Osaka Gas (Japan)

A free mobile application called ForestScanner (FS) was recently developed to enable LiDAR-based forest inventories using LiDAR-equipped iPhones or iPads. Although FS has been shown to reduce the cost, labor, and time required to measure the diameter at breast height ( D ) of trees within forests, its applicability to trees in urban green spaces (UGS) has not been evaluated. Here, we conducted two experiments to evaluate the performance of FS in the UGS. The first experiment involved the measurement of 70 trees at various distances and directions. The results revealed that FS tended to underestimate D compared to the traditional diameter tape (DT), with greater bias and variability at longer distances. These results suggest that measurements should be taken as close to the tree as possible to improve the accuracy and precision. In the second experiment, 39 trees were measured repeatedly by multiple observers. The results demonstrated that FS produced slightly greater variability between and within observers than did DT, although the overall agreement remained high. The underestimation was more pronounced for larger trees across both experiments, and for broad-leaved trees than for conifers in the second experiment. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of FS for citizen science-based assessments of carbon stocks in UGS, while also emphasizing the need for careful application when measuring larger and broad-leaved trees.

Electrodeposited Co-free spinel ZnFeMnO 4 coating on ferritic stainless steel (SUS) was evaluated as an interconnect/separator material for solid oxide cell (SOC) and benchmarked against Co 2 MnO 4 . Variable-temperature X-ray diffraction (RT–800 °C) confirmed a phase-pure spinel and a tetragonal to cubic transition, with no impurity phases observed. Although ZnFeMnO 4 pellets exhibited an order-of-magnitude lower total conductivity than Co 2 MnO 4 between 600 and 900 °C, coated assemblies showed area-specific resistance (ASR) above 750 °C comparable to those of Co 2 MnO 4 , with higher ASR only below 700 °C. Isothermal oxidation in air at 900 °C followed stable parabolic kinetics without anomalous oxidation to 1500 h; mass gains of ZnFeMnO 4 - or Co 2 MnO 4 -coated SUS were less than 40% of that of uncoated SUS. Energy-dispersive X-ray mapping revealed no detectable Cr in the La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3− δ (LSCF) layer after 100–1200 h at 900 °C, attributable to a dense interfacial ZnFeMnO 4 sublayer that blocks outward chromium diffusion and inward oxygen ingress. At 900 °C for 2500 h, the ASR remained essentially constant with negligible increase. Under these conditions, the coating layer densified and the porous overlayer diminished, while Cr diffusion was suppressed and no delamination occurred. These results identify electrodeposited ZnFeMnO 4 as a durable Co-free coating that satisfies oxidation resistance, Cr-leakage suppression, and ASR stability requirements in SOC stacks.

Against the backdrop of the intertwined trends of economic globalization and de-globalization, the internationalization of higher education has emerged as a key factor reshaping the global talent market landscape and influencing the employment competitiveness of graduates. As core representatives in the global higher education sector, China and the United States exhibit fundamental differences in their internationalization development paths, talent cultivation logics, and market adaptation models. These differences directly lead to distinct characteristics between graduates of the two countries in terms of employment capability composition, international market adaptability, and cross-cultural work competence. Based on human capital theory and global competence theory, this paper adopts literature research and comparative analysis methods to systematically examine the divergent impacts of higher education internationalization on the employment competitiveness of graduates in China and the United States from four dimensions: philosophy, model, effect, and root cause. The study refines the core dimensions of employment competitiveness, and combined with scholars' survey data and case studies, it finds that China's higher education internationalization is mainly policy-driven, with a focus on knowledge imparting and uneven resource distribution. It significantly enhances graduates' professional hard power, but has obvious shortcomings in cultivating soft skills such as cross-cultural practice and critical thinking. In contrast, the United States is market demand-oriented, emphasizing capacity building and multi-stakeholder collaboration. Through a well-established system, it achieves the simultaneous improvement of graduates' hard and soft power, with remarkable effects in internship and cross-cultural training mechanisms. The root causes of these differences lie in the divergent adaptation logics of the two countries' educational traditions, institutional environments, and labor market structures. By analyzing these differences and their internal mechanisms, this paper provides targeted references for China's higher education internationalization to shift from scale expansion to quality improvement and build a talent cultivation system adapted to the international market. It also offers practical insights for relevant interdisciplinary research and tripartite collaborative education.

