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The frequency‐domain dielectric spectroscopy (FDS) of humid insulating paper has been measured at different temperatures. The data show three independent dielectric processes: electrode polarization, hopping conductivity and interfacial polarization. The dielectric properties of humid insulating paper are composed of hopping conductivity and interfacial polarization, and its equivalent dielectric model can be represented by a Havriliak‐Negami (HN) relaxation branch parallel hopping conductivity. At high temperatures and low frequencies, the measured dielectric spectroscopy bends downward, which is caused by the electrode polarization. In this case, the equivalent dielectric model is composed of the body impedance of insulating paper and the electrode polarization in series. According to the equivalent dielectric model, the components of electrode polarization, hopping conductivity, and interface polarization can be separated, thereby eliminating the parasitic effect of electrode polarization on the dielectric properties of insulating paper. Both of hopping conductivity and interface polarization of insulating paper move toward high‐frequency direction with temperature increasing. For humid insulating paper with a moisture content of 5.9%, the activation energies of hopping conductivity and interface polarization are 1.18 and 0.99 eV, respectively. This difference in activation energies results in the inability of the spectrums of insulating paper to overlap with each other at different temperatures. Based on the insulating paper without oil immersion, the results obtained in this article are not affected by oil or oil‐immersion operations. This provides a reference for exploring the dielectric properties and physical mechanisms of oil‐paper composite insulation materials widely used in high‐voltage equipment. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment of the aging of oil‐paper insulation is analyzed in this article, based on an improved fractional Poynting‐Thomson model, which includes dc and hopping conductivity (P‐T model2). Based on samples of oil paper produced in laboratories with different thermal aging times, it has been found that the proposed improved model provides a better fit and a higher index of coincidence concerning the measured values than the traditional P‐T model and the model that only incorporates the effect of dc conductivity (P‐T model1). Nevertheless, comparing the proposed improved P‐T model with the traditional Cole–Cole (C‐C), Davidson–Cole (D‐C), and Havriliak–Negami (H‐N) models, the improved P‐T model2 also demonstrated a superior fit for the measured value and a higher coincidence index than another model. In addition, there was an excellent exponential relationship between the quantities εa, εb and τ of the improved model and the furfural content of the samples. Consequently, these characteristic quantities could be utilized to estimate the furfural content in the oil‐paper insulation and evaluate the insulation's condition. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthquake swarms are most commonly composed of small‐magnitude earthquakes. However, a recent study by Yoshida, Uchida, et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL106023) analyzed a swarm beneath the Noto Peninsula in Japan that, after more than two years of moderate‐magnitude seismicity, triggered the moment magnitude (Mw) 6.2 Suzu mainshock in May 2023. Based on high‐precision earthquake locations and a slip inversion of the mainshock, these authors found that the Mw 6.2 Suzu earthquake occurred on the updip extension of a fault that was active during the swarm, likely driven by increased fluid pressure. After publication of that paper, a much larger and more destructive Mw 7.5 event occurred nearby on 1 January 2024. These events underscore the potential for swarms to be precursors to large, damaging earthquakes. Forecasting the eventual evolution of swarms is currently very challenging but could be aided in the future by new observations and models. Plain Language Summary: Although earthquake swarms often only contain small earthquakes, occasionally they can trigger large, damaging earthquakes. Yoshida, Uchida, et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL106023) examined the triggering of a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in Japan, which caused extensive damage, following two years of smaller earthquakes. This sequence, like many swarms, may have been driven by elevated fluid pressure migrating upwards within the crust. After publication of that paper, a much larger and more destructive Mw 7.5 event occurred nearby. Forecasting the eventual evolution of ongoing swarms is currently very challenging but could be aided in the future by new observations and models. Key Points: Earthquake swarms can be precursors to damaging earthquakes, including the 1 January 2024, Mw 7.5 Noto Peninsula, Japan eventFluid pressure changes often drive swarm activity, and their degree of confinement may influence swarm evolutionDirect observations of fluids in fault zones combined with numerical modeling may aid swarm forecasting in the future [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Contribution to the authorship, including that for case reports, should be appropriately evaluated. I have noticed a scarcity of case reports with clinic doctors listed as coauthors, prompting this investigation. I sought to offer suggestions on the possible reasons for this trend. Methods: I checked case reports published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research, the Journal of Medical Case Reports, and the BMJ Case Reports. I identified case reports listing a clinic doctor as a coauthor. I consulted eight professors at Jichi Medical University to ascertain whether case reports from their departments included clinic doctors as coauthors and, if not, the reasons. Results: Among 65 case reports from Japanese institutes published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research, only one paper lists a clinic doctor as a coauthor. Of 100 and 50 papers published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports and BMJ Case Reports, respectively, none listed a clinic doctor as a coauthor. Six out of eight professors admitted to never considering the idea of including clinic doctors as coauthors. Conclusions: The scarcity of case reports with clinic doctors as coauthors extends beyond Japanese obstetrics and gynecology, encompassing various specialties worldwide. Center doctors do not think of the idea that a clinic doctor should be a coauthor. A clinic doctor who transferred the patient should be considered as a candidate coauthor depending on his/her scientific contribution. Such an approach could foster an environment encouraging doctors to contribute to academic writing, regardless of their workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The XY model is a simplified insulation model for transformers that aims to connect the frequency spectrum of major insulation, insulation paper, and oil. It enables the calculation of the paper's frequency spectrum, facilitating a quantitative evaluation of the transformer's insulation status. Given the scarcity of research addressing the accuracy of the XY model and its corresponding equivalent circuit, this paper investigates the accuracy of the XY model and conducts an in‐depth analysis of the error associated with its equivalent circuit. Firstly, the frequency spectrum of oil‐paper insulations based on the XY model with varying moisture content and structure configurations were measured, followed by the simulation of both the corresponding 2D‐coaxial and XY models. By comparing the results obtained from these simulations with experimental data on oil‐paper insulation, the accuracy of XY model is verified. Subsequently, two variants of the equivalent circuit of the XY model are derived by combining the oil, spacer, and paper differently, which denoted as Type I and II circuits. Finally, we analyzed and explained the errors present in these equivalent circuits compared with the XY model. Our findings show that the width‐thickness ratio of oil‐paper insulation is the most critical influencing factor, while moisture content and insulation structure have a less decisive impact. Notably, for general transformers, as the width‐thickness ratio is between 30 and 70, the relative error of the Type I circuit remains consistently below 0.3% across different frequencies. Consequently, the Type I circuit proves to be a more suitable representation of the equivalent circuit for the XY model in the context of general transformers. