For the development of polysilsesquioxanes (PSQs) as organic−inorganic hybrid materials for efficient thermal insulators, gaining a better understanding on the structure−thermal property relationship of PSQ gel films is essential. With this aim, PSQs were prepared via the sol−gel method to investigate the influence of residual alkoxy groups and substituents on the thermal insulation property of PSQ freestanding gel films. The thermal diffusivities of gel films prepared from polymethylsilsesquioxanes having ethoxy and isobutoxy groups increased with increasing the amount of these residual groups. However, compared with the ethoxy group, the bulky isobutoxy group decreased the thermal diffusivity of the corresponding polymethylsilsesquioxanes gel films. The thermal insulation property of the PSQ films was affected by the amount of residual alkoxy groups mainly due to their bulkiness. The presence of a phenyl group bonded to the silicon atom apparently decreased the thermal diffusivity of a gel film prepared from polyphenylsilsesquioxane compared with that of a polymethylsilsesquioxane gel film. Meanwhile, the thermal stability of the polyphenylsilsesquioxane gel film was significantly higher than that of polymethylsilsesquioxane gel film. Overall, the organic substituents on the silicon atom affected the thermal insulation property and thermal stability of PSQ films.

Recently, Japan has entered an era of declining population, and the amount of underused land within cities has been increasing due to declining demand for construction and building renewal. As a result, urban problems, such as a decline in urban functions and attractiveness, have arisen; thus, an effective utilization of the underused land is required in the field of urban planning. Under these circumstances, tentative land use, in which land is used for a certain period, is an attractive measure to deal with the underused land. While there are many examples of interim use of underused land, a few studies have quantitatively analyzed its effects on towns. Therefore, in this study, we aim to analyze the effect of tentative land use on the value and the attractiveness of towns from the perspective of land prices. The results reveal that tentative land use in local cities has a positive impact on land prices.

In recent years, the habitat distribution of wild boar has expanded in Japan, and the damage caused by wild boar has been significantly increased. In Bingo Sports Park, a regional park, wild boar damage has also been increasingly severe. To take effective measures, it is necessary to understand where wild boars enter the park, how they move through it, and where the damage is caused. Therefore, this study examines both environmental characteristics inside and outside the park and behavioral characteristics of wild boar using drones, sensor technology and GIS, and then clarifies the main factors contributing to wild boar damage based on t-test analysis and logistic regression analysis. In addition, countermeasures such as installing electric fences and repellents were taken, and their effectiveness was verified. There were three main findings. First, the behavioral pattern of wild boars was found to be likely to enter from valleys and usually move on roads in the park. Second, the wild boars tend to cause more damage in areas with more natural land cover and closer to roads and valleys. Third, the countermeasures have a significant effect on reducing wild boar damage since the amount of damage in the multi-purposed field-installed countermeasure was too small.

No abstract

Recently, the wild boar damage has been increasingly serious in "Bingo Sports Park". To take effective measures, it is necessary to understand where the damage tends to be caused. This study aims at identifying the main factors on wild boar damage by using logistic regression analysis and creating the estimation map of wild boar damage based on the result. Results shows that the wild boars tend to cause more damage in areas with more natural land cover and closer to roads and valleys.