Kyoto City Youth Science Center

The deterioration of the children’s play environment has been a problem for long time. While children’s how to play are changing, the reduction of outdoor play spaces is an important issue. The purpose of this paper is clarifying the playability (especially focusing on attractiveness of features) of non-institutionalized play spaces such as local streets (roads less than 4m wide) for 2nd grade children, targeting historical city area, Nishijin, Kyoto. In this paper, play is defined as the behavior of children toward the target according to their curiosity and its process. Based on the above, intention for play means attractiveness of features of spaces for children. Therefore, in collaboration with Nishijin Chuo Elementary School, as part of the 2nd grade class-time, we held a research, machi-tanken, walking streets with children to find funny things in the school district, and recording their discoveries and actions.

A simple and rapid determination of 3-keto-valproate (3-keto-VPA) in urine is described by a metal capillary gas chromatography (GC) with a flame ionization detector (FID). 3-Keto-VPA was converted to 3-heptanone under acidic condition. 3-Keto-VPA-glucuronide was hydrolyzed to 3-keto-VPA by means of β-D-glucuronidase. 3-Heptanone thus formed was extracted with hexane and determined by GC. Suitable conditions for decarboxylation of 3-keto-VPA and hydrolysis of 3-keto-VPA ethyl ester (3-keto-VPA-Et) were also investigated. The present procedure does not require any derivatization or complicated separation techniques. Classifiable determinations of free 3-heptanone, free 3-keto-VPA and 3-keto-VPA-glucuronide were possible. A deactivated metal capillary column was applied for the determination of urinary 3-keto-VPA; its minimum detectable amount was about 0.1 μg/ml in urine. The column was suitably inert, mechanically tough, and easier to handle than a fused silica one; the peaks on the chromatogram were almost symmetrical without any tailing or leading.