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual SLAM algorithms can obtain a large amount of texture information from the environment and usually perform very well in static scenes, but there are a large number of irregular dynamic points when running in dynamic scenes, which can lead to increased error in SLAM feature point matching and loss of tracking localization. To address this challenge this paper proposes a SLAM system (YVG‐SLAM) that adapts to dynamic scenes. YVG‐SLAM is an improvement on the ORB‐SLAM3 algorithm, integrating the view geometry algorithm and the current powerful YOLOv5 algorithm, while proposing a dynamic feature removal strategy without a priori assumptions to reduce the influence of dynamic targets. In this paper, we first lighten the YOLOv5 algorithm, then process the image frame to get the bounding box, then use the view geometry algorithm to determine the dynamic feature points on the image frame, and finally remove the moving objects in the image frame according to the dynamic feature recognition strategy proposed in this paper. The performance of the algorithm is tested on the TUM RGB‐D and BONN RGB‐D datasets. The experimental results show that the robustness of the proposed algorithm on most video sequences is better than the existing SLAM algorithms dealing with dynamic scenes such as Detect‐SLAM and DynaSLAM, and the RMSE index of the absolute trajectory error measured on high‐speed dynamic video sequences can be significantly reduced by more than 93% compared to ORB‐SLAM3. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our research activities would be better served if they were communicated in a manner that is openly accessible to the public and all researchers. The research we share is often limited to representative data included in research papers—science would be much more efficient if all reproducible research data were shared alongside detailed methods and protocols, in the paradigm called Open Science. On the other hand, one primary function of research journals is to select manuscripts of good quality, verify the authenticity of the data and its impact, and deliver to the appropriate audience for critical evaluation and verification. In the current paradigm, where publication in a subset of journals is intimately linked to research evaluation, a hypercompetitive "market" has emerged where authors compete to access a limited number of top‐tier journals, leading to high rejection rates. Competition among publishers and scientific journals for market dominance resulted in an increase in both the number of journals and the cost of publishing and accessing scientific papers. Here we summarize the current problems and potential solutions from the development of AI technology discussed in the seminar at the 46th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses optimization problems subject to an objective function's evaluation‐number constraint arbitrarily given in advance. These problems are practical for black‐box objective functions which cost much money and/or time per evaluation because money and/or time constraints are typically applicable in real‐world projects. This paper suggests a new solution strategy that can be used to adapt metaheuristics to evaluation‐number constraints arbitrarily given in advance. The proposed strategy updates the setting parameters of a target metaheuristic algorithm for every generation by solving a fixed small‐size optimization problem related to the evaluation‐number constraint. It has the advantage of being insensitive to the effects of dimensionality increases in principle. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy is confirmed by numerical experiments with two well‐known metaheuristics, i.e., the particle swarm optimization algorithm and the differential evolution algorithm. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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To improve the pulse width modulation (PWM) harmonic suppression effect of the three‐phase VSI‐fed PMSM system, this paper proposed a novel random switching period (RSP)‐Space Vector Pulse Width Modulation (SVPWM) technique for the three‐phase power converter. First, the proposed technique replaces the 10‐bit linear feedback shift register pseudorandom number generator (LFSR‐PRNG) with a Tiny Mersenne Twister (MT)‐PRNG to quickly generate high‐quality pseudorandom number sequences. Then, to reduce the sampling error caused by the current ripple, this paper analyzes the sampling timing under different modulation techniques. Based on the interrupted update mechanism of the Infineon AURIX‐TC264, the variable frequency sampling of the RSP‐SVPWM technique is implemented to ensure the best sampling of the motor phase current. Finally, the simulation and experimental results show that the proposed technique can effectively disperse PWM harmonic energy. Meanwhile, the RSP‐SVPWM technique based on variable sampling frequency effectively improves the phase current quality of the PMSM system. The proposed technique shows great potential for suppressing PWM harmonics in integrated PMSM systems. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the compact and complex internal structure of 110 kV three‐phase enclosed GIS disconnector, the voltage distribution between the contact breaks of each phase has an influence on the insulation performance of the GIS disconnector, and its internal insulation design is a difficult point to be solved. To solve this problem, this paper firstly establishes a three‐dimensional model of three‐phase enclosed GIS disconnecting switch and conducts a research on the distribution of electric field under a specific working condition, it is found that the outer corner of the static contact, the inner corner of the static arc contact, the inner corner of the outer end of the moving contact and the inner corner of the moving contact are the internal electric field concentration of the three‐phase enclosed GIS disconnector. Then, in order to further reduce the electric field strength and improve the insulation margin and performance, this paper proposes a method based on the combination of Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) and Multi‐objective Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm (MOGOA) to optimize the structural design of three‐phase enclosed GIS disconnector, and a ELM model is established, which takes the internal fillet radius of stationary arcing contact, the internal fillet radius of moving contact, the internal fillet radius of external end of dynamic and static contact, the radius of the outer corner of the two static side contacts and the opening distance of the grounding contact as the inputs, and takes the maximum electric field strength of the two static side contacts and the moving side contacts as outputs; Finally, the structural parameters are optimized by MOGOA algorithm. Compared to the pre‐optimization period, the electric field strengths of the bus bar static‐side contact, dynamic contact and static side contact of the B‐phase after optimization decreased from 20.2, 9.28 and 17.5 to 11.4, 6.65 and 11.5 kV/mm, respectively. The electric field strengths of the dynamic and static side contacts are significantly reduced, which is beneficial for improving the insulation performance of the three‐phase enclosed GIS disconnector. