The addition of 10% w/w cocoa powder to wheat flour decreased the loaf volume of the bread, while the addition of a cocoa hot-water extract (CHWE) increased the loaf volume. The components of the distilled water fraction and 20% ethanol fraction of CHWE, which contained a substantial amount of polyphenolic substances, were particularly effective in increasing the loaf volume. Polyphenol-free CHWE-added bread had a similar volume to that of standard bread. The gas production during fermentation was almost the same with or without adding CHWE. Optical and transmission electron micrographs showed that the gluten network of the CHWE-added dough after fermentation was well developed, the gluten matrix including many air spaces. Brabender tests showed that the CHWE-added dough had a higher consistency and greater dough strength than standard dough, and that the maximum viscosity of the starch was markedly higher. It is concluded that the increase in loaf volume of CHWE-added bread resulted from changes in the properties of the gluten matrix and starch granules in the dough.

View full abstract

The occlusional condition and preference for the degree of firmness of cooked rice were compared between ten persons each of the elderly and young. The dental condition of each subject was measured for the number of remaining teeth, Eichner classification and so on. The occlusal area, occlusal force and maximal occlusal force were evaluated by using Dental Prescale.The obtained measurements were summarized for each person by a principal component analysis. The first and the second principal components were set up as axes to provide a plot for all the subjects. The occlusional condition varied widely among the elderly panel members. Numerical values for the preferred cooked rice by each subject were overlaid on the plot. The young were distributed within a small range, while the elderly were distributed in a wider range. The preferred rice was cooked with an average of 1.8 times the amount of water for the elderly and 1.5 times the amount for the young.

View full abstract

The purposes of this study are (1) to clarify the importance of enhancing Japanese students' self-efficacy for healthy eating to help them to practice a healthy diet, and (2) to consider effective strategies for enhancing students' self-efficacy for healthy eating through nutrition education in Home Economics class. The research was carried out to examine the changes in and relationships between self-efficacy for healthy eating, knowledge about food and nutrition, cooking technique and eating behavior of Japanese senior high school students. Data were collected from second-year students in school A (68 male students and 113 female students) and third-year students in school B (117 male students and 122 female students). They completed a questionnaire before and after nutrition education in Home Economics class. Path analysis revealed that (1) the students' self-efficacy for healthy eating influenced their behavior about eating a healthy lunch, and (2) the students' knowledge about food and nutrition and cooking technique influenced their self-efficacy for healthy eating. Furthermore, it was found possible to enhance the students' self-efficacy for healthy eating through nutrition education in Home Economics class. The findings of this study suggest that teachers should help students to acquire skills to judge the nutritional balance of menus with basic knowledge about food and nutrition and to improve cooking technique for enhancing their self-efficacy for healthy eating and encouraging them to practice healthy eating.

View full abstract

Various UV absorbers or antioxidants were prepared and the protecting effect of these compounds towards the photofading of carthamin was examined in cellulose acetate film. Their UV-visible absorption spectra were measured in ethanol. These compounds have absorption in the 215 to 310 nm regions and are colorless. The effect of nickel complex of phenyl ester UV absorber or phenolic antioxidant has also been investigated. The application of simple UV absorber or hindered phenol was not necessarily useful for improving the light fastness of carthamin. Nickel complex of salicylic acid salicylate, however, remarkably suppressed the photofading rate of this color. It was found that the introduction of a singlet oxygen-quenching group into UV absorber plays a very important role in improving the light fastness of carthamin.

View full abstract

Cotton fabrics pre-treated by anhydrous succinic acid were modified chemically with metal ions such as Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Fe²⁺ to give antifungal activities. A pre-treatment by anhydrous succinic acid, associated with an increase in the amount of substituted carboxyl groups, was done to accelerate an increase in the amount of the adsorbed metals. The antifungal efficacy was tested by using Trichophyton mentagrophytes (T. mentagrophytes) IFO 5466 cultivated for 1-7 days. For the samples cultivated for 7 days, the growth inhibitory rate for Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Fe²⁺ finishing cotton fabrics were 67.9-92.9 %, 57.1-87.1% and 35.7-85.6%, respectively. The values were higher than 20.0-50.0% obtained for commercial antimicrobial-deodorant fabrics. The tensile strength of modified fabrics was hardly affected by the amount of anhydrous succinic acid. In spite of the increase in the amount of anhydrous succinic acid, no change of color was recognized on Zn²⁺ finishing cotton fabrics, while a little coloration was found on Cu²⁺ finishing cotton fabrics at a low content of Cu²⁺. Thus, it turns out that Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺ finishing cotton fabrics developed in this study can be applied to hygienic methods for fabrics. The antifungal efficacy was also tested on the finishing cotton fabrics after laundering and light exposure. The growth inhibitory rate decreased as the number of laundering times increased and the irradiating time, but this tendency was less obvious compared to commercial antimicrobial-deodorant fabrics.

View full abstract

Eight healthy young female volunteers slept from 23 : 00 to 7 : 00 in a climate chamber that was controlled under the following conditions : 25°C/60% RH for the first hour, followed by an increase to 28°C / 65% RH in the second hour, and then a decrease to 27°C/60% RH in the last six hours. The skin temperature (T_sk) and bed climate were measured continually through the night at time intervals of 3 min. Body movement was measured continually by means of video taping. The covered area was scored from body movement recordings at time intervals of 1 min. The 17 body sites were scored visually. The time of body covering significantly differed depending on ambient temperature changes in the neck, shoulder, and upper extremities, while no change was observed in the trunk and lower extremities. The time of body covering was significantly shorter in the upper extremities, neck, and shoulder compared to the other sites of the body. No significant difference was observed in skin temperature and bed climate of the chest area, regardless of ambient temperature change. The bed climate of the foot area significantly increased when ambient temperature increased. These results indicate that body covering behavior, which is one of the mechanisms of behavioral thermoregulation, is active during sleep. The covering area may differ depending on the body site, which is more sensitive in the upper extremities compared to the lower extremities or trunk.

View full abstract

In June 2002, a descriptive questionnaire survey concerning acquirement of 13 items of consciousness and values was conducted towards children/students (n = 511) in three regions (the urban, rural and mountainous regions) of northern Thailand. In addition, the other survey concerning parents' (n = 98) hope their children/students to acquire was also conducted in the urban and rural areas. The results were statistically analyzed. Regional differences are remarkable in the lower grades, but disappear in the higher grades. In the lower grades they are presumably affected by regional culture. On the other hand, in the higher grades they are presumably caused by the effect of student's common sense (e.g. general knowledge, logical thinking, wider perspective as Thai citizens). The traditional values are mainly recognized in the mountainous village, lower grades, and parents in the rural area. The advanced values are seen in the city, higher grades, and parents in the urban area. The rural town and middle grades show intermediate characteristics. Meanwhile, children/students possess individual values, but their parents possess groupism. The parents consider that their children/students acquire such consciousness and values as needed in a group society. As compared with their parents' consciousness and values of the 1979 and 2002 surveys, the percentage of 'Politeness and neatness' reduced, since 'Feeling of responsibility' and 'Patience' increase in 2002. A gradual change is recognized between the two periods in the consciousness and values which parents want their children/students to acquire.

View full abstract

We investigated the effect of an aqueous extract of tempeh (AET) on compound 48/80 (c48/80) -induced histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells. The tempeh sample was made from soybeans that had been inoculated with Rizopus oligosporus, and the resulting compacted cake was extracted with distilled water. AET inhibited the histamine release induced by c48/80 and transiently increased the level of cAMP. The results of this study indicate that tempeh may possess strong anti-anaphylactic activity in vitro.

View full abstract