The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether self-assessed masticatory ability (masticatory ability) is significantly related to muscle strength of the body evaluated as handgrip strength and skeletal muscle mass of the whole body (kg) (SMM) after adjusting for confounding variables, including, age, gender, height, weight, employment status, type of household, educational background, social interaction, chronic medical conditions, smoking habit, drinking habits and dentition status among the elderly. A total of 381 persons aged 67-74 years were enrolled. Masticatory ability was classified into one of three categories: ability to chew all kinds of food, ability to chew only slightly hard food or ability to chew only soft or pureed food. Handgrip strength was measured, and bioimpedance analysis was used to estimate SMM. One-way analysis of variance and Bonferroni methods were used to examine differences in handgrip strength and SMM among the three groups of masticatory ability. An ordinal regression model was conducted with masticatory ability as the dependent variable and handgrip strength as the principal independent variable. Handgrip strength was significantly lower in those individuals who could chew only soft or pureed food than in those individuals who could chew all kinds of food. No significant difference in SMM was found among the three groups of masticatory ability. Masticatory ability was significantly related to handgrip strength after adjusting for SMM, dentition status and background factors. Chewing ability may be related to muscle strength of the body evaluated as handgrip strength, but not evaluated as SMM.

Cotton lint yield, evapotranspiration (ET), and efficiency of water use were characterized with 2nd‐degree polynomials as functions of the quantity of irrigation water and nitrogen applied on two widely different soils. Excessive vegetative plant development at high input levels of irrigation water and nitrogen resulted in production functions for lint yield having negative interaction coefficients. By placing lint yield on a relative basis for the two soils, it was possible to express relative yield as a function of ET with a single quadratic regression equation (R. Y. = −266.4 + 10.72(ET) −0.079(ET)2;R2 = 0.78). Total seasonal ET increased at a decreasing rate with increased water application up to an addition of 119 cm of water during the entire growing season. Peak daily rates of soil moisture depletion were 1.07 cm, occurring near the time when maximum leaf area was attained. Water use efficiency (kg lint per cm of water used) was improved, in some cases, with the addition of nitrogen.

Abstract. Water supply sources for irrigation (e.g. rivers and reservoirs) are critically important for agricultural productivity. The current rapid increase in irrigation water use is considered unsustainable and threatens food production. In this study, we estimated the time-varying dependence of irrigation water requirements from water supply sources, with a particular focus on variations in irrigation area during past and future periods using the global water resources model, H08. The H08 model can simulate water requirements on a daily basis at a resolution of 1.0 • × 1.0 • latitude and longitude. The sources of irrigation water requirements in the past simulations were specified using four categories: rivers (RIV), large reservoirs (LR) with a storage capacity greater than 1.0 × 10 9 m 3 , mediumsize reservoirs (MSR) with storage capacities ranging from 1.0 × 10 9 m 3 to 3.0 × 10 6 m 3 , and non-local non-renewable blue water (NNBW). The simulated results from 1960 to 2001 showed that RIV, MSR and NNBW increased significantly from the 1960s to the early 1990s globally, but LR increased at a relatively low rate. After the early 1990s, the increase in RIV declined as it approached a critical limit, due to the continued expansion of irrigation area. MSR and NNBW increased significantly, during the same time period, following the expansion of the irrigation area and the increased storage capacity of the medium-size reservoirs. We also estimated future irrigation water requirements from the above four water supply sources and an additional water supply source (ADD) in three future simulation designs; irrigation area change, climate change, and changes in both irrigation area and climate. ADD was defined as a future increase in NNBW. After the 2020s, MSR was predicted to approach the critical limit, and ADD would account for 11-23 % of the total requirements in the 2040s.

Information on airconditioning and ventilation has been continuously disseminated in response to the Japanese Government's announcement of the need for appropriate ventilation measures against the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and the issuing of an emergency presidential discourse by the presidents of Engineering Societies. In this paper, we add to the information the latest knowledge on the behavior of SARS-CoV-2 in air, describe its diffusion characteristics in the built environment, and summarize the effects of temperature and humidity on the virus. Then we recommend varying approaches of airconditioning control for facility type.

Water supply sources for irrigation, such as rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater, are critically important for agricultural productivity. The current rapid increase in irrigation water use threatens sustainable food production. In this study, we estimated the time-varying dependency of the supply of irrigation water from rivers, large reservoirs with a greater than 1.0 km³ storage capacity, medium-size reservoirs with storage capacities ranging from 1.0 km³ to 3.0 Mm³, and non-local non-renewable blue water (NNBW), particularly taking into account variations in irrigation area during the period 1960–2000. We also estimated the future irrigation water requirements from water supply sources in addition to these four sources, using an irrigation area scenario. The net irrigation water requirements from various supply sources were assessed using the global H08 water resources model. The H08 model simulates water requirements on a daily basis at a resolution of 1.0° × 1.0°. We obtained net irrigation water from rivers and medium-size reservoirs, and determined that the NNBW increased continuously from 1960 to 1985, but the net irrigation water from large reservoirs increased only marginally. After 1985, the net irrigation water from rivers approached a critical limit with the continued expansion of the irrigation area. The irrigation water requirements from medium-size reservoirs and NNBW increased significantly following the expansion of the irrigation area and the increased storage capacity of medium-size reservoirs. Under the irrigation area scenario without climate change, global net irrigation water requirements from additional water supply sources will account for 26% of the total requirements in the year 2050. We found that expansion of irrigation areas due to population growth will generate an enormous demand for irrigation water from additional resources