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political apologies have been argued to contribute to reconciliation among groups and nations but their efficacy has also been questioned. This paper examines the acceptance of political apologies, their content and the protagonists in the victim nation, the perpetrator nation and their subgroups. Guided by studies on the structure of apologies, it distinguishes 10 features of apologies, seven of which concern their content and three of their protagonists. Following the analysis of apology statements by Japan to South Korea, the paper further breaks these features (factors) down into 32 elements (levels). The acceptance of around 70,000 possible apology combinations is examined in a randomized conjoint experiment, which was embedded in online quota‐based surveys in Japan (n = 2700) and South Korea (n = 3000). The analysis reveals that the content of apologies matters, protagonists matter more than content and some subgroups matter more than protagonists. The subgroup analysis showed that some within‐country differences are larger than cross‐country differences, which challenges the SIT. Apology statements that would be acceptable in both nations are summarised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japan, recently there has been an increase in the failure of dry masonry retaining walls located in an urban residential area due to strong earthquakes. However, currently there are no established optimal seismic reinforcement methods for such dry masonry retaining walls due to issues related to workability and construction cost. This paper presents a novel reinforcement method wherein the tilting reinforcement bars were installed from top of the retaining wall whose individual blocks were integrated. A detailed investigation and discussion on the mechanical behavior of a dry masonry retaining wall is made by comparing the results among different experimental cases which had different seismic reinforcement treatment with the help of tilting table experiments conducted in a geotechnical centrifuge. The results highlighted that the proposed method, the application of tilting reinforcement bars together with the integration of individual wall blocks, led to the best seismic resilient performance of the retaining wall with the least measured soil deformations and soil strains at the backfill. Among all the tested cases, the proposed method resulted in the least mobilization of axial force and bending moment at the top of reinforcement bars which may result in the overall reduction of the construction cost (i.e., by reducing the number of reinforcement bars) aiming toward a performance‐based design. Lastly, an analytical evaluation of the factor of safety (FOS) against collapse as per the Mononobe‐Okabe theory was made which was found to be in excellent agreement with the centrifuge experiments revealing the proposed method to perform best among all the cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity, as a sustainable energy carrier, plays a central role in the transition scenarios for carbon neutralization of energy systems. Expanding the potential of electricity requires intelligent integration of electricity infrastructures and electricity markets with distributed energy resources (DERs) including roof‐top solar photovoltaics (PVs), controllable loads, and storage batteries. This integration will advance the management of power distribution grids, resulting in harmonization of the distribution grids and variable renewable generation. In the foreseeable future, the DERs will be actively used to perform advanced management of power distribution grids and compensate fluctuation in variable renewable power generation such as PVs and wind power. Market‐based coordination mechanisms are already practiced in large‐scale electricity production, electricity trading and transmission around the world. Using these mechanisms at the distribution grid level to integrate numerous flexible devices into the grids remains an important research topic. This paper reviews the role of DER integration toward carbon‐neutral power systems, the state‐of‐art and challenges associated with market‐based approaches for integrating flexible demand, distributed generation, and storage. Methods for assessing the value of DER aggregation such as virtual power plants and microgrids are also explored. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu‐Sn transient‐liquid‐phase bonding has a limit in achieving small diameter/high‐density bumps due to the extrusion of the melted Sn layer during bonding. This paper report a new method that can fabricate small diameter Cu‐Sn bumps with 5 μm diameter and 25 μm pitch based on a new thermal reflow and pre‐bonding method that enables solid‐state Cu‐Sn reaction for avoiding Sn extrusion. Using the new method, 3D integration of a 640 × 480 MEMS array on a CMOS circuit chip has been demonstrated. This method can be used in 3D integration of MEMS arrays and CMOS circuits such as micromirror arrays. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper devised a novel Christmas‐tree structure for flexible neural probes, which features recording sites on side‐branches that can be folded along the shank of the probe by temporary encapsulation before implantation. This design reduces the size of the implant and minimizes the surgical footprint. Upon implantation, the temporary encapsulation dissolves in vivo, leading to self‐stretching of the branches, and an expansion of the lateral detecting range of the probe. We conducted in vitro experiment with our probe in 0.6% agar that mimics the brain tissue environment. The results demonstrate that the neural probe we have developed exhibits self‐stretching ability and provides an increased lateral recording range without causing additional damage to the brain tissue. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a novel additive manufacturing technique for MEMS devices using newly developed APSLD (atmospheric pressure sputtering layer deposition) technology. It uses a microplasma at atmospheric pressure to deposit microstructures with defined properties, such as conducting or isolating directly at different surfaces additively without complex and time‐consuming manufacturing routes like planar technology. Feasibility tests have been successfully done to deposit metal lines, isolating and metal oxide layers on 3D surfaces to manufacture high stable MEMS sensor system for harsh environments. This is a promising technology in the field of MEMS manufacturing, as it can simplify the manufacturing process and reduce the cost. The ability to deposit different materials can expand the design possibilities for MEMS devices. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new scheme for readout of a photoionization detector (PID) that utilizes the ionization luminescence of target gases in helium plasma to generate an output signal. Our signal readout method is based on processing the recorded video and correlating the light peak intensity with the sample injection time and concentration. We successfully demonstrated the feasibility of a colorimetric readout‐based photoionization detector coupled with a gas chromatography column by detecting a mixture of non‐polar compounds (alkanes) and two polar compounds (acetone and ethanol). The detection limit for our first‐generation device was calculated to be ~118 ng for acetone and around 26 ng for ethanol. