As the first step in researching desirable images of household electric appliances in an aged society, this article deals with generation differences that exist. The data on the present senior citizens (65 years and above) were compared with those of the following generation (50-64 and less than 50 years of age). In 1998-2000 requirements as well as complaints of the three generations regarding their household electric appliances were investigated by means of questionnaire, interview and other methods. Their answers and opinions concerning function, operation, and construction as well as the labelled instructions and marks of various appliances are evaluated differently by the three generations. The difference was evident between the most senior category and the youngest category. The older generation takes a passive attitude toward a modern life dependent on electric appliances, while the younger generations show positive acceptance of the modern life; they are not hesitant to use multi-function appliances and foreign language seems part of their life.
Those in the younger category are expected to continue to use the modern appliances, but they will get old. Considerations, therefore, should be given in designing new appliances, adequate height of products, easy-to-see switches and marks for aging physical conditions. It should be pointed out that the problems common to the three categories need to be solved as soon as possible. It is expected that multi-functional appliances will be further improved and easier to use by all generations in the future.

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This paper focuses on in-home care services based on Japan's Long-term Care Insurance (LCI) Law, while aiming to make the following investigations from the viewpoint of Home Economics : 1) theoretical investigations on the LCI type welfare services as socialization of household care work, and 2) examinations of whether or not the low unit price presently set for the home help services is adequate for improving the quality of socialized welfare services.
Firstly, we will clarify what kind of housework is included in care work by selecting the items from a series of LCI users' housework from the time they apply for the services to the time they receive them. Secondly, we will show a number of “new household work” (Thiele-Wittig) resulting from the interface between the private household work and the socialized household services. The results are as follows :
1. The care housework is included in all phases of care service from meal, clothing, housing, and household administration.
2. The unit price for home help services is lower than that for nursing care services and the level of priority is also lower. For making justifiable evaluation of home help services, the Home Economics' know-how (family resource/well-being management) should by all means be utilized for dealing with welfare service issues.

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The purpose of this study is to investigate the individuation and cohesion in families while clarifying the correlation between the related variables and the self-esteem of junior high school students. The sample consists of 244 students and their parents from five public schools in Gunma Prefecture. The survey was conducted from October to November 1999. The main findings are as follows :
1) Boys have more individual domains than girls and husbands have more than wives.
2) Both boys and girls talk with their male parents less often than their female parents. Children have less emotional family feelings than their parents; weak emotional family feelings are evident especially among boys.
3) As many as 51.5% of girls answered in the negative to a questionnaire item of “I am an absolutely invaluable existence.”
4) The factors that influence the self-esteem of the students are what emotional feelings they have toward family, how often they communicate with mother, whether they are boys or girls, whether or not they have their private rooms, and whether or not their parents maintain fine companionship.

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Actinidin was purified from kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) by covalent chromatography, and its proteolytic effects on pork, chicken and beef myofibrillar proteins were examined at varying pH values. In the pH range of 3-4, actinidin thoroughly hydrolyzed all of the myofibrillar proteins, including myosin heavy chain and actin, in a non-specific manner. In the pH range of 5.5-8, actinidin selectively hydrolyzed myosin heavy chain into fragments of 72, 000-150, 000 molecular mass, whereas it showed little or no proteolytic effect on actin. In contrast, papain and bromelain non-selectively hydrolyzed myofibrillar proteins in the pH range of 2-8. These results suggest the possibility that actinidin, when used at an appropriate pH value, may tenderize meat without excess proteolysis of the myofibrillar proteins that results in loss of its texture and nutrients.

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The effect of acetic acid on the properties of cooked rice was studied. A sensory test Revealed that rice cooked with water containing 0.1 _M of acetic acid was more glossy, transparent, sticky and soft than rice cooked only with water (control). A decrease in hardness and increase in stickiness were shown by a texturometer with increasing concentration of acetic acid. The amount of glucose contained in the rice cooked with acetic acid was more than that of the control, although not depending on the concentration of acetic acid. In the case of free amino acids, only a small increase was found with increasing concentration of acetic acid. The amounts of solids, total nitrogen and bound amino acids contained in the washing solution of the cooked rice increased with increasing concentration of acetic acid, while the amounts of reducing sugars increased, but did not depend on the concentration of acetic acid. The increases in the amounts of those components in the cooked rice after washing were similar to those of the washing solution. In a model cooking experiment, the weight of rice increased with increasing concentration of acetic acid above 60°C. Furthermore, the amounts of reducing sugars and protein contained in the cooking solution were increased by acetic acid, the increase in the amounts of protein strongly depending on the concentration of acetic acid.

