We extended the research on how attitudes toward housework would affect time spent on household labor between husband and wife. We examined time allocation as well as attitudes toward housework, using data provided by married couples (78 wives and 63 working husbands) in our survey in Hiroshima in 1996. 1) Gender role, 2) service expenditure, and 3) obligation to housework. The results are as follows : 1) Wife does most of the housework even in case she herself work; wives use their spare time differently from their husbands, especially on their days off. 2) In case where husband is more egalitarian, wife working full-time has a more positive attitude toward service expenditure. 3) Husband spends more time in household labor in case he is egalitarian and considers housework as his own duty or worthwhile duty. 4) The attitudes which affect time spent on house work are not identical between husband and wife.

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The coloring of white bread has been studied with both radiative and convective heating systems. White bread was baked by an electric radiation heater for the radiation experiments and by hot air impinging on the surface from a nozzle for the convection experiments. These experiments were carried out in the open to eliminate the mixed effects of radiation and convection. The variations of surface temperature and surface color (L value) were measured with time. The time-course history for the surface color and the surface temperature were different from each other. In the case of convective heating, the surface temperature increased rapidly at first and then became constant. On the contrary, in the case of radiative heating, the surface temperature increased with time and ultimately reached a higher value than that by convective heating. By combining these data and the L value, it was found that the coloring depended only on the surface temperature and did not depend on the type of heating. This means that heating affects the coloring process through variation of the surface temperature.

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Strain behavior of nylon 6 fiber and tristearin as a soil model compound under high hydrostatic pressure up to 250 MPa was studied with a piezometer at 25°C. It was obtained that the initial compressibility, κ ₀, was 1.8 × 10^-4 MPa^-1 for nylon 6, and 3.0 × 10^-4 MPa^-1 for tristearin. Furthermore, a calculation of compressibility in the amorphous region of nylon 6 was tried. These results suggested that putting the fiber under high hydrostatic pressure was effective for washing. This was supported from a microscopic observation. The experimental results were discussed in terms of the initial compressibility and the density.

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Changes of ball joint girth and toe length of the foot in walking were discussed by making plaster models of the foreparts of three adult females' feet using two kinds of clay, soft and hard, in simulated walking motions in the stance phase. The walking motion on the hard clay approximates the condition for normal walking. The results of the measurements on the hard clay were as follows :
1) Ball joint girth decreases gradually with heel-up in the stance phase and shortens 2.7% (6.4 mm) compared to measurements in the foot-flat phase or 2.1 % (5 mm) compared to measurements in the stationary position just before toe-off.
2) Plantar toe length increases gradually with heel-up in the stance phase and stretches 13.4 % (9.5 mm) compared to measurements in the foot-flat phase just before toe-off. These results provide useful information on the quantity of reduction of ball joint girth and toe gap for shoe design.

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We made a study of the on-the-back carrying system for primary school children as part of our series of studies on age-related practices and physical effects of carrying methods. In our previous report, we referred to the advantage of free-hand carrying for aged persons.
We investigated school bags at 30 primary schools in the Kinki and Tokai districts, using 2, 945 children as subjects. It was determined that the stiff bag Randoseru is the most popular among first graders, while the higher the grade, the less the Randoseru is used. In addition, we found that the lower the grade, the bigger the ratio of burden weight to body weight.
We selected six subjects from among lower graders to measure burden pressure upon their shoulder center and lumbar vertebra while carrying a fixed-weight-contained Randoseru, either in standing or walking position. As a result, they showed forward-inclined posture, the inclination increasing with the adding of Randoseru weight.
Hereby, we bring to light the necessity of reducing the school goods that children carry daily between home and school to only those which are essential in order for these growing children to keep constant upright postures.

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The properties, taste and flavor of rice gruel cooked in soft water produced by a home water-softener were investigated for comparison with the use of tap water. Rice gruel was filtered through a sieve of 10 mesh, the filtrate and the residue on the sieve being called the liquid fraction and rice grains, respectively.
The hardness of the rice grains cooked in soft water was slightly lower and the ratio of rice grains to the whole gruel was much higher than the corresponding figures with tap water. During cooking, the rice grains swelled by water absorption to ultimate collapse. The percentage of collapse of the rice grains cooked in soft water was also much higher than with those cooked in tap water. The apparent viscosity of the liquid fraction of the rice gruel cooked in soft water was higher than that of cooked in tap water. The addition of calcium ions to soft water resulted in a marked decrease in the apparent viscosity of the liquid fraction of cooked rice gruel. These properties of the cooked rice gruel closely correspond with the results of a sensory evaluation.

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We determined the percentage of male and female subjects (40 to 59 years of age) who recognized the terms “functional food” and “food for specified health use.” The health behavior of all subjects was also investigated. The percentage of subjects who recognized the term “functional food” was 14.8% (12.5% of men and 16.9% of women) and that of “food for specified health use” was 6.6% (5.5% of men and 7.7% of women). While the foods for specified health use were not repeatedly taken, except for yogurt, many health foods were repeatedly taken. Some differences in health behavior were found between the group that recognized the term “functional food” and the group that did not. The percentage of those who recognized the name of each functional food and took them was higher in the recognizing group (p< 0.001). The recognizing group tended more to read books on health (p< 0.005), to exercise (p< 0.01) and to frequently take vitamins and minerals (p< 0.05) than the non-recognizing group.

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The aim of the present study is to examine the characteristics of the content of papers concerned with the culture of dietary habits, in “Journal of Home Economics of Japan, ” “Historical Review on Manners and Customs, ” and “Seikatsugaku” (Journal of Life Style of Japan). There were 115 papers in “Journal of Home Economics of Japan, ” 76 papers in “Historical Review on Manners and Customs, ” and 41 papers in “Seikatsugaku.”
The findings were as follows :
1) The rate of papers concerned with the culture of dietary habits to all papers was lower in “Journal of Home Economics of Japan” than the other Journals. The rate of date in “Journal of Home Economics of Japan” was higher than that of originals.
2) For the dietary behavior, the rate of the papers in “Journal of Home Economics of Japan” was higher, too.
3) There were more papers in “Journal of Home Economics of Japan, ” which were studied on the culture of dietary habits of the contemporary period, the cities in Japan, and the middle class.
4) In “Journal of Home Economics of Japan, ” there was higher rate of papers using questionnaire and statistical analysis, than in the other Journals, In particular, the rate of original papers was remarkably high.
5) We should expand the period, area, and class as the subjects for the study of the culture of dietary habits, and use not only quantitative method but also qualitative method in “Journal of Home Economics of Japan.”

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