List of Dissertation Abstract (Dissertation Doctor)
NameSupervisor

Title

Abstract
A new sampler, the semi-active sampler (SAS), wasdesigned, developed, and examined to address the problemsof passive air samplers (PAS). The semi-active sampler(SAS), equipped with a forced air flow function for thepassive sampler (PAS), was developed based on the masstransfer theory and can be used in environments with alower airflow than the conventional PAS in collecting
toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene. The SAS can also collect
SVOCs (nicotine), which have weak diffusion ability, fasterthan the PAS by using direct collection materials. Furtherinvestigation of more substances is required as a futurechallenge.
The major findings of this study concern the education andactual practice of certified midwives with the Home-Ministry
issued license during the Meiji period, focused on theexamples from Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefectures. In Tokyo
Prefecture, nine midwife schools, other than the Tokyo
Prefecture Hospital Midwife School, were established.
Midwives with a Home-Ministry issued license helped
establish and operated two midwife associations in Tokyo
Prefecture. Both associations held lecture meetings
regularly and their rivalry contributed to their further efforts
for professional improvement. The midwife education forcertified midwives with the Home-Ministry issued license inKanagawa Prefecture included insomuch as the use ofobstetric instruments. These midwives practiced in manydifferent areas of Kanagawa prefecture, and they played asignificant role in protecting the health and lives of mothers
and their children.

Suzuki
Yoshihiro

Nakai
Satoshi

Development of passive sampler
with forced airflow function(semi-active sampler)- Modeling of VOC collection
based on mass transfer theory
and its application -OGAWA KeikoANDO
Takatoshi

The midwifery training systemand the actual practice of
midwives with the Home Ministry
issued license during the Meiji
Period―A comparison between thecases in Tokyo and Kanagawa
prefectures―Imai Noriyasu

Ogata
ShinichStudy on the verification of
between laboratory reproducibility
and the improvement of the test
method of the SH test as an invitro skin sensitization test

There has been an increased demand to eliminate animal
experiments and to replace the experiments with alternative
tests for assessing the safety of cosmetics. The SH test is
an in vitro skin sensitization test that evaluates the protein
binding abilities of a test substance. The between-facility
reproducibility and validity of SH test have not been
performed. Therefore, to verify the transferability and the
between-facilities reproducibility of the SH test, we carriedout the SH test at three facilities, including the development
facility, and evaluated 25 substances. After an initial roundof testing, the protocol was refined as follows: i) determine
the optimum pH range, ii) change the maximum applicableconcentration of water-soluble substances, and iii) define
the appropriate dispersion conditions for evaluatinghydrophobic substances. These refinements markedlyenhanced the between-facility reproducibility for the 25
substances evaluated in this study.Moreover, we
successfully improved the operational efficiency and clarityof the final judgment of the SH test by (i) developing a newdecision-making system without statistical processing, (ii)changing the statistical method, and (iii) determining themaximum number of repetitions. The improved SH test wasverified by comparing it with existing test methods alreadyadopted by the OECD. Those results suggest excellent
performance of the improved SH test, with highreproducibility, reliable predictability, and good operationalefficiency. The results of this study are expected to improve
the reliability of the SH test and promote to apply incompanies. I expect that the results of this research will
improve the reliability of SH test and promote its use incompanies and other organizations, thereby contributing to
the spread of alternative methods for animal testing and theformation of a society that does not depend on the sacrificeof laboratory animals.

OsugiTomonori

MatsudaHiroyuki

A study of fish ecology adapted toriver flow fluctuations andmethods to improve the impact on
downstream rivers of flow
regulation by dams

River ecosystems are subject to various flow regimes(fluctuations in flow due to runoff), both large and small,such as floods, and the river habitat, which is the foundationof the river backwater structure, is greatly affected by thesefluctuations. One of these is the change in foraging behaviorof fish during high water. Even the benthic goby, the reefgoby, actively forages for aquatic and terrestrial insects thatcome downstream during periods of high water, as if it werea swimming fish, and stomach filling has been observed toincrease. Thus, organisms are adapted to flow fluctuations
such as outflows in rivers, and it is suggested that dam
construction may reduce the scale and frequency of natural
outflows and affect the river ecosystem, such as the foraging
behavior of fish adapted to outflows.Dam projects are public
works projects that are indispensable for human life, such as
flood control and water supply for irrigation. However, it has
been believed that the manipulation of river flow regimes
alters natural flow fluctuations, and the river ecosystems
downstream of dams are greatly affected. In fact, it has been
pointed out that the flood control and water utilization
functions of dams cause a reduction in the peak flow rate
when the water level rises, interruptions in sediment supply,and changes in water quality, and the effects of theseenvironmental changes on the habitat conditions of benthic
animals and other riverine organisms have been confirmed.
To determine the extent to which the impact of such dam
projects is actually manifested, the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is conducting a
census of the river waterfront and monitoring the impact bycomparing benthic animals and other organisms upstream
and downstream of the dam.However, there is little
knowledge on surveys that have identified actual
environmental changes in the river downstream of a dameven before the dam is completed. Therefore, in order tounderstand the actual impact of the dam project on the riverenvironment downstream of the dam, a survey on the actualchanges in the environment and benthic animals wasconducted continuously from before to after the dam wasflooded at the Hinachi Dam located in Nabari City, MiePrefecture. The results showed that the dam flooding
caused environmental changes such as a reduction in thepeak flow rate when the water level increased, coarsening of
the riverbed due to the cessation of sediment supply, an
increase in the amount of plankton in the stream, and adecrease in the amount of organic matter deposited.
In 1997, the River Law was revised and "preservation of theriver environment" was positioned as one of the objectivesof river management, and rivers are required to function as
habitats for a variety of organisms. Therefore, dam projects
are required to develop dam management methods topreserve river functions that are desirable for livingorganisms.Therefore, as one of the methods to improve theenvironment downstream of a dam, which is affected by thedam, flash flooding, in which water is released from the dam
to artificially cause flooding and promote the renewal ofriverbed materials, has been attracting attention. Thismethod was planned in Japan based on the artificial floodexperiment conducted in 1996 at Glen Canyon Dam on theColorado River in the United States and pulse discharge
downstream of dams in Switzerland and other EU countries.
In implementing this flash discharge, a study was conductedon the effect of improving the river environment downstreamof the dam by securing a part of the flood control capacity
for environmental discharge as a device of the current dam
operation method, and on the improvement method byelastic management of the dam that releases water toimprove the river environment downstream of the dam, suchas flash discharge. It was confirmed that the flash discharge
swept away silt such as stagnant water and detachedattached algae. These results were compiled into a manualfor implementing flexible management and flash discharge
at dams under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT), which
includes a method for studying effective flash discharge andmaintenance flow discharge and a survey method forverifying effectiveness.Based on this manual, environmental
improvement downstream of dams using flash flood
discharge and other methods has been implemented atdams under direct control nationwide.However, the methodof improving the river environment downstream of dams
using flash flood discharge only addresses the impact offlow regulation, and does not take into account the impact ofinterception of sediment supply by dams, which is anotherissue to be addressed. As a future prospect, it is thoughtthat the combination of flash flood discharge and sediment
reduction will enable more effective improvement of the riverenvironment downstream of dams. For these methods, weexamined the combination method of flash discharge andsediment reduction, and proposed a more effective methodof improving the river environment downstream of dams.