Noodles were prepared from sawa, tapioca and Chinese yam flour, using water added at various temperatures, and different weight percentages of yam flour, weight ratios of sawa/tapioca flour and boiling time for the noodles. The stress-strain characteristics of these noodles were compared with those of wheat noodles. All the characteristic values for the sawa mixed noodles were greatest with water added at 70°C. The stiffness increased linearly with increasing percentage of yam flour. Increasing the sawa/tapioca ratio reduced the stiffness and led to a progressively increasing reduction in the breaking stress and energy. All characteristics of the sawa mixed noodles prepared with water added at 70°C, 20% yam flour and sawa/tapioca flour in a weight ratio 5/5 boiled for 10 min showed no significant differences from those of wheat noodles. A sensory evaluation was carried out with a 7-point scoring scale to compare these sawa mixed noodles and wheat noodles. The wheat noodles were evaluated higher in color and external appearance, while the sawa mixed noodles were evaluated higher in hardness.

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The consumer preference for custard pudding has changed to a soft type using cream and yolk. This study investigates the microstructure of pudding samples prepared with different proportions of milk, milk cream, vegetable cream, whole egg, and egg yolk. The respective diameters of fat particles of the milk, milk cream, and vegetable cream were 0.63±0.12 μm, 2.64±0.18 μm, and 2.02±0.18 μm. The samples made with cream were harder than those made with milk. The distribution pattern of protein and fat in the pudding samples was clearly identified by using the protein-fat double-staining method. Protein in the pudding formed a reticular structure, while the fat particles were distributed throughout the protein mesh. The samples made with milk had very small evenly distributed fat globules (0.9 μm² in cross-sectional area). The samples made with milk and vegetable cream contained many fat particles which were large, partly fused, and unevenly distributed. The fat droplets of vegetable cream were highly aggregated and less dispersed in the pudding samples than the fat globules of milk cream. These results will be useful in formulating the composition of commercial custard pudding.

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A questionnaire survey was conducted among 2,798 university and college students to investigate their eating habits during the first three days of the New Year from 1986 to 2005. The percentage of foods and dishes eating-out during the 20-year period varied between 7.3% and 16.5%, and this percentage was gradually increasing. There was an exponential correlation between 4 selected years and the rate of increase in eating-out. The frequency of eating-out special dishes for the New Year was low during the first three days of the New Year, while the frequency of eating daily staple food, main and side dishes was high. The reasons for eating-out could be classified into three clusters: 1. to celebrate the New Year custom; 2. to celebrate the New Year by eating; 3. function of a part-time job.

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This paper examined the psychological and physiological influences that clothing patterns have on people, and investigated the impact of the psychological reactions on the physiological mechanism. Images of model wearing several patterns of clothing were created by using three-dimensional soft “iD-Fit” colored in achromatic colors. Fifteen subjects viewed one by one the images of 12 patterns of clothing on the screen and their brainwaves (α wave content) and fluctuations in heartbeat (HF component, LF/HF component) were measured for physiological activity. Psychological analysis was performed using the SD method and factor analysis. The results showed that visual impressions of patterns of clothing consisted of five factors: evaluation, activity, potency, simplicity and warmness-coolness. In the case of geometric patterns of clothing, results showed that the higher the α wave content, the higher the evaluation factor. The 1/f fluctuation also influenced the evaluation factor. When the evaluation ranking was low and the activity ranking was plain, quiet etc., the HF component was high, and the α wave content increased in the frontal region, resulting in a quiet and comfortable sensation. When the factor of simplicity was low, the LF/HF component was low, resulting in high level of comfort.

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The aim of this study is to analyze the lifestyle of residents from the viewpoint of the global environment. Another aspect of the study is to clarify to what extent the residents are conscious of their house are well as their way of living in relation to lifestyle, which may be classified into three types: Type I that takes good care of assets and tries to live in harmony with nature, Type II that actively consumes material while still valuing the natural environment, Type III that is active in material consumption and prefers the artificial to the natural living environment. It is evident that the lifestyle of Type I is ideal for environmental symbiosis whereas that of Type III is in conflict with environmental symbiosis. From the standpoint of how much the residents are conscious of their living environment, there are a relatively large number of those who endeavor to cope with a changing family environment by changing their way of living rather than remodelling their house, but, on the whole, they remain a minority. As regards remodelling, a high percentage fall into Type I as evidenced by their social consciousness or sociality and long range planning such as in working out the value as well as durability of their asset and considering whether or not their house is compatible with the rest of the houses in their community. Neither the sociality nor long range planning was high in Type III. Generally speaking, used houses are not adequately evaluated. Such being the case, the owner of a remodelled house should learn the importance of getting the house properly assessed when remodelled and of maintaining the house performance thereafter. In other words, the residents should always be aware of the value of the asset they are in possession of.

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This paper is intended as analysis of the university students' saving consciousness by using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is well known as multiple criteria decision-making tool. In order to make this analysis, the hierarchic model of students' saving consciousness was created. This model had three criteria and four alternatives. The following results were obtained: As a whole, the priority of students' consciousness on saving for “Supporting their future life” was the highest, but theirs in the preparation for the risk were scarce. Furthermore, the students' AHP evaluation was characterized by sex, academic year, staying with parents or not, and the saving amount they held. The female students had longer period of time for life planning than male students. The second year students had the saving consciousness for their enjoyment and buying things they wanted in their campus life strongly, but the tendency which the higher year students considered their future life planning more important and for longer period of time. Moreover, the students who held much saving considered their future life planning more important, and also had stronger uneasiness which runs short of money. The student staying with parents home considered their future life planning the most important. The other hand, the student who separated from parents home considered saving more important for supporting their present campus life rather than their future life planning. It seems that they did not afforded to consider their future life planning, because they carried out their budget management.

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