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents layer‐by‐layer additive manufacturing (AM) of molten metal microdroplets and dielectric materials to fabricate multilayer hybrid circuit boards featuring interdigitated 3D capacitors. The printed metal lines have a low resistance of 5 mΩ/mm, 12 times lower than state‐of‐the‐art conductive inks. Exploiting the advantages of Sn‐based oxide as an ideal candidate for Electrical Energy Storage Systems (ESS), we successfully fabricated an out‐of‐plane capacitor module using a combination of polymer and metal materials. The fabrication process exhibited an exceptional aspect ratio of 16, illustrating the successful incorporation of 20 metal layers in the out‐of‐plane capacitor module. Q factor obtained for the 3D capacitor was in the range of 66–500. Additionally, a fully automated printing technique was employed to produce a multilayer hybrid electrical printed circuit board (PCB), eliminating the need for post‐processing. This streamlined approach presents an efficient and comprehensive solution for the one‐stop printing of intricate electrical circuits. © 2024 The Authors. IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering published by Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of different voltage unbalance definitions on voltage control in unbalanced distribution systems. Traditional voltage regulation methods for unbalanced systems rely on a single voltage unbalance definition with inconsistent adoptions. In such a situation, voltage control performance can vary between definitions, and improper choice leads to control failures. In this study, we perform numerical analysis and simulations to investigate the impact of different definitions. In the numerical analysis, two definitions quantifying negative and zero sequence components are used as reference definitions, and the theoretical error range of the remaining definitions is identified. The results are further verified by the simulations on the IEEE 123 node test system with phase‐by‐phase controlled three‐phase step voltage regulators and smart photovoltaic inverters. The control of the devices is optimized to minimize or limit a specific definition. The results show that the values of each definition at the same voltage condition can differ significantly, and inappropriate definitions may lead to significant uncertainty in the voltage control. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scheduling workload is a demand response strategy for data centers to reshape electricity usage, which provides an opportunity for them to utilize renewable energy. Enhancing the flexibility of workload scheduling would promote the data center to integrate renewable energy. Considering that the improvement of flexibility in workload scheduling is tightly related to the Quality of Service (QoS) required by IT consumers (ITCs), it becomes desirable for the data center to collaborate with them to further facilitate renewable energy integration in demand response programs. This paper proposes a QoS‐based bi‐level demand response model for the data center, where game theory is adopted to resolve the conflict of interest in the collaboration between the data center and ITCs. At the upper level, the data center is a leader who provides differential monetary incentives to ITCs while dispatching workload to integrate renewable energy. At the lower level, ITCs act as followers who adjust the workload's QoS to enhance the flexibility of workload scheduling. Simulation results show that the proposed model can decrease the operating cost of the data center while increasing the utilization of renewable energy. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active distribution network is integrated with a large number of renewable energy sources and flexible loads such as electric vehicles(EVs). The unstable output of distributed generation and the random access to different phases cause three phase unbalance in the distribution network, which increase the energy loss and carbon emissions. Three phase unbalance reduction requires high real‐time dispatch and optimization of the power flow. This paper attempts to reduce the energy loss and carbon emission by using flexible multi‐state switch (FMSS) with optimal energy dispatch strategy. A multi‐objective optimization model is established based on second‐order cone relaxation to reduce the three‐phase unbalance and energy loss. EVs regulation strategy is proposed by analyzing their charging flexibility. A fast solution method is brought up based on second‐order cone model transformation. The effectiveness and rapidity of the method is verified by multiple cases. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐field magnets have been used in a wide range of scientific and industrial areas. REBCO (REBa2Cu3Ox, where RE = Rare Earth) coated superconductors (CCs) have been gaining increasing interest due to the potentialities of using them in high‐field magnets. However, the thermal stability of the REBCO CCs coils is limited by longitudinal heat conduction inside the coils and bubbles generated by evaporating helium. So as to enhance the heat transfer in REBCO coil, a cooling system based on GM/JT cycle was designed. In this paper, the design, thermodynamic calculation, and analysis of the cooling system for the REBCO coil are provided systematically. It is found that when the mass flow rate is 0.75 g/s at a pressure of 10 bar, the cooling capacity of the system is up to 10.16 W. Meanwhile, the inlet pressure and counterflow heat exchangers efficiency are key factors for significantly improving the cooling capacity of the system. An open loop experiment also has been carried out and the cooling capacity of 0.79 W at 4.5 K is obtained finally when He mass flow rate is 0.1 g/s. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic dispatch (ED) problem is very important in the economics of power systems, and a suitable dispatch algorithm can help power plants save huge amounts of money and use energy efficiently. To ensure the economics of the power system dispatch strategy, this paper proposes a quantum‐behaved particle swarm improvement algorithm for solving the ED problem. First, the algorithm addresses the problem that the classical quantum‐behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) tends to be premature and falls into local optimality. We propose a method to calculate the mean best position by assigning weights to different particles, by adopting the idea of concentration selection in the immune concentration regulation mechanism, and designing a Weight‐Concentration selection probability function, so that those particles located outside the local optimal solution region but with smaller fitness value and better evolutionary trend can be retained. Second, to make the algorithm focus on global search at the beginning of the iteration and more focused search at the end to enhance the neighborhood search capability at the later stage, a decreasing function of the slope K in the Weight‐Concentration selection probability function is designed so that the influence of the weighting term on the calculation of the mean best position decreases gradually. The algorithm is evaluated with four power systems, and the results show that the overall performance of the improved algorithm is better than other algorithms in solving the ED problem in terms of minimum solution, convergence, and stability. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the needs of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR), smart contact lenses (SCL) have become an important platform as a display source in the future consumer market. Accordingly, this paper demonstrates a display device based on contact lenses. This device integrates a 3 × 3 Mini‐LED display array, a micro antenna, and a driver and transmission chip and is packaged in a smart contact lens made of hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). It is note that in order to simultaneously meet the goals of wearing comfort, biocompatibility, wireless energy transmission and adjustable display functions, the final package thickness needs to be less than 200 μm. Here, we use heterogeneous packaging technology to connect the driver and transmission chip and the Mini‐LED display array with metal wires on the flexible substrate, and use metal wires on the same conductive layer to design the antenna required for wireless energy transmission. In order to complete the above functions, we use 920 MHz RFID technology as the energy source for wireless energy transmission. When the antenna of the RFID reader is 2 cm away from the smart contact lens, the designed receiving chip can receive 100 μW of energy. After converting this energy to DC 3 V, it can drive Mini‐LED with a current of about 30 μA, and the mini‐LED display array can be instantly controlled to display different contents by transmitting display commands through the RFID protocol. