called sports hernia. We experienced 16 patients with 19 sports hernias. Subjects were all soccer player at senior high school in Saga city ranging in age from 16 to 18 years, who complained of groin pain when performing full exercises. Most patients had tender points at the anulus inguinalis superficialis; at the lateral edge of the adductor longus tendon and at the anterior superior iliac spine. Pain was caused when performing hip adduction under resistance. Patients also had a sensory disturbance in the region of the ilioinguinalis nerve. We used ultrason ography and MRI under abdominal pressure to diagnose the presence of a sports hernia, and whether this was complicated by inflammation of symphysis pubis.All patients were treated with surgical repair of the inguinal hernia, and became pain-free, however 5 patients with the added complication of inflammation of the symphysis pubis still had motion pain.We propose that the mechanism causing this groin pain involves an exertional entrapment neuropathy around the annulus inguinalis as radial tunnel syndrome.

Recent Increase of Nesting on Utility Poles by the Black-billed Magpie Pica pica sericea

A study on the nest-site preference of the Black-billed Magpie Pica pica sericea was conducted in northeastern Saga City, northern Kyushu, Japan. In first nesting, the proportion of magpie nests on utility poles was significantly greater than expected from random nesting. However, the proportion of nests on utility poles in repeat nesting decreased in comparison to first nesting. Incomplete nests occurred more frequently in trees than on utility poles, suggesting that, if they selected trees, magpies carried nest material to more locations before settling on a suitable nest site. Pairs nesting on utility poles achieved higher nesting success than those nesting in trees. The percentage of complete magpie nests on utility poles increased from 41% in 1991 to 55% in 1994. Nesting on utility poles may be among the possible reasons for the recent geographic expansion of magpies in Japan.

佐賀市における蚊吸血被害に関するアンケート調査

佐賀市における蚊吸血被害に関するアンケート調査

Nest-site Characteristics in the Black-billed Magpies Pica pica sericea

A study on nest-site characteristics with reference to breeding success in the Black-billed Magpies Pica pica sericea was carried out from 1979 to 1983 in the south of Saga City, Japan. Although the density of nests was much higher in the residential areas than in croplands, there was no active preference to nest near human habitations. Utility poles were most used for nesting (46%), and Celtis sinensis (16%), Diospyros kaki (9%), Cinnamomum camphora (6%), and Pinus thunbergii (4%) followed it. There was not any preference either for utility poles, for certain tree species or for evergreen trees. The breeding success was lower in Diospyros than other major tree species. Breeding started earlier and breeding success was higher at nests on taller trees. Tall trees (≥_ 8m) accounted for 92% of 118 nest trees in the residential areas, and 46% of 13 nest trees in croplands. .Although the magpies build their nests on most available tree species, they may prefer tall trees for nesting which are often in short supply outside the residential areas.

内水氾濫における地盤沈下と排水路の影響 佐賀市の７．２水害を例として

内水氾濫における地盤沈下と排水路の影響 佐賀市の７．２水害を例として

Levels of chlordane, oxychlordane, and nonachlor in human adipose tissues

Chlordane was used as a termiticide for more than twenty years in Japan. Chlordane is stable in the environment such as sediment and its bioaccumulation in some species of bacteria, freshwater invertebrates, and marine fish is large. Many researches were done to elucidate the levels of chlordane and/or its metabolite oxychlordane in human adipose tissues. A comprehensive review concerning chlordane was recently provided by USEPA. On the other hand, Japan authorities banned the use of chlordane in September 1986. In the last paper, the authors reported that both water and sediment of the rivers around Saga city were slightly contaminated with chlordane. In the present study, they investigated the levels of chlordane, oxychlordane and nonachlor in human adipose tissues.

特集 「地球環境および地域環境と化学」 佐賀市における降雨の化学組成

特集 「地球環境および地域環境と化学」 佐賀市における降雨の化学組成

Levels of chlordane in water and sediment of rivers around Saga City, Japan.

Levels of chlordane in water and sediment of rivers around Saga City, Japan.

佐賀都市圏における水と緑のネットワーク整備構想

佐賀都市圏における水と緑のネットワーク整備構想

Natural history of infantile papular acrodermatitis (Gianotti's disease) with HBsAg subtype adw.

An outbreak of infantile papular acrodermatitis (IPA) occurred in and around Saga City from May 1977 through April 1978, infecting 26 patients. Over 50% of the patients were two years of age or younger. As most of the patients came from the same clinic, the source of the Hepatitis B virus infection was probably contaminated syringes used in that clinic. The 12 patients examined for subtype were all adw, whereas Ishimaru et al. (1976) reported that the subtype in Matsuyama was ayw. Apart from the Saga and Matsuyama outbreaks, the subtypes reported in 39 sporadic cases in various parts of Japan, including three sporadic cases which we experienced, were : adr, 25 cases (64%); adw, 10 cases (26%); ayr, 1 case (2%); and ayw, 3 cases (8%). This distribution pattern is similar to that for adult HBV carriers in Japan. It was confirmed that IPA was present in every HBsAg subtype, and therefore IPA was not subtype specific. Half of the patients (13/26) had maximum serum GOT levels over 1000 K. U. The average level was also much higher in the Saga patients than in the Matsuyama patients. HBs-antigenemia disappeared within 2 months after the onset of the disease in 46% of the patients, and within 3 months in 65% of the patients, whereas 5 of 26 or 19% still were positive HBsAg even after 6 years. Horizontal transmission to parents occurred in 7 cases (2 fathers and 5 mothers), and to siblings in 5 cases. The HBsAg positive rate was 23% (7/31) among the parents checked. This was significantly higher than the rate of 3% (10/358) found in a healthy population from a neighboring district (po= 0.0000).

佐賀県におけるイチゴ疫病菌Ｐｈｙｔｏｐｈｔｈｏｒａ ｎｉｃｏｔｉａｎａｅ ｖａｒ． ｐａｒａｓｉｔｉｃａの交配型の分布

Two hundreds and fourteen isolates of Phytophthora nicotianae var. parasitica collected from rotted roots of strawberry seedlings on nursery beds in Saga prefecture were tested on the mating types, A1 or A2, by formation of sexual organs. Among them, 54 isolates were identified as type A1 and the others were as type A2. From the result of the mating type test, it was found that all isolates were heterothallic. The isolates from Saga city·Saga-gun, Kanzaki-gun and Kishima-gun were separated into type A1 and A2, whereas those from Karatsu city, Ogi-gun and Tosu city·Miyaki-gun were either type A1 or A2.

FINDING UNSATISFACTORY SECTIONS OF ROAD NETWORK AND INVESTIGATION OF THEIR IMPROVEMENT BASED ON RESIDENTS' COMPLAINTS

Finding unsatisfactory sections in a road network and investigation of their alternatives for improvement are described in this paper, considering residents' complaints about the safety of their living and the troubles by traffic.Residents' complaints about the safety and the troubles by traffic were obtained by questionnaires. By the use of canonical correlation analysis, these were approximated as a function of road and traffic conditions, such as traffic volume, footpath, width of road, etc. Using this equation, a method is proposed to choose unsatisfactory sections in a road network. This method is illustrated through a case study in Saga city. Considering the residents' complaints about the safety and the troubles by traffic, necessary improvements of unsatisfactory road sections are also investigated.