Hiroki Nakamura and Fumitoshi Murae
The purpose of this paper is to focus on local safety map creation education activities for crime prevention and to quantitatively identify the relationships between the elements…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on local safety map creation education activities for crime prevention and to quantitatively identify the relationships between the elements that determine the expected effects of local safety maps.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to clarify the effects following and the significant factors involved in creating local safety maps, questionnaire surveys were given to participants in map-creation activities held in Kitakyushu City, Japan. The results were analyzed with structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results showed that safety maps may improve an understanding of the characteristics of dangerous and safe places, but they may not enhance knowledge of places sufficiently for someone to ask for help if they are in danger or are likely to be a crime victim. Of the factors most important in both the creation and effectiveness of safety maps, intergenerational exchanges and communication rank the highest, as they relate to an understanding of safety and crime prevention, and to familiarity with the region.
Practical implications
In the future, we should establish a system and design for safety map creation in which intergenerational discussion and communication with various people, including university students, is possible.
Originality/value
Although the production of local safety maps has been said to improve participants’ abilities, it was unclear who gained abilities in the map-making process to the extent to which the participants could effectively produce the maps. This paper discovered the effects and the significant factors involved in map creation.
Details
Keywords
Hiroki Nakamura and Shunsuke Managi
Using a case study from Delhi, India, this study aims to investigate why perceived safety endures despite crimes in the neighborhood. Local residents in Delhi feel considerably…
Abstract
Purpose
Using a case study from Delhi, India, this study aims to investigate why perceived safety endures despite crimes in the neighborhood. Local residents in Delhi feel considerably less fearful of crime in their neighborhoods, and a majority reported feeling safe in their neighborhoods, especially during the daytime.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper hypothesized that similar to the crime itself, perceptions of safety or the fear of crime, also tend to be concentrated in hotspots. Following a hotspot analysis based on the respondents’ perceptions of safety, the data gathered were applied to the perceived neighborhood structure. Using two perception-of-safety models, this paper could analyze the ripple effect of individual perception on the neighborhood by adding the calculated values of the perceived safety hotspot through hotspot analysis.
Findings
The results indicated that income, trust in others, attachment to the local neighborhood and police access can increase residents’ perceptions of safety. Additionally, the neighborhoods’ perception of safety was found to positively impact the individual’s perception of safety.
Research limitations/implications
This study was limited in terms of generalizing the findings. Further studies could potentially include not only other cities in India but also, cities in developing countries in Africa and Latin America, where residents tend not to fear crime despite high crime rates.
Practical implications
Residents’ perceived safety does not necessarily reflect local crimes and security. Local policies to improve residents’ perceptions of safety have to often be separated from crime reduction because a reduction in some crimes would not necessarily improve residents’ perception of safety. Contrarily, if the crime rate is high, as in the case of Delhi, people may have a moderate fear of crime across the neighborhood.
Originality/value
Notably, this study found that, along with trust in others and attachment to the local neighborhood, individuals’ perception of safety is positively affected by neighborhoods’ perception of safety, which is assessed by the alternate analytic model.
Details
Keywords
Hiroki Takatsuka, Seiki Tokunaga, Sachio Saiki, Shinsuke Matsumoto and Masahide Nakamura
The purpose of this paper is to develop a facade for seamlessly using locating services and enabling easy development of an application with indoor and outdoor location…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a facade for seamlessly using locating services and enabling easy development of an application with indoor and outdoor location information without being aware of the difference of individual services. To achieve this purpose, in this paper, a unified locating service, called KULOCS (Kobe-University Unified LOCating Service), which horizontally integrates the heterogeneous locating services, is proposed.
Design/methodology/approach
By focusing on technology-independent elements [when], [where] and [who] in location queries, KULOCS integrates data and operations of the existing locating services. In the data integration, a method where the time representation, the locations and the namespace are consolidated by the Unix time, the location labels and the alias table, respectively, is proposed. Based on the possible combinations of the three elements, an application-neutral application programming interface (API) for the operation integration is derived.
Findings
Using KULOCS, various practical services are enabled. In addition, the experimental evaluation shows the practical feasibility by comparing cases with or without KULOCS. The result shows that KULOCS reduces the effort of application development, especially when the number of locating services becomes large.
Originality/value
KULOCS works as a seamless facade with the underlying locating services, the users and applications consume location information easily and efficiently, without knowing concrete services actually locating target objects.