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thyristor converter is a core equipment for AC/DC hybrid power grids of high‐voltage direct current (HVDC) where overheating does harm to its reliability. In reality, overheating is closely related to the broken three‐phase symmetry when the AC side is disturbed. Particularly, when commutation failures occur, the valve forced to reconduct will suffer from severe short‐circuit current for a long period, risking the overheating damage. Therefore, the accurate measurement of valve current is fundamental to acquire valve temperature. This paper adopts a real‐time virtual measurement scheme, which is based on temporal features of the converter terminal current, to calculate valve current fundamental for the calculation of valve loss under the transient state. Then, an equivalent circuit model is built based on the actual heat‐flow path of the converter valve, considering the high thermal sensitivity of the heat source material layer. Next, a monitoring system for transient valve temperature is established. Finally, the proposed method is tested in CIGRE HVDC benchmark model. The simulation results indicate that the proposed method can reflect the actual valve state, and model the actual heat transfer process more accurately compared to the Foster network, which can support the basic configuration of the overheat protection. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoltaics (PV), which is one of variable renewable energies, have been installed largely. In the environment of largely installed PV, the output fluctuates of PV influences on the operation of power gird network adversely. Therefore, PV energy generation forecasting is valid for power grid operation and management and needs the reduction of large forecast error as well as average error. Due to a day‐ahead forecast of the total PV energy generation in the power grid area, we developed the forecasting method by using meteorological forecast data of many points in the target area. In order to forecast the regional PV energy generation, the proposed method uses auto‐encoder and convolutional neural network (CNN) for extracting requirements and valid data, and forecast with neural network (NN) by means of extracted information. In this paper, we improved the forecasting error by using multiple meteorological elements as input data. As a result, we indicated that using both of global horizontal irradiance and low cloud cover is required for the reginal PV energy generation forecasting, and large forecasting error can be reduced by adding either dew point depression, or cumulative precipitation as input data. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a semi‐passive smart contact lens platform for sensor and actuator applications. It focuses on design improvements made prior to human clinical trials involving basic considerations on comfort and safety, which are verified through animal studies. Observations of tissue temperature variation and post‐trial surgery examinations confirm that the 50 μW on‐lens wireless power delivery reduces the impact on tissue of previously reported SCL. Migration of wirelessly powered radio frequency identification (RFID)‐based passive SCL to semi‐passive systems is enabled with the proposed on‐lens power storage element. Furthermore, a switched capacitor converter extends the active time of the storage element and reduces electromagnetic influence. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a core functional material in acoustic resonators and filters, the elasticity of aluminum nitride (AlN) piezoelectric thin film and its correlated intrinsic properties deserve priority attention. This paper presents an in‐depth investigation of elastic softening and stiffening effect induced by stress loading in AlN piezoelectric thin film. Based on the Born‐Lande equation, the physical mechanism of such new intrinsic elastic property is revealed and predicted quantitatively for the first time from the perspective of atomic interaction forces. It is found that a maximum 6.7% modulation range of elasticity coefficient can be achieved under ultimate stress loading conditions from (−2.5, −2.5) to (2.5, 2.5) GPa. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an improved process for controlling the initial deflection structure of cantilever‐type MEMS tactile sensors. By using residual stress, deposition sequence, and metal layer patterns, the initial deflection of the cantilever was successfully aligned to the same initial deflection with micron accuracy and 97% yield in a simpler and easier process than previous processes. This enables a reduction in the number of processes and flexible control of deflection, which is expected to improve yield and shorten fabrication time. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports an ultra‐soft neural probe with a temporary high‐strength U‐section coating of polyethylene glycol (PEG) for the first time. Its fabrication is compatible with MEMS processes, and an ultrathin U‐section coating over the probe's back and sidewall is precisely formed by spinning and cold laser cutting. With this novel coating, the probe has both minimized cross‐sectional area and sufficient mechanical strength for low‐invasive penetration into the brain. Besides, the remained ultra‐soft deformable probe after PEG dissolution is expected to be the next generation of neural implants for chronic recording. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports an equivalent circuit model of self‐assembled electret (SAE) micro‐electro‐mechanical systems (MEMS) vibrational energy harvesters (VEHs). For the first time, a detailed equivalent circuit model of the SAE‐MEMS VEH has been implemented on a circuit simulator, considering the device energy diagram. The implemented equivalent circuit model allows analysis of the relationship between output current and SAE properties, device structures, and electrode materials. The validity of the model is confirmed by comparing the measurement and simulation results. Thus, the proposed model would be useful for the design of SAE‐MEMS VEHs. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the development and integration of (Poly‐Si/Air)n Distributed BRAGG Reflectors (DBR) in a MOEMS Fabry‐Pérot‐Interferometer (FPI) concept. The realized reflectors constitute a promising and resource‐efficient alternative to complex Ion‐Assisted Deposition based DBRs while maintaining their advantages. Compared to state of the art MOEMS FPIs the (Poly‐Si/Air)n DBRs can be integrated into two moveable reflector carriers based on two individually fabricated wafers which are bonded. The (Poly‐Si/Air)n DBRs are investigated as (HL) and (HL)2 reflector stacks showing a reflectance above 91% within the wavelength range of 2.8–5.7 μm. © 2023 The Authors. IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering published by Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a MEMS accelerometer based on bulk SiC. The fabrication and packaging scheme were designed, an efficient signal processing circuit was built, and the output performance of the sensor was tested. The test results show that the resistivity of the piezoresistive material is 194.40 Ω μm, the sensor's output sensitivity is 0.21 mV/g, the linearity is 99.8%, and the resonance frequency is 1636 Hz. Finally, the accelerometer was applied to the two ground vibration tests of aero‐engine, and the vibration signal of the turbine components and the test bed was successfully extracted. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technology is reshaping workplaces by enabling spatial separation of offices, known as telework, or remote intelligence (RI) and by facilitating automation of service sector tasks via artificial intelligence (AI). This paper is the first attempt to empirically investigate whether AI and RI are complements or substitutes in the service sector. It uses a worker‐level panel of surveys collected from around 10,000 workers from pre‐COVID‐19 pandemic to late 2022. We find preliminary evidence that suggests that AI and RI are complements rather than substitutes. The evidence comes first from the positive correlation of investments in AI‐promoting and RI‐promoting software at the firm and worker level, and second from the positive correlation of workers' expectations regarding telework and software automation. The evidence is far from definitive but suggests that the complement‐substitution question is a fruitful line for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emotional design of multimedia lessons involves adding features that are intended to increase learner enjoyment and promote learning—such as adding narrative, anthropomorphizing non‐human elements, and using warm colours. Objective: The present study extends this work to examine the potential of Japanese animation (anime) for improving science learning. Method: Specifically, 134 English‐speaking students learned about cells in the human body by viewing the popular anime, Cells at Work, either in Japanese with English subtitles or dubbed in English with no subtitles (anime groups), or by viewing a slideshow containing the same information (slideshow group). The anime conditions were vibrant story‐driven lessons that depicted human‐looking cells working to fight off invaders in a human body that looked like a city. The slideshow used very similar wording as the anime groups, and displayed the cells without anthropomorphism or a storyline. Results and Conclusion: The anime groups did not differ significantly from each other on any dependent measures and were therefore combined. The anime groups scored significantly higher than the slideshow group on retention (d = 0.35) and transfer (d = 0.48) tests. The anime groups also had significantly higher ratings of motivation (d = 0.60) and enjoyment (d = 1.13), whereas, the slideshow group had significantly higher ratings of distraction (d = 0.59). These results support the cognitive‐affective theory of learning with media (CATLM) and demonstrate that anime may be an effective learning medium. Takeaways: Anime should be considered as a medium for science learning, especially when students might not otherwise be motivated to learn. Lay Description: What is currently known about this topic: Anime is a form of Japanese animation similar to an animated comic book.Cells at Work is a series of anime lessons on cells in the human bloodstream.Cells are represented with anthropomorphism, colours, and rounded shapes.Emotional design involves using anthropomorphism, colours, and rounded shapes. What does this paper add: Students viewed an anime or an equivalent slideshow on the human bloodstream.The anime group performed better on a post‐test and reported less distraction.Anime can be considered a form of emotional design for science lessons. What are the implications for practitioners: Anime can be used to teach about cells in the human bloodstream.Instructional designers should consider using anime as a medium for science instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the current control steady‐state error caused by sampling delay, parameters mismatch of direct‐drive permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM). This paper proposed a method of dual model predictive control (MPC) of direct‐drive PMSM based on sliding mode disturbance observer (SMDO). Deadbeat predictive current control (DPCC) is used for current loop, a SMDO is proposed to observe the system disturbance, the estimation is compensated to DPCC by feedback to decrease the current control steady‐state error. For speed loop, MPC with an internal model control observer (IMCO) can observe and compensate the load disturbance feedforward. The experimental results show that, the dynamic response speed of the proposed strategy is fast, the speed recovery time after sudden load torque is short, and the anti‐load disturbance performance and current tracking performance are effectively improved. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to the model predictive control (MPC) technique, the modulated MPC (M2PC) method applies multiple voltage vectors in order within one switching cycle, enabling a fixed switching frequency and better motor control performance. However, the M2PC technique suffers from a significant computational burden and imprecise allocation method of the vector action time, affecting the control performance. To address these two issues, this paper proposes an improved M2PC method that utilizes the information of projection of the reference vector on the selected voltage vectors for efficiently selecting the optimal active vectors and also accurately calculating their action time. Compared to the conventional M2PC, the proposed technique demonstrates both excellent dynamic performance with reduced execution time by 15.3% and superior steady‐state performance in terms of lower torque/speed ripple as well as fewer current harmonics. Those benefits have been proven by the results of a 2.5k rpm permanent magnet synchronous motor drive. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to detect the underground medium with large depth, the transmitter of electromagnetic sounding instrument has higher and higher power and voltage. A novel voltage equalizing strategy for cascaded constant current power supply using in electromagnetic transmitter was proposed in this paper. The cascaded topology of the transmitter has two isolated full‐bridge AC/DC converters, which had same input source and were connected in series on the output side. The mathematical model based on state space average method was analyzed. After simplifying the circuit, the state space equation was used to describe the circuit model. The stability and frequency characteristics of the system were analyzed. Aiming at the constant current output and the output voltage balance of the two converters, the system coupling model was established. The constant current controller and voltage equalizing controller were designed with decoupling method. A 300 W prototype was built and the experimental results verified the performance of the proposed method. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to provide an overview of the service system view (SSV), and the current status of its adoption for the development and implementation of assistive technology (AT). The role of ATs in the global aging scenario is anticipated; however, their diffusion is cumbersome. The SSV captures stakeholders, technologies, and their interactions as integrated systems. Based on this perspective, several approaches for designing long‐term care services have been proposed that would be helpful for the successful implementation of ATs. However, the existing geriatrics and gerontology literature seldom addresses these topics. Based on a literature review, this study first illustrates the challenges of using ATs in the real world. The existing literature highlights the sociotechnical challenges of utilizing ATs, such as the changes required in care work and resistance to them. To overcome the challenges, three approaches associated with the SSV have been introduced: service design, service engineering and living labs. This paper also introduces recent national projects in Japan that have adopted these approaches. As the importance of the SSV is growing for the successful implementation of ATs, the ability to adopt the SSV and its approaches is anticipated. In relation to geriatrics and gerontology studies, the impact on older adults' quality of life, as well as the economic effect, needs to be analyzed in future research. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 74–80. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the career development process of women in postwar Japan who belonged to the Shufuren (the Association of Consumer Organization), the homemakers' federation, and who became experts in everyday life through studying and researching to improve their lives. It analyzes the organizational chart, hours and fundings for activities, details of activities, formation of the cooperative relationships, and career development of the leaders. The women who gathered at the Shufuren studied and researched the issues that arose in daily lives. By accumulating survey and research data and presenting scientific evidence, they made requests and proposals for improvements to the Diet, governments, and industries. Through these activities, they contributed to establish laws and systems protecting consumer rights. The women also developed partnerships with other civic groups in sharing current social issues. They expanded the circle of the movement and asserted their demands to the Diet, government agencies, industries, and the public. The members grew as experts in everyday life by steadily building their careers with passion for daily activities. Their activities were not limited to the Shufuren; some women went beyond the Shufuren to become leaders of organizations. Conventionally, homemakers are viewed as not having career development aspirations. When discussing women's career development in Japan, attention has focused on career development through work and balancing work and family life. However, the activities and steps taken by the female members of the Shufuren to improve their lives should also be considered a form of career development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the shift in career strategies among Japanese women due to the globalization of Japan's economy since the 1980s. It highlights how economic changes led to a gender‐based division of labor, propelling women to seek opportunities abroad. The research draws on interviews with 81 women who moved to financial centers in East Asia, mainly in Hong Kong and Shanghai, examining their experiences in the workforce, the impact of human resource agencies in their migration, and the challenges and opportunities they encountered. The study reveals a complex landscape where Japanese women navigate gendered expectations and discrimination both in Japan and abroad in pursuit of career advancement. The conclusion emphasizes three points. First, women found opportunities abroad to do what they wanted, even if it was not what they initially expected before leaving Japan. Second, although supportive and subordinate to male managers, their work was indispensable to the management of Japanese companies abroad. Their contribution has long been underestimated but needs to be considered. Third, the experience abroad gave them direct interaction with various clients and colleagues and a view of rapid societal change in Hong Kong and China, contributing to choosing their diverse career trajectories and life plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of non‐structural elements (NSEs) in the seismic performance of buildings has been highlighted in past years. Research studies following state‐of‐the‐art methodologies generally find that when the structural collapse is not of significant concern, NSEs tend to dominate the repair costs and financial investment required in a building. This paper examines field observations from interviews and data collected from commercial buildings via structural health monitoring (SHM) following the 2018 Osaka earthquake in Japan. It suggests that fragility functions used in current methodologies for estimating NSE damage may not be entirely representative of the in‐situ reality and possibly underestimate actual damage. Additionally, interviews with building owners/managers indicate that the alarm and financial impact of NSEs was not as critical as anticipated, with much of the observed NSE damage not of serious concern and tolerable in many cases. This article provides discussion and insight into possible causes for these differences before discussing how current methodologies can benefit from these observations. It is believed that many of the fragility functions currently used to estimate NSE damage may not be representative because of differences in installation conditions and loading protocols used in experimental testing, possible interaction with other elements, variability in the quality of workmanship during installation and possible wear, tear and degradation during service. On the other hand, it is seen how SHM data recorded during seismic events may provide valuable data for an alternative means to develop fragility functions. Furthermore, it is seen that when building recovery states (RSs) other than the implicitly assumed 'full recovery' state used in guidelines like FEMA P‐58 are explored, the role of NSEs in direct monetary losses significantly reduces. This coincides with the field observations in Japan regarding the impact of NSEs and supports the recent developments in functional recovery on what building owners and occupants are prepared to tolerate post‐earthquake. It indicates that when discussing the relative importance of different building performance groups, it is vital that the expected RS is also stated, as for most decision‐makers following major events, functionality rather than full recovery remains the primary goal; hence, repairs and proactive measures should bear this in mind for more effective use of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insulating gas and contacts in the arc extinguishing chamber of high‐voltage circuit breakers are the focus of research. In practical applications, the gas may react with the surface of the contacts. In this paper, C5F10O environmental friendly insulating gas, which has one of the potential alternatives, is selected as the research object. The compatibility of C5F10O and its decomposition products with CuW contacts was studied. This article uses the Dmol3 program based on density functional theory. The adsorption energy, transfer charge, and density of electronic states of C5F10O and selected typical decomposition products on the Cu (111) surface and Cu‐W surface were calculated, respectively. It was found that the original CuW metal properties were not changed before and after adsorption. The carbonyl O atom in C5F10O is easily adsorbed on the top of the Cu (111) surface, forming a stable CuO bond, which belongs to chemical adsorption. The interaction of the other three adsorption sites is weaker than that of the top site adsorption, which belongs to physical adsorption. C5F10O exhibits more active charge transfer and forms active W‐O chemical bonds when adsorbed on CuW surfaces than SF6. C5F10O has poorer compatibility with CuW alloy than SF6. C2F4 and C3F6 in the decomposition gas are chemically adsorbed on the Cu‐W surface. CO2, CF4, C2F6, and C3F8 do not form chemical bonds on the CuW surface. The adsorption stability of COF2 is weaker than that of CF4, C2F6, and C3F8. Compared with SF6 adsorption, the compatibility of C5F10O and CO2 on the surface of CuW contact is inferior to that of Cu contact. CF4, C2F6, C3F8, and COF2 in the decomposition gas can be compatible with the surface of the CuW contact. C2F4 and C3F6 cannot be well compatible with the surface of CuW contacts. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eccentric harmonic magnetic gear (EHMG) has the characteristics of high torque density, high transmission ratio and high efficiency. The EHMG with Halbach array has better performance than the EHMG with traditional radial magnetization. Accurate calculation of its air‐gap magnetic field is of great significance for design and optimization. Based on the boundary perturbation method, a 2D analytical model of the air‐gap magnetic field of EHMG with Halbach array is established in this paper. The eccentric air‐gap magnetic field is calculated due to the permanent magnets of the eccentric rotor and the stator acting alone, and then the air‐gap magnetic field of the EHMG is obtained according to the superposition principle. The results of the air‐gap magnetic field are compared and evaluated by the regression evaluation indexes. The analytical results are consistent with the finite element results, which verifies the validity and accuracy of the analytical model. Comparing the EHMG with Halbach array and radial magnetization, the maximum static and dynamic electromagnetic torques of EHMG with Halbach array are increased by 59.1% and 55.6% compared with the EHMG with radial magnetization, which verifies the superior performance of EHMG with Halbach array. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a control method for step voltage regulators (SVRs) to avoid voltage violations in distribution systems with unbalanced voltages due to photovoltaic (PV) generation and electric vehicle (EV) charging. Distribution system operators must effectively address voltage problems resulting from the widespread installation of distributed energy resources under the optimizing the utilization of existing voltage regulators to establish an efficient and rational infrastructure. Therefore, this study focused on advancements in voltage control using SVR based on line‐drop compensator (LDC) control, which is widely used in actual operations. We propose a method that utilizes voltage data from information technology switches to detect and address voltage unbalances in the control section, allowing for the sequential adjustment of the monitoring target in LDC control to maintain appropriate voltage limits under unbalanced conditions. We conducted power flow calculations using a distribution system model that represents an actual distribution system in the Hokuriku area. The effectiveness of the proposed method was evaluated in terms of its impact on PV and EV hosting capacity, as well as the frequency of tap operations. © 2023 The Authors. IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering published by Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequency‐domain electromagnetic (FDEM) instruments are effective tools for detecting underground electrical abnormal targets. However, due to the influence of various noises in the detection process, would lead to l poor signal‐to‐noise ratio of the system and would ultimately affect the detection accuracy. And FDEM detection systems have a defined measuring range. Excessive noise will lead to saturation of the system acquisition and distortion of the measurement. Because of the above problems, an acquisition technique for the FDEM receiving system is proposed to achieve noise suppression in the detection process. The scheme proposes a multi‐frequency LC filtering circuit to optimize the analog signal acquisition module of the receiver system. The circuit converts the measured voltage signal into a current signal, improving the system's immunity to interference. At the same time, the noise of non‐target frequencies in the measured signal is suppressed, avoiding saturation of the receiving system acquisition, and realizing high signal‐to‐noise acquisition of multiple target frequencies. First, the principle of circuit design is analyzed, and the design flow of circuit parameters is proposed. Further, the validity of the design is verified via simulation results. Finally, the optimization scheme is validated with an actual circuit. The results show that for the measurement environment set in this paper, this optimization scheme can suppress the noise of non‐target frequency in the measured signal, so that the noise amplitude can be reduced by more than 90%, and the signal‐to‐noise ratio of the filtered signal can be improved by 23.35 dB. This study helps to facilitate FDEM instruments to achieve high signal‐to‐noise ratio detection. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important for university students studying elementary music education to master basic conducting gestures. We have developed a VR training system for self‐study of Saito's music conducting method. The system uses a depth camera and magnetic motion capture system to measure hand movements, and an HMD to superimpose the teacher's hand on the trainee's own hand. With the system, trainee can self‐study while visually and three‐dimensionally checking the motion and timing of the teacher's and the trainee's own hand gestures. In this paper, we describe an evaluation experiment with our system. The results showed that the VR environment is effective for learning three‐dimensional movements, and that the addition of a visual line display function for trajectories, a function to display trajectories from different viewpoints, and a replay function improves the learning effect. Specifically, the results of a short training session of 5 min revealed that the developed system was effective in bringing 75% of the trainees closer to the teacher's gesture. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an energy management strategy (EMS) based on double‐deep Q‐Networks (DDQN) with demand torque prediction (DTP) to optimize the fuel consumption of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) by online utilizing vehicle‐to‐vehicle (V2V) information. The main framework of the EMS is designed as DDQN, combining Q‐learning with the deep neural network to realize real‐time training and online optimization of the torque distribution between the internal combustion engine and the electric motor, and given that the model training easily falls into local minima and overestimation, two different Q‐networks are designed to decouple action selection and target evaluation. Meanwhile, BP‐network predicts future demand torque using the ego vehicle speed, front vehicle speed, and distance between the two vehicles to reduce the burden of model training due to the introduction of traffic information. The predicted demand torque is introduced into the DDQN‐based EMS as states, together with the distance traveled in the driving cycle and the current information on HEV. The effectiveness and adaptability to actual driving cycles of the proposed strategy are verified by comparison with DDQN‐based EMS without DTP and rule‐based EMS. The results show that the fuel consumption using DDQN‐based EMS without DTP is reduced by 4.1% compared with rule‐based EMS. The introduction of demand torque prediction resulted in a further 3.9% reduction in fuel consumption. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strong demographic headwinds have motivated Japan to strengthen its economy by fostering innovation. This paper draws on a panel of business enterprises operating in 33 industries in Japan to examine how research and development (R&D) activities affect employment. Our findings suggest that employment gains are associated with innovation, both at the aggregate level and within groups of major industries. The positive impact of technological advancement is more pronounced in the manufacturing sector. The results reveal heterogeneous patterns of the key determinants of employment growth based on the level of industries' routine intensity, but they accord well with the compensation theory concerning the connection between innovation and job creation. These results will be of interest for policymakers to design targeted economic strategies by supporting technological development in Japan and could also serve as a compass for other countries with similar workforce structures and macroeconomic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]