Abstract Natural ventilation has gained attention as a sustainable strategy for improving both energy efficiency and thermal comfort. Intermediate areas connecting indoor and outdoor spaces support airflow but require residents to actively operate openings, which can be challenging. This study proposes a “Wind Recipe,” a behavioral guideline to promote natural ventilation in apartment units with intermediate areas. Wind tunnel experiments were conducted to calculate wind pressure coefficients and assess ventilation potential. Based on these results, opening/closing patterns were designed and validated through CO 2 step-down testing and residential comfort evaluations focusing on posture and location. A flow diagram and case table were developed and provided to residents. Behavioral surveys conducted before and after implementation showed increased awareness, more intentional fitting operation, and improved understanding of ventilation. The Wind Recipe proved to be an effective behavioral nudge, offering a practical method for integrating adaptive comfort strategies into daily life.

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), as highly efficient energy conversion devices, are anticipated to play a significant role in the realization of a low-carbon society. ENE-FARM type S (EF), equipped with SOFC stack, has been commercialized since 2012 by Osaka Gas. To further expand the market of EF, higher electrical efficiency, higher durability, lower cost of SOFC stack, and downsizing of EF are needed. For realizing these issues, two model changes were conducted in 2016 and 2020. The SOFC stack installed in the current EF, which is composed of Anode-supported SOFC (ASC), has established durability of over 12 years. For further widespread adoption in the EF market, we have focused on Metal-supported SOFCs (MSC), which have the potential to reduce costs by using fewer expensive ceramics.However, the use of a metal substrate in MSCs introduces unknown degradation phenomena that differ from those in ASCs. These phenomena include the degradation of the metal substrate and the interfacial reaction between the metal substrate and anode due to interdiffusion from the metal substrate and anode. Understanding and addressing the degradation phenomena originating from a metal substrate are significant challenges for the commercialization of MSCs. In this study, we investigated the degradation phenomena of MSCs, especially at the metal substrate/anode interface.The degradation phenomena are influenced by evaluation conditions such as durability time, temperature, and gas composition. The concentration of water vapor at the fuel gas outlet is much higher than at the fuel gas inlet throughout electrochemical reactions. To confirm the differences in the degradation phenomena due to gas composition, two MSC pieces were prepared. MSCs were fabricated at a lower temperature compared to ASCs, utilizing ceramic electrodes and electrolytes on a 16 cm2 ferritic stainless-steel substrate. Single cell tests were conducted using air at the cathode and fuel at the anode. The operating conditions for the evaluation were as follows: current density was varied from 0 to 0.42 A/cm², with H₂/H₂O used as the anode gas at two different dew points (DP). Test 1 was conducted at a DP of 30°C, and Test 2 was conducted at a DP of 88°C, while air served as the cathode gas. Both the anode gas and air flow rates were fixed during the evaluation. The operation was conducted with a fuel utilization factor (Uf) of approximately 10% and an air utilization factor (Ua) of approximately 20% at 0.42 A/cm².Figure 1 shows the results of the durability tests of 16 cm2-MSC cells conducted at 800°C. The change in voltage from the initial value is denoted as ΔV. The reduction in voltage on the fuel outlet side was approximately 25 mV greater than that on the fuel inlet side after 1000 hours. During these durability tests, the IR and electrode overvoltage (η) were measured by the current interruption method. The open circuit voltage remained stable without significant changes throughout the 1000 hours durability tests for both the fuel inlet and outlet sides. Figure 2 shows the results of IR and η during the durability tests conducted at 800°C. The observed reduction in voltage was attributed to increases in both IR and η, with similar increments noted for both the fuel inlet and outlet sides in relation to IR. It was found that no abnormally high resistance layer formation or significant increase in oxidation layer occurred on the outlet side after 1000 hours at 800°C.The more pronounced voltage drop observed at the outlet side is primarily due to a more significant increase in η. Considering that the evaluation was conducted under uniform conditions, except for the water vapor concentration on the anode gas side, it is plausible that the factors contributing to the increase in η are associated with the sintering or poisoning of the anode. These findings suggest that the reduction in reaction area and decreased gas diffusivity are significant contributors to the observed effects. In the presentation, we will discuss the insights derived from the electrochemical measurement results along with detailed cross-sectional analyses conducted after the durability tests. Figure 1

Stable decaphenylcyclopentasilane (DPPS) hole transport layers were developed for guanidinium-, formamidinium-, or ethylammonium-added double-stacked CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite photovoltaic devices without using 2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis (N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamino)-9,9′-spirobifluorene, which is a typical hole transport layer. Stacking two types of perovskite compounds inserted within the DPPS layer enabled the fabrication of stable perovskite solar cells under ambient atmosphere at 190 ​°C, which reduced the trap density and improved the photovoltaic properties of the devices. As expected, the DPPS-inserted layers functioned as a stable hole transport layer for perovskite solar cells.