title: Use of human senses as sensors.
abstract: This paper is an overview of our recent findings obtained by the use of human senses as sensors, suggesting that human senses might be indispensable sensors, not only for practical uses but also for gaining a deeper understanding of humans. From this point of view, two kinds of studies, both based on semantic responses of participants, deserve emphasis. One study assessed the efficacy of the photocatalytic elimination of stains or bio-aerosols from an air environment using TiO(2) as well as the photocatalytic deodorizing efficacy of a TiO(2)-type deodorizer; the other study evaluated the changes in perception of a given aroma while inhaling the fragrance of essential oils. In the latter study, we employed a sensory test for evaluating changes in perception of a given aroma. Sensory tests were conducted twice, when participants were undergoing the Kraepelin mental performance test (mental arithmetic) or an auditory task (listening to environmental natural sounds), once before the task (pre-task) and once after the task (post-task). The perception of fragrance was assessed by 13 contrasting pairs of adjectives as a function of the task assigned to participants. The obtained findings illustrate subtle nuances regarding how essential oils manifest their potency and how olfactory discrimination and responses occur in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Science, Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Hiroshima 734-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sugawara
authors.forename: Chie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
authors.forename: Sachiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minabe
authors.forename: Yoshie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iura
authors.forename: Mai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.forename: Natuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: Miwa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seto
authors.forename: Saki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kitayama