Our study aims to clarify molecular basis of human skin color diversity and investigate environmental adaptability to ultraviolet irradiation in order to predict human health risk influenced by severe environments in the future. One hundred and twenty-two Caucasians living in Toledo, Ohio participated in this study. Their back and cheek were measured for melanin value for skin pigmentation index as a quantitative trait. Their buccal cells as samples were collected and used for DNA extraction. DNA was used for SNP genotyping with the technology of Masscode system that involves the two-step PCR amplification and comprises a platform chemistry of cleavable mass spectrometry tags. Our results of statistical analysis show that SNP allele in multiple loci are related and suggest high possibility of linkage disequilibrium. Our study plans to collect data on other ethic groups in order to analyze correlation between SNP allele in multiple loci and identify loci associated with human skin color diversity.

View full abstract

This study examined the psychological and physiological effects of breathing for relaxation. The subjects were 10 healthy females in follicular phase. The psychological measure was subjective relaxation on a relaxation scale. The physiological measure was power spectral analysis of heart rate variability. The results suggest that breathing exercise increased calmness and relaxation. As for physiological measurements, the HF index of activity of the parasympathetic nervous system was increased significantly by the breathing exercise, while the LF/HF balance index of the sympathetic nervous system was not changed significantly. Therefore, breathing for relaxation was shown to have psychological and physiological effects, which lead the mind and body to relaxation after stress stimulation. Further investigation will be necessary to clarify the utility and limitations of breathing exercises, including differences in relaxation effects according to sex.

View full abstract

We studied the relationship between the air permeability of the mattress and the subjective evaluation of sleep. Twenty eight healthy subjects(10 males, 18 females), aged 55-65, were investigated in summer, sleeping in their homes for 15 consecutive nights from Friday. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group 1 slept for 7 consecutive nights(4 adaptation nights and 3 nights for analysis) on a breathable mattress first and then for 8 consecutive nights(4 adaptation nights, 3 nights for analysis and last night for Last Night Effect) on a nonporous mattress. The other group slept in reverse order. The subjective evaluation of sleep was estimated by OSA sleep inventory MA version, a standardized rating scale to estimate sleep quality, and original questionnaires. The results showed both mattresses made a little difference in the subjective evaluation of sleep and humidity sensations. Our study indicates the air permeability of the mattress is not important factor for better sleep.

View full abstract

An educational environment has been rapidly changing since CAL(Computer Aided Learning) and internet teaching were employed. Various methods using CAL and internet teaching have been studied in comparison with conventional learning methods. It is desirable to choose a suitable learning method based on the character of a learner and a learning subject. The behavior of a human being is controlled by his/her brain activities. We expect that the learning progress can be estimated by observing his/her ERPs(Event Related Potentials). To clarify this remark, we have proposed a method of how to characterize a quantitative evaluation of a learning method by measuring his/her ERPs. In this paper, we compare a method using CAL with a conventional method using just a pencil and a sheet of paper to learn Chinese characters. We evaluate the progress of each method by quantitative values derived from the data of his/her ERPs. We can recognize a significant difference between the evaluations of his/her ERPs obtained from different learning methods. From our experiments, we can say that the method using CAL is useful to check how much the learner's knowledge about a Chinese character is sure and how much he/she learned new Chinese characters. However, we can conclude that the conventional method using a pencil and a sheet of paper is more useful than the method using CAL to memorize Chinese characters.

View full abstract

We examined the relationship between the air permeability of the mattress and the bed climate. Following a pilot study, we decided a protocol for experiment. Thirty healthy subjects(6 male and 8 female university students, and 8 male and 8 female adults) were exposed to 26℃(50%rh). Under a cross-over, blind design, subjects were randomly assigned to the following groups: Group 1 was assigned to lie on a breathable mattress for 30 minutes. In a week's time, they were assigned to lie on a nonporous mattress for 30 minutes. Group 2 was assigned in the reverse order. The temperature and humidity in the bed and the subjective evaluation were estimated. The results indicated that bed climate was better on the breathable mattress.

View full abstract

This paper examines the seasonal change in the relationship between physical constitution and clothing pressure exerted by the waistband. The subjects were seven healthy women aged from 20 to 47 years. Their weight, waist and other girth measures, waistband pressure measured using a hydrostatic pressure-balanced method, and a sensory evaluation were measured in the summer and winter and compared. In addition, the waistband was fixed at the length that was a perfect fit for each subject and then put around the subject's waist. Weight, bust girth, waist girth, body mass index(BMI), and constructive rate of the waistband for nude length in winter were significantly greater than in summer. As a result, the waistband pressure increased by 3.8 times(a significant 59.3% increase) in the winter compared with the summer(1.18 vs. 0.74 kPa). The seasonal change in waistband pressure was much larger than the change with the phase of the menstrual cycle(15.7% increase). Therefore, when wearing the same clothing year-round, the problem of clothing pressure may arise. Consequently, it is necessary to coordinate the waistband length with the seasonal change in waist girth to eliminate the annual seasonal change in waistband pressure. We discussed the effect of fashions in women's clothes on abdominal pressure and pressure sense.

View full abstract

The equipment for mountaineering must be chosen appropriately because of limitations on its weight and volume. Furthermore it is necessary to prepare for an emergency. The purpose of this study was to observe the actual conditions of them. A questionnaire survey was conducted from September to December in 2004. The subjects were visitors who climbed in the mountainous regions in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The number of respondents was 147. The range of ages was 18 to 77 years. The percentage of beginner, veteran and the others was 72.1% , 25.9% and 2.0%, respectively. The high carrying rates of clothing were observed in rainwear(98.8%), hat(83.9%) and gloves(82.2%). Rainwear and mountaineering boots were one of the most important items, and the permeability of rainwear was an important factor for the veteran group especially. The carrying rates of equipments were discussed from viewpoints of the differences of mountaineering experience, sex and age.

View full abstract