This study was conducted to evaluate working posture during obstacle avoidance tasks using a one-class support vector machine (SVM), and to compare the efficacy of this method in relation to traditional ergonomic evaluation methods. Eleven right-handed male participants performed reaching tasks in which they were required to move their right arm toward a predefined target position while avoiding obstacles. Working position, obstacle height/width, and obstacle presence varied among the experimental conditions. Working posture and subjective difficulty were assessed for each condition. The one-class SVM was applied to the quaternion of each body segment, which was determined based on measurements of working posture. Rates of postural anomalies were calculated for each experimental condition. The rates of postural anomalies for the right upper limb and head/neck increased as the width of the obstacle increased. Similarly, the subjective difficulty of work increased as obstacle width increased. Observational methods are unable to identify postural anomalies with regard to the right shoulder abduction angle and right lateral bending angle of the neck. However, our findings indicate that the proposed one-class SVM can detect postural anomalies in the right upper limb and head/neck for different obstacle widths.

The habituation of physical activity is considered as primary chronic disease prevention in public health. The university students' physical activity levels are insufficient. Therefore, their physical inactivity is receiving more attention around the world. People could be more aware of their unhealthy behaviour if they get feedback, and they are likely to change it. This study investigates the effects of self-activity monitoring with real-time feedback on university students' awareness of physical activity and overall health status and explores the physical activity trends. For this purpose, forty Japanese university students participated in the trial wearing activity trackers for 12 weeks in a real-life setting. Two measures were used to assess participants' awareness of physical activity and overall health status: (1) a general questionnaire to detect overall changes in the participants' self-reported health status and physical activity levels before and after the trial, and (2) a weekly questionnaire to explore the changes in the participants' awareness of their physical activity during the trial term. Overall, some items of the participants' self-reported status improved after the trial. However, during the trial, the positive effects of self-monitoring physical activity were not clearly identified on the participants' awareness of the contribution and enhancement of physical activity or the condition which inhibiting them from doing it. There were more negative changes than positive ones in participants' awareness related to willingness to monitor physical activity and sleeping time. Accordingly, the participants' steps and activity calories did not have positive trends. The university student's awareness of physical activity could not be increased by real-time feedback. Therefore, they should be educated about physical activity and its health impact to increase their awareness.

The present paper applies a psychological approach to the evaluation of the impression, perception and aesthetics of public display designs in competitive business contexts. Questionnaires and two versions of data collection methods along with corresponding application guidelines were developed as part of this approach. This approach was developed for marketing department employees, and thus managerial limitations (e.g., the skills /knowledge needed for its implementation) were taken into consideration. The proposed approach, which is simple and easy to carry out, was applied to a case study that carried out evaluations for three platform displays. The results of the evaluations as well as their implications will be discussed.