This study investigated the effects of vacuum packing on the semi-permeability of cell membranes and the effects of vacuum packing and subsequent cooking under a vacuum-packed condition on seasoning. Samples of Japanese radish were immersed in 0.5% NaCl solution either immediately after vacuum packing or after 3 days of packing. There was no considerable increase in NaCl concentration in the Japanese radish, suggesting that vacuum packing had little or no effect on membrane semi-permeability. Seasoning concentrations immediately after packing as well as after cooking were measured in Japanese radish samples that were vacuum packed in 1.5% or 6% NaCl solution or in 17.5% sucrose solution. In the case of after packing, NaCl and sucrose concentrations were significantly higher in the vacuum-packed samples than in the non-vacuum-packed samples because NaCl or sucrose solution flowed into the vacuum-packed samples. However, in the case of after cooking, these concentrations were slightly higher in the vacuum-packed samples due to the loss of the semi-permeability of cell membranes followed by the diffusion of these components. In the case of 6% NaCl solution, NaCl concentration of the cooking samples was appropriate in spite of a small amount of solution. This study suggested that in the case of after packing, seasoning concentrations were higher in the vacuum-packed samples because seasoning solution flowed into the samples due to the pressure gradient, and that seasoning concentrations of the cooked samples which were vacuum-packed in a small amount of seasoning solution with high solute concentration were appropriate.

  The heat transfer resistance of clothes made of multilayer cloth sheets was measured after the clothes were placed on a glass bottle containing hot water. The heat transfer resistance of multiple air layers divided by an imaginary cloth having no heat transfer resistance was calculated on the basis of radiant and convective heat transfer. The heat transfer resistance of single air layer for small layer thicknesses increases with layer thickness due to a decrease in the convective heat transfer coefficient. The heat transfer resistance for large layer thicknesses varies little by layer thickness because the radiant heat transfer coefficient, which is independent of layer thickness, becomes larger than the convective heat transfer coefficient. The heat transfer resistance of multiple air layers increases with the number of air layers because the radiant heat transfer is shaded with the imaginary cloth sheets. The effect of natural convection on the heat transfer resistance of an air layer is negligible for layer thicknesses less than 10 mm. The experimental heat transfer resistance of the clothes increased with the number of cloth sheets, but the resistance was smaller than that of multiple air layers. The heat transfer resistance for the clothes having uniform air gaps increased with the number of cloth sheets in the same way for the multiple air layers. The small thickness part of an air gap due to non-uniformity of air gap thickness causes a decrease in the heat transfer resistance of clothes. The decrease was largest in the clothes made of pliable cloth. Though the heat transfer resistance of the clothes was large for the clothes made of cloth having large heat transfer resistance, the difference between the heat transfer resistances of clothes made of different cloth species was several times larger than that estimated from the heat transfer resistance of cloth.

  In Japan, there is a mother and child healthcare handbook which provides information on child-rearing. It was introduced sixty years ago. Our research is based on the practical usage of the handbook, which features a “Memory” function and a “Guidance” function. The “Memory” function, which is well-known, includes information about vaccinations and periodic health examinations, but the “Guidance” function is not used enough. The value of the “Memory” function is that it helps students to imagine themselves in the future. The value of the “Guidance” section is that it provides information and educational material on nursing. The handbook is a useful guide book as it contain a wealth of information on mother and child healthcare.

  Among the birthday presents for eight people living in hiding, as written about in The Diary of Anne Frank –The critical edition–, food was investigated. Eleven out of sixteen diary articles were found during their life in hiding. The residents and their associates enjoyed lunch parties in the early period. Particularly in the middle and later period, the birthday gifts consisted of food like canned products, which were able to be stored for a long period of time, and ration coupons for food. On the contrary, gifts of sweets, which were normally popular birthday gifts, decreased. As for non-food gifts, daily necessities were given during the later period. Although it was difficult to obtain goods during wartime, the residents and associates made efforts to obtain birthday gifts from the black market, and held small parties. The birthday celebrations were a source of relief in the confined space of their hiding place.

  Senior high school students' awareness of home economics housing education was studied before and after taking classes on the topic. The purpose was to find where high school students' interests or concerns lie with respect to the topic and to clarify how their awareness changes as a result of attending classes. The study examined student awareness of housing (importance, interests or concerns, difficulty, sense of usefulness, etc.), comprehension of class content, eagerness to learn, impression of classes, and use of information and communication technology devices.

  The students did not like the housing subject area as much as other subjects, but they understood it to be important and had a strong sense of its usefulness. Attending classes increased this awareness. Students showed an interest in content such as earthquake preparedness, home accident preparedness, countermeasures for condensation, noise reduction, and more. They also had a strong sense of the topic's usefulness and their understanding tended to deepen. The study also showed that students who are enthusiastic learners had a strong sense of the topic's usefulness. It is hoped that by learning about housing, students will understand that what they learned could be useful in their current or future life, and that further development of the coursework will sustain the sense of its usefulness.