This study aimed to determine the EOG interface that can be used for ALS, which can be used without preparation. Thus, eye movement detection was proposed using the RMS of the active threshold (AT) and K-NN methods. The AT method is dynamically performed using the RMS. In this study the combined use of both methods was described. Experiments on waveform detection accuracy were conducted on 19 healthy subjects between the ages of 20 and 29 years. The hit rate of the proposed method was 94%, and the false alarm rate was 9%. Next, we calculated the information transfer rate (ITR), a popular evaluation index for BCI. Using the proposed method, the ITR was bits/min. A P300 Speller is one of the bio-signal interfaces, that its ITR is 11 bits/min. Therefore, the ITR of the proposed method was higher than that of other bio-signal interfaces. Furthermore, the proposed method has shown great application potential as an interface.

Sense of agency refers to the perception that one is the initiator of an action. The impact of prediction error on sense of agency has not been thoroughly explored. Sense of agency in machine operation is influenced by noise; thus, uncertainty cannot be overlooked. Our study aimed to elucidate the effects of prediction error and uncertainty on sense of agency. Previous study has shown that prediction error and uncertainty interact to influence the sense of agency. However, the interaction has not been examined in continuous operations. In the steering task, prediction error was manipulated through expected delays, and prediction uncertainty was altered by the variance in delays. Our results revealed an interaction between prediction error and uncertainty. Thus, sense of agency is preserved with large uncertainty when facing large prediction errors. This finding suggests that precision-weighted prediction errors significantly affect sense of agency.

Healthcare information technology (IT) is expected to improve the cost-efficiency of national healthcare. Meanwhile, cross-border M&A are increasingly active in the IT field. In this context, this study addressed the country-of-origin (COO) and COO fit between acquiring and acquired firms regarding cross-border acquisition (CBA) of IT vendors. A unified theory of acceptance and use of technology was applied for psychological assessment. Through two studies based on 308 samples, the data showed significant associations of tech-related COO with individuals’ acceptance of healthcare IT. The results implied CBA is a psychological risk driver in healthcare IT development, suggesting that medical practitioners and policymakers should consider users’ psychological dimension, while they tend to focus on the medical effects. Few researchers have reported on the relationships between CBA and the use of healthcare IT from a psychological approach. Thus, this research is relevant to the practical, social, and theoretical fields.

This study explored the relationship between evaluations of a proactive attitude toward learning-Japan’s learning assessment criteria-and biometric data such as blink count, head sway, and electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. We previously developed a system that quantitatively evaluates self-study using biometric data and improved it by optimizing system threshold adjustments to accommodate different school environments and student groups. This study examined the application of EEG evaluation to different learning environments. Furthermore, the system evaluation thresholds were parameterized and multivariate optimization was used to enhance accuracy and reduce the user burden. Blink count-based evaluations during calculation tasks demonstrated potential for producing learning attitude assessments comparable to teacher judgments. Potential overfitting in noncalculation task evaluations and EEG assessments indicate the need for further verification with a participant sample larger than that considered in this study.

Heart rate is a crucial indicator of physical health, measured manually or via photoplethysmography (PPG) devices. This study assesses the performance of Elliptic, Chebyshev1, and Butterworth filters in processing remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) signals, focusing on noise reduction and accuracy with varying skin tones. Data from 19 subjects aged 20 to 32 years, from diverse ethnic backgrounds, are collected using video recordings and fingertip PPG sensors. Video data are preprocessed to isolate the face region, and rPPG signals are extracted and post-processed for amplitude normalization and frequency filtering. Results indicate that the Elliptic filter achieves the lowest root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.751 and the highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 5.536. The Chebyshev1 filter has an RMSE of 1.768 and an SNR of 3.066, while the Butterworth filter shows the highest RMSE of 3.411 and an SNR of 1.699. Among rPPG methods, ICA and PCA offer the best accuracy.

Mode (major/minor) and tempo are key features shaping emotional responses in Western music, such as classical music loved worldwide. This study examined their independent and combined effects using “Sister Pieces,” systematically modified classical compositions designed to isolate the pure effects of mode and tempo by preserving melody and other elements while varying only these two. Nineteen participants rated 16 stimuli across 23 emotional descriptors. Multiple regression analysis reproduced established associations-mode with valence (e.g., brightness), tempo with arousal (e.g., activeness)-and also revealed cross-dimensional effects: mode influenced arousal, and tempo affected valence. Both dimensions shaped several emotions and did not necessarily align with either axis, consistent with the circular structure of Russell’s valence-arousal model. These findings highlight the utility of Sister Pieces for isolating musical effects with high precision. This approach offers a structured method for psychological and neuroscientific research on affective responses to music, including cross-cultural comparisons.

In this study, as part of the basic research to develop a package design evaluation support system, we aimed to clarify the effects of design elements such as pattern size, spacing, position, and color on consumers’ Kansei in transparent tomato packages. Using tomatoes, which are widely consumed in the market, as the target product, we created and presented packages in which the above design elements were quantitatively varied based on visual characteristics, as well as conducted visual Kansei evaluation experiments with five Kansei evaluation indices. The results revealed that changes in the pattern size and color had an impact on consumers’ Kansei. Furthermore, we found optimal design conditions for each evaluation.

The objective of this study was to investigate the differences and similarities between human-perceived fabric stretchability and the mechanical property values of fabrics, considering weave, knitting, and other structural variations and materials. Therefore, we created an elasticity scale based on mechanical properties and calculated a numerical elasticity evaluation of fabrics as stretching sensation of fabric (SSF) by comparing the elasticity of several fabrics with different fibers, structures, and yarn thicknesses. The relationship between these factors and the mechanical properties influencing fabric stretchability, as well as the impact of fabric structure and material on perceived stretchability, were analyzed. Results indicated that sensory texture perception differed between machine measurements and human evaluations, depending on the weaving and knitting methods. Additionally, distinct trends were observed between woven and knitted fabrics based on fiber type, which significantly influenced stretchability assessments.

We investigated the effects of the silhouette and design details on the perceived sense of high quality for pajamas. Pajama images with various dimensions and details were created through apparel simulation and evaluated for their sense of high quality using the semantic differential method on a seven-point scale. It was found that adding piping to pajamas led to a sense of high quality and the placement of a pocket affected the sense of high quality. In addition, samples with patterns having smaller body width, shoulder width, sleeve width, pant length, and hip circumference than the standard pattern with little wrinkling tended to be perceived as being of higher quality. The identified characteristics of high-quality pajama silhouettes and details provide valuable insights for manufacturers.