In this study, we examined whether lifestyle factors, including their working situation, determine the past and future career ambitions of 221 women with infants. The women completed a questionnaire assessing their career ambitions, time perspective, egalitarian gender role attitudes, personal domain awareness, public self-consciousness, coping behavior of marital role adjustment, and objection to maternal employment by their husband and/or husband's parents.

  Binomial logistic regression analysis showed that, with regard to women who were working full-time, the higher the consciousness of gender equality, the more likely the women were to choose to work full-time in the future. With regard to women who were working full-time and also were homemakers, the higher the time perspective (satisfaction with daily life), the more likely they were to believe that their future career ambitions would be fulfilled. These results suggest that living a fulfilling life in the present may encourage the desire to work in the future, that is, having career ambitions.

  We evaluated the odor level of trimethylamine (TMA) kept in an airtight container with 1 liter of rush (Juncus effusus L. var. decipiens Buchen.) and bamboo charcoal sheets. Rush, or igusa in Japanese, is a main material of tatami facing, while bamboo charcoal sheets may be used to remove unpleasant odors from wooden boards used as a structural material between tatami facing and the inner part of tatami mats.

  As a result of sensory evaluation, the TMA odor in the presence of rush or bamboo charcoal sheets decreased significantly (p＜0.01) 10 minutes after the experiment began, and after 24 hours the smell of TMA was judged to be almost undetectable. Measurements using an apparatus also revealed that rush immediately reduced the TMA level. However, data from sensory evaluations and apparatus measurements did not completely agree. Furthermore, sensory differences in the deodorization effects between the same amounts of rush and bamboo charcoal sheets were not observed. Although it is thought that the deodorizing mechanism of rush compositely depends on sensory perception and chemical and physical relationships, further studies may be required to better understand the mechanism, including the duration of the deodorization effects.

  This study aims to clarify the changes in consultations with parents using local child-rearing support centers and to examine the ideal form of local child-rearing support centers during the Corona disaster. In this study, we analyzed the consultation records and work journals of P child-rearing support center from April 2020 to August 2021, covering its activities and consultation services for users. As a result, it was possible to divide the results into three phases. The first phase was the “corona anxiety phase,” during which many parents consulted centers about their fears and anxieties with regard to their children being infected with the new coronavirus. The second phase was a period of change in the children and many parents consulted centers about their childre's development, focusing on areas such as shyness in general, shyness about places, sleeping, eating, and language. The third phase was a “period of change of mind when many parents changed their mental outlooks from feelings of fatigue, loneliness, and resignation due to the prolonged life of the Corona disaster to positive thoughts of trying to manage on their own. Child care support centers were asked to provide telephone counseling to deal with the concerns of parents, to distribute videos of programs for parents and children to play together at home, and to provide information on local playgrounds.

  The purpose of this study was to estimate the effect of sodium chloride (NaCl) on the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) production in cooked rice, and then to find the effective combination of NaCl and commercial seasonings to inhibit the growth and SEA production without impairing the taste of cooked rice. The SEA production was not inhibited in cooked rice containing 0.8–1.5% NaCl, the range usually used to make rice balls, although the production was decreased in that containing 3–7% NaCl. Among about 80 seasonings added to cooked rice containing 1.5% NaCl, 15 seasonings showed inhibitory effect against the growth. The addition of rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, mustard paste, and rose hip tea prevented the growth of the bacteria and the SEA production although they survived up to 12 h after incubation at 37ºC. We proposed some preparation examples of rice balls containing these seasonings without impairing the taste.

  In this study, we did long-term nutritional intervention using leucine-enriched jelly as a basic study to examine intervention methods for the severely disabled elderly. Then, focusing on the changes in walking-speed and walk-ratio, we examined the effect on walking function of the severely disabled elderly.

  We divided the elderly at a nursing home into an intervention group (13 cases) using a leucine-enriched jelly and a control group (8 cases), and we intervened with them for 8 months. We also performed dietary surveys, BMI and MNA®-SF calculation, and walking measurements before and after the intervention period. Free-walking-speed, step-length, step-rate, and walk-ratio were calculated from the walking measurements.

  From the statistical analysis, even when the elderly from the intervention group ate various foods and had physical conditions that did not change BMI and MNA®-SF levels, their free-walking-speed did not improve. However, the stride length and walk-ratio of the intervention group was better maintained compared to the control group. It is possible for long-term intake of leucine-enriched jelly to affect walking so as to reduce the risk of falls.

  By maintaining muscle strength and muscle mass that decrease with aging, the elderly can more easily perform activities of daily living. Therefore, the results suggest that further research is needed on interventions to maintain the walking function of the severely disabled elderly.