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The purpose of this thesis is to show various aspects of the Paris mode at the end of the eighteenth century through the “Galerie des modes.” The figure, “petit maitre en chenille” shows the style of fashionable people. They spend their time until evening wearing casual clothes of the morning, suggesting the existence of imaginary lovers. The lapel named “bavaroise” and steel buttons are characteristic of “redingote, ” which originated from the English riding coat. These can be said to be the elements of Anglomania. It is possible to recognize the extent of penetration of Anglomania in the fact that in the process of changing the terminology for 'fashionAle neonle' from “netit-maitre” to “élégant, ” even austere and somber fashions were included.

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The objective of this research is to look at the living conditions and dwelling consciousness in low income households, and aim to upgrade their living space, facilities and life support system. The present study attempts to identify the problem of living space on the basis of the consciousness and evaluation of residents towards their living environments. First, it should be noted that the residents under study seek the convenience of their bathroom as well as the comfort and safety of their living space. The problems raised and the improvement measures suggested for their indoor space are :
1) Their complaint about bathroom is that it is so poorly ventilated that the floor remains wet and slippery for a long time. The bathroom should be equipped with ventilator or adequately air-conditioned.
2) As it is often the case the kitchen is located side by side with the bathroom, the kitchen floor become wet. Therefore, the floor should be finished with some type of anti-slipping material.
3) An emergency buzzer is often hard to reach. It should be moved to a place that is easy to reach.
4) Not enough storing space is provided. Storing space should be increased.
The common or public space need to be also improved :
1) An elevator should be installed as the physically weak residents find it hard to use stairs.
2) A communication space such as a meeting room should be provided because the hall, corridor or other type of passageway is often blocked with chairs used by residents who often to come out or their apartment for social interactions with neighbors.

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This paper is a part of the comparative studies of the living information available for university students living in two different areas, Tokyo Metropolis and a regional city. The authors have paid close attention to the students' satisfaction with the available living information, and analyzed it from two viewpoints. One is the concept of 'stocked information and flowing information' by Nishikubo (1996), and the other is the concept of 'expectation and result' by R. A. Spreng (1996). Of the stocked and flowing information, the former means the type of information that consumers have heretofore possessed in daily life, and the latter means the type of information that is readily available in their community when their needs become clear. In 1998, the questionnaire survey was conducted on 618 university students in the two areas. By principal component analysis, 5 compositions of needs were separated, including “consumption/leisure, ” “area, ” and “sports.” Among 'satisfaction, ' 'facility of acquiring information, ' and 'selected ratio, ' high correlation coefficients are shown in the range between 0.677 and 0.955. It is clear that satisfaction is correlative with the other two items. It may be pointed out that satisfaction is related to the first four of five information characteristics defined by Nishikubo : experience, interest, human network, evaluation and emission (dispatch). Students' desire to obtain information for their long-term life planning is very strong, but they seem to be dissatisfied with the obtained information as they are generally not in possession of the information to make necessary evaluation with. On the other hand, they are highly satisfied with two items of area and sports because the students have a large variety of flowing information to choose from. The authors attempt to make a proposal for furthering the degree of satisfaction of offerers, general consumers, and administration.

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Changes with aging in the free amino acids, sugars, organic acids, pH, and color of umeshu (Japanese plum liqueur) aged from 1 month to 12 years were studied. The free amino acid content in umeshu markedly increased immediately after mixing with the fruit, sugar crystals and shochu (Japanese distilled sprit), and reached a constant level after approximately one year of storage. Asparagine, the major free amino acid, gradually decreased, while aspartic acid increased during the storage period. The inversion of sucrose was completed within one year of preparing the liqueur. Organic acids increased during the first year of storage and then slowly decreased after that period. No appreciable further change was apparent after 3 years. The pH value of the liqueur remained in the range of 2.8 to 3.0 throughout the storage period. The color of the liqueur gradually deepened with increased storage period. The taste thickened and became stale with increasing storage period. Three-year-old liqueur was most favored by the tasters.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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