In this study, we sought to evaluate the factors influencing customers' perceptions of the quality of customer service in the Japanese hospitality sector （OMOTENASHI）. To this end, we recruited 120 participants （60 young and 60 older persons） to whom we showed five experimental videos of simulated scenarios of customer service in the aviation sector. The participants evaluated the customer service shown in the five experimental videos, using a 5-point scale. We employed factor analysis to analyze the elements of customer service from the participants' perspectives. We found that customers evaluate the quality of customer service from four main perspectives: i） interpreting （reliable）, ii） attending （interaction）, iii） expressing （manners）, and iv） innocence （characteristics）. Summarily, based on customer perspective evaluation results, we show that customers evaluate customer service from four main perspectives.

This study examined the effects of socks on dorsal foot contact pressure during gait. Twelve healthy young men （age, 23.6±1.0 years） without foot-related disorders were assigned three walking conditions: barefoot in shoes （BS）, shoes with socks （SS）, and socks only （SO）. FlexiForce^® sensors were attached to four bony landmarks on the dorsal foot－the first metatarsophalangeal joint dorsum, metatarsal fibulare, intermediate cuneiform dorsum, and pternion－to measure the contact pressure while walking. Contact pressure on the dorsal foot were recorded, and average values were calculated for each gait phase: the loading response, mid stance, terminal stance, pre-swing, and swing phases. The contact pressure of the dorsal foot increased more in the BS and SS conditions than in the SO condition, indicating that the increase in contact pressure during gait is caused by the use of shoes. Conversely, no significant difference was found in contact pressure upon comparison between BS and SS, suggesting that the presence or absence of socks in shoes had little effect on the instep contact pressure.

Recently, preschool children have started using digital devices during play. This study examined the relationship between the experience of using digital devices in childcare activities, the content of the activities during digital play, and preschool children’s conversations. Five-year-old preschoolers （N＝75） from three classes participated in the study. Class A had no experience using digital devices, while Class B and Class C were experienced. We developed a camera app, which was used together with a tablet device, to record children’s voices and take photos during digital play. Children were asked to perform the following tasks during the activities while using a tablet allocated to each group in the class: classes A and B explored shapes, and Class C imitated animals. Transcriptions of the children’s conversations were analyzed using a text mining method that employed morphological analysis software. The findings indicated that the preschoolers’ level of experience had no effect on the amount or content of their conversation. Conversations during the animal imitation task significantly increased compared with conversations during the shape exploration task. The results suggest that peer interactions in children’s conversations are more frequent during animal imitation tasks.

Equipment of healthcare and welfare has been developed to improve physical function. It is helpful to clarify the mechanism of the improvement for research and industry in health and welfare. This study aims to clarify the effect of a pelvic belt on hip flexion-extension movement by muscle testing of manual examination. Ten healthy adults were recruited as participants. The maximum muscle strength of hip flexion-extension was measured by a hand-held dynamometer under two conditions: with and without a pelvic belt. As a result, the maximum muscle strength on the hip extension was significantly increased in wearing a pelvic belt. Thus, we confirmed that the muscle strength of the hip extension muscle group increased when wearing the pelvic belt.

Spinal cord injury makes a person lose the desire to urinate and leads to difficulty in voiding of urine. Catheterization at an opportune time is recommended as a coping technique, however, the practice is not easy. We have developed an algorithm for deriving the moment of a urine volume increase in the bladder until the need to void, using the acoustic pulse wave （APW） induced-heart beat via the body trunk detected at the back surface. The APW was continuously measured, and the urine volume in the bladder and subjective desire to urinate were acquired in an intermittent manner for each healthy experimental participant in a relaxed sitting position. Two time-series gradient heart rates were calculated from the heartbeat intervals calculated from each subject’s APW by two methods. Three ultra-low/very-low frequency band powers were calculated from each gradient heart rate, and total six time-series data were obtained from each subject. The characteristic waveforms of the band powers at the moment of a urine volume increase were distinguished. An algorithm was identified the moments that similar characteristic waveforms appeared. The determined algorithm derived eight identified moments among six eligible participants. Those were compared at each moment of the urine volume increase or the growing desire to urinate. Seven true-positive moments were confirmed, while one false-positive moment was confirmed （13％ risk rate of type I error）. There were no false-negative results （no errors of type II）.