Details
Keywords
Abstract
Details
Keywords
Abstract
Details
Keywords
Takeshi Sakai, Hideyuki Akai, Hiroki Ishizaka, Kazuyuki Tamura, Yew-Jin Lee, Ban Heng Choy and Hiroaki Ozawa
The authors aim to determine the effects of Global Lesson Study (GLS) – a two-year, one-cycle program defined as “international cooperative lesson study through international…
Abstract
Purpose
The authors aim to determine the effects of Global Lesson Study (GLS) – a two-year, one-cycle program defined as “international cooperative lesson study through international exchange among teachers using ICT” – on intercultural competence for lesson study based on pre- and post-survey conducted for Japanese teachers.
Design/methodology/approach
In accordance with the GLS program, mathematics lesson studies on mathematics between Japanese and Singaporean elementary school teachers were conducted over a two-year period. Questionnaire surveys on intercultural competence for lesson study was conducted using 7-point Likert scale and descriptive questions with Japanese teachers (N = 5). Analysis of Wilcoxon's signed rank test and correlation analysis were conducted.
Findings
Followings are identified as the effects of GLS for Japanese teachers: (1) Japanese participants felt improvement of their competence in areas of attitude, internal outcomes and outward impact. (2) Participating in a GLS led to the improvement of Japanese teachers' qualities and abilities for subject teaching related to mathematics education. (3) Improvement of intercultural competence for lesson study was related to each other, and GLS led to improvement of these competences. (4) It was meaningful to have a two-year period to assimilate and adjust to independent experience of the host and guest.
Originality/value
The GLS led to teacher empowerment among this sample, not only as cooperative research, but also at the individual level of teachers where participants continued to develop lessons based on the GLS learning after study completion. This has important implications for the implementation and dissemination of the GLS.
Details
Keywords
Takeshi Sakai, Hideyuki Akai, Hiroki Ishizaka, Kazuyuki Tamura, Hiroaki Ozawa and Yew-Jin Lee
The purpose of this exploratory study was to develop Global Lesson Study (GLS) defined as an international collaborative lesson study through international exchange of teachers…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this exploratory study was to develop Global Lesson Study (GLS) defined as an international collaborative lesson study through international exchange of teachers using ICT. Its purpose is to nurture teachers from different countries with intercultural competence to conduct lesson study.
Design/methodology/approach
We developed an initial program for GLS in the subject of mathematics education between elementary school teachers in Japan and Singapore. The qualitative analysis of activities at each stage of the Pilot GLS was conducted from two perspectives: (1) intercultural competence for lesson study and (2) teacher's competency for subject instruction.
Findings
Through GLS, a new lesson was created that was only possible with discussions from teachers from different locations. It was clarified that GLS was not only useful for training teachers with intercultural competence for lesson study but also has led to the improvement of teacher's competency for subject instruction in mathematics.
Originality/value
The GLS is a new attempt in the sense of developing a high-quality lesson study method for creating new lessons as well as improving qualities and abilities of teachers through international exchange.
Details
Keywords
Hiroki Goto, Ayumu Nishimiya, Hai‐Jiao Guo and Osamu Ichinokura
The purpose of this paper is to propose a new instantaneous torque control method for switched reluctance motor (SR motor) and presents experimental data in electric vehicle (EV…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a new instantaneous torque control method for switched reluctance motor (SR motor) and presents experimental data in electric vehicle (EV) application.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed control method uses two kind of techniques: a flux‐based commutation technique prevents the negative phase torque always. On the other hand, a direct phase‐torque distribution technique gives suitable each phase‐torque command under limited DC voltage. These techniques can track motor torque to the command. These control schemes are implemented on a small processor and a field programmable gate array.
Findings
The experimental results of the EV show small torque ripple at low speed on both acceleration and regenerative braking. Changing the parameter of the current stop angle can improve torque ripple at high speed. The proposed method can effectively control motor torque.
Practical implications
The proposed method can reduce torque ripple but the implementation is very simple. The proposed control method can be used for any applications. So, that contributes to expand the application of SR motors.
Originality/value
The proposed control scheme requires just static torque curve obtain by finite element analysis or simple experiments. Complex parameters, such as nonlinear inductance, current to torque profiles, and other heuristics parameters, are not necessary. The proposed control is simple but practical.