The purpose of the present study is to clarify the relationships among (1) students' practical understanding of the connection between food and nutrition, (2) basic nutritional knowledge and (3) the ability to judge the nutritional balance of menus. The subjects were 420 senior high school students from two public schools. An analysis of the students' concept maps showed that their practical understanding of the connection between food and nutrition was improved after nutrition education. Analysis of variance revealed relationships among (1) practical understanding of the connection between food and nutrition, (2) basic nutritional knowledge and (3) the ability to judge the nutritional balance of menus. It is suggested that, in order to improve the ability to judge the nutritional balance of menus, it is important for students to understand the connection between food and nutrition, as well as to gain basic nutritional knowledge. The students' remarks suggest that Concept Mapping might be an effective method for them to learn about the connection between food and nutrition in a more practical way.

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The quality is compared of chicken breasts frozen with an electromagnetic freezer (EMF;-45°C, 20, 30 and 40 Hz frequency), a conventional rapid freezer (CRF;-45°C) and a slow freezer (SF;-20°C). Each frozen sample was stored for one week or six months, at -30°C for the EMF-frozen and CRF-frozen samples, and at -20°C for the SF-frozen samples. After thawing and steaming, the weight loss and the rupture stress and strain were examined, and muscle tissues were observed with an optical microscope, transmission electron microscope and cryo-scanning electron microscope. After one week of storage, no difference in drip loss and fracture properties was apparent among the samples that had been frozen by the three freezing methods. However, after six months of storage, the rupture stress of the thawed and steamed samples frozen by SF and CRF had increased. Large spaces were also observed in the muscle fibers of the CRF-frozen samples. These changes might have been caused by protein denaturation during freezing and storing. Such changes as these were clearly suppressed in the samples frozen by EMF. The roundness value of the cross-sectioned muscle fibers of the EMF-frozen samples indicated better freezing effects than in the CRF-frozen samples. It is therefore considered that electromagnetic freezing is more suitable for the prolonged preservation of chicken breasts than conventional rapid freezing.

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Subjective experiments were conducted in a climatic chamber to evaluate the effect of individual control of air velocity on productivity of office work. Computer-based tasks simulating typical office work were asked to subjects. Not only task performance but also subjective fatigue was measured. Under the condition of constant air velocity (CAV) subjects were not allowed to control air velocity and under the condition of preferred air velocity (PAV) they were allowed to control it. The chamber was conditioned at air temperatures and mean radiant temperature of 31°C, and relative humidity of 50%. The acceptability of air velocity of PAV was significantly higher than that of CAV. There was no significant difference of task performance between CAV and PAV. According to the evaluation of subjective symptoms of fatigue, the rate of complaint on the mental fatigue was higher at CAV than that at PAV. Providing individual control of air velocity was able to reduce subjective feeling of mental fatigue.

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It has been already reported that a soluble solid is one of the taste evaluation factors of cooked rice. The molecular weight of a soluble solid was measured by Malls-HPLC to clarify the relation between the taste evaluation of rice and the molecular weight. A soluble solid of ONEBA was prepared at 70 t and 100°C, and the molecular weight was measured by Malls-HPLC. The sorts of cooked rice, the taste of which was evaluated high, had lower molecular weight of 3 × 10⁶ to 1 × 10⁷ and 5 × 10⁵ to 2 × 10⁶, while their concentration was higher than that of their counterparts, the taste of which was evaluated low. Especially the molecular weight of soluble solids at 100°C had high correlation with taste evaluation, and it is also found that the molecular weight was closely related to stickiness, adhesion and soluble amylose mass. Moreover, it should be pointed out that the difference in taste evaluation of different sorts of rice depends on the mass and concentration of amylose and amylopectin when their molecular weight was around 106, and that the difference in taste evaluation is also related to the composition of total sugar in soluble solids of cooked rice. It is to be noted that the said composition was influenced by cooking temperatures.

