To produce tomato fruits with high soluble solids contents, the use of the feature of a single-truss tomato has an advantage of uniform in the growing stage. We investigated the effect of the growing media, root-zone limiting due to a root-proof sheet and feeding method of nutrient solution from the bottom of the pot on the single-truss tomato growth, fruit yield and quality by hydroponics. Regarding the growing medium, in a perlite medium, the water holding capacity was less, and tomato growth and fruit development was more inhibited than in a rockwool medium. The soluble solid contents were higher, but the decrease in yield was more significant.
In a rockwool medium, by covering the bottom of the pot with a root-proof sheet, tomato growth and fruit development were inhibited and soluble solid contents were increased. The decrease in yield with this method was less than in the perlite medium. Regarding the feeding method of nutrient solution from the bottom of the pot, soluble solid contents were increased by putting the capillary mat on the bottom of the pot rather than by setting up the flashboard on the bottom face of the NFT bed.

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Intensity and type of offensive odors from two hypertrophied lake waters (L. Kasumigaura and L. Tsukushi) incubation process were examined and evaluated using human sensory test method and handy odor sensors.
By measuring the types and intensities of offensive odors and standard odor agents with sensory test method, it was found that the odor types from the incubation process of L. Kasumigaura water were methyl mercaptan, isopropyl mercaptan and di-methyl mercaptan. Besides, the relationship between the indicator of the odor sensor of hydrogen sulfide type and chlorophyll a concentrations of both lakes was fairly high.
As for the kinds of algae during summer of the study, 85% of algal population in the L. Kasumigaura were M. aeruginosa, followed by P. Tenue, the producer of MIB. For the L. Tsukushi, M. aeruginosa comprised about 38% of the total population of algae.
With the sensory test, the type of odor from L. Kasumigaura was earthy. The odor intensity of the L. Tsukushi was about 1/2 of that of the L. Kasumigaura. Using 10 standard odor agents, it was that detectable limits for human were 0.00038ppm for isopropyl mercaptan, and 0.00085ppm for methyl mercaptan, 8.75ppm for ammonia and 9.40ppm for hydrogen sulfide. Using four odor sensors for evaluating the odor intensity (as odor index), the intensities of isobutyl mercaptan, isopropyl mercaptan, methyl mercaptan and hydrogen sulfide were favorably correlated with those with the human sensory test method.

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It has been known that soybean grain expands during moisture absorption. In this study soybean absorption properties were further investigated together with soybean size changes during absorption by imaging techniques. By using image processing techniques size changes relationship with moisture content was clearly revealed. The following results were found out; (1) there is a clear relationship between size (2D area) expansion rate and moisture content. (2) Moisture absorption rate (k_mr) and size expansion rate (k_pxr) parameters have Arrhenius type of temperature dependence and by implication their activation energies are presumably the same. (3) The time rate of change of expansion or area in pixel numbers can be expressed in the same way as moisture absorption rate equation. (4). The shape factor of the soybean grain plays an important role in modifying unproportional dimensional changes in soaking when pixel (area) raised to power 1.5 is related to moisture content. From the above results we can conclude that change in moisture absorption can be very well related to size (area) changes by using imaging techniques.

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Solar radiant heat incident on a pig aggravates its body heat during hot summer days and alleviates its body cooling during cold winter days. The amount of direct solar radiation incident on the pig is equal to the product of the normal direct solar radiant energy falling directly from the sun on a plane per unit area perpendicular to the solar rays and the area of the pig projected orthogonally onto the perpendicular plane by the rays. The projected area is called the “direct solar radiation area” in this study. The direct solar radiation areas of standing surface-model pigs with live weights of 27, 65 and 88kg, which were three-dimensional graphic pigs with many surface-mounted triangular patches, were numerically calculated by using computer graphics with the solar altitude and the solar azimuth to the pigs as parameters.
The direct solar radiation areas of the 27, 65 and 88kg pigs were graphically shown as a function of the azimuth with the altitude as a parameter. The direct solar radiation areas became smaller when the sun was located in front of or behind the pigs and larger when it was located to the side of the pigs. The fluctuations of the areas with the azimuth became narrower with increasing altitude and the areas at an altitude of 90° were constant, regardless of the azimuth. These areas made it possible to easily evaluate the amount of direct solar radiation incident on the pigs with irregular body shapes, when the pigs faced toward one direction only.
The direct solar radiation areas averaged over the azimuth range from 0 to 360° were presented in graphical form as a function of the altitude for the 27, 65 and 88kg pigs. These areas permitted the evaluation, of the direct solar radiant energy reaching the pigs, when the pigs could orient themselves to the sun at random.
The equations for calculating the diffuse solar radiant energy Q_DF in W incident on a pig with any weight from 27 to 88kg and the reflected solar radiant energy Q_R in W reaching the pig from the level ground were developed as follows, using the direct solar radiation areas of the surface-model pigs at a solar altitude of 90°:
Q_DF=0.611Q_DFHS
Q_R=0.389ρQ_GHS
where Q_DFH is the diffuse solar radiant energy on a horizontal surface in W/m², Q_GH is the global solar radiant energy on a horizontal surface in W/m², ρ is the solar reflectivity of the ground and S is the total body surface area of the pig in m².

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Observations of cows' standing and lying behaviors on two different sloped tie stall floors were performed. One of the stall floors was a commonly recommended conventional stall floor having downward slope from the front to the end. Another was a newly proposed stall floor having upward slope from the front to the center and counter slope in the rear side. The upward slope from the front to the center of the newly proposed stall floor was intended to prevent the cow's foreknee from slipping backward. The counter slope in the rear side was intended to prevent the cow's hind foot from slipping outward. The time ratio in a day of the lying position and the time needed for a standing up behavior were almost the same on the two stall floors. The time needed for a lying down behavior on the newly proposed stall floor was significantly shorter than that on the conventional stall floor in the three cows out of the four cows. The difference in the lasting time of lying position between the two stall floor was not clear. The plasma cortisol concentration was not significantly different between the two stall floors.

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