This study aimed to investigate the relationship between irregular lifestyle and weight gain in non-obese Japanese adults. The participants were 9,123 people aged 20-64 who had medical checkups in 2013 and 2017, and had BMI of 18.5-24.9 kg/m². Participants who has stroke, heart disease and chronic kidney disease were excluded. Irregular lifestyle habits pertaining to sleep duration, meal timing and skipping breakfast, late dinners and bedtime snacks were used. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between weight gain and irregular lifestyle. A linear trend was conducted to verify the effects of weight change on the number of irregular lifestyle patterns. Skipping breakfast was associated with weight change ≥ 4%. The trend between weight change and the number of irregular lifestyle habits was significantly positive. Skipping breakfast was associated with weight change ≥ 4% four years later in non-obese Japanese adults. An increase in irregular lifestyle habits may, therefore, affect weight gain.

  The sanitary properties of wooden cutting boards (used/new) and plastic cutting boards (used/new with embossing) were studied. The standard plate count (SPC) and coliform count (CBC) were measured under the conditions of after washing of simulated cooking (AW), after hypochlorous acid treatment and natural drying (ASH, 0, 24, 48hrs). The antibacterial activity was examined using Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The roughness of the cutting board surfaces was measured by SURFCORDER. In the SPC, ASH was significantly lower than AW for each cutting board. ASH24hrs and ASH48hrs for new plastic cutting boards were significantly higher than others. The CBC of used cutting boards was no different between the AW and ASH, and there were no differences between wooden cutting boards and plastic cutting boards. The SPC and CBC were reduced by disinfection on all cutting boards, and there was no significant difference between wood and plastic. In the antibacterial activity test, the number of colonies of new plastic was significantly higher than other cutting boards in terms of both S. aureus and E. coli. The surface roughness of the used wooden cutting boards was less than that of the used/new plastic cutting boards. With regard to the roughness of cutting boards and the persistence of microorganisms, there was a positive correlation between the SPC with ASH0 and CBC with AW and ASH0 at the Pz as the maximum height indicating the difference in unevenness. Pa as the average roughness of the unevenness showed a positive correlation between the SPC in dried fraction. On the other hand, Pv did not show any correlation with these. There was no significant difference between wooden and plastic cutting boards in washability and disinfecting properties, survivability of bacteria, and surface roughness due to damage caused by use. These things suggest that the sanitary risk of wooden cutting boards is no different from that of embossed plastic cutting board, and that they can be used hygienically.

  Peroxidase in soybean root extract (SPO) was immobilized on a simple amine-treated PET fabric and used to decolorize dye in wastewater following fabric dying.

  Treating PET fiber with 50 wt％ ethylenediamine resulted in a small weight loss of the fabric and introduced amino groups.

  We investigated SPO immobilization conditions on the EDA-treated PET (EDA-PET) fabric and found that the optimum pH for SPO immobilization was pH 4, and the optimum buffer was Carmody buffer using an immobilization temperature of 20℃.

  Examination of the conditions for the decoloration of Orange I with SPO immobilized PET fabric (SPO-EDA-PET) indicated that the optimum concentration of p-coumaric acid was 5.0×10^-4 M, the optimum concentration of hydrogen peroxide was 8.3×10^-4 M, and the optimum reaction temperature was 20℃.

  Repeating the decoloration reaction of Orange I with SPO-EDA-PET four times provided a reaction rate constant of 1.12×10^-3 min^-1, which is adequate for practical wastewater treatment.

  This study aimed to examine how women's career ambitions (past & future), working situation and their self-esteem relate to their quality of life (QOL). Study participants were 245 women with children aged 3–6 years. They completed a questionnaire assessing their career ambitions, self-esteem and QOL. With regard to QOL1 (satisfaction with emotional relationships with family), the main effects of self-esteem and work style were shown. Both women who were working full-time and homemakers indicated that self-esteem and future career ambitions were related to QOL2 (satisfaction with daily quality of life). With regard to QOL3 (satisfaction with their relationships with other parents), the main effects of work style were shown. These results suggest that it the expectation to fulfill their career ambitions in the future is important to improve satisfaction with daily life for women who were working full-time and for homemakers.

  Haruyo Eto was a knitting teacher who actively promoted various knitting activities from the Meiji Period to the Showa Period. In1924, she contrived for the first time the practical knitting symbols “goritekifugo.” She advocated financial independence and a spirit of self-reliance by knitting after a number of political changes, many wars and the Great Kanto Earthquake. In order to help the country recover from wars and disasters, Eto initiated and implemented a large number of knitting activities. As a result, many Japanese women took up knitting as a means of livelihood, in the hope of living a peaceful life. By learning proper knitting techniques, women were able to use various yarns such as wool and cotton during times of disaster and war, and earn income from selling their goods. While knitting was a symbol of high culture in Europe and the United States, it was a means of sustenance in Japan.