The progress of information networks has changed our lives. Information networks are now important constituents of human life, and the possession of high information ethics by each individual is a preliminary condition for the enrichment of our existence. This paper focuses on information ethics concerning the Internet. It describes how individuals, who are senders of information as well as receivers, perceive information ethics, and discusses the factors affecting those perceptions and actions. Paper questionnaire surveys, conducted of university students in Osaka Prefecture (valid answers : 493), inquired about their perceptions of Internet information ethics and their actual behaviors online, and about their morals in their daily life, frequency of use of the Internet and also empathy and sensation-seeking. The principal results were : 1) people who behaved morally in their daily life also behaved ethically on the Internet, 2) high empathy was related to good information ethics, 3) sensati (n-seeking people showed a tendency to do immoral acts on the Internet, and 4) high frequency of Internet use was related to performing immoral acts on the Internet.

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The effect of freezing (-18°C) for 1, 7 and 30 days on the texture, structural protein composition and tissue structure of the mantle of the Japanese common squid (Todarodes pacificus) was compared with that of an unfrozen sample. The breaking force was found to decrease with freezing duration. However, surface hardening of the meat occurred after 1 day of freezing. The amount of free drip and protein contained in the drip increased with freezing time, and the intercellular spaces were increased. On the other hand, the content of water-soluble and-insoluble proteins, and their composition, showed no change during freezing. The results from this study demonstrate that the freezing process softened the meat of the Japanese common squid. This is in contradiction with the common belief that squid meat resists change due to freezing.

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This paper is intended as an investigation of Japanese and Korean college students' consumer values and as a cross-cultural comparison among them. In this study, the following results were obtained. First, the levels of the sub-dimensions of consumer values are different among college students in Nagasaki (Japan), Seoul and Ulsan (Korea). The college students in Nagasaki showed a relatively high level of hedonism, and a relatively low level of materialism. Their levels of the values of humanitism, familism, and futurism are located between those of their counterparts in Seoul and Ulsan. Students in Seoul showed relatively high levels in the sub-dimensions of materialism and futurism, and relatively low levels in those of humanitism, adaptionism, egalitarianism, hedonism, and familism. Students in Ulsan showed relatively high levels in the sub-dimensions of humanitism, authoritism, and familism. Their levels of humanitism, familism, and futurism rest between the results of Seoul and Nagasaki. The differences of consumer value are found among the college students of three areas, and the important point to notice is that there is no significant difference of consumer value between the two countries. Furthermore, four types of consumer values are identified : <Type 1>; “Satisfied-in-Present, ” <Type 2>; “Pursuing-Power-Oriented-Value, ” <Type 3>; “Pursuing-Current-Satisfaction, ” and <Type 4>; “Pur-suing-Future.” It was found that college students in Nagasaki, Seoul, and Ulsan were classified into different types. The college students in Nagasaki were classified in <Type 3>, Ulsan in <Type 2>, and Seoul in <Type 1>.

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Pholiota nameko was cultivated on logs (log nameko) and in sawdust substrate beds (sawdust nameko), and the chemical composition and free amino acids were compared. There were no marked differences in chemical composition for moisture, protein, fat, ash, fiber and carbohydrate between the log and sawdust nameko samples. However, the content of free amino acids was higher in the log nameko. Sweet and monosodium glutamate (MSG) -like components were also higher in log nameko, as were bitter and tasteless components. A sensory evaluation of the soup prepared with log nameko was rated significantly higher than that with sawdust nameko. The evaluation of taste and aroma of the soups prepared from the two samples showed levels of significance of 0.1% and 1%, respectively.

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The change in the free amino acid composition of nine varieties of soybeans was investigated after soaking in water at 20°C and 40°C for 1 h. After soaking, the water was removed and the beans left to stand in a covered pot for 4 h at a controlled temperature of 20°C before being analyzed. The total amount of free amino acid in the soybeans was in the range of 222.8-653.4 mg/100 g on a dry matter basis. The major amino acids were arginine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and alanine, with arginine constituting 27.0-57.1% of the total free amino acids. After the cool water (20°C) soaking, the total amount of free amino acid in the soybeans was determined to be in the range of 506.7-1, 435.9 mg/100 g, which is doubly the figure before soaking. The increases in arginine, glutamin acid, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were particularly marked. The total amount of free amino acids in beans soaked in warm water was 565.6-1, 523.6 mg/100 g on a dry matter basis, which is similar to the figures for beans soaked in cool water. GABA was significantly increased, its content rising from 4.4-12.6 mg/100 g to 132.8-218.9 mg/100 g on a dry matter basis.

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