The antidiabetic effects of himeukogi leaf tea were investigated on KK-A^y mice, an animal model with type 2 diabetes. Five-week-old KK-A^y mice were administered the control with water or himeukogi leaf tea for 6 weeks (Experiment 1). Himeukogi leaf tea significantly inhibited the increases in fasting blood glucose and postprandial blood glucose after orally loading with glucose. In experiment 2, nine-week-old KK-A^y mice were administered the control with water or himeukogi leaf tea for 4 weeks. Himeukogi leaf tea significantly decreased the fasting blood glucose and postprandial blood glucose levels after orally loading with glucose. The blood glucose level of the himeukogi leaf tea group was significantly decreased in an insulin tolerance test. Moreover, the weight of white adipose tissue was also decreased in the himeukogi leaf tea group. These results indicate that himeukogi leaf tea may have beneficial effects on the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

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In a highly airtight house, it is well known that air pollutants remain if periodic ventilation is not performed. The use of deodorizers and air cleaners is increasing now, as residents are showing a greater interest in eliminating offensive household odors. We conducted a questionnaire survey about the detection of household odors and conducted ventilation experiments with residents in the Hokuriku and Kansai areas. More than 80% of the respondents detected odors in the living room, with 30% indicating that they were unpleasant. The most common odors detected in the living room, as indicated by 50% of the respondents, were cooking odors. The smell of mold, garbage, and cigarette smoke were rated as less intense than cooking smells, but were still regarded as being strong and unpleasant by residents. The degree of intensity of odors detected in the living room depends on the distance between the living room and the source of the odors. Opening windows was the most effective way of eliminating odors, followed by turning on the ventilation fan. Cleaning the range hood frequently was also found to be an effective way of preventing the diffusion and penetration of odors.

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For this study an awareness survey of residents on habitability assessment of environmental vibration induced by wind and road traffic was conducted. Three questionnaires were carried out and comment sheets for a total of 160 people were received. The results show that respondents' own experience with environmental vibration in their residences influences their habitability assessment, since environmental vibration occurs frequently every day. Although the assessment of environmental vibration is concerned with habitability, some respondents answered from the point of view of structural safety. This is because the respondents imagined an earthquake at that time. The analysis based on ratings of their own residences shows differences in awareness characteristics depending on the type of housing and vibration sources.

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This research aims to estimate the states of sleep / wake time from measurement records of physical activity using an actigraph and to clarify the effect that sleep / wake time has on students living in a dormitory, both with and without roommates. Discoveries made as a result of the study are as follows:1) In subjects with roommates, regression in sleep-onset time and a reduction in night sleeping time were observed (p<0.01,p<0.05).2) In subjects with roommates, daytime sleep increased (p<0.1), while the average amount of activity during the day decreased (p<0.1). Furthermore, several cases were observed in which students with roommates slept approximately 1 hour during classes, something that was not observed among subjects without roommates. It was also confirmed that this had a major influence on attitude in class, etc.

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