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The effect of taking a diet in high oleic acid on the lipid metabolism of guinea pigs and humans was investigated. Diets containing 15% palm oil, high oleic acid sunflower oil (HO), and high linoleic acid safflower oil (HL) were fed to different groups of guinea pigs for four weeks. The plasma cholesterol concentration decreased in both HO and HL groups without any decrease in the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. HO increased the resistance of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) to oxidation. Eleven human volunteers were given an extra 10 g of HO for four weeks. Only a marginal change was observed in the plasma lipid concentration and in the levels of biochemical markers, except for the increase in resistance to LDL oxidation. These results suggest that the high concentration of oleic acid in diet had a lipid-lowering effect similar to that of the polyunsaturated fatty acid-rich diet. The longterm intake of a high-oleic acid diet may therefore help to prevent atherosclerosis in its initial stage.

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Ukogi (Acanthopanax sieboldianum) leaves have been used as vegetables in the Yonezawa area of Yamagata Prefecture since the Edo period. The effects of ingesting ukogi leaves on intestinal fermentation and fecal excretion were investigated in rats with neonatally induced streptozotocin (type 2) diabetes (n-STZ rats). The n-STZ rats were divided into 3 groups (control, ukogi, and dietary fiber). The control group was given the control diet, the ukogi group was given a diet containing 10% ukogi leaves, and the dietary fiber group was given a diet containing 2.5% cellulose and 0.5% pectin. Normal rats were given the control diet (normal). The blood HbA_1c level of the ukogi group was significantly lower than that of the control group. The fecal excretion by the ukogi group was significantly higher than that of the control and dietary fiber groups. The total short-chain fatty acid level in the cecum of the ukogi group was significantly higher than that of the control and dietary fiber groups, the viable cell count of Bifidobacterium in the ukogi group also being significantly higher than that of the control and dietary fiber groups. These results indicate that ukogi leaves promoted fecal excretion and intestinal fermentation in the n-STZ rats. These actions might have been induced by cellulose, pectin and different components of the dietary fiber in ukogi leaves.

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The responses to a questionnaire survey on the patterns of eating activity of 1, 160 female university students were used to conduct of cluster analysis on 8 parameters, including the frequency of buying from convenience stores, eating out, and purchasing prepared meals and box lunches. The relationships among the eating activity patterns obtained, daily living habits and health condition were then analyzed. The eating activity patterns were classified into four clusters : cluster 1, mainly utilizing convenience stores; cluster 2, eating in; cluster 3, eating out; and cluster 4, mainly utilizing stores other than convenience ones. The ratios of cluster 2 on daily living habits such as the regular life pattern and on health habits such as eating breakfast nearly every day were significantly higher than the ratios of cluster 3; contrarily, the ratios of cluster 3 with regard to self-assessed subjective symptoms such as loss of vitality and increased drowsiness were higher than those in cluster 2. Significant differences were also observed in the health habit scores (clusters 2 >4 >1 >3) and in the score for subjective symptoms (clusters 2< 4< 1< 3). The relationship between daily living habits and health condition showed cluster 2 to be the best, followed by cluster 4, cluster 1, and cluster 3 as the worst.

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We have studied KARANOSU families or elderly families to clarify their living patterns, orientation of dwelling style and discontent with housing. The results of our study are as follows : 1) As to how they spend their holidays as well as weekdays, their living behavior is multifarious; doing housework, pursuing their interest, participating in community activities, reunion with children, and so on. The reunion with their children mostly takes places on holiday, and it is safe to state that the elderly positively communicate with their children. 2) As to living orientation, most elderly families have no plan to live with their children. Most elderly would hope to be cared for at home should circumstances compel them to be taken care of on account of their health or other reasons. 3) The place they are most discontented with is the bathroom, the reason being that it is not spacious enough, that it is slippery, that it is not abounding in sunshine, and that it is poorly ventilated.

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