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Abstract: With the diversification of personal senses of value as well as the abundance of lifestyles, people''s preferences, demands, perceptions and evaluations of their residential environment are also becoming more and more diversified. Accordingly, it is necessary to clarify this diversity of urban residential preferences and the diversified demands, perceptions and evaluations of residential environments. In this paper, we first put forward the concept of residential lifestyles. Then, using questionnaire surveys of two Japanese cities, Saga and Kitakyushu, we analyzed the characteristics of residential preferential patterns, residential choice factors and residential satisfaction, as well as their interrelationships. The results of this research will assist in the understanding of the diversification of residential lifestyles. It may also provide more information for the effective and efficient planning and development of residential environments by assisting the better understanding of the various patterns of residential preference, choice and satisfaction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Clarifying the evolutionary relationship between island organisms and those of the adjacent mainland is critical in understanding the dispersal and evolution of species. Considerable research has been conducted on the relationship between plants of the East Asian mainland and the Japanese archipelago as well as the roles of the East China Sea and the Korea (Tsushima) Strait in plant evolution. However, most previously studied species have limited range distributions, which may preclude a comprehensive understanding. Acer mono is a widespread deciduous tree in East Asia. By integrating chloroplast DNA sequences and nuclear microsatellite data, we identified a close genetic relationship between Japanese and subtropical mainland populations. However, different details are revealed by chloroplast DNA sequences and nuclear microsatellite data. The chloroplasts from the northwestern part of the eastern subtropical populations were more closely related to the archipelago populations (CP2 clade), but no shared haplotypes were found, which may indicate an ancestral connectivity. Contrarily, plants from the eastern part of the eastern subtropics and the archipelago populations were assigned into the same gene pool based on nuclear microsatellite data ( K = 6), which probably reflects a recent glaciation connection via pollen dispersal. Our study implies that the Korea (Tsushima) Strait may have been a long-term barrier for A. mono , while the East China Sea may have served as a corridor for pollen dispersal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the primary energy shortage problem, Japan has implemented a series of policies and measures for residential energy conservation and emission reduction. Among them, the home energy management system (HEMS) as a hub connecting users and power companies to realize energy visualization has been widely studied. The research object of this study is a two-story detached residence integrated with HEMS in the "Jono Zero Carbon Smart Community" in Japan. To predict the energy consumed on the next day based on historical data, a short-term household load forecasting model based on the particle swarm optimization regression vector machine algorithm was developed. Then a dynamic pricing model was developed to guide the users' electricity consumption behavior and adjust the grid load. According to the prediction results obtained by the load forecasting model, the annual electricity charges of users under the three pricing schemes of multistep electricity pricing (MEP), time-of-use pricing (TOU), and real-time pricing (RTP) were calculated and compared. The result indicated that the annual electricity cost generated by RTP was less than those generated by MTP and TOU. In addition, after adjusting the users' peak load and combining it with the fluctuating future electricity prices, RTP presented evident economic advantage over MTP and TOU in terms of the annual electricity cost of the users. The study results can provide policy suggestions for the future Japanese government's promotion of RTP strategy, while acting as a reference for further developing the characteristics of HEMS and optimizing the relation between the supply and demand sides. • A short-term forecasting model suitable for household load is established based on PSO-RVM algorithm. • A real-time price (RTP) model is proposed to guide the use behaviors and balance the grid load. • RTP has economic advantages over TOU and MTP under different price schemes. • RTP has a great potential to combine with demand side response and future price fluctuation. • Results can promote RTP and application of HEMS to optimize the relationship between supply and demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Environmental and economic performances of multi energy system(MES) was evaluated. • The operation models of MES cause the difference of environmental performance. • System environmental performance also affected by the CO 2 emission coefficient. • The price of equipment and energy mainly affect the economic performance of MES. Due to the improvement of people's living standards, uptake of multi-functional household appliances, electricity consumption accounts for a rising ratio in the proportion of primary energy usage. Currently, electricity accounts for more than 50% of primary energy usage and city gas is about 21% of total. The aim of this research focus on improving the efficiency of household energy usage and optimizing the economy of residential energy systems. This paper classified the detail electricity consumption and generation for a Japan typical household with Hybrid Fuel cell and Photovoltaic System (HFPS) based on the history monitored data. Then a simulation model of the Hybrid Heat pump and Photovoltaic System (HHPS) was designed under the same user load for analyzing the energy consumption. Finally, the economy of the two systems is compared and optimized by considering the carbon tax, equipment price and energy price fluctuation. In general, by comparing the environmental and economic performances of both two systems, the results showed that HFPS has a better environmental performance than HHPS, but HHPS presented an economic advantage over HFPS. In addition, with the change of equipment price and the development trend of energy price in the future, the economic performance of HFPS is gradually improved, which is better than HHPS and has more development prospects. The results of this work provide policy guidance for the future Japanese government's promotion of residential fuel cell systems, while choosing the optimal path between user energy characteristics and power contract scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]